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He sees him on the same TV station they first met, surrounded by his friends looking annoyed yet at the same time at ease, looking like a delinquent even with the glasses on his face. He had been waiting for this day, having the leeway to meet him beforehand without looking too suspicious.
How he misses his friends, he very much misses him very much.
“Quite a bold statement you’ve answered,” he said in lieu of a greeting, walking up to him with a semi-genuine smile, “most if not all people will agree with the person in the spotlight don’t they?”
“Yeah well your opinion is garbage.” fast, harsh and sharp like always. It made him chuckle.
“Straightforward, you’re really interesting.” like and more than the Goro he had known before.
Of course he would try to stay in contact with him, like last time though inverted, Akira asked for his number (in which he got called a creep by the brunette in front of him but was given the number regardless) and a promise to meet up soon, telling him he can text him anytime, before he got called backstage.
It’s a breath of ( really ) fresh air for him, a familiar sight yet at the same time not.
The smile stayed until he got back to his dressing room, a phone he never wants to touch lights up in notification, anger and irritation flaring up his body and soul.
Akira wonders if this is what he felt every time his contractor contacted him. The fire of anger so bright, threatening to overwhelm him.
He’s the reason why they’re in this position. He’s the reason why his life became as it was! He’s the reason why HIS life is like this! He’s the reason why his parents died! He--
Calm down Trickster. Arsene purred inside of him, calming him down a bit but also giving rise to another emotion inside of him.
Was he still worthy of the title ‘Trickster’ when it is now Goro who has the thieves by his side? Or is it Goro who is the Trickster now, leaving him with… with what? Justice?
Akira sighs before shaking his head, getting the cursed phone and checking his notification. No matter, it’s not his game anymore.
Bounded as he may be, he has a role to fulfill.
It’s an impromptu decision to go to LeBlanc this early on in the game.
He just needs a damn good coffee to continue the day, none of those shitty brown water some restaurants call ‘coffee’, no matter how far the cafe is from where he’s supposed to be in this fine, fine , afternoon soon. In between harsh school load and nonstop pestering from the dickhead he just needed something to keep him by, keep him sane. So, in the most eloquent words of Futaba: No Thoughts, Only C O F F E E .
The bells rang as he opened the door followed by a gruff ‘welcome’, the smell of curry and coffee immediately assaulting his nose in warm familiarity.
He’s home .
“You’re…” he hears Sojiro’s gruff voice started. He can definitely imagine Sojiro’s surprised look at the sight of him.
He’s home but it only goes one way.
“Good afternoon.” Akira greeted with a small bow before heading to the stool near the exit, second closest to the yellow telephone he knows very much. “One house blend please.”
Sojiro gave a gruff affirmation, beginning to work on the said coffee and letting Akira try to kickstart his brain once more.
He really did miss the noise of LeBlanc, despite how minimal it usually is, the sound of the TV playing, coffee siphons bubbling away, the sound of glass clinking at one another and spoons scrapping the porcelain plate.
Akira snapped back in when Sojiro placed a cup of hot coffee in front of him, the smell very nostalgic. Taking the cup gently into his gloved hands, he let the heat seep into his skin as much as possible, inhaling the smell like it was the first time he had ever smelt coffee (technically it was, getting served those cheap brown water was disgusting). The first sip is always as wonderful as ever, proper high quality coffee obtained!
“Ah… Battery charging, ambrosia obtained.” he mumbled happily, smiling dopely as he continued drinking.
“I didn’t know the Detective Prince is such a fucking nerd.”
He almost bolted out his seat at the voice of Goro. Thank god he only almost let go of his cup of sweet caffeinated ambrosia. Despite his actions he’s not scared, oh no, he’s even more comfortable at the familiarity, but it was… something seeing Goro Akechi wear Shujin’s uniform, wearing fake glasses too big on him.
It fits him in a way.
Now with a slightly functioning brain he recognized the scene familiar. Would it be too early? Hm… Nah.
“Welcome home, honey~” he threw in a wink, hoping that was enough for the other to ignore his… slip up.
Akira wasn’t sure but the sight of Goro stammering and blushing is a win in his book, the following smirk however is a mixed feeling.
“Sweetheart, I’m home.”
… Akira will deny blushing at the reply. And Akira will deny that he was late for his meeting because of that.
Goro invited him to play pool in Penguin Sniper for the first time. Like last time.
Akira feels almost guilty not reaching out to him first but he had been busy, in all school work, Detective work, and Mementos requests from the asshole .
He definitely knows this is not the only time they’ll play in Penguin Sniper, he also knows he’ll not be the only one Goro will invite over in this establishment especially since it’ll help with the thieves’ teamwork.
