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oceantoast-writes · 3 years

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Ryugoro week prompt: Childhood Friends

Title: Sunflower

Word Count: 1154

@ryugoroweek “You want me to do what?” The look on Akechi’s face could only be described as incredulous.

To his credit, it was the middle of the night, he had school in the morning, and the thunderstorm outside was a nightmare, and yet somehow Ryuji was standing on his porch with bleach and yellow hair dye in hand. The gaudy color doesn’t strike Akechi as something particularly intelligent for the amount of trouble Ryuji naturally draws without breaking the dress code. Despite this Ryuji doesn’t seem to think anything’s off with this scenario.

“Dye my hair, I can’t do it on my own.” Oh yeah, like that’s a normal and not at all inane idea to have in the middle of the night.

Akechi rolls his eyes and opens the door enough to let Ryuji inside. He can’t exactly let the idiot catch a cold out here since his apartment is half the fucking neighborhood away. It’s now that he takes the opportunity to ask what in god’s name it is that Ryuji is thinking.

“What gave you this genius idea?”

Ryuji gets this dopey grin, rubbing the back of his neck. He’s clearly a little embarrassed by the answer, even if said answer was good enough to wake Akechi at…

2:07 in the goddamn morning.

“Well uh, there’s this girl in my class…” A girl, Ryuji is doing this to impress a girl. Akechi isn’t sure why he’s shocked at this point, ignoring the ache of his heart. Ryuji didn’t like him, never would, and Akechi was never going to be prioritized over a girl.

“...She keeps getting picked on cuz she’s a natural blonde. Kids keep saying this awful stuff about her and I can’t stand it so I figured that I’d dye my hair so they pick on somebody else.”

At least he wasn’t trying to impress her. At least he’s only doing this because Ryuji is such a bleeding heart that he can’t watch other people get harassed and do nothing about it. Before Akechi’s mother passed away, kids would bother him about not knowing his father, about his mother being single. Ryuji found himself in many playground fights that way.

Akechi turns on the light.

“Alright take your shoes off so you don’t track mud into the house, bathroom’s this way.”

Ryuji complies, taking off his shoes and going to the bathroom. Akechi trails behind him, only pausing to get his phone and come back downstairs quietly enough to not wake anyone else. This family slept like the dead so he didn’t think he had much to worry about, but one could never be too cautious.

While Ryuji gets himself situated Akechi scrolls through his phone, picking a random playlist to quietly begin so that he has something to listen to other than the rain. The one he chose is predominantly pop punk given that he knows Ryuji won’t listen to anything heavier than that even if he dresses like some edgy delinquent.

The rubber gloves that came with the dye set are much too big for his hands, but there’s no use in complaining. As soon as Ryuji’s hair is this sickening yellow color he’ll go home and hopefully Akechi can get some much needed rest. The room is quiet, both of them terrified of waking up the other residents in the house, a heavy tension hanging even in the small bit of music that circles the space.

“What’s her name?”

“Huh?”

“The girl. What’s her name?”

“Oh uh Takamaki. She’s real quiet, keeps to herself most of the time. The people who whisper about her make some real awful assumptions. They think she looks down on everybody, that she dates multiple guys at a time just because she can. I don’t think that’s true.”

The conversation drops once more. Akechi finishes up applying the bleach. It has to sit and even if he told Ryuji to sit still he knows Ryuji can’t listen or sit still to save his fucking life. He turns around to go to the kitchen, motioning for his friend to follow.

He sends Ryuji to wash the bleach out as quietly as possible, waiting for the boy to call him back. It takes at least an extra two minutes, including drying Ryuji’s hair off with a towel. Akechi wastes no time getting the dye since it has to be at least three in the morning at this point.

“Why didn’t you just ask your mom to do this? She’s going to find out anyway.”

“I didn’t want her to worry about me getting into trouble.”

“She’s going to worry when you go home with your hair looking like a fucking banana.”

“C’mon dude, don’t make this worse than it already is. Maybe the yellow will look good on me.”

Akechi rolls his eyes and simply complies. He’s already an accomplice at this point, so there’s no use in arguing now. The room quiets once more, that tension hanging in the air again.

The task is just about finished when Akechi decides to speak again.

“Do you think it’s going to work?”

“What?”

“You’re trying to paint a target on your back so people leave that Takamaki girl alone. Are you even sure that people are going to take the bait?”

“Bullies always have short attention spans. Those dumbasses will be so excited I did somethin stupid like this that they won’t talk about her for the rest of the semester.”

Akechi hums slightly in response.

They spend the last little bit of time waiting for the dye to set by quietly watching old Featherman episodes, arguing back and forth about the best characters and episodes.

