Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

~Ren~

It had been about three days since Ren Amamiya, also known as Joker, the leader of the Phantom Thieves, had escaped from the clutches of the police after being brought into interrogation during a failed mission.

Thanks to his friends and fellow thieves, he had been able to narrowly escape his death. Although alive, the ordeal had Ren feeling as though he was still walking a precarious line between life and death. A strange sensation of cognitive dissonance.

The betrayal from his rival Akechi, although it had been expected, left Ren feeling hurt. Despite knowing what the detective had been planning ahead of time, Ren had grown fond of their exchanges. He had considered the brown-haired detective a rival, but he also had grown to like him as a friend. And yet, had he not swapped with his cognitive self at the last moment, his real self would have been the one to meet Akechi’s eyes, only to be shot point blank with a silenced gun.

Looking at his old TV set, it appeared as if the only news that networks found worth broadcasting since his escape was the supposed suicide of the Phantom Thief leader while he had been in police custody.

It was weird, seeing his own mugshot displayed on the television screen while scrolling text and headlines announced his death.

---

…Three days prior…

Ren had been floating in and out of consciousness for a while now, but he had no way of knowing how long he had been in such a state. He vaguely recalled being cuffed and slammed into a police cruiser. The officers had jeered at him, trying to get a rise out of the leader of the so-called Phantom Thieves. Ren had known better than to respond to their taunts. It would only make things worse for him.

They arrived at the police station not long after, where he was led through a series of stairs and hallways. He had then been unceremoniously shoved into a dimly lit interrogation room. Ren was pushed into an uncomfortable wooden chair, before an unseen officer suddenly appeared behind his right side and jabbed him in the shoulder with a syringe. As the serum was painfully injected, his vision dimmed, and he fell out of consciousness.

When Ren started to regain the bare minimum of his senses, he heard a cold voice echo in the small interrogation chamber.

“Guess the drug was too strong.”

Ren tried to focus on the figure that was speaking, but his mind was still too cloudy to accomplish such a feat.

“Wake him up.”

The cold voice spoke once more and despite his diminished cognitive state, Ren could still feel the icy flood of dread rush through his veins as he internally shuddered at the words.

Another black fuzzy figure seemed to materialize to Ren’s right side, and before Ren could process the new presence, the blurred mass on his right was throwing something directly into his face. The something; which Ren now identified as cold water, doused the face of the semi-conscious Phantom Thief, shocking him awake.

Though his vision was still a bit cloudy, he looked up to his tormentor. The man who had been speaking had sharp features, pale skin, and icy brown eyes. He wore a gray suit with a black tie, and had polished black leather shoes. As soon as Ren had been able to process the man’s appearance; the cop’s booming voice pierced his ears once more.

“No dozing off.”

A rush of adrenaline pumped through Ren’s veins and his heart raced, his pulse echoing in his skull, as he realized the grim reality of the situation he found himself in.

He went to lift his hands only to find they had been cuffed behind the chair. He tugged at his bindings in a panic, hoping by some miracle they would break. They did not.

Cold brown eyes met Ren’s as the interrogator leaned in. The previously blank expression worn by the interrogator was replaced by one of sadistic glee as the captive thief met his eyes. “You still don’t get it, do you?”

Ren sharply inhaled, as in the next moment the man screamed out, “Give it up!” before slamming the heel of his black leather shoe into Ren’s abdomen. A pained groan left his lips unbidden as the chair he was tied to flew backwards at the force of the interrogator’s kick, sending Ren crashing into the wall with a resounding crack before landing sideways on the cold cement floor.

Without missing a beat, the interrogator drove his heel into Ren’s temple, painfully twisting the sole into the side of the Phantom Thief’s skull. The man gave a cruel chuckle, and his next words echoed painfully in Ren’s skull. “Come on, cooperate. Or what? You want another shot?”

‘Fuck… No… Not again,’ Ren thought desperately. His eyes darted around the room wildly looking for some kind of help, or escape. All the officers present only met his pleading gaze with either blatant disdain, or a sick sense of satisfaction at his suffering. Ren then noted the security camera in the interrogation room. He looked up at the device.

The interrogator saw Ren’s gaze and followed it before looking accusingly at the limp thief on the floor beneath his foot. “What about the camera?” he remarked before reaching down and grabbing Ren by his disheveled-looking raven locks.

Ren bit back a pained scream as his head was violently tugged upward by the roots of his black curls.

“Are you thinking it can get used as video evidence?

The pale devil, tormenting Ren, scoffed at the naive little thief in his grasp. Ren did his best to simply glare at his suited tormentor in response.

The slight bit of defiance from Ren caused the interrogator’s face to twist into a displeased scowl as he shoved the thief’s face into the ground once more before bending down so that his lips almost grazed the thief’s ear. “Didn’t you hear my question?”

Ren shuddered at the frigid voice before the man released his grip on his hair. Ren’s relief was short lived however, as the man proceeded to brutally kick him in the stomach, causing Ren to cry out in pain despite his best intentions to silently take the abuse. The cruel man gave Ren no time to recover before shouting, “Answer!” and delivering another blow to Ren’s abdomen.

Ren let out a pained cough before a barely audible “Nngh!“ As he tried to draw in a breath, he wheezed, startled by the sharp pain that now accompanied every drawn breath. ‘Must’ve broken my rib,‘ Ren deduced gloomily. Though he was proud of how much he had trained, and how sturdy he was, Ren knew he wouldn’t be able to take much more of this without ending up with serious long-term or irreversible damage.

Ren’s tormentor retreated from him for a moment, and he looked up to see a clipboard in the pale officer’s hands. The interrogator paced back and forth in front of the thief in an almost theatrical fashion as he read from the papers on the clipboard.

“Obstruction of justice, blackmail, defamation, possession of weapons.”

The man paused, before his sharp gaze honed in on the thief on the floor. He slapped the clipboard once, continuing to speak, while his gaze never left Ren.

“Manslaughter too, yeah? Talk about the works. To think all these crimes were led by a punk like you.”

The interrogator waved the clipboard around for emphasis before coming to stop before Ren, once more leering over him, practically spitting his next words.

“And you seemed to be enjoying every second of it… huh?”

Ren just laid there silently, not wanting to further provoke his violent tormentor. Despite that, the interrogator appeared to take his silence as defiance.

“You should know your place,” the man sneered.

Another man in a suit approached the thief curled up on the floor and easily removed the handcuffs that had bound Ren to the toppled chair on the ground. The removal of the cuffs revealed dark bruises around Ren’s wrists. He rubbed them gently, trying to regain some blood flow back to the places where his circulation had been restricted for who knows how long.

The cold man that had been interrogating Ren shoved a clipboard and pen into the thief’s hands, his voice as sharp as a steel blade that sliced away at what remained of Ren’s rebellious bravado. “Sign here. It’s a confession under your name.”

‘Not again…’ Ren thought dismally as he recalled when he had tried to save a woman from a drunken assailant. He would once again be charged for crimes he had not committed. Though some of those charges were potentially valid, that last charge was undoubtedly false. The Phantom Thieves didn’t kill.

Ren tried to push the clipboard away, but his wrist was seized by the interrogator and held in an almost bone-crushing grip.

“I see. I need your hand to sign this, but-” The man smiled that sadistic smile once more before slamming the heel of his leather shoe into Ren’s leg with considerable force. “I don’t care if you end up losing a leg,” the man proclaimed coldly, the cruel smile never leaving his face.

At this point Ren was tired. He knew no matter what he said, these people wouldn’t listen. All odds were stacked against him. At the end of the day, these men just wanted him to take the blame and end this case. No truth, no justice. With that grim realization, Ren took the clipboard.

The tormenting officer pulled out a pen and brought his face close to Ren’s, sneering. “Don’t expect to walk out of here in one piece. We’re going to make you understand.”

‘Understand what? The fact that the police force is clearly overrun by corrupt assholes?’ Ren thought bitterly to himself.

Unaware of Ren’s internal response, the interrogator continued, “One must take full responsibility for their actions.”

‘Damn hypocrite,’ Ren thought, knowing full well that this man would likely never be punished for his excessive violence. After all, Ren was a Phantom Thief, a mere lowly criminal, so surely this man would be praised for his sadistic cruelty.

Ren hesitantly took the pen, staring at it for a moment, before looking over at the cold-eyed man. With an internal sigh, Ren lifted the pen above the clipboard before signing his name in a quick practiced motion. Though he did his best to hide it, Ren failed to conceal the faint tremor in the hand that he had written with.

Without another word, a couple of the officers that had been on stand-by in the room sat Ren back in his newly righted chair, courtesy of the wordless signals given by the icy-eyed interrogator. Ren absently wondered who had been the person to actually set the chair back upright. Beaten and still not fully cognizant, Ren found himself staring down at the surface of the glossy white wooden table he had been placed in front of. He hardly even noticed when the officers and interrogator wordlessly shuffled out of the room.

Ren took a shallow and shaky breath and started internally counting backward from one hundred. A habit he had picked up after learning about the simple mental exercise from the school counselor, Maruki. The simple task helped Ren focus enough to keep himself conscious and it aided in distracting him from the pain that seemed to wrack every inch of his body.

At the sound of the heavy wooden door of the interrogation room opening, Ren looked up to see a surprisingly familiar woman walk in. Silver hair, a business suit, and fair skin were all defining traits of one Sae Nijima. Sae also happened to be the sister of Ren’s comrade and fellow Phantom Thief, Makoto. Sae had actually been the most recent mark for the Phantom Thieves, and it was in her Palace that the police had somehow managed to arrest him.

Despite the slight weariness in the prosecutor's expression, she looked as pristine as ever in her immaculate business suit, with a briefcase Ren could only assume was full of files. Sae let out a quiet sigh before taking the chair across the table from Ren. “I didn’t expect it would be you. You’ll be answering my questions this time.”

Ren simply continued to look at Sae, his gaze unfocused as his vision warped and swam.

Sae appeared puzzled for a moment at the distant look in Ren’s eyes, before she looked to the floor. Her eyes glimmered in realization as they seemingly fixed on the empty syringes littering the floor. A grimace replaced the poker face she had been wearing since she arrived in the interrogation room. “Those bastards… Can you hear me? It seems you’ve been through a lot.”

Ren simply nodded to Sae to indicate he heard her, finding that verbally responding was too much effort in the moment.

Sae sighed before gazing directly into Ren’s eyes. “Almost anything can happen here, and I can’t stop them,” Sae admitted, before swiftly continuing her pitch. “That’s why I need you to answer me honestly - I don’t have much time either.”

Ren could almost sense the prosecutor’s rushed desperation in her words. Still he found he could only respond with silence.

Sae, not deterred by the thief’s silence, pressed on. “What was your objective? Why did you cause such a major incident? I didn’t think it was a prank from the get-go, but I couldn’t assemble a case for prosecution.”

‘Of course you couldn’t,’ Ren thought to himself. There was no way Sae could assemble a case without knowing how the Phantom Thieves triggered a change of heart. At least, that is what Makoto had assured him.

“Then again, there is no way I could be convinced of such a ‘world’ just by reading the reports,” Sae continued.

Ren gave a noncommittal “Mmhm” in response to Sae’s rambling, but Sae appeared satisfied enough with that response.

With her gaze directly meeting Ren’s eyes, she stated, “It seems you’re coherent.”

Ren continued to hold her gaze in response, giving a small nod, which he instantly regretted as it made the world spin a bit.

Either not noticing Ren’s regrets, or not caring, Sae continued on. “When and where did you find out about that world? How is it even possible to steal another’s heart? I need you to tell me your account of everything.”

‘Everything? This is going to take awhile. Where do I even start…?’ Ren thought, finding words were still too much of a struggle to verbally form.

As if Sae could read his mind, she prompted Ren once more. “Start from the very beginning…”

It suddenly felt as if time had stopped, and a small voice echoed inside Ren’s mind.

“You are held captive. A prisoner of fate to a future that has been sealed in advance. This is truly an unjust game. But if my voice is reaching you, there may yet be a possibility open to you… I beg you, please overcome this game, and save this world. The key to victory lies within the memories of your bonds - the truth that you and your friends grasped.”

Chapter Text

~Iwai~

“Damn kid…” Iwai grunted as he peered down at the unread messages he had sent to Ren. He hadn’t heard from his part-timer in over two weeks, and though he would never admit it aloud, he was starting to worry. Back when he was a member of a yakuza gang, getting ghosted by a fellow member via text, only to find out later they had died, was commonplace. Years of mob experience had sharpened his intuition, and that Intuition was telling him something was wrong.

