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“Is there a point in inviting him to hang out if he doesn’t even wanna talk to us?” Ann said aloud to Futaba, who was draped over the back of one of the booths.
They were both looking at Ryuji, sitting across from them with his phone in his hands. He’d been glued to it nearly the entire time he’d been here and kept smiling at whatever he was looking at. The first guess was he was talking to his mother but there’s no way Ryuji would spend hours texting his mom. He loved her a lot, but not that much.
At least, Ann hoped.
The second guess was he was looking at stuff online, but he did that plenty enough normally and nothing ever captivated his attention for this long unless he was reading manga online while saying he was ‘studying’. Like a liar.
Ryuji smiled again at whatever was on his screen and typed out a response. A few seconds later and he was muffling laughter behind his hand. So he was definitely talking to someone but all of their closest friends were right here in the cafe and Ryuji didn’t really talk that much to his teammates outside of practice.
Ann and Futaba looked at each other at the same time, eyes wide while whispering their shared prediction.
“Girlfriend.”
Their little Ryuji; the one who had gone ‘girl-crazy’ during highschool and yet went his whole teenage life without one. (Ann went through the same phase, the only difference was she actually got a girl). It was almost too hard to believe without proof.
Which meant they needed proof.
“Hey, see if you can peek behind his shoulder and see who he’s texting?” Ann whispered to her now partner in crime and the younger girl gave a thumbs up before getting up to enact her plan, no other persuasion needed. Ann would’ve done it herself but Ryuji knew her too well and would immediately suspect that she was up to something.
Futaba took the long way around. She got up to stretch, harass Sojiro for a cup of special coffee, and wandered around the group just to sneak onto the booth right behind Ryuji. Not that he would’ve noticed; his eyes were still superglued to his phone screen and he was too busy texting to focus on anything other than his phone. Not even when Futaba had managed to peak her head just over the edge of the booth and looked just barely over his shoulder.
Her eyes grew as wide as saucers and she bolted straight up, slamming her hands so hard on the bench that she simultaneously startled Ryuji bad enough that he dropped his phone and got the attention of everyone in the cafe.
“I saw a heart!”
“Futaba, what the hell?!” Ryuji grabbed his phone before Ann could make a move for it and cradled it close to his chest for safety.
“Seriously?! What was the name?”
”Ann!”
“I don’t know I couldn’t see it!”
“Alright, everybody stop,” Makoto stepped in, turning in her seat to address the situation and holding her hands up to placate. “What’s going on? What did you mean, Futaba?”
“Ryuji’s got a secret girlfriend that he’s been texting all day and ignoring his friends.” Futaba announced with a flick to the back of Ryuji’s head for extra measure. He grumbled and idly rubbed the spot where she hit and still kept his phone close.
“I do not! And has anyone ever heard of privacy?”
“Oh! A girlfriend? Why didn’t you tell us, Ryuji-kun? We would love to meet her.” Haru looked happy to hear the news, spinning around in her seat to look at Ryuji with wide eyes and a smile.
“I don’t have a girlfriend!”
“I know what I saw, Sakamoto! That was a heart right next to the name! Hearts are reserved for moms and significant others, and I know for a fact that your contact name for your mom is ‘Mama’ and NO HEART!” Futaba stood from the booth and pointed an accusatory finger at Ryuji, like a lawyer making a dramatic theory in a courtroom.
Ryuji’s face flooded red from embarrassment from a combination of everyone’s eyes on him and Futaba outing his contact name for his mom.
“W-Well, I-I, you-I-I’m-,” Ryuji struggled in vain to defend himself, mouth opening and closing as he thought of anything to say, before ending his own misery with a loud, dismayed groan and he dropped his head to the table with a thud.
“I knew it!” Futaba shouted and Ann was a little concerned that she was more excited about embarrassing Ryuji than actually finding out what he was hiding.
“So, it seems it’s true. Ryuji has found a girlfriend. Though I’d have to say I second Haru’s question. Why didn’t you tell us, Ryuji? If you don’t mind me asking.” Yusuke idly sipped from his coffee cup, managing to somehow look interested and disinterested at the same time. But, that was really just Yusuke once you got to know him.
Ryuji responded with another loud and despaired groan, face buried in his arms where he could hide. The tips of his ears were still red, which stood out against the silver piercings and the blond hair.
“All right, enough torturing the kid with questions. If he doesn’t wanna say then that’s his business.” Sojiro, the only sane adult in the room, came to his rescue and Ryuji wished he could thank him a thousand times over.
