6/10: Saturday
"Hey, before I forget, you got a package in the mail."
Akira had just gotten off school and was ready to sit back and relax for the rest of the night when his father's statement perked him up. "Really?"
Daisuke nodded and pointed to a large box leaning against the stairs. "Yes, it came while you were at school. Was pretty hefty, too."
He was at the kitchen counter, attempting to make another thing of coffee the same way Akira showed him. Progress, even after two months, was slow, but he was undaunted.
"Hmm." Akira rubbed at his beard. It had come in quite nicely in the few months he'd been growing it. Now, he had to use products to keep it under control, and he regularly trimmed it to keep it from getting too long. In total, he only kept it about half an inch long, at the most. "Wonder who could've sent that?"
"One of your friends, I assume," Daisuke answered, slowly cranking the handle on the grinder. "Although I don't remember you ever mentioning someone named Takemi."
The way he focused on that word made Akira stiffen ever so slightly. Shit, did he know? No, just a dad concerned about someone he's never heard of sending his son a gift. "Oh, yeah, she's a pretty good friend. She actually helped me with some medical stuff the school wanted us to do."
"She's a doctor?" Daisuke asked.
"Yep. She runs the clinic next to Leblanc."
"Ah." His dad nodded. "Yeah, I think I know who you're talking about now. She's a big deal in the medical community, with some of her new medicines. You're friends with her?"
"Yeah, we got acquainted through my, uh, after-school activities."
Daisuke clicked his tongue. "Say no more."
Akira headed over to the box. "I didn't know you keep up on medical news."
Daisuke shrugged. "I did a lot of reading over the year. I find it interesting."
"Well, I'll go put that away and head back down for dinner, then you can tell me about how much of a medical expert you are," Akira said as he picked up the package. His father was right, it was heavier than he was expecting.
"Oh, before you go, what are your plans tomorrow?"
"Plans?" Akira wasn't sure what the point of the question was.
"For your birthday? You're turning eighteen, so I wanted to know if you had any plans for yourself," Daisuke explained, pouring his grounds into the French press.
"Um." Akira rubbed his nose. He really didn't have anything planned, other than a late-night video call with Tae. "I was going to hang out with Hideaki and Tanimura at some point, but I guess I'm free for the most part."
"Good. How's about the two of us do a little bit of fishing together?"
Akira blinked. "Fishing?"
Daisuke nodded. "Fishing, yes. Your mother and I used to go out fishing when we were younger, and I was thinking it might be nice to spend a day at the pier. What do you say?"
Akira drummed his fingers along his box and nodded. That sounded rather nice. He did enjoy his trips fishing with Ryuji and the odd time they came across Kawakami. "Alright, yeah. We'll go fishing tomorrow."
6/11: Sunday
Ryuji: Yo, happy birthday dude!
Ryuji: You need to come back soon, it's getting lonely working out by myself
Ryuji: Oh, and before I forget, I got some BIG EFFIN NEWS for you when you get back! BIG NEWS!
Akira: You sound pretty excited! Can't wait to hear it
Ryuji: Eff yeah you are! Its gonna blow your mind!
Meguro was a fishing town. That's how they made most of their money.
So to say that there was someone in this town who hadn't even approached the pier was unusual.
Akira was in that current position. He had never, not once, felt the need or motivation to take a day out fishing. He'd figured it was a waste of time.
Why spend the day staring at the river, waiting for something to happen?
He kept that thinking up until he went fishing with Ryuji for the first time. He only went because his best friend had invited him on a day out. It would be rude to not go.
That was when he realized that it wasn't the bouts of excitement that happened when you caught something that was the draw; it was the calm. Sitting there, taking in the view, watching the gentle waves, it put his mind at ease.
Things have gotten a little easier in Meguro, now that he had new confidants, but the vast majority of the town seemed to have made it its personal mission to make his life a living Hell. People would still talk about him behind (or even in front of) his back or they'd spread nasty rumors.
At least that one petition to exile him went nowhere. Not that he thought it would work for a single second. When he told Makoto about it, she immediately offered to call up her older sister, Sae, to do something about it. Akira feared Sae's reaction to getting dragged into something as petty as that, so he politely declined. The only thing they could do at this point was to physically run him out of town, which seemed more likely to happen with each passing day.
