Chapter Text
As a boy that has always cared a lot about friends, Akira found the idea of someone being alone on his birthday simply preposterous!
Of course, he wouldn't put it like that exactly, after all, no seven-year-old says preposterous, but he has the basic idea of what it means.
So, it was Akira's birthday! He was turning seven today and everything was going perfect. His party was at his favorite park, he had a very tasty cake, all the kids from school were here, even his cousins he never even talked to showed up, he got a bunch of new toys and clothes (he didn't really like the clothes, but he had to pretend not to hurt his family's feelings). He was really really happy.
And even as a kid, always aiming to make his friends happy, he was making sure that every other kid here was smiling or eating as much candy as they could, so when he saw the boy crying on the other side of the park, his reaction was to, of course, approach and try to cheer him up.
"Hey?" Akira sat by the boy's side. "Why are you alone? Don't you want to eat cake with us?"
The boy was hugging his knees, sobbing silently, but as soon as Akira spoke, he turned to face him with impressive speed, clearly startled.
He wore this expression- a mix of confusion and disbelief- as if Akira was some sort of weird creature.
Just as Akira was going to try bringing him to the party, his mom called.
"Akira! Your auntie wants to give you her present! What are you doing?"
He got up, but before leaving he looked at the crying boy one last time.
"You don't need to come if you don't want to, ok? I'll bring you cake later!" He smiled and ran back to his mother.
"Akira," she tried to fix his hair, but she should've known the curls had a life of their own. "Why did you leave? Are you not liking your party?" She knelt in front of him "is that why you were all alone in there?"
"No, I was trying to help my friend! He was crying and no one wanted to play with him. I think he's shy and doesn't want to eat cake."
His mom looked around. "Crying? I don't think..."
"Aki, sweetie!" His aunt gave him a bear hug, enough to suffocate him. "Happy birthday, my little angel."
He left with his auntie to see his presents and spent the rest of the day with his friends. He didn't see the sad boy again, but as promised, he kept a piece of cake for him.
Sometimes, when his mom was busy working and he didn't have any playdates scheduled, he'd go with his auntie to the park to play with frogs he'd find by the lake.
As always, catching frogs is awesome and they're adorable, when he got up to show his auntie the cute little animal he was holding, something else caught his eye.
He immediately rushed to where his auntie was sitting, leaving the frog behind and grabbing the tupperware full of cake and a variety of candies he insisted on bringing to the park.
"Need a snack already?" She chuckled and pinched his chubby cheeks, it hurt a little but he didn't mind.
"I'll be right back! I promise!" He smiled and ran away with all the sweets he brought.
As he approached the boy, he noticed how he was crying just like last time, all alone, hugging his knees, and no one around seemed to care.
He decided he'd make him smile today.
"Hey! You didn't stay for cake that time!" He rushed to sit right beside his crying friend, which wasn't a good idea since he slammed his butt a little too harshly on the ground.
The boy looked at him, that same mix of confusion and surprise in his eyes, but the tears never stopped.
"I brought you cake like I promised, but when I got back you weren't there... Do you like strawberries? It's strawberry cake, and there are other sweets too if you want." He put the container close to the crying boy, looking at him expectantly.
When the other opened his mouth to speak, his voice echoed in his head, it sounded far away even if he was standing so close.
"You can see me..?" Was what he said.
"What do you mean? Of course I can, I just offered you cake," he took the lid off and slid the container close to the other kid again "I kept it for you because you left the party early."
The teen's tears kept on falling as he looked at the cake, it didn't wet the candy tho, in fact, they seemed to disappear midair.
"Why are you crying? When I cry my mom gives me hugs to feel better, do you need one too?" He approached him.
The other pointed at the cake, looking at it like someone would look at an alien egg. "Why did you bring me this?"
"Because you're sad..." Akira frowned. "And I get sad when I see you cry, I want to make all my friends happy."
"I'm not your friend. You don't know me."
"Well, then, I'm Akira Kurusu, we're friends now, right? What's your name? You're really tall too, how old are you?"
He stared at Akira for a while. "I'm 16... I think."
"So that's why... My birthday party was three days ago, I'm 7 now!" Akira smiled while showing the number with his hands. "You should have joined us, my cousins are 15, you could've played with them."
The boy sighed and looked away, frowning, he held his knees close to his chest again. "You wouldn't get it... You're a fucking kid."
"You shouldn't say that, it's bad." Akira reprehended him.
"Akira! It's going to rain, let's go back home!! Don't bring any frogs under your shirt this time or I will scream really loud ok?!" His auntie shouted, walking around the part looking for him.
"Ah, I have to go... I'll come back another day, okay? You can have the cake, I will just tell her that I lost the box." He got up. "Please don't cry, I'll play with you when I come back."
His new friend didn't answer, so Akira took that as a chance to go back to his auntie before she started worrying.
His mom let him go back to the park a few days later. Akira was worried his friend wouldn't be there, especially since he had a lot of candy he hid in his pockets and if his mom found out she'd be pretty mad...