Being his rival he agreed and with technically a year of experience under his belt he (unsurprisingly) won with a very annoyed Goro beside him glaring at him so coldly.
“That’s my win.” Akira preened at the victory, Arsene rumbling on his chest proudly, even though he’s in the wrong timeline and long overdue.
“Fuck off.” Goro growled that the black haired detective worries if he’ll break the cue.
“There’s no denying it with the evidence on the table, honey~”
Akira was almost hit with the cue by an angry crow and still he calls it worth it.
Akira doesn’t know if he is blessed or cursed with the ability to switch masks so effortlessly. One hand he can fool anyone to make him think that he’s very pleasant and filled with self-esteem (like him before), not bothered by what is being said about him when he’s nothing alike it, and on the other he feels like he’s losing it, losing himself in his path that was once another’s.
He misses having his fake glasses to hide behind on but it would’ve been weird when his eyesight is 20/20, more weird to see the proud Detective Prince of Tokyo suddenly be a wallflower.
It doesn’t help that he’s being bashed for opposing the Phantom Thieves even though he agrees. He was once the leader of the team, of course he still agrees to their doings! It’s just that goddamn fucking bald bastard’s plan that he had to disagree.
To quote Goro: His opinions are garbage .
In all honesty, all he wants right now is to be in LeBlanc, drinking coffee and relaxing. It was still his home even though another lives in his place there.
He arrived at the cafe, smiling at the familiar setup, smiling more internally at the sight of Futaba and Goro at the counter. They saved her, that’s… that’s good.
“It’s you.” Goro regarded him, moving to hide Futaba as she hid behind the other.
Akira ignores the ache in his heart as he smiles, sitting at his usual spot. “Hello.”
“Sakura-san’s not here at the moment so you’ll have to work with my own coffee-making skills.” the brunette huffed, rolling his shoulders and being careful with Futaba behind him.
“I’m sure you’ll do fine,” he brushed off, his smile edging to genuine as he looked at Futaba.
She’s still so shy, definitely still rehabilitating to the outside world after…
“Do you want your usual or can I go ham?” asked Goro, taking his attention.
It’s very laughable for him to hear Goro so casual like this, using lingo that surely Futaba knows (with the audible snort he knows she found it amusing as well). They really act like siblings at times, it warms his heart really.
If only…
“Surprise me.”
Goro grunted an affirmative, looking at Futaba who nodded up to the staircase before darting up. Akira didn’t question it, didn’t acknowledge another pang of pain in his heart.
The trust he had with the others, gone. All given to the one who… who admittedly deserves it the most.
“Something the matter, Detective?”
“... Nothing, just wondering how your coffee will taste.”
An angry shine appeared on Goro’s red eyes, competitive glint mixing along, the need to win burning in his blood no doubt.
“Screw you it’ll be the best damn coffee you’ll get!”
It wasn’t the best coffee he had, but it was close despite it being the second worst coffee he’d ever taken. Only because it was his Honey who made it.
They spend time with each other almost the same way they did before. Both enjoyable and calming in a sense, sometimes competitive like their time at Penguin Sniper and Gun About.
Akira thinks he understands Goro now when the other male hits him up and he had to decline because of work. It bums him out, Goro is the only thing that’s keeping him sane at this point.
Akira wonders if Goro felt the same last time.
Akira’s the one who invited the other to Jazz Jin, surprised at the fact that the other still hasn’t found it yet.
He can say it’s understandable, Goro doesn’t really need a place to wind down from raviging fans and work that much now.
“This is a nice place.” hummed Goro, looking around the establishment in wonder, eyes sparkling.
“I found this place a year ago, it became one of my safe havens.” Akira let out, not including the fact that it was their safe haven.
The brunette beside him hummed appreciatively. Akira is reminded of that one day in Jazz Jin, just them sitting here, sipping their drinks and just absorbing the peace and calm.
“So you’re saying it’ll be our safe haven from anything?” Goro asked, the teasing tone not bypassing him.
“If you want it to be.”
For a moment it felt like everything was back to normal, that he’s not reliving the horror they’ve experienced, that he’s seeing the horror Goro had to endure last run.
Everything’s normal. He can lose himself to that delusion for a while.
Finding Kobayakawa and killing his shadow was kind of satisfying, a sick sense of justice from his last run.
His stomach turns distastefully still.
Putting a bullet on Okumura’s head was not satisfying but needed to be done.
‘I’m sorry, Haru.’
“These are you and your friends, yes?” the smile he’s wearing hurts him physically.
It hurts when he feels the glares of his once team stabbing daggers at him. It hurts when he can hear Ryuji spat out words at him. It hurts when they don’t trust him as he remembered them trusting him.
It’s fair. He became the villain to their Justice after all.