‘To think I would ever find myself worrying about a kid like him…’

Then again, when a black-haired kid and his loud blonde friend, both garbed in their high school uniforms, first crossed the threshold into Iwai’s airsoft shop, he could have never imagined just how much that seemingly quiet brat would come to impact his life.

—-

Iwai had first really taken notice of Ren when the Shujin student strolled into his shop one day and casually tried to sell him an Olympic gold medal.

Iwai reminisced about how he had taken a moment following the student’s bizarre request to really look Ren over. Really, the kid didn’t leave much of an impression in the looks department. He looked like a bog standard high school student in his red-black Shujin uniform. The kid had a head full of untamed raven locks that curled in every direction, making him look slightly unkempt. A pair of oversized glasses with black frames barely peeked out from beneath his hair. However there was one feature about the unassuming high school student that had stood out to Iwai. It had been the kid’s eyes.

Ren’s slate gray orbs, almost obscured by his glasses, had met with Iwai’s and glimmered with what Iwai could only describe as a playful mischievousness. At first, Iwai thought the little shit was trying to pull something.

“Huh? A gold medal? Why do you have this?” Iwai remembered asking the kid, squinting with suspicion before continuing.

“We don’t buy any fake or stolen goods here, kid,” Iwai continued. He wasn’t about to give the cops yet another reason to sniff around his shop, as he had already been tipped off earlier in the day that they had been snooping around the area, waiting for a warrant to search his shop.

It was then that he caught a glimpse of the actual medal, and seeing that it was either a good forgery or the real deal, Iwai asked the kid if he could get a better look at it. After closer inspection he realized the medal was a genuine one.

“I’m just… not not going to ask where you got this. How does 30,000 yen sound for it though?” Iwai had offered.

The slate-eyed boy had nodded his approval at the amount stated, looking mighty pleased with himself. Iwai also thought he heard what sounded like a cat meowing at the time, which was strange, but then again, so was this entire scenario. Probably just one of the stray cats outside his shop that he would occasionally set out food for.

“30,000 yen it is then,” Iwai had confirmed before handing the money to an ecstatic-looking Ren.

Iwai briefly looked at his watch, and realized this kid had come at just the right time. Those detectives were due to arrive soon with a warrant to search his shop, and there was a particular model gun that he really would prefer not to let the fuzz find because of its realistic nature.

Before the kid could say or do anything further, Iwai had pulled out a brown package and handed it to the kid. The boy looked back at Iwai confusedly.

“Here, take this with you. It's a thanks for sellin' me that medal,” Iwai had told the student, before quickly adding, “But, uh… best not to open it. Just bring it with you next time you come back here.”

The kid had stared at him searchingly for a moment before appearing to make a decision. “Got it,” he responded simply before flashing Iwai a mischievous smile. The kid had truly looked like the cat that caught the canary in that moment before casually walking out the door.

‘Glad he seemed to catch on so quickly,’ Iwai had thought to himself. Almost as soon as the kid made his exit, the cops had come to sniff around, ultimately finding nothing in their search.

——

‘The kid ended up saving me a lot of hassle that day,’ Iwai thought to himself after having reminisced for a while.

To Iwai’s surprise, the kid had shown back up a few days after their initial encounter to return the package. Having already replaced the commissioned realistic model gun, Iwai gave the kid the model gun he had so helpfully smuggled out of his shop as a thanks for his help. With that, he expected to be done with the kid. What Iwai hadn’t expected was that the kid wasn’t done with him. Not even close.

“I want to see more,” the boy had said clearly, staring directly into Iwai’s eyes. The kid clearly had guts, that much was clear. Iwai had returned the kid's stare, looking long and hard at the kid while trying to gauge his intentions. The raven-haired boy stared right back.

Eventually, Iwai invited the kid to talk business in the back room of his shop.

After leading Ren into the back, Iwai had immediately taken a seat. Looking back up at the kid, he bluntly asked him what he was playing at. The kid had simply shrugged his shoulders and told Iwai that he was a gun enthusiast. Iwai thought that was a bit dubious, given the kid’s youthful appearance and high-school uniform, but he saw no indication the kid was lying. He remembered saying, “At your age?”

Which the raven-haired kid had scoffed at. “I know I may not look like it, but I’m 18. Also, I hardly think age matters when it comes to what people take an interest in.”

Compared to Iwai, the kid was still just a kid, but he could admit that he had assumed the raven-haired boy was younger than he actually was. Actually, wasn’t the uniform he was wearing that of a second year? Regardless, the kid didn’t appear to be lying about being a gun enthusiast.

After thinking about it for a moment longer, Iwai thought of an arrangement that could work out for the both of them. He would grant the kid’s wish, but it would cost him. Iwai decided he would offer his custom modeled guns at a price a kid like him could afford, and in return, the kid would help Iwai at his shop part-time. If needed, the kid was also to help smuggle out particular goods like he had before, or destroy incriminating evidence.

Iwai had thought that was a pretty fair deal, as those modeled guns could get really expensive, but the kid just frowned slightly before shaking his head.

“That sounds like a terrible idea,” the kid had stated bluntly.

Iwai tried to convey to the kid just how generous of an offer this was, while internally hoping he would just bite. At the time, Iwai really needed more pawns on his personal playing field, and the kid had come at just the right time to be useful.

The kid appeared to think about it a bit longer, before letting out a small sigh. Despite seeming to have some reservations, Ren had nodded. “I’ll do what I can,” he had said, locking in his fate as a piece of Iwai’s game.

Iwai promised to start working on that special custom gun model menu, in return for Ren’s compliance. Truly, the kid should have been grateful for such a great offer, as Iwai stood to lose a lot of money selling these detailed modeled guns at such a discounted rate. The deal was set, and true to his word, Iwai had started making and customizing modeled guns for one Ren Amamiya.

—-

After that fateful day, Iwai and the kid came to an understanding of sorts. Ren would often sell Iwai all sorts of weird shit, and Iwai would buy it. Ren would work part-time at his shop doing miscellaneous tasks, and occasionally help with Iwai’s other ‘business.’ In return Iwai would modify various model guns for whatever purposes Ren had in mind. He honestly preferred not to think about what the kid was doing with all of these modeled guns.

The two had built a steady relationship as employer and part-timer, and Iwai found the kid to be more trustworthy and reliable than he could have ever imagined. Though, as of two weeks ago, the kid had stopped responding to Iwai’s messages offering him part-time shifts. Even more surprising was that Ren had also ignored all of Iwai’s texts promoting new gun modeling services. Considering how excited those types of updates had made the raven-haired boy not even a month ago, Iwai was feeling uneasy about Ren’s lack of response.

“I should go check on him,” Iwai muttered under his breath, before realizing that he had no idea where the kid even lived. Out of all the times he had interacted with the kid, he never once inquired where the raven-haired boy lived. In the past, it was almost like every time Iwai had wanted to get in touch with the kid, he would just so happen to stroll into the shop. Once Iwai had exchanged contact information with the kid, Iwai found that Ren would always diligently respond to his texts from Iwai, letting him know he had seen them.

Iwai looked up to his shop door with a mild hope that Ren would just stroll into the shop like he had in the past, but the minutes ticked by with no Ren to be found.

‘Dammit kid…’ Iwai sighed once more. It seemed all he would be able to do now was wait.

He hated waiting.

Chapter Text

~Ren~

For someone who ‘didn’t have much time’, Sae had managed to interrogate him for what felt like days. According to her, she had only been given an hour total to interrogate Ren, but he was thoroughly convinced she had to be lying, as answering question after question about his connections while painstakingly trying to protect their identity felt like an eternal torment. Still, it was thanks to Sae that Ren had made it out of the interrogation room alive. According to his brief emergency visit with Dr. Takemi, he had at least three cracked ribs, several lacerations, a bunch of unsightly bruises, oh! and a mild concussion as well. But he was alive. Right?

‘Well I’m assuming being dead doesn’t physically hurt this much, so I can logically conclude that I’m alive,’ Ren thought to himself, staring blankly at the news station that was currently reporting his death. He looked at his mugshot plastered across the news screen, which had been taken when he was in his school uniform.

Before the whole police detainment and interrogation incident, Ren would usually just wear his uniform. Given he was supposed to be a dead man however, Sae had told him to lay low and wear something different until the media buzz around his death died down. He didn’t really have much in the way of extra clothing, but he managed to find an old and faded pair of blue jeans as well as a black T-shirt that fit quite nicely in his opinion.

He had still needed something to cover his face when he remembered the surprisingly tame, black and white hoodie that Ryuji had given him for his birthday, stating he could use it when they went jogging together once the weather got cold. Although it wasn’t being used for its originally intended purpose, Ren was currently wearing said hoodie with the white hood pulled up to better conceal his face. 

Sojiro - Ren’s guardian, attic landlord, and proud owner of the humble café Leblanc - had kindly offered to make him food and coffee while he recovered and had to lie low. Ren was currently redeeming that offer despite not feeling super hungry as he perched on one of the tall wooden stools that lined what Ren affectionately referred to as ‘the coffee counter’. Dr. Takemi had warned Ren that he would need to eat, despite potentially not feeling hungry, in order to heal properly. Given her alternative offer was to make him take some shady-looking supplements, Ren had promised to eat. 

As Sojiro labored away in the kitchen, cooking his special curry while also brewing coffee in the way Ren knew only Sojiro could do, the delicious smells that would usually beckon Ren and cause him to uncontrollably salivate failed to excite him. His eyes fixated on the TV screen, almost appearing dazed. 

Sitting on a nearby stool was Morgana, who had been practically attached to Ren’s hip ever since Ren’s most recent brush with death. Although the cat often tried to act as though he was aloof and uncaring, Morgana was a bit of a worrywart when it came to Ren. That had increased tenfold since the interrogation room incident. 

“Hey, doesn’t Boss’s curry smell great?” Morgana mewed, trying to start some small talk. Apparently whatever expression Ren was making worried the cat, as the concern in Morgana’s voice was obvious.

Ren didn’t quite feel up to talking, so he simply nodded in agreement to Morgana’s query. It was strange. Despite the dull ache he could feel permeating his body, none of this felt real. It was a numbing sensation, as though he wasn’t really there. It was a strange and dream-like feeling. A trickle of dread filled Ren’s veins as he started to wonder if this was all a dream. Although irrational, he feared that this was all a brief respite, and he would soon wake back up in that interrogation room. 

He could feel his throat closing up, as though being strangled. His eyes widened, and if one looked to his hands, they would see them trembling slightly. 

‘No- Stop- I’m safe… Right?’

Now was not the time to panic. He was safe, he was fine. He had to be okay. 

‘If not now, then when?’ his consciousness whispered.

“Dammit!” Ren cursed aloud, lightly smacking his palms against the counter and leaning his weight onto them to stop the shaking. He was the leader of the Phantom Thieves for god's sake, he wasn’t this weak. This wasn’t him!

“Ren?” Morgana mewed in surprise at the raven-haired teen’s outburst, concern for his friend evident.

‘I’m worrying Morgana, he should be relying on me, not worrying for me. I need to pull myself together.’ “Sorry, I’m fine,” Ren said, hoping to ease Morgana’s concern, if only a little. Given the cat’s expression, he did not succeed.

Hearing the slight commotion, Sojiro popped his head out from the kitchen and met Ren’s gaze. “Everything good? I heard a bit of commotion,” his guardian queried.

Ren let out a small sigh. “Yeah, everything is good. I just thought I saw a spider. Turns out it was just a dust bunny,” he lied, hoping his dismissive tone would be enough to fool Sojiro. 

His guardian took a moment to watch Ren, his hawk-like gaze studying his every movement. After a bit his guardian shrugged, as if he had lost interest. “If you say so. Curry should be ready in a few minutes,” Sojiro stated before heading back into the kitchen alcove behind the counter.

Ren let out a sigh of relief, glad that Sojiro had not questioned him further. 

At some point Morgana had hopped over to the stool next to Ren. Wanting to get his attention, the cat gently pawed at Ren’s arm. “Hey-“ Morgana started. 

The unexpected touch sent Ren reeling and he almost fell off of his stool in a knee jerk reaction. Luckily, despite his injuries and the effects of the mild pain medication Tae had given him, he still had really good reflexes. Ren was able to right himself before crashing to the floor. 

In interrogation, the police had injected him with so many various drugs, one shot after another, up and down the length of his arms. Being handcuffed and bound to the chair, he had been unable to stop them. For a split second, his mind had mistaken Morgana’s gentle touch for another painful injection at the hands of his captors, leading to his overly exaggerated reaction. 

He had no idea how he was going to play that off. “Er… Sorry, Morgana,” he muttered, his eyes downcast.

“Ren…” the feline called, his voice full of pity. 

