Floor 1, Room 3

[jokey]

AKIRA

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[jokey]

[Akira smirks. Kurapika knows better than to let Akira answer a question like that in earnest. While he waits for his coffee to cool, he takes a bite of his scone, letting the sweet and sour orange notes settle over his tongue.]

How so?

[revengier]

You said things I was hoping to never hear. That's how.

[ They were things he needed to hear, which is why it was easy to avoid conversations that could ever lead to hearing them from someone else. He can't—couldn't—let himself get distracted, and words like that?

They're incredibly distracting. ]

[jokey]

Mm. Really?

[Akira's answer is noncommittal, lacking surprise, as if he anticipated Kurapika saying something to that effect.]

...You remind me of someone I used to know. That's why I got so heated.

[revengier]

[ He takes another sip of coffee, eyebrows raising at Akira's tone. That answer was something he expected, wasn't it?

It's almost frustrating just how easily Akira sees right through him. ]

Do I? Tell me about them, then.

[ Maybe if he knows, then maybe simply being around Akira won't make him feel so turned upside down.

...He can hope. ]

[jokey]

[The inevitable subject of Akechi was going to rear up one way or another. The similarities between the two are so stark, so glaring, that Akira feels he owes it to Kurapika to tell him about his old rival and the reason why Kurapika's shaken him to the core.]

How much do you want to know about a dead man?

[Kurapika could easily end up the same. That's what scares Akira.]

[revengier]

[ ...Ah. That certainly provides a bit of clarity, but it makes one thing especially obvious— ]

He clearly impacts you, even now.

[ Kurapika sets his coffee back down on its little plate with a soft clink. ]

Tell me what you would like me to know about him.

[ Ideally, Akira would tell him everything, but Kurapika is beginning to see that that simply isn't how Akira operates. He dodges questions about himself until he's practically cornered, and Kurapika doesn't feel like cornering today.

Maybe Akira will even surprise him and divulge more than he expects. ]

[jokey]

If you're leaving the choice up to me, I'd rather stay mum.

[This is touching on matters that sit close to the heart. Those, as Kurapika has no doubt worked out, are hard for Akira to address, much less discuss with others.

He takes a sip of his coffee. It distracts him, buys him a moment's time, and he couldn't possibly tell you what it actually tastes like.]

...The cards were stacked against him from the start. We had a lot in common, but we came from polar opposite backgrounds. My family has always loved me. He grew up as the unwanted biproduct of an affair.

[Another sip of coffee. It's awfully bitter.]

He would've given anything to seek revenge on his father, and he did. It cost him his life. It didn't matter what I had to say about life, about turning things around and finding a real reason to live— he'd consigned himself to death.

[revengier]

[ Of course he would. That's how Akira operates, and the look that Kurapika gives him at that statement says that he's well aware.

He picks up his fork, gathering up a small bite of the strawberry shortcake onto it, though he doesn't eat it just yet. ]

...I see.

[ It puts a lot of things into perspective, and he doesn't quite know how to feel about it. Surprise, maybe, that they would both end up here in this world and Akira would find someone so similar. ]

Am I the version of him that you think you can save?

[ He doesn't mean it negatively or from a point of jealousy. It's simply a conclusion he's on the cusp of making, and he wonders what Akira will say. ]

[jokey]

[Akira firmly shakes his head.]

You're your own person, Kurapika. Your life is yours. I just wonder if...

[Akira stares down into his coffee, at his own face, at the same sullen anger he stares at in the mirror when he's at his most disappointed with himself.]

...If you'll find more to live for than he did. Revenge isn't a reason to live. It's a death sentence.

[revengier]

[ He breathes out heavily through his nose, finally bringing that bite of cake up to his lips. It doesn't taste like much more than a sugary mess, much different than the last slice of cake he had.

Kurapika allows himself the time to chew and swallow, thinking over Akira's words carefully as he tries to avoid looking at his face. ]

I'm well aware, and I've prepared myself for the possibility of death once I've finished.

[ He pauses, wondering if he should divulge his one real problem here. Why not give Akira this little bit, when he's already said more than he usually would? ]

It's a shame that spending time with people I've grown to like makes accepting that death a lot more difficult.

