I see. That must be a difficult situation for the both of you.
[It's bizarre. A story told in few words. Akira doesn't hesitate to explain the situation - offers up a priceless gift with information that doesn't need teased out, as if they're old friends. It throws him off, as always, but the leader, Joker, Kurusu Akira was always like that and-
Continues to be that way and-
Stands in front of him, ever impenetrable, despite his open demeanor. A heart open and free, but not lacking the teeth to bite down the second Akechi slips.
And Akechi Goro won't. Never has. Never will.]
It makes me wonder if he was lying - with no one else to corroborate the story, that seems plausible. Adults often do strange things to get where they want, to speak to those they deem necessary. It wouldn't be a stretch to think he's one of them. It's far more common than one might think.
[It's not a lie. Not a stretch. Akechi knows now, more than ever, Maruki Takuto wandered the halls of Shujin Academy, and unleashed an undeserved, unwanted, grotesque kindness to those that came into that room. A man torn to shreds by his own crippling desire to heal once.
A man who knows the Phantom Thieves. Knows Akira. Knew enough of the two of them to form a reality with it. A world Akechi can barely remember - hostages and negotiators. It was no different than their true reality anyway. ]
But I wonder why he would be fascinated with you, if that's the case? Any ideas, Kurusu?
the 💣 really does perfectly encapsulate what opening this tag felt like
[Akira knows better than anyone that Akechi is an expert in lying, but that wasn't the entirety of their game, of the chase between them. It's also in the way that Akechi is able to manipulate the truth to his purposes, because what good does a lie do without a foundation at its back?
His mask doesn't falter so badly this time; he spent an entire month acting in front of him to fail like that twice today. But the doubt that slices through Akira's entire being is still enough to make him falter.
If a woman were to obscure the truth to save herself, even if he didn't know her-
-it still hurts to be be betrayed.
If Igor could lead him on while being the one behind it all, even if Akira had doubted him from the start-
-it still hurts to be be betrayed.
If Akechi could almost feel like a friend if he looked at him too long, even though Akira knew he was planning his murder-
-it still hurts to be be betrayed, doesn't it?
It shakes him down to the core. To have an old wound closed by someone he caused another in, only to doubt him now - it cuts Akira to the core. It's devastating, having the doubt poisoning the well of good intentions, knowing that it all could be about to happen again.
And yet...
That blood-filled sky. To know it and be able to see it means only one thing, and Akira has to remember that. Even if Maruki's intentions aren't pure... Even if it would hurt-
There's still a universal truth. He cannot ever forget what his bonds mean.
He cannot lose to Akechi Goro, because his bonds are what will make him stronger and untip the scales in this unfair game.]
We probably just got along well. Even from a first meeting, Maruki-san is... [How to describe it. How to even word that.] ...I think I could see why would we talk a lot, if I'd met him back home.
[It feels wrong, that he didn't get to. But maybe, for some reason, even as confusing all this is... maybe that's why he had to come here. To see Maruki.
To see Akechi-]
Even so, I'm going to trust him for now. He already knows something no one else would know, unless they'd gotten close to me.
[It's the truth, and it rings with it. But it's also a trap, laid for Akechi whether he walks in or out of it. Akira has to learn what he can, by any means.]
Thrill. Adrenaline. Tit for tat - a tug forward. A trap and olive branch held out with one single comment, waiting for Akechi to grasp it. He needs to be flexible and adapt his approach - they're both feeling one another out, which is telling in its own right, but there was tension between them even before Akechi pressed hot steel against his forehead and
shot
Without regret, without remorse, without mercy.]
How mysterious.
[And
Akechi
knows everything.
Maruki Takuto knew everything. Knows. Learned over time and with his own intuition. From realities merged and warped to distort their minds.
Akira is at a disadvantage.
Akechi wants to keep it that way and-
This is a dance. Relaying too little tells more than spewing the truth. Dangle a rope over a drowning man, a piece of meat over a lion's den - he can do it with some exercised caution, feigned unease filtering his tone.]
That could be any number of things, couldn't it? You're an enigmatic man with no shortage of secrets held under the surface. It almost makes me wonder if someone else could have relayed it to him.
[The Detective Prince, who knows about the Phantom Thieves. Akechi, who walked among them with his own will lay bare. Akechi Goro who considered it all meaningless and left a body to rot in a jailcell.]
Bonds can be forged after all.
[Born in fire of injustice. Warped around lies.]
Do you really trust that he knows that about you? Perhaps there's another here willing to put your secrets on display to the world and he took advantage. You had many acquaintances. Friends. We can't ever know how many inhabitants from our Tokyo reside in this reality or have, at one point. A loud mouthed individual may have told stories to another who never knew about our world and it was stated to a curious man with no shortage of free time.
Wouldn't it be interesting if all your trust was because of a mistakenly shared statement?
[A hand raises to his chin in pensive thought, as if the matter only occurred to him with Akira's appearance. As if he's truly vexed by the idea.]
