#but he's actually really excited to be able to spend time with yusuke doing something besides getting his ass handed to him

[extra-somethin-somethin]

If nothing else Koenma is a Kuwabara stan and I'm right there with him o7 (I need to write the kuwameshi fic that goes with this fr)

[idontblushsrry]

Yusuke Urameshi||SFW Alphabet

A/N: Writing for one of my favorite protagonists of all time? Don’t mind if I do. Slightest hint of spoilers for the end of the series and s3 but they’re really minor and and mostly non-specific.

Word Count: 1929

A: Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Yusuke is affectionate in a kinda subtle way, like he’ll put his hand in your pocket (in your back pocket if you let him) or vice versa, he just likes touching you and being close to you. The clingiest he’ll get is wrapping his arm around your shoulder or waist and pulling you closer so he can kiss you. Aside from that, Yusuke’s go to with affection is teasing, like if he isn’t messing with you or yall aren’t bickering, he’s probably really upset.

B: Best Friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

As a best friend, Yusuke is super rowdy. He’s always getting into some form of trouble or antics, and while this does calm down after the demon world tournament, he’s still always got that mischievous air about him. Your friendship probably started with you and Yusuke bumming around the same spots, namely the arcade, and you showing him how to beat one of the games.

C: Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

Yusuke’s cuddles are very lax, he tends to just throw an arm around your waist and call it a day. He prefers being the big spoon but he doesn’t really like spooning all that much to begin with.

D: Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

Yusuke is actually pretty good at cooking and cleaning. Atsuko left him home alone a lot with nothing more than a will and a way (maybe a microwave meal when he was younger). So while Yusuke isn’t the best cook, he won’t go hungry, and he’s more than content to empty the cabinet before going back to the store. As for cleaning, he’s pretty good at that once he has a direction to go in. He doesn’t always know what all needs to be taken care of but give him something to do and he’ll do it.

E: Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

Yusuke definitely breaks up with you in person. No matters the conditions of your break up, you mean a lot to him; even in breaking up, he feels it’s best that he tell you face to face.

F: Fiance(e) (How would they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Yusuke is a committed person who’s very casual about marriage. He’s not pushy when it comes to getting married, he already knows he wants to be with you as long as possible. It’s all really up to what you’d want, maybe he’d get married for the sake of being able to say he’s married but otherwise, he doesn’t feel one way or the other.

G: Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

Yusuke isn’t really gentle, at least that’s the way he wants to come off, but he really has a heart of gold. Yusuke is gentle with you in a way that he is with no one else. He speaks to you in such a gentle tone of voice, one that sets all your nerves at ease. The way he holds isn’t gentle, but firm, like he’s giving you the promise of safety and security without even using words.

H: Hugs( Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?

Yusuke doesn’t hug all that often. When he does hug you, it’s usually out of excitement, like he’s so overjoyed that he can’t help hugging you.

I: I love you (How fast do they say the L-word)

Yusuke just says it one day randomly and late as all hell. Like you and him could be together for a year before he just randomly goes “you know I love you, right?”

J: Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous)

You can’t take jealous Yusuke anywhere. He will act a damn fool and try and puff his chest out to try and intimidate the person he’s jealous of. The worst part is if Puu’s there, he’ll be copying Yusuke but trying to get your attention onto him instead. Together, the both of them are menaces.

K: Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

Yusuke’s kisses are like a burst of sun after being inside all day, invigorating, exciting, and warm. The both of you have smiled into your fair share of kisses and often times Yusuke’s kisses leave you giddy and walking on air.

L: Little ones (How are they around children)

Yusuke is actually surprisingly good with kids. He knows how to look out for them since he’s used to taking care of others, plus his whole tough guy with a heart of gold shtick really endears him to little kids.

M: Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Mornings with Yusuke kind of depend; if he wants to open his ramen cart early, and you’re awake, it’s mostly the two of you getting ready and prepping food for the ramen cart. If he wants to open a little later, Yusuke buries his head into your neck, leaving lazy kisses along your neck and jaw while the both of you just hold each other sleepily.

N: Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Yusuke usually cooks dinner for the both of you, he makes a whole show of it too. He says he does it selflessly but he always wears his kiss the cook apron “coincidentally” whenever he makes dinner. Afterwards, when the both of you head to bed, you’ll both spend the night giving each other slow kisses until the both of you fall asleep.

O: Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

Admittedly, it does take Yusuke some time to truly open up to you. All his life pretty much, he’s been told he was useless and that he’d never achieve anything beyond being a delinquent monster, so it takes him some time to be vulnerable with you due to fear of rejection. He’s especially slow to reveal information about his true heritage. But once Yusuke trusts you enough to reveal his insecurities, he’s in love with you. 

P: Patience (How easily angered are they?)

Yusuke, while having absolutely zero patience with anyone, is very patient with you. Sure you go back and forth with him but even then, he never raises his voice.

Q: Quizzes (How much would they remember about you?  Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

Yusuke comes off as not caring or remembering details about you, but if anyone knows you, it’s Yusuke. He knows you better than you know yourself, and it’s mainly because of his attention to minor details, ones that you might not even notice about yourself.

R: Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

His favorite part in your relationship was when you went to the beach with the gang and you and him teamed up to prank Kuwabara. It was honestly the most fun he’d had in a while up to that point and the delight in your expression from being so devious made his heart skip a metaphorical beat or two.

S: Security (How protective are they? How would they like to be protected?)

Yusuke’s super protective of you, the boy’s got a lot of enemies. While he doesn’t really think any of his demon ones would step out of line, he’s got plenty of human ones who’d be willing to mess with you to get to him. Not to mention you could just plain get robbed or attacked in general, Yusuke trusts you but he definitely shields you from any danger. As observant as he strangely is though, he is still a bit dumb when it comes to the fact that you’re looking out for him just as much as he’s looking out for you

T: Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

Yusuke puts a decent amount of effort into your dates, it wasn’t always this way. Initially, Yusuke and you would just have dates that consisted of going to malls/arcades/bowling/etc. and it was all good, neither of you had a problem with it. However for the first birthday of yours that you’d both be spending together, he was just planning for the both of you to go to a park, something small, when Kuwabara and Keiko found out, they gave him an earful. Now, he still does “simple” dates, but he always tries to do something fun or unexpected for your anniversaries or special events 

U: Ugly (What are some bad habits of theirs? (I’m gonna add arguments here because they aren’t on the prompt list I found))

Yusuke doesn’t have bad habits as he has gross habits. Like this man will probably burp in your face at least once (on accident) and it’s kinda just up to you to deal with that. As for fights, post-end of the series, you don’t really argue about much, you and Yusuke just bicker, but hey it works for you. During the series though, your heavy fights consist of you getting upset at the way Yusuke is always so ready to sacrifice his life (he does this a looooot)

V: Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

Not to be fooled, Yusuke is extremely concerned with his looks. No one who purposefully slicks their hair back with gel almost everyday from the age of 14 isn’t. He tries not to take too long, but if he can’t get the coif right, you’re going to be waiting for a long time.

W: Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

It isn’t so much as he feels incomplete without you, he just doesn’t feel worthy of being with you. He spends as much time as you’ll allow proving you didn’t waste your time on him (despite the fact that he literally doesn’t need to do that)

X: (E)xes (Any previous relationship experience. How does that factor into your current relationship?)

The closest he has to prior relationship experience is Keiko. The whole thig with Keiko was initially something of a hurdle due to the fact that they were kind of each other’s first love and they’re still friends, however, you got through it together and now Keiko is a source of advice for you, along with Kurama and Genkai.

Y: Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner)

In general, he doesn’t really like underhanded people. He sees the validity of the strategy, in the sense of outwitting an opponent larger or more powerful than you, but even then the thought of losing to someone or defeating someone in an underhanded way is disgusting to him (see the entirety of dark tournament arc to see why he hates underhandedness)

Z: Zzz (What is a sleep habit of theirs?)

Yusuke snores. Not all the time, but when he’s really tired, the man sounds like an old car engine. He is LOUD and if you aren’t a heavy sleeper or already asleep, good luck getting any sleep because just when you lay your head down to relax, he snores loud enough to shake the whole of your apartment complex.

[kareofbears]

margin of error

Sophia knows a lot, but that does not mean she understands much of anything at all.

Or, Sophia struggles to grasp why Akira and Ryuji don't follow her predictive algorithm.

read on ao3 or below the cut :)

Sophia knows a lot.

She can tell you almost anything in the known world in an instant. Calculate the radius of the sun. Who won Best Picture three years ago. The outfit to wear when you need to 'dress to impress.' Just yesterday, she was able to find them a bath, a takoyaki restaurant, and an overnight camping site within 0.3 milliseconds. That’s not very many seconds.

Sophia knows a lot, but that does not mean she understands much of anything at all.

She’s quiet while she’s propped on the phone stand, watching the rest of them lounge in the RV. There’s a shape to the interior that wasn’t there before—where it had been pristine when they had first gotten it, now it’s littered with crumbs and instant-food packaging despite Makoto’s half-hearted attempts at scolding them for it. Empty surfaces are filled with knick-knacks, stuffies and a plastic ramen bowl rattling gently along with the RV.

There’s a rare lull amongst them, a moment of quiet. Most of them were napping away the road, gently snoring and bodies jostling whenever a pothole hits, oblivious to the scenery that passes by. Only the soft tunes of pop music from the front and the hum of the engine broke the quiet.

Other than Makoto, there were only two people awake: Akira, scribbling in his journal, and Ryuji, watching him do it. They sat across from each other in the booth, with Ryuji’s chin propped against his hand.

Probability and pinpoint accuracy is what she excels at, and being able to apply them to her friends excites her. Not to mention, she hasn’t been wrong yet.

Idly, she runs the numbers—according to the data she’s collected from spending time with them, the silence will be broken by Ryuji within approximately two minutes. Pulling up a time from within Akira’s phone, she waits eagerly.

A minute passes, and then another. And another. Akira is still scribbling in his neat penmanship and Ryuji is still watching him doing it, unspeaking.

Frowning, she double-checks her calculations. No errors that she can see. It seems that he simply does not want to speak. This is surprising, and very unlike him. He is not usually this quiet. In the Metaverse, he is by far the loudest of them; calling on his Persona’s name can often leave her own ears ringing.

The real world does not stray from that data. His voice is clear in crowded areas, helpful in guiding their big group throughout bustling cities. He is often shushed by the girls when they are trying to sleep at night—Futaba even goes as far as to kick the ceiling from her bunk bed.

The data is strong and sure. There should not be a reason that she should be wrong in this assumption unless there’s a confounding variable that she had missed.

Akira looks up and catches his eye. “Am I boring you?” he asks quietly.

Ryuji shakes his head, grinning. “Couldn’t be happier,” he whispers back.

Sophia’s about to ask when Makoto cuts her off.

“Wake up everyone. We’re here.”

—

“Okay,” Akira calls. His voice isn’t raised, despite the crowded street of downtown Sendai, but they all straighten up. “We’re probably not going to spend too much time here, especially once we take over the Jail. Grab what you need now—snacks for the trip. Shopping. Souvenirs. Frozen pineapple. Any questions?” Yusuke raises his hand. “Yes, I’ll pay for you.” The hand falls back down, relieved.

“Cool. How about we meet back here…” he squints at the large clock hanging on the wall, hand blocking out the blaring sun. “In an hour?”

A chorus of agreements rolls through them as they rush out, excited to explore a new city. “Good speech,” Sophia pipes up from his hand. “Do you do them often?”

“I try not to,” he yawns. His thick black hair is even more unruly than usual, glasses barely hiding the light blue that’s beginning to form underneath his eyes. “Most of the time, they can handle themselves fine. All they need is a schedule and some rules to work with.”

When she doesn’t answer, Akira brings his phone up. “What? Did I say something?”

“It’s because she’s worried about you, you moron,” a disgruntled voice says.

Akira’s gaze flickers towards it. “You’re still here?”

“Of course I am,” Ryuji says. “You really think I’d leave without saying goodbye? Glad I didn’t either, cause you look like shit.”

“Thanks.”

“Still pretty, though. No worries about that part.” He shoves his hand deep in his pocket, stray yen clinking against each other as he rummages. After a moment, he throws something at Akira. “Catch.”

He plucks it out from the air with ease. “Car keys?” he asks, surprised.

“Grabbed them from Makoto before she ran off for stationery shopping.” Ryuji reaches forward, gently turning Akira’s head this way and that, frowning. “I told you to quit staying up so late. You’re exhausted.”

“I am not.”

“He is,” Sophia refutes. “Last night, he had approximately four hours of sleep, with only four minutes of that being REM sleep.”

“I told you. She’s even bringing up computer stuff now.”

“I think you are thinking about RAM, Ryuji.”

“Whatever,” he shakes his head. “Look, just head to the RV, get some shut-eye. You can finally sleep in a proper bed that isn’t an overheating tent with three sweaty dudes and a cat. Oh, and trade phones with me.”

He hands it over without hesitation, sliding Ryuji’s phone into his own pocket. “Why?”

“You have the grocery list in here, yeah? Not to mention, I don’t want Sophia getting bored while you nap it up.” He looks down at her. “Hi, by the way.”

“Hi!”

Akira still doesn’t seem convinced. “But I promised Yusuke—”

“Who’s with Ann now, shopping like they’d die if they didn’t get the perfect skirt to fit her next shoot,” he says, uncompromising. “Chill. It’s fine. We’ll survive an hour without Joker keeping an eye on us.”

They stare each other down for a long moment with Sophia watching. She does not need to run the numbers on this one; Akira will not allow himself to go back to the RV.

To her surprise, he relents. “Twenty minutes.”

Ryuji scoffs. “We’ll see about that. You suck at waking up.”

“Shut up.” And then, quieter, “Thank you.”

“You know I got your back.”

He yawns once more, slowly walking back to their car. “Sophia, please make sure that when he gets the Pocky to get the strawberry one. Futaba won’t eat anything else. And also that Haru wanted doilies to make the place look nicer. White, if you can find them.”

“Roger that,” she replies, distracted. How is she wrong again? This is troubling.

“My hoodie’s in my bag if you get cold!” Ryuji calls out. Akira throws him a thumbs up without looking back. “Jeez, that guy. He’s gonna run himself to the ground before he’s thirty, I swear. Like some geezer with a bad back but with really good hairline or something.”

An old man with a thick head of hair shoots him a glare as he passes by them. Ryuji laughs, high-pitched. “Yikes, that was awkward. Let’s get out of here, we need to hit up the grocery store before they run out of carrots.”

Sophia doesn’t answer, too deep in her thoughts and running endless calculations.

—

It’s impossible for her to get a headache, but her code is trying its best to give her one.

Two mistakes now. That isn’t allowed to happen. She’s lucky that they were both relatively small errors, but it can easily become a bigger problem. What can she do?

Luckily, that had a very simple answer.

“Ryuji?”

“Hmm?” He peels his eyes away from scrutinizing the oranges in his hands, the wires from his earphones swaying when he does. After one too many strange looks when he talks to nothing, it was just better to act like he was on a phone call. “Yeah?”

“I have a question.”

“What am I, a teacher?” he snorts. “If you got a question, go ahead. Friends can do that.”

That’s right. They’re friends, and friends have trust in one another. Sophia jotted that down as lesson number forty-eight, thirteen days ago.

“Okay,” she says. Questions float around her, and she picks the one that’s giving her the most stress. “If I was not as useful as you think I am, would we still remain friends?”

The orange tumbles out of his grip, and he rushes to catch it before it hits the ground. “Wha—!” he stutters out. “Duh! Obviously! What the—where the hell did that come from? Did we do something to think that we’d just ditch you like that?” he lifts the phone so that she was eye-level with him. “Be honest,” he says seriously, quickly. “Did I say something to hurt your feelings? I do that sometimes, and I’m working on it, and I know that’s no excuse—”

“You did not say anything to hurt my feelings,” she says before he spirals even further. “In fact, I do not have feelings for you to hurt.”

Relief blooms on his expression, and he sags his body against the fruit display. “Okay, good. Good. Thought I was gonna get a heart attack. I’d be pissed at myself if I did, and I just know Akira would give me so much shit.” He sighs, ridding himself of panic before giving him her full attention. “So what’s up?

“Sir…” an employee shuffles towards them, hands shaking knees knocking against each other. He is afraid, she notes, but of what? “I’m sorry, but it’s against store policy to lean on the product. Please try to understand.”

“Oh, shoot!” Ryuji exclaims, straightening up. “Sorry, man. I didn’t even realize. I think I squished an orange, but I’ll buy it so your boss doesn’t give you hell for that one.”

The employee blinks. “You would?” he says, shocked. “That would be great, actually. Thank you so much!”

“Don’t sweat it,” he waves it off. Tugging the shopping cart, he places Sophia where they’d normally put babies. “Hope he doesn’t get in trouble. I feel kinda bad.”

She thinks for a moment. “Ryuji, why was that man afraid?”

Swiftly, red rushes to his cheeks. “That obvious? Aw, man.”

“I don’t know if it was obvious, but all the signs were there,” she says, watching as he ducks his head, embarrassed. “What is happening? I do not understand.”

“It’s just—” his eyes shift sideways, meeting the eye of a young girl. Immediately, she directs her gaze downwards. “I look really scary to people.”

“You do?” It isn’t in her program to doubt, but she is rather skeptical. During the entire trip, he has been nothing but kind to her. Yes, there are times when he has arguments with others in the group, but more often than not it’s him that’s being teased rather than the other way around. “Why? You aren’t even that tall.”

“Ouch?”

“I’m just saying that you are not scary to me, so I don’t really understand why other people would be.”

He sighs, picking up a box of miso unseeingly. “It’s a combination of a lot of things. My hair’s bleached, and people usually see that as like, punk or whatever. My posture sucks and my voice is loud.” Shrugging, he throws it in the cart. “It doesn’t really bug me though. At least that means strangers usually don’t bother the group, cause they think I’ll kick their ass.”

“And would you?” Sophia crosses off miso. Only bandages are left on the list, but the cart is filled with snacks, sodas, and a small cactus. “‘Kick their ass?’”

“No way. If I did, my mom would kick my ass, and I can’t pull that shit twice in a lifetime.” Pushing the cart, they slowly meander through the aisles, occasionally looking at what’s on sale. Ryuji tosses in rainbow marshmallows, and after a moment, reluctantly puts it back.

“But you know,” he says eventually. “If someone was bothering the group, it’s not as if I’d just let it happen.”

She considers his answer. “You are tough,” she concludes. ���But not scary.”

“Uh, yes,” he says, unsure. And then, with more conviction, “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

“Got it. ‘Ryuji is tough, but other people are terrified of him.’ I will make a note of that.” He looks like he wants to say something, but she keeps going. “Synonyms for ‘tough’: robust, stalwart, and strong. Would you say that’s accurate?”

He laughs, disbelieving. “No idea what the first two meant, but the third one isn’t right.”

“Why not? You can fight Shadows. Your muscle ratio is high. One time, when Futaba couldn’t unscrew her water bottle, you did it with no problem.”

“Because, Sophia,” Ryuji picks up gummy worms, and turns to her with pleading eyes. When she shakes her head, he puts it back on the shelf with a grimace. “Strength isn’t always about muscles and who can kill what. It’s more than that.”

It seems as though he doesn’t want to speak about this anymore, but the topic is too interesting to stop here. “Explain, please.”

“It’s...it’s like mental strength,” he says begrudgingly. “Like if someone failed an exam they studied real hard for, mental strength would help them get through a tough situation like that. Like Akira.”

“Akira has high mental strength?”

“Oh, the highest out of all of us without a doubt. The world could explode and he’d be all—” Ryuji lowers his voice by an octave. “‘Here’s what we can do,’ and then fix it somehow. That’s just the kind of guy he is. All plans and no fear.”

All plans and no fear is a good way of describing Joker. “And you aren’t like that?”

“No way. Have you ever seen me have a plan in my life? I’m more of an ‘act before I can talk myself out of it’ person. Usually works out fine in the end. Besides, he does it enough for the both of us.” His eyes light up. “Do you think if I get the panda bandages, it would work better in the Metaverse? Cause of the brain stuff?”

“I think so, as long as it makes people think it works better.”

“Great.” Ryuji tosses it in with the rest. “And I think we got everything! Let’s head out. If we’re lucky, we can grab some ice cream before we meet up with the rest of them.”

“Good job! But you may want to consider removing the orange soda. Makoto is already unhappy with how much junk food you are always eating.”

“Fine. I’m keeping the cactus though.”

It was only when they’re all sleeping back in the RV when she realizes that she never got to ask him her actual question. Actually, she ended up with even more questions than when she began.

Maybe she’ll have better luck asking Akira instead.

—

They, or rather Akira, have their knees buried in a patch of grass in the middle of Sapporo with a small pile of four-leaf clovers by his ankles when she decides it would be appropriate to ask him.

“Akira, can I ask—” she pauses, and tries again. “I have a question.”

His face is so close to the ground that even the dirt would realize that his glasses don’t have prescription, and people are shooting him worried looks that he completely ignores. “Shoot.”

“Actually, I have many questions, and I’m hoping you’ll answer all of them as honestly as you can in order to have the most accurate data possible.”

“Research?”

More often than not, Akira has been giving her information about the world that she does not have access to. Slang terms that Futaba yells out in frustration, Ann’s tendency to jump from one topic to the next with little regard to who she’s talking to. It’s all confusing to Sophia, so she makes sure to memorize all of these instances and bring it to him for clarification.

“Sort of,” she says. “Some of my predictions have been off lately, and I am trying to figure out why.”

“Sure. Oh, another one.” Gently, he plucks it from the soil and gently places it with the others. “For Haru. Apparently, she’s really struggling with economics, so hopefully this helps her out next semester.”

“How many more?”

“Four,” he replies. “Yusuke, Sojiro, Akane, and Ryuji.”

She frowns. “Ryuji already has one.”

“He’s going to need more than one.” Akira turns to her, distressed. “Entrance exams are coming up.”

“Oh.”

“Yup,” he turns back to his task. “Anyway, you had a question?”

“Right,” she says, clearing her throat: a sign of taking a more serious tone. “Why are you scared of Ryuji?”

Akira freezes. Sophia waits patiently. But after a moment, then two, then five, there is still no reaction from him. And then slowly, he faces her with a blank expression.

She has not known Kurusu Akira for very long—only a few weeks in fact. But in that time, she feels that she has come to learn a lot about him. For instance, he does not like pears. He also finds grocery shopping relaxing, and he would die for his friends. Another thing she has learned from him is that he is very quiet; even in the Metaverse, amidst the explosions and gunshots, he does not yell. It is not as if he has nothing to say, but rather he would rather express himself through gestures and the odd comment here and there. He is much happier to let the people around him carry the conversation for him.

