Chapter Text
Sharing space with Yusuke was nothing new. They had, though for a brief period of time, shared the space in the attic. They frequently sat close to each other during the Phantom Thief meetings, the time they took the train to the planetarium, they spent it pressed against each other. There was no reason for Akira to be so nervous over sharing a bed. He was supposed to be the leader of the Phantom Thieves, courageous, not afraid of anyone or anything that could cross his path – but for whatever reason, keeping eye contact with Yusuke was the hardest thing he had ever done.
Staying up late to help Yusuke with his painting was fun, watching Yusuke create artwork was a work of art itself. The hours simply passed away-– when he blinked, it was well past 4AM, and Yusuke wiped the sweat off of his brow. “Ah… I seem to have lost track of time. There are no trains running at this hour… I hope I am not overstaying my welcome, but it seems necessary that I stay here overnight, and return to the dorms in the morning.”
Akira tries to ignore the butterflies that dance around in his stomach.
Being worried about this felt so silly. He was friends with Yusuke, so being nervous was just… pathetic, somehow. Akira glanced over at Yusuke’s calm expression. The cool night air left a draft in the room. The blanket hardly covered the pair’s legs. Yusuke’s left arm was wrapped around Akira, and Akira was using Yusuke’s chest as a pillow. It was the least he could do, since Yusuke, for whatever reason, had declined sleeping on the couch, and didn’t let Akira sleep there either. Speaking honestly, he didn’t mind the closeness. He loved it.
That was the problem. He felt so comfortable, and so at home, so… safe. Akira could feel his heart beating away, without a care for his anxiety that Yusuke could hear it. If it was commented on, he prayed that his heartbeat would just stop then and there so he wouldn’t have to explain it. The silence made Akira feel slightly awkward, but any conversation would keep him up longer than he would have already. Yusuke’s eyes were closed, and his breathing was steady, yet Akira had a suspicion that he hadn’t fallen asleep quite yet. He listened to the distant winds from outside. At some point, Akira wasn’t sure that the heartbeat was his, or Yusuke’s. The worry that he wouldn’t fall asleep slowly dissipated. His consciousness fades into blissful nothingness.
It was well past noon when they both made their way downstairs. Akira had the passing thought that if he didn’t drink a gallon of coffee, he might flop over and disintegrate. Yusuke looked like he felt the same, though he seemed oddly refreshed. Akira could only assume it was the satisfaction from finally finishing the piece he had been working on for so long. They ate breakfast – (lunch? It was 2PM.) – and Yusuke left shortly after, thanking Akira and Sojiro for their hospitality, as always.
“You’ve made friends with someone incredibly polite. You should learn from him.” Akira recognizes the tone as a kind sort of teasing. He nods his head, smiling slightly. He collects his dishes and heads over to the sink. “You good to help me out today?” There’s a very long pause. He can feel the caffeine in his system now. He’ll probably be half dead tomorrow, but for now? He’s good to work.
The next day, Akira 100% regrets working instead of sleeping. The lesson flies right over his head. He rests his chin in his hand, devoid of the energy to try and force himself awake. He dozes off occasionally, Morgana’s claws digging into his leg the only thing keeping his eyes open. “I keep telling you, you need to sleep more! This is seriously what you deserve for not listening to me.” Ann turns around, just a little.
They meet eyes, and she raises her eyebrows. Akira shakes his head, offering an apologetic smile. His phone buzzes. It’s Ann.
Are you alright? U look dead tired.
He looks to the front. The teacher is writing on the board, talking away - and not paying attention to the class behind him. He types out a response.
I’m ok. Super tired. Helped Yusuke out painting, we stayed up too late.
She sends an emoji. Akira furrows his brows.
What is that supposed to mean?
Another one. Helped him out, huh? What kind of things was he “painting” (wiggles eyebrows).
His face suddenly feels hot. He tugs at his collar.
What exactly are you implying… I seriously just gave him critique and… stuff. That was it. Seriously.
Yeah, okay. Whaaaatever you saaay.
