Work Text:
Name: Akira Kurusu
Place: The Phantom Thief Hideout
Distortion: Theater
Akechi took a deep breath as he looked up at the changing café, warping as if underwater before giving away to the flashy, extravagant theater stretching before him. Crimson paint and flaxen lights danced within the chocolate of his wide irises. As soon as he learned Kurusu had a Palace, he knew it'd be... Interesting, and he wasn't sure what to expect, but it certainly wasn't this…
He shook the surprise from his face. He had a job to do, he had to investigate.
He mounted the cracking steps carefully as he made his way inside the building. Akechi was certainly used to many Palaces, and all had their own feel to them. He remembered Kaneshiro's oppressive bank and the air feeling as though it threatened to crush him at any moment, Madarame's still, almost serene museum, and even his own father's, populated by his sycophants and with an almost religious air on the cruise liner, like the weighty feeling a church brought.
Kurusu just loved to throw him for a loop, didn't he?
Of course, his felt... Easy. Too easy, especially as he found his clothes not changing, his polished shoes clicking on the tiled floor of the grand entrance hall. The air was light. Energetic, even, though perhaps it was the electroswing music ringing through the speakers in the halls, as if it was some video game playing its own theme. Of course the bleeding heart, even in his worst moment, didn't even have the slightest distorted view of people, the closest he came to thinking ill of them was their behavior, clambering to see his Shadow self's performance, with little regard to himself.
It was certainly... Odd to him.
He paused as he heard a familiar voice behind him, though a bit echoey, and tinny, as though spoken through an old radio.
"Of all the people I expected to see in my theater, I think I expected you the least~"
Akechi turned around, seeing none other than Shadow Akira behind him. His crimson tailcoat and matching tophat clashed with his yellow eyes and glitching, fractured mask hovering in front of his face, but meshed well otherwise with his cream shirt with black accented lines, black pants and pointed shoes, and gloves. Given the calling card tucked into the midnight ribbon on his hat, Akechi couldn't help but wonder if his appearance was a mockery of his normal Metaverse outfit.
"Well, if you expected me to not come investigate at some point, then I really must be underestimated by you, Kurusu," Akechi said coolly.
Shadow Akira smirked softly, eyeing him a moment before he glanced down the hall and held out his gloved hand. "...we shouldn't just stand in the hall like this. It's a bit loud, anyway. Come with me, my dear detective~"
Akechi hesitated a moment, but eventually chose to take his hand and allow himself to be led away, through the hallway, past a stage, right into the backstage area. Akechi could barely absorb each new area, trying far too hard to search for potential threats and memorize the way out. Yet another fucking thing Kurusu surprised him with, he's never been OFFERED by a Palace Ruler themselves to be taken deeper into the Palace, let alone taken such an offer. He... He would have attacked me by now if that was his intention, right? Kurusu isn't the type for needless violence, though, despite his record... Right?
Damn him.
He found himself more on edge as he watched the winding hallways of the backstage passages glitch out, no doubt the distortions close to the core of this Palace, and- Was that Takamaki? He shook the surprise away. He couldn't keep getting caught off guard like this, lest he end up lowering it. Of course his friends would be back here. If Akira, a thief, existed within these walls, it stands to reason he would have the cognitive versions of his band of Merry Men to boot.
No words were exchanged until Shadow Akira stopped at a door, at this point the most solid piece within the glitching walls of this hallway, the only thing steady. "This is the quietest place within my theater. Only I go here."
Akechi eyed the star-shaped label carefully on the door, parked with Akira's name. His dressing room. Theater's don't even HAVE dressing rooms. Theatre as a whole is made by poor people for the rich and elite, such a thing couldn't be afforded. Though, I suppose Kurusu must not actually know that... Did he take me straight to the core of his Palace?
"Well, are you waiting for me to beg you for permission to come in? Because you'll be waiting an awfully long time," is what actually left Akechi's lips.
Shadow Akira smirked, opening the door to reveal Akechi's suspicions to be correct upon the reveal of the glowing, translucent cloud against one wall. His Treasure. Of course, this blindly trusting, compassionate to a fault IDIOT would bring him straight to the very core of his Palace "to talk".
"...you really brought me directly to your Treasure? I've never met a Palace Ruler to be so... Reckless," Akechi commented, entering the dressing room. It was small, the walls occasionally glitching out, though nowhere near as bad as outside of the room. The large vanity mirror was cracked, a cloth folding chair sitting in front of it, wilting flowers surrounding either side of it and the red, ratty old couch against the wall opposite his Treasure.
Shadow Akira closed the door behind them, grinning at Akechi. "You oppose the Phantom Thieves and their methods. Quite loudly, in fact. So, what do I have to fear in exposing you to what they seek?"
