Sunday, June 26. Daytime.
You and Akechi had a lazy morning. He wanted pancakes again , which you made for him personally after going to the store. Your mother had not contacted you since the incident with Akechi hanging up on her, but you still received money in your account. Granted, the amount was lessened even more, probably regarding their anger at you. You relayed this to Akechi, who immediately told you he would help take care of you, and for you to stop being so frugal with your money especially when it came to your health. He also said something about how he'd "take care of" the situation, which bothered you a bit, as you knew he had blackmail on them.
You and Akechi were curled up on the couch, the news playing in the background while you mindlessly scrolled your phone. There was more despair-inducing news about the mental shutdowns, but you bore with it because you felt like it was your duty to at least know what the public did and felt about it. You also could easily drown it out because Akechi kept getting a bit handsy with you as you tried to cuddle.
Your phone buzzed. Akechi looked up from where his face was nuzzled into your neck and looked directly at your screen.
"Who texted you?" He asked. His voice was neutral, innocent, but you knew a level of jealousy was under the surface.
"I don't know, I haven't read it yet," you replied, still scrolling the internet for recipes and other interesting posts.
"Read it," Akechi whined, nuzzling your neck again.
"No," you said. "You can't read my messages."
"Why?" Akechi started kissing your neck.
"Ah, stop," you giggled. "Because…I can't read yours."
"Mine are classified," Akechi breathed.
"Fine, so are mine," you refused.
"What are you hiding from me, hm?" His hands started slipping up your shirt.
"Nothing, god," you said, pushing him off of you. You looked at your phone and checked your messages.
Ann Takamaki
Hey, Y/N! Do you want to hang out with me and Makoto today? We wanted to go somewhere with just us girls.
You
That sounds great!
Akechi crawled back on top of you. You had to look at your phone over his back.
Ann Takamaki
You can invite Togo-chan too if you want!
You sent a quick message to Hifumi, who agreed to go with you. You all were going to meet in Shibuya.
Akechi nuzzled into your chest. "Mmm what is it?"
"I'm going to go to Shibuya with my friends," you said.
"I'll come with you," he said eagerly.
"No, it's girls only, you have to find something else to entertain you," you said, pushing him off of you so you could get ready to leave.
Akechi pouted. "Fine, I'll just stay here and watch TV all day alone until they inevitably call me to work again."
"Why don't you hang out with Ren?" You suggested as you slipped on your shoes
"'Hang out' with–" Akechi scoffed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Fine. Fiiiine." He grumbled and pulled out his phone from his pocket.
"Be a good boy," you said, blowing a kiss to Akechi as you left.
"Tch." Akechi rolled his eyes.
Hifumi looked pleased to finally have a day to herself. You were worried since Hifumi was so reserved she would be awkward with Makoto especially, but she made fast friends. Hifumi could complain about photo shoots with Ann, and talk about more sophisticated subjects with Makoto. You actually felt a little left out, based on how much they were talking. Sitting in silence while you drank boba tea wasn't a bad thing, though, as it gave you some time for reflection.
What…really did you have to talk about? You didn't have much enrichment in your life other than your boyfriend who you found to be infinitely more interesting than you. If someone asked your hobbies, would you even be able to tell them? Was Akechi your hobby? You liked the way he made you feel when he complemented you, held you, and told you he literally worships you. You had watched some anime, but did you ever have time to indulge in activities? Have you ever done anything creative?
You had a bit of a crisis sitting there at the table.
Ann was munching on a goey, crispy bubble waffle which was covered with chocolate syrup and whipped cream. You had opted against it, as it looked like it had so much sugar you would go into a coma. "You okay, Y/N? You've been quiet today."
"Hm? Oh. Just thinking," you said with a smile.
"If it was Akechi-kun again," Hifumi said sharply. "I will not hesitate to cut off his–"
"Oh, no, not him," you sighed. "Well, kind of him. I've been thinking today that all of you have things you like to do outside of school or the relationships you have. Like, um…"
"You mean hobbies?" Makoto asked. "Or at least…things that enrich our lives?"
