stealhearted | are you hurting the one you love?

[He's always known Akira to be strange, but this sudden scenario of being forced to live with him is already uncovering all sorts of new oddities.]

[Like the fact that he appears to be entirely vapid before a certain time of morning.]

[He busies himself with gathering and folding the bedding he'd been loaned, setting it carefully on the floor beside his line of concealer, makeup sponges, chapstick and now a pain killer, and sits pointedly to one side of the couch.]

You are perfectly clothed, I'm beginning to think you just can't sit properly.

[ Akira considers this for a long moment, looking at the empty spot on the couch and considering it. He could take the seat on the couch, but it still feels invasive to him, remembering Akechi's flinch back earlier. He doesn't want to risk getting too close again.

Instead, Akira reaches back and pulls his shirt off over his head. ]

Can't sit anywhere. [ Shirtless. Makes sense. This conveyed, he flops backwards to lean against the bed "frame" and down more of the coffee in one go than he should, given that the temperature is still only slightly lower than scalding. ]

[Perhaps Akira is just vapid when at home,]

[Akechi spends a good amount of time reeling from the fact that Akira just... unceremoniously stripped his night shirt off without warning or reason, and watches him tip his cup back and swallow hot coffee like a human garbage disposal with a perplexed grimace.]

You are more of sitting everywhere, I'd argue. Put your shirt back on, unless you plan to loiter topless downstairs while I fix this bruise.

I'll get dressed. [ He just needs to do an impersonation of a slug for a moment longer. He sits there for a moment longer before he climbs back to his feet, and then he's putting his sleep shirt away to grab out his actual clothing. His casual clothing, since school isn't happening today.

His hands go to the band of his pants automatically and then he pauses vaguely, looking at Akechi with a delayed reaction like 'oh yeah, maybe he's not as chill about casual nudity as Yusuke and Ryuji'. ]

I usually change up here... [ Because the bathroom is a tight fit at the best of times, much less when tired and in the throes of being a gangly disaster in the morning. ]

[As soon as Akira's hands move for the band of his pants, Akechi averts his gaze from where he'd been watching him, folding sideways to pick up his book from the night before. As he does so, it occurs to him that he doesn't remember falling asleep, let alone getting under the blankets, and he just... stops, for a moment.]

[He looks back up at Akira, not quite aware of his half-naked status for a moment before his words sink in and he just purses his lips.] We've bathed together before, Kurusu, I'm far beyond minding you changing in a space I've never been meant to occupy anyway. [He turns to focus on the book, and a strange sort of weight settles against his clavicle.]

[ With the permission granted, Akira strips out of his sleep wear to pull his clothing on. It's a quick process, punctuated only by another yawn and stretch. By the time he steps back into sight, he looks considerably more human, running his fingers through his hair to tousle it into that slightly messy style he favors.

He grabs his coffee cup again, and the sip he takes is considerably more leisurely, like it isn't a biological imperative to get the caffeine into his body anymore. ]

Whenever you're ready, we can go back down. [ Akira isn't fussed about it, but he imagines Akechi wants to err on the side of caution with his makeup application. ]

[He does his best not to look, honestly, to provide Akira a sort of modesty in his own "home", so he focuses on staring at the inside cover of the book, still trying to figure out exactly what was weighing on him. When Akira speaks again, he folds the book closed again and sets it down in favor of grabbing the concealer and the makeup sponges, as well as the chapstick, standing with them grasped between his hands.]

Did I fall asleep reading, last night? [He asks the question as he looks away again, moving to claim his empty cup from the desk, and manages to make it look quite casual when he hooks it on his pinky and looks back to him.]

Oh... yeah. [ Akira doesn't volunteer anymore information than that, because teasing Akechi about being cute would only lead to the rapid admittance that he stayed up to tuck Akechi in, which feels like a dangerous game to be playing when they're barely even allies anymore.

Man, Makoto and Haru are going to be pissed at him.

