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That day, after school, Takamaki dragged Mishima to LeBlanc, claiming that they needed to hang out... The bluenette didn't quite get why she wanted to spend time with him, but he didn't argue, so he soon found himself at the cafe, sat in Akira's room with Takamaki, Futaba and Akira. The quartet were quiet at first, no one sure what to say, until Takamaki piped up and asked, "So... Mishima, how did you feel about Akechi kissing you?"
"Disgusted," the blue teen replied without a thought, shrugging with one shoulder and looking up from where he'd been checking the Phansite on Futaba's laptop, "I really don't like him..."
That earned a quiet chuckle from Akira, who was sat with his head on Mishima's shoulder. Mishima sent him a curious look, so the younger teen expanded, "It's cute. How much you dislike him..."
That made Mishima blush, and he lightly elbowed Akira before rolling his eyes and focusing on Takamaki as she spoke again.
"So, Mishima... I know it's sudden, but Shiho wants you to visit her," the blonde stated, making Mishima blink in surprise at her. He... What? Why would Suzui-
"She... She said she wants to talk to you, about him ," Takamaki continued, and Mishima tensed considerably. He... He knew it was his fault Suzui had tried to- But he wasn't ready to face her! He felt so guilty and he knew it was his fault and he... He didn't know what to do... He... Takamaki seemed to pick up on his discomfort, rushing to placate him with a soothing, "She thinks you can bond over what happened or something... She says that you two were the most affected by him , so she thinks it'd be good for you both to work through your trauma together."
Mishima visibly hesitated at that. It did seem like a good idea, but he still felt so guilty and he knew that she wouldn't have been hurt anywhere nearly as much as she was if he'd just stood up to Kamoshida or not been weak or-
"She doesn't expect you to be willing to meet straight away," Takamaki stated, shrugging when Mishima sent her a shaky, curious look, "Shiho thinks you probably blame yourself for how hurt she was, so she said that you don't need to meet with her if you preferred not to, but she wants to see you..."
After a moment's more hesitation, Mishima sighed and muttered, "Uh... Ask her when she wants me when you see her next. Please..."
"Sure!" Takamaki beamed, and Mishima relaxed as she changed the topic, asking Futaba something about some movie they'd watched together... As the two girls talked, Akira gently headbutted Mishima's jaw, catching the bluenette's attention. The bespectacled teen seemed to be thinking... He then stood suddenly, holding a hand out to Mishima in silent question. Mishima, Takamaki and Futaba shared a confused look, but the blue teen eventually took the offered handing, getting to his feet, only for Akira to lead him over to his bed... Mishima blushed brightly at that and quietly asked what Akira was doing. Blushing too, the younger teen visibly hesitated before biting his lip slightly.
"I... We're both exhausted, so I figured we could both do with a nap..." he replied, shrugging slightly and intertwining his fingers with Mishima's as he continued, "Of course, I get it if you don't want to..."
Mishima's heart skipped a beat at how adorable Akira was being, although he was very surprised that the younger teen had picked up on how tired he was... He didn't let that stop him as he smiled softly and muttered, "I... I could do with a nap..."
Akira beamed at that, letting go of Mishima's hand just long enough for them both to lie on the bed together, face to face... Mishima had to lie on either his right side or his back, because of his arm, and was on his side with his back to Takamaki and Futaba... Of course, he didn't feel actually comfortable like that, so he sighed and flipped onto his back. For some reason, that seemed to invite Akira to get closer, since the taller teen didn't hesitate to shuffle until he was wrapped around Mishima's side, his head on the bluenette's chest and his arm curled up, gripping Mishima's hand tightly and pulling both of their hands near his lips... Mishima sent Takamaki and Futaba a panicked look, but they both just chuckled at him as Futaba stated, "We'll go annoy Sojiro whilst you two sleep..."
With that, the two girls left. Mishima's heart was beating out of his chest, a fact Akira clearly picked up on as he whispered, "Are you okay?"