The conversation ends there. Akira doesn’t exactly feel more awake, but he is a bit more alert to the sounds of his phone. He sets it on his lap, hopefully out of the view of other students. He tries to force his attention at the teacher, to hopefully soak up some of the lesson. It’s almost working, until his phone buzzes again. It’s Yusuke. His heart rate quickens.
I apologize for sending you a message so suddenly. I figured it only right that I tell you – my piece was very well received. It is undoubtedly thanks to your efforts. My apologies for making you stay up so late.
Akira taps his fingers idly on the desk. His classmate glances over at him, for a brief second. He twirls his pencil, instead. He types out a response.
I’m glad! Don’t worry about it. It’s no trouble.
As best as he can, he pushes away the anxiety that bubbles up. The end of the day comes quickly.
Ann taps him on his shoulder, and Akira jolts up. “Crap. I fell asleep, huh? How much of the lesson did I miss? Did I miss anything good?”
She laughs. “You didn’t really miss anything. Ryuji messaged the group chat a bit ago, though. We still good to, uh, … You know… But maybe we should forget about it for today. You still seem really tired.”
He lifts his school bag, Morgana’s head just barely visible. They both head out to the front, where Ryuji is most likely waiting for them. “I think I should be okay. I got most of my well needed rest just now… I feel pretty okay, considering.” Ryuji waves to them, and joins them on their way.
“We still going to Mementos today, leader? Ann told me you were asleep all day… Man, I wish I could fall asleep that easily!” Morgana pops out of the bag with a high-pitched meow.
“I still stand by him needing to sleep more often.” Akira scratches Morgana behind the ears. He bristles, but eventually accepts the affection. His ears tilt back. “I’m seriously okay. Besides, if I expend all the energy I just got, then after Mementos, I won’t even complain. I’ll just go right to bed.”
Morgana has an expression of suspicion-– or, well, an expression that is presumably suspicion. It’s sometimes hard to tell. “I’m gonna hold you to that!”
Their banter continues the rest of the way to their hideout. Akira occasionally felt the judgmental stares on his back. He thought he heard the ghost of a whisper of judgmental words – but then Ryuji said something, and his attention changed to that. For a moment, it’s like nothing else existed. The judgmental society didn’t exist, for just a moment. The critical looks all around him disappeared.
Yusuke was waiting for them when they arrived. He did look rather tired… Akira wondered if they both looked that tired. If so, no wonder everyone was telling him to get some rest. “We are still heading into Mementos today, yes?”
“Yup. We only have a small job today-– we discussed it on the way here. I don’t want us to overwork ourselves, especially considering –…” Morgana pops out of the bag and sits on the ground, glaring upwards at Akira. It was amazing how he managed to make Akira feel like he was being scolded and looked down upon. A talent, truly.
“Considering you and Yusuke went to bed far too late. Seriously! What kind of thieves are you!?”
They took the target down easily. Akira was honestly worried how their lack of sleep would affect their performance. It went as smooth as it regularly did, save for a couple of slip up on his and Fox's parts, but that was to be expected. When they went up against the target, their tactics had to change, and Fox was brought back up to the front line. Even though it went well, everyone looked relieved once they had left Mementos. It seems like there was an unspoken worry on everyone’s mind.
Once the group had said their goodbyes and parted to their respective homes, the exhaustion that Akira had been fighting off had finally hit. God, he was so tired. He greeted Sojiro, closed the shop up, and then flopped face first onto his bed with a loud groan. Morgana gave him a look, but curled up on the bed next to him. His phone buzzed, loudly, and Akira groaned again. “You really ought to consider turning that off at night… Oh, but you might miss important messages that way…”
He squints at the sudden light of his phone, shutting one eye. It burns. Two new messages, both from Yusuke.
Evening, leader. I am glad that our heist went smoothly. Akira turns the brightness down as low as it can go. I hope you rest well. That is my plan, as well. Goodnight.
He hesitates a moment before sending, trying to proofread as well as his overly tired brain can.
You too. Sweet dreams, Yusuke.
Before he puts his phone down, he scrolls up through their chat log. Akira smiles, feeling a rush of affection for the artist – and he's about to drift off to sleep, distantly hearing Yusuke's voice in his texts, when he identifies exactly what it is that he feels for the other boy. He locks his phone, and exhales deeply.
“Shit.”