#//And it somehow got wrapped up in me thinking about Goro and how his entire story is about wanting to be acknowledged and loved.

[kingspuppet]

Something that’s always bothered me is the fact that the general public completely forgets about Goro after his death. That aside from a couple of minor mentions it’s like he didn’t exist at all. And I know that some could argue on the theory that Mementos was encroaching on reality not long after and it’s a reflection on the idea of society constantly changing their interests for their entertainments’ sake (since that is a theme that the game points out). Another could point out that Goro is not the center focus of the game, and like a lot of character deaths in media constantly lingering on it doesn’t necessarily drive the plot forward unless it’s being used as a narrative device. All of that being said, the reason it really bothers me is that it completely invalidates so much of what Goro was trying to create for himself. He wanted to be loved, needed, and useful. He doesn’t give a damn about the public as a whole, but he cares far too much about what they think of him. And sure, once he returns he never really says much, if anything, about his former popularity. At least there’s nothing that states he cares one way or the other, but I think that could be a combination of circumstances and refusing to show any more vulnerability than he already has. There’s no reason to use it to gain sympathy anymore after his main goal is no longer possible, they’ve entered an unsettling alteration of reality, and inserting his own personal feelings into the matter does nothing but weigh him down. But those feelings and desires revolving around wanting to be special don’t just end because people give you a few heartfelt words and you sacrifice yourself for a supposed “just” cause. It can be a start for that kind of a journey, but this is something that’s been rooted in his mind since his mother passed. Quite possibly even before then. So I can see Goro acting as if he doesn’t give a shit, but deep down it eats at him. All that validation and acknowledgement he worked so hard for was gone within the blink of an eye. The one thing he’s been craving his entire life, despite how hard he worked to get it, meant nothing in the end. I don’t think death necessarily scares Goro. But what I do think is that one of Goro’s biggest fears is that, after he’s gone, he’ll be forgotten. And the fact that it actually happens breaks my heart the most.

[mage-ellie]

Akechi x Reader: Soulmate AU- Mirror Reflection Part 2

AN: I wasn't sure if I wanted to do a second part at first, but when I woke up today and reread my writing, I realized just how sad and angsty it was, so here's part two hfaskjfhdk. He deserves love ;; Fluff fluff fluff fluff fluffl fufflf ulfulfulfu ulffflf fulllfu flluff

Part 1: Click me!

Original post: Click me!

Prompt suggestion page: Click me!

As you entered Shujin, your egg shaped Principal came bouncing down the stairs, eyes searching the first floor for who knows what. Although, you quickly learned what he was looking for when his eyes landed on you. Without any hesitation, he trotted up to you with a bright smile on his face.

"Good morning L/N-san. As you know, the second years will be going on a field trip to a TV station today. Sadly, one of the second year homeroom teachers fell ill and won't be making it today, so we're short one chaperone. Would you perhaps be interested in attending in her place?" He asked you, not bothering to hide how desperate he was for your answer. His eyes were twitching and his smile looked visibly strained. 

"Oh. Uh. Sure." You said, confused on why he asked you and not the student council president. 

"Fantastic! Please, head to room 2-D where you'll meet up with Kawakami-san. Thank you." He chirped, then turned and wobbled away. You just stared at him as the information just given to you sunk into your mind. You wouldn't be complaining though. You were pretty sure that your math teacher had a pop quiz planned for today, so you were happy to skip it. 

Once the bell rang you headed towards the classroom you were told to go to, and joined the second year students on their field trip.

As you walked through the halls of the TV station along with Ms. Kawakami, your stomach was doing summersaults. You couldn't figure out exactly what was making you so nervous, but something about the excited buzz in the air was making butterflies flutter in your stomach. You thought that it might just be because you forgot to eat breakfast this morning, or because you had to deal with a bunch of rambunctious teenagers.

Finally, you were able to take a seat in the audience of a popular talk show while they were on break along with some of the other Shujin students. You were situated in the second row, squished in between two girls. After the co-hosts chatted a bit, they both stood up and looked at the audience.

"Mr. Akechi's coming on!" The male host said, making your heart stop. You nearly choked on your saliva as you stared at the man who had announced that your one and only soulmate was going to be joining them. The loud screaming of his fangirls rang in your ears as he walked onto the stage and sat on the other couch. You could hear them wondering if he had a soulmate yet, and if his soulmate was someone in the audience. They weren't wrong about the second part. He did have a soulmate, and you were sitting right in front of him.

The detectives eyes swept across the audience for a moment, then went back to looking at the hosts. You weren't sure if he had seen you or not. If he had, he was doing an incredible job of hiding any emotions he was feeling.

The hosts started the show and talked with Goro about the Phantom Thieves. You weren't really paying attention, the sound of your heart beating in your ears was drowning out most of the conversations. Of course, the topic soon flipped to his soulmate, earning excited squeals from the audience.

"Please tell us Akechi-kun. Have you met your soulmate yet?" The male host asked, causing the audience to go completely silent as they waited with baited breath for his response.

"Sadly, I have not, but I'm sure she's out there somewhere." He hummed, smiling bashfully at the camera. His mildly vague answer only left you more confused about whether he had seen you or not. You wondered why he didn't explicitly say that he's already seen you in his mirror.

"Who knows!" Chirped the female host. "Perhaps she's in this audience right now." She finished, making the girls around you squeal. You had to cover your ears, fearing that your eardrums would start to bleed if you didn't.

Once the show came to an end, most of the audience stayed behind in an attempt to talk to the amazing detective. You weren't really sure what to do with yourself. On one hand, you wanted to stay and attempt to talk to him as well, but on the other, you wanted to talk to him in private.

After doing some quick thinking, you decided to head to the restrooms and try to talk to him later. He wouldn't be leaving the building immediately, right? 

You wandered through the winding halls for way too long before you finally found the restrooms. This place was a maze, and you were worried that you'd be lost in it forever. When you had finished, you washed your face quickly, then left the room, only to hear a couple of voices chatting just down the hall, which made relief run through your veins. You'd be able to ask for directions.

As you came around the corner, you found a certain popular young man talking with the male co-host. His back was turned to you, keeping him from seeing you. The co-host was the first one to notice you.

"Hello there. Are you lost?" He asked you, but you couldn't bring yourself to respond. Your heart was racing and it felt like your mouth had gone dry. Goro turned his head to look at who the man was talking to, only to freeze. His eyes widened and he sucked in a quick breath as shock visibly colored his face. Neither of you spoke as you gazed into each others eyes.

Finally, your mind began working again.

"Hi Goro." You said gently, giving him a soft, shaky smile. Your voice trembled and tears quickly sprung to your eyes as the realization that you actually got to meet your soulmate sunk into your mind.

The co-host seemed to be able to read the room because he chuckled quietly, then turned and walked away.

Goro didn't say anything, he just slowly approached you and held his hand out in front of him, just like you did last night. You lifted your hand and pressed it against the junior detectives. 

The young mans hand shook as his mind slowly accepted the fact that you were here right now. He carefully entwined his fingers between yours before he quickly turned his head, looking around to make sure that no one saw you, then he pulled you and dragged you down the hallway. Before you could say any more, Goro had pulled you into a janitors closet and locked the door behind you, pinning you against the door between his arms.

He leaned down and rested his head against your left shoulder as he took deep, ragged breaths, like he was trying to keep himself from crying. 

You reached up and placed your right hand on the back of his head, threading your fingers through his soft, fluffy hair. Goro's hands dropped to your hips, squeezing your sides with an iron grip.

"I'm so happy to finally meet you." You breathed as you nuzzled your face against his head, unable to hold back your tears any longer. With your other arm, you reached up and wrapped it around his neck as tears began sliding down your cheeks.

Goro leaned his entire weight onto you, forcing you to slide to the ground. He slipped his arms around your body and pulled you close to him, making you straddle his lap as he clung to you with a force you've never felt before.

"I have to admit..." He began, voice lower than you've ever heard it. "I didn't think I'd ever get the chance to meet you." Goro continued, somehow managing to hold you tighter. You could feel him grab handfuls of your Shujin uniform. "I'm happy to finally meet you as well, Y/N." He finished, saying your first name out loud.