It was draining, but he had learned to deal with it until he got to the café, the gym, or home.
He'd have to go fishing more often, too. Daisuke and he had been out here for about an hour now, and they hadn't spoken much, but that was alright. It wasn't those awkward silence from a few months ago.
This was peaceful, relaxing.
Akira looked over to his dad and saw him smiling blissfully out at the river. He could see why. It was a good view. The rushing water, the light fog, the mountain on the other side.
It was almost enough to make Meguro beautiful.
Haru: Hello, Akira!
Haru: Sorry I haven't been able to talk a lot lately, but it's incredibly difficult to run a company
Haru: But I wanted to wish you a happy birthday! I'll have to brew you a new cup of coffee I've been working on for my café!
Akira: That's alright, Haru, I know you're busy. And I'll try your new blend if you try mine
Haru: Oh, that sounds most delightful! It's a deal!
"What are you planning on doing after you graduate?"
Akira looked over to his father. "Why do you ask?"
Daisuke shrugged. "I'm curious. You haven't really talked about it, and based on your, uh, experiences, I imagine you've got a lot of skills. So…"
He leaned back in his chair. "You know, I've never given it much thought. There are a few different things I could do."
"Anything in particular?"
"I really enjoy working at a café," Akira said, reeling in his line to recast it. "Sojiro and Javier have both taught me a lot."
He threw out his fishing line.
"At the same time, though, I met this reporter in Shibuya, Ohya. I helped her with a big story about those mental shutdown cases last year. That was pretty cool, too."
"A reporter and a superhero, huh?" Daisuke said. "You'll be like Superman, won't you?"
Akira barked out a laugh. "I'm not a hero, Dad. And I'd like to think of myself more as a Spider-Man type."
They both chuckled at that. Daisuke leaned down to take a sip from his water bottle when Akira said, "I'm also thinking about going into politics."
That was a sentence that Daisuke had not expected to hear. So much so, in fact, that the water he was drinking began going down the wrong pipe. He sputtered and coughed it up. "Politics?" Daisuke said, coughing. "Why the hell would you want to go into politics after what you went through?"
"Did you hear about Toranosuke Yoshida?"
Daisuke tapped his chin. "Yoshida, Yoshida… He just got recently elected to the Diet, right?"
"Right. I helped him with his campaign. Holdings signs, things like that. In returned, he gave me some public speaking tips and advice on how to be a good person. He's a good man trying to make real change in the world. I have a lot of respect for him."
"Sounds like it."
"He showed me that I should never lose sight of why I'm doing what I'm doing," Akira said. "That I can make a difference in this world, even without the special powers or the fancy costume."
Daisuke smiled. "That's a hell of a goal, Akira."
"What about you?" Akira asked. "Do you have any plans?"
Daisuke laughed. "No, not really. I'm far too old to be making plans for the future."
"Hey, you said it."
"Tsk. You ever been told you have a smart mouth?"
"Every day by Sojiro," Akira said with a grin.
"That figures."
"Seriously though," Akira said, lowering his fishing rod. "There's nothing?"
Daisuke looked to the sky. "I suppose you never know what the future holds, but… no. I don't see myself making a big change in the world, or anything like that."
He leaned closer to his son. "As far as I'm concerned, as long as I see you off, making the world a better place just by existing, well… that's more than enough for me."
Yusuke: Akira-san
Yusuke: I almost forgot it was your birthday today
Yusuke; My apologies. In recompense, I will paint you a true masterpiece, befitting the glory of the leader of the great Phantom Thieves!
Yusuke: I will neither sleep nor eat until it has been painted and in your possession!
Akira: That's great, Yusuke.
Akira: But please eat.
After a few hours, neither had caught much of anything. Daisuke got up and stretched his back out. "Shame. Not every day can be a winner, I suppose."
Akira did the same. "There were a few days in the fishing pond at Ichigaya where I didn't get anything either."
"Isn't that a manmade pond? Specifically for people to fish?"
