I tried.

It's three in the afternoon when his phone rings.

"Hello?"

" - Get your ass over here right now. -"

"...wha-"

The lines cut before he can even process the situation, still half asleep from his long nap. Mishima looks down at the devise and realizes it was Akira. He had called twice before, once during school hours, and from what the other just heard, he was absolutely pissed.

Not wanting to make the situation worse than it already was, it was probably for the best that Mishima did as he was told, not only because he wasn't too fond of the idea of an angry phantom thief member coming after him (let alone the leader), but because Akira Kurusu himself was not a force to be reckoned with when angered - another perk he quickly picked up.

So Mishima did as he was told, fixing up his hair a bit before heading out. He was amazed with the fact that his parents haven't come home yet, both either out partying again or getting drunk on the town with a few office buddies. Neither of those ideas were interesting to think about.

He gets to Akira's place around 10 minutes after receiving another text, this one from his mom, something about not being able to come home for the night.

Figures...

With a heavy sigh Mishima opens the door, embracing the fresh scent of coffee that surrounds him. It feels warm.

"Oh. Mishima, right?" Comes Sojiro from behind the counter, Akira's caretaker. He's polishing what looks to be a shot glass, nudging his head over in the direction of Akira's room. "He's up there."

Mishima can only awkwardly clear his throat before giving a meek nod, thanking the man as he makes his way up the steps. The man knows the two of them have been dating for a while now, and Mishima is still a little surprised just how well he had taken the news.

Akira had invited him over one evening for some coffee when he told Sojiro. The both of them were working at the time.

"By the way, we're dating." He had mentioned casually. Mishima choked on his coffee then.

It was very sudden, and for a moment Sojiro did look somewhat startled, but he accepted it. He accepted them, and Mishima was more than grateful for that. Unfortunately he had yet to tell his own parents about the two of them, but that was a problem meant for another day. For now however...

Mishima takes a deep breath before turning the doorknob, slowly opening the door. Akira was at his desk working on his lock picking skills, trying to pry open some old box he found from who knows where. His eyes immediately turn away from his work to focus on the other as soon as he makes his presence, and before Mishima could say anything he points over to his bed.

"Sit."

Mishima blinks. "What?"

"Sit down." Akira repeats, voice sturn. A warning.

Mishima does what he's told, placing himself at the very edge of the bed beside Akira's sleeping cat. It grows quiet again while Akira continues to tinker with his box, the only sound being the light 'clinks' coming from his tools. After some time he finally puts down his work when a certain piece falls out of his hands, a thin pick, hitting the floor and startling both Mishima and the animal next to him.

More time passes as the phantom thief continues to do other things, such as sorting his room out a bit, placing a few things here and there as Mishima helplessly watches. The tension in the room seems to ease a little bit, but that all quickly changes when Akira finally stops in his movement to look at the other, a blank stare.

Mishima shifts his attention over to the window, momentarily glancing back and forth at Akira a couple of times before finally settling on his own lap. His fingers fiddle with one another timidly, and the nervous blush in his cheeks only seem to worsen as his boyfriend makes his way over to him. He sits close to him after shooing away the cat, making sure their shoulders were touching as Mishima tried to scoot away.

"You've been avoiding me." He finally says after moment, and a strong sense of guilt slowly overwhelms the smaller.

His hands stop fidgeting, and Mishima suddenly finds it alot more difficult to keep himself composed. He dryly swallows, finding it in himself to slowly look up at Akira again. "Y-yeah..."

It's grows quiet again, a soft mewl coming from the cat as it yawns from the other corner of the comforter.

Akira sighs. "Are you going to tell me why?"

The question has Mishima flinch a little. He looks to the window one more. "I-I've just...been busy. That's all." He manages to stutter. An obvious lie.

"No time at all for me?"

"Um. No, not exactly." His hands start to move again. "I-it's just been a little hectic on the site, ya know? Someone hacked in and-" He quickly bites his tongue, covering his mouth before he could say anything else. Why was he telling him this? Akira didn't need to know he failed at the one job he was actually good at. No one needed to know about it. He quickly fakes a cough before clearing his throat. "I handled everything of course, b-but a few adjustments needed to be made here and there to make sure it never happenes again and-"

"Shut up."

Mishima immediately closes his mouth. He's not convinced. Nor is he very pleased with being lied to. Shit...

"You don't want to be around me." Akira suddenly says, and it's rather a statement then it is a question. Mishima's eyes widen.

"What?! No! That's not it at all!" He searches for the right words. "I...I really like being with you! I really do! It's just-"

"'It's just'?" The others eyes narrow. "So it is something."

"No, no! There's nothing wrong with you, if that's what your thinking! If anything it's me! Honest!" Mishima bites his lip. His heart feels heavy. He doesn't know what else to say.

I don't think I should be with you anymore...

It's a thought that's been with him since he got here, and it's a thought that's said without needing any words.

Mishima turns away from him, afraid of what he might see. It's painful- no, unbearable to be around the thief right now. Mishima feels disgusting. He wanted nothing more then to curl himself up in a corner, somewhere far away from the world. Away from Akira.

