are you hurting the one you love?

[stealhearted]

psst psst [clicks tongue for akechi, sets out curry as a treat]--

Comments

[stealhearted]

I love you anyway. [ Akira offers, because it's all he can say. Is Akechi worth it? Does he deserve this kind of love from Akira? No, probably -- but Akira doesn't care. He knows he loves Akechi. The past few weeks have absolutely cemented that in his mind, because he's absolutely infatuated with every part of Akechi. He knows one day maybe he'll have the capacity to be annoyed by some of Akechi's quirks, but that time hasn't come, and won't for awhile. A long time.

Maybe never, honestly. ]

[forfeited]

[He pushes and pulls in alternating motions, like a cat kneading a blanket, the volume of his sobbing depleting pretty quickly until he's just breathing on a hitch, but he still won't lean fully into Akira. He keeps himself at arm's length, smearing one hand across his face while the other stays on Akira's shoulder, his knees still bunched up toward his chest.]

You never do anything you're supposed to. [It's as petulant as it is morose, and he frowns up at him one-eyed from around his hand, heel of it pressed into his other eye.] That's what originally interested me. You misbehave, but... in a controlled way.

[stealhearted]

I'm really just trying to help people, I think. Even when it gets me in trouble. [ Because he's been told not to help anyone time and time again; the entire reason he was in Tokyo was because he kept helping, but... it's turned out okay, he thinks. He has friends now. He has Akechi now. He wouldn't change that for the world, so...

He'll keep helping, even if it gets him into trouble. ]

[forfeited]

The coffee you made is probably cold. [But he shifts, finally settling against Akira's arm, curled forward so the remnants of his fit aren't obvious.]

[stealhearted]

I'll make you another cup. [ Akira slowly detaches a little, with a careful kiss to Akechi's head and then steps away. ]

I want to. [ Because he knows Akechi will tell him he doesn't have to. ]

[forfeited]

[He moves away easily enough, curling back against the booth and folding over his knees.] You'll have to learn to not always want to do things for me.

[stealhearted]

Uh. [ Akira pauses in grabbing the filtered water, looking a little unsure. ]

...no? [ He's literally never going to not want to do nice things for Akechi. ] I won't do things for you at the cost of myself, but I'm always going to want to do nice things for you.

[forfeited]

[He watches him for a while, just staring like he can't figure it out, eventually makes a wordless sound of acknowledgment, and unfolds himself in favor of getting to his feet to slink into a bar chair.] ...that. Sounds fake.

[stealhearted]

I told you. I like taking care of people, and I'm still madly in love with you, so I extra want to take care of you. [ He likes doing nice things for Akechi... uh, even when he starts crying. ]

I'm going to live a life of luxury off my thief money and use it to spoil you. Sorry.

[forfeited]

[He crosses his arms over the bar and groans, putting his face down on it.] Please have some discretion.

[stealhearted]

Well, you nixed the yacht idea, so instead my devious plan is to... [ And there's a tentative note in his voice, like he's afraid to even speak a future plan in case it doesn't happen, but he wants Akechi to know that Akira has one, and Akechi is in it. ]

...get a nice apartment with a big bath and a sunny room for Morgana, and go to university and send you to work with cute bento that make your coworkers jealous.

[forfeited]

[He closes his eyes and for just a moment, he basks in that thought. An apartment, a big bath, a sun room for Morgana. Akira making him fucking bento. He doesn't even know what he's going to do for work, he's only been alive for a month, and Akira is talking about bento and making his coworkers jealous.]

[He turns his head to the side and grasps his elbows, hugging them and pressing his knees together. He sucks in a breath and it's damp, and he hates that, but he grumbles anyway, shifting to smudge damp eyelashes.]

At this rate I'll just shrivel up like the slug that I am, instead.

[stealhearted]

Pickled. You're pickled. [ Umeboshi, Akira thinks. He sets the coffee down, finally, fresh and warm and ready to go. He nurses a cup himself -- it's also mostly decaf, for his sake, but there's some regular mixed in. He likes doing blends for both of them. ]

Eat your carrots. I think we're going to go to bed early again. [ Akira doesn't think either of them have the energy for much given they've been so worried about different things for the past two days. ]

[forfeited]

Steeped like old tea in my own shame.

