stealhearted | after me comes the flood;

[It's startlingly homely. Most of the decor is in shades of a light steely blue and hunter greens, with pops of yellow here and there. Goro's mother, it seemed, really liked sunflowers. She was dressed surprisingly modestly for what at least one of her professions was or had been, a long navy skirt tied at her waist and a lighter blue blouse tucked into it. She tuts softly when she moves aside to let Akira into the condo, shaking her head.]

Oh, don't you ma'am me. Sweet or salty, for a snack? I promise I didn't cook them. [Her cooking is-- she tries, but she suffers from Set The Kitchen On Fire Syndrome similarly to her son, and therefore usually relies on pre-packaged and frozen meals.]

[Her son, for the record, is slumped in a neat little pile in the very middle of a couch a few shades lighter than his hair, but the same honeyed brown color. There's a thin blanket laid over him, and papers as well as his laptop strewn all over the coffee table in front of him. His feet are still on the floor, and it looks for all the world like he just fell asleep mid-thought. He probably did. He was so much less guarded, here.]

Sweet, thank you. [ Akira says it almost automatically, because he knows Akechi likes sweets -- perhaps not the over the top ones he'd done for his blog, but even in this alternate world, he'd periodically sent Akira pictures of the ones he'd get from local, less trafficked cafes and bakeries.

Akira can't help the way he looks at Akechi. He looks -- relaxed and vulnerable. It'd be normal for him to look that way when asleep, but this Akechi clearly doesn't suffer from the chronic lack of sleep and nightmares that Akira knows for a fact plague Akechi under normal circumstances. ]

He'll have to sleep more if he wants to test well. [ Akira says, a little wryly, because he doubts Akechi will ever, in any reality, be capable of sleeping a normal human amount. ]

[She smiles at him-- you're not slick, Akira. But she doesn't say anything, just went into the kitchen and produces a small basket that she fills with cookies, setting it on the table alongside Akechi's papers.] He doesn't sleep enough, he always says he wants to get more done while he's awake.

[She circles around the table and sits near his head, reaching out to run her fingers through his hair.] Goro, honey, you have company.

[He curls into the blanket and proceeds to make a squashed sound in the back of his throat, stretching out and rolling onto his back to stare at his mother blearily. When he notices Akira he startles, and sits upright a fair amount faster than he probably should have.] Akira--, you didn't tell me you-- did I forget something? Were we meeting somewhere... [His mother laughs, getting up and going back to the kitchen for their tea.]

I brought coffee. [ Akira offers, holding up the thermos. He sets it down on the coffee table, trying to pretend like this sleepy, innocent Akechi isn't one of the strangest things he's ever seen.

It's... wrong, he thinks; his Akechi is a murderer (his would-be murderer). He'd never be this calm and relaxed. Akechi is always primed for betrayal, for pain, for everyone to get tired of him -- even though the Phantom Thieves have continued to (begrudgingly, in some cases) forgive him and treat him like a normal person. ]

I thought you might have stayed up too late again. [ Which is -- apt, apparently. There's a bit of Akechi's hair that's sticking up off to the side, and Akira blames the cognitive dissonance, blames Maruki, for the fact that he reaches out automatically to tug it back into place. ]

[His slow boot-up time remains in tact in this reality, and he scrunches his face, stretching his shoulders upward like a cat before going very still when Akira's hand corrects his hair's unruliness.]

[His face dusts pink, and he reaches up to tuck some of his hair behind his ear.] Y-yes, well. I did well on the mock exam, so I figured a smart next step would be knowing the ins and outs of the universities I'd like to try for. I got caught up taking notes and memorizing floor plans and schedules for future-student orientations...

You know, you're running the risk of being too perfect. [ Not that Akira thinks anyone has ever minded Akechi being too perfect -- in their normal reality, the population is eager to put him on a gilded pedestal. Akira never did that, he thinks, but he likes all of Akechi's flaws.

Or he thought he did. Maruki's words ring in his head, chasing his thoughts in circles. Did Akira want this? Did he want this de-fanged Akechi? How much of this happiness was real?

He came to ask Akechi questions. He has to, he thinks, even though he feels his willpower drifting away. ]

You could be a detective, with how detail-oriented you are. [ It's dangerous, Akira thinks. ]

[The pink on his face sears scarlet, and he flusters, moving to shift his papers into a neater pile.] I'm far from perfect, Akira-- what, did you fail a test somehow and need a study buddy? You don't have to butter me up for that.

[The detective comment makes him turn sharply, his expression leaning slightly into the sharpness Akira is more used to, but then it smooths back out until he looks confused, like he didn't consciously angle his body the way he had. He can't seem to quite remember what Akira said, either.] I--'m sorry, what did you say?

[His mother comes back into the room, a tray and two mugs of tea held in her hands, which she places individually on either side of the basket of cookies. Akechi looks bewildered for a handful of seconds, first at her and then the cookies, like he's misplaced, and then he blinks and fits back into his skin, reaching out for a mug.] You should have woken me up sooner, mom.