That's only a hypothetical, of course. Something to keep in mind - I've been living with him for some time and have a decent grasp of his behavior and principles.
It's certainly a possibility. [His fingers tap against the table, voice nice and even.] But it's also one I'm not worried about.
[And finally, Akira sits. He sits, because there's no reason to stand anymore. Now, he's certain of it. Now, he knows that he has an advantage.
It wasn't really a surprise, though, even as it makes that empty space inside of him ache. The piece that Akechi needs to confirm any of this is something that he'll never have, because it comes long after his time.]
I trust Maruki-san, because I trust the people who know about what he told me. Even the ones that can be talkative... It isn't something they'd say to others lightly.
[He'd discussed it with the others, but Maruki is the only one he ever spoke about his theory to. Anyone else wouldn't even know that he'd made the connection.
Akira has enough confidence now that he isn't afraid. He can go on the offensive now. He crosses his legs as he gazes at Akechi, assessing his reactions.]
I'm noticing that you have a lot of interesting hypotheticals for someone you happen to be living with. [He tilts his head to the side; his glasses clearly show the sharp brightness of his eyes.] Has something about living with Maruki-san given you a reason to distrust him?
[Is Maruki hiding something? Is Akechi a threat to Maruki? He'll glean these as best as he can.]
yeah well maybe this is the one dont look any further than this line - cw:murder
[It once felt too easy to fall in line behind Akira as they stepped across piles of fake bills, the chatter of a casino overwhelming and yet it always came second to Akira's voice.
Akechi doesn't take orders - only feigns that subservience. A plan formed in the corner of a forgotten room, in a dingy foster home, doesn't look that different from one made on the fly in a pristine, untouched apartment. Exploit the exploitable. Follow a leader until a spine can be severed.
But Akira
was always different.
Certainty in the uncertain, confident in false worlds -
relentless and unshakeable.
A wild freedom in his eyes that Akechi wanted to rip free for himself - his eyes only, his heart only. He wanted to see how Kurusu Akira operated then, and so he followed to get a taste of that life for himself.
Their lives didn't mean anything, so what was the harm in stealing a small piece from each of them. They wouldn't be alive for long beyond that point - one person in particular, dead in a cold room. The others-
Likely to follow, if Akechi couldn't enact his plan before then. It wouldn't matter either way. One, two, six more bodies on a pile of them - it's all meaningless.
And so he follows now - Akira sits at a table Akechi has shared with another night after night and after night. The hum of Tokyo's evening news draws him to the bar, the clatter of curry pots ushers him into a seat next to an intruder, and the sight of Joker in a gaze subdued keeps him plastered to the spot.]
That's a difficult question, Kurusu. I should refute one implication of your statement now though - I wouldn't share a space with someone I couldn't handle, trust or not.
[The counter isn't wet, but he can feel the phantom residue of a freshly wiped counter creeping up his elbow. A comfortable, hunched position in a place where Akechi could be himself and here -
With Maruki Takuto
Whose entire being formed another safe haven for someone who lost theirs long ago. Akechi can't stand him. Hates this place, in this moment, more than he ever has. Hates Akira's legs dangling only an arm's length away, a throat closer than that.
Akechi doesn't look away. Doesn't stumble on his words. Kurusu Akira is someone he can handle too.]
But in the matter of Maruki-san-
[Maruki
doesn't
stop.
He's among the ranks of those who deserve to walk above the rot, and who are destined to be drowned in it under the weight of their own resolve.
Like Akira.]
You never truly know anyone. Not even a full view of heart, mind and soul can show everything. Intentions are missed, motivations are lost and some matters are meant to be locked up.
[His gaze remains steady against-
a quaint beige wall illuminated by colorful, vintage lights.
Against wood paneling that looks both worn and brand new.
Akechi
has
to play his part.
Because Akira dons his own mask, and Maruki will too.]
In saying that, he's also a man with an unshakeable resolve and holds a genuine desire to understand those around him. [It's pathetic. Akechi's face doesn't show it - only bares a thoughtful neutrality over a man he knows, and will never comprehend.] As an ally in this world, you could hardly do better. He's competent, resourceful and intelligent. [A beat.] You've met some interesting characters in your time in Tokyo - what's one more? I have no doubt you'll come to your own conclusion on the matter.
And when that day comes, I look forward to hearing it.
here queen u dropped ur cw: murder (jk there's still none in mine)
It's hard to read all of Akechi's thoughts, his emotions and desires; even if he feels like Akira's match, one mirror in front of another, they simply didn't spend the time together that they needed to know one other like that. As such, he can make calculated, often correct guesses, but ones that still have a little room for error.
He doesn't think that Akechi is one to speak highly of another person like this.
His face is neutral as he speaks, and somehow that's more of a window than if he had that camera-ready smile in place. The idea of them living together, spending time together, is so hard to wrap his mind around. He can't predict what kind of relationship they have. But for Akechi to say something like that...
