stealhearted | are you hurting the one you love?

[He lingers, instead, Morgana starting back up the stairs ahead of him, and he shifts his weight around a minute before shuffling into the kitchen behind Akira, peering over his shoulder.]

...not in such a way that I would set the kitchen on fire, of course, but is there something I can help with?

Sure. I'm just opening early. [ So Akira picks up on where they'd left off last time he'd taught Akechi how to open -- starting up all the various kinds of coffee makers, checking the beans for freshness, starting up the curry roux and chopping the vegetables. ]

[He's good at taking direction-- especially when he wants to, so he does pretty well with the tasks he's given. He avoids starting the curry roux because cooking remains farthest from his confident skillset of just about anything, but chopping vegetables and starting coffee makers and checking beans he handles like a pro. He even wears a spare apron like he belongs.]

[Like he's willing to believe that he does.]

[He takes two discs of carrots he's chopped and wanders back over to Akira, putting one in his own mouth and holding the other out toward him, watching whatever he happens to be doing.] I think that's enough vegetables? I'll go make myself presentable before Sakura-san gets here, if that's okay.

That's fine. Thanks. [ Akira's hands are busy, so Akechi gets a quick peck on the cheek as thanks, and the entire thing really is startlingly domestic given that they're two criminal teenagers fighting their way through some definition of love. ]

Take your time. There's nothing we need to do today until we go meet up with Ann and Ryuji, so we could go do something, if you wanted. [ Yes, he's asking Akechi on a date. ]

[He is entirely oblivious, as usual, crunching through his carrot slice thoughtfully and shrugging one shoulder.]

The weather is nice... It'd be nice to get some fresh air. Inokashira? [Literally the most datelike date destination he could have possibly chosen. Maybe he's less oblivious than he seems.]

Yeah. It should be nice, since the crowds aren't there anymore. [ Hanami season is mostly over, so the park is back to normal kinds of crowds. Still a little crowded, but considerably more do-able. Akechi has been less skittish lately, too, which certainly helps. ]

We can go on one of the little boats.

[He scrunches his face, but smiles faintly.]\

Sure. I'll let you know when I'm finished. I'd say I'd watch the cafe while you got ready, but... [He reaches up and combs his fingers through his hair, absently.] ...you more or less already are.

I'm going to change. [ Into something slightly nicer than his around the cafe clothes, at least. It's a date! But he can't dress too fancy. Luckily his style tends to look very casually fashionable anyway. ] That counts, right?

[A flat look.] You say that as if it will take you any time at all. I'll be back, [And he wanders upstairs.]

[He sits in a crouch by the couch with his hands over his face for a long time, having an absolute Moment, and Morgana blessedly pretends to see absolutely nothing. He changes, fussily, because he's... dully aware that this isn't just "going to Inokashira Park", because there's this sudden concept of "boyfriend" hanging in the air and Akechi Goro has no idea what he's doing, for the umpteenth time since falling into the care of Akira. In the end he winds up with most of his clothing laid out across the table and couch, pacing idly trying to figure out what to wear.]

[Eventually, Morgana has mercy.]

「 He likes that blue vest of yours a lot, I think, 」[Nonchalantly, from the bed, where he is grooming himself like he hasn't been watching Akechi have a crisis over what to wear on his first formal date with Akira.]

[Akechi moves to the sweater vest immediately-- he's worn it in the summer, before, surely late spring would be fine? He puts the rest of everything away, pulls the vest on over a short-sleeved button-down (because it was a little warm, and Akira was warmer, and knowing him he'd want affection) and fidgets with it for a long time. Akira has no fucking mirror in the attic, so he's working with his own tiny one that Sae included in his bag of toiletries until Morgana supplies him mercy again. He hops off the bed and moves to sit on the couch, giving him a silly look.]

「 Akechi, you look fine. Don't tell him I told you this, but Akira has liked you for a long time. He's gonna be really excited to hang out with you like this regardless of what you're wearing. 」

[Akechi sets the mirror down and sinks into a squat, idly stroking Morgana's fur, much to the mascot's enjoyment.] ...thank you, Morgana.

「 Anytime, buddy. You're one of us, remember. Little to the left? Yeahhhhh. 」

[He pets Morgana a while longer before he makes his way back downstairs, trying to not look awkward about the fact that he absolutely spent fifteen minutes trying to decide what to wear, and slips into the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth and things.] Do you want to go ahead and change?

Edited 2021-04-22 02:38 (UTC)

[ Akira looks up, and then offers Akechi another grin. It's not that he doesn't notice that Akechi took suspiciously long to decide on one of his normal outfits, but he decides not to acknowledge it. He also decides not to say that it doesn't matter because Akechi always looks cute to him, but.

Well, that's a lie: he's not cute as Loki, he's a bunch of other positive compliments that are sexually charged. ]

Yeah. No one'll be in this early, but you can watch over it for me. [ And then Akira goes upstairs, taking the stairs two at a time in his excitement. He, of course, just wears his normal clothing, and he feels out his hair entirely on habit to make sure it's more or less behaving usually -- which it is.

He looks at Morgana before he goes back down. ]

You wanna come, or go hang out on Futaba's server tower?

[Akechi nods, self-conscious from that grin but combing out his hair like the teenage girl he is currently emulating disastrously. He comes out to stand behind the bar and watch over things while Akira takes the stairs two at a time, hands on his hips.]

[Morgana cackles.]

