Akira Kurusu knew he was going to be betrayed by the detective prince the first day they met. As soon as Goro Akechi mentioned pancakes, both Akira and Morgana were certain that he had ulterior motives. Each time Akechi stopped in Leblanc, pretending to like the coffee so much that he stayed late enough to see Akira come home, Akira was left with both a flutter and a frown. Clearly there was something secretive going on here, and yet everything Akechi said felt sincere. Akira felt a pang of sadness whenever Akechi chose to open up to him. He clearly had no one to love him. He had grown up an orphan, lacking any family support. And because he had spoken against the Phantom Thieves, even other places of business made him feel unwelcome. He confessed one evening that Leblanc felt like the only place he was accepted. The night Akechi cheerfully beamed "welcome home!" when Akira entered the cafe melted his heart. It really did feel like a home when Akechi was there for a visit. Not to say it didn't at other times, but it could get lonely in his dusty attic. Morgana was good company, but sometimes Akira needed just a little bit more.
When Akechi finally admitted to knowing who the phantom thieves were, Akira's heart dropped. This was it. Whatever play he had been working on all this time was coming to fruition. Akira hated to think that he was going to lose a friend, but he couldn't risk not addressing the issue. With Morgana and Futaba's help, he was able to discover Akechi's secret identity, as well as his plans to kill Akira and blame the Phantom Thieves for his own crimes. The others didn't understand how hurt Akira felt. Every single moment spent pretending he didn't know felt like knives being jabbed into his heart. The team made a plan to keep Akira alive. It was a good, solid plan that probably wouldn't fail. He didn't tell the others, but he hoped they wouldn't have to put it into action. In the meantime, they would team up with Akechi to change Sae Niijima's heart.
The Phantom Thieves had taken a liking to wearing different costumes in the various palaces. The first infiltration in Sae-san's casino, they had decided to wear their maid and butler costumes. The girls weren't even mad because the maid dresses were really cool and edgy. Mona chose to wear the dress as well, that silly cat. While Akira thought the girls all looked really great, he had to admit that the guys looked incredible as well. Akira entered the palace on a team with Yusuke, Morgana and Akechi. About halfway into the day's infiltration, Akechi crouched by a corner, whispering to Akira that there was a shadow. Akira crouched against the wall Akechi was facing. As he stood there looking at Akechi, waiting for him to give the signal to ambush the enemy, it was like the world came to a stop. They were standing close enough to kiss. Akira felt his heart speed up. He tried to keep as quiet as possible, which made it easy for him to hear Akechi's soft, ragged breaths as they looked into each other's eyes. Before either of them had a chance to say anything, the enemy approached. "Now, Joker!" Akechi exclaimed in a quiet whisper. Akira leaped out to tear the shadow's mask off, ending the moment.
When they went home for the evening, Akechi asked if he could return to Leblanc with him so he could change before taking the train home. Akira invited him up to the attic, and Morgana followed, rolling his eyes. You wouldn't think a cat would be able to do that, but Morgana was quite the talented eye roller. "I've never seen your room before," Akechi said offhandedly. "It's quite charming." Akira only shrugged. After Akechi wandered around the attic a bit, taking in the stars on the ceiling and other random decorations, he came to a stop directly in front of Akira. He placed a hand on Akira's chest. "I must say, you do look delightful in that outfit." He tried to sound casual, but there was nothing casual about the look in his eyes, and so they shared a quick first kiss. It was short, but full of passion. Afterwards, Akechi looked down at the floor, his cheeks turning slightly pink. "I should go change and get out of your hair for the evening." Akira let out a breath as Akechi went down to change in the bathroom. He quickly traded his own butler suit for sweats and a t shirt, then jogged down to the cafe to wait. He offered to make some coffee when Akechi came out, which made the detective smile softy. "It's too late for coffee, but I would love to another time." Akira walked him back to the station. On his walk back, he couldn't help thinking about how many nights he'd found Akechi drinking coffee at Leblanc nearly as late at night.
In the coming days, it became common for Akechi to return with Akira to Leblanc after an infiltration. Sometimes he stayed all night, which made for a very grumpy Morgana who much preferred the bed to the couch. They didn't really talk about their relationship. They just stole kisses in the night, and spent much of their daylight hours together making plans for the Phantom Thieves. Akira wasn't sure if he was just humoring him or not, but Akechi seemed to really get into the dance costumes Akira had proposed they wear to Mementos. The rest of the team was surprised to see him arrive at the hideout in his costume with a big smile on his face. Akira had a hard time taking his eyes off of Akechi in those skinny jeans with the oversized hoodie. He was so adorable that it made Akira feel giddy.