Ren kept his eyes downcast. ‘I don’t need anyone’s pity. Least of all a cat’s,’ Ren thought bitterly. Then he realized he had never actually responded to Morgana’s inquiry. “Did you need something from me?” he finally asked his feline companion.

Morgana looked up at him, studying Ren much like Sojiro had minutes prior. He looked as though he was searching for the right words before opening his mouth again. “You’ve been through a lot. I can imagine it probably isn’t something you want to talk about, but if you need me, I’m all ears,” the feline stated. It was a surprisingly candid statement for a cat that mostly lived and breathed sarcasm with a holier-than-thou attitude.

“Thanks, buddy,” Ren said, a tiny smirk showing on his face as he gave Morgana a gentle pat on the head.

He found the cat was surprisingly soft, and started to absently pet him. It was soothing. Usually at this point Morgana would tell him to knock it off and stop getting handsy with him, but Morgana was kind enough this time to silently tolerate the petting. Actually, he appeared to be enjoying it if the soft, rumbling purr emanating from him was anything to go by. 

The minutes slowly ticked by in a comfortable silence. The only noise was the sounds of Sojiro cooking in the kitchen and the soft rumble of Morgana’s purr.

‘It's nice to just take a moment and not think,’ Ren found himself thinking.

About another minute ticked by before Sojiro emerged from the kitchen with a plate full of delicious-smelling curry. The gentlemen placed the plate in front of Ren along with some utensils.

“Just eat it before it gets cold,” Sojiro said simply before walking back towards the kitchen. He then paused for a moment and looked back over his shoulder. “I’ll put the leftovers in the fridge. Feel free to take some if you’re still hungry after finishing what you have,” he offered before fully disappearing into the kitchen.

“Thanks,” Ren called out, though he was unsure if Sojiro had heard him. He then looked to the meal in front of him. He doubted he would need the leftovers, as he hadn’t been hungry to begin with, but he figured he should at least eat what he was given. 

It was weird. Before the whole interrogation thing, Ren had always consumed Boss’s curry with great enthusiasm. Looking at it now though, he felt nothing. Eating felt like just another chore for him. A task to check off the list. Something he had to do, rather than desired to. 

As he scooped a spoonful of curry into his mouth, he found it surprisingly bland and tasteless. The slight tingling on his tongue indicated it was likely supposed to be a more spicy and flavorful curry, but he couldn’t taste it. 

Mechanically, Ren consumed one spoonful after another, slowly clearing his plate bit by bit. His expression was flat, giving no indication of enjoyment.

Ren’s lack of enthusiasm for food had apparently stunned poor Morgana, who wore an expression of pure shock. With each passing bite Ren took, Morgana’s expression shifted from one of shock to something grave. It was as though he was watching the body of a loved one slowly being lowered into the ground.

Despite not really tasting the food, Ren was still polite enough to polish off his plate, before standing up and bringing his dishes back into the kitchen. Sojiro spotted Ren as he strolled in, appearing to have already been washing dishes. His guardian wordlessly took the plate from Ren before adding it to the pile of dishes to clean.

“After I finish here, I’m going to close up shop. Lock up behind me. Feel free to do what you need to around the cafe; I want you to wait until you've recovered more before going out and about at night. If you need me to pick up anything for you outside, shoot me a text and I’ll grab it for you,” Sojiro explained.

Ren nodded gratefully. “Will do. Thanks, Boss,” he said, bowing his head slightly in respect.

Sojiro looked a bit flustered. “Of course. Also, you don’t need to be so formal. You’re family now. Looking out for each other, that's just what families do,” he muttered. He then went back to cleaning the dishes.

Ren took that as his cue to leave, and made his way back out into the cafe. ‘Family.’ 

He had a family. A place he belonged. Growing up, his parents had been all but indifferent towards him. Though he was related to them, he felt he had always been on his own. There was no sense of family with them. 

As foreign of a concept as family had been to Ren, he had always found himself fond of the idea of having a family. He suddenly came to the realization that over the course of his stay at Leblanc, he had found himself a family. Sojiro, Morgana, and Futaba, not to mention all of the other thieves, were his family. Upon that realization, a gentle smile graced his face.

Things in his head were all sorts of messed up and jumbled since his experience in the interrogation room. He didn’t quite feel like himself. The mild concussion probably wasn’t helping matters much. However, he was sure of one thing now. He had a precious family. Precious bonds that meant the world to him. If it meant protecting them, he would go through the hell he experienced in interrogation all over again. 

He was okay - well no, not really, but he would be. For now, he was safe. His found family was safe, and he was home.

Chapter Text

~Iwai~

Another day had passed without a response from Ren, and it was time to close shop. After walking out into the noisy streets of Shibuya at night, listening to hosts calling to guests on the streets, Iwai happened to look up at some of the large screens that generally would be running advertisements of products. What Iwai saw now, however, made him freeze.

“The suspected leader of the Phantom Thieves, captured earlier this week, as shown in the mugshot on screen, was found dead in the interrogation room. The police have ruled the death a suicide.”

On screen was a clear picture of the kid. Raven black hair, slate gray eyes, and a student uniform to boot. There was no doubt about it.

Iwai had his suspicions about the kid being involved with the Phantom Thieves, given the weird shit he would always sell, and his desire for the customized model guns Iwai made for him. Not to mention the kid had struck a deal with him, despite knowing who he was.

Pulling out his phone, Iwai checked to see the messages he had sent to the kid in the last week. The messages to Ren had still been left unread and unanswered. Iwai gritted his teeth, snapping the stick of candy he had been nursing in his mouth.

“Dammit, kid… This isn’t funny,” Iwai cursed.

He couldn’t just accept that he was dead. Not yet. There wasn’t enough to go by.

In a moment of desperation - or denial, Iwai wasn’t sure - he tried to send another text.

Iwai: ‘Hey, hit me up.’

Iwai walked to the nearest trashcan and discarded his broken candy stick. He wished now more than ever that he wasn’t mid attempt to quit smoking again. He would kill for a smoke right about now.

Leaning against the cool concrete of a building nearby, Iwai sighed while contemplating his next move. It was then his phone vibrated in his hand. Pulling it up so quickly he almost flung it across the street, Iwai fixed his grip on the device before checking the screen.

It was just his son, Kaoru.

Kaoru: ‘Hey, dad, when are you getting home? I want to know if I should make dinner for two, or just myself.’

Iwai: 'Be back soon. If I am not back in fifteen; put my portion in the fridge.’

Iwai replied before another notification appeared on his phone. This time, he froze.

The message was from Ren.

Quickly tapping the screen to open his inbox, Iwai took in the kid’s message.

Ren: Don’t worry. Sorry it took so long to respond. Was injured, still recovering.’

Iwai felt all the tension leave his shoulders as he read that short message. He let out a long sigh, as though breathing out his burdens. The kid was alive. That, or this was one hell of a cruel prank. He then shot the kid a gruff response back.

Iwai: ‘I ain’t worried.’

Iwai had been incredibly worried, but the kid didn’t need to know that. He quickly followed his message with another.

Iwai: 'It’s cool, if you’re all good. I don’t need nothin’.’

It took the kid a few moments, but eventually Iwai received another reply.

Ren: ‘Because of my situation, I can’t leave my living quarters right now. Would you be able to bring me some of that military grade gauze from your shop? I can pay extra for the delivery fee.’

The kid asking for a favor that wasn’t model gun related? That was rare. Also, why the hell would he need military grade gauze? Was he really hurt so badly? Still. Iwai wasn’t against throwing the kid a bone.

Iwai: ‘No need for extra pay, but I do need an address.’

Iwai watched the three dots appear, signifying that Ren was typing. Eventually, his response came through.

Ren: ‘Ah, right. That would probably be useful. If possible, drop by the Leblanc coffee shop in Yongen-Jaya, I’ll let the owner know you are stopping by. My apartment is above the shop.’

It was just like the kid to share nothing more than what was important to know. Iwai respected that about the brat, he knew how to get to the point. ‘Leblanc huh…?’

A coffee shop. That would explain the slight scent of coffee that always seemed to cling to the kid. Still, Iwai couldn’t help but feel a bit excited to know the kid trusted him enough to let him know where to find him, even while supposedly being injured.

Iwai wasn’t sure if that was because the kid had guts, or because he was overly trusting. Still, it had been a while since anyone had relied on him for anything, aside from Kaoru. Tsuda and his model gun orders didn’t count. That wasn’t reliance, that was blackmail. It was nice to feel needed by someone, and though he would never admit it, he had come to rely on the kid too.

He was glad the kid was alive.

Iwai: ‘Sure. I'll come by in the evening tomorrow after closing the shop. Later.’

Iwai slipped his phone into his pocket and made his way home. When he arrived, Kaoru had two servings of homemade dinner ready.

“You look happy, Dad. Did something good happen today?” Kaoru asked as the two ate their meal.