“But, Dad-!”
”Futaba.”
Ann looked over to where Ryuji sat, now having pulled up the hood on his sweatshirt to further hide himself away from the world. She leaned forward to gently tap him on the head until he lifted it, cheeks red and still looking like the kid who was caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
“Alright, come on, Ryuji. Just tell us what’s going on. We’re your friends, nothing’s gonna bother us.” She tried to reassure him, pulling the hood off of him and ruffling his messy hair. She remembered one time in middle school, Shiho had compared Ryuji to a happy golden retriever and Ann never believed her until he dyed his hair and she could see the resemblance.
Ryuji hesitated and then heaved a big sigh, sitting up just to lay back against the booth. His head thumped against the back but he didn't seem to care. All eyes in the cafe were suddenly on him and he tried to ward away the oncoming stage fright.
“Okay, fine. I’ve been… seeing someone.” He finally admitted under his breath. His fingers fidgeted with the charm on his phone; a little yellow lightning bolt to match his phone case. If Ann remembered correctly, Makoto gave that to him a few birthdays ago. It was already well worn and a little chipped on the corners.
“Oh! Who is she?” Haru’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, getting excited all over again.
Ryuji’s eyes focused on the table beside him instead of any of his friends. “Well… it’s uh… complicated?” He shrugged, unable to find any other words to explain himself.
“Well, how long have you been dating?” Makoto asked. Again, Ryuji averted eye contact and lightly scratched the back of his neck.
“Uhh, a few months, I think?”
“A few months?!” Futaba exclaimed and startled Ryuji. “You’ve had a girlfriend for months and didn’t tell anyone?”
Ryuji’s cheeks reddened again and rubbed his phone charm in between his fingers to ease some anxiety. “I-I was planning on telling you eventually. I just… didn’t know when.”
“Now that it’s out in the open, I suppose delaying the inevitable isn’t an option anymore. If your significant other is open to the idea, we would like to meet her in person.” Yusuke suggested. “It would be nice to possibly have another member to add to our little group.” He added, with a small but earnest smile.
“I agree with Yusuke; we would love to meet her, Ryuji.” Makoto nodded with a polite smile. “Of course, that’s up for her and you to decide. But we can be patient until you’ve decided.”
Ryuji’s face was still red but to a lesser degree. His brows furrowed a little, like he was thinking hard on something, and lightly nibbled on his lower lip. Eventually, he let out a long sigh through his nose and lifted his head to address them all.
“All right, I’ll, uh… I’ll talk to her and see what she thinks about it.”
Ann grinned and let her hand rest on his shoulder. “Awesome! Can’t wait!” She gave him a wide smile in hopes of lifting his spirits and it seemed to work a little, though he still looked like he wanted to curl in on himself.
Haru let out a little gasp, like an idea had suddenly struck her. “What if we set the meeting place here in Leblanc? It’ll be private and a familiar place so we’ll all be comfortable here.”
All eyes turned to Sojiro standing behind the counter. He seemed surprised that they were even asking for permission at all since they frequented Leblanc so often. Still, he gave a small shrug and smiled in approval. “I can close up early for you kids. I’ll admit, I’m curious myself.”
“Thanks, Boss!” Ann grinned and gently squeezed Ryuji’s shoulder. “You better keep us updated, Ryuji.”
“Why am I friends with you again?”
“Because I know too many secrets.”
“True.”
~~~
A few days later, a date has been set for the following Sunday for everyone to gather in Leblanc. Ryuji and his date would be arriving last since everyone had gotten there ahead of time. Ann had gotten the text that they would be there within a few minutes and they anxiously waited for them to walk through the door.
“You okay, ‘Yuji?”
“Yeah, I’m good. I’m fine.”
“Come on, tell me what’s up. Are you nervous?”
“... A little.”
“It’s okay to be nervous, there’s nothing wrong with that. We can still back out if you want and go back to my apartment.”
“Nah, I can’t do that. I mean, we’d had to do this eventually. We’ll just do it quick, like a bandaid, ya’know.”
“It’s so romantic to compare me to a bandaid. You have such a way with words.”
“You knew what you were getting into when you agreed to date me.”
“Yep. Still don’t regret it.”
Ryuji stopped in front of Leblanc’s door but was hesitant to open it. He knew everyone was inside and waiting for him and that only made him feel more nervous, if that was even possible at this point.
