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twistedtavern · 4 days

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A (very long) snippet from my persona 5 self aware au: Let Us Start The Game

The city of Tokyo was fairly vast, with big buildings and a big population of lots and lots of people.

However, at this moment, one person’s world was very small, and very confused. Sure, the two places they had ever lived in their entire life were very similar, simple apartments with only two bedrooms to their name. But to them, it couldn’t have felt more different.

Their last place was nothing short of dangerous. Two shadows loomed over them day in and day out, forcing them into living like a scared little mouse in their own home. Their life was a set of instructions, tried and tested by whether or not they could scrape by unnoticed. The loneliness sank in, huddling for warmth at the side of neglect. They were tiny, underfed, hair unbrushed and in too-big clothes searched for while their parents slept. It was hard to believe that this little thing was already seventeen. They forgot their name. What school was like. The times they were dragged by the wrist to go outside in the day time.

One day, everything became blurry. They didn’t know what they were doing, but they knew that they had been looking at something on the screen of the old TV that had been dumped into their room. Without warning, someone appeared in front of them. They still couldn’t remember who this person was, or what they looked like. They idly recall flashes of gold and blue, and their mind screams at them to stop.

A social worker, the stranger clarified. Somehow. A part of them reassured the rest of their brain that meant this person was here to help. Nevermind that they had no clue what a social worker was, really. The next thing they knew, they were greeted with fuzzy walls and nondescript wood floors. It felt like being forced to recall a dream. The static rubbed against their skin, like the fur of a teddy bear that had been caked in various disgusting textures that couldn’t be placed. After that, there was the face of someone new. The social worker held their hand, and everything was a still image besides the man in front of them.

He was sitting in a chair, wearing an out-of-place tuxedo that seemed so familiar, but a shroud of the unknown laid over the all-white fabric. His voice rang inside their head, and a part of them felt… startled? Like something else in them knew what this man would normally say, and that this was unusual. He stands out like a shepherd amongst his flock in the wooden room. Somehow, they remember being held like a baby, his white gloves cradling them at the small of their back and under their knees, and their heart pounding against their ribs like it was trying to escape. Why did it hurt? It was like they’d been running.

The man who introduced himself as Takuto Maruki. Their new father. And despite their unease, and having to get used to, well, everything about this situation, he still looked at them with the same kind eyes.

He was outside the bedroom he’d told them was theirs, fixing his glasses as he searched through a closet in the hallway. The objects he had been moving sounded heavy, nearly muffling his soft muttering.

“Where did I even put that old thing…? Oh! There it is.”

One more thing was set on the floor, and they listened intently as he rummaged through whatever he had found. They couldn’t quite see him from their spot on the bed, but they tilted their head in curiosity. A few seconds later, Maruki walked in with his hands behind his back and a knowing smile, looking quite proud of himself.

“I know you only got here a few days ago,” he started, “But, I wanted to give you something, just to help you settle in.” He presented the object he had been holding, a brown stuffed rabbit whose soft fur looked loved by what had to have been a previous owner. Maruki waved the doll’s little paw at them, as if to say hello. He continued in his gentle voice, “It belonged to someone very special to me, and I think you’re starting to remind me of him, in your own way.”

Maruki handed the rabbit off to his new child, watching as they looked it over. They felt the fur, and hugged it. Their eyes suddenly got wide and shiny, and they cuddled close to the comforting texture. The usual blank, doe-eyed expression they wore gave way to a giddy smile, making Maruki feel like he was on the verge of melting into a puddle of happy tears. Knowing what life they had lived up until now made a scene like this worth it. Made everything worth it. It filled a hole in his heart that had been crying out for so long, seeing them look up at him so happily. Maruki quietly wished them goodnight and closed the door behind him.

He let out a sigh as he got into his own bed, unable to sleep. It felt as if he’d carried a weight his whole life. His own agonizing, beating, bleeding heart, and everywhere he’d tried to set it tore it to shreds. He closed his eyes. He was their father now, and he would never let anything take them away. This time, he’ll be able to keep his baby safe. His gaze shifted over to the calendar on the wall. He already couldn’t sleep, so he decided to just get up and change it anyway. Picking up a pen from his nightstand, he crossed out the current day and flipped the page to the next month.

February, 20XX.

Maruki set the pen down and got back into bed, pulling the covers over himself. Upon having completed his small task, sleep finally overtook him. The winter night was quiet and peaceful, a tried and true promise under his reality. The stars were out, shimmering brightly around the full moon as it traveled across the sky at its leisurely pace.

As honeyed sunshine began to pour through the windows, the cozy apartment was filled with the smell of breakfast, all of the morning’s faint sounds underscored by food sizzling in a pan. Just waking up, the smaller of the two residents stirred in their bed. It was still strange to them, how serene and safe this all was, how food was always there at a specific time, rather than at the will of chance, and how they weren’t only seen, but sought out every now and again.

Padding silently over wooden floorboards, they peered around the corner, seeing their new father hum to himself as he cooked. The sight was common, intriguingly so to them. They softly knocked on the wall to alert Maruki to their presence. He perked up before looking their way. His gaze caught on the stuffed rabbit, leaving him surprised for a brief moment until a smile came through.

“Good morning!” he greeted, “I see that you like your present.”

They looked down at the toy, nodding shyly. They were hiding somewhat behind the rabbit’s floppy ears, taking comfort in the feeling of its fur.

“Well,” Maruki started again, “Breakfast is almost ready. Could you please turn on the TV for me?”

With a small sound of affirmation, they walked over to the couch, grabbing the remote to do as asked. After hearing Maruki politely thank them, they set their stuffed companion on the couch with a pat on the head. Leaving it to watch the television while they went to sit down.

