Chapter Text
Ren Amamiya doesn't feel like an alpha most of the time.
It's not that he's got the wrong temperament for it, or feels a disconnect with his dynamic, or anything. He knows he's an alpha, and he's comfortable with that–being an alpha feels right to him, the same way his body feels like home when he looks in the mirror. It's just that Ren is pretty sure that being an alpha is, well, different for him than it is for other people.
He smells like an alpha, yes. He acts like an alpha, sure. But when it comes to other people, Ren rarely fits into what they think an alpha is supposed to be. It's as if his dynamic is sectioned off in some part of himself where other people's dynamics can never touch it; omegas' scents don't make him ache with desire, and other alphas' pheromones don't prompt his own to flare up in competition. He can smell them just fine, and they'll respond to his scent, and yet he never spirals into the overwhelming lust or violence he sees crashing through his classmates' lives. No one's ever picked a fight with Ren Amamiya that he didn't pick first.
(Although he could probably stand to get better at choosing which fights he wants to pick. Everyone keeps telling him as much whenever he punches above his weight, that as an alpha he should do a better job of gauging which fights he can't possibly win, that an alpha should always understand his place in the order of things. He just nods along and smiles obediently and fails to mention how little he regrets any of it.)
"Our scents act kind of like a feedback loop," his homeroom teacher said in his old high school's first-year sex ed class. "They build on and respond to each other, so if you cut out the response on one end, the other can't go very far." She'd been explaining how heat suppressants worked, something to do with making an omega unable to enter a mating frenzy when they smelled a compatible alpha, but Ren suddenly understood why he had such an easy time getting along with everyone. Something about him stopped that loop just as it was getting started, made him unable to respond in kind, and that made restraining the worst of his alpha's impulses a lot easier than it was for other people.
He'd liked that teacher a lot, back then. She was kind and funny and asked him about his plans for the future like they actually mattered. Then he got arrested, and she failed him on every assignment and test without ever checking his answers. The last time Ren saw her, she crossed the street to avoid going anywhere near him.
So really, there's a lot to be said for living in a big city where most people who see him don't know that he's on parole. His new friends in Tokyo care a lot more about his weird dynamic than his record, and lately the rest of his school's student body seems interested in it too. (You know, another alpha in his group tried to challenge him over an omega at the cleanup, he's been hearing all over the Shujin hallways this week, and he didn't even blink!) Ren doesn't much care for being a novelty, but it's at least an improvement over being a pariah, so he likes to think he's come out ahead.
"What were all those girls hanging around for, anyway?" Ryuji grumbles as they amble down one of the hallways at the TV station. "They just got in the way, it should've taken us like half as long as it did."
Ren suppresses a grimace. That's right, since Ryuji's not in his class, he wouldn't have seen it before. "I guess it's kind of a trend," he says. "Lately the omegas at our school have been daring each other to go hang out by my desk during break."
Ryuji's nose wrinkles. (It's kind of cute.) "What the hell for?" he grumbles, kicking absently at the floor. "Kind of a shitty dare if you ask me. I mean, what's the point?"
"Well," Ren says, knowing Ryuji isn't going to like the answer. "Apparently they're trying to test me."
"Huh?" Ryuji looks at him blankly, and Ren loves him a little bit for his obvious incomprehension. His best friend is good-natured to a fault, not someone who'd ever think up something like this.
"It's, uh. Seeing if they can affect me. Their scents," Ren mutters, scuffing his heel against the ground nervously. "They want to see if they can make me lose control."
Ryuji gapes at him, then shifts into indignant. "Man, what the hell!" he snarls, kicking one of the walls with a heavy thump. Ren winces–he's always fascinated by Ryuji's hot temper, nothing like how any of his omega classmates back home acted, but he wishes Ryuji wasn't upset on his behalf. "That's messed up, you're not s'posed to pull that shit on anyone, like you don't have enough to deal with already!"
Ren shrugs helplessly, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I mean, it's not like it actually does anything to me. It's just kinda awkward."
Morgana pops up out of his bag, bracing his front paws against Ren's shoulder. "Lady Ann's the one having a hard time with it," he adds huffily. "She's not immune to it like this guy, and she can't always shake it off in time to concentrate on class."
"But it's not like the teachers'll listen to a couple delinquents and make 'em stop, huh. I'm sorry, man," Ryuji mumbles, his shoulders slumping, and he drops the subject. Ren can smell his friend's scent shifting slightly, probably in an instinctive attempt to soothe him. He appreciates the thought, even if it won't do anything for him.
Ren knows that Ryuji's more than a little sweet on him at this point. He's not sure what to do about it, or more accurately, if he should do something about it. It's not like there's no appeal there; Ren thinks Ryuji's nice, and cute in his own way, and genuinely into him. He can imagine them dating, can imagine it'd be a lot of fun, can imagine Ryuji being even more lovable as a partner than a friend. Ren's previous teenage relationships fizzled out pretty fast, but his connection with Ryuji is already close enough that he has a hard time imagining it'd be more of the same here.
But...sometimes he thinks that what Ryuji wants most is an alpha that won't ever be ruled by their dynamic the way other alphas are. Like his dad, like Kamoshida. Ren doesn't exactly mind that, or at least he's not not fine with it, considering everything Ryuji's been through–and yet the thought still sticks uncomfortably to him, like a burr caught stubbornly in some raw piece of himself he's tucked out of sight. Everyone says pheromone compatibility isn't everything, and it's true enough, but in practice Ren has found that everyone eventually gets tired of dating an alpha who can't be the full package. Not enough of an alpha for people who like them, but too much of an alpha for people who are into betas.
Call it an old daydream, one Ren thought he'd grown out of by now. Before he knew why he was different, he used to wonder what it would be like to find someone who could finally coax his alpha out of him. He used to hope that all it would take was a chance meeting with the right person for that side of him to finally wake up. These days he keeps his wishes a lot less ambitious, but as they say, old dreams die hard.
(He wonders if it would scare Ryuji, if he found out Ren wants to experience the same alpha instincts he wants to be safe from.)
Ren's still lost in thought when Ann comes around the corner and joins them, so he doesn't join in when she and Ryuji immediately start bickering about what to do next. He starts to tune out the conversation a little around the point where Morgana brings up something about pancakes. There's a delicious smell wafting in from somewhere that's distracting him, a sweet mix of vanilla and something floral. Apple blossoms, maybe? Whatever it is, it smells so good that it's making it hard for him to think about anything else.
...Actually, that's kind of odd, isn't it?
And then a boy walks into view, and he stops to look at them, and suddenly Ren's heart leaps into his throat. Their eyes meet, and the newcomer's widen slightly, fixed on Ren like he's the only other person in the world. That inviting scent swells in the air around them, and Ren realizes–
Oh. So this is what it's like. No wonder people were making such a big deal over it.
Ren can't make any sense of it.
Goro Akechi affects him like no other omega ever has, affects him like he was any other alpha reacting to any other omega, and he has no idea why. It can't just be Akechi's scent–apple blossoms and vanilla isn't that unusual a combination, Ren had an omega neighbor with the same scent profile who left for college last year and he was as unaffected by her as everyone else. Akechi smells just like she did, and yet somehow it smells so much better on Akechi, so good it makes Ren's head spin. Even a day later and at the more sensible distance of the studio audience chairs, it snatches at his attention greedily; Ren can't take his eyes off Akechi for a single moment, even as he disagrees with him on every point of his thesis.
It feels like some kind of cosmic joke–the only person to ever coax an alpha's response from him, and of course it's the detective who's investigating him and his friends, of course it's the guy who just declared himself against everything Ren's group stands for, of course it's someone pretending to be normal when he can hear Morgana speak. Goro Akechi might as well have a neon sign pointing to him with BAD IDEA written on it in the most eye-searing shades possible. Ren desperately wants to see him again already, and they're still in the same damn room.
Akechi tracks him down after the interview's over, calls him intriguing, even thanks him for arguing the opposite position. Ren wishes he could keep a single thought in his skull long enough to stay intriguing right now, but he's utterly tongue-tied from the clamorous nothing filling his cotton-ball brain, so he just does his best to mask his panicked silence as calm instead. Then Akechi shakes his hand, and any chance at recovering enough for a sensible conversation is gone as soon as he feels the crinkle of soft, warm leather against his clammy palm. Ren barely manages to string three words together, but still somehow stumbles through decently enough to get Akechi's chat ID. Akechi says he hopes to see him again soon, and Ren is fervently grateful that the rest of his class isn't around to notice the way he perks up at that. He feels like he's losing his mind.
Ren ignores Ryuji's visible confusion as he excuses himself to the bathroom the moment his friend gets back, shoving the Mona-bag into Ryuji's hands as he bolts. He stumbles into a stall and barely gets the door closed before he's jerking himself off hard and fast, desperately hoping no one comes in for just a few more minutes, his left hand pressed over his nose and mouth so he can catch the last faint traces of scent Akechi left there (not nearly enough–he wishes Akechi hadn't been wearing gloves today). He's mortified by his own dynamic for the first time he can remember, even as he shudders through one of the most satisfying orgasms of his life.
It turns out that he doesn't much like the walk of shame, especially taking it through a TV station. Thankfully, it doesn't seem like Ryuji got enough of a whiff of Ren's pheromones to realize why he left in a hurry, and Morgana hasn't had much practice interpreting people's scents, so he gets away with it without having to field extremely awkward questions. He's not sure what he'd do if he actually had to drag himself through that conversation–change his name and flee the country, maybe.
Akechi starts greeting him on the subway platform in the mornings after that. The first few times are just as embarrassing as their first meeting, but luckily it doesn't take very long for Ren to get used to Akechi's appetizing pheromones. (At least enough to carry on a conversation like a normal person, anyway.) Akechi still smells amazing, still exerts that strangely magnetic pull on his instincts, but as his presence becomes familiar it doesn't have the same overwhelming effect anymore. Ren even starts being able to relax around him, which is nice.
As he relaxes, he starts noticing that something still feels off about their interactions, though. Akechi is always elegantly poised, just shy of the point where he'd be called stiff instead, as if he never lowers his guard no matter how casual the conversation. His soft, pleasant smile is always fixed in place, and despite the fact that Ren can rub enough brain cells together to actually make a decent joke now, his laughter is always exactly the same, doled out exactly as often as before. Ren starts to wonder if every conversation is a calculation for Akechi; he can't think that would be much fun to keep up for long, and yet Akechi still seeks him out day after day.
He wonders what Akechi wants from him, what he's not saying. Whatever it is, Ren's looking forward to figuring it out. Flush with questions begging for answers (and confident in his self-control by now), he finally agrees to one of Akechi's invitations to come play billiards in Kichijoji. Maybe the Detective Prince will let his guard down a little more when they're not limited to brief hellos exchanged mid-commute.
They chat a little bit on their way into Penguin Sniper, and Ren starts to think that he isn't going to get anything new out of this, and then Akechi practically bends in half over the table lining up a shot and Ren nearly drops his cue stick. Akechi doesn't say anything about it, mercifully, but Ren catches the glint in his eyes when he straightens back up and apologizes for hitting a break ace–Akechi's having real fun now, and it's at Ren's expense. Ren knows he's done an abysmal job of tamping down on his pheromones so far, so Akechi has to know that Ren's interested, and now he's using that against him. What for? Maybe he thinks Ren won't have the willpower to ignore this kind of distraction enough to put up a good fight.
It's the first real hint Akechi's given at what he's keeping hidden under the perfect plaster of the Detective Prince–something that seems calculating, manipulative, and probably not nearly as pleasant as he likes to make himself out to be. Ren probably shouldn't find it as attractive as he does. But Ren loves a challenge, and he loves defying people's expectations even more. He's not skilled enough (yet) to put up much of a fight in their game, but when he points out Akechi's self-imposed handicap after, the look of delighted wonder Akechi gives him is something Ren knows he's earned, and that makes his efforts all the sweeter.