Goosebumps erupted on your arms and legs as he said your name. You couldn't stop the whimper that escaped your lips as you curled your body around his, reveling in the warmth you've been dreaming of for years.

You slowly ran your left hand up and down his back, taking note of the subtle shivers that ran down his spine from your touches. Goro just buried his face in your neck and hair, silently taking in the moment.

"Goro?" You sniffled, earning a hum in response. "I love you." You told him, sliding your fingers up his neck and through his chestnut locks. The shiver that wracked his body after you said that was far more powerful than the last few.

"Really?" He asked, now trembling uncontrollably.

"Really." You said, feeling one of the detectives hands move up to in between your shoulder blades.

"I love you too." He croaked, nearly squeezing the breath from your lungs. Tears continued to flow down your cheeks as you both clung to each other like your life depended on it.

After who knows how long you've both been sitting in a closet holding each other, Goro pulled away a bit to look at you. He brought one of his hands up and gently rested it against your cheek, rubbing away the stray tear the fell down your cheek. 

You pulled his hand away from your face, earning a confused look from your soulmate before he realized what you were doing. You carefully pulled his glove off his hand, then placed it back on your cheek, leaning into his soft, warm skin.

Goro's lips twitched as you locked your hand around his wrist, not letting him pull away. A breathy chuckle left his lips as you closed your eyes and nuzzled your face into his palm. His thumb gently caressed your cheek bone.

"You came to watch my interview?" He asked out of the blue, making you open your eyes a bit.

"To be completely honest, I only came because one of the homeroom teachers couldn't make it and the Shujin Principal didn't have a backup chaperone. It was a stroke of pure luck." You admitted, giving him a bashful smile. He laughed softly as he leaned in and rested his forehead against yours, closing his eyes.

"It truly was." He hummed, breath fanning across your lips. He was so close.

"Did you really not see me in the audience?" You asked him, figuring it was your turn to ask a question out of the blue. The hand that was still around your waist held you tighter.

"I saw you, but I couldn't be sure. My mind occasionally plays tricks on me, leaving me to believe that I saw you, when I really didn't." He explained, voice nothing but a whisper.

"Well, I'm here now." You told him, pressing your nose to his.

"You're really here." He murmured, tilting his head a bit, lips brushing against yours as he spoke. You held his wrist tighter as you tilted your head as well, heart pounding in your chest as you closed your eyes.

Slowly, Goro leaned in and pressed his lips to yours, pressing you harder into the door as he pushed himself into you. Your lips melded with his perfectly, just like you hoped they would. You ran your thumb against the back of his hand and grabbed a fist full of his coat as a bright warmth spread through your body. It started at your lips, then moved down your cheeks and neck, swelling for a moment in your chest before it continued its journey down your stomach and legs, then settled at your feet.

You felt lighter than air as his lips began moving against yours, as if he wasn't fully sure what to do. You had no idea what you were doing either, so your first few kisses were sloppy, obvious that you were both nervous and inexperienced. After a bit, you figured out a rhythm that worked. You both sucked on each others lips with each kiss, desperately trying to make up for lost time. 

Finally, you had to pull away due to your lungs burning. You sucked in a deep breath, earning a chuckle from the detective.

"Sorry." Goro laughed as you continued to take deep breaths. You just leaned in and pressed your lips against Goro's one more time.

"I love you Goro." You responded, watching as his lips tilted upwards towards his eyes. Your heart always melted when you got to see a genuine smile from him.

"I love you too Y/N." He hummed, making you smile back at him. He pressed one final kiss to your lips before he pulled away completely and helped you stand up. "I don't know about you, but I could go for some lunch right about now." He said as he entwined his fingers with yours.

"Lunch sounds great." You giggled, squeezing his hand before you unlocked the door and walked with the detective out of the building, hand in hand, for everyone to see.

[thepancakeboi]

129. “I just wanted to hear your voice.”

AO3 link here

I used to despise Valentine’s Day.

Up until this year, all it had been was a painful reminder of something I both would never have nor deserved to have. The day was little more than an inconvenience when my sole focus was bringing ruin to Shido’s life.

Then Ren happened, and everything changed. Despite feeling unworthy of love, he gave it to me in spades. Now that we can spend it together, I find myself surprisingly looking forward to today. I have been planning this for a month now. Well, that’s not exactly true. Despite normally being too stubborn to seek the help of anyone else, I knew that this wasn’t something I was good at. I had approached Ann, figuring she would be the best person to go to. She had listened to my ideas, telling me what was good and giving suggestions of her own. I want it to be perfect, just like the one who stole my heart nearly two years ago. All I can do now is wait for his arri-

“Hi, honey~”

I nearly jump, whirling around to see Ren sitting cross-legged on my bed, a huge grin plastered on his face. Speak of the devil. I immediately notice the red rose between his teeth, but that is not what needs addressing first. “How...How did you get in here?”

“Your love summoned me.” Ren grabs the rose from his mouth as he speaks, idly twirling it with deft fingers.

“Love cannot summon anyone through a wall.”

“Yet here I am,” he replies with an extremely overdramatic shrug.

I am not fooled for a second. “Don’t tell me you picked the lock again.”

“Nope. Climbed through the window.”

He sounds extremely proud of this later achievement. “Do I have to start barricading the window too?”

“You know I’ll just find another way in.” I know Ren well enough to realize he’s likely correct. He chuckles at my nonverbal agreement. In one fluid motion, he stands up and presents the rose to me. A blush blooms across my cheeks as he plants a quick kiss on my lips. “A beautiful rose for the precious love of my life~”

“I...thank you,” I stammer as I tenderly hold the proffered rose, much to Ren’s amusement. “It’s perfect.”

“Not as perfect as you~” he hums, chuckling as my blush deepens. “I also have this for you.”

He reaches into his surprisingly feline-absent bag and hands me a black heart-shaped box. The top is emblazoned with his phantom thief mask that appears intricately painted, and a red ribbon is expertly tied into a bow. I can only guess at how long this must have taken him. Knowing him, he probably spent weeks on the box alone. “I love it. It’s...I don’t know what to say.”

“Oh? Did I manage to surprise the great detective prince himself?”

“You’re always surprising me at every turn,” I reply, admiring Ren’s handiwork. “I almost don’t want to tamper with it.”

“I think the chocolate will make it worth it.”

“I’m sure it will be.” I reluctantly move away from him to place the rose and the box on the bedside table, opening a drawer as I do so. As I reach to grab something, Ren comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. I chuckle as I remark, “Can you not keep your hands off me?”

“Nope.”

“Why am I not surprised?”

“Because you love me.” He gently kisses my neck, snickering as I instinctively tense up. We both know the first neck kiss usually turns into either tickles or hickeys. To my surprise, he doesn’t do either. “So what are we doing today?”

“You’ll see.”

“Keeping it a surprise?” he asks teasingly. “Are you going to be giving me chocolates too, my darling Akeppi?”

“Actually, I...did try to make this for you,” I say hesitantly as I turn in his hold to show him the object in my hands: a small white box with a gold ribbon.

He lets go of me to take the box in his hands. It’s almost like he didn’t expect me to actually give him chocolates. “Goro...?”

“I may have almost burnt the chocolate, and I’m sure you’ve received some that are much more delicious than mi-”

“You made these for me?” he asks, sounding so shocked since we both know my cooking and baking skills are...definitely not exemplary.

“Well, Ann explicitly told me homemade chocolate would be more meaningful and heartfelt, but yes. I made them, just for you.” He doesn’t say a word as he just stares at the box, a melancholy look crossing his face. His reaction concerns me. I had tried to do everything just right, so why has he gone so silent? “Ren, are you alright? I didn’t do something wrong, did I?”

He snaps out of it immediately, smiling happily. It...somehow feels forced. “Oh, no! I love it.”

“Ren, are you sure?”

“Of course! Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You looked like you were lost in thought, and not in a good way.” Ren doesn’t respond to that. His left hand moves to cover his mouth, a gesture he normally makes only when he’s uncomfortable. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. Come on, I wanna try these,” he adds, pulling me along to sit next to him on the bed. He’s about to unwrap the ribbon, but I grab his hand in both of mine before he can do so. “Hey-”

“Please. I know something is plaguing your thoughts. You know you can confide in me, yes?”