Well, he didn't need to worry, as soon as he got to the park he saw the same sad kid sitting on a bench.
"Hi" Akira sat by his friend. "I'm back."
"I can see that."
"You didn't tell me your name, I can't call you sad friend forever." Akira dug his hoodie's pockets searching for the mini-chocolates he brought. "Here, I brought you this."
"I don't like candy."
"Oh... I didn't know that, sorry..." He frowned. "Did you at least like the cake?"
"What the fuck is wrong with you? You don't know me, what do you want!?"
Akira stared at him. "I just don't want you to be sad, I'm sorry if I annoyed you."
There was an uncomfortable silence between them, and surprisingly, his friend was the one to break it.
"I'm Akechi, by the way..."
"That's a pretty name, I'm Akira Kurusu."
"You told me that already."
"Oh. Sorry..."
And there it was, the awkward silence again.
"I'm sorry, I don't know how to- I haven't talked to anyone in so fucking long... It's kinda funny that the only one that can talk to me now is some stupid kid."
"What about your friends?"
Akechi sighed, endless tears flowing down his cheeks. "You do remember no one else can see me, right?"
"What do you mean? I can see you..."
With another (slightly annoyed) sigh, he got up and pushed Akira, or at least, that's what he would've done if his hands didn't pass right through the kid.
"Wait..." Akira got up and tried to touch Akechi, his hand passing through the other's belly. "That's so cool! I can pass through you!"
Akira smiled and started walking through Akechi. "I can kinda see through you too!"
"You sure are having fun... That makes one of us at least."
He let Akira tire himself out after running laps passing through his body, when the younger one sat down trying to catch his breath, Akechi asked:
"So you're not scared of me?"
Akira looked at him, a picture of utter confusion. "Why would I?"
"Because I'm a ghost! A demon, a curse! Are you really this stupid!? I mean... Ugh, I'm arguing with a kid..." He sat by the kid's side again.
"I'm not scared of ghosts... Are you a mean ghost? You don't seem like one." He answered simply. "You just look sad."
"Oh shut up, what do you know..." Akechi scoffed.
"No one else can see you, right? So, does this mean you're just hanging around here alone?" He looked around, frowning at the idea of Akechi being alone in the park crying while everyone had a good time around him.
"What if you came home with me?"
"what!?" Akechi's eyes widened so much Akira thought they'd pop off for a second.
"Yeah! You can stay in my room with me, and we can talk and play games and watch cartoons!"
"Absolutely not, it'd be super weird, what would you even tell your mom when she catches you talking to yourself- actually, what makes you think I'd want to follow you around like some puppy?" He crossed his arms, looking at Akira defiantly.
"You don't need to if you don't want to, but I like you, and I don't have many friends so it'd be cool to spend time with you since we're best friends!"
"Wow, from strangers to best friends in a day? What next? You're going to propose?"
"What?"
"Nevermind." He sighed. "You know what... I'll think about it, kid."
"Yay!" Akira smiled. "I'm going to tidy my room later then."
He looked at his mom a little far from where he was sitting, she was texting someone.
"You should go back to your mommy now, Kurusu." Akechi was also looking at Akira's mom, his tone was different now, he sounded way sadder. Akira knew by now that he never stopped crying but there seemed to be more tears flowing down now, or maybe it was just his imagination.
"Cherish her, ok? Will you promise to do that?"
Akira kept on looking at him, he nodded, not understanding what the older boy meant but he felt that he needed to agree.
"Good. Go back to her now, spend some time together. I'll see you some other day." He got up.
"Will you be back this week for us to talk?"
Akechi put his hand on his chin, holding it lightly in a thinking motion. "Probably not." He shook his head and frowned.
"Oh... The next one maybe?"
Akechi shook his head again. "It'll be a little longer than that... but don't worry, I'll be back eventually."
"Where are you going?"
"I've been... Looking for someone, it's a personal matter, again, you're a kid, you wouldn't get it."
Akechi was right, he couldn't really understand what he meant or why he was leaving. Weren't they friends now? Why was he staying away for so long?
"Hey, I'll be back. And, well, I'm sure you'll be full of friends, you won't even remember me by then..."
"No!" Akira stared at him with the intensity no seven-year-old should have. "I'll wait for you to get back, I'll tidy my room too and cherry my mom!"
"Did you mean cherish?"
"Yes! I'll... Do that! So, you better come back, I'll remember you no matter how many friends I have."
"Heh... You're a weird kid, you know that?" He grinned. "Okay, I'll remember you too, Kurusu. Until we meet again." And with that, he disappeared on thin air.
True to his word, Akechi didn't come back that week, or the next. Or the one after that, and the other one too.
Akira didn't lie when he talked about not having many friends so he missed Akechi a lot. He didn't know anything about the other, he realized, like... What kind of food does he like? What's his favorite cartoon? Where are his parents? Does he like catching frogs too? Maybe he should invite him to catch frogs with him next time...
