Chapter Text
Chapter 1: Fight or Flight
Perhaps coming to Mementos today had been a mistake.
Joker could count on one hand the number of times the Phantom Thieves had needed this many healing items and safe room breaks in a single trip to the Metaverse, and two of those were their first infiltrations into Kamoshida’s palace.
Granted, Mementos was far more unstable than it had been in the past, what with Yaldabaoth merging it with the real world and Maruki fucking around in its depths last February. The whole place seemed torn and mangled; even more dangerous and unpredictable than it had been before. Joker just hadn’t expected that instability to crop up the most annoying shadows he’d ever seen. It seemed like every fight left half of the party incapacitated by status effects and needing a plethora of SP and healing items to move on.
We should head back at the next safe floor, he decided, sending a glance towards Panther who was running dangerously low on SP. Joker reached into his coat and passed her a thermos of his LeBlanc coffee, to her profuse thanks. He responded with a nod and his signature Joker grin which made her laugh.
Joker himself was doing fine (thank you Victory Cry), their money and treasure collection had been lucrative today (at least something good came from the difficulty), and they had finished up their changes of heart, but the rest of the team looked a little ragged.
Well, most of the rest of the team.
“That was a waste of time. Goddamn chimera didn’t even give me a satisfying kill.”
Crow stalked back towards the Monabus, angrily swinging his sword before sheathing it. Having Crow back with them, and finally as his true self, made something soft bloom in Joker’s chest. Somehow, Crow looked flawless as always in his Black Mask outfit, and the growl in his voice made Joker’s smile soften fondly.
Akira had survived the months between Maruki’s palace and Akechi’s reappearance, but he had barely functioned. Morgana had been at his wits end just keeping Akira present, and Akira keenly remembered the oppressive weight of the void in his chest. He couldn’t eat much, and had slept far too much. Finally returning to Tokyo was a balm, but it wasn’t quite enough to clear his head.
Until, Akechi finally appeared – in the Velvet Room of all places. Having him back now, knowing he was alive and fighting on the same team, made Joker want to shout his joy to the heavens.
Also tackle Akechi to the ground in a hug and just hold him, but Goro had banned him from ever doing that again after he had bruised his tailbone during their reunion.
Joker followed the rest into the Monabus and spoke up as Queen started to drive, “Oracle, how close are we to the next safe floor?”
“It’s the next floor down!”
“Excellent. In that case, I’m proposing that we head back to the surface once we get to the next floor. We’ve accomplished what we need to today.”
His assertion was met with a chorus of agreement, especially from Skull and Fox who had been using physical attacks almost all day and could use a good night’s rest to recover.
Crow, however, roughly grabbed his arm. Turning towards him, Joker could see he was deeply dissatisfied with leaving now. Oh, Crow was absolutely itching for a fight then. The idea was enticing, and Joker almost wanted to stay longer as well. His own competitive edge rearing up, Joker grinned, leaned in a little closer, and lowered his voice, “Penguin Sniper after?”
“Fine. I’m going to crush you like the pathetic roach you are, Joker.” Crow snarled and bared his teeth in the facsimile of a smile.
“Hmm, I guess we’ll just have to see, won’t we.” Joker bared his own teeth. God, Crow was so much fun when he wanted to rend something limb from limb. Joker was entirely addicted. He just couldn’t help egging Crow on.
As Joker slowly tuned back into the chatter of the rest of the Thieves, he saw Crow snap his together teeth like he wanted to bite.
Fuck, I wish he would.
Damnit.
Before Joker could pull himself together (or calm his blush), he heard a shout from Queen and jerked his head up just in time to see something huge ram into their side. Joker tumbled out as Mona forcibly transformed, landing hard on his arm and hearing exclamations from the rest of the team as they toppled around him.
“Shadow!” came the simultaneous shout from Oracle and Mona while the Thieves recovered from their sprawling landing on the floor of Mementos.
“Really, I never would have guessed.” Crow bit out, dripping with sarcasm, and it was then that Joker realized he had landed partially on Crow’s legs.
Nope, no time for that. He quickly shoved himself to his feet, almost at the exact time that Crow did, and they wound up back-to-back, surrounded by shadows. Joker did a quick inventory and found the shadows to be largely weak to psychic and bless, with one unfamiliar one looming near himself and Crow.
“Fuck, Thermopylae! Mona, Queen stick to healing! Skull and Fox, your HP is too low, hang back on defense, hit me with Charge whenever possible! Violet, Noir hit them with magic and focus on weak points. Panther, try to inflict status for technical damage! Crow and I will take the big one!” Joker shouted as he pulled Yoshitsune to the front for stat buffs and for Hassou Tobi. There was a chorus of affirmatives from the Thieves and they leapt into their roles, trying to avoid or neutralize the initial wave of incoming attacks.
“Let’s move Joker!” Crow’s smile had stretched wide again. He viciously reflected a physical attack from the large shadow. Thank god for skill cards.