They soon began to steal more than kisses in the attic. Akira was sure this was a terrible idea, but he had no way to resist that smile. This beautiful, slender boy was going to try to kill him soon, and he was desperate to spend every moment he possibly could lost in him. Even though their relationship had progressed, they kept it quiet from most of the group. Morgana of course knew more than he wanted to know about it, and Akira kept nothing from Yusuke. They had been seeing each other since he joined the team. It was an open relationship, and while Yusuke had expressed some concern about Akira dating someone who had plans to murder him, he didn't judge him for it, either. Akira noticed that Yusuke was kinder to Akechi than most of the others were, and Akira knew it was likely out of respect for his feelings.
On the day they secured a route to Sae-san's treasure, Akechi announced that they should wait to send the calling card until closer to the deadline to be the most effective. He showed up at the cafe that night after closing. "There's something I need to tell you," he said with a serious look. They went up to the attic, and Akechi confessed all of his secrets. Morgana was there but kept silent as he hadn't been invited to the conversation. Akira kept quiet for the most part as well, except to utter a quiet "I know" during parts of Akechi's story. This made his eyes widen every time. "It would seem you missed nothing when it comes to me. Am I just an open book?" he asked softly.
"Not really. We just happen to have a good hacker on the team."
Akechi nodded. He looked as if he was trying to keep his tears from toppling out. "I can't do this. I can't hurt someone that I love."
Akira wrapped his arms around Akechi. "You don't have to. There's another way."
The next day they told the others the whole story, and worked on a plan to get all of them out of trouble unscathed. If Akechi were simply to turn himself in, he would be put in prison. He was responsible for multiple murders, after all. Some of the team were having a hard time with this. Oddly, it was not Futaba, who had lost her mother, or Haru who lost her father by Akechi's hand. They both insisted that it was Shido who was responsible for their deaths. He had manipulated Akechi, not even realizing that it was his own son he was ordering to kill for his political gains. The only solution they came up with was to change Shido's heart and send Akechi into hiding. He would spend much of his time in the metaverse until things blew over, then relocate to a small town with a new name. But for now, he couldn't just go; not until things were finished with Shido. They had told some of this information to Sae-san, and she was willing to help. They had never actually taken her heart, but it had changed nonetheless. She was working on a plan to make sure that Akechi's relocation was successful.
The rest of the Phantom Thieves insisted that it was too dangerous for Akechi to join them in Shido's palace. If Shido figured out Akechi had turned on him, he would surely find a way to kill him. That meant hiding in real life and staying out of Shido's heart. Akira realized how hard it must be for him, not being involved in the most important mission, not only for himself, but for the whole team. He also knew that Akechi was putting everything on the line by trusting him. They only spoke occasionally by text during the operation. Akira knew that Futaba still had both his and Akechi's phones bugged, so he was cautious with his words. He trusted her to not share anything she saw with the others, but it was still kind of weird. So their contact was limited during the two weeks it took to secure the infiltration route. That evening, Yusuke and Ryuji asked Akira to accompany them to Mementos for a short operation. It turned out to be Operation Akira and Akechi, as he had been waiting there for their arrival. Akira was surprised, and greeted Akechi with a huge kiss. "Eww, gross," Ryuji said with a blush, covering his eyes. Yusuke chuckled quietly. The two of them left so Akira and Akechi could have some time alone together. They had to remain close to the entrance to avoid any fights. The two boys sat together, talking quietly until daylight.
Stealing Shido's treasure wasn't easy, but they got it done. It took a few more days for the change of heart to take place. Late that night, Akira waited at the playground at the park. Akechi showed up in his dance outfit, the skinny jeans and hoodie over a hat. It would be dangerous if he was recognized. Still, Akira smiled at his choice of wardrobe. Akechi sat beside him, and they quietly discussed what would happen next. Sae-san had arranged a new job for Akechi in a small town called Inaba. He would use a different name, and work with the original detective prince, Naoto Shirogane. Shirogane-san was another persona user, and aware of Akechi's situation. She had agreed to help him find his way in his new life. Inaba was about 4 hours away by train. It previously had its share of scandals, but overall was a quiet place to blend in. "I leave in the morning," Akechi said quietly. Akira's heart dropped. "I miss you," he said softly. Akechi was quiet for a moment. The he turned and took Akira's face in his hands, kissing him deeply. "I miss you, too," Akechi said, getting up and walking away.
It was a long while before Akira saw him again. The flower shop he had worked for in Tokyo decided to open a shop in Inaba. Akira jumped at the chance to spend his summer vacation working there. Akechi had changed during the year. He was more confident, but still sensitive and soft spoken. Akira promised to come back to Inaba the following summer, too. It made him happy to see how well things had turned out for Akechi, who previously had thought he couldn't be saved. Akira had known all along that there was another way. As he spent an entire summer watching sunsets with an old friend, he was grateful that they had walked the right path together.