Even though Akechi dominates a lot of his thoughts these days, Ren mostly doesn't talk about him with his friends. Ryuji in particular gets upset at the mere mention of him; he says he hates how Akechi publicly denounces the Phantom Thieves, and Ren doesn't press him on it, not wanting to hurt his pride. So his teammates aren't an option, and he's definitely not talking to anyone else about it–he doesn't want to imagine the field day the school gossips would have with the news that someone finally broke through notorious criminal Ren Amamiya's defenses, especially when that someone is a celebrity that half the school seems to be panting after already.
He really wishes he could talk about Akechi, because he has no idea what he's doing and none of the relevant experience his peers do. Since he can't, he does his best to muddle through on his own. Same as he's always done, it's no big deal. He tells himself he's doing fine, he doesn't need anyone's help with this kind of thing. Then Ann finally mentions Akechi when they're chatting over a couple of the new Frui-Tea drinks the diner's started selling, and the pathetic rush of relief he immediately feels puts the lie to his internal pep talks.
Then he feels like an asshole, because Ann has been crying and he's supposed to be supporting his friend. "It's okay, we don't have to talk about him," he says awkwardly, fiddling his straw around between the ice cubes in his water glass. "Helping Shiho with her recovery sounds hard enough without me venting at you about my weird dynamic stuff too."
She skewers him with a no-nonsense look, the kind that tells him to not even bother arguing. (Ren wonders sometimes why so many people are surprised to find out that Ann's an alpha.) "Ren, you're allowed to have problems like the rest of us, and you can lean on your friends if you need help with them. That's what friends do. Yeah, I get that it's kind of difficult to talk about with Ryuji around, but–" She waves a hand through the air dismissively. "Honestly, if I were you I'd be freaking out. It's the first time you've been affected by your dynamic like this, and it's only with this one person! Besides, you know I'd want the deets on your love life no matter who it was."
"It's not really a love life," Ren protests weakly, squishing the straw between his thumb and forefinger.
"Yeah, but you're interested, right?" Ann grins wickedly, leaning over the table to pin him with her ice-bright eyes. "So tell me about him. What's it like hanging out with Detective Prince Goro Akechi, the gorgeous and mysterious omega celebrity who's currently hot on the trail of the Phantom Thieves?"
"I'll let you know when I figure that out," he mumbles, sinking lower in his seat. "He's so hard to read, Ann, I have no idea what I'm doing."
"Well, he's still inviting you out, right? So you must be doing something right." Ann takes a loud slurp of her drink. "I hear he doesn't really have a social life because he's so busy with detective work. He's a popular guy at his school, but he turns everyone down flat. Everyone but you." She runs a fingertip along the edge of her glass, staring at him pointedly.
Ren stares at the table. "He says I'm interesting? He asks my opinion on things sometimes. But mostly he's kinda distant, so I don't think he's interested in me that way." He pauses a moment, recalling his last outing with Akechi.
Ann notices that pause, of course. "Buuuut?" she says expectantly.
He hesitates, then decides he might as well. It's not like he knows how to interpret it. Ann's good at this stuff. "I was hanging out with a friend the other day. Yoshizawa, the star gymnast? We were going to go out to celebrate her being picked as the club representative, and he saw us and stopped to talk–he knows her from his TV work with her dad–and then he kinda, well, invited himself along." Ren fiddles with his straw some more, although at this point he's probably mangled it more than enough.
"Ooh. Was he jealous?" Ann coos conspiratorially, twirling a lock of hair around one finger as she leans in closer.
"I dunno, he seemed the same as he always is." He scoots back up in his seat a little, stretching shoulder muscles that have started to ache from his slouching. "He asked what she thought of the Phantom Thieves–turns out she's not a fan, by the way–and he teased me a little for not knowing that he pretends to love sweets more than he does for his public image."
Ann gasps. "No way! He fakes it super well, I had no idea."
Ren shrugs. "Guess he's good at his job. Honestly, it was mostly her talking with Akechi, I was a little out of it. It was a really hot day, I had a hard time thinking between that and Akechi's scent." When Ann just stares at him, he shifts in his seat uncomfortably. "What?"
"Ren. You know omegas can get kind of territorial too, right?" Ann says with a sigh.
"Sure, why?" He finally puts what's left of the straw on the napkin, avoiding her eyes as he does it.
"So," she continues patiently, "when they think there's competition for a prospective partner, especially an alpha, a lot of omegas will start producing more pheromones. You know, so they can make their claim more secure, warn off the other person, that kind of thing. If you were having a harder time concentrating, don't you think that maybe Akechi...?" She trails off suggestively, lifting her eyebrows at him.
Ren shakes his head. "I doubt it. I mean, Yoshizawa's a beta, it's not like she'd notice much. And seriously, I don't think Akechi cares enough to stake any kind of claim." He's not sure Akechi cares at all. He still has no idea why Akechi seems interested in him in the first place.
"Ren..." Ann pouts at him.
He shakes his head again, brushing her off. "I know I might be...biased–you know, because of my dynamic–so I'm trying not to read too much into every little thing," he replies, keeping his voice light and casual, like it's not that important in the grand scheme of things. "It's not like I can hide the way I react to him, so if he was interested he'd probably have responded by now, wouldn't he? But honestly, the way he acts, I don't think it even affects him."
Akechi is definitely affected by him, oh god. Ren watches him finger-comb his hair back down, remembers the noise Akechi made when Ren's fingernails scratched over his scalp in the process of messing it up, and tries his best not to look like he's desperately interested in getting Akechi to make that noise again.
"I can't believe you actually did that," Akechi sighs. Even though his voice is calm, his scent still hangs heavy in the air around them, putting the lie to his nonchalant attitude–Akechi liked Ren touching him, and he liked it a lot. "I suppose I'd better learn to watch what I say around you."
Ren hums his agreement, too delighted to act apologetic.
Akechi glares as he sweeps his bangs out of his eyes. "Don't look so pleased with yourself, Amamiya," he says frostily. "Touch me like that again, and these little outings of ours won't be happening anymore. Ever."
By now, Ren understands Akechi enough to know that he's ferociously conscious of how he appears to others. He hates to show vulnerability or lose his composure, and as an omega he has to fight that perception harder than most. Ren's tracked down a few of his other interviews by now–Akechi fields a lot of questions about his dynamic in such an alpha-dominated line of work, about whether he's planning to settle into domestic life once he bonds, about whether it's safe for him to even be there. It has to be humiliating, but his pretty smile never slipped once in any of those interviews; Akechi always stayed in control of the image he projects to the world.
So Ren isn't surprised that he can smell Akechi's pleasure in the touch rapidly melting into anger and distress over that brief lapse, sour notes in his sweet scent. And it's because of that understanding that Ren nods along instead of bristling at the ultimatum–his alpha instincts want to, but that's not important–gentling his posture, conciliatory now instead of exultant. "Sure, that's fine. Whatever you'd like."
Ren was hoping to calm things down with that easy concession. Instead Akechi's eyes narrow in suspicion. "Just like that, alpha? You'll forgive me if I'm not inclined to think you'd give up so easily."
A little more clicks into place for Ren about what Akechi's like beneath that pleasant veneer he's painted over himself, and he smiles softly, hoping it looks reassuring. "I think you're misunderstanding. I don't want to do anything you don't want. I'm not interested in embarrassing you or making you uncomfortable, Akechi." He's cute when he blushes, sure, but Ren's pretty sure he can think of other ways to get Akechi to do that. Just, you know, if Akechi would be up for it.
"Really," Akechi says flatly, still so tense, holding himself stiff as a deer ready to bolt for cover. "And just what are you interested in, then?"
Ren leans forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Want to know a secret?"
Akechi's eyes are wary, but the tension wound tight in his frame eases slightly. "What do you mean?"
"I'm not like most alphas. See, I don't respond to other people's dynamics," Ren says, soft and inviting. He's expecting Akechi to look skeptical, but instead, a flicker of interest sparks in his bright eyes. Encouraged, Ren continues, "And by that, I don't mean that I'm good at self-control. I mean I can't respond. At all."
Akechi goes very still. He says nothing, only breathes, staring at Ren in sudden wide-eyed fascination.
So Ren keeps going, enjoying the feeling of finally having Akechi's full attention. "No one's ever registered on my radar. No one's scent has ever had any kind of effect on me." Ren watches Akechi's pupils dilate as he sucks in a sharp breath, clearly startled by that. Invitingly–at least he hopes it sounds inviting–Ren adds, "That is, no one until you."
"You're..." Akechi exhales, looking at Ren like he's watching him hang the stars in the sky. His scent has smoothed out those sour notes from before, and now it's only getting sweeter, more enticing. As if...as if Akechi is pleased about something. As if he's happy, genuinely happy. That's...a first.
Ren's a little surprised at the way Akechi's taking this, honestly. Of course he hoped Akechi would respond well to finding out about him (and dreaded that he wouldn't) but this is such a good response it's a little unnerving. "I'm?"
Akechi closes his eyes; Ren can hear him breathe in through his nose, then out through his mouth. When he meets Ren's gaze again, his eyes are soft with some trembling emotion. "You're like me," he says, so quietly that Ren barely catches it.
"Oh," Ren says, his mind going utterly blank. And then: "What?"
When his alpha dynamic first presented, Ren accepted pretty quickly that he would most likely go his entire life without ever meeting someone else like him. He was fully prepared to move through a world where no one would ever quite understand him. He's been convinced of that for such a long time that now, he doesn't know how to handle being wrong.
At least Akechi seems just as lost as he is on that front. He hasn't invited Ren out once since that evening at the cafe–hasn't been hanging around Kichijoji when Ren finds some excuse to go there in the evenings–but they've been texting nonstop in the meantime, comparing notes on their unusual dynamics. So far, it all matches up; both of them produce the correct pheromones, both of them can smell other scents but never react to them, and somehow both their dynamics seem to have carved out an exception for each other. It's bizarre, and neither of them has ever heard of anything like it.
Ren enjoys the implausible but still appealing thought that maybe he and Akechi were designed for each other. Maybe they were meant to be, so powerfully destined to be drawn together that fate refused to allow the possibility that they could stray from their intended path. But he doesn't tell Akechi that, because he's quickly learning that Akechi is about as far from a starry-eyed romantic as you can get. Instead Akechi is fascinated by the whys and the hows of what made them both this way, what makes them react to each other and no one else. Ren's still too busy reveling in the knowledge that he's finally not alone to think about anything like that.
Akechi extracted a promise from Ren to keep his odd dynamic a secret almost as soon as he recovered from the shock of finding out about him. Ren was happy to agree, but he thinks he would have kept it to himself anyway. He probably should tell his teammates, really, considering how Akechi thinks he's keeping much more dangerous secrets from Ren and his friends already; but this feels too private, too personal, and Ren tells himself that it's hardly relevant to any of them.
(He knows that's not exactly true, because it'll definitely become relevant to his teammates the moment he and Akechi decide to take this anywhere too interesting, but he shoves that out of his mind as a problem for future Ren to handle.)
If Ren's being honest, though, there's something kind of exciting about being the only one to know this side of Akechi, to share this with him. Maybe it's his alpha instincts flaring up at last, jealous at the very thought of sharing anything of the omega he wants with the rest of the world.
And Ren wants–oh, he wants so badly. He's never wanted anything the way he wants Goro Akechi. But even though he's pretty sure Akechi wants him too–pretty sure now that Akechi's been seeking out his company for the same reason Ren was drawn to his–he doesn't think that that's going to be enough. Not right now, at least, not when everything's so new, and Akechi's still too skittish to even entertain the possibility when Ren tries to nudge the topic of conversation in that direction during their chats.
Ren can be patient, though. He can wait for Akechi to come around. He's not going anywhere.
