Chapter Text
Weightlessness...
... followed by a full-bodied impact with the ground. Akechi is first aware of his body rolling through grass until coming to a stop on his back. Every nerve feels like it's screaming, and he's sure that he's bleeding out on the grass. He'll be lucky if his wounds only get dirty and not infected. Then the pain slowly ebbs away, and he realizes that there is no blood leaking from any holes in his body. In fact, he barely has a scratch on him. Shido's palace has no grass in it, after all. He isn't on the ship anymore.
Akechi forces himself to sit up despite the pain. Just because he has no evidence of being shot in the gut doesn't mean he doesn't still feel it. He can't just leave himself laying here for someone to find in the morning, though. He needs to find somewhere safe so he can recuperate and figure out what his next move is. It's clear Shido doesn't trust him, and hasn't ever trusted him, so as much as he hates to admit it, Akechi's original plan is trashed. It isn't ideal, but he'll just have to find another way to destroy that man.
He vaguely remembers a conversation held through a metal wall. A promise had been made. He wonders if he's here because Akira succeeded in taking down Shido for him. That would be... Akechi isn't sure how he feels about that.
He makes himself stand, stumbling a little on weak legs. He considers returning to his apartment, but he has to wonder if he'll be safe there. Would Shido try to assassinate him in the real world already? Akechi would like to think Shido puts a little more faith in him, but the twisted expression on Akechi's cognitive twin sends shivers of uncertainty down his spine. If Shido really thinks of him like such a freakish murder-puppet, the man wouldn't blink twice if he suspected Akechi was going rogue. The bastard probably had it all planned out early into their relationship, what he would do should Akechi turn on him. The thought makes his stomach hurt, but that could also just be because of the bullet that ripped into his side.
Akechi starts walking away from the diet building and in the opposite direction of his apartment. He nears a light pole and notices something at the base of it. A figure sits under the light with their back against the pole, slumped forward and barely moving. Slowly, Akechi approaches the figure. He himself is hurt, but whoever this is clearly needs help, assuming they are still alive. For some reason, Akechi feels like he can't just leave them there.
Unexpectedly, he sees none other than Ryuji Sakamoto sitting there. Akechi frantically looks around for the other Thieves, but he can't find a trace of them. Unfortunately, instead of turning and walking away before he's spotted, Ryuji lifts his head and sees him.
"A...kechi?" The blond boy asks quietly. Akechi looks down at him and feels a pang of pity. The guy is beat to hell and looks miserable, which is not an expression Akechi has seen Ryuji make before.
"Where are the others? Are they nearby?" Akechi glances around nervously again, but sees nothing.
"No." Ryuji's mouth twists into an ugly little frown. "They... went out to eat or something."
Akechi draws his eyebrows together as he looks down at the exhausted boy against the pole. A lovely bruise is already forming on his cheekbone just up under his eye.
"Why are you here?" Akechi looks around again, but the area continues to be empty. Ryuji coughs and it sounds almost like a laugh, but without any humor.
"I just need to rest a minute. Palaces really can take a ton outa you, y'know?" Ryuji smiles but it doesn't reach his eyes.
"Visible injuries in palaces don't carry over to the real world." Akechi knows a fake smile when he sees one. He is a self taught expert on the matter after all. Ryuji glances away for a second before looking confused.
"Huh?"
"You're bruised." Akechi clarifies. Ryuji just sighs and looks down at his hands in his lap. It's quiet for a moment long enough to become awkward. Then, Ryuji picks himself up, brushes off the dirt, and smiles at Akechi like he means it. If this is a fake smile, Akechi can't tell. Maybe Ryuji is another expert, or maybe he's just a cheerful idiot.
"Whatever, forget about that!" Ryuji looks over Akechi once more. "Man, you're looking alive, huh?" Akechi can't understand why he would be happy about that. Honestly, he isn't sure if he himself is very happy with this outcome.
"It would seem so." Akechi's side hurts like hell and he can still feel how broken pieces of his helmet dug into his face, but at least none of it shows.
"Man, everyone else is gonna be so psyched to know you didn't die, we all thought for sure you-" Ryuji cuts himself off mid sentence. Hesitantly, he brings his hand up to poke the bruise under his eye. He winces the moment his finger touches skin.
"I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I doubt that is true." Akechi smiles politely. He tried to kill them, after all. Numerous times. They only were being nice to him in the engine room because of pity. It would be so much easier for everyone if he just died there like he was supposed to.
