Permanent Open RP post! Game based, AU based, meme based, canon based, catch-it-all based - everything is welcome. You can start or tell me what you want and I can start. NSFW is allowed - check kink list if you need/want
[For a few seconds, Akira just sits there, taking it all in. That same determination was the one that him and his friends felt, the need to protect people who couldn't protect themselves. It was ultimately what led them to taking Kamoshida's heart to begin with. The needs of a few far outweigh the balancing act of one single, solitary fulcrum on which it all balances.
But it wasn't just elevators that hung on weighting mechanism of a see-saw. It seems like all hearts do, and Akira is no different. Knowing what he does now, knowing that Yu will shelter his secrets, that he sees things the way that he does, he feels it tilting from the side of indifferent cautiousness to a level of trust.
And when Yu teases him lightly about his role in all of this, he feels his own heart start to catch on fire. The sort that will eventually burn everything to the ground just to make itself be heard. Akira had this urge inside him to learn everything he could about the silver haired youth. To sneak to his window every night, just to keep an eye out on him. To see how those gears inside his head turned.
He pushes his glasses up a little bit on his face. He swears to himself that he will steal this boy's heart in the end.]
The heart police. We'll have to see about that.
[And with that, he takes another bite of his dinner. Plate empty, he leans his elbows to the counter, posture bent forward a little to be closer to the other guy on the opposite side of the countertop.]
[When he sees Akira relax a little after his answer, Yu can't help but feel happy that he helped him out. Carrying such a burden shouldn't be only his and he should always be reminded that he's not alone. Even when it feels like it. Especially at night when everyone's away. Yu had Nanako and Dojima to talk to, but he couldn't tell them everything that was weighing on his mind. It's even worse for his new friend. He suspects Akira has someone to talk about this so openly because of a criminal record. Which is completely unfair. What he did was admirable and required some major guts.
Yu would've done the same if he was in Akira's place.
The statement takes Yu off guard a bit. More things to steal? Like what?]
Hmm? What else do you plan to steal?
[...!!]
Oh! I don't own expensive silverware. We do have titanium butcher knife though. Can that help you in battle? [He doesn't have to steal it! Just ask! Yu would give to him without second of thought!]
[Wow. Well. Okay. Note to self, Akira- he won't get the flirting (that's okay, because he's pretty bad at receiving it himself. Must be the Fool's Curse). He looks around for his school bag and realized that he came as a thief and didn't bring it with him. He'll have to do without it for now.
Grabbing his mask, he puts it back on his face, over his glasses.]
Put it in the bag, Narukami-san.
[If only he had his model gun, this would be a perfect hold up.]
[Yu has to bite the inner of his cheek to keep himself from smiling. He stands up slowly with raised hands and walks over to the kitchen and pulls out the said knife from the drawer. It is still in its sheaths. And then picks out one of the bags.
He walks over to Akira slowly and gets face to face with him, mere inches away from his face, and places the bag in his hands.]
[Akira seriously has to make a mental note to himself that Yu is definitely the type of guy who takes things at literal meaning. And really, honestly, there shouldn't be any emotional attachment or feelings associated to the idea of a guy practically handing you a knife and telling you to go to town on all the evils in the world, but here Akira is, just barely away from that face, those determined, calm eyes, and it's sending a shiver down his spine. Even though Yu is the one handing him a knife, he's the one who brought a gun to a blade match, and Akira doesn't have any chance in the world at fighting back at it.
His eyes drift slowly down to his nose, down to the crux of skin above his upper lip, to the width of the lower one. Does Yu even know what type of effect this is having on him? His fingers curl around the bag. In a way, feelings are exactly like a knife: they teeter ever close on the edge, waiting to stab right through skin. There's a soft smile, then, when he's trying to get composure back, and he stops focusing on how close they are like this.
Yu's just weird, he assumes. The type that you can't always tell if he's being absolutely serious or not, and he's learning quick that he's weak to the whole of it. Maybe he doesn't understand his body language, or maybe he does, and that odd balance between knowing, or thinking he might know, and not know, makes him all the more susceptible to it.
Clearing his throat, he wonders what type of thief he would be if his was the heart to be stolen.]
[No one has ever told Yu he's weird- except Yosuke, but he's weird himself so it doesn't count. But if they ever do, Yu would agree with them. His outlook on things isn't always like the other people perceive things. Maybe that's why he always gets entangled in stuff like this. With shadows, personas, catching criminals.
He smiles back and nods-]
I have no doubts.
[...are his lashes long or what?
Yu only then notices how close he's to Akira. And then slowly steps back, trying not to be too obvious about it. He just invaded Akira's personal space and the guy was probably too shy to say anything about it.]