"Yup." Akira shrugged. "I've concluded from my time there that fish are dicks."
Daisuke barked out a laugh. "They really are." He checked his watch. "Well, it's not very late at all. How do you feel about grabbing a bite to eat?"
Akira's stomach growled at the thought of food. He rubbed at it and nodded. "Yeah, I can go for some grub. The number of places I'm actually welcomed at is kind of limited, though, so…"
Daisuke nodded and rubbed at his chin. "You've got a point." He snapped his fingers. "Hey, you've never taken me to that café you work at."
Akira nodded as he started to put away his fishing rod. "Alright, to Café de la Olla it is."
Ann: Heeey!
Ann: Happy birthday! We're missing you over here, so make sure to get back here as soon as summer rolls around, alright?
Ann: Maybe you found a special someone there? If you did, bring them down we want to meet them!
Akira: Still a bachelor, but thanks for looking out for me. And obviously I'm coming down for summer.
The bell to the café chimed, making Javier looked up from his coffee. He smiled when he saw Akira walk in with a man who looked to be the spitting image of him.
"Akira!" He called out, spreading his arms. "Feliz cumpleaños!"
"Gracias, Javier," Akira replied.
Daisuke shot him a surprised look. "You speak Spanish?"
Akira shook his head. "Not enough to hold a conversation, but I've picked some up."
"And who's this?" Javier asked, gesturing to Daisuke.
"Oh, this is my father, Daisuke Kurusu. Dad, this is Javier Hernández."
"Nice to meet you, Hernández-san," Daisuke said, bowing him head slightly.
Javier laughed him off but returned a bow of his own. "Please, call me Javier, Mr. Kurusu. I've never gotten the hang of the honorifics."
"Alright," Daisuke said, scrunching his face up. "Javier?" It sounded strange in his mouth for some reason.
"That's it," he said, chuckling. "María! Akira's here!"
María came from a backroom of the café, carrying two bags of coffee beans. She gave Akira a smile. "Happy birthday, kid. How old are you now?"
"Eighteen," Akira said proudly. "I made it to adulthood. Feels alright."
"Enjoy that high, it doesn't last," María said. She waved at Daisuke. "I'm María. His boss."
"Actually, I'm his boss," Javier said faux-sternly, pointing a finger at her. "And I don't appreciate my authority being disregarded."
"It's not," María said, placing the two bags on the counter. "You're Akira's boss, and I'm your boss. Therefore, I'm his boss, too."
"She's got you there, Javier," Akira said, laughing.
"Hey, don't make me fire you, kid," Javier said, pointing to him. "I like having you around."
"Who else would work for the pay you give?"
"He's got you there, dad," María said, pulling out a cigarette and sticking it in her mouth.
Javier rolled his eyes. "What can I get for you today? Ever had Mexican, Daisuke?"
"Yes, a few times," he said. "Went with my wife a few times before Akira here was born."
"I never knew that you travelled outside Meguro, dad."
"Your mother and I had a life before you, son," Daisuke said calmly.
Javier laughed at that and clapped him on the back. "Don't all parents? So, what'll it be?"
Makoto: Happy birthday, Akira.
Makoto: I hope Meguro has been treating you fairly since the petition incident.
Akira: Yeah, been pretty quiet here, all things considered. How's things been in Tokyo?
Makoto: Some things have occurred that I wish to discuss with you when you return, but otherwise college has been progressing smoothly.
Akira: Oh? Anything bad?
Makoto: Not at all! It's quite good in fact. But it's something I'd rather tell you in in person.
Akira: Alright, I can't wait to hear it
Akira and Daisuke bid Javier and María farewell after eating their meal.
"They're nice people," the father said, pocketing his hands. "I can see why you like this place."
"María's usually a lot more prickly than that," Akira said with a smile. "But yeah, they're pretty great. It's a nice place to just… I don't know, escape to? They stood up to me when other customers tried to drag my name through the mud or get me fired."
He shrugged. "It was a nice change of pace."
Daisuke grew quiet, pursing his lips into a straight line. "I wasn't there for you," he said.
Akira raised a brow but didn't ask for elaboration.
