Chapter Text
Goro stared down the scoreboard showing off the midterm exam results with a sense of triumphance. He spared a short glance at the pouting, mussy haired raven standing next to him, and he couldn’t suppress the sneer coming out of him. “Seems like this time, your “bet” backfired on you. Latin terminology is just not your thing, apparently.”
Said raven threw him a mild glare. Served him right for acting so highty mighty and boasting how well he was faring in class lately. Ironic that it was said subject in which he had fared the worst, gaining him only the second best place in the overall ranking. The raven was still pouting as Goro strode off with pride, flipping his hair back in an act of provocation. He knew it wouldn’t actually provoke his fellow law student- he was a little too soft, or as Goro would say, naïve to take it as an act of offense- but it sure would attract his ragtag group of friends, one of which was approaching them with quick strides. It was the blonde one, the one Goro referred to as “the rowdy”, because- “Look at the prissy way he just threw his hair back! Does he think these stupid exam grades make him a better person or what?! He’s such an ass, Akira! Why do you even-“
Goro merely rolled his eyes as the rowdy went off about him. He stopped caring about what people thought of him a long time ago, as there were equal parts of people that either claimed to love him unconditionally or hated him without having talked to him. Of course, the part that “loved” him was merely the part of people that watched him behind the TV screen, all clad up in his charming Detective Prince persona. Goro was aware of the fact that he didn’t, in fact, knew anyone that ever bothered to get to know the real him- that was, until a certain annoying raven man had stumbled upon his path, stealing away first place in overall rankings during the exams midsummer last year.
Ever since then, some sort of rivalry had been established between famous Detective Prince Goro Akechi and…Akira Kurusu, a rather random individual that had switched to attending Themis College last year. The raven with the wild hair and nerdy thick glasses seemed to be a rather gloomy individual upon first glance, was what Goro thought. He was surprised, therefore, when not only a few months later, Akira had found himself a merry group of friends, and he had become famous on campus for being a rather charming guy who was apparently quickly rivaling Goro when it came to love confessions by both genders, as well as his grades.
Not that it ever mattered to Goro. Goro’s first and foremost goal was to stay atop of his law classes, so that Shido- his bastard man of a father- wouldn’t have room to complain, and neither the public. As the so called “Detective Prince” he had been working alongside the law and the police for years since high school, solving crimes that alternated between insignificant and impossible to solve. Because of his young age and his looks, he was soon spotted by the media and had to participate in dumb television appearances in where he was supposed to explain cases to the general public, or the legal system, or participate in entertaining television shows and answer private questions to upkeep the position of a “media darling”. It was here that he earned the title of “Detective Prince” and also gained an annoying, ever increasing fan base at a young age- as well as jealousy of older colleagues who couldn’t accept that Goro was loved by the public and more inept at solving crimes than them.
Well. Not that he cared about being liked by the public- it was rather annoying to upkeep the charming smiles and the neat and proper behavior when all he wanted was to tell the media to “piss off”, if he had to make use of the rowdy’s choice of words. It wasn’t like anyone saw him for who he really was- or that anyone was interested in doing so.
Then why put in so much effort in all of this? Well, the answer was both difficult as well as easy to find.
Goro had had a rather sad childhood. At a young age, he had been abandoned by his mother- whom he barely could remember- and grown up in the worst foster system ever, being passed around at a young age from family to family- until he had been thrown out for good, going dumpster diving to provide himself food - and oh wonder, a certain politician named “Masayoshi Shido” appeared in front of him, declaring him his long lost son with tears in his eyes, accompanied by reporters and cameras.
After that, Goro’s life took a turn for the worse. He now had a roof above his head as well as a certain providence of food- usually instant food, take-out and the like-, but Shido was not the man he posed as in front of the cameras. As soon as the reporters disappeared, he turned from the caring father to a brutal abuser. If Goro didn’t deliver the grades he expected, or acted the way he wanted, he was a victim of abuse and brutally beat up, starved, locked behind doors. If Goro tried to present the public his wounds, he was declared mentally unstable and Shido was giving his best to help him through “his phase” with the best help possible. Goro wasn’t dumb, and soon realized that despite his occasional rebellion, life had been easier if he followed Shido’s instructions. Shido needed something to push his public image- he was striving to become governor, if not president of the country- and a long lost son was perfect to polish said image of the otherwise single man.
