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It was Christmas's eve, Ren had gone to the Yongen-Jaya station to watch a movie in Shibuya; to distract from his thoughts. He breathed out, every moment his eyes would close he would see the shadow of Akechi shoot the real Akechi, if Ren was stronger; not so fucking weak he'd save him, he had to have been able to, yet he failed, he failed the most important person in the world an ace detective. He almost wanted to laugh if he didn't feel like crying. A false god had been playing tricks with him, they were just pawns but why was Ren the one who got to win? If only they had met a few years earlier.
Sae walked up to Ren, maybe this would be a 'friend' hangout he thought bitterly. Ren stepped across the platform into the train, a shiver ran down his neck, like he could sense the presence of something that should've been gone; like a ghost that refuses to rid itself. He felt a warm hand on his shoulder, he spun around. It was like seeing a ghost, he felt butterflies flying around his stomach, a miracle, a curse? What the fuck was happening? Goro Akechi was standing in front of him. Alive and well, no bullet in his head and the familiar smug smile adorning his face. Was Ren dreaming? He wanted to pinch himself. "If you have a suspect, then Ren does not have to turn himself in, yes?" Smug as always, maybe he had somehow lived, Ren wanted to live in that dream reality, the one he had slept in for weeks.
"You're alive?" The words came out unsure, he wanted Akechi back but something in the back of his mind screamed for him to think for one second; he refused that offer.
"I offer myself in his place so I can confess what I know of Shido's crimes, is that all right with you, Sae?" His voice was sure, Akechi always knew what to do, Ren didn't know he ever did.
"Wha- you'll turn yourself in?" Ren couldn't lose Akechi in the very moment he had gotten him back, he wanted to curse the sky, this was starting to feel more like a nightmare than a dream, Ren knew in his soul Akechi should've been dead as much as that thought ached him.
"That's right, and I'm not tricking you this time. Consider this my way of repaying my debt to you." Ren couldn't help but smile, Akechi in all of his flaws was back. He wanted to hug him but Sae was still standing there, suspicious and upset.
"Well... turning yourself in would certainly help a great deal." Sae said sharply, leaving no room to argue but neither would. Sae cleared her throat and turned to Ren. "Forgive me, and please forget what I said earlier, I will take responsibility of him now." Ren nodded and shook Sae's hand before she walked off.
"So is this some joke, are you a doppelganger? A look-a-like? If you are, I'd sure like to punch you in the face." Ren said with a blunt tone, he heard a scoff from the other boy, Akechi was really there. It was a dream. It was Ren's biggest wish, he had lost all hope in any gods after Yaldabaoth, a literal false god despite that he begged every night, to anything that would listen to keep his rival around; maybe something was actually listening. "I'm a - the real Akechi, Ren. I managed to survive, don't ask me how, I don't even know. I'm glad to be alive, I have a chance to fix my mistakes."
-- -- --
Ren brought Akechi to Leblanc, Sojiro and Futaba wouldn't be home for a while anyway. Ren tied his apron and begun to make a black coffee for Akechi, a welcome back gift. "I'm sorry for what I did before, almost killing you...twice." Ren waved it away, he knew what Akechi was going to do long before he actually did it, although Ren would be dead if Akechi realized that Morgana could only talk to persona users and if Akechi never replied to Morgana Ren would be dead.
"It's fine. It's all in the past, you gave up everything to defeat Shido, I couldn't thank or yell at you more for that." Ren pressed the coffee flat into the puck finished getting the coffee ready. The cup sat empty while the coffee dripped into the mug. It smelt like nuts and chocolate, hints of something fruity. Ren's mind was still signing the alarm, something was off, Akechi acted like Akechi, laughed like him, smiled, the exact inflection the same but Ren knew something was off. He felt a prick on his neck. It should've been freezing on the station yet Akechi was warm? Ren refused to believe the assumption that was growing more and more likely. Ren grabbed the cup and took a small sip for himself, it tasted good; bitter. He handed it to Akechi, he looked...nervous? That was odd for someone like Akechi, confident smug, insecure, charming, a prick, but he was never nervous. "What are you planning to do with your time as a free man?" Ren asked with a hint of humor.
"I don't know, maybe do things I should've when I was first alive."
"I still have your glove," Ren blurted out. Why was he so sentimental? Why did he have to bring it everywhere he went, hoping, praying he'd find Akechi again. "You told me to hold onto it y'know..."
Akechi laughed, it sounded like him, every melodic note; perfectly cruel but Ren would welcome the blade if it meant Akechi stayed. A part of him was sickened by the sound, it was the exact same as the old Akechi and yet it sounded different, almost inhuman.
Ren made himself a coffee in the silence, maybe it was an excuse to sit closer to Akechi. He made blue mountain coffee. It tasted good, he was grateful for all the lessons Sojiro had given him about coffee, he could impress people with his skills, well he hoped so. He walked around, and sat down on the barstool next to Akechi, he finished his coffee quickly, he wanted to talk about everything and anything but he couldn't even think of where to start. He untied his apron and folded it on the table. Akechi was quiet, looking at the ground.
"Ren, you really are a sap." Ren chuckled, a smile on his face despite the discomfort burrowing in his soul. He smelt the aroma in the air, he wished his entire life was this peaceful. Akechi fixed his posture, "Can we step outside, I don't want to be inside?" Ren obliged.
-- -- --
They sat on the steps of Leblanc, it was freezing out, so nobody was around. Ren had his scarf wrapped tightly around him, wearing a coat and winter wear. Akechi finished his coffee and breathed deeply, he looked so serene, his dull brown eyes had a hue of grey and red, that was odd. Ren leaned closer to Akechi, fixing his collar, Akechi was usually put together. Silence, the only noise was the soft crunching of snow in the distance and the soft wind surrounding them. "Hey Akechi?" Akechi looked at Ren and Ren felt transfixed, as his stomach was doing flips he decided to continue the question, his heart in his throat beating so impossibly fast. "You're not the real Akechi, are you?"
A scoff, a nervous one. "If anyone were to figure it out it'd be you, my rival." His face melted into a swirl of green, purple and black goo, it looked like the insides of some kind of alien, what the fuck was Ren looking at? Fear struck him; he didn't move a muscle. "He wasn't meant to be copied anyway." Ren's heart sank when he noticed the bullet wound through Akechi's skull, the insides coming out of it.
Akechi, or whatever it was 'Akechi' grabbed Ren by his shoulders, the goo - insides coming out of its face almost touched Ren's cheek, there was a pleading look on its face, a sad one, almost like a deer in head lights. "I don't want to kill you," Ren swallowed, he didn't want to die. He nodded. "Promise you won't tell anybody." Ren breathed out, he nodded quickly, he took another breath.
"I promise. I'll stick by you." 'Akechi' let him go, Ren wondered what the fuck was wrong with him in his next action. 'Akechi' kissed Ren. It was slimy, the goo, insides whatever entered his mouth and it was cold, and it felt like marinated chicken or a dead body. It was disgusting, and yet Ren didn't completely hate it either, hell maybe he wanted more. He pulled away, pulling the insides out of his mouth, it was like a squid.
He spit out his saliva, the sensation odd, almost parasitic. He wiped his mouth and coughed it all out. He breathed heavily, "I'm sorry!" 'Akechi' said quickly, it was almost like a kid in comparison to anything the real Akechi said. Ren could live with this if he couldn't have the real Goro Akechi back.