Akechi's work starts getting busy as the days grow unbearably hot, and he doesn't have as much time to chat now. It's a shame, Ren was looking forward to spending more time together over summer vacation, but work is work, and it is partly Ren's fault that Akechi has so much to do anyway. So he doesn't mind that Akechi doesn't have as much time to talk like they've been doing lately, really. Even if he's starting to kind of get a little bit antsy, because it's been a few weeks since they found out about each other and Ren hasn't seen Akechi once–
He doesn't tell anyone, of course, but eventually the other Phantom Thieves get sick of his moping and drag him off for sushi in an attempt to smother his teenage ennui. It's going pretty well right up until they bump into Akechi on the way back to Leblanc. Then Ren realizes the drawback of his policy on not talking about Akechi with his teammates: no one but Ann has any idea that he and Akechi have been growing close, and there's no way for him to hide how happy he is to see their archnemesis. Hell, Makoto and Yusuke have never even seen him with Akechi before this moment.
Ren can feel the stares of his teammates burning into the back of his head as he chats away casually with his self-declared greatest enemy (who is also an omega that their normally unflappable leader is highly reactive to, and who is in turn highly reactive to Ren, and he doubts even the betas in his team could miss that going on with the way Ren knows he's perked up already). He wonders if he can avoid the volley of awkward questions he's sure they're getting ready to throw at him the moment Akechi's gone. (Probably not.) He knows he should be a little more worried about pretty much everything happening in this situation–but it's just so good to see Akechi again, to have his sweet scent filling the air again, that Ren's having a hard time caring.
Which probably isn't great, because Ren is distantly aware that things are really starting to go downhill. He's not really following this whole conversation about Medjed, but by the time Akechi starts casually laying out his profile of the Phantom Thieves, Ren's aware that he should be a lot more alarmed than he currently is. He would be, but his head is so fuzzy right now, and everything feels too nice for him to muster up any kind of anxiety. He can worry about Phantom Thief stuff later.
Then Akechi comes right out and says that the criminal profile he's been meticulously explaining to them matches up perfectly with Ren and his friends. That...that seems like Phantom Thief stuff he should be worrying about right now, actually.
Of course, Ryuji's temper flares at the accusation. "What, you gonna report us?" he snaps, planting his feet and tensing like he's getting ready to throw a punch. Oh, that would not be good, Ren definitely doesn't want anyone punching Akechi. Doesn't want Ryuji getting in trouble again.
Akechi laughs in that way he does when he's pretending to be a tame omega for the cameras, a delicate, musical sound. Like things are playing out exactly according to his script. "Oh, I wasn't saying I was being suspicious of you," Akechi says, like a liar, and something about that makes Ren frown, finally cutting through the pleasant haze in his head. Actually...isn't Akechi kind of running roughshod over Ren's friends right now?
He's toying with them, Ren realizes suddenly; Akechi already feels assured of his total control of the situation. It reminds him of a cat with a penchant for playing with its food, and that thought clears out the last of his placid unconcern. Akechi is taking advantage of Ren's distraction, isn't he? And Ren knows he has been pretty easy to distract–Akechi even tried to leverage that during their game of billiards before.
Huh. Does that mean he thinks Ren can't control his alpha instincts? If he expects Ren to be too absorbed in his scent to follow what's going on, maybe that's making him cocky. Maybe he feels safe playing these games with Ren's friends because he assumes Ren isn't going to protest. Because he's underestimating Ren.
(Ren's started to notice lately that Akechi underestimates him a lot.)
Ren has a lot of experience with defusing tense situations. It came to him pretty naturally once he presented; people pay more attention when an alpha speaks up, and he's always thought of it as a perk of his weird dynamic that there's never any chance of him accidentally becoming part of the problem. Most of the time, a single well-placed joke punctures the conflict and deflates the tension easily. Ryuji's a Phantom Thief is already lined up cool and crisp against his palate, truth made to sound patently untrue. It'll distract his friend's attention from Akechi and make everyone laugh.
But. Ryuji's already upset, and he doesn't deserve Ren making it worse, not with Akechi. And besides, Akechi needs a reminder that Ren doesn't start thinking with his knot the minute the right omega flutters his (admittedly very nice) eyelashes.
"You're the suspicious one," Ren says in a low, commanding rumble, and Akechi's attention snaps back to him in an instant, his eyes going wide, his breath visibly catching in his throat. Not afraid, but–startled, most definitely. He can see the gears turning in Akechi's head, the realization of his miscalculation. Looks like someone forgot that being an alpha means more than just drooling after any omega who starts advertising their interest.
Akechi stifles a whine, not quite well enough to keep Ren from catching it, and turns it into a cough instead. Then he recovers, giving Ren a blinding smile as if nothing happened. "Well, I certainly wasn't anticipating that response. You always find a way to..." Akechi looks Ren over, his eyes going hard and hungry for just a moment. Then it passes, and his pleasant mask is back on his face. "Hm. Rise above my expectations."
Ren would joke about innuendos, but there's an odd note in Akechi's voice that catches his attention. It's the same one that was there when Ren pointed out his use of his non-dominant hand, some hint at a jealous fascination that's more than desire.
Akechi steps in closer to him, his smile going just a little bit sharper at the edges. "You're an intriguing one, Amamiya. I admit, your self-discipline is quite remarkable." Suddenly that hungry look is back in his eyes, as if it was never gone, like Akechi wants to devour him. "My deduction is an interesting one, though. Don't you think? I'm sure we'd make an amazing team, you and I."
Oh, Ren is in way over his head with this omega. Too bad he's enjoying it so much.
Thankfully, his teammates get in the way of any more flirting, and Akechi seems to remember himself when they interrupt him; he certainly excuses himself in a hurry after that. Ren's almost glad that Medjed is a much more pressing issue right now, because it spares him from the majority of the pointed questions he's sure he'd be getting from his friends otherwise. (Also from having to think too hard about holy shit what just happened himself, because he's not sure he's ready for that just yet.)
Akechi stays radio silent for the next few days. Ren's not sure if he's disappointed or grateful about that, but he's definitely having to get himself off a lot to the memory of Akechi's greedy eyes, the promise in his voice saying you and I. Akechi is so clearly a bad, bad idea, it's only getting worse the more Ren sees of him, and Ren thinks he might die of wanting if he doesn't see Akechi again soon.
So of course he calls off the team's plans for a busy day of Palace infiltration without a second thought when he finally receives a new message from Akechi, well past any reasonable time of night. I apologize for the last-minute invitation, but would you be interested in a trip to the aquarium?
Akechi's scent is more tempting than ever when they meet at the aquarium the next day, but Ren likes to believe he's learning how to think through it. At least, he doesn't think he's failing to keep up on their conversation so far.
"If anything, I'm surprised that you're surprised about the harassment, however unpleasant it is," Akechi says with a frown, calling him back from a brief moment of distraction. (At least he's not having a lot of those today, he's trying to be more careful about it after that stunt Akechi pulled on sushi night.) "Why on earth would you tell people about your dynamic?"
Ren shrugs, staring at a large tank of moon jellies. "I didn't actually tell them. I don't hide it from my friends, but it's not like I'm broadcasting it to anyone I'm not pretty close to. It's just that, well, with so many alphas at school challenging me just to mess with me, it was bound to get out eventually. I mean, some people were wondering about it even when it was just Kamoshida trying to get me expelled."
Akechi's frown deepens. "Ah, the predatory gym teacher? I can't say I'm shocked that he found other unsavory ways of exerting his domination over the students, but I'm sorry to hear he was attempting to victimize you as well. And he was the Phantom Thieves' first victim...I can hardly blame you for admiring them."
Ren laughs, giving Akechi a tiny nudge with his elbow. "Is this how you always probe your suspects for incriminating information? You're kind of obvious about it, you know."
"I'm not!" Akechi protests, laughing too even as he shies out of reach, but Ren sees the glint in his eyes. They're both playing a dangerous game right now, and maybe enjoying it a little too much.
Still, Ren owes it to the rest of the Phantom Thieves to be a little more careful, so he changes the subject, lowering his voice more to be considerate of Akechi. "I'm surprised you can keep it a secret, honestly. I mean, what about your heats? Don't you get alphas worked up then?" He shouldn't have thought about that, actually, now he's getting tense at the idea of any other alpha going after Akechi.
"That's a rather daring question to ask me here, don't you think, Amamiya? But I don't mind giving you an answer–yes, they do react a little bit, but they can't trigger my mating drive to spiral out of control," Akechi says, leaning closer again and matching his low volume. "So the chain of reactions that would lead to a messy entanglement still stalls out, it just happens a little later than it does the rest of the time. I simply tell people that I have very good self-control in general, and that I'm diligent with the proper timing for my heat suppressants, and they take my word for it. And I can fake some of the proper reactions when I need to."
"Huh." Ren was never given the chance to hide his dynamic in his tiny hometown, where everyone always knew everyone else's business. He'd never even thought of learning how to fake it. He's not even sure that he could fake it. "I guess that comes in useful for your public life."
"Quite right," Akechi says with a nod and a pleased smile. "I can't afford to be seen as too different from other people, of course, or it'll hurt my image. Occasionally pretending to react to something as a normal omega should helps to preserve the perception that I'm a normal omega myself, just one with an unusual level of restraint. And in the meantime, I also have very little chance of accidentally compromising myself and causing some sort of scandalous incident."
Ren nods lazily; he's starting to zone out again. Akechi notices and snaps his fingers under Ren's nose, smirking at the way it makes him jump. "Sorry," Ren mutters.
(God, why'd his stupid body have to pick today to act like he's never smelled Akechi's pheromones before? He really hopes he's not being a shitty date. If this is a date. He kind of hopes it's a date, but only if he's not failing at it.)
"Don't know why, but it feels like you're affecting me more today," Ren confesses after another moment, somewhat reluctantly. After Akechi was so impressed with his self-control last time, he hates the idea that he's being a disappointment now. He absolutely doesn't want to lose any of the ground he takes between them.
But Akechi looks pleased instead of dissatisfied. He leans in too close, whispering playfully, "Do you want to know a secret?"
Ren blinks, suddenly getting the feeling that there's something very important he's missing. "Sure, what is it?" he says, keeping his voice casual.
"I've always been a little curious, you know." Akechi turns to walk on, not even looking back to check that Ren will follow.
Which he will, of course, of course he's going to trot after Akechi like a lovestruck idiot because that's what he is– "Curious about what?" he says in the most indifferent tone he can manage.
Before they make it to the next exhibit, Akechi turns to the side, tucking himself into a corner out of the way of the general press of people. The smile he tilts towards Ren now is sharp and satisfied, nothing like his usual well-mannered mask. "About what it would be like, getting to experience such an intense reaction to an alpha. An alpha who wasn't a waste of my time, anyway."
Ren swallows. God, Akechi smells good. Too good. Fuck. "Wait, are you–"
"Ah, no, I'm not. Don't worry, I wouldn't do that to you. Or me, for that matter, it certainly wouldn't do my career any favors." Akechi's smile softens a little. "My cycle's still a few days away, so we should be able to maintain our composure. I just wanted to try a little...experiment, to have some idea of what it would be like."
Ren's sensible side is intensely relieved, even if the part of him that's still wrapped up in Akechi's scent is just as intensely disappointed. Then it occurs to him that Akechi just led him into a corner, away from where people can see them, to tell Ren that he arranged all of this because he wanted to get a taste of his own overwhelming biological urges with Ren specifically. ...Well, that certainly changes the context of their date, doesn't it?
He drifts closer, leaning up against the wall, bracing one arm against it right next to Akechi's head. It feels good to see the way Akechi's pupils grow wide at his proximity, how his breaths start to come quick and shallow, and Ren can taste the embers of Joker's smirk on his lips. "You've got my attention. What kind of experiment were you thinking?"
Akechi's tongue darts out, wets his lips. Ren's gaze is drawn to the movement, and so he misses Akechi's hands coming up until they're already fisting in the collar of his blazer, tugging him in for a kiss. And god, it's like nothing Ren's ever had. Sure, he's kissed people before, but it was never like this, never felt like he was setting all his veins on fire to keep himself warm. Akechi feels wonderfully solid against Ren, his lips so soft and pliant as they part for him, and the noise he makes is so encouraging as Ren grasps greedily at his silky-smooth hair–
And then Akechi is shoving him back, flushed and panting, grinning wildly at him. "Have a little patience, Amamiya," he says coyly, his eyes shining with delight. "Haven't you ever learned to savor a good meal? Some things aren't meant to be devoured all at once, you know."