"No, for real!" Ryuji seems to shake off whatever he was thinking a moment ago to smile at Akechi once again. "Dude, Akira's been so bummed since that day. He insisted we finish this palace as soon as possible, really determined to keep his promise with you. Plus Shido is a shitbag that needed to be stopped sooner than later."
Akechi thinks about how he woke up outside of the diet building just a few minutes ago, feeling like he was thrown several feet before he landed hard in the grass. He can't remember much else before that, only that he was dying. The metal floor was an unforgiving deathbed. The partition wall wasn't thick enough to block out the desperate cries of the Phantom Thieves. Something within him changed, there was a surge of power, and then he lost consciousness. He shakes his head to clear it of foggy memories.
"Did you succeed, then? Did you steal his heart?" Akechi hates how hopeful he sounds, but he's also too exhausted to care. After everything, maybe having it be over with is for the best.
"Hell yeah we did!" Ryuji grins. "Or, well, we got his treasure. So uh, hopefully it all goes smoothly this time."
"So his palace is gone?" Akechi can feel his heart beating hard against his chest. For years he's been waiting to one up Shido, and after his spectacular failure in the engine room, the Phantom fucking Thieves take his place. He almost feels disappointed that the palace is gone, despite how ghastly a place it was. He visited it often, without Shido's knowledge of course, so he got rather familiar with it. It was somewhere he blew off steam sometimes when he didn't want to go to Mementos. It being gone leaves a weirdly empty feeling in his chest.
"Yeah, it blew up pretty awesomely." Ryuji grins but slowly it falls. "We almost didn't make it out."
"I wonder how I managed to escape while unconscious when you had a hard time getting out being awake and alert." Akechi folds his arms up to place his hand under his chin thoughtfully.
"I dunno, man. I stopped questioning Metaverse shit a while ago. It's just something I never understand. All that matters is we all got out." Ryuji shrugs carelessly. Akechi kind of hates him for that attitude.
"Well, I like to think I understand the Metaverse very well, and there must be an answer as to how I lived." Akechi tilts his head up to look down on the other. "I'm not the kind of person who just gives up on something because it's confusing."
"Yeah, that's the spirit!" Ryuji seems genuinely happy for him until something clicks in his bleached head. "Hey wait, was that a sneaky insult?!"
Akechi just shrugs. He's not entirely sure why he feels so irritated by Ryuji brushing off the "Metaverse shit" as he so eloquently put it, but he's pissed off enough about it to take some pride in making Ryuji look so betrayed.
"Only to the people who give up on confusing things." Akechi hides his amusement behind a careless attitude. Ryuji hides nothing and pouts angrily.
"I ain't a quitter, man! I just know what I gotta know and do what I gotta do, anything wrong with that?"
"I never said you were a quitter. My, you really are defensive though. Tell me, are you trying to convince me? Or yourself?"
"Y'know." Ryuji glares and folds his arms. "I actually liked you better when you were throwin' a temper tantrum."
Akechi is, for once, speechless. His whole life his survival revolved around his ability to talk his way into and out of anything he desired, but now he finds himself at a total loss. Is it the exhaustion? The unexpected earnesty of Ryuji's words? Or is it because those words brought up the too recent memories of the worst moment of his life.
"... don't make me regret sacrificing myself for you." Akechi decides to say as coldly as possible. Ryuji inexplicably laughs.
"The hell do you mean, sacrifice? You didn't actually die!" Ryuji brushing off Akechi's very real near death experience just angers the boy detective more.
"I could have, I would have, you ungrateful shit." Akechi grinds the words out through clenched teeth. "It's because of me that you're even here to criticize me at all. I could have just left you all to deal with the shadows. Fuck, I could have gone through with what that thing with my face wanted. Joker is still alive because of me. I think you'd show me a little respect."
"Are you for real?" Ryuji laughs like he can't believe what Akechi just said. "Like, are you serious right now? It's because of you that Joker was in any danger to begin with, asshole! Not shootin' him ain't some heroic action. In fact, it's barely an apology for gettin' him arrested in the first place! And all the other shit you did? Man, a half assed self sacrifice doesn't make up for even half the shit you put innocent people through."
"Innocent? Oh, Kunikazu Okumura was hardly innocent-"
"But you didn't have to kill him! Man, you didn't have to kill anyone, but you did!" Ryuji throws his hands to the side angrily. "There was one man you actually wanted to kill, so why didn't you go after him from the start? Why have some twisted plan to give him power and everything he wanted?"
