-DOUBLE UPDATE BC ITS A GOOD DAY TODAY, might be more bc im super excited to get to one part :3c-
Kennith's lids were heavy when he got another text from Akira - or rather, when he finally noticed he'd gotten texts. He blearily rubbed his eyes and checked the time. 7 am. Just great. He picked up his phone, scanning over the messages.
Akira Cute-rusu: Hey, we just got back. I'm heading home for tonight, and I'm probably gonna hit the hay as soon as I do. Love you.
Akira Cute-rusu: Good morning! I'm heading out to school, I hope you slept well. I'll let you know if anything comes up!
He groaned softly, getting up and trudging to his bed. He wriggled out of his binder, finally noticing the sharp pain in his ribs. Tears stung his eyes as he forced himself to take deep breaths and stretch until the pain subsided. He laid carefully on his bed before returning the text.
Ken: have a good daaaay, i was up all night workin again so im gonna nap
Ken: i love yooou! im settin an alarm so i can wake up when you get out so i wont be out all day dw
Akira Cute-rusu: You remembered to take your binder off, yeah?
Ken: just did, oops
Ken: im good though, stretched and coughed n stuff, took deep breaths, pains gone now
Akira Cute-rusu: I'll trust that you know your body, and that you're okay. I love you!
Ken: love ya toooo, now go to school doofus
His sleep was unremarkable. No dreams at all, and he woke up groggy with his alarm at 3 pm. 1 new message, from lunch.
Akira Cute-rusu: Nothing interesting about school today, but we'll be going to see Yusuke again after, Ann's going to be modeling for him.
Akira Cute-rusu: If you'd like, you can come with. You seem like you have a better sense for people's intentions and that sort of thing, and since we're doing this to get information, it would be nice to have you there.
He didn't respond. He silently got dressed, deciding against putting his binder back on, despite how much he wanted to. A big sweatshirt was enough.
It took him a good half an hour to steel himself enough to leave. He shook as he gripped the bathroom sink, fighting back a wave of nausea. It would be fine. It would be absolutely fine. He knew he didn't have to go, he knew he had the choice to stay away, but he had to help. He needed to do something, however little it was.
He met up with them outside Yusuke's house, rather than at Shibuya. He hadn't wanted to wait.
He was incredibly quiet for the duration of the visit, listening intently, making mental notes. He'd immediately sat on the floor, between Akira's legs, not wanting Yusuke to risk going and finding a fourth seat.
The house was shabby, but Yusuke's room was fairly well kept. (It felt cruel to force children to live here for his own humility, but faking decency could only go so far.) Yusuke spoke softly, but in a controlled manner, like he was afraid to be loud. (He knew the feeling.) He seemed more closed off, and sank into a silent world when he was painting, focusing intently. A coping mechanism, maybe? Kennith was the same way with his computers, he always had been.
The signs were there, and no matter what he did to try and dispel them, (Yusuke might just be quiet, maybe he's autistic like you and just really likes his art, maybe Madarame simply donates a lot to charity so he is only able to afford necessities, maybe, maybe, maybe) it all cycled back to abuse in his mind.
Everyone else being so casual, it almost made him sick. However, as the painting went on, he felt himself dozing off. One minute, he was watching Yusuke intently...and the next, he was being gently shaken awake, his head against Akira's thigh.
"...I'm sorry, but we'll have to resume this another time," he managed to catch Yusuke saying. He looked up to Akira sleepily.
"How much did I miss..?"
"Not a lot," he whispered. "Yusuke's having trouble focusing, is all."
"Oh hell no! How many hours do you think you made us wait?!" Ryuji cried, the volume waking Kennith up significantly. Akira stood, and gently helped Kennith to his feet, though he immediately sat down again.
"I'm sorry... We had another reason for seeing you today. We needed to talk to you," Ann explained. Kennith went stiff.
"It's about those rumors regarding your sensei," Ryuji added on. He felt nausea rising in his stomach again. He stood, albeit hesitantly. He simply let the others talk, knowing he wouldn't be able to help much like this.
"This again..." Yusuke groaned. Ann was quick to get back on topic, not allowing him to derail.
"That painting I saw at the exhibit... You're the one who actually painted it, right?"
"That..." Kennith took a breath. The pain in his voice was too familiar.
"I knew it." Ann's voice was soft, filled with sympathy.