Oh, so that's how he wants to play it. Ren mirrors Akechi's smile. "Sure, I'm game," he replies, and pulls away again. (Akechi chokes off a very soft whine at the loss of contact, which has Ren feeling pretty smug, honestly.) He takes a moment to straighten his clothes, smooth down the wild tangle of his hair a little; then he offers his arm to Akechi, all elaborate courtesy. "Need an escort?"
"I hardly think you're a gentleman," Akechi replies, breezing past him with only the briefest brush of contact, and Ren feels a rush of anticipatory pleasure as he trails after him. Maybe it's stereotypical for an alpha, but there's something particularly exciting to him about hunting a cunning target. It feels like Akechi could tear out his throat if he puts a foot wrong, and he kind of loves it.
After Akechi scolds him for his eagerness again the next couple times he tugs Ren into a corner to kiss him senseless, Ren starts to get the idea: Akechi wants to have control, and he'll bring things to a stop the minute Ren tries to take too much of that control for himself. Akechi has to know he's playing with fire, but Ren thinks he may be testing Ren's self-control as well, seeing how well he takes his alpha instincts being frustrated. Another invasive push at his limits, teasing out how far Akechi can go before Ren's sense breaks. And if it's like that, well, he'd just hate to fall short of Akechi's expectations.
So Ren shifts his own expectations instead. It's not like he's ever been the kind of alpha to try and exert his dominance in everything to begin with; he's never seen the point in wasting his effort when it isn't needed. If Akechi's giving him this kind of attention and closeness all on his own, then Ren's already getting exactly what he wanted. He relaxes into the next little moment when Akechi steals him away from the crowd instead, following the omega's lead easily and entirely, matching him without ever escalating things himself.
The way Akechi stares at him when they separate again–surprise, pleasure, and that all-consuming hunger again–tells Ren he's hit on exactly how to play their game. When it takes Akechi a moment to come up with some scathing remark, he knows he's won this round. "Well, you're rather obedient when you put your mind to it, aren't you?" Akechi says, trying and failing not to sound out of breath.
Ren gives him a lazy, mocking smile. "You're going to have to try a little harder than that to get a rise out of me, Akechi," he murmurs, and sweeps a few stray hairs behind Akechi's ear before kissing his cheek. Then he shoves his hands in his pockets and heads back out into the hallway, humming an innocent little tune. His smile widens when he hears Akechi inhale sharply behind him; Akechi can't resist a challenge any more than Ren can, after all.
After that, it's like Akechi can barely keep his hands off of Ren. Any time he sees even half a chance he's dragging Ren off for another round of bad ideas–and Ren is quickly realizing that Akechi is very creative in making his own opportunities. He'd thought Akechi would be more straitlaced about this kind of thing, and he's not unhappy to be wrong, but Ren is starting to get the feeling that he trusted the water to be shallow and safe and instead he's waded right into a rip current. Having all of Akechi's attention fixed on him is...a little frightening in its intensity.
There's none of the hesitation Ren expected, none of the gentle coaxing he thought Akechi would need whenever he imagined what kissing him would be like. No, Akechi's kisses are merciless and methodical, like Ren's a particularly thorny problem to solve, and every time he pulls Ren into him, his mouth is a little greedier, his touch a little more possessive–Ren quickly realizes that he's deliberately stepping it up a little each time, taking things a little bit farther, throwing a little more of his previously immovable caution to the wind. He really is approaching it like an experiment, clinical and efficient, testing their limits further with each repetition.
The really odd thing is...it's like those limits are growing wider, matching them as they escalate. Ren finds that his head feels clearer for a short time after Akechi pushes him harder, making his alpha instincts easier to control the next time Akechi pulls him away. And Akechi's scent unfurls richer and more inviting around him with each touch, but somehow it isn't clouding his thoughts half as much as it should be. Ren finds it even more interesting that the more daring they get when they duck out of sight, the less Akechi's scent seems to...advertise itself the rest of the time. They were getting a lot more odd looks when they first got into the aquarium than they are now that they're sneaking off to grope each other every few minutes.
"You're kind of insatiable, huh?" he laughs as Akechi yanks him under a stairwell in one of the staff-only areas. Akechi doesn't reply, just shoves him to the ground, clambering onto his lap eagerly. "You know, it's getting a little easier for me to think when we're not in the middle of–" He rolls his hips up into Akechi's demonstratively, relishing the quiet little gasp that escapes him. "How about you?"
Akechi huffs a soft laugh against his neck. "I must not be good enough at this to hold your interest, if you'd rather think about that than–" He grinds down on Ren's lap, sighing contentedly as he feels Ren's already half-hard cock pressing against him.
"O-oh, you definitely are," Ren pants, his hips jerking slightly at the stimulation. "Believe me, you are the only thing that's got my attention right now."
"Good," Akechi murmurs, pulling back just a little. He slowly slides one hand up Ren's chest and then his neck, until Akechi can grip his jaw–for a moment Ren thinks Akechi is about to choke him, and then he forces Ren's chin up to meet his eyes instead, and Ren thinks he might be a little disappointed he was wrong. That ravenous look is back in Akechi's eyes now, feral and covetous as they drink Ren in greedily. His scent is still so soft and so sweet, but there's a discordant note cutting through it that makes Akechi seem almost more predator than prey, sending shivers of some pleasantly alien sensation spiraling down Ren's spine. "Don't you dare take your eyes off me, Ren."
Ren whines, feeling his cock twitch in his pants as Akechi's hips roll in an agonizing adagio with his, and he wants, he wants, he wants. "Akechi," he gasps, clutching fruitlessly at the linoleum and finding no purchase, aching to grab Akechi's lovely thighs bracketing his hips and pull him claiming-close, but he can't touch, he bites his lip so he won't start begging, he
can't can't can't can't
–Akechi lets go of his jaw abruptly, almost throwing himself off Ren in his haste to scramble away from him, and Ren gulps a drowning gasp of air as he surfaces, pushing up after him to–
No. Ren somehow stops himself from following Akechi, even if it feels impossible not to give chase, not to catch him and bear him down and take him right here. He can see Akechi staring at him, pupils blown so wide they nearly swallow the red of his irises, twin black holes in the glowing warmth of his flushed face. He reeks of unease bordering on panic, rapidly overtaking the all-consuming desire he was broadcasting so loudly only a moment ago, and the way he flinches when Ren starts to sit up tells him he'd only make it worse if he tried to approach now. Instead Ren closes his eyes and draws his knees towards his chest without pulling them all the way up, focusing on the sound of his and Akechi's breathing, on the dull roar of the other patrons that seems so far away. There. There. He's found himself again.
When he opens his eyes again and looks up at Akechi, he's visibly calmed as well, but not quite enough to paste his pleasant social mask back on his face, and Ren is happy to savor this glimpse of the Akechi lying in wait for him beneath it. Sour notes of discomfort linger in his scent, but most of it's been smoothed out as Akechi has regained his composure. "All right?" Ren says softly, just loud enough for his voice to carry.
Akechi nods. Forces a polite smile; it hangs askew on his mouth. "I suppose we've pushed it far enough for today, haven't we? I'm glad that you have such excellent self-control, Amamiya. Any more and we might have gone past the point of no return." He walks over to Ren, offering him a hand up as if nothing unusual happened at all.
Ren takes it, letting Akechi pull him up. (Huh, he's pretty strong.) "Not interested in seeing how far we can go?" he murmurs in what he hopes is an inviting tone.
Akechi pauses for a moment, looking at him with open longing, but then shakes his head with a rueful smile. (At least this one looks a little more natural on his face, even if Ren knows it's just as fake as the last one.) "No, as intriguing as the idea might be, I don't think that would be prudent just now," he says.
Ren hums quiet agreement. "Whatever you'd like," he says mildly, giving Akechi's hand a reassuring squeeze.
Akechi peers at him as if he expects a catch, but doesn't let go of him. "You really are remarkable," he says in an oddly distant tone after a few moments. "I'm never quite sure what to make of you."
Ren shrugs. "Neither am I," he replies. "Let me know when you figure it out."
That startles another smile out of Akechi, a real one this time. He releases Ren's hand at last. "You're certainly not like any other alpha I've met."
"Well, you're not like any other omega I've met either," Ren says, resisting the urge to reach out for another touch. He shoves his hands back in his pockets instead. "But I'm not complaining."
"Mm, you are surprisingly slow to complain," Akechi agrees as they start to amble back towards the public hallways. "I wasn't expecting you to let me push you as far as I did. Or is it just that you get off on the perversity of having an omega boss you around?" His tone is light and teasing, but his eyes are sharp when Ren glances at him.
"Nah, it's nothing like that." Ren adjusts his bag on his shoulder with another shrug. (Nice not to have to drag Morgana's weight all around the aquarium. He'll have to get him some fish, to thank him for leaving them alone today.) "I just don't see the point in bringing my alpha out when I don't need it to get what I want. And I want whatever you're willing to give me, so push all you like." He gives Akechi a smile that's just a little too toothy. "But hey, if you want me to lose control, all you have to do is ask."
"I'll..." Akechi swallows visibly and glances away. "I'll keep that in mind."
Akechi texts Ren to say he had a pleasant day at the aquarium, and then nothing at all for several days. That's all right. The Phantom Thieves still have a Palace to clear, and Ren is sure that Akechi's a little preoccupied right now. He knows heat isn't supposed to be overwhelming for omegas unless an alpha triggers a pheromone cascade, but Ryuji's bitched about how uncomfortable it gets during some painfully awkward Monabus rides. Ren can be satisfied with his memories for a bit.
He thinks about that moment under the aquarium stairs when he fucks into his fist every night in Leblanc's cramped bathroom, remembering the bottomless appetite in Akechi's red eyes on him, the knife-edge menace of his soft lips snarling don't you dare take your eyes off me, the possessive way his teeth closed around Ren's name for the first time. He pours too much lube over his fingers until they're dripping and squeezes his cock a little too tight as he strokes, imagining how Akechi's spending his heat right now, wondering if he's aching for Ren to fill him while Ren's thinking of the same thing. God, but he wanted to. He's glad he didn't, but he wanted to, and even now he can't stop thinking about what it would be like.
He's knotted the air a few times this week, which is...new. He didn't know that could actually happen solo, though a quick internet search reassured him nothing was wrong. Ren knows that he's maybe (definitely) getting a little bit too entangled with the detective who's supposed to be hunting him, but lately all he can think about is how interesting it would be if Akechi hunted him for real, how much he'd like to see which of them claimed the other first in a true contest.
...Yeah, it's probably a good thing that Akechi isn't texting him while he's working this out of his system.
Futaba's Palace is rough, but they finally make it to the last door between them and the Treasure. Ren is exhausted but feeling good, getting ready to make some curry and turn in early, when his phone buzzes with that long-awaited message from the worst of all his bad ideas.
Akechi
Are you free tonight? There's somewhere I'd like to take you. It's nowhere fancy, but I'm fond of it, and I think you'll enjoy the ambience there.
Ren quietly curses the Metaverse for cockblocking him. Morgana looks up from his comfortably curled half-nap on the counter, giving him a kitty frown of concern. "All good, don't worry," Ren tells him quickly as he starts typing his reply.
Ren
Sorry, I had a long day and I'm pretty much asleep on my feet right now.
Would if I could, but I'm gonna have to ask for a rain check.
Akechi
[...]
I see. It's unfortunate, but these things happen. Another time then.
Out of curiosity, might I ask what you were doing that has you so worn out tonight? Isn't it summer break for your school?
Shit. Ren flails around for something to say that won't sound suspicious. He starts to type washing my cat, then glances at Morgana and thinks better of it.
Ren
Yeah, it is, I just hate sitting around doing nothing.
I go running with my friend Ryuji some days. He used to do track, and he's been getting back in shape.