Shock racks through her as he bursts out laughing. His shoulders move up and down as laughs pour out of him uncontrollably. “What—?” he tries, pushing his glasses atop his head. It’s almost hidden amongst his thick, black locks. “Did you seriously ask if I was afraid of Ryuji? Sakamoto Ryuji? Blond guy, helps out in the Metaverse? My best friend?”

“Um.” This was not what she was expecting, despite having no expectations to begin with. “Yes.”

He sighs, content. “I really have to thank you, Sophia.” Akira brings his glasses back to his nose, the corners of his mouth quirked up. “That was really good. Haven’t laughed that hard since Yusuke thought Italy was near Mexico.”

She tilts her head sideways. “I was not joking.”

“Yeah, I figured.” He sits up, crossing his legs over each other, giving her his full attention. “Tell me why you thought I was scared of him.” Even as he’s sobered up, he can’t quite finish the sentence without smiling.

“My predictions have been off lately,” she says, a wrinkle between her brows. “This is normal—predictions by their nature cannot always be right. However, I’ve noticed that they’re incorrect more often lately. I ran the data, and these errors are related to two things:” Sophia brings her hand to the screen so that he can see properly. “You and him, as a unit. Individually, there doesn’t seem to be any errors. It is specifically when you are being measured together that creates mistakes. My prognosis on everyone else in the group creates more stable and accurate results.”

Sophia twists her hair in her hands. “The only reason it would be wrong is because of a confounding variable. Maybe there’s something between the two of you that others do not have. So I thought that answer—”

“Was fear,” he finishes. There’s an odd tone in his voice that she doesn’t comprehend. His gray eyes, sharp but never unkind. “I see where you’re coming from. But, and I can swear on this fact—it isn’t fear. I am not, nor will I ever be, afraid of him.”

She deflates. Wrong again. “And he’s not afraid of you?” she asks, out of desperation than anything.

Akira thinks for a moment. “Do you remember when I was cooking, and Ryuji went in to smell the broth, and knocked the whole thing over and onto my suitcase?” She nods. She had taken many pictures of that moment. “He felt really guilty, but he wasn’t scared of my reaction. He was more scared that he had ruined my stuff. You know what I mean?”

“I think I do.”

He bops the top of his phone a few times, an odd resemblance of patting her head. “Cool.”

Sophia stares at the road past their garden of clovers. Cars speed forward, too quick for her to focus on what the driver looks like. It’s hot today, but she doesn’t feel it. She runs her data one more time. “Akira, do you love Ryuji?”

His hands do not pause. “I love all my friends,” he answers simply.

—

At the end of the day, it does not matter if her attempts at predicting the future are fruitless. If she is in fact humanity’s companion, her code makes sure of one thing above all else: to help humanity with any of their endeavors.

That’s a tall order, especially when there are 7,874,965,825 humans within that humanity at this moment. Sophia is only one being, and realism is etched into her. To make things simple, she gave herself a domain of discourse. A sample size. Narrowing what she can do, and who she can help. The entirety of humanity then, at least in Sophia’s mind, falls under the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.

Sapporo is freezing. Frosty. Crisp. Chilly.

“Fucking cold!” Ryuji shivers, jogging around them in an effort to get warm. “I hate this, I hate this, I hate this.”

“Even with the space heaters on, it seems that the winter isn’t interested in going anywhere,” Makoto says. She’s standing uncomfortably close to Ann, trying to leech off of her inherent heat. Actually, she wasn’t the only one—Haru is also inching her way to her. “It should probably get better once we start moving. Good thing we won’t be here long.”

Yusuke nods, unperturbed. “Yes, this should be a quick run. We’re just here to collect a desire gone astray, yes?” It seems that the ice does little to bother him. “Oracle, can you find its location?” No response. “Oracle?”

He glances to the ground, sighing when he finds her on the ground, eyes closed and breathing deeply. “Wake up,” he says, nudging her with his boot. When she doesn’t move, Yusuke throws an exasperated look at Akira.

Reluctantly, he nods. “Yeah, yeah, I got her,” he says, summoning Queen Mab. Instantly, the temperature seems to rise, just a little bit. Scooping her up, Akira shakes her roughly like a particularly malicious sack of flour. “Wake up, your space heater’s here.”

“This may be a quick run,” Haru says. “But it doesn’t mean we should take this any less seriously. Someone’s desire got lost on its way back, didn’t it?”

“Yeah, that sounds—Mona, get off my leg—about right.” Ann squints her eyes along the horizon. “It’s far, right? If we start moving now, we can probably work off the frost on our skin.”

“Yeah, it’s about…” Futaba yawns as Akira sets her on her feet. “Twenty-minute walk? Ten-minute run, but unless you want me slipping and turning the ice red, we’re gonna want to slow down.”

Akira touches his mask. “Agi.” A wave of heat rushes over them, and she sighs, grateful for the respite. “Hopefully that helped a little. But it won’t last long, and we shouldn’t waste energy warming up. Quick recap—someone lost their desire, we’re here to make sure it gets back. Our top priority is getting that desire back as quick as possible. Questions?”

Sophia raises her hand.

“Yup?”

“Did you say top priority?”

“Yes, I did say top priority.”

“Understood!” she chirps, making a note in her head. It was hard to concentrate when she felt like her insides were freezing up.

Another hand shoots up.

“Noir?”

“I don’t have a question. I just think you’re doing a wonderful job.”

“Thank you, Noir. Always a pleasure.” He looks around, nodding. “Alright. If that’s it, then let’s do this thing.”

They all move ahead, wary of their footing. Sophia frowns as she scuttles forward, scared of being left behind. There is no room for error here. If she feels that she is not useful in the real world, then she can at least utilize her talents here. And the first step to doing that is to make sure she is doing two things:

1) Not slow

2) Won’t trip

After a while, she looks up and feels her eyes bulge. How did they get so far already? Sophia can hardly see them anymore, especially with the slight fog that’s beginning to emerge. She has to get there faster.

Failed step number one already. For once, she’s glad she wasn’t hardcoded with emotions, or else humiliation would be overwhelming. Quickening her pace, she’s determined to do this correctly. One foot, then the next. One foot, then the next. Left. Right. Left. Right. Left—

She slips.

With a gasp, she moves to twist her body so that it wasn’t her head that would take the impact, and closes her eyes shut.

Just before she slams into the ice, arms grab her torso, swinging her forward. “Whoa there, shorty!”

Ryuji uses the momentum to swing her onto his back, and she latches around her neck, bewildered. “You okay? Almost got knocked out before any Shadow got to us.”

“Yes,” she replies, breathless. “Thank you for saving me. That would have been bad.”

“No prob!” he marches onward as if he wasn’t carrying an entire human being on his back while treading through sleet.

“...You can settle me down if you’d like.”

“I would not like.” He grins, boots finding matte ice with ease. “I kinda love carrying you like this. Not like I can do this in the real world, can I? ‘Sides, Futaba would chew my head off if I tried it with her.”

“Have you?”

“Maybe.”

She laughs as they finally reconvene with the rest of them. When Akira turns to them, his expression softens with relief. “All good?”

“All good,” Ryuji says. “Nothing Sophie and I can’t handle.” He raises his fist at her, and she bumps it enthusiastically. Lesson twenty-three: never refuse a fist-bump. It’s one of her favorites.

“Stop, stop, stop, stop!” Futaba calls out from beside Ann, arms were linked as if they were strolling through a park, and not a Shadow-infested land. “I said stop!”

“We heard you the first time!” Morgana yowls. “Are we here?”

“We’re close. Kinda weird though.” She smacks the side of her goggles a few times impatiently. “Nothing’s showing up.”

“Lucky!” Ann whoops. “Let’s get this over with and get some gelato!”

Rounding the corner of an empty street, Yusuke points forward to a glowing heart, beating in time to its pulsing light. “That’s it, I take it?”

“I can get it.” Sophia pats Ryuji’s shoulder, and he lets her down. “That way, we can finish this as soon as possible.”

She runs forward, eager.

“Wait—!” Futaba cries out from behind her. “We’re getting ambushed!”

As she says it, footsteps surround them, the clanging of weapons and the grunts of Shadows appearing out of nowhere. She starts to run faster, terrified of slipping but pushes on anyway. She can do this.

“Shit,” Akira hisses. “Sophie, come back here!”

Sophia ignores him, the Desire almost in her reach when she feels it. A cold breeze, impossibly colder than the temperature before, almost seems to pierce through her skin. She did not need to turn around to know what it was—every cell in her body is screaming it for her.

A curse. A strong one that would have no problem wiping her out like fly on the RV’s windshield wiper.

Would she at least be able to save the Desire? Even if she ceases to exist? Would it be worth it then? It should be, since this is what she was made for.

Something solid shoves her from behind, and she gives out a yell before hitting the ground, hard.

“What…?” she mutters, disoriented. Somehow, she isn’t dead, or even near death. Shaking her head, she grasps for the Desire in front of her before turning around.

Instantly, her heart stops. The Desire in her hand continues to pulse steadily as she stares down at Ryuji, collapsed on the ground.

“Skull?” she whispers. Leaning down, she can still hear his breathing, though it’s faint. Her hand reaches out, before she remembers. Top priority. The Desire needs to get to Joker first.

The ground begins to rumble, and Sophia looks up in time to see an arch of glowing white explode. Every Shadow is eviscerated, their ashes scattering violently at the aftershock of wind that follows from the impact. Concrete cracks, snow blows away. Without a doubt, it’s an attack from a Persona user, but she has no idea who it came from.

As the dust settles, stray bits of ice falling from the sky like hail, Akira shoots out from the fog. He’s moving faster than she’s ever seen him, and there’s a desperation to his movements that throws her off-guard. Maybe he didn’t see yet? Sophia steps forward.

“Joker!” she calls out when he gets closer, thrusting her hand forward. “I got the Desire!”

He rushes past her without a blink.

Akira skids to his knees. “Ryuji!” When there’s no answer, he pulls Ryuji to his knees, resting his head on his lap. Akira presses his fingers against the pulse on his neck, concentrating intensely. Then he grits his teeth. “I can work with this.”

More footsteps. Familiar ones. “Dammit, Joker!” Morgana says. “You can’t just throw around attacks like that, especially with such weak enemies. You know how draining that spell is.”

He ignores him. Akira removes Ryuji’s mask with great care, setting it aside, before touching his own. “Aid me, Sarasvati.”

“Joker?” she tries.

A floating woman donned in green with a delicate instrument in her long fingertips appeared from the fibers of his mask, her expression kind and tender.

“Joker.”

Healing power flows through his hands, so potent that it glows green. Sweat pours from his brow, and his wrist begins to tremble with effort.

“Joker!”

“What, Sophie?” he rounds on her, gray eyes intense.

“I got the Desire!” she announces triumphantly.

A beat passes. And then another. It was as if there was never even a deafening battle not one minute prior.

When Akira finally speaks, his voice is low. “Panther, take Sophie away please.”

Her breathing stops. She could not inhale the air even if it was demanded of her. Akira turns back to Ryuji, but Sophia’s eyes stuck to him—like she was hypnotized, cemented to the back of his head, unable to look away. Every inch of her body is numb, but none of it has anything to do with the cold.

Ann gently takes her hand, hot as iron against hers, and takes the Desire in the other. “Come on, Soph. Let’s go for a walk, huh?”

She lets herself be led away, blank and unseeing, a part of her staying wishing to stay behind to...what? She didn’t know. There’s so much she doesn’t know.

They keep walking, rounding street corners, quietly passing underneath frozen lamp posts. Sophia wasn’t sure where they were going, but she didn’t bother to ask. Eventually, they duck underneath a railing, Ann covering her head to make sure she doesn’t accidentally bang her skull against the metal. When they straight up, she blinks.

“A heater?”

“Yeah,” Ann sighs, flopping down on a toppled column as if it were a sofa. “I figured if we were going to talk, you might as well stop shivering during that time.” At her words, Sophia realizes how hard she was shaking. Ann pats the spot beside her. “Sit. Nothing a little girl talk can’t fix.” She does.

At her silence, Ann hums. “Cold, isn’t it? You guys haven’t stopped complaining since we got here. I’m super lucky that Carmen’s here to help me. Warms me up even better than this heater, if you can imagine that. Completely different from the real world, where we feel like we’re going to burst into flames any second.” She yawns. “But god, there’s no one in all of Japan that can run his mouth about the weather like Ryuji.” Sophia clenches her fist, but she keeps going, speaking almost wistfully. “I mean, he’s just so loud, you know? Like, how many times have we driven by cows on this trip, and he’d literally wake us all up just to show us? Not to mention, he eats up all the food and snores like crazy. God, one time I invited everyone over at my place, and he just slept in my bed when he got tired! Who does that?”

Ann sighs. “But man, I’ve never met someone more devoted to his friends than him. Sometimes, he’d even give ‘Kira a run for his money, the way he’d just drop everything and run to where trouble is. Day or night, that idiot would show up on your doorstep the minute you shoot him a text, wearing the most ridiculous pajamas you’ve ever seen,” she scoffs. “He started the Thieves with Akira, you know? All gung ho about justice and stuff, you should’ve seen it. And he had the spine to back it up, too.” She smiles, just a little. “Don’t tell him, but I think he’s really, really cool.”

A drop of water hits Sophia’s wrist. And another. And another, until her vision blurs and her chest is heaving. “I just—” she sobs without restraint. “I was just trying to help. I just want to be useful and do what I was made to do, and Akira said from before that this—this was the top priority, and I even made sure, so I asked, but when I finally got the Desire and I was so sure that I’d finally done something right...” the image of Akira’s cold gaze makes her flinch, hard. “He’s just so mad at me, Ann. And Ryuji—” she chokes on his name like a curse, her tongue tumbling over it as if it were getting caught in a lie. “He protected me from before, but he said he was tough, so I thought it was okay since the Desire was the top priority but he got hurt because of me.”

“I don’t even know what I’m feeling, or why I’m crying, or why you’re being so nice to me even though I know I did something bad! I just—” Sophia buries her face in her hands, muffling her scream. “I just don’t understand anything!”

Warm hands rub her back. “I know,” Ann says quietly. “You’re trying your best. We all get that, and we all think you’re doing an A-plus job.” She pauses. “Sophia, Ryuji didn’t take the hit for you because he was thinking about the Desire. He did it because he didn’t want to see you hurt.”

That makes Sophia peek up. “But that was the top priority, wasn’t it?”

“Uh-huh, but that wasn’t his heart’s top priority.” Ann pokes her temple. “That whole logic and calculation thing you have going on is good and stuff, but the thing about the human heart is that you can’t always choose why you do things, or how you react in certain situations. I bet you anything that he totally forgot that we were even looking for this thing when he pushed you,” she waves the beating heart in her hand, still glowing. “And that’s also why Akira got a little mad at you from before.”

She deflates. “He hates me,” she mumbles, feeling her insides churn uncomfortably.

“That boy doesn’t have the time in his schedule to hate anyone,” Ann reassures her. “He’s just...really, really terrified.”

“But why?” Sophia’s starting to despise that word. “He already knew that he was okay. Why would he still be worried?”

Ann looks up, thinking. “You really love and care about Ryuji, right?”

Love was still a foreign concept to her, but for once the answer came forth with ease. “Yes.”

“Take that feeling, that dense, little ball of love and adoration in your tiny body, and multiply that by about eighteen million. That’s probably about the range of what Akira feels about him.”

She quickly runs the numbers. “Whoa.”

“Yeah. Kinda scary, huh?”

It is scary. With numbers this high, she can only begin to imagine what it felt like for Akira to think that he might be seriously hurt, or even worse, dead. All because of Sophia.

“Hey now, I know that look!” Ann flicks her forehead. “I don’t want you to get all mopey about this. You said it yourself—he’s a tough guy. The toughest there is, but don’t tell him that. It’ll go straight to his empty head.”

She stands with exuberance, stretching. “Alright, I think we’re about done here. How we feeling? You ready to go back?”

No. Her heart speeds up at the thought of going back, her shoulders tensing in on itself, but somehow it would be worse to stay here. “I’m ready.”

“That’s what we like to hear!” Ann cheers. “No chickening out now, okay? You can do this.”

“I can do this.” Sophia repeats, and then, louder: “I can do this!

“Yay! And Sophie?” she looks up in time to see Ann giving her a warm look. “Just because you don’t understand something, doesn’t mean we love you any less. You are allowed to be confused and make mistakes. Do you understand that?”

Sophia smiles wide. “I understand.”

—

They were a block away from the rest of the group when Akira emerged from the fog. With his black attire and dark hair, he could have looked like a picturesque horror movie figure, but somehow his expression ruined that facade the moment she saw it.

“I’m going on ahead,” Ann says when Sophia stops in front of him. “Someone has to make sure Futaba doesn’t sleep on us again.”

“Thanks,” he answers. Then, to Sophia, “Hi.”

“Hi, Joker.” She’s been practicing her speech the entire way back, her points all lined up in her mind, all leading up to the big apology. “I—”

“Pause,” he cuts in, and she shrinks. Is he still mad? She can’t read his expression. He kneels in front of her, squinting, and it suddenly shifts to horror. “Did...did you cry? Did I make you cry?”

“No,” she says quickly, but he doesn’t believe her for even a minute. “Yes. Sorry.”

“Oh god, no, please don’t apologize. Shit,” he rubs the back of his neck, sighing. It’s guilt, she realizes with a shock. “I’m such an asshole. I can’t believe I let myself lash out like that. A thousand apologies won’t even be enough. I was scared out of my mind, but that doesn’t mean I can just treat you like that. I even sent you away, like you’re some sort of kid,” he winces. “I’m really sorry. Can you forgive me?”

She stares at him. “I was supposed to say that stuff.”

He looks taken aback by her words. “No? How could you have known that we would have been ambushed? Ugh, I’m so dumb. I shouldn’t have reacted like that.” Akira sends her a pointed look. “Though, you really shouldn’t split off from the group next time. Top priority means important, but above all else is your safety. Put that in your code.”

“I will,” she promises.

“Good. And the second priority is—” he reaches forward and engulfs her in a tight hug. “Is that you won’t ever, ever think that I’d hate you.”

She frowns. “How did you know?”

“A hunch.” Beat. “Also, Ann gave me a look.” He pulls back. “Are we still friends?”

Relief washes into her, crashing like a wave. “Of course,” she says, before hesitating. “Is…?”

“Yeah, he is.” Akira rolls his eyes, but there is no hiding the grin that takes over him. “A little too good, actually. He hasn’t stopped running around since I poured some energy back into him. I kind of think I overdid it, actually. Oh, and he’s excited to see you again.”

“He is?” she asks, hopeful.

“Absolutely. Asked about you the minute he came to.” Akira gets to his feet. “Shall we say hi?”

“Please.”

As they walk back, an epiphany takes over her. “Oh!” she exclaims, making Akira jump. “I get it now.”

“What’s up?”

“You love Ryuji.”

“That’s right,” he raises a brow.

She shakes her head. “You love Ryuji,” she insists. Even accounting for a margin of error, there’s simply no mistaking her results.

Akira stares at her for a long moment, before huffing out a laugh.

“Yeah, that’s right,” he says softly.

The moment Ryuji sees her, she sprints, throwing caution to the wind as she leaps into his arms. He catches her without hesitation. “Glad to see you’re safe, shorty.”

Sophia knows a lot of things, but there’s also a lot she doesn’t understand. But that’s fine. She’ll get there, and her friends will be waiting for her when she does.

[akirakurusuimagines]

May I get a request for Akira having a fem s/o with high functioning autism spectrum disorder. It would be hard to tell, but after seeing her be kind of awkward in social situations, being fixated on her interest, and etc, it all would click. If he were to confront her about it, she would be scared of him leaving because of that trait about herself. Bonus points if her current fixation was the phantom thieves and talk about how cool they are, only to found out her boyfriend was the leader! 🤣

I tried to stick primarily to the descriptions in the ask and variety of sources, but I’m not autistic and so my portrayal might not be accurate. If there’s something I should change, let me know, and thank you for your request! 

If Akira was any less observant, he honestly isn’t sure that he would’ve realized there was anything different about you to his other friends⁠—he simply assumed that you were a bit skittish around people but had a lot to say about things you were interested in. It wasn’t very different from someone like Yusuke or Futaba. 

So when Sojiro brought up the possibility of Futaba being somewhere on the autism spectrum and potentially getting her to a psychologist for a professional evaluation, Akira began to zone out; memories of your flushed face and bright smile as you told him about whatever your current fixation was at the time. 

The more he pondered over it, the more he wondered if he was actually onto something. Akira laid in bed that night, arms folded behind his head and staring up into the ceiling, recalling fond memories he had of you. 

The way you shied away from interacting with his friends for a while and totally avoiding interacting with strangers, but being so comfortable with him that you would talk and absorb yourself in conversation. He assumed it was the same reason Ann broke down in front of him when they were nothing but strangers, or how others come to him seeking aid, but looking back on it now, he wondered if that was everything.

Akira’s lips quirked upwards as he remembered the excited way you spoke of the Phantom Thieves, his heart fluttering as you began gushing over how cool they were in the way they stole the hearts of corrupted individuals and showing him the new merch you had purchased to help show your support for them, not knowing that he was the leader of the aforementioned group⁠—an identity he kept hidden from you, but not maliciously.

He had planned on telling you before, but the current state of things made him hesitate⁠. Ever since their battle against the false Medjed, he’s been less inclined to get you involved in this mess, only wishing for your happiness and health as the shackles around his wrists grew heavier, the stress of being the leader as popularity skyrocketed stressing him out more than he would admit to anyone. 

He sighed and shook his head, startling Morgana awake with the way he shifted, and apologized.

Akira turned over, and brought his mind back to what he was thinking of before. He wondered if it would be rude to ask you about potentially being on the autism spectrum, but it isn’t anything to be ashamed of, and either way, it wouldn’t determine how he felt about you or treated you. It was more out of curiosity than anything. He hoped you trusted him enough, though wouldn’t pry if you weren’t comfortable with the conversation. Akira figured tomorrow would be a good time as any to ask, and perhaps, confess his own well-kept secret.  

The next day, Akira had greeted you at the station as he usually does, brushing his hand against yours and giving you that gentle smile that always sets your heart aflame. As you two walked to school, hand in hand, already telling him everything you loved about the Phantom Thieves. His cheeks reddened at your words, but you paid no mind to it.

Right before you two entered the classroom, he gently tugged your hand back, stalling for a moment of your time. “Meet me on the roof at lunch, I want to spend some more time with you,” he said. You nodded, face heating up, before Akira let your wrist go with a gentle kiss to your temple, watching with amusement on his features as you scurried off to class. 

It wasn’t the first time Akira had invited you to the roof for lunch, and hopefully wouldn’t be the last. Your mind was completely preoccupied with the idea of lunch with Akira that you hardly paid attention in class, and the moment you were dismissed for lunch, you bolted out of the classroom and up the stairs.

