We're Friends, Right?

by Annoying_Kitty

Summary:

Ryuji was a good friend. Or at least he always tried to be. He trusted Akira with his life and he knows Akira like few people do. But he can't really understand Akira when it comes to Akechi Goro. Something weird is going on and Ryuji can't fathom what would be so bad that Akira can't even trust him with it.

-----

Or Ryuji's quest to support Akira through the truckload of trauma that Persona 5 puts him through.

Notes:

Here we go!
This is a fic that's mainly going to be from Ryuji's POV. I might add a chapter from Akira's later, we'll see how it goes. But overall it's Ryuji's outside perspective on Akira's and Akechi's relationship and trying to support him through all that happens.
I might add more tags later if relevant.

Chapter 1: The School Festival

It all started with the school festival.

Well, it probably had been happening waaay before, but that's when things started to get weird. 

Akira has always been a weirdly social guy. He had to be, to become friends with a guy like Ryuji, especially that quickly. To be fair, as far as Ryuji’s seen, there wasn't anybody Akira couldn't attract. From crazy journalists, to actual ex-yakuza, to supposed delinquents, he just pulled people in like it was the most natural thing in the world. But even though Akira’s his best friend, every time he thought he learned everything there is to know about him, something new pops up and reminds Ryuji of how much of a wild card Akira really is.

This time, they’re discussing the crazy idea of inviting none other than Akechi effing Goro to be the school festival's special guest. 

"Is everyone else okay with that?" Makoto's tone's so final, Ryuji wonders why she'd even bother to ask.

"I'm good... Whatever he says has gotta be more reliable than what we've been able to come up with." Ann adds, still nervously twirling one of her pigtails. 

It's a shitty idea, everyone in this damn room knows, but it's not like anyone has anything better. They hit rock bottom like a bag of shit and Ryuji's trying really, really hard to not freak out about it. He leans back and forth on his chair, balancing it on its hind legs, trying to resign himself to the situation. Yusuke says something about gaining an ally, which is bullshit, but then a thought pops into Ryuji's brain.

"Hold on, how're we even gonna get in touch with him? It's not like we got his contact info..."

"Actually, I do."

Ryuji's chair makes a dull thud when its front legs slam onto the wooden floor. 

"...For real?" All he can do is gape at the Phantom Thieves' leader.

"Could you send that my way, please?" Makoto continues as if she hadn't heard Akira just casually drop some asinine shit into the conversation. What do you mean Akira has that dick's contact info? And she continues to ignore this bomb, just pleasantly saying "I'll contact him right away"

Did no one else notice? Or are they just more subtle than Ryuji. Actually, that's probably it, there's no way no one picked up on it. And they all got bigger fish to fry right now. Still, he can't help himself from grumbling "I gotta say, I'm really not big on this Akechi deal."

"Now's not the time to be petty" Ann scolds him, so Ryuji just crosses his arms and lets the meeting go on. She's right, even someone with half a brain can see it, so the meeting finishes with Makoto's promise to keep trying to reach out to Akechi.

Ryuji could almost have forgotten it and moved on with his life, except that in the next day, the weird shit continued. He’s halfway through his dinner when he gets a new message in the group chat.

 

Miss Prezz: Oh, I didn't notice I had gotten a response from Akechi-kun. He accepted the lecture invitation.

Kira: I heard.

Miss Prezz: Hm? Really?

 

He heard? The hell do you mean, Akira heard? Ryuji just stares at his phone, his food getting cold. It definitely crossed over into seriously weird at this point. None of them could even stand the guy, so how the hell could Akira casually contact him?

He's frozen, trying to decide what to do next. 'Cause this really is just like Akira, right? Ryuji knows. And he's fine with it, he really is. No matter what, Akira's just like that, and nothing he did could shake the bond between them. Except that Akechi's the Phantom Thieve's public enemy number one, so now he's seriously thinking about how solid their bond is if Akira has secrets like this up his sleeve. Ryuji didn't like that feeling one bit.

 

───────────────

 

Next time they see the damned guy was at the actual festival. The jerk just butted into their conversation in the middle of the festival. Ryuji thought they'd at least get one Akechi-free day at the festival. But after the maid served the only thing they seemed to have on the menu, the dude just walks in like he owns the place.

The whole time, Ryuji keeps glancing back and forth from Akechi to Akira. There's... something in the air. He can't put a finger on it, but he knows it's there. When Akechi bites into the "special" takoyaki, Ryuji sees the little quirk on the corner of Akira's lips that's quickly hidden behind a curled finger and the slight pity in his eyebrows. He's looking at Akechi as if he's adorable, and Ryuji resists the urge to gag.

As Akechi leaves the room trying to put on a tough face, even while stuttering and clearly fighting for his life, Akira follows him with his eyes. He takes just a smidge of a second longer to go back into the group's conversation than everyone else.

 

───────────────

 

They're effed. They are so freaking effed it's not even funny. Akechi knows they're Phantom Thieves and now is backing them into a corner. They're forced to do whatever he wants and, even then, they'll still have to quit being Phantom Thieves. He's talking to all of them, but it's also low-key like he's only vaguely aware of all the Thieves. Like he only cares about what one specific person in this room has to say. Said person, after hearing those stupid demands, thinks for a moment, before responding.

"You're asking a lot." 

"I see..." Akechi brings his hand up to his chin before looking back at Akira. "I thought I was making a lot of concessions myself..." 

Is he freaking joking?! Ryuji's already opening his mouth to butt in, but Ann shoots him a look and he quiets down immediately.

"Well, you don't have to decide at the moment." Akechi continues, as if he's doing them a favor. His eyes are still glued to Akira and he smiles. A smile that makes Ryuji's gut crawl, even if he doesn't know why. Akira keeps staring him down, like they are in a standoff or something. "Considering this is you we're talking about, I believe you'll come to a favorable reply. I look forward to your answer." 

Then he leaves, ordering Makoto to come up with an excuse as to why he had to leave early.

After all that, Ryuji is fuming. They discuss things a little, then everyone splits off to go their own way. He gets pulled into helping his class to carry some heavy stuff back to the classroom, but the whole time he can't take his mind off things. Once he’s free, he decides to get a soda to cool off, slow down or whatever. Ryuji goes to one of the vending machines in the courtyard and grabs a Manta. He’s in such a tunnel vision, he takes a minute to notice Mishima sitting all glum on the bench.

"Yo. You okay?"

"Sakamoto-kun! Y-Yeah, I'm alright. What about you? Enjoying the festival?"

Ryuji just shrugs. "Not really. That Akechi guy's getting on my nerves and all."

Mishima immediately perks up. "I know, right?! One minute he's bashing the Phantom Thieves, the other he's defending them! Talk about annoying! You guys must be pissed!"

"Y-Yeah, I mean, I support the Thieves, y'know. It really sucks to see everyone do a 180 on them."

"Riiight. Support. Anyways, what are you doing here, Sakamoto-kun? I thought you'd be hanging out with everyone else." Mishima suddenly looks a little down again.

Ryuji sighs. Mishima doesn’t have many friends, and it's not like Akira and him can invite the guy to Phantom Thieves' stuff, so it must've sucked for him to spend the festival all alone. Ryuji grabs another Manta from the vending machine, then sits down next to Mishima, offering him the can. 

"Nah. Haru and Ann wanted to check out some sweets, and Makoto and Yusuke're taking Futaba home. Kira's still probably here somewhere, though. I think he was with Yoshizawa, but it's been a while."

Ryuji sips his drink, still feeling restless, bouncing his leg. Truth be told, he’s kinda in the same boat as Mishima. It’s not like he had enjoyed the festival much either. It didn't sit right with him that the first school festival he'd been able to spend with friends would end on such a bitter note. He gulps down half of his soda and grabs his phone.

"Hey, Mishima, hang on a second, 'kay?"

 

Ryuji: "Yo, you wanna go to the post-festival party and try to calm down?"

Ryuji: "We can't really decide on what Akechi was saying anyways. I'm pretty pissed, though..."

Ryuji: "Well, Mishima's here with me. You should join us."

Akira: I’ll be there.

Ryuji: All right! Let’s get our mind off this shit! 

Ryuji: Seeya at the gym.

 

Ryuji smiles. They’re gonna make this night at least a little bit worthwhile.

 

───────────────

 

He spoke way too soon.

As soon as they got there, the dance team was finishing up their presentation and the MC went on to announce the “Student Sharing Special”. After trying to get Mishima up on the stage and being sent off with a smug look from Akira after that backfired horribly, he gets asked a question that makes his blood run cold: “Do you think the Phantom Thieves are really Shujin students?” The MC goes on about Akechi’s theory and all that. So even here they can’t escape Akechi. Of freaking course.

And Akira, ever the little shit that he is, provides Ryuji with the timely rescue from hell, belting “Do you have a girlfriend?!”

Thankfully, the MC switches the attention to Akira. Even if Akira does threaten to proclaim his “love” for Ryuji loud and clear in front of the whole school to hear, which, not cool, and Ryuji can see Akira smothering a laughter after seeing his face, they get out of there without any major complications, other than some mild embarrassment.

Mishima is still giggling to himself on their way to the school roof, breaking out into full cackling when they get there. 

“‘s not funny!”

“It sure is! Turns out you're just a big chicken, huh…?”

“I'm gonna kill you if you don't shut it!”

“I miss the shy Ryuji…” Akira laments and Mishima goes into another laughing fit. He's still giggling to himself when he says goodbye to the pair, saying he has to get home to moderate the PT site. As soon as the roof door slams shut, Ryuji lets out a sigh.

“We're knee deep in shit dealing with Akechi, and he gets to laugh his ass off…”

“It's gonna be okay, Ryuji. We'll figure something out.” 

Ryuji hesitates for a moment before asking “Hey, Kira?”

“Hm?”

“You know you can count on me for anything, don't you?”

“Of course I do, Ryuji. Where’s this coming from?”

“Just… this whole Akechi thing is crazy and, if ya need someone to talk to, you know I'm here.”

Akira smiles, “I know, Ryuji. After all, we're friends.”

“Yeah… Now, I know it's not the best way of thanking you for saving my ass back there at the after party, but how about we get some hot dogs? My treat.”

“Thanks, Ryuji."

As they went back downstairs, Ryuji took a deep breath. See? If there was anything wrong he'd tell you. So everything is fine. Right?

Notes:

I always miss seeing some overlap between Shuake as a dynamic and Akira's friendship with Ryuji, the biggest Akechi Goro hater.
So why not write it, right? The game itself never acnowledges Akira's PTSD, cause he would surely have it after all the shit Atlus put him through, and I reaaally wanted to explore that time in between the interrogation room and Shido's palace, so that's coming eventually. Also, I don't know if its OOC for Ryuji to be so perceptive, but this whole thing doesn't work if he doesn't notice stuff, so let's give him some credit in knowing his best friend and knowing when something is off with Akira.

Chapter 2: Down in Mementos

Notes:

For some reason my brain decided Ryuji was non-binary while writing this, cause more than once I wrote "their" instead of "his" without realizing. I think I found all of them, though.

It only got worse after Akechi "joined" the Phantom Thieves.