[jokey]

[That's the answer he expected and the answer he was given before. It's no less painful hearing it a second time around, but at least he's given Akira that lone thread to pull. He does without hesitation.]

That's why I'm not leaving you alone. I won't let you forget how good it feels to have people in your corner. I'm gonna make your life hard as hell, you bastard.

[I won't lose you the way I lost him.]

[revengier]

Really?

[ Akira's tone might be serious, but it's precisely that seriousness that makes Kurapika smile as he leans forward just a bit. ]

Give me the best you've got, then. I doubt you can make it that bad.

[jokey]

You're on.

[Akira is nothing if not doggedly determined. When Kurapika leans forward, so does he, grabbing that cute face between his hands and tugging him in for a quick kiss.]

You'll be begging for mercy by the time we're through.

[revengier]

[ Embarrassing! Supremely embarrassing! It takes a second for his brain to work properly again, momentarily stuttered by that kiss.

When it does, he fixes Akira with a serious look. ]

I highly doubt that. I've never begged anyone for anything, and I certainly don't plan on doing it now or in the future.

[jokey]

Really...?

[He hopes his questioning tone gets under Kurapika's skin. All Akira hears is an invitation to challenge him.]

Not even begging on your knees for me?

[revengier]

[ It sure does, because he practically prickles at that tone. His eyebrows furrow and he straightens his back in an attempt to look a little bit taller, which is hard to do over a table... and with someone taller than him. ]

Never. I've only ever had people beg me, and it won't be any different with you.

1/2

[jokey]

Kurapika...

[Chills run up his spine. The hairs on the back of his neck stand on end...]

[jokey]

...That's super sexy. You'd make a great dominatrix.

[Just saying!]

[revengier]

[ God.

Why is Akira like this? Kurapika frowns as he pulls back and sits back down. He needs space before his brain shuts off again. ]

Shut up and eat your scone. People beg me for their lives, not whatever it is running through your mind right now.

[jokey]

Hehe. Yes sir~

[Oh, it's going to be marvelous when Kurapika gives up on pretending he's modest and whips his ass with those supposed chains he has. Akira can hardly wait.]

Mm, so what's next on the agenda? Are we hitting up the library or checking out some antique stores?

[revengier]

We could go to an antique store. I could use a few more items for my room.

[ He has it almost where he likes it.

Kurapika picks up another bite of his cake, musing as he chews. This time, it tastes much better, the sweetness less a burn and closer to pleasantly light. ]

I'd like to end things at the observatory in West, however. It's far enough away that there's no light pollution, so the view of the sky from the cliff it sits on is beautiful.

[jokey]

I didn't know you were the homemaking type. Antique store it is.

[Akira could also use more items for his room, but that's nothing out of the ordinary for him. As it stands, his room is already littered with gifts and items from the various friends he's made here.

Akira takes another bite of his scone, washing down the dry layers of flaky bread with hot, acrid coffee.]

That's a pretty romantic end to a date. I should let you plan all our dates.

[revengier]

I'm not.

[ Don't get him wrong, Akira. You're the homemaker in this relationship.

He takes his time eating his cake, but it's not long before he's done. After all, it's just a slice.

Kurapika frowns over his coffee, a slight furrow to his brows as he regards Akira. ]

No. You're planning the next one whether you want to or not.

[ Yes, next one. ]

[jokey]

The next one?

[Akira puffs with pride! The next one!!]

I'd be honored to, m'Pika. That won't be hard, considering all our common interests.

[Akira polishes off his vittles and stacks his emptied tableware and sets it aside. Kurapika can take his time finishing his coffee, of course, but Akira is raring to go.]

...This means you're having fun, right?

[revengier]

[ He was until you called him "m'Pika".

Kurapika takes the last sip of his coffee before setting it with the stack Akira has already created. ]

I like you, so of course I am.

[ He stands, straightening out his clothes before regarding Akira. ]

Your coffee is much better, by the way.

[ And with that, Kurapika holds out his hand. Shall we? ]