When you arrived, you saw Akira was already there, two containers of pre-made curry on the discarded desks left on the roof. He waved you over and gently tugged you down, giving you a soft kiss to make up for not being able to do it in the morning. “I hope you aren’t getting sick of curry,” he laughed, amused by the blissful expression on your face already as you sat down to eat the food he prepared. 

Things were light and comfortable for most of the time, but you noticed Akira slowly pulling away from the conversation you two were having on the Phantom Thieves and who their next target would be, anxiety sinking into your bones when Akira opened his mouth again to ask if you two could talk. 

“If you won’t want to talk about it, I won’t pry, but I was just curious. Are you on the autism spectrum?” 

Your blood ran cold at his words, panic flooding your face and fear igniting every nerve. 

Akira took note of your frightful expression and took his hands into yours, gently squeezing them to help ground you. “It won’t change anything⁠—”

“You won’t leave me?” 

He wasn’t expecting that⁠. He was honestly shocked to hear you say that, wondering what kinds of experiences made you fear him leaving you. “No.” he was firm and his face set with strong determination. 

You trusted him, even with the nagging fear that he would leave you if you admitted to being on the autistic spectrum. “Yeah, I didn’t mean to hide it from you, but…” 

“You were scared,” he finished, watching you nod to his words. “I understand. There’s something I want to tell you, too, but I’ve been scared to, especially now.” 

You stared at him quizzically, unsure of what he could possibly say. 

“I understand that you might not believe me, but I need you to promise to keep this a secret, it’s… it’s important that you do.”

At his sudden confession of being the leader of the Phantom Thieves, your jaw nearly dropped to the floor, searching everywhere on his body language and expression to tell you that he��s joking, that he’s playing a cruel trick on you, but when you saw none of it, you meekly whispered, “you are?” 

Akira rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and sighed. “I was reluctant to tell you because it’s only getting more dangerous, but you have the right to know, being my partner and all. It was really hard to keep it to myself when you would gush about us like that, the amount of times I had to stop myself from kissing you⁠—” 

A startled yelp escaped him as you tackled him in a hug, holding him tightly and laughing so joyously. “I never…. I never expected it would be like this,” you said, burying your face in his neck and feeling him wrap his arms around your waist. “You’re perfect, I can’t believe this.” 

Akira sighed with relief as he held you against him, a smile of his own feeling permanent on his face. 

“I love you.” 

[mage-ellie]

His Wish

This is my first request from AO3! People seemed to like it so I thought I’d post it here too :) I’m open for small requests! Feel free to request headcanons/scenarios/prompts! I’ll write about any of the P5R cast. Akechi is just my favorite boy <3 All I ask is that you don’t request abusive/toxic relationships, yandere, smut of underaged characters (I will age them up though), or pieces that romanticize mental illnesses. I prefer to write fem!reader since i’m a girl and it’s easier for me, but if you say please, i’ll do my best to write GN and male!reader pieces! <3 

Warnings: P5R spoilers, lots of fluff

Word count: 2,497

Link to original post: Click me!

Summary:  All Goro Akechi had wished for was to be loved, to be needed, by someone, anyone. He never could've imagined that his wish would actually come true.

In less than 24 hours, Goro Akechi was going to be married.

He never could've imagined that he would live long enough to find love, let alone get married. He had also never imagined that he would be marrying one of the infamous Phantom Thieves. Although, he couldn't complain, she was quite the impressive thief, having managed to steal his heart right out from under his nose.

Goro was currently lying alone on the bed in the hotel room he was staying at. Their wedding reception was going to be held at the Yoshiki-en Garden in Nara, Japan. His fiancée had practically begged him to have their wedding there. The garden was at its most beautiful during the spring time. But truth be told, Goro would've married her any where, even in that little hole in the wall, Leblanc.

The soon to be husband couldn't stop replaying everything that lead up to this moment.

How she had practically forced him to live with her during the whole Maruki conundrum. How she confessed her feelings to him in March when he returned. How he told her he loved her for the first time during their date to the cherry blossom festival in Tokyo. How he proposed to her in front of all of their friends 3 years later at that same cherry blossom festival.

He was so nervous for tomorrow, and yet so excited. He actually found someone who wanted to be with him for who he was, not because of his celebrity status. She knew about all of his flaws and his horrific past, but not once did she let him doubt her love for him. She worked so hard to support him while he went to therapy, to help him make amends with Futaba and Haru, to help him come to terms with the fact that he deserved a second chance.

A few years ago, he would've been terrified at the thought of having someone in his life like this, but now, he couldn't imagine his life without her.

-

The next thing he knew, he was being awakened by the sound of someone slamming their fists against his hotel room door. Akira Kurusu, Ryuji Sakamoto, and Yusuke Kitagawa were currently standing outside of his room, each with a black tux in hand. As well as Morgana, who was sitting on the floor next to Akira's feet, already wearing a cute little handmade formal black vest. They wanted to get ready with Goro, seeing as it was his big day and all.

A little ways down the hall, the group of boys could hear a group of girls squealing about marriage, dresses and romance. It was 8 A.M. and they were already so energetic. The groom and his groomsmen all laughed to themselves, they were excited as well. This was the first marriage in their friend group after all.

Akira, Goro's best man, mentioned that he should try to take as many mental photos as he could, because this day would go by in a blur. Goro believed him, one moment the boys were standing at his door, ready to get the day started, and the next they were all dressed and making their way to the venue.

The normally oh so composed Goro Akechi was sweating bullets. His hands were clammy and his throat was dry. Never in his life had he felt so nervous, so unprepared.

Before he knew it, it was suddenly 3 P.M. and the ceremony was beginning. Only your closest friends and family made up the audience. No media or paparazzi in sight. Goro shifted his weight from one leg to the other, he hadn't seen you all day. His heart raced as music began and you appeared in your gorgeous white wedding gown, Sojiro by your side, walking you down the aisle. He felt a hard lump forming in his throat at the sight of you. You always looked gorgeous to him, but in that moment, he truly believed that you were an angel sent from above.

A soft, teary eyed smile spread across his face as you made your way closer to him. He knew he'd be teased by the others for the rest of his life for crying while you walked down the aisle, but he didn't care. All that mattered, was that you were now standing before him, in a gown he never imagined he'd see you in. A warm, comforting smile made its way to your cheeks from behind your veil as you looked up into his eyes. It was taking all of his self control to not kiss you right then and there.

He could hear the officiant speaking about love and happiness, but he wasn't really listening. Goro was too busy taking as many mental pictures as he could fit into his brain. He only tuned back in when you brought up a small index card filled with writing. It was your vow to him.

"My dearest Goro. Never in a million years had I imagined that I would be spending the rest of my life with you, and to be honest, I'm pretty sure you had thought the same thing." You began, a light giggle coming from your throat. The Phantom Thieves, Sae and Sojiro also laughed, knowing what you meant by that. He had quite the troublesome past with the thieves after all. "Despite our differences in the past, I can't imagine being with anyone else. I vow to you that I'll work tirelessly to show you my love, to always be there for you, and to give you the home and family that you deserve." If he hadn't been so entranced by the way you looked while reading your vows to him, your words would've had him sobbing. "I love you Goro," He froze when your voice cracked, "I'm so happy that you're home." He knew what you meant by that. He remembered how devastated you looked when he told you that he might not have survived during Shido's palace, but he wouldn't dwell on the memory, he was with you now, right?

It was his turn. Shakily, he pulled out a card with his vows on it from his tux pocket. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he began. "Y/N, my love. I truly didn't believe that I would live long enough to find love like this. And you're right, never had I imagined that I would be marrying you of all people." He watched as you lifted a hand to your mouth and laughed, your eyes lit up as you did so, the other thieves snickering along with you. He was glad that you could all laugh about the past like this. It lifted a guilty weight off of his shoulders. "And yet, here I am, unable to picture this day any other way. These past few years, you've shown me a love that I've never known. Today, I vow to you that I'll spend the rest of my days finding ways to bring happiness to you, like you've brought to me. I vow that I'll protect you and cherish you with my entire being." He looked up momentarily, amazed by the fact that a single tear was making its way down your cheek. "I love you Y/N. It's good to be home." He watched as you nearly broke down at his last sentence. You took a moment to close your eyes and take a deep breath.

The officiant started talking about your rings, but once again, Goro was too busy staring at you to listen. The sound of you squealing is what brought him back to reality. He watched as Morgana trotted down the aisle, carefully balancing a pillow on his head and carrying the rings to you both. You had a look of pure delight on your face, apparently, Akira had told you that Morgana wouldn't be able to make it because cats weren't allowed or something, but of course, your kitty friend wouldn't miss this day for the world.

Everyone in the audience cooed at the cat as he sat in front of you both with a smug grin on his face. You both reached down for the rings, your hand lingered for a moment to scratch the black cat on the head.

Goro melted into your touch when you took his hand so you could put the ring on his finger, it was a simple silver band with both of your initials engraved on the inside. Next, Goro delicately took your hand in his and slid the crown shaped wedding ring onto your left ring finger. He was the ace detective prince after all, marrying him made you his queen, right?

The officiant spoke a bit more before saying the words Goro had been waiting to hear all day. "I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss the bride."

Goro gently lifted the veil from your face, but before he could lean in, you had pushed yourself onto the tips of your toes and pressed your lips to his, your arms making their way around his neck. You had been waiting just as long for this moment as he had. He quickly slipped his arms around your waist and pulled you close to him, reveling in the feeling of your lips.

Cheers erupted from the small crowd as you two pulled away. "I love you Goro Akechi." You whispered, only loud enough for him to hear. "I love you too, Y/N Akechi." His response was just as quiet as yours. Saying your first name with his last name did funny things to his heart. He wasn't sure if he'd ever get used to it, not that he minded. It would be a reminder that someone out there truly did love him.

The rest of the night was a blur for Goro. His most prominent memories of the night were of Sojiro sobbing when he danced with you, Morgana and Futaba arguing over who got to dance with you next, Ann screaming when she caught the bouquet of flowers you had thrown, and the way you looked, swaying slowly in his arms to a song he didn't know the lyrics to, but you knew every word. He wasn't even sure if he got to eat a slice of the expensive wedding cake that he had paid for.

By the time you both made it to the bridal suite, you were exhausted. Goro was barely able to get your wedding dress off of you before you passed out on the bed. He did his best to carefully remove your makeup so you wouldn't have to worry about it in the morning. He couldn't help but stare at you for a bit as you laid beside him, the light from the moon making your skin glow. His mind was ready to burst from how many mental photos he had taken throughout the day.

Gently, as to not disturb you, he wrapped you in his arms and drifted to sleep while going over the memories he had of this day.

-

5 years.

You and Goro have been married for 5 years now. Goro couldn't deny that he was happy to wake up next to you every day.

However, today was different. He knew that you had planned to meet up with the girls for an early breakfast, but you didn't wake him up to say goodbye. Usually, on the rare occasions that you would have to leave your shared house before he woke up, you'd wake him up and give him a kiss goodbye.

He had noticed that you had been a bit distant lately, and he couldn't help but worry. Were you falling out of love with him? Were you cheating on him? Was it something worse? His mind filled with all sorts of negative questions and concerns in an attempt to figure out why you were acting the way you were.

Goro waited for you on the couch in your home, planning on confronting you about your strange behavior when you got back. In the 8 years that you've been together, you've never once done something like this, so he was incredibly scared.

The familiar jingle of keys and turning of the lock on the front door signaled your safe arrival home. He watched you freeze for a moment when you made eye contact with him, uncertainty and nervousness clouding your once bright eyes. Goro raised an eyebrow, despite the fear that coursed through his veins.

You took a deep breath before approaching him silently, once in front of him, you dug around in your purse for a moment, before handing him a small white box with a red ribbon tied around it. He stared at the box, shocked as you took a seat beside him. Goro could feel you staring at him, burning a hole into the side of his head. A... gift? This wasn't what he was expecting at all.

"Well?" Your voice sounded so small. Were you afraid of something? He took a moment to look at you before untying the ribbon and opening the box, inside sat three pregnancy tests. Each one testing positive. It took a moment for his brain to process this information. You were pregnant, with his child. That's why you had been so distant. The two of you almost never talked about kids. Due to his traumatic past, Goro believed that he would never be a good father, even with all of the therapy and support from you, he could never see himself being one.

"You're pregnant." He breathed, still staring at the pregnancy tests. "Yeah." You sounded so tired, sad even. Despite his original negative stance on becoming a father, he couldn't help but feel joy. He was going to be the father of your child. He was being given the chance to start a family of his own.

Slowly, he turned towards you, staring down at your stomach. You weren't really showing yet. "Well?" You repeated. Your voice shook, on the verge of tears. Goro didn't respond with words, he just leaned forwards and pushed you into the couch, his arms wrapped around your back and his face pressed into your stomach. He couldn't stop the sob that escaped his lips. He never could've imagined this. Despite his initial fears, he would do his best to be the greatest father that he could be.

Your body shook as you began sobbing as well, one hand gripping the back of his head and the other resting against his back, holding him as he cried.

"I'm going to be a dad?" He cried into your stomach, needing to confirm that this was real. "You're going to be a dad, and an amazing one at that." Your response was so genuine, it made it impossible for him to believe otherwise.

His wish of being loved, of being needed, had really come true.

[antman-56]

I Know

“Ah Joker.”

“I know.”

Right now both Mona and Akira were being followed by a very nosy Makoto Niijima.

Right now she was behind them reading this weeks manga release.  

They had noticed her following them after the Madarame incident. He will admit he didn’t notice her until Mona said he felt uneasy. It wasn’t until they were near Untouchable that Akira felt the same feeling and quickly turned around to see a familiar face duck behind the corner of the alley.  

This has been going on for a week now. and he figured out her pattern. She would wait until he left his last class and follow him until 8 pm.

Sometimes longer when he’s with Iwai or when he was in the clinic whenever he was with Takemi-san.

“She’s doing a very bad job at being hidden.”

“I know.”

Akira found the game they played enjoyable. She tried so hard to try and find proof that he had some info on the Phantom Thieves, not knowing he was the leader. 

“What should we do then. She’s being annoying.”

“Lets just waste her time.”

“So, same plan like last time or something new?.”

“Well Takemi-san is still looking through the data and Ann and Ryuji are on a date. (Mona grew a small, sinister, dark aura on being reminded, AGAIN)  And Yusuke is being Yusuke.”

“So, how do we kill time.”

“Wanna see if Iwai needs help?”

“Isn’t that the opposite of what we want?”

“Were just being a part timer in a respectable business and being upstanding citizens on top of it.”

“Your picking up some of his habits.”

***A little later, Outside Untouchable***

Makoto just saw Akira walk into the Air Soft Store. He has visited the store quite frequently, was he a worker? A regular? Or was their something more to it? He would spend hours in there and come out later then she could actually afford to watch. 

Her sister had given her a harsh lecture when she came home at 1 in the morning.

She heard of the shady stuff that went on in there, mostly stuff with the Yakuza,  but right now she couldn’t help but worry a little bit for Akira. 

He may be a suspect in her investigation but he was still a student. Maybe he was innocent in all of this and was dragged into it? Maybe she could help him?

That was why she was ready this time.

Right at her side would be her tool in finding the first step to the Phantom Thieves.

***Inside***  

Akira was up by the register and Iwai was in the back.

Iwai knew of the problem and gladly helped Akira out. He would let him stay in the shop and fix the guns he bought as long as he helped around when their were customers or the occasional police harassment. In all honesty, he felt like he had another son.

Right now, Akira was cleaning Ryuji’s Fury shotgun, his face showed annoyance on how misused this thing looked. He was so caught up in fixing it that he didn’t notice the door being opened.

DING

Akira dropped his attention from the weapon and looked up. 

If only he could take a picture.

In came Makoto, wearing a blue bandanna over her hair, sunglasses, a biker jacket with a red shirt and black biker jeans. 

She looked like a the thug from the western cartoons.

Makoto looked at Akira with shock, worry, and fear.

Here in front of her was Akira with a shotgun in his hands.

Akira noticing what she was looking at put the shotgun under the counter.

“It’s a fake”, He said hoping it would put her at ease.

It really didn’t.

“So, how can I help you miss?” He said with his customer smile.

Makoto shook her head and meet his smiling face with her shaky stoic face.

“I’m looking for a gun for my little brother.”

She was prepared. She had a story to help her questioning and kinda hoped he wouldn’t really pry into it said story.

Akira could already see right through her. He decided to play along, just to see the panicking look on her face if she was caught off guard.

“Well what guns is he interested in? Automatics, semi, explosives, syfy, something with a kick or easy to handle?”

He couldn’t help but smile a bit more when she struggled to pick what gun her fake brother wanted.

“Automatic.”

“Well then your in luck because we just received an advanced shipment of the AR-X.”

Akira then proceeded to walk over to were the rifle was displayed, took it out. and walked back up to her.

“This baby looks as realistic as the gun it’s based on and is one of the few things that would make any gun enthusiasts in Japan jump with excitement.”

Akira showed the weapon with pride and began to explain in detail why you would want to buy it.

***Outside***

After staying longer than she should have, Makoto left. After asking questions like; what kind of customers entered the store, how often do people buy guns and if she could talk to the owner for his recommendations or to place a custom order. She realized she was hitting dead ends.

She was a bit disappointed on how things played out and kinda embarrassed that she was forced to buy a fake revolver with the rest of her allowance. 

She hoped her sister would not search her once she got home.

***Inside*** 

After she left and a few minutes went by Akira began to laugh. 

The look on her face was priceless when she tried to improvise on the spot.

And she bought a gun at the end of it.

He definetly had to tell Mona about this.

In the back Iwai gave a quiet chuckle. 

The kid was a natural.

***Two Days Later***

.”When will she give up.” Mona complained.

“Well she did try to spy on Ryuji’s and Ann’s date yesterday and they said they would owe me one if I could take her this time.”

“How about we tell her that Ryuji’s said she was annoying and then after she could kicks his-”

“Mona what did Ann say.”

“If he hurts her then I can kick his ass.”

“Before that.”

“Be nice.”

They began to discuss their plan as Makoto hid behind a fashion magazine this time. 

She was at the other end of the train car to Yongen-Jaya. 

She was speculating were he was heading off to. It was either the laundry mat or to go to that clinic. And with a little research it has a reputation of being able to heal almost everything. 

She could see him on his phone and smiling. Maybe a message about another change of heart or nothing at all. 

She had to know!!

As he exited the passenger car, she quickly followed.

He was going to the clinic.

When he entered she waited by the entrance and waited until she knew he would be in the exam room.

***Inside***

“You do know testing experimental tonics isn’t really helpful to me? Right?”

“I know but I want to waste her time.”

Tae looked at her guinea pig curiously. 

“Why would you like to waste her time? It’s not like your doing anything ill- more illegal?”

Akira was stumped. But quickly came up with an answer.

“Well I like a good laugh when see tries to be sneaky.”

“If I didn’t know any better it would sound like you like being followed.”

“You caught me, that’s my kink.”

“Whatever. Just don’t... don’t play too long with her, okay.”

Akira hummed a response as he’s laid on the Patient’s bed in the room, his arms behind his head, eyes closed and a smile on his face. His only wish was to see her face behind the glass window on the door..

Tae looked at the door and saw a silhouette. She reached for another tonic.

“Here, try this one now.”

Akira reached for it and downed the whole thing.

It tasted sweet, like the color pink.

He suddenly felt his body lighten up.

“Subject lasted longer than expected. This is should be a nice prescription for people with insomnia.”

Akira was in bliss. His body felt relaxed and his head felt light. 

The last thing he could see was Tae smiling.

On the other side of the door. Makoto was trying to brace herself from barging in demanding to know what she had done to him or from calling the police.

Tae obviously knowing she was being spied on went to check his vitals for the girls sake.

“Looks like the drug can actually help him. Kid has been having trouble sleeping.” She made something up on the spot and made sure to say it loud enough so the girl wouldn’t draw the wrong conclusions.

“Now to see how long it lasts.”

Makoto left the clinic and decided to just wait outside. 

Tae saw the silhouette move away.

“(sigh) Teenagers.”

***Much Later***

She was about to go home when he walked out of the clinic and was now walking to Leblanc. It looked like he had a skip in his step and he looked happy.

She saw him enter the cafe and then quickly leave with two thermoses.

He was on the move and he didn’t have his bag. She made sure to follow procedure.

After awhile they were now in a park. He was sitting on a table, just looking at the sky. He would drink out of his thermos every now and again. 

Was he waiting for someone? A meeting? A report? Why was he here?

It wasn’t until she saw Takamaki-san enter her view. She had an umbrella in one hand and a flashlight in the other, and was dressed prettier than she was with Ryuji. Was she- NO!! Their was no way!!

She put the umbrella over them and turned on the flashlight, so Makoto could only see their shadows.

“You know this is messed up. Right.” Ann said it more as a statement than a question.

“Ryuji is across the lake with binoculars watching the both of us. And our friend.”

“Still it seems kinda wrong.”

“We aren’t kissing or anything. And this is to make her think she’s wasting her time. I mean do you like it when she spied on your guyes date.”

“True. She did sit in the booth right next to us.”

“So, lets think she’s seeing two friends hang out. With a suggestion to make her mind explode.”

/”I CAN HEAR YOU!!!”

Akira and Ann flinched at the sudden screaming in their ear.

“Ryuji you agreed to this and nothing will happen. You think I would betray my best friend.”

“ I know but- wait I’M your best friend!!”

“You were my first friend since I got here of course your my best friend.”

Ann could do nothing but laugh at the moment her guys were having. The way the shadows looked it made Makoto wonder what were they doing. Are they dating secretly? What is making her giggle? And why dose she feel the need to scream and pull her hair out?

/“Holyt Shit!!Guys I think the last train leaves in a few minutes can we rap this up!!”

“How about we finish the show for her.”

“Lets hope for the best.”

Both Ann and Akira put their faces side by side of each other to make the illusion of them kissing to their known stalker.

Makoto just stayed in he position and covered her mouth to yell at them. She began to shake from rage but was barely controlling herself for the sake of the students who have entrusted her and the school council to help them .

After they were done they got up and began to walk towards the train station. They made sure to go by Makoto’s position.

“Thank you again for helping me with practicing for the audition for that movie Akira.”

“Anytime. I just hope Ryuji doesn't find out. That felt so wrong.”

“Well I am staring in movies from here on out. And if he has a problem with it then I guess he doesn’t have to walk the red carpet with me.”

They both continued their conversation until they reached the station and said their farewells.

Makoto let out a sigh of relief when Takamaki-san said it was for a movie role and that it wasn’t a love scandal. 

“Wait why did I do that.” She wondered.

She began to wonder why the thought of Akira with someone else made her react that way.

Either way it was late and she needed to get home otherwise her sister would have her head. Again.

***Leblanc Attic***

“Joker where have you been!!” Mona screamed.

“Just having my fun for tonight.” Akira said happily. Like a kid who just played his favorite video game.

