scaling | ( for fabrications )

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Akira hadn't thought seeing him in person would affect him as much as it does. After all, he's had two months to mentally prepare himself for this moment.

And yet, the sight of Goro Akechi, alive and in the flesh, perfectly put-together and looking like he was made to sit under the studio lighting, makes him feel... some kind of way. Unsettled, for sure, knowing what he knows now. Then again, there's a part of him that hasn't stopped feeling unsettled since he first (well, perhaps first isn't accurate) jolted awake to find himself on the train to Yongen-Jaya again. In one piece. Not bleeding out on the ground with a megalomaniacal pseudo-god bearing down on him. And, most importantly, as the only one with any recollection of all they'd been through.

It doesn't take Akira long to come to the most logical conclusion: That somewhere along the line, he screwed up. Somehow, it hadn't been enough, and now he has an opportunity to fix it—which would be a lot easier if he were to have some notion of what, specifically, he needs to fix, or even if this is a one-time deal.

At first, he tries copying his previous motions as closely as possible. People always talk about their regrets like they would change them in a heartbeat, given the chance, but the thought of altering the timeline as he knows it is overwhelming. The more Akira steps away from his previous path, the less accurate his existing knowledge may become, the bigger the chance that he may miss something important from the first time around.

That reasoning goes out the window pretty quickly. Akira finds that he can't watch Shiho Suzui jump off that building again, can't go through hearing that agony in Ann's voice a second time when he can so easily prevent it. So he stops her. It's what the Phantom Thieves would do. And things change... but not in a way that affects the flow of events in any profound way. Ann still stumbles after them into the Metaverse and finds the conviction to awaken her persona, somehow. He's not sure how it works out, but it does. What Akira does know is that fate is what you make of it. If he believes in his teammates, they'll end up where they need to be.

But for all of that, he still wavers as they're leaving the recording area. Up until now, the decisions to change things have been easy. Akechi, on the other hand... where to start? Is it even salvageable? Akira's not certain, but when he thinks of their last meeting in Shido's palace, Akechi's remark about the possibility of them meeting a few years earlier, the sounds of gunshots echoing from the other side of the bulkhead—he can't not try. It's not years, but maybe this handful of months will be enough.

Akira lets Ann go ahead with a nod, sliding his hands into his pockets as he tries to maintain his usual casual demeanor. Any moment now...

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The offer is one that not even Akechi thought he would have extended a few days ago. The frustration, the betrayal, the hatred, the anger, all of them with clear origins but no obvious direction, had been boiling just under the surface back then. But, again, nearly dying had picked up the mental filing cabinet labeled 'priorities' and dumped it all over the floor, leaving Akechi to put everything back and ending up with an order that's different, but somehow better.

Hearing Akira agree to it despite everything - the things Akechi has done, the things he's said, the thoughts he's allowed to slip in heated moments - sends a spark of excited joy rushing through him, and it might be the most unfamiliar emotion he's felt in months. For once he doesn't get caught up in analyzing it or trying to box it up and set it aside. He just lets it happen, enjoying the warm feeling it sends washing over him and not even trying to stop the uncharacteristically sunny smile it inspires.

"I couldn't agree more." Like a switch being flipped, he suddenly no longer wants to return to his apartment. He wants to stay here, relaxing in Akira's presence on this rundown couch in his strange bedroom. The most childish part of him insists that 'forever' would be a good amount of time to stick around, but realistically he knows that even just a few hours would be alright. He has no idea how to address it, though, so he sidesteps it in favor of another not-quite-joke. "And it'll be nice to have an excuse to keep patronizing Leblanc."

The brightness of Akechi's expression catches him off guard, unhampered at the edges like his usual restrained, polite smile. Knowing that, in this moment, it's just for him is enough to make Akira's heart do somersaults in his chest. It's kind of criminal that he doesn't get to smile like this all of the time. Akira is struck by the urge to drive away whatever worries and fears and anger usually bury this spark of light, and—geez, he's in serious trouble. Not that that's anything new for Akira, and, as per usual, the rush of it only draws him further in when it should push him away.