Cause now Ryuji could actually see his friend interacting with the asshole, and even with the jabs they threw at each other, even if Akira knew Akechi was a freaking liar, Akira was way too friendly. Sure, Akira is good at acting, but not that good. Well, he's probably not that good. Since the first official meeting after Akechi "joined" the Phantom Thieves, Akira has been glued to the guy. Everyone else seemed to chuck it up to gaining Akechi's trust, but in Ryuji's eyes it just seemed like too much. 

And in missions? They attacked like they were finishing each other's sentences, with a synergy that made Ryuji seeth. Akechi just seemed to slot into Akira's pattern seamlessly, covering for Akira's openings, stepping in tune, one step ahead of all the Thieves, like he could read what Akira would order before he even said it. Ryuji was just so relieved, yet so pissed, that they all already knew about Akechi's bold-faced lies, otherwise he could've fooled all of them into believing that he was on their side. 

The other Phantom Thieves didn't seem to notice how much more in tune Akira was with Akechi than he'd ever been with any of them, but the other Phantom Thieves hadn't been fighting alongside Akira as long as Ryuji had. The only other Thief that might've been able to was Morgana, but if he did, he kept that knowledge to himself.

 

───────────────

 

"Nice strike back there, Joker." Crow always has that interview ready plasticky tone. Kinda grating, if you ask Skull.

"Thanks, Crow. Though I'd be in a bind without your help." Joker says with a lilt to his voice, like bantering with Crow's the most natural thing in the world. 

They finally find a safe room in Mementos and Skull just flops onto a seat next to Panther. He's drained. They've been dungeon crawling for a while and he can finally catch his breath. They still have a target, deeper down, but Joker tells them all to rest up and eat something. Except he doesn't join in. He's next to the escalators, whispering with Crow like they have the world's juiciest secret. Skull elbows Panther.

"What?" 

"Does that seem normal to ya?" He mutters as he gestures at the two.

"No, but having Crow around as a whole isn't normal. Why?" She whispers back, nervously twirling her pigtails.

"Dunno, it's just that Joker's always a little too chummy with him."

"He's probably just trying to get Crow to think we trust him," Queen joins the conversation in hushed tones, "Or that at least Joker does."

A sudden uncomfortable mood fills the air inside the booth. Everyone here knows what's coming and every single one of them wonders how Joker can stomach the knowledge. Even worse, how he can tolerate the presence of his future killer, let alone act like he's one of them.

"Well, they've been hanging out a lot." Mona says, just as Skull's about to change the subject.

"They have?" Panther seems in between excitement over some new gossip and apprehension.

"Yeah. He's also always at Leblanc for some reason. Says he likes the coffee and all that, but I heard Boss teasing about how he only shows up when Joker's working." 

"What do they talk about?" Noir is at the edge of her seat.

"Don't know. I kinda make it a point to not eavesdrop on Joker, you know?"

“Just goes to show how long he’s been onto us…” Skull grumbles.

"He sure is dedicated to his work." Fox muses. "Has he been staking out Akira this whole ti-"

Queen loudly clears her throat and everyone jumps in their seats as they see both Joker and Crow coming their way. Skull can't help but notice how close they are. How close they always seem to be. He sees Panther's slight apprehension out of the corner of his eyes, but she's quick to hide it.

"Hey, Joker!" She smiles easily "You think you could put me in for a bit? Crow must be really tired, right? And I'm all ready to go!"

"I assure you, Panther, I am perfectly fine to go on. But the decision does fall to our leader and I won't question if he decides it's best for me to stay back." Crow looks knowingly at Joker, who lets out a stiff breath.

"If Crow says he's up for it, I don't see why not let him continue." Skull doesn't know why Panther even bothered to ask. Crow hasn't left the starting line up even once since he joined. "Why don't you switch places with Mona? I'm sure he could use a break."

"I'm perfectly fine!" Mona yowls. Skull rolls his eyes, cause Joker is actually right on this one. Though he doesn't see why he couldn't just change out Crow as well...

"You're almost out of energy, Mona-chan." Noir says sweetly. "Indeed, I think it's best you stay back for a bit."

Mona grumbles, resigned to his fate, as they all go downstairs to continue tracking forward.

 

───────────────

 

Skull gets a little bit of satisfaction at the fact that he gets to ride shotgun while Crow's gotta be squeezed in the back seat. It's not much, but it's obvious he hates it, being squished against Fox and Oracle while they debate the latest Featherman episode with Fox only half knowing what the hell he's talking about and Oracle basically yelling the plot from excitement. He low-key hopes Crow's going a little deaf out of his left ear.

Joker put on a corny 80s song playlist to lift the mood after the palpable tension that had filled the air back at the Safe Room and, yeah, it had actually helped. It's been a few floors since, and now he, Skull and Panther are currently belting the lyrics of Take On Me at the top of their lungs, while Noir giggles at their silliness. She had tried to join in on the screaming, but was laughing too much to be able to. And Queen just observed them all, probably wondering how the hell they get anything done with a team full of dumbassess, but with a fond smile, having fun with the craziness.

"Look alive, people! We arrived at our target."

He stops the music and the time for joking's over. Joker had given them the run down of the target, Togo Mitsuyu, before they went in, and Skull just felt awful about the whole thing. As they all get out of the Mona-Bus, Mona is already confirming the information with everyone. 

"That's her own daughter... What's wrong with her?" Queen mutters under her breath while the rest of the discussion goes on. 

Joker shifts uncomfortably, glancing around all of them, before telling them all to get ready. As soon as they approach, Togo Mitsuyu starts yelling around about how she gave birth to Hifumi, how Hifumi should be devoted to serving her and Skull is itching to start the fight. That's just not how you treat your kid.

"You're a terrible mother." Joker's tone is ice cold, and Crow starts getting as restless as Skull to get it over with. 

Mitsuyu continues her rambling about how she built her daughter's image, manipulated everything in between, hired PIs and criminals, the list seemed endless. She had barely turned into Lilim when Crow jumps at the first attack opportunity. He doesn't even summon his persona, just swings his sword at the first opportunity. 

"Listen to me!" Joker yells, and they all snap to attention. "We stick to the plan! All of us!"

He follows up with casting masukukaja on everyone. Skull takes charge from there, laying on some Zionga attacks right before Oracle yells that she's resistant to elemental attacks. Panther takes note and goes to strike with her whip, landing a solid hit.

It takes some time to wear her down and they were already tired beforehand, so everyone’s been avoiding spending too much energy. But when Joker shouts "Don't hold back!" Crow all but jumps on the attack, laying a Kougaon dead on and finally Lilim goes down. As soon as she turns back to being Mitsuyu she starts trying to justify why she's done everything, that she couldn't get anywhere without Hifumi.

"What you're doing is wrong." Joker is firm, but kind and Mitsuyu starts crying.

"I never meant to make Hifumi unhappy. Never." Joker offers a hand to help her up and she takes it. "I turned out to be such a horrible mother. I'm sorry, Hifumi, I'm sorry..."

She vanishes into light, leaving a Bead Chain in Joker's hand. Panther goes back to Mona right away to get some healing and Skull is on his way to join them, but stops in his tracks when Joker and Crow don't budge. Skull fiddles with his shotgun, pretending to check the model. He can make out a few words here and there.

"You alright, Crow?" With a quick glance, Skull decides he has no idea what's wrong. During the fight Crow was a little more, intense? Maybe? But he looks the same as always. 

Skull doesn't hear a lot of what's said, but manages to catch "Parents exploiting their children is nothing new, Joker. I'm honestly offended that you'd even imply that I'd get irrational over such matters."

"... Alright, Akechi." Joker hesitates on saying something then gives up with a sigh.

"Now, Joker , we should get back to business." His eyes zero in on Skull, who jumps in shock, trying to not seem like he's been eavesdropping. "It's not the time or place for sentimentalities."

By the time Joker follows Crow's gaze, Skull is already making his way back to the group and, thankfully, Panther saves his skin shouting "Guys! What's taking so long?"

"Sorry!" Joker yells back, already making his way back with Crow in tow. "Just discussing some pointers from the fight."

He gives Skull's shoulder a pat and exchanges a quick look and a smile, trying to reassure him. And it has the exact opposite effect, cause what the hell is going on?

Notes:

No one: ...
Joker: I can fix him, I swear

On a serious note, though, I'll be splicing some cutscenes and lines with Ryuji's inner thoughts and new scenes. The longer we go on, the longer we'll stray from the game and focus on new stuff.
But some of this stuff are moments from the game where I thought "Really? Is no one gonna comment on it?" and others I'll be building up something that could've been happening on moments where I think it would've made sense. For now, we're laying down the groundwork for bigger things down the line.

Chapter 3: Akira Missing in Action

Ryuji’s starting to think he's paranoid.

The following day, he decides to drop in on Leblanc. He got a new volume of Your Hero University and it's been a while since they just hung out. 

"Hey, Boss!" Ryuji smiles as he opens the door. "The usual, please!" He always loves saying that.

"Hey, kid." Sojiro smiles, grabbing a mug and starting on his hot chocolate. "What brings you here today?"

"Came to see Akira. Is he upstairs?"

"Tough luck, kid. You just missed him." Sojiro sets down the mug in front of him.

"For real?" Ryuji deflates on the counter. "He said he didn't have work today."

That's when Sojiro lets out a chuckle, going back to his newspaper. He's got a conspiratorial look on his face.

"What?"

"Nothing. Is just that, with how nervous he was, you'd think the kid was going on a date."

"What?!"

"Oh, calm down, Ryuji. Do you have to always be so loud? I can hear you all the way from up here" He hears Morgana from the top of the stairs as he makes his way down. "He's out in Shinagawa." 

"And you're not with him, Mona?" 

"He asked to go alone..." Morgana seemed a little bummed about it.

"That's a first."

Morgana jumps on the seat beside Ryuji. Sojiro complains about the cafe's service hours, but goes back into the kitchen to fetch him some canned tuna anyway. Morgana perks up at that.

"What's he doing in Shinagawa?"

"Said he's meeting someone."

"So it is a date?!"

"Don't think so. I've never seen Akira accept any of the confessions he's got."

"What confessions?!"

"He's not you, Ryuji. Akira actually has charm." Morgana's already starting to sound smug and Ryuji sees red. Freaking not-cat...

"Shut up! I have charm!"

"The only thing you can charm is a rock."

"I have more charm than a cat!"

"I'M NOT A CAT!"

"FINE, I HAVE MORE CHARM THAN A NOT-CAT!"

Sojiro clears his throat and shoots them a look. Both immediately quiet down as Sojiro grumbles something about not getting used to them understanding the cat, then goes back to his newspaper.

"So... Akira's maybe-date?" Ryuji asks and Morgana stops to think for a bit.

"I said it’s probably not a date. I think last time he went there, he ended up meeting Ohya and Akechi. But it's been a while."

"Akechi?" Ryuji's immediately on edge.

"Yeah, but maybe he went to see Ohya? He’s been talking to her about some old case she was investigating and it might have something to do with Akechi’s boss. We don’t know. And if I were him, I’d also get nervous before going to see her, because, well… Ohya’s Ohya.”

“Fair…”

“Either way I don't know if he's going there to meet her or someone else. He didn't say who. He's been quiet lately." Morgana goes back to sounding bitter. "Well... quieter. I was gonna hang out with Futaba. She says there's a new anime she wants to watch. You wanna come?"