“I know,” he says after a moment of quiet deliberation.

“Then can you at least stop evading the issue and tell me what is troubling you?”

He doesn’t answer at first. We simply sit there, my hands holding one of his as his free hand holds the small box of chocolates. It doesn’t matter how long the silence lasts. I will stay here with him until he answers me, even if it takes the entire day. Eventually, he briefly says, “Last year.”

“Last year?” I repeat, hoping this would prompt him to elaborate.

Luckily, it does. “Last Valentine’s Day. After...you know. It kinda sucked.”

“How so?”

“It just...well, I did act normal. I got a lot of chocolates from my friends, and they thought I was fine. But when I was alone, I...”

“Ren...?”

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I was eating the chocolates, imagining what we would’ve done. It probably sounds dumb, but I was wishing you were there. And I wanted to see you again, maybe give you some chocolates. I wondered if...you would’ve given me some too, and... Even if I thought I never would, I...I just wanted to hear your voice. To see you again, and to hold you in my arms. I just...” I gently take the box from him, setting it aside before pulling him close. He tightly wraps his arms around me, clinging onto me as if he is worried I might vanish. For once, I don’t mind his cloying personality. I can’t blame him for his fears. I’ve disappeared on him too many times, claimed by deaths that refused to stick. His voice chokes up as he finishes, “I missed you so much, Goro.”

“I’m here now,” I murmur. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“I know, but back then...”

I let the conversation fade into silence. Right now, all I can do is try to comfort him. Absentmindedly rubbing his back with slow, circular strokes, I start to hum a tune he usually hums to me when I am not in a good state of mind. He recognizes it immediately. His own baritone joins in as he hums along. I can feel him relaxing in my embrace. After a bit of time has passed, I break the quiet ambiance. “Ren?”

“Yeah?” He at least sounds like he’s doing better.

“You said you imagined what we would do,” I start, standing up and holding out a hand to him. “Would you want to find out?”

The grin he gives me as he takes my hand is so purely heartwarming that it sends my own heart aflutter. “I would love that,” Ren replies, giggling a little when I bring his hand to my lips and kiss his knuckles.

“Why are you laughing for?”

“I didn’t think you could be this affectionate...not that you can top me,” he adds, his tone more than enough to indicate that he’s challenging me.

“Well, maybe I should prove you wrong today.”

“You won’t~”

I laugh, helping him to his feet. If he truly wants to play this game, I am more than happy to indulge him. “Very well. Let us go.”

Prompt list

[lastoneout]

Comfort Food

Fandom: Persona 5

Rating: PG

Summary: 

Akechi has a food blog, Futaba thinks that's hilarious, Akira is a good friend, and Sojiro needs a drink.

Notes:

This was supposed to just be me projecting my issues on to Akechi because he's my emotional support bastard boi but somehow it turned into nearly 2500 words of tooth-rotting slice of life fluff. Whoops.

A03

Goro learned the hard way that hiding things from Futaba was impossible.

To be fair it wasn’t like he was trying to hide his food blog, he mentioned it in passing a few times and he knew that most of his followers were his fans, but he never really expected any of the Thieves to actually read it, let alone read it out loud, in front of him...while laughing at it.

“What are you, a high school girl?” Futaba said with a snicker after she finished reading his latest post aloud, “I’ve seen little girl’s diaries with more class.”

“Oh my god.” Akira choked out from beside Futaba behind Leblanc’s bar, desperately trying to muffle his laughs as Goro floundered.

He knew he shouldn’t care. The Thieves always poked fun at each other. ‘It’s what friends do,’ Akira had said. If anything he figured he should be grateful that Futaba considered him enough of a friend to playfully mock his hobby. But Goro was never good at regulating his inner emotions, and so as much as he tried to not let it get to him, it did.

Truthfully, he never meant to get into food. For the longest time, he considered it a pointless expense. In the various foster homes that he was tossed between food was almost a luxury. And to someone who often wondered where his next meal would come from it was hard to justify the cost of a fancy dinner when the same money could get him a month's worth of instant ramen and convenience store bento lunches.

But when he got into high school and wormed his way into the police force he suddenly was financially stable enough to justify luxury spending. Nijima-san was kind enough to pull some strings to get the agency to act as a guarantor so he could move out of the foster home and into a small apartment, and after he paid his bills and rent he was left staring at the remaining sum in his bank app, trying to wrap his head around how that money was his, and he could do whatever he wanted with it.

He tried to keep a level head and decided to go to a nearby department store to pick up things to furnish his new home, but on the way there he passed a diner and was stopped dead by the incredible smells drifting out the door. His stomach growled, and he found himself trying to remember the last time he had eaten something that hadn’t come wrapped in plastic and styrofoam.

His stomach growled again, and before he had time to think about it, knowing that if he did he would decide against it, he hurried into the restaurant. He was seated quickly, and despite feeling weirdly giddy and anxious he smiled at the kind waitress who took his order. The simple latte and plate of pancakes were probably the most delicious things he had ever tasted, and he couldn’t help how his eyes watered after the first bite, the food filling some empty part of himself he hadn’t even known existed.

Looking back on that day he’s grateful that he wasn’t famous yet, as no one cared to pay attention to the skinny teenager in the booth by the wall trying not to get tears in his dinner.

After that, he ate out at least once a week. He spent little on necessities, picking up most of the things he needed at the ¥100 store and buying used clothes, saving every extra bit that didn’t go into bills for food. Eventually, he started looking up new places to eat, and after finding a few food blogs he decided on a whim to start his own. It didn’t take off until after his big break, but he didn’t mind. The simple pictures and reviews he posted weren’t really for anyone else, and on days when he felt empty and angry, he would scroll back through them and feel a little bit better. Almost happy at the little niche he had carved out for himself.

Shortly after that Akechi’s entire life quickly became a delicate web of lies. He was a double, even triple agent, under so many layers of falsehoods even he struggled to keep it straight sometimes. If anyone ever bothered to break him down to his bare parts there really wasn’t much he actually did for himself. Every single facet of his life and personality had been carefully crafted to ensure he would be able to get the revenge he so desperately craved. He hardly ever did anything just for himself. Every interest he shared in interviews or mentioned around his ‘friends’ was for show, not something he honestly cared all that much about. It was annoying sometimes, having to pretend to care for things he felt apathetic towards, but it was necessary.

But food? Food stayed safe. It helped his Detective Prince facade once he got popular, after all the only thing teenage girls seemed to like more than cute boys was trendy food. And cute boys who love trendy food? That’s a check that writes itself. It made him look soft, approachable, and normal. So he indulged. Actually enjoying sharing the one part of himself that wasn’t fake.

Maybe that’s why Futaba’s mockery stung so much. He wouldn’t care if people made fun of his fake interests, but when it was the real him? It hurt.

He tried to laugh it off, blushing and begging her to stop. He insisted it’s just for his fans, he’s not really that immature or girly, it’s just for show! But each plea seemed to only make the situation worse, so he gave up and silently begged for her to get bored soon, his face an unnatural shade of red.

Akira, ever perceptive, seemed to notice something change in his demeanor, and without a second thought, the teen reached forward and plucked Futaba's phone right out of her hands.

"Hey!" She shouted, grabbing for it.

"Alright, alright, that's enough." He chided, holding the phone just out of Futaba's reach, "We all have our hobbies. But since we're in a sharing mood how about I tell Akechi-kun all about your Featherman shipping blog?"

A chill came over the room. "You wouldn't dare."

"Oh, I would." He turned to Goro with a devilish smirk, "See she loves the red and blue rangers together-"

"Akira I'll end you!" Futaba yelled, diving forward and attempting to tackle him. Akira, however, was taller, and easily deflected her blows.

"She was telling me about this doujinshi she read the other day-"

"I'll spread rumors about you on websites you've never even heard of!"

"It was so romantic-"

"I'll leak your bank info on the dark web!”

"It's by her favorite author too, she buys everything they release-"

"I'll destroy you with malware, you won't be able to BREATHE near a circuit board without getting a virus!"

"Tell me, Akechi-kun, do you know what smut is?"

"AKIRA!!!" Futaba shrieked, and it was quickly followed by the sound of clanging pots and Sojiro swearing loudly from the kitchen.

