Work Text:
Mishima's body slammed into the cold, hard gym floor with a loud 'bang'. His breath was knocked out of him as he grimaced. Bruises littered his entire body and pain pulsed through every inch of him. He placed his hand on the floor in an attempt to push himself back up, but quickly collapsed again.
His tired eyes slowly looked up with a glint of panic as he noticed the silhouette towering above him. Their footsteps pounded against the floor as they walked towards the mangled boy.
The only thing he could hear was that malicious laughter.
The only thing he could see was that sadistic grin, and then nothing.
The blue haired boy jolted awake with a gasp. He took a few seconds to slow his breathing and wipe his eyes before taking in his surroundings.
He was in his bedroom, lying in bed, half under the duvet. His curtains were closed, but he could tell that the sun was shining brightly through them. He could see his summer school uniform folded up on his desk chair and his school bag propped up next to it.
"What time is it...?" He mumbled to himself as he noticed his phone in his hand. He pressed the button and squinted as the screen turned on.
6:45AM. Oh good, he wasn't gonna be late. Mishima let out a yawn and he sat up and stretched before pulling himself out of bed.
As he got dressed, he tried his best to push those memories from that nightmare. He thought he had gotten over it, but every so often he'd have nightmares like that. After changing into his school uniform, he walked into the bathroom to brush his teeth.
"Yuuki, you up?" His mother called out.
"Ybeauh!" He called back through a mouthful of toothpaste.
"Okay, do you want me to cook anything for breakfast?" She asked as he spat out the toothpaste.
"No, it's fine, I'll just have some cereal." The blue haired boy responded, brushing his hair.
"Okay then. Have you done your Literature homework?" His mother continued.
"Oh crap, I still need to print it!" He gasped as he quickly rushed back into his bedroom and booted up his laptop.
He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for the required document to load up. The moment it fully loaded, he rushed to click print and turned his laptop back off before grabbing his bag and rushing into the living room.
Pulling a box of cereal out of the cupboard, his mother couldn't help but giggle at the sight of her son puffing his cheeks out as he anxiously waited for all the sheets to print out.
"Aaaaaaand, done... Thanks for reminding, mum." Mishima sighed in relief as he careful slipped the paper into his school bag and sat down at the kitchen table.
"No problem at all, sweetheart." She chuckled as her son poured some cereal and milk into his bowl and began happily munching. The blue haired boy rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and let out a quick yawn.
"You didn't stay up really late, working on that website again, did you?" His mother asked with a slightly accusatory tone.
It was a bad habit of his to become completely absorbed with his website and forgot about time. A few too many times, she had woken up at around three in the morning to get a drink and discovered that her son was still awake.
"I actually didn't!" Yuuki announced through a mouthful of cereal. His mother didn't say anything. She just raised her eyebrows in disbelief.
"I really didn't! I went to sleep at quarter to one!" He continued protesting, frowning childishly.
"That's still quite late... Please try to go to sleep before midnight..." She huffed as she returned to washing the dishes.
"Okay, okay..." Yuuki mumbled as he continued shovelling cereal into his mouth.
"So, have you got classroom duty today? Need to leave early?" The mother asked as she scrubbed a plate.
"No, I haven't got it today, I've got classroom duty on Friday." The son replied.
"Oh really? Then, who's on duty today?"
"Ren."
"Who's Ren?"
"Oh, you know, Amamiya-kun."
"Ohhhhh, him! You two must be pretty close if you're calling him by his first name."
Yuuki choked bashfully on his food as his face flushed slightly pink. He hadn't told his mum that he was dating Ren yet. He wasn't quite ready yet, but he would tell her at some point, just not now.
"Y-Yeah, well, he's a great guy, he's helped me out a lot, y'know?" He awkwardly spluttered.
"And how's he doing?"
"How do you mean?"
"When he first transferred, everyone was spreading all sorts of rumours about him, right? How's he handling everything?"
A pang of guilt swept through Yuuki's chest. He still couldn't forgive himself for leaking Ren's criminal record online, especially after becoming closer and closer to him. Sure, he was forced to by... him, but that doesn't change the fact that he did it.
"He's doing pretty well. He just kinda blocks out everything people say about him and goes about his business."
"That's good to hear."
"Yeah..." Yuuki mumbled as he placed the final spoonful of cereal into his mouth and stood up from his seat.
"Welp, I'm off. See you later, mum!"
"Take care, sweetheart! Have you got your travel pass and lunch?"
Yuuki quickly checked the contents of his school bag. After confirmed they were in there, he called out as he slipped out the front door,
"Yep! Bye, mum!"
