#i am always up for some pegoryu

[phantom-thieves-official]

I’m reading your V||: The Chariot Fic currently and I’m starting chapter 3 and I just wanted to say Ryuji is my favorite character and Pegoryu is the only ship in persona (Maybe Joker X Sumire a little but not nearly as much as them) that I love with my entire heart thank you so so much the fanfic is so in-character, it’s my very first persona fic too and I’m just so amazed and happy thank you so much I can’t stress enough how much I love Ryuji and this pairing they’re the definition of bromance 🥹🥹🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍So much love towards you, you have a gift for writing his character properly I’m very picky so this made me so happy

WAUGH,,,,, thank you!!! this ask is so nice, like I don't even really know what to say.

Ryuji is genuinely my number one favorite character from any media ever, and I have dedicated a lot of brainpower to him and his character. I have so much to say about him and have spent a ton of time thinking about how he's characterized (and how I would, in turn, characterize him outside of the source material) which is a long way to say I love Ryuji and I spend more brainpower than is reasonable thinking about him and it always makes me really happy when people think I capture him well.

sorry had to put a cut in bc I got really ramble-y. teehee.

I usually write one-shots (I will always love writing pegoryu fluff onesots, it's called a niche) But bc of that I don't get to explore actual character arcs very much, so I'm really looking forward to exploring some real growth and changes in his character through the fic. The long term plans are to work through the trauma of his dad + kamoshida, in a way that feels realistic for a guy like Ryuji. IDK he has so much trauma in his backstory and is written with traits that are logically tied to that trauma and it's never expounded upon in the game bc it's just not that kinda game and he's not the protag etc etc. Maybe I'm just Ryuji-pilled but I think it's interesting to consider how his past abuse might affect the character we see in the game. Is it related to his distrust of adults, both those who are obviously bad (he is always talking about shitty adults) but also those who aren't (he doesn't trust Maruki, for instance.) Anger issues are a common effect of childhood abuse, is his temper related to his past? How would he feel about his dad's violent nature and the way everyone else sees him (similarly violent and angry.) Does he feel guilt for ruining the track team? Does he feel like the blame for that is his burden to bear? What about his leg; the fact that it may never be the same and he might not ever be able to put up the same times in track as he once did... surely that has some emotional weight. How does he reconcile the kamoshida abuse + the devastation of the injury/losing the team + the difficulties of his leg now messed up + his love of the sport? These are all themes and topics I am planning on exploring in my fic, it's basically one very long excuse for me to crawl into his brain and explore all this stuff (with some pegoryu pining on the side teehee)

OKAY tldr THANK YOUUUUUUU i love Ryuji and think about him 23 hours a day and am always very happy when people think I characterize him well. I will be returning to re-read this ask for days and its gonna make me smile every time.

[thefoolarcxna]

more pegoryu ramblings bc I’m cringe but I’m free

I personally believe that Ren caught feelings first, she was mortified when she realized she liked Ryuji romantically like, how stereotypical, a girl catching feelings for her male best friend. Morgana never let her hear the end of it.

She started seeing Ryuji differently after the second trip to Kamoshidas palace, the way he was so willing to sacrifice himself for someone he barely knew at the time. It stuck with her for a while, always at the back of her mind. He was so reckless…and brave.

She’s staring at the ceiling months later, after hanging out with Ryuji and helping him with the track team drama

“It’s kinda like I was doin’ a sprint, and you were runnin’ next to me.”

It’s 2 am, why is she thinking about this…why is she thinking about him?? Rens face is flushed red, there’s something she doesn’t want to admit just yet but she knows what it is.

A crush, she’s horrified. But elated at the same time. Oooh how she hates this feeling. But it’ll go away soon? Right??

For Ryuji the moment where everything changed was the trip to Hawaii.

It was after the game of cards which determined where everyone got to sleep, he laid on the floor next to the couch where Ren was passed out for the evening.

He couldn’t sleep that night for some reason, nothing specific was keeping him up, he just couldn’t rest.

The curtains were slightly cracked open, a small sliver of moonlight peeking through, for no reason at all, Ryuji looked up at Ren

There she was, passed out, she looked peaceful on the couch(shockingly, I mean it can’t be very comfortable) her hair tousled, glasses at an angle, quiet snoring coming from her. The sliver of moonlight on her face.

She looked so…beautiful. It caught Ryuji off guard. She was stunning, I mean…wow.

He froze up, he shouldn’t be thinking about his leader/best friend like this, that’s not okay. But he couldn’t stop staring at her sleeping frame, feelings he’d been hiding deep down came rushing out into his brain. He liked her, a lot.

His face burned a bright red and he turned away from her, this is the worst possible outcome. He sighed as he tried to sleep his feelings away with no success.

These are MY cringe losers and I decide how corny they are

[hobie-doh]

Here's an update that prolly no one cares about!

Flufftober is suspended until Pegoryu week stuff pans put since I care about that way more, three of the seven stories are done, and two prompts look like they're going ignored.

What I do have for pegoryu week is shaping up to be some of my favorite work ever, it's really exciting finally being able to participate in a fandom event and caring.

The Ryuji Protagonist au has five chapters completely and fully written which cover the entire first arc, they aren't polished and I want to write the second arc or at least the majority of it before I post the protag story, but it should be fine since the average length of all chapters is 5k words (Seriously! When did that happen!)

In addition, the protag AU does have a work in progress Name, Reset the Game, suggested by a lovely friend of mine @valdrinors (I hope this at isn't too annoying) but seriously if you somehow haven't already, check out The Butterfly Effect as it's become one of my biggest inspirations.

Righhttttt other stories, well I figured it's pretty rude to always talk about my stories and never provide links or anything, so if you're hungry for some pegoryu (or Ryuharu 😳) fics, Here I am!

If you want personal recommendations, well I can't help you there, this isn't live, but if you wanna see me at my best, I recommend Sparks Fly, and We're Soulmates (Or at Least The Physical Manifestions of our Souls Seem to Think so)

Well I've been takin yer ear off, I should probably end this here.

If you're still reading, have a good day! You deserve it

[definedvines]

It pains me for as much of a stupid toilet joke the wedding's supposed to be it actually understands the characters quite well and what their dynamic would be romantically. As Hobie stole from my 3 am rant ahem stated, the way Ryuji starts getting nervous and a bit ticked off after Joker letting him go on and on about him implies that the two-sidedness of their conversations is more natural and he's more comfortable with it-- this doesn't happen with any of the other characters' weddings btw or even at all with them from what i can recall. Also, speaking of him going on and on, why is it so true to pegoryu.... Like one of the biggest reasons I'm obsessed with them is because they've "always been right next to (each other)".

And oh MAN are you serious. The way Joker is so sucked into it that he actually answers him in real life, the daydreaming just straight up became an illusion that couldn't get broken. He said if that's what it takes to marry Ryuji here I come, take my answer. And the DOMESTICITY? Ryuji going to lengths to ensure that them living together is comfortable and they can agree on simple things like that? This is supposed to be a stupid fucking joke about toilet paper but I can't handle it, may some deity out there help my soul. TLDR over-analyzing pegoryu jokes p5 games make would make me millions if i got paid for it,

theres alot of things i love abt tactica but maybe my fav is the pegoryu wedding like god,,, its so domestic. fuckin. akiren is off to daydream land abt ryuji marrying him. "sparks between eyes" the most unserious ultimatum being single ply or double ply. and then akiren responding in real life 🥺 I think we moved on way too quickly actually

[electricea-archive]

@fooltrick​

yes

the answer is always yes - we will construct the greatest pegoryu romance and ignore canon

because pegoryu is canon - atlus just doesn’t want to admit it

[nebulaleaf]

i was gonna say makoto but someone beat me to it!! akira and also ryuji then

Sexuality Headcanon: bisexual king. he is soooo fucking bi i think he has a men preference but !!!!!! hes still bi babey

Gender Headcanon: this image and im not elaborating

A ship I have with said character: literally all of them. you could throw me nigh anything* and I'd be so into it. akira is great at having chemistry with others. top 3 gotta be pegoryu, shuharu, akeshu though. (in no order)

A BROTP I have with said character: ryuji and mona but ugh. all the bestie relations with the thieves are fun for him.

A NOTP I have with said character: shutaba and shusumi. i feel like i have to put a mlm pairing here for equality. shuyuu i guess, though unlike the other two i actually have the capacity to ship it in some form. shutaba feels weird for family reasons but also dynamic and dependency reasons. shusumi i also wouldn't ship on my own because I'm not a huge kasumi fan and even less of one when they're together like that. i just don't feel any chemistry with her n' akira. i know he's a silent protag but god does he feel like a mute brick wall when they have scenes together. s'no fun.

A random headcanon: a lot of my headcanons are things based heavily in canon because im such a stickler for that.. its hard to pic a random one because they dont Feel like hcs when there's 7 blatant scenes about it, but I'm also aware that's an inherently wrong thing to say. so fuck. idk. i think akira enjoys running around tokyo and trying all the different trending foods and drinks. definitely misses the variety and convenience when returning back home.

General Opinion over said character: he is my oobly doop. my everything. the day i stop having akira as my number 1 all time fave character is the day i am assimilated into the hivemind and failed to take it over

ryjier. time.

Sexuality Headcanon: constantly varies but he is so allo i can say that with certainty.