“Would you two cut it out?” He shouted, poking his head around the corner.

“Sorry Boss, just giving Futaba a lesson on being a good friend,” Akira replied with an apologetic smile.

“Well next time can you do it outside? You’re lucky I don’t have any customers in here right now.”

“You never have any customers...” Futaba mumbled.

“I heard that. And Futaba, I thought I asked you to tie up your hair when you’re behind the counter.”

“On it...” She grumbled, pulling her hair back into a lazy bun with the scrunchie on her wrist.

“We’ll keep the noise and health code violations to a minimum, Boss,” Akira said, shooting a lazy salute Sojiro’s way. The older man eyed them for another second before sighing and mumbling something about herding cats as he turned back to the curry.

With the situation defused, Akira and Futaba stared at each other, having a silent yet very animated conversation, but eventually, Akira seemed to win and Futaba sighed heavily, "Okay, okay,” She turned to Goro and gave him a bow, “I'm sorry for making fun of your blog Akechi-kun."

Goro hardly knew what to make of the display, let alone her apology, but it made him feel a bit better, so he relaxed and gave her a genuine smile, “It’s alright, Futaba-chan, I forgive you.”

“Can I have my phone back now, please?”

“You may,” Akira replied amicably, handing the hostage technology back to Futaba.

She smiled triumphantly before another dark look crossed her face. She eyed Goro, suspiciously, before blushing and tapping her fingers together “A-and Akechi-kun...you won’t tell anyone else about the...shipping thing, right?”

“To be honest...I’m not sure I fully understand what you were talking about,” He replied, “But your secret is safe with me.”

“I’m so proud of both of you,” Akira said with a fake teary-eyed sniff, “My two little introverts, making friends.”

Goro and Futaba broke out in protests, but a quick glare from Sojiro shut them both up.

“Wow, you’ve really got that ‘disappointed dad’ look down, Sojiro.” Akira quipped.

“Don’t you have anything better to do than raise hell in my cafe?”

“As much as it breaks my heart, yes.” Akira said, untying his apron and heading around the counter, “I’ve got a date with a pile of dirty dishes in Shinjuku.”

“You’re not taking Morgana?” Futaba asked as he grabbed his bag and jacket.

“Nah, he hates The Crossroads, says the alcohol smell makes his nose itch. When he wakes up from his nap just let him know where I went.”

“Roger that.”

“Thanks,” He said, “See you guys later! Oh, and try not to get into too much trouble while I’m away.”

Futaba rolled her eyes dramatically, and Goro, still feeling a bit lost, simply shrugged.

“Akira, text me when you get there! You know I don’t like you going to that part of town so late.” Sojiro called, and Goro had to suppress a smirk. Akira had faced down far worse threats than the red light district at night. But it must be nice, he figured, to have someone worry about you.

“Got it!” Akira replied, the bell jingling as the door closed behind him.

Futaba seemed to deflate in his absence, looking anxious. She had explained once that Akira was something called a ‘key item’ that gave her ‘a plus ten confidence boost’, and he assumed that just meant she was shy when he wasn’t around. Goro turned back to his discarded coffee, grimacing a bit when a sip revealed it to be lukewarm.

“Uh, I can make you another cup...it’s my fault that one went cold anyway.” She said, clearly trying to make things up to him, “Sojiro’s been teaching me. It probably won’t be as good as his though. I’m still totally stuck on tutorial mode.”

“Oh, um, that would be lovely.” He replied, “Thank you.”

She started the process, carefully measuring grounds as the kettle heated, “You know, you should write about Leblanc on your blog. You like the food here, right?”

“I-”

“Absolutely not.” Sojiro interrupted, joining Futaba behind the bar to supervise the brewing.

“But Sojirooo! Akechi-kun is popular, you might actually get some business for once!”

“I don’t want that kind of business. Sorry Akechi-kun, but hundreds of fangirls in here every day ordering fancy drinks and asking when their beloved Detective Prince is coming back? I can feel my blood pressure skyrocketing just thinking about it.” He replied with a chuckle, “A man my age can only handle so many loud teenagers at once, and Akira’s band of hooligans already pushes the limit.”

“Don’t worry, Saku...uh, sorry, Boss. I understand.” Goro clarified, “There have actually been several cases of popular food writers unwittingly causing small restaurants to close due to their articles increasing interest to an unmanageable level. I wouldn’t dream of doing that to Leblanc.”

“Glad we’re on the same page then.”

Futaba finished making the coffee, grinning when Sojiro complimented her technique. She eagerly pushed a fresh cup to him, practically vibrating while she watched him take a sip. It was true that it wasn’t as amazing as her father’s, but it was still good and had its own charm.

“You did well.” He said, and he couldn’t help chuckle when she broke out in a wide smile, a warm feeling blossoming in his chest at the sight.

“Yes! I leveled up! Plus five coffee making exp!”

“We’ll make a barista of you yet.” Sojiro said fondly, “Now, it’s getting late. Akechi-kun, do you have dinner plans? I’ve got enough curry back here to feed an army, you’re welcome to stay.”

“I wouldn’t want to impose...”

“Just say yes.” Futaba whispered to him with a smirk, “Sojiro put all of his stat points into feeding wayward teens.”

“Then...yes, I’d be honored.” Akechi said, too confused to be offended by being called ‘wayward’.

“The honor is ours,” Futaba replied solemnly, giving an overly formal bow before breaking out laughing.

Sojiro wasted no time serving up three plates of curry, chatting idly with Futaba as she went to flip the open sign to closed. The two of them managed to herd Goro into a booth just as Morgana trotted downstairs, asking about Akira and demanding food. Futaba poked the poor not-cat a few times while Sojiro retrieved Morgana’s food bowl and popped open a fresh can of cat food.

“Sorry,” Sojiro said, pulling up a chair and making room on the table for Morgana’s dish, “He throws a tantrum if he doesn’t get to eat with us.”

“I do not!” Morgana shouted indignantly, “I’m just too civilized to eat on the floor.”

“Chatty cat,” Sojiro replied, giving Morgana a few chin scritches.

“Morgana is family,” Futaba said sagely, “And a family that eats together, stays together.”

‘...Family, huh...’ Goro thought to himself.

“What’s up Akechi-kun?” Futaba asked, and he blushed lightly as he realized he was staring off into space.

“Oh, I’m sorry, it’s nothing,” He deflected, “The food looks delicious, Boss. Thank you.”

“Thank you for the food!” Futaba yelled before digging into her plate, and the rest of them quickly followed suit.

As the four of them shared the meal, Goro felt the warm feeling from before grow and spread through his chest. Futaba was using her fork to flick small bits of meat at Morgana despite Sojiro’s half-hearted complaints, cheering as Morgana somehow managed to catch every single one. The smell of curry and coffee and cat food mingled in the air with laughter and shouts, giving the whole room a feeling not unlike a comforting hug.

Goro allowed himself a small smile, sure that the only reason he felt so happy was the food.

[real-sotenbori-hours]

Receive You: The Madtype - Majima Goro x Fem Reader, Part 2

Warnings: NSFW, smut, public masturbation, public trysts, profanity/blasphemy, a touch of B&D and a light dash of fluff…

You’d have never thought to check that camera to ensure that it’s inoperable because it’s always been. You were so distracted by those infernal gloves... it just didn’t occur to you... how fucking long has that camera been actually functioning?!

  Well, fuck... he knows. He definitely knows. Or, he will... It’s fine. You’ll just act like nothing happened and hustle through your shift with your focus on your patrons. It’ll be fine.

  Your nervous energy is rushing through you in a flurry. You do one more lap around the bar to confirm that everything’s ready. Checking the clock, you realize that service starts in fifteen minutes and you’re still the only one there. As you reach to text Majima to make sure he’s okay with you opening alone, your phone sounds.

  A text... from Majima. “Y/N-chan, we’re doin’ a private event tonight. I figured I’d work it with my best girl, so I gave everyone else the night off. Go ahead and open up in 10, I’m on my way back.”

  This is... unexpected. Unprecedented, even. But you’re glad you don’t have to worry about hiding your now heightened tension with Majima from anyone else... at least for tonight.

  You pop into the bathroom to check yourself, making sure your hair and makeup are on point. Check.

