#implied pegoryu

[awriternamedart]

“I'd thought you'd continue to avoid me. This rapid change in behavior is rather annoying, you know.”

Ryuji settled for glaring at the guy, not missing the way Akechi’s lips curled up at the sight. There seemed to be little to no end to their bickering, but Akechi assumed it was for the best.

To avoid meaningless conversation would be preferable. There was no need to compromise their mission sooner.

Which is why he was caught off guard when Skull had practically taken him by the arm and dragged him off during a recon meeting at the Palace entrance. So far, he had been one of the more.. agitated of the group, though he supposed that was to be expected. Kurusu’s right hand was an unwaveringly loyal dog.

Taking in a frustrated sigh, Akechi grimaced.

“Look, if Joker has put you up to this, we will drop it. I have no interest-”

“Akira didn't put me up for shit. ‘M doin this on my own, asshole.” Skull butted in immediately, slouching against the hedges. He seemed to scoff at the idea, almost. “He ain't like that. He'd talk to you himself.”

“Oh, I am fully aware of that.” Crow found himself acting haughty- it was one of the best ways to get under Skull’s skin. Not that it was hard to do, but his bursts of quick anger were quite refreshing. “But we really ought not waste meaningless time. We-”

“Oh, shut up, will ya? ‘M tryna apologize, damnit!”

..it was rare that someone other than Akira caught Akechi off guard.

“...excuse me?”

“Ugh- look, ok. Don't take this as me forgivin you or some bullshit like that.” Pushing off the hedge, Skull came around to face Crow, arms folded. “Knowin what you did to Futaba, Haru, and Akira? Like hell I'm ever forgivin you. But..”

He roughly scratched at his skull, grumbling.

“..Ya didn't feel like ya had a choice, didya.”

Akechi found himself momentarily stunned into silence.

“...how much did he tell you.”

“Hm? Who, Kira? Not much, nothin, actually. All I really know is he called me up after we took down that bastard and..” Something seemed to soften in Ryuji, the tenseness in his shoulders dying slightly as brown eyes sent a glance towards the leader of this ragtag band- one that he missed being sent back as he looked towards Akechi again. “..he mourned you, yknow.”

..what?

“...mourned?”

“Ya disappeared. Never showed up after Shido’s Palace was sent crashin. We all thought ya were.. yknow. We all kinda mourned you- I.. well, at least we regretted not turnin ‘round to save you.”

It took a few moments for the laughter to bubble up in Akechi’s throat.

“You?! Mourning me?!” How absurd!! These fools, mourning him?! He had betrayed them, attempted to trick them, pulled the trigger on two of their parents-!! And these fools mourned him?! “Don't try to coerce me with those pathetic lies! How could you even dream of mourning someone who played you from the start?!”

“Oh, shut up already!!” Skull's shout drew everyone's attention- anger scribbled across his tone in jagged strokes. Hands took Akechi’s shirt, dragging him forward in his anger so they were face to face- It took him two seconds to drop his voice as Akechi's crazed laughter was cut short. “You bastard- I watched him cry for you, and you fuckin laugh?!”

A sneer drew itself on Crow’s lips.

“Wasted tears.”

“You-!!"

“Skull.”

Both of them looked over as Joker approached them, his gray eyes ever piercing and wary. It was almost immediate, the way Ryuji scoffed and let go of Akechi, letting him stagger and catch his balance.

“Go back to your team, Kurusu- we’ve finished our conversation here.” Before Skull could open his mouth, Crow cut in, fixing his misshapen collar with a casual, snide smirk. Joker’s eyes were dragged to him, a mix of distrust and.. pain lingering in his gaze.

It made Akechi clench his teeth.

“...We’re heading to the Observatory safe room. We’ll go when the lineup forms.” His voice was clipped, but both Skull and Crow nodded nonetheless, waiting till Joker’s back was turned and heading back- Akechi about to follow.

“...Look, Akechi-”

“Don't.” Crow cut him off, turning to look at him sidelong. “I don't have time for your meaningless antics.”

“Cut it out with the bullshit already. Can't you see I'm at least tryin here?!”

“And I say we end this here. There's no point in-”

“Stop being such a pretentious ass and listen to me, damnit.”

Annoyance was rising in Akechi by the second. He simply did not know when to quit, did he? Couldn't he tell that Akechi was trying to spare him already?!

“Fine then. Spit it out, we are wasting precious time here.”

“Finally. Look- I aint about to try ‘n be your friend.” Coming up right beside Akechi, Ryuji slipped his hands in his pockets, kicking at the floor slightly. “But- ugh, I'm sorry for treatin ya like shit before. Again, I aint about to forgive ya either-! But we gotta work as a team here, for Yoshizawa and Akira.”

He stuck his hand out, shoving it between them. It was a jumpy, rough movement, almost as if it was forced.

“So.. truce, or whatever?"

Crow found himself staring. What kind of idiotic move was this, apologizing? To him?

He scoffed. Absolutely ridiculous. Nothing but pain would come of this.

…and yet he took his hand anyway, the two of them shaking before firmly pulling away.

“..Fine then. Ill accept your.. truce.” He rolled his eyes, wiping his hand off on his hip. “..that was a rather pathetic show, you know.”

“What was that, asshole?!”

-

An Attempt to Step Forward - awriternamedart

[ryuryuji]

it took him 5 seconds

[peachy-amy-rose]

FINALLY!!!!

It's done! My piece for Kiss Ryuji Day 2024! Four days late! (; _ ;) I've always wanted to draw Pegoryusumi and I finally did! Thank you everyone who supported the WIP that was posted before.

This is based on the OT3 poses set by @mcnuggyy. Specifically pose A1.