“Well get some sleep. Last thing we need is you falling asleep in class.”

Akira complied and went to his bed. Plotting how to waste her time on her free day.

***Niijima Residence***

Makoto just got home and was thankful that today was one of the late shifts her sister has been having. 

Here she was alone and coming out of the roller coaster that was today. 

The moment after school he went to a shady doctor to test out a sleeping tonic and then he helps Takamki-san by practicing for a role for a movie? Not to mention she almost blew her cover when they kissed. Which she was still trying to figure out why she cared if he was dating someone.

But It was nothing like yesterday when she saw him holding a gun at the Air Soft Store, granted it was fake, but what would the police have done if they went in and saw THAT!!

She took a deep breath. Tomorrow was another day for her to see if he keeps it up.

He is the only lead she has about the Phantom Thieves and once she has proof of how he and his friends are connected to them, or if they’re not, then she would decide to tell the authorities. 

But right now her bed is calling for her. And she needed it.

The last thing that came to her mind before sleep overtook her was when Akira smiled at her in the park. 

She didn’t question if he knew she was their or if he knew she was following him all along.

She just didn’t care at the moment.

But apart of her hoped.

She was starting to like the game they were playing. 

[it-will-not-last-the-night]

PQ2 - End

As I did expect; making sure I was able to comfortably beat the Velvet Rangers first did mean Enlil, though visually impressive, wasn’t a difficult fight. I simply equipped Ryuji with the Omnipotent Orb and had him All Guard every turn and this left Enlil unable to do anything whilst the Joker, Mitsuru, Chie and Ann wailed on them.

The ending was honestly good though, very emotional, heart-tugging, I honestly haven’t had this much fun finishing a game since J.J. Macfield and the Island of the Missing. 

PQ2 is honestly a gem I feel. Beyond fun mechanics that I found easy to get back into even after long gaps, it balances the character development of an enormous cast very successfully, with only some issues.

Even though I knew nothing of P3 or P4 the game conveys their characters in a way I found enjoyable and easy to sink into, and that is really no small feat considering that the cast is, honestly, just insanely large by the end. 

I enjoyed Enlil as an antagonist for the most part, though they could definitely have used a little more substance in the plot, but this game, overall, was less focused on it’s villain and more on it’s protagonist, and that’s fine.

To that end Hikari: the game is honestly the story of her character development and I loved her. It’s a pity we don’t see much of her in the fandom, because I honestly adore Hikari and find her enchanting and relatable in a number of ways.

Her farewell to the friends she made at the finale of the game was genuinely touching.

In general the farewells at the end are emotional, and I enjoyed them all, event he little nod to Akechi’s own mixed feelings, clearly dealing with something, as he is the most hesitant of the Phantom Thieves to finally exit the theatre after they have learned they will forget everything once they are outside. A nice touch!

Of course, because it is me, I do wish to gush briefly about Ryuji: OH MY GOSH I love his dynamic with Hikari? But, also, I just love him in this game? He comes across in PQ2 as if he has matured from his incarnation in the vanilla game. Not only is he the character, along with Futaba, who spends the most time supporting and speaking with Hikari, but even in the ending when most of the Thieves all express varying degrees of excitement or forced enthusiasm about returning home, Ryuji is the one who most noticeably feels sad about the whole affair, expressing how he suddenly misses everything they’d gone through.

On the note of Ryuji and Hikari’s bond: I had thought it mostly just an accidental outgrowth of Ryuji’s common role as an externalization of Joker’s words, but when I watch the ending perhaps it is more intentional than I thought. Noticeably Futaba and Ryuji deliver the closing lines to Hikari, Ryuji is the one who, as she tears up, tells her to remember to keep her promise to invite them to see her movies and in the post-credits scene Ryuji is the character who feels they NEED to see her movie when they find a flyer for it, going so far as to clutch at his head because he, without knowing why, just knows he HAS to go do this. Furthermore, the cutscene as Hikari says her final goodbye and leaves, is framed around a small group of characters: Ryuji, Futaba, P3FemPC, Yukari, Mitsuru and Morgana. Among those Ryuji, Futaba and P3FemPC are the characters with the largest interaction with Hikari throughout the game, and I honestly have adored those four together.

I honestly have no idea why I am typing this, the game is dated and I believe interest in it limited, but I’d recommend any fan of Persona who hasn’t given it a try to do so, if only because the story and characters are honestly well executed, better in many ways than Vanilla.

To be frank; whilst Vanilla has moments that legitimately make me depressed, the scene in Shinjuku and the scene after Shido’s Ship, even at it’s worst PQ2 never has it’s characters be that mean to each other. Even when they jibe or insult they never cross a line to abusing or accosting, and they never all single out one character to relentlessly, constantly, deride.

A breath of fresh air really!

Anyway; I loved the game, I had fun, now I guess I wait for Scramble to become available, and I hope we get to see more of the P5 cast still in future (ALSO ATLUS JUST LET ME HOOK THE PT’S UP WITH EACH OTHER OR DATE THE BOYS PLEASE I WANT TO GIVE THEM LOVE TOO THEY DESERVE IT).

For fun below the divide I’m just gonna mention the relationships, romantic or platonic I’m not going to bother much with a distinction, I really have come to like following this game even though, I am sure, they are all crack.

Enjoy:

Chie/Yukiko: Whether best friends or girlfriends no pair of characters in the P4 cast seemed to, from the outset, come across as obviously as if they are close. The two seem to complement each other well, know each other well and play off each other well and are always delightful and entertaining to watch.

Mitsuru/Junpei: I talked about this one before; I just honestly loved their Ticket and found it endearing how both, in their interactions with each other, were almost Tsundere-ish in admitting to private desires to get along, and take care of each other dearly, but struggling to break through the shell of the other to confess this. 

Ryuji/Hikari: Talked about this one at massive length already; suffice to say I honestly loved their interactions so much and, along with Ryuji’s interactions with Sophia I have seen now in Scramble, Ryuji radiates enormous, powerful, Big Brother/Father energy. Which I think is great? What better arc for Ryuji than, a person who’s life is overshadowed by his awful father, to turn out to be a wonderful father himself.

Yusuke/Yukiko: These two just get each other. Honestly they just click. They tune in to the same cosmic wavelength and leave everyone confused as they naturally just synch up. It is a pity as the game enters its later stages we see less of them, in the early game they are a treat.

Ken/Akechi: Ken and Akechi just are perfect, wonderful, foils to each other and it’s almost a pity the game can’t actually go the full way with it because Akechi’s secret can’t come out. This leaves it as a tease, the suggestion, of what could be, but that’s still plenty good. I also find it always interesting to see Ryuji and Akechi, two boys heavily formed by an abusive father, both in their own explicit words state outright they relate themselves to Ken in some way. With Akechi, because he is so good at wearing masks, I wonder how true it is when he relates himself to Ken, it’d be interesting to know if this is one of his lies to maintain his façade, or a bit of his true self creeping out as it often does. 

Joker/Junpei: I don’t know why I like these two? But Joker comes across as really fond and supportive of him with his consistent chances to shout out “Junpei! Master Detective!”

Yukari/Junpei: As I said in my head I go back-and-forth whether this would be endearing or a toxic hate-love relationship. There’s no denying, though, that these two interact more with each other than anyone else in the P3 cast, they’re the Yukiko/Chie in that sense, if Yukiko/Chie consisted of a lot of barbs and harsh words. We actually get a glimpse of what, I feel, is a healthier dynamic for the two in P3FemPC’s world in the epilogue, where Yukari is still barbed but rather than deflating Junpei ripostes back, this automatically makes it seem less mean-spirited heckling and more two people, comfortable with each other, bantering.

Futaba/Hikari: This one is the obvious choice since the game is obviously going out of it’s way to make this an important relationship. Futaba sees herself in Hikari and appoints herself like an older sister to help her. It is adorable and amazing character development as the socially reclusive and shy Futaba clearly forces herself out of her comfort zone to prove to Hikari that she can change and that she is not a lost cause. Along with Hikari it is, perhaps, Futaba who is the true MVP of this entire game. 

Futaba/P3FemPC: Futaba gets some lovely Sister-like sequences with the incredibly fun and social P3FemPC, who Futaba is clearly in awe of. It is a pity that these really only happen in the early game, I’d love for them to continue, but P3FemPC as the big, fun, sister figure of Futaba is fun.

Ryuji/Yukiko: This one is just because the ending of Haru and Yukiko’s ticket has one of the funniest bit ever when Haru and Yukiko decide they want to ‘play’ with Ryuji and Yosuke. Yukiko’s ‘Will you devote all of your being to the name of the Amagi Family?’ is wonderful and I can just imagine Ryuji’s reaction to such a frank proposition. 

Mitsuru/P3FemPC: This one was actually surprising to me but Mitsuru really has something of an almost maternal instinct for P3FemPC. She seeks to console her and let her know she is valued, even if Mitsuru is poor at expressions of affection, as seen in Junpei’s case as well. In many ways it strikes me as a more sympathetic Sae/Makoto. Mitsuru clearly cares for the P3FemPC and is aware of her disconsolate feelings, but struggles to find the words to comfort her, but doesn’t let that stop her trying. 

[spyder-m]

Love Games

ao3 / ff.net 

Summary:  On a particularly grueling trip through Mementos, the Phantom Thieves play a few rounds of "Never Have I Ever" to fend off boredom. In doing so, they learn more about their leader and advisor than they had anticipated. Shumako.

.

Ann's eyes carefully scanned the bleak expanse that was Mementos, low-level shadows scurrying away from the blare of headlights.

Blue irises strained as they adjusted to the darkness of the subway, not wanting the target to disappear from her sight.

"I spy with my little eye… something that's brown and grey-"

"Railroad tracks," Futaba answered, not even bothering to look up from her laptop.

"Wow, Oracle. You got it on the first try! How did you know?"

"Are you for real?!" Ryuji exclaimed; the outburst startling a quietly sketching Yusuke beside him. "There's only like three things down here you coulda possibly been lookin' at. Urgh! This game sucks!

Delving this far into the depths made for a long and arduous trip.

Though Morgana's bus form was fairly spacious, with the seven of them packed in together; and a lack of proper air-conditioning; it was becoming a little stifling.

Some of the more fiery members of the group were beginning to get on each other's nerves.

Beyond the occasional pit-stop to stretch their legs, fighting off shadows and scouring out the different nooks of Mementos for treasures or potential targets, served as their only reprieve.

Even Makoto couldn't find too much of a distraction in the drive. Each level was beginning to look eerily similar, and Futaba's persona could usually map out a clear path through to the next exit. Save for swerving to avoid the odd shadow, it didn't require much concentration. Her muscles were already settling unconsciously into a rhythm.

Still, she had been able to find comfort in the silent form of Joker beside her. It was remarkable how well he could read her and ease the tension she felt with a gentle smile or supporting touch of his hand. The calm washing over her like a healing spell.

He was measured in the affectionate gestures, not wanting to attract the attention of their passengers; currently seeking out other ways to pass the time.

"Alright, fine. Let's hear you suggest something then, Skull." Ann huffed, her eyes narrowing as she folded her arms.

Blinking, the blond scratched his head in thought; not having expected her to turn to him for a suggestion.

"Well, uh... there's that game Westerners always play in movies." He offered. "Y'know, the one where they hold up their fingers and say something they've never done before."

"Isn't that a drinking game?" Makoto's glare lifted, catching the others in the rear-view mirror. "I'll remind you we're all underage and in a car."

"It don't have to be." Ryuji waved his arms, not wanting to incur the wrath of the team's advisor. "Come on! It'll be fun!"

Despite some initial skepticism, the crew supposed that Ryuji's suggestion might not actually be such a bad idea.

The founding members of the Phantom Thieves had been together for several months now and felt pretty tightly knit. The exposure to one another's pasts, their most guarded secrets and inner selves only helped to shift their relationship towards something much more intimate.

Still, between time in the Metaverse, strategy meetings, studying for exams, and part-time jobs, they didn't get many opportunities to spend time together as friends.

They were still a lot of things they didn't know about each other as people.

Haru was their newest member and didn't seem to have many friends outside of their immediate circle. Futaba was still coming out of her shell and sharing secrets among friends could help to continue building her social skills. Yusuke… Well, Yusuke was an enigma. For as long as they'd known him, there was still a lot they hadn't quite figured out.

Even Makoto; though having acclimated well with the team and into her advisory role; was still striving to more learn about her peers.

These were the kind of games kids their age would normally play at parties; a luxury their unique extra-curricular activities as the Phantom Thieves often deprived them of.

It could be a great opportunity for them to get to know each other better.

"Ooo, I'll start!" Futaba called, her hand shooting up. "Never have I ever… gone on a trip to Hawaii!"

"Wha- Oracle! That's not fair!"

"Mwehehehe…" The youngest member cackled. "Well, I had to get one up on you guys. Never underestimate the original Medjed."

"Well, alright. That's one finger down for... Everyone except Oracle. Alright, Noir. It's your turn."

"Oh. Well, let me see." Haru pondered. "Never have I ever... Tried the 6,000 yen Dark Ivory coffee at the Wilton Hotel."

The engine rumbled amidst the dip in conversation, the teens looking between one another with blank expressions.

"Uh, Noir?" Ann eventually broke the silence. "Clearly none of us have done that before. Now you have to lower a finger. You're supposed try to try and get us out."

"Oh, I could never do that. You're all my friends."

"But that's the point of the game!" Ryuji's voice rose again. "You're gonna lose at this rate!"

"Moving on." Ren interrupted, his lips sliding into a smirk. "Never have I ever eaten so much fatty tuna that I made myself sick."

"What?!" The Mona-bus vibrated as an indignant mewl reverberated throughout. "Why are you singling me out, Joker? I'm not playing. I don't even have fingers!"

"We can keep track. That's one down for Mona."

"Hmph. Fine, but I'm going next."

"Whatever. Do your worst."

"Never have I ever… called a Maid Service before."

"You damn cat!" Ryuji exclaimed, thumping the side of the car. "I thought we agreed to keep quiet about that."

"You called a Maid Service?" Ann side-eyed Ryuji, a shudder crawling up the base of his spine.

"Well, uh…" Anxious, Ryuji glance darted around the inside of the car, desperate for a lifeline. "Hey! I- I'm not the only one who's guilty here. Right, leader?"

Swallowing, Ren begrudgingly lowered a finger.

"What?!"

"A maid's services? Hmm, how fascinating. I wonder if they would be willing to serve as the model for my next piece?"

"Dude, it's 5,000 yen a visit. Like you'd be able to afford that."

"Also, I thought you agreed; no more nude paintings!"

"Anyway! Uh… Panther; you're up next."

"Oh, me? Hm, well... Never have I ever… dated before."

To the surprise of no one in the group, Ryuji, Yusuke, and Futaba each kept the fingers up, while Haru lowered a finger. However, given the circumstances surrounding her and her fiancé, the Thieves were happy not to ask for any more details. What piqued their curiosity more so, was when Makoto and Ren both each lowered a finger.

"Wait… What?!"

"Dude! You mean you were out scorin' hotties and didn't think to tell me?!"

"Well, Joker has had an entire life outside of Tokyo that we are not privy to…"

"Plus, his charm stats are like… maxed out."

"Right. Still, I really wasn't expecting that from you, Queen."

"W- well, there is someone… That I'm seeing."

The car jolted, almost swerving off of the tracks and into the station's wall, as Ann pulled herself over the front seat.

"What?!"

"Panther, please! Stay in your seat."

"Oops. Sorry!" Ann flushed, returning to her spot in the middle row. "I just can't believe you'd keep something like that from me."

"W- well, we both agreed to keep things... discreet."

"Perhaps we should move on from this topic for the time being," Yusuke suggested. "It seems to be getting Panther rather excited."

"Right." Joker nodded. "Well, Queen; it's your turn."

Makoto paused, one hand slipping from the steering wheel to touch her chin.

There was much she had not experienced before finding the Phantom Thieves, things that many would see as a normal part of life for a typical, Japanese teenager. If she were being tactical, there were likely several answers she could give that would get most of the others out.

Still, recently she had been fortunate to gain friends who brought more of simple pleasures into her life. In particular, it was thanks to the young man seated across from her that she had been able to broaden her horizons.

Though, thinking on it; as she caught Joker in her peripheral vision; Makoto realised, with a flush, there were still things she wished to learn.

"Never have I ever... kissed someone before."

"Woah, woah, wait a minute." Ryuji interjected. "You're with a guy but you haven't even swapped spit yet?"

"Skull." Ann sighed, her nose wrinkling at the boy's crude description.

"N- no, it's fine, really." Makoto countered, lifting her hands from the wheel briefly. "It's all still very new to me. I think he's just been holding back on my account. I just wish there was a way I could let him know that I want it as much as I think he does."

"Aw, don't worry, Queen!" Futaba encouraged. "I'm sure he'll come to his senses."

"Yeah! Any guy would be lucky to be with you."

"Anyway, looks like Joker and Noir are the only ones who lowered their fingers. No surprises there."

"Actually," Joker cleared his throat, and raised his hand, showing that his total was still at seven.

"Okay, now I'm confused."

"What else is new?"

A pained meow rang from the car as Ryuji's bat struck the inside wall.

Makoto flushed as she felt Joker's gaze cover her; the stark white of his mask accentuating his eyes, drawing her to them. She bit her lip, readjusting her grip on the steering wheel.

"I suppose you could say I was... holding back."

"I- is that, so?" Makoto answered, trying to keep her eyes focused ahead, away from Ren's longing stare.

She had hoped that in keeping her answers curt and concentrating on the road ahead the conversation would shift, the rest of the Thieves carrying on with their game. Yet, their interest had seemingly turned towards their leader, as he watched her with a fond smile.

"Queen, pull over here." Joker instructed abruptly; his tone sharp.

Makoto slowed the vehicle to stop, suspecting that Joker had spotted a target.

She immediately ripped off her seatbelt and moved to open the door, more than willing to steer the focus away from their conversation.

However, at the flash of red covering her own gloved hand and ceasing her movement, she turned, catching Joker's mask with a puzzled expression.

Having readied herself for battle, Makoto's normally sharp reflexes had been prepared to react the moment something grasped at her. Though, her guard slipped as Joker's fingers caught her the jaw.

Their masks clinked together as he pulled her face towards his own; the breath that ripped involuntarily from her throat was caught by the soft pressure of his lips.

Her first kiss.

The scent of coffee still lingered on his breath, likely remnants from his breakfast at Leblanc. The bitter taste warmed her chest, striking and familiar.

Now unimpeded by her seatbelt, Makoto fell deeper into Ren's embrace, her hands lifting to catch in the thick clumps of his hair.

It was surprisingly soft.

Spurred on by the sensation of Makoto kissing back, Ren trailed his hands down to the swell of her hips, appreciating how her suit clung to them. Makoto's eyes bulged in surprise as she was pulled into Joker's lap, though she didn't break from his lips, her arms surrounding him.

With that daring gesture, it struck her that she was sharing her first kiss not with Ren, but Joker; an experience distinct from what she had anticipated. It hadn't been a shy, chaste caress that had caught her; a moment their relationship had steadily being building towards; but something bolder, more extravagant.

The gesture, in a sense, reflected how they had entered each other's lives, how they had awoken to their true selves in the Metaverse; abruptly and explosively. How everything strange and otherworldly suddenly began to make sense, as if it had been there, waiting, all along.

There was something captivating about the suave, cocky persona Ren assumed in the Metaverse. Seeing those soft, shy smiles of his break into confident grins; his dark, mysterious eyes, shining and proud. The way he remained strong and collected for the rest of his team, even during their most tense battles.

That he was forward enough to make the first move; where in the real world he may have hesitated; closing the distance between them like this, his lips flickering into a familiar smirk as they caressed against her own.

It was... sexy.

The magic dissipated as Makoto became conscious of the eyes boring into her, sliding up her spine like cold digits as she recalled, abruptly, that they weren't alone. Gasping, Makoto slipped from Joker's arms, glancing mortified, towards their friends.

Ann's hands had lifted to cover her mouth, barely containing the bright smile lighting her features. There was a sheen in her wide, starry eyes. Haru had moved up beside her, hands similarly cradled together.

"Oh, how romantic."

With a smirk, Futaba had, reflexively, pulled out her smartphone; a pout settling across her features when she remembered the camera function was useless in the Metaverse.

Beside her, Yusuke was rifling through the back of the car, eventually producing a canvas and a selection of brushes, frantically setting them up.

"You two, hold your positions! I must capture this!"

"Inari!? When did you bring that with you? And also, why?"

Ryuji watched on in curious silence, his brow furrowed as he scratched the back of his head.

"Huh? Skull? What's up?"

"So, like... Do they have to drop a finger now, or what?"

[p5youllneverseeitcoming]

Imagine the Phantom Theives with an S/O who also becomes a Phantom theif...

Omg this is like everyone’s ultimate dream!… I want to be a Phantom Thief T_T

Phantom Thieves with a S/O who becomes a Phantom Thief

Akira Kurusu:

> He always knew there was something special about you

> It’s just he never expected that to be the power to awaken to a Persona

> He watched as you ripped the mask off of your face and then effortlessly defeating the Shadows that surrounded you

> You pant heavily before falling to your knees

> “You okay?” He asks quickly running towards you and offering his gloved hand

> “When did I…” You begin as you take a quick look at your new outfit

> “I’ll explain everything in a bit, let’s just get out of here first okay?”