It's not untrue, just dishonest. Ren silently apologizes to Ryuji for making him take the blame; since he and Akechi are so antagonistic towards each other, it's not likely that Akechi will double check Ren's alibi. He just hopes Akechi won't hold a grudge against Ryuji for it.
...Actually, maybe Ren should have picked a different scapegoat.
Akechi
Ah, Ryuji Sakamoto, correct? If I recall correctly, he's the sole omega in your group of friends.
Fuck. Okay, maybe if Ren leans into flirting a bit harder, Akechi will let it go?
Ren
Why, detective, you almost sound jealous.
Akechi
[...]
[...]
I see. Perhaps I misinterpreted the nature of your interest in me.
Oh, fuck, that's even worse. At this rate, Ren will wake up tomorrow down a best friend because Akechi took out a hit on him. He is going to have to buy Ryuji so much ramen to make up for this.
"Seriously, are you okay?" Morgana says, making him jump. He's gotten up from his nap and settled into a loaf instead, watching Ren curiously. "You're making a lot of weird faces at your phone."
"Fine," Ren squeaks, then clears his throat and tries again. "I'm fine. Just joking around with someone, but it's nothing bad." It's a disaster. Oh, Ren very much has to fix this.
Ren
That was a joke! I was joking!!!
Ryuji's a friend and ONLY a friend, nothing's going on between him and me except the sacred bond between men.
Platonically. Very platonically.
Akechi
[...]
Hmm.
And how would you describe matters between you and I, then?
Ren thinks wistfully of five minutes ago, when this was still a relaxing evening and the most dangerous decision in front of him was how much spice to add to his curry.
Ren
[...]
Look I don't want to assume too much about what you want
But I want you. More than I should.
I'm not seeing anyone else right now and I don't have any plans to.
Akechi doesn't respond for an uncomfortably long time. Not even so much as a glimpse of the text bubble icon to indicate that he's typing. Ren is pacing behind the counter nervously and Morgana has started washing a paw when his phone finally buzzes at him again. He dives for it instantly, scrambling to unlock the screen as he bangs his shin against the stool he keeps back here when he's using the kitchen or the siphons.
"Careful," Morgana says pointedly as he hops on one foot and tries not to make too many pathetic noises. Ren sticks his tongue out in reply, leaning heavily against the counter as he reads Akechi's new message.
Akechi
I have an idea that I believe may interest you.
But first, could I ask you to download this?
Akechi sends a link to an app. Ren doesn't have time to do more than stare blankly at his screen before his phone vibrates angrily again. This time it's Futaba, because this shitshow clearly wasn't messy enough already.
Alibaba
You're talking to that Goro Akechi guy, right? The one who's always on TV saying the Phantom Thieves are dangerous?
Why is he sending you a link to install an encrypted chat app?
Ren
I have no idea.
Is it going to make my phone explode or something?
Alibaba
No. It's fine.
But the encryption on this one is really good. Even I'd have a hard time cracking it.
What does he have to say to you that he needs to keep private that badly?
Ren's confusion melts into intrigue. Akechi wants to invite him to share in something secret? Well, color him interested, then.
"What is it now?" Morgana cuts in. "You only make that face when you're up to something."
"Not sure," Ren replies honestly, shrugging. "I'll have to wait and see."
"Suit yourself," Morgana sighs, and returns to washing himself.
Ren
No idea. Guess I'll find out.
Alibaba
You'd better not let your boyfriend interfere with our deal.
You promised you were going to change my heart. Don't think I'll go back on my promise to turn you in if you go back on yours.
Ren
I won't. We're almost ready.
Also, he's not my boyfriend. I think.
Also please stop spying on my other chats. Especially that one.
Alibaba
No. Take a hint from your not-boyfriend and learn some basic information security.
Ren closes out of that conversation and hastily downloads the encrypted chat app, wondering if he can convince Akechi to use it exclusively from now on.
Ren
Okay, I installed it.
What now?
Akechi
I'll explain more the next time we see each other.
Oh, and Ren?
I do hope you'll try to keep your evenings open for me until you return to school.
I'm still working with the police, so it can be hard for me to find spare time in my schedule. I'd like to spend it in your company when I can.
It should be a sweet sentiment, but the way Akechi phrased it sounds almost like a threat. Ren wishes he didn't think that was kind of hot. He wraps up his conversation with Akechi and excuses himself to the bathroom before he embarrasses himself in front of poor, innocent Morgana.
Akechi isn't much more forthcoming when he brings Ren to a jazz club in Kichijoji half a week later. "Being a celebrity–as well as a detective, of course–means I have to be circumspect in some areas of my life," is all he says as he peers at Ren's chat ID on the new app, tapping it into his own phone.
Ren frowns. He's pretty sure Akechi's phone wasn't blue the last time he saw it. "So, did you decide to upgrade to a new model, or...?"
"Hmm? Oh, this?" Akechi sends him a text to test out the app, then puts his new phone away and settles in to watch the singer walking out onto the small stage. "Something like that."
Akechi doesn't say anything else about it that evening. He continues to text Ren in the normal chat app, and Ren doesn't understand why he went to all that trouble to make him get the other one. But he doesn't want to be the one to break down and ask–he can be patient, let Akechi come to him, just like he always does–so he waits for Akechi's next invitation and tries to put it out of his mind in the meantime.
The next time they meet up, Akechi doesn't even mention the app, and Ren is too busy trying to catch up to his score in the co-op shooter they're playing to find an opportunity to guide the conversation in that direction. Afterwards Akechi falls into an oddly...melancholic mood, his scent muted as he stumbles haltingly over stories of his childhood desire to be a hero. It really doesn't seem like the time to try getting him to discuss something as banal as an app they haven't used, so Ren gives up on it for the evening. He'll just have to wait for their next outing, then.
Akechi calls him afterwards, just as he's heading into Leblanc. "By the way," he says after they're through with pleasantries, "tonight may be the last time I get to see you for a little while."
"Oh?" Ren pins the phone between his ear and shoulder as he jiggles the lock open. "Why's that?"
"Things are heating up in the case...with Medjed's deadline for the Phantom Thieves approaching, everyone's in an uproar," Akechi sighs.
"Oh, right. That," Ren says as he breezes inside, like he'd forgotten, because it has nothing to do with him, because he's definitely not a Phantom Thief himself. "Well, work is work. I'll keep myself entertained somehow."
"Oh, don't worry, I don't intend to leave you completely bereft of my presence this time," Akechi says, a little too casually, and Ren suddenly realizes that he can hear Akechi's breaths coming a little faster through the receiver. Is he nervous about something? "Are you back at the cafe now?"
"Mm, I just got in." Ren closes the door behind him and locks it, setting his bag down so Morgana can hop onto the counter.
"You live there alone, don't you?" There's an unusually eager note in Akechi's voice that makes a prickle of suspicion start buzzing in his head. Ren isn't dense enough not to put that excited tone together with his audibly hurried breathing. So, Akechi is having another of those bad ideas that Ren loves to indulge. At least, he hopes that's what's going on, because he's been wanting another of those for a while.
"Sojiro goes home when he closes up, yeah, but he's just down the street. He's not blowing off his responsibilities as my guardian, don't worry," Ren laughs, pretending he doesn't have some idea of what Akechi's really asking about, because Morgana is right there and he has to play it cool.
"Wonderful. I'm glad to hear it," Akechi says, his voice caramel-smooth, and Ren knows too well by now not to trust Akechi for even a moment when he sounds like that. "Well, then. Have a good night, Ren."
(Ren still feels a little thrill whenever Akechi says his name, like they're close, like Ren is special.)
"Night, Akechi," Ren responds, and Akechi hangs up as he's in the middle of saying it, taking the wind right out of his sails. He blinks at his phone, a little startled. He'd thought for a moment that Akechi was going to make some kind of proposition, but...apparently not.
Well. It's a little disappointing, but on the bright side, at least now he's not having a minor crisis about possibly scarring his talking cat for life. He shrugs and heads upstairs to start getting ready for bed.
Just as he's getting into his pajamas, his phone buzzes at him, and when he checks it the notification is for the encrypted chat app. Ren smiles to himself, taking a moment to enjoy the little victory that represents. Finally, Akechi has cracked first. He takes his time getting ready for bed, only unlocking his phone to look at the app once he's settled comfortably onto his awful mattress. There's no text in the message Akechi sent, but he's attached an image file. Interesting.
He opens the photo, and–oh. Oh, wow. That is Goro Akechi's chest peeking out under Goro Akechi's unbuttoned dress shirt, Goro Akechi's tie undone and hanging loosely around Goro Akechi's neck, Goro Akechi's pants unbuttoned and open and Goro goddamn Akechi's fingers just starting to slip under the waistband of Goro "Detective Prince" Akechi's underwear–
Ren has never locked his phone again so quickly in his life as he does when Morgana moves to peek at the screen, sitting bolt upright and slapping it facedown onto the sheets immediately. Notable enemy of the Phantom Thieves Goro Akechi sultrily stripping for Ren's enjoyment is definitely filed under Not Safe For Mona. "Hey," he says awkwardly, "so. Morgana. You think maybe you should...check on Futaba tonight? Like. Right now, maybe?"
Morgana peers at him like Ren just asked him to check whether the sky was orange. "She's been sleeping for more than a week, Ren. Boss would let us know if anything changed."
"Yeah, but–could you check again?" Ren says, a little desperately. He cannot get that picture out of his head, and that's going to make things really awkward really quickly if Morgana doesn't evacuate the premises in a hurry.
"You're acting weird," Morgana says suspiciously, his green eyes narrowing. "What are you up to?"
"Look, Morgana, I just–I really need some time to myself. Could you give me a few hours?" Ren pleads. This is definitely not one of the downsides of cat ownership he wanted to experience. "I'm not going to go anywhere or get up to anything. Please?"
Morgana's tail lashes irritably. "Why are you being so evasive all of a sudden?" he demands, and dread simmers under Ren's ribs, because he knows that tone, and that means Morgana's decided to be stubborn, he's not going to give up on it now, he's not going to leave and Ren really needs him to–
"Because I don't want you here!" Ren snaps. "Because it isn't something I want to tell you about, let alone have you gossiping about with everyone else, and can I not have anything that's private in my life anymore?" Morgana flinches away from him, ears flattening and tail drooping, and immediately Ren feels like the worst person alive. "I–sorry, Mona, I–Morgana, I didn't mean..."
His voice gives out, leaving the both of them smothered in an unbearable silence.
"Just ask next time," Morgana mumbles finally, not meeting Ren's eyes, and then he's out the window and gone in a flash. Ren is the absolute scum of the earth.
And then his phone buzzes again, and he feels even guiltier, but he picks it back up to check Akechi's next message anyway. Just text this time. You're very quiet. Is what you're seeing not to your taste?
Oh, if Ren fucks this chance up after–after all that, he is going to lose it. Sorry, I was in the middle of something when I got your message, he replies quickly, and shoves the guilt out of his mind for later. He'll patch things up with Morgana, buy him some nice sushi, and everything will be fine. Believe me, I'm very interested in what I'm looking at right now.
Good, because I'd hate to show these to an unappreciative audience. Akechi sends another picture attached to the message, this one with his shirt and pants gone and his hand inside his underwear, the outline of his fingers curled around an obvious bulge. Ren whispers a soft "fuck" as he hastily shoves his own hand under the waistband of his pajamas.
So, yeah, Akechi is sending him nudes now, that is a thing happening in Ren's life. And holy shit, Akechi takes good nudes. Ren didn't know there was such a thing as good nudes, but Akechi takes photos of his naked body like he's some kind of expert artist in the form, one who's decided to bend all his skill to making Ren desperately horny. Every single photo is artfully posed and perfectly lit, showing every part of himself to its best advantage, and Ren kind of loses his shit over it every single time.