...What exactly have he and Maruki Takuto been through together?]
You don't speak about him lightly. That's interesting praise. [Praise that's higher than I expected you to say, from how you were talking. He leans back in his seat, mind working quickly.] I'll just have to see for myself what sort of relationship we'll end up having.
[I'll have to wait to see if there's a day that I can look either of you in the eye without choking on my own guilt.
Maruki may very well be hiding something. Akechi always is, regardless of how many memories he's lost. But Akechi doesn't throw around a word like "ally" unless he intends to be one until the appointed time. This is one thing Akira knows.
Maybe it's fine, then, if he places his bets with the both of them.]
oh thank u puts it back up on the shelf cw: MURDER CONTINUED
You always manage to bring out the best in people and bring them to your side. I won't be surprised when it turns out well.
[The disdain that wraps around his heart doesn't shake his tone in the slightest. It remains steady.
He can't stand it. Knows for a fact that Akira will manage with effortless ease to intertwine himself in the lives surrounding this machiya and beyond. That he'll fill all the gaps in their rotten hearts with something stronger. False affection, feigned bonds. A free heart is unchained and seeking. A bound one wants nothing more than to be strangled.
And Akechi will be there to drag them back down - Maruki Takuto is on his level. He won't relinquish that hold - not now, not ever, not to some attic trash that gets a second chance in a false world. Eren, Aubrey - he can't allow it.
But the gracious, magnanimous leader is here in all his purported glory, settled comfortably and neatly at a table like it's his shitty little cafe. Like he belongs in Akechi's home, instead of an untouched, unmarked grave.
Maybe his parents were notified - Akechi never cared to follow up on the after. Some delinquent going missing doesn't even make the news these days. It was nothing to him to watch blood flow from an open wound on his face, and drip-
drip
drip
To the wooden ground-
The stone ground.
Akechi blinks and peels his eyes away from a floor he doesn't remember turning towards. Smiles and folds his hands on the counter, one gloved palm over the other.]
What's your plan now? I know it must be overwhelming to contend with this false world and I'm sure he's offered you a place to stay. [He can't stand it.] If I may confirm - we have plenty of space here and it would be beneficial for us to stick together for the time being. Of course, I know it will be an adjustment. [He can't stand it.] You can always leave when you get more acquainted with this reality if you so choose, but until then-
Well, what do you say, Kurusu?
a great spot... now they can see it every time they have dinner :)
[There's one thing that's for certain. Akira is here, settled comfortably and neatly, and he is watching. He is listening.
He ingests every word Akechi says.
And he watches every move that Akechi makes.
What was he thinking about, dropping his gaze like that? It's hard to say, because he doesn't know what's missing from him. He could simply be thinking of his own relationship with Maruki... or maybe it's one of Akira's bonds with someone else.
It couldn't be Akira's bond with Akechi himself... could it?]
Maruki-san offered me a place here, yes. [He starts out slow, not mentioning a bit of what he's thinking. He's back to the usual game of theirs; cards held close to the chest, not talking about things they actually mean. Like always, though, it's still a little bit of multitasking, because this is something that they need to discuss as well.] I told him I was still waiting to decide, because I wanted your input first.
[It would be beneficial for us to stick together for the time being.
Whatever Akechi remembers, it's clear to Akira that he's still operating the same way. He's either doing his best to play nice, or he actually does want Akira here for the sake of keeping an eye on him. Maybe it's even both.]
Even if we know each other, it's a lot to impose on someone to live together. If you want your privacy or otherwise, I don't mind staying somewhere else that's nearby.
[It's a lie, but Akira is good at those.
He's always been good at hiding it all. His wants, his likes, his feelings. It's easier to be what people need you to be if you don't let anything messy spill out. Expression perfectly impassive and calm as always. It's just as easy to hide that the loneliness of staying away would drown him alive, just as it's easy to not let on to the fact that living here would crack apart his heart every single day.
Focus turned away from himself. Questions asked to the other party. He knows what to do, same as always, even if the weight of the circumstances is more leaden than usual.]
It's a kind offer. I'd be happy to stay here, but I want to be sure. Is that what you want, too?
cw: murder, violent thoughts, suicidal ideation MAYBE??? yay 🔫🔫🔫🔫🔫🔫🔫🔫🔫
[Akechi watches with the same singular fixed gaze Akira now has on him. Had. Has never lacked in this entire discussion.
Is
that
what
he
wants?
More than anything. More than ever.
An enemy only two walls away. One one train ride away. Only one Metaverse overlap away.
A person that allowed Akechi in his world, once. Gave opportunities for Akechi to kill him with a turned back, cups of coffee pushed into his hand, insight into his life beyond his criminal enterprise.
It's his turn to repay the favor.]
I want you to stay. We're allies, aren't we? Friends, perhaps? Though I would hate to put words in your mouth.