> You nod as you take his hand

~~~

> You sip your coffee as Akira explains to you the basis of the Metaverse

> “And… That’s pretty much it.”

> “Right…”

> “You sound confused.”

> “Well, not confused more like… Overwhelmed? It’s quite a lot to take in you know.”

> He chuckles

> “Yeah I suppose so… For a newbie.”

> “Oh I see how it is Leader, I’m sorry not everyone is a Phantom Thief as long as you.” You tease.

> “He was as confused as you, don’t worry F/n.” 

> “Gah! Your cat just spoke to me!”

> “Oh yeah, I forgot about that.”

> You tilt your head at Morgana

> “Come to think of it… I did see a fluffy cat-like creature with you.”

> “I’M NOT A CAT!”

> “Ah! My apologies… Mona.” You say as you reach out to pet his head

> Akira smiles at that before shifting his gaze so your eyes meet

> “So, now that you’re up to date about how things work around here… What will your code name be?”

> “Code name?”

> “We don’t know the effects of using our real names in the Metaverse so we all have our code names.” Morgana explains as he rubs his head against your palm “For example, I’m Mona and Akira is Joker.”

> “I see…” You tap your chin with your free hand

> “Ah, I got it! I’d like to be [Insert code name here]!”

> Akira nods at the name

> “I’m looking forward to working with you, [Code name].” He says as he raises his own cup of coffee

> “Likewise, Joker.” You say as you clink your cups together

Ann Takamaki:

> She had a problem

> As in you

> You just looked so perfect all the time

> And your Thief outfit wasn’t exactly helping either

> Why did it have to be skintight?!

> “Hm? Is everything alright Panther?” You ask tilting your head at her

> Stop that. It makes you look adorable.

> “Oh yeah sorry! I was… Daydreaming.”

> “Oh? Was it about me?” You ask, a grin forming on your lips

> She just rolls her eyes as a response which causes you to giggle

> “Anyways, we should probably just head back to the meeting place, it looks like there’s nothing here but dust.” You say, taking one last look around the room you were in

> “Right. Hopefully the others were able to find something.”

> You nod as you turn and walk towards the door

> … Only to spin round to face Panther last second

> “Ack! What the-” Before she can finish you quickly wrap your arms around one of hers

> “Well I wouldn’t want a Shadow to get the jump on you whilst you daydream so I decided that we will stick extra close from now on!” You say as you start to walk and drag Panther out of the room

> “Haha, stop acting like a knight in shining armour.” She says as she quickly falls in step with you

> “Ehh? That’s mean, you know I’d happily die for you!”

> “You better not, we’re out of revival items.”

> “Wh- That’s not what I-”

> This time you’re the one that doesn’t get to finish, mainly because soft lips are now pressed against your own

Ryuji Sakamoto:

> Honestly he was so happy

> It was so fun running through the halls of distorted palaces and fighting Shadows with you

> You two have so much fun in fact, that you often got scolded by Queen for acting rather recklessly

> “Sorry…” You both say in unison, staring at the ground

> “Honestly, you two are such children at times.” Queen says shaking her head

> “Well, I can’t really argue with you, but you have to admit that it’s totally awesome to go to places like pyramids and space stations, I mean… I never even dreamed of seeing places like that up close!” You say excitedly rocking back and forth

> “You’re such a nerd [Code name], haha.” Skull laughs as he pats your shoulder

> “Wh- No I’m not! I just, uh, appreciate… The aesthetic?” You say, voice sounding far from confident

> “Please stop. One Fox is more than enough.” Skull mumbles, looking at Fox

> He is a bit concerned something could happen to you of course

> But that’s exactly why he willingly runs in front of you or pushes you out of the way if he sees a Shadow preparing a powerful attack

> You appreciate that, you really do

> But you still scold him for it whenever you tend to his wounds

> He of course makes it seem like no big deal though

> “Eh I’ll be fine! Hey, how about we go get ramen after we’re done?”

> “Uh, sure but, how can you think of ramen at a time like this?!”

> “Dude, when do I not think of ramen.”

> “… Good point.”

> He laughs happily at that and you can’t help but smile yourself

Makoto Niijima:

> She would be low-key concerned all the time

> But she would do her best not to let it show

> Whenever you suffer a major hit, she would instantly heal you with her strongest healing spell

> “Haha, thank you Queen!” You say cheerfully as you pick yourself up from the ground

> “Are you sure you’re okay? Maybe you should switch with someone?”

> “Nah, it’s just a scratch, no big deal.” You say, wiping dust off of your costume

> “… Okay…” 

> “Hey,” You say walking up to her and taking hold of her gloved hands “Don’t worry about me, you know I’d do anything to protect my Queen.” You add with a wink

> This causes her to laugh quietly

> “It’s just a code name.”

> “I disagree, you’re my one and only Queen.”

> You notice a faint blush forming on her cheeks, barely visible from beneath her mask

> “That’s… Cheesy.”

> You roll your eyes at that before leaning in and giving her cheek a kiss

> “I know.”

> Ever since that encounter she stopped worrying as much and simply admired your strength and determination

> Although she still scolded you occasionally when you missed a chance to deal a critical hit due to silly mistakes

Yusuke Kitagawa:

> You often found him busily sketching something in his art book instead of looking for clues

> “Uh, Fox?” You say tapping him lightly on his shoulder

> “Oh, my apologies, I spaced out again.” He replies still sketching.

> You press your lips together before standing on your toes and peering over his shoulder

> Unsurprisingly, you find your Phantom mask in the middle of the page along with roses climbing on each side of the paper

> “Awww…” You whisper right next to his ear

> “Please stop that [Code name] I’m nowhere near finished, it looks rather bad at the moment.”

> “Fox it looks amazing, and it’s only a sketch!”

> He chuckles as he places the pencil down and turns his face towards you

> “You compliment me too much.”

> “Well of course, your art is amazing.”

> “… The only thing I ever draw is you.”

> “Wh- Um, r-really?… No it’s not… You drew flowers not long ago…”

> “Ah you mean the flowers we saw in the park? Indeed, but only because you said they looked beautiful.”

> “H-Huh? Is that why… You made me that flower crown?”

> He only smiles in response which causes your cheeks to become pink

> “Oi, lovebirds! If you’re done flirting with each other can we just get going?!” Skull shouts.

> Fox sighs before putting his art supplies away

> “Shall we?” He asks, turning to face you and offering his gloved hand

> You nod as you happily take it and make your way towards your team

Futaba Sakura:

> She’d be absolutely thrilled, often pulling you aside just to take a selfie because you just ‘looked so cool’

> But you can bet that she will protect you the most

> “Navi!” Joker shouts

> “Leave it to me!” Navi shouts as she swipes for an attack boost spell

> After the fight is over, you notice the Necronomicon hovering above you

> “Is everyone okay?” She asks

> “Yeah we are, thanks to you.” You say looking up and smiling

> “Actually [Code name] I have one more thing for you!”

> “Hu-”

> “CATCH!”

> Before you can fully comprehend what’s going on, you stick out your arms and second later you found that the thing you caught was Navi herself

> She giggles as she shifts so that she now has her arms wrapped around your neck

> “Um?”

> “Well, I noticed that you got hurt the most during the last fight so I came to heal you!”

> “Don’t you… Need your Persona for that?”

> “Nope!”

> You want to question her more but before you can do that you feel her lips press against yours

> You blink for a second before responding to her until she pulls away with a massive grin on her face

> “This is by far the best healing spell anyone has ever used on me.” You say as a smile forms on your lips

> “Just don’t go around getting hurt on purpose so I can heal you like this all the time.” 

> “Who do you take me for? A noob?”

> “Only sometimes.” She teases 

Haru Okumura:

> She was really glad you were a Phantom Thief too, that way she could spend more time with you!

> Seeing as she joined rather late, she often relied on you to show her how things work

> At first, you’d often have to help her up and heal her after she got knocked down

> “Thank you so much [Code name], you’re so reliable and strong!” She complimented you as you pulled her to her feet

> But of course, as soon as she understood, she was unstoppable

> “N-Noir took out five enemies with a single grenade…” You say, gripping your weapon tightly

> As you say this, Noir quickly spins to face you and jumps up with excitment

> “[Code name]! Joker! Did I do good?” She asked with an innocent smile on her face

> Joker simply nods

> “Of course you did Noir! You’re amazing!” You say

> She giggles at that and holy heck that’s the cutest thing you’ve ever heard

> “I’m really glad! Shall we move on then?” She asks as she adjusts her hat

> Why is your girlfriend so fluffy yet so deadly

> “Yeah, of course.” You answer

> You find that the two of you mostly discuss things such as the best type or tea and coffee but then somehow end up discussing who’s weapon is more deadlier

> Noir of course claims that her axe would win anytime against anyone/anything and you find that this is most likely true considering she keeps reminding Shadows that they ‘shouldn’t annoy a girl with an axe’

> “Okay different question.” You say smiling

> She tilts her head to the side slightly implying you’ve got her attention

> “Who do you love more, me or your axe.”

> “…”

> For a solid minute she taps her finger against her lips, deep in thought

> “W-Wait seriously?”

> She giggles at that

> “Haha, I tricked you [Code name]! You already know the answer…”

> “Aw-”

> “It’s the axe.”

> “Hey!”

> Before you can say anything else she presses a kiss to your cheek and you know she’s just joking

> … You hope.

[jokertrap-ran]

[Story Of A Trickster Rabbit] 5★ Drole (Normal) Translation

第４話　幼い記憶 Chapter 4: Childhood Memories

CV: 白井 悠介  (Shirai Yusuke)

*Spoiler free: Translations will remain under cut *Name will remain as my normal ( ラン )

野良猫が陽だまりで、のんびり毛づくろいをしている…－。 There were stray cats stretched out on sunny patches as they lazily groomed themselves.

材料を揃えた私達は、城へ戻るため穏やかな道を歩いていた。 We strolled down the peaceful streets towards the castle, having already procured all the things we needed.

（あの調味料、本当に使うのかな） (I wonder if he’s really going to put that seasoning to use?)

心配になって、ドローレくんが抱えた袋を見てしまう。 I ended up looking at the bags that Drole carried, a slight worry creasing my brow.

ドローレ「あ～、早く痛いミートボールが食べたいなあ」 Drole: Ah~ I want to hurry and eat some of those painfully suffering yet delicious meatballs!

（……やっぱり） (...He is...)

弾むような足取りで歩く彼を見て、私はずっと気になっていたことを尋ねてみた。 Watching him walk with a spring in his step, I couldn’t help blurting out the question that had been in my mind for as long as I could remember.

ラン「……どうして、そんなに痛いのがいいの？」 Ran: Why do you like pain that much?

ドローレくんは驚いたように、目を丸くする。 His eyes widened in surprise.

ドローレ「そんなふうにはっきり聞いてきたの、キミが初めてだな」 Drole: You’re the first who has ever been so straight-forward about it.

ラン「あ……」 Ran: Oh...

ドローレ「ま、いいけど」 Drole: Well, I don’t particularly mind telling you.

（やっぱり失礼だったかな） (I guess it was rather rude of me to put it so bluntly.)

ドローレ「だってさ、怪我した時って痛いんだけど、ちょっとゾクゾクすることない？」 Drole: Don’t you get the shivers when you feel the pain after you get injured?

さらりと言ってしまうドローレくんの横顔は、全く知らない男の子のように見えて少し怖くなった。 Drole seemed like a completely different person as he said that. So different from his usual self that I knew, so much that it was borderline terrifying.

ラン「……」 Ran: ……

ドローレ「わかんないか」 Drole: I guess you wouldn’t understand.

彼の瞳の奥が寂しそうに揺れる。 His eyes drooped slightly in loneliness, knowing that there was know one he could share his sentiments with.

Choice:  ごめんね I’m sorry (SUN)

ラン「ごめんね」 Ran: I’m sorry.

ドローレ「謝らないでよ。わからないって人ばっかだし」 Drole: Don’t be sorry. Not many people feel the same as I do.

さも当然というふうに笑うドローレくんは、私のことを気遣ってくれていた。 It seemed like he had an eye out for me as well when he brushed it off with a smile.

Choice:  …… (MOON)

ラン「 …… 」 Ran: ……

どんな言葉も彼に対して失礼になってしまう気がして、口を開けない。 I kept mum, not knowing what I should say as everything at the tip of my tongue seemed like it’d be an insult to his person.

ドローレ「いいよ。別に慣れてるから」 Drole: That’s fine. I’m already used to it.

ドローレ くんは少し大人びた眼差しを私に向ける。 He directed his gaze towards me, glinting with a slight maturity.

ラン「今はわからないけど、わかりたいなって思ってるの」 Ran: I might not be able to understand it now but I do feel like coming to an understanding one day.

ドローレ「あははっ、やっぱキミって、面白い大人だね」 Drole: Ahaha, you’re really such an interesting adult.

ドローレくんは笑うと、空を見上げた。 Laughing, he looked up to the heavens.

青空に薄いレースのような雲が流れている。 The clouds in the sky were akin to thin ribbons amidst a sea of pale blue.

ドローレ「まだ両親がいて、この国に大人がいた頃……ボク、小さい頃は一人で遊ぶのが好きだったんだけど。　その時に、お父さんとお母さんの仕事道具で大けがしたんだよ。あんまり覚えてないんだけど」 Drole: Back in the day where my parents were still here, when there were still adults living in this country...I’m one for playing alone that with others. At that time, I suffered a serious injury from one of their work equipment. Although, I must say, I don’t really remember it all that well.

ラン「大丈夫だったの？」 Ran: Were you alright?

ドローレ「うん。心配して大慌てする大人の中で、ボクは笑ってたんだって。だから体質？　なんじゃない？」 Drole: Yup. But all I did was laugh while the adults fussed over me. I mean, isn’t that just our constitution?

（そんなことって……） (That’s…)

どう反応していいかわからず、私はただドローレくんを見つめた。 I could only stare at him wordlessly, at a loss for a reply.

ドローレ「心配そうな顔されるのも結構好き。あの時も皆がそんな顔してたのかな」 Drole: I like seeing the worried faces of others and I think they were all doing that back then.

そう言って、彼は柔らかく私に笑いかけて…… He turn towards me with a soft smile as he said that...

ドローレ「今のキミの顔も好き」 Drole: I love the face you’re making now as well.

不意に放たれた好きという言葉が、私の胸を刺激した。 He sent my heart into another frenzy just by uttering the word love.

ラン「……え？」 Ran: ...Huh?

ドローレ「痛いとゾクゾクのバランスって、結構難しいし……。　死ぬのはやだなって思うから、そういう意味では心配しなくていいよ」 Drole: It’s hard to think of pain and excitement in the same sentence but I don’t want to die just yet so you don’t have to worry in that aspect...

ラン「うん……」 Ran: Yeah...

ドローレくんなりにちゃんと考えていることを知って、安堵の思いが込み上げる。 I felt relief flood through my being at the revelation that he had actually thought it through.

ドローレ「モルタ��さんのが危ないんじゃないかなあ？」 Drole: Wouldn’t big brother Morta be the more dangerous one instead?

（確かに……否定できないところはあるけど） (Well...I can’t exactly say otherwise considering how there’s certain parts of him that’s a little…)

チルコの第一王子のモルタさんは、独特の死生観を持っている。 Morta, the first prince of Circo, had a rather unique views on what makes life and death.

ラン「でも…－」 Ran: Butー...

ドローレ「あ！　すっかり時間が過ぎちゃったよ！　早く帰って準備しよう」 Drole: Oops! We’ve overshot the time we should be spending here! Hurry, we’ve gotta get back and make the preparations!

明るい彼の声が、私の言葉を掻き消した。 His bright and joyful voice had drowned out my words.

ラン「……うん」 Ran: ...Right.

急かされるように足を速めて帰路を歩く。 Picking up my pace, I started to walk briskly to our destination.

（痛み以外の何かで、少しでも楽しませてあげられたらいいんだけど……） (It’ll be great if there was something else that could bring him joy...Something that isn’t pain.)

先を歩く彼の背中を見つめながら、私は思いを巡らせていた…－。 I thought about it as I watched him walking in front of meー...

つづく… To be continued...

[yourheartsaremine-blog]

You’ve been matched with...

@rust-effect Thank you for the request! <3 I actually struggled between a few different characters for you. :’D Rest assured that your icon wasn’t the deciding factor though; if I couldn’t write a lot justifying it, I kneew I probably wasn’t going in the right direction askdfalsdf

Ann is the type of girl who manages to be both upbeat and grounding at the same time, which I think would be a good match for you! She really admires the generosity that you show to other people, but she also takes it upon herself to make sure that no one takes advantage of your kindness either. While she knows that you’re capable of letting others know if you’re uncomfortable with a situation, Ann won’t hesitate to step in on your behalf if she feels you’ve been wronged or insulted in some way. Kind though she is, she’s not the type who can simply stand aside, and her wrath will be made evident if someone tries to push the matter.

She can sympathize with the fact that you instinctively act differently in front of strangers—who doesn’t?—based off the fact that she can also be quite wary around those she doesn’t know. She’s had a rather stressful school life thanks to assumptions about her appearance and her as a person, but because of your friendly and warm nature, she’d probably feel more comfortable with dropping some of her defensive attributes, even when the two of you first meet. I think that she has the type of personality that may be able to quickly earn your trust as well; she’s very genuine and, despite her looks and status as a model, remains modest and encouraging to those close to her. During those rare occasions where someone has had something terrible and your temper flares as a result, Ann generally lets you do your thing (and is probably impressed by how intimidating you can come off as considering your usual countenance). The only time where she might step in is if she feels that there’s a threat to you or that you may say something that you’ll regret, but otherwise she understands—and encourages—the sense of freedom that comes from confronting someone who has done you wrong. If you’re still upset after the fact, she’ll bring you somewhere nice for some tea and desserts, or just spend the evening relaxing with you depending on what it is you need at the time.

HCs (w/ Ann):

Tea time together is definitely something that happens. Most of the time Ann brings you to cafes that are well known for their outstanding     desserts and will frequently offer to split different treats with you so     that you can sample a wide array.

Despite being very much into fashion, Ann doesn’t know a whole lot about Lolita fashion, so the fact that you have an interest in it is something that fascinates her. She’ll frequently ask you questions     about the different types and styles, ask whether you have any cute     dresses, ask if she can help with your hair and makeup, and so on. She’d be keen on giving Lolita fashion a try at least once and, if you’re     comfortable with it, perhaps even see if she can get a professional photoshoot done for the two of you.

Movie nights with Ann is always fun because she’s adventurous     enough that she’s willing to try giving any genre a try so long as the movie’s synopsis sounds interesting. That being said, if your love of spooky things extends to horror movies, please don’t be surprised if you have a terrified blonde hiding her face behind your arm halfway through the film!

Sleepover dates are definitely a thing. Sometimes you’ll head on over to her place to find that she’s laid out a bunch of different spa masks and oils to pamper you with. These “spa sessions” are never exactly taken seriously though; you two make the conscious effort to use the products as intended at first, but may occasionally get into some sort of clay mask play-fight an hour in (GUYS that stuff’s expensive!!!!)

 HCs (w/ Phantom Thieves)

I think you’d definitely get along very well with Haru! In addition to the fact that she’ll frequently invite you over to have tea and chat with her, you two share the similarity of being quite sweet and mild-mannered in general…but scary when pushed to a certain limit. While you both may not be aware of that particular aspect of yourselves, the other Phantom Thieves are, and nothing scares them more than seeing the two of you get angry and gang up on someone at the same time.

Yusuke’s not all that exposed to trends and different fashions, so I think learning that you like Lolita fashion would fascinate him. Unlike Ann, he regretfully will not ask to try on Lolita-based outfits with you, but he probably will ask you to pose for a few pictures for him if you’d be willing. If you were to glance over at him while he is working on a sketch though, you’d likely see him with creased brows while he mutters “so many frills” to himself.

Honestly, Akira is just a great person to hang out with in general. He’s relaxed and observant, and also remarkably collected. If you ever want to brave something like a haunted house with someone who won’t cut off all circulation to one of your limbs from clinging so hard, Akira’s your guy. …Or Yusuke, but the likelihood of you having to cling to him in order to drag him out, sketchbook and all, is the more likely scenario here.

Short Scenario:

You and Ann put on some lovely Lolita outfits for an impromptu photoshoot, where your photographers are…less than qualified. You finger the delicate lace that ran along the edge of your dress, smiling in amusement as you watched the scene before you. Ann, who was dressed from head to toe in an outfit you had coordinated together, was busy talking to Ryuji and Akira. Both boys held cameras in their hands, and both boys looked…well, perhaps nervous wasn’t the exact word, but at least somewhat apprehensive about the task that was being bestowed upon them. Ann drew back from your friends, her hair, curled instead of done up in her usual pigtails, bouncing a little from the movement. “So then all you do is use this to make sure that we’re in focus, and then press down…and that’s it! Got all of that?” “We’ll see,” Akira said, just as Ryuji cried out a vehement, “Absolutely not!” Your girlfriend waved off their concerns with the reassurance that they’d probably figure it out, and then hurried back to your side. Flashing you a grin, she took one of your arms and pulled you over to the garden of blooming roses that you had both selected as your set for today. After a few unconvincing test shots (Is…is this really going to be okay with these two, you had wondered to yourself briefly), the actual shoot began. “I like this,” Ann announced suddenly midway through the shoot. You had just changed poses, with your girlfriend standing directly beside you, her cheek resting on the top of your head and her fingers twined with yours, “I mean, I’m in front of a camera a lot, but…this is different, you know? I’m more excited seeing the pictures knowing that they’re with you.” You smiled up at her. “Yeah, me too.” The smile she gave you in return was warm, and after shooting a quick side glance over at the boys to make sure they weren’t looking, she ducked down to press a kiss to you lips.

Extended ending:

“Ryuji, what the hell is this?!” “Dude, I’m not a photographer, okay? What were you expectin’?!” “Not a picture of cement! And…Akira, what is this?!” “A bird.” “I can see that, but why did you need to take a picture of it?” “Morgana wanted it.” You watched the trio bicker in front of you and let out a fond, but exasperated, sigh. Akira took the picture of the bird and slipped it into his bag and into the waiting paws of Morgana, while the two blondes were busy arguing. Reaching out, you sifted through the pictures until— “Oh.” You were flabbergasted to see that one of the boys had captured your and Ann’s brief kiss perfectly on camera.

[absolutelybifurious]

yall im almost done iwth persona 5 and i just want t omake a fucking THREAD about all the reasons ryuji sakamoto is the most underrated amazing character in the entire world

