Had Ren been holding anything at that exact moment, it would have found itself at his feet, likely shattered beyond repair. As he was not, the only thing to fall was his stomach.

"In fact, you don't talk much about school at all," Akechi said, leaning his weight onto his back foot. He cocked his head and fixed his eyes on the youngest man. While he didn't look angry, his eyes were intense. Everything about his body language said he didn't plan to let the subject rest until he was satisfied.

Ren was first to look away. "Because there isn't much to tell."

Akechi stayed silent. As that silence stretched on, Ren was remind of something Maruki once told him:

"People don't like silence. It makes them uncomfortable. Keep at it long enough and people will stumble over themselves to fill it."

Ren wondered if Akechi was aware of what he was doing. Instead of elaborating, he pressed his lips together tightly.

"You know you're only making yourself look more suspicious by the minute, right?"

Taking a deep breath through his nose, Ren squared his shoulders and made to walk past Akechi. Right when he thought he was in the clear, Akechi's hand wrapped around his bicep tightly.

"If you're going to lie, at least make it convincing," Akechi said, squeezing Ren's arm.

"I'm not lying," Ren shot back with a flare.

Akechi grinned. "Oh, he can speak."

"Screw you." Ren tried to pull his arm away. Akechi's grip was strong, but not to a painful degree. There was just enough pressure to keep Ren from slipping away. "Maybe I don't want to talk about it."

"Avoiding it helps no one."

Ren let his shoulders fall and planted his feet wide as if to say 'I'm not going anywhere.' Once Akechi was sure he wasn't going to book it, the pressure lightened and the hand slid down to cup his elbow instead.

"Do we really have to do this here?"

Narrowing his eyes, Akechi asked, "What are you suggesting?"

"Somewhere not in the middle of a fucking mall?!" Ren hated the way his voice cracked.

Ren watched as Akechi looked at the ceiling, seemingly in deep thought. Annoyance, followed by resignation, followed by determination flickered across his face. His hand tightened slightly before he said, "Very well. Let's go."

Ren didn't put up much fight as he was pulled along and out of the store. He was guided down the escalators and all the way back to the coin lockers where their winter clothes were. He was finally released to retrieve their things. During that time, Akechi turned his back and did something with his phone. Once their coats were on, Akechi led him to the main entrance of the shopping center.

"The taxi should be here in a few minutes. We can wait in here until then."

Ren nodded and looked through the glass doors. Night had fallen, so the walkway was lined with winter illuminations that continued as far as the eye could see. Outside, people bundled up in layers and carrying shopping bags walked about, while cars passed in the streets. He watched silently until a black car pulled up and flashed its hazard lights. The two left the warmth of the store and as they neared, the back door automatically opened for them. Akechi motioned for him to go first.

Probably so I can't run away.

The door shut once Akechi was settled. He gave the driver his name– the fake one– and they were on their way. Ren stared out the window the entire trip. When they arrived in front of Akechi's apartment, he paid the driver and they made their way upstairs. Akechi locked the door behind them as Ren hung up his coat. He was then ushered into the living room, but before he could speak, Akechi raised up one finger. He gestured for Ren to take a seat and once he had done so, slipped into the kitchen, leaving Ren a touch dumbfounded– he had expected a full interrogation as soon as they were out of earshot of other people. Soon after, Akechi returned with a familiar set of mugs. This time, however, they were filled with a light yellow tea.

Before he could ask, Akechi answered. "Chamomile."

Ren remembered what Akechi had said earlier. Chamomile helped with stress relief and supposedly aided with sleep. Accepting the cup, Ren took a sip, then another and another until his cup was half empty. The heat, along with the quiet, helped Ren relax enough to speak.

"I haven't talked about school because there really isn't anything to say," he chanced a glance up, expecting to be met with irritation. However, Akechi was just sitting calmly, legs crossed, sipping his tea. "I… didn't get in. Anywhere."

Akechi put his cup down on the table. "You mean to say not one school would have you?"