“I wonder…” Iwai only responded cryptically, while giving his son a teasing smile.

~~~~

~Ren~

After eating and locking up the shop, Ren made his way back to his room. Morgana had followed him up to the attic, and decided to take a nap on the sofa. Thus, Ren was once more left alone with his thoughts.

He decided he should probably check his phone, knowing how it had gone off numerous times since Sae returned it to him. He had been putting off looking at his phone or any screens for too long (the TV being the exception), because looking at screens for prolonged periods of time made his head ache.

‘I should probably at least let people know I’m alive,’ Ren reasoned with himself, even if he currently felt more dead than alive.

Sojiro, Sae, and the Phantom Thieves knew he was alright, as they had been monumental in his daring escape. Tae knew because she was the one treating his injuries. Everyone else had probably seen the news of his supposed suicide, only to be left in the dark about the fact that he still walked this mortal plane of existence.

With the goal of notifying those he had grown close to that he was in fact not dead, Ren took a moment to just look through his phone chat logs.

He was surprised to see the sheer amount of messages from the various connections he had made. It was almost overwhelming.

To his mild surprise, the most recent text he had received was from Munehisa Iwai, the shop owner of Untouchable. Ren had gotten the model guns he and the thieves used in the metaverse from Iwai, and in return Ren had helped Iwai in both his shop and his personal endeavors. Not to mention Iwai would buy all the weird shit Ren picked up in various Palaces, as well as stuff from Mementos.

In short, Ren was quite familiar with him, but he was surprised to find that Iwai had been the most recent one to contact him. He must’ve really been worried, though Ren figured the guy would never admit it. The thought that the gruff, middle-aged ex-yakuza man would be worried for his sake was kinda cute. Opening his chat log with Iwai, Ren found the man had sent him a blunt but clearly concerned text.

Iwai: ‘Hey, hit me up.’

Ren felt a small smile sneak onto his face. The message was curt, blunt, and captured Iwai’s personality perfectly. Ren found himself responding naturally.

Ren: ‘Don’t worry. Sorry it took so long to respond. Was injured, still recovering.’

Ren sent his response. Scrolling up through his log history, he noted that Iwai had been trying to get ahold of him for two weeks. It made sense, he had been too busy with Sae’s Palace to bother checking his phone, and then the whole interrogation thing happened. He let out a sigh. Somehow, no matter what he started to think about, his thoughts kept looping back to the interrogation room. The cold heartless eyes of his captor, the pain of countless injections…

A vibration from his phone snapped him from his spiraling thoughts.

Iwai: ‘I ain’t worried.’

Ren chuckled. As he had thought, Iwai wouldn’t admit that he had been worried about him. Still, the guy had taken the time to message him, so that had to mean something.

Iwai’s first message was soon followed up by another.

Iwai: 'It’s cool, if you’re all good. I don’t need nothin’.’

Up until now, Iwai only typically messaged Ren when he needed help at the shop, or with his other ‘business’. For Iwai to message him without any real motive showed just how much the ex-yakuza had been worried for him. At least, that's what Ren liked to think.

As Ren texted, his attention wandered to the dark bruises around his wrist. They were quite unsightly. He wasn’t one to be meticulous about his appearance, but the gruesome marks left over from his time with the law had him feeling raw and exposed.

‘It would be nice to cover those,’ Ren thought to himself. But how? With broken ribs, he struggled enough as it was to change into the clothing he was wearing now. Any time he lifted his arms, he could feel the stabbing pain in his side.

Maybe it was because he had just been talking with Iwai, but Ren thought about the goods he had seen in the airsoft shop. One of those items was military grade gauze.

‘That would be useful. Wonder if Iwai would be willing to deliver some,’ Ren thought.

He could just ask Dr. Takemi for some medical supplies, but he had already bothered the poor clinic doc enough with his emergency visit. If he needed to ask for favors, he would rather spread those requests among those he knew, rather than solely rely on one or two people. He especially felt that way regarding those who already did a lot for him, such as Sojiro, Dr. Takemi, and the thieves.

Before he could second guess his decision, Ren shot Iwai another text.

Ren: ‘Because of my situation, I can’t leave my living quarters right now. Would you be able to bring me some of that military grade gauze from your shop? I can pay extra for the delivery fee.’

Iwai’s response was swift.

Iwai: ‘No need for extra pay, but I do need an address.’

Oh. Right. Iwai had never been to Leblanc as far as Ren knew. Hard to make a delivery without knowing where to deliver the goods.

Ren: ‘Ah, right. That would probably be useful. If possible, drop by the Leblanc coffee shop in Yongen-Jaya, I’ll let the owner know you are stopping by. My apartment is above the shop.’

It was then he realized that he had basically invited Iwai to his place. Something about that thought had his heart beating a bit faster. He would have never had the courage to do so under normal circumstances. He started to wonder if the concussion had raised his guts, or if it lowered his knowledge. Probably both.

Ren jumped a bit as another response from Iwai made his phone buzz.

Iwai: ‘Sure. I'll come by in the evening tomorrow after closing the shop. Later.’

So, that was that. Iwai would be stopping by Leblanc tomorrow evening. Ren had invited him.

‘Why am I shaking?’ Ren asked himself, noting his hands gripping his phone were trembling.

The thought of Iwai coming to his place and seeing Ren in the current state he was in filled him with a strange mix of excitement and anxiety. What would Iwai think of him, seeing him all beat up? Would he be disappointed? Or would he gaze at Ren with pity, like so many of those who cared for him had? Ren regretted not thinking about these things before having invited Iwai.

“No going back now though,” Ren muttered under his breath.

Lying back in his bed, being careful about his ribs, Ren looked up and stared at the ceiling, lost in thought. Then, the notification sound went off on his phone. He lifted his phone begrudgingly, looking blankly at the vast amount of texts from various people he knew. He internally sighed, as sighing externally with his ribs being cracked was painful. He was in for a long night of returning text messages. At least it would keep him busy.

Chapter Text

~Iwai~

Having almost no customers per usual, Iwai closed up shop early. He had grabbed the requested gauze for Ren before making his way over to the local 777 convenience store. In his effort to quit smoking, he went through a lot of suckers, and his supply was running low.

“Since I’m here, might as well ask the kid if he has anything he wants,” Iwai mumbled under his breath before taking out his cell and sending a brief text.

Iwai: ‘Stopped by 777 for a couple of things. Want me to pick up anything for ya while I’m here?’

As Iwai idly browsed the store aisles, his phone buzzed, alerting him of an incoming text.

Ren: ‘I wouldn’t say no to some hard candies or candy sticks. It’s nice to have something sweet on hand.’

Iwai snickered as he read Ren’s response. So the kid liked that type of thing? He never would have guessed. Iwai had no issue picking up a treat for the kid while he bought his own supply. After picking out the requested items, as well as his usual bag of lollipops, he meandered his way over to the cash registers.

The lady at the check-out counter looked at his chosen goods before glancing up at Iwai, appearing mildly amused.

‘Whatever, let her think what she wants to,’ he thought to himself. No doubt she was probably thinking that sweets did not match his gruff appearance. Not that that had ever stopped him from buying them before.

After checking out, Iwai texted the kid saying he had acquired the goods and was en-route to the café. Just as he hit send, his phone alerted him to a new incoming message. This one was from Kaoru.

Kaoru: ‘Hey, Dad, stopped by the shop but it was closed. Slow day?’

Iwai sighed. He had told Kaoru plenty of times not to come around the shop. Last thing he wanted was for Tsuda and Kaoru to run into one another. It was hard enough as it was to keep his son in the dark about his mobster past. Tsuda was more than happy to use that fact against him, and had been blackmailing him into making realistic model guns. It was only thanks to the kid that he had gotten one up on Tsuda as of late. The kid had dug up some valuable information that Iwai was hoping would get him out of whatever the hell Tsuda was trying to pull him into.

Iwai: ‘Yeah. Making a quick delivery on an order. I’ll be back home after that,’ Iwai replied briefly to his son, letting out a small sigh before continuing on his way.

‘According to the webpage the kid sent, the café I’m supposed to go to is in Yongen-Jaya,’ Iwai mused to himself as he headed to the subway station. He wasn’t a huge fan of taking the subway, but having a personal car was more upkeep and cost than it was worth in Japan. Not to mention, the café was only a couple of stops from Shibuya, so it wouldn’t be a painfully long ride.

Iwai purchased his ticket and hopped on the designated railcar that would take him to his destination. Given it was midday, the shuttle wasn’t too badly crowded. There weren’t enough seats, but the ex-mobster had no problems with standing. He wasn’t that old yet.

All things considered, the mundane trip to the café where his part-timer lived was entirely uneventful. That was perfect for the airsoft shop owner. He had more than enough of his share of excitement in his youth. The only thing of note on his trip was that there were a lot of stray cats wandering around the fairly quiet and narrow streets of Yongen-Jaya. 

Checking the address on his phone once more before looking up and comparing it to the nearby buildings, he finally spotted the café he had been looking for. Leblanc.

From the outside, the café really didn’t leave much of an impression. It looked just like any other small shop lining the narrow streets surrounding it. Still, just standing outside the shop Iwai could smell the tantalizing aroma of quality coffee wafting to him.

A tiny bell on the cafe door chimed as he pushed it open, signaling his arrival. Behind a bar-like counter was a brunette man that looked to be a good 10 to 15 years older than Iwai. He wore a salmon-colored undershirt with khaki slacks and a green apron.

Upon seeing Iwai, the man gazed at him with clear suspicion. That was nothing new to Iwai, most people tended to look at him that way. He looked like a thug and he knew it.

“Munehisa Iwai. The kid asked me to deliver some goods to him since he was holed up in his room,” Iwai stated, getting introductions out of the way and stating his purpose for being there.

With narrowed eyes, the man behind the counter gave Iwai a scrutinizing look, as though trying to discern whether the grizzled man before him was telling the truth. He then let out a tired sigh before waving Iwai further into the building.

“Sojiro Sakura, Ren’s guardian. He mentioned you would be stopping by. The stairs are to the left. Don’t try anything funny while you’re here, understand?” The barista introduced himself before giving Iwai a clear warning. He reminded Iwai a bit of a protective mother bear.

“Right,” Iwai replied simply nodding in acknowledgment. He realized that should he choose to cause trouble, Ren’s guardian would be unable to call for help, since Ren himself was supposed to be in police custody, as a corpse no less. The kid wasn’t stupid, and likely had realized that beforehand, yet still decided to invite Iwai over despite any potential risks.

Despite the strangeness of the circumstances that brought them together, they had a decent relationship, however one wanted to define it. Store owner and customer, boss and part timer, contractor and contracted. All were accurate descriptions, but it felt as though no single term fully defined the relationship he and the kid had built.

It warmed Iwai’s long-hardened heart to realize the kid trusted him enough to invite him over when he was this vulnerable. His guardian’s threats aside, he had no intention of betraying that trust. They had a deal, after all. Iwai sure as hell wasn’t about to jeopardize whatever their relationship was.

Following the linear layout of the café, Iwai easily found the stairs to the attic next to a small closet-sized restroom. He then began his ascent up the wooden staircase, intentionally letting his feet fall heavily as he climbed to give Ren an indication that he was approaching.

From behind he heard the barista mutter something to himself. “The kid doesn’t want to see his friends, and yet out of the blue decided to invite over this shady guy. Just what is he thinking?”

Iwai decided not to comment, and left Sojiro to his mutterings.

Upon getting to the top of the steps, the floor opened up into a fairly spacious attic room. Iwai quickly took note of his surroundings, before his eyes met the slate gray ones of the kid. Ren was perched a bit awkwardly on the edge of his mattress, looking worse for wear. The kid wore a simple black, short-sleeved T-shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants. 

From what Iwai could see, countless dark bruises covered the kid’s pale skin, all over his arms, shoulders, and what was visible of his collar bones. The bruises seemed to trail under Ren’s clothing, leading Iwai to suspect that the damage was even more extensive than what he could see. Unfortunately, the kid’s face hadn’t been spared either, as he was sporting an impressive black eye, along with multiple cuts and smaller bruises across his cheeks and jaw.

When the kid had said he had been injured, Iwai had no clue what to expect, but he hadn’t imagined it would be this extensive. The kid looked like he had been jumped and mugged for all he was worth only to be left in a back alley to die a slow and painful death.

It soon became apparent that physical injuries weren’t the only injuries he had sustained. Returning Ren’s gaze, Iwai saw that the once confident and defiant light of rebellion in his eyes was gone. The only thing reflected there now was a deep sense of despair and hopelessness. That unfamiliar look didn’t suit the kid one bit. He deserved better.

Iwai walked over to where Ren was perched on the bed, getting a better look at his injuries. ‘What in the hell happened to you, kid?’ Rather than gaze at Ren in pity, Iwai’s expression hardened. “Did the police do this?” he asked solemnly as he unconsciously reached out to gently touch Ren’s face to get a better look.

As soon as his hand made contact, Ren flinched excessively, and slapped away Iwai’s hand before curling up in on himself in a sitting position. That movement seemed to cause major discomfort as Ren let out an involuntary hiss of pain before readjusting himself. “Sorry,” he mumbled, looking a bit dazed.

Iwai assumed he meant to apologize for slapping Iwai’s hand away, though it was unnecessary. Iwai had been the inconsiderate one. Timidly meeting Iwai’s gaze, fear in his eyes, Ren subtly nodded to Iwai’s question about who did this to him, confirming Iwai’s suspicion.

‘Dammit! The police were this brutal? What the hell were they thinking? He’s just a kid!’ Iwai thought, a familiar hate burning through him at the thought of the police. He already hated cops, but this was on another level of disgusting. He unconsciously found himself clenching his fists and gritting his teeth.

Ren must’ve picked up on Iwai’s anger, only to give the man a slightly sardonic smile. “To be fair, they were trying to kill me. I was in their way. So I made it out of there in better shape than they had planned,” Ren replied while smiling. It did not reach his eyes. His voice as he spoke conveyed sarcastic irony, the humorlessness of his response making it all the more poignant.

Iwai had no idea how to respond in this situation. He had never really been the comforting type, nor had he ever really been comforted by his mother growing up. All he could think of to say was what he truly felt in that moment. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re alive,” Iwai said honestly.

Ren snorted in amusement, but gave the gunsmith a genuine smirk. “I’ll probably feel more glad about being alive once I’ve healed a bit more. I’m not generally one to complain, but I hurt like a bitch,” he mused, looking to be in slightly better spirits than he had been a moment ago.

“That so?” Iwai said, smirking in return before he quickly handed over the plastic bag of requested items he promised to deliver. “Ya didn’t specify a brand, so I just picked up whatever,” Iwai explained, taking a seat on the wooden flooring beside Ren’s bed while the kid rummaged through the assortment of candies Iwai had grabbed for him.

After taking inventory, Ren nodded in what Iwai assumed was satisfaction. “These are good. Thanks. You paid for these, right?” Ren asked in a teasing voice, his expression relaxing a bit as he joked.

Iwai gave Ren a mock glare. “‘Course I did. I’m ex-yakuza, not some petty street thug. Too much effort and risk with too little pay off to bother stealing candy,” he reasoned, before opening his own plastic bag that contained the suckers he had bought for himself. He pulled the wrapper off one and popped it into his mouth, the stick poking out at the side.

Ren looked to be thinking about something before he let out a soft chuckle, his gaze seemingly fixated on the sucker stick. “I just keep trying to picture you at the checkout counter with bags of candy. It’s hard to imagine. It doesn’t match your grizzled image.”

Iwai rolled his eyes. “You of all people should know, looks can be deceiving,“ he grumbled, the stick of his sucker wagging as he spoke.

Ren’s amused expression turned to a grimace as he started to laugh but then let out a tiny pained wheeze and plopped onto his back on his bed. “Fucking cracked ribs,” he cursed.

Iwai, having dealt with cracked ribs before during a small gang fight when he was younger, couldn’t help but grimace in sympathy. The weeks of recovery that followed weren’t fun.

After a moment of slightly awkward silence, Ren spoke once more. “All joking aside, I appreciate you going out of your way and delivering this stuff. How much do I owe ya?” he said, patting the mattress around him, seemingly searching for something. Likely his wallet.

Iwai shook his head. “Nothin’. Consider it payment in advance next time I ask you for a favor,” he said, before getting up off the floor and standing beside Ren, who was still lying prone on his back in bed.

Ren grimaced. “It might be a bit till I can repay you then. I’ll come by your shop and help out as soon as things settle down a bit, though,” Ren offered, looking as if he felt a bit guilty.

Iwai gave Ren a fond smirk before shaking his head. “Take your time healing first. I’ll have more than enough work for you once you are fully recovered. Trust me. You will need to be in good condition. I don’t plan to go easy on you, part-timer.”

Iwai had the strange desire to ruffle the kid’s hair affectionately as Ren stared up at him. Given how Ren had responded to his touch earlier though, it was likely that action wouldn’t be welcome. Instead Iwai just kept looking into the kid’s slate gray eyes, trying to get some sort of indication on what he might be thinking.

Meanwhile, Ren’s eyes glittered playfully. “Yessir, Iwai-san ,” Ren replied with a lazy salute. He added and emphasized the honorific in a teasing manner.

Iwai felt the tips of his ears burn at Ren’s playful, almost flirty tone. Damn kid was getting good at getting a reaction out of him. He almost wondered if the kid had made some sort of game out of getting a rise out of the usually stoic and overall disinterested Iwai.

Iwai chuckled in exasperation before finally turning away from Ren and raising a hand in a gesture of farewell. “See ya,” Iwai muttered bluntly, before quickly descending the stairs back into the cafe.

On the way out Iwai gave Sojiro a nod in acknowledgement. “Gotta get home to my kid now, but next time I come by, I plan to properly sit and enjoy what your café has to offer,” Iwai said while passing by.

The barista looked up to Iwai, eyes widened in surprise at the thuggish man’s polite mannerisms. “O-Oh, uh, sure- Thanks for stopping by.”

With a quiet nod, Iwai listened to the door bell jingle as he departed from the café, stepping back into the narrow streets of Yongen-Jaya. As he did so his phone buzzed. Looking at his messages, he saw that Ren had sent him a text.

'Thank you again for coming by. I really appreciate it.'

Iwai rolled his eyes. The kid didn't owe him anything. He did what he did because he wanted to. Nothing more, nothing less.

'Focus on healing up. I'll be waiting for you,' Iwai replied bluntly before making his way back to the subway station.

Chapter Text

~Ren~

Aside from texting Iwai, Ren had spent most of his prior evening responding to the copious amounts of concerned texts from his multiple confidants. After assuring them he was alive, he then moved on to responding to the second category of concerned texts he had received. These texts were from his fellow thieves, checking in on him. It was nice for them to be concerned, but Ren struggled to come up with nonchalant sounding responses to their worried inquiries.

The truth of the matter was, physically he felt like shit and mentally he wasn’t doing much better.

However, he was their fearless leader. He was to be a pillar of stability among their group. A foundation that the others built upon. He didn’t want to reveal that beneath the surface of things, the foundation of their group was crumbling.

After an hour or so of mulling over potential responses to his friend’s questions, Ren finally just gave up and left the thieves on read. Better that than to possibly risk answering them in a way that caused them to worry more.

‘I don’t want to give the others any more reasons to worry about me.’

Ren was fine. At least, he told himself he was fine. This pain, the fear, was nothing he couldn’t bear. He had been bearing his burdens alone since arriving in Tokyo. This was just another weight that had been placed on his shoulders. A weight he felt he alone would need to carry. There would be no one to help him lighten the load, and he preferred it that way.

Before being arrested for helping that woman in his hometown, Ren would have been much more likely to seek some assistance, but now he knew the unfortunate truth. Just by answering someone’s call for help, one’s life could be ruined. The last thing he wanted was to ruin the lives of his friends and fellow thieves by calling out for help.

He wasn’t even truly sure what sort of help he would need in order to ask for it. After all, he was supposed to be a dead man. Dead people, as far as Ren knew, didn’t need help. Dead people also typically no longer had burdens to carry, but Ren failed to consider that.

‘It’ll heal on its own. I don’t need help. Right…?’

