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Akechi stared at Akira.
It’s utterly silent in Leblanc, and Akechi just blatantly stares. The steam from his coffee cup swirled into the air, and faded into nothingness beside him.
“Are you… A fool? Kurusu? An utter fool?”
Akechi watched as Kurusu slowly looked to the floor, staying silent. There was an uncomfortably long silence once again. The air around them felt thick, and Akechi swallowed. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
He broke the long silence again, with as much malice as possible slipping into his tone.
“You want to stay in this hellscape? This false, wrongful, imprisonment?” He spat out at the other male. Tauntingly, he continued. “Maruki’s reality won’t help you, Joker-“
“YOU THINK I WANT THIS, AKECHI?” Akira suddenly snapped, shouting loudly.
Akechi looked on in surprise at the outburst. He wasn’t expecting such a reaction out of him. Despite not wanting to be confined to a reality ruled by Maruki, he would. Only if Joker made that call.
“…I want to help everyone, Akechi,” Kurusu continued, putting his face into his palm. “I-I just want everyone to be happy. Maruki can give them that. Maruki can even give you that.”
“Joker-“
“STOP FUCKING CALLING ME THAT.” Kurusu snapped his head up to meet eye contact with Akechi for a fleeting moment, before smacking Akechi’s half full coffee cup off the bar. It shattered on impact, spilling coffee on the ground between the two males.
Akechi stared blankly again, his neutral expression unwavering.
“I-I’m not Joker… I’m not cocky and confident and sure of myself I’m…” Kurusu paused, taking a shallow shaky breath. “I’m not him. I can’t ever be him. I-I just want everyone to be happy and I-“
“Akira,” Akechi interrupted, stepping through the spilled coffee to get close to Akira. He lifted Akira’s chin up, forcing eye contact by continuing to stare. “…Are you happy, Akira? Not everyone else. Not me. Are you happy?”
Akira paused, and Akechi watched as tears formed in his eyes, and after a moment, a painful, wretched sob emerged from Akira’s lips.
He grabbed Akechi’s trenchcoat and pulled him close, sobbing loudly into his chest. It was a horrible sound, and he would gasp in between his sobs like he was shot.
Akechi held Akira close, gently petting his head as he continued to hiccup and sob.
“I-I love you… Goro…” Akira sniffled into Goro’s chest again, still holding onto him tightly.
Goro twirled a piece of Akira’s hair around his finger, smiling, a hint of sadness behind his voice.
“Let’s go back to our true reality, Akira.”