bakerstreet | Call me, call me any, anytime!

[ Maybe just a little bit perverted. Which is not to say that he doesn't know about the nature of the internet, but...

It's different okay. ]

Uh huh. I see what you've been getting up to in your private time.

[ Is he judging or just teasing? Could she even tell? ]

And have you been looking for them? Asking for them? Or has it all been mostly... accidental?

[ And, again, why does he care this is just being protective, right? Right. ]

[ Knowing Akira, she figures it’s just teasing, but that doesn’t mean she’s not flustered by it. It’s really way more embarrassing for her to be teased about this by him for some very complicated reasons. He’s literally walked all around inside the darkest part of her heart, along with the other Phantom Thieves, and as their leader, she holds him responsible for putting the movement to still take the job, even after she tried to call off their deal, forward to the rest of the group.

Suffice to say, their friendship means a lot to her and he’s the last person she wants thinking poorly of her! So now he’s asking her these questions and she’s starting to panic a little. Why does he want to know?? ]

Maybe. What if I did? Once or twice... Went looking, I mean! Not asking. I wouldn’t ask unless, you know, I was interested in somebody like that... and he was interested in me... and if he really wanted to. Do stuff like that. With me.

[ Of course, the reason he's asking is simultaneously very complicated and really, really obvious. He has intense feelings for her - like he does for all of the Thieves, of course, in different ways. They're all very important to him, very close to him, and he's seen sides of them that they'd never show to anyone else.

But her, well, he feels extra protective of her. To some, it might look brotherly. It's not quite that simple, though. Or maybe it is - just in a different direction. Because he doesn't want her looking at anyone else's anatomy, but that doesn't mean he doesn't want her looking at any at all... ]

Uh huh. And... are you interested? In seeing something like that, from anyone?

Because I'm sure there are some who'd be interested in doing that with you.

[ More than he'd like, surely. ]

[ Futaba spends an inordinate amount of time trying to type the perfect response, but there’s nothing easy about answering this question— half because it’s Akira asking it and half because she suddenly knows what the honest answer is. The idea of putting it out there into the air though makes her incredibly anxious.

Once it’s out, it’s not just an idea anymore; it becomes a part of reality. She’s already blushing just thinking about saying it and she can feel her old first instincts to retreat, to hide, coming back, trying to take over. She has to force herself not to pull the ripcord out of this conversation.

As far as she knows, Akira thinks of her the same way all the others do: the “kid sister” of the group. And in her mind, he’s asking because he’s gearing up to give her the “be careful with boys because they’re trouble” talk, which might just actually break her heart a little to receive and have to accept from him. ]

Like who? I don’t know where these “some” are. I haven’t heard from them!

[ Is she evading the question? Obviously. ]

[ It's honestly not surprising that it takes her so long to respond. He knows how Futaba is, after all, and he's putting her in a delicate situation to say the least. He shouldn't, of course, should back away from this whole situation, because he doesn't want to know. But he does, at the same time.

Of course, the real question is, can he be honest with her in return? ]

I imagine some of them are frightened of how your father will react. Or, perhaps, how you will. That some of them aren't inclined to risk damaging a relationship.

[ Purely hypothetically, of course. He wouldn't know anything about that. Obviously. ]

But I imagine they're closer than you think.

[ Futaba reads his reply and for a moment just... stares down at her phone, blinking, caught off guard. She rereads his last messages a few times, then even starts back from the beginning of the conversation and rereads everything they’ve said all over again too, trying to discern if she’s been completely missing something really obvious here the whole time...

Because it sounds a lot like he’s talking about himself and Futaba’ s pulse ticks upwards at the mere possibility.

Perhaps it‘s a remnant of her old distortions, but she never thought Akira would look at her like this— especially not when her fellow female Phantom Thieves are girls like Ann. She’s also having some trouble wrapping her mind around Akira actually admitting to being genuinely scared of something. It’s so unlike their fearless leader and simultaneously, very much like him in this context, considering his caring heart.

She’s afraid herself to take that leap and believe what her feelings are telling her right now, but at the same time, she’s eager to. Curiosity killed the cat, all right... One thing is for sure though: she’s not going to be getting any sleep any time soon if she doesn’t know for certain. If he’s honestly afraid, then that means it’s up to her to take command of the situation this time, right? She can do this. In the pursuit of truth, it is always worth it to risk everything. She can show him she doesn’t always need him to lead. She takes a deep breath and pulls a blanket over her head. ]

...Unless you plan to announce at breakfast to Sojiro that you sent me lewd pictures, I don’t think he’ll be opposed to you being interested in me. He likes you.