[In the coming days, Akechi will turn his back to a once 'friend.' Press cups of coffee into Akira's hand. Wait for the night Joker slinks in through an unlocked door to press a barrel against Akechi's skull as revenge. As retaliation. As a rival. He wants it more than ever. Missed it, more than anything.
He holds out a hand - gloved, pristine. He wants to feel Akira - alive, so alive, completely alive. Warm and alive. Breathing and alive Akira.]
It sounds like we've come to an agreement. Let's shake on it. It's customary to do so and I find the symbolism of it important.
:) :) :) i get to do it now too :) cw: nightmares, blood, physical assault
If only they'd been friends earlier, then maybe...
Friends is a loaded word, one that fills his stomach with weights and puts a coppery tang of guilt in his mouth. Allies is safer. Indicative, as well, even if Akechi hadn't meant to give away that he's likely from a time that's after he blackmailed the Phantom Thieves. He's almost certain Akechi wouldn't have called them friends before that, with the yawning gap of distance between them, but Akira's surprised that he'd even use the word now.
It's not a word that Akira ever deserves to have applied to Akechi Goro.
Akechi, who understood how his mind worked better than even his most trusted friends, that wore masks in such a familiar way that it felt like a reflection of Akira's own self. Akechi, who betrayed him and dealt the worst kind of pain, even if Akira had expected it from the beginning of their arrangement. Akechi, who was a regular guest star in all of Akira's reoccurring nightmares, drenched up to his arms in blood and worse as he tried to staunch the flow from a bullet wound he couldn't stop.
The nightmares have never ended, but at least they're less than they were right after it happened. Sometimes he wonders what it means, to hope that he'll have nightmares that exaggerate everything that happened in the interrogation room - enough of the truth serum injected into his veins to make them burn, hallucinations dancing across his eyes, every limb dislocated and useless as he's beaten within in an inch of his life... to hope for that instead of seeing Akechi's death, when Akechi is the one who put him there, surely must mean there's something wrong with him.
He'd almost forgotten. He'd almost learned how to breathe around the emptiness in his chest. He'd almost been able to pretend that he was a happy person.
And now he can face it, all of it, all over again.
It's an alliance that Akira again has to accept, because it's too precarious to refuse. The guilt of it will scald him, and that's alright, because it's just an extension of what he still has to live with every day.
Maybe it's simply that his penance has finally come to collect.]
They aren't words that I hate. [Because it's true.] I'm glad you think of us that way. [Because it's what Akira would wish for, if anyone would answer his prayers bent at the glass of a Tokyo toy store.] Let's make it official, then.
[It's a forgotten key clicked back into place, the pages of an old well-loved book crinkling through his soul. It's the whisper of a bond, of a red string of fate snapped in half but stitched back together. It's the threads of wants and wishes and likes, masks and La Justice and regret, gossamer silk wrapped around his heart and wrists and throat.
It's Metatron humming in his chest, impossible to reach or to feel more than the ghost sensation of, because all must return to zero before it reaches the end.]
Rather than just an agreement... Let's make a deal.
[A ghost of words Akira wasn't the one to say, because he'll be haunted until the day he dies.]
For as long as I'm here, I'm an ally to both you and Maruki-san.
[He takes Akechi's hand in his to shake, firm and nostalgic.
For as long as I'm here, I'll bleed myself dry if that's what it takes to do what I should have.
In a world where the impossible is meant to make sense... maybe he can claw and fight his way to steal Akechi's life back with his own two hands.]
oh mny GOD : ) we can wrap here <3 cw: violent thoughts
Akira is fool - freed and tied down by a desire for bonds. A rope around a throat that tightens and tightens until he's dragged into a room to die alone. He doesn't even fight it. Walks into looped trap each and every time.
Akechi can do this again and again.
'I'm glad you think of us that way.'
He shouldn't.
Akira is a fool - he can do this. It's the same as ever.
Akechi's always one step ahead, smarter, ready to place blade into back, gun to head. There won't ever be a point when Kurusu Akira-
Plays him for a fool again. In this reality or the next - Akechi's ready. Prepared. Akira's up to something now - was then.
A flicker of Joker is always in his poised responses, languid movements, confident words. Akechi can't stand him.
'Let's make it official, then.
Become allies. Become friends.
Akira doesn't confirm their relationship - smart as ever, careful as always. Claims to be allies now. Will stay allies now.
In Akira's distorted mind, Joker is planning to have the last laugh. Is trying to lay the groundwork for it now. It won't happen. Won't ever happen.
Akechi's stronger. Smarter. A planner and exploiter.
Akira's better. A healer. Tactician. Uses empathy to exploit, willpower to turn that into gain.
'Let's make a deal.'
All Akira has to do is join him.
Turn his back on his friends.
Give up his ideals for good.
It's grounding in the worst possible way - a confirmation of the dire reality of this disgusting world, this horrible situation. A dead man walks, touches him, fingers over his, palm to palm - he's alive. No specks of crimson on his skin. He's alive with no putrid smell stinging his nose.