Yuuki stretched his back as the lunch bell rang out through the school building. He sighed as the sound of all the other students chatting and bustling through the corridors flooded his ears. Today just seemed to drag on...
All people were talking about was Okumura and the Phantom Thieves. It just pissed Yuuki off. Of course the Phantom Thieves didn't kill him! How stupid were these people?! It really didn't help that he was already stressed, thanks to his nightmare.
'Wait, where's Ren gone?' He wondered as he rummaged through his bag for his bento. The glasses wearing boy seemed to have a talent for suddenly disappearing. Now that he thought about it, that was probably a good talent for a Phantom Thief to have…
'He's probably having lunch in the cafeteria today...' He concluded as he stood up from his seat.
He really wanted to eat with Ren, but for some reason, all of the background noise from all of the other students was really overwhelming him today. He quickly slipped through the crowds, heading up to the roof as he could feel his heartbeat speed up.
The blue haired boy sighed in relief as he pushed open the door to the rooftop, but froze at the unexpected sight in front of him.
"Ren? What're you doing up here?" He asked in surprise.
The messy haired boy was sat at one of the tables, eating his lunch and stroking his cat. He glanced up at his boyfriend and widened his eyes, clearing surprised to see him on the roof.
"Yuuki? I could ask you the same thing..." He quietly remarked as he scratched the black cat behind the ear.
"Eh, I just didn't want to be around people. And hey, you didn't answer my question!" Yuuki responded, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"Just got tired of listening to all of the rumours. Wanted some peace and quiet." The raven haired boy explained vaguely, patting the seat next to him. Yuuki happily took the seat.
"Yeah, that's understandable... Everyone's just spouting bullshit..." He muttered as he opened up his bento.
"That is a naughty word, Yuuki." Ren stated with a deadpan expression as he gently smacked Yuuki's arm.
"Har. Har. It's not like you and Ryuji have said worse before." The blue haired boy replied sarcastically, giving Morgana a quick stroke and earning a contented purr.
"True enough."
Yuuki tried to hide his frown after hearing that. Ren was usually quiet and reserved, but he would still happily chat and mess around with those he was close to. He was only ever this quiet when there was something bothering him.
But, Yuuki also knew how hard it was to get Ren to open up. As he was considering his options, a hand suddenly stroked his cheek. He blinked in surprise as he looked over at Ren.
"Have you been up all night again? You've got really big bags under your eyes." The glasses wearing boy commented, his eyebrows furrowed together slightly.
"Huh? Well yeah, but I went to sleep at quarter to one, so that's pretty early for me!" Yuuki answered with a proud yet awkward smile. Ren's frown just grew.
"You really should go to bed earlier. I appreciate all of the help you give us with the Phan-Site, but I don't want you to work yourself to death..." The quiet boy muttered in a worried tone. Yuuki could feel the heat rushing to his cheeks.
"Y-Yeah... But, it's really not that easy to change just like that..." He sheepishly mumbled, averting his gaze from his boyfriend. He quickly looked back, however, after hearing a muted chuckle.
"This coming from the guy who changed his own heart?" Ren remarked sarcastically with a small smirk.
Man, Yuuki really wished he could know the things his shadow saw and said... He desperately wanted to know what the thieves' costumes looked like. And sure, he wasn't proud of the fact that he had a shadow, but he was pretty damn proud of the fact that he accepted it all by himself.
"Yeah... I guess you're right." The blue haired boy murmured with a prideful smile on his face before turning his attention back to his bento.
"So, what was it?"
"Huh?"
"What kept you awake? You've seemed kinda out of it all day. What's up?"
Ren's comment caught Yuuki off guard. He didn't realise that Ren noticed things like this about him. He didn't really know how to respond.
"Just a nightmare, that's all." He eventually replied vaguely.
"What was it about?"
"Y'know... Stuff."
A tense silence filled the area as the two of them sat there.
"...Past stuff?"
"...Yeah."
Ren silently stared at Yuuki before carefully placing his lunch onto the table and wrapping his arm around Yuuki's shoulder and gently pulled him closer until the smaller boy was leaning on him.
"I know I can't say anything to change the past or how he affected you... But, everything's okay now. He's rotting in jail, where he rightfully belongs, and you've got something you're passionate about that you're applying your talent to. You're gonna do amazing things... And he's just gonna burn in hell." Ren spoke slowly into Yuuki's ear, patting his arm softly at a steady pace, in an attempt to soothe him.
Yuuki couldn't help but laugh at the final statement, despite the tears forming in his eyes.
"Thanks... Babe." He mumbled in embarrassment.