「 And make you two too nervous to make out in public? Wouldn't dream of it. I've got a date myself-- with the cat bed Boss put in the sunniest spot in his house. 」

[He does hop onto the table by the stairs and then to Akira's shoulder for a moment, though, pawing his hair and then butting his head against the back of his.]

「 Have fun, okay? You owe me a full report, later. I'm proud of you guys. 」[Morgana is just actually Akira's cat dad. Cat brother? Either works.]

Edited 2021-04-22 03:12 (UTC)

Yeah, yeah. I'll give you all the details on our lack of public makeouts. [ Akira says it, but it's with a small smile, because he would never dream of trying to make out with Akechi in public, frankly. Akechi would simply wither away on the spot and cease to be, he's pretty sure. The MetaVerse was pushing it, honestly.

He gives Morgana's head a scruffing sort of pet that's less of a pet and more of the kind of ruffle you'd give to a sibling, and then he grabs his phone and other various items he needs for the day and slips them into his pockets instead of his bag. Wacky.

He gets downstairs, and then... waits. ]

Just gotta finish eating and wait for Boss to show up. [ Since he's pretty sure Akechi has eaten three carrot pieces and looked at the eggs and rice but not actually eaten any of it yet, distracted by all-caps DATE. ]

[Morgana cackles and hops back to the table, making his way down the stairs after them and wandering down toward the door to wait for Sojiro to show up so he can go sleep in his house instead of his cafe.]

[Akechi... absolutely has eaten a few more carrot slices, surreptitiously, and circles back around to hover near Akira and his plate of eggs when he gets downstairs.]

That's all right, we're in no hurry... I'm sorry for jolting us awake so early. [Well, technically it was Akira's fault for sneezing in his hair, but-- details.]

It's fine. It's probably good to get up early even on days off. [ Keeping to a schedule or something like that.

Akira does not believe this at all, being a teenage boy, but he also is extremely used to getting up early and functioning on little sleep. Honestly, thank god for Kawakami letting him sleep through class half the time. Thank god he's smart enough to get away with it.

He sets the food down in front of Akechi. ]

You gotta eat or you're gonna go to go bouldering and instead the boulder will climb you.

[He gives him what is becoming a commonly withering look, and then turns his attention to the plate of food he's presented with. He hesitates a moment before sliding into a bar chair in front of it, nodding.]

Yes, yes. I can't very well go bouldering in these circumstances, anyway.

[ Akira thinks the withering looks are cute but knows better than to state this outloud. ]

Was it one of the hobbies you liked? [ Akira knows that there's a lot of things Akechi did just for what it would get him -- muscles, maybe, or people thinking 'that's so unusual and cool'. But he doesn't know everything about Akechi, and doesn't know how much of it was real.

Not for things like bouldering, anyway. ]

[He takes a bite of the egg and rice plate, mulling the question over. He knows what he's asking-- was it something he did because he liked it, or for the sake of being an influencer? He hums, swallowing and nodding slowly.]

Bouldering and cycling were two things I genuinely enjoyed.

I feel like I've been teaching you a lot, so maybe you can teach me how to boulder. [ Not now, but in the future. He wants to learn about the things that Akechi really likes. Akira feels like there's such a short list of things Akechi genuinely likes -- bouldering, cycling, Akira (mostly), the rest of the Phantom Thieves (mostly), carrots, coffee -- and he wants to expand that list, learn more things.

Learn the things that make him happy. ]

[He takes another thoughtful bite of his eggs, chewing and turning to look at Akira as he swallows, smiling slightly.]

Sounds like a deal to me.

Cool. [ It's like planning a future date, which is still wild, given that Akira didn't think either of them would have a future and now here they both are. Boyfriends. Eating eggs. Domestic almost-bliss.

Close enough, given what they've been through.

After that, Akira lapses into silence to veritably inhale his food, in true teenager fashion. ]

[Akechi watches in vague horror for a moment before going back to his own eggs, eating them at a much more reasonable pace and not quite finishing them before he sets his utensil(s) down.]

I won't go easy on you, with bouldering. You'll be lucky to be learning when I'm rusty.

Please teach me well. [ Akira says, only partially joking, offering Akechi a smile. He waits until he's sure Akechi is done, and then he gathers the plates, automatically -- he does not bother saving the remnants of Akechi's breakfast, just mentally notes the portion Akechi ate for later. ]

I'm sure it'll come in handy in the MetaVerse.

[He eats less for breakfast than most other times-- he doesn't eat much to begin with, but he eats maybe a third of what a normal person would eat when it comes to breakfast. It started as a habit, so he would be hungry when he went places for his food blog, enough to eat most of his plate without feeling or being sick afterward. He returns the smile Akira offers, folding his hands on the counter.]

It has in the past. Don't suppose I could bother you for another cup of coffee? [Caffeinate him, please.]

I'm not going to tell my best customer no. [ It's funny because Akechi has not paid for coffee in approximately sixty two years, but. It's kind of a part that they both play, sometimes: the flirty barista and the innocent customer. It's a much more comfortable thing to play than most of then other masks they've both worn.

Akira surveys the beans for a moment before selecting a darker, sweeter roast; more of a dessert coffee. A nice finish to breakfast. ]

I would have to be paying to be a customer, [He chides, and it's... Comfortable. It's strangely comfortable. Nostalgic, even. He closes his eyes against the immediate urge to pull away from the comfort of it, clasping his hands and resting his face against them. He's trying. It's hard, but he's trying.]

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