-within 30 seconds of meeting protag he risks his life for him -he desperately wants to go back to the metaverse to help a bunch of ppl that weren’t real -he wanted to go back despite having no means of fighting -yet REFUSED to let ann come bc it was too dangerous -brings a ridiculous model gun in some adorable attempt to be helpful and in an incredibly plot twist  ends up being helpful -when he realizes its helpful he offers to take joker to the shop just bch es that fucking nice -literally tells you to be careful not to fall when you’re jumping on things -decides yall are friends and asks joker not to ignore him bc hes so used tob eing treatedl ike shit despite having already RISKED HIS LIFE FOR JOKER -does everything in his power to help ann once she gets captured in the metaverse -trips while running for his lilfe and still his first instinct is to reassure ann and protag that everything is fine -bears all the responsibility of letting the track team down despite being a teenager who REACTED TO ABUSE -never expects or receives an apology about what happened to his leg -is the only person other than the protag who doesnt get his misfit label removed and he NEVER complains about it -loves his mother so much and will do anything for her -has a super relatable temper that flares up but generally is followed by a sincere apology -tells ann that he doesnt want to go on a date with her as a “reward” for helping her,,,YALL -when he was in middle school he spent his subway fare money on a fucking souvenir for his MOTHER so ann had to spot him the way back -never gets even remotely jealous about protag being the leader -says things like WHATDYA THING when he learns a new combat move,,, -is the only person who doesn’t accuse makoto of being useless and reckless and therefore making her guilt worse -in fact steers the group away from blaming her at all by convincing them to move on -he says sorry in a slightly broken voice when he gets healing in combat  -also says ha LOSER when he dodges an attack in combat -apologizes carefully and profusely to futaba when he can’t understand her while she’s mumbling in a closet  -actually handles that terrifying mask she wears pretty well all things considered -never gets resentful when people accuse him of having no charm -getse really irritated when a guy from the tv station starts blatantly hitting on ann and not out of jelaousy’s sake -his first response to what kind of girl you like is “a nice one” -he wants so bad to room with the protag in hawaii -literally everything in hawaii excites him and he is adorable the ENTIRE TIME they’re en route -he kicks at the ground when people compliment him which is like never -he gets the shit kicked out of him during his confidant while the protag does jackshit and he doesnt even seem to hold it against him because he :) thinks :) deserves :) it :) -when he tells yusuke about his past, he leaveso ut ev erything bad that happened to him alnd only included how awful he was and no one corrects him and hes?? fine with it???  -he censors himself by saying effing and not fucking -he tries so hard to contain his temper like in the bat h scene when hes like itll be fine ^___^ and then he just FLIPS and loses it and has to leave, like same buddy -the little side hug he gives joker when he comes back from the Big Plot Twist -don’t even talk to me about the whole ship scene -he gives joker a damn gift after they spend time at the culture festival bc he got him out of looking dumb -HE GETS STAGE FRIGHT -he tells futaba how amazing she is like every time she does anything -in fact hes constantly complimenting everyone, even morgana when he does something to help the team and yet NO ONE RETURNS THE FAVOR -when futaba first joins the group and yulsuke upsets her and shes just sending emojis ryuji is the one who gets it and says yusuke needs to apologize  -the quote “has medjed been taken care of? or more important, is futaba okay?”  -hes honestly so gentle about all the other characters and like... trying to take care of them it hurts me -he calls joker c ute when he gets excited????  -he also offers to protect joker on a roller coaster when he thinks hes scared to go by himself -he says hes gonna be so fast that joker won’t even be able to see him and then gets distressed bc would he be showing joker anything then? -he tells joker theres a place for him too, right next to him, and then even adds, or maybe ahead? because thats how much he respects joker and doesent love himself :))) -he calls himself an idiot when everyone got tricked and then calls you to apologize for getting upset and THEN says he needs to apologize for futaba and haru bc he KNOWS they would react to it -i’m not even there yet and i can’t imagine what im going to,,, think -yall theres so much extra stuff i cant deal with it -im gonna make this longer eventually bc i love ryuji sakamoto more than life itself YALL DONT UDNERSTAND -you -don’t -under -STAND

everyone else (especially ak*chi) can choke ryuji is literally the best friend and the best,,, everything HES THE BEST YOU CAN’T YOU DONT UDNERSTAND MY FELEINGS

[artificervaldi]

Velvet Apartments [3/?]

Characters (this chapter): Akira Kurusu, Caroline, Justine, Goro Akechi, Ryuji Sakamoto, Koromaru, Ken Amada, Morgana, Sojiro Sakura, Futaba Sakura, and Yusuke Kitagawa

Ships (this chapter): Super barebones start to Goro/Akira/Yusuke

Summary: Akira Kurusu was under probation and Velvet Apartments wasn't where he wanted to have to spend it. The fact he'd met with creepy twins and a talking cat didn't help much, either.

Previous Chapter | Ao3 Link | Next Chapter

A/N: Chapter 3 finally crossposted. Finaly more P5 characters and like 2 P3 characters.

Akira Kurusu looked up at Velvet Apartments and frowned. A lot had happened in the past couple of months and he wasn’t sure how to feel about any of it. Helping that woman had been the best thing he could do in that situation, right? If he’d left her be, who knows what could have happened to her…

He closed his eyes and shook his head, a headache coming on. That had been a constant the last few months, headaches. Headaches of his own, headaches of his parents, just headaches in general. There was no way around it and it was making everything hard.

“I shouldn’t worry too much about it right now…” He looked down at his phone and frowned. Velvet Apartments was where Sojiro Sakura was supposed to be, right? He looked at the last message his mother sent him.

Yep, third floor of Velvet Apartments, last door on the left of the first hall off the elevator. That shouldn’t be too hard to get to, right? If he didn’t take the elevator it might take a little longer, but that wasn’t so bad. At least his parents shipped his things ahead of time, right?

Time to go, anyway. He had to be there before it got too late, that would just make him seem like a delinquent. He didn’t want that to happen, he’d already switched from contacts to glasses in order to blend in better. He didn’t want that to be ruined on the first day.

So he started off, opening the door to the apartments, only to pause. Two young girls were standing in the lobby, quiet.

What is this? The Shining?

The girls seemed to notice him, and in silence, turned towards him. Was this a horror movie in the making? Akira felt like it was a horror movie in the making. The fact their eyes were yellow of all colors didn’t help matters at all, either.

“Who are you?!” One of the girls, her hair pulled into two buns, spoke up and the fear died down, just a bit.

“Not many people have been waiting for Theodore to do his job.” The other girl spoke up with less, well, emotion in her voice.

“Uh…” Akira blinked and fixed the bag on his shoulder. Of all the things he could run into when he walked into the building, it was this? “I’m moving in today.”

“Where’s your luggage, then?” The first girl spoke again, crossing her arms and frowning. “Someone doesn’t just move in with one bag!”

“Well, my parents sent the luggage ahead…”

“Are you moving in with your grandparents, then? Perhaps an aunt or uncle.” The second girl seemed more calm about this all.

“No, not really.” He shook his head. He could just feel the problems that’d come from this.

“Then what--”

A woman walked from behind the front desk at that point, standing behind the girls and putting her hands on their heads as she said their names. “Caroline, Justine, what are you doing?”

“M-Margaret!” Caroline turned to look at the woman and shook her head. “We were questioning the weird man!”

Margaret sighed and shook her head. “Now, now. I know you want to help with the apartments, but harassing people isn’t helping.”

“Elizabeth thought it was a good idea.” Justine glanced at Akira before turning to look at Margaret as well.

“And what do we say when Elizabeth thinks it’s a good idea?”

The twins looked at each other, both frowning, before looking back to her. “To not do it.”

“Exactly.” She ruffled both of their heads a bit and made her way for the desk. “Now, go along and play, alright?”

Caroline huffed a bit and looked back to Akira, giving him a glare. “Come on, Justine! Let’s go.”

Justine nodded and began following after her, only stopping for a moment to give Akira a small wave. Akira risked waving back before watching them walk off to the elevator. Looked like he would definitely take the stairs, then.

He made his way to the stairs and sighed, maybe he’d just run up them and cut time as much as he could. Here he went, hopefully he wouldn’t be too out of breath when he made it up there. He wasn’t exactly the most athletic guy around…

He shook his head and started up the stairs. Here he went, hopefully Sojiro would be there when he made it up there. He should be, right? It was pretty late in the day, so most would be off work by now.

Soon enough he was on the third floor and he looked around. Where was the elevator now…? There it was! So the door he needed was…

Here! He knocked a few times and waited. Was no one home? Maybe Sojiro worked a different shift than he was expecting? Well, that was just making this shitty year even worse. He was going to have to sit out in the hall for who knows how long.

“Guess I could get some reading in.” Akira looked into his bag and pulled out the first one he saw there. Arsene Lupin, well that would be interesting enough to keep him busy for at least an hour.

He opened to the first page and began reading. A good novel was always--

“Oh? Are you alright?” Akira looked up and saw a boy smiling down at him. He was pretty, to say the least. His hair was kind of messy, bangs hanging in his face.

“I’m fine.”

“Oh, I see!” He smiled and nodded at him. “I just thought I’d ask, seeing as you’re sitting in the hall.”

“Just...waiting for someone.” Akira shrugged, he wasn’t really expecting this conversation to go anywhere, so no need to go into detail.

“A friend?”

“No, my guardian for the next year.” Looked like the conversation would actually be going on for a while, huh? Maybe he should’ve included more information to start, then.

“I see! So you’re moving in?” The boy seemed to think for a moment. “I suppose I should introduce myself, then!”

“Oh, yeah. I’m Akira Kurusu.” He looked down at his feet for a moment before looking back at the boy and smiling just a bit.

“I’m Goro Akechi, nice to meet you, but I should be going.” Goro turned to the door across the way. “Bye now.”

“Ah, yeah…” Akira gave a small wave and turned back to his book. There went that small break from the slog that was time currently. Too bad it hadn’t lasted all that long.

Well, time to get back to his reading, then. Now, where was he--

“Shit, shit!” He looked up at the expletives and saw a bag flying towards him.

He didn’t know how he did it, but he caught it. He caught the bag and now his hand hurt. What was in this?

“Oh man, thank you!” A blond guy came running up to him. “I tripped and if that broke…”

Akira blinked a few times and handed it to the boy. “It’s something important, then?”

“Yeah, it’s something for my mom…” He rubbed the back of his head and smiled a bit. “Mother’s day is coming up, you know?”

“Oh, that’s right, it is.” He nodded and frowned a bit. He wasn’t sure if he should do anything for his mother…

“Uh, something wrong?” The guy tilted his head to the side, now frowning as well. “You look kind of upset.”

“Oh, it’s nothing, just a bit sad I won’t be seeing my mom this Mother’s Day, that’s all.” He shrugged before giving a little smile. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Alright, well...Still, thanks so much for catching this! You’re a real lifesaver, man!” The guy gave him a pat on the back. “You new around here?”

“Ah, yeah, I’m moving in today. I’m Akira Kurusu. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet ya! I’m Ryuji Sakamoto. Maybe I’ll be seeing you around, then?” He was smiling again and Akira couldn’t help but give a more genuine of his own.

“Yeah, that would be nice.” This guy seemed nice, maybe a future friend for Akira? That would be nice, he just knew the criminal record thing would make it hard later on.

“Well, I gotta get going, see you later!” The guy waved at him and ran off down the hall, now holding the bag carefully. He’d seemed vulgar at first, but hey, he still seemed like a nice enough guy.

Akira sighed a bit and sat back down, looking back to his book. Maybe no one else would show up and he’d be able to just read now? As long as Sojiro wasn’t planning on showing up soon, that is.

 --

 Akira had started to doze off when he felt a tongue on his face. Why was there a tongue on his face? At any normal apartment complex there would not be a tongue on his face.

“Koromaru!” He opened his eyes when he heard someone call out. Oh, it was a dog licking him.

The dog noticed his eyes were open and barked happily, his tail wagging.

“A Shiba Inu…? Do you live here?” Talking to an animal? Yes, he was indeed talking to an animal.

“I’m so sorry!” A boy about his age ran up and picked up the dog. “Koromaru sometimes gets excited about new people.”

“I see,” he fixed his glasses, “it’s no big deal, really. He wasn’t hurting me or anything.”

The other boy smiled a just a bit and looked away. “Ah, well that’s good. Still, I should probably be going. Come on, Koromaru, Shinjiro-san is probably worried.”

He put the dog down and he barked happily, his tail wagging. Without a moment’s hesitation, the dog darted off and the boy followed after him. As he watched them go, Akira realized he’d learned the dog’s name but not the boys. Well, that was too bad.

Maybe he’d see him around later, though? That could be nice, he’d met quite a few decent people already. Maybe his luck would keep up--

“You talk to animals a lot, buddy?” Akira blinked and looked to the side. Was...was someone sitting next to him?

Well, yes, there was someone sitting next to him. However, this someone wasn’t a human, but a cat. A very cute black and white cat. Was he so tired that he was hallucinating that this cat was talking? That seemed possible.

“Uh…” He reached out a hand and ruffled the cat’s fur. “Good kitty.”

The cat bristled at that and hopped back. “Don’t play dumb! I’ve never met a human who can’t understand me when I speak!”

“Meow?”

“Don’t get smart with me, either! Besides, I’m not a cat!”

Akira frowned and looked him over. “You look like a cat, though, you even have a little yellow collar--”

His hand was swatted away as soon as he reached for said collar. Well, someone was touchy about that collar, then?

“I am Morgana, and I am not a cat! I’m cursed!” Morgana moved to hop into Akira’s lap.

You seem pretty cat-like to me…

“Cursed? Who cursed you?” He would play along for now, he guessed. If nothing else he’d have something to do until Sojiro showed up.

“I’m not sure, that’s what I’m trying to figure out! All I know is it must be linked to this apartment complex in some way!” Morgana nodded his little head surely, standing up on Akira’s leg. “And I’ve just decided, you’re going to help me get to the bottom of it!”

Akira blinked a few times, registering what was just said to him. “E...excuse me?”

“You heard me, didn’t you?” Morgana looked back at him and sighed a bit. “I said you’re going to help me!”

“Why?”

“Well, you just got here, right? You’re new meat! And young enough to have free time.”

Akira thought for a moment, the being new and thus less likely linked to the “curse” thing made sense, but the other part... “Is that free time part really that important?”

“Yes it is,” Morgana nodded a bit, “if it wasn’t I’d have just used one of the others who moved in today. That blue haired man or red eyed woman. Maybe even the grey haired guy!”

“So are they not useful, then?”

“Oh no! They could still be useful, just not as often. If anything, they’re going to be your allies!” Morgana seemed proud of himself, as if he felt he’d come up with a great idea.

“Allies? Is this so intense--”

“Are you the kid?” Akira felt like everything he said or thought was being interrupted that day. Great.

He turned and looked up, a man with his hair slicked back and some pointy facial hair looked down at him. Was this Sojiro, then? He kind of wished his parents had told him what he’d look like.

“Yes, I’m Akira Kurusu.” He stood up and fixed his bag, noting that Morgana climbed in while he had been busy. “I’ll be living with you starting today, correct?”

“Not exactly. You’ll be living near me is a better way to put it,” Sojiro sighed, “you’ll be living in the apartment next to this one and I’ll be checking up on you at least once a day.”

He handed Akira a key and he took it, looking it over. So he wouldn’t be living with Sojiro? That was...more lenient than he was expecting, seeing as he was under probation. A probation bad enough he couldn’t even live in his hometown for now.

“Do you trust me enough to live on my own?”

“What? Of course not, your parents and I are only paying half the rent. You’re going to have a roommate covering the other half.” Sojiro sighed, shaking his head. “So don’t think you can go and do whatever you want.”

“Understood. Who exactly is my roommate, though?” Akira wanted to at least know who he was going to meet.

“I only met him once, but he’s about your age, a little odd, but a good kid. Might be a good influence on you.” Sojiro didn’t seem very interested in this conversation, looking towards his apartment door. Was Akira really that boring?

“Alright, well, I’ll let you go then. It’s late tonight…” He turned to walk to the door, only to notice Sojiro’s apartment door opened.

He paused in order to get a little look at whoever had opened the door. Who was living with Sojiro…? Oh! A girl who looked around his age, if not a little younger. A daughter? Akira wasn’t told he had a daughter…

Well, maybe that was why he was being pushed into another apartment. He finally shrugged and made his way to the door, placing the key in the lock.

“I suggest you knock before you go in, it’s late and I doubt you want to scare your roommate.”

Akira jumped a bit. “Oh yeah, thanks…”

He watched Sojiro disappear into his apartment and Akira sighed, knocking once. When there wasn’t even a sound in reply he decided that his roommate must be asleep and tried to open the door. It...it was locked? Has his roommate left it unlocked?

Turning the key once more, Akira pushed the door open and entered the apartment. As soon as he made it in he let out a sigh, closing and locking the door. His roommate wasn’t the most careful, good to know.

“Wow, who leaves their door unlocked like that?”

“Shhh…” Akira held a finger up to his mouth and glanced back at Morgana, who had decided to pop back up again. “I think my roommate is sleeping.”

“Then why are the lights on?”

That...was a good point. Why were the lights on if he was asleep? Was he careless about lights too, then? Akira felt like this was just a recipe for things going really bad really quickly…

“Alright…” He slipped his shoes off and walked into the living room, blinking in surprise. His roommate was up, there was no doubt about it, but he was focused on what looked like a painting.

An artist roommate that had no sense of when someone was at the unlocked door, huh? That seemed a bit dangerous, was this roommate thing really just to be cheaper or was it so this kid could have a babysitter?

“Excuse me?” He moved up behind the artist and placed a hand on his shoulder, only to be knocked back a bit when he turned around.

“Who…? Oh. You must be the roommate I was told about…” The artist rubbed his eyes and yawned. “It’s nice to meet you… Akira Kurusu, was it?”

“Yeah, and you are…?” He tilted his head to the side.

“Yusuke Kitagawa, it’s quite late, isn’t it…?” Akira watched Yusuke’s head drooped forward a bit. “You must be tired…”

“You must be too.”

“Oh no, I’m fine,” Yusuke shook his head, “I’ve stayed up for longer amounts of time than this, this is nothing!”

“That’s not a good thing.” Akira sighed, fiddling with his bangs. “You look like you’re falling asleep at your canvas.”

“I do that often, though.” Yusuke blinked at him a few times and looked confused, as if he didn’t understand the issue.

Akira sighed a bit and moved over to him. “You probably shouldn’t do that. Sleep is important.”

“Many people on this floor tell me that.”

Akira frowned, he wasn’t getting through to him at all, was he? Yusuke really thought there was nothing wrong with staying up when he was basically falling asleep where he sat? That was...worrying to say the least.

“Well, good night then.” He’d worry about it tomorrow.

“Yes, good night.”

As Akira walked away he glanced over his shoulder, watching Yusuke’s head droop towards his chest yet again. This was going to be a long year.

[kareofbears]

plainly in truth, chapter 2/5

“Without you around, it’s sorta like stuff is just kinda…bleh.“

—

Or: hiding, confiding, and misguiding.

read on ao3 or below the cut :)

Yusuke wasn’t too sure if what he was doing was of the right mind, but his heart is definitely in the right place.

There’s a lapse in time between Jails and hitting the road. Everyone is out soaking in the last of Sendai; Ryuji and Akira (and by extension, Sophia) are on a quest to buy any last minute supplies that they might need while the girls and Morgana are taking in the sights that they didn’t quite manage to explore as much as they’d like.

Well, the girls who like crowds and sightseeing are on a quest, at least.

Futaba and Yusuke are in the trailer by their own volition—he didn’t need to see anything else that wasn’t a timeless statue, and he learned early in his life that if you pace your spendings, you can then use that money to spend in the future. Quite the contrary, Futaba has had a little too much excitement these past few days and is more than happy to hide away in her top bunk with only her laptop charger peeking out from the bottom of her fleece blanket.

(A cartoon rendition of the Sendai temple is printed onto the fleece. Apparently Haru had yet to see Futaba purchase anything ‘tourist-y’ and action figures of various anime characters don’t seem to count.)

He tugs on her laptop cord. “Hello.”

“...What?” she grunts, voice slightly muffled. Through the thin fabric, he can see the illumination from her screen.

“I need help reacting to something.”

“And you decided to ask me?” she deadpans. “The literal shut-in?”

“The previous shut-in,” he corrects. “You haven’t been a shut-in in nearly a year. A marvelous feat, if I do say so myself.”

“Yeah, and this is my way of celebrating.” The lump on the bed seems to curl further in on itself. “Begone. Do a painting or something. This is my me time. The equivalent of guzzling down a boat load of Arginade. There’s barely any time to be by myself considering the whole group is treating this RV like a pimped out party bus, so shoo.”

J-pop starts playing from inside the blanket fort, and even Yusuke knows a dismissal when he hears one. That won’t stop him, though.

He tugs again, harder. “That is the reason I’m asking you now. I can’t have this be heard by prying ears.”

Had there been a cat on the bunk bed, its ears would have twitched. “Is this…?”

“Yes,” he nods sagely. “It’s a secret.”

Futaba’s head pops out, eyes wide and nearly glowing in excitement. If there was one thing that she liked more than recovering her energy, it's uncovering every nook and cranny of people’s lives, whether they want it or not.

“Inari, you should’ve said something!” She throws the blanket off herself, snatches her laptop in her arms and jumps down. Slamming it down on the booth, she throws herself on top of the smooth faux leather. “Tell me everything. The deets, the specs, all down to the last dirty drop of tea.”

He slides in to join her, albeit much slower. “Before you tell me that I misled you, I want to make it clear: I don’t know what the secret is.”

“What!” she slaps her forehead, groaning. “Yusuke, why would you do me like that? That’s false advertising to the max, and I do not appreciate you tricking me.”

“There wasn’t a trace of trickery. What I’m about to say really does have to do with a secret, but I need your help with how to deal with it.”

“I’m gonna level with you here pal,” she puts a hand on his wrist. “I’m not the right person for this, but I’d be darned if I let you walk away without telling me anything. So let’s hear it! I’m ready for some juicy goss. Oh! Can I guess? Is it about Haru?”

He frowns. “No. Is there something about Haru?”

“I don’t know, that’s why I was asking you!” she says, patting her hands rapidly on the table. “Come on, just spill the beans already.”

“There are no ‘beans’ to spill yet, and besides, that sounds like a waste of perfectly good food.” He leans back against the plush cushion. Only a pinch of guilt arises in him as he says it. “It’s about Ryuji.”

“Ooo, Skull himself. Gotta admit, I wasn’t expecting him.”

“It relieves me that you said that. I share the same sentiment—it wasn’t until I had run into him the night before when I had started to truly suspect something. And what I found was…” he trails off.

Her lips pull downwards. “That bad?”

“It was worrying, to say the least.”

She sighs. Most of the energy in her seemed to have filed out in the presence of a more serious topic. “Dang. I knew it was fishy when he left, but he’s always been able to just hash things out on his own.” Her expression changes as an idea pops into her head, and it morphs into one he recognizes. “Does—?”

“No. Akira doesn’t know, apparently.”

Futaba splutters, and he has to resist the urge to nod his head at her reaction. “He—Akira—wait, what? He doesn’t know? Oh, it must be bad bad.”

“My thoughts exactly. Initially, I had thought that whatever this was, it was manageable. Like that time he had spent his month’s allowance on a claw machine to win Makoto that light-up buchimaru.” Idly, he touches her keyboard lightly, appreciating the kaleidoscope of colors that emanate from it. “You know how I feel. We’re the Phantom Thieves; we can’t allow anyone to suffer alone, even if the one we’re helping is a Phantom Thief himself.”

Futaba raises an eyebrow. “And how do you want to help him?” she asks. “By talking to him? Let’s be real, you and I have the lowest social stat in this group. Combined, we can maybe reach the nerd student council president, and the guy who can and should handle this doesn’t even know about it!” Biting down on her lip, “Should we tell Akira?”

“Absolutely not. That was the one thing he had requested, and we cannot go against it. By extension, I don’t think we should tell anyone else.” A thought comes to him. “Wait, he mentioned that Ann knows of his situation.”

“Great! Someone who knows how to deal with people’s problems and isn’t us. What are we waiting for?” She reaches for her phone, and Yusuke proceeds to smack her hand out of the way. “Ow?”