~~~

Wrong.

It was the next day when Iwai sent Ren another text, asking him if he wanted the airsoft shop owner to pick up anything from the local convenience store he was stopping by on the way to the cafe.

Ren took a moment to mull it over, turning over in his bed he had mostly been confined to for the past day or so thanks to his physical injuries.

Ren: 'I wouldn’t say no to some hard candies or candy sticks. It’s nice to have something sweet on hand.’

Ren responded after some thought. It was an occasional treat he liked to suck on after school. It wouldn’t hurt to have something sweet on hand lest this morning’s occurrence repeat itself.

After returning to his room after dinner the night before, Ren hadn’t really felt up to facing the stairs to and from his room in his current physical state, so he had neglected to go down to the cafe for breakfast. Luckily, or maybe unluckily for him, Futaba had noticed this and basically stormed into his room and forced a plate of Sojiro’s curry into his face, demanding he eat.

“You promised the doctor lady you would eat so you would get better.”

For a girl who had been a major shut-in until a few months ago, it was pretty ironic that she would be the one to come into his room and demand he eat and take care of himself. Still, Ren appreciated it, as this way he would still be doing as Dr. Takemi had asked while not needing to move excessively. He wasn’t sure he would survive taking the experimental medication she threatened him with should he refuse to eat. He hadn’t recovered enough of his guts for that.

Moving in his current state was painful because of his injuries, but that was beginning to be compounded with overall aches and soreness, making it all the harder to ignore. He wasn’t actually sure if moving around a bit in his current state would help the stiffness or make it worse. In the end, he decided resting was probably the best course of action for now.

An incoming text from Iwai interrupted his thoughts.

Iwai: 'Got it. On my way.’

Short and to the point. The corner of Ren’s mouth quirked up slightly. A very Iwai response. Still, Ren appreciated all of what the middle-aged shop owner was doing for him. For some reason it was easier for Ren to ask Iwai for help compared to his friends and family. Maybe it’s because Ren had done Iwai multiple favors, so it was easier to ask for things in return. Or maybe it was because Iwai was an older adult who, amidst all the ‘shitty adults’ as Ryuji liked to call them, had at least proven to be not as shitty.

Not feeling up to going down the steps to talk things over with the boss, Ren called Sojiro’s cell and let him know that Ren was expecting a guest, and gave his father figure a vague description of the man he was waiting for. Sojiro sounded concerned about the whole thing, but didn’t question Ren, and he promised he would direct the gentlemen in question to the attic.

Ren almost asked Mona to clear out, out of habit as he did so whenever he hung out with anyone, but Morgana was staying with Haru this week. Mona had insisted it was in order to give Ren some space and quiet to heal. Ren doubted that, but it worked out conveniently in this case.

~~

About maybe 15 or 20 minutes had passed since Iwai had last texted Ren, when the thief’s sensitive ears picked up the ringing of the bell that signaled someone’s arrival to the cafe below.

Ren made to get up to greet who he assumed was Iwai, when his body violently protested against that idea.

Ren let out an audible gasp as he collapsed back into his mattress, the intense pain taking him by surprise.

‘Fuck,’ he thought with a grimace as his body throbbed. He would have to make do with greeting Iwai from his bed. ‘How pathetic,’ is what Ren assumed Iwai would think. After all, he sure as hell did.

Ren paused as he heard a familiar deep voice through the thin insulation of his attic room. He had been right about it being Iwai. It sounded like Sojiro and Iwai were discussing something, but Ren couldn’t quite make out the words. He forced himself to sit up at the very least, even if he couldn’t quite stand just yet.

Not long after, heavy footfalls announced Iwai’s ascent up the stairs to Ren’s room. That was unlike the ex-yakuza, to walk loudly. Usually, Ren assumed by habit, the man walked around almost without sound. The thief could only speculate, but maybe Iwai was being loud for his sake? If so, that was super considerate of him. It was possible he was just overthinking things though.

As Iwai entered the attic space, Ren’s eyes met his. It had been a while since he had seen the slightly haggard airsoft shop owner. The man was his part time employer, that also just so happened to be his one-sided crush. Wanting to make a good impression, he tried his damndest to give Iwai a small smile.

In Ren’s personal opinion Iwai was quite a good-looking man, with strong, muscular shoulders and silver hair that matched his pepper-colored stubble. He also had light gray eyes that contrasted greatly with Ren’s slate gray ones. Ren was all too aware of his sexuality and his particular preference for men, but Iwai had been the first and only man thus far that Ren found himself attracted to who was older than he was. Though, his secret crush would likely be something that he took to his grave. Had the police had their way, he already would have.

Iwai’s eyes darted around the room before seemingly scanning and taking in the extent of damage Ren had sustained. Given the shock on the usually stoic shop owner’s face, it must have looked pretty bad.

When Iwai’s eyes met Ren’s once more, the thief found himself trying to convey all the words his mouth could not in his gaze. ‘Please, don’t hate me.’

To Ren’s surprise, Iwai gave no greeting as he entered the room, instead wordlessly approaching Ren with a grim look on his face. Ren watched in skittish anticipation as Iwai’s hand slowly approached his face, and the man finally spoke, his tone indicating well-hidden anger.

“Did the police do this?” Iwai asked him, but Ren failed to respond.

Though he rationally knew that Iwai wasn’t going to hurt him, he could only flinch when the older man’s hand gently touched his cheek. Without thinking, Ren slapped the hand that had reached out to him before hunching over and curling in on himself. Unfortunately, that aggravated his cracked ribs and he hissed in pain before repositioning himself. “Sorry,” he mumbled, feeling a bit dazed.

Iwai, to Ren’s relief, did not look offended. Instead the older man looked at Ren, as though seeking an answer.

‘That’s right… he asked a question,’ Ren realized before giving Iwai a small nod in response to his earlier inquiry.

With that response, Ren watched in fascination as Iwai’s expression turned to poorly hidden hate. The thief realized that seeing his own hate for the police mirrored in Iwai’s expression was surprisingly comforting, and he found himself opening up a bit.

A sardonic smile slipped onto Ren’s pale face. “To be fair, they were trying to kill me. I was in their way. So I made it out of there in better shape than they had planned,” Ren joked, though it lacked any sense of humor.

Iwai looked thoughtfully down at Ren before letting out a tense sigh, seemingly having decided what to say next. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re alive,” Iwai admitted, and it was Ren’s turn to be surprised. Here was the stoic airsoft shop owner and ex-yakuza, basically admitting he liked having Ren around.

Though, when Ren thought about it, it would be quite inconvenient for Iwai to lose his pawn this early in the game against his former brother turned enemy from his gangster days. Still, Iwai had admitted that to some extent, Iwai found value in Ren’s existence. That was enough for Ren in this moment, regardless of the reason why he was valued.

Externally, Ren snorted in amusement and managed to give the gunsmith his signature smirk. “I’ll probably feel more glad about being alive once I’ve healed a bit more. I’m not generally one to complain, but I hurt like a bitch,” Ren grumbled. ‘Understatement of the century.’ Still, for some reason, just talking to Iwai like this had Ren feeling a bit better than before.

“That so?” Iwai replied with a smirk of his own before handing Ren a plastic bag. To Ren’s delight he found not only the gauze but the candy he had asked for as well. He had grown to like sucking on hard candies in no small part due to how cool Iwai looked when doing it, even though the shop owner would insist he only did so to help himself stop smoking.

Iwai’s gruff voice once more called Ren’s mind back to the present. “Ya didn’t specify a brand, so I just picked up whatever,” Iwai explained, taking a seat on the wooden flooring beside Ren’s bed while Ren happily rummaged through the assortment of candies Iwai had grabbed for him.

After taking inventory of the various goods, Ren nodded in evident satisfaction. “These are good. Thanks. You paid for these, right?” Ren added on the last bit teasingly, curious to how his part time employer would respond to his provocation.

Iwai gave Ren a mock glare. “‘Course I did. I’m ex-yakuza, not some petty street thug. Too much effort and risk with too little pay off to bother stealing candy,” he reasoned, before opening a second plastic bag that Ren had just noticed. It appeared to contain the usual suckers Iwai was partial to. Ren watched in mild fascination as the older man pulled the wrapper off one of the candies and popped it into his mouth, the stick poking out at the side.

‘I know that wasn’t meant to be sexual, but damn,’ Ren thought to himself. If he wasn’t in so much pain, he would probably have a hard-on right about now. Luckily for him, or maybe unluckily, he was in a shit load of pain.

‘I wish that sucker were me right about now,’ Ren thought to himself before shaking his head, as though to clear it. ‘I need to stop thinking, damn it,’ Ren berated himself.

It had been awhile since he had been able to take care of himself in any sense sexually, but his lack of control over his thoughts was starting to bother him. The concussion probably wasn’t helping in this case either. Not to mention, Iwai had tried to touch him earlier and he had slapped the guy. He doubted he could handle something that intimately physical in his current state of mind.