Akira kept his promise, he didn't forget Akechi, and he kept his room organized (as much as possible...) in hopes he'd come back soon.
He didn't come back.
Not the next month, or the other, or the one after that. When he realized, it was already his 8th birthday.
Less of his cousins were there, he noticed, but it was an amazing party still. His auntie, energetic as ever, came all the way from the city with a new Pokemon game for him to play, and also a bunch of toys (and unfortunately, clothes too...)
Just like all his other parties, he had a great time. He also kept a piece of cake in case his best friend came back.
Akechi didn't come back the next month too. He didn't get to eat the cake, it was thrown in the garbage. He also wasn't back by Akira's 9th birthday.
It wasn't a great party... His mom argued with some of their relatives and he had a very bad feeling about this. His auntie stayed by his side most of the time, he was pretty sure she was trying to keep him away from "trouble". Whatever trouble was...
It was a party for him, but he felt sad.
When he tried to ask his auntie what was going on she just said everything was fine and this was a "grown-up" issue, nothing he had to worry about. Akira remembered the boy he met at the park.
He didn't really remember his voice but he remembered he had fun with him, even when he used complicated words.
After the party, his auntie went to the hotel she was staying at, his mom locked herself in her room after washing the dishes, and his dad as always didn't even call.
Even if he was "just a kid", he felt alone. He wished his friend was here to talk to him.
Akira's bedroom was always organized. Cleaning had become some sort of hobby for him. His shelves were always dustless, his plushies were displayed in size order, the windows were always spotless. He liked seeing the results after a day of dusting and mopping.
Akira knocked on his mom's door, hoping she'd be awake by now. He noticed she'd been weird lately, and didn't want to leave her room. It was only natural to worry about her health.
"Mom? Are you awake? Do you need me to go to the drug store again?" He asked, patiently waiting by the door.
"Aki, honey... Mommy's going to stay here today, okay? I'm coughing a lot and don't want you to get sick..." As if on cue, she started coughing. "There's food in the fridge, you can eat that before school, right?"
"Yes, mom. Do you need anything? Can... Can I help you somehow?"
"No, honey... Mommy's fine, I just need to rest for a while, that's all... You can call auntie Lisa if you want, she can make you company." She coughed again.
"Okay... I hope you get better soon." He murmured. "I'm ready for school already, I'm going to have lunch now then leave, ok?"
She didn't answer but he knew she heard him.
Akira carried out with his chores. He ate but made sure there was still food for his mom, washed the dishes, went to school, doodled on the school table and got called out for it, the usual. Aside from the fact that a kid dropped a glass of grape juice on him, it was routine.
At the end of the day, he had a lot on his mind. Moving on autopilot, he left the subway and started quietly walking back home.
His thoughts drifted to his mom and how concerned he was about her health. She seemed fine, but as always, Akira has this feeling that something was wrong.
"Oh boy, did anyone tell you that you look like absolute shit? Why is your uniform purple?"
Akira held in the startled yelp, heart almost beating out of his chest when he saw someone was following him. Someone was following him and he hadn't heard it even when the street was mostly dirt and rocks.
"Akechi?"
"Hey, little man, thought you wouldn't remember me." Akechi grinned through never-ending tears. "I hate how this is going to make me sound like a proud uncle or something but, wow you've really grown."
Akira realized that he didn't hear someone following him because the person -or not-person?- was floating. Ok, that was pretty cool, he thought.
"I grew a little, yes... You've been gone for a while... It's almost my birthday again." He got back on walking, Akechi followed him.
"Again? How old are you now? Like, 8 or something?"
"I'm basically 10 already." He rolled his eyes. "Why were you away for so long?"
"Well, I told you, I'm looking for someone, not that you'd-"
"I missed you." He looked at Akechi, it was weird, he had forgotten what he looked like in the past years but now that he's seeing him again it's like he never left.
Akechi looked back at him, the utter picture of shock. Was it this hard to believe him?
"We- I mean..." He scoffed, crossing his arms. "That is just the sort of brainless sentimentality I should expect from a kid... Why do you care so much? It's not like we've known each other for long, we talked like, what, three times before I disappeared from your life?"
"I know. I find it weird, to be honest. Like, I don't know anything about you, I actually didn't even remember a lot of things about you until now, but, when I saw you, I was... Really happy!" Akira smiled. "From the first time I talked to you, I knew we'd be friends. I had a feeling."
"Oh wow, you had a feeling." He mocked. "That's ridiculous."
When they got home, Akira took off his shoes at the door and yelled "Mom, I'm home!" before actually going in.
Akechi stood by the door.
"I should leave... Meet you at the park..?" He looked at the younger boy with a hint of uncertainty. "Whenever you're free, I have like, eternity left..."
"I tidied my room, you know?" Akira grinned. "Want to see it, roommate?"
"I..." Akechi kept on staring at Akira for a while before snorting. "Yeah, sure, I'll judge your room since you insist."
As they made their way to the younger boy's room, the ghost said, just like he said it before leaving.
"You're a weird kid, you know that?"
This time he said before staying.