"Yes? I mean, I applied to a lot of universities. And vocational schools too. But most of them didn't want a former criminal… and the few that were willing to overlook my record… they wanted insane amounts of money. Even if I had the cash–"

"You don't want to go somewhere that could so easily be bought."

"Exactly! Who knows what other shady shit they've done or are up to. They remind me too much of what happened at Shujin and people like Shido. It's against everything the Phantom Thieves stood for."

"Makes sense," Akechi agreed. "But why didn't you make use of your other contacts?"

At Ren's visible confusion, Akechi signed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You're oftentimes found in the company of a world class hacker, not to mention friends with a famous model, the younger sibling of a lawyer, and the heiress of a major company. What's stopping you from enlisting their help? I know none of them would hesitate to bend over backwards to help you."

"But…"

"But what?"

"I want to figure this out myself. I wanted to get on on my own merits, prove I co—"

"So that's what this is all about," Akechi snorted, shaking his head. He shot Ren with a disgusted look. "Pride."

Ren jumped up from his seat, not even flinching as the remains of his hot tea sloshed over the side of his cup onto his hands and front of his sweater. "Like you're one to talk!"

"This isn't about me," Akechi argued, tilting sideways enough to dig into his pocket. "Your biggest problem is that you alway have to act like you've got to take everything on by yourself. Even when surrounded by people who adore you, you set yourself apart."

"That's rich," Ren fired back. Even as he said it, guilt welled up inside him. But he couldn't stop the words coming out of his mouth. "Tell me, how did that work out for you?"

"Terribly," Akechi pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and held it out towards Ren. "I had my head impossibly far up my own ass, it blinded me from seeing what was right in front of me. Don't make the same mistakes I did."

Ren ignored the folded square of fabric. He gripped his cup tighter and stared off at a point over the other man's shoulder. "This ain't the same!"

"No, not exactly," Akechi stood and stepped further into Ren's personal space. "Tell me, what are you going to do if you can't finish your education? Work deadened jobs until you're old and gray, or your body's too broken to do it anymore?"

"What do you care?"

"I refuse to entertain the thought of you turning into such a disappointing rival,"

Although Akechi's proximity made Ren nervous, he refused to step away. He suppressed a flinch when the former detective reached out. He was expecting a blow or some other rough treatment. However, Akechi grabbed his cup out of his hands, placed it on the table, and started dabbing at Ren's hands with the handkerchief. He was shockingly gentle, even if his words were anything but.

"What are you doing?" Ren stared at the cloth as it ran over his fingers. With each stroke, he felt his anger subside more and more. Slowly, it was replaced by embarrassment. Like a child, he had allowed himself to take the bait Akechi had laid for him. He felt his cheeks warm.

"I doubt the tea was hot enough to leave serious damage, but you should probably run them under the tap, just to be safe," he replied, nodding in the direction of Ren's hands. He didn't look up from his task.

"...right."

Akechi then turned the handkerchief over and held it out once more, eyes on Ren's chest and the wet spot there. He held it out until Ren took it and began pressing it against the sweater. Ren blotted what he could and Akechi picked up a remote from the table and turned on the heater. As the room warmed up, the two stewed in their thoughts.

"I'm not giving up on going to school," Ren began, rubbing a corner of the cloth between two fingers. "And I am giving thought to what I'm going to do in the future. But talking about it out loud… I guess… it makes it real in a way that I'm not ready to deal with yet. It's like saying, I've already lost. It feels like… throwing in the towel. Does that make any sense?"

To Ren's surprise, Akechi nodded. However, the other man didn't elaborate. Instead, he reached for Ren's wrist– making sure to move slowly enough that Ren could read his moves– and brought him into the kitchen, where he made Ren stand with his hands under running water for a full five minutes.

"Walk me through your plans for if you are unable to continue your education. I'll tell you if I think they're any good," Akechi handed Ren a dish towel to dry his hands.

Ren sighed, handing back the towel. "You're probably going to hate it."

"Indulge me." Akechi took it, put it atop the microwave. He opened the freezer and removed a couple of containers. He handed the first off to Ren. Then, he removed the lid from the second– a plastic box of fried rice– and placed it in the microwave to heat.

