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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."

"If you insist." Taking his chopsticks elegantly in his left hand, he picks up a piece of saba and takes a bit. "Mm... Just as rich as I'd hoped. The quality is always superior in proper sushi restaurants."

Not at all like the cheap servings at conveyor restaurants.

Ren watches Goro's left hand deftly take the chopsticks, eating the sushi. There's something so elegant about him, something that makes Ren want to sigh happily. He could watch him all day long.

"I'm glad you like it." Ren smiles. He's sure Goro knows, but this place is known for its quality sushi. That's why he chose it, after all, but watching Goro eat...

Well, he can't wait any longer, picking up his own chopsticks, and quickly snagging some unagi of his own, and oh, it's delightful. He happily chews, savoring the taste, before swallowing, and going for another piece.

"This really is the best," he says, clearly enjoying the moment.

Hmm... Yes, unagi does seem rather pertinent to eat. It's warm, unlike the other offerings, so he takes a piece before long. "And you don't even have to pay."

His smile sobers before long, though. The mundanity of the situation is so... strange.

It's almost as if they're a normal couple on an ordinary date.

Well, he'll just have to distract himself with another piece of sushi.

"That's the best part," Ren chuckles, fishing out another piece and happily chowing down.

He does notice the moment Goro gets... pensive, and he looks up with a pause. He watches him for a moment.

"... Something on your mind?" he carefully probes.

"I never anticipated something like this." Sighing softly, he picks up another piece in his chopsticks, but doesn't eat it quite yet. "It's all so... ordinary."

"... Guess so," Ren hums quietly. Even if he expected the return to normalcy after going home, Goro probably didn't expect to be returning to anything at all. It's not like Ren really cares for that normalcy- when the Metaverse disappeared for good (or, at least, for now), it was upsetting to say the least, but Goro hasn't had much of a chance for anything 'normal' in a long time, has he? Even Ren, when not toting around as Joker, just did regular teenager stuff. But Goro...?

It's no wonder he's a little weirded out by this, but Ren's determined to make it a good memory. So, when he sees Goro go in for a piece of sushi...

... he snatches it right before he can manage to pick it up, grinning as he stuffs it in his mouth. There's a challenging glint in his eye.

"Oops," he says playfully, "too slow, honey."

Goro's eyes narrow when Ren seizes the sushi, but just for that, he grabs another piece before Ren gets a chance and places it in his own mouth. "I'll not be thwarted so easily..."

Ren grins back, and soon enough they've devolved into stealing sushi from beneath each other's noses. It's a playful competition- and maybe it's a waste of the fine sushi, but also-

-fuck, dude, they're teenagers who have both been forced to grow up too quickly. And now, they're doing stupid shit together for valentines, and it's perfect. Ren's having fun- a laugh bursting from his lips as Goro snatches a piece of sushi, but he, in return snatches one he's going for. Soon enough, only one piece is left...

He glances at Goro, a Joker-like look in his eyes, before he goes in-

"You're mine!"

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