Gender Headcanon: TRANSMASC!!!! TRANSMASC KING

A ship I have with said character: no matter the universe pegoryu is always a little in love with each other

A BROTP I have with said character: ryuji and yusuke. i love their dumb antics together, especially in strikers

A NOTP I have with said character: mmmmmmmm? i don't know. maybe ryushima? it feels weird calling it a notp because i don't feel any strong feelings about it aside from like "oh. cool. i wouldn't think about that ever"

A random headcanon: would probably try coffee akira made for him "with a new and improved brewing recipe to make it tolerable" and almost throw up from the bitterness every time. but still keep saying "yeah man, make me one. i bet this time it'll taste great" unironically

General Opinion over said character: my absolute favourite guy. I'd do anything for you bro. bro you're my whole world bro. br-

[akechicrimes]

I'd love to hear your commentary on "A Level Knife": It's one of my gold standard fics and I often revisit it to get a refresher on what feels like really accurate character voices/interactions! (also sorry for sending you the prompt "grief" when you were looking for fluff lol)

level knife

LMAO dont apologize, i might have asked for prompts but let’s be real...... i definitely went through those prompts and chose all the ones with angst in them because im an angst writer at heart :’)

im so 😳😳 that u think that fic has accurate characterization especially because it was the first shuake fic i ever wrote and i was PARANOID about messing up the characterization........ i was so worried hfmghfgmh

the original conceit was that goro wouldnt get his hair cut in public because he doesnt want to be seen in an inelegant state, but then it derailed because. akira is a silent protagonist.

because it was my first shuake fic, i really stressed over the characterization for both of them in this fic, so i was like, ok, i’ll start small and easy, and i’ll just try and replicate as best as i can one of the typical interactions that they have at the leblanc bar. i was very dead certain that i did NOT want to give akira a personality outside of what he has in canon, because i felt strongly that akira has a canon personality, even if it’s understated. but then that meant that i had to confront the fact that it would be incredibly unnerving to hold a conversation with a jrpg protagonist who barely spoke. 

and i remember being like, aw, fuck, what am i gonna do?? should i cave and give him a personality? long story short i was SO god damn stubborn that i stuck to my guns and went with akira “silent protagonist” kurusu who says only four words at a time, even went out of my way to shorten his sentences and remove some of his dialogue, and then as soon as i did that the rest of it just sort of....... happened

once i decided that akira was going to behave the way he did, it seemed the natural conclusion that nervous akira’s silence and lack of expression would make anyone, but especially someone who wants people’s approval as much as goro does, how difficult it would be to figure out how to make a type of human connection when everyone else around goro seems to fall easily for the detective prince shtick, how uncertain goro might feel, never sure what akira is thinking, like goro’s shooting in the dark until he’d just nervous-talk on and on and on, trying to get any sort of reaction out of him and then being confused by whatever reaction he gets because akira has such a brick wall for a face.......... but that probably those are exactly the qualities that goro finds so interesting and even admirable...... it was kind of almost an accident that goro wound up behaving so skittishly, but ten i remembered that goro has a habit in vanilla cutscenes of just showing up  in akira’s house and throws words at him like he’s desperate for a reaction until suddenly standing up and running the fuck away JSKJSKJ

all these characterizations were mostly an accident because i was thinking about transferring JRPG Silent Protagonists To the Fanfiction Page and i wasnt deep in the Goro Characterization Meta Sauce yet but i guess......... i think i always wondered if akira and akechi can be rivals if goro doesn’t feel genuinely threatened by akira on some level?? not even in an angry hatred way, but in an insecure and nervous way........ threatened by his abilities, his mysteriousness, akira’s apparent lack of emotional weakness, how much goro finds himself doing stupid shit around akira, or just the mortifying ordeal of being known......... LMAO

but i havent really written anything since about goro having soft weak sides of himself that make him uncertain and nervous ever since....... i mean it’s come up here and there but maybe i should reincorporate that idea more meaningfully into the way i write him from now on 🤔🤔

also i distinctly remember that when i wrote this fic, i was like, “well i dont REALLY ship shuake, it’s just a neat idea and a series of prompts that i saw on tumblr, i’ll just do these seven prompts and then go back to writing pegoryu and shukita” and obviously that. did not happen. as you can see. loooooooooooooooolololololol

ask for the director’s cut on a fic i’ve written

[maj0rmayhem]

Finally Able To Feel Safe

Fandom: Persona 5

Warnings: None

Ships: Platonic Phantom Thieves + Implied Pining Pegoryu

Partially dedicated to @fluffieart for encouraging this mess and also being generally amazing <3

Summary: Ann stood up abruptly, almost knocking the mug of coffee in front of her over as she shook the table, much to Akira’s displeasure, “Okay, no. We can have this argument later. Right now. I’m calling an emergency Phantom Thieves mission. Objective: Get Akira Some Sleep.” She declared.

Or: Akira's Personas won't shut up and he just wants a nap. Luckily his friends are here to help.

Fic under the cut! Also read here on AO3!

Akira’s day started with him having to hold an intervention.

Inside his own head. 

“If I hear another word about which kind of noodle is better, I’m executing both of you the next chance I get. Got it? You.. you can’t even eat!” 

It hadn’t always been this way. First, his mind was silent. Then, he had awakened Arsene, and they had been fine together.

After the discovery he could hold multiple masks… that’s when things started to go downhill. He didn’t think having eight different demons (basically) clamoring to have their voices heard would leave anyone in a good mood. 

It also meant he hadn’t had a good night's sleep in months and it left him on edge and short-tempered. 

The rest of the Phantom Thieves were starting to notice: shooting worried glances his way when they thought he couldn’t see them, not-so-subtle suggestions that he take a day to rest, it had gotten so bad that one day he discovered Ann had left a pillow in his desk at school, claiming she “didn’t want to see him hurt himself the next time he fell asleep in the middle of class” (which had only happened once, and nearly sent him in to cardiac arrest when he was startled awake, so he didn’t exactly plan on doing that again if he could avoid it. Though he appreciated the thought). But he didn’t want them to worry. In fact, it was the last thing he wanted. He was meant to be their leader, someone they could rely on, who was confident in their decisions, and the rock the team so desperately needed with everyone being thrust on them so suddenly. And... shit, he never stopped trying to live up to their expectations, but he could tell how miserably he was failing and he hated it.

He was startled out of his self-deprecating spiral by an arm being thrown over his shoulders, effectively throwing him back to the reality where he was currently with the three other Phantom Thieves at LeBlanc, talking about nothing and just enjoying each other’s company in the week of Madarame’s change of heart. 

“Dude, no offense, but you look like shit,”

“Ryuji!” That was Ann’s voice. It took him a moment to place everyone’s names and voices, kind of like he was thinking through a fog. 

“What? I’m just bein’ honest.” Ryuji didn’t sound truly defensive. More amused (and maybe a little concerned) than anything. 

“To be fair, he does look significantly less put together than he has in past meetings.” Yusuke agreed, his words definitely layered with more obvious concern (in Yusuke’s own way).

The thought that they all felt like they could be themselves around each other, no masks, caused the shadow of a smile to flit across his expression.

“And yet you still try to keep a crumbling mask up around them”

“Arsene don’t even try and be fucking deep right now. Not even an hour ago you were trying to convince Akira to take revenge on a stranger,”

“To be fair, the passenger was unnecessarily aggressive,”

“Oh, I am so not getting into this with you too. This is even worse than your heathen ass hating pasta”

“Oh, now you’ve started it -”

And there went Akira’s moment of positivity. The smile disappeared and he reached one hand up to rub at his temples, leaning back against Ryuji’s arm that was still around his shoulder and hissing, 

“I… you guys can’t even eat just shut the fuck up and let me have this please,”

The table fell into silence almost immediately, the sudden confusion and unease almost palpable. Akira didn’t seem to notice, eyes closed, frowning as he continued applying pressure to his temples like if he just pressed hard enough he could silence the voices in his head. 

Finally, Ryuji broke the silence, obviously bewildered as he gawked at the obviously exhausted boy who seemed to be using his arm as a pillow, “Man, what the hell?”

Akira immediately stiffened at the words, sitting straight up and glancing around the table, “Oh… oh no, I didn’t -”

“Say that out loud? Yeah, totally.” Ann finished for him, watching him with a raised eyebrow as he groaned and slouched forward, burying his face in his hands.

Dragging his hands down his face before sighing and straightening, he decided that there was no point denying there was an issue, lest he makes it worse and causes them to think he was completely mentally unstable, “Ok, so you know how your Personas will sometimes talk to you in your head?” He began, only to stop at the unexpected befuddlement all around him. 

“Wait, you can hear your Persona all the time? Not just when they’ve been summoned?” Morgana asked, sitting up from where they had been lounging across the table.

The question gave Akira pause, and he felt a cold dread coil at the pit of his stomach, and his voice was small and wary when he answered, “Yes? I thought that was normal. Doesn’t everyone?”

Ann shook her head, “The only time I can talk to Carmen is when I summon her in the Metaverse,”

“Yeah man. I think me ‘n Captain Kidd have exchanged, like… maybe three words since the first time he was summoned?” He rolled his eyes, face flushing slightly as he added, “He’s normally too busy talking to Arsene to speak to me much anyway,”

In any other situation, Akira would have been immediately sheepish at the reminder of the… rather close relationship between their Personas, which was not helped when he felt Arsene practically purr at the back of his mind, which was disturbing enough in and of itself.

Morgana thankfully continued speaking, oblivious to his inner turmoil, “No, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of someone being able to speak to their Personas like you’re describing. And they’re always there?” 

Akira offered a mute nod as an answer, twisting his lips at the reminder of his complete lack of privacy even within his own mind.

“You’d be lost without us.”

“Oh, I really wouldn’t. I’d get some sleep without you, that’s for sure.”

“Ouch, Wildcard! I thought we meant something to you”

“-kira? You with us?” 

He blinked several times, forcing himself back into the current conversation and out of his head, only to be confronted with several pairs of worried expressions, and Ryuji’s face way too close to his own. 

Which he reacted to very naturally, and definitely did not find his face flushing bright red as he barely suppressed a squeak, breathing a sigh of relief when the boy finally leaned back (although he did fail to notice there was still an arm loosely stretched over his shoulders).

“So, got stuck in a conversation or something?” Ryuji asked, eyes narrowed slightly.

At Akira’s small nod, Morgana physically perked up, walking over with shining eyes, “Really? What were they saying? What did they sound like?”

Pursing his lips, he answered the first question as vaguely as he could, not wanting to get into the many odd conversations he was forced to overhear, “They’re… arguing. And… I don’t know? They’re all different, and I guess it’s… it’s almost like a feeling, more than anything. But I know exactly what they’re saying.” With a sigh, he added under his breath, “Even when I wish I didn’t,”

If Morgana was disappointed in his terse answers, they didn’t show it, looking nothing short of fascinated as they sat back on their haunches with a small hum. 

Glancing around the table, Akira noted that Ann looked a little perturbed at the revelation, Yusuke… well he could never tell what Yusuke was thinking, but he didn’t look particularly caught off-guard, and Ryuji looked concerned, like he had just put together a puzzle and didn’t like the image it fit together. 

“So that’s why you’ve been so off your game recently, huh? I mean, you almost passed out right at the entrance to Mementos the other day, and scared the crap out of us thinkin’ you’d gotten hit by something.”

Akira flushed at the reminder, finding the table to suddenly be more interesting than the amused realization on his friends' faces, “Maybe... yes. It’s not that bad, okay” He protested weakly, before looking back up at the group.

“Akira… when was the last time you actually had enough sleep?” Morgana asked, voice caught somewhere between exasperated and concerned.

“Oh, uh… it started getting bad partway into Kamoshida’s palace, I think? That’s when I started collecting so many masks.”

The reaction was instantaneous and overwhelming (from everyone except Yusuke, who hadn’t been there for that long, and either way, never seemed to show much emotion if he could help it).

“Since Kamosh - Akira, it's been ages!” 