Akechi supposed he had a point. "You're putting a lot of faith in my honesty…"
"What's life without some risk?" Shadow Akira claimed, crossing the room to sit in his cloth chair in front of the mirror. "I'm more curious about why you're here, my dear~"
Akechi paused at this. Why... Why had he come? He tried to tell himself he just needed information, he needed to know if it'd be better to just take Kurusu out now. There's no doubt that he is a Phantom Thief, and that makes his days numbered, there was no way Shido would allow them to live and risk his political future. But the more he assumed that was the reason, the less he believed it. He thought back to just 2 days before, when he last saw Kurusu.
"Thank you for agreeing to meet me, Kurus- Are you okay?"
The question interrupted any hope of polite greeting he had as soon as he looked up from the café menu and met the teen's eyes. Kurusu did NOT look "okay" in any definition of the word. His slate grey eyes were nearly swallowed completely by the dark bags underneath them, all characteristic intensity and sharp intelligence from them seemingly gone. His pallid complexion and sunken shoulders also stood out immensely as he waved the other off unconvincingly with a hand covered in various band-aids and closed eyes.
"Oh, I'm..." he slurred (God, he was slurring his words, Akechi could only assume sleep deprivation, given the lack of alcohol he smelt on his breath), eventually giving a sigh and looking down. "My... My cat ran away. I stayed up too late looking for him, and didn't sleep very well after I had to give up for the night and go home. I suppose I'm just worried about him."
"Ah, that's entirely understandable," he lied smoothly, flashing a charming Detective Prince smile. "Well, I appreciate you agreeing to meet with me under such circumstances. I hope he comes home soon. I wouldn't worry too much, though, cats are very self sufficient, he'll find his way home."
As they chatted about nonsensical things, and he watched Kurusu struggling, for once, to keep up with him and his twists and turns in the conversation, Akechi found his mind miles away. This was not normal tiredness from one night of poor sleep. Something was seriously wrong here, something Kurusu was desperate to keep under wraps. Asking him certainly wouldn't help at all.
His friends stood out quite a bit from the crowd. He supposed tailing them would be a good place to start.
"...the real you is a terrible liar, that's why I'm here," Akechi answered finally.
Shadow Akira smirked softly. "Under normal circumstances, I assure you, we're terrific liars. But given... Well, this place, our acting skills have fallen a bit more by the wayside lately. Perhaps we should take more after you, my dear~"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Akechi asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Always having that Detective Prince act up? You behaving like that when you're at home, when you're doing whatever it is you do away from us? Especially if you made your way in here? I'm not buying it~" Shadow Akira chuckled. "Though, I would be remiss if I didn't compliment you on your acting skills, your dedication to your part. And you chose ONE part in ONE production, to my knowledge, as opposed to the entire clusterfuck of productions and characters I've gotten myself into. I must admit, I'm envious of your acting skills~"
He should leave. That was the main thought crossing his mind. The longer I stay, the more he figures out. He already knows something lies under the Detective Prince. It doesn't do any good to stay, and risk his Shadow saying something to the Phantom Thieves, they'll certainly come for him, and then anything this Shadow has said goes straight to them and to Kurusu.
Akechi found himself rooted to the spot instead. "No one can keep up with this pace, Kurusu…"
Shadow Akira shrugged, glancing at the door through his vanity mirror. "...You certainly surprised me by showing up here. You're lucky I was passing through the area. My thieves have already found this place. The ones that exist outside of the theater, I mean. It wouldn't have done you well if they came across you~"
Akechi let out a soft breath he didn't know he was holding. "The Phantom Thieves are here?"
"They came in today. As far as I know, they're still crawling through the various stages, looking for a way backstage. I really ought to be keeping an eye on them~ But as amusing and entertaining as I find their efforts to save the sacrificial lamb they raised themselves, I don't particularly mind you being such a distraction~ "
The Phantom Thieves were in the theater. He could do away with them all now. Be rid of them, and have nothing to disrupt Shido's rise to power. Nothing to interrupt him bringing Shido to his demise at the peak of his power. He found his hand hovering within his jacket. He had taken to carrying a gun into the Metaverse for these few targets that were familiar with "Shido's little lapdog" and not threatened by him.
Shadow Akira glanced at the movement in the mirror. "...the reason you didn't transform is because we'd never truly stop you, you know."
Akechi panicked, laying his hand down in a hurry. "...what?"
"You're clearly familiar with the Metaverse, just like he is," Shadow Akira explained. "So, you know that you're supposed to transform. The Phantom Thieves did as soon as I discovered their entry into my theater. His friends aren't a threat, but the real Phantom Thieves in my theater are. But you didn't transform."
"...Because he buys my "character", as you put it," Akechi probed.