However, no way in hell would Goro sit by and be used by the bastard like this. A test did prove their biological relation, and sadly Goro had to admit that the fury in his veins was undoubtly the same blood as his father’s. There were thousands of questions that Shido left unanswered- what had happened to his mother, why he only came when Goro was around fourteen and not earlier, why had Goro been abandoned in the first place- and Goro decided to search these answers by all means necessary. He wasn’t going to be used as a puppet his whole life, but it would take a lot of work to ruin Shido’s life the way he had destroyed Goro’s- so Goro threw himself into working in the legal system, but from a position different from Shido. He planned to find some sort of opening he could use to expose Shido of his crimes and throw him into prison, but it would be a long and hard road, especially because Shido’s influence on police and the law grew over time, easily covering up any misshappenings, incidents, corruption and the like.
When Goro was old enough, he was allowed to move out so long as he kept up the media appearances, nurturing Shido’s image, as well as heeding to every Shido’s requests- or else, the underlying threat was made to squash Goro’s life under his heels. Of course, Shido didn’t support him financially as soon as Goro grew of legal age.
All in all, Goro was on a path of revenge, blood and fury, fueled by hatred and disgust towards a world fully incapable of rescuing innocent victims. The college he chose was renowned enough to be suitable for him, and if he graduated in his law classes well, he’d definitely find a suitable position to take down Shido once and for all. There was no space for friends in Goro’s life- the only person he’d call an acquaintance of some sort would be his work colleague Sae Nijima, who was at least twice his age. She often invited him to eat out with him whenever their schedules lined up, and seemed to be genuinely interested in hearing his opinion on topics, not the fabricated lies he had to spew out for the media. However, Goro also knew the side of her that was stressed out and needed a break- she was very close to what you’d call a hyena then, so Goro wasn’t sure how to handle her.
And then, as already mentioned, was Akira Kurusu. He had switched colleges during his first year of law, for reasons unknown to Goro. Ever since then, he had not only made it a matter to compete in some sort of rivalry with Goro when it came to grades, but also tried to…approach Goro otherwise. If he was truly trying to befriend Goro or not, the chestnut haired man wasn’t sure, but he kept him at a polite distance for as well as he could, but sometimes, like today, he couldn’t quite keep his true, sarcastic self under the covers- he was just full of glee to have actually won back first place from said raven. He also didn’t understand what Kurusu would possibly want from him- the disdain his ragtag group of friends had for Goro was very much clear. The rowdy trashed Goro whenever he could, though Goro suspected he was just jealous of the amount of female attention Goro held. Besides, Goro held disdain towards Akira as well- he just couldn’t believe his cheery attitude and popularity was all that real, and suspected he was just as fake as Goro was.
The difference was that Akira still had a close group of friends he seemed to frequent with, while Goro was all on his own.
Well. Akira Kurusu would probably remain a mystery to Goro as long as he was attending said college, probably.
Or maybe not. Goro had no idea, after all, what was coming to him.
***
Goro let out a loud groan as he massaged his temples. Sae, who was working a few desks away, threw him a sympathetic glance before turning her attention back to her own screen. “Tough case?” she asked.
“Ah, that? No, not necessarily… Just, you know. College stuff.” Goro let out a nervous laugh, unsure whether his behavior had been appropriate enough for his workplace.
“Is it your ever clingy popularity with the ladies?”
Goro let out a sigh. There was no point in keeping that truth covered, after all. “Yes, you are quite correct. I have been receiving a lot of love confessions as of late, and frankly, I do appreciate the attention, but-“ do not, Goro’s inner voice added, “it…gets exhausting, explaining my reasons to strangers all over again. It grates on my nerves, to be quite frank.”
It also doesn’t help that I have been losing sleep on trying to catch up in both work and college classes, or rather, haven’t properly slept in five days, really, having to accommodate Shido’s stupid wishes.
"Aww, our little Akechi is suffering under popularity.” Goro felt a vein of his popping upon hearing the tone Sae used.
It’s not like I’m asking for this shit.