“Dude, how are you even upright right now? Damn.”

“As the leader of the Phantom Thieves, you should take more caution in taking care of yourself!”

Their other protests ended up blending together in a cacophony of noise that did nothing to help his growing headache. Burying his face in his arms with a groan, he offered a muffled platitude, “Look, I get it. I know its not good and I probably should have brought it up earlier, but I didn’t want to worry anyone! Plus, I thought it was normal for them to talk to you, and this was just… a side effect of having so many.”

“Like anything about your connection to the Metaverse is normal,”

“Not helping!”

“I’m surprised I didn’t notice anything earlier. The amount of distress in your expression is an amazing source of inspiration,”

Akira lifted his head enough to glare at the artist, “Thanks, Yusuke. I’m glad my turmoil can provide something other than exhaustion.”

Ann stood up abruptly, almost knocking the mug of coffee in front of her over as she shook the table, much to Akira’s displeasure, “Okay, no. We can have this argument later. Right now. I’m calling an emergency Phantom Thieves mission. Objective: Get Akira Some Sleep.” She declared. 

“Guys, really -”

“Oh man, now this is a mission I can get behind!”

“Seriously -”

“Let's help out our fearless leader!”

“Come on, Yusuke help me -”

Said teenager snapped his sketchbook shut, “Well, if we are all in agreement, then I guess the decision is made. Akira and his sleeping habits are our next target,”

“Its is not unan-!” Akira didn’t have time to finish his (admittedly weak) protest before he was dragged out of his seat when Ryuji stood up and grabbed his hand, Ann trapping him in on the other side.

Not that he could outrun them in his current state, but if there was one thing they had learned in their time as Phantom Thieves, it was better safe than sorry. 