"I... Yeah, just... I'm not used to sh... sharing a bed with anyone," Mishima stuttered, carefully adjusting himself so he could rest his chin against Akira's hair. Akira didn't believe him though, muttering about how it was okay for Mishima to say if he was uncomfortable, so the bluenette released a small amused huff before whispering, "I'm fine, Akira... I promise, I'd tell you if I was uncomfortable."
That seemed to calm Akira down, allowing the bespectacled teen to hum happily and nuzzle into Mishima's chest... Noticing the Akira was still wearing his glasses, Mishima let go of his hand (earning a small, displeased noise that was too damn endearing) and carefully moved until he was able to delicately pluck the accessory off of Akira's nose. Carefully, he leaned over and put the glasses on one of Akira's shelves before settling again. For a split-second, he hesitated, but he managed to gather the courage he needed to curl his arm around Akira's shoulders, finding the younger teen's hand and intertwining their fingers... As he waited for Akira to react, Mishima felt his worry building. What if he was being weird and Akira didn't want to cuddle like that or Akira got upset or-
Akira brushed his lips against the back of Mishima's hand softly before burrowing his head in the bluenette's neck, efficiently silencing his thoughts... The action did serve to make Mishima's heart skip a beat, a fact that Akira picked up on and that prompted the taller teen to quietly ask, "Is... Is this okay?"
"I... Yeah..." Mishima managed to force out, but Akira looked up enough to send him a clearly unimpressed look. The action reminded Mishima of how little space was between them, and his heart skipped another beat, which Akira picked up on too. The younger teen frowned, seemingly examining Mishima, before his eyes widened slightly and the bluenette he was laid on realised what was happening... Shit, Akira had figured him out! He... He was going to hate him and they'd never talk again and he'd lose his friend and- Akira smiled slightly, blushing, before carefully moving Mishima's hand. The bluenette didn't try to fight it, too scared of how Akira would react, yet he was soon distracted. Akira had pressed their joined hands to his chest, where Mishima could feel his heart. And it was thumping just as hard as his own...
Mishima looked up from where his eyes had unwittingly followed their hands, focusing on Akira's face. Their eyes met, both of them blushing brightly, and Mishima couldn't help but smile slightly. Akira returned the look before curling in on himself slightly, tucking his head under Mishima's chin and whispering, "We can talk later, okay? We should sleep for now..."
As much as he wanted to ask Akira about how he reacted, about what they were after that implied confession, about what Akira wanted from him, Mishima was able to push those thoughts away as he relaxed. Akira wasn't going anywhere, they had time... Unthinkingly, Mishima nuzzled Akira's hair for a moment, squeezing his hand slightly and muttering a quiet, "Sleep well, Akira..."
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
When Mishima woke up, it was to a complete lack of Akira. For a split-second, he panicked. What if he'd imagined what had happened? What if he'd read the situation wrong? What if-
"Oh! You're awake!" Takamaki's bright voice came from the top of the stairs when she saw that Mishima was sat up. The bluenette sent her a small smile, forcing his feelings into a box as the blonde girl continued, "Akira's been up for maybe half an hour. He said to let you sleep..."
The mention of the taller boy made Mishima's heart ache as his mind helpfully supplied that Akira probably didn't mean anything by his actions earlier... He ignored that, though, in favour of getting out of the bed and stretching, muttering a quiet, "I... I'll be down in a minute..."
Takamaki nodded before heading back downstairs, leaving Mishima alone... The bluenette sighed, falling back onto the bed and sitting with his head in his hands. He had to get a grip. He'd assumed that Akira had feelings for him, yes, but he had not had that suspicion confirmed or denied. He had to wait until he had the chance to talk to Akira... Sighing again, the blue teen forced himself to his feet before walking down the stairs, a little hesitant...
Once in the cafe, Mishima was greeted to the sight of Takamaki and Futaba in a deep conversation (something about helping Makoto and Okumura get together, by the sounds of it?) while sat in one of the booths as Akira and Boss cooked something that smelt absolutely to die for... Akira looked up from his work, catching Mishima's eye and freezing. The pair stayed like that, blushing and staring at each other, until Akira cleared his throat and called out a quick 'hello' before focusing on the chicken he was cutting up. Mishima echoed the greeting before walking over to the booth Takamaki and Futaba were sat in, glaring at them both when they smirked at him, and asking, "What are you talking about?"