"Sure. Hey, maybe Futaba reads 'Your Hero University'!"

Ryuji's spirit lifts a little after an afternoon of binge watching a truckload of new shows with Futaba and Morgana, but in the back of his mind, he couldn't quite forget that growing feeling that something was off.

 

───────────────

 

It had become a pattern. A few days after they decided on Nijima as a target, Joker had started to blow them off more often than not. Who could blame him, really? If their plan doesn't work, it's his freaking life on the line. Ryuji can see why he may not be in the mood to go out that much. Sure that, if any of them needed Akira, he was there, no questions asked. Doesn't change the fact that he wishes Akira would let them be there for him in return. He's also starting to miss his best friend.

Ryuji decides to invite Ann and Yusuke to the movies to watch Admission Possible, to get their mind off of things. After everything that's been happening, they could use a break. He did also invite Akira, but he said he had other plans. Low key sucks, but what can you do?

Not long after, the plans were set, Yusuke asks if they couldn't watch Pach Saw in Kichijoji instead, since he was nearer Kichijoji and it would be cheaper for him to get there. Long story short, Ann and Ryuji shot that down, ‘cause no way they’re gonna watch a horror movie, and they settled on going to the Penguin Snipper instead, to blow off some steam and build up their teamwork. It was a good turn of events, actually, they'd need it now more than ever. Ryuji's already in Kichijoji, waiting for the other two to arrive, standing in line for the meat shop when he notices a familiar figure walking down the main street.

Why is Akira here? He's smiling at his phone, typing something out, too engrossed to notice his surroundings. Ryuji's already about to wave him over when he sees someone coming up to meet him. 

No effing way.

Ryuji gives up on his spot in line and tries not to call much attention to himself as he gets closer to the duo. They talk a bit back and forth, and Ryuji follows them from a distance when they start walking side by side. The pair stops at the front of Jazz Jin. Akira makes an exaggerated flourish to guide Akechi inside, who just rolls his eyes and walks down the staircases that lead into the club.

Ryuji feels glued to the spot. What the hell is Akira thinking?! The whole plan could go up in smoke if Akechi gets a whiff of something wrong, yet here's Akira, prancing into the jazz club to spend one on one time with him. Ryuji doesn't know how long he stands there, 'til he's roused from his shock by Ann's loud greeting.

"The eff, Ann! I almost shit myself!"

"What? You're the one who's been standing there for like, 5 minutes. Why's that? I was looking for you in front of the Penguin Sniper."

"Sorry, got distracted..."

Ann's face goes a tad serious "With what?"

Ryuji's about to tell her, when he sees Yusuke approaching.

"Later, okay?"

She gives him a quizzical nod then turns to greet Yusuke with Ryuji. It’s not that Ryuji doesn't trust Yusuke or anything, but Ann is Ann and she would be able to tell Ryuji if he was being crazy or if the whole thing’s weird or not. And if he told Yusuke, he might let it slip accidentally, even if he didn't mean to. There was little Yusuke didn't tell Akira, and if Ryuji was reading things wrong, well, now's not the time to be rocking the boat.

 

───────────────

 

"Okay, what's going on?" Ann sips on one of those detox juices she's been drinking since she decided to take the whole modeling thing seriously.

"I have no effing idea. Akira is all weird lately." Ryuji taps nervously on the table. "I thought maybe it was because of the plan and all, and maybe it is, but-"

"He's weird about Akechi?" She finishes for him. Ryuji sighs in relief. So he's not going crazy. 

"I know, right?!" Ryuji fiddles with the lid of his soda can. "Like, since when are they so buddy-buddy?"

"I don't know, but I'm glad it's not just me. It's just a gut feeling, but whenever I see them together... it's like Akira's not himself?" She stops and thinks for a moment before shaking her head. "No, that's not right. It’s not that he’s not himself, but he's different around him. Is all this connected to how you were behaving yesterday?"

"Yeah, actually. Before you guys arrived, I saw Akira and Akechi meeting up."

Ann’s stunned to silence. The chatter around them seems to get louder and louder, ‘til it’s deafening, as both nibble their food. Ann’s forehead wrinkles and she seems as troubled as Ryuji feels, floundering on what to say.

"You think this is part of the plan? Like Makoto said, right? Gaining his trust?"

"Maybe..." Ryuji sighs "But why wouldn't he just tell us?"

"Well, it's not like we're the best actors ever. I can barely pretend to be friendly with him as it is. Maybe he thought going about this on his own would make it easier to trick Akechi." She tries to sound secure, but Ryuji knows Ann. She's trying to convince herself as much as she's trying to convince him.

"Maybe." He grumbles and Ann sighs in relief. "Should we, I dunno, talk to him about it?"

"I don't know... I guess we give him time to come and talk to us on his own?"

"For real?! It's not like we have much time!"

"I don't know, Ryuji!" She gives him an exasperated look. "I don't know if it's best to just talk to him, or if it'd do more harm than good right now. I just... I want to trust him. He's our leader."

He's also our friend , Ryuji almost says, but bites his tongue. 

"Okay... For now, we trust him."

Ann looks more secure after this. They turn to other things, but Ryuji can't quite calm down. Ann could be right. Akira always knows what he's doing. Still, a little voice in the back of his head still whispers: But what if he doesn't?

Notes:

And the evidence piles up.
Also, I love the idea of Ryuji's and Ann's friendship.
I wish we had more moments of them being friends and being goofy together (even though here we're far from goofy).

Chapter 4: The House of Darkness

Notes:

Sorry for the wait.
I had a nasty fever that refused to go down, so I was having a hard time writing.
But I've made it! Here we go!

Ryuji can't do it. He can't pretend everything is okay. Not when Akira almost gets himself killed doing stupid shit. 

They're finally out of the House of Darkness, but the attending shadow from the entrance freaking telleported in front of them and is stopping them from leaving, the effing cheater... Before they know it, they're fighting Naga Raja. They're immediately hit with a barrage of Maziongas that don't seem to stop. Skull shrugs them off with little damage, but the others have a tougher time. Joker cycles through his personas, but he doesn't seem to have any that are immune or resistant to electric damage, something Oracle confirms through the intercom, telling him to be careful. 

After taking a breath, Joker lays out a plan of careful offense and they all start laying on attacks. Still, they're not in their best shape and the plan falls apart after they're forced into defence. Joker gets quiet, analyzing the situation, muttering "Don't rush it" under his breath, but he’s agitated. They’re almost out of items at this point and when they attack they can’t seem to find a weakness. Fox calls out to Kamu Susano-o, landing a nice bufudyne, but it doesn’t seem to do as much as he hoped for. Fox clicks his tongue.

“I couldn’t finish it…” He takes a step back to evade a zionga from the shadow and barely manages to dodge it in time. “Skull! Cover for me!”

Skull doesn’t need to be told twice. He grips his hammer and winds up for a heavy hit, but it barely scrapes the shadow. So this thing is fast. He tries again, trying to keep its attention on him and not on the other Thieves. Crow joins in, making time for Joker to reformulate the plan. He goes for an eigaon that barely seems to make a dent.

"It doesn't die!" He complains. Skull gets his frustration, but he's not gonna say it aloud. Joker takes the opportunity to try a garudyne, but the damn thing dodges again. It’s getting real annoying and Joker tosses everyone some idaten ofuda so that they can raise their accuracy. He’s also getting annoyed. Even with the buff, they’re still doing too little damage. When Fox lands another strike that still just barely finds its mark, Joker's voice rings out "Save your strength! Focus on physical attacks!"

The Naga Raja charges at Crow, who smiles, taunting “Saw that!” when it misses. Skull really wishes he didn’t do that, ‘cause now it’s gunning for Crow with blood in its eyes, screwing with Skull's plan. He takes out his shotgun emptying his clip, trying to get its attention back on him. “Hey, loser! Over here!” It momentarily forgets Crow, going for a strike that manages to knock the wind out of Skull. The damn thing went for a physical attack?! Seriously?!

“Skull fell down! Hang in there!” Oracle’s voice rings out.

Skull gets up, dusting himself off and centers himself. He twirls his hammer in his hand and dives back in. Crow’s next to him, swinging his sword mercylessly at the shadow. He’s panting as much as Skull, after another strike leaves everyone barely standing up. 

“Everyone, are you ok? Focus on healing up!”

“There!” Joker tosses something to Fox, who seems in worse shape than all of them. He takes it and heals up a little, looking somewhat better. 

Still, as much as Skull has been trying to get the shadow's attention, everyone's battered and bruised. They all try and attack at the same time, but even with the onslaught, Naga Raja responds in kind. It takes the hit, but sends a powerful mazionga that makes Skull’s chest feel tight and tingly. And that’s ‘cause he can take the damn thing and still be relatively ok. 

“Ugh, electrified.” Comes a stiff voice from his left.

Skull glances to the side and he sees that both Fox and Crow are shocked, only a with a sliver of health left. Raja Naga eyes lock onto Crow, out for blood and charging up to strike again, this time harder. And then Skull sees something moving from his periphery. The freaking idiot. He sees Joker start to move his feet towards Crow. Skull's legs move before his mind has time to catch up. His hands stretch out to keep Joker away from them.

"Don't!" His own voice seems distant. Everything goes black.

His head feels like it's swimming. There's a pleasant cooling sensation spreading through his body and murmurs around him. He blinks his eyes open.

"Skull!" Joker and all the other Phantom Thieves crowd around him. Shit, it's been a while since he's been downed like that. His body feels stiff while the sameracarm did its thing. He sits up, still a little wobbly and everyone but Joker and Mona take a step back to give him room to breathe.

"Was I out too long?"

"No, the fight ended pretty quickly after you passed out." Mona answers in a small voice while Zoro continues to heal him. 

Of course. Even though, technically, Skull jumped in front of Crow, it was still to save Joker. And Joker hated when any of them took a hit for him. He remembers the first time Queen did that. Joker seemed possessed with cold rage and there wasn't even a trace left from the shadow that downed her. It was kinda scary.

"S'rry I couldn't help with the rest of the fight."

"Don't worry about it." Joker's voice is soft as he helps Skull get on his feet. "Thank you for the save." He adds sheepishly and quietly so that only Skull could hear.

"Anytime, leader."

"Just... please don't do that again."

"Can't promise that. I'll always have your back, man." He swings his arm around Joker and messes his hair with the other hand. The heaviness finally leaves Joker as he starts laughing, yelling that he yields.

"I’d like to thank you, Skull. It was very noble of you to take the fall for me.” A voice with false concern rings out through the room. Well, it sounded real, but Skull knows it's fake. Everyone’s immediately tense and weirded out. Fair, Skull would be too if he saw himself take a bullet for Crow of all people. “I think we're done for today." He continues, ignoring the awkward stares everyone’s been giving him and Skull.  "I hoped we could clear the sum in one take, but we're all obviously exhausted and rattled. I also believe Skull could use the rest. Wouldn't you agree, Joker?"

"Took the words right out my mouth, Crow. We should head back for the day. I should restock with Takemi anyway, this wouldn't have happened if I had brought some more items."

They make their way back to the entrance and Skull isn't an expert on Crow's behavior, but the dude seemed like he was seething. His smile more plastic than usual. Skull just shrugs. His business isn't with Crow anyway. 

