Hello. This is my first ever work here on but i hope you enjoy it. I didn't have much time to edit it but I hope it doesn't end up too bad. Lastly, here's a few things I wanted to make clear before you start: No pairings. I'm not good at that kind of stuff so I'm not even going to bother. Again, this is my first ff in years so it's not going to be great. I will gladly receive constructive criticism though. I need to improve... That's all.
6:30 AM
Morning
Cloudy
In the backstreets of the city, where the birds sang more often and the sun shined more dimly, a young man stood before an open establishment, his sides and its front colored by a garden of flowers.
His head was a nest of frizzy, raven hair, a contrast to his white collared shirt and red vest. His pale, slender, and calloused fingers traced along a wooden piece.
With a final glance at his wristwatch, he flips the sign to OPEN and enters.
Inside, his senses were overwhelmed by the strong scent of caffeine and curry. Oddly enough, it was calming, relaxing. He looked around once more and took in the homey yet vintage feeling of his café.
To his left, crimson seats were lined, facing each other, between them, pearl white tables. To his right, a counter stretched as long as the line of seats. At the far front of the counter, contraptions similar to coffee making machines and a brewery were arranged neatly, beside them jars of sugars, creamers, and beans. Directly to his left, on the counter, sat a yellow colored telephone, a vase of flowers to its right. Behind the counter stood shelves carrying jars upon jars of coffee beans.
Walking slow casual steps, he came behind the coffee machine. Calmly, his hands expertly started to brew their morning coffee. Behind him, he heard the low humming of the kitchen, the silent and subtle sounds of the boiling curry.
Moments later, 9 plates of curry, 8 cups of coffee, 1 glass of orange juice, and 1 bowl of milk found themselves on the table, ready to be eaten and finished.
Wiping his hands on his dark apron before taking it off, he walked up the stairs. Silently, he walked to the room closest to him and opened the door. The room had a bunk bed and a single sized bed. He waltzed his way to the single bed and shook it.
"Wake up." He said in his calm and deep voice.
"No…Morgana…Don't eat me…" The head of dyed blond hair mumbled in his sleep, turning his body to the wall.
"Ryuji. Wake up." He said once again, his voice lighter, amused of his friends antics.
"No…why…"
Without any real response, he took his friend's shoulder and shook him. "Wake up!"
"NO!" With a jolt, Ryuji woke and jumped, grabbing at the air. A moment pass and his arms shiver from it's held out position. It doesn't take long for them to fall and for his amber eyes to meet grey. "Uh…"
"Good morning." Those grey eyes said with a small smile, bordering on a smirk.
"G-good morning, man." Ryuji stuttered, casting his eyes away. "Anyways, you heard nothin', alright?"
"Well, I can't exactly speak for the others, can I?"
And with that, he stood and left the room. Before exiting their room, he stole a glance to the two pairs of eyes, blue and auburn. Winking lightly, he left the room and entered the next one. Behind him, he heard the giggling of his blonde friend Ann and the snickers of his (practically) little sister, Futaba.
He went in with a satisfied smile.
To no surprise, the three were already awoke and getting ready.
He watched them for a bit. Yusuke, who's dark blue hair was almost always straight and neatly combed, tucked behind his ear, had strands subtly sticking to every direction. His brows furrowed as he pushed his hair down.
Makoto on the other hand had just finished braiding her short, brunette hair, cherry wood eyes scanning to see the imperfections on her clothes and hair.
Lastly, Haru, sat on her bed, silently sifting through a book with a smile on her face.
Finally, he spoke. "Breakfast is ready. You should head down if you're done."
Yusuke looked up from his hand held mirror and smiled. "Very well then. I shall do so once I am able to tame this devil." He pointed to his hair and continued combing it down.
Makoto and Haru said their thanks and acknowledgement as well before leaving the room.
Now, he stood at the last door. He quietly sighed before opening it.
It was dark, much darker than all the other rooms. The curtains were drawn and only a single slither of light seeped through the dark curtains.
He shook his head as he opened them, allowing the sun to shine in the room.
It was wider than all the other rooms but it wasn't as spacious. Various equipment and tools shined under the light, cluttered neatly on the floor and on the desks.
