stealhearted | are you hurting the one you love?

[It's funny, how watching a shadow ambush a guy you refuse to admit to being in love with can take actual years off you life. Or it would be, if it hadn't, you know, taken literal years off Akechi's life.]

[The first one gets his serrated sword rammed through its mask and the rest of it, but the rest that follow come too quickly even for Akechi's immediate anxious rage. He makes a bizarrely possessive attempt to put himself between most of the shadows and Joker, but they're obviously outnumbered and outmatched, so it only does so much. It's not until there's a small, thoughtless break in them as they advance, trying to back the two of them into a corner, that Akechi blindly reaches back and takes Akira's hand. He doesn't look away from the clear shot past them, however small, tugging gently, twice.]

[ Akira gets a nice shot to the side -- it's a fire spell, so at least it cauterizes as it goes, but it definitely gets a pained noise out of him as he goes down on one knee.

Akechi grabs his hand, and in the same instant, Akira sees it. It's the distinctive blue color, spreading across the wall out of the corner of his eye, accessible to both of them if they can make a dash for it between the shadows.

It's risky, because Akira's injured and they're both low on energy and they're outnumbered by several, but -- ]

Go.. [ Akira manages, letting the adrenaline wipe away the pain from his side as he stands back up, grips his hand harder, and starts running through that clear shot to the shadow of the Velvet Room. ]

[Akechi does something akin to snarling like a vicious dog at a few of the shadows after they land an Agi-- Adidyne? He couldn't be sure --on Joker, and it's easier to stay in front of him when he's down but he probably isn't strong enough to carry Joker over his shoulder under normal circumstances, and these were not normal circumstances. He swears, a number of times, under his breath as he tries to come up with a way out of this.]

[The velvet room has never presented itself to him the same way as it has to Akira. He never had multiple persona to sort through and combine, so the only times he ever dealt with the twins and Igor, and later Lavenza, was when they needed to communicate with him about something, typically by way of dreams. So he doesn't see it, but he lets Akira lead when he runs for it, tearing off one of his gloves and throwing it at the closest shadow trying to pursue them, the claws jabbing it in the eye and causing it to flail, preventing a larger cavalry of pursuants.]

[Akira drags them through the door and Akechi can't see it, so one moment they're running and the next everything has turned blue, and the ground has vanished from beneath them and his hand might be crushing Joker's? But his eyes close instinctively and when he opens them he's dropped in a heap on his knees, hand still in Joker's, on the floor in the middle of the Velvet Room.]

[He's pretty sure he's never been that close to dying in the Metaverse other than when he actually died, so excuse him if he struggles to remember how to breathe for a while, his heartbeat hammering too loudly for him to hear anything Lavenza has started saying some paces away.]

「 Please, hold still. 」 [ Is the only thing Lavenza says at first, and then a wave of healing magic washes over both of them, mending their wounds quite efficiently. Akira just lays on the ground, breathing hard as he tries to recover, eventually having the presence of mind to squeeze Akechi's hand back as he sits up.

He runs a hand through his hair, then takes his mask off again. It's still a little weird for him to not be in prisoner's clothes in here, honestly, but spirit of rebellion and all that. ]

...Hey. I was wondering when you'd show up.

[ Lavenza's smile is a little tight, but Igor looks as amused as anything, so Akira assumes that the situation is either not that serious, or so serious that they're basically already dead, in which case nothing matters and he might as well chill.

But also he fought God and won, so. ]

「 Yes. I'm afraid we weren't able to contact you earlier due to this -- fake reality that has been concocted. It seems that we must again ask for your assistance in saving reality. 」

[Sound filters back to him right as Lavenza finishes stating "your assistance in saving reality", and he looks visibly ill for a moment, releasing Joker's hand in favor of folding forward with a hand over his mouth. He's fine, he just needs a moment. Or twenty.]

[From the ground, folded over as he is:] Why is it that you two always know so much but can never do anything about this yourselves? I do mean that as an honest question, despite how aggravated I am to be asking it.

「 Our power... is diminished, if we choose to intervene more than this. 」 [ Lavenza's explanation is clearly leaving a lot out, and she looks a little pained by it, but to be frank, she doesn't think either of them are ready to hear the full explanation about how every persona user and the entirety of humanity are all pawns in a massive game played by two gods wielding the collective unconsciousness of the universe.