Lately, he's even been coaxing Ren to send back some racy photos of his own. Ren's pretty embarrassed about those, and he feels bad about how shitty they look in comparison, but Akechi is always so happy to get them that it's been pretty easy to ignore that little pang of discomfort. The first dick pic was the hardest, metaphorically speaking. Besides, every time he sends one, Akechi rewards him with pictures that are way more salacious than the ones he usually sends.
(Akechi has toys. He looks very good when he's using them.)
Akechi only sends those photos over encryption, and he conspicuously avoids any discussion of them over their unsecure messages, and none of them ever have his face in view–Ren assumes all of this is to minimize the chance of a leak that could be tied to him, and he definitely can't blame Akechi for that. He's heard the way his classmates talk about the Detective Prince whenever one of his interviews airs on TV, and he'd hate to add any fuel to that fire. Especially now that there are plenty of people looking for any way to drag Akechi down for expressing his opinion.
There are also much more innocent photos that Akechi sends over their normal chat app, the kind of thing that's sort of a thirst trap without actually verging into any inappropriate territory. Pictures of him sweating it out in his apartment in the late summer's sweltering heat, pictures of him bouldering at the gym with a smile that's so fiercely pleased with himself, pictures of him having lunch at his desk as he works cases, pictures of him flushed and bright-eyed while he's on bike rides, pictures of him out at cafes and pastry shops. (He says the last is because he can't post anything on his food blog right now without it immediately going down in flames thanks to the Phantom Thieves' newfound popularity, which Ren feels kind of bad about. He wishes there were some way he could tell people to stop.)
Even though he hasn't seen Akechi in weeks–well, once at Leblanc, but that visit was so surreal and uncomfortable and he left before Ren could really talk to him–he's never been far from Ren's thoughts thanks to all those pictures of his daily life, all those warmly casual text messages. All those late nights Ren's been spending alone in his room. Akechi may not be around physically, but Ren's still been getting so much of him that he doesn't mind that absence very much. It's been...nice.
Which is great, because Ren could really use the distraction from how weird things have gotten with the rest of his friends. Morgana accepted Ren's apology and sushi, and things were fine for a bit, but he's been in a funk ever since Futaba woke up and he only gets worse every time Ren asks him to leave for the night. (Ren hates himself a little more every time, but never enough to stop.) Meanwhile, everyone else is simultaneously basking in their post-Medjed fame and getting incredibly anxious about the public's expectations.
Then there's Futaba. It's not that she's a problem, but there's no denying that it's an adjustment. One day he was living his normal high school summer vacation life, and the next he found himself appointed a proxy guardian for the team's newest member in any and all situations where she has to leave the house or be around other people. Ren finds it kind of odd that another alpha is clinging to him so ferociously, but then, she's not like most alphas either. Even with him, she was nervous and avoidant until she realized he wasn't reacting to her tension the way another alpha normally would, and ever since then she's seemed to view him as both a fascinating pet project and a protector against the world.
Most of the others seem unsure of how to interact with her, and Ren thinks the tensions in the group would have been exacerbated by any new member joining them right now. Ryuji is constantly sniping at Morgana, especially since he found out about Akechi's weird visit to Leblanc, while Morgana is becoming withdrawn and seems to view Futaba as his replacement, and Ren has no idea how to fix that mess. Makoto keeps trying to make Futaba act like her idea of normal, which is in direct conflict with how Yusuke taps into an even more bizarre wavelength of his personality around her, and Ann...well, thankfully Ann's the same as ever, but there's only so much she and Ren can do to even things out for everyone else.
Even with how strange and conflicted and almost definitely unhealthy his nebulous relationship with Akechi is, Ren's glad to dive into it rather than keep thinking about all...that. He's been trying to keep it together for everyone for almost half a year now, and he's tired. Sure, nothing about Akechi is easy, but everything about him satisfies some part of Ren that lies marrow-deep inside, and that's escape enough. At least Akechi doesn't make him feel like he's a failure while he's drowning.
So when he returns to Leblanc at the end of his first week back at school and finds Akechi sitting at the counter, he leaps at the chance to finally spend some actual time together. He promises to take Akechi to the bathhouse (and oh, that thought makes him giddy, finally getting to see everything in those tantalizing pictures in person) and bounds up the stairs two at a time to set down his things and grab the toiletries he'll need.
"I guess I should take off for the night," Morgana grumbles as he bustles around the attic frantically to get ready. "Now that you've got plans, I mean."
Ren's heart twists with guilt. "Could you?" he says anyway. "Sorry, just–it's been a while, and he looks really worn out, and I'll probably invite him up to talk once we're done at the bathhouse."
"Sure," Morgana says, hopping up to the windowsill without looking at Ren. "Don't wanna get in your way."
"Mona–" Ren starts to say, but Morgana's already gone into the night. He sighs, wondering what the hell he's going to do about that, but he just can't come up with an answer right now and he's missed Akechi. Future Ren can solve Morgana's angst, Present Ren has other things to do.
He's practically vibrating with excitement as they strip down by the lockers, eager to get to the part where he can take his time appreciating an in-person view of everything that's filled his late-night fantasies lately. But Akechi's quiet tonight where he would normally carry the conversation, and once Ren notices that, he immediately realizes that Akechi's scent is...well, muted would be the best way to describe it. Ren sneaks another look over at Akechi as they head in to wash, assessing instead of appreciative this time, and it's only now that he notices just how frayed Akechi looks.
Ren remembers how people have been talking about Akechi online, and he thinks of how Akechi's been getting a lot of weirdly aggressive questions on his TV interviews lately, and he decides there's a time and a place for being thirsty and this is definitely not either. Akechi needs a chance to soak off his stress, and it's not as though Ren couldn't use the same thing himself right now.
With the calming scent steaming off the water, drowning out any pheromones from the clientele, Akechi eventually unwinds enough to talk. He's fragile and raw in a way Ren hasn't seen from him before, genuinely vulnerable for the first time since the day they met, and Ren knows Akechi well enough to feel like this is way more intimate than a little ogling could ever be. Slowly, haltingly, Akechi confides in him about what he half-started to say in Leblanc last week, sketching out the shape of his broken family and lonely upbringing; Ren listens to all of it, never judging, and that does even more than the bath to help Akechi relax.
He's keenly aware of how much this honesty has to cost Akechi, and his trust is all the sweeter for how difficult Ren knows it is for him to give. Ren wouldn't miss out on it for anything.
Akechi says he should be getting home once they make their way back to the café, but he doesn't put up much of a fight when Ren wheedles him into staying a little longer for a coffee, doesn't balk when Ren coaxes him up Leblanc's rickety stairs before his cup is even half empty. It's the first time he's come upstairs, and Ren tries not to look as thrilled as he feels to finally see Akechi in his bedroom.
"I know," Ren laughs when Akechi pauses at the top of the stairwell, looking around the attic in open dismay. "Not all of us have a celebrity detective's salary."
Akechi's shoulders stiffen, then relax slightly. "Yes, well, I'd still somehow pictured you in less, ah...bleak circumstances, shall we say. This looks more like a storage space than a room for a high schooler. Not even a door–" His voice has started to rise indignantly.
"It's better than the street," Ren says softly, before Akechi can work himself up any more, because they're both supposed to be relaxing tonight and Akechi definitely still looks like he needs it. "And I don't mind it. You don't need to worry." When he keeps frowning, Ren sighs and sits on the mattress, gesturing for Akechi to follow. "Come here," he says when Akechi hesitates, putting a note of an alpha's command into his voice.
Akechi obeys automatically, then looks conflicted. "You make it so easy to forget sometimes," he says, a touch bitterly. "That you're an alpha, and I'm an omega."
"I try to," Ren says honestly. "I hate the way people expect my dynamic to control my life. I can't think you'd like it any better than I do."
Akechi laughs, but there's nothing warm in the sound. "Oh, yes, because you would know all about what it is to be controlled."
"I could never hide how I'm different the way you do. Not with the way alphas are supposed to act." Ren keeps his voice gentle, settling his hand over Akechi's. "It's this constant expectation, you know. Every day, people shove at you because they think it's the only way to make you listen, and they don't understand when you don't shove back. You fight every day for your spot in the pecking order, in all kinds of little ways. I learned to pay attention to people the way I do so I'd know how to push them and when to back off, because non-participation isn't an option. People demand you prove your right to exist like it's something you should have to justify, and it never stops."
Akechi doesn't say anything to that. His face is just...blank. Ren scoots a little closer cautiously, and is relieved when Akechi doesn't move away. "I know I don't go through anything like what you do, and I probably don't really understand the ways society pressures you just because you're an omega," he continues quietly, earnestly. "And what I do know sucks, and I'll never go through it myself. But you know, Akechi, it's not like the world can only be shitty to one or the other of us. And sometimes I really wish I wasn't seen as a threat by everyone I meet."
Akechi stays silent for several very long moments. Then, finally, he turns his palm up under Ren's, lacing their fingers together. "I apologize," he says softly. "Everything that's been happening lately has been wearing on me, I confess, but I shouldn't be taking it out on you."
"It's okay," Ren replies, squeezing gently. "I get it. I've been pretty worn out lately too, and I don't have most of Tokyo out to get me."
"Don't you, though?" Akechi says, lifting his eyebrows expectantly.
Ren laughs to hide a grimace. "Okay, okay, but I'm pretty sure a public harassment campaign's a lot worse than what some no-name parolee gets at school."
Akechi lets out a noncommittal hum, leaning into him comfortably, and Ren leans back unthinkingly. The contact is...it's nice, really nice. "I don't think I've ever seen you so talkative as you've been tonight," Akechi says, his voice more playful now. "Should I be offended that the photos I've been sharing with you don't inspire similar eloquence?"
"Oh, believe me, sometimes those pictures are the only thing getting me through the day lately," Ren groans, flopping back onto his mattress. Then he regrets it, because he really liked leaning into Akechi.
But Akechi follows him easily, smiling down at him, as sweet and inviting as the fading summer fruit. "This sounds like there's a story behind it," he remarks, playing idly with the hem of Ren's shirt.
Ren considers what to say for a brief moment, not long enough to be suspicious. Can't say too much, so it'd be better to leave things vague. "It's not much of one, really. Just my friends bickering a lot recently. It's just high school drama, but it's...I don't know, it's tiring."
"You sound exhausted just talking about it. Well, then, why don't we think about more pleasant things for a little bit?" Akechi's fingers inch up Ren's shirt ever so slightly, skating lightly over the space below his belly button, and Ren sucks in a quiet breath at the sensation. "I've been wondering, actually. Now that you've seen the real thing, how does it compare to the pictures you've seen? Everything you expected?"
"And more," Ren says, and smiles at the way warmth sparks in Akechi's eyes. He reaches up, carding his fingers through Akechi's hair, damp from the bath but still as perfect as ever. "Is it that unexpected that I like what I see? I thought you'd be used to compliments."
"When you're a public figure, people tend to be charming or kind because they want something from you," Akechi replies quietly, lifting his hand to mirror the gesture with Ren's wild tangle of curls. "And I haven't been getting that many approving looks lately, if you can believe it."
"Ouch. The public's really that fickle?" Akechi's expression darkens, and Ren curses himself for his thoughtlessness, stroking Akechi's hair soothingly. "Sorry. I just...it's not fair. You shouldn't be dealing with this because you had the wrong opinion."
"Life is rarely fair, Ren." Akechi sits up, but stays leaning over Ren, stroking his cheek almost tenderly. "And people don't take it well when an omega doesn't jump to please others."
Ren catches Akechi's hand in his, squeezing his fingers. "Well, I like that you don't. I like that you can hold your own, Akechi. I like that you challenge me to keep up with you."
Akechi's hand shifts in his, squeezing back with none of the gentleness Ren used, so tight it's almost painful. He stares down at Ren like he'll never stop needing more of him. "You..." His other hand comes up to rest at Ren's throat, exerting only the slightest pressure, as if he's not sure whether he wants to caress or choke. (Ren knows it probably says something about him that he finds either option appealing. It probably says more about him that this isn't the first time he's thought about it.) "You are so...impossible, you know that?"
