stealhearted | are you hurting the one you love?

Even if you don't care about them, I... want you to know someone is thinking about you. [ Even if it's habit for Akira to care for everyone around him, it's different with Akechi. It feels more important, in a lot of ways -- it feels like he's trying to save Akechi from something precarious, and a million little gestures might be as meaningful as one big one. ]

It doesn't cost me anything to think of you.

[He looks abruptly uncomfortable, pinching inward like he does and then standing, placing his cup on his plate.] Are you finished? I'll wash our plates.

Yeah. Put on an apron or Sojiro will tell you off. [ Akira offers his dishes and the tray over, because making himself seem more useful might help Akechi feel better, and that's definitely a bonus at this point. ]

[He claims the tray, crouching to balance it on his knees and stack their plates, then their cups, reaching behind him to yank the hood of Akira's sweater up over his head. He says nothing, standing once he has a hold on the tray, and skitters off for the stairs, pausing.]

...do you need anything? [He's afraid to ask it because he's afraid of what Akira might say, but he's asking anyway. It's polite.]

No. I'm good. [ Akira's actually going to settle back onto his bed with one of his textbooks -- even if he isn't actively going to school thanks to his newfound fingertrap curse, he should still study.

Kawakami's gonna kill him, honestly. ]

[He nods, descending the stairs without another word, and he takes his time, borrowing an apron like instructed and cleaning their plates and cups with great care. Sojiro comments on it, and Akechi exchanges a few words with him before excusing himself again. As he comes back up the stairs he stops on the landing, one hand on the railing once he's in the entryway of the loft, and just stands there. He stays very still, not looking at anything in particular for a while before he looks up and focuses on Akira, looking him over with a frown that isn't exactly annoyed so much as it is just pensive.]

[ Akira looks up at Akechi, considers asking a question, and then decides that for the meantime its better to let Akechi call the shots about what he says and when. ]

Are you any good at math? [ Akira asks, instead. Akechi's a third year, so even factoring in missing the last several months of school, he's still ahead of Akira. ]

[His expression slackens to curiosity, and he tilts his head, striding across the room with less tension in his limbs than he expected.]

It isn't my best subject, but I've usually maintained the top ten in my class. What are you struggling with?

I was... absent... [ in jail, ] when we went over induction proofs, and I'm a little hazy on the entire thing. It seems easy, but then I go to do it and have no idea where to start. [ Akira slides his book over. Shujin, despite all its flaws, still has a reasonably high level curriculum that doesn't exactly leave room for people to be out for two weeks on multiple criminal charges. ]

Oh, [He drops into a sit easily, leaning back on one hand and looking over the book for a moment before launching into a surprisingly comprehensive, yet understandable explanation of what he's looking at. It's... a bizarre amalgamation of what Akira would recognize as "real" Akechi and the Detective Prince, the latter of which mostly being the hand gestures.]

[He doesn't fully realize he hasn't completely kicked the habit of moving like he's constantly on camera when he's actually aware of someone watching.]

[ Akira just... watches, mildly bemused, and then nearly actually misses the explanation for it because of it. But he manages to get it at the last second, and then it's just a matter of whittling his understanding into the proper shape to actually pass his second year.

It doesn't take long, on the upside, thanks to the fact that he keeps getting some of the highest grades in his year.

When he's not in jail.

Eventually, he raises a hand and drops two fingers onto Akechi's wrist, idly. ]

When you're confident about something, you talk with your hands.

[He seems... more comfortable, somehow, talking about academics. His posture is more fluid, he doesn't seem to realize he's folded himself up onto the bed to look over the textbook, swatting Akira's hand for a moment and perusing it on his own.]

[So he goes very still when Akira touches him, blinks a few times and looks chastised, recoiling.] ...force of habit.

It's nice. [ Akira offers him a smile, easy and gentle. Akira does like it -- seeing Akechi confident, more in his element. It's not like Akira wants to see that manic confidence that lead to murder, but --

Well. He hopes Akechi can get his feet underneath him, understand that he's more than just a television personality. He's so smart, and Akira can see it in him, hear it in the way he explains things. ]

You're a good teacher.

[He still can't handle compliments he knows are honest, so he swings his legs back off the edge of the futon and grasps the edge of it, looking away from him.] ...they tell you when you're on television, the bigger the better. Bigger smiles, bigger gestures, louder voices. Fake it until you make it, and I took it so literally I can't even be sure I know how to not act so deplorably fake I may as well always wear a set mic.

[But he huffs, glancing over at Akira and his textbooks.] I should hope I remember enough about my second year to make sure you can graduate, given I'm what's preventing you from learning in the proper environment.

I don't think you're faking as much as you think you are. [ Sure, there's threads of it permeating in, but the confidence Akechi has seems pretty natural, given it tends to come up when he's not paying attention. ]

You weren't the reason I was in jail. Mostly. [ Missing school for a day or two because he's tied at the hip to Akechi is way better than jail, that's for sure. Akira spent most of it bored out of his mind in solitary. ]

Because you would know, [Arguing is always so much easier, even if he's tired of it. He knows, maybe, that Akira is right, that he's only faking as much as he doesn't already know, and for as much of his detective career was fake, his intelligence is still real. But it's still so much easier to fight him on it.]

[He rolls his eyes.] Mostly.

I'd know. I'm kind of a pro at faking. [ The smile he gives Akechi is absolutely his fake ass "I'm dealing with teachers and/or my probation officer" smile, the one he doesn't really use very much since most of the adults close to him actually already know and like him, like, as a human being.

Which is wild. ]

[He draws in a breath and huffs it out in a melodramatic sigh, straightening his posture and moving his hands to scrub over his face.] Yes, yes, mister mystery. Do you need any more help studying?

I'll let you know if I get stuck again. If I can promise not to fall behind, my teacher doesn't mind me missing a few days. [ Well. She minds, but she doesn't exactly protest, given his criminal background and how he's been helping her... ]

[He hunches forward and sets his hands on the edge of the futon again.]

...does Niijima being the student council president give you any leeway over me accompanying you so you can finish your classes? If we can ever... be farther than this distance. [God, he hopes.]

I was thinking of just claiming you're my probation enforcer. [ He's... not completely joking. ]

I'll talk to everyone about it tomorrow. I think we've been through enough for now. [ Like, they don't need to go for an even baker's dozen of breakdowns in under two days. ]

[He grimaces, giving him a pinched look.] ...it's not the worst lie I've ever heard, but I also abhor the notion of having to go to your school as the Detective Prince who just so happens to be enforcing your probation. I know Shujin has a lot of fans of my previous work...

[He shudders faintly, folding his legs back onto the futon and passing Akira a frown.] Are you still going to insist I sleep here?

It's not ideal, but... [ They'll figure it out. Akira hopes they won't have to resort to that, in part because his social life will get considerably worse, but... ]

If you don't want to, I won't make you, but I do think you're going to get too cold on the couch. [ A beat, and then -- ] My motives are 80% about your health and 20% ulterior.

[He seems more or less agreeable to the notions-- both of them, getting up and wandering to the couch to claim the blanket he's laid over the back of it. He's about to sit back down with it when Akira gives his percentage of ulterior motives, and he visibly recoils standing still.]

Define "ulterior".

[ Akira can't help but laugh. It's not that it's funny -- it's actually pretty sad, that Akechi jumps to the worst possible options -- but it's... Well. Sometimes it's all you can do. ]

The ulterior motive is I want to hug you. I know it's unforgivably criminal.

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