bakerstreet | picture prompt meme;

[ A terrible storm always leaves a period of uneasy, eerie quiet in its wake. After the whirlwind that was their last couple of forays into Shido's Palace, Akira's stuck in that state, playing a waiting game. It's not about the change of heart. Time and time again, they've received the same results. As rotten as Shido is, his confession is coming.

No, it's about the boy currently resting in his bed.

Managing to pull Akechi out of the Metaverse still breathing felt like a miracle at the time. It still does. Breaking through that bulkhead would've been impossible. It took looping all the way back to the main hallway and finding another route down into the engine room to reach him. The relief that he was alive after the time it took was offset by the panic that simmered right below the surface, seeing that much blood.

Luckily, between testing the limits of healing inside the Metaverse and the slight mending of the wounds when they returned to reality, it was enough that Takemi could patch him up to a reasonable degree. Taking Akechi to a hospital would've been too dangerous with Shido and his goons still at large. Even after they finish the job, Akira didn't feel comfortable with the idea, so back to Leblanc it was.

And that leaves him here, tending to someone who tried to kill him and then tried to sacrifice himself to save Akira's life all in the span of a few weeks, waiting for a moment of wakefulness lucid enough to have a real conversation with him.

Maybe Akechi himself is the storm, he considers as he carries his favorite coffee mug, freshly filled, up the stairs. Maybe he's a hurricane, and this tense and unsettling calm is just the eye of it. Either way, Akira is just hoping that something will happen soon. ]

[ His near-death experience and what transpired shortly before it have taken a heavy toll on him, both mentally and physically. He didn't think he would survive, he wasn't supposed to, but through the moments of consciousness he drifts in and out of, he gains some awareness that he has. Regrettably. It's an awareness that solidifies into certain knowledge when he finally wakes for real. The first thing he notices is the aching in his whole body when he stirs, the pain and exhaustion turning his limbs heavy and his brain foggy. He's no stranger to either feeling though, countless times he's pushed himself to his limits in the Metaverse and ended up in a similar state. This time feels worse than any before it, but he still doesn't succumb to the temptation of sinking back into the blissful oblivion of unconsciousness.

The second thing he notices is the faint smell lingering in the air, it's one that's familiar and he's come to associate with a homely comfort he could never personally have. Coffee and curry spices. He already knows where he is before he actually opens his eyes.

Leblanc.

How he's come to be here, he doesn't remember. Everything feels like a blur, just hazy flashes of pain and voices. He only remembers enough to know that he shouldn't be here, finding himself in the bed of someone he tried to kill and tried to die for. He doesn't know how to feel about it and that uncertainty increases when he lifts his arm to touch his pounding head and discovers that his wounds have been tended to, that he's been cared for, when he's always had to do it himself.

So he ignores it along with the protests of his body as he struggles to sit up. Before he can try to figure out his next step, he notices the creaking of the stairs, glancing over in time to see a familiar figure emerging. His stomach drops a little and at a rare loss for words, he just blurts out the first question that occurs to him. ]

How long...?

[ He starts and then stops when he finds his voice too hoarse and cracking to continue, mouth pressing into a displeased line at the sound of it. ]

[ His grip on the cup almost falters when he sees Akechi sitting up as he crests the top of the stairs. It doesn't necessarily mean he's really awake, but the question he croaks gives Akira the impression that he's a lot more aware of the situation than he has been previously. Looks like he got his wish.

Somehow he manages to keep his calm demeanor intact as quick steps carry him across the room. He's been keeping water and painkillers nearby, just in case. The relief that floods in is far less compromised this time, although it's hard not to feel a shadow of the sharp pang he felt back in the engine room. He looks so drained and weak, swathed in various bandages. ]

Four days.

[ Four excruciatingly long days—but he knows that his own distress is easily eclipsed by whatever Akechi must be feeling and thinking right now.

Akira sets down his coffee and instead takes up the glass of water to offer it. Whether he can drink it on his own is another matter entirely, but he has a feeling Akechi would prefer to at least be given the chance to attempt it. ]

Here. Then you need to lie back down. You're still recovering.