Ren grins up at him. "Aren't we two of a kind, then?"
Akechi's breath stutters, and then with a flurry of motion he's straddling Ren in the space of a moment, his eyes wide and luminous. "I want you," he says hoarsely, "so badly, Ren. It's a terrible idea, you know."
"I know," Ren replies, but his hands are already on Akechi's thighs, sliding up temptingly close to the juncture of his hips and then back down again.
"There are a thousand reasons why I shouldn't. Why we shouldn't," Akechi breathes, his thumbs tracing along either side of Ren's windpipe, rubbing gentle circles into the vulnerable skin. Ren stifles a whine when they brush over his scent glands, and wow, that feels good.
"Yeah," Ren says, panting a little now. His hands dip towards the inside of Akechi's thighs, slowly inching their way back up.
"But you make it so...maddeningly difficult to care about any of them," Akechi says, and the pressure on Ren's throat eases, Akechi's hands shifting to cradle his face like something precious and fragile. "What do you say? Would you like to be a selfish fool with me?"
Yes dances on the tip of Ren's tongue, but he doesn't let it free. He brings his hands up, squeezing around Akechi's wrists gently. "What are you asking me for? I mean, I thought we'd been doing that for a while already."
Akechi throws his head back in an honest, delighted laugh, and Ren adores him. "We have, haven't we? You're exactly right. It's long past too late for second thoughts now." He lowers himself carefully over Ren until their foreheads almost-not-quite touch, his breath ghosting hungrily over Ren's lips. "I've grown tired of the ambiguity of these games we play. I want something more substantial from you."
"Are you asking me out, Akechi? Because I'd say yes if you were," Ren says with a teasing smile, lifting one hand to card fondly through Akechi's hair.
Akechi smiles back, slow and sharp, as he leans into the touch. "Then I think calling me 'Akechi' is a bit cold, don't you agree?"
Oh, fuck, okay. "Goro," Ren says, testing the word on his tongue, and he likes the way Goro's eyes light up as he says it. "So...can I call you my boyfriend now?"
Goro falters a little at that; he sits back up, though he doesn't move off Ren's lap. "You should know," he says carefully, "that a relationship between us will come with certain...caveats."
"Okay," Ren says, because he expected that there would be. "What are they?"
"Like many young celebrities, in the interest of facilitating the fantasy of availability to my fans, I'm forbidden to date by my agency," Goro replies, his voice carefully neutral. He's not meeting Ren's eyes now. "Honestly, I'd nearly forgotten. I've never been that interested in having a relationship, so it seemed an inconsequential condition at the time that I signed my contract. But it means we won't be able to date openly. It's best if you don't talk to your friends about it, either."
Not that Ren would. He knows they'd flip out, and things are more than bad enough there already. He shrugs, nodding. "Sure, makes sense."
"You're all right with that?" Goro watches him cautiously, shoulders hunched high, shifting on his lap like he's about to slip off it. "You don't mind that you won't be able to talk with them about your relationship–you won't get to brag to your peers–you won't be able to show your affection unless we're behind closed doors?"
Ren considers his answer carefully, because Goro looks like he's on the brink of convincing himself to take it all back and run away. "I would say, rather than being all right with it–no, let me finish–it's more that it's a price I'm happy to pay. Yeah, I'd like to do all those things, I would be lying if I said I wouldn't like it." He gently tugs at Goro's collar, coaxing him back down with a reassuring smile. "But I'd still rather be with you than have all those things with someone else."
He's hardly finished his sentence when Goro closes the rest of the distance between them without Ren's urging, kissing him fiercely, hands tangling in his dark curls and pulling until he groans. Ren kisses him back with equal enthusiasm, noticing vaguely that the dampening effect of the bath on Goro's scent seems to have worn off by now, because suddenly it's everywhere and he's drowning in it. God, he's so close now, but Ren still needs more, needs to know what it feels like to have all of Goro's sharp corners softened against his.
He slides his hands up along Goro's outer thighs and realizes the problem. Goro's knees are braced on the mattress, but his feet are still dangling off the edge because Ren's legs are, too. They can't get any closer like this. Goro's hands are still fisted in his hair, keeping him in place as Goro coaxes his lips apart greedily, so he taps a few times at Goro's hip until the other boy finally pulls off of him. "What?" Goro says impatiently, and he already looks way too debauched like this, his hair hanging haphazardly around his flushed face, his lips kissed scarlet and shining wetly.
It's very distracting, but just as Goro starts to lean in again he remembers himself and manages to get out a hurried gasp of, "Shoes." Goro's mouth goes still against his for a moment before he pulls away and nods, straightening up so he can reach back and work at the laces of his oxfords. For his part, Ren just pushes at the heel of each shoe with his toes so he can kick them off haphazardly, then waits for Goro to finish pulling his off the proper way. As soon as he hears the thud of the second shoe against the attic floor, Ren scoops Goro up by his ass–Goro makes a very cute noise somewhere between startled and turned on–and shimmies up onto the bed properly.
"You're a little too comfortable taking liberties with me already," Goro mutters, even as he crawls onto Ren eagerly, pinning his shoulders back against the mattress. He's already lowering his hips into Ren's, grinding against him, and Ren's not hard yet but he's definitely going to be very soon if Goro keeps that up.
"Are you complaining?" he says with a cocky grin, reaching up to unbutton Goro's dress shirt while the opportunity is there.
"I didn't say that." Goro immediately sits up and undoes his tie, his hips still rolling against Ren's in achingly slow circles, then reaches down to return the favor. His fingers work much more quickly than Ren's, clearly well-practiced at this. "Fortunately for you, I've decided to overlook your transgressions for the evening. Up." He finishes unbuttoning Ren's shirt and tugs at it until he sits up enough for Goro to work it off his shoulders and pull it off completely, tossing it off into some corner or another.
There's any number of snarky replies Ren could make to that, but then he finishes with Goro's buttons and watches him shrug off the shirt, and he looks so beautiful like this, warm and willing and all for Ren. He knows he has to look totally besotted as he smiles up at Goro, reaching up to slip a hand under his long hair and rub his thumb along the side of Goro's neck, but he doesn't care if he looks a little love-drunk right now. Goro shudders when Ren's thumb brushes the sensitive spot between his neck and shoulder, moaning softly as his eyes flutter closed, clearly relishing the sensation as another wave of pheromones blooms into the attic.
"Come here," Ren says quietly, and Goro folds down into him easily as he fits his lips to Ren's again, kissing him soft and simmering this time. Ren shivers as he feels Goro stretch himself languidly along the length of Ren's body, pressing in close, so close, closer than he's ever been. None of Ren's fantasies about Goro ever accounted for the electric slide of so much bare skin against bare skin, or the way it feels to have Goro's mouth making a slow, savoring meal of his, or the jigsaw tangle of another person's limbs through his own. It's so much, it's overwhelmingly too much, and still Ren wants more, wants everything of Goro that he's willing to give.
He's not sure how long they've been kissing when he feels Goro start to tug at his waistband; it feels like no time at all and hours at the same time. "You don't have to," he gasps, breaking off from the kiss. Goro's slender fingers start to work at the button of his pants; Ren grabs at his wrist to stop him, because he still remembers that look in Goro's eyes at the aquarium, terrified of his own desire, expecting Ren to demand more from him. "Goro. I don't want you to think you owe me more than you want to give because I said yes," he insists, a little more forcefully this time.
Goro pulls away, just enough to look him in the eyes clearly. There's something wary and guarded in his expression. "I want to," he says. "Do you?"
Oh. He's worried Ren doesn't want him. That's easy to fix; Ren smiles, letting go of Goro's hand again. "Oh, absolutely. But only if you want it, too."
Goro's eyes soften into a fondness Ren's never seen, and instantly he's greedy for more of that look, all the time. "Lovely," he breathes, leaning down to press another kiss to Ren's lips, sweet and chaste and over too quickly. He gives Ren a satisfied smile as he sits up and scoots further back on his lap, his fingers already busily at work undoing Ren's pants. "Now shut up and let me take care of you, Ren."
"So, uh," Ren says eloquently, watching Goro expose his cat-print underwear to view. "I haven't done...this. Before." A little embarrassing to admit, but Ren doesn't want to spend his whole first time fretting about whether he'll be found out as a virgin. He'd much rather use that time figuring out how to make his gorgeous boyfriend (holy shit, his boyfriend) feel good.
Goro tugs at the belt loops on either side of Ren's waist. "Hips," he says instead of replying to that bit of open vulnerability, because he's an asshole. Ren obediently raises his hips anyway, and Goro hooks his fingers through the waistband of Ren's underwear and pulls everything down to his thighs, and Ren hisses when he feels open air on his dick. There's something really...intense about being undressed by another person, actually. (Not that he doesn't kind of like that, though.) He resists the urge to cover himself up, because he's pretty sure he'd never live it down.
Goro doesn't move to touch his cock, just looks at it for a few unbearable moments, and Ren decides he's had enough of being the only one feeling kind of exposed right now. "C'mon, you too," he huffs, reaching for Goro's waist, and frowns when Goro scoots further back out of reach. "Goro, if you've changed your mind, that's fine–"
"No!" Goro says quickly. "No, I want to. Just–I'll handle it." Hurriedly he starts fumbling at his belt, and Ren watches in fascination as Goro shoves everything down his slim hips, giving him his first in-person look at the dick that's been the star of their late night chat sessions. Somehow, it looks even better than he thought it would. Yeah, Ren's seen Goro's dick in a lot of really great pictures at this point, but having it on full display right here is so much hotter in a way he can't fully articulate when his brain's hopped up on how good Goro's need for him smells.
God, it's so hot, and he's so hard. Ren dithers for a few moments as Goro starts working his pants further down his legs, squirming around as he does and making his semi-hard cock bob around in a way Ren finds very appealing to watch. Then he decides they're literally here about to have sex, so why the hell not, and wraps his hand around his own dick, stroking it in slow pulls as he watches his boyfriend strip for him. Goro doesn't notice till he's got one leg free and is kicking his pants off the other, and he frowns as he shifts his attention to watching Ren, then makes a frustrated noise when his pants get caught on his ankle. Ren snickers as he watches Goro grab them and yank them off, because he's an asshole too; Goro pitches his clothes violently at the table by the stairs once he's free of them, then rips his socks off and throws them too for good measure.
"Show's over, get your hand off yourself," Goro snaps as he moves back into his former position, but still hovering over Ren instead of settling onto his lap. "I told you before, I'm going to take care of you."
Ren looks at the tight set of Goro's shoulders, the way his delicate brows have drawn together over his eyes in a scowl, and decides to go light on the teasing for now. He gives himself one more gentle squeeze before letting go, then props himself up on his elbows to smile at Goro. "Sorry. You just look really good, couldn't resist." He knows he's made the right move when Goro's eyes light up, a pleased flush blooming in his cheeks even though he doesn't smile back. Ren lies back in the sheets, holds his arms out just a little, and says again, "Come here."
And Goro does, bracing himself on his hands and knees over Ren as he leans down. Ren thinks he's about to kiss him, but instead Goro presses his face against his neck, taking a deep breath. Probably inhaling his scent to relax his nerves a little, Ren thinks. "I've never done this either," he murmurs after another breath. "In case you were wondering."
Ren hums softly, curling his arm around Goro to feel out the contours of his back muscles, skin already a little slippery with sweat. (He really appreciates Goro's bouldering hobby right now, honestly.) He can feel Goro's cockhead brushing his belly with each breath, warm and heavy and already leaking precum against his skin, and the temptation to grab him and pull him down for more is so strong. Ren restrains it anyway. "Then that makes us even," he replies, turning his head and pressing a kiss under Goro's ear.
Goro shudders, letting out a wonderfully needy moan that vibrates warmly against Ren's collarbone. He starts pressing hot, wet kisses along Ren's neck and shoulders, and that feels so good that Ren doesn't notice him moving until his hips are lowering into Ren's, their cocks sliding achingly hard against each other–and then he whines as Goro keeps moving, taking that perfect pressure away as he shifts the juncture of his thighs to settle over one of Ren's legs. "Greedy," Goro says softly into his ear, trailing a possessive hand down Ren's chest. Maddeningly, he still doesn't touch Ren's dick at all, only rubs along the line of Ren's hipbone. "How much do you want me right now, Ren?"
