afterstory •.^* an akeshu collection

moving out, moving in

"He thought back to those moments, and vowed to himself to do the thing he feared most.

He would finally tell Ren he loved him."

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The exhaustion that arrived with the earliest hours of the morning meant Ren wasn't able to continue let alone comprehend what Goro said.

As the rays of sunlight finally beamed through the attic of Leblanc, a head full of messy black curls stirs from his sleep. It must be a mild heatwave today -- he can already feel the warmth from outside heating him.

Or maybe it's the fact that Goro Akechi is in his bed.

Ren opens his bleary eyes, finding maroon ones looking down at him.
For a moment, the gaze he recieves is almost... adoring. Like seeing a star-filled sky.

But the second they realise he's awake, they clamp down into a dull, icy expression.

Seems Goro's moment of vulnerability didn't make it through the night.

"Good morning."

"..morning.." Ren let out a yawn akin to Morgana.

Goro let out a gentle huff to that.

•
Leblanc's opening hours were a mere hour away, and so Ren acted with a slightly quicker pace to make him and Goro morning coffee.
The only thing was, as he stopped and waited for the water to boil, his mind caught up with him.

"Move in with me."

"What?"

Goro slouched across his chair, tracing his finger across the small collection of books away from him on the counter, rearranging them by size order.

"So..." Ren started, hands playing with his baggy shirt. "You really meant that?"

"Hm?"

"You want me to move in with you?"

Goro stopped his organising. He brought himself back to the centre of his seat and rested his hand on his cheek.

He looked at the counter before letting out a small "yes."

Then he looked up.

"But I'd have to actually find a place first."

Ren snorted. Goro did not look amused.

The coffee is poured into 2 cups, just as it was last night.

Ren comes around the corner of the counter to join Goro, clinking their cups as they go to drink.

"Cheers."

"You're such a child.", Goro snarls, But the smile prying out of his lips isn't doing him any favours.

•
Ren reluctantly has to leave for Shujin. Leblanc is open. Goro can smell the fresh curry from the attic. He scrolls through apartment listings on Ren's battered laptop.

From an outside perspective, Goro looked like he barely had 10 yen to his name. He had been living in a rehab facility for 3 months, he was 18 and had no family who weren't in prison or were dead,
and he was currently wearing an old, weathered Featherman t-shirt with jeans 2 sizes too baggy.

And yet, reality was quite the opposite.

While the main benefit of Shido's heart change was that there would be no more victims of his corruption, it also came with extra credits.