When the phone timer finally goes off Akechi sends Ryuji back into the bathroom to wash his hair once more. It takes longer this time due to getting all the excess dye out. Ryuji dries his hair himself and then walks back out with a grin.

“How does it look?”

He’s at a loss for words. Not even the sun could’ve outshined Ryuji at this moment. Akechi thinks he knows what it’s like to fall in love now. Shaking his head he looks away.

“You look ridiculous,” He mutters.

“Excellent.”

It’s still raining rather hard as Ryuji heads for the door. “I can’t wait to show Takamaki.”

There’s a split second when Ryuji puts his hand on the doorknob that Akechi stands up. His heart feels like it could burst out of his chest at any given moment, and he has to force it to be still. He has to shove back the words he truly wants to say.

“Don’t forget to take an umbrella. The rain and fresh hair dye is a bad combo.”

Ryuji nods and grabs Akechi’s umbrella. “Thanks, I’ll see you later.”

“Good luck with getting teased at school tomorrow.”

Ryuji gives him one final grin before leaving, his figure disappearing into the rain.

#ryugoroweek2021 #ryugoro #goro akechi #Ryuji Sakamoto

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oceantoast-writes · 3 years

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Ryugoro week prompt: Meeting the family

Title: Gone

Word Count: 605

@ryugoroweek

It’s cloudy the day Akechi meets Ryuji’s mom. They went to the park but ended up having to go somewhere else because it was too windy to stay there. Ryuji complained the whole time and she smiled and took it in stride. She dotes over Akechi, so happy that Ryuji made a friend.

Ryuji has to awkwardly explain to her that they’re dating. Her face lights up, clearly ecstatic that Ryuji found someone.

She bombards him with questions about his life and about Ryuji and he can barely recall the answers he gave her.

What he does remember is a dull ache in his chest, unable to help but wonder if his own mother would give him the same warm reaction. More than anything he’d like to not have to question such a thing, but she died young and his memories of her were fuzzy. He can’t say for certain what her reaction would have been.

It’s sunny when Ryuji meets Akechi’s mom, ironically enough. They stand in front of the gravestone in a silent reverence that Akechi thought Ryuji incapable of. Ryuji breaks the moment by stepping forward a little, giving a sad little smile.

“It’s nice to meet you ma’am. I’m Goro’s boyfriend.”

“Ryuji what the fuck are you doing?” Akechi’s voice is flat and almost irritated. This is ridiculous, Ryuji has to know that.

“I’m talking to your mom,” Ah yes. Because that made so much sense and was not at all entirely inane.

“It’s not like she can hear you. Dead people don’t care.”

Ryuji turns to him and frowns. “C’mon dude this is your mom, you can’t really believe that she’s not out there somewhere.”

Akechi’s seen enough death to be sure of that. Ryuji’s optimism isn’t quite infectious after all. He folds his arms and lets his solemn expression turn into a scowl.

“I don’t. I’ve seen what happens when people die, they’re just gone.”

“Goro…”

“I mean that. Nothing happens, the light just drains from their eyes and that’s it.”

“Goro, knock that off.” Ryuji steps to him and holds out his hands for Akechi to take a small grasp of. “Tell me what you remember about your mom.”

Akechi closes his eyes, feeling the small breeze that brushes past like the ghost of his mother creeping up behind him. If he truly believed in ghosts, that was. “She was a lot like you. Fiery and headstrong, but that was only because her heart was too big for her own good. That fire could warm those she cared about as much as it could burn those that hurt them.”

He looks at Ryuji, who only nods him on. He thinks he might cry.

“I don’t remember much about her, but I do remember we struggled to get by. But once a year, on my birthday, we’d go out anywhere I wanted. The mall, the movies, the amusement park, didn’t matter. How much it cost didn’t matter and she wouldn’t let me worry about it. Then we’d go home and she’d let me help her bake a birthday cake. It always lasted a while after my birthday too since I usually only celebrated with her.”

When he looks at Ryuji again Ryuji gives him a small smile and squeezes his hands. “See, your mom isn’t gone, you still remember her. Even if it’s just in your imagination she’s alive somewhere and I’m sure she’d love to talk to you.”

His vision starts to blur with tears as he nods. He doesn’t believe it. She’d probably hate him if she really knew him. She’d hate him and so would Ryuji.

#ryugoro #ryugoroweek2021 #Ryuji Sakamoto #goro akechi

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oceantoast-writes · 3 years

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Ryugoro week prompt: Amnesia

Title: Deja Vu

Word Count: 1040

@ryugoroweek

He wakes up to an alarm, cold sweat covering him. Like it was all nothing more than a bad dream. Pulling up his phone to check the time something more important catches his gaze-

The date.

It reads that the date is April 9th. That can’t be right. The last he had checked it had been November. What had happened, Akechi had no idea. Maybe everything up till now had been a bad dream, maybe he had vividly imagined the whole thing.