[Relatively speaking, Akira outside of his costume was too shy to do anything daring or gutsy by default. He was more of the sidelines... make a witty one-liner type of guy and let everyone else do the talking so that he could think and chime in when he needed to. He's also the type of guy that Yu being so close to him makes him feel butterflies in his stomach, so there's that. All these cool things he gets to do, and deep down... still a nerd.]
I'll be stronger since you believe in me.
[And with that, he figures he's already overstayed his welcome, and Morgana is going to start to worry with him being out for so long. His shoulders slump though- he wishes he could stay longer and do what teens who are friends are supposed to do- hang out, watch tv, talk about the dumbest shit ever, but the fact that Madorame's heart still needs capturing, coupled with the looming presence of his curfew cutting him short on time, makes it harder to be able to do any of the normal stuff that he'd rather be doing.]
Watch the news in three days.
[Akira offers a smile, heading over to his jacket to pick it up, and folds it neatly. He hates that it won't smell like Yu's detergent in a few days, but it's something that he can live with, so he folds it up and adds it to the bag with the knife.]
[Yu can feel his stomach flip in happiness. He personally can't go with him wherever he goes to fight shadows, but knowing he helped even a little, it makes him extremely happy. He gives him a firm nod-]
I will for sure. [He's looking forward to seeing another criminal bite the dust. He doesn't know who is in question, but if Akira has set his eyes on him, then there's a reason for it.
As he started packing up his stuff, a lightbulb went off thin Yu's head-]
Oh! That reminds me. [He goes back into the kitchen and finds the small container. He fills it with the remains of ravioli and gives it to Akira with a grin.]
[He takes the care package for his feline friend in hand, carefully juggling all three things (coat, knife, leftovers- what a weird combination). He doesn't really know what to say about this. It's incredibly nice... and anyone that loves animals and cares about them is clearly someone with a good heart. He does his best for Morgana, tries to make him feel like he's part of his own little weird family, but he's sure that if he comes home with this food, that he'll be happier than a cat in a field of mice.]
T-thanks. He'll appreciate it. I'll let you know what he says.
[Still, Yu probably has no idea that he can talk (and man, can he talk), which makes Akira seem all the more eccentric and cat-lady like, but the way he states it comes off as factual and without hesitation. So he's either really crazy into cats or the little dude actually understands people. Yu can decide either way.]
Catch you around, troublemaker.
[Akira doesn't waste too much time on the goodbye- and really, he should leave through the front door, but he's already established an infiltration route through the window, so he finds himself climbing back out of it anyway. It felt more mysterious like this anyway. Akira felt way cooler in front of Yu when he could appear and disappear at will just by going through his room like that.]
[Three days, huh? Yu was sad to see him leave since it left him alone in this big apartment. But man's gotta do what man's gotta do, as Kanji would say. He sees him out of the window, making sure that there are no snooping neighbors and with short wave, closes up and pulls on the curtains. And as he collected the dishes from their dinner, he felt light on his feet. When was the last time he felt happy like this? Excited too. He should probably update Yosuke on the situation. He didn't want his friend to worry about him.
And those three days passed by faster than he thought they would. He saw Akira during school hours and had short chats with him but nothing serious or about what the man did in his spare time. It was Saturday afternoon when Yu, after getting to Shibuya from school, stopped to look at the local news in one of the windows. There was a huge commotion and yelling, and he was pretty sure someone screamed 'They HAVE to be real!'
Making his way through the throng of people, he stopped right in front of the TV to hear the news. Ichiryusai Madarame- openly confessed the plagiarized work, abuse of his students, fraud, and stealing. Yu was standing there, eyes glued in shock. He did it... Yu doesn't know how and when, but Akira did something to this man. When one guy in the crowd shoved him, Yu finally remembered that he had to breathe. After pulling himself out, he got out his phone. He should send him something, right?
Yu can't remember last time he was shaking this hard. He ducked into the alleyway and typed out the message-]
K.Akira: That was a true masterpiece. Amazing work.
[They'd pulled it off. They really did it. The original Sayuri was in Yusuke's hands, and Madarame had confessed every one of his sins, straight from his mouth. This was the highest Akira's ever felt in his life, addicted to the rush of watching a man's demise be brought to light by his own doings. His phone was buzzing with all sorts of texts- Mishima warning him that the Phan-Site poll was reaching astronomically new heights. Ryuji congratulating the team. Yusuke thanking them for helping him get out of the hard place he was in.
Did Narukami-kun text you yet?
Mn. Not yet.
What's he waiting for? You told him to watch the TV today, right?
I thought you didn't like him.
He brought me food, Joker!
Akira rolls his eyes. Truth of the matter was though, he really was waiting for Yu's text first and foremost. Which is... a pretty horrible thing considering all his teammates were celebrating and lighting up his SMS page. He's wondering if he's ignored it all, if he was only nice to him during the time he was in his house, or something else- any myriad reasons that would point him to believing that Yu had lost interest already.