"Your sensei's seriously messed up," Ryuji harshly interjected. "He just thinks of his pupils as tools. That's why he doesn't give a damn whether he steals their work or physically beats them." Ryuji leaned in closer, and Kennith tensed. "I'll make this clear. There's no point in hidin' stuff from us."
Before Yusuke could speak up, Kennith pushed Ryuji back, glaring daggers at him silently. When he turned to Yusuke, his expression was one of empathy. "What he means, is that it's okay for you to speak up if somethin's wrong. You're not obligated to reveal anythin', hun, but I promise, it won't leave this room. All we wanna do is help."
Ryuji opened his mouth to speak, but Yusuke did first. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he insisted, but Kennith could read his expression like a book. Fear was clear in his eyes.
"You couldn't go against him, could you? I'm sure we can help you out, though..." Ann kept her voice soft as she spoke. Kennith felt it sounded like she was talking to a child, and it made him beyond angry. He hid it well.
"Stop it..." Yusuke spoke through gritted teeth, before seeming to suppress his anger, and relax. "It's just as you all say. We're...our sensei's 'artwork'." Kennith was the only one who didn't seem surprised. "Don't misunderstand me, though. I offered my ideas to him myself. As such, it can't be called plagiarism." It almost seemed like it pained him to be saying this. "Sensei is simply suffering from artist's block right now."
"Dude, still...!" Ryuji protested. Kennith nodded.
"Hun, every artist goes through blocks. That doesn't mean he's got the right to take credit for your work, regardless of if you offer it to him. A real artist would never resort to bullshit like that."
Yusuke was silent, his eyes cast to the ground. Ryuji was the first to raise his voice, as always.
"Right! Why're you even stickin' around, huh? All his other pupils have left - aren't you the only one left?"
"What's wrong with a pupil helping out his master!?" The response was immediate, and aggressive. "There are no victims here! Stop pushing your self-centered righteousness on me!" Yusuke growled. Kennith's hands balled into fists at his sides for a brief moment.
"Yusuke..." His voice was gentle. "Honey, I'm sayin' this right out, so you can trust what I'm about to say. I've been where you are, in a way. You feel obligated t'help him out, for whatever reason, I won't pry as to what it is - but. All this, to me, is textbook. No matter what he did for you then, he's hurtin' you now, n' it's not right."
A brief pause.
"Now, I'm gonna say again. You're not obligated to tell us anythin'. But you have to realize, this isn't right. If he's holdin' what he did over your head to make you help him, then he didn't do it out of the goodness of his heart."
His voice trembled slightly as he trailed off. He swore he could feel three sets of eyes boring into the back of his head. Yusuke was silent for a moment.
"...I'm supporting Sensei as his pupil," he insisted. "Where's the wrong in that?"
"There's nothin' wrong with you, Yusuke. It's him." Kennith worried he hadn't spoken loud enough as Yusuke sat down, hanging his head.
"Don't ever come here again... If you do, I'll sue you for causing a disturbance."
"Hold on, we're not done talkin' here!" Ryuji yelled. Kennith held an arm out, though he knew full well he wasn't strong enough to hold Ryuji back.
"Yes, we are." His voice was as firm as he could make it. "We've done all we can for now, s'fine."
"It is not fine!"
Yusuke stood, taking out his phone, deceivingly calm all the while. "Then you leave me with no choice... I'm reporting you to the police. I asked Takamaki-san to be my model today, but I don't recall ever calling you three here!"
"What the eff, man?!"
Ann glared at Ryuji, pushing him back with Kennith. "Ryuji, stop it! Calm down, okay?" Ryuji swore under his breath, taking a step back.
Yusuke put his phone away while Ryuji seethed. "I won't report you...but only under one condition."
"Oh no," Kennith and Akira mumbled.
Ann took the opportunity to ask, "What's that?"
Yusuke looked much more calm when he made his request. "I want you to continue being my model, Takamaki-san."
"But...you said that it wasn't working out today?"
"That's because I was...unconsciously being modest, for your sake. However, I have nothing to worry about anymore; if you're willing to bare everything to me..."
Kennith, Akira, and Ryuji exchanged a mutual unnerved look.
"...I will put my heart and soul into creating the best nude painting ever!"
"Oh, I thought that was going to be a much worse reveal," Kennith mumbled. He couldn't help being amused by the reactions from Ryuji and Ann, however.