His eyes begin to water. They sting. Akira doesn't make a move to wipe them away. Not this time.

He does nothing. Says nothing, and Mishima isn't sure what to think of it, so he makes the decision to comfort himself, tentatively wrapping his own arms around his slender frame. It's uncomfortable. The world around him feels uncomfortable. It's suffocating.

Mishima does his best to take slow, even breaths, but it's not working. In fact, it only seemed to be making matters worse the longer Akira sat next to him. His scent was strong. It filled the entire room, a strong musk of cologne mixed with fresh coffee. His heart feels like it's going to leap out of his chest at any given moment and start running laps, and considering the circumstance they were in, it wasn't an outcome he would be totally against.

"Yuuki."

"Y-yes!" Mishima straightens himself out, an effort to ease the tension around him. Hearing Akira calling him like that, by his first name no less, it almost sends chills down his spine. He can't remember the last time they spoke with one another on a first name basis. He misses those times.

Akira carefully places a hand under his chin, turning him so that they could meet eye to eye. He's not mad anymore, rather looking more concerned if not hurt. He holds him in place, making sure the latter can't look away anymore.

"I took down the phansite."

...

...

...what?

Mishima can only stare at him, repeating the sentence over to himself more then once.

Akira doesn't move, doesn't miss a beat, and it's then does Mishima finally take his words to heart.

His brows Furrow together. "You did what?"

"I asked Futaba to take it down." He says, unfazed.

Mishima forcefully pulls away from his touch, horrified. "What the hell did you do that for?! No- Why did you do that!? And don't you dare say it was for me!" He gets off the bed and instantly pulls out his phone again, only this time Akira snatches it out of his hands. "HEY!"

"This is why."

Mishima angrily stares at him, lost and confused. And hurt. "What shit are you on about!? Give me back my-"

Akira suddenly grabs him by the arm and throws him down on the bed again, pinning him underneath his tall frame. Mishima starts to struggle.

"Get off!"

"Listen to me. You need to stop this, right now."

"Get the hell off me!" He begins flailing his legs around furiously, but to no avail did he get very far. Only accidentally knocking the cat over as it gives a loud cry. Neither of them bother to check on it. "Akira, I swear-"

"It's only down temporarily, and it will be for the time being. You need to pay more attention to yourself right now."

"What are you talking about?! Do you know how many people rely on that site!? I'm the last person you should worrying about-"

"YOU'RE THE FIRST PERSON I SHOULD BE WORRYING ABOUT!"

Mishima stops struggling, eyes wide at the sudden outburst. Before he can say anything the other quickly continues.

"You are worth something to worry about!" Akira's grip tightens around Mishima's slender wrists, making him flinch in pain. He looks furious, almost like a wild beast. It sort of frightens Mishima. "Your all I ever worry about now! Have you looked at yourself recently!? You look terrible! Don't think I haven't noticed how little you've been eating at lunch, or how tired you are before, during and after class!"

"I've been doing just fine!" He protests. "It's just-"

"It's just what, Yuuki? Just something you'll deal with later? Just something that can be handled when things aren't too busy?" He narrows his gaze. "I understand how important your contribution is to the phantom thieves, you've been a big help to our team for a while now, however you can't keep neglecting yourself like this."

"I told you I'm fine! Ok, yeah, I should sleep a little more, and I will so just leave me alone!"

It grows quiet for a moment, the both of them staring one another down intensely. Neither of them look away, but Akira does eventually loosen his hold on him, inching himself closer to his face while watching the smaller flinch nervously. They stay like that for a while, only until Mishima finally gives into the tension and does his best to finally turn away.

"C-can you stop that?" He stutters quietly.

"No."

"Akira-"

"I love you."

...what?

Everything comes to a complete stop - no sound, no movement. Just him and Akira.

His heart skips several beats, and it's a little difficult for Mishima to keep pace with his breathing all of a sudden.

"...what?" His voice is small, almost broken.

Akira softens his gaze. "I love you." He repeats himself, without a moments hesitation.

"I-I heard you! It's just..." Mishima dryly swallows, face deepening a darker shade of red. He wasn't sure how to respond. His mind was drawing a blank. Mishima wasn't thinking about the argument anymore - wasn't thinking about the phansite, or anyone else for that matter.

It was just Akira.

Akira...

Old feelings resurface, and Mishima is immediately the flustered teen he was the day he was asked out. His palms feel sweaty, and words refused to form properly from his dry lips.

'I love you too!' Is what the proper response would be. Any idiot could figure that out, but unfortunately Mishima wasn't one of them, and he can only gasp when their lips suddenly meet.

The contact doesn't last long, but it was more then enough for him. Akira silences the awkward noise that leaves Mishima, slipping his tongue in for a few seconds before letting go. The kiss was rough, dominating, nothing the other has ever felt before. They've kissed a few times in the past sure, once on the cheek if that counted for anything, but this... this...