Ann and Ryuji each looped their arms through his, matching mischievous grins on their faces. If those two were teaming up, there was no way Akira was going to get himself free, so with a sigh, he slouched slightly and resigned himself to his fate as he was dragged up the stairs to the attic he called home. 

~~~~~~

Akira was deposited gracelessly onto his bed with a small “oof” once they were upstairs, and left by himself as the other four huddled close together, coming up with a “game plan” to help the incessant chatter of Personas in his mind manageable enough for a real nap (as Ryuji so eloquently put it). 

Watching them with their heads bent, whispering amongst themselves, he couldn’t help the fond smile that found itself on his lips, amusement and gratefulness twinkling in his gaze. Back home, he had thought he had had friends, but now he could see that those were one-sided at best, and downright toxic at worst. Now, he saw a support system he hadn’t known he could have, and… maybe it was okay to drop some of his masks around them. For a long time, Akira had been afraid to show any weakness, to break his composure in even the smallest of ways around them. He was supposed to be their leader, and… he still was. But more than that, he was their friend. And he would keep repeating that to himself to try and combat the guilt bubbling just under the surface at letting himself fall like this.

As lost in his thoughts and the dull drone of conversation between Personas as he was, he didn’t notice Ryuji approaching until it was too late, and there was an arm thrown back over his shoulders and a warm presence by his side, startling him so badly he would have fallen right off the bed if Ryuji hadn’t adjusted his grip to hold him in place with an amused snort. 

Pointedly ignoring the way his face burned at the unexpected contact, he turned his head to glare at Ryuji, who just shook his head, still shaking slightly with laughter as he pulled Akira back so he was close against his side (Ryuji also ignored the way his face was probably a bright red, but they had all agreed this was part of the best way to make sure Akira actually slept. And now that he was actually looking, he felt immensely guilty he hadn’t noticed how exhausted his best friend had been before. His posture was slouched, and now that he was able to take a closer look, he could see the makeup under his eyes, now starting to be wiped off by their hands-on approach to dragging Akira up the stairs, covering heavy dark circles. One glance at the others and he could tell they felt just as guilty, but were trying to hide it as they knew it would only make Akira feel worse about the situation). 

With Akira secured against his side, Ann switched off the lights, and Yusuke pulled out his phone, playing some obscure soft song that only he knew with a small smile. All of this accomplished, Morgana hopped onto the bed and curled up in Akira’s lap with a light purr, and Ann plopped herself down on Akira’s other side, leaning her head on his shoulder as Yusuke took the couch, sketchbook back out and the soft sound of pencil scratching on paper blending with the soft notes of the music in the background to create a pleasant, lilting euphony. 

Quietly, Ann began speaking about nothing in particular, just letting the sound of her voice carry through the room. Occasionally, the others would interject with an equally quiet comment. Akira wasn’t sure when it had happened, but he only noticed he was curled against Ryuji’s chest rather than his shoulder when he chucked at something that was said, and Akira felt the vibrations of his laughter more than heard it. Ann was still leaning against his side, her legs stretched out across the bed, and Morgana was a solid weight on his lap. Surrounded by so much warmth from all sides - Ryuji on one side, Ann on the other, Morgana, and even Yusuke’s presence, only known through the sounds of his pencil - Akira felt the tension gradually drain out of his body until he was practically boneless against Ryuji, who simply shifted slightly and tightened his grip around Akira’s back to accommodate the extra weight with no complaint except a small snort. 

Almost without him even realizing it, Akira’s eyes began to flutter closed, focusing on the steady rise and fall of Ryuji’s chest and the heartbeat under his ear, as well as the soft conversation of the others to help drown out the voices. Barely conscious, a small smile graced his features.

It had been a long time since Akira had felt this relaxed around other people - not even his family. It had been even longer since anyone could make him feel safe enough that he could drop his guard and fall asleep surrounded by their warm ambiance.

In short, Akira had never felt more loved, nor more love for others, than he did in that last moment before he blissfully drifted into a dreamless sleep, surrounded by the family he couldn’t have hoped for when he was sent to Japan, but one he wouldn’t trade for the world.

As his breathing evened out, the other four fell quiet and exchanged smiles full of relief and affection above him, glad to see him finally at ease in the way he deserved after all they had been through.

(And if/when Akira woke up hours later, more well-rested than he could remember being in a long time, there was a sketch left lying on his desk of him, Ryuji, Ann, and Morgana all curled up on top of each other with small smiles, happily asleep. Well… no one commented on how it was hanging on the wall the next time they were all there.)

[ravenchaitea]

Hello out there! I don't know how many of you followed this blog just for the P5 content itself and how many followed it because of my fic writing. Either way, I'm flattered! For any of ya'll that are interested, I've started a new P5 Pegoryu fic and I'll be posting a preview of the first chapter here. Eventually it'll move to Archive.

Summaries are not my thing, but here goes nothin’: 

Ryuji's two years out of graduating from the Colony Defense Force program when he gets his first real assignment in deep space. It's not something in his field as a fighter pilot, he'll basically be acting as a glorified ambulance driver. If he can pull it off, in a year he can put in for a transfer. It might be his only chance. He's never been good at following the chain of command and he doesn't shine academically, but he knows ships. He knows how to fly them, build them, repair them. It's the only reason he was able to get into the program in the first place. It's the only thing he's good at.

He’s surprised when someone takes notice, especially when that someone is Commander Akira Kurusu. The man is the youngest war hero in Earth Colonies history. He was there during the fall of Shido, when the entire planet was wiped off the map. Now he’s a walking poster child for the Alliance of Emergency Medical Services, AMES. He leads a specialized team that travels from planet to planet, offering aid when needed. It’s the complete opposite of everything Ryuji was trained to do, but he’s finding it impossible to say no. Especially when he’s going to be serving under such an attractive commander. 

Act. 1.1

On the Earth colony planet of Kamoshida, the sun is going down, bathing everything in a honey-orange glow. Acres of tall yellow grass grow up from the ground. The stalks roll like waves, stirred up by a mild evening breeze. Ryuji Sakamoto sits on the hood of his silver hover car, hands folded neatly behind his head as the last light of day bakes heat into his skin. He strains to keep his eyes open, drifting in and out of a lazy afternoon nap. It's one of the few moments he's had to himself since spring ended.  

They say Kamoshida is the closet of the Earth colony planets to resemble Old-Earth. It's the only planet in the sector to have a true four season cycle, making it ideal for growing most Earth staples. The planet's major export is its crops, providing more than half of the colonies' food supply. The entire population of the Kamoshida colony is involved with the farming efforts, growing, selling, or packing. Ryuji's family happens to be fifth generation bean growers.  

He opens his eyes and lifts his hands up in front of his face, studying his oil-stained fingers. He's supposed to be working on his hovercar but he can't muster up the energy. Between school and chores, his free time has been limited. This is to say nothing of the spring sowing and all the extra chores that came with that. Their farm is one of the smallest in the area and he's always been expected to help wherever he can. His father won't tolerate laziness. Any time spent working on his car definitely falls into that category.    

He's been putting on the finishing touches for weeks, pushing himself towards the goal of being able to take it out. Although 'out' is a bit of an overstatement. He won't legally be allowed to take it anywhere besides ground streets for two more years. Air flight is restricted to the eighteen and up crowd. Despite that, he figures two years is nothing compared to the four it's taken him to get it all put together. It was little more than an empty chasse full of scraps when he brought it home from the junkyard. A fact his father continues to lord over him every chance he gets, even with all the progress he's made on it.  

He's poured all his monthly allowance into buying parts and making needed repairs. What he couldn't afford, well-... He figures it's all stuff that won't be missed. It needs fresh paint and to have the chrome touched up, but there's time for that later. Having a ground vehicle will at least get him away from the house on weekends. Plus there's a point of pride to be had in being the only one in his circle of friends with a car.  

His hazy mind is busy going over possible paint combinations when he catches himself dozing off for real. He allowed himself to be lulled into sleep by the darkening sky and the warm pre-summer air. He forces his eyes open and glances up, able to see the beginning of stars among the pale pink hues of atmosphere. His body is bone tired and for a few more minutes he lies still, fatigued from weeks of not getting enough sleep. He thinks it odd that someone of his age should feel so run down. There's no time to dwell on that though. His mother will be finishing up dinner and he's expected to be home to set the table.

He slides down off the hood and begins the short walk through the fields to get back to the house. When he emerges from the sea of tall grass he sees his father's truck in the driveway. It's an instant disappointment. Friday nights are usually the night his father stays in town after work to have a drink and 'catch up with the boys'. It's a rarity for him to forego bar time for family time. Ryuji crosses the yard at a slow pace, dragging his feet to stave off the inevitable. The thought of sitting down to eat with his drunkard father is more than he can stand.  

As he's approaching the house his wristwatch display lights up, receiving an incoming call. He pauses just off the porch to answer it, waiting for the video connection to buffer. The eager expression of his longtime friend and classmate Takeishi appears on the screen.  

"What's up?"  

"We still on for tonight?" Takeishi asks and the question throws Ryuji for a moment. Had they made plans? He thinks they might have made plans. "Y'know. Captain Kidd's ship. Parked at the shipyard."  

"Oh shit," Ryuji breathes as his chest lights up with excitement. "Man, I totally forgot about it."  

"How the hell did you forget?"  

"Spring sowin', remember? We've gotta get the fields resown before summer rolls around. I've been busy."  

Takeishi studies him for a moment, eyebrows furrowing in concern, "You good?"  

"I'm okay," Ryuji assures him. It's not exactly a lie, at the moment he's fine. He's tired. Worn down from weeks spent working in close quarters with his father. From trying to meet the man's impossible expectations. "We're meetin' at midnight in old man Iwai's cornfield, right?. Hope you and Nakaoka don't bail on me this time."  

"I wasn't the one who bailed."  

"I'm serious, man. If you guys don't show I'm goin' in alone."  

"We'll be there." Takeishi insists though it does nothing to diminish Ryuji's doubt. "See ya."  

"Yeah." Ryuji sighs, tapping the end call button. Inside he can hear his father's voice. It's more the tone than actual words and he already sounds riled up about something. He ascends the porch stairs and presses himself against the wall beside the front door. He's trying to give himself a moment of composure before he goes in.

He doesn't want to deal with this right now.  

"Hey," He calls out as he pushes the front door open. From his vantage point, he can see into the kitchen. His mother is standing with her back against the counter and her arms crossed over her chest. She widens her eyes at him, a silent warning for him to tread cautiously. He kicks his shoes off and nudges them into neat alignment by his father's work boots. He crosses the living room and turns the corner to his father seated at the dining table.  

"The hell you been?" The older man demands, swinging one of his worn hands towards the table. "I come home from bustin' my ass and your mother can't even get dinner on the table because you're off god knows where."  

"Yes sir," It's less of an agreement and more of a neutral answer. Ryuji knows he's already on thin ice and he's not about to make things worse by arguing.

"Welcome home," His mother offers, a subtle change in the conversation. He hates this. Friday night dinners are usually their thing. It's the one night of the week they don't have to tiptoe around his father.  

"Go ahead and sit down, Ma," Ryuji insists, guiding her towards the table. He washes his hands clean at the sink and gathers the plates from the cabinet. He has to reach around his parents to set the table. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see his father watching him. He's looking for a reason to yell at him again. Wordlessly Ryuji serves the food and grabs his father a bottle of beer from the fridge. On his way to his chair, he sets a light hand atop his mother's shoulder hoping to reassure her. She pats his fingers lightly in acknowledgment. The whole exchange is missed by the man at the head of the table as he pries the lid off his beer and takes a long drink of it.