Like, these two people in particular are not ready for that because they would go fight all gods involved behind the Denny's at 3AM, and Lavenza knows it. ]

「 We must rely on you. In the end, we are merely messengers more than anything else. 」

[ Akira finally lets go of Akechi's hand, but only because he needs to flex his fingers before he loses literally all feeling in them. ]

Sure. Hey, can I see the Compendium? [ And then Akira's face goes weirdly blank for a moment as he starts rifling through the options presented to him, largely psychically, by Igor, while Lavenza looks slightly helplessly at Akechi. ]

[There will never be a time in his life that Akechi Goro will not go fight all involved Gods behind the Denny's at 3am, it's true.]

[He sits back up, still looking more than a little unwell, and waves his hand dismissively.] I didn't actually require an answer, Lavenza, I know this is our lot and I'm prepared to lie in it I'm just allowing myself some bellyaching about it. [He affords Akira's blankness a brief disparaging frown before he looks back to Lavenza, trying his best to snap into Detective mode.] So? What do you know about this fake Metaverse? What are we dealing with.

「 We know little, I'm afraid. It's a false realm created by someone who wishes to replace your true reality with this one, though they currently lack the power to do so. It seems that whatever they have not been able to achieve, they intend to manufacture. Humanity is ever creative, after all. 」 [ It doesn't entirely sound like a compliment.

Akira snaps back to reality after a moment, and looks at Akechi. ] Do you want Hereward? [ Because he can just. Do that, apparently. ]

[He squints his eyes closed, thinking, until Akira breaks his concentration entirely with the absolute last question he could have expected.]

I'm-- sorry, what?

Uh... I forgot you probably never did this. I can just -- summon them. I'd have to fuse Robin Hood and Loki, like what happened originally, but then you'd have him again. [ A beat, and then: ] I think there's nearly 200 I can summon.

「 192, to be precise, if we're only counting those that you are capable of obtaining yourself. 」

Yeah. I can't, like, use your Persona or anything. [ He looks a little disconcerted by the thought, actually. He's pretty sure Loki would chew him up and spit him out. ]

[He looks... oddly violated for a moment, splaying a clawed hand over his collarbone.] I. Suppose it would be foolish to not.

It's not like you're any less strong. If you don't want to, it's fine. [ Akira says it in that calm way like it really is fine, like it's totally up to Akechi whether or not he agrees to the persona of his literal soul being mushed together. ]

[He squirms in place for a moment, and he's very... Akechi, despite still being in the Loki cognition costume.] I-- is it something I have to decide now immediately, or can I think on it.

[ Akira glances at Lavenza, and Lavenza nods. ]

「 Your access to the Velvet Room will be restored at all the familiar points, so you needn't make any rash decisions -- 」

[ As she says it, there's a vague blur as Akira summons several persona in a row, Igor laughing vaguely at his desk as the shadow of Satanael fills literally the entire room before dispersing. ]

「 ...of course, you're also welcome to do that. 」

[Akechi is dully horrified right now,]

[His expression pinches and he moves-- crawls, because fuck trying to stand right now --to sit closer to him and set a hand on his knee without hesitation.] Will you chill, we don't need every high-artillery Persona you have access to, we don't even know what we're dealing with. And we'll tell the others, you'll have plenty of firepower.

[ Akira looks vaguely wounded. ]

I didn't get a chance to use them much last time. [ He says, like he's a child being denied his favorite toy. It's not like he's worried about them getting lonely or anything, but -- come on, Satanael is cool as heck and he barely got to use him at all.

In part because Akechi was busy mowing through the entirety of Maruki's palace powered by rage and spite. ]

It's better to be prepared, right?

「 ... that might be so. However, I... 」 [ Lavenza trails off, then looks at Akechi helplessly. Wild cards, man. ] 「 ...at any rate, I believe we should both return to gathering what information we can on the situation. You'll know where to find me. 」

[It's like he realizes he's touched Akira only after the fact, and he recoils suddenly. He turns to look at Lavenza's shoes, nodding and making an affirmative sound, standing and putting a few paces between himself and Akira.]