[scr4xd]

DRAWING PEGORYU RAHH RAHHH RAHHHHHH

bonus thing i made

[samarecharm]

Okay everything under the cut is like, something ive (mostly) already had saved in a draft but was too punkass to post but

TL;DR: Akira forms a palace 12-18 months after the events of the base p5 game and it manifests through the anger (fear) of being left behind/tossed aside once his usefulness of being a leader was up. it is incredibly self indulgent, and it is comprised of a ton of hcs ive never really talked about on this blog so some things may feel a bit ooc, but like on god if i actually made a fucking fic it would make more sense 😭

The timeline of events is: base p5 game ->back home after probation -> [akira] spends the summer and third year alone -> palace develops sometime during the end of third year-> thieves infiltrate and clear palace during the beginning of summer -> boy time :) -> spend rest of summer following the plot of p5s. Once i actually play strikers i think that will be the motivation needed to start writing a draft for this fic.  (also good lord i transferred this from my google docs on mobile to desktop and theres so many words 😭 )

Ive wanted to make an actual ‘Akira has a Palace!au’ but it feels like. Nearly impossible to try and do so while making it seem realistic (read: in-character and not horrifically ooc), so i simply have not put it down on paper. But within the last year its morphed into something im Okay with and happy to daydream about :)

it hinges on existing hcs i already have for him. The ability to have a palace is dictated by a noticeable degradation in his personality; post game (ignoring royal) has him left alone back home but more importantly, without purpose (in his eyes). From punching some deadbeat and having that lead to gaining a family, saving japan (shido), saving the world (yaldabaoth), only to lose everything he gained in the blink of an eye is just so jarring to him. Existing in the real world does not even compare to being Joker;  the finesse and grandeur is simply an aspect of himself he feels he'll never tap into again. There was something comforting about being able to have a separate persona crafted for the metaverse and hes not sure hell be able to tap into it in the real world. On top of that, with how busy everyone is post game (graduating/college applications), while Akira acknowledges that the thieves, his family, are trying really hard to continue on with their lives, he is bitter that they get to do that together without him. 

It initially manifests as him simply tinkering about (another hc) to keep his head busy and buzzing, but as he does his own college process, he is more acutely aware of how he is doing this Alone. His entire problem is that being removed from his family has amplified some deep, deep insecurities that hes had way before he got shipped off to tokyo. Its why he is loyal to a fault, its why he demands loyalty in return; all he has to offer is his body. Literally. He promises safety and leadership and in order to accomplish this, he will give his body up again and again; in the metaverse and in real life. If you peel back the layers of his personality, you see someone who has a deeply ingrained sense of justice, and someone who clings to that desperately bc the one thing he feels like he has to do (to have any impact on the world and the people he encounters) is to stand up for and defend people who need defending. If he doesnt have that, what Can he do?

So the combination of being left alone again (sent back home), having a Not Positive relationship with his parents/caretakers, having to do stressful/difficult things alone again after getting comfortable having a team to help with tasks, no longer having the power granted by the metaverse to feel strong, and no longer having the power of the metaverse to allow him to directly impact peoples lives starts to wear him down. HONESTLY it would be over a year before anyone saw the metaverse app appear on their phone again; Akira would be bitter but he would not suddenly spiral out of control months after he goes back home. His friends still call and video chat with him and even ryuji and ann visit a couple of times, but it would be months and months of radio silence before it would sit heavy in his heart that maybe they Didnt want to be bother with him, esp if he had no way to actually be Useful to them. It would sound outlandish to him as hes laughing in a group call w everyone a month after he comes back home, but its alot more plausible when people are simply dubbing his calls. 

The whole point of this is that Akiras palace is created from the insecurities in his heart, amplified to a thousand, and so the theme of his palace would be something akin to neglect and Wanting To Have His Family With Him Again. But he is also someone who has an obsession with the bonds he has, and NEEDS to have people who will have a borderline unhealthy relationship with him; if he is willing to die for someone, that someone needs to Also be willing to die for him. He would not Want them to actually die for him (he LITERALLY would die for them before they could do such a thing) but it is the trust in him that he needs above all else. And this is not a GOOD thing! This is kind of bad maybe !!!! It manifested as something good while they were fighting rulers, but now that theres no one to fight, no treasures to steal, its eating him alive. Theres a phase in his boss fight that has his shadow casting Charm/Brainwash on random teammates bc at his core, this is what he misses; his team! And if they wont willingly come back to him, he will Make them come back to him. Thats !!!!! NOT Good !!!!!!!! At all !!!

His palace is the culmination of his internalized beliefs about the world around him, how his role fits into all of this- his true ‘purpose’- and how becoming misguided in life leaves him truly directionless in the worst way possible. His will is as strong as ever, but its been refracted through a dark and muddled lens. He Wants, and he Wants so bad that its warping his desires and his ability to think rationally. The destruction of his palace is more or a less a rebirth of sorts, and it marks the beginning of the thieves real relationship with him and amongst each other. Akira is no longer a Leader, hes just… Akira. And when u just have Akira, does that alter the relationship you have with him? (The answer is yes, and its for the better!!)

The confrontation w the thieves (and subsequently, the confrontation with his own insecurities) is followed up by a necessary respite, where they all take the time to reconnect. Makoto and Haru are in college!! Ann and Yusuke are doing well in their respective budding careers, Ryuji is Ryuji :) ( i am joking; in this au, he is looking into doing personal trainer stuff, and trying to work up the courage to do track stuff again by doing marathons), and Futaba is still a menace (affectionate). AND! After they split up (PROMISING to meet up soon!), Akira answers the door two days later to Ryuji standing there w a suitcase and Makoto waving goodbye to the two of them 

From here on, when the plot of strikers happens (directly after this entire mess and maybe a week or two into ryujis stay), Akira is the leader he loves to be, but the burden of responsibility no longer weighs heavy on his shoulders. They are a team; always have been and always will be, only now, they wont settle for an ‘its okay’ when everything about Akira clearly says otherwise. Theyre a team, and Akira will realize that they are more than capable, but more importantly, more than willing to step up when hes unable to do so himself.