Akechi Goro can't breathe, so Akechi does. Akechi Goro can't smile, so Akechi does. Akechi Goro can't fathom the bright, burning warmth that surges through his chest - not joy, not grief. It's entirely new, a sensation that's only for Kurusu Akira.
Akechi lets go so Akechi Goro can breath. Akechi stands up so Akechi Goro can think and Akechi-
Motions to the rest of the room like the actor he was born to be.]
Well then - let me be the first to say it. Welcome home, Kurusu.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mutual destruction of sleep schedules for tags 👉👈 for 👉👈 little treats 👉💣👈
[It's bizarre. A story told in few words. Akira doesn't hesitate to explain the situation - offers up a priceless gift with information that doesn't need teased out, as if they're old friends. It throws him off, as always, but the leader, Joker, Kurusu Akira was always like that and-
Continues to be that way and-
Stands in front of him, ever impenetrable, despite his open demeanor. A heart open and free, but not lacking the teeth to bite down the second Akechi slips.
And Akechi Goro won't. Never has. Never will.]
It makes me wonder if he was lying - with no one else to corroborate the story, that seems plausible. Adults often do strange things to get where they want, to speak to those they deem necessary. It wouldn't be a stretch to think he's one of them. It's far more common than one might think.
[It's not a lie. Not a stretch. Akechi knows now, more than ever, Maruki Takuto wandered the halls of Shujin Academy, and unleashed an undeserved, unwanted, grotesque kindness to those that came into that room. A man torn to shreds by his own crippling desire to heal once.
A man who knows the Phantom Thieves. Knows Akira. Knew enough of the two of them to form a reality with it. A world Akechi can barely remember - hostages and negotiators. It was no different than their true reality anyway. ]
But I wonder why he would be fascinated with you, if that's the case? Any ideas, Kurusu?
the 💣 really does perfectly encapsulate what opening this tag felt like
His mask doesn't falter so badly this time; he spent an entire month acting in front of him to fail like that twice today. But the doubt that slices through Akira's entire being is still enough to make him falter.
If a woman were to obscure the truth to save herself, even if he didn't know her-
If Igor could lead him on while being the one behind it all, even if Akira had doubted him from the start-
If Akechi could almost feel like a friend if he looked at him too long, even though Akira knew he was planning his murder-
It shakes him down to the core. To have an old wound closed by someone he caused another in, only to doubt him now - it cuts Akira to the core. It's devastating, having the doubt poisoning the well of good intentions, knowing that it all could be about to happen again.
And yet...
That blood-filled sky. To know it and be able to see it means only one thing, and Akira has to remember that. Even if Maruki's intentions aren't pure... Even if it would hurt-
There's still a universal truth. He cannot ever forget what his bonds mean.
He cannot lose to Akechi Goro, because his bonds are what will make him stronger and untip the scales in this unfair game.]
We probably just got along well. Even from a first meeting, Maruki-san is... [How to describe it. How to even word that.] ...I think I could see why would we talk a lot, if I'd met him back home.
[It feels wrong, that he didn't get to. But maybe, for some reason, even as confusing all this is... maybe that's why he had to come here. To see Maruki.
To see Akechi-]
Even so, I'm going to trust him for now. He already knows something no one else would know, unless they'd gotten close to me.
[It's the truth, and it rings with it. But it's also a trap, laid for Akechi whether he walks in or out of it. Akira has to learn what he can, by any means.]
💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥cw: still murder lmao
Thrill. Adrenaline. Tit for tat - a tug forward. A trap and olive branch held out with one single comment, waiting for Akechi to grasp it. He needs to be flexible and adapt his approach - they're both feeling one another out, which is telling in its own right, but there was tension between them even before Akechi pressed hot steel against his forehead and
shot
Without regret, without remorse, without mercy.]How mysterious.
[And
knows everything.
Maruki Takuto knew everything. Knows. Learned over time and with his own intuition. From realities merged and warped to distort their minds.Akira is at a disadvantage.
Akechi wants to keep it that way and-This is a dance. Relaying too little tells more than spewing the truth. Dangle a rope over a drowning man, a piece of meat over a lion's den - he can do it with some exercised caution, feigned unease filtering his tone.]
That could be any number of things, couldn't it? You're an enigmatic man with no shortage of secrets held under the surface. It almost makes me wonder if someone else could have relayed it to him.
[The Detective Prince, who knows about the Phantom Thieves. Akechi, who walked among them with his own will lay bare. Akechi Goro who considered it all meaningless and left a body to rot in a jailcell.]
Bonds can be forged after all.
[Born in fire of injustice. Warped around lies.]
Do you really trust that he knows that about you? Perhaps there's another here willing to put your secrets on display to the world and he took advantage. You had many acquaintances. Friends. We can't ever know how many inhabitants from our Tokyo reside in this reality or have, at one point. A loud mouthed individual may have told stories to another who never knew about our world and it was stated to a curious man with no shortage of free time.