"Like Shogi, or Ann's modeling," said Hifumi.
"I always assumed you liked food," said Ann, her mouth full. "Akechi-kun is always taking you out places."
"That's…kind of his hobby actually," you blushed. "My whole life is just him at the point if it's not school, and hanging out with you makes me realize that I don't have much to talk about other than my boyfriend. I feel like… that girl, you know?"
"Why don't we try a bunch of new things to see if you like something?" Ann suggested.
"I'm exhausted thinking about it," sighed Hifumi.
"Me too," Makoto agreed.
"Oh, well, actually, there is something I wanted to ask," you said, looking at Makoto.
"Of me?" Makoto seemed shocked.
"Yes. Do you know anything about pole weapons?" You asked. "I don't know anything about Aikido."
"I'm no master but yes, I do have some skills with pole weapons. Why do you ask?" Makoto was intrigued.
"I…do you think you could train me?" You almost begged the question.
Makoto looked a bit taken aback. "You want to learn Aikido?"
You nodded eagerly.
"I suppose I can help," said Makoto. "But I'm a harsh teacher."
"I"m sure she'll be fine," said Ann.
"I'll be fine!" You insisted.
"Exercise I think will be good for you," Hifumi remarked.
You nodded. "Oh, and one more question."
"Hm?" Makoto tilted her head to the side.
"Shujin has a councillor right? Um…Dr. Maruki?"
Ann's face lit up. "Oh, Dr. Maruki! He's so nice! What about him?"
"I want to see him," you said. "I met him a while ago at a convenience store, and he told me he worked at Shujin. He told me to go and find him but so much has been going on that…well."
"I see him all the time," smiled Ann.
"He works for Shujin, but I can see if he'll meet with you if you want," offered Makoto.
"Oh yes, thank you!" You sighed in relief. "Okay, that's another thing off the list."
"List? Are you okay?" Ann asked. She handed you a piece of her waffle that she tore from a place she didn't bite.
You took it and nibbled on it. "There's just a lot I have to deal with right now…and no, it's not all Goro, but he's stressful as hell."
"You can tell us," urged Ann. "I think keeping it all to yourself isn't healthy."
"I agree," said Hifumi.
You sighed. "Mostly I think what's worrying me is my parents. I haven't heard from my mother ever since she found out I was dating Goro. They send me money every month, you know, to live off of. When I do things they don't like they give me less money to punish me."
"Oh my god are you okay?!" Ann cried.
"Do you have everything you need?" Makoto asked.
"Oh, don't worry about it," you said. "I feel kind of bad but Goro actually…um…" You blushed.
"Didn't you mention something about you two living together?" Ann asked.
Hifumi just glanced at you, expecting an answer.
"He just spends the night," you said, your face hot with embarrassment. "...a lot."
"Um? Please… please tell me you're being safe," Ann begged.
"Yes! Oh my god," you cried, hiding your face.
"Safe?" Makoto asked. She seemed a bit confused, then when she understood, her face turned bright red. "O-oh! You and Akechi-kun…you…"
"If she gets pregnant, I will personally kill him myself," said Hifumi as she took a sip of her tea.
"I'll help you," said Ann darkly.
"No this is…okay the point is he's taking care of me so there's nothing to worry about!" You said quickly, trying to change the subject. "He's been a bit annoying lately though, but that's a whole other mess."
"He's clingy," said Hifumi bluntly.
"...yeah…" You sighed. "He wanted to come with me today, but he got depressed when I rejected him. He's probably sulking at home."
"He sounds more like a pet than a boyfriend," Ann grimaced.
"He doesn't have any friends," you defended. "Or family…or anyone really. I'm kind of all he has."
The table grew kind of quiet, until Ann's spoke up. "Oh wow…really?"
"I think he said something like that on an interview," said Hifumi. "About not having any family. He hasn't had a TV appearance in a while though."