"You needed somewhere safe to get away from everything, and I wasn't the one to provide that for you." Daisuke rubbed at his eyes. "All because of my cowardice."
Akira let that hang in the air for a moment, searching for how to respond.
"I know, I've already apologized," Daisuke said, not turning to meet Akira's gaze. "And I know doing it a thousand more times won't change anything. I'm pretty sure you don't forgive me yet."
"You'd be right," Akira said, shrugging. "But what's done is done. You're trying now. That's enough for me."
Daisuke nodded thoughtfully. "I suppose that's all I can do, isn't it? Try?"
"It's all any of us can do."
They walked in silence for another few minutes before Daisuke spoke again. "What are you thinking about doing for your summer vacation?"
Akira snorted. "Interesting transition."
"Did you want to walk in silence the rest of the way?"
"Well, you won't get it when we get home. We forgot to get some fish for Morgana."
"What?!" Daisuke patted his pockets frantically, praying to whatever god was listening that he had stuck some fish in there. Alas, there was none. "Oh, damnit. He's not going to shut up tonight, is he?"
"Nope." They both shared a laugh, although Daisuke's was a little more nervous. "So, you were asking about summer?"
Daisuke nodded. "Young man like you must have some plans."
"I was hoping to go back to Tokyo for a week or two, spend some time with my friends down there," Akira said, a wistful smile spreading across his lips. "Man, it's been so long since I've smelled Sojiro's coffee."
"Hernández-san's coffee is pretty alright."
"'Pretty alright' is a drastic step down from Sojiro's," Akira said, a little too firmly for a talk about coffee.
"I can tell," Daisuke said, chuckling.
Akira waved him off. "Other than that, work and school stuff, probably. I have entrance exams this year, so I'll have to start hitting the books soon."
"Hmm." Daisuke rubbed his chin. "So, Tokyo for a week or two? Then the usual everyday thing?"
"Yeah, why?"
"How about a month?"
Akira blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Summer vacation runs from July 20th to August 31st, right?"
"Something like that…" Akira stammered out.
Daisuke nodded. "You'll have to get it cleared with your work, I imagine just taking a month off isn't going to go too well, but he seems like an understanding guy."
"Dad."
Daisuke turned around and saw that Akira had stopped in his tracks several feet back. They just looked at each other for a moment.
"Are you sure?"
"I am." Daisuke closed the distance and placed a hand on Akira's shoulder. "You have a life outside Meguro, son. I can't do anything about school days, and weekends are difficult to make work week-to-week, but summer vacation? That's a perfect time to keep those connections alive."
Akira shook his head in disbelief, but a smile still slowly spread across his face. "I don't… I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to, of course," Daisuke said coyly, removing his hand and shrugging. "I mean, if you want to stay in a small fishing town for most of your summer vacation and work instead, by all means. It's your choice."
It took a minute for Akira to respond, but when he did, he bowed his head and felt some tears trickle down his cheeks. "Thank you. Thank you."
"You deserve it, Akira," Daisuke said, clapping him on the shoulder. "They're your family as much as I am. Maybe more. C'mon, let's get home." He sighed, his face falling. "I can't wait to get screamed at by that damn cat."
Futaba: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Futaba: some shit went down while you were gone
Futaba: good shit but shit nonetheless
Akira: You mean that Ryuji and Makoto got together? Yeah, I figured that out.
Futaba: DAMNIT!
Futaba: ;_;
Futaba: i wanted to tell you
Akira: To be fair, they weren't very discrete when asking for my help
Tae pulled the string on her party popper. Bits of confetti flew everywhere, and she blew into one of those paper noisemakers. Atop her head was a little red party hat, sat at a crooked angle. She pulled it out and shouted, "Happy Birthday!"
On his end of the video call, Akira couldn't help but laugh. "You really pulled out all the stops for this, didn't you?"
"You bet your sweet ass I did, guinea pig," she said, a smile on her face. "Did you get your gift yet?"
"I did," he replied, bring the box up into view. It was a Unite Warriors Devastator, something he absolutely was not expecting to receive in the mail. He had mentioned that he was a huge Transformers fan as a kid in passing once almost a year ago. It was before they even started dating. "I cannot believe you remembered."
