The night after Futaba had taken down Medjed, Akira received a half-hearted apology for breaking the promise he'd forced her to make. Still, he couldn't stay mad. Not when she followed up by relaying a message from Goro. He really was trying to protect Akira after all.
It was a small weight lifted, but he felt better nonetheless. Futaba's accusation from earlier that day had been right: he had assumed deep down that Goro wanted nothing to do with him anymore.
In the best mood he'd been in for a month, which pretty much everyone noted that day, Akira decided there was no better time than now. He called everyone to a meeting after school, in discussion of the very reason he'd been out of it so long.
For once, it had nothing to do with being a Phantom Thief or the Metaverse. He didn't even plan to bring up anything Goro had done, just his own feelings. Seeing the semi-serious looks on everyone's faces once they were all gathered in his room, aside from Futaba, Akira realized just how much the Metaverse had changed them.
There were serious matters to discuss, of course. That was done first. Futaba waking up, Medjed being taken down, and how to progress from there were of priority. Futaba wasn't very happy with the idea to help her get more used to being around people, but she wasn't adamantly opposed as long as Akira promised to accompany her.
It didn't take long for everything else to be discussed and their meeting as Phantom Thieves adjourned. Akira did sort of wish it had taken longer, but seeing Futaba willing to break out of her shell and make the effort to function outside the comfort of her room gave him a bit of courage.
When the others began moving to head home, he spoke up. "As your leader, there's nothing else that I want to review. I need to talk to you guys as Akira, though." He really wasn't surprised by the looks of varying confusion and surprise on their faces. After all, he rarely spoke if he wasn't acting as Joker, and even then he was relatively quiet. He really did struggle with opening up to people, didn't he?
"What's up?" Ryuji asked first, slumping back into his seat.
Akira shifted, suddenly uncomfortable now that everyone's attention was on him. It was fine when they were focused on their leader, but as their friend? Akira would happily fade into the background. His gaze flicked to Futaba, and she smiled encouragingly. His lips flicked up and he nodded. Was it really so different? It wasn't as though Akira and Joker were two different people, just different aspects of himself. Wasn't Joker supposed to be the more real version anyway?
Deep breaths, he could do this. He was confident, cool, and could overcome any obstacle thrown his way. This wasn't nearly as challenging as coordinating his friends to fight shadows. No one's life was on the line. This was easy.
"Do you remember a month ago when Ann made me realize I have a crush on one of my friends?" He started. "I didn't want to tell you because I was scared of how you might react."
To his surprise, it was Yusuke who chuckled at his admission. "Akira, I'm well aware how odd people view me as. And yet, despite how I may act at times, you've never once judged me. The same is true for all of you. Whoever interests you romantically, any sort of judgement we may display would only be in defense of you."
There was a chorus of agreement from the rest of his friends, and Akira laughed. Yusuke was right, there really was no reason why he should be so worried. Hell, they were a literal group of outcasts! If anyone wouldn't give a shit that he liked guys, it would be them. Sure, he could think of a few(Ryuji) who wouldn't be thrilled by which guy he liked, but that was the extent.
Akira felt more at ease now. "Thanks, Yusuke. The thing is, I was just nervous. My crush, well, he's a guy. I didn't know how you'd react if I told you. I-I'm bi, I like guys and girls. At the time, I just wasn't ready to come out."
Ann giggled. "Oh, did I never tell you guys? I've been dating Shiho since last year. And no offense Akira, I sort of figured you weren't straight. I'm super proud of you for telling us, though!"
"You knew?" Akira was glad she didn't care, and he did have a feeling the two were more than friends, but he'd never wanted to say anything.
Ann nodded. "Not for sure, but like, when we met that detective at the TV station? You seemed totally infatuated."
Ryuji groaned. "I don't care that you like guys, but seriously Akira? That's your type?"
Had he really? Akira couldn't help but laugh. To think he'd been that oblivious to his own feelings from the start. Ann knew more about his romantic interests than he did, it seemed. "I guess so. I mean, hey, there's a reason his fan-base is so big." He joked. Sure, he may have been attracted to Goro from the start, but his crush only started to develop after getting to know him.
Makoto rolled her eyes. "I'm proud of you, Akira. That's not an easy thing to admit. Though, I hope that the man you're interested in now is a bit more...manageable." Akira was curious what she'd have preferred to say. He knew they went to the same cram school, of course, and that Goro worked somewhat closely with Makoto's sister.
Now that the hard part was over with, Akira was actually kind of excited to reveal his crush's identity, if only to see how they'd all react. Ryuji and Makoto especially. From the glint in Ann's eye, he had a feeling she may already have an idea.
