call me boss.

I love you, *he whispers, the words almost lost over the noise of Morgana's purrs.*

*They stay like that for a while, Akira dozing off to the comforting feeling of being held and rocked slowly, until Akira's eyes slip closed and he falls asleep against Sojiro, his breathing evening out and becoming slower, deeper. He doesn't stir when Morgana wriggles out between them with a huff, lost to the whims of sleep and the warmth of Sojiro's presence.*

hey.

*goro emerges from the kitchen, her eyes slightly red-rimmed and hair disheveled. in other words, she looks pretty rough. still, her posture is uncaring and her voice speaks of a deep confidence in whatever she's planning to talk to him about.*

is he asleep? you should let him sleep. he's been really tired lately, even before this, so you should...

*her hands are shaking. she sighs, shutting her mouth and simply staring down sojiro, who remains as steady and firm beside akira as ever despite her near-withering glare.*

(-- @crowgoro-blogs )

*Sojiro takes in her appearance, the way her voice shakes just enough to notice, and his gaze drifts down to her hands before he nods slowly and ensures Akira is fully asleep. Then, he gently maneuvers the sleeping boy back down to rest, making sure he's in a comfortable position and tucking him in with the blanket.*

You're bothered that I'm here to see him. Is it because you hate me?

*His voice is calm, not unkind, but he meets Goro's hard expression with his own unflinching stare, even as his hand remains resting on Akira's back to provide him some comfort.*

i'm bothered that you arrived at my living space near-unannounced, actually. the only reason i haven't kicked you out yet is because of him.

I accept that. And I apologize for doing so; I was worried for him and needed to make sure he was really okay. So many times he's told me that he's fine, he's fine, only for me to realize much too late that he'd been carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. But that's no excuse for me to barge in like I own the place, is it?

*He chuckles to himself. Akira stirs fitfully, his brows furrowing in his sleep, and Sojiro silently resumes stroking his back until Akira settles again and falls back asleep with a soft sigh.*

However... I'm glad to see you're taking care of him now. He always defended you, you know. Even when he was recovering from his interrogation and it finally came out that you tried to kill him... that boy would have defended you with his dying breath.

*Sojiro pauses, studying Goro's reaction to his words before he continues, his glasses slipping slightly down his nose.*

he's... yeah, *she mutters,* i... i know. i know.

*goro knows she's lucky to have had akira be an absolute freak attracted to people who attempted to murder him, but hearing it from someone else...*

I know. I will admit... it took me time to get used to the idea of him dating you. I thought he'd wind up heartbroken, abandoned, but he texts me every day telling me how wonderful you are and how happy he is with you.

*He looks down at Akira fondly, brushing his hair back out of his face, and adjusting the blanket where it had slipped off when Akira had fidgeted earlier.*

*she seems disgusted at the mere idea, simply extending a hand to help akira up. she doesn't want to think about where he learnt this mindset of his, that he could ever be something someone could just throw away when he gets 'difficult'. her voice is flat as she says,*

what the fuck are you talking about. we're going home to get you comfortable and rested.

*she looks back at takemi for a moment, who's keeping the door back to the lobby open for them. goro sighs and kneels down to catch akira's gaze.*

i'm... um, takemi's waiting for us to go. you're keeping her waiting.

(-- @crowgoro-blogs) (old thread fucking shits itself whenever i try to scroll on the notification😢)

*Akira stares at Goro for a moment longer, as if expecting her to drop the act at any time and just leave him once he tries to get himself upright. When Goro arches her brow pointedly, Akira tentatively pushes himself off of the cot and tries to stand, but fails and collapses hard against Goro.*

Shit... fuck, I'm sorry...

*well, goro, you can't apologise now. you've already been an absolute dick to your partner, it would be hollow. she straightens up and follows akira out of the clinic, hovering as he attempts hobbling down the building's steps. she's mildly relieved when he reaches the pavement without incident, but rushes to his side once more as he sways.*

*goro moves closer, enough so that akira can lean on her as well as the crutch but simultaneously keep personal space between them. she looks around for a bench, but the streets of yongen-jaya are apparently too narrow or unimportant for the government to care about such trivial things such as ease of moving around for disabled people. the notion that akira will have to live in a world that has such little care for his needs just makes her sick.*

It's... it's okay. I guess I just... wasn't expecting to have such a horrible diagnosis...

i'll stay with you forever, don't lie to me fearing otherwise. i can tell you aren't saying what you really think. oh, does it hurt worse when you sit? i can help you back up, or we can take the pills now or something...?

It hurts worse to stand, *he says quietly, his voice slightly muffled by her shirt.* And I don't have anything to swallow the pills down with, so I'll just take them when we get home.

*it's weird. the balance between them has been sent careening, but to whose favour, it's hard to tell. she shifts again, trying to find a less odd angle for the hug, but gives up and knocks her forehead against akira's shoulder with a groan. she squeezes akira's hand again as if trying to communicate that she doesn't mind the hug, really, as long as it's beneficial for him.*

He's not that old-fashioned. And besides, even if he did see us... I think he'd be more concerned over the fact that I have a crutch with me.

Yeah... we'll be fine. And we are.