Mishima breaths heavily. He doesn't know what kind of expression he was making, but it must have been ridiculous, because Akira was grinning like an idiot. The joker side to him was showing. His heart skips a beat.

"You are important to me." He whispers. "Now take a break."

It takes some time, but at some point Mishima successfully regains control of his thoughts again before finally giving him a slow, shaky nod.

Akira smiles. "Good." He releases him as he sits up, placing himself beside the other before drawing him closer. Another noise leaves Mishima.

"H-hey!"

"Shut up."

"But-" He's silenced again with another kiss, one on his neck. "A-A-Akira!"

"You think to much." He mutters, the warmth of his breath making the other shudder. "Rest." His hand inches its way to behind Mishima's back, slipping under his thin T-shirt.

What the hell is he doing!? Mishima feels chills creep up his spine with the light touch as it roamed over his sensitive skin ever so slowly. He bites down hard on his lip, holding back any more noise. They've never exactly been...intimate, and Mishima was never very confident about his physical appearance, so comparing himself to someone like Akira wasn't exactly on his to-do list at the moment.

"Promise me you'll take a break." He whispers again, this time in the smaller's ear. "I'll stop when you do."

Mishima flinches. "A-Alright! Alright, I-I'll take a break!" His breath hitches when the thieve's fingers brush themselves bellow his pant line. "I-I-I promise... ah!"

Akira removes his hand and leans away, faking a cough to cover up a sly grin.

"What did you do that for!?" Mishima cries, immediately backing himself away to the other side of the bed.

"You're really sensitive, aren't you?"

"Akira, that wasn't funny!"

Akira shrugs. "It kinda was."

"Stop laughing!"

"I'm not laughing."

"Y-yes you are!" He accusingly points his finger. "You're laughing right now!"

"I would do no such thing."

"The why are y-" Mishima stops and looks down at his shoes, then to his pants before patting down his pockets.

Something's off...

"Looking for this?"

The thief holds up a phone. Mishima's phone.

"How did you...!? Give that back!"

"Say my name again." Akira smirks.

The amature programmer quickly gets off the bed, practically throwing himself at the other. "Give it back!".

Akira shakes his head. "Not until you say my name."

"Why does it matter if I say your name?!"

"Because it's cute." He carelessly tosses the phone into his other hand when Mishima makes an attempt to grab it. "I like it."

"Hell no!"

The two struggle for a bit before the Joker finally gives in to his boyfriends demands, handing over the devise before taking Mishima's free hand and giving the back of it a quick kiss.

Mishima blushes again. "What in the world has gotten into you?"

Akira adjusts his glasses. "Just showing some affection." He looks over to a wall clock before giving a heavy sigh. "Come on, lets get something to eat. You're starving."

"I'm not star-" His stomach betrays him, letting out a growl he's pretty sure Sojiro could hear from down stairs. When was it the last time he's eaten a decent meal? "I...don't have any money."

Akira smiles. "It's on me today."

"You really don't have to you know."

"I don't." He shrugs. "But I want to make a deal with you: Eat whatever I give to you and the site goes back up, if you don't, you have no choice but to stay over for the night while I feed you myself."

"Wait, what?" The very thought of letting him do such a thing was mortifying. Absolutely forbidden. He'll probably make me eat curry till I'm sick... Mishima cringes at the thought of staying over night while Akira 'takes care' of him. Usually something like that would sound appealing to the phanboy, but given their current circumstance...

"Does sushi sound good?" The thief asks.

"This isn't fair you know."

"Do you really hate spending time with me that much?"

"What!? No, that's not what I said at all! It's just-" Mishima takes a breath. "Fine, but...n-nothing to much. Please?"

"Any requests then?"

He looks over the phone in his hands. "...Crepes?"

Ok. It wasn't the healthiest of choices, but for the first time in a while, Mishima needed something that made him happy, to feel better about himself. Crepes were sweet. He liked crepes. It was an easy deal.

Akira thinks it over, placing both hands into his pocket. "Alright."

It's quiet again, but this time it's a comforting melody, one the both of them can agree to. Mishima nervously puts his phone away, but can't find it in himself to physically let go, grip tight on the device even after they get on the train. Akira doesn't say anything about it, but instead holds him close, an embrasse that's warm and forgiving.

He didn't deserve this. Mishima always wondered about the 'what if's'. What if they never meet? What if Akira found someone else? Someone worthy.

What if this relationship did fall apart?

His thoughts were terrifying. Mishima hated them, hated himself. But Akira loved him, and even if that was a lie, even if their relationship wasn't real, Mishima was never going to let go. He was stubborn, annoying to many if anything, but that no longer mattered. For Akira Kurusu, Mishima was the one that mattered.

He was his, and that alone was reason enough to push forward.

This ship isn't very popular here is it?

Anyways the ending is still cheesy. But yeah, I just kind of, sort of gave up on thinking about how to end it so...

Sorry about that.

Hope you enjoyed this nonetheless, even if the ending all together was a little meh. Thanks for reading! (also spread this ship. It needs love and attention~)