"How gay Makoto and Haru are for each other," Futaba replied bluntly, drawing a small laugh from Mishima. Of course, he covered his mouth as soon as the sound was out, eyes a little wide, but he didn't get the chance to apologise because Futaba cut him off with a curious, "Why do you always do that? Cover your mouth after you laugh?"
Mishima tensed a little, a flash of memory creeping at the edge of his mind, but he shoved that away as he shrugged and stated, "Dunno. Reflex mostly..."
"Why would you need to hide your laugh? It's adorable!" Takamaki gasped dramatically, and Mishima's cheeks flushed brightly. His blush darkened even further when Akira suddenly slide into the booth next to him and agreed with Takamaki.
"I... Uh... I'm not cute... I...." Mishima tried to argue, ducking his head, but Akira sighed and was quick to wrap an arm around his waist, pulling the smaller teen closer. That made Mishima squeak, embarrassed, but he didn't pull away. On the contrary, he involuntarily melted into Akira's side, smiling a little as his head fell against his friend's shoulder (although, were they really just friends at this point? It almost seemed like they were more...). Akira's head comfortably leaned on blue hair, and Mishima's heart skipped a beat. He... He didn't know what was with Akira. He'd implied that he liked Mishima back, but... What if he was reading the situation wrong? What if Akira didn't actually want him? What if-
"You're adorable," Akira whispered, making Mishima's blush flare up as he instinctively hid his face in Akira's shoulder. That earned him a quiet chuckle from the bespectacled teen before Akira focused on Takamaki and Futaba, asking, "Do you have a plan to help Makoto and Haru get together?"
Mishima didn't pay much attention to the conversation the other three were having, happy to just let their voices wash over him as he got lost in his own mind... He... He'd never expected to be this happy, not after everything he's been through. Of course, he wasn't completely perfect, he still struggled with darker thoughts and the guilt and the pain, but honestly? He was in a much better place than he'd ever been. He was happy -truly, sincerely happy- in a way he'd never been before... However, he couldn't help but worry. He was waiting for the other shoe to drop, for everyone to drop him , for it all to come crashing down-
Akira lightly nudged Mishima's head with his chin, catching the bluenette's attention and making him look up. The taller teen smiled slightly before softly stating, "You're being quiet..."
Mishima shrugged, sitting upright but sticking close to Akira as he muttered back, "I... I'm just thinking..."
Akira raised a curious eyebrow at that but Boss stopped him from pressing by placing their dinners down. The quartet of teens thanked the older man before focusing on their food. Takamaki launched into some story about something she and Suzui had done just after they became friends, and Mishima let himself bask in the peace of the evening. Spending so much time with these people -his friends!- was... amazing. And something Mishima wanted to hold onto forever... But he couldn't, as proven by the end of their meal. Once everyone was finished eating, Boss volunteered to drive Mishima and Takamaki home, offering something about the trains probably not running as an excuse. Although, it was pretty obvious that he just wanted to because he was worried about the pair... Mishima and Takamaki agreed easily, but Akira seemed a little put out by the idea, pouting slightly as he asked, "Can Yuuki stay the night? If you want to?"
As much as Mishima wanted to agree, he knew that he couldn't... His meds were at home, and he didn't have everything he'd need for school the next day on him... He sighed, shaking his head slightly and stating, "I'd love to Akira, but not tonight... Some other time?"
There was a flash of something akin to hurt in Akira's eyes, and Mishima was struck by the reminder that he wasn't the only one caught in limbo by their almost confessions... The bluenette hesitated before leaning against Akira's side, smiling up at him and muttering, "I... I could probably sleep over Saturday night? If you'll have me?"
