Custom Glacier Lain
JOJO
CUSTOM GLACIER LAIN OWNED BY The jingle of bells signals his entrance into LeBlanc Cafe, and Goro has to keep himself from sighing as he quietly shuts the door behind him. It had been a frustratingly long week, with Shido becoming more and more vexing with each passing day. The politician had tried not to let it show, but to Goro it was becoming increasingly obvious that the man was getting nervous with the escalating social presence of the Phantom Thieves. Speaking of the Phantom Thieves...
"Welcome to LeBlanc Café!"
"Good afternoon Kurusu-kun." Goro greets pleasantly, already moving towards his usual seat at the bar. "How are you?" The leader of the said Phantom Thieves smiles at him, though it doesn't quite reach his eyes. That small detail makes Goro pause, but he quickly sets his briefcase down on the empty chair beside him, hoping that other male hadn't noticed.
"I'm doing fine, and you?" Goro laughs, his usual television one that makes people swoon.
"Keeping up with work, television appearances, and schoolwork can be rather stressful, but I seem to be in good health, so I can't complain very much." The barista merely hums in response, wiping the counter down quickly before he can settle himself on it. Goro busies himself with opening up his briefcase, the locks clicking with their released tension.
"The usual?" Goro looks up as he pulls out a small book, shutting the briefcase closed.
"Ah, yes! That would be wonderful, thank you."
"Sure, I'll get on it." Goro nods, opening the book and carefully flipping each page to find where he had left off since he last reading session. He reaches it soon enough, and he allows himself to relax as the words of Shakespeare fill his ever preoccupied mind. He's barely halfway through the first poem when a movement in front of him almost startles him. He lowers his book to peer over it's pages to see Kurusu watching him from across the counter, elbows resting on it and head cradled in his hands. "What are you reading this time?"
"I don't think Sakura-san would appreciate such a blatant show of dawdling in his café." He drawls. Kurusu merely shrugs in response, and Goro finds himself having to bite the inside of his lip to keep from smiling. "But if you must know-" He lifts his book up, allowing Kurusu to read the cover of it. "-this is merely a collection of Shakespeare's poems." Their gazes meet, and Goro can only describe the grin on the other's face as cat-like.
"Didn't know you were into the kind of stuff."
He sniffs with disdain at the very thought of liking such an atrocious piece of literature. "I'm not." Kurusu's eyebrows raise in surprise, and he quickly cools his features, embarrassed by how easily he had let his opinion be known.
"Oh? Then why are you reading it?"
"It's an assignment for school, or else, I assure you, I would have never picked up this book under my own fruition." Kurusu laughs, dropping his hand onto the counter.
"Not a fan, huh?"
His lips twitch up into an amused smile, but it's gone as quickly as it appeared. "Obviously not." Goro replies, gesturing to him with a wave of his hand, "And are you not a fan of work?" Kurusu huffs and straightens, wiping his hands on his apron.
"Coffee's just getting finished." He says, tilting his head towards the siphons. "So excuse me for the wait, your royal Highness." Goro flushes at the teasing tone, and the overdramatic bow Kurusu does. He looks down, hoping Kurusu had not taken note of his discomposure. He refuses to look back up, eyes trained on the book's pages instead.
"That shouldn't mean resting during work hours, especially on the counter when customers eat." Kurusu makes a noise of disbelief, stepping away to fix up his coffee.
"Planning to rat me out then?"
"Perhaps. The idea of seeing Sakura-san unleash his wraith on you greatly amuses me." Kurusu laughs, and in a matter of moments, a fresh cup of coffee is being carefully set down in front of him. Biting the bullet, he looks up and offers him a grateful smile, setting his book down. "Thank you very much Kurusu-kun." He says, reaching for the cup.
"It's Akira."
Those words make him falter, and he looks up at Kurusu, eyebrows furrowing with confusion. "Call me Akira." Kurusu clarifies, "It's weird to hear my last name, if I'm being honest."
"It's the formal thing to do." He replies carefully, his usual charming smile making its way back to his lips. He takes a gentle hold of the cup and brings it closer to himself, finger tightening against the porcelain before he speaks. "Apologies."
"No, don't apologize!" The other laughs, waving his hands as to wave away any of his concerns. "But just call me Akira from now on. I insist." He swallows and lifts the cup to his lips.
"Does that mean you would like to call me Goro then?" He takes a sip of the coffee to keep himself from cringing. When was the last time anyone had called him by his first name in such a friendly manner?
"Do you want me to call you Goro?" Kuru-, no, Akira reflects back at him. Goro sets the cup down on its plate with a gentle tink.
"I-" He mulls over the question for a few moments. If he agreed, then he could have an easier time infiltrating the thieves, especially if it meant the leader thought of him as a friend. "I suppose I wouldn't mind." He finally relents. Akira grins, and Goro catches sight of him trying to discreetly wipe sweat from his palms off on his apron.
"Awesome! Enjoy your coffee then, Goro." Goro clears his throat, and picks up his book once more.
"Thank you Akira, I'm sure I will."
"Better than the book, I'm sure." Goro scoffs.
"Leagues above it." Akira tilts his head, and Goro finds his eyes flicking between the other and his book.
"So if you don't mind me asking, what kind of books do you like then? Like what's your favorite?" Goro frowns.
"My favorite book?" He thinks back of a time when he would sit on his mother's lap, a large storybook opened in front of him, pages covered with beautiful drawings. He hadn't seen that particular book in more than a decade, nor has he read it since his mother's death. But he knows, without hesitation, that this book meant more to him than any other. He looks up and meet Akira's gaze, gray eyes watching from behind his glasses. He tucks a stray lock of hair behind his ear. "It's a bit childish." Akira shakes his head.
"Who cares? It's just between us anyway, right?"
"I suppose that's true." Goro sighs, and he thinks for once in his life, it wouldn't be bad being honest. "Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll."
"And here I had you pegged you as a Sherlock Holmes type of guy." Unbidden laughter escapes from his lips, and he quickly covers his mouth to muffle the sound. Akira's eyes widen, and Goro is almost sure he can see hints of red on his cheeks. Goro quickly looks away, lowering his hand.
"Just because I am a detective does not mean my entire life revolves around crimes and investigations."
"Could have fooled me." Goro shakes his head, picking up his cup once more.
"I doubt you're very easy to fool Akira." He says, lowering his gaze to the coffee. He doesn't see the smile fade from Akira's lips, or the way his shoulders seem to droop from exhaustion.
"Sometimes I think I'm more gullible than I let myself believe."
Goro doesn't know how to respond, and silence falls between them until another customer steps in, finally pulling away Akira's attention from him. Goro closes his eyes and takes a steadying breath, heart beating rapidly in his chest.
Akira Kurusu had to die.
But now Goro Akechi isn't sure how easily he can pull the trigger.