And then it comes. Morgana hovers over his shoulder, and Akira is apt to push him away a little to make sure that he's the one to read it first. Yeah. Akira's got it bad for this guy. It isn't until he's smirking, light in his eyes, that Morgana teases him again about the entire ordeal, pointing out that he didn't look like this around the others.
▷ Glad to impress. ▷ I haven't got a clue what you're talking about. ▶ Come over and we can celebrate? ▷ .....
Maybe if my guts were high enough....
▶ Glad to impress. ▷ I haven't got a clue what you're talking about. ▷ Come over and we can celebrate? ▷ ..... ]
Glad to impress.
[Right now, Akira feels like he could take on the world. Anything. Finals. A grand jury. Going naked in the bathhouse. Eating the entire big bang burger challenge. It's a rare, but pure feeling, and he doesn't want to let it go.]
[Yu couldn't help but smirk to himself. It was an amazing feat, getting a criminal this big to confess. And moreover, everyone was talking about it. Yu's not sure if that's good or no, but it's alright for now. As long as they accept the truth that the artist was a fraud everything's okay.
He chuckles at the answer and shakes his head. Typical. A show off when his face is not seen- behind phone screen or mask, yet extremely shy and reserved when it's off. And Yu can't help but adore both of those sides. There's just something so endearing about it that it makes Yu's stomach flip every time he sees him.
...is his crush getting worse? He thought it would pass, but apparently, it has decided to stick around. And Yu has no idea what to do about it. For now, he decides to indulge in his crushing feelings.]
K.Akira: Have some free time for me to drop by? I want to try that coffee of yours.
K.Akira: What if I do? Are you saying you won't make me coffee then?
20:30 is great.
[It's not like his parents are home or anything.
The crowd in Shibuya is insane. The trains are full to the brim so by the time Yu arrives at Yongen, it will definitively be 20:30. Besides, he wants to make a small stop at the sweets shop and get some macaroons. It's nothing luxurious, but they are great. He hasn't met yet a person who didn't like them. He makes sure to take one of every color and fill the box.
After the shop, he spends a lot of time at the train station. Waiting to catch some train. But it's so busy because of the news that he had to miss three. When he finally caught the train it was already 20:00PM. He didn't know how long the ride to Yongen was but just in case there are delays.
When he arrives, he takes his time strolling around, checking out shops. It looks a bit gloomy but it's fine. He asks few people about the cafe and they point him to it. He arrives right on time, 20:30PM, in the minute. Yu's actually really surprised how punctual he is.
When he opens the door and steps in, Yu gets the feeling that he'll love this little cafe the same way he fell in love with Aiya's. It felt homey and welcoming. Especially the dingle of the bell. He closed the door behind him and paused, looking around.]
[He's getting coached by Morgana at the whole thing. How in the world a cat had more game than Akira, he'd never know, but he took the advice of his friend not to text him back, to play it cool and mysterious, because guys liked that. Akira wasn't sure, honestly, but he did so anyway, opting instead to tidy up his bookshelf and throw a cover over the infiltration tools desk. It wasn't like he thought Yu would ever come up to his room, but it gave him something to do, and he should probably hide the fact that he knew how to make explosives and smoke bombs away from his new friend/possible love interest at least for the time being.
Eventually, he makes his way downstairs and starts doing similarly simple tasks. Part of it was to get away from conversation about Yu with Morgana, who seemed to really warm up to the guy ever since he came back with the most heavenly ravioli from his house. Akira would like to think that it had more to do with the fact that Yu was bandaging him up, you know, taking care of him in his time of need rather than thinking with his own stomach, but the jury was still out on that one. Either way, he couldn't say he would be any different in the same position. Their cohesiveness as a group really depended on a lot of intricate self needs that just so happened to posit them together rather than apart. United by a goal, after all.
The appointed time comes, and as he tries to hurry up and dry the last dishes (fails in doing them all), he hears the dinging chime from the doorbell and goes to answer. Complete in apron garb, Yu opens and enters before he even gets a chance to hold the door open for him.]
Who would would it be?
[He smiles and yet, somewhere, he can feel Morgana eavesdropping.]
[Akira in an apron. Yu expected him to wear it but didn't expect him to look cute in it. He shifts his bag on the shoulder and walks over. Since Akira said that the cafe is closed by now, Yu feels free to speak-]
The nurse, checking in on his patient. [Yu laughs softly and offers him the white bag with sweets.] For you for the work well done. [He gives him a knowing look but doesn't say more. There might not be people around, but it's still public place somewhat. And Yu doesn't want to make him trouble with blabbing too much.]
How are you feeling? [He means the cut. When they went for Madarame, Akira probably went through lots of fighting. Hopefully, the wound didn't open or something. It has passed some time since he got it but still.
Also, he's waiting to be seated. The booth looks so comfy after that stuffy train ride.]