He’s called Crow, he named himself Crow. Joker is Goro Akechi, not him.
Not this time.
“Smooth blackmail, Detective. Felt like you’ve been waiting for the right moment and we just really gave you that opportunity.”
CLACK!
Akira watches the ball roll down a puck, mind distant. He had been waiting for the opportunity, not because he wanted to but because his contractor had planned it so.
The rise and fall of the Phantom Thieves.
And he can’t do anything to prevent it.
“You know, we’ll be great as a team.” Akira lets slip as they leave Penguin Sniper, stopping himself from stuffing his hands in his pockets. “We’ll be unstoppable.”
Goro’s eyebrow rose in question, judging him from behind his fake glasses. “I’m not that good.”
“But you are. The way you fight and negotiate are something to be scared of, you know?”
Akira holds out a hand, it’s a pipe dream but he couldn’t help but ask the same question Goro asked him in the past run.
“So, what do you say?”
Goro looked at his hand, contemplating as Akira kept his small smile, unassuming and not showing the emotions brewing on his stomach.
He’s not surprised when Goro slapped away his hand, giving him a scowl so, so familiar.
“As much as a tempting offer that is, I’d have to pass, Detective.” Goro spat out, his scowl turning into a challenging smirk, “I’m a thief, remember? Isn’t it your job to catch me?”
Akira lets himself be stunned for a moment before he lets out a laugh. Goro’s so vibrant, so alive, so full of life .
His heart aches at the past.
“That is true. Then be sure to not be caught, not unless it is me.”
“As if you’ll catch me, but you’re on.”
The familiar feeling of being warped into the Metaverse is very obvious, it’s not a very subtle shift even.
Akira wonders if Goro just let it happen, fully aware of the situation and just acting like he didn’t know, finding this kind of death unsatisfying. He knows the other’s love for theatrics, he’s the man that planned a revenge story his whole life after all.
He also wonders if they tied up his cognition somewhere in the building, it gives a funny visual in this dark situation.
When he entered the room (without the cognitive guard, he merely let him be outside) he couldn't help but flinch. He knows he’s not the one subjected to such horror anymore, yet the sight of the syringes and pools of water brings forth his experience a bit. So he focused his sights on the male in front of him.
His heart breaks seeing Goro’s face marred with bruises and streaks of blood, he wishes he could be there to take care of the wounds they had inflicted on him. He wants to take the names of the policemen who put bruises on him and stalk them down Mementos.
Akira thinks he’ll get those names soon however, whenever they are deemed useless to his contractor. He also knows his future on this path.
His shoes click as he walks towards the brunette, stopping just in front of the metal table. Goro looks up at him with confident eyes, face blank but stuck in a scowl. It’s very much like him.
A soft smile worms its way in his face.
“Hey.” the cognition doesn’t respond to him but he’s still staring at him, “you guys used the same plan. A stupid move I won’t like but… I’m… I’m glad it worked. If it didn’t then I… might really have had to do it. I don’t want to though. I rather you alive than not.”
It’s sort of eerie, just a cognition with Goro’s face staring at him but like this he can be honest, completely honest without setting off any backlash, to unload the burden of knowledge even on deaf ears.
Akira sighed, caressing Goro’s cheek as if handling a broken china. “Live a little bit more for me.”
He left the cognition in the room with a kiss on his forehead. My own brand of protection .
When he felt himself coming back to reality he hid in the corner and called his contractor, knowing full well of his other audience.
“ Shido-san, I did it. The Leader of the Phantom Thieves is dead. ”
He truly didn’t want to face them, especially not in this godforsaken place, not in this cursed Engine Room. He hid the hurt as he revealed himself to them as they were exiting the Cleaner’s den.
The sound of gunshots still vivid on his ears, the sight of the shutter separating them. The heartache.
“I knew you’ll live.” Akira-- no, the Black Mask, greeted the thieves, eyes specifically at the brown haired leader.
He could see red eyes narrow at him behind a red mask, the others hissing out accusations at him, a hand gesturing to be at ease but wary. He remembers doing the same last time.
“I already knew that plan of yours, it’s really quite obvious when you’re being transported into the Metaverse now that I think about it.” the Black Mask shook his head in disappointment. “It doesn’t help that I already know at all.”
“If you already knew then why didn’t you finish the job?” asked Cr-- Joker , eyes never leaving him as his eyes stare at him solely.
“Honey.” Blanking grey meets fierce reds. “You’re not the only one who loves the theatrics.”
Everyone’s stance changed, more alert, more defensive, more ready.
“Why are you working for Shido?”
“Because he killed my parents. That asshole had the gall to ask me to call him ‘Dad’ as if I did not know what he did, as if I don’t know what will happen to me if I refuse his fucking orders.”