“If you feel so troubled, why not just make up a secret girlfriend or something? Maybe it would help fend off some of the more clingy people.”
“No, I tried that once, and uh…Remember, suddenly the media was on my feet day and night, speculating whether the cashier behind the supermarket I was shopping at was said secret girlfriend. I had less comfortable nights than when I was supposedly single.”
“Well, that certainly is a problem”, Sae laughed. “By the way, I do know something that might help grate your nerves. I have stumbled upon a rather hidden café with very nice coffee and delicious homemade curry. Maybe that will help you get your mind off of things. If you want to, I can give you the address- I’d love to go with you, but you know how work gets. It’d be a shame to wait for an opportunity where we’re both free, and I bet your poor nerves would like some distraction before that.”
“You are quite right, Miss Nijima.”
Sae gave him the address to the café, hidden in a part of Yongen-Jaya, and Goro decided today was a good day as any to try said café out. He was rather happy that the trains to Yongen-Jaya were bustling with people, as it meant less recognition and less people bothering him, granting him the anonymity of the crowd.
Sae rarely recommended Goro places, as the ones Goro visited frequently were found out by the media and then swamped with his fans, making it impossible for Goro to enjoy whatever he had consumed from said place. The good thing about Yongen-Jaya was that it was rather a residential district, populated by a wide margin of older people, and not the teenaged-crazed fangirls Goro had to keep an eye on. It also wasn’t heavily populated, and there were a lot of small alleys to get lost into if you weren’t familiar with the area. Goro was grateful for the detailed description Sae had scribbled down for him, so he found himself in front of the café rather soon, the sun just setting and bathing the area in a golden light.
Goro entered the rather inconspicuous looking café, and a chime above his head declared his entry. The café was empty, to Goro’s surprise, but then again, it was a Tuesday evening, and not really the most popular time to go outside and take a stroll. Goro had packed his work stuff and decided to work on the rest of his paperwork in here if possible. He observed the establishment, and it was as simple as it had looked like from the outside: on the left side were booths to be seated upon, although thanks to the rather small size of the café, there were only three. On the right side was the long counter with bar stools, and behind it the kitchen with a rather impressive wall lined with what Goro assumed to be bags of coffee beans. The kitchen seemed rather old as well, and the café was colored in brown and earthly shades, creating a rather cozy atmosphere. Goro also noted the stairs next to what he assumed to be the bathroom, leading up to the attic of the café.
There was a mop of hair visible behind the counter, a messy, curly black, which Goro assumed to belong to the barista. He must've been searching something on the ground, since he was definitely kneeling.
“Good evening”, the detective greeted, even though the door chime had made it clear someone had entered anyway, and he made his way to one of the booths, surprised at how comfortable the old leather was. He had heard something muffled in response to his greeting, and began spreading out his files and leftover college work. He made sure not to be too absorbed, as he heard a melodious, deep voice asking, “Your order?”
“I heard the coffee here is great, and frankly, I would need something to soothe my nerves if possible. I might order some curry as well later on, if possible, because this…might take up some time, and I do not live close by. Is that alright?”
He only heard a soft hum in response, not bothering to look up from his work- he was not interested in any sort of conversation right now- and delved in deeper into law enforcements and criminal activities.
He heard the clings of cups and the soft buzz of the coffee machine, grinding the beans to powder, and he was pleased about the fact that the barista seemed to pick up on his “do not engage with me” mood. A short while later, a cup was placed next to where Goro was buried in text work, elegant long fingers setting down the hot cup safely away from his documents. He only caught a glimpse of long legs in a loose jeans, covered partly of what had to be a green work apron, before the barista turned around and went about his business again.
Whatever he had to do in this empty place.
The aroma of the coffee wafted into Goro’s nose, and he was instantly tempted to take a sip. He took the cup of coffee into his hands and was amused by the coffee art that had been skillfully created. When Goro was sure it was safe enough to take a sip, his mouth was enveloped by a nutty, creamy flavor with fruity undertones, soothing his grated nerves instantly. He couldn’t suppress the pleased hum escaping his mouth, and hoped he hadn’t been overheard. Goro did think compliments were due, though, and he was looking forward to the taste of the curry if the coffee was already this well prepared.