Wouldn't it be interesting if all your trust was because of a mistakenly shared statement?
[A hand raises to his chin in pensive thought, as if the matter only occurred to him with Akira's appearance. As if he's truly vexed by the idea.]
That's only a hypothetical, of course. Something to keep in mind - I've been living with him for some time and have a decent grasp of his behavior and principles.
i'm gonna be more shocked if the murder cw stops
[And finally, Akira sits. He sits, because there's no reason to stand anymore. Now, he's certain of it. Now, he knows that he has an advantage.
It wasn't really a surprise, though, even as it makes that empty space inside of him ache. The piece that Akechi needs to confirm any of this is something that he'll never have, because it comes long after his time.]
I trust Maruki-san, because I trust the people who know about what he told me. Even the ones that can be talkative... It isn't something they'd say to others lightly.
[He'd discussed it with the others, but Maruki is the only one he ever spoke about his theory to. Anyone else wouldn't even know that he'd made the connection.
Akira has enough confidence now that he isn't afraid. He can go on the offensive now. He crosses his legs as he gazes at Akechi, assessing his reactions.]
I'm noticing that you have a lot of interesting hypotheticals for someone you happen to be living with. [He tilts his head to the side; his glasses clearly show the sharp brightness of his eyes.] Has something about living with Maruki-san given you a reason to distrust him?
[Is Maruki hiding something? Is Akechi a threat to Maruki? He'll glean these as best as he can.]
yeah well maybe this is the one dont look any further than this line - cw:murder
Akechi doesn't take orders - only feigns that subservience. A plan formed in the corner of a forgotten room, in a dingy foster home, doesn't look that different from one made on the fly in a pristine, untouched apartment. Exploit the exploitable. Follow a leader until a spine can be severed.
But Akira
was always different.
Certainty in the uncertain, confident in false worlds -relentless and unshakeable.
A wild freedom in his eyes that Akechi wanted to rip free for himself - his eyes only, his heart only. He wanted to see how Kurusu Akira operated then, and so he followed to get a taste of that life for himself.Their lives didn't mean anything, so what was the harm in stealing a small piece from each of them. They wouldn't be alive for long beyond that point - one person in particular, dead in a cold room. The others-
Likely to follow, if Akechi couldn't enact his plan before then. It wouldn't matter either way. One, two, six more bodies on a pile of them - it's all meaningless.
And so he follows now - Akira sits at a table Akechi has shared with another night after night and after night. The hum of Tokyo's evening news draws him to the bar, the clatter of curry pots ushers him into a seat next to an intruder, and the sight of Joker in a gaze subdued keeps him plastered to the spot.]
That's a difficult question, Kurusu. I should refute one implication of your statement now though - I wouldn't share a space with someone I couldn't handle, trust or not.
[The counter isn't wet, but he can feel the phantom residue of a freshly wiped counter creeping up his elbow. A comfortable, hunched position in a place where Akechi could be himself and here -
With Maruki Takuto
Whose entire being formed another safe haven for someone who lost theirs long ago. Akechi can't stand him. Hates this place, in this moment, more than he ever has. Hates Akira's legs dangling only an arm's length away, a throat closer than that.Akechi doesn't look away. Doesn't stumble on his words. Kurusu Akira is someone he can handle too.]
But in the matter of Maruki-san-
[Maruki
stop.
He's among the ranks of those who deserve to walk above the rot, and who are destined to be drowned in it under the weight of their own resolve.Like Akira.]
You never truly know anyone. Not even a full view of heart, mind and soul can show everything. Intentions are missed, motivations are lost and some matters are meant to be locked up.
[His gaze remains steady against-
a quaint beige wall illuminated by colorful, vintage lights.
Against wood paneling that looks both worn and brand new.Akechi
to play his part.
Because Akira dons his own mask, and Maruki will too.]In saying that, he's also a man with an unshakeable resolve and holds a genuine desire to understand those around him. [It's pathetic. Akechi's face doesn't show it - only bares a thoughtful neutrality over a man he knows, and will never comprehend.] As an ally in this world, you could hardly do better. He's competent, resourceful and intelligent. [A beat.] You've met some interesting characters in your time in Tokyo - what's one more? I have no doubt you'll come to your own conclusion on the matter.
And when that day comes, I look forward to hearing it.
here queen u dropped ur cw: murder (jk there's still none in mine)
It's hard to read all of Akechi's thoughts, his emotions and desires; even if he feels like Akira's match, one mirror in front of another, they simply didn't spend the time together that they needed to know one other like that. As such, he can make calculated, often correct guesses, but ones that still have a little room for error.
He doesn't think that Akechi is one to speak highly of another person like this.
His face is neutral as he speaks, and somehow that's more of a window than if he had that camera-ready smile in place. The idea of them living together, spending time together, is so hard to wrap his mind around. He can't predict what kind of relationship they have. But for Akechi to say something like that...