As soon as they leave, everyone goes their separate ways. Ann still gives Ryuji a worried look over her shoulder and he knows they'll have a talk afterwards. Ryuji is so damn tired, he's already dreaming of his bed, but before he can leave, Akira puts a hand on his shoulder. 

"What's wrong, Ryuji?"

"Huh?"

"You've been stomping all the way back from the House of Darkness. Which is very unphantom-thief-like." He whispers the last sentence.

Ryuji tought he was just tired, so he hadn't noticed how on edge he was before Akira pointed it out. 

"Sorry."

"No. No apologizing. I'm not chastising you. I just want to know if you're okay. I never, err, expected you’d take an attack for Akechi."

Ryuji hesitates. “If I didn’t, you’d have.”

“What?!” Morgana gasps in horror. "Akira, please say you weren't!"

Akira goes silent. Probably no one but Ryuji had noticed it, Akira had barely managed to move before Ryuji sprung into action. But clearly Akira hoped he’d let it go. He’s not going to. Morgana is also staring at Akira with exasperation in his eyes, but, for once, he keeps quiet and waits for an explanation. 

"I... I know, it was a poor decision. I wasn't thinking straight."

"Why wouldn’t you just let Akechi take the hit?" The words just fly out of Ryuji’s mouth. "If you'd been hit, we all would've been effed! You're our leader! I’m expendable! You're not!"

"First of all, you're not expandable." Akira hisses. "Second of all, it would've been a calculated risk. Akechi and Yusuke were more hurt than me."

"This isn't about Yusuke. The shadow wasn't gunning for Yusuke. It was gunning for Akechi. You saw it."

"So I was just supposed to let him get hurt?" Akira sounds defensive. That in particular makes Ryuji madder than he should be.

"Yes! Revive him later! But don't risk yourself doing stupid shit like that! Why would you care if Akechi freaking lives or dies anyway?! He sucks!"

Akira's eyes go dark and he looks absolutely pissed. He opens his mouth to speak.

"Hey! You two knuckleheads!" Morgana's voice cuts through the fight. "Stop arguing! You’re gonna make the whole city hear you!” Akira blinks, surprised that he was raising his voice. Ryuji is still clenching his fists, though, frustrated as shit with Akira. “Jeez, I've never seen you two like this before..." He seems genuinely worried, which actually makes Ryuji lose some of the heat. He doesn't like upsetting Morgana for real, especially after Okumura's Palace.

"Sorry, you're right, Morgana." Akira beats him to the punch.

"Sorry, Mona-mona."

Akira looks at Ryuji with an unreadable expression.

"We should cool off." He says finally. "Go home, get some rest. We continue this tomorrow at school?"

"Sure." Ryuji kicks the floor idly, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Meet ya on the roof at lunch?"

"Sounds like a plan." Akira gives him a small smile and they silently go their separate ways.

 

───────────────

 

Lunch is silent. Ryuji absentmindedly taps his soda can as he waits for Akira to start. But he doesn't, leaving it up to Ryuji to decide the tone of the conversation. Ryuji sighs.

"Akira, we're friends, right?"

Akira seems taken aback, "Of course we are Ryuji. Why do you ask?"

"Cause... I dunno, I thought friends talked to each other about stuff. You know all of my shit, but ya never talk about yourself. I don't want to, how do I say this, pressure you? Into talking about things you don't wanna, but I'm just, " Ryuji combs a hand through the back of his head, "I'm not blind, Kira."

Akira's face stiffens and Ryuji knows he knows what Ryuji means. But he still shakes his head.

"I don't understand where all of this is coming from, or what this is about."

"C'mon, man! You do. And if ya don't wanna talk, it's fine. But I'm worried about you, Kira. Just... don't lie to me."

That seems to have struck a chord, 'cause Akira's expressions morphs into something Ryuji can't read, but it's like a mask slipping off. He starts fiddling with his bangs.

"O-Okay, Ryuji. You've got questions. Ask. I'll answer what I can. Does that sound alright?" 

"What's going on with you and Akechi?"

Akira sucks in his breath, seemingly more agitated. "That's a broad question." He puts on a jokerish smile, but Ryuji knows it's a deflection. 

"Okay... we can narrow it down. Since when have you two been hanging out?"

There's a pause before he answers. "Since a little after the TV station."

"Dude?!"

"I thought we weren't judging."

"I-I'm not judging, I'm just... He had just told the whole world that we were shit!"

"Correction, he said he didn't agree with our methods."

"Same thing!" Ryuji clears his throat and calms himself. This is about Akira. No judging. "Anyways. You started hanging out. Why?"

"He liked that I disagreed with him. Wanted to debate some more. So we just... kept going out, talking to each other. That kind of thing."

"So you were friends?"

"Something like that. Rivals is a more accurate term."

"For real? Like in anime?" That gets a chuckle out of Akira.

"Yeah, like in anime."

"That's corny as hell." As their awkward giggles fade away, a heavy silence hangs between them. There is a question that needs to be asked, but Ryuji doesn't know how to do it. If he was Ann, maybe he'd be able to ask it better, but he's not. He's just dumb Ryuji, who's about to ask a horrible thing to his best friend. He's shaking his leg, consequently shaking the table he's leaning on, making some probably annoying rhythmic thuds. Akira knows Ryuji's not done, so he waits. He knows the question's coming. It's like there's a lump in Ryuji's throat but he stops fidgeting and steals himself. He still has to force the words out. "You know he wants to kill you, right?"

Even if he knew that it was coming, Akira looks years older when the words hit him. He slumps his shoulders and rubs his eyes beneath his glasses.

"It's complicated, Ryuji."

"No, it's not. He wants to kill you, Kira." Ryuji's voice is barely above a whisper. "How can you still-"

"Ryuji," Akira's tone is cold and harsh, like a wall going in between them. "I, of all people, know what's coming." 

Ryuji flinches at that and as soon as Akira realizes his own tone of voice, he immediately gets a horrified self depreciating expression. Nice going, genius. As if Akira needed anything more on his shoulders.

"Sor-"

"It's fine, Kira. It's okay, I understand. I'm the one who's sorry, you have every right to be pissed." Ryuji tries, but Akira doesn't budge. He just slips a mask on.

"No, Ryuji. I still shouldn't talk to you like that. To answer your question, I know what's going to happen. I can't say much about why I'm doing what I'm doing. It may lead to nothing, and we're prepared for that outcome. We're already prepared for the worst case scenario, that's more than enough. But I promise you, I'm not gonna compromise the plan. You'll have to trust me, Ryuji. Please."

Ryuji doesn't lie. Not to his friends. Never to Akira. So, just like he did with Ann, he really hopes he's not lying when he says "Alright. I'll trust you.”

 

Notes:

So, communication fails to save the day for now.
Akira and his martyr complex strike again.

Chapter 5: CODE RED

Notes:

This one's a little bigger.
Hope it's a fun one.
Also, lots of texting this time around.

All things considered, Ryuji could still put his faith in Akira above everything else.

After that day, Akira didn't falter once, which Ryuji didn't know if he should find disturbing or reassuring. He never misstepped, never acted out, he was the perfect Phantom Thief Leader they've always known. Akechi, on the other hand, had started acting off around Ryuji. Nothing big, not that anyone else seemed to notice, but he'd sometimes catch the guy staring daggers at him, then cover it up with a fake smile. Ryuji's pretty sure the whole thing’s on purpose, but he did his best to ignore it. Dude had also, for some reason, decided to become Akira's shadow. Or at the very least he seemed to be whenever they all met up. Even the other Phantom Thieves were starting to pick up on it. So far, Makoto and Futaba thought it was a ploy to lower Akira's defences, Haru theorized on a possible ‘coping mechanism’ or some shit like that for any guilt he might be feeling and Yusuke got weird stares from all of them when he sputtered some asinine shit about tragic love in their eyes.

"Yusuke, no offense, but you once mistook two siblings for a couple." Ryuji says through a mouthful of cheeseburger. 

They're all gathered at the Big Bang Burger, crammed into a booth after a trip down mementos. Morgana, as usual, had insisted on Akira and him going home to rest up and Akechi left as soon as he could, like he always did. It's not like they'd want him there anyway.

"I wasn't wrong about the presence of love, only the form of love!" Yusuke protests. "Regardless of if it was Storge or Eros, I was right!"

"I have to side with Ryuji on this one." Makoto adds after a sip of soda. "I find it very hard to believe Akechi could feel any love towards anyone, most of all a Phantom Thief and a target."

Ann and Ryuji exchange a troubled look. After Ryuji's chat with Akira, he warned him that Ann was also on to him, so he filled her in too. Or at least, as much as he had filled Ryuji in. Which was pretty much nothing at all. Though the idea of those two having any sort of love for each other was laughable, Akira did have a strange fixation on Akechi, and that in of itself was alarming. Their 'rivalry' as he puts it. Sounds freaky to him, to say the least. But hey, it's not like any of their lives’re normal. Like, they go into the world inside people's hearts to fight bad guys with super powers. It’s already as anime as it gets, but still. Freaky.

"Maybe it's pity?" Ryuji throws it out there. It sounds mean, even coming from him. "I mean, Kira's always helping people 'n shit."

"That's not like Akira-kun. To pity someone." Haru says softly. "He doesn't help people out of pity. He helps people because he cares."

Ryuji's cheeks burn immediately. How could he even have suggested it? Just 'cause he can't see himself helping Akechi out of the goodness of his heart, doesn't mean Akira’s that petty. Well, not petty. There's only so much compassion Ryuji can extend to a freaking murderer, but either way, Akira isn't like that.

"What if it's the other way around?" Ann says.

"Like, he thinks Kira's dumb and is pitying him?" Which, if that’s the case, then damn, Ryuji can barely wait to knock a few teeth out of him after all of this is over. Akira's thrice as smart as that jack-ass.

"That I can see." Futaba pipes in. "Ugh, you guys should see the way he texts. Huge ego."

"Don't need to see to believe ya. He's already enough of a pain in the ass in the regular group chat..."

"I really hope he underestimates Akira." Haru frowns. "Even though it's insulting, it's better if he thinks he's ahead."

Makoto nods, "He can think whatever he wants. Akechi is-"

"Can we please stop talking 'bout Akechi?" Ryuji interrupts. 

Everyone looks at him in surprise. He straightens up in his chair. "Sorry. Just- I'm so tired of this damn guy."

"A-Alright, Ryuji." Ann looks at him with a worried expression. Ryuji racks his brain for anything to change the subject in a nicer way, but Ann's already on it. "Yusuke! Are you planning a new piece? Makoto, Haru and I went to see the exposition and that last painting was so beautiful!"

Yusuke launches on a detailed explanation of his new ideas. Ryuji has never been so glad to hear it. Even if he doesn't know half of the words that he's using, he gets the gist. Once again, he's able to shove "The Akechi Goro Problem" to the back of his mind.

Later, Ann checks in on him.

 

N#1SuperModel: Hey

N#1SuperModel: U ok?

Ryuji: Yeah

Ryuji: Just tired of this whole thing

N#1SuperModel: Me 2

N#1SuperModel: At least Akira seems better?