"God, so much," Ren pants, unable to keep himself from squirming in an effort to strain towards that so-close touch. His thigh drags against Goro where he's perched on top of it, and hearing the shaky little whimper that pulls out of Goro makes Ren's dick twitch with heady desire. He fists his hands in the thin bedsheets to contain the furious need to touch himself. "So much, fuck, can you–"
"Say it." Even though Ren can hear Goro's quick, heaving breaths over his own, Goro's voice is still even, his tone forceful and commanding. But beneath the bossy act, Ren thinks Goro sounds thrilled, like he wants this just as much, like he can't believe he gets to have it, and, well. How can Ren refuse something this easy that his boyfriend likes so much?
Ren thumps his head back against the pillow with a groan. "Goro, will you please touch my dick already," he laughs, and Goro sits up slightly to meet his eyes, clearly startled by how Ren sounds amused instead of frustrated. Ren just grins at him. "I've been good, haven't I?"
He doesn't miss the way Goro's hips jerk a little against his thigh when he says it, and files that information away for later. "I suppose so," Goro says breathily. He sits up fully, raking a hungry look down Ren's willing and waiting body beneath him, and his gaze falls on Ren's almost painfully hard and throbbing cock and stays there. Ren catches a brief flash of his pink tongue darting out to lick his lips as he stares at it brazenly; he thinks Goro isn't even aware he's doing it, but god it's hot to look at anyway. "And you did ask so nicely," Goro murmurs, almost as if he's talking to himself instead of Ren.
Ren doesn't even get a chance to think up some cute retort, because then Goro's reaching down, and then there are fingers against his dick, and then Goro's whole hand curling close all around the shaft and squeezing. Ren's surprised by his own moan at the contact, the way it comes out so low but sounds so shamelessly wanton, but he just wasn't expecting how different it feels having someone else touching him like this compared to doing it himself. It's still a hand on his dick, sure, but it's a hand on his dick with no direction from him, and he gasps as Goro slowly slides that hand along his length.
Goro's eyes flick up to his face as he strokes back up Ren's cock, and he maintains that searing eye contact as he rolls his thumb over the blunt tip, smearing it through the pre drooling from the slit. Ren can't stifle a groan as his hips stutter eagerly into the touch. "Goro," he says pleadingly, and bites his lip to stop any other needy noises when Goro only gives him a satisfied smirk and returns his attention to Ren's cock.
"Just look at you," Goro croons softly, openly delighted now as he alternates shallow strokes and squeezes with swiping his fingers over Ren's cockhead, gathering more slippery precum on his fingers with each pass. He's starting to grind on Ren's thigh now, moving in time with his strokes. "Alphas really are more productive. Or is it just that you're that desperate for me?"
"Goro, holy shit," Ren whimpers, and then Goro's fist tightens and pumps over his dick and Ren yelps in surprised pleasure. Goro does it again, and this time the noise Ren makes is quieter, but Goro still seems pleased by his reaction. He squeezes even tighter, starts moving his hand a little faster, and Ren can hear his breaths coming shallower. Goro feels so hot and heavy and good on him as he jerks Ren's dick and frots eagerly against Ren's thigh, his movements getting smoother with each little thrust against him, and Ren suddenly realizes the wet heat he's feeling where Goro's skin meets his isn't just his own sweat but also Goro's slick, oh fuck. "I'm," he gasps, "I'm not gonna last, sorry–"
"Show me," Goro demands, jacking his dick harder, his eyes blazing into Ren's. "Look at you, you're so gorgeous for me, I want to see it–come on, Ren, come on–"
Ren can hear his own voice rising too loud as he feels his orgasm start to hit, ah, ah, ah, and then it peaks and he's coming apart. Goro pumps his cock through each pulse relentlessly, coaxing out every ounce of pleasure as he tells Ren that's right, just like that, come on, until Ren slumps bonelessly into the sheets and Goro finally releases his oversensitive and softening dick.
Ren stares at the attic's ceiling for a few minutes as he catches his breath, his mind pleasantly blank. Once he recovers enough for coherent thoughts again, he realizes that Goro's still not quite done yet–he's whining soft and needy over Ren, working his hand on himself fast and hard. Ren reaches out, gently batting at Goro's hand. "Let me," he says when Goro makes a noise of protest, tilting a hazy smile up at him, and Goro lets go to brace his arms on the mattress around Ren instead, still grinding needily against his thigh.
Goro's dick is already wet enough that Ren's fingers slide over it easily, slippery with some combination of pre and sweat and slick. As soon as he has his hand around it, Goro starts fucking into his fist eagerly, his hips working in a desperate rhythm. "You're so good," Ren murmurs as he squeezes and strokes with Goro's movements. Goro moans loud and shameless in response as his thrusts start to jerk erratically, and then within a few moments he's covering Ren's chest in streaks of cum. Ren patiently works his cock for every drop until he's spent and shaking.
Goro topples off of Ren to lie on his side beside him when it's over, probably because Ren's chest is a mess between both of them coming all over it. They lie there listening to each other breathe, and when Ren fumbles for Goro's hand, Goro allows it and laces their fingers together without hesitation. He turns his head to nuzzle into Goro's neck, inhaling the sweetness of vanilla and apples, and the only note he can detect in Goro's scent is pure contentment. It feels like his own secret benediction, knowing he did that for Goro, only Ren.
"This is really nice, but I'm starting to feel kinda gross," Ren says after a little while, and grins at the inelegant snort of laughter that gets out of Goro. "I know I have tissues somewhere–"
"I found them," Goro replies, sitting up and leaning over Ren to reach for the box. He starts mopping the cum off Ren's skin, making a mildly disgusted face at it. "Ugh. I hadn't realized how much there would be, is cleanup like this every time when you're an alpha?"
Ren can't help laughing at the way Goro glares at the sticky mess; he looks like an offended cat next to his small but growing pile of dirty tissues. "You figure out ways to manage it. Usually I have a little more control over what's happening and my hot boyfriend isn't there encouraging me to keep going, though. Or adding his own contribution."
Goro blushes prettily at that, ducking his head and getting a fresh tissue to start cleaning the remnants of his slick off Ren's thigh. (Wow, they made a mess.) "Yes, well. At least you seem to have enjoyed yourself."
Ren doesn't miss the tentative note in Goro's voice, so he reaches up to rest a hand on Goro's waist, rubbing over his bare hip in a half-possessive, half-comforting gesture. "Enjoyed doesn't begin to cover it. You were...amazing, Goro. Perfect." Goro's lips curve up in a tiny smile at that, and Ren can't help smiling back. "What about you? Did you like it?"
"I did," Goro says softly, after a brief moment of hesitation. He gets another tissue and starts cleaning himself–there's a lot less fluid on him than Ren, so he works much more quickly. "More than I expected, to be honest," he adds after another pause, and his blush deepens.
Ren smirks. "Well, I always aim to please." He stretches and then sits up, starts to tug up his pants and underwear again, then thinks better of it and shucks them off instead. (Laundry first thing in the morning, definitely. He should change the sheets before he goes to bed, too.) He catches the frankly admiring look Goro gives him as he finishes pulling the last of his clothes off, and waggles his eyebrows with his cockiest grin. "See something you like?"
"Yes, actually," Goro says with a smirk of his own. "But I'm sure I'll have other opportunities to look. Unless I'm mistaken?"
The question sounds playful, but Ren decides to answer it sincerely anyway. "You're not. I'm happy to give you as many private strip teases as you'd like. Call it boyfriend privileges."
He likes the way the corners of Goro's eyes crinkle when his smile widens at that. "I'm glad to hear it. But in that case, I should probably go before the trains stop running," he sighs, and Ren feels selfishly happy that he sounds genuinely reluctant to leave. Goro stretches, then scoots off the bed and stands up, going around the attic to collect the clothes he discarded so haphazardly earlier. "But I should be able to find some time to come back next week, if you're amenable to that?"
Ren is too busy admiring the view of his boyfriend's lithe body in motion–he's still not over the fact that Goro Akechi is here, in his bedroom, naked and beautiful and all for him–to process the question right away. He's already opening his mouth to agree when he remembers. "Shit, uh–I actually won't be here, sorry."
"Oh?" Goro straightens up with his pants and a single sock in hand, looking back at Ren with a small frown. "Why is that?"
"Class trip," Ren says ruefully, fiddling with a stray lock of hair. "We're going to Hawaii. Won't be back until...a little over a week from now, I think?"
Goro waits a little too long for comfort before he replies, "Hmm. Well, that's disappointing, but it can't be helped." He returns to hunting for the other sock, but when he finds it he starts putting his pants on where he stands instead of returning to the bed.
Well, if he's not going to have Ren help him get dressed, Ren figures he may as well put some clothes on himself. He gets up and goes to his enormous cardboard box of clothing, rummaging around in it until he finds his sleepwear. "I'll be back before you know it," he says tentatively as he steps into his sweatpants and pulls them up to tie at his waist. "With souvenirs. And I'll still have phone service, probably."
From this close distance, he can smell how the sweet notes of Goro's contentment from earlier have mostly faded from his scent. Goro doesn't look at him as he heads back to the bed to retrieve his dress shirt. "You'll think of me while you're there, won't you?" he says at last, his voice stiff and formal, his attention fixed on the buttons as he carefully does them up.
"Of course," Ren says without hesitation, pulling his sleep shirt over his head as he crosses the room again. He runs a gentle hand up Goro's arm to his shoulder, trying to be reassuring. (Holy shit, Goro's biceps are amazing, but now's not the time for that.) "Like I could forget. I'll be missing you the whole time, you know."
"It's quite all right. It's only a few days," Goro says, but his shoulder goes tense under Ren's palm as he finishes up with the button at the hollow of his throat. He looks conflicted for a few moments–and then he leans slightly into the touch, stiff and awkward but still clearly craving affection. Ren wonders how long it's been since the last time Goro felt like he could ask anyone for comfort.
"Come here," he says for the fourth time tonight as he sits on the edge of his lumpy mattress, and Goro doesn't resist when Ren draws him onto his lap. He perches on it stiffly at first, letting Ren rub a soothing trail up his spine with thief-supple fingers for a few minutes. At last he lets himself go limp against Ren, bowing his head to nuzzle into Ren's neck, scenting him tentatively. "Better?" Ren asks.
Goro nods against his shoulder, then finally straightens up to meet Ren's eyes. "I will miss you, you know," he says quietly, pressing his forehead against Ren's. "It hardly seems fair that you're going off gallivanting out of the country just as I've managed to secure your affections for myself."
Ren–Ren doesn't know what to do with that, because Goro is saying he'll miss him, and he's so used to contenting himself with Goro's half-spoken implications that this sudden directness is a little overwhelming. He clears his throat awkwardly. "If it helps, I'm not happy about the timing either," he says. "Think I should try to get out of it? I'm supposedly a hardened criminal, maybe I could get away with it."
They both know he's not serious, but it makes Goro laugh, which was the whole point. "I'd rather you not add any more blemishes to your record on my account," he says, looping his arms loosely around Ren's waist. "I can hardly call myself a good role model if I can't even keep you on the straight and narrow, don't you think?"
A little late for that, Ren doesn't say, and presses a light kiss to Goro's smile. "I guess I can make an effort for the sake of your reputation. If I have to."
"Oh, I'm afraid I must insist," Goro replies in his most earnest version of the Detective Prince, and then grins more sincerely when Ren laughs outright at his affectation. Then he looks to the window behind Ren and sighs. "I really should go. While the trains are running." But he makes no move to get off Ren's lap, curling closer against him.
"A few more minutes," Ren agrees, resting his head on Goro's shoulder and closing his eyes.
He can be selfish just a little longer. The rest of the world can wait.