stealhearted | are you hurting the one you love?

[His hand moves to the bruise on his jaw, nearly forgotten in the flurry of everything else in the last two days, and he scrunches his face in confusion.] Why? I deserved it.

Friends don't solve problems with fists... usually. [ Probably. Well -- there's probably an exception here and there. Makoto, for example, was very good at solving problems with her friends with her fists. ]

[He scowls at him for that, bunching up where he stands.] I still deserved it. Hurry up and show me what you were going to show me, already.

Sure. C'mere. The water and the curry take the longest to set up, so I start with the water-- [ And then he'll run through the minutiae of opening Leblanc, getting everything prepared and set up. Everything gets cleaned at night, so it's largely a process of putting things back together and getting it set up for the first customer... or, more than likely, Sojiro's first cup of coffee of the morning, which is the same thing.

Akira's voice is gentle and easy as he explains with slight gestures, letting Akechi do things as often as he feels inclined and doing them himself otherwise. ]

[He follows along reasonably well despite having no working knowledge of coffee beyond drinking it. The curry is wholly beyond him, but he's still good at taking direction, and oddly finds it's much easier to follow along with Akira's teaching because he's speaking so softly. It's soothing.]

[At a point when neither of them are moving while they wait for something to finish heating or pouring or what the fuck ever, he leans back on his heels just enough to put his shoulder against Akira's chest, though he doesn't say anything about it.]

[ Akira doesn't really acknowledge the contact, but his smile does get a little softer around the edges as he explains a little about the coffee. ]

You don't need to brew anything if you don't want to, but I can teach you a little about the beans. I'm still learning from Sojiro. These are the really expensive ones. [ The poop beans. He brewed those once and he doesn't intend to do it again... or to drink the elephant poop ones. God, why are people so focused on poop? ]

Anyway, that's it. It's not much, honestly.

[Coffee makes you poop, therefore, poop coffee...?? Akechi would prefer to not know about beans being extracted from poop, thanks. He hums softly, looking over the wall of beans and eventually shaking his head.]

...one set of tasks at a time, I think.

If you offer to help, Sojiro'll have you doing dishes, mostly. [ Based on Akira's own experience with the matter, though Sojiro did warm up to him relatively quickly, all things considered. It hadn't been long before Akira had been left with the keys, which was more than most people would have trusted a teenaged delinquent they didn't even know with. ]

I thought we could test how far we can go by having one of us head over to do laundry. [ A couple blocks away felt like a good beginning, given that Akira really should go back to school eventually. For a couple days. ]

[He nods, looking over to the sink.] That's fine, I would rather be helpful and I'm unlikely to mess up washing dishes.

[He's still looking at the sink a moment, but angling his head toward Akira as he suggests laundry, and it takes him a moment to parse his meaning. He turns fully to face him, nodding.] I still have the change from the train fare you gave me yesterday, I can try for laundry while you're minding shop. [It's... so bizarrely domestic. He got most of his clothes dry cleaned, prior, or just hand-washed them in his bath tub and hung them to dry on his balcony, so doing someone else's laundry with his own at a coin laundry is a strange concept.]

Sure. Sae-san won't be over until she gets off work, so we've got some time to kill. [ Akira busies himself doing some mundane tidying -- wiping down tables, that sort of thing. Everything is already clean, but he feels better if he's doing something and there's no reason not to do it, especially when he's sure Sojiro is on the way.

Not that Sojiro actually cares about wiping down tables and washing out ash trays, but. ]

Mmn. [While Akira mindlessly tidies, Akechi absently moves along the wall of beans and the bar, straightening things to what appear to be exact measurements within their cubbies and just far enough in to not be in danger of falling off the counter.]

...did. Should I let you tell the others it's fine to come by, or do you figure I ought to say it? [He fidgets with the books near the payphone a while.]

I can say it. If you do it your phone is going to go off for the next half an hour in excitement. [ Which -- the group chat is going to pop off either way, but if Akechi actually says something in it he's going to get absolutely mobbed with the kind of messages that require an answer, so -- so. ]

I'll tell them after school. I should fill them in on what's happening... what do you want me to not tell them? [ Like, obviously Akira's going to gloss over the makeout stuff, but. ]

My phone is going to go off for the next half hour anyway, [He says it mildly, but he's obviously a bit fussed about it.] But you're their leader, so it makes more sense for you to invite them.

[He stops at the chess set, taking a step back from it and standing in a tense scrunch in the middle of the space between the bar and the wall of coffee beans, squinting as if the game board had personally offended him.] ...I should hope it goes without saying that you aren't going to mention most of what happened yesterday. Between us, that is. It's pointless to not tell them I can't stray far from you, and that at least gives me more of a solid excuse for hanging around. ...I'd rather they not all be here when Sae comes by. [Because he's likely to have Emotions with regard of his things, and he's not prepared to be perceived having those by anyone other than Akira and Sae. Sae has already experienced occasional emotions from him, anyway.]

Yeah. They should be gone by then. [ Except Makoto, maybe, but she knows how to make herself scarce when need be -- especially if Futaba is in the general vicinity for her to fuss over. Makoto missed her calling as an older sister, honestly. ]

I'll figure out how to tell them enough for them not to hassle you. [ Nothing about he and Akechi or the sordid makeouts, but he has to dance around the entire Velvet Room and Lavenza thing without explaining it outright because that's a level that he's not sure he wants to go into with Ryuji. ]

[He makes a wordless sound of acknowledgement, straightening things another moment before he breezes over toward Akira.] They can hassle if they like, but it won't get them anywhere.