But he heads downstairs regardless. ]

You probably don't want curry for breakfast, but there's rice and... there's probably eggs. [ Akira can, actually, cook pretty well thanks to being largely left to his own devices, but he can't do much more than scrambled eggs with the limited items in the Leblanc kitchen. ]

[He makes an affirmative sound, because Akira's knowledge he was asleep reading at least confirms that he was aware, and Akechi has never known himself to figure out foreign bedding whilst sleeping on a couch before. It leaves him in an odd space, because yet again he's aware of Akira affording him kindness he shouldn't be, but also knowing Akira doesn't expect anything for it. He doesn't like the imbalance of it.]

[But he follows him down the stairs anyway, immediately going for the bathroom when Akira brings up breakfast, and he stalls again. He leans around the bathroom door with a curious frown.] ...I am not prone to eating much in the mornings, but I suppose given we aren't certain how long Sakura may need to... investigate, it may be prudent. [He waves his hand, disappearing into the bathroom.] I've no choice but to put my very life in your hands with this, Kurusu. [Is. Is he making a joke? Is he joking.]

[ Akira looks at Akechi, seemingly dead serious, and nods solemnly. ]

I will make sure that you don't die by feeding you tamago kake gohan. [ Which is something he can make pretty easy with just the ingredients hanging around Leblanc. Akira, for his part, has grown so used to curry for breakfast that he can barely start his day without eating it. It's like an automatic response. ]

It'll be ready when you're done. [ Now that he's more awake, Akira actually puts the apron on over his clothes and starts doing the morning opening. Sojiro trusts him enough that he can knock out a good portion of it before they get here and the entire day is derailed. ]

[It doesn't take him long to completely mask the bruise on his jaw, though before he's entirely finished he does call out in vague confusion.]

...Kurusu, do you own a hair brush?

[He is not going to like the answer to this question, but he asked it anyway.]

Uh... I think I have a comb somewhere. [ There's a beat, and then: ]

I usually use my fingers. [ His hair doesn't typically obey the laws of physics to begin with, choosing to curl in random directions no matter what he does with it -- or how much product Ann applies in bafflement -- so he doesn't really try anymore. ]

[He feared that answer. He feared that answer a lot. He wanders out of the bathroom, bruise like it had never been there at all, but his hair sticking up in places he very much does not want it to be sticking up in.]

...Really, I'm not sure why I bothered to hope your wild bird's nest look was intentional. [Akira must always achieve effortlessly what Akechi strives for with his entire being, after all.]

[ Akira steps forward, reaching out like he's going to touch Akechi -- and then stops, dragging his hand back to scratch at his neck awkwardly. ]

I can help? [ He's had to help tame Futaba's hair before, he's surprisingly good at finger combing to make people look reasonably presentable. ]

[He stops mid-step out into the cafe, but when Akira recoils like he does he continues, stepping up maybe a little closer than he might otherwise.]

...I don't require your help, just. A comb. Sakura has long hair, perhaps I could borrow one from her. [But he's also standing near enough that Akira could reach out. Balance, and all.]

I last used it on Morgana, like, a month ago? [ He doesn't actually know where it is, in other words, but he carefully steps forward. He reaches out and makes sure to do it slowly enough that Akechi could knock him away, but if allowed he'll just finger comb it back into place. It's a little fluffier than it might be normally, but it's a pretty presentable appearance, all things considered.

Akira considers pointing out that Akechi doesn't need to be Detective Prince perfect when Futaba has seen him literally trying to stab a shadow to death while laughing maniacally, but decides it's in the best interest of everyone involved to just gloss over it. ]

[He stands horribly, terribly still and does his best not to flinch, but to succeed he has to curl his fingers into his palms and dig little indentations into his skin with his fingernails. He manages, and keeps his expression mostly impassive, because he didn't pretend to be everything he was not for two solid years just to completely lose the ability now.]

Your space isn't that big, how can you lose something so integral to personal hygiene?

I never really needed it. Ann'd fix my hair at school if it looked too bad. [ Ann, who always has a brush on her in case of emergencies and has fought with Akira's hair more than Akira's own mother, at this point.

At any rate, Akira flattens Akechi's hair down to the best of his ability and then stands back to survey his job. It's... passable.

Of course, Akira thinks Akechi looks great at all times, but he declines to voice that opinion. ]

[He doesn't bother voicing how irritating that is, both that he never needed it and that part of the why is that he, again, had someone to support him if he did. He allows Akira to flatten his hair into some degree of decency with only a slight frown, and takes a decent step backward when he's done.]