Maybe he hadn’t, but staying in bed isn’t going to get him anywhere. He gets up and goes through his usual morning routine. He can’t remember if he’d scheduled anything for today. Hell he can’t remember much from the last time he’d lived today.

As he scrolls through his texts he realizes something. If he’s here with memories of November that should mean the phantom thieves are suffering from the same problem. Suddenly it makes sense, this is a problem with the metaverse, it has to be. He leaves his apartment, knowing exactly what his next moves are going to be.

The train takes what feels like goddamn eons to arrive. Akechi’s in far too much of a rush to wait all day. He shoves his way past people getting off, his one track mind making him forget about maintaining appearances. It’s not like having one bad day is going to ruin his career either way. Besides, he’s already changing fundamental aspects of what happened this year, so dumping his career down the drain will surely only make another small dent in this glaring problem.

Finally he makes it to the fucking school, and from there he knows exactly what he needs to do. His problem doesn’t lie in the real world so logic would dictate that the solution won’t either.

Ducking behind an alleyway he takes his phone out. Lucky for him there’s no need to guess what palace he’s getting into this time. He uses the keywords and lets the world warp around him. Unfortunately he’s graced with his gray and blue outfit, the trademark of Loki. While there’s likely no harm in it right now, it is going to be a dead give away later, and he doesn’t need the phantom thieves to turn on him in an hour of need.

It takes only a moment’s concentration for the air around him to shiver once more as Loki’s mask morphs into his much more acceptable persona.

Feeling comfortable with his control of the situation he heads in for the palace. After all, how difficult could this possibly be? The four of those idiots infiltrated the place in less than 2 weeks.

He sneaks in through a side window, trying to think of where Morgana could possibly be hidden in this endless labyrinth. Exiting the safe room he scans all the places where he can duck and hide from the shadows. Best to not get in a fight before finding the cat.

Luckily that takes all of an hour at most, given that it’s kept itself busy trying to open a locked chest. Sighing he walks out and to the cat.

“Would you like some assistance?” He offers.

Morgana seems rather taken aback, leaping off the chest and pupils shrinking as he turns his sword on Akechi. It’d be cute if it weren’t pathetic. How the thieves got anywhere with this bumbling fool was beyond Akechi.

He lowers his sword upon realizing that Akechi was a fellow persona user.

“Who’re you?”

“Let’s just say I’m a friend.” He can’t exactly explain everything that happened to Morgana without sounding like some sort of lunatic. Then again talking to a cat that looks like some shitty anime mascot could certainly qualify as lunacy.

“Alright, you helping me steal the treasure?”

Akechi considers what he might say here. “In a way,” He agrees. Following the cat may be his best bet to finding Ryuji and Akira anyhow.

“Excellent! Let’s go right now! I think I know where it is!”

Morgana excitedly takes off and Akechi has to grab him by the bandana before they both get caught. He sets him back on the ground once they’re safely behind a doorway.

“For someone with experience at this you are rather reckless,” Akechi points out. Morgana doesn’t seem appreciative of the observation, but Akechi is a little too preoccupied to really give a damn.

The infiltration goes rather well until Morgana leads them into the main hall like the fool he is. Before either of them are given time to react they’re cornered. Much of what happens after is a blur to Akechi.

He wakes in a cell with Morgana pacing back and forth, yelling empty threats to nothingness.

“And tell me, where is this getting us?” Unable to keep the sarcasm from his voice any longer.

“Ugh shut up! I’m thinking of a way to get us out!”

“Let me know when that finally works out for you.”

“Being a jerk certainly isn’t helping!”

Akechi rolls his eyes and looks at his phone. It’s almost the middle of the night. He may as well get some rest.

When he awakes again near nothing about their current situation had changed. He gives Morgana a smug look. “How has finding a way out worked for you?”

“You’re really not being helpful, you know!”

He checks the date, not that it’s going to help, given he has no clue the exact day Akira summoned his persona. Looks like he doesn’t even need to worry about that, as Morgana is waving out to something he can’t quite see.

Finally the figures stop at the doorway, Ryuji and Akira.

They bicker with Morgana and Akechi has to tune them out, lest he go insane. They unlock the door, freeing the two from their cell finally. Akechi takes a breath before realizing he has to ask them eventually.

“Do you two have any sense of deja vu? Like perhaps you’ve been here before?”

“The hell’re you talking about dude?” Ryuji replies, making Akechi’s heart break ever so slightly. He had gotten to know Ryuji well the last time.

However, he has bigger fish to fry, such as getting to the bottom of this time loop mystery.

#ryugoroweek2021 #there's not a lot of ryugoro in this one i am sorry #Ryuji Sakamoto #goro akechi #p5 morgana #akira kurusu

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