[ Four days.

It's not really a surprise given the last clear memory he has of what happened — he shouldn't be awake at all, really — yet the information comes as a bit of a slap in the face all the same, making his brows furrow. Four days he's been unconscious and, presumably, kept here in Akira's attic room. Being here- no, being alive at all doesn't settle well with him when he'd been so ready to let go and not have to struggle anymore. It had felt like a relief, passing on his revenge and letting his last action be the right one.

So much for that.

His expression smooths out as Akira reaches his side and sets his cup (smelling oh-so-tantalizing) aside to offer him a glass of water. Akechi doesn't take it right away. Not out of wariness, but because he needs a moment to take a steadying breath to still the tremor in his hand before he can lift his arm to take it. As much as he wants to chug the whole thing the second he feels water touching his lips, he finds that he can't move his head much without his world being send spinning; tilting it back is out of the question. Taking small, slow sips and nursing the glass for a while it is. ]

I think after four days, I'd rather stay upright for a bit.

[ At least the water has helped his parched throat and his voice to sound a touch better. Even if the action of raising and lowering the glass already feels like too much and it visibly takes him effort, he stubbornly remains seated.

There's too much he wants to know, the fog in his head be damned. ]

What happened after—?

[ Fixing his gaze on Akira steadily as he can, he makes a vague gesture at himself to indicate the state he's in. After getting shot doesn't need to be voiced aloud. ]

[ Stubborn even like this. Akira briefly considers pushing him back down—not like Akechi can fight it when he can barely lift the glass—but decides, in a rare wise moment, to pick his battles. The conversation that's bound to follow will probably be met with some resistance on Akechi's side as well.

There's a chair already pulled up alongside the bed, a station he's taken often over the past few days. Akira sinks into it, sinks lower, until his forearms are crossed over his knees. How to even begin to sum up the last few days? It might be best to start in broad strokes and let Akechi ask any questions he may have. ]

We had to find another way into the engine room. We found the treasure room on the way, but...

[ But they couldn't just leave Akechi there if there were even the slightest chance of him being alive. Akira isn't sure what happens to a real person who dies in the Metaverse and never wants to be in the position to find out, but the possibility of pulling him out of there and getting help far outweighed the risk of what they would've found. ]

A doctor I know patched you up. Once we knew you were stable, we sent the calling card. [ He pauses. Akechi should've been there for this part. No one deserved to make Shido answer for his crimes more than him, but it would've taken too long for him to get back into fighting shape. They couldn't delay that long. ] Then we finished it. We're still waiting for his confession to go public.

[ If he wasn't so exhausted and hurting — if he didn't have anywhere to be at all — he might have gotten impatient with the way Akira settles into the chair, sinking down and not immediately providing the answers he seeks. As it stands, he has nowhere to be or even go and way more time on his hands than he expected to have. He's in no particular rush here.

And so he just waits and then listens closely as Akira starts talking, letting the words wash over him. That they'd gone back for him is incomprehensible to Akechi, something he can't quite grasp. Although that's nothing new where the Phantom Thieves are concerned. Pushing the confusion aside for the moment, his attention is snared by the next statement.

'We sent the calling card.'

Hearing those words it's as if he's been hit with relief and dread all at once, knowing what's likely to follow. He redirects his gaze to stare down at where his hands have come to rest in his lap, lightly clutching the glass, and— there it is. It's done. It's not the revenge he wanted and he wasn't there for it, but it's something. He breathes through the conflicting emotions that arise at the knowledge, releasing some of the tension through a quiet, small sigh before he speaks. ]

I see. Thank you... for keeping up your end of the deal.

[ He manages to sound steady and calm though it changes with his next question, the confusion bleeding through in his voice and expression as he glances back at Akira again. ]

But why did you come back for me? You should have left me there.

I told you I would.

[ Even if Akechi hadn't shown up that day and tried to stop them, Shido was in their crosshairs. Still, that promise forged through sheets of metal spurred Akira to pursue his change of heart with more ferocity and conviction than any before it. Shido had to answer for more than just his crimes. He had to pay for the countless lives he ruined in the process—Akechi's most of all.