Ryuji watches in silent disgust as some of the foamy liquid pools at the side his father's mouth and runs down his chin. His entire face looks like well-worn leather. It's creased and tanned by his many long days working in the fields. He runs equally aged fingers across his spotty stubble covered chin, wiping the beer away in an almost thoughtful gesture. He sets the bottle down and clears his throat before taking up his utensils to begin the meal. Neither Ryuji nor his mother dares to start eating before he does, lest they affront him.  

"Spring harvest was profitable this year," He announces, sounding almost on the verge of pride. There's no doubt in Ryuji's mind that his father spent most of his day in town stroking his own ego. Beans are not a big spring crop and their farm has been mostly dormant since winter. That doesn't stop Ryuji's father from acting as if the entire town's spring harvest is his own personal success story. 

"Ryuji,"  

"Yeah?" He's surprised by his father's calm use of his name. He sets his fork down beside his plate and lifts his eyes up to meet the older man's. They're the color of a stormy ocean and dark, cold, and dimly glazed over from the alcohol. Ryuji's always been thankful that he got his mother's brown eyes. He hopes that they somehow make him look more like her and less like his dad.    

"Y'worked real hard these past couple months. Don't think I didn't notice."  

"Uh, thank you," Ryuji replies, feeling his guard go up and his hands curl into fists on reflex. It's not often that the man offers him praise and it usually doesn't come without strings attached. His father rises to his feet, his body swaying under the effects of the alcohol. The half beer that sits on the table is a pallet cleanser for whatever hard stuff he drank before coming home. It's a wonder he was able to drive without causing an accident. Sometimes Ryuji wishes he would crash. It's not malicious but out of a desire to keep him off the road and away from other people. It's easy to picture his father drunkenly swerving in front of somebody else's family.  

His stomach lurches at the thought, the feeling intensified by the sudden approach. The man stands over him like a tree shadow, blocking out the kitchen lights. It casts darkness over him. He turns his head upwards to meet his father's eyes. He strains to keep a straight face as the scent of alcohol on his father's breath wafts down over him like a heavy fog. The older man smiles a grin of yellowing teeth and brings his hand down to clap over Ryuji's shoulder. He flinches away, a sharp jerk of his muscles that's more memory than anything else. The reaction doesn't go unnoticed.  

"The fuck, Ryuji?" His father breathes, training his callused fingers up the back of Ryuji's neck to grip a handful of his hair. Across the table, his mother sits up straighter in her chair. He body is tense with nerves as she prepares to intervene. Ryuji prays that she doesn't, wills her to sit still and stay quiet. "I'm not gonna hit you."  

He definitely would, and has.  

"I was gonna say," He continues, gripping his hair a bit tighter, bordering the point where it becomes painful. Ryuji takes measured breaths to force his body to relax and like a cue, it eases his father's hold on him. Almost affectionately he runs his weathered fingers up through the top of his hair to tussle it. "-that since you helped out so much, I'll give you a bigger allowance this month so you can get your car fixed up."  

"Really?" Ryuji forces enthusiasm into his voice because he needs to act accordingly. "Thank you. I appreciate that."  

"I've never been prouder. Makes me think you've got more than shit for brains after all. Might have someone worthy of passing the fields down to someday."  

Ryuji pointedly ignores the insult.  

His father turns unsteadily on his toes and almost falls over in an attempt to seat himself. He shakes it off and returns to his food. Ryuji and his mother follow suit and for the rest of the meal, he's forced to avoid his mother's concern filled eyes. His father continues to ramble, making small talk and bad mouthing his bar friends. It's a one-sided conversation. He's too drunk and too into his rant to notice that no one's paying attention to him.  

Ryuji continues to mindlessly force food into his mouth, though he can't taste it anymore. Twice he has to pause to keep it from coming back up, his stomach so tied into knots that it's making him nauseous. He doesn't have to suffer for very long, his father begins to doze in and out of consciousness at the table. His mother stands and coaxes her husband to his feet. She leads him down the hallway to their bedroom, guiding his wobbly footsteps the entire way. Ryuji turns his attention to clearing the table and putting the leftovers away.  

It's half past ten when his mother emerges from the bedroom, looking exhausted and frustrated. She enters the kitchen and makes a beeline for the fridge. She almost rips the handle off the freezer door as she yanks it open. Ryuji grabs two spoons from the silverware drawer and waits while she chooses a flavor of ice cream.  

"Feels like a mint chocolate chip sort of night," She mumbles, to herself more than anyone. The two of them sit side by side at the table, sliding the pint back and forth, eating in silence. Ryuji thinks it would be comical if it wasn't also so damn sad.  

"Hey," Ryuji begins, watching as she carves out a large spoonful of ice cream for herself. She glances up at him, prompting him to continue as she tries to find a way to fit the entire oversized scoop into her mouth. "I'm gonna go hang out with Nakaoka and Takeishi tonight."  

"Mmm," She muses, raising her eyebrows in a clear question of 'Oh yeah?'.  

"It's not a school night and I'm pretty sure that he," -the drunken idiot in the bedroom, "isn't going to wake up anytime soon."  

"It's getting pretty late."  

"You really gonna try and pull the curfew thing on me?"

Narrowing her eyes, she points her spoon threateningly in his direction, "It's my right as a mother."  

"I have to get out of here. At least for a little while," He presses, glancing over his shoulder towards their bedroom door. "If you let me go out, you can lay down in my room and get some decent sleep. We can swap beds when I come back." 

"Where are you going exactly?"  

"We're gonna troll around old man Iwai's corn field. Might go down to the lake or somethin'."  

"I hope you realize you're going to have to learn to lie better," She sighs. She takes her spoon and begins to scrape at the bottom of the ice cream carton, hoping to get one final bite out of it. "Fine, but you need to be back before sunrise. And I mean before sunrise."

"I will be," Ryuji swears, leaping to his feet with a sudden surge of new energy. He takes the stairs up to his room two at a time, though his footsteps are measured and quiet. He's not about to risk waking his father up, even though he knows that the man is out for the night. He gathers his backpack and throws his tools into it. Screwdrivers, wrenches, portable laser torch, he runs through a quick mental inventory to make sure he has everything.  

He grabs his ComTab off his bed and sends a quick text message off to his friends to remind them of the time and place. He tosses the tablet into his backpack and tiptoes rapidly back downstairs. His mother gives him an uneasy look as he brushes past her on the way out the door. Despite himself, he can't stand for her to be disappointed in him. As an act of good faith, he doubles back for a hug and promises once again to be back before sunrise.

He slips out the front door and sails over the porch steps and down the driveway. Old man Iwai's cornfield is a few miles down from his house. The night air is crisp and clear, it's temperature situated in the middle of warm and cool. It's the perfect atmosphere for a run. Sometimes Ryuji thinks he was born for it. He should have joined the track team with Nakaoka and Takeishi, but he knew it would be one more thing for his father to play against him. Still, it's a favorite past time to turn to when things get bad at home.  

It doesn't take him long to fall into a steady rhythm of feet on dirt road. The roads are from the early days of the colony, back when vehicles had actual wheels. Once hover crafts became the norm, the roads became more of a guideline for those who preferred to drive closer to the ground. Ryuji himself can't imagine wanting that. He's been dreaming of air flight since he was young. This is due in part to his admiration of Captain Kidd.  

Captain Kidd, like Ryuji, is from the colony of Kamoshida. Something of a local celebrity, he started his career as a well-known stunt pilot. Later he joined up with the Colony Defense Force and within a few years became captain of his own crew. They traverse the galaxy to fend off threats from hostile planets. Ryuji's been obsessed with him ever since the first broadcast of his trick flying. He's collected every holo-vid he could find and has spent hours watching them. The flips and spins are burned into his memory. Even as he jogs he can visualize it.  

It's the reason behind his meeting with Takeishi and Nakaoka. There's a rumor that Captain Kidd is in town visiting his family and that his famous stunt ship is with him. According to the rumor he's even parked it at the local shipyard. Ryuji isn't sure if he believes it, but he's not about to pass up an opportunity to find out. He's broken into the shipyard before to collect discarded parts or to look at the ships and cars. It's almost a joke that Captain Kidd would want to store his trick craft there.  

Their meeting place is on the far end of the Iwai cornfield, where the crops end abruptly and give way to an open flatland. He glances at the time on his watch, ten till midnight. He's the first to arrive, that is if his friends decide to show up. The last time they planned something like this the two boys bailed out, leaving Ryuji waiting for hours. Although, the mission to sneak into Ann Takemaki's sixteenth birthday party was a little less dire than their current plan.  

It's almost midnight on the dot when Takeishi and Nakaoka arrive, stepping free of the tall corn stalks. Takeishi is full of smug arrogance, hands tucked casually into his pockets, head held high. He's always been a bit full of himself, though it's a facade that always seems to crack when things become dicey. Nakaoka is reserved and somewhat nervous. He tries to be the voice of reason for the other two, but his words often fall on deaf ears. He frequently gets dragged into Ryuji and Takeishi's schemes. Although on this particular night, even he seems to be somewhat excited.  

"Told'ya we'd be here." Takeishi steps over to Ryuji and the two of them bump fists. Their knuckles crack together in a way that feels very manly.  

"I was about to go without you," Ryuji shoots back, hoisting his backpack further up onto his shoulders. "If I had any sense I would'a."  

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up and start walking, Sakamoto."  

Ryuji is all too happy to fall into the role of leader, moving with confidence over the large expanse of flat land. Kamoshida's twin moons gleam overhead. They light the way as he guides them along a well-memorized path.  

Before they can get to the local shipyard they have to pass Kamoshida Commercial Shipyard. It's a literal metal city where all the off-world space ships dock. It's one of the larger ones on the planet, a center of commerce for all imported and exported goods between the colonies. Twice a month huge ships dock there to load or unload, staying only a few brief days before departing again.  

As they near the yard, bright overhead beams of light come into view. Steel rafters rise up like metal giants, dotted with high rising staircases and elevators. Skyscraper buildings intermingle with the docks, full of places for ship crews to spend their shore-time. It all feels very exclusive, surrounded all on sides by thick metal walls. They're designed to keep foreigners inside and locals outside. A huge impenetrable fortress in the middle of miles and miles of farmland.  

It's not their destination, but every time Ryuji passes by it, he has to stop to take it all in.  

"Wouldn't it be badass to go off world?" He breathes, turning his head around to look at Takeishi and Nakaoka. The two of them look just as awestruck, maybe more-so, since this isn't a common sight for them.  

"Those ships are huge," Nakaoka says, stepping up next to Ryuji. "I mean, I knew they were huge. They have to be to carry so much stuff, but I guess I didn't have a scale for it before now."  

"My dad works down on dock 37. He says that they're even bigger up close. Bigger than the buildings in the capital." says Takeishi, then adds as an afterthought, "I think about leaving this shitty planet all the time, but let's get real here. The only way any of us are going to make it off is if we join the defense force or the medical brigade. We're all too stupid for that."  

"Maybe you're too stupid. I bet I could get in. Sakamoto could get in if he got real good at fixing ships."  

"Yeah, you're probably right. He'd get himself a job doing custodial work or something."  

"I would not!" Ryuji protests, although they might be right. The only way he'd ever get off Kamoshida is if he got a crappy job on a transport ship. Although the alternative as a bean farmer isn't exactly appealing either. "Maybe I need to become a trick pilot like Captain Kidd."  

"What? You'd never be able to pull that off." Takeishi laughs the words into his face and Ryuji feels his blood heat up under his skin.  

"Why not?"  

"Sakamoto, you got beans for brains? The only thing you've ever piloted is a wheel-tractor. You don't even have your car up and running. What makes you think you're going to be able to do flight tricks?"  