[jonkner]

akira imparts his wisdom upon futaba after being asked why hes wearing ryujis shirt

[megalomari]

i think Atlus knew that if they gave Ryuji piercings he would be too powerful... but it’s fun to think about

[mproductions7152]

Yo, I have an Akiryu idea for a Lilo and Stitch AU with Ryuji taking care of Sophia by himself after the loss of their mom. Then one day they adopt Morgana who Sophia sees as a raccoon and Akira is Ryuji's best friend and co-worker who also gets along with Sophia and helps out for her.

( I know it's a little ridiculous but considering Strikers takes place in the summer, I couldn't resist and because it's one of my favourite movies)

[pinkbuffet]

Idk which one I like best.. 😳👉👈

[totally-correct-persona-quotes]

Medic: You’re losing a lot of blood! Quick, what’s your type? 

Ryuji: Oh uh, seductive smile, tall, sweet, Virgo...

Medic: I mean your blood type.

Ryuji: Oh...

Ryuji: *Squints at wound*

Ryuji: Red. 

[memoriesofyourdread]

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Fandoms: 鬼滅の刃 | Kimetsu no Yaiba (Manga), 鬼滅の刃 | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Anime) Relationships: Kamado Nezuko & Kamado Tanjirou, Kamado Nezuko/Tsuyuri Kanao, Kamado Tanjirou/Shinazugawa Genya Characters: Kamado Nezuko, Kamado Tanjirou, Yushiro (Kimetsu no Yaiba), Hashibira Inosuke, Agatsuma Zenitsu, Kanzaki Aoi (Kimetsu no Yaiba), Shinazugawa Genya, Tsuyuri Kanao, Shinazugawa Sanemi, Tomioka Giyuu, Kochou Shinobu, Kochou Kanae, Kamado Family (Kimetsu no Yaiba) Additional Tags: 5+1 Things, But actually 4+1 things, The Kamado Family Lives (Kimetsu no Yaiba), Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Headbutting, Nezuko-centric, First Meetings, Protective Siblings

Series: ← Previous Work Part 4 of the They Deserve Better (Reincarnation AU) series

[zephyrus-moonlight]

And say it for me, say it to me And I’ll leave this life behind me Say it if it’s worth savin’ me

I’m sorry I just. This song made me think of Ryuji and Pegoryu and I have feelings ok.

[kiwinatorwaffles]

updated shipping stance

i am a mostly romance-adverse aromantic. im usually not a huge fan of (romantic or sexual) ships regardless of fandom LMAOOOOO (some exclusions apply)

as for mcyt shipping, again, im not a fan. but not because i think it's rpf but because like i said before, i'm romance adverse LMAO you guys are good im not against it in the slightest. sometimes ill refer to the ships but whenever i talk about them its nonromantic and nonsexual

if you ever see me posting or reblogging something intended to be a ship, please do not assume that i automatically ship it. sometimes i do, but even then, most of the time i’ll view it in a platonic/queerplatonic/alterous way as with most ships i enjoy i usually headcanon one or both of the characters as somewhat aspec

only exception would be established/implied relationships. or two mofos who are so obviously pining for each other that even i, the most aro mofo ever, can feel their tension. slay dating/married/pining bitches slay

and in those cases, i will post about the ship. BUT [spongebob WAIT meme] like i said earlier MOST OF THE TIME IT'S NOT ROMANTIC OR SEXUAL IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN

here is a non-comprehensive list of ships i might post/reblog sometimes about in case you want to filter them out:

wrightworth (ace attorney) but queerplatonic and epic as god intended

zelink (skyward sword + botw/totk) but queerplatonic and epic as the goddesses intended

marlink (link's awakening) but queerplatonic and epic as the goddesses intended

souyou (persona 4) but queerplatonic and epic as god intended

i think you see the pattern forming but ok

pegoryu (persona 5)

caejose (jjba part 2)

tl;dr: im not a shipper but im also not against ships 👍 but please dont talk to me about ships unless i mention it first myself!

[books-and-dragons]

pegoryu (pre-established) post-interrogation hurt/comfort fic. has mentions of nightmares, trauma, and implied physical assault. unedited and for that i big apologise in advance

___________

okay!!! so this fic has been sitting in my drafts for months (lol what else is knew i know, shush i’m getting to the point) and i was supposed to post it on ao3 at the same time as i did a couple of others, however never got around to it bc it needed editing and im too lazy for that

likelihood is, i will edit and post to ao3 at some point, but it needs some BIG rennovations and i just can’t be arsed atm

so yeah, apologies for the shoddy writing in advance xoxo

but for now, i wanted to post it on here. today. as a sign of goodwill for the year to come. (ie. i own p5r, still havent played it, need to play it, and hope posting this will kick me into gear)

so, hope you enjoy!! and lmao if not it’ll just get buried as i start to revive this blog so,...win win?

In the first few nights since the interrogation, Ryuji stayed awake, listening to the fragile shudders of Akira’s breath in the night. So sensitive to every breath of air restricted by broken ribs, Ryuji hadn’t needed to look across the room, to gaze at the beaten figure on the bed, to know how his face was contorted in pain- unmasked in sleep.

He refused to so much as close his eyes until Akira’s breathing levelled out, still shuddering and restricted by pain, but deep enough to assure him that Akira was asleep. Only then, Ryuji allowed himself to rest.

Nobody else stayed the night. They lingered until the last train, crowded around the attic bedroom, gaze worriedly resting on Akira until the final second, where they’d leave with the accompanying chime of Leblanc’s door closing. But not Ryuji.

Ryuji, who had refused to leave Akira’s side since the moment he’d returned to their arms, beaten and drugged up, hardly coherent, but so relievingly and perfectly alive.

Akira hadn’t been alone since, Ryuji ensured that much. Torn over so much as going across the road for a bath, he couldn’t leave the other boy alone- something pulled at him to never let that happen, a pit of fear in the bottom of his stomach that pulled at his every nerve.