No, to say it's ruined implies that there's no chance of recovery. That's not true. Akechi's final gambit proved that much. Revenge may have consumed him, but not entirely. Akira's seen honest glimpses of the person underneath the writhing rage, both in quiet moments here in Leblanc and during their time as teammates.

So he frowns slightly at the question that follows. ]

I wasn't going to leave you to die.

[ Even if it were just Akira by himself, he would have found a way to drag Akechi out of the Palace. ]

I didn't want you to.

[ For all that Akechi has never trusted anyone in his life, he trusted that Akira would keep his word. It doesn't matter that the Phantom Thieves were already going after Shido anyway, it was still something he personally entrusted to the one person he felt he could. If anyone could see through what he started, it would be the boy who has proved to be his foil. And by the sound of it, Akira has succeeded just like Akechi thought he would. That's enough to warrant gratitude. Even conflicted as he is, there is sincerity to his words of thanks.

That they went ahead and are waiting to gain confirmation of their victory ultimately doesn't come as a surprise.

Akechi being here, alive, saved by the very people he tried his hardest to dispose of is. Akira's response doesn't really help make him understand any better. If anything, it only vexes him more as he scans his face with slightly narrowed eyes for any hint of a lie.

He finds none. ]

It would have been kinder if you did. [ Too weak to be a scoff, it comes out wry before he presses on in a more flatter tone. ] Or at least made more sense.

[ He pauses to look away and take another sip, using the same moment to quell his rising frustration at his inability to understand and how infuriatingly good Akira continues to be despite everything. It feels almost necessary then to point out: ]

I tried to kill you.

[ The words make him sit up a bit straighter. Kinder to who? Akechi? Akira knows he accepted his death when he shot that button without an ounce of hesitation, but to think that he might've preferred it that way... Something twists inside of him, coiling around his heart and clenching it tight.

But he feels like Akechi has more to say than just that. And sure enough— ]

Yeah, you did.

[ There's no bitterness in his tone. Sure, the realization hurt at the time. Hearing that recording, the way Akechi discussed murdering him like it was nothing... It haunted him for a while. It still does sometimes and yet, Akira finds it so much easier to forgive than the things Akechi did to his friends. ]

Would you feel better if I hated you? Because I don't. [ If he did, if he held that hate in his heart, it would only fester and warp him like those who had Palaces. ] I don't think any of us do. The only person who would've felt better if you died was you.

[ Perhaps that's harsh, but he's always felt like he can be straight with his thoughts around Akechi. Before, he had secret identities and elaborate plans standing in the way, holding back that honesty. Now? Now there's nothing keeping him from it. ]

[ Akechi is well aware that he's a spiteful creature. Spite and anger have been the very forces driving him forward through his life; his fuel, his reason to keep on existing where his mother had given in to despair. To say he's biased or predisposed to those feelings is putting it mildly. So for Akira to claim that he doesn't hate him, not after every heinous thing he's done and what Akechi tried to do to him personally, is just... incomprehensible. The answer makes him grip the glass tighter and his brows knit together in a mild frown.

It's not at all about whether or not he'd feel better about it, but Akechi would at least understand. As it stands, he can't wrap his head around what Akira is saying at all.

Yet he's here, alive and tended to, and that says— something. However... ]

Can you truly speak for the others with such confidence given what I took from them? Perhaps it would have been kinder for them, too.

[ He doesn't deny that he's the one who would have felt best about it though, because it's true. There's little left for him now that he's been robbed of his purpose. There's only the consequences of his actions left and a life behind bars is not one he's particularly looking forward to even if he might deserve it.

Or maybe that's the whole point of 'saving' him, their own little revenge. ]

I can.

[ Even if there was weakness in the statement before, confidence shines through now. He knows they would be upset with Akechi. It's entirely possible they wouldn't be able to maintain a cordial relationship with him. Akira would understand. He saw Haru's reaction as her father died in front of the entire country. He saw the extent of Futaba's trauma inside her Palace. Akechi played an undeniable part in both of those incidents.