...What exactly have he and Maruki Takuto been through together?]
You don't speak about him lightly. That's interesting praise. [Praise that's higher than I expected you to say, from how you were talking. He leans back in his seat, mind working quickly.] I'll just have to see for myself what sort of relationship we'll end up having.
[I'll have to wait to see if there's a day that I can look either of you in the eye without choking on my own guilt.
Maruki may very well be hiding something. Akechi always is, regardless of how many memories he's lost. But Akechi doesn't throw around a word like "ally" unless he intends to be one until the appointed time. This is one thing Akira knows.
Maybe it's fine, then, if he places his bets with the both of them.]
oh thank u puts it back up on the shelf cw: MURDER CONTINUED
[The disdain that wraps around his heart doesn't shake his tone in the slightest. It remains steady.
He can't stand it. Knows for a fact that Akira will manage with effortless ease to intertwine himself in the lives surrounding this machiya and beyond. That he'll fill all the gaps in their rotten hearts with something stronger. False affection, feigned bonds. A free heart is unchained and seeking. A bound one wants nothing more than to be strangled.
And Akechi will be there to drag them back down - Maruki Takuto is on his level. He won't relinquish that hold - not now, not ever, not to some attic trash that gets a second chance in a false world. Eren, Aubrey - he can't allow it.
But the gracious, magnanimous leader is here in all his purported glory, settled comfortably and neatly at a table like it's his shitty little cafe. Like he belongs in Akechi's home, instead of an untouched, unmarked grave.
Maybe his parents were notified - Akechi never cared to follow up on the after. Some delinquent going missing doesn't even make the news these days. It was nothing to him to watch blood flow from an open wound on his face, and drip-
drip
To the wooden ground-The stone ground.
Akechi blinks and peels his eyes away from a floor he doesn't remember turning towards. Smiles and folds his hands on the counter, one gloved palm over the other.]
What's your plan now? I know it must be overwhelming to contend with this false world and I'm sure he's offered you a place to stay. [He can't stand it.] If I may confirm - we have plenty of space here and it would be beneficial for us to stick together for the time being. Of course, I know it will be an adjustment. [He can't stand it.] You can always leave when you get more acquainted with this reality if you so choose, but until then-
Well, what do you say, Kurusu?
a great spot... now they can see it every time they have dinner :)
He ingests every word Akechi says.
And he watches every move that Akechi makes.
What was he thinking about, dropping his gaze like that? It's hard to say, because he doesn't know what's missing from him. He could simply be thinking of his own relationship with Maruki... or maybe it's one of Akira's bonds with someone else.
It couldn't be Akira's bond with Akechi himself... could it?]
Maruki-san offered me a place here, yes. [He starts out slow, not mentioning a bit of what he's thinking. He's back to the usual game of theirs; cards held close to the chest, not talking about things they actually mean. Like always, though, it's still a little bit of multitasking, because this is something that they need to discuss as well.] I told him I was still waiting to decide, because I wanted your input first.
[It would be beneficial for us to stick together for the time being.
Whatever Akechi remembers, it's clear to Akira that he's still operating the same way. He's either doing his best to play nice, or he actually does want Akira here for the sake of keeping an eye on him. Maybe it's even both.]
Even if we know each other, it's a lot to impose on someone to live together. If you want your privacy or otherwise, I don't mind staying somewhere else that's nearby.
[It's a lie, but Akira is good at those.
He's always been good at hiding it all. His wants, his likes, his feelings. It's easier to be what people need you to be if you don't let anything messy spill out. Expression perfectly impassive and calm as always. It's just as easy to hide that the loneliness of staying away would drown him alive, just as it's easy to not let on to the fact that living here would crack apart his heart every single day.
Focus turned away from himself. Questions asked to the other party. He knows what to do, same as always, even if the weight of the circumstances is more leaden than usual.]
It's a kind offer. I'd be happy to stay here, but I want to be sure. Is that what you want, too?
cw: murder, violent thoughts, suicidal ideation MAYBE??? yay 🔫🔫🔫🔫🔫🔫🔫🔫🔫
Is
what
heMore than anything. More than ever.
An enemy only two walls away. One one train ride away. Only one Metaverse overlap away.A person that allowed Akechi in his world, once. Gave opportunities for Akechi to kill him with a turned back, cups of coffee pushed into his hand, insight into his life beyond his criminal enterprise.
It's his turn to repay the favor.]
I want you to stay. We're allies, aren't we? Friends, perhaps? Though I would hate to put words in your mouth.
[In the coming days, Akechi will turn his back to a once 'friend.' Press cups of coffee into Akira's hand. Wait for the night Joker slinks in through an unlocked door to press a barrel against Akechi's skull as revenge. As retaliation. As a rival. He wants it more than ever. Missed it, more than anything.
He holds out a hand - gloved, pristine. He wants to feel Akira - alive, so alive, completely alive. Warm and alive. Breathing and alive Akira.]