Maybe it had something to do with the nightmares, the visions of Akira lying broken on cold tile, at the mercilessly unrelenting hands of the police, the images of Akira lying dead, blood pooling from his head, the way the images seemed to haunt him even when awake- but there was no point reading into it. It wasn’t important, especially not now.

What mattered was that when he woke up, breath haggard and skin shining with sweat under the light of outdoor streetlamps, Akira never woke. Wasn’t even perturbed. 

Ryuji tried to be thankful for it, tried not to think about why Akira was suddenly such a deep sleeper. Ignored the puncture wounds on his neck, the bottle of painkillers by his bedside. Akira was resting, and that was enough.

Even if it didn’t make sense that, when morning rose, the dark circles under Akira’s eyes had grown. That he tried to muffle pained yawns behind bandaged hands, and begged for more coffee- even though Takemi had put him on a temporary ban.

Because Ryuji had seen him sleeping, watched the rise and fall of his chest as Ryuji reminded himself that Akira was alive and safe, it was the sight that lulled him back to sleep from a nightmare. So why did Akira always look so tired?

He tried not to let his growing concern show, there was already so much to be worried about, he didn’t want to add another. Especially not when it could be nothing but his own annoying thoughts.

It wasn’t until the next night, after a particularly painful and thorough visit from Takemi earlier that day, that Ryuji started to reconsider.

Blearily opening his eyes to the dark lighting of the attic, Ryuji didn’t need a clock to know it was well into the middle of the night, and that he’d been woken up from his sleep, again.

But it was weird. There was none of the usual constricting fear, the blind panic- he’d hardly even started seeing the figure of a beaten Akira surrounded by shadow, let alone begun imagining the worst. 

About to blame it on the lumpy and painful springs of the couch and try to fall back asleep, Ryuji caught it. Quiet, as if muffled by something, but just loud enough to penetrate through the silence in the attic and reach Ryuji: crying.

No. Not crying.

Sobbing.

Ice burning in his stomach, he carefully lifted the blanket and rose, wary of creaking springs and the sound of rustling fabric, towards the shaking figure on the bed.

His voice was barely above a whisper, carrying clearly and softly through the silence as he carefully extended an arm, not touching, only hovering, “Akira?”

The responding flinch broke Ryuji’s heart all the more, as a head rose from under the covers, bloodshot eyes wide and darting around the room in panic, hair wildly askew. 

Moving as slowly as he dared, Ryuji sat at the side of the bed, “Hey, it’s okay, it’s only me.”

As the mattress shifted under him, Akira froze. Muscles tight and unyielding, back as ramrod straight as his broken ribs would allow, the entire body braced for something Ryuji didn’t even want to think about. His gaze was distant, somewhere far away from Leblanc, from the blond sat right beside him.

It reminded Ryuji of his Ma, in the months after the divorce. Curled up together on the dingy bed, they’d cling to each other so tight even in sleep, waking up in the morning sweaty and sometimes a little uncomfortable, never minding because they woke feeling completely safe. But there were the nights when his Ma’s screams would wake him in the early hours, recoiling and shaking even in her sleep. Ryuji would sit upright and watch over her until sunrise, would try to pull her from the memories he knew haunted her. Haunted them both.

Looking at Akira, the striking familiarity of the situation made him want to hurl.

He didn’t move, no matter how strong the urge was to reach out and console his hurting best friend. Instead, he kept his voice quiet, just audible above the laboured sobs, and waited.

“You’re okay, Akira. You’re safe, I’m not goin’ anywhere, alright? You’ve got me, it’s okay-”

Slowly, the frantic scanning of the room stopped. Staring at the artificial yellow light that bathed Leblanc’s street, following it into the shadows of the attic, where dark figures seemed to fade away. The flash of blond in his vision, perfectly still, aside from the hushed mutterings leaving chapped lips.

Akira focused on that sound. It felt safe.

As Ryuji uttered soft words of reassurance, he watched the tension slowly leave Akira’s body. Shoulders slightly slouched, jaw unclenched, his lip was bleeding- but he could worry about that later. All that mattered was the softening of Akira’s lines, as he slowly came back to Ryuji.

Delicately as he dared, he reached out. Hand brushing against bruised skin, careful not to as much as press on the marred areas. For a moment, there was no response. He waited, watching the panic continue to leave until, slightly trembling, Akira’s hand interlaced with his own.

“Ryuji?” The hazed look in his eyes was clearing, staring at Ryuji with a newly discovered relief, which was quickly overtaken by shame, “Shit- I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up, just go back to sleep I’m fine-”

“Hey no, no man it’s okay, really-” Feeling Akira begin to pull away, Ryuji let his thumb run over the back of his hand, determinedly meeting Akira’s gaze, “I don’t mind.”

Akira opened his mouth, ready to retort and insist, but found himself silenced by the look in the other boy’s eyes. Ryuji’s hand was warm, and for a moment Akira forgot there were even any injuries there at all, thumb tracing over them with such a delicate touch he hadn’t known the blond to have possessed.

Staring into Ryuji’s eyes, he wondered at how they were always so open and unguarded, never with anything to hide- a true reflection of his best friend, passionate and honest to a fault. It was something Akira had often envied, that ability to always be his true self, to freely display his emotions. 

He almost took that back now, staring back into deep brown eyes. Eyes which so clearly reflected hurt and worry.

The raw concern so honestly displayed to him that, just in this moment, Akira decided he would allow himself to be vulnerable. Just this one time. Knowing that, as they had done for each other so many times before, Ryuji would never judge.

Hesitantly, Akira pulled his hand out of Ryuji’s and, ignoring the concerned look he got in return, allowed his hand to trace higher, around his forearm, pulling him closer with a silent plea.

As always, Ryuji understood.