"You don't need an excuse to visit," he says, calling back to a much older conversation. "You're always welcome here." Even Sojiro had taken the news of Akechi's role in everything in stride. It might have surprised Akira if he weren't already aware of the soft, understanding heart hiding under the gruff exterior.

There's a pause before he adds, "Up here too. The past couple of days have been a lot of fun." Grievous wounds aside, of course. It would be nice to do this again under better circumstances, when he's not concerned for their safety and can simply enjoy Akechi's company.

It doesn't take long for the smile to diminish, fading from relentless cheer to something more subdued. His smile is still warm, though. Even his tendency to shy away from revealing his actual thoughts on something isn't enough to totally stifle the expression.

'Fun' isn't exactly the word Akechi would have used to describe the past few days, but once Akira says it he can't help but feel like it fits. It has been fun, when he's been conscious and not idly wondering if he's still at risk of dying.

"Perhaps we can attempt a repeat in a less stressful situation." If it's managed to be fun now, he can only imagine how much they'll enjoy it without the threat of death or discovery hanging over their heads. "Though I'll have to insist that you stay in your own bed next time."

Akechi idly reflects that it would be nice if they could both take the bed, but that's an urge he sharply reins in on. He's only recently started to realize that there's a non-platonic cherry on top of the complicated sundae of emotions he feels for Akira. There may never be a good time to voice thoughts like that out loud, so right now is definitely too early.

To think, he went from having no idea how to go about befriending Akechi other than blindly throwing himself into it, all the way to discussing future sleepovers with him. That thought alone makes him laugh a little, though it can also apply to the comment about the bed.

"Nope," he denies easily, shaking his head. Akechi in his bed is a dangerous concept, one he's entertained before, though a gunshot wound isn't quite the scenario his imagination cooked up. Still, Akira is both a good host and incredibly stubborn, so he's not just going to give in on this one. At least not without a fight.

And he's always open to a little friendly competition with Akechi. "We'll have to put it to a chess game when the time comes. Loser takes the bed."

Akechi had said earlier than he looked forward to Akira being more uncooperative, and going by his keenly interested expression this is exactly the sort of thing he was talking about. Though the challenge Akira presents...

"In that case, you could just tell me to take the couch." Akechi doesn't actually believe that, though. His expression is cheery and his tone is mild, but it's only a deliberate attempt to nettle Akira into giving him an even better fight than he normally would.

"Wow, and I was trying to be nice by not making it a video game," Akira laughs. Although, he has to watch his back even there now. Akechi is the type to improve terrifyingly fast; it's only a matter of time until they're on equal footing in the virtual realm as well. "Just wait. I'll make you eat those words, Goro Akechi."

It's the same playful posturing that he knows Akechi is doing. Even if Akira does have a reason to want to win, at the end of the day, the list of things he'd actually be a sore loser over is extremely short, and this is not on it. It's just more fun this way, with a little verbal poking to draw out each other's competitive sides.

Unlike 'last time', Akechi has never faced off with Akira knowing him to be his enemy. Still, this easy banter feels like a welcome change. There's an unavoidable sense of relaxation that comes with knowing that this 'standoff' isn't enough to inspire hurt feelings between them. Akechi's good mood persists even once the conversation drifts. He still leaves later that night, but he doesn't feel quite so much like he's been an imposition when he does.

It's a little frustrating to have to throw out so much of the food he bought for Akira's initial sleepover, though.

But that's not something he dwells on. The next day he waits for Akira's message calling them together and shows up shortly afterwards. It's very, very strange to be in the same room as the Phantom Thieves, and even stranger to be considered a part of the group again. The whole situation leaves him feeling decidedly tense, and his tone is notably more even and somber than usual once it's his turn to speak. He doesn't hesitate, however. Akira may have most of the information they need, but Akechi is still more than willing to fill in any gaps in their knowledge - not to mention share his theories on what the Cognitive version of himself is capable of, the battery of skills he's been hiding from them so far, and how much he expects his injury to impede them (which isn't much.)