After a while of idly swinging their legs at the table, their breakfast was plated and put in front of them. It had been a few days of watching Maruki before every meal, and they mimicked him as they gave their thanks for the food. Happily digging into the potatoes, fried onigiri, and rolled omelet they were given, the look of contentment on their face brought a joy to his heart that he hadn’t felt in years.

Everything was perfect, just as intended.

The hours ticked by, and the pair of them idly milled about their day. Maruki showed them how to do various things around the house, feeling proud as they slowly learned what their other parents had not cared enough to show them. He wondered bitterly to himself if his predecessors even did these things themselves, judging by the state he had… picked up what was now his child. They had taken some time to sit and relax on the couch, a nice daily break that Maruki realized would help them become accustomed to the presence of a caring adult. Idly, they moved their rabbit’s arms up and down in a rhythmic motion, swaying side to side as they did so. They had an empty-headed look in their eyes, but they were actually quite deep in thought, wondering about something they had been asked. Of course, Maruki wanted something to call them by, and had asked what they wanted their name to be. He himself had offered up two suggestions, Ren and Yume, but quickly retracted them after making some sad face and saying that neither seemed right. Without being asked, he said that Tanaka was off the table as a choice and laughed a bit with an awkward expression. It was brushed off as nothing when they looked at him with confusion. He’s weird.

Both of them were startled out of their blissful peace as Maruki’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He set his book down and quietly apologized, before walking out of the room to take the call. He was faced away from them as he talked, and though they couldn’t help but eavesdrop, they couldn’t quite discern what the call was about. They could hear him perfectly fine, but one word stood out to them as indecipherable. They heard the word after perfectly fine, that being “Academy,” but what was before it they didn’t know. After a few bare-bones responses, he hung up the phone with a sigh and a perplexed look.

“That can’t be right…”

Maruki turned around, seeing that he had an audience. At first, he looked troubled, but pushed it aside to speak to them, “I’ve got to go for a bit. Just… keep yourself occupied while I’m gone, alright?”

They nodded, and he breathed in and out to calm his mind. As he put on his shoes and coat, he couldn’t decipher why he felt like something was about to happen. Everything was fine. This wouldn’t be like last time. This wasn’t even comparable to last time. The only people who weren’t immersed in his reality were the Phantom Thieves, and none of them would do something like that. They weren’t here, and none of them knew where he lived, at least he hoped they didn’t. Those kids don’t operate like that, as far as he knew. Though… maybe it was about what happened in the park, causing him to repeat what he told himself. They would be fine if he left them here. They’re okay. The Thieves are good kids, and they would see sense soon, so there’s no reason to worry. There was no one in this world who would, or even could, take his baby away from him.

Not this time, and not ever again.

Maruki eventually walked out of the apartment, not taking very long to get to his car, since he lived on the first floor. His eyes caught on a big white car with heavily tinted windows, labeled with a big M logo and the word “Madicce” under it not far away in the small parking lot. He shook it off. It most likely had something to do with someone else in the building. This world was a safe place. He had made sure of that personally. He got into his own vehicle, waiting for it to warm up before eventually driving away.

Unbeknownst to him, a knock sounded at the door mere moments after he left. A voice called out to the only person left in the apartment, far different than their father’s.

“███████... Are you there?”

They looked up, sorely confused. The voice was undoubtedly younger than Maruki’s warm, soothing tone, though still male. It made them almost uneasy, actually. They didn’t know why. The stranger had said something they hadn’t heard, but hearing another knock and more speaking made them pause.

“Hello?”

Hesitantly, and not thinking to ever ignore the door, they clutched their plushie close and got up to open the door, just enough to look outside.

They hesitated to call what was staring back at them a person. Sure, he had the overall features, clothing, and silhouette of a person, but what was so sorely lacking was a face. No mouth, no nose, no eyes, none of the features that would regularly render someone recognizable. Only a swath of unbroken skin, framed by long, chestnut-brown hair.

“███████? What’s wrong? It’s just me.”

The stranger blocked the door from closing with his black dress shoe and a gloved hand grabbing onto the edge of the wood, opening it just a little more to hover closer. His eyeless stare was fixed on them. They blinked, a sense of dread quickly coming over them.

A memory returned, the sudden flash of them being led by the hand out of Inokashira Park, and Maruki looking over his shoulder every few steps. They hadn’t known what to do with the situation to begin with, but seeing him so shaken and alert made them almost panic. That weird black and white cat, talking to them in a hurried voice, despite its lack of a mouth. It didn’t have eyes to see them with, but it had run directly up to them like no one else was there. Its yellow collar faintly clicked and jingled as it ran away upon being noticed by Maruki. They remembered how his eyes went wide when they managed to tell him that the cat had no face, as if he somehow hadn’t even noticed. What they had been told when they were finally on the way back rang in their ears.

“If someone, anyone at all, comes up to you and says that they know you, whether they have a face or not, you come straight to me and we’ll go home.”

This was home. And he was not there to save them.

They clutched their plush rabbit tighter. Now, with more of the stranger visible, they could get a good look at him. He wore a tan overcoat, with a scarf whose colors struck them as odd. Two different shades of gray, though the predominant, lighter one hurt deep in the back of their brain. They looked away from the scarf.

“What’s wrong? Answer me.”

The stranger got closer.

“You remember me, don’t you?”

They backed away more, shaking their head no. They couldn’t close the door now. They didn’t want to get close. The stranger paused, putting a hand to his chest.

“My name is ███████ ███████, but you used to call me ███████.”

#self aware persona 5 #takuto maruki #persona 5 au

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