Ren chuckled to himself out of guilt, feeling somewhat nervous, as though Iwai would somehow be able to discern his thoughts. Eventually, the thief found himself speaking, unable to handle the silence any longer. His eyes were fixed on the sucker being worked between Iwai’s lips, rather than the man’s face. “I just keep trying to picture you at the checkout counter with bags of candy. It’s hard to imagine. It doesn’t match your grizzled image,” he mused.

Iwai rolled his eyes, seemingly oblivious to Ren’s thoughts, to the thief’s great relief. “You of all people should know, looks can be deceiving,“ he grumbled, the stick of his sucker stick wagging as he spoke.

For some reason, the stick wiggling was equal parts amusing and arousing to Ren, and a small chuckle escaped him. However, his amusement died as pain took over his senses. With a pained wheeze, Ren landed onto his mattress face up. “Fucking cracked ribs,” he cursed towards the ceiling.

Ren turned to see Iwai grimacing in sympathy. That made the thief wonder idly if the ex-yakuza had ever experienced broken ribs. It wouldn’t be unexpected given his former career.

After a few moments of catching his breath and pained breathing, Ren decided it would be best to cut this visit short. He had spent long enough looking pathetic in front of a man he held a candle for. “All joking aside, I appreciate you going out of your way and delivering this stuff. How much do I owe ya?” the thief asked, blindly searching the bed around him for his wallet. ‘I’m sure I set it around here somewhere,’ Ren mused, only to call off his blind search at Iwai’s next words.

“Nothin’. Consider it payment in advance next time I ask you for a favor,” the airsoft shop owner said, not unkindly, as he got up off the floor and stood over Ren by the edge of his bed.

Ren felt his heart race despite himself at Iwai’s closeness, and grimaced. “It might be a bit till I can repay you then. I’ll come by your shop and help out as soon as things settle down a bit, though,” Ren offered, feeling a bit guilty that he couldn’t repay the man sooner.

Iwai just gave what Ren interpreted as a fond smirk, before shaking his head. “Take your time healing first. I’ll have more than enough work for you once you are fully recovered. Trust me. You will need to be in good condition. I don’t plan to go easy on you, part-timer.”

Ren swallowed heavily at the potential double meaning of those words. He knew Iwai didn’t mean anything sexual by it, but as worked up as Ren was in all regards, he found himself shuddering. Ren could feel himself blushing and decided he was sick of being the only one all flustered in this exchange. With that, the thief used his remaining confidence and summoned his inner Joker, giving the ex-yakuza his best flirty smirk. “Yessir, Iwai-san,” Ren replied, before adding a somewhat lazy salute. His voice was playful as he emphasized the honorific in a teasing manner.

The reaction Ren got from Iwai could only be described as delicious. First, Iwai had just stared at Ren’s cocky expression with disbelief before a flush of red lazily took over the older man’s cheeks, climbing to the tips of his ears. Clearly flustered, Iwai glared back at Ren in mock disapproval before chuckling in exasperation, and shaking his head. “You better, ya brat,” Iwai ordered before giving Ren a final smirk. “Anyway, see ya, kid. Rest well,” Iwai muttered, raising his hand in farewell before disappearing from the phantom thief’s view.

“Bye,” Ren called out into space, though he was unsure if Iwai heard his reply. As he lay there and listening to Iwai descend the stairs, his eyelids suddenly felt extremely heavy. It was like his body had decided to take direct orders from Iwai to rest. Ren hadn’t left the will to resist and soon found himself called into the space between dream and reality.

Chapter Text

~Ren~

When Ren opened his eyes the first time, he was back in his personal hell. A small concrete room, chained to a wooden chair. Needles from countless injections that had been forced into him lay scattered across the floor around him.

His apathetic tormenter entered the room, reading out his alleged crimes. The man spoke of justice, but there was no justice here.

As the man talked, Ren could only remain silent. What was the point? These people had already decided he was the criminal. No amount of talking would change their minds. If the plan went awry, this would be where he died. Or had he already died? Was this his punishment? Eternally damned to live this trauma again and again? Did he truly deserve this?

Clenching his eyes shut, he willed his pain to end. He didn’t care how.

“Not again. I can’t do this again,” he whimpered.

“Can’t do what again, inmate?!” the harsh voice of Caroline called to him. Or maybe it was Justine. In the moment he couldn’t care less which of the two attendants had spoken. The only thing he cared about was that he was no longer in the interrogation room. Now, instead, Ren opened his eyes for the second time, finding himself in his prison cell located in the velvet room.

“It appears you have been put through quite the harrowing ordeal, Trickster.” The long nosed master of the Velvet Room, Igor, spoke to him directly.

“Understatement of the fucking century,” Ren muttered bitterly.

Igor chuckled deeply, as Caroline used her baton to hit the bars of his cell. The loud noise caused Ren to jump, sending pain coursing through his body.

‘You know you are in bad shape when even your cognitive body hurts,’ he thought glumly to himself.

“Do not speak so disrespectfully to our master, inmate!” Caroline shouted angrily, seeming oblivious, or maybe apathetic, to Ren’s pain.

Justine sighed. “Though you have been through an intense trial, you must remember that you are in the presence of our master,” the other twin chided.

“A harrowing ordeal indeed… And yet you remain. You discovered who the true culprit was, and you survived. I’m thoroughly impressed,” Igor stated, though Ren couldn’t discern if that was sarcasm or not. It was hard to tell with the long-nosed man… thing. Honestly, Ren wasn’t even sure if the guy was even human.

“You won a large battle, but it seems you did not escape unscathed. The events that transpired have affected your cognitive world. Your shackles in this room had broken, and yet they have returned. Your progress towards your rehabilitation will likely remain in stasis until your mental state improves,” Igor explained.

Ren looked down to see that indeed, the shackles that had fallen away within this reflection of his mental world had now returned, weighing heavily on his wrists and ankles. He let out a defeated sigh. He was so tired. He just wanted to sleep and dream without the constant nightmares that had been plaguing his resting hours. He had been told it would take time to heal, but just how long would that be? Days? Months? Years?

“The bonds you have forged will be the key to your healing, inmate,” Caroline said, looking a bit dazed before she shook her head. “I don’t know how I know that, but I know it to be true,” she added, shrugging.

Ren gasped as the sound of an alarm blared, red lights shining overhead. He felt himself being drawn towards the waking world. He didn’t want to wake up.

‘Just a bit longer,’ he internally pleaded. He wasn’t ready to face the waking world once more.

“I’m sorry, but it is time, inmate.” Justine's voice echoed in Ren’s mind, as though having heard his silent plea.

When Ren opened his eyes for what felt like a third time, he found himself staring at the familiar ceiling above his bed in Leblanc’s attic. He was awake. Any doubt of that was driven out by the sharp pain he felt where his ribs were cracked just by trying to take a deep breath.

Feeling as though something was in his eyes, Ren rubbed them only to find his cheeks were wet. He must have been crying in his sleep.

Having cleared his vision, the next thing he noted was the concerned gaze of Morgana, who was perched beside him in the bed.

“Ren, you were thrashing and crying out in your sleep. I couldn’t even get you to wake up.”

It was strange. Even though Morgana was currently a cat, Ren could hear the shaking in Morgana’s tone. He must have really spooked the feline.

“Sorry,” Ren muttered, finding his throat was dry and voice raspy.

Morgana still looked slightly relieved. “I’m just glad you’re finally awake.”

Ren nodded, before trying to sit up in order to further reassure his furry friend that he was okay. (He wasn’t, but Morgana didn’t need to know that.) Unfortunately, he found it quite difficult to sit up properly with the pain and stiffness radiating through his body. He couldn’t hold back the pained groan that escaped him as he practically had to force himself into an awkward semi-sitting position.

“Damn it,” Ren cursed. He hated this. He hated that once again he was appearing pathetically weak in front of one of his teammates.

Meeting Morgana’s blue eyes once more, Ren cringed at the pity he saw there. He wasn’t supposed to be pitied. He was their leader. He was supposed to be the binding strength of the Phantom Thieves. Pity was for the weak.

Being caught in his weakness, seen crying in his sleep, felt far too vulnerable for Ren. He wished Morgana could just forget about everything he likely saw as Ren slept. But, knowing the kind of person- er, cat thing, that Morgana was, he wouldn’t forget.

All of this pain, fear, and suffering, that was all Ren’s problem. The last thing he wanted was to get any of his friends involved in his personal troubles. He couldn’t risk them losing everything. He wouldn’t. Not for him. He would be a failure of a leader if he let his friends fall because they tried to help him. He was supposed to help. Not be helped.

And yet…

“The bonds you have forged will be the key to your healing, inmate.” 

The words Caroline had uttered echoed in his mind.

Strangely enough, Morgana’s next words suggested the same. “Ren, it’s getting worse… Maybe you should talk to someone? I’m here for you, and I know any of the others would say the same,” his companion claimed confidently.

“I’m fine, really, Mona, don’t worry about me,” Ren insisted.

Morgana looked doubtful, but Ren was grateful that the cat didn’t continue to press the issue.

“If you say so, Ren. Anyway, Boss made curry. You should probably go down and get your share before Futaba comes up here and tries to force feed you again.”

Morgana had a point. Futaba had been very persistent about making sure Ren was eating properly. Also, if he was going to keep insisting to people he was fine, it would probably be a good idea to act the part.

With that thought, Ren somehow willed himself out of bed and to his feet. Everything hurt, but being able to stand for any length of time now, compared to when he had first been injured, proved that at least physically he was healing.

He just hoped that soon, the mental scars would follow suit. After all, they say time heals all wounds.

‘But when will that be?’

Chapter Text

~Ren~ 

Today Ren had his health check-in with Dr. Takemi at her clinic. It felt weird, stepping outside the cafe again to walk himself to the local clinic. It was the first time in a week and a half that he had left the cafe. Knowing his school uniform was a no-go as someone who was supposed to be long dead couldn’t risk being recognized among the living, he instead dressed in a slightly worn pair of blue jeans, and a white T-shirt. He didn’t have many sets of casual clothing, so this would have to do. He also donned his favorite black hoodie that Ryuji had gifted him, and was careful to pull the hood up so that it properly concealed his face.

Upon arriving at the clinic, Dr. Takemi wasted no time having Ren immediately up on the examination table and bombarding him with seemingly obvious questions. 

“What day is today?” was the first thing she asked.

Ren gave her a bit of a baffled look, but answered anyway. “November 30th, a Wednesday.” ‘Only 18 more days until election day… We haven’t even started exploring  Shido’s palace…’

“What year is it?” she continued. 

“2016.” Again, another simple enough question for Ren to answer. 

“What is your name?” Takemi asked, and Ren was now curious as to what the point of this little exercise was. So far, it just felt like a waste of time. Time was something that he never felt he had enough of.

“My name? Ren Amamiya.” ‘Or Joker, if you know me well enough.’ 

Next, Takemi ordered him to perform various functions. “Count backwards from 100,” she stated.

Not having expected that, it took Ren a moment to process her request, but once it clicked he was able to fulfill her demand competently enough. “100… 99… 98… 97… 96… 95…” Ren counted down aloud, while thinking to himself, ‘Why am I doing this again?’  

After Ren finished counting, Dr. Takemi nodded, looking satisfied, and scribbled something on her clipboard. “Alright. Next, I want you to follow my finger as I move it, with only your eyes.”

Ren did just as was requested of him, only to be startled by a sudden stinging sensation on the tip of his nose. The sudden sensation of contact caused Ren to visibly startle, and he flinched. 

Takemi had teasingly flicked his nose and chuckled at Ren’s wide-eyed and baffled expression. 

Realizing what had happened, Ren’s shocked expression shifted to one of annoyance, as he snapped at the lady doctor. “What the hell, Takemi!”

Ren’s annoyed pout only seemed to amuse Takemi further, as she snickered at his expense. “Sorry, you’re just so easy to mess with, my little guinea pig,” she said with an almost sisterly affection.

‘Yeah, tease the concussed teen, because I’m sure that is ethical,’ Ren thought to himself grumpily. She had caught him off guard, and he hated how his body seemed to seize in fear at that realization.

Takemi looked over some notes on her clipboard, nodding absently before setting the board down entirely on the counter she was against. “Still, compared to your last check-in, the results are promising. That and your pupils are dilating properly now,” she mused.

The last check in had been directly after Sae had rescued him from the interrogation room, so he could have probably figured that out on his own. ‘Well, at least I got some good news.’ 

Apparently though, Tae was far from finished with her questioning. Ren knew he shouldn’t blame her for doing her job, he just felt like he should be doing something productive after being put out of commission for so long. He logically understood that he needed Takemi’s clearance before he could start getting shit done, but just sitting there was agonizing. 