[It's easy enough to assume it's because Igor and Lavenza are watching. He'll ride that for as long as he can.]

Okay. I'll see you guys around. [ Akira looks at Akechi, and gives him a slightly odd look, like he's been tipped off that something isn't right but he can't put his finger on what. His third eye doesn't help him with boy problems, unfortunately. ]

C'mon, it's different when we're not dreaming. [ Akira offers, before he steps through the threshold --

-- and into the evening twilight of the real world, his uniform still crisp and the air warm around him. ]

[He's cold again, but he thinks it's just anxiety, not his body actually slowly shutting down from lack of contact with Akira. Surely, not after...]

[He can't explain why, but as he follows after him to leave, he turns the briefest of looks over his shoulder at Lavenza, like he's asking her what he's supposed to do. If she even sees the look, she has nothing for him, because this is all on him-- it always has been. Stepping through the threshold back to the real world draws a startled gasp from Akechi, and he spins himself in a quick circle that he pointedly stops so he's facing away from Akira. His posture sags, and it's like he's never been to the Metaverse at all, like this was the first time all over again, exhaustion pulling heavy on his limbs.]

[He looks back to where they came from, but he can't see the glowing blue doorway like Akira can. He might sometimes be able to find Lavenza, and she might sometimes guide him through it without seeing it, but this isn't one of those times.]

Hey. [ Akira's voice is soft and a little tense. He reaches out -- hesitates -- and then keeps going, letting his fingers tug at the edge of Akechi's sleeve, concern clear on his face even behind the glasses he still tends to wear in his day to day life. He never went back home, after all; he's still wearing masks in Tokyo. ]

Are you okay? [ Akira's fingers reach out to try and find bare skin, seeking it out automatically, like it's something he can fix through contact. So many of Akechi's moods go deeper than that, but Akira never stops trying.

Truthfully, he just wants to feel the warmth of Akechi's skin under his own fingers. ]

[He nods, moving just enough to look down at their hands where Akira touches him, suddenly very lacking in approximately everything. He nods, a slow and careful gesture, and looks up briefly to just close his eyes and then angle his head away again.]

[It communicates that he's tired wordlessly, at least.]

Okay. [ Akira gives a surreptitious glance around, but in the real world, filled with real people with their real lives, no one is giving them a second glance, so he just entangles their fingers for a long moment and then shrugs the groceries back up onto his wrist. ]

Let's go home. [ Akira starts walking again, heading to Leblanc. ] Do you want everyone to come over today, or tomorrow?

[He honestly feels like he can't speak. It's a sudden and bizarre side effect of his existentialism, but falling into step trailing behind Akira, he opens his mouth and just... can't make his voice leave his throat.]

[So he just shakes his head to the question-- tomorrow, he might be able to handle the group tomorrow. Not today. Today he's... not sure what he is, now that the gravity of the last hour is piledriving him into the Yongen-Jaya streets.]

[ Akira waits until they hit closer to Leblanc before he takes Akechi's hand again. He steps into the cafe and it's just them and Sojiro, and if Sojiro doesn't already know they're dating Akira will eat Sojiro's hat, so he doesn't even think to unlink their hands. ]

Sorry, we're running a little late. [ Sojiro waves them off, and Akira steps over to the fridge to put away the perishables. He doesn't think they're up to making dinner tonight after all, but he might do it later if he finds he can't sleep. For now, he practically drags Akechi upstairs, small tugs on his hand until they're in the attic proper. A sweeping glance tells him that Morgana is at Futaba's again, so Akira can look at Akechi, clearly concerned. ]

...is there anything I can do? [ Because he knows that sometimes, Akechi has to be the one to get himself out of his own head. ]

[Akira's worry hurts. He thinks it's always hurt, but now especially, for some reason it's like being stabbed with a bread knife, slowly sawing the wound open in a terrible back and forth motion. Looking at him makes it harder, so he doesn't, just shakes his head again slowly at the question. He wants to apologize, but he fucking can't, he just can't. It's infuriating.]

[He does manage a short, wobbly sort of smile, raising the hand Akira isn't holding to wave it in front of his face like he's trying to brush away the concern. It's fine. He's fine, Akira. Please, let him pretend he's fine.]

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