"Ooooh, a pet name, that's rare." Ren gasped in fake surprise.
"Shut up." Yuuki huffed as he rolled his eyes and elbowed Ren in the side.
"Ow!"
The two boys giggled for a few seconds until a peaceful silence fell upon them.
"By the way... You mentioned that you had to defeat Kamoshida's shadow to change his heart, right? ...Does that mean you had to beat the crap outta his shadow?"
"Yep."
"...How was it?"
"So fucking satisfying."
Yuuki couldn't hold back his laughter from Ren's honesty.
"Damn, I wish I could have seen it."
"If it's any consolation, my persona gave him a kick in the face for you."
"Nice. Thanks for that."
"No problem at all. Also, Ann threw a fireball at him for Shiho."
"Yyyyeah, that definitely sounds like Takamaki..."
Ren giggled quietly as he began eating his lunch again. Yuuki felt a wave of relief surge through his chest at the sight of his boyfriend smiling after being so quiet, and let a soft, loving smile make its way onto his face.
"By the way, what is your lunch? It smells really good..." He spoke up, moving the conversation on.
"Oh, I overslept this morning, so I just brought some leftover curry for lunch." Ren explained, picking up his lunchbox and presenting it to his boyfriend.
"Oh, yeah, 'cause you live in the cafe that specialises in coffee and curry, right? Can't believe I still haven't visited there yet..." Mishima commented, scratching the back of his neck.
"Yeah... I'd like it if you visited, but I'm kinda, y'know... Busy right now...." Ren muttered under his breath. Yuuki frowned again as he noticed his boyfriend begin to shut himself off again.
"Then, how about this: When all of this craziness has calmed down a bit, I can come visit and we'll just chill out? How's that?" He suggested in an attempt to lift Ren's spirits. The messy haired boy glanced to the side as he considered it.
"...Yeah... That sounds nice." He eventually spoke up with a strained smile.
"Great, then it's a date!" Yuuki cheered softly, nuzzling his head into Ren's shoulder and closing his eyes contentedly.
Ren's smile grew softer and more genuine as he shovelled his spoon into the curry and offered it to the shorter boy.
"Want some?" He asked.
"Hm?" Mishima hummed in confusion, opening his eyes and noticing the spoon in front of him. Ren just tilted his head towards the spoon, silently encouraging Yuuki to eat it. The blue haired boy stared at it before carefully opening his mouth and letting Ren feed it to him.
"Mmmm! It's really, really good! Did you make this?" He exclaimed, an excited sparkle in his eyes.
"No, it was Sojiro who made it, but he is teaching me to make curry, sooo who knows, maybe I'll be able to make some one of these days..." Ren explained with a slight grin on his face.
"I'll look forward to when that happens. Oh! Do you wanna try some of my lunch? My mum's egg rolls are amazing!" Yuuki suggested, plucking one of the egg rolls from his bento with his chopsticks and holding it in front of Ren's face.
"Heh... Alright, then." Ren chuckled quietly as he took a large bite.
"Wow... That tastes amazing." He remarked, his eyes widening in surprise.
"I know right?! I always look forward to eating these. Ooh! You should try my mum's meat buns some time!" Mishima cheered excitedly, grinning ear to ear.
"That sounds good." Ren replied, continuing to eat his lunch. Yuuki followed suite; he was hungry after all. The two of them spent the next few minutes just chatting and eating and occasionally giving Morgana some small scraps of their food.
After finishing off the rest of his lunch, Yuuki sat there and pondered what to do. He knew that there was something bothering Ren, but he just had no idea how to get him to talk about it. In the end, he decided that it would be easiest to just question him on it.
"So... What is it tha-" As he spoke, the bell signalling the end of lunchtime rang out.
Ren quickly sprung up, not wanting to be late, he didn't want to give the teachers anymore reasons to hate him after all. Yuuki just sighed disappointedly and glanced at Morgana with a worried gaze before picking up his bento and pushing himself out of his seat.
'I'll just have to ask him some other time...' He dejectedly thought to himself as he dragged his feet to the rooftop door, with Morgana delicately padding next to him.
Yuuki hummed happily to himself as he wandered through the glowing streets of Akihabara.
It was places like this that were perfect for collecting information on potential targets. He'd already overheard conversations that presented three possible targets in the arcade. All of the information and technology... Yuuki was definitely in his element here. He felt relaxed and at home.
'Hm? That looks interesting...' He thought to himself as he spotted a book in one of the computer shops. There was a book that seemed to be a manual on how to write code. Curiosity got the better of him and he meandered over to the book and began flicking through it.