“Any headaches, nausea or vomiting, or changes in sleep?” Takemi inquired, and Ren let out a small sigh.

“Headaches, yes, stomach issues, no, changes in sleep, mostly insomnia,” Ren stated in a detached tone. His little excursion to the Velvet Room earlier in the week did not help his restlessness when trying to sleep.

“Well that won’t do. You should know that you need to sleep properly to heal properly.” 

‘Tell that to the wardens, I’m sure they would gladly listen,’ Ren thought sarcastically but kept the comment to himself. Instead he sighed. “It’s not from a lack of effort,” Ren muttered.

Takemi picked up her clipboard once more and noted something else before setting it down again. She frowned for a moment thoughtfully, before letting out a sigh and meeting Ren’s worn gaze. 

“Though it’s not part of our agreement for your 'study' medication purposes, I’m going to prescribe you some sleeping pills. I’m not a big fan of doing so generally, but in your current state, I think it's warranted. I’ll let you decide whether or not to take them, however, I can’t in good faith give you a health clearance until you have at least a single decent night's rest,” Takemi said finally.

Ren was a bit disappointed, but he knew better than to argue with Takemi’s decision, as she was doing what she felt was best for him. 

Ren noticed then that Takemi was still intently staring at him. “Is there something else?” he ended up blurting out after a period of awkward silence.

The doctor sighed. “It's just, It seems your physical health isn’t the only thing you are struggling with. I’m a bit worried,” she admitted. 

Ren froze. He had hoped that Tae wouldn’t have noticed his little episode earlier, but he supposed that, as a doctor, being observant was sort of a requirement for her job. Still, it was uncomfortable to feel so transparent.

“It’s fine, I’m sure I’ll get over it,” Ren said dismissively, not meeting her gaze, but Dr. Takemi just shook her head.

“I’m no psychologist, but mental health is closely tied to your physical health, so I know a bit about the topic. Given what I was informed about your situation, it isn’t all that surprising that you seem to be exhibiting symptoms of PTSD,” she mused thoughtfully. 

Ren failed to meet her gaze, staring at a particularly interesting spot on the floor. He had an inkling that might be the case, but it was still hard to hear. He had done a bit of research on the matter while he was stuck in bed, however, there was very little in terms of quick solutions to the problem. Aside from therapy, the only known thing to really “cure” PTSD was time. Time being the one resource he severely lacked.

“Usually, I would encourage you to see a counselor or therapist, however, I understand that given the circumstances that likely isn’t an option,” Tae mused.

Ren still didn’t meet her gaze but nodded to confirm that she was correct. Ren had been talking to a counselor at the school, that being Dr. Maruki, but that avenue was no longer open to him. 

“Pretty pathetic, isn’t it?” Ren said, pain evident in his tone as he self-deprecated.

Tae shook her head, before purposely getting up and sitting beside Ren on the exam table. She was considerate enough to leave enough space between them that they wouldn’t be touching.

“There are a lot of words I could use to describe you, my little guinea pig, but pathetic, is not one of them,” she said earnestly. “I still don’t know how you did what you did, but I know you have saved countless people with your strength. It’s thanks to you that I'm still even able to practice medicine, and that Miwa-chan is doing well under my care. Someone who does so much for others, even with mountains of their own problems, is hardly someone I would classify as pathetic. That is, in my professional opinion.”

Ren looked up to see Dr. Takemi’s kind gaze as she added the last bit with a playful smile. ‘Looking at her eyes, I can tell, she’s not just saying this out of pity. She means it,’ Ren realized.

Dr. Takemi then gave Ren a gentle smile. “I know I’ve said it before, but, thank you, Ren,” she said, her tone seeped in gratitude.

He needed to convey just how much her words meant to him, but his own words failed him. In that case, he had an idea of how to show her. He could do this. With shaking breath and racing heart, Ren threw himself forward and embraced Dr. Takemi.

Although startled at first, the doctor quickly composed herself and returned her little guinea pig’s insecure embrace. “You’re shaking so much, don’t force yourself now,” she whispered to him, but Ren stubbornly shook his head as he rested it on her shoulder.

For a moment all Ren could think about was the intense feeling of needing to flee. To let go, to run away, to escape. But, after taking a deep breath, he noticed something else. The person he embraced, and who returned it, was warm. 

Unlike the interrogation room, where everything was frigid, aside from the warm blood that oozed from his wounds, Takemi’s embrace was warm. Truly, for the first time since the interrogation, Ren felt safe. The sudden sense of relief that flooded him was not the only thing to flood as Ren blinked back tears.

His throat felt tight, but he pushed to speak all the same. “Sorry about this, and… thank you,” he choked out.

Takemi chuckled kindly, one of her small hands gently stroking his back in soothing circles. “It’s a little unorthodox, but I'm happy I could help,” she said in understanding.

Ren had no idea how long he sat cradled in Tae’s arms, but, gradually, the pounding in his chest and trembles faded, as did his consciousness.

~Takemi~

At some point, the shivering boy wrapped in her arms slowly grew heavier in her embrace as his breathing evened out. 

It had been more than a little surprising when Ren had suddenly embraced her, but upon realizing his intentions, she was happy to reciprocate. He was trying to overcome his fear by being the one to initiate contact. It was just like him to dive head first into something that terrified him. He would have never become her guinea pig to begin with had that not been the case. Still, it was interesting that he essentially just initiated an exposure therapy session. Still, she couldn’t argue with results as the boy, who had been wound up like a spring, looking like he would snap at any moment, was now pliant in her embrace. 

Knowing this was the first time he had probably slept in quite some time, she felt bad, but she had another patient that would be arriving soon. Careful to jostle her guinea pig as little as possible, Tae managed to detangle herself from him. Ren was quick to then curl up on himself much like a cat in his sleep as he continued to sleep on the exam table. 

Dr. Takemi chuckled to herself. She never thought she would see the day where Ren of all people would act so damn adorably. Quietly opening a cabinet in the room, Tae retrieved a clean blanket and draped it over Ren’s sleeping form. 

‘Rest now while you can, my little guinea pig.’  

Chapter Text

~Ren~

Two and a half weeks had passed for Ren since the interrogation incident, and his physical injuries had healed enough that Ren was finally given permission by Dr. Takemi to resume daily activities, so long as he didn’t overexert himself.

The other phantom thieves had wanted to throw a party to celebrate, but Ren had declined their kind offer, stating that they would have plenty of time to celebrate after defeating Shido. He didn’t really have the heart to tell them the real reason, which was that he hardly felt as though he had recovered. Not mentally, anyway.

Instead, he asked if they could meet to discuss phantom thief business. Thanks to the amount of time it had taken his injuries to heal, the thieves had really yet to explore Shido’s palace. Not to mention, Mementos quests had been piling up for a bit as well.

Besides his brief involuntary excursion to the Velvet Room, Ren hadn’t interacted with the metaverse since the interrogation incident. He felt he needed to get back out into the field, and accomplish, well, something. Though Shido’s palace seemed like too much to take on at the moment, Ren was fairly confident that even he could handle a few of the Mementos quests he had been neglecting.

Speaking of the meeting, it was almost time for the others to arrive. Their hideout for the time being was still his room in the cafe attic. Checking his IM’s, he could see the group chat was buzzing. Morgana, who was sitting beside him on the bed, curiously stared at the chat.

Ryuji: Just got off the train, be there in a second. I also found some weird snacks that I am bringing over for us all to try.

Yusuke: Strange snacks you say? In what way?

Ryuji: Well, there was a huge sale at the convenience store with all sorts of weird and experimental flavored chips, jerky, and ramen, so I bought them.

Makoto: You really shouldn’t be wasting your allowance on stuff like that.

Ryuji: Yes, mom. :/

Futaba: Did someone say Ramen?

“Of course the mention of ramen is what catches Futaba’s attention,” Morgana mewed with amused exasperation.

Ren flinched a bit, having forgotten that the cat had been beside him, but quickly forced himself to relax, before responding on his furry friend’s behalf.

Ren: Morgana is disgusted by your ramen addiction.

Futaba: What’s that, kitty? You don’t want any of the sushi I acquired and planned to bring? A shame. Guess the rest of us will have to eat it. :p

“I mean, I am! But I didn’t say that!” Morgana balked before trying to steal Ren’s phone to type his own message. Unfortunately, having no opposable thumbs made that a bit difficult.

Ren: Jwoskdhwjsud?!..’b

Ren managed to repossess his phone, and gave Morgana the annoyed side-eye before returning his attention to the conversation.

Makoto: I’m assuming Morgana’s attempt at texting again?

Ren: Astute as always, Makoto.

Ann: Ryuji is bringing some weird shit, and Futaba is bringing sushi. Anyone wanna pitch in and grab some sweets?

Speaking of sweets, Ren glanced over to the bag of them that Iwai had been kind enough to bring over. He had gone through a good amount, but there were still plenty left.

Ren: I have some candies over here I can put out if you want some.

Ann: Perfect! I’ll pick up a special from the underground mall then and be there in a flash! :D

Haru: Um, I can bring some vegetables I’ve been growing that Boss is welcome to use at his convenience. If it isn’t too much trouble.

Ren: Sure, thanks Haru.

Haru: Of course… :)

“I thought you said this wasn’t a party?!” Morgana said in surprise. Ren shook his head. “It’s not supposed to be, but let them do what they want. It’s just food,” Ren said, and Morgana relaxed a bit.

“Well, as long as you’re okay with it,” Morgana said before stretching and lying down beside him.