"Just killing him wouldn't be enough! I need to see him suffer. I need to see him at his highest point, and then watch his face when I tear it all back down. I needed to give him something to live for so I could destroy it in front of him. It's what he did to my mother, it's only fair I do it to him." Akechi sneers, but the energy behind it is lacking. "He destroyed her future by infecting her with a child she had no means to care for, and then left her to drown in a society that blamed her for it. He deserves to watch his dreams crumble right when they are within his reach."
Ryuji is silent for a moment, staring at Akechi with a wrinkled brow and dark eyes. Then the expression falls into something sympathetic. Or pitying.
"Infecting? Dude, that's not a good way to talk about yourself."
"And what the fuck do you care about it? It's really quite simple, even an idiot like you could see the logic. Shido was the cause of my mother's death; from the very beginning I was his weapon."
"You shouldn't think like that! You ain't just a weapon, you're a human being!" Ryuji almost sounds like he's pleading.
"Am I? Or was I from birth just a means of destruction?" Ryuji opens his mouth to say something, but Akechi keeps talking. "Am I here because of my choices, or because of my destiny?"
"Shit, uh, Akira's really the one who has more to say about this sorta thing." Ryuji runs his fingers through his hair, making the short blond locks stick out at an odd angle. "But uh, he would say something like, 'don't use fate as an excuse not to try.' Or something like that. Anyway, what I mean is, he don't believe in shit like destiny."
"So I put myself here." Akechi mutters.
"Something like that, yeah. But hey, that doesn't mean you can't change your path now! You been making choices based on what you think other people want, so it's time to make choices about what you want."
Akechi tries to remain straight faced even as Ryuji proudly puts his hands on his hips to strike a heroic sort of pose. He loses his battle and ends up laughing at the sincerity of the poor, sweet, disillusioned boy in front of him.
"What are you, a motivational poster? You gonna go write a self help book now?" Akechi laughs more as Ryuji's expression gets more and more pissed off. Of course, it's the laughter that is pissing him off, so it just runs into a stupid cycle of Akechi deliriously giggling at Ryuji's increasingly pouty face.
Eventually the laughter dies down as Akechi starts to feel his stomach aching. His head also hurts rather terribly, now that he thinks of it. Ryuji isn't looking so pissed anymore; he looks worried instead. Akechi hates to be looked at with such pity, but the throbbing in his head distracts from the intensity of that hate. He sticks an arm out to lean against the light pole, using his other hand to rub his forehead.
"Are you going to tell the others?" Akechi asks. He closes his eyes in preparation for the answer.
"Tell the others?" Ryuji tilts his head in confusion, and bless his stupid soul, he really doesn't know what Akechi is talking about.
Akechi sighs long and hard. "About me. About how I'm still alive?"
"Oh, right, yeah. Well, obviously I'm gonna tell everyone! How could I not? I told ya, Akira's been so bummed thinking you're dead, man. I ain't gonna let my friends mourn you if you're fine."
"Fine," Akechi repeats incredulously.
"Well, uh, I mean, alive. If you're alive." Ryuji is blushing slightly when Akechi raises his head to look at him. It's kind of funny to see him trip over his words trying to save face but Akechi has reached his laughter limit for the day. Maybe for the week.
"I don't want them to know." Akechi shrugs at Ryuji's confused expression. "It's bad enough that you know."
"So, what, you were just gonna bounce and leave us thinkin' you died?"
"That's the gist of it, yes." Akechi isn't expecting the punch to his shoulder that follows his words.
"Ow!" He recoils, holding his aching arm and glaring at the offender. Ryuji shakes out the hand he just used and meets the glare head on.
"You effing bastard, you can't do that to us!"
"Why not? It's not as if you'd ever have known."
"Because we care about you, dumbass!" Ryuji punches Akechi's arm again, but the physical hit brings less of a reaction from Akechi than the words do.
"What? Why would you possibly-" Akechi is stupefied. His mind tries to unpack Ryuji's exclamation but he is unable to figure out the meaning behind it.
"Didn't I already tell you Akira's been a wreck? It's the same for the rest of us, man. We've all been upset over you. You'd just let us carry that for the rest of our lives?"
"Yes. Why would I care how you feel?" Akechi averts his eyes when Ryuji looks at him incredulously.
"Man, I don't think you're really as stone cold as you make yourself out to be." Then Ryuji smiles at him like one would smile at an obstinate child and it nearly knocks Akechi over.
"What the fuck do you know?" Akechi snarls back. "I bet Okumura and Sakura wouldn't say the same. I killed their parents, remember?"