"I really hope that's not my fault," you sighed.
"I don't think so," said Hifumi. "Fans may behave in a certain way but his public image is still pristine. He hasn't stated publicly about you, at least from what I've seen. There haven't been any official articles written about you either. Although…that may change in time."
"I knew he was kind of a big deal, but he always seemed like a normal person to me," said Makoto. "Although, that's probably because most of what I know about him is through sis' complaints. But what's this about fans?"
"Goro's fans have been harassing me ever since they found out we were a couple," you explained. "Actually…they were harassing me even before that. I had a break in to my apartment, but Goro said he took care of it. The last I heard about the assailant was she was in the hospital. From a suicide attempt! He didn't do anything to her." I think…I hope…
"Oh my god!" Makoto gasped.
"Yeah, her apartment was a disaster," said Ann. "We helped her clean it up and it's all back to normal now. Actually, I am pretty glad Akechi-kun is right there so that you're not alone. Imagine if that happens again."
"That's also a reason why he…stays…with me," you blushed.
"That's actually kind of cute," Makoto blushed.
Your conversation turned lighter as you finished your snacks. You all left and went perusing around shops for a while. You didn't buy anything, because your budget didn't allow for it, but you were happy just looking at things.
Eventually, the sun began to set. Hifumi announced she had somewhere to be and everyone decided it was time to stop for the day. You all made your way to the train station, where you ran into Ren and Akechi.
"Oh, there you are!" Akechi smiled. He seemed unusually full of energy, or he was just wearing his mask very well.
"Hey guys," said Ren.
"What are you doing here?" You asked, slightly suspicious of Akechi.
"I took Amamiya to Kichijoji to play darts," Akechi explained.
"He hasn't taken you yet because he's afraid you'll get hurt from how sharp the darts are," Ren said with an impish grin.
Akechi's face fell and he glared at Ren, who was laughing.
"You can't be serious," you groaned.
"He's joking! He's so hilarious!" Akechi said with a sour look. "What a regular clown! "
"Hey I'm not the one who hit three bullseye's in a row and overshot our points," Ren grinned.
"I'm leaving," Akechi said, shaking his head and approaching you. "I have to go to work, I can't come home with you, Y/N. Sorry." He kissed you on the cheek and left for another train connection.
Makoto blushed, clearly thinking the display was kind of cute. Ann looked unamused, and Hifumi's attention was, to your surprise, on Ren.
"Since we're here, should we go together?" Ren said to Hifumi.
"Oh, yes, that's a good idea," she said, a blush creeping on her cheeks.
You and Ann exchanged glances. Makoto was a bit confused, but she stood watching with her arms crossed. Ren and Hifumi then left together, and you were insanely curious. Were they…a thing?!
Evening
You ended up having dinner with Ann and Makoto, then you went home. You prepared for tomorrow and did your homework, waiting patiently for Akechi to get home. Once again, so many things were going through your head. You had also been texting Makoto, making plans to meet with her after school at Shujin's gym to start training. As class president, Makoto had access to the school's facilities and the club schedules, so she knew when the gym would be free. The timing was good too, for you could spend an hour with Mamori before you headed over to Shujin.
You heard the lock turn and your front door open. You were lying on your couch, having your legs propped up on the arm of it. You couldn't see Akechi come through the door because of the angle.
"Welcome home, honey, you're back late," you said in a teasing voice.
"Honey?" Akechi's voice sounded a bit confused. He leaned on the back of the couch to look down at you. "That's new."
"It was a joke," you smiled up at him.
"I figured but it's not so bad," he said gently. "You can call me whatever you like."
"I like your name," you said.
"I know, you scream it a lot," Akechi smirked.
"Shut up," you said, looking at your phone. "Did you eat?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah, don't worry," said Akechi. "How was your day, by the way? Did you have fun with your friends?"
You sat up. "It was nice, but I was actually pretty worried about you."
"Me?" Akechi was loosening his tie and unbuttoning the top buttons of his shirt. His gloves had already been tossed onto the kitchen table.