Akira visibly brightened at that, nodding before nuzzling Mishima's hair slightly. The smaller teen blushed brightly at that but didn't pull away until Boss said they needed to get going soon. He was quick to gather his things, although he lingered hesitantly by the door just before leaving... Boss, Takamaki and Futaba were already outside, so it was just him and Akira in the cafe. The pair watched each other, silent, until Mishima took a deep, grounding breath. Shoving his anxiety and concerns and worry down, he leaned up quickly, pressing a sweet kiss to Akira's cheek before fleeing. He didn't look back, too embarrassed and anxious about Akira's reaction, hurrying to Boss's car and getting in as quickly as he could. He didn't know why he'd done that. Sure, it almost seemed like Akira returned his feelings, but what if he was reading into it too much? What if he was projecting? What if he was wrong ? What-
"So... Are you and Akira done dancing around each other yet?" Takamaki suddenly asked, making Mishima release a small, shy noise and blush brightly. That earned a laugh from the blonde girl, who smiled and rolled her eyes fondly before continuing, "I'll take that as a no... Surely you've figured out that he has actual feelings for you, right? And that it's not just sex?"
Mishima hesitated before muttering shyly, "I... Uh... That seems to be the right conclusion, but..."
"You want to have proof?" Takamaki asked quietly, looking over at Mishima from her seat on the left side of the back of the car. The younger boy hesitated again before nodding, so Takamaki smiled reassuringly at him before muttering, "Do you want help with getting proof?"
Mishima blinked in surprise at the offer, but Boss spoke up before he could reply, curiously asking, "What was that comment about sex?"
"Mishima thought Akira only wanted him for sex," Takamaki replied before the bluenette in question could speak, earning a small, surprised squawk. Boss chuckled at that, his eye roll visible in the rearview mirror, before asking why Mishima thought that. The teen hesitated, unsure as to what he could say without being too embarrassing, before taking a grounding breath and muttering out a reply.
"I... Uh... He's shown physical interest in me before, b... but I figured that was all it was..." he stuttered, shrugging a little. Boss made an understanding noise at that, but didn't press. The trio lapsed into silence for a while, staying that way until Boss asked Takamaki about the way to her home. When the car began to roll down a familiar road, Mishima raised an eyebrow, an eyebrow that climbed up even higher on his forehead when Boss stopped outside of Takamaki's home... He hesitated before smiling slightly and muttering to Boss, "I can walk home from here..."
"Really?" Takamaki asked, stopping just outside of the car after climbing out, "Do you live near here?"
Mishima nodded, exiting the car carefully and thanking Boss. However, before he could say more, he was cut off by a gasp and a familiar voice asking, "Yuuki?"
The teen in question froze before turning to the source of the voice, forcing himself to smile slightly when he got confirmation of who the speaker was... For a moment, the pair stared at each other, neither sure what to say, until Mishima gathered all of his courage and stuttered out, "He... Hello Yuuri."
Boss visibly stiffened at the name drop, even though he was still in the car, although Takamaki and the (vaguely familiar) girl Yuuri was with seemed somewhat confused... The teen boys stared at each other for a long moment, but Yuuri broke first, grinning uncontrollably as he walked closer, stopping just in front of Mishima and babbling out, "It's been what... Nearly a year, now? How are you? What are you doing here? Who's your girlfriend?"
Mishima found himself relaxing despite himself, smiling slightly as he replied, "Yeah, nearly a year... I'm well! And I'm here because my friend's dad," here he gestured at Boss, "wanted to drop Takamaki -who is just my friend , not my girlfriend- and I off home. But I live near-by, so I figured that I'd get out here then just walk home... And you? How are you? And who's your friend?"
"I'm... Well, you know my parents... Mother actually told me that she saw you recently? And about your parents..." Yuuri trailed off there, but Mishima reassured him that he was fine, so he continued, "And this is my girlfriend, Natsuki!"
Mishima raised an eyebrow at that, but just smiled. He'd moved on from Yuuri, anyway, so he was happy his ex was happy... Yuuri did seem a little concerned about the reveal that he was dating someone, but Mishima was quick to reassure him by focusing on Natsuki and greeting her with a stuttered, "Um... Nice to meet you. I... I'm an old friend of Yuuri's, Mishima Yuuki..."