The initial trip back into Shido's Palace, as expected, almost immediately results in a confrontation with the Cognitive Akechi, though it's smarter this time and ambushes them in an area where they can be more easily cornered. To say the situation is tense and uncomfortable for Akechi is an extreme understatement, especially with how well that thing knows him and how easily it can lay out all of his missteps and insecurities. It's easier to deal with when he's not alone, though - and it would be a lie to say that 'killing' it doesn't make him feel some kind of positive way. Even so, he's very quiet for the rest of that day's excursion, and doesn't say much during the next group chat and pre-infiltration meeting.

While he still heavily favors Robin Hood when he's with the Phantom Thieves, Loki ends up being a better fit for more than a few situations. He eventually gets used to the altered ebb and flow of battle now that new tactics are on the table. He has no idea how different the mission is for Akira, now that things have changed; he can't bring himself to ask, but he hopes his presence has made it easier.

When the subject inevitably comes up, he can't give an adequate explanation for why he gets two outfits, beyond him not being able to imagine summoning Robin Hood with the outfit that 'belongs' to Loki, or vice versa. It's a slightly weird thing to think about, though, so he jumps right to participating in and encouraging the conversation when Ann and Yusuke get distracted debating what sort of new outfits Akira might have gotten if his clothes changed more than once, too. He's back to feeling like himself after that.

At one point, almost immediately after they've departed the Metaverse for the day, Akechi gets a call from Shido demanding that he start tying up loose ends immediately. When talking Shido down doesn't work and, in fact, only gets Akechi yelled at, he agrees to get to work, only to turn around and tell the other Phantom Thieves that their deadline has been shortened to just a few days.

But when it comes time to send the calling card Akechi (and everyone else, he can allow himself to acknowledge) instantly sees a slight problem: both he and Akechi will be painting a target on themselves. Akechi, never one for simple solutions, is already contemplating the risks of waiting out the storm in the Metaverse when Akira proposes something much more mundane. Akechi can't see why it wouldn't work, so he gathers a few things for his apartment, braces himself for the fact that the place is bound to be ransacked, and heads to the meeting spot without any complaints.

Even so, he can't believe he's actually about to spend the night in a manga cafe. Akechi gives the building an exasperated look, which he prompts slides towards Akira.

"Do we compete to decide who pays here, too?"

With his and Akechi's knowledge combined, Shido's Palace is much easier to traverse than it was the previous time. They're able to navigate with minimal battles, sneaking from to location of one VIP to the next. It's still incredibly long, both in process and the path they need to map out through the ship to get everything they need—reflective of exactly how deep and winding the road to get close to Shido is. Although Akira knew before that the man trusts no one, doing this a second time around just drives the point home.

While the subject matter they encounter is also no less heavy, at least the worst of it happens in the beginning, when the cognitive version of Akechi drops in on them. The Phantom Thieves have never relished in the violence they have to use in the Metaverse, but Akira feels a definite satisfaction seeing Shido's twisted interpretation of Akechi disperse into dark smoke once defeated. He's not sure Akechi will ever be able to fully let go of his past; still, it feels like one tiny step closer.

Once that's out of the way, the following infiltrations feel a bit lighter, a little more hopeful. Akira's original goal had been only to keep Akechi alive through this; watching him reintegrate with the group, no more lies to serve as barriers between them, does funny things to his emotions. It's impossible not to look to the future when he sees this, even though he knows his focus should be entirely on the current mission.

Still, they manage to complete the route to the treasure, pushing hard in the last stretch after Akechi informs them of Shido's whims. The calling card (and thus the news that Akira is very much alive) causes just as much of an uproar as before, and this time he knows to warn Sojiro beforehand about the impending company at Leblanc so that he can steer clear. As for he and Akechi, well…

"Don't give me that look. It's better than it sounds," he says with mild amusement once he catches the expression on his companion's face. "And it was my idea. I'll pay for it."

He knows Akechi would've chosen camping out in the Metaverse if left to his own devices. This is most surely the more comfortable option between the two, which isn't saying a whole lot, but at least they don't have to worry about danger. No one in their right mind would look for Goro Akechi in a manga café, anyway.

