Akira stared at his phone, finger hovering over the 'Silence' button. Working for the café and managing it were two entirely different beasts. He most likely wouldn't have time to even glance at it, until break time. He gave a very brief text of, "Hey, gotta work the shop today. Please keep me informed. Love you, love you so much." And placed his phone on silent mode.
The shop was luckily just a few blocks away from his home, which was tucked away on a relatively slow moving street. He stretched out his body, removing any stiffness that remained and yawned, scuttling down the sidewalk. Akira stared at the streetlights, guided by their aura alone.
The day started before the morning light graced the land of the rising sun. He would have to fold the croissants for the special of the day, begin the breads and start the coffee grinding. He had to remind himself that this was only one day out of the month, and it was to ensure proper work ethic.
As he drowned his thoughts with the sound of the beans being turned to powder, he faintly caught the leftover whiff of perfume from Haru. It made his heart sing.
Akira cursed himself however, it probably wasn't normal…but after all this time he still felt somewhere deep in himself that he loved Haru.
He hated it.
Ryuji was enough, and the sensations and exhilaration of proposing his feelings yesterday were beyond anything he had ever experienced. How would he go through that with someone else? And then there was all the societal pressure…how could he explain to everyone that he was going to live with two different people, both who were romantically involved with him?
Haru didn't help his feelings either. She obviously had some feelings for him, but they were gray and vague at best. One moment she would flirt with the titular black-haired so called "savior" and the next she would be barking commands at him…but in that cutesy wide-eyed way he had come to completely admire.
How could he even bring it up in a conversation? He had practiced it several times, losing himself in kneading. "Oh hey Ryuji…yeah I love you but there's this other girl…"
It was no secret Ryuji was bi…he had been holding back on the sexual tension with men in his youth. The star athlete would go on to have a very lengthy drinking session, and then come clean to the team in his early 20s. He went on and on about how he was hiding from himself to seem more like a man, but it was getting to be too much on his psyche. The team, unsurprised by this development, was understanding and supportive to say the least. That's when the psudo-dating started...
Akira sighed as he slapped the bread into its usual shape and tossed it into the oven. He slumped over against the wall, placing his hands in his pockets. He shook his head. Of course Haru wouldn't want to live with him…she's rich. She doesn't have time for a relationship…or at least that's how she came off.
But damn did he miss those long nights with her. Hey body dressed in only silks while jazz played in the background. The softness of her voice mewling gentle calls in the dark, her supple skin concaving to the will of his fingers. Akira looked at his own reflection in a nearby oven for a moment, his mind completely empty and yet filled with the memories of Haru's face while she made passionate love to him…it seemed so long ago.
In comparison, Ryuji's hands were so much like his personality…coarse and tough. He was less passionate but the things he could do with that lewd mouth.
Akira walked silently over to the sink and turned the cold water on, dosing his face with a healthy amount to get his head out of the gutter. He was at a job…he couldn't be fantasizing so early. There was a spare room nearby…and temptation was calling his twitching fingers. But he busied them with more prepping, trying his hardest not to focus on how the texture of the bread compared to Haru's ass.
He had to talk to Ryuji about it…as soon as humanly possible. He felt emptier by the day despite the friendships he had acquired. Both of them…it was selfish…but he needed them both.
With a smooth recovery, he managed to open the shop with more than enough food for the trickling breakfast crowd. He was concerned however, he had not heard Morganna nor caught wind of that twitchy tail. While there was a brief reprise from the morning crowd, he went on a search.
Much to his relief, Morganna was quietly resting. Akira went over to pet him, and the cat barely moved but still let out a weak, gentle purr.
Akira gently pouted, gazing at him with intensity. Morganna wasn't talking as much, he hadn't for a few weeks now. His fur was getting considerably more and more gray, and his face more hoary by the second. "Hang in there buddy…" He silently prayed, and kissed the small creature on the head.
Morganna only yawned in response and weakly stated, "I'm not going anywhere Joker…"
Akira sighed as he returned to behind the register, tapping a pen onto the surface. That was a name only Morganna called him now…Joker had been dead for so long. Now he was just Akira. The Phantom Thieves were now all a bunch of adults, the very thing they had all once agreed to fight. Life had become so mundane, it seemed like all that time they spent in the Metaverse was just a wild dream at this point. It was only a year of his life, and it had been so long ago…but it had stayed with them even now.