"As in... Yuuri's ex-boyfriend?" Natsuki asked, glancing between the boys as a hint of self-doubt danced behind her eyes... As surprised as he was that Yuuri had told his girlfriend about their relationship, Mishima didn't want to cause any issues, so he rushed to rectify the situation.
"I... Uh... Yeah..." he stuttered, earning a surprised look from Takamaki but ignoring that in favour of shrugging and continuing, "It's been a while since Yuuri and I spoke though, so all the feelings there have gone... No offence Yuuri! We've just both moved on..."
Yuuri raised an eyebrow at that, smirking a little as he spoke with a teasing lilt, "Does that mean you're dating someone new?"
Mishima blushed brightly at that, arguing even as his brain supplied that it was almost like he and Akira were dating, but he was cut off by a bright laugh. Takamaki stepped forward, beaming at Yuuri as she stated, "Mishima and our friend, Akira, have been doing a weird flirting thing for ages now, but neither of them have made a move yet..."
"Takamaki!" Mishima hissed, cheeks heating up even more, but Yuuri just chuckled and shook his head.
"If you and this Akira ever figure it out, we should go on a double date!" he suggested, pulling out his phone and passing it to Mishima, "Gimme your number, and we can talk!"
The bluenette shook his head fondly at Yuuri's antics, smiling slightly as he entered his contact info before sending a quick text to his own phone so he had Yuuri's number... Once that was done, Mishima checked the time and frowned. It was late, and he told Yuuri as much, so the brunette said he and Natsuki had to get going. The group said their goodbyes quickly, and Mishima soon found himself back home. As he dropped his stuff in the living room, he felt his phone vibrate against his leg. He was quick to pull it out, and even quicker to smile when he saw who had texted him.
Akira: Text me when you get home? Xxx
Mishima blinked in surprise, eyes wide as he reread the message over and over again, lingering on the end... Akira had sent him... kisses? Three of them? If it was just the one, Mishima could have brushed it off as just a typo, but three? What... What did it mean? He... He brushed his thoughts aside as he sat down on the couch, smiling a little as he texted back.
Me: Just got back.
He hesitated before adding two kisses on the end and sending. As he waited for Akira to get back to him, he got up and started to pace. What if Akira didn't actually feel that way? What if he didn't want Mishima that way? What if- A ding echoed around the room, and Mishima grabbed his phone quickly, his panic melted away, replaced by a sweet warmth.
Akira: Ann just texted and said you ran into your ex?
Mishima hesitated. With the way he and Akira had been flirting, the younger teen might have been... awkward about hearing that Mishima ran into his ex. The bluenette didn't know how his friend (kinda-boyfriend? Whatever he and Akira were now) would feel about Yuuri, or-
Get a grip, the bluenette told himself, scowling slightly, You don't have feelings for Yuuri anymore, and Akira will understand that. Besides, there's every chance you've overthought his actions and he doesn't actually have feelings for you. Don't get your hopes up...
After that little pep talk, Mishima forced himself to take a deep breath and respond to Akira's text.
Me: Yeah. He was with his girlfriend.
Akira didn't reply for a few minutes, and Mishima couldn't help but worry. This time, instead of pacing, he grabbed the butterfly knife he'd taken to keeping under the couch's pillows, flicking it open and starting to do a few tricks... He always found that keeping his hands busy helped him, and knife skills were pretty useful in general, so he'd learnt them... Of course, the usually soothing actions didn't help now as he waited for Akira to reply, for the inevitable rejection, for- His phone dinging again stopped his thoughts as he put away the knife and focused on the screen.
Akira: Are you okay with him having a girlfriend?
Mishima raised an eyebrow at that before smiling slightly and rolling his eyes , replying quickly.
Me: Of course! It's good that we've both moved on.
Akira: Have you moved on? You really care about him...
