poor soul

In the end, Ren has to take off his peacoat, roll up his sleeves, and tie on an apron so he can help Akechi make an actual edible curry. Before they start, however, Ren gently fixes Akechi's hair so it won't get in the way. Goro flinches slightly at the careful, delicate touch, especially because it's the first time he's ever felt skin against skin from Ren. Ren had taken off his gloves for the first time.

So when Ren places a fan right next to their bed and turns it on, Goro can't help but grumble that they might catch a cold, and eventually, he wraps himself in a blanket, leaving Ren without one. But when Ren falls asleep, Akechi still covers him up, to ensure at least the slightest chance he won't catch a chill from the cold air. And he always kisses Ren on the cheek.

Akechi rolls his eyes and hugs Ren, trying to pull him away from the pots on the windowsill, wanting to cuddle with his boyfriend and relax on his day off. But Ren ends up saying "I'm almost done" for five minutes, and Goro is left clinging to him like a koala to a tree, nagging at the plants until Ren actually finishes.

Before their reunion, Goro constantly dreamed of Ren, unsettling him with how different they were: sometimes nightmares that left him waking up sweaty and scared, and sometimes tender moments that left him in the morning with a feeling of longing and love, which tormented him even more. Perhaps his pillow was even sometimes covered in drool, and Akechi winced at himself.

For example, when Ren says something funny, Akechi usually tries not to laugh and tells Ren he's dumb and it's not funny at all (though, to be honest, Goro tried really hard not to laugh). And when there's a moment when Akechi can't hold back his laughter and genuinely laughs, Ren simply freezes and watches Akechi, then blurts out something like "I love your laugh. Oh my god, I'm so in love with you!" and Akechi covers his mouth and looks away, trying to shut Ren up, but he can't be stopped and goes for a kiss.

‎Ren realizes he can’t go on like this. He starts to open up to Akechi, showing how much he truly values him, but in the end, he once again finds himself in a situation where his feelings might betray him. And Akechi understands this too. That’s why he can’t bring himself to listen to Ren - he has no choice but to give Ren a choice, and then simply walk away, hiding from everything.

They would wear them differently, though. Goro would hide it from everyone and only occasionally examine it in his free time, while Ren wouldn't even try to hide it, as if openly declaring his love for Akechi.

And Ren also understands Akechi's anxiety, understands that he's not used to being loved, so in moments of tenderness, Ren constantly tells Goro how glad he is that Akechi is around him and how much he loves him.

So one day, Ren simply refused to let go of Akechi. He clung so tightly to his back that Goro had a hard time even sitting up because Ren wouldn't let go. He kissed Akechi's shoulders, whining sleepily, begging him to stay in bed a little longer and sleep, since it was still so early and the room was terribly cold. At first, Akechi grabbed Ren's arms and legs, trying to pry them away, but Ren wrapped his limbs around him again and again, like an octopus, and soon Goro's resistance weakened. He simply flopped back onto his bed with a grumble, turned to Ren, hugged him, and closed his eyes, settling in and muttering something like "just half an hour. I'll skip breakfast and eat it at work for you, dumbass" As a result, Akechi was late for work for the first time in his life, but he didn't even particularly regret it.

But when Ren returns, it's Akechi who's the first to reach out for a hug.

But then Ren declares it's not too late. Ren believes it's not too late for Akechi to end it all, even after everything he's done. Ren is still confident in his love for Goro, and he also knows that Akechi loves him. And I think this also stuns Goro. Ren's words sound so tempting; he so wants to love freely and be loved, but the feeling that he can't, not after all the atrocities he's committed, simply eats him alive. But he believes in their love, and so in the third semester, he's confident Ren won't refuse him after they've made a deal. And on February 2nd, he finds himself irritated by Ren's doubts, because he's once again clinging to that foolish, false hope of a happy ending, just like he did back in the engine room.

And then Ren so casually throws out the phrase "Honey, I'm home" to which Akechi, at first glance, doesn't even react(as if that's expected) and simply remarks that Ren arrived quite late, but I can imagine the explosion in his head. Perhaps his thoughts were simply all jumbled up. Akechi briefly outlines his thoughts on politicians, the Phantom Thieves, and his coming to Shujin soon, and quickly leaves, although normally, I think, he would have preferred to talk with Ren for a while. But Shido's appearance on TV and this dialogue must have made him leave faster, especially considering he already knows the Phantom Thieves' identities. Akechi thinks he'll soon get rid of Ren, but in the end, Ren is simply flirting with him, leaving him feeling conflicted.

Akechi was conflicted, too. He still found the idea dubious, even though he admitted he missed Ren terribly. He wasn't concerned with the same questions as Ren. He was more concerned with whether he was even worthy of Ren's love after everything. He also couldn't understand why Ren was still so attached to him after so long. Although, he was exactly the same. Ren had been constantly in his thoughts throughout their separation, and he was still firmly entrenched there. But with no one to ask for advice, he had to deal with it on his own. He didn't want to "charm" Ren. He was tired. He wanted Ren to accept him as he was, even if he might be unworthy, but his attachment to Ren was so strong that he allowed himself to be selfish.