And yet, he knows they wouldn't want him dead. They weren't just saying it when they agreed that he should come along with them to confront Shido. ]

If you died, it wouldn't change the past. It wouldn't bring back what you took.

[ Fingers come up to tug at a lock of hair as he carefully arranges his thoughts into spoken word. ]

... We can all relate to you in our own ways. Even Haru and Futaba.

[ Akira replies with such surety, no hesitation to be found whatsoever, that it's impossible to argue back. As their friend and leader, he knows them far better than Akechi does when all he has for reference is how he would feel if he was in their shoes. Obviously, he'd be far more inclined to wish ill (if not inflict it himself) on those who've wronged him. Instead the Phantom Thieves keep extending their hand to him in spite of his sins, he can't deny that at this point.

What he could push back against is the notion that they can relate to him. It seems laughable when they're so very different and they have no idea what his life has been like. It's almost tempting to take the excuse and lash out, but he's too tired.

He's too tired for a lot of things now.

He makes a noncommittal noise before downing the rest of his water, wincing when he throws his head back too quickly only to ignore the pain as he sets the glass aside. With a sigh, he finally relents and lies back down, briefly squeezing his eyes shut and pinching the bridge of his nose until his world stops spinning before he speaks up again. ]

What do you intend to do now?

[ With him and in general. ]

[ He half-expects Akechi to push back against any of those claims. He wouldn't accept their kindness even when he was broken and beaten; Akira isn't dumb enough to think that dragging him out of there and nursing him back to health would suddenly change that reluctance to believe them. Akechi's far too stubborn for that.

Well, Akira can't really talk there.

Silence falls between them as Akechi finishes off his water. A good sign. He's clearly still weak, but this much is an improvement. Maybe Takemi would be willing to do a house call later, just to check up on him. He makes a mental note to text her later.

The question comes right as he has that thought, so at least one part of that answer is obvious. ]

Make sure you recover.

[ Other than that, though... He pauses, telegraphing the moment he needs to contemplate it with another pull at his hair. ]

Finals are coming up. I haven't been to school in a while, so I have a lot of studying to do...

[ And that's about as far as he's thought ahead, which shouldn't be a surprise for Akechi. His brief stint as a member of the Phantom Thieves, staged though it was, should've given him a good impression of how little planning they work off of. In fact, the one they came up with to thwart him was the most elaborate they've ever staged by a long shot. ]

[ The first part of the answer he receives is already enough to make him raise a skeptical eyebrow, but the second part gets an audible scoff. After everything, could finals truly be what worries him most? If so, that's enviable. However, Akechi isn't sure if he should even take anything Akira says at face value. Such haphazard planning (or lack thereof) falls in line with the impression he'd been given when he'd briefly pretended to be part of their little group only for them to prove it wrong by outsmarting him.

He doesn't know what to believe nor what to expect here.

But there's little he can do, weak and wounded as he is, stuck in someone else's bed. He doubts he'll get any concrete or satisfying answers out of Akira if he asks anything more directly so all he can think to do is play along.

Not a lot matters to him anymore anyway, might as well wait and see where this will lead. ]

If I didn't know better, I would say it's quite amazing you've made it this far with that little thinking.

[ It comes out nonchalant where it could have been accusing or mocking although there is some hint of suspicion to be found in his tired gaze as he regards Akira. ]

[ The faint wariness that meets his gaze has him replaying that response in his head. It sounded offhand, but is anything truly like that with Akechi? Not in Akira's experience. ]

We can't figure out our next move until Shido makes his confession.

[ It's coming. His cabal is probably trying their hardest to cover it up as he speaks, but this can't be contained. Akira is sure of it. ]

And when he does, there's a chance...

[ The words trail off. The assault charge. His probation. It's a long shot, though, isn't it? Akira shakes his head slightly as if discarding the thought for now in favor of shifting his attention back to Akechi. ]

You can stay here as long as you need to. [ He reaches now for his coffee cup, hands cradling it in his lap as he speaks. ] So let me know if you need anything. Don't try to get it yourself.