Carefully reaching out, Ryuji wrapped his arms around Akira, pulling him to his chest. His touch is firm, but cautious of the bruising and bandages decorating Akira’s abdomen. Even then, careful as he was, the occasional shift sent twinges of pain up Akira’s spine. And yet, he found he didn’t mind- not when he was so surrounded by warmth and comfort and the steady beat of Ryuji’s heart just audible through his chest, that for a minute Akira feels like he can just forget-

Somehow, Ryuji shifts so they’re leaning against the back wall, Akira’s head resting high on Ryuji’s chest, ear pressed to his left side. Logically, Ryuji supposed now would be a good time to ask about what just happened, about the dark circles under Akira’s eyes and the fear still lingering when he caught sight of shadows in the room- but there would be other opportunities. When Akira wasn’t so damn exhausted and clinging to Ryuji like he’s the final lifeline holding Akira together. When neither of them would be waking up in the middle of the night, a frenzied mess, and worrying about suspicious strangers in public and carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders.

Yeah, there would be other times to talk. But for now, Ryuji would stay with Akira and listen as his breathing mellowed out into deep breaths, as his grip on the blond weakened and he cuddled closer still, lost to the throes of sleep.

Ryuji will stay with him until the sun rises.

Neither of them were plagued by nightmares for the rest of the night.

[smolstarthief]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Persona 5 Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Hasegawa Aoi/Hasewaga Zenkichi, Hasegawa Zenkichi & Phantom Thieves of Hearts, Hasegawa Akane & Hasegawa Zenkichi, Hasegawa Zenkichi & Persona 5 Protagonist Characters: Hasegawa Zenkichi, Hasegawa Aoi, Hasegawa Akane, Phantom Thieves of Hearts, Amamiya Ren (Persona Series), Persona 5 Protagonist Additional Tags: Headcanon, Piano, Angst with a Happy Ending, Minor Character Death, implied pegoryu, Implied/Referenced Character Death Summary:

Zenkichi was always passionate about his music despite his less than great circumstances. But then he lost Aoi and nothing was the same after that with no chance of him ever coming back to it... Right?

Just something I wrote based on a Headcanon I have for Zenkichi! Hope you guys like!

[mypunkpansexualtwin]

Here we come with day two of pegoryu week, and it's gonna be the last one I post on time. I'll still be trying, don't get me wrong, I'm just not the kind of person who can write a fic I'm happy with in one day.

Yet.

As always, bulk of the fic is under a cut, link is in the reblogs, and I will daydream of baking you cookies if you share it.

“I did warn you.”

“Not even an arcade, dude?”

“Not unless you wanna get on a train for forty minutes.”

“Ugh. Laaaaame.”

After nearly a month of planning, Ryuji was visiting his boyfriend for Golden Week. One whole month of bargaining with all of their parents, putting aside every last yen they could spare, studying their asses off to earn the trip, and, of course, long phone conversations that were probably about eighty percent “I miss you”s and “I love you”s and “I can’t wait to see you”s. With Akira’s help via video call study sessions, Ryuji even managed to get into the top thirty percent of the class in their latest exams; a new record for him that effectively guaranteed the visit. But they’d been so busy celebrating and planning getting him out to the country that they may have completely forgotten to figure out what they were actually going to do when he got there. So now they were on the Kurusus’ living room couch, Akira cross-legged on one end and Ryuji stretched out across the rest with his head on his boyfriend’s lap, trying to scrape together a date idea.

“I’ll say it again. I warned you. Several times,” Akira repeated while he ran a hand through Ryuji’s hair. “There’s nothing to see here.” Ryuji caught Akira’s free hand, tangled their fingers together, and kissed the back of his hand.

“Yeah there is. You’re here, so I say it’s worth it.” Ryuji grinned as his boyfriend turned pink at the tips of his ears and wrinkled his nose.

“Sap,” Akira grumbled like there wasn’t a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Like they both didn’t know full well how much he liked hearing how happy Ryuji was that they were together, in every sense of the word.

“You love me,” Ryuji said, his grin widening just a little further. Akira’s expression melted into something almost embarrassingly soft as he went back to playing with his boyfriend’s hair. He curled and combed his fingers gently through the short strands, and huffed out a quiet laugh as Ryuji went boneless when he grazed his nails over his scalp.

“Yeah. I really do,” Akira sighed happily and got another kiss pressed to his knuckles. “You’re kind of my hero, you know.” It was something he’d tried to make a habit of telling his boyfriend, even before they were dating. Ryuji still sputtered and objected like it was his first time hearing it.

“You-- I-- that ain’t…” He sat up and shoved a pillow into Akira’s face with a groan. “Now who’s the sap?”

Akira draped himself across Ryuji’s shoulders and planted a kiss on the side of his neck, then smiled against his skin at the shiver that got. “You just have that effect on me, sunshine.” Ryuji grunted in response. “You like it.” Another grunt. Akira blew a puff of air at the back of Ryuji’s ear and laughed when he got swatted away. “Don’t pout. You were right, a date sounds nice. But you gotta help me figure it out.”

His boyfriend sprawled back out on the couch after pouting for a few more seconds, then looked up at him with those big brown eyes he’d been a sucker for since day one.

“Aight, what kind of food you got around here?” Akira could have been exasperated at his boyfriend’s predictability, but a dinner date was more feasible than a movie date, and a lot more pleasant than a gym date. He may have loved Ryuji Sakamoto with all his heart, but he didn’t plan on running again on the regular unless it was for his damn life.

“There’s only like ten places total around here. We’ve already visited three, two of them won’t serve me because the owners don’t like me anymore--”

Ryuji’s head jerked up at that, knocking Akira’s hand free. It was ridiculous how cute the guy was when he was offended. “What?! Why the hell not?”

Akira shrugged and went back to petting Ryuji’s hair in an attempt to soothe him. “Didn’t exactly bother to ask, but probably my record. Cleared of charges or not, my reputation mutated while I was gone and I haven’t really been able to fix it.” Not that he’d tried very hard when he didn’t plan on staying for even a second longer than necessary.