A soft, warm hand slid into his and tangled their fingers together. Some silent encouragement to help him along.
“You can do it, Ryuji. I’m right here.”
Ryuji breathed in deep through his nose and out through his mouth. “Yeah. Yeah, okay. Let’s do it.”
The door to Leblanc opened and all of his friends were inside, sitting in booths and chairs with coffee. Everyone looked up as Ryuji walked in, followed by a young man with dark, messy hair and pretty, silver eyes. He was handsome and dressed in jeans and a dark jacket, one hand sitting in his pocket. The other was in Ryuji’s hand in a firm hold.
“Hey, guys. This is my… my b-boyfriend, Kurusu Akira.”
The silence that followed in the cafe made his blood run cold but Akira was completely unfazed. His finger tightened around Ryuji’s and flashed his charming smile at his friends, cranking up the charisma that Ryuji knew he was hiding behind his dorky exterior.
“Hi. Ryuji’s told me so much about you all, I’m so happy to meet everyone.”
Admittedly, it took a moment for anyone to respond. Akira seemed sweet and genuine but the idea of him being Ryuji’s boyfriend never really crossed anyone’s mind until now.
Futaba took a few steps forward, looking Akira up and down with an almost judgmental look, eyes narrowing as she took him in. It didn’t faze Akira in the slightest.
“Is he cool?” She asked, looking at Ryuji.
“Huh? I mean, I guess?”
“Aren’t you biased though?” Akira elbowed him lightly and Ryuji couldn’t resist elbowing him back in retaliation.
“I take it back, you’re a nerd.”
Futaba was still looking unconvinced, arms crossed and studying Akira’s face and clothing thoroughly. Then she stepped forward again until she was nearly right in front of Akira.
“What did you think of the new Featherman reboot?”
“It was boring, they ruined Pink’s character arc and I watched the original series in a weekend just out of spite.”
There was a brief moment of silence before Futaba nodded sagely and relaxed her stance.
“He’s cool.”
With the ice seemingly broken, the atmosphere in the cafe changed as everyone shared a laugh. Apparently, Akira passed Futaba’s ‘test’ and that was good enough for everyone else. It took a big weight off of Ryuji’s shoulders.
“It’s so good to finally meet you, Akira-kun!” Haru smiled earnestly. “Although, we have to admit, we didn’t know you were with Ryuji until a few days ago.”
“Yeah. I mean, no offense, but we didn’t expect you to be… you.” Ann stumbled a little over her words. She didn’t want to offend Akira in any way; that would be a shitty first impression and Ryuji would probably never forgive her for making things awkward.
“Oh, none taken. Ryuji told me beforehand that you guys just found out about us. I was fine with the wait, though. I was willing to wait until he was ready.” The two of them got comfortable in the empty booth they left just for them. Akira reached over for Ryuji’s hand again and gently squeezed. He could still feel how tense he was.
“Yeah, I… I didn’t know how you guys were gonna take it.” Ryuji said. “I know I talked a lot about girls when I was younger. I didn’t even know I was into guys until I met Akira. It just felt… different.” He added, with a shy look towards Akira, who just smiled and gently ran his thumb over his palm.
“Awww! He was your closet key.” Futaba grinned, sitting crouched on one of the bar stools. Ryuji rolled his eyes and was half tempted to push her off the chair.
“So how did you two meet? And how long ago?” Makoto asked, sitting across from them along with Ann.
“We actually met in the park. I’m new to the city, I just moved here from the countryside and I had no idea what I was doing,” Akira chuckled lightly. “I wanted to take up running as a hobby and I accidentally ran into Ryuji on one of the trails.”
“I volunteered to help him out and we started running together. We got each other’s numbers and before we knew it, we were texting nearly every day.” Ryuji added on. “We kinda made a little routine out of it. We would meet up, go running, and then go out for breakfast. And then it eventually turned into us spending the whole day together.” He paused for a moment, his cheeks flaring a bright pink. “I guess we started going on dates before we even started dating.”
“Ryuji was the one who asked me out first. Took me by surprise, to be honest. I thought he was straight.” Akira smiled innocently at his boyfriend glaring at him and his friends not helping by laughing.
“Well until today, we did too.” Ann giggled. Ryuji’s face went from pink to a dark red and a part of Ann felt a little bad for teasing him again but she didn’t want him to think they were mocking him.