He spared a glance towards the counter, where the mysterious barista had turned his back to Goro, cleaning and sorting through various stuff. “This coffee…is one of the best I have had in a long time, I must admit. I am rather impressed. I hadn’t expected to be this pleasantly surprised.”
Goro overheard an amused chuckle. “Does the café seem that run down to you? I am rather appalled, really.” Though the content of the reply had not been all that pleasant, Goro had to suppress a small shiver at the rather seductive tone of voice.
“No, no!” Goro was quick to diffuse the misunderstanding. “I was just…I didn’t expect to have something so good after a rather, well, exhausting day. It was just what I needed.”
There was a short pause, and Goro saw the barista raise a hand towards his face, placing it under his chin in a contemplative manner. “Colombian Narino”, he said finally, and Goro wasn’t quite sure what to make of that.
“The type of coffee bean, I mean. It isn’t as spicy or as acid as other coffee beans, so I thought it might be a better type of choice for someone who seems rather run down. It’s still powerful enough to give you a concentration boost, so you can focus easily.”
“I am impressed. I didn’t think the little exchange we had at the beginning would lead to this outcome, really. Maybe you should pursue a career in law, your deduction skills seem rather impressive.”
A loud bark, followed by a sneer echoed in the silent café, almost startling Goro. “Yeah, sure”, the barista answered, before ducking down behind the counter again and disappearing from Goro’s field of view.
Though the conversation had been cut short rather awkwardly, and Goro didn’t really understand why- had he said something insulting? – the brunet went back to the load of work waiting for him.
He hadn’t even noticed he had already emptied the coffee minutes later, the flavor boosting him up. However, a certain barista took note of it, and his empty cup was quickly replaced by another one, without Goro’s notice.
Goro did wonder how the coffee cup seemed so much fuller than before, but he was too absorbed to really acknowledge the attentiveness of the worker.
He also didn’t notice the last rays of the sun disappearing, making way for a rather dark, dusty dawn, and soft lamps lighted up as he went about another passage of rules and guidelines.
A steaming plate of curry was placed in front of Goro as he massaged his temples in an effort to concentrate anew, and though the presentation of the dish itself wasn’t very impressive- Goro knew how food from high banquets looked like, and this, in comparison, paled- the flavor once again impressed Goro. His senses were instantly rejuvenated as a soft spiciness, alongside a rich flavor invaded Goro’s mouth.
“Is this…yogurt, mixed with the curry?”
“Correct”, the barista answered.
It was odd, really, how much Goro loathed to engage in conversations normally, and how easily the words seemed to flow out of him in this cozy, old café with its charming barista- or how Goro wished to uphold a conversation, not even having glimpsed the face of his waiter.
“It balances the spice level, and adds depth to the flavors by enhancing the acidity and the richness of the curry, even though yogurt seem much too a plain ingredient by itself, don’t you think?”
Goro thought a lot of things, but one of the main things was that no way in hell was he going to let the media storm and ruin this place from him.
“Fascinating”, Goro answered, instead, and took another bite. “The presentation of the dish was rather unimpressive, really, but…the flavor is…very good.” Goro had to suppress a groan of satisfaction as he took bite after bite, not used to something that tasted dangerously close to…homemade meals. Meals prepared with love, not mass produced. Something that didn’t seem to be extremely unhealthy even though he was dining outside, but more like as if someone had prepared this specifically for him in a cozy home.
A warm, tingly feeling Goro hadn’t realized he had been missing out in life enveloped him as he finished his meal.
“I am beginning to think you can’t pay a compliment without insulting whatever I serve you in the same sentence”, he heard the amused barista laugh.
“That wasn’t-“
“I know, I know, you didn’t mean it like that. It’s okay.”
Goro didn’t dare raise up his eyes as the barista came to clean up the dish, but he did catch a whiff of aftershave, and stubbles grazing the barista’s chin, evidence of a former shave. There was an amused smile upon the barista’s face, which was partly hidden by his unruly mop of black hair- mass, really- and Goro was slightly disappointed he didn’t have the courage to reach out and- oh no. No, no. That would certainly not suit his Detective Prince image.