The frown that wrinkled Ryuji’s features was almost comical, but he probably wouldn’t appreciate being laughed at while he was already agitated. Especially when it was on Akira’s behalf. “Ugh, this town sucks, can’t wait to get you out of here. Wait, only probably your record? Why else would they dislike you?”

Akira huffed out another laugh, wry and joyless this time. “My uncle’s a pretty conservative guy, I heard he didn’t react well when he found out I was dating some guy from the city.” Quite literally heard it; he’d been getting ready to visit his cousin and could hear the old man shouting inside the house from the sidewalk. He’d opted to text Yuuta to meet up somewhere well away from their house instead when that happened. And, naturally, the news had mysteriously spread to the rest of town by the end of that week.

Ryuji sat bolt upright and twisted back around to face Akira with a scowl. “Your own effin’ family won’t serve you? What the hell?!” His expression was thunderous, made worse by the doomcloud over his head when he asked. Ryuji almost never got pulled into fights these days and was very proud of that fact--they both were--but Akira was certain that he was ready to deck the old man on sight on his behalf. He’d never encourage it, but the thought still made something in his chest swell a little.

“Just my uncle when I try to sit in. If it’s my aunt or my cousin taking delivery calls, they’ll still take the order. Plus a discount and extra desserts, if Yuuta’s the one who answers.” Akira shrugged, then tugged at Ryuji’s shirt to coax him into laying back down in his lap. He did, albeit begrudgingly, and Akira went back to running his hands soothingly through that remarkably soft shock of bright blond hair. “Anyways, the other five restaurants in town are fast food that you could get back home. So…” He trailed off and watched Ryuji’s scowl soften into an annoyed frown.

“Yeah, pass.” Ryuji closed his eyes, either to think or soak up Akira’s touch as he played with his hair, then cracked one eye open after a moment. “How ‘bout a picnic? You’re a pretty good cook and I bet we could find us a nice spot to just chill.”

That... was a pretty solid idea. Actually, that sounded perfect, and Akira knew exactly the spot for them to set up. He opened his mouth to agree, but was cut off by a low rumble of thunder outside. “...Maybe later this week? The weather should clear up before you have to go,” he said instead. Ryuji pouted up at the ceiling, or more likely up at the sky beyond it for ruining his brilliant plan. Then it was Akira’s turn to pout when Ryuji abruptly sat back up out of reach, but not for long.

The next thing he knew, he was being crowded up against the arm of the couch by one blond bombshell of an ex-track star. Ryuji was suddenly determined to pour himself into his boyfriend’s lap, all mischief and heat as he crawled across the couch towards Akira. He couldn’t think clearly while facing down that wicked grin curving across Ryuji’s face like Haru’s favorite battleaxe cleaving through the air. It wouldn’t be the first time they’d made out. It wouldn’t even be the first time Ryuji had taken the initiative and left Akira a flustered wreck when they did. But since it had been over a month since the last time he’d seen that look face to face, it was having more of an effect than usual, and Akira was left frantically trying to cling to his cool.

“I have an idea, babe.” Ryuji said lowly and Akira’s mouth went dry. Hands bracketed Akira’s hips on the couch as his boyfriend crept closer. “Y’wanna hear it?” Akira nodded and felt heat flare across his skin when he realized Ryuji was keeping that hooded, heated gaze fixed firmly on his lips. “Since your folks ain’t supposed to be back before tomorrow afternoon,” Ryuji’s tone was as light as his body was heavy as he straddled Akira and looped strong arms around his neck, “I was thinkin’ maybe… we could…” Akira was desperately trying to focus on the words being whispered into his ear over his boyfriend kissing his way up his neck and leaving his skin prickling in the wake of every touch.

“Y-yeah?” He couldn’t help the nervous flutter in his stomach. If Ryuji was implying what he thought he was implying... They hadn’t done… that... yet. Even with the house to themselves all day, they hadn’t actually talked about it, in part because Akira hadn’t even thought about it seriously yet. That nervous flutter hadn’t subsided and was starting to feel a little more like an anxious lurch.

Ryuji continued, oblivious to his boyfriend’s nerves with his face tucked against his neck. “We could maybe…” Akira’s hands flexed involuntarily around Ryuji’s hips. He didn’t dislike the idea, just-- His unsteady train of thought was thrown off again when soft lips brushed over his ear. “...watch One Piece together?” After a beat where Akira was left blinking stupidly for several seconds, Ryuji sat back on his legs with a grin that had gone from sultry to shit-eating on a dime. Oh. Okay, he could handle that. “I gotta get you caught up to me, plus I wanna see how much we can get through in one sitting.”

“...you’re truly a romantic for the ages, sunshine,” Akira responded flatly as his heart rate slowly returned to normal. He was teasing back now, because honestly that idea sounded just as good as the picnic, with a lot less effort to set up.

“I know,” he answered confidently, but his smile slipped a little. “Is that a no? I just thought maybe I could buy us dinner from your shitty uncle, and we can cuddle while we take advantage of that big TV with the fancy sound system.” Ryuji gestured hopefully to the flatscreen behind them that was nearly as big as Akira’s bed back at Leblanc.

“Sounds good. Netflix and chill, it is,” Akira declared. When he caught the way Ryuji’s smile and shoulders tightened slightly, he added, “y’know, in the most literal sense.” It wasn’t as though he was happy to see Ryuji nervous, but when his boyfriend relaxed at the reassurance, he couldn’t help but feel relieved that the two of them were on the same page as far as that was concerned.

---

Aki hadn’t been kidding when he said his cousin would hook them up. There was probably double what they’d ordered plus desserts in the bags the guy handed off.

“So, you must be the boyfriend, huh? He talks about you a lot. Y’know, for him.” Yuuta asked as he leaned on the doorway. Ryuji just grinned, because yes, that was him, he was The Boyfriend. Akira’s boyfriend. Akira’s boyfriend. It’d been months and Ryuji still got all giddy about it like it was brand new. Yuuta interrupted his thoughts when he called out past Ryuji to where Akira was sitting and watching TV, “Man, talk about punching above your weight!” Ryuji blushed and opened his mouth to object before Akira could start bragging on how amazing Ryuji was.