[Pretty exhausted, actually. Physically so, at least. Mentally, he was pretty sure that he could stay up all night. Play video games. Watch the sunrise from his window. All sorts of things that both Morgana and Yu would probably not approve very much.]
Oh... for me? Doesn't the patient usually give the nurse sweets after they've healed?
[He takes the box in both hands, looking over what's in there through the cellophane plastic window at the top. They look delicious. Akira suddenly hopes that he's not allergic to almond flour. That's what they're made out of, right? Either way, he has to make sure he doesn't eat all of them and shares with the other teammates.]
Sit anywhere you want. Not that booth though... the seat cushion has a small slit in it.
[Akira places the box on the bar counter.]
You look... [This was painful. This must be equally painful to listen to, especially if you're a cat sitting upstairs, watching intently.] ...good tonight.
[Yu nods and picks out the booth that is closer to the stairs and sits down facing the TV. It's muted but the news is still rolling the case of Madarame, showing his confession over and over again. For some reason, he feels oddly satisfied watching it.]
Oh? Are you actually healed? You didn't come to me to change the bandages so until you do, you're still considered "ill" in my book.
[He's not letting him off the hook just yet. Not until he's completely sure that there's no backlash from the cut and that the wound properly closed up.]
Hmm? [Yu's cheeks flushed faintly, surprised by the sudden compliment. Then he smiles-] Thank you! [He nods at Akira's outfit-] Apron suits you.
[He leans chin on palm of his hand-] So. What about that coffee?
[Yu may look and feel satisfied at Madarame's demise, but nothing can describe the feeling going on in Akira's head over it. He felt it was especially just, considering he walked out of the encounter rather mucked up. He'd have a scar for it, for the rest of his life. It did make him look at least a little badass, but he could've done without it overall.]
I... yes, nurse.
[Akira looks away, back at the counter and all the pour-over systems on it. He takes a breath inward, and even though he's not healed up, it doesn't hurt as much when he takes more air in than he needs. It's a nice adjustment to not have to deal with that pain.]
You like the apron? I wouldn't be able to pull off the barista boy look without it.
[He reminds himself to ask Yu to take a look at the bandage again tonight. It's just... every time that he replaces the bandage, he gets closer to Yu and closer to his crush, and it feels more embarrassing to be shirtless around him.
Truck through it, Akira. - an internal mantra of sorts.
He sets off behind the counter, turning the burner on and grabbing some beans to grind.]
[Yu watches Akira work around the coffee maker. He really does look like a barista. That air fringe is making Yu restless- he really wants to move it from Akira's glasses and out of the way. Thankfully, he seated himself enough far to resist the awful temptation.]
As I said, it suits you. [He gives him thumbs up-] A true professional.
[The question about how he takes his coffee brought back some very nice memories. Memories of moments he spent with Nanako and Dojima, sipping coffee and watching TV, chatting about all sorts of things. He's not a coffee expert so he has no clue about what kinds of coffee there are and if there's a way to drink them properly.]
I'll leave the choice to you. [He fiddles with the edge of crossword magazine on the table.] I can cook but when it comes to coffee and how you should take it, I'm completely clueless.
[After the beans are chopped down into their smaller pieces (chunkier is better than a fine grind for the type of system he's using), he manages a nod in Yu's direction. A sideways grin sparks up the side of his mouth with the compliment, but his focus is razor sharp. He's careful to place the filter just right- slightly above the rim of the strainer, and begins slowly adding boiling water over the top.
Paying attention to the entire process, he remembers Sojiro's words about aromas and how to tell if the blend you made was bitter or smooth, depending on the notes that fill your nose as the steam comes up from the grounds. It doesn't come off as too bitter- and he's totally taking a stab in the dark here as to what type of coffee drinker Yu is- and doesn't smell like it belongs on the weak side either. One could even say he put a little extra love into making this specific cup, even more than when he was prepping it for a taste test with his coffee mentor.
As it starts to drip properly into the container, he feels relieved that it's going exactly according to plan. He can relax a little now, even as he continues to slowly add the hot water to the percolation.]
Some people say that adding milk or sugar to a coffee ruins the flavor. That a good cup doesn't need either of those things if it's made well, since they're just supposed to cover up the taste of a bad cup. Like... when you go to Starbucks, for example.
[So you're getting it black, Yu. Don't think for a second that he's going to let you dilute this flavor experience. He's made it too attentively for that sort of shenanigans.]
[Watching Akira work was a bliss. Yu never saw how coffee was made in these types of cafes. From the looks of it, there really are multiple types of coffee and Yu was completely blind to it. Well, he doesn't drink coffee often and his family drinks on to go coffee or buys some famous brand from the store. Yu's really looking forward to try this.
The smell of coffee that traveled over was amazing to put it simply. Akira was right- maybe he will get addicted to it and come over every day. He should probably drop by in the day time too and actually buy cup of coffee. What Akira's doing looks rather complex to go unpaid.]