Still, he's plenty recognizable, so after they head inside and up the elevator, Akira handles the task of reserving and paying for an overnight space. Soon enough, they're tucked into their own little cubicle. It's… somewhat cramped with two people, sure, but comfortable enough otherwise. Akira sets his bag on the desk and is quietly grateful that he didn't allow Morgana to tag along with them despite his insistence. The walls of this thing would've been far too thin to muffle his constant meowing.

Akechi was mostly joking about competing to decide who pays for the cafe, but he resolves to let Akira cover it anyway. It's true that he's way too easy to recognize. Even dressing down (which for Akechi entails nothing more than switching to a nice winter coat that has a hood, then wearing said hood up) the odds of someone accurately identifying him are high. So he hangs back and let's Akira handle the transaction, all the while trying to pretend that he doesn't find this whole thing kind of exciting.

He only does an okay job at that last part, though. He looks around with a good deal of interest as they make their way to their little cubicle, which doesn't fade as they step inside said cubicle and set their bags aside. It's definitely smaller than he expected, but it's not like Akechi is used to luxury. There's room to stretch out and room for them to lay side-by-side (another one of those weirdly exciting thoughts) without jostling each other. It'll be fine.

"I think I can see why someone could tolerate living here short-term." It's not great, but it's not as bad at Akechi was anticipating.

Akira is very pointedly not thinking about their future sleeping arrangements. It's one thing to sleep across the room from Akechi. Lying within arm's reach is something else entirely—a test of sorts, and one he'll pass even if it means thinking of the most unappealing things possible all night.

"It's fine as long as you can handle the noise," he agrees, shrugging off his own jacket before taking a seat near one of the walls. There's a constant hum of activity around them, but Akira is thankfully a deep sleeper. He's not so sure about Akechi, and silently he wonders if he should've bought a pair of earplugs from the desk just in case. Well, he can always go grab some if necessary.

Sleep is still a ways off, though. It's still relatively early in the evening, and the feeling of just having sent off a calling card, not to mention this whole act of hiding away in an unfamiliar place with Akechi, has his mind thrumming with excitement. And speaking of the calling card…

A thought occurs to him. "Has he called yet?" Akira doesn't need to specify who. There's no doubt that Shido is going to be demanding answers from Akechi soon, if he hasn't already right before they met up.

Not even Akechi is sure how well he'll handle the noise. Years of constantly moving between various foster and group homes has let him adapt to sleeping in all sorts of noisy and changing environments, but he's also grown used to the comfortable silence of his apartment these days.

The question sends Akechi digging into his pocket and withdrawing his phone. He checks the screen briefly before holding it up for Akria to see, showing two missed calls and, ominously enough, one voicemail from an unlisted number.

"He must be furious." Akechi doesn't sound at all disturbed by the idea, though. His tone is calm and bordering on haughty. It's small, but it's nice to get under Shido's skin like this. "He's the sort of person that expects other people to pick up right away. Anyone who misses it has to call him back and hope he feels like answering." Akechi doesn't think he's ever even gotten a voice mail from him.

When he peers at the screen, Akira isn't at all surprised to find the evidence that Shido has been trying to get in touch with Akechi. From the conversations he listened in on during Sae's Palace, he has a pretty good idea of how Shido speaks to his subordinates. There's no way he's taking the silence well right now.

It’s kind of funny, actually, but Akira manages to temper his amusement down to a glint in his eyes. Shido is still dangerous.

But only for one more night. By tomorrow evening, this part will all be behind them. "How are you feeling?" he asks, crossing his arms over his knees. This time, stealing Shido's heart feels even more significant—they'll be releasing Akechi from the last of his control, from years of being under his influence. Akira can't imagine what kind of emotions he must be experiencing right now.

The question isn't jarring or unexpected, but Akechi is silent for a long moment before responding. Even though it's something he's considered prior to this coming up with an actual answer is pretty tricky.

"Strange," is what he eventually replies with. "I always knew it would be ending soon, but not this soon - and not under these circumstances." He definitely didn't think he'd be spending the final night of their plan laying low in a manga cafe with a guy he has some extremely complicated feelings for. "I thought I would be excited or uneasy, but instead I'm just calm."