Joker felt a charge from Ryuji and called out Hassou Tobi, decimating some of the weaker shadows, but the large one remained unaffected. Joker almost wanted to roll his eyes. Null physical. Typical. With Thermopylae still in effect, he rapidly swapped Personas to try and find a magical weakness fast. Crow unleashed Hereward’s curse aspect, and the shadow lost health, but wasn’t knocked down.
Oracle’s voice rang out, “We got three down, only three to go! I’m sending some healing your way!”
With his HP restored, Joker turned to assess the battlefield. “Okay, Noir and Violet take down the two remaining by you! Oracle do you have any info on this one?”
“Nope, it seems like a new one. It’s got some strange energy though, so keep an eye on-” she was cut off by a loud bang from Crow. Joker whipped around to check for damage, but relaxed at Crow’s strong stance and smoking gun.
“Ugh, immune to gun too.” Crow groused, holstering his weapon.
Violet spoke up from across the battlefield, “Senpai, we have some status ailments over here!”
“Try sticking with items for now, we may need to conserve SP!” Joker threw her some general status ailment medications, noting Queen, Panther, Skull, and Fox currently struggling through fear and sleep ailments. “God, I fucking hate status-focused shadows” he muttered, just loud enough for Crow to snicker at him.
“All the more reason to slaughter them quickly, Joker.”
“Precisely.”
Joker felt a particularly vicious smile crawl onto his face as he and Crow turned in unison to the unfamiliar shadow and sank into the rhythm of battle.
Fighting with Crow was like breathing pure adrenaline. Joker’s fingers tingled with every attack, his brain on high alert with every dodge. He and Crow covered each other perfectly, their precision more akin to dancing than a bloody brawl. Joker was so caught in the fun and adrenaline of fighting he nearly missed Oracle’s incoming warning.
“Hey, we’ve beaten down the two over here- Joker! Dodge!”
He threw himself to the side and rolled in the nick of time, feeling whatever attack that was ruffle his hair as it missed-
Or not.
The adrenaline he was reveling in a moment ago curdled and turned oppressive in his chest. Joker distantly felt himself bend over and clutched at his vest in a futile attempt to still his now racing heart. Goddamnit, goddamnit, goddamnit, goddamnit-
“-fear ailment-”
“-not working-”
“-snap out of it-!”
He couldn’t quite hear his team, and forced his head up just in time to get knocked down-
Threat… Danger… Danger! Dangerdangerdangerfight-!
He felt his muscles burn from the stress of his sudden tension and he burst into action, blindly leaping to eliminate the threat-
“Black Viper!!” When had he called Satan-? What-?
“Holy shit-!”
“-broke through-?”
“-wait-”
His breath was coming too fast, he had to stop it somehow or he would pass out. Where was he again-? God, his fingers were going numb, where was his team? Where was the shadow-?
Dangerdangerdangerdangerdangerfightfightfight
A clawed glove moved in his periphery and just for a second, he felt clarity.
Crow
He lunged at it. With Crow he could fight whatever was threating him. With Crow, he could easily overcome this. With Crow, with Crow, with Crow, with Goro.
FearfearfeardangerCrowdangerCrowindangerGoro-
“Ack-!”
Akira felt his hand wrap around something- Goro’s wrist? Fuck- movement- behind-!
He whipped around to try and take stock of the approaching figures. God, his head was swimming and his fingers were going numb and his legs felt sluggish and was he even breathing and his chest hurt and his head hurt and he couldn’t see-
A shape moved and he tightened his grip on Goro and stepped in front of him– can’t lose him again I can’t I can’t – crouching and ready to protect Goro from whatever that was-
A hand? A claw? Shit, Maruki’s persona had claws and they had reached for Goro-
A growl tore itself from Akira’s chest and he pulled Goro further behind him, ears deafened, and fingers numb-
Numb, numb, numb, he couldn’t understand what Maruki was saying. Akechi was dead the whole time? Nonononono-
The growl turned ragged as Akira barely pulled in enough air to gasp. The thing moved away, but Akira wasn’t taking chances, he didn’t move from his spot, clumsily ripping off his glove and trying to feel for the inside of Goro’s wrist-
Pulse, pulse, if he’s alive he has a pulse, not again, not again-
Too numb, can’t feel it- it isn’t there? Oh god he isn’t there nonononono-
Akira was starting to feel detached, like he was vanishing on the streets of Shibuya again, the numbness was up to his elbows now, his chest hurt-
Suddenly, there was a bare hand on the back of his neck, Goro’s hand. Something cool and wet touched his nape and the constriction began to ease. Oh… relax gel.
Slowly, slowly, Akira felt his muscles begin to unclench, and his lungs finally, finally fully expanded. As he began to relax, Goro’s hand started to move away.
No… please, stay. Don’t go, don’t go, not again.
He must have made a noise, because Goro’s hand resettled, and the relief was overwhelming. With his vision still dark, Akira didn’t even notice when his eyes slipped closed. His legs buckled as intense exhaustion hit him then-
Quiet. Dark.