  Okay, deep breaths. Nothing happened, everything’s normal.

  It’s showtime.

  You fling the door open and slink on out, ready to do some big numbers tonight. You unlock the doors, opening them to expose the gaggle of well dressed men waiting outside. You bow slightly with a smug grin on your face, “Irasshaimase, okyakusama.”

  The men return the bow, nodding in approval as you lead them to the largest VIP booth in the lounge. You take their first round of drink orders and assure them that Majima will be there to greet them momentarily.

  Turning on your heel, you’re met with an arm around your waist as Majima suddenly appears at your side, beaming.

  “Gentlemen, thanks fer comin’! This here’s the star of my bar, Y/N-chan. Ain’t she amazin’?”

  The men all nod and toss compliments your way to which you blush and thank them, eager to make and retrieve their drinks as quickly as possible.

   As you try to pull yourself from Majima’s grasp, he pins you to his side once again, gripping you. You try to play it cool, returning the squeeze... despite the fact that the glove wrapping itself around your waist was the very one that hugged your hand and grazed your most sensitive spots just earlier...

  Your thoughts were abruptly interrupted.

 “We’ll get to talkin’ in just a minute. Y/N-chan and I will return with yer drinks.”

  The men all nod and grunt their thanks as Majima turns with you still at his hip, stepping forward, bringing you with him. You have no idea what to make of this but you couldn’t care less, as being pressed against his side had you spinning already.

  He walks you behind the bar and directly into the liquor room, shutting the door behind him. Deep breath. Act normal, act normal, ACT FUCKING NORMAL.

  He releases you and turns to face you, smirking.

 “Everything alright, Y/N-chan?”

  You try to fight it, but your eyes widen anyway. “Yeah, I’m fine, Majima-san... I’m great. Why?”

  “Ah, ya just seem a lil’ on edge is all. Like yer nervous about somethin’...” his eye narrows, watching you like a hawk.

  You shrug. “Nah, I’m not nervous, why would I be nervous?”

 He starts slowly pulling his glove off, watching you absentmindedly wring your hands at the sight.

  He holds it up, turning it over, stroking the leathered fingertips with his bare hand and then spears you with an expression so intimidating, your heart stopped.

  “They look good on ya.” He chuckles darkly.

  You feign confusion, hoping you misheard him. “Pardon?”

  “Nah, you heard me.” He grins, maniacally. “My gloves... they look good on ya.”

  “...”

  “That was a helluva display, Y/N-chan... sexiest thing I ever seen.”

  “...”

  “Maybe you’d like to show me again? Maybe sometime soon when I can join in?” He steps closer, brushing the glove past your cheek. You’re spellbound. “I...”

  He grips your face in his other hand and leans forward, placing a kiss on your cheek and laughing. You melt into his arms, wrapping yours around him, hugging him tightly, burying your face in the crook of his neck, inhaling him as deeply as possible. “I’m sorry, Majima-san... I just couldn’t help myself.”

  He grips the back of your neck, speaking into it, “Oh yeah? Well don’t ya worry, Y/N-chan. I got just what ya need. I’m happy to indulge ya.” He pulls back, rubbing his thumb along your bottom lip.

  You gaze up at him, aching for him more than ever before, unabashedly letting your face express it. He leans forward and kisses the tip of your chin as you arch your back, desperate to rub yourself against him.

  He meets you, pressing himself up against you, just barely satiating your burning desire... or fanning the flames. Now you wrap your fingers around the back of his neck, pulling yourself up to his ear to whisper, “Fuck, Majima I want you so bad...” he moans, turning his head to bring his mouth to yours as you grab his face, holding him still. You lick the shell of his ear, giggling, “Oh, but not now. I have drinks to make.”

  He stops, shooting you a look of shock... and awe. You kiss the bridge of his nose and slip free from his grasp, laughing.

  You head for the door, smirking over your shoulder at him as he follows, wrapping his arm around the front of you, resting his fingers just over your stomach. He slips his other hand into your hair, grabbing a fistful as he licks up your neck, stopping below your ear. “This ain’t over, ya lil’ minx.”

 Rolling your head onto his shoulder for just a second, you grip his thigh and then place your hand on the door, preparing to open it. “I’m countin’ on that, Majima-chan.”

 You quickly make the first round of drinks, carrying them over to the secluded booth housing Majima’s business associates. Somehow he’s already seated in their midst, as if he fucking teleported. You set the tray down, acting as if there isn’t an electric current pulsing through you just from being under his gaze.

  As you lean forward to hand a libation to each of his oblivious guests, you catch Majima staring right through you, slowly running his tongue along his bottom lip. Your cunt twitches and an unmistakable blush erupts on your cheeks as you try to hide how frazzled you were rapidly becoming. You straighten up, holding the empty tray in front of you as you smile politely.

 “Anything for you, Majima-san?”

  He smirks. “You know what I want, Y/N-chan.”

 You nod with a grin and head back behind the bar, trying to steady your breathing with each step.

  Reaching for a whiskey stone, you take the tongs and grip it, carefully setting it into the bottom of the glass. You look up to find him leaning over the bar, grinning, “Y/N-chan, let’s break out the new stones fer my friends! I’ll show ya where they are, follow me.”

  He slips around the corner and grabs your wrist, dragging you playfully behind him as you try not to giggle. Bringing you down the same hallway leading to the back office, he stops at the supply closet just before it. He takes a set of keys from his pocket and unlocks the door, twisting it open and pulling you inside with him. You have no idea what to expect.

  He switches the light on and shuts the door, strolling ahead, locating the velvet case on the second shelf to the left. He grabs it excitedly, opening it as he walks back toward you. “I love these. Used ‘em at The Grand. Been meanin’ to roll ‘em out. Take a look.” He sets the box on the table beside you and pulls a sphere from its foam bedding, balancing it in the palm of his hand before you, letting it fall into your hand. You nod, impressed. “Gorgeous pattern... and heavy! I bet they stay colder for longer.”

  You return it to the case as he nods in agreement. “Yer absolutely right, Y/N-chan. Quality should never be sacrificed.” God, he’s amazing... no, don’t think about it. TRY to be a professional, for fuck’s sake. You have a job to do.  

He closes the case and turns to you, pushing you up against the door with that gloved hand at your neck. He pulls himself in close, looking you up and down and pecks your lips. “Y/N-chan, you been drivin’ me crazy fer too fuckin’ long... but today was the last straw.” You grab the back of his neck again and this time, you’re stealing the kiss you’ve been craving. You draw him closer and he jerks forward, sliding his tongue between your eager lips, heads bobbing as depth is sought, he tangles his other hand in your hair, engulfing you in the kiss you’ve wanted more than any other in your entire life.

  You grip his hips, dragging him closer to you, begging for tighter quarters. He obliges, completely pinning you to the door, subtly rubbing himself against you as you moan, neither of you prepared to break apart just yet.

  You suck his bottom lip as he sucks your top, both of you returning to a full fledged kiss, tongues dancing rhythmically as his hands wander down your waist, gripping your ass... he groans, burying his face in your shoulder, “FUCK, Y/N-chan... you don’t know how long I’ve wanted this...”

  Haha.

 “Oh, but I do, Majima-san... bet I’ve wanted it longer than you have...”

  He slaps the door lightly and laughs, snaking his hand between your legs and cupping. You gasp, yearning for more pressure, bucking your hips in his hand. “Fuck, yer so warm I can feel it through my glove...”

  “Majima-san, yer killin’ me... we got guests to serve...”

  “Yer right, Y/N-chan... but lemme tell ya somethin’ real quick...” He leans into your ear, whispering, “I’m gonna devour ya like yer my last meal... and I can’t fuckin’ wait to do it.” You sigh, baring your neck to him as he pecks a trail from your nape to your lips and steps back, turning the doorknob.

  You grab his face for one last passionate kiss, tugging at that pouty bottom lip and he returns it feverishly, groaning against your lips, rubbing your chest beneath those fucking gloves. You cradle his face with both hands, deepening and prolonging the kiss that much more, inching your hips forward to meet his again, unable to stop yourself. “Mmmm, Majima-san... I can’t get enough of ya...” he interrupts your musing by sliding his tongue back into your mouth and returning his hand to your throat, tightening his grip only to evoke a moan from deep within you. His eye glosses over as he narrows it, glaring into yours, smirking. “I had no idea you were so deviant, Y/N-chan... yer my kinda woman... and I’m gonna give ya everything.” He kisses the tip of your nose and pecks your lips again, stepping back towards the door.