Eyes a little wide, Mishima considered what Akira meant. Surely he couldn't be... jealous? Although, they did have their weird flirting thing, and there was a pretty high chance that Akira had feelings for him... It made sense... Sighing, Mishima typed out a quick reply, leaning back into his couch.
Me: Of course!
Me: He'll always mean something to me, of course. He was the first person I had feelings for and my first friend.
Me: But I don't see him like that anymore.
Me: I kinda... like someone else anyway...
Once that final message was sent, Mishima wanted to throw his phone against a wall. He... He'd just told Akira he had a crush on someone! Sure, he hadn't specified who, but that was almost worse! There was every possibility that Akira would read it wrong and get hurt and-
Mishima's phone rang suddenly, startling the teen, but he was able to pull himself together enough answer and quietly ask, "He... Hello?"
"Who... Who do you like?" came Akira's voice, just on the edge of tight and worried, but also a little hopeful... Mishima hesitated, terrified about what the younger teen would say if he actually confessed aloud... However, when Akira asked again, a tint of desperation in his tone, the small bluenette forced himself to inhale, hold and exhale for the counts of four, seven and eight respectively, repeating that a couple of times before replying.
"I... Uh... Yo... You..." he stuttered, barely audible, but Akira heard. He heard and he'd made a small gasp and he wasn't talking and oh God Mishima had messed it up and Akira hated him and-
"I... I like you too..." Akira breathed, relieved and overjoyed, and Mishima's heart stopped in his chest. Despite the fact that he'd already figured as much, hearing as much, hearing Akira confess , was... wow. Mishima didn't know what to do or say. He'd never really expected for Akira to say that, even after he figured that there was a chance that the other teen reciprocated his feelings. It was just... Akira was amazing and cool and so damn attractive, whereas Mishima was just... plain and boring and only even remotely good-looking because he worked out and-
"I... I really like you, Yuuki..." Akira whispered, and Mishima felt flushed with warmth. This was real. Akira liked him back... There was a beat of silence before Mishima found himself giggling, the sound earning an amused but slightly insecure huff from Akira, who asked shyly, "I... Are you okay? I... is that good laughter? Or... Or did I do something wrong? Or-"
"I... I'm sorry," Mishima cut him off, barely containing his joy as he resisted the urge to bury his face in a pillow and scream, "I... I just... You have no idea how long I've wanted to hear you say that... I... I always thought there was no way you'd return my feelings, at least not until we recently started flirting and-"
"Recently?" Akira asked, disbelieving. Mishima paused, blinking in surprise before muttering a quiet 'yeah' and earning a soft chuckle from Akira, who breathed out, "Yuuki... I've been flirting with you since June..."
Mishima froze at that, blinking in surprise. There was no way... Although, now that he looked back, there was plenty of evidence... Groaning, the bluenette gave into the urge to smother his face in a pillow. Akira's amused chuckle was audible, and Mishima groaned again. How had he not realised sooner? He was such an idiot! He- Oh, yeah, his crippling self-esteem issues. That made sense... Sighing and sitting upright, Mishima quietly whispered, "I... I really like you too..."
"Thank God," Akira sighed, tone full of relief and joy, "I... When you started flirting with me, I thought it was probably just a sex thing-"
Mishima snorted there, earning a confused and slightly indignant noise, so he rushed to correct whatever Akira thought, "N... No! It's not bad, just... Well, I... Uh... I picked up on the fact that you li... like me physically, bu... but I thought was all it was on your side but I wasn't even completely convinced that you saw me that way, so I started flirting with you to try to figure out if you actually had any sort of attraction to me..."
"I mean... I do find you physically attractive, Yuuki..." Akira practically purred, and Mishima blushed brightly, squeaking a little as Akira continued, "But I also like you as a person..."
"You... You can't just say things like that, Akira!" Mishima whined, but he was smiling. Akira snorted and mumbled something about how adorable Mishima was, earning another pained noise, before the older of the pair caught sight of the time on his clock and cussed quietly.
"Are you okay?" Akira asked instantly, his frown audible in his tone. Mishima's heart warmed at the concern, his smile growing without his permission.