Really? I don't have a habit of drinking coffee but I can see that. Everything that's mass produced drops in quality over time because people want to sell more but not put as much effort or money behind it.
[Black is good. He ain't a sissy. He can handle a cup of good, black coffee.]
[Akira's never really put much thought to something like that, but Yu's pretty spot on about his analysis of the coffee market- isn't that the exact reason Sojiro opened Leblanc to begin with? He prides himself on the quality of the beans, the handmade touch that goes into each cup. And even if he doesn't have a line out the door, Akira is always spoiled by how good this stuff is. It would be a shame if it got suddenly popular overnight.]
I accept tips, by the way.
[Hey, money is hard to come by when you need to constantly fuse personas. But Yu wouldn't know anything about that, right? He laughs into a huff of sound, which comes off far more sarcastically than he intended. With a cup in hand, he starts to pour the black liquid into it, grabbing a napkin to place under it. Leblanc isn't really the high society type of place that enforces its customers to have teaplates under their cups, so, a napkin'll do. He makes his way over to Yu from behind the counter, eyeballing in case he doesn't spill (he'd have to clean it up later anyway if he did), and places it down on the table in front of him.]
[And he's not joking. There's an exception only if the cashier is extremely rude to him for no reason. When Akira puts the cup in front of him, Yu sighs in pure delight. There's something about the scent of coffee that's almost intoxicating. And from the looks of it, Akira knows how to make an extremely good cup.]
Hmm? What about you? It's no fun drinking alone.
[He places both of his hands around the cup and smiles. It really does feel like fond memories of snow, kotatsu and Nanako's laugh. He brings the cup up to his lips and takes a cautious sip- he didn't want to burn himself.
...]
...This is amazing. [Yu stares at the cup in wonder.] I've never tried coffee this good. Ever. [Now, he doesn't care about the heat, he's taking another sip.]
[Please don't actually leave him a tip, Yu. That would be more than embarrassing and mostly would force Akira to go shopping for a souvenir for him because he won't spend it on himself. Sitting down in the booth in front of him, he props his chin up via an elbow on the table, watching him embrace the first few draws of the caffeinated beverage. He's excited... he hasn't gotten the chance to make coffee for his friends yet, so outside of Sojiro, this is his first trial.
And it looks like he's passing. Thank goodness.]
Hm? If I drink this now, I'll be up all night. And I have a certain cat who prefers to use me as his pillow, so he wouldn't like that very much.
[His gaze looks over to Morgana, who is most definitely not being conspicuous at all, perched with judging omnipotence at the top of the stairs, looking over the banister. His attention is snapped to the compliment he receives. The best cup of coffee he's ever had? Hasn't he lived in Tokyo? Surely, he's had better than this sludge that Akira put together.
Still, it warms him up in his heart just like a cup of coffee would, makes him feel more awake- so in essence, basically, he's practically drinking one himself anyway.]
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But it wasn't just elevators that hung on weighting mechanism of a see-saw. It seems like all hearts do, and Akira is no different. Knowing what he does now, knowing that Yu will shelter his secrets, that he sees things the way that he does, he feels it tilting from the side of indifferent cautiousness to a level of trust.
And when Yu teases him lightly about his role in all of this, he feels his own heart start to catch on fire. The sort that will eventually burn everything to the ground just to make itself be heard. Akira had this urge inside him to learn everything he could about the silver haired youth. To sneak to his window every night, just to keep an eye out on him. To see how those gears inside his head turned.
He pushes his glasses up a little bit on his face. He swears to himself that he will steal this boy's heart in the end.]
The heart police. We'll have to see about that.
[And with that, he takes another bite of his dinner. Plate empty, he leans his elbows to the counter, posture bent forward a little to be closer to the other guy on the opposite side of the countertop.]
I have a few more things to steal, after all.
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Yu would've done the same if he was in Akira's place.
The statement takes Yu off guard a bit. More things to steal? Like what?]
Hmm? What else do you plan to steal?
[...!!]
Oh! I don't own expensive silverware. We do have titanium butcher knife though. Can that help you in battle? [He doesn't have to steal it! Just ask! Yu would give to him without second of thought!]
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Grabbing his mask, he puts it back on his face, over his glasses.]
Put it in the bag, Narukami-san.
[If only he had his model gun, this would be a perfect hold up.]
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He walks over to Akira slowly and gets face to face with him, mere inches away from his face, and places the bag in his hands.]
Let it cut all lies in your way.
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His eyes drift slowly down to his nose, down to the crux of skin above his upper lip, to the width of the lower one. Does Yu even know what type of effect this is having on him? His fingers curl around the bag. In a way, feelings are exactly like a knife: they teeter ever close on the edge, waiting to stab right through skin. There's a soft smile, then, when he's trying to get composure back, and he stops focusing on how close they are like this.