  You quickly compose yourself, snagging the case of stones as you slip out the door, walking them to the bar.

  You glance over at the booth and are relieved to see a large spread of Takoyaki among a din of happy customers eating, talking and laughing. You bring two pitchers of water and set them on opposite sides of the table, bowing and returning to the bar to prepare the round of whiskeys.

  Majima appears at your side once again, running his hand along your lower back. “Y/N-chan, pour one for yerself and come toast with us.” You seldom drink while working, but you know better than to argue. You grant yourself an ounce and place the bottle back atop the shelf. He pecks your cheek and slides back over to the table.

  Returning with the full tray, you set a glass before each guest as Majima lifts his. The men follow suit as Majima laughs and exclaims, “To our bright days ahead in Kamurocho!” A deep swig is had by all as you savor the sweet burn of cooled whiskey, reminding yourself not to relax too much as there’s still much to be done. The party of men thank you graciously as you collect the empty dishes, knowing full well that business shall now be discussed. You take your cue and head back behind the bar to clean and restock.

  Collecting all of the clean glassware, you return them to their respective shelves and decide to check the liquor room for backup bottles of Majima's favorite high end whiskey in case he'd like more rounds prepared for his guests. Once inside, you glance over at the usual shelf and see not a single remaining bottle in stock. Strange. You descend the stairs to the cellar, double checking for a couple of straggling bottles, coming up empty. You were certain there had to be another case and as you glanced around once again, a hand cupped your mouth as another planted itself firmly against your stomach.

  A warm and deliberate tongue ran up and along your neck as the heat of his breath tickled the inside of your ear, setting your entire body ablaze, once again. “Y/N-chan, gimme just a few more minutes to lose these guys...” he kisses your neck, sucking lightly, feeling up your chest again as you fight the urge not to collapse, breathless. You slip your fingers into his hair, gripping hard enough to tug him closer. “Majima, I can’t wait much longer... yer killin’ me...”

  He turns you around and pushes you against the nearest wall, lifting and hooking your leg around his waist as he slides his hand down the front of your tight black pants, stopping directly at the center of you, letting those leather clad fingertips sit against you as your eyes widen. You gasp and grab a hold of his shoulders, desperately trying to close the distance, yearning for more contact. He remains still, chuckling at your need as you grind along his fingers.

  “Majima, please...”

  He leans in and pecks your lips, stroking you slowly with his index while slipping the tip of his middle into you, laughing. “Y/N-chan, I’m havin’ trouble focusin’ on this deal...” he pecks your lips again, lingering to speak against them. “...I just need a lil’ something to keep me motivated...” you lean forward, aching to kiss him again and he meets you, sliding his tongue back into your mouth, gripping your thigh with aggression.

  You couldn’t care less about anything but what’s happening in this moment. You pull your shirt up, exposing your chest, restrained only by wired lace. His eye widens as he sighs, kissing down your neck to your bra as you begin rubbing your breasts, your nipples already standing at full attention. He sinks his teeth into your flesh, sending your eyes rolling as he rubs you with more pressure, gripping your thigh even harder.

  “M-Majima, don’t... don’t st—-”

  His hand ceases movement and he releases your leg, setting it straight, grinning. He pecks your lips again and pulls his hand free from you, kissing his glove slowly and lightly, watching you closely.

  You roll your eyes in frustration and he giggles, grabbing your throat as he continues savoring you. “Now we’re even, Y/N-chan.”

  You groan, “Even? What the fuck for?!”

  He smirks and presses further into your throat, hissing, “Fer touching yerself to me... I woulda had ya a million years ago had I known ya felt this way about me... but no, ya had to be coy until ya couldn’t be... and now I wanna punish ya fer makin’ me wait...”

  You grab his stupid face and take his lips again, breaking away to get your word in. “I was trying to be a professional, idiot... I didn’t think you’d wanna cross that line...”

  He giggles again. “Professional idiot, alright... why the fuck wouldn’t I wanna cross every damn line with ya, Y/N-chan? Yer a sexy, smart, knock-out of a woman and I’ve confided quite a bit of things in ya, haven’t I? Ya don’t think I care about ya on a deeper level than just bein’ yer boss?”

  You shrug. Since when do fantasies come true? “Well, better late than never, Majima-chan... how ‘bout we close up and we’ll make up for lost time?” You grip your breasts slowly, shooting a feral grin at the man for whom you’ve longed indescribably, the man who’s wanted you just as much, all along. You’re gonna give him every bit of your love, holding nothing back.

  He takes in a deep breath, adjusting himself as he shakes his head, walking back towards the stairs. “FUCK, yer gonna pay fer this, Y/N-chan...”

  Your eyes remain locked until he’s out of sight, leaving you in panting, frenzied ruins. That man and everything about him is exhilarating. You can’t fucking wait to get him alone, fully... but for now you have to compose yourself yet again and get back to business.

 ***

I’m working on Part 3 right now! I also have another Majima fic ready to upload, probably in 3 parts ‘cuz there’s just too much smut to put in one damn post ;)

 Apologies for the crazy long delays... I’ve been writing SO MUCH and I’m trying to put variety into my writing, so that’s costing me time. Also I got promoted at work and with that comes more responsibilities I must attend to on my (otherwise) nights off... I’m stoked on it but of course that stuff also cuts into my writing and editing nights LOL 

 ANYWAY, please let me know if y’all wanna be added to my YAKUZA tag list and/or my LOKI tag list... more Loki on the way and more Yakuza in the queue! ALSO... FUCKING PROMPT ME, PLEASE! Love you all! 

[dorky-arsene]

Day 6 - Demon

@shuakeweek​

Much like my Day 3 entry, this one’s going to be a fic as well, using the “Demon” half of the prompt. This one’s also gonna have an art attached to it, since I kinda went all out. -shrugs-

Like the last fic, this one’s probably best suited for a teen-rating. It also has slightly more cursing and like the last fic has some mild spoils for Persona 5.

(as for the art, do NOT repost it)

Goro frowned at his notes as he set up the cheap candles he’d picked up half an hour ago, trying his damnedest to make sure none of the candles ended up dumping wax on his cheap carpet. After all, it’d be a bitch to clean off the wax, and the company I’m renting this apartment from will probably want to take my damn soul if I so much as spilled a single drop of wax..

The stressed high-schooler sighed, brushed hair out of his face for the 20th time, and looked over his notes again. So.. here it says I need a sprig of mistletoe.. How inconvenient, I’ve got none, he thought to himself, mentally slapping himself. Goddamn it. Why did I forget to get that.. ugh... It’s literally key to his mythological lore, and yet my tired ass forgot it!

Guess I’ll have to use something else as a replacement, Goro thought to himself, having to brush yet more of his too-long hair out of his face again as he shook his head in self-disapproval. The best thing Goro could think of on a whim was, oddly, coffee beans, which were sitting innocently in his kitchen on the counter.

“...Can’t believe I’m using fucking coffee to commune with a supposed trickster god,” Goro groaned aloud, narrowing his eyes at the cheap bag of coffee beans before shaking his head again and getting off his knees to go get it. “This had better work properly or I swear I’m going to chew Mifune-san out for even suggesting this.. Uuuugh... I spent real money for this..”

He swiped the coffee beans off the counter, then a culinary torch he normally only used for attempting crepes, turning off the lights in his tiny kitchen after that. It left only the light coming out of the glass doors leading to the tiny, crappy balcony of his apartment, which wasn’t a lot of light to go off of considering it was April and sundown had already passed. Somehow, though, by a miracle Goro could see just well enough to tell where the candles were.

He had a mat to deposit the chalk dust and coffee beans safely without fucking up the carpet, and now all he had to do was light the 6 crappy candles and deposit everything. The candles went first, bathing the little cleared-out living room area in orange-golden light as more and more of them got lit up. Then he deposited the chalk dust, in a little plastic bag with a corner cut off, forming a circle with vaguely wing-like marks.