"Yeah, I just..." the bluenette sighed, pouting slightly, "I have school tomorrow still... I'd love to keep talking, but..."
"You need to sleep?" Akira suggested, and Mishima made a noise of agreement. There was a moment of hesitation and silence before Akira sighed and shyly asked, "Um... Before you have to go, I... What are we?"
Mishima paused, unsure, before forcing himself to have courage. He took a deep, grounding breath before stuttering out, "I... I was hoping... b... boyfriends?"
"I... I'd really like that..." Akira whispered, and Mishima relaxed, his heart fluttering in his chest. Akira was his boyfriend! Akira liked him! Akira- was talking again, stating, "I... I've never dated anyone before."
"That's okay," Mishima reassured, earning a relieved sigh from Akira. The older teen dared to glance at the clock one more time, sighing himself and pouting as he murmured, "I really should go to sleep..."
Akira made a disappointed noise that prompted Mishima to chuckle fondly before whispering, "I... I really do like you, Yuuki..."
Warmth swallowed Mishima as his cheeks flushed, but he didn't hesitate to murmurer back, "I really like you too, Akira..."
"I... Is it bad that I don't want to end our call?" Akira asked quietly, and Mishima smiled. He'd been thinking the exact same thing... He told Akira as much, earning a small laugh and a fond, "You should try to sleep... But... I... Could I stay on the call until you fall asleep? I know it sounds weird, but... Well, I've been struggling. Since we were both kidnapped..."
Mishima froze at the reminder of what happened, but relaxed when he registered the rest of what Akira said. To be honest? Mishima had been struggling too... He sometimes woke up and thought that Akira was actually dead, and was plagued by nightmares and just... It was difficult... He took in a deep breath, releasing it and the tension in his muscles before replying with a soft, "I... I've been having a hard time too... So, yeah, we can stay on call..."
Akira made a pleased noise before suggesting Mishima did his usual evening routine. The bluenette agreed and recommended that Akira did the same. For a few moments, they discussed how they'd do their things without ending the call before deciding to just get leave the call running. Mishima was quick to take his meds before heading up to his room, carrying his phone and starting to ramble, "You know, I've been thinking about getting a cat. It... It can be lonely here, sometimes... When my parents were alive, they never wanted me to have a pet. And cats are just so cute , you know? And they're independent, so one would be okay, even with my busy schedule. But I'm not completely sure, you know? I mean, I'd love one, but... I've never had a pet! So there's every chance I'd mess up or something..."
"You could cat-sit Morgana, if he agrees... He liked you a lot," Akira stated just as Mishima got to his room. The older teen hummed in agreement, putting his phone on speaker as he shifted through his drawer to find a set of PJs.
"That's a great idea! But... He'd probably say no. Don't you think? Besides, I probably won't get a cat for a while... I need to get a proper job before I can get a pet. Working for Boss is good, don't get me wrong! But I need to get a steady job before I can even consider feeding another mouth..." he replied, changing as he did. There was a moment of struggle when Mishima's arm got difficult, but he managed. Akira hummed in understanding, the sound of rustling on his end of the phone telling Mishima that he was getting dressed. That made the bluenette blush, his mind helpfully supplying the image of what Akira probably looked like...
"So... What kinda cat would you get?" Akira asked, the rustling stopping as he seemingly settled down. Mishima considered it for a moment as he turned his lights off and settled in his bed, laying on his back and tracing his ceiling with his eyes. He hesitated before grabbing his charger, plugging it and his phone in before replying.
"I've always been partial to ginger British shorthair cats," he stated, smiling slightly when Akira made an interested noise, "But black and white cats like Morgana are cute too..."
Akira hummed in agreement, so Mishima continued, quietly debating whether or not he should get a cat. The conversation drifted off at what point, Akira no longer replying, and Mishima frowned. Had he upset Akira? Or- A soft snore made Mishima's heart flutter. Akira had fallen asleep... Mishima smiled to himself, putting his phone on speaker and leaving it on his drawers, settling in for the night with a whispered, "Goodnight, Akira..."