There were three individual beds too. Dark, black, sheets were neatly folded over one. Plain white laid on the one in between. Lastly, the one fixed to the far left was covered in dark pink.
Seeing that none of his roommates were around, not even Morgana, he left and walked the stairs up once more. On the way, he found a black, tuxedo cat with a yellow collar, walking and swishing his tail left and right.
"Good morning, Mona. Breakfast is downstairs. Go ask Futaba to give you the Sushi in the fridge."
At the mention of his companion's favorite food, sushi, his tail swished faster as he ran downstairs. "Thanks, Joker!" Before he could full exit the floor though, he paused and looked at his leader. "Be careful. I don't think he got any sleep last night. He's still working."
"Got it." He responded with a quick wave and turned to the door.
To not alert him, he made as much noise as he could. His footsteps regained their soft tapping sounds, his hand knocked on the wooden surface, and the door creaked as he swung it open.
"It's me, Akechi." He said, entering.
Instantly, his eyes were overwhelmed by the sight of the room. The LED lights blindly shined above, a small hum emitting. Around him, boxes and stacks of paper were strewn about. In front of him was his teammate, a traitor, his friend, his enemy, his rival, Goro Akechi.
Akechi sat himself before a small table by the corner, his head covered by the stacks of books that stood on it, his face illuminated by the glow of his laptop. His long brown hair was tied low, his ever so neat double breasted beige coat was undone and his tie was lose. Simply put, he was a mess.
His red eyes continued to scan over the screen and his gloved fingers either tapped away or flipped through a book.
Any other person would think that he hadn't noticed his presence but he knew Akechi. He saw the way his fingers and eyes slowed, how his shoulders rose and his back straightened. With one last final glance at their "Base of Operations", as Morgana would call it, he told Akechi what he came here to do.
"Breakfast is ready. You should go down. Don't push yourself too hard."
Seeing Akechi pause and nod his head before continuing, he took that as his sign to leave.
Descending two floors down, he once again was greeted by the scent of caffeine and curry.
He smiled as he heard the lively chatter of his friends.
He resumed his descent and walked his way to his seat by the counter.
His friends noticed him and waved before continuing their conversations.
He sat beside a girl with long red hair, her glasses just as crimson.
Kasumi Yoshizawa downed her mountain of food with ease.
He is still very much curious of how much that girl can eat. But he digress. As someone who completed the Big Bang Burger Challenge multiple times, it shouldn't come off as a surprise.
He ate his food silently.
Time passed and the sun now shone much more brightly.
The chatter faded and everyone walked around, getting ready. Some left the café, attending to their own responsibilities and duties. Haru left to take care of business. Yusuke left to find inspiration. Ann went to find more desserts together with Makoto who was searching for books to read. Ryuji decided to train. Others stayed. Futaba went upstairs to work. He had to warn her of Akechi's current mood. She simply grinned in response. Morgana continued to laze about upstairs in their room and Sumire worked beside him. It was her turn to help him out in the café.
It was their day off and they were free to do what they desired.
With one last clink, he and Sumire finished washing the dishes and readying the café. It was still far too early for any guests.
A lone plate and cup was still atop the counter.
"Uhm. Senpai, should I just bring this to Akechi Senpai?"
He thought for a bit, hesitating, before hearing the sounds of footsteps.
"There is no need, Yoshizawa-san." A soft yet almost venomous voice spoke.
With it came Akechi Goro, as neat and pristine as ever.
Without another word, he took the plate and sat down. He quietly ate his food and the tension quickly became stiff.
He sighed and glanced at the shelf, ready to brew another coffee to distract himself.
Sumire busied herself in drying the utensils.
Over time though, Akechi relaxed and so did the other two. The stifling tension calmed down into a relaxing silence, the three enjoying their own selves with the company of each other.
That's how it always started.
The three of them couldn't be any more different.
A delinquent. A criminal. The Leader of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.
A gymnast. An honor student. An internationally known champion.
A detective prince. Japan's golden boy. A murderer.
Even so, they understood each other more than anyone.
A young boy who was played by the injustice of the world, forced into an unfair game. The world made him into the criminal he was not.