“But, seriously. We’re happy for you guys. You didn’t need to hide anything from us, Ryuji. We’re your friends. All we care about is if you’re happy.” Ann reached over to place her hand over Ryuji’s free hand and she didn’t miss the way Akira’s fingers tightened their hold on Ryuji’s other hand. She looked over at the same time he did and it was like Akira read her mind.
“Ryuji was always talking about you guys every time we would hang out. It almost made me a little jealous that I wasn’t friends with you all already.”
“We would be delighted to have you as our friend, Akira. I’m certain I say for everyone here that we look forward to learning more about you.” Yusuke said it better than anyone else could’ve. Even Yusuke, who was almost as bad a ‘people-person’ as Futaba, was happy to meet Akira and that helped assuage the anxiety in Ryuji’s stomach.
Ryuji still looked embarrassed but he smiled regardless and looked up at his friends. “Thanks, guys. That means a lot. I knew you guys would love him, though. Akira’s amazing.” Now that his walls were lowered, it gave Ryuji the perfect opportunity to gush about his boyfriend with no holds barred.
“Okay, now you’re definitely biased.” Akira rolled his eyes playfully but still had that playful grin on his face.
“I am not!”
“Oh, you definitely are.”
“You be quiet you little gremlin.”
The bell above the door rang as Sojiro walked in with a grocery bag in his hand, looking up to do a headcount of the kids as he always did when they invaded his cafe. Only this time, there was one extra person that he didn’t recognize.
“Oh, Boss! You’re just in time.” Haru smiled and gestured towards Akira politely. “This is Ryuji’s boyfriend, Akira.”
Akira jumped in to save Ryuji the embarrassment of awkwardly explaining. “It’s nice to meet you, Sakura-san. I’ve heard so much about this cafe from Ryuji, it looks beautiful.” Ryuji could tell he was turning up the charm for first impressions but he could also tell when he was being honest.
“Ah, at least this one has some manners. Refreshing.” Sojiro grinned and chuckled under his breath. “Well, nice to meet you, kid. You don’t have to be so polite, just call me Boss. Everyone else does.” He walked behind the bar to set down his bag and tie a green apron around his waist. “I’ll get the coffee and curry started, just pretend I’m not here.”
“Oh, that’s right! You’re about to taste Leblanc’s world famous coffee and curry! You better like it.” Futaba said in a tone that didn’t leave much room for arguments.
“I’ve never had curry and coffee together.”
Ryuji shrugged. “It’s weird but Boss makes it work.”
“If you say so. It already smells good.”
It was just like Akira to win everybody’s seal of approval within the hour. He talked video games and phones with Futaba, expressed the desire to go shopping with Ann as soon as possible, talked to Makoto about his studies and what he wanted to do at the university he and Ryuji attended. He even sat with what looked like legit fascination as Yusuke went on and on about the different methods of painting he was experimenting with this month. He recognized Haru’s name but didn’t seem fazed by it at all. Probably didn’t want to make her uncomfortable.
Even Boss liked him as soon as the coffee and curry was served. Akira didn’t waste a second complimenting Boss and Ryuji swore he could see it on Sojiro’s face the moment he decided he liked this new kid that had made his way into their group.
In a way, it wasn’t even surprising. Sure, Ryuji had those doubts in the back of his mind that this would never work out and Akira wouldn’t get along with anybody but those doubts were washed away almost the instant they sat down and everybody started chatting like it was a normal Sunday.
But Akira just had this way with people. From the minute they first met in that park, Ryuji just felt drawn to him in a way he’d never felt about anyone else before. He just wanted to stay and talk with him for as long as he could. Their conversations never got old, no matter how long they spoke. The week after they started running together started the trend of them talking until the late hours of the night and early hours in the morning.
There was something special about Akira that Ryuji had a hard time explaining but he hoped that his friends would see the same things he saw in Akira that made him so wonderful.
Underneath the table, while everyone was distracted by food and conversation, Ryuji reached over to squeeze Akira’s hand resting on his thigh. He didn’t have the words to express himself right now (his heart ached to say those three little words but he was scared that they weren’t ready for it yet) and even if he did have the words, he couldn’t say it with the crowd around them. He could only hope that Akira understood what he was trying to say without saying it.
Akira looked up with a cup of coffee in his hands and a warm smile on his face. His fingers squeezed his hand and Ryuji knew that, even without words, they understood each other completely.
“Sojiro, Akira and Ryuji are flirting over here while I’m trying to eat!”
“Leave them alone, Futaba.”