That's relatable. If anything stands out to Akira right now, it's how incredibly strange their current situation is. He thinks he might have more nerves about being in such close quarters with Akechi for the night than about going after Shido tomorrow. At least with the latter, he has no doubt about their success. The former... is still uncharted territory.

"I thought I would be more worked up too. So that's good at least." Being crammed into a space like this would probably only magnify any feelings of unease.

Akira's tone takes on a humorous edge as he continues, "Well, it looks like we're getting an early start on our 'normal lives.' Want me to go grab you some manga?"

Akechi would agree with that much. Right now, the small space feels more cozy than stiffing, but he's sure it he were more nervous it would be unbearable. Fortunately, the prospect of spending time with Akira is holding his attention more than the prospect of facing down Shido tomorrow. But that's an incredibly silly thing to prioritize over the biggest job any of them have ever undertaken, so Akechi silently nudges the thought aside.

"You wouldn't rather watch detective dramas all night?" It's easy to meet humor with humor, even if Akechi thinks he'd be perfectly happy with that. Video games would also be fun, but in the end... "I suppose it wouldn't make much sense to come to a manga cafe and not read manga."

"With you spoiling all of the plot twists?" Akira fires back, recalling Akechi's past comment.

Really, he should've thought to pack something to keep them entertained, but the plan to come here was rather last minute. If the chess board fit in his bag, Akira would've dumped the whole thing in there—but alas, it wouldn't have, and especially not after Makoto reminded him that he should bring along his textbooks. He may not be able to attend school while he's 'dead,' but that's not going to excuse him from knowing the material once exams roll around.

He's a little surprised that Akechi agrees to the joking suggestion. A smile unfurls, Akira leaning forward a bit. "Alright. Anything in particular you're interested in?" There's kind of a lot, and while he has some idea of Akechi's tastes, a little bit of guidance still wouldn't hurt.

"That's the problem with being a genius." He never gets to have fun with mysteries anymore, except that the thrill of being right makes ruining the surprise worth it.

Akechi catches himself wondering if they might not have board games, too, but he stops short of actually asking Akira to look for one. He's not sure he has the attention span for something like that, which makes answering Akira's next question a little easier.

"I'm not picky about the genre, but something simple." He just wants something easy to pick up and easy to set down, he thinks. "Though if we spend too much time reading I'll get in trouble with Niijima-san for not making you study." Akechi should probably study himself, but he did well on the mock exams and doubts he'd retain much right now even if he tried right now, anyway.

"Watch out," Akira warns as he pushes himself up, "she might get you to tutor me to make up for it. Maybe even all of us," he adds, comically sinister. Akira himself has no trouble retaining the necessary information; he's top of his class for a reason. Some of his friends, on the other hand... There's definite humor in imagining Akechi trying to contend with Ryuji's seemingly permanent mental block towards studying.

Now that he has a task to complete, Akira slips out of their cubicle and heads for the shelves of manga. He can't help but wish that he could peruse them with Akechi, but it's much safer and sensible for him to stay tucked out of sight as much as possible. It'll just have to go on the list of things to do once they're past all of this—a list Akira didn't quite realize he's been forming until now. Huh.

It takes a solid ten or so minutes (although it doesn't feel nearly so long for Akira as he gets swallowed up by the selection), but he eventually returns with a few volumes in hand. A couple are for Akechi—a short thriller series that Akira isn't familiar with but seemed intriguing enough from the summary on the back cover—and he passes them over before returning to his previous spot. "It seemed like something you might be interested in."

Tutoring Akira doesn't sound like a bad time, but all of them? Akechi actually looks worried. Ryuji and Ann are both bound to be a pain, especially Ryuji. Then again, if he could trick Ryuji into carting around all his winnings in Sae's Palace then surely he can trick him into learning something.

The ten minutes Akira is away pass quickly for Akechi, too. He listens to Shido's voicemail several times over, making sure he has it memorized and taking a few notes on its contents before he finally deletes it. By the time Akira returns he's gotten caught up in reviewing and writing down a few other notes in his journal, though he's easily pulled out of it when Akira returns.

