Scenario request: A bit of angst, what if Akechi have a huge crush on someone because they were always very kind and caring to him and gets genuinely worried about him but before Akechi could confess to them Akira already asked them out (they also go to Shujin Academy) and they agreed to go out with him? How would Akechi react to that? Thank you!
SDFGJKSDFGDF SORRY FOR THE WAIT
Kind of brought in a phrase that is commonly used in Japan as a theme for this one! “Shouganai” is typically just translated to “It can’t be helped/nothing can be done”, and though it can be interpreted in a bunch of ways, it kind of just reflects a sort of helplessness in the face of things that are apparently beyond your control (i.e. fate).
APOLOGIES FOR MY WEIRD, JUMPY WRITING STYLE but I hope you enjoy ;;;;;
Shouganai. “It can’t be helped.”
Akechi couldn’t even begin to count how many times he hadheard that phrase, but he could recall that the first time he had ever heard itwas when he had been taken in by his first foster family. “It can’t be helped,”the couple had said, gazing at him in a manner that betrayed their distaste, “Thisis the one we got stuck with, so we’ll just have to deal.” When he was young, the concept of “fate” seemed unwelcoming and foreign; hefeared that if he chose to believe in it, it would be like saying that everythingin his life was prewritten—that being unloved and abandoned had been pennedinto his life. It was for that reason that hearing that dismissive phrase beinguttered by the adults around him had been so unsettling; the sheer resignation intheir voices never even hinted at the desire to fight. What ever happened, he had wondered, to trying to seize control of your ownlife?As he became older, Akechi’s belief in being able to control his own life grew,peaking at the point when he first gained his Persona. Suddenly, he no longerhad to walk down a singular path; other options had been opened up to him, andhe was free to pursue whatever he wanted.He refused to allow some sort of higher being or stupid “fate” to dictate whathe could and couldn’t do.For a while, everything was going well. He had managed to get close to Shido, andhe slowly began to accumulate fame and admiration throughout the country.Everything he had wanted—everything he had been striving for—was slowly comingto fruition, and even the unexpected appearance of the Phantom Thieves wasn’table to completely throw him off. He was determined to succeed so that one day,he would get everything that he wanted—everything that he deserved.Perhaps that’s what made it all so strange. In the face of these large, granddesires of his, Akechi never thought that his longing for a single person couldtemporarily eclipse all other feelings. He had always been fueled by passionand anger, but his unexpected friendship with S/O prompted a different feelingin him—one that was almost unsettling in the way that it made his heart ache.
The mask that he wore in his daily life usually led to people gushing over him,so the fact that S/O failed to do so during their initial meeting had been unexpected.When they simply offered him the handkerchief he had dropped with a smile, hehad wondered if they didn’t recognize him. However, that assumption wasimmediately dismissed when, upon hearing the announcement overhead, theychirped a hasty, “Akechi-san, right? Hope you have a nice day!” shoved thehandkerchief into his hand, and then hurried to catch the train without so muchas a backwards glance.That marked the day when it all began. From that point onwards, he began tonotice S/O whenever he was transferring lines in the mornings to get to school.He’d catch a glimpse of them as they made a mad dash through the station intheir Shujin uniform, apparently perpetually on the verge of being late. Thoughhe’d considered saying hello, the fact that they were always in a hurry—and thatthere was really nothing to be gained from acquainting himself with them—alwaysstopped him.That was the second thing about them that had surprised him: the fact that oneday, they abruptly stepped up beside him and greeted him while he was grabbingsome water at a vending machine.“Good morning, Akechi-san. On your way to school?”He didn’t immediately answer, his eyes having grown round as he gazed down atthem wordlessly, his lips slightly parted. Then, clearing his throat, he offeredthem a pleasant smile. “My apologies. Yes, I’m on my way to school.” He paused,looking them up and down as he arched a brow and grinned. “And you are notrunning late for once, I see?”His teasing words were met with a startled look and an embarrassed excuse aboutmorning clubs, and a part of Akechi was amused to see how easily this personcould be throw off by a simple comment. Howcarefree, he mused, the smile still plastered on his face as he vaguelytook in S/O’s rapid-fire explanation, Iwonder what it must be like to be so simple?“Anyways,” S/O continued, clearly eager to change the subject, “I’m notkeeping you, am I? I still have some time to kill until school starts, but I’mnot sure if your school starts at the same time.”Akechi lifted a hand and gave a dismissive wave. “Ah, don’t worry, I’m fine. Ihave some extra time as well.”“Oh! Do you want to chat for a bit, then?”It was an unexpected offer, and once again, Akechi was left wondering howanyone could be so carefree as to want to spend time with a high stranger.Internally, he grimaced at the thought of making small talk; there was neveranything to be gained by chatting mindlessly about the weather or whateverother thrilling conversation they were bound to engage in.No, he thought in response.But for whatever, stupid reason, his traitorous mouth formed the word “sure”instead.
Akechi was no fool; though he loathed admitting it, he knew that these feelingsswelling inside of him had sprouted from the loneliness that lurked deep insideof him. It came from his desire to be needed by someone—anyone—and his weakness at being bathed in any sort of positiveattention. S/O’s friendliness had been unsettling at first; for the longesttime he had been suspicious of them, wondering just what it was that theywanted from him. Although they had not reacted to his fame during their initialmeeting, he refused to believe that they were just being nice for the sake ofbeing nice. He had no idea how anyone could be so stupidlyhonest and kind (Maybe they actuallyhave people who give a shit, he had thought bitterly at one point), but hesoon came to realize that that was simply how they were. Worse yet, Akechi foundthat he was growing fond of it—of them.The rush that came from being on the receiving end of their warm smiles andattention had become almost addictive for him in nature; he felt happy in theircompany, and the fact that they were always checking up on him made him feel asif someone genuinely cared about his wellbeing. He wanted to keep a hold on these awkwardly fluttering feelings; he craved moreattention, more affection. Akechiknew that his neediness was almost childish in its intensity, but he didn’tcare, and after a long, almost agonizing internal debate with himself (You don’t need this, you don’t deserve this—),he decided at last that he would take the dive and ask S/O out. Although Akechihad never been interested in pursuing a romantic relationship, for the firsttime, he found himself desiring the possibilities that it could bring.
He had everything.When Akechi saw Akira, he was reminded of everything that he lacked in hislife. Despite the rumours that floated around the dark-haired boy, he hadsomehow managed to flourish like a weed in this concrete jungle; he had aclose-knit group of friends, had rapidly built relationships with multiplepeople throughout the city, and had planted his roots in the mere months thathe had been here.So how could the boy who had far more than Akechi ever did—the boy who seemedto have everything—somehow take evenmore?The shock that registered on Akechi’s face lasted only a moment before hisexpression suddenly fell flat, his eyes dimming. He watched blankly as S/O laughedjust a few feet ahead of him, their lips curled in a familiar smile—the one thatthey had always directed at him. The sight would have ordinarily elicitedwarmth to spread through his chest, but when the source of their joy was theboy whose lips were presently being pressed to their forehead, Akechi couldfeel nothing but the heaviness that had suddenly overtaken his limbs. Despitehimself, he let out a choked laugh.Had he honestly expected any differently? There had been one thing that he hadhad that Akira hadn’t.Maybe “fate” existed after all; maybe it was fate that he and Akira lived theirlives as total opposites. The dark-haired boy would get everything Akechi wouldpossibly want, and as for Akechi himself…Shouganai. “It can’t be helped.”Perhaps there was just no changing the fate of someone who was unwanted.Akechi stood there wordlessly as the couple was swept up in the crowd anddisappeared from his view.