In it, he wrote down the characters he thought was supposed to spell out Loki’s name, also in the chalk dust. It seemed a little longer than it was supposed to, but.. Goro was admittedly too tired to try and look up the damn proper words at the moment. He wanted it over with.

The last part was, of course, putting down the coffee beans and injuring himself just enough to deposit blood. That, and according to his notes, he had to make some stupid vow-thing..

“Here we fucking go,” Goro said to himself, scooping up some of the smelly beans and dropping them in the middle, carefully so he didn’t undo the circle and mess up the spell. After brushing more light brown hair out of his face, Goro grabbed a sewing needle off the ground he’d placed earlier, jamming it into his palm with an angry hiss and holding it above the coffee bean offering. He didn’t want to watch this part, so he squeezed his eyes shut, reciting the lines he’d practiced at least what had to be a hundred times over the past week and a half.

God, did Goro’s stomach feel pretty stormy right now..

“I.. I am thou, thou a-art I..” Goro stuttered, feeling his blood dripping off his hand uncomfortably. “F-from the sea of my soul.. I summon you.. I.. I bear the strength of my soul..”

...Crap, what was the rest..?! Damn it, Goro, you’re flubbing it..! he thought briefly, before the rest clicked into place. The needle in his palm got loose, and he hesitantly let go of it, practically hearing it drop against the likely soaked coffee beans.

“U-uh..” he tried again, eventually getting the courage again to speak. “I bear the strength of my soul.. to ascertain all on my own. N-now come to me, Loki!”

Still with his eyes closed, Goro felt the atmosphere of the room change somehow, and what little light he saw seemed to change to a blue-ish color. Goro sensed a foreign warmth a bit where he’d set up his mat, and so he backed away, feeling himself shake as he fumbled for the black towel he’d gotten specifically for the communication attempt. Besides that, he’d used his main hand, his left hand, to do this, so it stung like a bitch the whole time as he awaited whatever result.

...Still, curiosity and a hint of fear struck the tired highschooler’s heart, so he opened one eye to take a peek. The coffee beans and blood had entirely disappeared, and the circle’s color was no longer boring cheap stone white, rather becoming a strangely attractive shade of red and glowing. The candles’ flames actually turned a stark blue, burning in both light and dark shades of it, and most noise had disappeared from the environment, save for Goro’s frightened breathing and the flare of the candles.

...Then, a rush of wind knocked Goro to his bottom, and just like that, a quasi-humanoid being appeared above him. Black feathers fluttered around Goro and on him and his floor, their source being half-feathered wings attached to the humanoid. He found himself gazing into the face of the being, with his eyes seeming to have golden-colored outsides and red irises, and the demon had a sharp, cunning smirk to go with the already distracting eyes.

Besides that, the demon appeared to have black, red-tipped hair that half-hid nubby horns, a dual set of two, one set gold and the other silver, and as for clothes, he seemed to have an armored vest of sorts with a bright red ribbon hung loosely over. He also wore semi-armored gloves, and thin pants with leg armor, with no shoes to speak of. It was a contrast, certainly, to Goro’s simple thrift store nightgown and pants, both of which were more of a mild stormy but light grey and nothing else, save for whatever chalk, wax and blood he’d gotten on himself in the past 10 minutes.

The dark-haired demon chuckled softly, his voice apparently no older than someone Goro’s age.. which felt really weird. Perhaps weirdly attractive, if Goro were being honest to his closeted heart.

“Oh my.. I seem to be a little off-course,” the teenaged demon spoke, floating in midair as if he’d done so his whole life. “It’s not a whole loss, I suppose.. What a cute summoner~.”

Goro felt his cheeks flush at the compliment (or flirt), and he tried to glare at the demon. “Uh, off-course? I’m pretty sure this was intentional on my end. Does the name “Loki” sound a bell?”

Quizzically, the demon’s thick eyebrows furrowed and he tilted his head, his smirk fading into a thin line.

“Loki..? What’re you on about? I’m called Satanael, and I’m as far from a Norse god as can be. A trickster, when I feel like it, but I’m more of a rebel than anything,” the demon introduced, stretching out his arms and smiling. “I can see you wrote my name instead of the intended one.. That’s probably contributing to me being off-course and all.”

Goro looked where Satanael had pointed out, and upon re-reading the kanji the summoning circle currently produced.. It struck Goro that it was, indeed, the wrong goddamn name.

“Fuck my life,” the brunette responded, facepalming. “Now I’m stuck with you, I guess.. First I forget the damned mistletoe and now it turns out I wrote the most incorrect thing of INCORRECT THINGS--”

Satanael seemed to be sweating nervously upon hearing Goro berate himself, and he gently placed a hand on the tired teen’s shoulder.

“Hey, hey, don’t get all worked up. I can already feel your soul wearing itself out faster. Panic only nets you passing out, human. I mean, I’m sure you’d be as cute as a sleeping cat when passed out, but--”

“Off!” Goro yelped, swatting at the demon with his towel. “Get off me, will you?! Can’t I panic in peace around here..?”

“..The circle’s still in effect, so not for a while,” Satanael pointed out, in the most awkward way in the world by using two of his six massive wings that kept poking the curtains of Goro’s sliding glass door. “You wanted assistance, right? You got the rest of the incantation down properly, so you must want help in something, right..?”

“...” Goro sat up properly for once, and he wrapped his hand around his towel, trying to ignore the pound of feathers Satanael shed all over his stupid living room like some cat with too much fur. He needed a second, and it seemed the demon got the memo, magically scooping up his shed feathers and dumping them as the brown-haired novice of a summoner tried to cobble his internal brain back together from the panic disaster mess it was.

Ugh.. Dammit, this is what I get for trying to summon demons by myself, Goro complained internally, nursing his aching hand and watching Satanael trying to clean up his feathers successfully. He’d gotten most of them by the time the stressed teen got back to breathing as if he wasn’t biking at 60 miles an hour, and another self-deprecating thought passed his mind before he’d next opened his mouth. Maybe I should have asked Kitagawa-san to help me out.. He studies stuff like this on his off time for his artwork, so I probably could have gotten the right fucking god instead of a random-ass demon..

“..Hey, Satanael-san? Where were you supposed to be going, anyway?”

With a bundle of feathers in his arms, Satanael turned his head. “Oh, you mean being off-course. Uh, kick the circle, will you? I don’t mind being in the human realm for a bit while we reorganize, yeah? And thanks for the coffee beans. I appreciate the gift, human.”

Goro kicked the circle with his bare foot despite his lingering confusion, and the candles promptly turned back to their usual color, the chalk having gone back to normal. Well, now the coffee beans, blood and needle were gone, but everything else was still right where it was, save for the streak of chalk from Goro’s bare foot.

“Anyways,” the demon continued, “I was off to confront some asshole human who just so happens to be a reincarnation of one of the main “Sin” groups your sort likes to put my kind into. Ah, he doesn’t go by Samael anymore, but that’s the name I knew him by before he decided to up and betray me.”

“..Betray?” Goro questioned. “So why come all the way up here for one measly human anyway?”

“Hrm. Correct yourself to say “falsely powerful” human, friend. That nasty son of a bitch decided to try and give himself a foothold in Japanese politics with so many violations of the point of my movement that I want to punch him back home,” Satanael hissed, the cores of his eyes flashing gold as he dumped the feathers onto Goro’s kitchen counter. “..Actually, now that I think about it, I don’t think you summoning me was a mere accident. You feel a bit like he does.. Only a little.”

“...Huh??” It didn’t quite click to Goro, what Satanael meant, despite something telling Goro a certain bald-headed bastard might’ve been involved.

Satanael gestured to the circle, which still had his name’s characters in it. “I’m not so sure it was coincidence you wrote the name of a particularly rebellious demon, now, is it? I am the very representation of rebelling against authority, at least for some.

I’ve got a few names under my belt, because of it. Some call me “Satan”, since I’ve already rebelled once and gotten kicked out. Others like to call me “Lucifer” or “Helel”, too. But Satanael’s the preferred one. Get my drift?”

“..Wait, go back,” Goro said, standing up off the ground, while still holding onto his towel in his left hand. “A.. A rebel demon? ..W-well, I.. I wanted to rebel against my biological father.. He keeps trying to make me do his dirty work and I have a hell of a time trying to get him off my damn back.”