Speaking of, the barista hadn’t once chatted Goro up about who he was- wasn’t he famous enough to make even the smartest employers curious and chatty?
It was the first time Goro felt something akin to disappointment of not being recognized or bothered. But then again, hadn’t he himself insisted he was tired and didn’t wish to be exerted?
Goro’s heart seemed to be a fickle thing.
He bit his lip, wondering if he truly wished to gain the barista’s attention, as the charming employee opened his mouth again, “We’re supposed to be closing soon, to be honest. Time flies, doesn’t it?”
Goro tried to hide his disappointment, but he wasn’t quite successful. “Oh, that’s…I will come pay immediately, let me just-“
“No, no, sorry, I wasn’t trying to throw you out of your concentration or something. It’s just that, you said you don’t live close by, right? The trains here stop running frequently after a while, and if you want to get the fastest connection back home before being stuck here for another hour or something, you should get going- not that I’d mind the presence of a pretty face like yours.”
The brunet’s face flushed a bright red as he packed up his documents and notes, noticing, however, that he wasn’t…unhappy from the attention. The employee was certainly attentive and interesting enough for Goro not to swat off his…attempt of a flirt immediately.
“Ah, shit”, he heard the barista click his tongue, “Sorry. Boss would kill me if he knew I was flirting with a first time costumer.”
“So…you make it a habit to flirt with your regulars?”
The barista winced at the sharpness of Goro’s tone, and Goro hastily added, “I guess that means I have to come by again?”
There was an amused undertone hidden in the reply of the barista, "I’d make an exception for once.”
“Really, now?”
Goro couldn’t suppress the playful smirk appearing on his lips, and he wondered, again, how easily the barista had coaxed him out of his many TV masks and…get to flirting back?
Goro was flirting, wasn’t he?
“Yeah. But, you know- you’d be the first one I’d make the exception for. Guess you’re a…special case.”
Goro snorted, standing up from his booth and turning around to give back a witty reply. “I bet you say that to all your flirts-“ he rose his gaze to finally, finally, gaze upon the mysterious boy he had honestly been flirting with-
Suddenly, all the air in Goro’s lungs was knocked out- not because he was pleasantly surprised, no, but because – this was- what on earth-
Standing nonchalantly at the counter, wiping down freshly cleaned plates and cups, was Akira Kurusu- or rather, Akira Kurusu’s exact double. The slant of his onyx eyes, his unruly, messy raven hair, heck, even the curve of his smile and the type of nose was the same as he glanced curiously at Goro- the only thing missing from his usual look were his glasses.
And, if Goro hadn’t been overtired and mad, he also would have noticed that this guy was slightly broader, slightly more muscular than the Akira Kurusu at his college.
Instead, there was only one question in Goro’s mind as he blocked out everything else.
Was this some elaborate joke?
Goro went back on their exchange, and the more he thought about it, the less it made sense that the person in front of him wasn’t Akira pranking him. Heck, it’d explain why he’d reacted so weirdly when Goro offered to go into something law related- and it’d explain why Goro was so talkative and sure, maybe it wasn’t Akira but some sort of double, but- no, no, Goro’s caffeinated but overtired brain told him, this had to be Akira, and Goro bet this was some sort of revenge upon him-
The barista, meanwhile, oblivious to Goro’s inner turmoil, quickly noticed the weird mood change that had happened upon their gazes interlocking as the charming, honey- hair colored man had suddenly lost his smile. He prodded, carefully, “Uh, is…something off?”
Was he that far off what the guy deemed attractive as? “Sorry, am I too ugly for your tastes?”
Goro lost it. The last question seemed to fit into the image of Akira taunting him too much- even though it was actually supposed to loosen the atmosphere.
It was unfair, really, how the first time someone flirted with Goro that he actually deemed interesting- seemed to be some elaborate joke. “Tsk, had your fun, you imbecile? I didn’t know the loss of your top rank would drive you to prank on me like this. Are you recording this? How did you even get my coworker to recommend me this café in the first place? Did you wait here all day just to get a good laugh?! Are your shitty, dumb friends gonna pop up anytime now and have a good laugh on my account, like always?”