"Welcome back." It's a quick, simple not-joke before he takes the offered volumes. He gives them a quick glance, then nods at Akira's assumption. "Probably." He takes a mental note of the title, but that's not the most immediately interesting thing to him right now. "What did you get?"

His eyes flicker over Akechi's journal as he passes over the books. Akira is curious, but so is Akechi, who manages to get out his question before he can think to ask about the contents of the notes.

Akira glances down at the volume in his own hands before holding it up for Akechi to see. "A sports manga I haven't kept up with in a while," he explains, tucking the book back into his lap after. He's not the type to be particular about genres either, so long as the story is interesting, but something mundane seemed about right today. There isn't much motivation to read about drama and heroics when he has more than enough of that in his life at the moment.

If Akechi catches Akira looking towards his notebook (he doesn't) thne he gives no indication of it. It's not like he has much in heard Akira doesn't already know about.

He's a little surprised when Akira holds up something as mundane as a sports manga, but after a moment the reasoning clicks.

"Something mundane must be a nice break." Akechi can't imagine much in the way of fictional excitement could compare to being an actual, real-life phantom thief. Then again, what does that say about Akechi and his persistent fondness for mystery novels? He'll ignore that thought and focus on the subject of sports for now. "You aren't in any clubs, are you?" He can't imagine he is. Not with his record and how dramatically the situation with Shujin's volleyball club played out.

Akira shakes his head, and when he elaborates, he doesn't sound particularly bothered by the reason. "When I first came to Shujin, most of the other students didn't want anything to do with me. Joining a club would've been difficult…" And now he's glad that he didn't. Turns out Phantom Thievery and everything that comes with it takes up a large portion of his free time. Akira shrugs, adding, "I ended up taking on some part-time jobs instead." They probably did as much for building character as a school club would have, plus the scheduling is a lot more flexible.

He's curious, though—Akechi's school life isn't something he knows much about. Akira can't quite see him being able to balance a club on top of everything either, but it wouldn't be the most impressive thing he's done if the assumption is false. "Are you in any?"

Well that's depressing - or it would be, if it seemed to bother Akira at all. Akechi isn't surprised that it doesn't. Considering the amount of time he's spent in the Metaverse Akechi can't imagine he has time for much else - or need for additional friends.

"I'm not." Not that Akechi has time, either. "I started working during my first year of high school, so between that and maintaining my grades I didn't think there was any time for a club." So at least they have favoring work over school clubs in common, too. He doesn't add that he hadn't joined a club in middle school, though. Admitting that he'd never bothered because of the high odds of unexpectedly being moved to another foster home too far away from his current school would bring down the mood considerably. "Though if I were to join one, I think I might choose the broadcasting club."

As expected. He's sure, however, that unlike himself, that by now Akechi has no shortage of invitations to join. Having someone so well-known would be a boon to any club.

The hypothetical choice isn't much of a surprise, either. But as with all things related to Akechi, Akira wants to dig in deeper and find out more. He's yet to come out of one of these conversations feeling like he had his fill. "Do you like being on TV that much? Or are you just familiar with it from experience?" he asks, curiosity plain. It's all too easy to imagine, but the thought does bring a spark of amusement to his eyes. "You'd have to let someone else handle the interviews, though. I think you would grab all of the attention from the other person."

"Is it that obvious?" Akechi says it like a joke, but he's sure it's more than just a lucky guess. Even if he hasn't spelled it out so plainly to Akira as he had 'last time', Akechi has still been open about how important his image is to him. He's sure Akira has realized his multiple television appearances are just part of that.

Still, it's nice to know that Akira's assumption about his reasoning isn't completely on point.

"It's partially familiarity, but I'm actually curious about the rest of the process." He sets his stack of manga aside as he explains, already more invested in this particular conversation. "I know how to work with broadcasting crews when I'm the one being interviewed, but I think hands on experience with the day-to-day work that goes on behind the scenes would be a valuable experience." As for Akira's next comment... "So that might stop me from stealing the spotlight - at least for a little while."

( for fabrications )

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