[ Akira sees it because he's watching, because he's so finely attuned to Akechi that he can practically hear the way his mind skips over the input. Does it mean that Akechi doesn't want to remember, doesn't want to break the spell that Maruki has cast?

Should Akira leave it alone? He's never been very good at that. ]

You're pretty perfect. I bet your locker overflows with presents on Valentine's like in one of those old anime. [ This Akechi must attend school considerably more often, so his popularity must be even higher, Akira thinks. Sure, he isn't famous across the entirety of Tokyo, but...

Akira accepts the mug when Akechi's mother offers it, pretending to think. ]

I'm up against some stiff competition. [ When in doubt, flirt. ]

[His mother smiles, broadly but in a secretive sort of way, and smooths her skirt as she stands up and reclaims the tray.

[Akechi's ears burn absolutely fluorescent, in the meantime, and his mother speaks so he doesn't have to figure out what to say.] You boys have fun, okay? I'm going to clean up the kitchen and then go see Muhen. Goro, you're off tonight, so remember to take it easy, okay? You two should go to that bathhouse near Akira's cafe.

[He nods, still stunned, and claims his own mug, crossing one leg over the other the way he always has. His mother tuts and is off, and Akechi doesn't figure out how to talk again until she's hollering a pleasant salutation as she leaves the condo. When he does, it's quiet and directed at his mug.]

...it's not... competition.

[ Akechi takes it so seriously that Akira doesn't know how to handle it. He thought he was steering them towards less dangerous waters, but he's still operating on what the old Akechi would have done -- and the old Akechi always deferred to his detective prince persona when any flirting happened, imperious and above everything.

But this Akechi -- his ears are pink and he's so serious into his tea, refusing to even make eye contact like Akira has just landed a critical hit, and it takes Akira's breath away.

It's like meeting someone entirely new, this alternate Akechi that could have been. Should have been, maybe. ]

Um. [ Akira doesn't know how to get out of this one, actually. ]

...yeah? [ And then he just takes a too big sip of his tea and burns his tongue, like an idiot. ]

[He puts his mug down and fusses, tsking softly and claiming Akira's mug, too. He sets it on the table, near his own, and stays sitting right up next to him, trying to put words together into proper sentences. He's taking this so seriously because to this Akechi, it is serious. It's possibly The Most Serious. He frowns at their mugs, and then sighs, oozing sideways to lean against the back of the couch and tugging Akira's shoulder, coaxing him to come along.]

...mom says we should date. She always has, always does, makes a big deal about it because you're so important to me. She says she's never seen me be so close to someone. It means a lot to her, I think, but I just... I don't want it to be just that? I can't... you're so important, I don't know that I could do right by you in that regard.

[ Suddenly, Akira thinks things might have been easier when he was faking his death and Akechi thought he'd murdered him. Which is funny, because that was incredibly complicated. ]

...I'm not going anywhere. [ Akira says it, a little carefully, because he's -- not, in this world, in their own world. They had struck a truce originally, on the ship -- to overthrow Shido and then God -- and that truce still stands, even though Akira knows for a fact that Akechi has been considering taking out the remaining members of the conspiracy until someone finally manages to kill him.

So really, Akira has never been the one in any danger of going anywhere. ]

I wouldn't want you to do something because you felt like you had to. But I -- [ What is he doing? He's confessing to a fake version of Akechi in a reality he knows isn't real, one that he has to end. One that he has to end. He has to. Doesn't he? ]

-- I wouldn't say no, if you wanted to.

No, of course you aren't.

[He finds Akira's hand, tugs on one of his fingers absently.] I'll be in university, soon. I don't know which, yet, but... it might not be in the area. And no, you can't drop everything and come with me like we're some kind of star-crossed lovers in one of Takamaki's romance novels.

[He folds his knees up to his chest.] Mom really cares about you too, I was going to ask you to look after her, if I wind up in a school that's not in Tokyo.

[ Akira watches Akechi's hand. His skin is the same milky pale that it always has been, but it doesn't seem like he's nearly as inclined to keep them behind gloves.

Akira assumes that's a bit of a metaphor, but it hurts to think about. ]

I don't know if I'll be able to stay in Tokyo. [ Akira says it like he couldn't just go to Maruki and say -- hey, can you make sure this happens for my happiness? He says it like it's an actual obstacle. He doesn't know why.

He wants it to be real, maybe. ]

...But I'd come back for university. If I -- if I couldn't stay with Sojiro, I'd need... a roommate.

You aren't just meaning that in the sense we would live together to attend university and save on living expenses.

[His straightforwardness is no different, at least.]

...Yeah. It'd -- be nice to have something to come back to. [ It isn't that he doesn't have that already -- the rest of the Phantom Thieves, or whatever they are in this world -- but he's always wanted Akechi. He's always wanted Akechi, and this Akechi is so -- warm, and content, and easy.