The raven’s shy grin had lost its slant more and more as Goro talked himself in rage, and he was now gazing unhappily at Goro, as if Goro was the problem, as if Goro had wished for this happen, to walk into this stupid café and be pranked at when in the first time of his life he thought he was actually capable of conversing with humans- no, Goro wouldn’t listen to this bullshit, no way.
“Stick your shitty pride somewhere else, you cretin! I have better things to do than hear your mope about losing your fucking position and, and- argh!”
Goro stormed off, not being able to hold out that judging, unhappy gaze any longer, the one that pressed him, that asked why he wasn’t good enough, why he had to compete with some commoner, why he wasn’t always at the top- and it wasn’t until he had angrily stormed inside of one of the trains that he had realized what he had done.
Had he just exploded his anger and hatred at some random guy that happened to look exactly the same as his ever annoying rival? That had been genuinely nice and flirted with him? That had refilled his coffee and tried not to invade his privacy and tried to be accommodating as Goro was studying up-
Fuck.
Fuck, really, fuck.
What was worse, Goro wondered as he finally arrived home, beat up and tired and embarrassed to his bones- that he had been unbelievably rude to a random stranger, or the fact that he had stormed out of the café without paying for anything.
Great. The one time something nice happened to Goro, he just had to go and ruin it.
Of course.
With a groan Goro buried in his cushion, he wondered how to go on about this. Surely, Akira’s double had to think Goro was some sort of maniac, running out and bailing on food and coffee. Fuck, Goro really had to fix this. Unless it had been a prank- and Goro was surprised at how much he prayed that this truly had been a set-up of some sort.
Oh fuck, what if Shido got wind of this?
Silent yells were heard into the night as Goro mulled over every single possibility and outcome of today’s happenings, while reaching the same conclusion he had come to even hours ago: he had screwed up.
***
He had to at least pay for the food and the coffee if nothing else. That was a decision Goro had come to by himself as he headed into his first lesson of the morning, unable to concentrate on whatever the hell the professor was explaining.
A few of Goro’s lessons passed like this, and Goro was aware of the fact that it couldn’t go on like this. He had to at least completely cross out the possibility that Akira had set him up.
During lunch break, as he dodged any and all fangirls trying to cling onto him, he went out to search Akira’s usual hangout spot- bingo.
Sadly, but also to be expected, he wasn’t alone: he was munching happily on his lunch while the rowdy was telling him some grand story, and the model friend- the other, female blonde who hung out with the troupe- kept shaking her head and rolling her eyes while Akira merely offered a shy smile between bites. Of course, ever the understanding and patient man.
Goro felt his blood boiling upon witnessing the scene. But he also felt a weird, fuzzy warm feeling flooding his veins- one he had never, ever felt from Akira before. He must have been unconsciously remembering the kind smile of the barista from yesterday. It irked Goro, not to be able to fully control his feelings.
His presence was soon noticed by Akira’s female friend, a frown crossing her face as she elbowed the rowdy in an attempt to silence him. “Ryuji, shut up for a moment. Look who’s coming.”
Upon hearing that, both boys turned their gazes towards Goro- who felt extremely uncomfortable from the unwanted attention. The rowdy seemed ready to pounce on him, while Akira- sweet, naïve Akira- wore the face of a confused puppy as he regarded Goro with curiosity.
“Akechi?” he blinked, unsure whether he was seeing things or not- after all, Goro never searched out their company.
In fact, he kept as much distance as possible.
Goro cleared his throat. “Indeed, last time I checked, that was my name. Why?”
The rowdy scoffed. “What the fuck, man? Spit out what you want, you’re kinda ruining our lunch break right now, and I’m not looking forward to the rest of my lessons for the day.”
“Ryuji! Just because we don’t like him doesn’t mean you can be mean towards him!” The model friend chastised him.
Urgh. Great.
Goro felt a headache incoming. How could he ever think these people would be able to prank on him when they weren’t even capable of sharing a few brain cells with each other?
It would remain a mystery to Goro.
“Actually, it is a rather…private matter, Kurusu. If you wouldn’t mind, could we talk alone?” Goro threw in his best TV smile, the one that got all the girls swooning over him- but he should have known better than to think something like that would work on Akira.