[ There's a small pang of annoyance at the response he gets. There's always room to plan, to think of next moves, contingencies, and what to do when an outcome isn't favorable. It's how he's had to live and how he had to survive moving among the corrupt company he's kept; one wrong move and it could mean his own head on the chopping block. (Funny then that it had never mattered, Shido always intended to kill him no matter how valuable Akechi had tried to make himself.) To think he's been bested by someone with such carelessness continues to sting like salt being rubbed into a wound.

Beyond the stirring of bitter feelings, he doesn't pay it much mind though. Not when Akira trails off like that and piques what remains of his curiosity. The subject change hardly dissuades him even if it does make him momentarily consider what Akira is saying, still watching him closely and eyes only straying half-longingly to the cup for a tiny moment.

Akechi has never had to rely on anyone before, he's not about to start now. But he does realize that he's stuck here for the moment with nowhere to really go. Shido might not be looking for him, but his lackeys will surely be doing everything they can to tie up loose ends and keep the situation contained. As reluctant as he is to do so, staying put is the best option.

Besides, he highly doubts the Phantom Thieves will just let him walk away scot-free after everything he's done no matter what Akira might make the situation sound like.

Ignoring all that and the attempt at changing the subject, he hones in on what's caught his attention more. ]

A chance of what? What are you hoping for?

[ Of course Akechi latches onto that. Well, Akira supposes he doesn't have any reason to try to hide it. He's just trying to be realistic about the possible outcome.

A sip of coffee sends warmth rushing through him, blooming from his throat to his chest. Lowering the cup once more, he speaks. ]

Shido is the one who got me arrested for assault.

[ No explanation of the incident; Akira knows he doesn't need to. There's no way Akechi hasn't looked into his past, given the part he played—not to mention how easy it would've been for him to do so with access to police records. Maybe he even would've noticed the discrepancies that must've existed in them due to the cover-up. ]

So if he confesses his crimes, there's a chance of overturning it.

[ Still, it's notoriously hard to reverse an existing ruling. Even with Shido's confession, it wouldn't be a cut-and-dry matter. Considering how many other crimes he's committed and lives he's probably ruined in similar ways, who knows when they would get to Akira's case, if at all. And even so...

Akira presses out a quiet exhale before he continues. ]

I know they'll still want me on other charges, but I don't want to keep paying for something I didn't do.

[ Whatever response he had been anticipating, the one Akira gives isn't it. He blinks hard in his surprise, completely caught off-guard. Immediately the gears in his head start turning, cutting through the fog to put two and two together. Of course he'd known that Akira has a criminal record. Looking into him was one of the first things he'd done after meeting him. What he hadn't known was the exact details of it because parts of it didn't quite line up, strangely obscured for a case supposedly simple. Now he knows why.

He also remembers clearly the time Shido had shown up with a head wound and refused to address it. He'd known better than to pry. ]

That was you?

[ He can't help it: he laughs. A short bark startled out of him at the realization as all the puzzle pieces finally click together. Shido's injury had amused him at the time. It figures that Akira Kurusu was somehow involved all along. ]

What a strange coincidence.

[ It's too much to be a coincidence, really. But he's never been one to believe in things like fate when he's always been hellbent on forging his own path, leaving nothing to chance. As admittedly strange this revelation is, he doesn't linger on it. He might not know what actually happened between Shido and Akira, but he has no trouble believing that the assault charge is a false one.

Still, Akira's hope is a naive one. Akechi lets the surprise and mirth fade away, expression settling on something neutral before he speaks. ]

The chance of that happening is very slim, I'm afraid. Shido's list of crimes is quite long and they'll be focusing on the more severe ones. It's doubtful a false accusation involving one teenager will even be brought to light.

[ It's not said cruelly or even unkindly in any way, just matter of fact. ]

[ An incredibly strange coincidence, but Akira isn't the type to chalk things up to fate, either. It's true that they all seem to be connected to Shido in one way or another, but the Phantom Thieves and Akechi are likely only a tiny fraction of the lives Shido's crimes have touched. His reach was far wider than they ever could have imagined.