[At least they were hopefully going to claim his belongings from his apartment, so it was just for now.]

That's quite sweet of her. [His tone is entirely bland, because he realizes that being caustic would likely invite Akira to remind him he had just done what Ann would do for him for Akechi to some degree.]

She'll fix yours, if she catches you. [ Ann doesn't really have anything against Akechi, other than the fact that he killed Akira. She's one of the ones with the least grudge against him, save for Sumire and maybe Yusuke, and the mental image of Ann dragging Akechi clothes shopping with her temporarily makes itself known in Akira's brain.

Cute. ]

Well, you look--

[ And about then is when there is, unannounced, a THUD on the front door in the morning dew that takes the form of one (1) Futaba Sakura, cupping her hands to the glass and peering inside. ]

[He squints slightly, pawing at his hair in an almost self-conscious gesture.] I'd prefer she didn't. [He will absolutely be dragged clothes shopping at some point, and he'll actually gripe about it far more than he'll actually dislike it. He has to keep up appearances, after all.]

[She'll probably also be the one to suggest he tie his hair back, so thank her for that, Akira.]

[He bristles as Akira starts to tell him however he thinks he looks, but blessedly for them both, Futaba chooses that exact moment to gremlin smash her face into the door. Akechi sucks in a startled breath and takes a step sideways, shifting almost entirely out of view of the front door, until he catches sight of her orange hair. He relaxes, but only slightly.] Should I go let her in?

Nah, she's got a key. [ Which she doesn't use -- Sojiro does, a moment later, his voice faint through the door. He sounds fondly exasperated, and once the door is open she's inside like a bullet, stopping just short of actually jumping onto Akechi. She drops her hands onto a stool so she can lean in closer as leverage, eyes wide behind her glasses. ]

「 Holy wow, you're really alive again! 」 [ It's not that she's pleased by this, persay -- she's just fascinated.

Sojiro, for his part, just rubs at his head. ] 「 You kids can have your reunion, but take it upstairs if the customers come in, alright? 」 [ That said, he busies himself with starting to open, but it's clear he's keeping an eye on them.

Akira, meanwhile, just watches the entire thing happen and makes absolutely no effort to save Akechi from Futaba. ]

[God All Mighty he was not prepared for Futaba in any way and was a fool to think he would be. He tries very hard to stand still, but winds up leaning back on his heels away from her, just a hair. He glances over at Sojiro, frowning, and ducks into a shallow bow.]

Excuse my intrusion.

「 Well look what the cat dragged in, again! 」[And now he's leaning farther away from the stool Futaba is leaning on, as Morgana has jumped up onto it to add his own two cents. He grimaces slightly.] I dragged myself in, actually.

[ Akira steps forward, a little in front of Akechi, to try and save him from quite such intense scrutiny. ]

Think you can figure anything out?

[ Futaba looks at Akechi very intently, and then looks at Akira and nods. ] 「 If there's anything to figure out, I'll figure it out! 」[ She leans a little further forward, looking Akechi up and down. ] 「 How do you feel? Any pain? Headaches? Weird connections to the MetaVerse? Bleeding masks? 」

[ Helpfully, Akira offers: ] We can't move more than a few feet away from each other.

[ There's a deeply beleaguered sigh from Sojiro as he finally processes why Akira isn't in his school uniform and what this means. ]

[Akechi almost mentions the only pain he's experiencing is the headache that is Akira Kurusu, but with him standing just enough between them that he feels a little less overly scrutinized, he figures he'll let him be for now. He shakes his head, thinking it over.] Nothing abnormal except that I should be dead, and... Yes, that I can't stray too far from Kurusu. It's nothing visible, but when I try I'm met with something solid preventing me from going farther.

「 Nothing visible? Sounds fishy. 」[Morgana stretches forward, too, trying to paw idly at Akechi's sleeve. Akechi frowns and allows this, holding out his arm and dully realizing he's still wearing Akira's hoodie. Morgana's paw sets against the back of his wrist and he leaves it there, smiling, but doesn't say anything. Akechi's frown just deepens, but he doesn't move because he would send the cat to the floor for the way he's standing on him.]

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i really need an "oh god why" icon.

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