It sounds like we've come to an agreement. Let's shake on it. It's customary to do so and I find the symbolism of it important.
:) :) :) i get to do it now too :) cw: nightmares, blood, physical assault
Akechi said he didn't need friends.
Friends is a loaded word, one that fills his stomach with weights and puts a coppery tang of guilt in his mouth. Allies is safer. Indicative, as well, even if Akechi hadn't meant to give away that he's likely from a time that's after he blackmailed the Phantom Thieves. He's almost certain Akechi wouldn't have called them friends before that, with the yawning gap of distance between them, but Akira's surprised that he'd even use the word now.
It's not a word that Akira ever deserves to have applied to Akechi Goro.
Akechi, who understood how his mind worked better than even his most trusted friends, that wore masks in such a familiar way that it felt like a reflection of Akira's own self. Akechi, who betrayed him and dealt the worst kind of pain, even if Akira had expected it from the beginning of their arrangement. Akechi, who was a regular guest star in all of Akira's reoccurring nightmares, drenched up to his arms in blood and worse as he tried to staunch the flow from a bullet wound he couldn't stop.
The nightmares have never ended, but at least they're less than they were right after it happened. Sometimes he wonders what it means, to hope that he'll have nightmares that exaggerate everything that happened in the interrogation room - enough of the truth serum injected into his veins to make them burn, hallucinations dancing across his eyes, every limb dislocated and useless as he's beaten within in an inch of his life... to hope for that instead of seeing Akechi's death, when Akechi is the one who put him there, surely must mean there's something wrong with him.
He'd almost forgotten. He'd almost learned how to breathe around the emptiness in his chest. He'd almost been able to pretend that he was a happy person.
It's an alliance that Akira again has to accept, because it's too precarious to refuse. The guilt of it will scald him, and that's alright, because it's just an extension of what he still has to live with every day.
Maybe it's simply that his penance has finally come to collect.]
They aren't words that I hate. [Because it's true.] I'm glad you think of us that way. [Because it's what Akira would wish for, if anyone would answer his prayers bent at the glass of a Tokyo toy store.] Let's make it official, then.
[It's a forgotten key clicked back into place, the pages of an old well-loved book crinkling through his soul. It's the whisper of a bond, of a red string of fate snapped in half but stitched back together. It's the threads of wants and wishes and likes, masks and La Justice and regret, gossamer silk wrapped around his heart and wrists and throat.
It's Metatron humming in his chest, impossible to reach or to feel more than the ghost sensation of, because all must return to zero before it reaches the end.]
Rather than just an agreement... Let's make a deal.
[A ghost of words Akira wasn't the one to say, because he'll be haunted until the day he dies.]
For as long as I'm here, I'm an ally to both you and Maruki-san.
[He takes Akechi's hand in his to shake, firm and nostalgic.
In a world where the impossible is meant to make sense... maybe he can claw and fight his way to steal Akechi's life back with his own two hands.]
oh mny GOD : ) we can wrap here <3 cw: violent thoughts
He should.
'I'm glad you think of us that way.'Akira is fool - freed and tied down by a desire for bonds. A rope around a throat that tightens and tightens until he's dragged into a room to die alone. He doesn't even fight it. Walks into looped trap each and every time.
Akechi can do this again and again.
He shouldn't.
'Let's make it official, then.Akira is a fool - he can do this. It's the same as ever.
Akechi's always one step ahead, smarter, ready to place blade into back, gun to head. There won't ever be a point when Kurusu Akira-
Plays him for a fool again. In this reality or the next - Akechi's ready. Prepared. Akira's up to something now - was then.
A flicker of Joker is always in his poised responses, languid movements, confident words. Akechi can't stand him.
Become allies. Become friends.
Akira doesn't confirm their relationship - smart as ever, careful as always. Claims to be allies now. Will stay allies now.
In Akira's distorted mind, Joker is planning to have the last laugh. Is trying to lay the groundwork for it now. It won't happen. Won't ever happen.
Akechi's stronger. Smarter. A planner and exploiter.
Akira's better. A healer. Tactician. Uses empathy to exploit, willpower to turn that into gain.
Give up his ideals for good.
It's grounding in the worst possible way - a confirmation of the dire reality of this disgusting world, this horrible situation. A dead man walks, touches him, fingers over his, palm to palm - he's alive. No specks of crimson on his skin. He's alive with no putrid smell stinging his nose.Akechi Goro can't breathe, so Akechi does. Akechi Goro can't smile, so Akechi does. Akechi Goro can't fathom the bright, burning warmth that surges through his chest - not joy, not grief. It's entirely new, a sensation that's only for Kurusu Akira.
Akechi lets go so Akechi Goro can breath. Akechi stands up so Akechi Goro can think and Akechi-
Motions to the rest of the room like the actor he was born to be.]
Well then - let me be the first to say it. Welcome home, Kurusu.