stealhearted | are you hurting the one you love?

[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.

You've met Yusuke, right? [ Yusuke would, if given an unlimited supply of money, singlehandedly keep a few snack companies in business, Akira's pretty sure. For someone that's constantly eating, he's still thin as a rail... which really just makes Akira think he's not eating the rest of the time. ]

Futaba likes the little chocolates shaped like bears.

[He squints, setting his jaw.]

Point taken. Just chocolates, or the panda crackers filled with chocolate?

Grab both. I'm not hip to the ways of the panda chocolates. [ He says it completely deadpan, as though the knowledge of the forbidden panda snacks is the most important thing in the world and he is sorely lacking in it. ]

[A very distinct grimace.]

How have I paid more attention to this notion than you have, you're practically her older brother. Solid chocolates would melt and get on her fingers and disrupt her typing, does she eat them when it's warm?

She's not usually typing when she's over here! She just likes to bite their heads off and pretend she's a kaiju. [ There's a startled bark of laughter from Sojiro at that. ]

[The grimace worsens.] I should have known better than to expect sense... Chocolate Bears and Hello Panda for Sakura. ...any other requests?

Pretz. Any flavor. [ Yusuke will eat them. ]

Past that, whatever you want. I don't need the change. [ Akechi is the only one in this household that has to worry about money, honestly. ]

[His face is going to get stuck in this perplexed grimace at this point. He nods, waving a hand.] Do you have a basket you typically take when you do laundry?

There's a bag upstairs. The cloth one. [ It's... cute how absolutely dedicated Akechi is to doing this laundry thing Correctly. Akira knows it's because Akechi feels the need to prove himself vaguely useful, but --

Housewife. Cute. ]

[He nods, the action... curt, almost-- he's not necessarily annoyed, he's just very determined. Akira absolutely has him pegged in that he's wholly dedicated to ensuring the laundry is done Right. He makes his way back upstairs, wanders around picking up their laundry and putting it in the cloth bag mentioned, and then comes back downstairs.]

...once I've regained my own things, I'll wash this as well. [He looks down at himself to indicate the collection of things he's wearing that all belong to Akira, save for his underwear. ...which he'd really like to not still be wearing, honestly, but sacrifices must be made because he absolutely will not borrow underwear from Akira Kurusu He Will Not.] Is there anything else you need? [He glances briefly at Sojiro.] That extends to you as well, naturally.

[ Sojiro just flaps a hand dismissively. There's not much he needs, these days, aside from a back that hurts less and kids that get into less trouble. Akira just grins. He can't kiss Akechi goodbye, so he just offers -- ]

Be safe.

[You absolutely may not, sir. The... fondness in Akira's departure salutation makes his shoulders pull tense, and he frowns at the laundry in his arms.] ...yes. I'll be going, then, [And he does-- stiffly and clearly with no idea how to handle much of the situation at hand.]

[But he manages laundry without incident, walking carefully the farther he gets from Leblanc until he discovers the laundromat is within his now-expanded distance meter, and overall judging himself a bit for taking something as basic as laundry so seriously. He obtains laundry soap and baking soda, setting their things to wash and dutifully adding the baking soda for the apron before neatly folding the cloth bag atop the washer to designate its use.]

[And then he meanders to the nearby small supermarket for snacks, which is a task far more daunting than laundry, honestly.]

[He gets a bag of small bear-shaped chocolates, two cartons of Hello Panda (the strawberry one, hilariously, is something he's claimed for himself but intends to place as an item to share), a few varieties of Pretz, and then is left entirely to his own devices. He wanders the aisles a few times, carefully selecting a few savory and a few sweet snacks-- he remembers Ann especially liking sweets --and then claims a small variety of fruit and vegetable bowls. Haru grew vegetables, and Makoto seemed the most likely to be health-conscious of the group of them... A bag of cat treats, and he pauses for a long time staring down a selection of jerky snacks before grabbing two flavors and calling it a day, except that he hasn't selected anything he could assume was "for Akira". He makes another baffled circuit through the store and ends up with a drink for each of them, his basket now fuller than he thinks he's ever had a basket of groceries, and tosses in a bag of spicy shrimp chips and an odd roll of candies also advertised to be spicy. Because for some reason, Akira Kurusu liked spicy things, and that was disgusting, but he was spending his money on a snack run so he may as well allow it. At the checkout, he deliberates a while before picking up a pack of the cigarettes he's seen Sojiro smoking before. He still has money leftover, and that only bothers him because Akira saw fit to give him far more than he could ever need.]

[He comes back to Leblanc roughly an hour and a half after he left, the cloth bag of laundry carefully worn over his shoulder (and all the items in it folded) and two shopping bags in one hand.]

[ Akira is reading, when he gets back. It's... it's a book about Robin Hood, don't judge him. The cafe is empty, but it looks like someone recently left -- there's a few empty cups on a table, and fresh coffee is being brewed. ]

Welcome home. [ Akira offers, automatically. It's not home, not really, not for Akechi, but... it could be, maybe. One day. ]

How was laundry?

[He doesn't focus on the book, so judgment for it can come later. He lingers near the doorway, the "Welcome home" hanging in the air a bit uncomfortably until he nods, making an affirmative sound. He can't just... ignore it, but he can't quite bring himself to play along, either. He moves into the cafe and sets the bags of snacks down at the end of the bar, shrugging gently.]

Uneventful? Though I imagine that's best, and also most common, when speaking of laundry. I'll leave it in the bag until you've finished here. [He disappears upstairs a moment, setting the bag down near the desk, and takes a moment to sit on the edge of the couch. This was... bizarre. He had some degree of independence, at least, which he was endlessly glad for, but he would very possibly never be able to be away from Akira again, long-term. This sort of placid domesticity would likely become his new normal. It made the tips of his fingers strangely cold.]

[He makes his way back downstairs a moment later, reclaiming the bags and moving to sit near Akira and show him the spoils. Specifically, he sets out the spicy shrimp chips and candy, but doesn't say anything of them. It's... still surprisingly easy to tell that he got something for each of them.] Ah, Boss-- [He remembers the rest of the Thieves calling Sojiro that, and struggles a bit with it himself, but figures it's easier than being staunch. He claims the pack of cigarettes and offers them.] ...I hope I didn't take note of an off-brand from your usual.

[Gestures of good faith, Akechi is realizing, are terrifying when made honestly.]

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