Yu's just weird, he assumes. The type that you can't always tell if he's being absolutely serious or not, and he's learning quick that he's weak to the whole of it. Maybe he doesn't understand his body language, or maybe he does, and that odd balance between knowing, or thinking he might know, and not know, makes him all the more susceptible to it.
Clearing his throat, he wonders what type of thief he would be if his was the heart to be stolen.]
I'll destroy all of them.
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He smiles back and nods-]
I have no doubts.
[...are his lashes long or what?
Yu only then notices how close he's to Akira. And then slowly steps back, trying not to be too obvious about it. He just invaded Akira's personal space and the guy was probably too shy to say anything about it.]
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I'll be stronger since you believe in me.
[And with that, he figures he's already overstayed his welcome, and Morgana is going to start to worry with him being out for so long. His shoulders slump though- he wishes he could stay longer and do what teens who are friends are supposed to do- hang out, watch tv, talk about the dumbest shit ever, but the fact that Madorame's heart still needs capturing, coupled with the looming presence of his curfew cutting him short on time, makes it harder to be able to do any of the normal stuff that he'd rather be doing.]
Watch the news in three days.
[Akira offers a smile, heading over to his jacket to pick it up, and folds it neatly. He hates that it won't smell like Yu's detergent in a few days, but it's something that he can live with, so he folds it up and adds it to the bag with the knife.]
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I will for sure. [He's looking forward to seeing another criminal bite the dust. He doesn't know who is in question, but if Akira has set his eyes on him, then there's a reason for it.
As he started packing up his stuff, a lightbulb went off thin Yu's head-]
Oh! That reminds me. [He goes back into the kitchen and finds the small container. He fills it with the remains of ravioli and gives it to Akira with a grin.]
For Morgana.
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T-thanks. He'll appreciate it. I'll let you know what he says.
[Still, Yu probably has no idea that he can talk (and man, can he talk), which makes Akira seem all the more eccentric and cat-lady like, but the way he states it comes off as factual and without hesitation. So he's either really crazy into cats or the little dude actually understands people. Yu can decide either way.]
Catch you around, troublemaker.
[Akira doesn't waste too much time on the goodbye- and really, he should leave through the front door, but he's already established an infiltration route through the window, so he finds himself climbing back out of it anyway. It felt more mysterious like this anyway. Akira felt way cooler in front of Yu when he could appear and disappear at will just by going through his room like that.]
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[Three days, huh? Yu was sad to see him leave since it left him alone in this big apartment. But man's gotta do what man's gotta do, as Kanji would say. He sees him out of the window, making sure that there are no snooping neighbors and with short wave, closes up and pulls on the curtains. And as he collected the dishes from their dinner, he felt light on his feet. When was the last time he felt happy like this? Excited too. He should probably update Yosuke on the situation. He didn't want his friend to worry about him.
And those three days passed by faster than he thought they would. He saw Akira during school hours and had short chats with him but nothing serious or about what the man did in his spare time. It was Saturday afternoon when Yu, after getting to Shibuya from school, stopped to look at the local news in one of the windows. There was a huge commotion and yelling, and he was pretty sure someone screamed 'They HAVE to be real!'
Making his way through the throng of people, he stopped right in front of the TV to hear the news. Ichiryusai Madarame- openly confessed the plagiarized work, abuse of his students, fraud, and stealing. Yu was standing there, eyes glued in shock. He did it... Yu doesn't know how and when, but Akira did something to this man.
When one guy in the crowd shoved him, Yu finally remembered that he had to breathe. After pulling himself out, he got out his phone. He should send him something, right?
Yu can't remember last time he was shaking this hard. He ducked into the alleyway and typed out the message-]
K.Akira: That was a true masterpiece. Amazing work.
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Did Narukami-kun text you yet?
Mn. Not yet.
What's he waiting for? You told him to watch the TV today, right?
I thought you didn't like him.
He brought me food, Joker!
Akira rolls his eyes. Truth of the matter was though, he really was waiting for Yu's text first and foremost. Which is... a pretty horrible thing considering all his teammates were celebrating and lighting up his SMS page. He's wondering if he's ignored it all, if he was only nice to him during the time he was in his house, or something else- any myriad reasons that would point him to believing that Yu had lost interest already.
And then it comes. Morgana hovers over his shoulder, and Akira is apt to push him away a little to make sure that he's the one to read it first. Yeah. Akira's got it bad for this guy. It isn't until he's smirking, light in his eyes, that Morgana teases him again about the entire ordeal, pointing out that he didn't look like this around the others.
▷ Glad to impress.
▷ I haven't got a clue what you're talking about.
▶ Come over and we can celebrate?
▷ .....
Maybe if my guts were high enough....
▶ Glad to impress.