“Don’t call her!” he hisses. “Ryuji said that she’s, and I quote, ‘part of the problem’. We can’t have her knowing that we know something.”

“Ann is?” Futaba exclaims, shoving her glasses up her nose. “This is getting too deep. We don’t even know anything yet, and it’s really starting to feel like we’re part of some conspiracy.”

“That’s right, we don’t know anything, and it is our largest road block.” Yusuke crosses his arms. “We don’t know what happened between Ryuji and Ann, or if something even occurred between Ryuji and Ann. What if they had an argument? What if they’re fighting, and it becomes irreparable between them? What if it begins affecting our Jail runs?”

“You really gave this some thought, huh?”

“But of course. I must nurture the few friends that I have managed to treasure.” He glances outside and sees the crowds clambering to see their tourist spot. “We may be different from most teenagers, but I don’t believe we’re immune to the nature of cliques or dramas or even insecurities.”

“God, what a good friend you are, it’s bugging me,” Futaba accuses. “So what the heck, Mr. Philanthropist? We’re stuck between a rock and our friend group here. This mission was doomed before you even dragged me out from my hideout,” she says, eyes drifting away to stare longingly back at her bunk bed.

“Stop making that expression. There’s a reason why I talked to you about this.” He leans forward. “What I’m asking is, to be frank, unfavorable, but I really do believe that it’s worth it to do this.”

She looks at him, and it only takes her a few seconds for realization to set in. Her jaw drops. “Oh Inari, that’s vile.”

“If you’re uncomfortable with it—”

“I didn’t say I was uncomfortable with it,” she cuts in. The grin on her face is wide; a woman in her element. “I just thought you’re the one who’d be all against this kind of thing.”

Futaba pulls her laptop towards her. “Sit back and observe the master at work.”

He watches as her fingers breeze through the keyboard, eyes inscrutable as light reflects off of her glasses. “So you can do it?”

“I’ve hacked into the Diet Building’s security cameras on a dare back when I was twelve,” she snorts. “This is Mario Kart Baby Park with the railings up.”

“I don’t know what that is.”

“It means—” With a flourish, she hits a key before glancing up at him, smug. “That this will be very easy. I’m thinking we can start with their text messages and work our way up to the big stuff.”

“Oh, right. You can go through our phones,” he grimaces. “You’ve stopped doing that, yes?”

“Of course I have! By the way, did you figure out what courses you wanted next term? I saw your advisor was bugging you about it, you should really email her back.”

“Yes, I’ve finally decided on sculpting as opposed to visual photography since it lets me focus on the anatomy of...” he pauses. “Wait—”

“Okay, looks like I got his text messages with Ann, so let’s all focus on this now!” she says loudly. “Scooch over, let’s go through ‘em.”

He does, and she moves to sit next to him. Yusuke peers at her screen. “Nothing out of the ordinary. There is a significant drop in the frequency of his replies, but that’s been the case for me as well.”

“Same here.” She continues scrolling up rapidly, so fast he wonders how she can keep up with herself. “Memes, memes, lots of ‘where you at’ texts, more memes…”

Something catches his eye. “Hold. Go down slightly, I think that link might be interesting.”

“‘How to treat knee pain: 11 steps with pictures’?” she reads aloud. “His knee is acting up again?”

“What’s peculiar is that I haven’t seen any sign of it.” He squints at Ryuji’s response to it—generic gratitude. “Even in Jails, he runs around without a care in the world.”

“What’s even weirder is that Ann is actually sending Ryuji wikihow links on how to treat his knee,” she snorts. “Let’s put a pin in this one and move on, Ann’s chat is chalking up to be a dead end.”

Rubbing her hands together, she straightens up like a professor in front of a lecture hall on the first day of classes. “Now Yusuke, when you’re looking to crack someone open like a tasty, moist omelette, there are two things that you must look into: their email and their bank account.”

After some clicking, Ryuji’s email pops up. “Email is obvious, since this pretty much tracks anything big. Delivery shipments, subscriptions to websites, acceptance letters. It’s all here in a neat little bow, ready for us to read.”

“‘Manga’s are 20% off for this weekend only,” he reads. “‘Anime convention next weekend’, ‘Pizza coupons’.”

“Ugh, he’s so boring! Next!” Clicking sounds through the RV, emphasizing how much they were snooping through their friend’s private life. “Bank account, show us your wisdom.”

“My word,” Yusuke gasps when the tab opens up. “That’s quite a lot of funds.”

“Inari, four thousand yen is definitely not a lot of money. How much do you have in yours?”

“I don’t have an account,” he admits. “I was on my way to the bank to open one, but I ran out of train fare. By the time I had gotten there, it was already closed. Quite rude, considering that it was only two o’clock.”

She levels him with a look. “Was it a Sunday when you did all this?”

“Why does that matter?”

“Never mind,” she shakes her head. “Okay, so nothing conclusive or even embarrassing. That means that whatever this is, he really doesn’t want anyone knowing about it.”

Futaba hops out of the booth and starts rummaging through everyone’s luggage. “That means we unlock the secret, classic, never goes out of style method of snooping—” with an expression of triumph, she showcases Ryuji’s backpack to him. “Going through their stuff IRL.”

Yusuke winces. “Don’t you think we might be going too far?”

“Hey, what’s with the cold feet? Where was your ‘justice’ from before?”

“I’m all for justice,” he watches her unzip the backpack, recoiling. “But even this seems a little excessive.”

“Look, we already went through his email, his bank account, his text messages. At this point, it’s kind of weird if we don’t find anything. Like—” she throws a pair of shorts behind her as she rummages. “What kind of teenage boy doesn’t have anything to hide? And also, it’d be kinda messed up to go through his stuff and come up empty-handed. If we didn’t find anything—” she pulls out several t-shirts and a crowbar and places them on the ground next to her. “Then we’d just be a bunch of snoops.”

“I suppose you’re right,” he reluctantly agrees. “Above all else, we need to find out what’s happened in his life to make him so upset.”

“Exactly. Oh man, wouldn’t it be crazy if we just found some porn mags or something? Retro to the max, but I can totally see him as the kind of guy to lug something like that along. Unless it’s of Akira.” She makes a face. “Ew. Funny thought is no longer funny.”

“Karma, if you will.”

“Shut it. Oh ho ho, what do we have here?”

“You found something?”

“It’s some fancy looking letter.” Futaba flops herself on the ground. She clears her throat. “'Sakamoto Ryuji. This letter is to inform you that…'” she stops all of a sudden.

“Futaba?” he probes.

“Um,” she blinks, and laughs nervously. “Um?”

He reaches over, and she doesn’t resist when it slips out of her hands. Skimming through the letter, only his eyes dare to move. When he finishes, he lets out a breath. “Oh no.”

“We shouldn't've read that,” she whispers, a perfect summation of what he was feeling. “We really should not have read that.”

—

There’s something to be said about the quayside in Sendai, in the way that it’s almost exactly like Tokyo.

Sure, the buildings here are definitely shorter—gone are the towering structures back home, and instead they’re replaced with shorter structures with cute local designs and colorful patio restaurants. The people here are different, too. Maybe it’s something to do with the water here, in how it’s cleaner and how you can actually see some fish down in the canals if you know where to look. Don’t even get him started in the air; jeez, do they infuse the oxygen here with something? He hasn’t stopped taking deep breaths ever since they got here.

But despite all of those discrepancies, the feeling of Akira’s hand in his is just like being home.

“And it’s actually really interesting,” he hears vaguely. “Because back in Leblanc, there used to be a couple issues about the temperature and stuff, but in my hometown there’s…Ryuji? Are you even listening to me?“

Akira’s telling him something. A story about Morgana? And Ryuji’s sure it’s very interesting, but he’s too focused on the way that sunlight hits his cheekbones.

“I’m listening,” he lies. “Keep going. This is just my listening face, I promise.”

“Sure, sure,” Akira agrees easily. “That’s just your listening face, rather than me and my wicked good looks, right? I totally believe you.” He wiggles his fingers. “Give.”

Ryuji offers him the caramel ice cream cone in his other hand, letting him bite into it like some kind of psychopath. “Done?” he asks, shifting the tote bag tucked into the crook of his elbow, careful not to rattle the eggs inside. Akira bravely offered to carry the groceries, but he had obviously refused.

“Mmm. That’s good stuff.”

“Right? I read about the ice cream here when I was younger, and they were really hyping it up on the ad.” He takes a lick, grinning when the taste hits his tongue. “And on a summer day like this? Unbeatable. It’s really reminding me of last summer when we hung out everyday in your room eating crap, taking naps, and playing games.” It also helped that hanging out with his crush was a daily thing, he thought.

“And I got to hangout with my crush a lot too, so that’s always a plus,” Akira adds.

Ryuji stops, and Akira turns around to give him a weird look. “What?”

“You get me,” he says in awe.

“I sure hope so,” he tugs him forward, and they continue their walk, their shoes rhythmically landing on the wood in unison. A comfortable silence takes over, but that’s no good. Ryuji wants to hear him talk.

“So imagine you get ten million yen,” he starts. “What do you do with it?”

It’s not the first time he’s asked this. They discuss it often, eagerly like the dreaming boys they both are. Akira considers it and Ryuji loves that about him. It doesn’t matter how stupid his questions are—he will always answer them with as if it were a serious question.

“For starters, Yusuke’s getting a place as soon as possible.”

“Duh,” he snorts. “Apparently, his roommate brought someone back to hook up with them. Poor guy got so traumatized he slept over at Haru’s.”

“We should be glad that he didn’t ask them for poses,” Akira laughs. “Next, I’m making sure that Sojiro has enough for retirement.”

“Obviously. Rest in peace Leblanc—you make fire coffee, but no one’s there to drink it.”

“And then I’m making sure your mom has the funds for retirement for sure.”

“I love you,” he sighs.

“I know.” Akira starts swinging their hands back and forth. “Then with the rest, I’ll buy us some new shoes for when we start training again together, and whatever’s left we can split it up with the rest of the Thieves and they can do what they want with it.”

“I bet Ann would go on a shopping spree in France,” he says.

“Haru would probably donate hers.”

“Makoto’s is going straight into university. I can see her going in to get a Masters with that kind of money.”

Ryuji refuses to let his expression fall. “That’s her. Big bookworm with a capital B.” Stop talking about this, stop talking about this. “How about you, Sophia? Any clue what you’ll do with a boatful of moolah?”

A harmonic beep rings through the air and Akira passes her over to him. “I would invest in cryptocurrency and turn ten million into one hundred million,” she says cheerfully. “Then I would take that hundred million and turn it into one billion yen.”

Ryuji coughs, sliding her into his back pocket. “You know what? That’s my bad. I should’ve expected that, honestly.”

Akira plucks the remainder of their ice cream cone from his hand and throws it in his mouth, munching. Wordlessly, he takes out a pack of wet-wipes from his pockets and hands it to Ryuji.

“Thanks.” Reluctantly dropping his hand, he thoroughly cleans through his sticky fingers. “You didn’t ask me what I was gonna do with my money.”

He nods in a go ahead way.

“After I give most of it to my mom, I was just gonna give the rest to you.” Ryuji kicks a stray pebble. It skirts off the edge of the boardwalk. There’s a tug on his arm. “Yeah?”

Akira covers his mouth with a hand, before making an incomprehensible garble of noise.

“Huh? My bad, I didn’t catch that.”

A few seconds of vigorous chewing, he swallows. “I said,” Akira says, eyes glimmering the way it does when he gets really excited. “I was going to do the exact same thing.”

“Dude!” Ryuji throws his arm around his shoulders, tugging him in close. “You understand me like no one else does. What the eff!”

“I’m glad,” he says softly. Wrapping his arm around him, Ryuji blinks at the unexpected hug. “It’s nice that we're on the same wavelength.”

Suspicion tingles across Ryuji’s skin. “Hold up.” Pulling away, he squints his eyes at him. “No.”

Akira immediately looks to the side. “What?” he says, defensive. “It’s nothing.”

“No freaking way.”

“I think I saw a cool arcade back there, it has cool prizes that I think you’d like, and—“

“Kurusu Akira,” he says sternly, grabbing his face between his hands. “Don’t tell me that you’re jealous.”

“I’m not!” he insists, pushing his glasses higher on his nose. “I’m not, you know I’m not that type of guy.”

“But?” Ryuji prompts.

“But…” he hesitates. “I’d be happy for you, if you find that it’s easier to talk to other people that aren’t me.” Akira straightens up, pulling out of Ryuji’s grasp but inspects his hand like it were something to be studied. How strange it was to see his long, elegant fingers grasp his brutish, blistered ones. “I’m relieved that I didn’t leave you alone. I just...miss being your go-to, I think.”

“Akira.” He says slowly. “My man. The love of my fucking life. You are never not gonna be my go-to. You’re my go-one.” Rapping his knuckles against Akira’s temple carefully, “Your hometown is messing with you up here, making you say weird shit like that.”

“I know, I know.” Running his index finger down his wrist, Ryuji can feel how cold he is. “You knew what you were getting into when you started dating an overthinker.”

“As a chronic underthinker, no, I did not.” He kisses Akira’s palm. “But it works out, so it’s all good.”

Turning them both around, Ryuji starts walking. “I know this is super duper impossible for a guy like you, but I’m gonna have to ask you for a favor.”

“Anything.”

“You have got, to the best of your ability,” he bumps into Akira’s shoulder. “Stop stressing out.”

He frowns. “It’s my job to stress out.”

“It’s our job to stress out,” he corrects. “You and me. Founding Thieves. We share the burden, bro. We got into this together, we’re getting out of it together. That includes you worrying about our relationship outside the ‘Verse, and extend it all the way to what dingy hometown you took the bullet train from.”

“I’ll try,” he says doubtfully. “You’re kind of enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“What do you mean? No way I can enjoy the most perfect person on the planet be a little jealous over his boyfriend getting attention, what kind of asshole would I be?” And before Akira can say anything, “I know, not jealous, but I’ll take what I can get.”

“I love you.”

“I know,” he flashes a peace sign.

“I know you know.” A group of middle schoolers pass them, chattering about nothing and pointing out random things on the quay, all enjoying their summer vacation. “You know that you can tell me anything, right?” he asks suddenly.

Unable to help himself, he ruffles Akira’s hair, pitch black and hot to the touch. “You don’t have to tell me twice.”

“I don’t?”

Gray eyes look into his brown ones, earnest and trusting. Just like that, the light feeling in Ryuji’s chest vanishes. “No,” he responds slowly. “You don’t.”

“Good,” Akira nods, and sees where they were heading towards. “Oh, you took that seriously?”

“You bet your crisp ass I did,” he says, pushing the glass door open. The arcade is bright, neon, and littered with claw machines. Add that to the list of similarities from Tokyo. “I don’t fuck around with arcades. I’m in the top hundred players in the Gun Gale in Shinjuku.”

“Was that with Shinya or without?”

“Not important.” He surveys the area. “There it is. Can you grab us some change? I’ll pay you back.”

Akira waves his hand, walking towards the coin machine. “Don’t. What kind of a boyfriend would I be if I let you pay for our dates?”

“A hot one!” he yells. When he turns the corner, Ryuji collapses into a bright red racing chair. “Fuck,” he hisses, heart beating too damn fast for it to be normal. “Chill out, Sakamoto, jesus.”

It only gets worse when a familiar beep rings out. “Ryuji, your heart rate is at 160. Is everything alright?”

“Sophia!” he wheezes out, relieved. “Can you—will—” he stops, scrunching his eyes closed. “I’m having a panic attack, I think.”

“Searching for how to treat panic attacks,” she says immediately, and he sags into the cool plastic gratefully. “Deep breaths will help, slowly to the count of ten.”

His heart is beating so hard that he can barely hear the jingles and the whirrs of the machines around him. “Count out loud. Hurry, before he gets back.”

She does, and he grips the side of the chair as he focuses on breathing. The attack passes by faster than he hoped it would. “Thank god,” he breathes. “Thank you.”

“No prob,” she says, before hesitating. “Akira—”

“Will not know about this,” he cuts her off, rubbing his hand over his face. “I’ll tell him eventually, don’t worry, et cetera. I know all this. Ann’s been hounding me non-freakin’-stop. Just don’t tell him, Soph. Please.”

Before she can say anything, Akira comes back, pockets full of change and that signature small smile resting on his lips.

—

The bright side about missing out on Sapporo’s snow festival is having its tourism as its lowest point when you visit it in the summer.

Even the shopping district just outside Susikino isn’t very crowded; there’s the usual street vendors and shops with bright pastries and cute clothes. But even having it right beside the Sapporo Tower, it’s still nothing uncomfortable. At least, it’s not uncomfortable when you get to observe the environment through a phone lens.

“This is nice, isn’t it? I don’t think I’ve had much of an opportunity to talk to you yet, which is quite rude of me.”

“No prob,” Sophia replies easily. She was swaying from Haru’s neck, hanging by a silicone phone holder that she had bought from a convenience store. Futaba had guffawed when she saw it, but Sophia’s happy about the purchase. It’s fun, and it lets her people watch from the perspective of one of her friends. “I have been meaning to talk to everyone one by one as to better understand each of you.”

“Oh, good! What better use of a nice chat while doing some shopping along the way?” Haru chirps, thumbing through a rack of out-of-season clearance sweaters as they pass. “I have to admit, I’m not the best when it comes to fashion and whatnot. Most of the time, I ask Ann-chan to accompany me.”

“I can try my best! Online websites are constantly updating in order to provide their readers with the newest trends.” Idly, she takes a peek. “Wide-legged pants are back in style.”

“That’s a relief,” she sighs. “I never pulled off skinny jeans too well. Long, flowy skirts have always been my thing. It just gives off such a nice aesthetic, doesn’t it?”

Sophia smiles. “I think you’d look good in anything. Have you considered going punk? You’d look very dope and intimidating with a black streak in your hair and a leather jacket.”

“Now that I can agree with, but that’s more Mako-chan’s style, I’m afraid.” She pauses. “Actually, I bet Mako-chan would actually like that. Sometimes I feel as though she isn’t willing to branch out of her circle of clothes past a pair of Oxfords and a deep-coloured sweater. A push might be what she needs.”

She considers this. “Is it possible to buy clothes for her? That can be a possible ‘push’, quote unquote.”

“Hmm, I don’t think so. She would never let us do such a thing.”

“One moment.” Pulling out a few files from inside her memory storage, she clears her throat. “According to my data analysis, Niijima Makoto has high difficulty straying away from well-mannered behaviours. Do you think that includes saying no to gifts given to her? That can be advantageous.”

Haru stops walking and pulls the phone up so that they’re at eye-level. “Sophia-chan,” she beams. “I have a feeling we’re going to be very good friends.”

They continue walking down the street when Haru gasps suddenly. “You literally can’t shop, can you?”

“Of course I can. I can get anything in the world for you,” she says proudly. “Anything.”

“Alright, we’ll have to test that later, but I mean you can’t use what you buy,” she frowns, eyes troubled. “Your sweater is adorable, but you’re forced to wear it everyday, right? Can you even do your hair differently? Is it possible for you to pin it, or even let it down?”

Sophia finds it endearing that she would let such a thing bother her. She doesn’t even have a social insurance number, but Haru’s worried about hair clips. “No, but I quite like it the way it is. It doesn’t get in the way when I do my work, and in the Metaverse, it gets completely hidden as to let me do my fighting,” she explains, karate chopping in her screen. “But I can understand the human desire for change.”

“Would you like that?” Haru asks gently. “To change? Um, change out of your clothes, and change mentally. Either one.”

“Change mentally, of course! I’d love to understand my friends better and understand how to help them. It’s a vast mountain of knowledge, but I’d want nothing more than to decode the mystery of the human heart,” she says eagerly. “But for clothes...I’m not sure. I haven’t tried it. I’m pretty sure I can’t try it.”

“That settles it,” Haru looks both ways before crossing the street, jogging slightly.

Sophia perks up. “If you’re heading somewhere specific, I can give you directions.”

“No need.” She has an intense, hungry look on her face, not unlike the one she had when the new axe Akira bought had finally arrived at their RV. “We’re just about here.”

They stop in front of a store, and she can barely read the sign from the phone’s angle. “‘Case in Point’?”

Haru pushes the glass door open, greeting the cashier. “It’s a phone modifier shop.”

There’s no effort to explain anything else, but Sophia can confidently add ‘anticipation’ onto her growing list of experienced feelings.

—

“Out of curiosity—” Haru begins as they exit the modifier store, the cashier still bug-eyed from the tip she had left at his counter. “Can you see everything inside Akira-kun’s phone?”

“Yes,” she replies. The environment that she lives in, and more specifically, Akira’s phone, is now a bright, perfectly polished shade of rose gold with a mint outline. A far cry from the matte black that it was before. “Why do you ask?”

“No reason.” Her voice is sweet as sugar. “Out of curiosity once again, is there anything interesting? Anything worth noting?”

She jumps as Sophia’s voice suddenly morphs into Akira’s without warning. “Nice try,” the phone plays. “But no.”

And just as quick, Sophia comes back to the phone. “Sorry about leaving,” she says. “Akira had asked me to play that clip if someone ever, and I quote, ‘tried me.’”

Haru giggles. “Just like Akira-kun to be so thorough. Impressive as always, leader.” She peers down at her watch. “I suppose it’s about time to head back, isn’t it?”

“We still have eight minutes to spare.”

“We do. Perhaps we should take a stroll around the park?”

“Cool,” she says. “Wanna ask Futaba and Yusuke if they want to come with?”

“Sure?” Haru blinks. “That’s very specific.”

“On your two o’clock,” she points out. “In front of the book store.”

They watch as Futaba and Yusuke stand across the street from them. Futaba is aggressively pointing her finger at the books on display, then slapping her fist against her palm like she was devising a war strategy. Yusuke shakes his head wildly, comically putting his hands in his pockets and revealing that there was nothing inside. She sighs and walks away, tugging along a dejected boy behind her.

“Aren’t you going to ask them?”

“In a moment.” Haru takes them to the front of the store. “This isn’t a bookstore, I don’t think. What’s it called Sophia?”

After a quick search: “‘Sapporo’s School Supply Store’,” she says. “The alliteration makes it fun to say.”

“Indeed it does.” Peering into the store, Haru makes an introspective noise. “Now isn’t this interesting?” she hums. “Do you mind if I make one more purchase?”

“Not at all,” Sophia says, thrilled to add another point she had learned: If Haru wants something, there’s nothing that will get in her way.

—

“So,” Makoto starts, and Ryuji has to hold back a groan. He knows that tone. He’s memorized that tone. All the second years can feel her tone from a mile away. Hell, Ann probably took an instinctive step back just now. “Have you started to think about university?”

“Nope,” he says, wiping the sweat off his brow as they jog around the corner of Odori park. Back before he had left for his hometown, Akira and Ryuji would be up at dawn to train. Lately though, he’s been using any free time he has that isn’t planning for, prepping for, or actively doing a Jail run to sleep in the RV. And hey, he has no beef with Makoto, and it’s not like she can’t keep up with his training (she can most definitely kick his ass in hand-to hand), but she has a tendency to push when it comes to this sort of stuff. “Not a single thought towards it. It’s been pretty good, actually.”