"You were with Ren," you smiled.
"Well…" Akechi looked embarrassed. "He's not unpleasant to talk to. His insight on some things are interesting."
"I think he likes you," you said.
Akechi blushed and looked away. "Maybe. He seems to tolerate my presence."
"Lookit my baby, he's making friends," you cooed.
"I don't need anyone else but you," he muttered.
"What cheesy romance novels have you been getting these lines from?" You said, shaking your head. "You got on one knee, told me you wanted to serve me, and then later you literally told me you worshipped me."
Akechi's face fell and he turned a shade of red. He pulled his tie off and tossed it onto the table next to his gloves. "Sorry."
"Goro…" You got up and approached him. "It's cute, it's okay."
Akechi swallowed.
"You don't have to try so hard," you continued. "I know you care about me."
Akechi ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm going to shower," he said, deflecting.
"Want me to come with you?" You said, touching him on the arm.
Akechi flinched when you touched him. You pulled your hand away, surprised. He hadn't flinched when you touched him in a long time.
"Goro, are you okay?"
Akechi swallowed again and didn't look at you. Instead he brushed you off and left for his apartment, leaving you confused and alone. You got ready for bed and climbed under the covers. You tried to push the anxiety from your mind. Why wouldn't he just talk to you?! You had to get anything out of that boy by your damn visions and sporadic conversations.
Finally, Akechi returned, showered and dressed for bed. He seemed hesitant and rigid when he climbed in next to you, but you rolled over to look at him.
"What's bothering you?" You asked.
"What… kind of boyfriend do you like?" Akechi asked suddenly
"You," you said. You wanted to snuggle up to him, but that flinch earlier made you wary.
"But did you ever, you know, fantasize about the perfect boyfriend? Your type? Isn't that normal?" Akechi continued.
"Hm…a little taller than me but not too tall, slender, strong hands, sullen. But really he's way too emotional for his own good. Dramatic, perhaps. Oh, soft brown hair that sticks to his pretty face when it's damp–"
"Enough," Akechi blushed.
You weren't done. "Jealous to the ridiculous degree. Has an extensive library of profanity. Unironically thinks buying his girlfriend a cat collar and forcing her to wear it to school is hot. But my favorite…is that he's really devoted and passionate about upholding his sense of justice."
" Pancakes ," Akechi huffed, his face red. "Give me a real answer."
"I dunno," you said. "You kind of adjusted my type of man to be really specific, but…I think maybe I just wanted someone who would take good care of me. I felt lonely and unwanted. Physically I think you really fit my ideal type of man. Heck, you're a lot of girl's type, at least physically. I don't actually think I'd go for your whole prince thing though."
"But why? Doesn't that fit your idea of someone who takes care of you?" Akechi pointed out.
"Maybe, but…remember when you lost your mind when Kaneshiro said he was going to sell me?" You said. "Or…or when you insulted my mother on the phone? I don't know what it is, but that's what makes me feel safe and cared for. I can pretty much take care of myself in mundane everyday ways."
"Wouldn't any boyfriend defend their girlfriend from danger?" Akechi asked. "Isn't that normal?"
"I don't think I'm making sense," you sighed. "You protect me too. But in those instances I felt something different about you, something aggressive , and it just felt right ."
"You're insane, please tell me you're joking," Akechi said in disbelief. "This is so beyond masochism. Do you want me to actually hurt you?"
"No, I…" You gulped. Oh my god. Can I actually say this? "...I like it when you hurt people for me."
The color drained from Akechi's face. One moment he was blushing, the next he was as pale as death.
"You can't be serious," he said. "I refuse to believe you're serious."
"Well…" You blushed. "That was kind of a blunt way to put it but…it's pretty exciting. I mean if I'm going to be perfectly honest since we're already here, I–" No, fuck, I can't say that…
"What?" He demanded.