N#1SuperModel: And it's almost over

N#1SuperModel: No more Akechi after this

Ryuji: Yeah

Ryuji: No more Akechi

 

───────────────

 

A few days later, an annoying buzzing rips Ryuji away from his sweet, sweet sleep. He shoves a pillow over his head, grumbling "Not home" to no one in particular, but the buzzing doesn't stop. Who the eff is blowing up his damn phone at god knows what hour in the middle of the night?! On a school night, no less?? He picks up his phone and is almost blinded by the brightness. His eyes sting and he rubs at them, trying to get his brain online.

 

TechGremlin: Ryuji!

TechGremilon: (＃`Д´)

TechGremlin: CODE RED!!!!!!!

TechGremlin: Ryujiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

TechGremlin: Its an emergency!!

TechGremlin: PICK UUUUUUP

TechGremlin: CODE RED, RYUJI!!

TechGremlin: RYUJI WAKE UP!

TechGremlin: HELLOOOO

TechGremlin: R

TechGremlin: Y

TechGremlin: U

TechGremlin: J

Ryuji: I'm up

Ryuji: The f?

TechGremlin: Finally!

TechGremlin: was abt 2 hack ur alarm

TechGremlin: Get here ASAP

Ryuji: ??????

Ryuji: It's 3 in the morning, Futaba????

Ryuji: And wtf is code red????

TechGremlin: (＃`Д´)

TechGremlin: EMERGENCY!

TechGremlin: IDK WTF 2 DO WITH THIS & I NEED HELP

TechGremlin: RN

TechGremlin: It's abt Akira

 

Ryuji sits up, suddenly more awake.

 

Ryuji: Be there in 10

 

He gets dressed in a hurry, as quietly as he can, to not wake up his mom. He’s in Yongen Jaya before he has time to process that he's still wearing his pajama shirt underneath his jacket and is only wearing a sock on one foot. As soon as he arrives, he texts Futaba that he's here, 'cause no way he's gonna alert the Boss that he's in his house at 3 AM to meet up with his daughter. He still values his life, thank you very much.

Futaba opens the door of the house like a ghost with how silent she is. After carefully taking off his shoes and tiptoeing up the stairs, they're safely in Futaba's room.

"Okay, what the eff?"

"Sorry, didn't know who to call. Akira's been talking to me about privacy and boundaries and blah, blah, but this one isn't my fault! I wasn't snooping! Well, I was, but this time it was my job to snoop! We all agreed on it! So I did, but I think I read something I shouldn't have and I can't talk to anyone else, 'cause that would be a no-no, because Akira, then I thought 'Maybe Morgana!’ but Morgana doesn't have a phone and I'd have to call Akira, but I can't call Akira, because it's about him. But you're his best friend, so if anyone could know, it'd be you, so-"

"Futaba, slow down." Ryuji finally manages after his brain has had a chance to catch up. She lets out a squeak, but finally breathes. "Slowly. What's going on?"

"I think I saw a text I shouldn't have."

"Why're you hacking into Akira's phone?"

"It wasn't Akira's texts I was hacking..."

For eff's sake, no. Please, no. Ryuji sighs and facepalms.

"Was it Akechi's phone?"

Futaba nods. Is she actually for real, right now? Ryuji feels like he’s cycling through the goddamn five stages of grief, 'cause what the eff did Futaba see to get so worked up? 

"I can't see it, Futaba. 's not right."

"I KNOW! BUT I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DOOOO!" She still has the awareness to whisper yell, instead of full on yelling, thank god. “This is a level five social problem and I’m level one on social skills with perma-disadvantage, Ryuji!”

"How bad is it?"

"It's... not that bad, I think? But it's not good. Not right now. Or ever. What in the world is going ooooon?! Ryuji, please. If someone can talk to him about this, it's you."

Ryuji hesitates. He shouldn't. He really, really shouldn't. But Futaba's not gonna calm down unless he does it. He asks Futaba to show it to him, and he sounds like he's waiting for the news that someone died or something. Futaba opens the messenger, where the texts are dated only an hour and change ago.

 

Kurusu: Hey, Akechi?

Kurusu: Are you awake?

Akechi: What do you want, Kurusu-kun?

Kurusu: Still using the honorifics, then

Kurusu: Okay

Kurusu: Can we talk about what happened?

Akechi: There's nothing to talk about.

Kurusu: You can't pretend it didn't happen

Kurusu: Well, you can

Kurusu: But it did

Kurusu: And I can't

Akechi: And how is that my problem?

Kurusu: ...

Kurusu: Fine

Akechi: Wait.

Akechi: I apologize, that was rude.

Kurusu: Oh, was it? 

Akechi: Sarcasm? Really?

Akechi: I can still just go to sleep.

Kurusu: No! Sorry

Kurusu: Continue

Akechi: This isn't a conversation to have through text.

Kurusu: You're right

Kurusu: But we're so close to the deadline

Kurusu: And you said you'd be busy these next few days

Akechi: You're really stubborn, Kurusu-kun.

Kurusu: Some say it's one of my best qualities. ;)

Akechi: Are you quite finished with your antics, yet?

Kurusu: Mostly

Akechi: ...

Kurusu: So...?

Akechi: I'll be honest, Kurusu-kun, it doesn't matter what we can or cannot pretend didn't happen.

Akechi: We'll just have to.

Akechi: Whatever way you or I may feel about this situation doesn't matter.

Akechi: Now isn't the time for this and we have more pressing matters on our hands.

Akechi: I can remain professional.

Akechi: Can you, Kurusu-kun?

Kurusu: I can. 

Akechi: Good. Then that's how we handle it.

Akechi: You should rest before your companion complains about your lack of sleep then blames me for it.

Akechi: Good night, Kurusu-kun.

Kurusu: Good night, Akechi.

 

Ryuji can't believe his eyes. This is not an effing rivalry. That's not how you text your effing rival. This is how you text a situationship. Not that Ryuji would know, he never had one, but still! What happened?! WHAT THE EVERLOVING EFF HAPPENED?! 

"See?!" Futaba squeals. Yeah, code red indeed. Code 'Goddammit we're screwed'. "Ryujiiii! Say something!"

"Futaba, we can't say a thing about this. You understand? No one can know." He doesn't remember the last time he was this serious.

"But Ryuji-"

"I'll talk to him. But don't tell nothing to anyone else? Got it?"

Futaba seems stressed, but still, she nods. She sneaks Ryuji out of the house and on his way back to the station, he can't help but look up to the second story window of Leblanc. No lights are on, but he feels it in his bones. Akira's still awake. Ryuji fishes out his phone and texts him that he needs to talk to him tomorrow. Well, today. Same shit. He almost immediately gets texted an answer, asking if everything's okay. I'm fine. Ryuji thinks. You, on the other hand...

 

───────────────

 

The school day's a blur. Ryuji can barely remember his classes, all jumbling together as he spent the whole day agitated as hell. He spent hours doodling random shit on the corners of his notebook, waiting for the day to finally end. 

After school, Ryuji finds Akira already waiting for him in front of Leblanc. Ryuji's shoulders are so tense he feels he might pull a muscle. As he approaches, he sees Akira and Morgana argue back and forth, before Morgana jumps out of his bag with an annoyed twist of his tail and makes his way to the Boss's house. Ryuji feels bad, Akira probably thinks it's a personal problem and wants to give Ryuji some privacy. He should tell Akira that Morgana can stay, but at this point, the fewer people in the room, the better, since he doesn't know how Akira'll react.

"Ryuji!" Akira wears a concerned expression. It pangs Ryuji to see it. "Are you alright?" His tone is still non-chalant, not wanting to stress Ryuji out.

"Yeah." Ryuji rolls back a stiff shoulder. "Uh... Can we go upstairs?"

"Sure!" Akira's happy to oblige, opening the door for Ryuji and after a quick nod to Boss, they silently make their way upstairs. Akira sits by his workstation, waiting for Ryuji to get comfortable. Usually it'd be no problem, Leblanc is like a second home to Ryuji. But today he just awkwardly hangs around the TV stand, tapping a finger at the corner of the table.

"You said you wanted to talk?" Akira smiles a reassuring smile. "I'm all ears."

"Kira..." Ryuji breathes deep, trying to ground himself. "Akira, you said you wouldn't lie to me."

He finally stares Akira in the eye. There's confusion there. Also some defensiveness, which, once again, makes Ryuji a little pissed, but he doesn't waver. Not the time for anger or doubt.

"I don't understand, Ryuiji. What did I lie about?" He's using that leader tone. The jokerish voice again. 

"You know Futaba can see Akechi's texts, right?" 

At that, Akira goes white as a ghost. It scares Ryuji. He's never seen Akira like this. "W-What did she say to you guys?"

"Relax, Kira. She only told me. She was pretty freaked out, didn't know what to do. So? What happened? You said you were rivals, but that sure as hell didn't look like rivalry to me. Almost seemed like you guys've been hooking up? "

"Ryuji..." Akira tries but gives up when he sees his friend's not gonna budge. "It's not like that. We've" He swallows, "We kissed. Once."

The information drops to the pit of Ryuji's stomach. Whatever hope he had of it being not true, squandered. As if the guarantee that it was 'only a kiss' would make it any better. Akira’s agitated, looking like a cornered cat, glancing around the room. He doesn't say anything to defend himself, just resigning himself to whatever Ryuji has to say. And Ryuji has lots to say.

"Akira, just... What the fuck are you thinking?" It's not a yell. It's as even toned as Ryuji could ever speak, but Akira still flinches. Maybe a yell would’ve been kinder. 

"You don't understand, Ryuji."

"I sure as hell don't understand! He's a murderer, Akira!"

"It's more complicated than that." Akira is clenching his jaw.

"That's all you can say?! 'It's complicated’?! Yeah, I got that part! What I can't understand is why you'd like that self-satisfied, arrogant asshole!"

"You don't understand him. I can't make you understand him-" He's not done talking, but Ryuji can't take it anymore.

"Of course I don't fucking understand! You're not even trying to explain! You're just repeating shit, over and over again!" Now he's yelling, pacing across the room. Cause what the hell else is he supposed to do? "I don't know how you can stand to be in the same room as the guy, let alone like him!" The word comes out like poison to Ryuji. 

"I can't explain to you because it's not my story to tell. I'd be betraying his trust."

"His trust?! Are you for real?! What about your trust?! You're putting all your faith in him while he's getting ready to stab you in the back!"

"I know! I know, and I already told you, we're ready for that!"

"But are you?! What do you think's gonna happen on the 20th?! You think he’s just gonna change his mind?!"

Akira goes dead quiet.

"Please, Akira…” Ryuji’s voice wavers. “Please don't say you think he'll change his mind... That's... He won't, Kira. You know he won't."

"He could." Akira's voice is small.

"But he's not gonna. You know that already. The dude's stubborn. As stubborn as you, at least." Ryuji sighs, facepalming. His blood is boiling beneath his skin. "What happens then, Akira? When he delivers on it? When he kills you?! Goddammit, Akira, even I can see that! You're twice as smarter, but you're being this dumb?! What d'you think's gonna happen, huh? That he'll say 'Oops! Sorry for killing you and Futaba's mom and Haru's dad! My bad!' And you two're gonna waltz on to the sunset?! Akira, he's a monster!"

"Ryuji, that's enough." 

He stops dead in his tracks. Akira’s voice’s very quiet and he is refusing to look at Ryuji, but there’s a chill in the air. Ryuji's still thumping his foot on the floor as he shoves his hands in his pockets. He knows he crossed a line, but he's not backing down.