A young girl who simply didn't understand, who had to live with the guilt of her sister's death. She lived her life believing in the lie that she was.
A misguided child who yearned for justice, for love and understanding yet was controlled. He was manipulated by his own father to do what was wrong, was taught to do as he said, was made to kill.
They knew more than anyone how unfair the world was yet they continued to live.
Maybe it was that feeling comforted them. Maybe it was that that made them feel like they belong.
The bell rang and all three turned their gaze to the door.
It was a man in long, messy, dark, raven hair wearing loose dark clothes. To an everyday person, he might have been seen as a homeless but these three realized.
Akechi was the first to notice he was not an ordinary. Experience taught him of who to approach and how. Every single sense in his body him that this man was dangerous and to never approach him.
Akira noticed after Akechi. Despite his misguiding appearance, he saw the way his eyes scanned the room and how his body shifted after seeing the three of them. Akira had plenty of experience of fighting and he could feel it. This man was strong.
Sumire wasn't as experienced as the other two but seeing how they stole a glance at each other made her understand. She spared a glance at the stranger and in her own gymnast insight, she saw what the other two saw. He was dangerous.
Expertly though, they acted naturally. Between two wildcards and someone who acted as her sister for a whole year, they were all very good actors. The pro hero found no abnormalities and walked to the counter.
The red vested barista smiled at the man and greeted this interesting customer.
"Good morning, sir. Welcome to LeBlanc Dior. What would you like to order?"
"Joker, Violet, Crow." A soft voice spoke in their minds. It was Oracle. "I introduce to you Erasure Hero, Eraserhead. Give him a good cup. He's a coffee addict."
Joker said nothing and continued to smile. 'I'll give him a good one, alright.' He responded in his mind and he heard Oracle chuckle.
Sumire guided the man to a seat, taking his order, and Akechi pushed his plate away, continuing to sip on his coffee and read his book. He took it and placed it on the sink.
Sumire came back and held a piece of paper on her hand. She held it out and gave it to him. He thanked her then went to brew the coffee. She scurried behind him to wash the plates.
As they did so, Eraserhead spoke up. "Kids, how old are you?" He eyed the calmly smiling barista, the red headed girl who walked with light steps, and the brown haired boy who was sitting by the counter reading.
There was this odd feeling in the air and he seemed to be the only one who felt it. But, that didn't make sense. These kids were just your ordinary teenagers working ordinary part time jobs.
So, why?
Why was it that although they were so normal, so naturally doing what they did, why was it that his instincts were telling him to be cautious, to stay guarded?
His trained senses couldn't see or find any danger but his gut was telling him there was.
As a pro, one is taught that sometimes, one could trust their instincts before their head but only at times that they should. He knew that this was one of those times.
He was on an early morning patrol when his instincts were telling him that he needed coffee. It was his instincts that led him to this very café. He didn't think of it as much at first but now…
He was now even more certain when he saw that boy's eyes.
He looked up from the coffee he was brewing and for a second, Aizawa Shota saw his onyx grey eyes turn red the same way he did when he activated his quirk.
Not once did his smile falter.
"Well, this guy here is 19. I'm 20 and Sumire is 18. Don't worry sir, this is a perfectly legal establishment."
The brown haired boy turned in his seat and bowed lightly, playing a joke, his voice and manners, pleasant.
He heard the other boy playfully scoff. "Stop lying. You're not that old."
Aizawa turned his head to the bespectacled boy. He faced the hero before bowing lightly as well. "Sorry about that, sir. We're two years younger than what he said."
He finished his words as he placed the cup on Aizawa's table.
Playful yet calm and reserved.
"I'm sorry about them, sir. They like to play around. Please enjoy your coffee." The girl said, bowing even further than the two's bows combined. He stared at her for a moment before waving his hand,
"It's nothing."
She's kind and polite.
He took a sip of his coffee and for a minute, the world froze. Nothing else matter except for him and this cup.
It was perfect. The balance was so well proportioned and that heavenly aftertaste was just as pleasant as the first sip.
His thoughts were pushed to the back of his mind, his senses were overloading at just how good this coffee was.