“I can tell,” she agrees. “It’s almost like you blocked my number.”

“I did not!”

“So you actively choose not to answer any of my texts?”

“Ugh, don’t set me up like that,” he winces. “You know I’m stupid enough to fall for shit like that everytime.”

“Hold on.”

Ryuji grunts as he feels a hold on his shirt, forcing him to stop. “Ew, don’t touch my back, it’s Nigeria there.”

“First of all, it’s Niagara.” She spins him around. He’s only a little taller than her, but something about her always seems to tower over him. “Second, do you know why I keep pushing all of you to go to university?”

“Because you hate us?” he mumbles.

Makoto glares at him. “Try again.”

“...Because you don’t hate us?”

“Because I don’t hate you,” she repeats. “You’re all rowdy and wild and sometimes I don’t understand the jokes you make—”

“You’re just mad ‘cause you fell for a deez nuts joke.”

“But I do, inexplicably, love all of you,” she pushes on, and that shuts him up. “I know what you’re all capable of. Amazing things! I understand you all believe that I’m the be-all end-all, and I appreciate your compliments, but there are some things that only Ann can do, or Akira, or Yusuke.”

Makoto continues running, and he reluctantly follows suit. “And you. You can achieve things that I can’t even dream of, Ryuji.”

He resists the urge to yawn. “Thanks for the pep talk, Niijima.” Looking left, the gelato is looking real good. “Wanna get something to eat? I’m starving.”

“You aren’t very good at hiding secrets, Ryuji.”

Now that grabbed his attention. “Whoa, whoa, whoa there, prez!” Speeding past her, he holds out a hand to make her stop. “What do you mean by that?”

She raises a brow. “Nothing in particular, but your reaction is showing me that I should have meant something by it.”

He gnaws on the inside of his cheek roughly. “Okay, but why did that come into your brain? Why do you think I have some kinda secret?”

“I live with a prosecutor everyday of my life, of course I know when something’s afoot.” Pushing her hair back, she squints up at him. “You’ve been more...jumpy lately, yet somehow more laid-back than usual. I wanted to talk to Akira about this—”

Blood pours into his mouth when he accidentally bites too hard. “You talked to Akira?!” he half yells, red dribbling from the corner of his lips.

“Oh my god!”

“Fuck,” he clamps a hand over his mouth. “Sorry. Bit too hard.”

“N-no! Don’t apologize!” she reaches into her pocket and pulls out a napkin, pulling him to a stone ledge. “Sit and take this so you don’t bleed all over yourself. I’ll be back.”

He doesn’t bother speaking, only nods as she turns around. When she comes back, she’s holding a water bottle. “Here.”

Taking it gratefully, he takes deep gulps before spitting it out. “Why the hell does this taste like the beach?” he splutters.

“I didn’t say to drink it! It’s salt water to get rid of infections!”

“Why would you do that to me?!”

“Because I thought you knew to do that from the second-year health class!” she shoots back. “Gargle it and spit. Near the gutter, mind you, it’s rude to spit in front of kids. They might get the wrong idea.”

As if kids are gonna see him and think that there’s something worth remembering. He sips, sloshing it around his mouth before gently letting it dribble into the grated sewer. “Blegh.”

“You’re welcome. Keep at it. And while you’re doing that,” she sits next to him, shoulder to shoulder. “Do you want to tell me what’s been making you anxious?”

He pauses. “Anxious?”

Makoto gives him a stern look. “‘Experiencing worry, unease, or nervousness, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.’ It was covered in your midterm.”

“Ah, right,” he mutters. Gripping the fabric of his shirt, his heart is beating too quick for it to be normal. Then again, when was the last time it wasn't? “You think I’m anxious?”

“I’m not sure. Keep gurgling,” Makoto chides.

He does, the salt water still red whenever he spat, and she continues. “All I know is when my anxiety gets really bad, I chew on my lip. Sae used to chide me when we were younger, but you know, she got busy,” she shrugs, as if he didn’t know how much it pained her to lose her only family member to a career of protecting the wrong people. “When I mentioned it to Akira, he took it upon himself to check up on me regularly during exam weeks.”

To prove her point, she takes her lower lip and flips it out for him to see—white teeth marks, but old scars instead of anything fresh. Letting go, her expression is smug. “He hasn’t felt the need to check in for a while now.”

Spitting, water finally running clear, he grins. “Good for you. I’m glad to hear that, dude.”

“Thank you, but that wasn’t the point. My point was that I was only able to get better because I told someone about it. Someone I trusted.” Makoto turns to him, her gaze serious. “I know that’s what Akira is to you. Habits like these are harmless at first, but they can turn into something else more dangerous. I won’t stand for that. My own justice won’t stand for that.”

Ryuji opens his mouth, before closing it. I’ll tell Akira, he wants to say. How many times does he have to repeat that line before he starts believing it himself? “Okay,” he says, because it’s the only thing he can say without hating himself even more.

“Okay.” She pats his knee before standing. “I can get us some gelato.” She stretches, wincing as her joints crack into place. “If you’re feeling up to it, start your cool down. Unless you wanna keep training?”

“I’m good. Felt enough blood rush for the day.”

She goes to the ice cream stand, and he stares up at the blue sky.

Makoto’s right, because of fucking course she is. She’s right, he knows she’s right. But she doesn’t get it. To her, Akira’s a friend. A guy who helped her out and changed her life, yeah. If he hadn’t met her when she did, maybe she would’ve become a scummy adult who didn’t look up from market pricing and hedge funds.

But Ryuji? Ryuji would be dead without Akira. That’s a fact and a half.

To Makoto, Akira’s a friend. To Ryuji, he’s Akira, and you can’t be on a higher pedestal in his mind than that.

—

It was Yusuke who took the first step.

“Ann,” he greets cordially. “How do you do?”

She gives him a weird look. “Kinda trying to focus here,” she says, gesturing at the scene in front of them. They, Morgana, and Sophia were in the B team as they watched the rest of them try and get rid of the remaining Shadows in Mariko’s Jail, tersely attentive and waiting on Joker’s word in case they needed a last minute switch. The Jail was environmentally brutal; the ice underneath the soles of their shoes makes them skid more often than they’d like. It almost makes the fights seem quicker, one notch faster than usual.

Yusuke pays her dismissal no mind. “I, myself, am learning many new things lately. Can the same be said about you?”

In the corner of his eye, Futaba pauses typing on her laptop to face palm.

“Are you...” Ann says after a brief pause. “Is this a threat? Are you threatening me?”

“No—”

“Panther!” Akira’s clear voice rings out.

Ann dashes forward without question, high-fiving Morgana as they trade spots.

Futaba marches forward, glaring at Yusuke like he was crazy. “You dolt!” she hisses. “What was that supposed to be? I said be slick and cool, not act like a fool!”

“While I admire the rhyme scheme, I don’t understand what you want from me. That was as ‘slick and cool’ as I’m capable of,” he furrows his brow. “I even opened with a question that seemed as though the conversation would be a normal one, but then used that to transition into what I actually wanted to discuss.”

“Stop looking so proud of yourself and—”

“Fox!”

“Back in a moment,” he says before he’s gone, Makoto taking his place, leather uniform still smoldering from when she took a fire move head-on.

“What was that about?” Haru asks, swinging her axe like a picnic basket.

“Nothing, Noir,” Futaba sighs, plopping back into place where Ann had stood. Carmen had kindly left a warm patch of concrete in her wake. “Just Inari became a big ole’ dumb-dumb.”

“I see,” she hums. “So this has nothing to do with what you two have been conspiring about lately?”

Her eyes shot wide open. “Con...conspiring?” she stutters out. “What do you mean by—”

A particularly loud scream rips into the air, and everyone turns their heads to see Captain Kidd slam his hook into the ground, purple arms erupting from the snow and wiping out a huge chunk of Shadows all in one go.

“Hot damn,” Futaba says, directing her focus back to her laptop and making sure Ryuji has enough health to keep going.

“He’s strong,” Haru observes, all playfulness gone.

“Too strong.” After Futaba gives everyone on the main team a good amount of health, something on her screen makes her pause. “Huh…?”

“Noir.”

Haru turns around to see Makoto waiting for her. “I need to discuss something with you.”

“Of course,” she steps closer to her and drops her voice. “Is everything alright?”

“I’d bring this up with Joker, but I don’t want to bother him if I’m not sure if there’s anything wrong yet,” Makoto pushes her mask up. “But have you noticed Skull's been acting strange lately?”

“Mona!”

He swaps with Ann, her pigtails covered in snow. “Ugh,” she grimaces as she shakes it out. “I could try and melt it, but it’ll just drip down my back and freeze later on, and I do not want that.”

“Panther, I’d like your input as well, if you don’t mind,” Makoto says.

“Sure. What’s up?”

“I was just talking to Noir about this, but did you notice anything strange about the way Skull’s acting lately?”

Ann takes a step back. “Well, what—No—I mean, that’s your opinion, I think!” she exclaims. “To me, Skull's acting is completely normal. He’s normal—actually, scratch that, he’s better than usual. Nothing about him is wrong, I think, and that’s pretty outstanding and impressive once you consider that he’s the one with the life-long injury. Not that that has to do with anything!” Ann yells. “I just wanted to point out how far he’s come, and how much he’s kicking ass right now. Actually,” her voice shifts to a stage whisper. “Don’t mention this because I don’t wanna cause drama, but Fox has been a little weird.”

“Weird how?” Makoto whispers back, looking extremely lost.

“Just earlier, he asked me how I was.”

“...I’m not following.”

“No, Panther-chan has a point,” Haru breaks in. “I can’t say for certain, but I have a strong feeling that Fox and—” she points at Futaba conspicuously. “Are up to something.”

“Sophie and Fox?” Ann breathes.

“Panther!”

“Damn, again? That’s what we get for going into an ice Jail,” she grumbles, swapping with Yusuke.

Haru sighs. “Panther-chan isn’t the best with context clues, is she?”

“Hello ladies,” Yusuke greets. “What were we discussing?”

Makoto gives him a suspicious look. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

His jaw drops, bewildered, but before he can say anything, Futaba waves him over. “Get your fox butt over here!”

“I...Alright,” he says, resigned.

“Look at them,” Makoto nods at the pair. “I think you’re onto something.”

“I think so too, but I don’t want to be too hasty. After all, the two of them are such good friends now; it would be unfair to assume negative outcomes without evidence, or at least confront them first,” Haru says nonchalantly.

She understands immediately. “You have evidence?”

“Something of the sort.”

“Noir!”

“Duty calls,” she gives her a thumbs up, before Ann comes back once again.

“I can’t wait for us to go to a really hot place again,” she kicks the snow with her heels. “Then I’ll be comfortably in the B team because all the Shadows have fire resistance to the max.”

“Oh good, she’s back,” Yusuke’s expression is one of relief.

“Fox—” Futaba warns without looking up from her laptop.

“Come here. There is something we would like to discuss with you.” Whether or not it was intentional, he rests his hand on the handle of his katana.

“Okay but before we start, I just wanna ask—what are you doing with Sophie?” Ann accuses. “It’s fine to be friends with her, but you have to be careful. She’s really susceptible to what we say right now, and if you try anything funny—”

“What are you even saying?” he says, offended. “I barely even talk to her!”

They all glance at Sophia, who had been standing perfectly still and silent. She gives them a wave. They all awkwardly wave back.

Makoto places a hand on Ann’s shoulder. “Panther, Noir meant Fox and Oracle.” Ann flushes red as she continues. “And while we’re all here, I wanted to bring this up with you as well. Have you all noticed something strange with Skull?” Futaba stops typing. “I’m not sure how to explain it, but I think he’s extremely anxious about something. You all know that I’m an overthinker, so I might have the wrong idea but…” she trails off.

Futaba glances at Yusuke. Yusuke glances at Ann. Ann helplessly glances at Ryuji, still fighting alongside Akira and the others.

“I know nobody asked me,” they all jump a foot in the air when Sophia speaks beside them. “But I can at least confirm for suresies that there is something strange with Skull.”

“Which is…?” Makoto prods.

“I don’t know the specifics.” Ann, Yusuke, and Futaba let out a breath. “But he did have a panic attack recently.”

“I knew it!” Makoto snaps her fingers. “He’s had signs of being anxious, but I wasn’t too sure about it.”

“Queen!”

She runs out, and Ryuji comes in, looking exhausted but pleased. “Hey y’all, what were we talking about?”

It was dead silent before Sophia steps forward. “Look what I can do!” she exclaims, changing the expression on her screen to be an emoji with a flower.

“Whoa!” His eyes bug out, and they all sigh in relief. “That’s awesome! Can you do more?”

“That’s super cool Sophie, but,” Futaba looks at Ryuji, skeptical. “Don’t you feel weak right now? Your health is way down.”

“Oh, I didn’t even notice,” he rubs the back of his neck. “Sophie, you mind?”

“Not at all.” She calls for Pithos and green sparkles fall on him. “Better?”

“Thanks, I owe you one.”

“Skull!”

“When the king calls, his knight answers,” he salutes, sprinting out as Makoto comes back in.

“So,” she glares at the rest of them. “What do the rest of you know?”

Ann groans. “Even if I did know something, I probably wouldn’t be able to tell you.”

“Wait,” Futaba points an accusing finger at her. “What do you know?”

“What do I know? What do you know? And for that matter, what does he,” Ann points at Yusuke. “Know? Noir said you guys are doing secret stuff together!”

“That’s preposterous,” he scoffs. “If it was secret, she wouldn’t have known.”

“That’s the dumbest argument I’ve ever heard.”

“How is it dumb?” he asks. “You can’t possibly think that just because Futaba and I are doing ‘secret stuff’ that it has anything to do with Skull’s situation!”

There was a pause. “Are those two connected?” Sophia asks. Futaba buries her face in her hands.

“That was...not the question I expected,” Yusuke answers weakly.

“Sophie!”

“God, I wish Joker would call for Inari instead,” Futaba groans.

Rushing out, Sophia high-fives Ryuji on the way. “Guess who’s back, motherfuckers?”

In an effort to bury their conversation, they all begin cheering overenthusiastically, Yusuke clapping politely. Bewildered, Ryuji instinctively gives them a thumbs up. “Thanks guys. Usually, my jokes don’t really land, but that made me real happy.”

“Uh, Skull,” Futaba raises an eyebrow. “How do you keep losing health? I didn’t even notice you taking a hit.”

“I’m low again? Damn, I didn’t even notice,” he groans loudly. “Queen, can you—”

“I’m on it.”

Just as Johanna heals him, Akira calls out once again: “Skull!”

“Joker really does rely on you, doesn’t he?” Yusuke observes.

Ryuji laughs. If they didn’t know any better, they would think it sounded a little nervous. “Well, gotta jet!”

High-fiving Makoto, he runs out. She stares at the remaining members of the B team. “You all know something,” she accuses. “And I understand if you’re all being loyal to him by keeping what you know close to your hearts. But remember this:” she takes a step forward, and they all take an unconscious step back, Futaba scooting from where she sat on the ground. “There comes a point where it’s actually more important to keep a person safe and healthy than to uphold a potentially dangerous secret.”

They all digest her words for a second, and flinch when a flash of blue flame appears, taking Akira’s Persona away.

“Finally.” He stretches his shoulders, satisfied. “That took awhile. Good work everyone, let’s keep going.”

Making their trek deeper into the Jail, Futaba half-jogs, half-speed walks to Ryuji. “Your health again,” she chides. “Seriously. I know I like to play around, but I always have my eye on you guys when you’re fighting. I literally have not seen you take a hit, but you’re getting drained like milk in a sink.”

He shrugs, unperturbed. “Whatever. You see my hits today, though? They were tough.”

“Yeah,” she agrees reluctantly. “But your health is still low. I’ll call Joker about that.”

Before she can turn, he grabs her wrist. “Nope,” he says. “I’ll ask Panther. Thanks though!”

Ryuji goes to Ann, and he can feel everyone’s eyes on him, watching him, surveying his every move.

All eyes except for the one that really matters.

[kareofbears]

day 29: monochrome

The world started changing color around the time he saw how his dad treated his mom, and only went downhill from there.

He remembers watching her patch herself up, wrapping white gauze on bruises, small cuts, and how he forced himself to memorize her actions so he'll be able to do it for her next time.

Thankfully, there wasn't a next time after that.

While he was watching her, he noticed that she had looked paler, and the bruises seemed darker. He chalked it up as his father being more aggressive than usual and took that feeling to fuel his bottomless pit of pent up anger.

The next time he noticed that something had changed, it was when Kamoshida had started raining the track team down with drill after drill, punishments thrown out like they were nothing, like they didn't plant something deep and dark in the hearts of every person on the track team, in the school.

Ryuji had sat down one time, legs aching, looking up at the sky and blinked. Wasn't the sky a lot bluer than that? He tilted his head, and tried again in a different angle. It's not, not blue, but something's off. It's as if all the blue parts of the blue seeped out, like someone poked a hole in it and the pigment started dripping out, drop by drop.

The next time he looked up at the sky, it was from the view of his hospital room with a cast around his leg. Instead of the brilliant orange and red hues on the Tokyo sky, it almost just looked liked clouds that were scattered instead; different shades of gray, light, and dark. He stared at it for one moment, before looking away.

A few months later, Ryuji found himself lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, while his Ma snores at the next room over. It's dark; dark enough that the light streaming through the window made his ceiling look like pure snow. Dark and light. Black and white. All he sees is black, and white, and gray, and he can't see, he can't fucking see anything else, why the fuck can't he—

He sits up suddenly, heart racing. On a whim, he throws the blanket off of him and marches to the door. His eyes slide to his Ma's bedroom as he shrugs on his jacket, considers telling her that he's leaving. He puts on his shoes and heads out the door. No, she's probably exhausted.

The neon sign of the convenience store near his apartment gets ignored as Ryuji steps in, swipes a box of bleach, and goes to the cash register.

Two hours later, after barely reading the box and making a huge mess in the bathroom that he needs to clean up before his Ma sees it, Ryuji's staring in the mirror, face blank. His once pitch-black hair is freshly bleached, and still dripping from his shower.

He doesn't see it.

Yes, he knows it's supposed to a yellowish color, but he doesn't fucking see it, all he sees is, fuck, like, white or gray or something but it's not—it's still not color and now he just fucked up his hair for no reason, and he looks stupid and he can hear the whispers in the hallways getting louder, and fuck, he's so stupid, everyone's right, and he's just so tired, he just wants to see color again—

Ryuji turns around and slams his fist into the drywall of his bathroom, breathing heavily.

He is so, so tired.

----

Ryuji had stopped hoping to see color after that.

----

Then, on the rainiest, grayest, cloudiest day of the year, he meets Kurusu Akira.

He's wearing the Shujin school uniform, pressed and properly put on. Black hair, the palest skin he's ever laid eyes on, and deep, expressive gray eyes. He's black and white no matter how you put it, and the word that popped into Ryuji's mind when he first saw him was 'monochrome.'

Then they find a palace and his teacher is in nothing but his underwear and a crown. After that, there's not much room for Ryuji to think about anything.

----

Ryuji likes hanging out with Akira.

He's funny, he's clever, he's smart, and he's a cheeky little shit. Ryuji finds himself being drawn to him, a moth to a flame, and in times where they don't infiltrate the Palace or Mementos, Ryuji finds himself spending time with Akira.

It's...nice. Really nice.

----

It took until they're nearly done Kamoshida's Palace when Ryuji realizes that his Skull gloves are yellow.

The pigment was faded, and yeah, it's just as likely to be pink, but they weren't gray.

It starts to get better after that.

----

Ann's eyes are blue, while Yusuke's hair is nearly black. Futaba's hair is bright orange, and Makoto's irises are red. Haru likes to wear pink sweaters, and Morgana's scarf is yellow.

They're still dull, boring, bland, but they're decipherable; they're different from each other now, in ways that Ryuji had honestly stopped believing in. It's slow, but every day, Ryuji starts to see different tones and shades and hues, and every day, Ryuji's excited to wake up and see what's new.

The strange thing is, though, even now that Ryuji's starting to see color, Akira's still as monochrome as he was back when he first saw him. It makes Ryuji want to look closer, to see if, just like everyone else, Akira is hiding color somewhere up his sleeve.

And the closer Ryuji looks, the more he sees.

Akira has messy hair, curls on top of curls on top of curls; despite that, they're almost unfairly soft. His glasses are fake, and Ryuji laughed and tried them on. His fingers are long, dextrous, deft, and he wonders absent-mindedly if he played the piano before coming to Tokyo. He's flexible, and he will absolutely find any chance to show off his splits if someone asks—Ryuji thinks he's just a massive showoff.

Ryuji doesn't see color in him, despite all his observations, so he tries harder, insisting that, surely, this boy would have at least some color in him. He has to know.

After all, why else would Ryuji be watching this closely?

----

It's the night after they finish Shido's palace that Ryuji notices that Sojiro's shirt is really, really bright pink.

He looks around, eyes widening, and he can't help but notices just how /red/ Makoto's eyes are. They're almost like roses, like someone injected some radioactive substances in them and made them really, really red. Holy crap, are Ann's eyes that pale? It's like ice!

Slipping away to the bathroom at Leblanc, Ryuji stares at himself in the mirror, and nearly chokes.

His hair is so damn blond.

He runs back and wildly takes in everything in front of him. Look at that plant, it's so fucking green. Jesus, does Sayuri actually look like that? No wonder Yusuke's been raving about it. Whoa, Haru's jacket is such a nice color. He must look crazy, but he doesn't care, because—because—

There's color.

His eyes land on Akira again, and smiles. Yeah, still no color. Just as monochrome as the day he met him. Sliding back next to him, he stares at Akira for a second, before slinging his arm around him.

Akira quirks his eyebrow at him, a silent question. You okay?

Ryuji opens his mouth, and instead, lets out a bit of a dry sob. For the rest of the night, he babbles like an idiot, thanking Akira, trying to express how fucking grateful he is that he's in his life, to bring something back in his life that he thought was gone forever. That he was the reason he can see life for what it really is, to include him on something he was missing out on ever since his dad and Kamoshida, and everything happened.

He must've looked like the world's biggest idiot, but Akira's there, smiling like he understands every single incoherent word that's coming out of his mouth.

Ryuji almost tells him everything. That every single hangout he's had, every moment he spent with Akira, everything added up to Ryuji being able to see, to really, /see/ again. That the reason that Akira is monochrome in this world of color is the same reason why diamonds have to be clear; all it takes is a little light, and color shoots out in every direction, coating everything in a bright, array of hues and rays and shades and tones that Ryuji gave up on.

He doesn't tell Akira. At least, not yet.

It's enough for Ryuji to know though, to understand what's going through his confused heart and his throbbing head every time he tries to understand.

Akira doesn't carry color with him, but in Ryuji's eyes, he leaves rainbows everywhere he goes. And Ryuji would follow him anywhere.