undyingcrow | personavelvetroomdr IC Inbox

And Ren knows Goro, knows that he has lingering doubts. Instead of calling them out, though, he squeezes his hand, and whispers:

"Enjoying yourself?"

Oh. That whisper snaps him out of his thoughts. "...Yes. Thank you." He's not sure what to add, what else to say. Moments like these are difficult. Foreign.

Ren gives a small smile, before going back to looking at the show.

"I'm glad," he murmurs, because he is. Despite what Goro might think... doing this in a romantic sense is new to him, too. Foreign. Strange. He's had outings with his friends, with Goro, and it's similar, but also not at all.

Not bad, though. Not at all. He's happy to share this moment like this, hands laced together as the watch the projected stars.

Eventually, though, the show comes to an end, and Ren rolls his shoulders in a stretch.

"That was beautiful," he says, looking at Goro, "don't you think?"

Edited 2025-02-15 22:31 (UTC)

"It was." He's quiet for a few more moments. A part of him wishes the show had lasted just a little longer, but... "Did you have any other plans?"

It's worth checking. They may have exchanged gifts and chocolates, but there are other things they can do. Other ways to commemorate the moment.

And Ren, with a twinkle in his eye, grins, pulling himself and Akechi upright.

"Perhaps," he says with a smile, "let's take a walk."

And so, still hand-in-hand with Goro, he guides them both outside.

"Very well." He'll follow along, let Ren lead... for now. It'll give him time to strategize, anyway. This is far from over, after all.

Quietly, he guides them both through Tokyo, maybe walking a little closer to Goro than necessary... but it's fine. They're- together, in the truest sense of the word, and there's nobody her to judge them for it.

"I hope you're hungry," he says as they round a corner, "because I've got something in mind..."

... he comes to a halt in front of one of the most expensive, elite sushi restaurant in Tokyo, highly regarded for its fresh taste and excellent service. Ordinarily, something like this would be a little outside of Ren's budget... but considering that's not a problem here?

He smiles at Goro. "I heard you had a soft spot for sushi."

When they arrive, he can't help but laugh. Light, breathless. A real, genuine sushi restaurant. It goes to show Ren's attentiveness, certainly.

"If you had chosen a conveyor restaurant, you would have regretted it." But he didn't. "So... shall we?"

Morgana will undoubtedly be jealous, but this is their night.

Ren smiles back, privately a little relieved Goro likes it. When he doesn't have to look at money, there's no way he wouldn't go all out. Especially with Goro.

"We shall," he hums, and leads the both of them inside. There's no need to wait for a seat- when they go in, there's one table that's clearly been set for the both of them. Lit candle in the middle, a single red rose in a vase... and, miniature versions of a pair of very distinct masks sitting together, as if interlaced. Cliche? Maybe.

But it's clear a lot of thought was put into this, regardless.

Ren pulls out a chair for Goro, twinkle in his eye.

"Why don't we sit down?"

Give him a moment to take it all in.

Ren really went out of his way to arrange a romantic table in anticipation of all of this.

Clearly, Akechi underestimated his dedication. All he has to show for it are the two boxes of chocolates...

For now. There are still other ways to turn the tides.

Erm. So... right. He really should take a seat. "My, Ren. You had this all planned out, didn't you?"

Maybe it's a little much for a first valentines together, but... from Akechi's stunned expression, Ren can tell that he likes it.

"Of course," he hums, playful twinkle still in his eye, even with his warm smile. "Nothing but the best will do for us."

With Goro seated, he takes a seat himself, reaching for the drinks card. There's champagne, and wine, but... Ren's not really used to drinking alcohol. A mocktail, maybe?

... Or maybe he'll just wait to see what Goro orders.

"So... what are you getting?"

"Some quality tea will suffice. I've no interest in alcohol." Not after what it did to his mother. Not after seeing Shido drunk out of his mind.

"As for the selection... some saba, perhaps. Toro... kampachi. A bit of unagi and uni to bring complexity to the selection."

Is this a way to show off his sushi knowledge? Very likely. This is Akechi, after all.

"Hmm, that sounds good," it sounds mouth-watering, in any case, "how about this to round it off?"

He offers another suggestion that he thinks will go well with Goro's selection, before a waiter comes to take their order. Ren's usually not much of a tea drinker, but this time, he'll have some, he thinks.

Goro nods along. "Very well. We might as well take advantage of every luxury." No cost means they can order anything they desire, so he places the order, content to have some measure of control.

One day he'll learn to loosen up.

"Would be a waste not to," Ren says with a grin. He's happy to let Goro have this one; he's not exactly... trained, in high-end restaurant etiquette. Not that it matters horribly in here, but still.

Once everything has been ordered, turns back to Goro, humming.

"So," he says, tilting his head, "got anything from anyone else today?"

It's not out of jealousy that he asks, he's genuinly just curious.

"No, just you." But when he puts that way, Goro can't help but ask... "And what about you, O humble leader?"

He does live in a fairly crowded place. Morgana, Frog, and... Trickster, if memory serves. Drake, whenever he drops by...

"Trickster gave me some chocolates," he says, leaning back, "that new girl- Hamuko, I believe? She was handing out cookies earlier. Gave me some, too."

Both in the platonic sense, of course. Ren likes Trickster, but not like that. She's like... the cool, female version of him. He's almost jealous of her sheer feminine swag, sometimes.

Oh, well, what is crossdressing for?

"Don't you worry, though," he tacks on with a grin, aware fo Goro's jealous nature, "neither of them can compare to you."

"Ah, yes. She was my instructor." Hamuko, that is. "You can thank her later, I suppose. Under her tutelage, I was able to unlock my full potential."

He eyes the extra chocolates in Ren's little gift pile. "Though it was still my handiwork. Don't lose sight of that."

"Ahh, now it makes sense," Ren snickers, "I'll have to have a taste later, though I'm sure that with her help they'll be just fine."

He settles, leaning back.

"I really do appreciate the effort, Goro," he hums, "I'm really happy you made those for me."

Really happy.

"It isn't my area of expertise, but simply procuring gourmet chocolates is far too simple here." He pauses. "Not that it stopped me from doing so, just in case the homemade ones aren't extravagant enough."

Still, there will be time for that later. Food first.

Thankfully, the server arrives with their tea and so me miso soup to start them off.

Ren lets out a small laugh.

"Don't worry. Even if they tasted like ash, I'd appreciate the gesture."

And he would- though he would definitely make fun of Goro, before trying to teach him the right way to make them. But first! Soup and tea.

"Enjoy your meal," he says, before digging in, and- oh, this is good. He hums happily, eating with gusto.

"Thank you for the food," he tells the cognition, before it shuffles off.

He takes a small sip of his miso, and... mm. High quality soup. It's simple, but comforting. An excellent appetizer. "Just remember, this is only the beginning. The main course still awaits us."

"No need to remind me," Ren chuckles. "I'm already salivating enough as is!"

The soup really is good, but Ren polishes it off quickly enough. It is just an appetizer, after all.

Thankfully, the server arrives with the main course before long. Rich, colorful, and fresh sushi awaits them, elegantly arranged for their enjoyment.

"Well, this looks promising."

Oh, does it ever. It smells and looks amazing, and Ren can hardly wait to take a bite.

But... no. He wants to see Goro take the first bite. He wants to see the enjoyment on his face. So, he nods at Goro, and says warmly:

"After you."

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