"Guys, let's just go." Nakaoka intervenes right as Ryuji opens his mouth to reply. "If you guys get into a fight we'll never make it to the shipyard to see the ship. So let's just go."  

"Fine," Ryuji concedes for the moment, knowing that Nakaoka's right. He ignores Takeishi for the rest of the trek.  

The local public shipyard is a much less impressive sight. It's a large flat patch of concrete surrounded on all sides by a well worn and rusted chain link fence and an unfathomable amount of weeds. It's mostly a glorified parking lot with a few hangars on the far end. There's even a small collection of Old-Earth style vehicles, camper trailers, and trucks. Most of them are covered in thick layers of dust and surrounded by grass that pushed up through cracks in the concrete.  

"Where do you think he parked it?" Takeishi steps up to peer through the fence, or rather over the fence. It's so old and weak that it halfway hangs off of its support poles. "Inside one of the hangars?"  

"If it's in a hangar, there's no way we'll be able to get in to see it," Nakaoka mumbles, giving into defeat before they've even made it inside. How very typical of him.

"I've broken into this place to collect parts for my car," Ryuji says, stepping up to the fence beside Takeishi. He shifts his backpack around to the front and digs through it until he finds his portable laser torch. "Security is an old guy who falls asleep watchin' the monitors and outdated patrol robots. I don't think the keypads on the hangars work and even if they do I'm sure I can disable them. They're simple coded panels."  

"Since when did you become a hacker?" Takeishi challenges, though there's a touch of admiration in his voice.  

"Not that kind of code, like a number combination. It's less hackin' and more... Cuttin' wires."  Ryuji grabs hold of one of the fence supports. He flicks the torch on and cuts through the small pieces of metal holding the fence up. The panel collapses the rest of the way down into the grass and the three boys clamber over it. Ryuji breathes a sigh of relief. They're finally in, all that's left is to find the ship. "Stay close to me and keep your voices down."

The three of them make slow but steady progress through the shipyard, avoiding motion sensors and cameras. Ryuji knows the layout of the complex like the back of his hand and he continues to lead his friends onward. They've almost reached the long line of hangars when Ryuji hears the unsteady approach of a security robot. He motions for the other two to get down and follow him up under one of the Old-Earth vehicles. They're packed together like sardines and every time Ryuji shifts he's poked by bramble weeds that grew up under the truck's front end.  

Nakaoka's nervous breathing stirs the hair on the back of Ryuji's neck. It's the only sound outside of the approaching patrol robot. The tread on its tires is almost non-existent and it bounces violently over every crack and dip in the concrete. It stops beside their hiding place and begins to run it's scanner down over the side of the vehicle. Blue light beams down into their eyes and Nakaoka stops breathing entirely. The robot lets out a soft crackle of static before turning to wheel away.  

"This is a bad idea. We should leave." Nakaoka insists as the three of them crawl free of the undercarriage of the truck.  

Ryuji resists the urge to roll his eyes, instead offering words of encouragement, "We're almost there. It'll be another half hour before the robots make it back over here."  

"We can't go back," Takeishi adds, though his words are anything but soothing. "You can't wuss out on us now. Not when we're this close. Grow a pair already!"  

"Come on," Ryuji is tempted to ditch them both, tired of their theatrics, but Takeishi is right for once. They've come too far and there's no going back. They begin scoping out the hangars, peering in small side windows to check the inside for the ship. They're almost to the last one when Ryuji finally spots it, an unmistakable outline. Grinning ear to ear, he waves to his friends and they join him at the window. "In here!"

"No way," Takeishi laughs, slapping Ryuji jovially on the back. "I didn't think we were gonna find it."  

"Kinda pissed that you two doubted me."  

"Let's get in there to get a closer look."  

"I'm on it." Ryuji slips around the side of the hangar to the entry door while Takeishi and Nakaoka keep watch. It doesn't take him long to pry the panel off so that he can access the wires. He snips through the alarm wires and then gets to work on the ones that control the lock. He shifts them from connection to connection until he hears the lock click open inside the door. "Guys, come on."  

"Sakamoto, you're such a badass." Takeishi raves as they enter and the compliment fills Ryuji's chest with pride. He's the first one who approaches the cruiser. He runs his fingers admiringly over its sleek navy blue paint. The chrome accents along the front and sides are gleaming, perfect mirrors that reflect Ryuji's wonder-filled eyes. The other boys join him and the three of them circle the cruiser like sharks, drooling over every last detail. "Alright, now that we've looked at it, let's start it up."  

"Whoa, what?" Ryuji glanced at Takeishi, his eyebrows raised in surprise. "What do you mean start it up?"  

"Well you're good at hot-wiring things, right? So get in there and start it up."  

"For real? I can hotwire the crappy hover cars parked in town, but this is a really high-class ship. It's got to have a whole computer devoted to an alarm and protection system," He says it as if he doesn't already know. He does know. He knows everything about it.  

"C'mon, Sakamoto. I know you lay in bed at night fapping to ship schematics."  

"The hell?!"  

"Jerkin' it to all those Captain Kidd posters you've got.”

"Takeishi, I swear-..."  

"Moaning his name when you cum."  

"I'll do it if you shut up," Ryuji growls. He swings his backpack down to the ground and kneels over it. He knows there's nothing in his bag that could possibly work on such an advanced ship. He's got to at least try for the sake of his dignity. It isn't enough for Takeishi that Ryuji brought them to the shipyard and broke into the hangar, no, he's always got to push things too far.  

"Ryuji, don't." Nakaoka implores him. "Guys, this is stupid. We should go. There's no way Ryuji could hotwire a craft like this."  

"Let him work." Takeishi snaps, beginning an argument between the two. Ryuji ignores them as he approaches the stunt ship, heart pounding with nervous anticipation. He never dreamed he would ever see it up close and in person and it's better than any photo he's ever seen. He lightly runs his hand over the lock panel, surprised when it opens up to reveal-... An Old-Earth style key lock? This isn't what Ryuji's expecting.  

Most high-class ships and cars are programmed with fancy identification software. Usually, that means voice recognition or palm and iris scanners. To see something so archaic on Captain Kidd's stunt ship is both amusing and fortuitous. Ryuji can pick old style car locks without even having to think about it. He pulls his tools from his bag and gets to it. He presses his head against the hull, listening for the pins inside the lock.  

"He's got this," Takeishi whispers, earning a sharp look from Ryuji.  

"Don't talk," He commands, straining his ears to move the final pin out of the way. The lock clicks and then turns and with a soft whoosh of air, the door to the ship begins to fold down. Ryuji's eyes bulge inside his head as he realizes what he's done. The lights inside the cruiser flick on, bright white LEDs that make the interior shine like the gates of heaven. Without even thinking about it, Ryuji steps forward to climb the stairs and enter the craft.

Takeishi and Nakaoka bumble up after him, but he hardly notices that they're there. His wonder and excitement have dimmed upon seeing the craft's interior. Although the outside of the ship for all the world resembles the trick craft, the inside is that of a basic hover car. It's even got cup holders and a console. It dawns on Ryuji that Captain Kidd's trick ship likely isn't street legal. The vehicle they're sitting in now is either his civilian car or a really really good fake that someone made.  

"It's not the right one," Ryuji explains lamely, turning to glance over his shoulders at his friends. Nakaoka is wearing a similar mask of disenchantment, but Takeishi on the other hand-... Anger flares to life inside of Ryuji's chest, he realizes he's been baited. "You knew."

"C'mon Sakamoto. You didn't actually think that Captain Kidd would drive his stunt ship into town, didya?" Takeishi gloats, his grin wide with amusement. Sometimes Ryuji wonders why they're friends. Why does he even bothers spending time with someone who acts the way Takeishi does? It's likely all close proximity, they certainly wouldn't have met by any other means. "My dad says Captain Kidd's got a regular hover car made up all nice like his stunt ship. I knew he'd probably park it out here."  

"You're such a friggen asshole."  

"I never said it was the actual ship, you just assumed that."  

"You brought us out here for this?!" Even Nakaoka's upset, a rarity for him. Normally he's immune to all the usual bullshit that Ryuji and Takeishi drag him through. It makes Ryuji feel even worse knowing that his own anger is justified in Nakaoka. "Come on, Ryuji. Let's go."  

"Yeah. Right behind you," Ryuji says, following Nakaoka down out of the ship, or rather, the hover car. He gathers his tools and throws them back into his bag with a satisfying use of force. They clink together as they hit the bottom of the bag and settle. "C'mon Takeishi. Get out of there. We're leaving."

"You're not gonna try to crank this thing up?" Takeishi asks, oblivious to the sour mood of the other two.  

"No! I'm not! Now get outta there!"  

Takeishi pouts as he climbs down the stairs. Ryuji ignores him. He seals the car door back up and starts for the hangar exit, eager to be out and on his way back home. Once they're outside again, he can breathe better. The cool night air calms his nerves a bit. Overhead the stars glimmer and the twin moons shine like the eyes of a cat. It's beautiful in a way Ryuji can't always describe and looking up at it takes the last bit of the edge off. He's still disappointed but it's less biting than it was inside the hangar. That is until Takeishi opens his mouth again.

"You're both being a couple of little bitches about all this," He goads. Ryuji bristles with newfound anger. He tosses his bag onto the ground and brings his hands up to slam against Takeishi's chest. It knocks him against the side of the hangar. The metal rattles and echos across the shipyard.  

"Find your own way home," Ryuji seethes, hissing the words through clenched teeth. Takeishi opens his mouth like he's going to say something else, but Ryuji doesn't allow it. He slams his fist against the hangar, knuckles making contact with the hard metal. It sends a shockwave of pain up his arm but he doesn't care. Takeishi flinches away from both the action and the sound, his eyes wide with disbelief. Ryuji shoves away from the wall and snatches his bag up. This time when they turn to leave, they're not immediately followed.

"Should'a hit me like your daddy hits you!" Takeishi taunts, but the two of them ignore him. The vein in the side of Ryuji's forehead is pulsing and he feels lightheaded. When they're out of sight of Takeishi he stops for a moment to catch his breath.  

"Sorry. You shouldn't'a had to see that," Ryuji apologizes, glancing sidelong. Nakaoka offers him a worn smile.  

"He deserves it," Nakaoka concludes, shrugging his shoulders. "For real though, let's go. I don't want to get caught in here. My mom'll kill me."  

"Mine too."

The two of them set off together in comfortable silence, following the same path they took to get in to get back out. They're almost to the fence line when they hear approaching footsteps. It's followed by the sound of tires bouncing over the cracked concrete. Ryuji throws his head over his shoulder to see Takeishi barreling after them. There's a security robot hot on his tail. Only once has Ryuji ever found himself in a similar situation. He knows from experience that the security bots can outrun a human. There's no way Takeishi is going to make it to the fence in time.  

He knows he's going to regret this, but-...  

"Take this and get outta here," Ryuji snaps, tossing his bag into Nakaoka's arms. He gives the other boy's shoulder a firm push. Nakaoka does what he does best and takes off. Ryuji spins around in the opposite direction to go back for Takeishi. He's doing a fair job of throwing the bot off, ducking between hover cars to cut off its straight forward path. Despite that, the machine is still closing the distance between them. Ryuji sticks his fingers in his mouth and whistles, catching both the bot and Takeishi's attention.  

"Go long!" Ryuji calls out, gesturing towards the far end of the shipyard.

"There's another downed fence that way!" Takeishi throws up a fist in acknowledgment and breaks out running. He's a few aisles down from Ryuji, zigzagging a path through the parked cars. It's a good method to prevent the bot from gaining distance on a straightaway. So far it's working, the bot only has ground capabilities and it can't keep up with Takeishi's random changes in direction. Ryuji for his part races ahead, keeping his eyes out for more security bots. They've almost reached the fence line again and the opening that waits there for them.  

Takeishi's been doing track since middle school and it shows in the way he runs, his stride long and practiced. He catches up to Ryuji and the two of them push on towards the fence. For a moment they catch each other's eye and share twin smiles of amusement. This is easily the craziest thing they've done to date. This Takeishi is the one Ryuji is friends with. He's briefly reminded of that as they come upon the end of their shared row. They dash around the side of the last hover car and almost crash into the fence.  