"Well, you said you really liked Transformers as a kid, and you really liked the ones that combined, so…" She trailed off with a little smirk.
He flipped it over and looked at the back. "How much did this cost you, anyway? This couldn't have been cheap."
"Not enough to bankrupt me, don't worry," she said. "You'll make it up to me, I'm sure."
"Is my unyielding and unconditional love not enough for you?"
"Cute. But no. I'm thinking…" She pressed a finger to her lips in thought. "A whole week with me during your summer vacation."
"Is that it?" Akira couldn't help but laugh. "That was the plan anyway, remember?"
"I don't think you understand. Just you, me, and a bit of a vacation away from Tokyo." She leaned forward, letting a little more cleavage show than normal. Akira's face turned red, yet he couldn't avert his eyes. "There are plenty of beaches around that I think we'd have plenty of privacy at."
"I'll, uh, I'll see what I can do," he said with a grin, although his face wasn't any less flushed.
She leaned back in her chair. "You're so cute when you get all flustered. So, how's it feel to be legal now?"
He shrugged and placed the box down on the ground. Morgana looked at it up and down before rubbing his face against it. "Like my body has decided it's had enough of my shit and is going on strike."
"Such is the way for all of us old people, I'm afraid," Tae said, offering a sympathetic shrug. "All that running around you did couldn't have helped either."
"Yeah, let's call it 'running around'."
"Can you sit there and tell me that there was no running around?" Tae asked. "That there was no jumping, leaping, and/or vaulting?"
Akira held up his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright, you got me. We 'ran around'."
"How did your birthday go?" Tae asked. "Catch plenty of fish?"
"Not really, but that wasn't really the point of the trip." Akira leaned forward and bridged his fingers. "I think he just wanted to talk to his son, y'know? The fish was just an excuse."
"What did you guys talk about?" Tae asked.
"I told him about what I wanted to do," he replied. "Or the options I have, rather. I still haven't narrowed it down yet, but I have a while to decide."
"I'm sure whatever you do, you'll be great."
"He got me another present that I think you'll be interested in," Akira said, not hiding his grin as he ran a hand through his hair.
"Oh?"
"Remember that week I said we'd spend together?"
"Naturally."
"How does a month sound?"
Tae blinked and leaned back in her chair. "A month?"
"I got the okay from my dad that I can spend the whole of summer vacation in Tokyo. I'm sure he'll ask Sojiro to put me up, but I had other accommodations in mind."
Tae chuckled. "Oh, you think I'm just going to open my doors to you for a whole month? Sounds like someone's making an awful lot of assumptions."
"So, you don't want me to stay with you?"
"I never said that," she quickly corrected. "I'm just saying, it's an assumption."
Akira laughed and reached out to touch the screen. A full month with the girl of his dreams?
He couldn't wait until summer started.
Daisuke sat at the edge of his bed, stroking his chin. His son had outgrown this little town, that much he was certain of. Could Akira make it through the year?
He was strong. He could make it.
But would it be worth it?
A lightbulb went off above his head.
No. It wouldn't be.
This couldn't be like last time, though.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
As he dialed in the number, he waited with his thoughts flying around in his head.
A gruff voice answered, "Sakura."
"Sojiro, it's Daisuke. Still haven't saved my number?"
"You know the rule, Daisuke. What's up? Isn't it Akira's birthday?"
"It is," he confirmed. "He's on video call with his… a friend of his."
If Daisuke had to guess, he was sure Sojiro was at the very least aware of a girl in Akira's life, but he didn't want to betray his son's trust by revealing the secret just in case.
"Alright. Did you need something?"
"Yeah. I was wondering if I could ask for a favor."
A/N: Some of you might remember that scene at the end of Light at the End of the Tunnel with Ann and Ryuji. When that was written, I was planning Ryuji/Ann being a secondary relationship. But in the timespan of writing that one-shot and now, I have deeply fallen in love with the Ryuji/Makoto pairing, thus that will be the pairing moving forward.
Thankfully, that moment still works as a show of deep friendship between the two characters.
Just thought it would be interesting to share a fun fact.