"Fine." Ren held the box he was given. The cold chilled the palms of his hands, "I had a conversation with Boss and he said something about me taking over the cafe when he got older."

"That could work. Provided the cafe survives that long. No offense to Sakura-san, but Leblanc was never… the most lively of places. Maybe it's changed since the last time I visited?"

"It's gotten better, but yeah, I'm worried about that too. That's why Futaba and I made socials for it. We hoped it'd help bring people in."

"That's a good start. What are you going to do to make sure it's successful?" Akechi asked, He held out his hand for the container Ren was holding. He opened it and placed it next to the sink. It was filled with frozen vegetables.

"That's what I've been racking my brain over. I've got a few ideas," Ren replied as the microwave dinged. "Need any help?"

"Grab those for me?" Akechi gestured to the drying rack, where two bowls and some cutlery were drying. He took out the first container and replaced it with the vegetables. He passed the heated rice to Ren to spoon into the bowls. "Such as?"

"Offering more than just coffee for one." Ren said, splitting the rice evenly. It smelled heavenly, causing his stomach to growl. When the last of the rice was scraped out of the plastic container, he put it and the lid into the sink. "And I really liked that place you took me to today. Maybe we can set something up like that too. Or benches, if space is an issue. Do you think we should do take out?"

"Those are good ideas, but they aren't nearly enough. And implementing them will cost money you don't have. Your first priority should be securing capital."

"And how am I supposed to do that?"

"You tell me."

"Super helpful," Ren pouted.

"Use your brain. I know you have one, unlike some people," Akechi chided, leaning against the refrigerator. He raised an eyebrow and stared at Ren, expectantly.

He stared back until the microwave let out another little ding. However, Akechi made no move to acknowledge it. Ren looked from him, to the microwave, and back to Akechi. "The vegetab– oh."

"And he's got it." Akechi said to no one in particular.

"I feel weird asking Haru for money," Ren explained, rubbing his upper arm. He felt vaguely nauseous at the idea, remembering a conversation years prior.

"People are only nice to me to get into Father's good graces or because they want something from me."

He opened his mouth to try and explain, but Akechi beat him to it.

"You aren't anything like those leeches Okumura surrounded himself with. Trust me, I would know," Akechi took the vegetable out of the microwave and passed those too to Ren. He opened the refrigerator and bent down to retrieve a bottle of something from the lowest shelf on the door. His face was obscured as he continued, "I don't see why she wouldn't help you out. And I am sure that Leblanc is a source of fond memories for her as well. It's only natural that she has a vested interest in its continued operation."

Blinking, Ren was caught off guard by Akechi's insight. He had forgotten how sharp the other man could be. "When you put it that way…"

"Of course, you would not ask before drafting up your business proposal and five year plan. That will add legitimacy to deal, as well as cover both your asses, should shareholders and the like go poking around." Akechi resurfaced with two bottles of oolong tea held between the fingers of his right hand. He shut the door with his foot. "Now if you don't mind, I'm hungry. Be a dear and bring those into the living room after you add the vegetables."

And with that, he sauntered past Ren, leaving him to finish preparing dinner.

The meal itself was simple but filling. They watched TV as they ate, though neither seemed overly invested in the program's contents. It served more as comfortable background noise between snippets of conversation.

When eleven-thirty rolled around, Ren stood and brought their dirty dishes into the kitchen. He washed them and set them to dry. He was shaking the water off of his hands when Akechi came into the kitchen with their empty bottles.

"I should get going if I want to make the train," Ren said, opening the cabinet under the sink and holding his hand out for the bottles.

"Actually, why don't you stay? Then you don't need to rush," Akechi asked, handing him the bottles. "Even if you do end up making the train, you won't get home until, what, one? Maybe later?"

"Thanks, but I don't want to intrude."

"You're not intruding at all. If you were, I wouldn't have suggested it," Akechi waved the idea away. He stepped closer to Ren. "Besides, tonight is supposed to get quite cold."