It feels wrong, but Akira wants to drown in it a little longer. He moves his hand, slightly, lets his fingertips fall into Akechi's palm. ]

Something to keep me going if I do have to go home.

[His fingers curl around Akira's immediately, and he sits forward to lean into his line of sight.] ...I don't know if I'll still be in Tokyo, I-- really can't be that picky about universities. I just need prestige and a good program, preferably with as many scholarships as I can manage... [He squeezes Akira's fingers.] I don't even know what I want to do, Akira. You can't plot your future around me.

I don't know what I want to do, either. [ Akira says it a little too heavily, a little too rushed -- Akechi can think it's about his future with probation, or his record, or his parents, so long as Akechi doesn't realize it's about the current delusion everyone but Akira seems to be under the influence of.

It's all truer than he wants it to be. But Akira also knows without a shadow of a doubt, because he's already talked with Maruki --]

You could get into Todai, if you wanted to. You're smart enough -- I don't think scholarships will be a problem for you. Not really. You could go into -- [ Not law enforcement, not detective work, not television; Akira's mind stumbles briefly. ] -- medicine, or law, or... I don't know, spaceship engineering.

I just want to run a coffee shop.

[His expression shifts, and he leans a little further into Akira's vision.]

...Akira, what is this really about? You're not usually so pressed about these things.

[ Akechi is the same in all the worst ways, it seems like. Akira inhales, then exhales; steadies himself. He doesn't want to be having any of these conversations. He wants to be texting Akechi at 2am knowing that Akechi is still awake and getting an acerbic response because Akechi can never seem to just let him stay on read even when they should both be sleeping. He wants to hear the croaked out scream of Loki behind him and know that it's because Akechi is watching his back instead of trying to stab it. He wants to confess that he thinks he's in love with that Akechi, that he flung himself forward and nearly got them both killed because he couldn't handle the idea of Akechi dying.

But he's here, and that Akechi isn't. ]

I'm not sure you'd believe me if I told you. [ Akira offers Akechi a small smile that isn't anything comforting at all. ]

I'll think of a way to say it. I just need some time.

[He wonders, for a moment, if Akira is anxious about confessing how he feels. He's... relatively aware, and reasonably certain he returns the feelings, but it's been a tangled, messy thing that hasn't quite ever come to being spoken.]

[He squeezes Akira's fingers, rubbing his thumb against the backs of his knuckles.] Don't let something fester for my sake, okay? You're so wretched about talking when you need to, sometimes it scares me. I'm terrible with a lot of the more delicate topics, but I do care about you, I just hope you know you can talk to me. [This is a little above your head here, Akechi.]

...I know. And I'm grateful. [ Akira can't imagine having this conversation under normal circumstances. There'd be a lot more insults if he ever went to Akechi for support -- though he thinks Akechi would still support him, even if he acted like it was the hardest thing in the world to do.

This Akechi feels so stripped down and bare, all that anger and hatred removed. It makes Akira's chest twist to think that he could have been this person all along. ]

I think I'm just overwhelmed trying to make sure I don't make the wrong decision for the future.

You don't need to be grateful. Just so long as you understand I'll support you.

[It's sad to consider that it could have been so easy. That if his mother hadn't taken her life, if he'd been able to stay with her, he could have grown up into an openly kinder person. His childhood still hadn't been perfect-- his mother hadn't met Muhen until he was nearly fifteen, and for years they struggled, but they made do. They had love, the most important and integral part missing from Akechi's life prior, so he had grown up softer and sweeter where he was normally barbed and acidic.]

[He'll be furious, and briefly utterly destroyed to realize what he could have been. To be smacked so thoroughly in the face with proof that having support had never been a weakness, but a strength. He knew that, deep down, and always had, but having it so plainly displayed would be impossible for him to swallow.]

[His expression stays neutral, eyes searching Akira's for anything to worry further about, but he knew when to let him slip out of a conversation. Pushing him wouldn't get him anywhere. He squeezes his fingers again.] ...it's hard, but as long as you know you don't have to shoulder the world on your own, I'll let it go for today.

[ Akira wants to laugh, but he thinks the sound would get strangled before he managed to get it out, so he doesn't. The weight of the world is all he has, right now. If Akechi doesn't wake up -- if none of them wake up -- Akira really doesn't know if he'll have the strength to make the decision for them.

If he remembers what really was forever... ]

...Thanks. I'll support you, too. [ Akira always has, other than the murder, he thinks. ]

...This is a little weird, but I've been having some odd dreams lately. [ Akira says it delicately, broaching the subject without broaching it, because if Akechi doesn't want to remember then it's fine. It's fine. ]

So if I text you at 3AM, feel free to ignore it.

[It's more than Akira usually gives him, when he's tangled up like this, he thinks. His whole memory of the boy seems suddenly clouded, and he's not sure if he's remembering things properly, but he takes the notion that he's been having odd dreams and pulls it close, absorbing it and quirking a smile.]

I'll look forward to it, as long as you don't wake me up if I have an exam.

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