*He pauses, then looks up at her through his bangs and his voice lowers to an almost whisper.*

Good boy, Morgana, making sure I slept well.

*He whispers the words, a sleepy smile on his face. Watching Morgana stretch out and then curl up again, tail brushing his small nose, Akira feels a swell of fondness. Even though Goro and Morgana didn't quite like each other, they tolerated each other's presence because they both loved Akira. Akira rubs behind Morgana's flicking ears for a second before he says, just loud enough to be heard:*

you're awake. welcome back to what we humans call the land of the living, joker.

Ugh... sorry. I just... I just wanted to see if you were okay. You sounded a little frazzled when you yelled at Mona.

*He hesitates, then looks up at Goro, his bangs falling into his eyes.*

absolutely not! that's an absurd question, joker, did you get a concussion when you fell down the stairs too? i have everything under control.

*there is a loud clatter of... something, against the floor, but goro only laughs borderline maniacally without any further comment. in a sing-song voice, she calls from the kitchen,*

I'm gonna make sure h— she doesn't burn down the kitchen, *he grumbles before bumping his head against Akira's fingers and jumping down from the couch. Tail held aloft, Morgana stalks into the kitchen, and Akira can practically see the glare Goro must have right now.*

okay, dinner is served!

*she presents the meal to akira with a slight flourish reminiscent of her robin hood mask, but falters when she notices akira's intent staring at his phone.*

*Akira distractedly looks up at Goro, then realizes she's brought food and is staring at him.*

Oh shit—sorry. I, um. Got distracted. I was... telling Sojiro what happened today.

*Akira goes quiet again, looking back at his phone, which has started to chime incessantly. There's an unreadable look on his face, which only worries Goro further, then his eyes widen.*

Um. Do you mind if we have an unexpected guest...?

*Akira still looks incredibly sheepish, his head lowered.*

Sojiro... he gets really uppity when I get hurt in any way. He once closed Leblanc in the middle of the day because I burned myself with coffee by accident.

as long as isshiki isn't joining us.

Futaba's staying home to watch over everything. She prefers it that way; she was just worried that Sojiro left all of a sudden.

*Akira pauses, swallowing the last bite, before studying Goro.*

no, i'm not. i'll leave the door unlocked for sakura-san to operate himself when he arrives, otherwise i'll leave you both to your own devices, that's all. just for some space, yes?

*Akira says it half to himself, half to Morgana, who is glaring after Goro with an irritated flick of his tail.*

I shouldn't have told Sojiro what happened; then he wouldn't be coming over and Goro wouldn't be upset at me and—

*Despite this, Akira glances nervously at the kitchen doorway, knowing that Goro's likely brooding while listening to them talk. His gaze drifts downward to his lap, then to his discolored leg, and his hair falls into his face.*

I don't know. It... it feels like every time we move forward in our relationship and I feel her opening up to me... something happens and we take three steps back.

*He glances back up at Sojiro, his dark gray eyes shimmering with unshed tears.*

of course. you're family and all that crap, aren't you?

*pulling his hand away, sojiro looks akira right in the eye. it's not menacing, it's not interrogatory, but the blood oath of the hieropjant thrums beneath akira's skin as the eye contact holds.*

*Memories flood his mind: the threats, the drugs, him curling up in a corner after being forced to sign that damned confession and after the officer threatened to break his leg... the slaps across the face when he couldn't speak, it all comes back in one overwhelming rush. But Sojiro has no clue about Akira's Palace and Shadow, so it's only natural for him to assume the injuries were leftover from the interrogation room.*

*Akira's inhales become shaky and trembling and he nods, his throat feeling tight.*

Yeah... but I do miss you. And Futaba.

*He pauses, forcing his voice to steady.*

*sojiro frowns in confusion, seeming to think back the past month or so for any communication with the elder kurusus. the sky outside is twilight-purple, the bustling of salarymen and evening students audible from outside.*

*Akira looks away again, trying not to feel devastated that his parents hadn't even reached out to Sojiro to ensure that he got back to Yongen-Jaya safely. He shouldn't expect them to care, but it stings nonetheless.*

And I didn't run away. They kicked me out again.

*Morgana senses Akira's rising tension and meows, at least to Sojiro's ears, and plops down in his lap to curl up and start purring again. Akira absently rubs behind the not-cat's ears, trying to swallow down the taste of bile rising in the back of his throat.*

*he pulls akira into a loose sidehug, but his eyes stare off into space. maybe he's cataloguing the apartment, or maybe he's just that pissed. either way, his grip tightens on akira until he speaks again.*

they're assholes. they've got a son they don't deserve and just send him away twice like you're nothing. goddamn idiots.

it was good of akechi to offer, but you know you can always swing by leblanc if you ever miss your rock slab of a futon, right?

*it reads like an attempt to lighten the mood, but sojiro's eyes are dark and his tone gets rougher.*

*Akira leans into the hug, but his voice sounds unconvincing even to himself. Morgana purrs louder, kneading both of their laps as he's sandwiched between them in an attempt to comfort. Akira closes his eyes, resting his head on Sojiro's shoulder as he hears Goro moving around in the kitchen.*