Akechi voices the reality he'd already given thought to. A small smile tugs at his mouth, not a drop of humor to it. ]

I know.

[ The truth is, there are plenty of other people who deserve closure more than he does. Haru, Futaba, and even Akechi, just to name a few. Akira's assault charge is so far down on that list. It's slim but not zero, but he also doesn't want to get his hopes up for something that may not happen for years, if it does at all. ]

It was just a thought.

[ He watches the wry smile tug at Akira's lips and it's... not particularly satisfying where it once might have been, oddly enough. He doesn't feel like actively crushing whatever hope Akira might still hold despite knowing how slim the chance is. It's not entirely hopeless anyway, just highly unlikely. There are so many crimes Shido has committed that will take precedence in court. Crimes that have affected more lives than one.

But maybe something can be set right, no matter how small that something might be. It's already far too late for Akechi himself, he's been ruined by Shido's hand as much as his own. The role he's played can't be undone nor the damage that's been done.

That doesn't mean not everything can be undone.

He looks away to stare at the ceiling with a thoughtful hum, contemplative and eyes heavy-lidded, letting the silence linger a moment longer before he makes up his mind and finally asks: ]

What happened between you two?

[ He doesn't bother with the "if you don't mind me asking" he would have added in the past. They're beyond polite pretenses at this point. ]

[ Akira much prefers it this way. After everything that's happened, there's no reason for them not to just speak their minds. The usual frills Akechi applies to everything, nor Akira's usual taciturn mask—neither are necessary.

He delays the start of his story with a sip of coffee. Even after taking out all of that long-bottled frustration on Shido's Shadow, it's still not a pleasant memory to recall. ]

I was walking home one night when I saw him arguing with a woman. He was drunk and wouldn't leave her alone, so I stepped in... [ He pauses. Even now, the moment is blurry from how fast it happened, but Akira is certain of the truth. There was nothing forceful about his touch. ] But when he turned around, he lost his balance.

[ Considering Akechi's seeming recognition of the "assault" when he mentioned it, he assumes he knows how that turned out. ]

The police were already on their way from the disturbance, so he threatened the woman so she'd say I did it.

[ After a moment of soaking in the still-hazy memory of being grabbed and pushed into the car, dazed, he shrugs. ]

He made sure it never got linked back to him. I got expelled and only Shujin would take me after that.

[ Although he doesn't bother with pleasantries or a cordial attitude now, he does automatically find himself shifting onto his side more to face Akira a bit better and listen attentively without being aware of it. He's quiet as he listens, seemingly utterly unsurprised by anything in the story that Akira tells him. It's only once Akira's done that he comments aloud. ]

How very like him.

[ It would have sounded indifferent if not for the thin veneer of pure disdain layering the words. He's unfortunately no stranger to Shido's drunken behavior and everything Akira has said falls in line with what he knows it to be like. He doesn't hesitate believing it for even a second.

It sounds very typical of Akira, too.

Pulling away from his disgust, he hums thoughtfully again as he considers the case now that he finally has a complete picture. It's not a hard one to solve, frankly. ]

You'll have much better luck overturning the verdict if you can get the woman to tell the truth. Possibly she might be more inclined to do so when he's already under investigation.

[ And there's his story. Akira doesn't expect the blatant indignation his friends displayed upon hearing it, nor does he receive it. In a way, Akechi's reaction is just as satisfying, a mirror of the feelings that surged through him when he learned the depth of Shido's corruption.

He looks down at his cup, no longer hot enough to steam but still warm between his palms. ]

Maybe Niijima-san can pull some strings and get me in touch with her. [ She'll no doubt be buried in work building the case against Shido as soon as his confession goes live, but that much may be manageable. ] Thanks.

[ It's hard to tell the exact motivation behind the suggestion, but in the end, it doesn't really matter. Akira appreciates it regardless. ]

picture prompt meme;

akira kurusu | persona 5 | ota

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these are so good ✨ lmk if you wanted something different, happy to rewrite!

glad you like them! and this is perfect, no worries ♥

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