The puppy guy tilted his head slightly before replying, pensive, “I don’t think I remember anything that would require privacy between us, Akechi. Whatever you wanna tell me, you should tell me in front of my friends. They’d eavesdrop, anyway, or I’d tell them later on. What’s up?”
Despite the lack of hostility in Akira’s tone, Goro felt irked at being turned down like that. Now he had to go make himself a clown in front of…these idiots. Luckily he hadn’t caught the whole gang all at once. Besides, it was his own fault that had ridden him into this situation.
He took a deep breath, unsure of how to continue.
There was a slim possibility the charming guy from yesterday could have been Akira, even though that chance was also very impossible.
“Yesterday”, Goro began, receiving different reactions upon beginning to talk- a dirty glare from Ryuji, a mistrusting look from the model friend- Ann?- and a curious look from Akira.
Gosh, this was humiliating. “Yesterday”, Goro begun again, “I, uh…I forgot to pay for the coffee. And the curry.”
He cleared his throat as he scrutinized the reactions from the confused troupe.
Ann seemed more confused than amused, while Ryuji was stuck between laughing and utter confusion. Akira, however, had his hands folded patiently in his lap, quirking up an eyebrow, "Uh, okay?”
Goro clicked his tongue. This was either a dead end, or Akira was deliberately playing dumb.
Only one way to find out.
If Goro was humiliating himself, he might as well go all the way.
“I- he looked like you.” Goro’s cheeks were hot, shit, was he blushing? “The barista, I mean.”
Well, so much for his capable and smooth TV persona. He sure as hell wasn’t living down this confrontation for a lifetime.
However, as Akira’s friends seemed even more confused and put off than before, something akin to realization lit up on Akira’s face, and a disarming smile appeared on his face. “He looked like me? A barista?”
“Yes”, Goro muttered out, burning from shame and humiliation, not knowing what kept him talking, “but his voice, it was…” Alluring. Tempting. Seducing. “It…didn’t sound like you.” The words were stuck like bile in his throat, hoping to get out, and yet refusing to give way.
“What the fuck, bro? The hell you’re getting at? If you’re lonely and want to join us for lunch, you don’t need to make up lies or – give off this bullshit”, Ryuji yelled out, earning him a smack from Ann.
Akira, meanwhile, was glowing. “Wait, hold up!”
He jumped down from the ping-pong table the group had been enjoying their lunch on as Goro turned around, muttering some sort of excuse to quickly, quickly get away from here. Goro hadn’t expected any sort of reaction, really, and he was about to say something along the lines that that certainly hadn’t intended to eat with them- but suddenly his wrist was grabbed and he was inelegantly pulled away into a secluded corner.
Baffled- and it seemed like Akira’s friends were just as surprised- he didn’t even put up a fight as Akira made sure no one seemed to be in close vicinity to overhear them.
The bright, cheery gaze from before- ew, really- turned back to confront him in full gaze and Goro couldn’t help but remember the flirty lines the barista had dropped yesterday- or rather, one specific one.
‘Wouldn’t mind a pretty face like yours’.
Well, after yesterday’s performance, Goro was pretty sure he would mind.
The barista and Akira really did look alike- if you ignored the fact that Akira was way too bright and over-energized, while the barista had given off a more…sophisticated, mature atmosphere. And the glasses.
Seriously, what was Goro even hoping to achieve here? It was clear as a day that Akira hadn’t set him up, and nothing would-
“You met him, didn’t you? In Yongen-Jaya? He was probably waaaay smoother than me, so if you thought I was him, you were probably extremely confused. Did he take you out for a date? Hold on, I don’t even know if he swings that way- wait, did he pick you up and you went on a date with a guy whose face looked like mine?!”
Akira was shocked, as if he hadn’t realized Goro didn’t find him ugly, specifically- he just hated his guts and…well, everything.
Wait, how did Akira even guess Goro was gay? Goro had always made sure to seem perfectly straight to the public, because no way in hell would Shido accept a gay son- much less anything that wasn’t straight. Goro tried to hide the panic flaming up in his gut.
There was a lot to unpack here- too much, Goro decided, as those doe like eyes destroyed any resemblance Goro found between the barista and this…twerp. However, Goro’s heart had thundered in hope when Akira had dropped the first line of- you met him, didn’t you?