"No effin' way!" Ryuji curses, staring incredulously at the brand new panel of fencing. "This thing's been down for months! When did they replace it?!"

"Worry about that later! Where else can we get out at?!" cries Takeishi as he checks over his shoulder for the bot. "Shit, Ryuji we gotta go, man! There's two of them back there!"  

When Ryuji looks, sure enough, two security robots are coming down the aisles towards them. In the distance, Ryuji can make out a third. He turned to Takeishi, his stomach clenching nervously at what he's about to do.  

"Takeishi, climb! I'll help you over. Then I can go back down to where we came in," Without thinking he kneels down and offers himself as a foothold to his friend. Takeishi stares at him for a heartbeat, eyebrows furrowed with indecision. They both know its unlikely that Ryuji will be able to make it out. "Please man, just go."  

"I'm sorry," Takeishi apologizes as he steps onto Ryuji's back. He hoists himself up and over the fence, turning around in time to offer a mournful look. Ryuji doesn't have time to do more than wave him off, the bots are closing in around him. As a last-ditch effort, Ryuji takes off back towards the hangars, hoping he might be able to get inside of one to hide. He's almost there when his foot catches in a crack in the pavement. His body shoots forward and lands against the hard ground, skinning his palms and forearms in the process. For a moment he lays winded, trying to will himself to get back up.  

The security bots surround him, having picked up a fourth on the way. They began to run their scanners over him, bright blue beams of light that shock the back of his eyelids. He raises up a hand to cover his eyes against their glow. There's a soft crackle of static that passes between them like they're having a private conversation in robot. One of the bots scans him a second time for good measure and then it begins to speak.  

Ryuji Sakamoto, age 16. No prior offenses. Citizen, please remain where you are. An officer has been dispatched to this location and will arrive shortly. Please do not leave the scene, as this could be taken as a sign of an attempt to resist arrest. There are no charges currently being brought against you. However, I will begin the Mirandizing process should this incident be taken to court in the future. In accordance with local laws, you have the right to remain silent-...

Ryuji pushes himself up onto his knees, listening to the security robot's electronic voice. His pulse pounds at the side of his forehead and he thinks for a moment about how fucked he currently is. He's going to be arrested. The moment that gets back to his father- Ryuji isn't sure what will happen then, but it knows that it won't be good. He debates on trying to run again, but the bots have already logged his identification code. There's a slim chance that they haven't yet transmitted it, but it's a long shot even then.  

In the distance, he can hear sirens.  

[ryujisakamotoheadcanons]

NOT A HEADCANON. THIS IS PEGORYU FIC RECS

Whoooo boy.

Okay!! So. I’m gonna take the liberty to say that this is a Pegoryu ask. I have lived in that tag for over a year. And these are some of the best fics I’ve read.

Please show some support to the wonderful people that put the time and effort into something they enjoy. They take time to make such great content for the fandom. Show em some love! Comments are literally fuel to the writers!

~

Canticle: A Storm Is Coming In

-man. This fic has such a good vibe to it the whole way through. It makes you really feel what Ryuji is going through. Plus the description of Akiras home town is 👌👌👌

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13491372/chapters/30938649

~

Voido: Shackled (ongoing)

-YALL this fic. Bootiful angst. Bootiful fight scenes. Vivid writing that I can picture perfectly in my head!!!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14232627/chapters/32816001

~

EndovaElixabete: Apartment 7B (ongoing)

-Gotta be my favorite. I know I shouldn’t have faves but hOLY HELl. Sets every mood so perfectly. I feel like I’m sitting right there with them. The way the characters act is so true to the canon it’s scary. GOD I LOVE THIS FIC.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13530183/chapters/31038570

~

GibbousLunation: Feedback Loop (completed)

-Gotta say, I saw that it was a bnha AU. I was put off. BUT I WAS WRONG TO DO SO. Sucha good writer that can make people feel things by SHOWING OTHER PEOPLES FEELINGS? Ryujis quirk is amazing. Can’t even express how this fic makes me feel. It’s so raw. So many heart wrenching moments written so well??

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13767417/chapters/31641855

Update: add on to the story!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18046775/chapters/42649172

~

Insomnomaniac: A Study In Silver (ongoing)

-A MER FIC!!! A beautiful mer fic! It’s so sweet and so light hearted. The descriptions of how Akira and Ryuji interact is so pure and so lovely. Great work. I get giddy every chapter!!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12978972/chapters/29671344

~

Lod: Meetings After Midnight

-Cute one shot for pegoryu week. It was again, so lighthearted and fun. Boys being boys. Dudes duct taping their phones to their chests to read manga over video chat

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15114422

~

SweetbunThorn: One Nightbreak

-Short fic. V adorable. I felt just as embarrassed as Ryuji did reading it. Like, “whooo boy. Glad it’s not me in his shoes.”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14741613

~

toomanyunfinishedfics: Only A Matter Of Time

-AGIAN HOLY HELL??? Sooooo emotional. So wonderfully tragic. Words written so good, I could feel the way they felt. Akira relives the same day over and over and god damn. How the past years are described is heartbreaking. And it ends on a fluffy note. 💕💕💕

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15287445

~

MusicalDefiance: The Taste of Chocolate Lingers

-POCKY GAME SIGN ME UP. Again, I felt every emotion the two felt. I was squirming around at how cute everything they were doing was. I was stressing right alongside them.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15167858

~

bubblebangbaby: Fire In The Blood

-Ryujis birthday and talks of his past that really really make you sad? Check. So gud. Such a good way of writing about such a tragic past. Really captured the way Ryuji went through things so well.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15158060

~

Celestial_Hero: Of Strawberry Shakes and Vanilla Bean Coffee

-Hurting Ryuji train continues 🚂 choo choo! Descriptions of how Ryuji feels during one of his slumps is very realistic. Good thing Akira is there to be a bean and help out!!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15468504

~

bodysong: folie à deux (ongoing)

-AHHHH? AHHHHH. It’s solemn. Wrote in such a way it puts you in this good but weighted mood. Legit I can say I cried at this fic. It wasn’t at anything necessarily sad either. It was just so beautiful.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13380342/chapters/30645282

~

Loverofchimkem: Cheshire (completed)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17980757

-omg I legit cant get over how snarky Akira is in this. He’s a fucking cat. A beautiful cat that’s true to who is actual character anndjdndnd it’s such a good plot

~

headofmarimo: A Theifs Folly (completed)

-GREAT SLY AKIRA FOR THE WIN. All the pals are there! Ryuji the actual pirate! And good action scenes written very well! Some smut :))))

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13255782/chapters/30324363

~

Mysecretfanmoments/SuggestiveScribe: Dyeing to Kiss You

-I have cruised the pegoryu ao3 tag for over a year. And this one still sticks out to me. As a fic made in the beginning of the tag, it’s so great. Ryu getting his hair bleached is always something I’m for. And it captures the interactions between the characters so nicely. A light and airy vibe. And possibly one of the best kissing scenes I’ve read.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11085468

~

I do have an ao3! I wasn’t gonna link my own. But I am proud of the improvements I’ve made. Check out my newest fic!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17976461/chapters/42461225

Enjoy reading! And you can see me screaming in plenty of these fics comments!

[ezragold]

With a Little Help from My Friends

A/N: Happy last-day-of-Pegoryu-week! Let’s celebrate by reading... day 2′s prompt... No one ever said I was good at preparing things, okay. AO3 link: [here]

Day 2: First Date

Title: With a Little Help from My Friends

Rating: Teen

Summary: Ryuji has successfully asked Akira out! Now if only he could figure out something special for them to do. All of his ideas just feel like their every day routine, and he’s pulling his hair out trying to come up with a way to make it special. All of the thieves seem to have their own ideas of the perfect date, 90% of which are entirely unhelpful, as Ryuji soon realizes.

[ THURSDAY, 6:50PM ]

crossbonez is online

crossbonez has entered The Dungeon of Unspeakable Acts

crossbonez: GUYS I NEED HELP

crossbonez: ALSO WTF WHO CHANGED THE CHANNEL NAME

palette-cleanser: There’s no need to yell about it.

crossbonez: YOU CAN’T HEAR ME SMARTASS

killerqueen: Futaba renamed it and I can’t figure out how to change it back. What’s wrong?

memejed: me! muahaha!!!! you’ll never figure out how to change it back!

memejed: boo makoto types too fast :(

palette-cleanser: Futaba, naturally.

palette-cleanser: Oh.

memejed: lmaooooo

crossbonez: ok ok is akira in this chat??

yougimmethecrepes: I mean technically

yougimmethecrepes: but I think he’s had this channel muted for like a month

killerqueen: Understandable.

crossbonez: o sick

crossbonez: OK SO I ASKED HIM OUT AND I NEED ADVICE

yougimmethecrepes: OMG RYUJI

memejed: GHIDNDOSKFHSKX WHAAAAT

killerqueen: !

yougimmethecrepes: DID HE SAY YES??

palette-cleanser: My most heartfelt congratulations!

crossbonez: of course he said yes wtf guys

crossbonez: why wouldn’t he, i’m a catch

memejed: so’s a big ol slimy fish

memejed: its perspective

crossbonez: can we ban her?

killerqueen: She’s the room admin.

memejed: IM ADMIN MY CITY NOW

memejed: HECK how do u type so much faster than me????

crossbonez: OH MY GOD CAN WE FOCUS ON ME PLEASE

palette-cleanser: something tells me you wouldn’t allow us the chance to do anything different.

yougimmethecrepes: go ahead Ryuji, what’s up?

crossbonez: i didn’t think about what we should do on the date so i kinda panicked when he asked and told him i had everything taken care of but i don’t

crossbonez: ive never taken care of anything in my life

crossbonez: please help yall know im not smart

yougimmethecrepes: omg THAT’S what ur worried about??? HOE ur best friend is a dating expert. I gotchu

crossbonez: lmfao ann youve never been on a date

yougimmethecrepes: maybe not

yougimmethecrepes: but i have seen so many romcoms

crossbonez: oooooo my god Kill me

crossbonez: wait holy shit have any of you even been on a date before

crossbonez: NOW YOU ALL STOP TYPING

crossbonez: this is the worst i hate my life

yougimmethecrepes: yusuke if you say anything about painting my nude as a date i’ll block you

palette-cleanser: There was that time when Ann came to the old studio in order for me to paint her portrait.

palette-cleanser: It was already half-written when you sent that.

yougimmethecrepes: OHHH MY GOD

palette-cleanser: I didn’t want to just let the reply go to waste.

yougimmethecrepes: BLOCKED

palette-cleanser: :(

killerqueen: Okay.

killerqueen: I’ll DM you, Ryuji.

crossbonez: oh thank god

[ THURSDAY, 7:04 PM ]  

[ killerqueen has sent you a message! ]

killerqueen: Firstly,

killerqueen: good for you, asking out Akira! That was really brave. How did it go, if that’s not too intrusive?

crossbonez: fine I think?? morgana kept cockblocking me but he got bored of watching us watch bad movies and left so

crossbonez: i just kinda

crossbonez: asked

crossbonez: and he said yeah

crossbonez: so now im dead and going thru w the date is my hell

killerqueen: Okay, relax. Obviously he wouldn’t have said yes to the date if he wasn’t already interested, so you already have that going for you! The worst part is done.

killerqueen: All you have to do now is think of something special for the two of you to do together.

crossbonez: yeah that’s basically the part where my brain stops

killerqueen: Fair. What’s your budget?

crossbonez: uhhhhhh

crossbonez: uhhhhhhhhhhh

killerqueen: Ryuji.

crossbonez: is free an option

killerqueen: Oh, god. Okay.

killerqueen: I didn’t realize you hadn’t planned for this in… any capacity.

crossbonez: OF COURSE I HAVENT ITS LIKE YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW ME

crossbonez: I DIDNT THINK OF THE MONEY THING OK

crossbonez: I WAS SORT OF FOCUSED ON NOT THROWING UP ON HIM AS I ASKED

killerqueen: Message received.

killerqueen: I’ll see if there’s anything cheap going on in the city this weekend.

crossbonez: thank you ugh

crossbonez: was this a bad idea

killerqueen: Asking out Akira? No, of course not.

crossbonez: sigh

killerqueen: Lying to Akira about having the entire thing prepared and planned out? Yes, without a doubt.

crossbonez: COOL THANKS MOM 

crossbonez: GOD

[ crossbonez left the conversation. ]

 [ THURSDAY, 7:29PM ]

[ palette-cleanser sent you a message! ]

palette-cleanser: Are you still taking advice for your date?

crossbonez: the answer is technically yes but i can’t say i’ve reached the point in my life where i’m ready to take dating advice from you

palette-cleanser: I shall try and keep my advice more general, then.

crossbonez: just don’t say the word beauty

palette-cleanser: You should consider the benefit of surrounding yourselves with beautiful things. I can only imagine a relationship increasing in intensity when the couple is surrounded by overwhelming beauty.

palette-cleanser: In my defense, my reply was half-written when you posted yours.

crossbonez: what the hell would overwhelming beauty even be man