Not to mention the pain and suffering he had given to him in the past, the pain and suffering he gave to Goro in the past.
“So all of this, just a revenge story of an orphan kid?” Queen called out, accusing.
That grated his nerves, that never happens at all, especially not with Queen.
“ Just a revenge story?” he spat out, hands curling into a tight fist, leather creaking at the pressure. “I knew you’ll just see it that way Queen , but this isn’t just some type of revenge story, not when it’s not just me.”
“You’re doing this for your parents as well.” Oracle mumbled from behind the group.
Honestly, he wants to laugh. “ Not just them. It goes way beyond that, Oracle. Way beyond that only I know why.”
“So even the society that left you be?” tried Joker, tone leveled yet his body language is anything but, “I never pegged you as petty, Sweetheart. ”
This time he did laugh. “Oh honey . This involves you.”
Subtly the thieves shifted their position, ready to defend Joker.
His heart pangs in pain.
“How does it involve him?” Skull asked, the ever protective best friend of the current Fool.
The Black Mask shrugged yet again. “It’ll be a mess to explain.”
He never really was the one to explain things.
“So all of those, those were lies?!” Joker yelled out, personally offended.
He wonders why. Was it the same reason he felt back then?
“Was it lies?” he threw back, just staring at them. “Tell me, did it feel like a lie?”
“You’re just setting yourself up for failure.” Queen spat out, ever analyzing. “Give yourself up and stop this!”
Oh god. Oh god. Was this how he felt before? He feels… He feels so hysterical right now, it hurts so bad. It hurts so fucking bad .
“Give up? How can I give up when I was already stuck here from the get-go?!” the anger and pain he had hidden for a while now, from the past and the present, from the old memories and the overlapping ones, they all hurt so much, too much. “I didn’t asked to be acquainted with that piece of shit! I didn’t asked to be his fucking hitman! I never wanted this! But here we fucking are because someone’s pulling the goddamn strings!”
This doesn’t feel like himself, all the rage and pain he accumulated overwriting his brain. He didn’t ask for any of this. He merely wanted to live, to have a normal life, to save the one he wasn’t able to save .
“I didn’t asked for this.”
He didn’t notice the black aura that’s surrounding him.
“I just wanted…”
His cohesion is vanishing, he can hear Arsene’s attempts to bring him back.
He’s just… wanted...
“... to save you.”
Then everything went hazy.
When he comes back he's so tired. He knew he had fought them, the exhaustion is evident, the aches making itself well known. He just...
Feels
So
Tired
“You know…” the Black Mask mumbled, tone bitter and resigned. “My life is forfeited anyways.”
“What do you mean?” Joker asked.
He didn’t need to answer.
A new set of footsteps resounded around the Engine Room followed by the tell tale noises of other shadows being summoned. Akira knows his time is up.
“Shido doesn’t need people who are plotting against him.”
A click of a gun, he knows it's aimed at him.
He smiled a bitter smile, he’s too tired to do anything.
“I will deal with you lot later. This traitor needs to go first, yes?” he can clearly hear the sneer and condescending smirk the cognition is showing.
Very unlike him.
“Captain’s orders. You know how it goes, though I believe you already know from the beginning.”
Oh he does. He very well knows how it goes.
“Well then,” the gun clicked loudly, drowning the worried noises of the Phantom Thieves.
If… If this’ll mean that Goro will live, that one of them has to die...
“Oh I know. I’ll give you one last chance!” the puppet grins madly, nodding to the thieves. He already knows. “Shoot them.”
He rather it be him than for Goro to lose his life all over again.
“I…”
Akira steadies himself, his hand taking aim at the shutter button behind the thieves.
“The past’s going to be repeated again.”
He can see Joker’s-- Goro’s eyes widen.
“But it’s not for the same person.”
BANG!
He feels an arms wrapped around him, one arm over his shoulders aimed at the doppelganger in front of them.
“There’s no way I let you end the same way I ended.”
A shot at the cognition that bore the mask of the Detective Prince, Crow barking out to push the button to the shutters, him pulling him backwards as the said shutters closed off the sharp and barking cuss of the cognition.
“You’re a fool to switch our lives.” He hears Joker-- Crow-- Goro , his arm around him tightening in a protective hold. “A fool to follow the same path that led me to this. You could’ve come to me early on than having us debate on live TV again .”
Akira looked up, seeing Goro’s soft eyes, red and vibrant with life.
“You’re a fool, Akira Kurusu.”
The worries of the others surround them like a barrier yet all he can register is Goro, in his modified prince outfit, looking at him with a small smile, eyes a bit teary.
He smiled back, eyes as teary.
“Worth it.”