[ Akira doubts that, if only because he knows how annoying his friends can be, especially when they know there's nothing Akechi can or will do to actually stop them --

but also it's probably good for him to have some good-natured friendly ribbing? He seems a little confused by the concept of friendship, but more open to it than he was earlier. ]

Man, it's too bad Mementos is gone, it'd have been a nice place to let off steam.

[He blinks, squinting at Akira.]

...you realize that there are all forms of martial arts dojos, yes? It might be difficult with Takamaki, given whips are not common weapons outside of fiction, but axe-throwing is becoming reasonably popular these days, if I'm not mistaken Niijima was already familiar with aikido? Sakamoto could benefit from aikido as well, or karate... Kitagawa uses a sword, he would benefit from kendo. I don't believe Sakura needs physical training, and has plenty of mental training by hobby, your cat no longer has thumbs... [He takes his chin into his hand.] Which I suppose only leaves you, and you favor daggers, which could be worked into aikido, karate and kendo, depending on your preference.

Yeah, but I can't take you and vanish into nowhere to beat up shadows. It was nice! [ Akira pauses a beat, and then: ] I should probably take up something like karate.

[ Now that everything is done, Akira's schedule is suddenly... really wide open. People aren't clamoring for his time, there's no palaces to infiltrate, he's already told all his part-time jobs that he's moving, he beat the Big Bang Challenge... It'd be lonely, probably, if he didn't have Akechi.

Yikes, that's a landmine to think about he's going to avoid. ]

Plus, then I could have kissed y--

[ He breaks off abruptly as there's the distinctive sound of Sojiro unlocking the front door. ]

--Morning!

[He wrings his hands idly, the motion a bit like he's adjusting gloves even though he's not wearing them.] There are plenty of other means to blow off steam that don't involve the Metaverse. Why do you think I picked up cycling and bouldering?

[Sojiro gets to walk in to Akechi halfway to shrieking his distaste like the harpy that he is, though he swallows the sound when Akira calls out to him and just blusters at the former thief, disastrously red in the face.] And that is not for you to discuss so casually!

「 ...Am I interrupting something? 」 [ Is all Sojiro offers, brows slightly raised as he enters in. He flips the sign to open despite the fact that there's not exactly anyone breaking down the door, then shuffles over to head around the bar like the mere idea of youthful indiscretions might throw his back out. ]

We're discussing hobbies. [ Akira says, which... isn't entirely a lie, but given the way Sojiro looks at one of them and then the other, he doesn't completely buy it. Sojiro shrugs. ]

「 Whatever you say. Futaba didn't feel like getting up, so you're free for awhile longer, but she'll be over later today. 」

[ Akira offers Sojiro a smile. ] Everyone'll be over, probably. We'll be sure to keep it down.

[Smoothing his figuratively ruffled feathers, Akechi spends a handful of seconds glaring absolute daggers at Akira for his dismissal, tsking softly before turning to Sojiro. He ducks into a short bow, and his posture is obviously stiff, his tone almost excessively polite. It's not fake in the way he may have been toward him once, it's not to the degree of the Detective Prince, but he is somewhere between afraid of Sojiro and just genuinely concerned about transgressing against his allowance for Akira to occupy his storage loft.]

[Not that it's really entirely suitable to live in, but that's beside the point.]

Kurusu was showing me some opening procedures, and since I'm in a bit of an odd predicament forcing me to also reside in your business, if it suits you, I would be more than willing to assist in your shop. [A beat, and he frowns thoughtfully.] ...I am potentially more skilled in bookkeeping than I am in service, however.

「 Kid, you stay outta trouble and keep him outta trouble while everything gets sorted out, and that's more than enough for me. We'll talk about your situation once it's figured out. 」 [ Sojiro's voice is a little wry, like he doesn't believe either of them could stay out of trouble for more than five minutes even if they were literally locked in a jail cell, but in his defense: it's probably true.

Akira just turns slightly, looking at Akechi and offering him a smile that's a little more restrained than his earlier teasing. ]

I'll help out here today, so you can do whatever. [ Help. Laundry. Wander the streets of Yongen-Jaya to see how far the psychic tether will let you go. ]

[His shoulders remain tense, but he offers a somewhat apologetic smile.] While trouble is the absolute least of my interests at present, I'm not so sure I have the ability to keep him from it. He seems to be something of a magnet for it... Though I'll do my best.

[He nods to Akira, and circles around the bar to take off his apron. He starts to hang it, and then leans around to address Sojiro again.] ...I believe I've been tasked with laundry, would you like me to wash this apron?

「 Add in a pinch of baking soda and it'll get the smell of coffee right out. 」 [ It's Sojiro's way of saying "sure" and helping out -- needlessly, given that the smell of coffee permeates everything so deeply that there's no point in trying to get it out of the aprons. Akira's pretty sure his entire class can tell he lives near coffee because it's sunk into his uniform so thoroughly.

At least it's a nice smell. ]

Here. [ Akira offers Akechi a few more bills. He knows he won't want them, but -- ]

Grab some snacks for everyone. And some for yourself. [ Do this nice thing for yourself that Akira is trying to disguise as being for the entire Phantom Thieves. ]

[He tilts his head slowly, trying to figure out the point of removing the smell of coffee from an apron used in a coffee shop that makes coffee, and curry with coffee in it, but in the end he just nods, folding the apron over his arm with an affirmative intonation. He doesn't want the bills, and his expression is terribly sour as Akira gives him a reason to not refuse them, but they go into his pocket with the change from before without much fuss, just a roll of his eyes.]

Because a pack of wild teenagers absolutely needs snacks, of course.

are you hurting the one you love?

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that moment when you're like "ah yes, i work at a coffee shop, and in this thread i will,"

two baristas threading coffee shop aus that aren't aus at all

persona 5 is the phantom thief/barista au of the persona multiverse

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