Work Text:
An encounter with a scared Sae is what Akechi least expected today. She doesn't even have her folder with her, and she always carried it around with her.
It startles Akechi out of his premeditated script. He doesn't remember that he was supposed to antagonize himself before heading into the interrogation room. She speed walked out of that room herself moments ago and was tightly holding onto a handkerchief. Her hands are faintly pink.
What the hell had she seen to shaken her up this badly? Did Akira say something to her? He tries to talk to her and is quickly interrupted.
"Sae? Why are y-"
"Akechi!? You're here?-
Actually, nevermind. Go in and keep him awake."
What?
"There was... a lot of blood. I... tried to help him with his bleeding. I'm worried, Akechi."
Sae speeds off again, seemingly satisfied with her one sided chat. He doesn't want to think too much about the implications of what she said, so he walks towards the door. He doesn't even glance at the guard before going inside.
To say the least, blood was everywhere. The only clean surface (that wasn't the ceiling) is Sae's forgotten folder- still open with a photo of Okumura on it. There are some small red prints on the bottom of the folder.
Everywhere that isn't the table? Even more smudged blood, plus a corner of syringes. He counts four of them, definitely thrown there after being used. Akira must've put up a fight for there to be this much carnage.
What is rather haunting is that one of the other corners has a blood stain shaped like a boot on the floor.
The man of the hour, Akira, is slouched with his head pressed onto the table, his arms wrapped around his head.
Akechi doesn't blame Sae for breaking character. What the fuck is he looking at?
Akira hasn't reacted to Akechi walking in at all. Hasn't lifted his head, hasn't moved.
Morbid curiosity getting the better of him, Akechi sets his suitcase on top of Sae's folder and picks up Akira's head for him. After all, he'd still need to do this to stage the suicide. Akechi also ignores a weird feeling in his gut once he gets a good look at Akira.
Akira's interrogation must've included a nasty head wound, or multiple. His hair had an unsettling red tint, and half of his face has scrubbed blood (courtesy of Sae). There was particular attention near his eye. Akechi thinks he might've bled onto his eye if Sae hadnt tried to clean the blood. Akira's wrists were gnarly and discolored, as if the handcuffs they put on him cut the circulation in his hands.
His face is bruised and cut to all hell. However, there's only faint smears and flecks of dried blood near his nose and mouth. Akira remains unresponsive. Akechi only knows he's even alive after checking for his breathing (no, he is not worrying at all).
"Kurusu?" Shocker, his eyes remained closed. Sae told him he had to stay awake. And if Akira isn't, those interrogators before her probably did Akechi's job for him. It's gruesome to think about, and for some reason leaves him feeling anxious. He opens his briefcase and fishes out his spare pistol- since Akira's technically alive, Akechi has a job he needs to finish.
Akechi had some sort of monologue he had to say too, but with Akira knocked out he would only be wasting his time. Case closed, this is where their justice ends.
...
He hadn't noticed his hand is shaking. Why did it take him this long to realize this?
Akechi isn't looking at the leader of the Phantom Thieves. His justice is not shooting an already half dead teenager.
If Akechi called Shido as is, he would not have questioned him.
Akechi looks at Akira's phone. Like everything else, had not been spared from being stained red. He trades his pistol for the phone.
"Sakura?"
The phone is far from dead, but Akechi knows she's there. She'll have to say something if he doesn't sugarcoat what's happening, yeah?
"Sakura, don't ignore me. Do you WANT him dying in police custody?"
Finally, Akira's phone vibrates. Futaba did not take his provoking well, because she's blowing up his phone with notifications. Akechi doesn't feel like reading or answering any of it.
"Good, someone here's competent. When Sae comes back, tell her to meet us at the parking lot. Call that weird doctor while you're at it too."
The phone vibrates again when he puts it back on the table, still not reading what she's saying.
Once his gun is put away and his own phone is in his hand, he looks at Akira's phone one more time before bringing him to the Metaverse.
"One more thing, Sakura. Sae brought Kurusu back on her own. Your foolish plan worked, whatever it is. If I hear otherwise I will get you."
Both Sakura and Akechi knew that his threat was empty.
Once Akechi and Akira were in the Metaverse, out of range from Futaba's all-knowing bug(s), did Akechi start panicking. Akira's still in his tattered school uniform. Why is he taking so long to wake up? Is he even going to?
Not-Joker still hasn't done anything, and it's starting to actually scare Akechi. It takes him a while to push his spiraling thoughts aside. He does know that worrying won't get him anywhere, but it doesn't stop him from being afraid. He picks up Akira and leaves the interrogation room.
Loki is carrying his briefcase for him, how kind.