"Maybe they kinda hate you, sure, but they don't want you to be dead!" Ryuji tries to argue.
"They should! You and your goody little Thief friends should have finished me off when you had the chance, save me the trouble of dealing with you now."
"Shut up Akechi!" Ryuji yells loud enough that Akechi fears it could be heard from within the diet building.
"You shut up!" Akechi whisper yells back. "Do you want security guards coming over here?"
Ryuji's eyes widen as he realizes just how loud he really was. He looks around and also realizes how out in the open the two of them are. Anyone walking down the street could see them.
"Shit, maybe we better move-"
"Actually," Akechi straightens up in an effort to look esteemed, but the ache in his side screams at him to relax his body. He ignores the ache and stares Ryuji down. "I think this should be where we part ways, Sakamoto-kun. Tell your friends whatever you want; it won't matter."
"What? No way, I'm not just letting you walk away to go disappear! You need help, man." Ryuji keeps looking at him with so much pity that Akechi could strangle him. If only he had the energy to do so.
"I don't want your help. I don't want anyone's help. And I certainly don't need to become your charity case." Akechi snaps back at the blond.
"What the hell are you talking about, man?" Ryuji looks taken aback. "You ain't a charity case to me!"
"Well, what am I, then?"
"You're angry and hurt and tired, and you shouldn't be alone right now." Ryuji's eyes have a soft compassion held in them that makes Akechi want to throw up and punch him in the face at the same time.
"Fuck you, you don't know what I need-"
"I know because I'm the same way!" Ryuji cuts him off with exasperation. It succeeds in silencing Akechi for the moment. "I feel that same way. So just, come with me, we'll figure it out."
"I would rather be alone than next to you." Akechi regards Ryuji with disdain.
"Don't get me wrong; I don't like you either."
"What? Then why-"
"Despite what you believe, I think suffering alone is bad for you. Believe me, I know."
That stupid, ignorant blond, claiming to understand suffering. If Akechi weren't so damned exhausted, he'd tear the boy a new one. Show him what real suffering feels like.
"You don't know shit, Sakamoto. You think having a shitty teacher break your leg is suffering? You think that having a deadbeat dad that used to hit you is suffering? Shut your fucking mouth." Akechi growls. Ryuji pauses a moment, taking a deep calming breath.
"Okay look, our situations are different, yeah. Doesn't change that you shouldn't be alone. If anything, it proves my point more! You're coming home with me." Ryuji plants his feet to physically show how he isn't budging on this.
"Why?" Akechi hates how his voice breaks. "Why would you ever want to help me?"
"What stupid question is that?" Ryuji crosses his arms and huffs. "It's cuz you need help, duh."
Akechi stands back and shakes his head slowly in disbelief. What kind of idiot response was that? "Cuz you need help." Akechi would laugh at that if his side didn't hurt so damn much.
"... fine. Whatever. You had better not live far, Sakamoto." Akechi resigns himself to his fate of being helped. Ryuji looks so pleased about it, he feels like this is already a mistake.
"Alright! It's not far, promise. C'mon, we'll be there before you know it!" Ryuji's smile shines so brightly for a moment Akechi thinks it actually lights up the area, but then he realizes it's just the light from the pole he's standing under. The smile is still blinding, regardless.
The two walk in blessed silence to the subway. The darkness of the night is a gift as well; the last thing Akechi wants is to be pestered by fans or haters. Luckily, they make it to the train unpestered. Akechi sits down on the seat of the mostly empty train with a huff. Ryuji sits right next to him with an equal amount of exhaustion. A lady across the car looks at them curiously but says nothing. If Akechi weren't so drained of energy and dignity, he'd be internally panicking about the judgemental look in her eyes. As it is, he's just glad she doesn't say anything.
When they finally reach Ryuji's apartment complex, they stop outside the door.
"Okay, so, I'm not sure if my mom's home yet, but if she is, just say you tripped and fell down a hill or something. I don't want her coming up with her own conclusions." Ryuji glances nervously at the door like it'll swing open any second to reveal his mother.
"What about yourself?" Akechi asks.
"Huh?"
"What's your cover story? You're covered in bruises."
"Eh," Ryuji waves the question off. "It won't be the first time. I'll tell her it was the track team or something."
"Actually, that is something I've been wondering. Who was it that gave you those bruises?" Akechi can't stop himself from asking. It's been in the corner of his mind since he found Ryuji sitting against the light pole.
Ryuji glances away a couple times before fully turning to the door. He rests his hand on the handle for a moment.
"... the track team." He says quietly. Then he opens the door.