As for me— only one way to find out.

[ Was it too blunt? Too on the nose? He isn't sure, and more than that, he has no idea how she might possibly react to the very idea. For a Phantom Thief, for someone who does his best to garb his actions and motivations in secrecy, he feels like he's tipping his hand a lot, here.

Then again, jealousy might do that to a teenage boy.

Still, he's not used to Futaba being... particularly forward, herself. It's not her usual method of action, and when she fires back with a surprisingly blunt message of her own, calling him plainly on what he only partially implied, he's not sure himself how to respond. Should he just lay the truth bare? She certainly doesn't seem overly put off by the idea. Or is that just optimism speaking?

Of course, can he really be called an optimist? It's not usually the word he'd use to describe himself. No, he's far more likely to doubt, to expect the worst, or at least an error or a mistake. Things almost seem to be going too well. ]

Then am I alone in being interested, Futaba? Or am I more than just a "big brother" to you?

[ Oh, he hopes he hasn't just dug his own grave. ]

[ Futaba’s directness shows usually when the subject at hand is something she’s confident about her knowledge of. This is entirely the opposite of a topic she would say she’s educated about, but she’s bluffing intentionally and hoping Akira doesn’t fall her out on it. Her hope is that if she acts like there’s nothing she’s worried about here, he won’t worry either.

So far so good, it seems. Her bluff must be working well enough if he’s opting to give her a straight answer rather than something more roundabout or, worse, outright denial. She’s equal parts relieved and... glad? More like ecstatic. And still really nervous. ]

Bold of you to assume I ever thought of you like that... You’re more like the main hero. Everyone else seemed to like having a little sister so I just, uhm, figured you did too.

I guess we both messed up, huh.

[ Well, she seems to be taking things in stride, so he has no reason to doubt her. And frankly, he's going to just let the inertia of the conversation carry him forward. Because he does want this. And if she wants it, too, then he wants it even more than he did already.

After all, she only deserves the best. It's long overdue, isn't it? ]

A hero, huh? Aren't I a little too shady for that?

And you might play the little sister well, but I'll admit, I was hoping to have a different relationship than that. More.

It might be fixable, at least.

Sorry, but just because you’re chaotic good instead of lawful good doesn’t make you less of a hero. I don’t make the rules! You’re too nice to be an anti-hero.

[ And there it is, in no uncertain terms. He’s laid his cards all out on the table and all her doubts have been effectively dispelled. Futaba isn’t thinking about what she does and doesn’t deserve though. All this time, she’s only ever thought of her “rewards” in the context of how they would be motivating factors for her to continue her work towards bettering herself, towards her recovery from the illnesses festering in her heart and mind.

Even where Akira was concerned, she never thought too much about why she felt so comforted with him near. She probably should have figured it out sooner, but while you can read about many things and learn about it, crushes and first love isn’t really one of those things. It’s different for everyone. ]

I don’t want to be your sister. I never did. I know that now. I... also wanted to be more than just friends. I still do. So how do we fix this?

Oh is that what I am, now?

[ She's such a nerd. It's adorable. ]

I think we just did, at least partly. Or, I suppose I should ask, if you want to be more than just friends, what is it exactly you want to be?

[ Because he's pretty sure that he knows, of course, but it never hurts to make sure. Never hurts to know exactly where you stand with a person, especially in such a... precarious arrangement. But "more than friends" and not a sister, what else could that really mean? ]

[ Oh, she’s getting a little embarrassed now. She has no reason to, but being straightforward with her feelings is difficult enough without having to toss the whole concept of romantic entanglements onto the pile. ]

Um, yeah. You graduated from being my key item. Congratulations!

[ Speaking of being direct though, that question is about as blunt as it gets and Futaba needs a moment to gather her nerve. She understands why he wants it written out in no uncertain terms, she’d like the same from him. Saying it though, even after they’ve come this far, takes courage! ]

Well... your girlfriend, of course.

[ Actually, come to think of it— ]

I mean! If you don’t already have one! Do you?

It's a true honor.

[ He's teasing her, somewhat, of course he is. That isn't going to go anywhere any time soon. But he means it, too. It's an honor, to be thought of her as a hero, when she's seen some of his more... scandalous actions in living color, so to speak.

A Phantom Thief, after all, isn't necessarily the most heroic. ]

Several, actually.

[ There's a beat. ~~No this isn't going to be that Christmas Eve scene.~~ ]

I'm kidding. And there's no one I'd want more than you.

Call me, call me any, anytime!

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