[He sits up obediently anyway, sticks one finger in the little bowl of sauce and then brings the finger to his mouth, tasting it and immediately fixing Akira with a baffled frown.] ...miso? [He fights with the bag of carrots a minute, eats a few, slowly. After the third he reaches out past his cup of coffee, laying his hand flat and not being especially overt, but reaching for Akira.]

[stealhearted]

It's a miso dressing. I figured I'd try new things. [ Akira sits down, finally, letting himself settle instead of fussing over everything, and takes Akechi's hand, entwining their fingers. ]

Not everything I make is great. I made really bad curry when I started. Ryuji went to eat it in the MetaVerse as a snack and we had to leave early.

[forfeited]

[He twines just their little fingers, moving their hands to claim his coffee and lean between them to drink it.] I only tried to cook once on my own, shortly after meeting you. [He crunches on another carrot, opens the bag and angles it toward Akira to offer him one.] It didn't go well.

[stealhearted]

I couldn't cook before I moved here. I mean, I made rice balls since my parents weren't home, but usually they left me money for convenience store food... [ He doesn't elaborate, but he doesn't need to, he doesn't think.

It's pretty clear in how poorly the phone call to his parents saying that he'd been staying in Tokyo had gone. Sojiro and Sae had to intervene on that one, and he's still pretty sure he's on thin ice, but "really good grades" and "potential internships with the police" got him pretty far, honestly. ]

I could teach you, or I could just keep cooking for you.

[forfeited]

[The smile that plays across his face is a little funny, and doesn't reach his eyes, and he squeezes their joined pinkies.] I've lived off frozen meals for as long as I could remember. And the occasional convenience store plate. I liked... Lawson's had one I was very fond of. It was always a treat. [Why does he always feel compelled to share strangely intimate past memories with Akira. Like seriously.]

[He takes another swig of his coffee.] I have a feeling you'll decide how that best suits us both. Though I don't think I'm especially teachable.

[stealhearted]

I think you're teachable about things you want to learn. [ Which... may not cover food, Akira will agree. Akira likes it because cooking has been another way to show people his affection.

Also it was really useful when they were overthrowing palaces. ]

I'm not letting you eat frozen meals anymore. Or instant coffee.

[forfeited]

[He grimaces.] The instant coffee is definitely a thing of the past, I think I would die upon contact. [He will probably still instinctively try to buy frozen meals. Akira will have to swat him and make sure he pays attention to him in the grocery store.]

[stealhearted]

[ Akira waits until Akechi is done with his coffee before he whisks the dishes away -- they go in the sink; he'll wake up early enough to take care of them tomorrow. It means he has to break the handhold, but it's brief: he's quickly back, grabbing Akechi's hand again just as easily. ]

Sojiro would also die, and we don't want that. [ Akira says it a little dryly, because he can technically tolerate people drinking bad coffee in his presence.

Sojiro cannot. ]

[forfeited]

[He almost chuckles about that, but decides it would be in poor taste.] I can see you becoming like him when you're old.

[stealhearted]

Wealthy, owning a vanity coffee shop and taking in strays? [ Akira can see that too, actually; he doesn't forsee either he or Akechi wanting to have kids, but he also thinks that if life dropped a wayward youth into their lap in 10 or 20 years, they'd probably immediately take care of it.

That's a lot of assumptions for Akira to be making, but the idea makes him warm, so he allows himself the indulgence. ]

When you're old I bet you'll argue with the television.

[forfeited]

Certainly preferable to yachts. [Akechi does his utmost to not envision his future, most days, and unless the strays were cats he would argue horribly, but it probably tracks. He considers his gloveless hands for a moment, narrowing his eyes and shrugging.]

I never really thought about getting old. [It's an honest statement, even if it's kind of terribly edgy.]

[stealhearted]

It's weird to think about. [ Even for Akira, it's such a distant, vague concept that it seems almost unattainable. He doesn't know what he wants to do with his life, or what direction it'll all go, or if he's even capable of any of it, but --]

I think I'd like to get old with you.