"If he shoots me, he shoots me. I'll live with it. But if there's the slightest chance I can change his mind, I'm taking it. That's my decision. Got it?" Akira's eyes are cold steel when he finally looks at Ryuji. "I told you time and time again, I don't expect you to understand. I'm not asking you to. But if you've ever considered yourself my friend, you'll respect my choice."

Akira has never laid out a line in the sand like this. Ryuji feels like he can't breathe. "Akira, I can't just stand here and watch you get hurt..."

"Yes, you can. I've never asked anything of you. Ever. This is the one thing I'm ever gonna ask of you."

Ryuji's bottom lip trembles a little. That's not what he wants to hear. Akira needs to know he can ask things from him. But if he's ever gonna believe that, Ryuji knows this is the first step. "Y-You can ask. For more things, I mean. But..." His voice fails. He sweeps his hand across the back of his head. "Shit, Akira. Alright... Alright. I won't butt in anymore."

Akira sighs in relief, slumping a little against the desk. "Thank you."

He’s not looking at Ryuji anymore, but there’s still tension in Akira’s shoulders. Ryuji’s heart is hammering and he feels his eyes sting. Like he’s gonna cry if this silence continues.

"Are we-" Ryuji clears his throat. He’s an effing hypocrite. "We're okay, right?" 

"I think so." Akira doesn't sound super sure. 

"Sorry for what I said... I mean, I'm not gonna take it back, if that's what you're thinking." He crosses his arms. 

"No, didn't think you would." Akira chuckles lightly.

 "But I'm still sorry.”

“It's okay. I'm glad you spoke your mind." 

"For real?"

Akira laughs a little harder at that. "Yeah, for real." He seems antsy for a moment. "Don't tell the others? Please?"

"Oh, for sure. This shit stays between me and you, don't even worry about it." Ryuji huffs. Like he’s gonna be the one to invite in that much of a shitstorm. Nope, not happening. “You’ll still have to talk to Futaba, though.”

"Thanks. I will.” At that, Akira actually seems slightly better. He fiddles with his bangs. “Wanna grab something to eat downstairs?"

"Yeah."

Some of the heaviness starts to go away as they make their way downstairs. They find two steaming mugs, one with coffee and one with hot chocolate, and two plates of curry, already waiting for them. The Boss says something about heading out for a smoke, leaving the two alone in the empty shop. As they eat, Ryuji throws out a comment or two about his day and things start flowing normally afterwards. Yeah, they’re okay. One way or another, things are out in the open now, and even if Ryuji's still feeling a little raw, he feels closer to Akira than he was before. 

And even if Ryuji thinks Akira's making the dumbest decision of his life, all he can do is be there to catch him when he inevitably falls.

Notes:

I finally let Ryuji say fuck
Also, I was very very tempted to add a "I don't like this" after Futaba's "Ryuji wake up". My restraint is commendable and should be recognized.

Chapter 6: Up in the Attic

Notes:

I did say this was about Akira's trauma, right?
Also, WARNING, some mild blood and injury in this one. I don't know how light my definition of mild is, but it may be uncomfortable for anyone queasy with blood or needles. I've been told I write injury a little viscerally, so, even though I tried to tone it down, I thought it safer to give the warning.

Ryuji never doubted Akira would make it back.

The moment he heard the news, he knew their plan had worked flawlessly. Everyone around him is a different stage of nervous, but not him. Well, he is nervous, but not for the same reason everyone else is. He knows Akira's coming back. But he doesn't know how much of him'll come back in one piece. 

When they all hear the familiar jingle of Leblanc's door being opened, they all jump to their feet. There, in the flesh, is their leader. Alive and, not well, but alive. Everyone crowds around Akira, to make sure he is okay. Ryuji gets to brag that he never doubted for a second that Akira would make it, but his smile feels wrong in his face. No one notices. They're just too relieved that Akira's back to see how their leader's hands are trembling, or that he's leaning on the counter to stay upright. And that he's trying to put his weight on only one of his legs. But Ryuji notices. He's got no relief to help choke down the horror of seeing how battered and bruised Akira is. How his eyes seem lifeless and blank, masked behind an easy attitude he's putting on for everyone's sake.

Everyone finally gets ready to leave, saying their goodbyes to let Akira rest, but Ryuji stays in his place, in the corner booth. When everyone else has left and Futaba has gone upstairs, Akira finally notices that Ryuji's still there. 

"It's okay, kid. We got it from here." The Boss says.

"You sure? I can help you get up the stairs." He looks at Akira, his eyes pleading with his friend to just... not put on an act. For once, it seems like Akira doesn't have the strength to fight it. 

"Thanks." He mumbles.

Ryuji rushes to Akira's side, the one with the probably injured leg, and goes to give him support. He hears Akira huffing an "Of course" under his breath, but focuses on the task at hand, Morgana following at their heels. It’s a struggle, but they make it up the flight of stairs. Futaba is surprised to see Ryuji. She goes in to help him and they get Akira to sit on the bed. Morgana jumps up after him, to stay by his side, looking extremely worried.

"You still wanna hear the details of the plan?" Futaba asks nervously.

"Tomorrow. I'm just... A little sleepy right now." He gives her a reassuring smile that Ryuji knows is bullshit, but he doesn't say anything.

"Okay." Futaba presses her fingers together. "Do you guys need any help?"

"No, thanks, Futaba. Got it covered." He gestures at Ryuji.

"Alright..." She seems a little down and more than a little worried, but complies, making her way towards the exit. She pauses at the top of the stairs. "Take good care of him, okay? If you need anything, call!"

"Got it." Ryuji makes a countenance and waits until she's fully out of earshot before he turns back to Akira. There are blood stains scattered across his uniform. Ryuji steadies himself. "How about we fix you up?"

"Y-Yeah! Let me check if there's a med kit around here!" Morgana exclaims with false optimism, jumping off the bed.

Akira huffs out what can barely be called a laughter. "Sounds like a plan." 

"Alright. Let me see the damage, then." 

While Morgana goes to rummage through Akira's things to find something useful, Ryuji helps Akira out of his uniform. Akira winces every time he has to make a bigger movement. It’s worse when the coagulated blood sticks his clothes to his skin making it hard to peel off the fabric without opening up any wounds, ripping hisses from Akira. When he's finally left in his underwear, the sight makes Ryuji want to vomit, but he pushes it down. This shit should be illegal.

"That bad, huh?" Akira jokes.

"N-Nothing we can't patch up!" Ryuji tries. "How is it going with the medicine, Morgana?"

"Nothing strong enough to help with all of this."

" 'kay... How about we, uh, call that doctor you know? The hot one?"

Akira laughs, muttering, "'The hot one?' Sure, Ryuji." He seems a little loopy, which is not a great sign. 

"M-Mona, you got his phone? You know her name?"

" 'ere" Morgana's already bringing Akira's phone in his mouth, before placing it on the bed. "Her name's Takemi Tae."

As Ryuji finds the number and waits for the doctor to pick up, he feels Akira's forehead on his shoulder. He puts an arm around him to support his body weight and gives him a soft shake.

"Hey. You gotta stay awake for now-"

"What does my guinea pig want at this hour?" Says a voice from the other line, "You're lucky I'm on call today."

"Err, Dr. Takemi?" Ryuji says nervously. 

"You're not Akira."

"No, I'm his friend, Sakamoto? We met when ya made a house call for his sister back in august?"

"Is something wrong?" She sounds more serious.

"Can ya make another house call? Err... Discretely? And bring something to do some stitches? I dunno if he needs it, but some of this stuff looks kinda bad..."

"Where are you?"

"At Leblanc."

"I'm on my way."

She has barely hung up when he hears the shop's bell jingling. Ryuji's about to be amazed at how fast she is when it’s the Boss who pops up the stairs with a couple bags in his hands.

"How is he holding up?"

"I'm alright, Sojiro." Akira straightens up. "Just a little tired."

"Whatever you say, kid." He sounds unimpressed, but he's not harsh. He sets down the bags on Akira's desk and takes out some antiseptic and gauze. "Hey, you," He looks at Ryuji. "help me clean some of these cuts." He wets some gauze with the antiseptic and gives it to Ryuji, who gets to work. 

Akira grits his teeth through it and Ryuji decides to hold a dry piece of gauze to a nasty cut on his back that hasn't stopped bleeding since he peeled off Akira's shirt. In the meantime, the Boss patches up minor wounds after cleaning them. In no time, the doctor arrives and takes over for him. She takes one look at Akira’s face, then sighs

"What drugs did they give you?" She asks with a grave voice.

"They didn't really think to give me that information." Akira puts on a stiff smile. "They've mostly worn off by now, Takemi. Don't worry."

"Figures... It's still better if you stay awake a little longer." She puts on her gloves and shoos Ryuji out of the way to examine the cut on Akira's back. "Lay down on your stomach. Your friend was right, this does need stitches."

"Great." Akira gives an ironic laugh.

"Akira..." Morgana seems devastated.

Ryuji helps Akira lie down, which is complicated by the gnarly bruise on his thigh that makes Akira fidget whenever any sort of weight is put on it. Ryuji figures it’s probably the source of the limping. Morgana curls up next to his head and puts his paw on Akira's hand, who promptly grasps it. Meanwhile, the Boss is leaning against Akira's desk, assisting Dr. Takemi whenever she asks.

"Sorry, since I don’t know what you took, I can’t give you anything for pain. You, go downstairs." She barely glances at Ryuji before focusing back on Akira. "Go grab some ice for his leg and a glass of water for him." 

Ryuji simply obeys. Getting downstairs he can hear the grunts and muffled yells of pain coming from upstairs and assumes the doctor has started the stitches. Ryuji feels woozy, his stomach twisting in knots. He takes the opportunity to take a breather, leaning on the counter to steady himself. Then wipes his forehead with the sleeve of his hoodie and goes to grab some ice from the freezer. He chugs a glass of water himself, before grabbing one for Akira and going back upstairs. When he gets there, the situation isn't much better. Dr. Takemi is dressing the wound, but Akira seems out of breath, hair sticking to his sweaty forehead.

"See? It's over." Morgana is trying to reassure him. Ryuji has never seen Akira look so young or scared. 

"H-Here." Ryuji carefully places the improvised ice pack beneath Akira's thigh, on the bad bruise, then settles next to Morgana and helps Akira drink his water. Dr. Takemi takes off her gloves, standing up to assess the whole situation.

"There. I think this is as much as we can do for now. He's probably still in shock, I'd keep my eye out for that." The doctor mutters that last part to Boss, but Ryuji still hears it. She starts to pack up her stuff, then turns to Akira. "You'll have to sit still for a while. I assume it's not going to be a problem with the whole 'presumed dead' thing?"

"No, ma'am." Akira croaks. He's trying to keep his voice light, but it fails miserably. Ryuji should be startled with her knowing of Akira's status as a dead man, but right now, he's too damn tired to give an eff. 

"Good." She turns to the Boss. "Keep an eye on him."

"How much do we owe you?" He asks.

"Are you kidding? I'm the one who owes him. This is nothing." She shoots Akira a last look, then leaves.