"Oh wow, that is actually really helpful..." He absent-mindedly mumbled to himself as he continued scanning his eyes through the pages. He honestly wanted to buy it, but how much did it cost? He anxiously flipped the book over and checked the price tag. 1000 Yen.
'Oh! That's a lot cheaper than I expected!' He thought as he let out a relieved sigh and carried the book over to the cashier.
"Excuse me, I'd like to buy this." He announced politely, handing the book over to the cashier.
"Okay, that will be 1000 Yen please." The cashier formally responded as they scanned the book. Yuuki dug through his wallet and pulled out the amount of change he needed before carefully handing it over to the cashier.
"Thank you very much, would you like a bag?" The cashier asked as they placed the money into the cash register.
"No, thank you, it's fine." Yuuki dismissed with an awkward hand gesture.
"Very well. Thank you for shopping with us and have a good evening!" The cashier replied as they handed the book back to the blue haired boy and turned to face the next customer.
"You too." Yuuki called back as he exited the shop, slipping his wallet back into his pocket. He smiled enthusiastically at the book as he thought of how it could help him improve the Phan-Site.
As he wandered back down the street to the train station, he froze as he noticed something.
'Is that... Ren?' He asked himself inwardly.
The raven haired boy was standing there, just staring into space. Although... His eyes looked kind of... Empty...
As Yuuki shuffled to the side to get a better look, he could have sworn he saw a blue glowing butterfly. Just as he was about to approach Ren, the glasses wearing boy suddenly blinked, as if returning to reality. Yuuki couldn't help but flinch at the sight.
'What is he doing...?' He wondered as he watched his boyfriend.
Ren stood there for a few more second, grimacing worriedly at the ground before turning around and walking off. Yuuki couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. He knew that Ren could be pretty weird, but he'd never seen him act that weird.
As concern flooded through him, Yuuki decided to tail his boyfriend. He wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but he could tell that something was wrong. The blue haired boy cautiously jogged after the messy haired boy, being careful to keep some distance between them.
After walking down a few streets and turning a few corners, Yuuki managed to lose sight of Ren. He bit his lip anxiously as he scanned the area. It was extremely quiet. There were only two other people walking around. He awkwardly shuffled past them as he searched nervously for Ren.
He wandered around for a little while longer until he heard a choked sob. His head snapped in the direction of the noise. That voice sounded kinda familiar... Yuuki jogged in the direction that the sounds were coming from and peeked around the corner of the wall. Ren was sat there. Leaning on the wall, curled up in a ball, his shoulders trembling.
"Ren?" Yuuki anxiously called out to him, stepping out from the corner. Ren flinched at the sudden voice and looked up at the source with red eyes and tears streaming down his cheeks. He quickly tried to wipe them away, but Yuuki rushed over to him and gently grabbed his wrist.
"It's okay, just let them out." He encouraged him in a soothing yet commanding voice.
Ren scowled bitterly for a seconds, disgusted by his own weakness, before slowly letting everything out. Yuuki gently wrapped his arms around him, patting and stroking his back. Scared by his vulnerability, Ren clung onto Yuuki like a scared child.
"I-I-I'm not- I'm not a murderer..." Ren sobbed with a terrified tone. Yuuki couldn't help but frown. Seeing his boyfriend like this hurt.
"I know." He stated simply as he pulled Ren closer to him.
"I... I don't... I don't know what to d-do..." The messy haired boy admitted with a gasp.
"I know, but we'll figure it out." Yuuki whispered, stroking Ren's fluffy hair.
"I'm scared..." Ren whimpered, burying his head into Yuuki's shoulder.
"That's okay." Yuuki reassured him.
The two of them sat there, Ren's sobbing being the only sound that echoed through the area. As Ren's breathing began to slow down, Yuuki pulled away and cupped his cheeks in his hands.
"I know you're scared that people think you killed Okumura. But, you and I know the truth. Think about what you've already done. You saved me and most of the school by taking down Kamoshida. You stole back the futures of all the students Madarame blacklisted. You saved god knows how many people from Kaneshiro's scams! You're a hero, and don't you ever forget it... Okay?" The blue haired boy stated firmly, not breaking eye contact with his boyfriend the entire time.
Ren just stared at him with a stunned expression before a thankful smile crept onto his face.
"Okay." He croaked out, nodding his head slightly as a final tear slid down his cheek.
Yuuki just smiled lovingly at him, moving his hand and pushing Ren's messy, raven hair up and planting a chaste kiss on his forehead. He let out a single breathy chuckle as he noticed the pink dusting Ren's cheeks and wrapped his arms back around him.
"Everything's okay."