"...the idea of you hurting people that want to hurt me is…nice." You felt awful admitting this. "It makes me feel like you'd do anything for me. The Ace Detective Prince blackmailing my parents? Are you kidding me? That's the hottest thing I've heard you admit to me."
"You…you don't want that," said Akechi, gripping onto the bedsheets and refusing to look at you. "You have no idea what you're talking about. Maybe it just makes you excited because I am rough with you in bed."
"Just don't get caught if you do something illegal, okay? I don't want to deal with a boyfriend in prison," you teased. "I'll never forgive you if I have to fuck you over an interrogation table before you're taken away from me."
"No, don't," Akechi cringed. "Stop I can't–"
"You say this stuff to me, take it like a man," you said with a grin.
"Oh yeah? Well, when I say that shit, you get so wet you can't even walk right," Akechi smiled wickedly, desperate to get back into control. "'Goro, please come home and fuck me!'"
You rolled your eyes. "Okay but I don't have phone sex in public."
"We're off the subject," said Akechi in a pissy voice. "Why am I your perfect boyfriend?"
"I just told you, you take care of me, you protect me, you avenge me, you're physically attractive, you're funny, you're surprisingly attentive, and you're nice to talk to. To be honest, I'm kind of boring and lifeless in comparison. All I do is school, and my only hobby at this point is you."
Akechi was silent, apparently thinking through your words.
"So…what's your ideal girlfriend, then, Goro?"
Akechi smiled at you. "You."
"I did not just tell you all of that just for you to brush me off!" You cried.
"Okay," he replied. "A girlfriend. I didn't want one. I had a resolve to be alone. Sex is… very nice, so I thought, if I had a lover then she would only be used for sex. No responsibility, no obligations. Just me, my charm, and her open legs."
"So…what does that make me then?" You asked. You knew you were more than that to him, but the anxiety still crept into your soul.
"You're pleasantly checking off the open legs box of my ideal," Akechi smirked.
"Well?" You demanded.
"My girlfriend," Akechi said bluntly.
"That's it?" You said a bit angrily.
"No," Akechi said, his face sullen and his brows furrowed. "I cannot live without you. And no, I'm not being dramatic , I can barely get through the day anymore without hearing your voice. It's like…I discovered something that I never can live life without, even though I've never had anything like it before."
"Come here," you said, gesturing to your lap. Akechi looked confused, but you pat your thighs. "Let me hold you."
Akechi looked embarrassed, but he eventually laid his head in your lap and looked up at you. You began stroking his hair, which immediately made him relax. "Oh," he said softly.
"You can talk to me," you said. "I know there's things you can't tell me because of work, but you can at least rely on me."
"I just need to be with you," said Akechi.
"It's not good to keep everything pent up inside," you said.
"Mm that's a good point. Okay, strip," said Akechi, his eyes still closed.
"No, Goro, for your own good you need to just sleep," you frowned.
Akechi gave a disappointed sigh. "It's not like it takes very long anyway."
"You spend hours just on foreplay, Goro," you said bluntly. "And one round is never enough for you. If we have sex it's a commitment. At this point, I'm just glad you still understand speech when we get started."
"Am I that bad?" He opened one of his eyes and looked up at you.
"If I'm being honest you're kind of an animal," you sighed.
"I'm hurting you," Akechi said, grimacing.
"If you actually hurt me, that's why there's a safeword to make you stop," you said.
"What if I don't stop?"
"But you've always stopped," you said.
Akechi closed his eyes again. "No more. I've expired. Bedtime."
You kissed him on the forehead. The two of you then rearranged your sleeping position so that you could hold him to your chest and stroke his hair. While you did this gentle movement, the both of you drifted off to sleep.
Monday, June 27. After School.
Mamori was waiting for you eagerly in front of the library. He was a surprisingly good student, and had been doing his homework diligently. It really did turn out that his falling behind was the fault of his sports and games schedule. You definitely knew you were doing the right thing tutoring him. The only problem with this situation was your awkwardness caused by the vision you had of you together. He still was a bit flirty with you, but you again brushed it off as his natural way of speaking. You stayed strong and tried to not reciprocate the flirting by simply remembering Akechi's disappointed pout whenever you hurt his feelings.