▷ I haven't got a clue what you're talking about.
▷ Come over and we can celebrate?
▷ ..... ]
Glad to impress.
[Right now, Akira feels like he could take on the world. Anything. Finals. A grand jury. Going naked in the bathhouse. Eating the entire big bang burger challenge. It's a rare, but pure feeling, and he doesn't want to let it go.]
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He chuckles at the answer and shakes his head. Typical. A show off when his face is not seen- behind phone screen or mask, yet extremely shy and reserved when it's off. And Yu can't help but adore both of those sides. There's just something so endearing about it that it makes Yu's stomach flip every time he sees him.
...is his crush getting worse? He thought it would pass, but apparently, it has decided to stick around. And Yu has no idea what to do about it. For now, he decides to indulge in his crushing feelings.]
K.Akira: Have some free time for me to drop by? I want to try that coffee of yours.
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[Morgana laughs at Akira. There's a disinterested glance over the not-cat for a few moments, because, really, what does he have to laugh about?
He's flirting with you.
...What?
That's typical guy flirting. You need to learn to read between the lines.
What if it's not?
Someone wants to come over so you can make them coffee? Red flag. Huge red flag.
I don't think it's like that.
Yuh-huh. So can I come downstairs and watch?
Stay up here.
So it IS flirting.
....
This cat is going to be the end of him.]
Is 20:30 ok? The shop closes a half hour before that, so it'll be quiet in here.
Looking forward to it.
[Okay, so maybe this was flirting, after all.]
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20:30 is great.
[It's not like his parents are home or anything.
The crowd in Shibuya is insane. The trains are full to the brim so by the time Yu arrives at Yongen, it will definitively be 20:30. Besides, he wants to make a small stop at the sweets shop and get some macaroons. It's nothing luxurious, but they are great. He hasn't met yet a person who didn't like them. He makes sure to take one of every color and fill the box.
After the shop, he spends a lot of time at the train station. Waiting to catch some train. But it's so busy because of the news that he had to miss three. When he finally caught the train it was already 20:00PM. He didn't know how long the ride to Yongen was but just in case there are delays.
When he arrives, he takes his time strolling around, checking out shops. It looks a bit gloomy but it's fine. He asks few people about the cafe and they point him to it. He arrives right on time, 20:30PM, in the minute. Yu's actually really surprised how punctual he is.
When he opens the door and steps in, Yu gets the feeling that he'll love this little cafe the same way he fell in love with Aiya's. It felt homey and welcoming. Especially the dingle of the bell. He closed the door behind him and paused, looking around.]
...Akira-kun?
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Eventually, he makes his way downstairs and starts doing similarly simple tasks. Part of it was to get away from conversation about Yu with Morgana, who seemed to really warm up to the guy ever since he came back with the most heavenly ravioli from his house. Akira would like to think that it had more to do with the fact that Yu was bandaging him up, you know, taking care of him in his time of need rather than thinking with his own stomach, but the jury was still out on that one. Either way, he couldn't say he would be any different in the same position. Their cohesiveness as a group really depended on a lot of intricate self needs that just so happened to posit them together rather than apart. United by a goal, after all.
The appointed time comes, and as he tries to hurry up and dry the last dishes (fails in doing them all), he hears the dinging chime from the doorbell and goes to answer. Complete in apron garb, Yu opens and enters before he even gets a chance to hold the door open for him.]
Who would would it be?
[He smiles and yet, somewhere, he can feel Morgana eavesdropping.]
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The nurse, checking in on his patient. [Yu laughs softly and offers him the white bag with sweets.] For you for the work well done. [He gives him a knowing look but doesn't say more. There might not be people around, but it's still public place somewhat. And Yu doesn't want to make him trouble with blabbing too much.]
How are you feeling? [He means the cut. When they went for Madarame, Akira probably went through lots of fighting. Hopefully, the wound didn't open or something. It has passed some time since he got it but still.
Also, he's waiting to be seated. The booth looks so comfy after that stuffy train ride.]
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Oh... for me? Doesn't the patient usually give the nurse sweets after they've healed?
[He takes the box in both hands, looking over what's in there through the cellophane plastic window at the top. They look delicious. Akira suddenly hopes that he's not allergic to almond flour. That's what they're made out of, right? Either way, he has to make sure he doesn't eat all of them and shares with the other teammates.]
Sit anywhere you want. Not that booth though... the seat cushion has a small slit in it.
[Akira places the box on the bar counter.]
You look... [This was painful. This must be equally painful to listen to, especially if you're a cat sitting upstairs, watching intently.] ...good tonight.
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Oh? Are you actually healed? You didn't come to me to change the bandages so until you do, you're still considered "ill" in my book.
[He's not letting him off the hook just yet. Not until he's completely sure that there's no backlash from the cut and that the wound properly closed up.]