"How…" Finally, words found their way to his tongue but he couldn't find himself to finish it.
He was speechless. Absolutely speechless.
Of course, he wasn't really going to show that. He had an image to preserve.
He cleared his throat and put the cup down. "Not bad, kid. Not bad at all. This is probably one of the best I've tasted yet."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it, sir. Thank you." The boy once again, bowed.
"Umm... yeah. I might come back here a few times, you don't mind?"
"No, sir! Please do." The girl responded. "It'll help the business a lot if you did."
Aizawa nodded and with that, continued to sip at his coffee, completely forgetting about his inquiries.
Hours passed and they stayed like that. Customers came in and left. At some point, Akechi even left for upstairs but the pro hero didn't notice. No, he couldn't,
He was far too absorbed, relishing himself in the heavenly taste of his coffee.
It was only after 3 stacks of grading school work and 5 cups that he left. By then, the sun was already starting to set.
Not long after, the two baristas heard a voice in their heads.
"Oracle here!" Her voice was light and cheerful. "Looks like it worked. Operation Distracting the Pro Hero Using Akira's Godly Coffee Skills is a success."
Akira chuckled, tone akin to whenever Joker has successfully killed the enemies.
Sumire looked at him. "Senpai?"
"Yes?" As fast as it came, his Joker persona left.
"Nevermind." She responded, taking off her apron and folding it.
"Well, with this, we've successfully secured another source of intel amongst the pro heroes. I'm gonna go finish watching this anime. See ya." And with that, she cut off their connection and the voices in their head left.
Immediately after that, the door burst open and his friends.
"Hey!" Ryuji walked in loudly. "I heard Operation DPHUAGCS was a success?"
"You don't need to be so loud, Ryuji." Ann slapped the back of his head.
"I agree with Lady Ann. Shut up Ryuji." Morgana jumped on the counter.
"Hey, you cat!" Ryuji failed to defend himself, everyone else's voices flooded in.
"It was a success? Oh! Please do tell." Haru came in and left her bags on one of the tables.
"I'm sure that this story can wait until after dinner." Makoto pressed a finger on her forehead, a habit whenever she found a situation unbelievable.
"Still, it is very intriguing. Perhaps you can enlighten us during dinner?" Yusuke asked, pushing a loose strand of hair behind his ear, sketchbook tucked underneath his arms.
"Oh! Senpai was really cool the whole time." Sumire added on.
For some time, they stayed like that. Idle chatter with each other. Their dinner went on just the same, the tale of Operation DPHUAGCS was told by Futaba.
There were laughs and comments thrown everywhere.
Although late, even Akechi went down. He didn't stay long, saying he had work to do but he still came. Akira found it nice that he could smile and tell his side of the story too.
Hours passed and it was finally time to finish everything up.
In the backstreets of the city, where the cicadas sounded more often and the moonlight shined more brightly, a young man stood before an open establishment, his sides and its front glowed, colored by a garden of still so vibrant flowers.
His head was a nest of frizzy, raven hair, blending in the shadows of night. His pale, slender, and calloused fingers traced along a wooden piece.
OPENED it said.
With a final glance at the moon, he flips the sign to CLOSED and enters.
Slowly, he climbs up floor after floor until he is met by locked metal door.
He turns the knob and the door silently opens.
It's the rooftop, he sees.
"Joker, we're ready."
He turned to his right to see Crow, his dark helmet covering his face, his cape, cut short, swaying and distorting behind him.
Instantly, his view brightens and he's surrounded by blue flames. From his toe to his head, the pillar grows taller, wrapping around him like a snake.
He feels it.
It doesn't burn.
He feel powerful. He feels strong.
He feels free.
With a tug, he grabs at his crimson gloves and pulls them tighter, his shoes clacking as he walks forward, his coat flows at the formless winds.
By the moonlight, his face was lit.
A pearl white domino mask covers his eyes, deep and onyx.
He smirks, glancing at the city below him.
"It's show time!"
With his ever so cocky and confident flair, he falls with grace.
Behind him, they follow.
His friends. His team.
His Phantom Thieves.
Once again, they have come with a Treasure to steal.