crossbonez: am i sposed to find out which flower gives him boners like what am i doing here

palette-cleanser: that is up to you! And Akira, I suppose.

palette-cleanser: I was, of course, referring to your beautiful surroundings being up to you. Akira getting an erection is less-so in your hands.

palette-cleaner: …I did not mean for that to become a double-entendre but I suppose that’s also appropriate to your situation.

crossbonez: hoo boy you are this close to my block list lemme tell ya

palette-cleanser: Please don’t, my contact list is very short as it is.

palette-cleanser: Back to the topic at hand,

crossbonez: yeah plz

palette-cleanser: What are some things that Akira finds beautiful?

crossbonez: man i don’t know

crossbonez: uhh

crossbonez: good coffee

crossbonez: big ass cheeseburgers

crossbonez: cats probably

crossbonez: hes got a risette poster in his room but i think that’s less because shes hot and more because someone gave it to him and he was too nice to throw it out

palette-cleanser: None of that sounds particularly beautiful…

crossbonez: OH WOW DOES IT NOT

crossbonez: REALLY

palette-cleanser: There is no need to raise your typeface at me.

crossbonez: sjdjcickgmsoakfb

palette-cleanser: ?

crossbonez: nothing dont worry abt it

crossbonez: im gonna go see if i can buy something beautiful for ¥200 

palette-cleanser: Many beautiful things in life are free.

crossbonez: you got an example to go with that inspirational quote?

crossbonez: duuuude?

palette-cleanser: I appear to be losing connection

crossbonez: oh my god dude

palette-cleanser: I can hardly read what you’re writing

crossbonez: thats not how that would even work

crossbonez: i cant tell if ur trolling me or not

[ palette-cleanser has left the conversation. ]

 [ THURSDAY, 7:49PM ] 

[ yougimmethecrepes has replied to your message! ]

crossbonez: plz tell me ur just invisible

crossbonez: ur my one last hope and god is that saying something about how my standards have fallen

yougimmethecrepes: doing homework

yougimmethecrepes: you still peeing your pants over date night?

crossbonez: you still willing to give bad advice?

yougimmethecrepes: imagine me swiping all of my school work off my desk onto my floor because if my math grade didn’t ride on this I would have done that

crossbonez: aight

yougimmethecrepes: also my advice is fantastic shut up

yougimmethecrepes: okay, lets start easy. What’s the budget?

crossbonez: im in high school and not a part time model

crossbonez: my budget is negative

yougimmethecrepes: ooooh

yougimmethecrepes: got it

yougimmethecrepes: arcade? you can just use small change and stuff

crossbonez: we go there ALL THE TIME thats not a date

crossbonez: that’s like going to the ramen shop or something

yougimmethecrepes: uh……batting cages? Movie?

crossbonez: i cant ask him on a date and then just do shit we do normally! how is that a date???

yougimmethecrepes: How is it not a date?? You guys always have fun doing that, how is it less fun on a date

yougimmethecrepes: OH WAIT NO I got it

yougimmethecrepes: bathhouse

crossbonez: shut up no

yougimmethecrepes: hey, it’s not my fault you gave this absolutely no thought whatsoever

crossbonez: UGH I KNOW

crossbonez: WHY IS THIS HARD

yougimmethecrepes: I KEEP TELLING YOU THAT IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE

yougimmethecrepes: YOU’RE MAKING THIS A PROBLEM

[ crossbonez has left the conversation. ]

 [ THURSDAY, 8:25 PM ] 

[ memejed sent you a message! ]

crossbonez: no

memejed: before you say anything

memejed: jdcjdjnfdkdkf

memejed: dammit how do all of you type so fast

memejed: it’s like I don’t even know myself any more

memejed: is it my tiny hands

crossbonez: i do not want dating advice from you

memejed: well then it’s a good thing I don’t have any for you then ISNT IT

memejed: I just wanted to tell you that Akira just got home and he’s smiling a lot and it’s gross and weird and most likely your fault, so

crossbonez: oh that’s

crossbonez: nice to hear thank you jhgjfyjuh

memejed: he just told sojiro about the date and sojiro offered to grab him condoms hahAHAAHAH

crossbonez: OH MY GOD

crossbonez: DONT TELL ME THAT SHIT

memejed: IM ACTUALLY GONNA CHOKE LOLLL

crossbonez: I HOPE SO

memejed: >:(

memejed: I don’t even get why youre so nervous he’s obviously out of his mind happy to go out with you

memejed: whatever you guys do he’ll be down

memejed: just don’t do any stupid shit like try and show off or act like a tool

memejed: which I realize may seem daunting for you

memejed: but I believe u may have it in you, maybe

crossbonez: I just have no idea what to do without us doing the same shit as always

memejed: whats wrong with doing the stuff you guys always do? Routine is comfy

memejed: comfort is the enemy of anxiety

memejed: well, comfy, and a good pair of sweatpants

memejed: *and valium

crossbonez: you dont think he would mind doing shit we do all the time?

memejed: oh my god are ALL boys as stupid as you??? how has the species survived for so long

memejed: just hold his hand or something and he’d let you push him in front of the subway!! Like, that probably shouldn’t be your go to option, but just

memejed: he ALREADY likes you. you don’t need to impress him or anything

memejed: consider yourself lucky, because like, idk how you swung that

crossbonez: I agree with you too much to get mad at that

crossbonez: wow

crossbonez: akira agreed to go out with me, you gave me advice that wasnt steaming dog shit

crossbonez: maybe i should buy a lottery ticket lmao

memejed: LMAO ur luck stat isn’t THAT high yet

memejed: see if sojiro comes through w the condoms first

crossbonez: okay and NOW im leaving

memejed: BE SAFE!!

[ crossbonez has left the conversation. ]

 [ THURSDAY, 9:22 PM ]  

[ HaruOkumura sent you a message! ]

HaruOkumura: Good, you’re still online! 

crossbonez: hahaha what happened to ur screenname?

HaruOkumura: The company’s social media adviser suggested I change it for professional purposes………..

crossbonez: lame

HaruOkumura: Yes apparently “BigBangIsPeople” is not an appropriate username for the incoming CEO of Okumura Foods.

HaruOkumura: I thought it was funny :(

HaruOkumura: But anyway! I’m glad you’re still online! Makoto texted me and told me about yours and Akira’s date and I wanted to say congratulations and I’m so happy for you!

crossbonez: thanks! tell makoto to quit snitchin tho

HaruOkumura: Will do! I just wanted to talk because Makoto said you were very stressed out and seemed sort of unprepared

crossbonez: im okay now i think

crossbonez: futaba helped me out

crossbonez: weirdly

crossbonez: i mean im still sweating all over myself and the idea of actually meeting up with akira for the date in question makes me want to gag but :) im fine

HaruOkumura: oh my :o

HaruOkumura: Have you decided what the two of you will do?

crossbonez: yeeaaahhhh i got some ideas i think?

HaruOkumura: I do as well!! Would you like to hear them?

crossbonez: hey i am always up for not thinking

HaruOkumura: That’s great!! Okay, what is your budget currently?

crossbonez: gkhskdfkjlghlrihvoirhgiu

crossbonez: kjghsiuergtiughpijiuprughtuislrhgiulth

HaruOkumura: Uhm?

crossbonez: I THINK IM GOOD LMAO THX HARU

HaruOkumura: Oh youre welcome! Let us know how it goes!

crossbonez: yeah sure if i dont die first!

[ crossbonez has left the conversation. ]

 [ SATURDAY, 02:41 AM ] 

[ JokersWild sent you a message! ]

JokersWild: Hey

JokersWild: I know youre probably asleep because it’s like fuck o clock in the morning and why wouldn’t you be

JokersWild: But I cant sleep because I made myself some antianxiety coffee when I got home haha

JokersWild: (futaba calls it estresso but I can’t call it that because it’s so clever it makes me mad I didn’t think of it first)

JokersWild: but I had a really good time tonight

JokersWild: and you seemed kind of worried all night so I wanted you to know that

JokersWild: and idek if you were worried because of us(?) or if there was something else going on and now I just seem like kind of an asshole for assuming it was about me

JokersWild: but whether it was or it wasn’t I had fun

JokersWild: and

JokersWild: I’m really happy you asked me out

JokersWild: and just…… you don’t need advice from anyone on how to like

JokersWild: woo me yknow?

JokersWild: I had notifications turned off but the number of messages in the group chat kept ticking up so I lurked for a second

JokersWild: I don’t know what anyone ended up telling you but you didn’t need it

JokersWild: you don’t have to impress me. I ALREADY like you.

JokersWild: so, that’s that

JokersWild: this coffee is very strong and obviously my inhibitions are non existent right now so I’m going to bed before this turns into a confession

JokersWild: or more of one

JokersWild: lets, like, do this again? I want to keep doing this with you

[ JokersWild has left the conversation. ]

 [ SATURDAY, 02:54 AM ] 

[ JokersWild sent you a message! ]

JokersWild: also oh my god thank you for not freaking the fuck out when that condom fell out of my jacket I SWEAR TO YOU I did not put it there and when I find out who did I am going to unmake them

JokersWild: okay goodnight

[ JokersWild has left the conversation. ]

[shadowtarot]

PegoRyu prompt: Ryuji takes a rather fatal hit for Morgana. Then says "I think you'll be happy Mona, I don't think I'm gonna make it."

Ah, sweet tasty angst. Lets do this I’ll get to show my HC for Morgana too.

“Guys, this shadow has each of your weaknesses. And none of it’s own. It can easily get the drop on you if you’re not careful.” Futaba flies high above the battlefield in her Persona. The team is fighting a Reaper within Mementos. They’d fought them before, and won. But those battles depended on the weather being an absolute mess. Sadly Tokyo had clear skies, meaning they needed to rely on their skills alone.

“Joker! We need to try and topple this shadow, can you think of any possible way we can?” Makoto asks, as she goes around and around the massive shadow onJohanna in order to keep it busy.

Ren puts a finger to his chin. “Hmm..” but before he can say anything, Morgana steps up, full of confidence as always.

“Let me handle this Joker. Zorro and I will show you all that we can take down even the fiercest of foes!”  He crosses his paws over his small little chest and lets out a hardy laugh. 

Ryuji, hearing this, immediately looks over to Ren. His face is written with worry and Ryuji knows exactly why. The other may not be aware but Ren depends on Morgana a lot more than they think as an emotional support. Should that stupid cat die, Ren would be devastated and without that support. And Ryuji wasn’t going to let that happen. No way in hell.

“Na, Mona I got this. You’re much skilled at healing anyhow so you should focus on that instead” Unlike normal cats that love it when you stroke their fur, Morgana loves it when you stroke his ego. But it has it’s advantages too. Sometimes it means that he’ll agree to anything.  

Unfortunately for Ryuji..this was not one of these times.

“Can it, Ryuji. You just want to take the kill just so you can impress your boyfriend. Well leave some for the rest of us!”  And with that, Morgana summons Zorro and goes for a Miracle Punch. But…the Reaper had been anticipating this move and dodged out of the way as if it was nothing.

Morgana was stunned. “What? But…how did it..?” He was too shocked by the fact that he couldn’t prove Ryuji wrong to notice that the Reaper was prepping to shoot the fur-ball straight on. 

“Shit..” Ryuji mumbled under his breath. He was going to die. The team had revival spells and items abound but the longer they wait to revive him, the greater chance they had of it not working. ..in theory. Even if they do revive him, Ren’ll be upset. The cat was going to get killed. Ren’s main support was going to be gone. That stupid furball.. He was going to die and there was nothing that-

He soon found himself running to and pushing Morgana out of the way much like they’d all do for Ren. And he took the magic shots dead on. His screams from their impact on his body echoing throughout the tunnel area. 

Morgana looks over at Ryuji with a horrified look. He had  fallen to one knee, his leather ensemble now slowly staining with blood as fresh scratch marks cover his face…mask broken in half and blood dripping down from both sides of his exposed facial area.

“Hope..you’re happy Mona..I don’t think I’m gonna make it.” He laughs weakly.

Morgana casts several healing spells in desperation…tears filling his toonish face. This…wasn’t the reaction Ryuji had expected.

“You idiot! Why the hell did you think that was a good idea?!” He yells. Ryuji blinks weakly. He hated him right? They’d always argue! So why would he…?

“Why…why the ‘eff do you care so much you damn cat..? I thought you hated it when I hogged Ren from ya..” He questions back.

“Because…you’re important to Ren…and I just realized that…I guess I am too.” Morgana mumbles in such a way that only Ryuji can hear. “Neither of us should be throwing away our lives so carelessly…if you die..I won’t be able to comfort him alone. And visa versa.” 

The team retreats in a hurry and everyone manages to patch up Ryuji to the best of their abilities. Ren is leaned up against the door leading out of Mementos in deep thought.

Ryuji sheepishly walks up to Ren, unable to look him right in the eye. He worried him…it was his fault. He deserved whatever chewing out his boyfriend dished to him.  “Ren..I’m sorry. That was so stupid of me and-”

“So, you actually care about Morgana huh~” Ren teases, a big smirk on his face as he lightly punches him.

“S-Shut up! I just knew that if he died you’d be sad, that’s all!”

Morgana laughs. “Oh come on, Ryuji. You must know by now that everyone likes me, even idiots like you!”

“What was that?! The only idiot here is you, Mr. Deer in Headlights!”

Ren can’t help but facepalm, it seems even when these two get along…they don’t. But it didn’t matter, they both just wanted to make sure he was happy. And Ren couldn’t ask for a better companion and Boyfriend then these two..