Apparently Akira had other plans, because before he could, two sharp whistles rang out behind Ryuji and he reacted basically on instinct. It was the signal Akira had always used to mean duck or you’ll get hit in the Metaverse, and Ryuji’s knees buckled with almost no input from his brain. He had just enough time to worry if he’d spilled the food--thankfully he hadn’t--when one of the couch throw pillows whiffed past his head and nailed Yuuta in the face.

“ACK! The fuck, dude?! See if I give you free dessert again, jackass,” the guy yelled and hucked the pillow back--and missed, from the sound of Akira’s laughter. Ryuji straightened up with a grin as Yuuta turned to him. “How the hell did you two even do that?”

“We’re just cool like that, I guess.” Ryuji shrugged. No need to explain how many times he’d accidentally taken a Lucky Punch or whatever in the back of the head because he got signals mixed up. “Seriously though, thanks for hookin’ us up, dude.” He held up the food and then added a little more quietly, “and, uh, thanks for havin’ Aki’s back while he’s here. It’s easier to not worry if I know there’s at least someone here talkin’ to him besides that damn cat.” That got a snort of laughter out of the delivery guy.

“No problem? I’d say obviously, ‘cause he’s family, but… Well, I’m sure he told you. Our family kinda sucks sometimes.” He frowned, shook his head, then brightened back up. “Anyways, sweet of you to worry. He really did luck out when he found you, huh?” Yuuta said as he stepped back from the door.

Ryuji shook his head. “You got it backwards, man. I’m the lucky one.” He turned back to where his boyfriend was watching TV, now fully absorbed in the show even if he didn’t really look like it. Ryuji couldn’t help the contented sigh that escaped him; he had his boyfriend again and he was going all in on one of Ryuji’s favorite things just because it was one of Ryuji’s favorite things, and it looked like he was actually enjoying it, too. When he turned back, Yuuta was halfway to his scooter, still loaded down with bags of food.

“You really believe that, huh?” He called back. “You keep that attitude, Sakamoto. Even when he’s bein’ a menace, alright? ‘Cause he’s a menace, but he’s my menace, and I’ll serve you up as dumplings if you hurt him!” The scooter rumbled to life and Yuuta added over the noise of the motor, “And you tell him the same thing. I like ya, so he’s gonna be the next lunch special if he’s an asshole to you!”

Ryuji waved in acknowledgment as he sped off, then closed the door and dropped the bag of takeout next to Akira. They paused the episode long enough to sort through the food; a double order of dumplings, pork miso for Akira, spicy vegetable ramen for Ryuji, ginger pork with rice that he was pretty sure they didn’t order at all, and half a goddamn cheesecake for them to split. It was an impressive spread that Akira was already calculating how much was going to be crammed into the fridge at the end of the night.

“Well. Anything we don’t finish tonight can go with us on the picnic?” He suggested as he started on his soup and turned the show back on. They hadn’t made it very far in just yet, and definitely had an uphill battle ahead of them.

Ryuji nodded, mouth already full of noodles. “Shoundsh good to me, dude.” Akira made a face at him like he always did when he talked around a mouth full of food, and Ryuji washed it down with some of the broth. “Family recipe?”

Akira hummed a confirmation around his own food, but paused to actually finish his bite. “Yup. Not as good as the place you took me, but I could just be biased.” Ryuji could hear the smirk in his voice that always cropped up when he was thinking about saying something sappy. Ryuji cut him off before he could, though. Butterflies wouldn’t leave much room in his stomach for ramen.

“I was thinkin’ the same thing. The Ogikubo thing, not the bias thing. Didn’t wanna offend, though.” Ryuji said and took another sizable bite. Even mediocre ramen was still pretty good in his opinion.

Akira chuckled. “Nah. Actually, the ramen there’s always been a little lackluster. I could’ve offered some advice to improve it once I got back, but now? Fuck that guy.”

Ryuji tried not to choke on his food with the laugh that threatened to escape. Scalding, spicy broth shooting out of your nose kinda sucked, especially if you got a noodle along with it. That was an experience he wasn’t keen on repeating. He swallowed down his bite and rasped, “could always pass it on to your cousin. He seems pretty cool when he ain’t threatenin’ to cook us.”

“Ah, you got the shovel talk, then--wait, us?” Akira nodded, but then froze partway and whipped his head around to Ryuji, who nodded in return after clearing his throat.

“Mhm. Said he likes me, ‘n if you break my heart you’re gonna be a lunch special,” Ryuji grinned.

“Asshole. He knows I can’t stand most of what’s in the rotation.” Akira grumbled and pouted into his soup. “What’d he threaten you with?”

“Dumplings.”

Akira’s eyebrows disappeared up into his bangs at that. “Damn, I think he likes you better than me. Uncle’s place is famous for its dumplings,” he explained as he picked the last bit of pork out of his bowl.

“I’m… honored? So is all your family this weird, or is it just you two?” Ryuji asked around another mouthful of noodles. The broth was definitely missing something, but the vegetables were pretty damn good; still pretty crisp but not undercooked. Good flavor on their own, prolly locally grown, too. “Also, how is a place in the middle of nowhere famous for anything?”

“Hey, we still have several other towns nearby, and folks will come here specifically for those dumplings. So you should be honored.” Akira huffed as he popped one of said dumplings in Ryuji’s mouth. Shit, it was pretty killer. Leagues better than his ramen. And of course his boyfriend looked as smug as Morgana when he caught the look on Ryuji’s face. “As for the weirdness? No idea. Around here it’s just me and Yuuta, but I don’t really know much about the ones that don’t live here. Might be because we’re in the middle of nowhere, might be because the ones who live here make a habit of cutting off any undesirables.” Aki shrugged and leaned up against Ryuji. “Maybe I’ll see if I can find any of them when I leave. I dunno.”