Next was heading to Shujin. You were glad that you had slept the full night, because you didn't want to imagine how tired you would have been if Akechi had kept you up again. Makoto was waiting for you at the gate, and she gave you a pleasant smile.
"Hello, L/N-san," said Makoto. "How was school?"
"Y/N is fine, it's what the other thieves call me," you said.
"Then…Makoto is fine too," said Makoto blushing. "Here, follow me. Did you bring gym clothes?"
"Yes, they're in my bag," you said.
"Okay, let's change and get started," said Makoto, leading you inside.
You both changed into gym clothes and you walked into a large room indoors. It was much cooler inside than out, which you were grateful for because of the summer heat. "Is this the volleyball court?" You asked, your voice echoing off the court.
"If you're asking if this is where Kamoshida abused our students, yes," said Makoto bluntly.
"Kind of funny how Phantom Thieves are training in here now," you said with a grin.
Makoto gave you a small laugh. "I suppose that's one way to look at it. Okay! Let's get started."
Makoto started you both off with warm up stretches. You told her about your leg problem, which she said could have been caused by your lack of warm up. Your body wasn't accustomed to the amount of activity this warm up had you do, and you were already tired by the time Makoto brought out pole weapons for you to start on the actual training. You pushed through, and by the end you could barely stand.
"You did good," said Makoto. You were nearly dying, but Makoto seemed to still be in good shape.
"Thanks…that was…ugh…" You panted.
"The more we do this, the stronger you'll get," said Makoto. "I can make time to train with you, if you want."
"Yes, please," you said. "I want to be stronger. I feel like I'm falling…so behind."
"Deep breaths, Y/N, you're going to pass out if you keep breathing so hard," said Makoto. "And drink some water."
You thanked Makoto, changed your clothes, and made your way back home. After calming down and taking the walk back home, you started to feel a lot better. When you got back, you took a hot shower and were ravenously hungry. You texted Akechi to see if he would be back from work in time for dinner, which he confirmed. You told him you were tired, and he brought back takeout for the both of you when he came home.
Evening
That night, Makoto not only texted you about more training, she also informed you that Dr. Maruki was willing to meet with you after hours in the late afternoon the following day. You could train with Makoto, and then see Maruki afterwards. You relayed this information to Akechi, who after a shower was sitting next to you on the couch.
"Good, talk to him," said Akechi. "Don't tell him about your visions unless he cooperates on patient confidentiality. If he wants payment, I'll take care of that."
"Are you trying to sugar daddy me?" You teased.
"Without hesitation," replied Akechi. "Although please, don't call me Daddy. I'd prefer something along the lines of…maybe Master?"
"I'm not calling you that," you said with a pout. "I'm not from a maid service."
"Say it," Akechi ordered.
"Master, do you want some tea?" You said, holding your hands up to mimic a cat's paws. "Meow?"
Akechi made a noise.
"You unironically like that?" You sighed.
Akechi was bright red.
"God, I'm so tired, otherwise I'd pounce on you right now," you said. "I'm gonna hurt so bad in the morning."
"You're going to feel that for a while," said Akechi. "Make sure you stretch, it will help." He got a text message, looked at his phone, and looked surprised.
"What is it?" You asked.
"Amamiya. He…wants to hang out with me." Akechi looked confused.
"Well, go hang out with him!" You said, waving your hands to shoo Akechi out the door.
"And just…leave you alone?" Akechi's voice sounded unsure.
"Yes! It's fine. I have all new locks, I'll go straight to bed, and I'm pretty sure I don't have a stalker currently," you assured him. "You're the only other person who has a key to my apartment. I'll be fine."
Akechi leaned over and kissed you gently on the mouth, stood up, and got ready to leave.
"Have fun!" You called after him.
Akechi seemed unamused, but he gave you a gentle smile anyway.