"Ah...to think I'd be able to create a nude painting, with my most ideal model..!" Yusuke returned to his serious disposition as he turned from Ann. "Of course, you three won't be allowed in, and I ask that you forget about our discussion today, as well. If I don't submit a new piece to Sensei soon, there will be some... inconveniences."
Any semblance of happiness Kennith had withered away, but he kept a small smile on his face. Focus on the positive.
"Nude, meaning it'll be without any clothes, right?! Why are things suddenly escalating like that?!" Ann shrieked, already moving to cover herself, despite being fully clothed.
"Because those are my terms." Kennith bit back a laugh. That smug son of a bitch.
"But that's-"
Ryuji quickly cut Ann off with a protest of his own. "Wait, ain't that bad?!"
"Sensei is out during the afternoon while the art exhibit is on," Yusuke calmly explained, "so I can use this place freely... I should buy more art supplies..!"
"Will you give me a second here?!" Ann cried, her cheeks by now a bright, cherry red.
"Of course! I'm willing to wait," Yusuke assured, seeming to miss the point. "I'll make time according to your plans. But, please come before the exhibit ends."
"No! That's not what I mean! Why are you not listening..?!"
Yusuke calmly moved past her question. "Sensei will be returning home soon. We're done for today." He turned to Ann, smiling sweetly. "Takamaki-san, I'll be waiting for you to contact me."
"No no no, we are not done talking here!" Ann insisted, though Yusuke had already gotten to searching for more supplies, it seemed.
"Uh...what should we do..?" Ryuji whispered, leaning over to Akira. He was so quiet, Kennith could barely hear him.
"I...don't know, actually," Akira admitted, running a hand through his hair.
Despite Ann's further protests, Ryuji and Akira had already resigned Ann to her fate and calmly made their way out, Akira gently guiding Kennith by his shoulder.
Once they were outside, Ann's protests only grew more insistent, not to mention high-pitched.
"He's totally out of his mind! I'm gonna have to pose nude if this keeps up!"
Kennith spoke up calmly, his arms crossed over his chest. "Honey, just relax, deep breath. You remember what he said, yeah? 'I have no interest in her as a member of the opposite sex,' or whatever. That is code for, 'I'm so far in the closet, I'm talking to a lion.'" This earned him a punch in the arm from Akira, albeit a gentle one, before he continued. "What I'm saying is, even if you have to do it, there's no chances he'll do anything funny. It's purely for artistic purposes, anyway." He paused a moment, racking his brain. "I was about to offer you one of my nude binders, for some more coverage, but that would probably just make him upset...not to mention, I doubt we're the same size."
"Drop it!" Ann insisted, before Ryuji could speak up and add on. He continued anyway, calm.
"You won't have to worry about it if we get Madarame to 'fess up before the exhibit ends."
"But Kitagawa-kun thinks he owes his life to him. Is there a need to make Madarame confess?"
Kennith cut in before she could continue, his voice cold. "Yes. There absolutely is, Ann. He's manipulating him. If someone holds their status as a caretaker over your head to make you do shit for 'em, then they're shit at takin' care of you, really. If we let this go on, it'll only get worse." A pause. "...Yusuke will only get worse."
Ryuji nodded solemnly. "This shithead's no different than Kamoshida. He's usin' Yusuke since he hasn't got parents. Are you sayin' we should just ignore the way he's bein' treated, like the other pupils were?"
Ann paused. "I...no," she finally decided. "It's frustrating to leave this alone, even if Kitagawa-kun is fine with it..."
Kennith held him back from saying, "he isn't fine with it". He couldn't speak for him.
"In any case," Ryuji piped up, "we've gotta go after this guy. Madarame's the kind of target we've been waitin' for. Let's help Yusuke come to his senses, too." There was a somber pause. "...Before he ends up like us."
He had a hard time keeping up with the conversation once Morgana got involved. He simply didn't listen, and sent Stephanie a quick text to let her know he'd be home soon, and he was sorry for being out so long.
"I'm gonna head back early again." Kennith put his phone back in his pocket, trying his best to keep a calm face. "I don't think I can help much, so...let me know how it goes, I guess?" He started his walk back to the train station, waving as he did, with a dismissive "Night!"
He hated how useless he felt to them. All he could do was wish them luck, and act as a fourth - or fifth? - wheel when they were investigating. There had to be something he was able to do, he figured, something that was actually useful.
That use, he realized, came in the form of his resilience. He made a resolution to himself; no matter what it took, even if it killed him, he would contribute to the Phantom Thieves in their fight.
Next time, anyway.