Boss starts to clean things up with Ryuji's help. Morgana's glued to Akira's side, purring to comfort him. Akira pets his fur lightly, his eyes still a little foggy. 

"I'll stay the night." Ryuji states. He turns to Boss "To keep an eye on him."

Boss looks relieved. "Thanks kid. Call if anything happens."

"You got it."

He leaves after checking in on Akira one last time. Ryuji scans the room, looking for any bloody gauze that might've escaped the first round of cleaning, throwing them into a plastic bag. 

"Thanks, Ryuji." Morgana says. He sounds so extremely sad, even Akira notices and pulls him closer.

"Hey, I'm alright, Morgana. I came back." His voice is soft and tired, like he's putting his last ounces of energy into reassuring Morgana, who nods and nuzzles into Akira's arms, seemingly exhausted. "You can grab one of my pajamas." Akira states flatly to Ryuji, nodding to a box full of clothes.

Ryuji thanks him and goes downstairs to change. He tries to make it as quick as possible. He's barely out of the bathroom when Boss returns one last time to give him a set of clean sheets. Then he leaves, telling Ryuji to lock up. When he gets upstairs, Morgana is already fast asleep and Akira's got a piece of dark fabric in his hand, which he shoves beneath his pillow when Ryuji comes back, keeping his hand and whatever it is, in there. Ryuji puts the sheets on the couch, making his improvised bed. After the lights are off and they're both tucked into their beds, in a very small voice, Akira asks the question.

"Aren't you gonna say it?"

"Say what?" 

"'I told you so'?" His voice sounds so defeated, it breaks Ryuji's heart.

I don't really have to. He thinks, but what he actually says is simply just "No."

Akira goes quiet after that, probably finally hit with the full exhaustion. Ryuji stays awake for a little longer, unable to sleep. He honestly hates that he was right.

Notes:

This damn chapter had me taking a good minute to search the right english word for antiseptic and I'm still wondering if I got it right.
Oh, "funny" thing, the fabric sticking to wounds happened to me once, when I was cleaning some stitches that stuck to the gauze of the bandage. I got so nausious I had to lay down twice before continuing the job. So the gross description is actually a byproduct of lived experience. Don't wish that on anyone.
Also, next chapter's probably gonna be Akira's POV

Chapter 7: The Ghost of Kichijoji - Part 1

Notes:

You guys didn't think I'd leave the kiss off-screen, did you?

Kurusu Akira is officially a dead man.

He surely feels like one. Actually, correction, he feels pathetic. He's been dead a full week and he's already out and about, tempting fate who, famously, loves to screw him over. But he just can't help himself. Not even two weeks ago he was walking these streets with Akechi, going in circles just to keep going. To keep talking. To not go home.

God, he really is pathetic. He already has a new target, a real problem, but he's moping around instead of tackling Shido's palace. The man who ruined his life is right there, but Akira doesn't even have the energy to do anything about it. Akechi would be laughing at him right now, disappointed at how dumb Akira's being. 'Cause that's what he's doing. Being dumb. Walking around Kichijoji with only a hoodie for a disguise, where Akechi could see him. And his stupid heart wants Akechi to see him. At the very least, he wants to see Akechi. To catch the slightest glimpse of him without it being on TV. Without all the cameras or the makeup or the pretense. Would he have bags under his eyes? Would he be unkempt or would it be business as usual? Does Akira even register in his conscience at night? Does he want to know?

From where he's standing in the mouth of the alleyway, there's no sign of Akechi in front of The Penguin Sniper. Was he only there all those nights hoping to bump into Akira? As if... Was it only last week that they met there? Akira'll never forget that night, not even if he was actually shot in the face.

 

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"Come on, I can't believe you!" Akechi chuckles bewildered. "Where do you learn all these tricks?"

"It's a trade secret." Akira smiles mischievously, leaning on his cue. Akechi rolls his eyes.

"Only you would be this secretive about pool tricks of all things." Akechi takes his turn, imitating Akira's latest trick with ease, before turning to him with an innocent smile. Show off. 

"See? That's why I gotta keep secrets! You're just too good at everything!" He jokes, stepping closer as Akechi takes another shot.

"I think we've already settled which one of us is frustratingly adept at things." He scowls lightly. Akira leans back against the table, tilting his head to the side.

"Right, and you haaate me for it."

"I don't understand your mocking tone. I do indeed hate you very much."

"You keep saying that, but I feel no inclination to actually believe you." Akira gives Akechi that non-smile smile of his. The one he knows pisses him off.

Akechi throws him a quick glance before focusing back on the game, but misses his shot. He tscs under his breath. 

"Must be off your game." Akira teases, taking his place to make another new trick shot. This one he hasn't tried yet, but he read about it and hopes against hope that it works. 

It's flawless.

"And I think it's a win for me." He looks back at Akechi, who feels no particular need to hide his annoyance. Akira extends his hand for a handshake. Akechi takes it, but immediately crosses his arms afterwards. "Well, someone is a sore loser today."

Akechi seems surprised with himself, before reining himself in with a polite expression. "I apologize. I guess it's the effect you have on me."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Akira softens his smile, "I like it when you're being yourself."

Akechi turns his face. He breaks for a fraction of a moment, getting an ironic smile on his face, before recomposing himself and turning back to Akira. If he wasn't already so primed to watch the detective's every move, he wouldn't even have caught it. 

"I'm sure you do, Kurusu-kun." His tone is the slightest bit harsher than usual. Akira likes that one. It’s a step more genuine than the rehearsed politeness. Akechi has been breaking more often lately. The closer they get to the deadline, the more these little slip ups happen. Again, they're so small, almost everyone would've missed them. But not Akira.

"Let's see." Akira places his finger on his chin, pretending to be deep in thought. "As my prize for winning-"

"I didn't know we were betting on anything." Akechi frowns. Akira just ignores him, trying to contain his smile.

"I demand, as the winner of this match, to get the privilege of walking you to the train station!"

He looks back at Akechi, who's staring at him as if he's stupid. It makes Akira chuckle.

"You already do that anyway." Akechi says, deadpan.

"I will hear no questioning on this!" Akira increases his theatrics. He usually has a hard time being like this when he's not in the metaverse. When he's not Joker. But with Akechi, it just comes out so easily.

Akechi rolls his eyes. "Does your royal highness have any other demands?" His tone is dripping in sarcasm.

"None." Akira stops the theatrics and is full on laughing. When he glances back at Akechi, he can see the ghost of a smile the other's suppressing. That alone makes his night.

"Fine. Let's just go then. It's getting late."

Akira looks at his watch. "You're right. Damn it, Morgana will kill me." He gathers his stuff to leave.

"Why do you let him dictate your bedtime? Aren't you a little old for that?"

"Contrary to what many believe, it's not my bedtime. It's Morgana's. But he's annoyed if I'm not there."

"That’s really silly." Akira opens the door for Akechi and they go out into the chilly November night. 

Akechi pulls his coat closer to himself as soon as the cold wind hits them. Akira feels tempted to put an arm around him, but knows he'll just get batted away, so they walk in silence. It takes Akechi exactly 0.2 seconds to realize they're not taking the way to the train station, but he doesn't acknowledge it with more than an annoyed glance. It's their routine, their same song and dance. They go around in circles for a little bit, before they get to the station before Akira apologizes profusely for 'getting lost', with the bold-faced lie that he's still getting used to Tokyo.

"You know, I should try to learn how to play pool with my other hand. To see how you do it."

"Oh, I'm sorry, have our games been boring you? I didn't think my skills were so lackluster, you wanted to try playing with a handicap."

"That's a double standard. I wasn't offended when you did it with me. If it makes you feel better, you can go back to playing with your right hand whenever I do that. And I'm never bored when I'm with you." He adds with unfiltered warmness in his voice. “I always look forward to our time together.”

Akechi flushes and scowls. Another recent development, Akira has actually started to make him visibly flustered. 

"Your reckless flirting will get you in a bad spot one day."

"You say it as if I go around flirting with everyone." Akira feels his knuckles brushing against Akechi's as they walk. That’s also part of their routine. Neither of them acknowledges it. Akira really, really wants to. 

"Certainly seems so."

Akira furrows his brows and just waits for Akechi to elaborate. The detective sighs.

"Please, I know you're aware of the flock of sycophants that gather around you. Yoshizawa-san, Okumura-san, Sakamoto-kun..."

"Well, now you're just plain wrong." Akira smirks as Akechi turns to glare at him, but with a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

"Enlighten me."

The two of them take a turn onto the Jazz Jin’s street, which is quieter tonight. It is the middle of the week, after all.

"First of all, the girls? I never flirted with them. I did talk to them about any feelings they had that were unrequited. They took it well, and now we're all just friends. Hell, I even think Haru's starting to have a little crush on Makoto, but you didn't hear it from me."

"And Sakamoto-kun?"

"Ryuji is my best friend. I don't know if you know this, but friends tend to be pretty close. But he doesn't have feelings for me, he's just protective of me. Of all of us, actually. And I don't think he himself has realized if he does in fact like guys or not."

"Oh, so that's your barrier? His sexuality?" Akechi seems more annoyed than usual.

"No. That's not what I said. I already have feelings for someone and it's not him." Then he stops in his tracks, a grin spreading throughout his face. "Wait, is that why you've been so pissy at him these last few weeks? You were jealous?"

Akechi stops just a few steps ahead of him and looks back.

"That would imply I have something to be jealous of." His face is impassive. "Which I certainly do not."

Akira closes some of the distance with a shit-eating grin. "And here I thought you hated me."

"I do hate you." Akechi's eyes give away nothing, but a small flush spreads through his cheeks.

"You know, you didn't ask me who I liked. Aren't you curious?"

"Not in the slightest. Your love life is none of my concern."

"Then why were you interrogating me on it for the last five minutes."

"I was just advising you on your attitude. People might get the wrong idea." Still, Akechi has gotten a little closer, as if pulled by an invisible string.

"I told you, I don't go around flirting with people." Akira's voice is quiet. "So if I am flirting with someone, well, then it's not the wrong idea, is it?" Akira can't keep his eyes from Akechi's mouth. He knows Akechi can notice it. He's tired of trying to hide it. 

He's afraid to move. Terrified that one false step will send Akechi running away. So he just stands there, his heart in his throat. At this point, what does he have to lose? He feels the smallest twitch of Akechi's hand against his. It shocks him into intertwining a single finger with his. It crosses a line. Akechi breathes out an annoyed sigh.

"You really are impossible." He fully takes Akira's hand in his and pulls him into a secluded alcove between buildings.

Before Akira even has time to breathe, he feels Akechi's lips against him. It's not sweet. Far from it, Akechi cradles his face, his fingers tense against Akira's skin. Their teeth clash once or twice, his glasses are knocked out of place in the sheer hunger of the kiss. Akira feels dizzy from the intensity alone. He tries to answer in kind, wrapping his arms around Akechi's waist and pulling him closer.

He's smiling into the kiss, almost unable to believe it's even happening. He moves his hands across Akechi's back, across his shoulder, across the nape of his neck, mussing his hair. Anything he can do, now that he’s been given permission. He never actually thought he'd ever make it this far.