Leaning back in his seat, Akira grinned. "Trust me, he's way better than the 'detective prince'. Don't get me wrong, he's an idiot sometimes, but he's also really sweet. He had the best smile, too. I still stand by what I said last time, I'm not going to confess, but I love being around him. He's really uptight, but watching him let his guard down around me and actually have fun for once? I wouldn't trade that for anything."
From the teasing 'awe' that came from Ann, Akira knew his obvious fondness for Goro was showing. He didn't care, though. He wanted them to know how much he liked the guy. Somehow, after a month of not speaking and still having not, Akira's feelings had only managed to grow.
"Come on, man!" Ryuji laughed. "You can't just say all that and not tell us his name! I know you said we don't know the guy, but at least give us a name."
And there was the climax of the display. Akira smirked. "His name is Goro Akechi, and the role he plays on TV doesn't hold a candle to his true self."
Watching the mild chaos that unfolded made Akira's previously suffocating nerves worth suffering through. Ann gave him a look of 'I knew it', Yusuke was mildly shocked, and Futaba was clearly proud of him. There was a nice warmth that came of it, but it wasn't nearly as satisfying as Ryuji's loud yell of "what!?" Even Makoto's rather loud gasp was covered by it, and Akira nearly laughed when Sojiro yelled from downstairs to quiet down. Futaba did laugh.
"I know how you feel about him, but you don't know him outside his interviews." Akira defended, still trying to hold back the floodgate of giggling uncontrollably like Futaba still was. "Look, he gave me his number during our social studies trip, and we've hung out a few times. He's...he's amazing, you know?" He didn't want them to know what had happened since. For the sake of Goro's privacy, he wouldn't share that the detective seemed to be in a lot of trouble. The same was true of his comment on the Phan-Site.
Makoto sighed, shaking her head. "I won't pretend to understand what you see in him, but he does seem to mean a lot to you. I doubt he and I could ever get along, but for your sake, I'll ignore my grievances on the matter. He seems to really make you happy. So, unless he hurts you, I won't butt in."
Ann didn't give Akira any time to respond before her own fit of giggles took over. "Oh my gosh, he's totally into you!" She only laughed harder at Akira's evident confusion. "He seriously gave you his number back then?"
"Yeah?" Akira nodded, bewildered by her words. "After the interview, he said that our discussion was meaningful and wanted to talk to me again." Hearing it aloud, Akira realized what she meant. "He doesn't exactly have many friends. I know how it sounds, but really he was just relieved to have someone speak their mind to him for once. He definitely wasn't hitting on me."
Ann hummed contemplatively. "Maybe. I still think he had to have liked you a little bit for such a short talk to make him want to talk with you more."
Seeming to have finally processed that Akira liked Goro Akechi of all people, Ryuji finally spoke up. "Aren't you worried about what will happen if he finds out you're a Phantom Thief? Look, obviously I don't like the guy, but I'm being serious. Isn't it dangerous hanging out with the detective that's publicly against us?"
Akira frowned. He knew it would come up, and he knew that Ryuji was right. It was dangerous. But that didn't mean it wasn't worth it. "Maybe being friends with me will be enough to convince him we're on the side of justice. Or at least soften his stance. If he did discover my identity, knowing what he does about me already could protect us in the long run."
That had been his justification for continuously talking to Goro at the start. Of course, it wasn't his real reasoning, but he'd convinced himself of it. From the first time they'd met, Akira wanted to be around him. He wondered if his crush had begun to form even then.
"The leader of the notorious Phantom Thieves and the young celebrity detective who paints them as lowly criminals." Yusuke smiled thoughtfully. "The most unlikely of friends, yet brought together all the same. It truly is a beautiful thought, isn't it? I believe you may be right, Akira. If anyone could sway him, it would only be you."
With a smile, Akira nodded. No one was actually upset with him, and even Ryuji seemed to be coming around.
"I talked to him a little." Futaba admitted, speaking up for the first time since Akira made his admission. "Well, texted. He definitely cares about Akira, I know that much. And I'm not telling you anything else."
That seemed to dissipate any remaining tension. Having that confirmation, at least, didn't quell their worries but made them less pressing. Any remaining talk drifted into teasing and questions about the real Goro Akechi.
Akira was happy to talk about him, as Ann pointed out. She made a joke about young love, and Akira laughed it off. He'd admit that he was crushing on Goro pretty hard, but it definitely wasn't love.
It was late by the time everyone left. Akira felt like he could take on anything right now, and he knew his friends would be right there beside him no matter what. Morgana didn't quite understand why it was such a big deal, hence why he hadn't said much, but was proud nonetheless.
As he was about to head to bed, Akira's phone buzzed. Figuring it was on of his friends either having something to add on about Medjed or letting him know they'd accidentally left something in his room, he checked absentmindedly and nearly dropped his phone seeing the message he'd been hoping for these past weeks.
"Are you free tomorrow evening? It's long overdue, but I owe you an apology. There's somewhere I'd like to take you."