“Did- is he- you know each other, it seems?“
“Oh, yeah, I should have mentioned that before, sorry- I’m just so excited whenever I hear about him! I’m pretty sure you met my twin, Ren. He jobs at Café Leblanc in Yongen-Jaya, and it took me a bit to get what you meant when you talked about food and stuff- but I’m really sure it must have been him! Man, I miss him. I wonder how much we really resemble each other by now? I mean, if he was able to fool you with his appearance, we must still look really similar- not like he could change his appearance too much, but you know, I thought he’d go and dye his hair and add a few piercings or something. It just- seems like him a lot.”
Twin brother.
Of course.
Well, the chance hadn’t been that big- just as it hadn’t been impossible. Goro had contemplated the possibility, but there were still a million questions left unsaid. If they were twins, surely Akira had already heard all about Goro’s shameful behavior, and Akira and his friends had had a good laugh about him? Because how would Akira’s twin brother not know about Akira’s biggest rival, especially when Goro wasn’t shy to camera presence and you could whip out a picture anywhere? And even if they didn’t live together, they would surely be in some sort of contact? Maybe one of them had set up the other- no, no, stupid Goro. This was the wrong line of thought to pursue.
Besides…Akira had rambled on about something that piqued Goro’s interest.
“Indeed”, he confirmed, “I did drop by Café Leblanc yesterday, and I was fairly surprised to see you- I mean, your…brother there. You don’t keep in contact?”
Akira bit his lip, and something like guilt shadowed his face, dimming that bright gaze of his.
Interesting.
He even averted his eyes as he shyly nodded in reply. “Yeah…Let’s just say, uh, we…It’s complicated. We don’t keep in touch. At all.” A nervous chuckle escaped Akira’s lips.
Odd.
With Akira’s bright nature, wouldn’t it be a given he was close to his twin brother? Especially considering how close Akira acted around his friends. Something was fishy here, but Goro wasn’t sure if it was a trap or not.
“I’m sure you were shocked when you saw him”, Akira continued, “and…I’m really sorry, but I really don’t think I can give him the money for the food or something. You’d best go there on your own again. Just tell him it was my fault you thought this was all some joke or something- he’s pretty forgiving, that guy. Seriously, put up any story and it’s going to be fine.”
This conversation had taken a pretty interesting turn. However, Goro had to cover up one more story before he tore himself away from this guy, fed up with too many emotions clouding his mind.
“What I tell him or not isn’t any of your business.”
Akira flinched at that. “I didn’t mean it like that- I just thought, if it was my fault-“
“This doesn’t concern you in the slightest, Kurusu. Besides, I am a little appalled you said something along the lines that he or I would have been flirting with the other. I am pretty sure I don’t give off- gay vibes”, Goro scoffed out the words, putting in as much disdain as he could.
Oh, he was gay alright, but it wasn’t in his interest to have anyone know.
“So no, I did not get picked up by him, nor do I feel interested in your- appearance. Honestly, Kurusu, the things you say sometimes. You should hear yourself.”
Akira, however, wasn’t backing off so easily. “Oh, sorry. Guess I really did misunderstood, then. Well, you may still mention me when you go back there-“ he threw a glance towards Goro, and Goro couldn’t interpret it as anything else than a smug, confident gaze that perceived all his lies. “- like I said, I doubt he’s going to resent you for anything, really. Sorry about all this, anyway. Well, I gotta go before Ann and Ryuji throw a fit, so- see you!”
With that, Akira took off, not even letting Goro so much as a chance to reply something. How could he be so sure that Goro would return to Leblanc?
We don’t keep in touch at all; Akira had said.
If so, Goro could return without any chance of his behavior leaking out to public- unless the barista- Ren, Goro reminded himself, unless Ren had immediately gone off to some crazed reporter and told him all about Goro’s maniac behavior.
Goro felt a migraine incoming. Urgh. Best to go and drown his thoughts in a good drink during the night, he decided, before he’d inevitably go back thinking about the sultry voice of – Ren.
He gulped. Hm.
Seems like he was suffering under a bad instant crush.
And he had no idea how to get rid of it.
Oh boy, if only he knew what kind of ride he was in for.