They break once for air and Akira takes a moment to look at the sight in front of him. Akechi is just as out of breath as him, his face impossibly red. He looks Akira up and down, brows furrowed, with... something in his eyes. Something Akira can't read. Then he dives for Akira's neck, littering it with kisses and bites too light to leave a mark, but hard enough to drive Akira crazy. He stands on the tip of his toes, clinging on to Akechi for support. Then Akechi climbs up to kiss him again, pulling the Phantom Thief impossibly closer, like he wants to swallow him whole. Absorb him into his skin. 

Akira doesn't know how long they kiss. When they break away for the last time, Akechi keeps his eyes closed. Hiding, so that Akira can't see him. Their foreheads are leaning against each other and Akira's panting as if he just ran a marathon. He runs his hands one last time through Akechi's back. He's so freaking scared to let go. Afraid Akechi's gonna disappear the moment he does so. 

When Akechi leans back and finally opens his eyes, he gives Akira one unreadable, hardened look. He takes off Akira's glasses and studies his eyes without that barrier while Akira’s heart hammers so hard inside his chest, he’s pretty sure Akechi can feel it. He traces Akira’s face with his fingertips, a sweet act, and Akira can’t help but follow his touch when he pulls his hand away. After one last silent moment he puts Akira’s glasses back on his face, then steps back.

"We should go back home, Kurusu." 

"Yeah..." Akira fixes his glasses. His voice sounds weird and distant. "We should."

They walk to the station without a word between them. No detours, no joking around. Akira can't help but notice that Akechi's hands are in his pocket, avoiding his at all costs. When they get there, they say quiet goodbyes and go their separate ways.

 

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Morgana did scold Akira for arriving home so late. So did Sojiro, but he didn't dwell on it nearly as much after he saw Akira's dazed expression. That night Akira remembers going to sleep with Akechi's glove in his hand, held close to his heart. He should have known. He should have known the kiss was a goodbye. 

His wandering feet take him to the front of the Jazz Jin. They have just opened for the night and Akira longs to take a peek inside. Don't be stupid, Akira. His heart aches, rooting him to the spot. He could be in there. Then what? You blow the plan after being out for only a week? Part of him wishes Akechi’s there. Yeah, a very, very stupid part of you. Don't do it. He feels a lump in his throat and his eyes sting with tears he refuses to shed. He looks up, trying to blink them away and leans back against a wall behind him, only to recoil away when the pressure pushes on his wound. Akira mentally curses at himself for it. He then swallows it all down, breathing in and out very slowly. He can’t break. He has to be strong right now. For his friends.

Morgana thinks he's out here hanging out with Kasumi. He should've been. He feels like something broke inside of him and dwelling in it isn't the healthiest way to go about it. He grabs his phone, checking his messages. All of his friends have made an invite of some kind. Some to go investigate the palace, others just to hang out. His eyes focus on Ryuji's, who's inviting him to go grab some Ramen with him. But he can't do it. He can't face Ryuji right now. He knows too much. He'd ask too many questions. And Akira doesn't feel like the fearless Phantom Thief Leader right now. He can't do it in front of Ryuji. He reads Yusuke's request for a model. Yusuke's also been oddly kinder. More soft spoken than usual. But he hasn't asked any questions yet. It's nice. Akira tells him he'll meet him then puts his phone back in his pocket and keeps his hand in there. It's where Akechi's glove is. It lives there, now. Akira grasps it firmly in his hand.

He still drags his feet on the way to the station, hoping for a fleeting glimpse of chestnut hair.

Notes:

Akira "We only kissed once" Kurusu.
So, here it is, in all its glory, our Akira POV chapter. You're welcome to curse me out in the comments. I swear, I did kiss the brick before I threw it.
I've been insensed over this fic. It's flowing out so naturally and so quickly, it's scarry.
Also, this whole ghost of Kichijoji is a personal headcanon of mine that I hold very dear to my heart. I always thought it'd be really tragic if Akira, after the interogation room, decided to "haunt" Kichijoji, hanging around the places he and Akechi used to meet up, unable to move on or accept what Akechi did. If I ever make other Shuake, more or less Canon-Compliant fics, the haunting of Kichijoji will always happen.

Chapter 8: The Ghost of Kichijoji - Part 2

Notes:

Me: I'm not brave enough for an Akechi POV Chapter
Also me: Anyways, here's an Akechi POV Chapter
WARNING, this does briefly go over some of the stuff that happens in the Interrogation Room. So there are very small mentions of the effects a bullet to the head would have on the human body.
Again, it's very, very little and since it's such a small part of the chapter, if you wanna skip it, stop reading at:
- It floods his mind, and there's nothing he can do to stop it. -
And pick back up on the next paragraph. I'm not sure if it warrants a warning, but, again, better safe than sorry.

Goro should've never kissed Kurusu.

The entirety of last month doesn't seem to go away, invading his every thought, just to taunt him. It's always a new reminder of how humiliating his behavior has been. How jealous and petty and out of control he was for the entirety of November. He never struggled to hide his emotions before, but when he looks back on all of the little moments where he gave himself away, Goro wants to find a hole in the earth and bury himself in it. The worst part is that the humiliation, out of all the feelings that have been warring inside of him, is the easiest one to deal with, which makes him actually focus on it.

Because if it's not humiliation, then it's steel gray eyes, looking up at him from behind the barrel of a gun.

Goro's lungs stop working for a second. He's glad he's alone in the TV station's dressing room. He's clutching the table, a single hand in his chest, trying to steady his breathing. His eyes are closed and he's willing his brain to stop it. He doesn't get to feel guilty. He doesn't get to feel sad. He does not give himself permission to regret it. Goro's not allowed to. His plan is going perfectly in its tracks, every thing he ever wanted is so close, he can feel it in his fingertips. But it tastes sour in his mouth. 

There's a knock on the door that startles Goro out of his little pity party, asking him if he's ready to go up in ten. He singsongs a polite yes, then turns back to look at the mirror, scowling at what he sees. Sweat rolling down his temple, little bits of makeup breaking up on his oily skin. He steadies himself and goes out to ask for a retouch. He can't go out looking like this. 

This is his victory lap. He should look happy.

 

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He doesn't know what possesses him to get him to go to the Jazz Jin. It has always been a special place to him, but not anymore. The warm ambience and easy music that once had brought him so much comfort, now feel like a suffocating noose around his neck and a grating noise in his ear. Why did he have to ever bring Kurusu here? Why did he give away one of his few treasures? Now it can never be his again. It will forever be Kurusu's. How can he hope to ever come here to get a quiet moment, or a breath of fresh air, without it sounding wrong. There is no mischievous teasing to accompany the music, no warm presence beside him. There will never be again. He stares down at the table, where there's only a single lone glass. He hates it.

And he hates that he hates it. Goro has always been a hateful creature, he knows that very well about himself, but he hasn't ever done as much hating in his entire life as he's done since the 21st. He's being weak. He takes a sip from his drink, to wash down the noise in his head. It doesn't taste like anything at all. 

He's fine. Goro's fine. This whole... childish infatuation will pass. It's just his hormones playing a nasty trick on him, but Goro knows he's above all that. And here I thought we were done lying to ourselves. Says a voice inside his heart. He's pretty sure it's Robin Hood, but he stopped listening to him years ago. Learned to tune him out. After all, Robin Hood is a liar. Well, Goro is a liar, Robin Hood's the living proof, but Goro knows who the real him is. Otherwise, Loki wouldn't be here. Loki, who has been annoyingly quiet as of late. As if he has no need to weigh in the whole situation. Guess Goro's doing a well enough job of going crazy on his own without Loki's intervention.

As he plays with the straw of his drink, he barely notices Muhen coming his way.

"Hey, Akechi-kun. You're here on your own today?" As if I needed any more reminding. "Where's your friend? The one with the curly hair and the glasses?"

"He's out of town." Goro forces out a smile. "Actually, he has gone back to live with his parents."

"Shame. You two seemed like you had fun together." Goro's smile gets stiffer. "Can I get you anything else?"

"Just the check, please, Muhen-san. I think I'm not feeling too well today."

Muhen analyses him with a worried expression, then goes to get the check for Goro. Great, now even Muhen is noticing how he's falling apart at the seams. He needs to get a hold on himself. Now.

The night sky is heavy with clouds when he steps outside the club. Goro grips his suitcase in his hand, ready to make the trek back to the train station, when suddenly his heart is in his throat and his hair's raised on end. His feet feel glued to the ground and he takes a moment to gather enough courage to twist his head and look back to the place where he saw it. Where he saw him.

It feels longer in his head, but he knows it takes little more than a second for him to do a double take. There's nothing there. Just an empty street. His chest is tight, as if it knows what it saw and is trying to squeeze itself into a heart attack as divine punishment. But there's nothing there. His lungs seem as if they shut down and Goro's having to work double time to get his diaphragm to move again. But there's no one there. Goro forces his head forwards, looking away from the spot, staring at the ground between his feet. He feels like tearing his eyes out. It's as if the universe is mocking him, trying to crush him to the ground with the weight of all the shame, guilt and, worst of all, hope. 

But he's dead. He says to himself. He's dead and I killed him. It floods his mind, and there's nothing he can do to stop it. The blood spreading through the table. Bits of brain scattered about. Those eyes… They were always full of light. Always with a mischievous glint. But that night, Goro watched them go nebulous, then empty, then lifeless. 

Goro compares it to how they looked the night they kissed. How he knew he was making the biggest mistake of his life, looking at them as they stared right back into Goro's soul. They were so… unguarded. He couldn't help himself. Like a god damn masochist, he took his time, memorizing all the beautiful lines of Kurusu's face. In that moment, Kurusu's heartbeat was so fast. So alive. He was so vulnerable in Goro's arms. Walking so blindly onto his spider web of lies. 

Goro had tried so desperately to fight those feelings. The urge to actually follow through on his irrational need towards Kurusu. But Kurusu never let him. Always prodding and poking, always making Goro feel like he actually deserved a future. Well, he's got his future now. His dream. It feels hollow. 

And after all that, he knows that the defiant, resigned look Kurusu gave him the night he died will follow Goro to his grave. It will follow him down to the depths of hell. Kurusu didn't even deign to say a word. Goro wished that there was any hate for him in Kurusu's face that night. But there wasn't. He's not like Goro. Even in the face of death, Kurusu was the kind soul that couldn't bring himself to hate him. It made Goro spend the rest of that night hunched over the toilet from the moment he got to his apartment. Emptying his stomach of all the food he ate that day, until he was heaving bile down the drain.

Goro gathers himself and resumes his way home. As he walks, he still feels dizzy and wonders if it will ever go away. If the nausea that seems to permanently hover in his stomach will ever lessen. If the ache from the tension on his trigger finger will ever cease. 

He's right. Loki doesn't have to say a god damn thing. He's already doing a fine enough job at driving himself insane all by himself.

Notes:

And there we have it. I hope I did Akechi's internal monologue and characterization justice.
After all, he is very, very kind with himself. It's perfectly healthy and he will hear no suggestions on it.
Ok, so, explanation. I wasn't exactly planning on writing an Akechi POV Chapter. I would try if it felt natural, but thought it probably wouldn't happen. But then I got the suggestion to do it, and I was re-reading Chapter 7 to write Part 2 of "The Ghost of Kichijoji" and it reeeally felt right. So what was gonna be Part 2 is now Part 3 and we're getting the Akechi chapter in-between. So let's call this Side A of the tape.