To much his surprise, as the afternoon began to pass, Yusuke entered the shop. "Ah! I had almost forgotten you were manning the shop at this date. Is it quite time for your break?"
"I suppose." Akira flipped the sign over, recalling so many times in where he had to do the same for Sojiro. It made him warm with nostalgia.
Yusuke was wearing his hair in a thick braid today, lingering all the way down past his shoulder. He pet Morganna fierily, and then the two sat in a somewhat private enclosure in the back of the café. "I think I have found the spot in which to propose to Ann."
Akira beamed, "That's great Yusuke! Where will you be going?"
"It dawned on me so brilliantly, like a new day. I will propose to Ann on the evening of the Autumn solstice, at the peak of the ferris wheel located in Destinyland."
Akira felt a mixture of confusion and happiness. "That's…great but so very unlike you!"
"that's the beauty of it my friend!" Yusuke boasted with a deep, almost maniacal chuckle. "This is not about me! This is about her. Ann! She is in love with the theme park, she frequently asks to go there even without it being a special occasion. It is adorable. She almost likes it as much as she does the underground mall."
That…was like Ann. Akira chuckled, "Some things just don't change."
Yusuke noticed the distracted tone in his friend's voice and leaned back a bit, "Are you feeling well Akira?"
"Nothing gets past you does it Fox?"
"That's why they call me that. I apologize. My sense of perception I feel since our adventures in the metaverse has somehow become heightened. Perhaps I kept some of the magic of being a Phantom Thief with me…even after all this time." He reached down, and took a long sip of the tea sitting in front of him. "What seems to be the matter?"
"I have something…going on. It's going to sound really stupid…and selfish."
"Akira…you know I am always here to listen. You helped me discover who I was and helped me come to terms with my past. I can handle any sort of emotion you can dish out."
The leader knew he was right…out of all the people to try to explain this Yusuke would be the easiest. He was just so…laid back and easy going…understanding and artistic. It wasn't fair.
Akira felt the stirring of confidence in his chest. He couldn't look vulnerable in front of his friend. He faced him straight on and grunted, "I still think I love Haru."
Yusuke did not respond, his face remained as straight as it could possibly be. "And what of Ryuji?"
"That's just it Yusuke. I love him too. I love both of them."
"Ah…" He hummed, "You know there is a word for what you are experiencing. It is called Polyamory. It typically tends to be more of a rare occurrence in relationships, but you could possibly make it work with enough work and communication. I, for instance, am asexual and thus I do not engage in sexual relationships and Ann is more than understanding. But before you establish a relationship with Ryuji, perhaps you should explain this to him as well."
Akira absorbed the information like a sponge. He had seen brief scatterings of polyamory on social media sights, and a few odd posts about significant others having other boyfriends or girlfriends but it had never interested him. But now that he was experiencing these deep emotions, it hit him like a ton of bricks. The explanation itself was simple, a primary school student could even understand that…but the overwhelming realization was eye-opening and also a bit scary.
Akira chuckled, trying to play it cool, "Oh and here I was thinking I was a weirdo."
"it is a bit unusual. But not entirely unheard of."
The leader tried to distract the conversation a bit, "So you don't fuck?"
"I am legally obligated not to engage in sexual acts."
Akira raised an eyebrow. Yusuke giggled, "That was a bad joke I will admit."
The leader shook his head with disappointment, then looked to the clock. "Break's just about done."
Yusuke nodded, and stood up. He however approached closely, and placed his hand firmly onto his friend's shoulder. It almost made him nervous, the look in Yusuke's eyes was full of intensity. "Whatever you do Akira. Be true to yourself. But don't hurt them…please. Be honest."
"I'll do my best."
"Many fortunes today my friend." He bowed respectfully, wishing the shop well. Akira glanced at his phone, noticing quite a few messages from Ryuji.
He scrolled feverishly and felt his stomach knot with each word upon the screen. He stopped looking at the message stating: "Have a great day sexy. I know you'll do great. Can't wait to get home."
Akira set his phone down once more, and wished for a plane delay.