Shadow Akira smirked softly, deciding to instead change the topic. "There's no alternate version of you in my theater. You never show up in my productions. I wonder if you can figure out why that is~"
Akechi barely registered the hurt in his heart when hearing that. "...because I matter so little in his life, I don't warrant existing here," he guessed with a bitter tinge to his voice.
Shadow Akira laughed heartily. " Au contraire, mon amour!~ If anything, it means you matter the most to him~"
"...and how's that?" Akechi asked.
Shadow Akira smirked softly, turning around in his chair.
"Because it means you're the one person he feels he doesn't need to act for~"
Akechi's eyes widened as he considered this. He... Didn't seem to be LYING about what was wrong earlier, just maybe... Deflecting a bit, not sharing the whole story. But he didn't seem to be putting much effort, if any, into convincing Akechi he was completely fine.
He hardened his face as he shook away the fluttery feeling that the confirmation of Kurusu's exclusive honesty brought. He really couldn't allow them to continue being a problem. Couldn't allow the raven-haired boy to worm his way under his skin and into his heart. He simply didn't have a choice anymore, Shido would have to make his peace with their loss if it made rising slightly more difficult, allowing them, or at least Kurusu, to continue, it threatened to make Akechi waiver.
He simply couldn't afford that.
He watched Shadow Akira rise as he brought his gun out, but the crimson clad boy made no effort to stop him. "I suppose this is your true character, then?~"
"Shut up," Akechi warned, pointing it at the Shadow. "It doesn't matter whether he's genuine to me or not. The longer you both exist, the more of a problem it becomes for me. This Palace is nothing but an opportunity for me to solve all my problems in one neat move."
Shadow Akira slowly sank to his knees, tilting his head up to press the muzzle of the gun to his throat with a smirk.
"Then do it~"
Akechi paused for a moment. "...what? You're not... Going to fight me?"
Shadow Akira smirked softly. "I told you we wouldn't when you were first going to bring that out. The real me probably wouldn't, either. Especially because the Phantom Thieves NEED their Leader, if you haven't noticed they aren't exactly functioning without him to lead them~ Our death means they no longer become a problem to you, either. No truly wasted brain matter on the wall~"
"You really think that lowly of yourself, Kurusu?" Akechi said, his tone condescending, despite how sad it had sounded in his head.
"If you're going to kill me, shouldn't we be on a first name basis, mon amour? And if it's something to solve your problems, Goro... We'd do anything for you~ Besides…" Shadow Akira goaded, heat pooling low in his intense gaze. "This theater exists because we've built ourselves up to be a martyr, a crucifixion waiting to happen, a sacrificial lamb patiently awaiting the perfect sacrifice."
"...and?" Akechi asked.
"And what's a lamb without a wolf to slaughter them?~"
Ah. He should have guessed Kurusu would be something of a masochist.
He watched as Shadow Akira folded his hands behind his back, pressing the muzzle of the gun to his forehead with intense eye contact, and tried to ignore the almost pleased look in his eyes, and the part of him sadistically eager to see this side of the real Akira like this, on his knees, submitting completely to him. "You're really just going to allow yourself to be murdered, Akira? Most would fight such a thing, or have some sense of self preservation," he stalled.
"The Phantom Thieves will barely be able to function without him, his death will surely save them. And it's for you~ I can't think of a death that could possibly mean more~" Shadow Akira explained.
Akechi watched as Shadow Akira instead chose to take the muzzle of the gun into his mouth, and ignored the heat rushing through his veins and settling low in his body at the positively debauched sight. He turned the safety off, hardening his face. "...any last words?"
Shadow Akira smirked softly around the barrel, not even pulling it out to speak without his mouth full. "...take something from me no one else will ever have, Goro. Make me your slaughter~"
Akechi moved his finger to rest on the trigger…
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...and slowly turned the safety back on.
"...not like this," Akechi said finally, an answer to Shadow Akira's confused look. "...you're not in your right mind. He's not in his right mind. It's... Not going to be satisfying like this. Besides, Shido needs to use you all as stepping stones. This does me no good right now."
Shadow Akira smirked softly. "...liar~ I think you just don't want to see us dead as badly as you think you do. But far be it from me to convince you further~"
Akechi fixed him with a strange look, opting to turn away as he put away the gun and made sure he had everything before leaving. "Fix your face in the mirror, you look more pathetic than usual when you're begging."
"I can't see myself in mirrors here," Shadow Akira claimed. "Only other people, and other people can see my reflection, but here, it's like I'm invisible to myself."
Akechi paused at the revelation, and went to open the door.
"I can't say what he'll be like if the Phantom Thieves succeed…" Shadow Akira called out. "...but I'm sure he'd be willing to beg on his knees like a common whore for you. All you need to do is ask~"
Akechi left the dressing room, ignoring the flush on his face as he headed out of the Palace.