Hmm? [Yu's cheeks flushed faintly, surprised by the sudden compliment. Then he smiles-] Thank you! [He nods at Akira's outfit-] Apron suits you.
[He leans chin on palm of his hand-] So. What about that coffee?
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I... yes, nurse.
[Akira looks away, back at the counter and all the pour-over systems on it. He takes a breath inward, and even though he's not healed up, it doesn't hurt as much when he takes more air in than he needs. It's a nice adjustment to not have to deal with that pain.]
You like the apron? I wouldn't be able to pull off the barista boy look without it.
[He reminds himself to ask Yu to take a look at the bandage again tonight. It's just... every time that he replaces the bandage, he gets closer to Yu and closer to his crush, and it feels more embarrassing to be shirtless around him.
Truck through it, Akira. - an internal mantra of sorts.
He sets off behind the counter, turning the burner on and grabbing some beans to grind.]
How do you take your coffee?
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As I said, it suits you. [He gives him thumbs up-] A true professional.
[The question about how he takes his coffee brought back some very nice memories. Memories of moments he spent with Nanako and Dojima, sipping coffee and watching TV, chatting about all sorts of things. He's not a coffee expert so he has no clue about what kinds of coffee there are and if there's a way to drink them properly.]
I'll leave the choice to you. [He fiddles with the edge of crossword magazine on the table.] I can cook but when it comes to coffee and how you should take it, I'm completely clueless.
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Paying attention to the entire process, he remembers Sojiro's words about aromas and how to tell if the blend you made was bitter or smooth, depending on the notes that fill your nose as the steam comes up from the grounds. It doesn't come off as too bitter- and he's totally taking a stab in the dark here as to what type of coffee drinker Yu is- and doesn't smell like it belongs on the weak side either. One could even say he put a little extra love into making this specific cup, even more than when he was prepping it for a taste test with his coffee mentor.
As it starts to drip properly into the container, he feels relieved that it's going exactly according to plan. He can relax a little now, even as he continues to slowly add the hot water to the percolation.]
Some people say that adding milk or sugar to a coffee ruins the flavor. That a good cup doesn't need either of those things if it's made well, since they're just supposed to cover up the taste of a bad cup. Like... when you go to Starbucks, for example.
[So you're getting it black, Yu. Don't think for a second that he's going to let you dilute this flavor experience. He's made it too attentively for that sort of shenanigans.]
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The smell of coffee that traveled over was amazing to put it simply. Akira was right- maybe he will get addicted to it and come over every day. He should probably drop by in the day time too and actually buy cup of coffee. What Akira's doing looks rather complex to go unpaid.]
Really? I don't have a habit of drinking coffee but I can see that. Everything that's mass produced drops in quality over time because people want to sell more but not put as much effort or money behind it.
[Black is good. He ain't a sissy. He can handle a cup of good, black coffee.]
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I accept tips, by the way.
[Hey, money is hard to come by when you need to constantly fuse personas. But Yu wouldn't know anything about that, right? He laughs into a huff of sound, which comes off far more sarcastically than he intended. With a cup in hand, he starts to pour the black liquid into it, grabbing a napkin to place under it. Leblanc isn't really the high society type of place that enforces its customers to have teaplates under their cups, so, a napkin'll do. He makes his way over to Yu from behind the counter, eyeballing in case he doesn't spill (he'd have to clean it up later anyway if he did), and places it down on the table in front of him.]
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[And he's not joking. There's an exception only if the cashier is extremely rude to him for no reason. When Akira puts the cup in front of him, Yu sighs in pure delight. There's something about the scent of coffee that's almost intoxicating. And from the looks of it, Akira knows how to make an extremely good cup.]
Hmm? What about you? It's no fun drinking alone.
[He places both of his hands around the cup and smiles. It really does feel like fond memories of snow, kotatsu and Nanako's laugh. He brings the cup up to his lips and takes a cautious sip- he didn't want to burn himself.
...]
...This is amazing. [Yu stares at the cup in wonder.] I've never tried coffee this good. Ever. [Now, he doesn't care about the heat, he's taking another sip.]
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And it looks like he's passing. Thank goodness.]
Hm? If I drink this now, I'll be up all night. And I have a certain cat who prefers to use me as his pillow, so he wouldn't like that very much.
[His gaze looks over to Morgana, who is most definitely not being conspicuous at all, perched with judging omnipotence at the top of the stairs, looking over the banister. His attention is snapped to the compliment he receives. The best cup of coffee he's ever had? Hasn't he lived in Tokyo? Surely, he's had better than this sludge that Akira put together.
Still, it warms him up in his heart just like a cup of coffee would, makes him feel more awake- so in essence, basically, he's practically drinking one himself anyway.]
Careful, don't burn your lips.
[They're too attractive.]
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/soft squeeing
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shows up late with a cup of starbucks in hand to share!
/eagerly accepts