The teen huffed, and Satanael folded his wings, blowing out Goro’s candles and essentially helping pick up the mess all over the living room floor as the mortal of the pair turned on the kitchen lights again.

Goro opened his fridge to check for food, but was only met with a supply of apples and water bottles, and old leftovers he didn’t feel like trusting to the half-broken microwave he had to get off some sketchy online shop.

“..Uh, just out of curiosity, Satanael, do you eat?”

Kneeling in the middle of the floor with the mat, the demon lord just shrugged. “If coffee comes with it, I have no problem with what you have. I’d prefer you eat something, though. It’d be unbecoming of you to faint in the midst of teenage rebellion-ing your father.”

“Touche,” Goro responded blandly, pulling out the leftovers and a few apples. He also took out a water bottle and his coffee machine, the one other machine besides his alarm clock and his P.A.D. that worked without being too shitty, and he filled up the coffee machine’s water tank. “Oh, also.. I feel like I was rude earlier to you, so I apologize for that. My name is Goro Akechi, by the way. I’d forgotten, almost, to tell you that.”

“..Goro.. I like it,” Satanael chuckled, closing his eyes and smiling cheerfully as he placed Goro’s sewing needle back on the kitchen counter, bloodless. “I.. I suppose a more personable name I normally use while hiding among your kind is Akira. Akira Kurusu.”

“If I may.. have you been in Japan for a long time, before?” Goro asked, quietly, while he looked in the demon lord’s direction. The newly-dubbed Akira simply nodded, but in a wistful way, as his smile shrunk slightly to match.

“I’ve been here once before. Not, well, in your current capital.. but in the country. A little place called Inaba. I once happened to meet Izanami there, right when this other nasty human decided to invoke her power and try to cover the damn place in poisonous Yomi fog, all while I’d been in my human disguise. Let’s just say some humans close to your age a few years back had to put her in her place by summoning her very, very angry former husband.. I didn’t get involved much beyond observation for obvious reasons, really.”

“...” The much too tired teenager didn’t grace the little story with a response, finding it too tiring to follow beyond a basic repeat of legends he’d known since middle school. Well, besides the “Yomi fog” and the familiarity of what Akira may have been talking about.

...Oh, right.. Maybe Akira-san’s speaking about the Inaba fog murders. God, that was a disaster for their police force.. I ended up studying that for my current crappy job..

Reluctantly, Goro tossed the leftover food from the previous night onto a pair of plates, just a split-up beef bowl with noodles, and one plate went into the sketchy microwave, leaving the prep of the coffee. Another quick check of the kitchen yielded sugar and little creamer cups he’d snuck out of the office at work, and Goro turned around again to the demon lord, who had surprisingly ditched the demon form in favor of a mild, unassuming human look, complete with removed shoes already put near the apartment entrance and glasses.

“..A-ah.. Is that what it looks like?” the highschooler asked, instead of what he’d intended to ask. “It’s.. it’s a bit different, to say the least..”

Not to mention, Goro thought privately to himself, the unassuming-ness of this look feels.. cute, almost? The glasses are so nerdy, though.. The hair, though.. it helps balance that nerdiness out.. And he’s pretty tall, even as a normal human..

Akira just smiled slightly at Goro from his spot on the couch, twirling a bit of his now horn-free hair. “Well.. Sometimes, my kind has to regenerate a little at times. Sort of like those “Time Masters” from “Doctor Whom”, or whatever that human show is.

Except I just have roughly the same face, hair and voice every time. I’m halfway through at the moment, so in human terms, I am currently, in both mind and body, 16 years old... again. Does it make you feel more comfortable for me to look like this? You don’t seem too unhappy about it-”

Goro felt his cheeks heat up, and he just tried to not think about how alluring Akira’s new grey eyes looked, instead interrupting Akira in his tracks and turning his tomato-red face away again. “J-just tell me your coffee preference, please.”

“Just a touch of sugar and no creamer,” Akira reported, and the other teen could practically feel the disguised demon lord’s wink being sent in his direction as he grounded up the coffee beans in a bowl with the butt of a nearby hammer.

Dammit.. This’ll be a long however-long-he’ll-be-here, won’t it.. he thought with a frown, silently regretting ever going through with his little demon-summoning plan to ruin Shido’s day. Jeez, and on top of me getting the wrong otherworldly being, I end up with one that’s attractive!! I wish so badly to scream, Goro further thought, feeling his cheeks go on fire as he dumped the ground coffee into its filter, practically slamming the door on the filter hole shut just to snap himself out of it.

Evidently, he now had the craving to just go sit and talk with Akira for awhile instead. Goro was grateful for the stinging pain of his left hand when he grabbed the sugar bowl, grateful for a distraction from his mind’s silly, likely insomnia-caused thoughts. 

Goro shook his head at himself again, sighing as the microwave beeped to indicate the leftovers somehow didn’t get burnt.

I guess I really am wanting to date a demon lord.. Practically inevitable since he’s taken up flirting with me.. I guess this’ll just. Happen. Why not.

---

END

[not-that-joker]

Here’s a little story Goro will hate me for telling, but I’m telling it anyway.

So, as of 11/20, I was supposed to be dead. Part of playing dead means never, ever, ever answering my phone. Sure, I can send texts. I can also call people back if they leave me a voicemail. But if I get a call, I let that go to voicemail, especially if it’s a number I don’t know. If someone gets suspicious about not seeing my body and decides to conduct an investigation, having a supposedly dead guy answer the phone on them...well, that’s all the proof they’d need, isn’t it?

Well, for the first couple of days my phone was silent except for texts. Then on 11/23, it started ringing. Going to be honest with you here - it was terrifying. I had all the reasons in the world to think this meant someone was checking to see if I was alive - no one could go see my body, so even though Prosecutor Niijima covered for me, and the whole thing was a cover-up within a cover-up so it was really hard to get close to it anyway, and everyone was reassuring me it should be fine as long as I just stayed home, I couldn’t help but worry that eventually, someone would get suspicious.

I’m used to scary situations though. I let it ring, just like I was supposed to. Eventually the ringing stopped, and a voicemail notification popped up, so I opened it up and listened to it.

Soon as the voice started I almost had a heart attack. Of all the people who could be calling me, it was Goro Akechi. Of course, immediately, I was thinking, “This is it. He knows I’m alive. He’s calling in a threat, I’m going to find him standing over me ready to shoot in the middle of the night, it’s over.”

But...that wasn’t what he was saying at all. Actually, what he said was “Oh, good, you did record your own voicemail greeting. I was hoping I’d get to hear your voice.”

So after that got me curious, I kept listening, and here’s what he said:

“I know you’re not there to hear this, but I just wanted to say...I’m sorry for what I did to you. A lot of good that does, though, right? I know it doesn’t matter - no matter how much I regret it, no matter who gave me the order and how much I disliked it, you’re still dead - these things are absolutes. It’s funny - even after all the time we spent together, I didn’t realize just how much I’d gotten attached to you until - until it was done. I know there’s no use trying to do anything about it now - you’re gone, and I have no one to blame but myself. Anyway, I have to hang up soon, before someone catches me saying all this, so I’ll wrap it up - I guess, what I’m trying to say is...I wish you had a chance to know that I’m not proud of it, and...I miss you.”

I couldn’t process how I felt about that. I still can’t, not entirely. And then, that wasn’t even the end of it. He kept using my voicemail as a confessions booth, at least once a day, for the next few weeks. Sometimes he would yell at me for being nice to him when I knew we were bound to be pitted against each other. Sometimes he would just casually tell me about things he saw during his day that reminded him of me, as if I was there. Twice, he just broke down into barely coherent begging for me to come back somehow. He told me that he was sorry for looking so happy about it; that forcing himself to laugh was the only way he could do it at all.

He told me that all the stress was making it so hard to uphold his public image, he was afraid that Shido would notice and it would all be for nothing.

The worst part is, it was better bait for me than anything he could have come up with intentionally. I knew I couldn’t answer him - if he found out I was still alive, no matter how honest his messages may have been, the news would have gotten to Shido and made it all pointless. But...I wished I could have done something to ease his pain.