Ren chucked. "And where would you have me sleep? The blanket I used last time seems to have become a permanent fixture on your bed. You really going to give it up for lil' old me?"

"Let me worry about that." Akechi smirked. "I have clothes you can borrow– we are roughly the same size, I think– and you left your toothbrush last time you were here, so it should be fine."

He's thought of nearly everything.

"Um… if you're sure. Let me just send a quick text to Futaba to say I'll be out tonight– don't worry I won't tell her about you or anything– just so she doesn't blow up my phone again like last time."

"Sure. I'd rather not have to listen to that while I'm trying to sleep."

Ren pulled out his phone and did just that. As he did so, Akechi went back into the living room and Ren could hear the closet door open. The sounds of fabric shuffling could be heard and a moment later, Akechi returned with an armful of clothes and two towels.

He must have made a face because Akechi chuckled again. "For your shower. I assume you can find it on your own? Feel free to use whatever you need."

Ren took the items and went into the wetrooms. As Akechi had said, the toothbrush he had used was in a small plastic cup on the sink. He placed the clothes and larger towel next to the sink, taking the smaller hand towel into the shower with him. He helped himself to Akechi's shampoo and conditioner– surprised to find them to be standard brands found in any drugstore or supermarket– as well as his body wash. Once he was thoroughly clean, he toweled off on the bathmat. Near the sink, a hairdryer hung from a hook on the wall. He used it and attempted to tame his curls with his fingers. He suspected that Akechi's offer did not extend to his hairbrush and the like. Once dry, he got dressed and brushed his teeth.

The clothes were close enough in size to be comfortable, though the black sweatpants were a little too long. They came with a matching sweatshirt, which was a little tight in the shoulders, but otherwise alright. Under it, Ren wore a comfortable well-loved featherman t-shirt. He had not been given a pair of boxers and rationalized that it would've been even weirder if he had been. He wasn't sure how he felt about wearing Akechi's under-things, clean or otherwise. He bundled up his own clothes and draped the towels over his shoulder.

When he stepped back into the living room, it was not as he left it. For one, the table that usually was next to the sofa-bed was shoved near the window, and in its place was a futon set– rolled out and ready. Its fluffy blue duvet looked inviting as well as incredibly warm. Ren looked up from it to Akechi.

Akechi, on the other hand, had his eyes locked on Ren. His expression seemed conflicted. He swallowed thickly and shook himself out of whatever thoughts were going on in his head. He swept his hand out towards the futon, cleared his throat, and said, "This should suffice."

Ignoring whatever was going on with Akechi, Ren replied, "You really went all out."

Akechi gave a tight smile. "I figured after last time, it'd be better to be prepared. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

Ren watched as Akechi headed off to see to his own nightly routine, clothes and towels in hand. Left alone, Ren closed the curtains, checked his phone one last time, and plugged it in to charge. He settled on top of the futon with his back against the sofa-bed to wait for Akechi. He was just starting to doze off when the door opened and the former detective walked in wearing sweats and a hoodie.

"You didn't have to wait for me," he said softly.

Ren just shrugged and rearranged himself under the covers. As he predicted, it was warm and very comfortable. The lights went out, and Ren listened as Akechi made his way over and climbed into his own bed– mindful of Ren on the floor. Then, an additional weight fell over him. He reached a hand out and felt a heavy material draped over the duvet. He recognised it as the blanket from before. It was large enough to cover them both with fabric to spare.

"Night, Akechi," he slurred.

"Goodnight."

Sometime in the early hours, Ren woke groggily to the feeling of fingers running through his hair. He lay there on his stomach, face mashed into his pillow, enjoying the feeling of blunt nails running along his scalp. Letting out a contented sigh, he felt the fingers freeze. Still mostly-asleep, he pouted and leaned further into the touch. The fingers twitched. Ren pressed harder, on the cusp of truely waking. He grumbled and the fingers twitched again, continuing their minastrations after a few seconds. Ren hugged his pillow tighter, sighed, and fell back asleep.

He had only the vaguest memory of it come morning.