Ryuji leaned right back into him and planted a kiss against Aki’s temple, earning himself a pleased little hum from his boyfriend that he felt more than heard. “I’ll be right there with you if you do. I always got your back, babe.” Akira finished his soup and curled up against his side, tucked under one arm. It was nice, even if it meant now Ryuji had to figure out how to eat his ramen one-handed. Eh, he’d figure it out, it’s not like there was much left in the bowl anyway. “So, uh, earlier. You seemed a little tense when I was teasin’ you? And not like usual. I didn’t, like, push too much, did I?”

Akira had suddenly gone very still under his arm. Not the best sign.

“No. But, uh don’t take this the wrong way or anything, I was definitely glad you just wanted to watch One Piece with me. For a second there, I thought you wanted to…” He buried his face against Ryuji’s shoulder. God, his boyfriend was stupidly cute when he got all shy. “...y-y’know. Anyways, I was relieved when you seemed just as nervous about it? Not to be an asshole, but I’m kinda glad it isn’t just me who isn’t ready.”

“Right.” Well, that was that question out of the way, but now he’d paved the way for a new one that’d been rattling around in his head for a while now. God, best case scenario, Akira was probably gonna laugh in his face. Him? Ryuji Sakamoto, of all people, not interested in that? “What if…” He hesitated and tried again. “Well, how long would you be okay with that?”

“What do you mean?” Akira tipped his head up to look Ryuji in the eye. That really didn’t help things, ‘cause even on a good day Ryuji tended to feel small when Akira looked at him like that.

“Like…” Ryuji took a deep breath and steeled himself. “WhatifI’mneverready?” His stomach clenched. There it was, he’d finally said it. Years of wondering if his friends were just exaggerating what they wanted to do with the girls in their class; months of internet research and arguing with himself even when it was the only answer that made sense and trying to backtrack or minimize it with ‘well maybe I’m only kinda like that, maybe I’m that demi thing, maybe I’ll find someone’ to try and soften the blow; a whole year of slowly coming to the realization that that just wasn’t something on the table for him, no matter how attractive Ann was or how close him and Akira got, he just wasn’t wired for wanting that kind of thing, even if he wanted the rest of the sappy, romantic couple shit for as long as he could get it, ideally the rest of his life. All of that had built up to one rushed confession that could make this trip out to the country really effin’ miserable when he still had four more days of crashing at his boyfriend’s place.

“Didn’t... quite catch that?” Akira said after a moment of trying to process what Ryuji had just blurted out. Goddammit. Of course he didn’t.

Ryuji took a deep breath and tried again. “What if… I’m never ready for that? Would that be a dealbreaker?” His heart was hammering as he forced the words out a little more slowly this time. And Akira already looked annoyed. Shit. Shit. He couldn’t look him in the eye and instead stared down at his feet, trying desperately to swallow the queasy feeling in his stomach that threatened to bounce his lunch back up onto the floor in front of him. Ryuji opened his mouth to backpedal, to assure him that if he really wanted to then Ryuji would try for him even if the idea was kind of completely terrifying--

“Of course not!” The sharpness of his tone was what registered first and Ryuji was already braced for a breakup when the words actually hit him. It wasn’t a dealbreaker. It was okay. They were okay. They were... actually okay?

“Wh-- forreal?” Ryuji’s voice cracked embarrassingly and Akira shifted against him, one hand coming up to his chin to make him look at him.

“I already told you, you’re my hero. You…” Akira opened and closed his mouth a few times, like he was looking for the right words and couldn’t find them. One hand cupped Ryuji’s jaw and ran a calloused thumb across his cheek, and Ryuji couldn’t help but press into the touch. “You’re everything to me. I could write books on all the things that make you amazing; your compassion, your kindness, your loyalty, your smile, all of it. So what if we never…” Akira blushed a little, but he seemed determined to power through the embarrassment. “So what if we never have sex? What do I care? I love you, Ryuji Sakamoto, I’m not giving up my sunshine, the best thing that ever happened to me, for anything.”

Ryuji swallowed hard around the lump forming in his throat and buried his face against Akira’s neck. Even away from Leblanc, he still smelled like coffee and curry, still smelled like home. Akira had called it home too, and had told him once that he made Boss’ recipes whenever he was homesick for the cafe, or his team, or… Or for Ryuji. Ryuji wanted to believe him so badly. “It’s easy to say that when you still ain’t ready for it, but--”

“I won’t change my mind,” he insisted so vehemently that no part of Ryuji could even think of an argument. Even the part of him that had been certain for months that even admitting he was asexual to himself would ruin everything. “It’s not like I can’t take care of things myself. And that just means more time for everything else.” Akira paused and pressed a kiss to Ryuji’s forehead. “More time to cook your favorite foods,” kiss, “more time to cuddle,” kiss, “more time to watch our favorite shows, all of it.” Akira dropped one last kiss on his temple and went back to running his fingers through Ryuji’s hair. Then he added, almost too quietly to hear, “for the rest of our lives if you’ll let me.” Let him? He’d fuckin’ beg him if he had to.

“Babe, you’re gonna make me cry,” Ryuji said thickly, as if they couldn’t both feel the wet spots forming on Akira’s shirt from where tears were already streaming down his face. Part of him was still scared he wasn’t going to be enough, and it probably always would be for one reason or another. But for now it was easy to relax into his boyfriend’s embrace and trust that he planned on sticking around a little longer.

Akira kept playing with Ryuji's hair the way he knew he loved and wrapped his other arm tightly around him. He pressed a few more kisses to the top of Ryuji’s head and then asked, “do you need me to stop?” Ryuji shook his head and got another kiss. “Alright. Take all the time you need, sunshine.”

“Thanks, babe.”

“We’re gonna need to restart the episode after, though.”