‘I should be okay…’

~~~

Well, for the most part, he was. To his pleasant surprise. Sojiro had kindly closed the cafe early, leaving the thieves to themselves for their first meeting in quite some time. Aside from Ren and Morgana, who lived in their hideout above the café, the first to arrive was Ryuji, unsurprisingly considering he had already purchased his snacks and was en-route when he last texted in the group chat. His bright-haired friend with an even brighter personality quickly made himself at home lounging on Ren’s couch, much to Morgana’s annoyance and Ren’s amusement.

“Glad to see you looking better, Leader. Those assholes really roughed you up,” Ryuji had said with a sympathetic grin before anyone else had arrived, gently patting him on the shoulder. Ren had stiffened a bit at his friend’s touch, but managed to keep himself together. Still, he could feel himself trembling slightly as he gave Ryuji a half smile.

Ryuji then sighed dramatically. “Seriously though, I’m glad you avoided any serious long term injuries. You had us really worried there for a bit,” he said with a small frown, glancing at his own permanently damaged leg before looking back to his buddy.

“Sorry about that,” Ren said softly, and Ryuji shook his head.

“You're not the one that needs to apologize, It's the shitty adults that did this to you that are going to be sorry,” Ryuji said with a determined look in his eyes.

‘That’s right. That determination is what started this all,’ Ren thought nostalgically, giving Ryuji an equally determined nod. Though he couldn’t see it himself, the glint of resolve that had carried him thus far shimmered in his gaze in that moment.

It quickly disappeared though, as the next thief arrived. Futaba was the next to poke her head above Ren’s banister with an enthusiastic wave. “Hey, Ren! Oh- Ryuji’s here too.” She quickly scurried in and placed the sushi she had said she would bring on the table, next to the bowl of candies Ren had placed prior to the arrival of his friends, before quickly spinning on her heel to stand beside and loom over Ryuji. “Where is the weird ramen you mentioned?!” she interrogated, and Ryuji quickly shoved the convenience store bag in front of him as if trying to repel a demon with religious iconography.

To be fair, Futaba was comparable to a demon when hungry. It was why Ren always stashed some instant ramen in one of the boxes in his room. He idly noted he would need to refill that stash soon. Not being able to go out the last three weeks or so had cut into his supply, since Futaba would constantly come to check on him, get hungry, and then eat from the rations box. If he had been smart, he could have asked Iwai to pick some up when he came over that one time, but his mind had been otherwise occupied. Mostly by Iwai.

Futaba’s excited voice snapped him from his thoughts. “OOOOO, NICE GOING, RYUJI! You scored quite the fine selection of curios! Now, which to eat first…” Futaba mumbled the last part as she held up two packages of weirdly flavored instant ramen and kept looking between them.

Ren snickered and shook his head in fond exasperation at Futaba’s antics. Including himself and Morgana, only four of the thieves were here and already things were getting lively. Morgana jumped up onto the table, quickly sniffing over the sushi to inspect what the finest pieces might be to claim for himself. Ryuji told Morgana not to drool all over the sushi, which led to the two of them bickering.

Next to arrive was Yusuke, who greeted Ren and the others politely before instantly being drawn to the strange ramen collection as well. Unlike Futaba, who was debating which she wanted to eat first, Yusuke marveled at the packaging. Upon seeing some spicy lobster-flavored ramen with two lobsters dueling on the front, he gasped. His eyes sparkled.

“This artwork on the packaging is absolutely genius. I feel as though I might be able to draw at least three inspired works from this,” he said boldly as he waved it around, before looking to Ren. “Sorry, Leader, I really must at least outline these ideas before they vanish; do you have a pencil and some paper so that I may at least make a rough sketch?” the artist begged with an almost puppy-like expression.

Maybe Okami as a code name would have fit better than Fox for him, but that thought aside, Ren nodded and rummaged through his supplies on his desk before handing Yusuke the requested tools. As he did so, his hands accidentally brushed against Yusuke’s cooler ones, and he froze unnaturally for a moment.

“Thank you, you have done me as well as the entire art world a great service on this day,” Yusuke said dramatically, not seeming to have noticed Ren’s momentary panic. Ren sweat-dropped, but still said that Yusuke was very welcome with a troubled smile.

Next to show up was Ann, and a sweet appetizing scent followed her as she entered the room.

When she arrived, Morgana was the one to greet her excitedly. “Lady Ann! You’re here!” he said with little hearts in his eyes and his tail swishing excitedly from his place on the table.

Meanwhile Futaba was sitting on the edge of Ren’s bed, still looking between the two ramen packages, muttering to herself. Yusuke was sitting on the floor, leaning against the couch with the lobster ramen package laying next to him while he sketched furiously, and Ryuji just waved to Ann from his spot on the couch. Ren gave her an awkward smile and a wave as he leaned against a nearby wall.

Ann set her bag of what Ren assumed was sweets in the middle of the table, effectively ignoring Morgana’s greeting entirely as she walked straight towards Ren. She looked him up and down as though checking him out, though he was fairly sure she was just checking for injuries. Last he had seen Ann in person, he had been pretty beat up.

She lifted her hand to his face, gently tracing her thumb under his previously black eye. Ren had to will himself not to tense up, but his breathing still came out a bit more shaken than he would have liked. Still, he felt notably less scared at her touch compared to when Ryuji or Yusuke had touched him earlier.

“I’m glad to see it healed properly. I know I’m the model, but it would have been a shame if something happened to that ruggedly handsome face of yours, Leader,” she said, playfully patting his cheek.

Morgana looked devastated, as though Ren had just stolen his wife, but for once he didn’t voice how jealous he clearly was about Lady Ann giving Ren attention.

She then walked back towards the couch, gesturing for Ryuji to scoot over. As soon as the blonde did so, Ann plopped onto the sofa next to him. “Well, I know this isn’t technically a celebration, but it isn’t a real gathering without cake, so I got us one!” she announced proudly before revealing a colorful round cake.

Ryuji seemed excited if the slight amount of drool shining at the corner of his mouth was any indication, as the sweet smell of the baked confection filled the room.

Futaba looked up and quickly told Ann to save some for her for later, as she was currently making some very important dinner decisions. Ann didn’t bother to ask the ginger-haired girl to elaborate.

However, Yusuke looked up at Ann, who was sitting slightly above him as he leaned against the couch arm, and smiled excitedly. “I think I’ve gotten to a good enough stopping point in my drawing to partake in some sweets now,” he said before turning to Ryuji and holding up the lobster ramen. “I can take this with me to my dorms, yes?” he asked pleadingly.

Ryuji shrugged a bit, weirded out, but smiled. “Uh, sure, man. Go for it.”

Yusuke looked overjoyed at that, before quickly shifting gears and offering to grab some plates and an implement to cut the cake from the kitchen downstairs. Likely because he wanted some for himself, but it was kind of him to get dishes for the other thieves as well.

As Yusuke arrived back upstairs with a knife in hand, Makoto and Haru had apparently arrived, and were following behind him. Makoto had paper plates in hand, while Haru held disposable cups and utensils in hers.

Makoto looked over all those present and sighed. “We figured you all would bring food without any disposable utensils, so we decided to pick some up on the way here,” she explained, before looking suspiciously at Yusuke who was just standing there holding a knife.

Haru smiled and nodded, her hair bouncing cutely as she did. “Mako-chan really has the best ideas,” she praised her friend, who was not so subtly trying to get the knife away from Yusuke. Makoto looked very much like a mother telling her child to hand over the knife at that moment.

“Also, if you could, let Boss know I put the vegetables in the fridge. Let me know how they taste!” Haru continued obliviously, as she cheerfully grabbed Ren’s hands on her own.

He tensed a bit but felt the fear fade fairly quickly. It was odd, but despite still tensing up a lot with Haru and Ann’s touches, the fear reaction still wasn’t as intense as when Ryuji had patted him on the shoulder, or when he had brushed hands with Yusuke.

~~~~

When everyone was settled and everything was finally set out, the table was filled with paper plates, utensils, a cut cake (courtesy of Makoto because although Yusuke was good with swords, his knife skills were comically bad), convenience store sushi, and whatever the hell creations Ryuji had brought.

Everyone laughed and had a merry time. Despite his miniature internal freak-outs now and then (mostly due to accidental touches), Ren for the most part really enjoyed spending time with his friends again. However, as the leader of the phantom thieves, he also knew they needed to wrap up the social portion soon to get to the reason the meeting was called to begin with.

Clearing his throat, the chatter of his friends fell silent as he felt all their attention land on him. “Due to my injuries, we have been unable to explore Shido’s palace as of yet. I apologize for that.”

There were some murmurs of “Don’t apologize,” and “Not your fault,” but Ren decided to push on with what he had to say rather than acknowledge the mutterings.

“However, I suggest before we start that palace, we finish any outstanding Mementos quests. Any objections?” he asked.

The thieves all collectively shook their heads, as though to say there was no disagreement.

“Good. Let’s get started then,” Ren said, the confidence in his voice being, for the first time in a while, something more than bravado.

Chapter Text

~Ren~

Donning the black hoodie he received from Ryuji and a pair of fashionably ripped jeans, Ren left Leblanc and headed to the station for the first time since the incident. He had walked around Yongen-Jaya a few times without any trouble, but taking a train and actually going out to Shibuya was a much more difficult beast to tackle. He wondered if this was how Futaba had felt, leaving her room the first few times after graduating from being a full-time shut-in.

After planning their next course of action as a team yesterday, the Phantom Thieves had unanimously decided that they would go to Mementos and finish up any outstanding requests before tackling Shido’s palace. Ren appreciated the opportunity for a practice run, so to speak. He hadn’t interacted with the metaverse aside from the brief excursion to the Velvet Room since the interrogation.

At the meeting, as the leader, Ren had been placed in charge of gathering all the armor, weapons, and supplies they would be needing for their upcoming Mementos trip. So, here he was, on his way to the train station, his every step feeling as though he was wading through quicksand.

His heart was racing a mile a minute, and he felt incredibly anxious. The television for the most part had moved on from broadcasting his mugshot as the phantom thief leader after his supposed “death” and he had his hood covering his face, but he was still worried someone would recognize him.

As he internally imploded with anxious thoughts, he was brought out of his own head by the sound of a familiar voice of a friend. “You’ll be fine! You have me on your side!” Ren looked to his bag to see Morgana’s little kitty head poking out of the top.

Ren gave him a nod in acknowledgement, and a small smile. Morgana had been worried about Ren’s first venture out into the world again, and insisted on tagging along. That had been a huge relief, as Ren really didn’t want to be alone, but he was unable to work up the nerve to ask one of the other thieves to tag along with him. They didn’t need to see their leader cowering as he was now.

To Ren’s great relief, the train to Shibuya wasn’t all that crowded, so he had managed to ride without touching anyone else. Most of his walk through Shibuya was also uneventful. He had actually just been about to turn down the alley that led to Untouchable when things went awry. Just as he rounded the corner, Ren collided face first into the burly chest of a patrolling police officer.

~Iwai~

It was just another boring day running Untouchable. He hadn’t heard anything from the kid since his delivery run, so he assumed he was still recovering. Shame, because having his part-timer around usually made work go by quicker and, as it stood, business had come to a crawl. The door had been slightly propped open to let the cool fall air in, and a small gust whipped through the store, sending a few small items flying. With a sigh. Iwai rounded the counter to pick up the fallen merchandise when his gaze met that of a tuxedo cat.

‘When did a cat get in here?’ Iwai wondered. What a stealthy little creature. It let out a pitiful meow, breathing heavily, as though it had just sprinted a mile. Its blue eyes shone with black pupils dilated in fear. Now that Iwai got a better look at the thing, he realized it looked familiar. Where had he seen it before?

It dawned on him. This was the cat the kid would usually carry around in his tote bag. Iwai had noticed him doing that since Ren first started working with him, but the cat was well behaved and kept quiet for the most part so he never paid it much of a thought.

However, seeing the cat as it was now, looking terrified, meowing up a storm, circling Iwai’s legs and sans Ren, had alarm bells going off in Iwai’s mind.

“Where’s the kid?” Iwai asked the cat, as if it could possibly understand him. But, strangely enough, it meowed back to him as if replying, turning to face the door. Its tail flicked towards Iwai as if to say, 'Come on! Follow me!'

So follow Iwai did. Stepping outside, not even bothering to lock the shop door, he walked quickly after the cat. It stayed a few paces ahead of him, looking over its shoulder as if to make sure Iwai was still following.

The cat had led him all the way to the end of the alleyway that led back out onto the streets of Shibuya when he heard a familiar voice call out. It was the kid’s voice.

“Stop! Let go of me!” Ren shrieked, as one of the police officers had grabbed onto his wrist. His voice shook with terror.

“Calm down, kid, you’re acting strangely. You didn’t take any weird drugs, did you?” a second officer accused Ren as he struggled helplessly against the hold of the first. Ren was clearly too worked up to bother dignifying that accusation with a response.

Iwai had never seen Ren so terrified. Usually, the kid was cocky, arrogant, and sarcastic. He had enough guts to confront Iwai, and had the audacity to make a deal with an ex-yakuza. Ren wasn’t the type of guy to let his weaknesses show, so to see him now, so very afraid, concerned Iwai greatly.

He hated sticking his neck out for other people, but, before he could consider the possible ramifications of his actions, he felt his body move on its own. Iwai stepped between the officers and Ren, his sudden appearance surprising the first officer enough to let go of the kid.

“Apologies, officers. The kid is with me. He’s a visiting relative and he’s not from these parts, so he’s a little awkward,” Iwai blurted out the first thing that came to his mind. He could sense that Ren had taken to hiding behind Iwai, using the older man’s back to obscure himself from the view of the officers.

The first officer took a step back, fixing Iwai with a suspicious look.

“And you are…?” The second police asked, also having taken a step back.

“Munehisa Iwai,” he said, before giving a sigh. “The kid was probably on his way to my shop for his shift when he bumped into you.“

The first officer tilted his head to the side. “Shop?”

Iwai pointed down the alleyway. “I own Untouchable, a military shop just down this alley,” Iwai said, explaining as little as possible.

Both the officers looked warily at him, one whispering to the other something about a failed bust. These guys must have known that one officer who had tried to raid his shop back when he had first met Ren.

“If you’ll excuse us, we still have inventory to take, so we will be going now.” Iwai reached back, grabbing the kid’s wrist in a gentle hold. He could feel Ren flinching in panic, but he would need the kid to grit his teeth and bear it for a moment so Iwai could maneuver them both out of this situation.

“Very well. Carry on,” the first officer eventually yielded, not having any real excuse to keep them any longer.

Iwai used his hold on Ren to quickly lead the kid away from the cops. He was relieved that it only took the equivalent of a nudge to get the kid to follow his lead. He hated the idea of potentially scaring Ren more than he already had. Ren’s cat companion was quick to follow after them.

As they all made it back into the relative safety of Iwai’s shop, he released his grip on Ren, before turning and flipping the shop sign to closed.

“I prolly already know the answer, but are you alright?” Iwai asked, turning back to face Ren.

The kid looked haunted. Shell-shocked. His breathing was faint and uneven, and his entire frame was shaking. This wasn’t the first time Iwai had seen people like this. Plenty of his brothers in the gang had suffered from some form of undiagnosed trauma disorder. That was to be expected, given the dangers they were often subjected to as yakuza.

Now however, it bothered him greatly to see the kid, who was usually so full of life, with that same empty and blank stare of disassociation.

“Kid?” Iwai called out again, trying his best to call Ren back to focus. He needed to be careful. Last time he had tried to engage someone in a similar state to the one Ren was in now, he had very nearly gotten himself stabbed. Iwai doubted Ren would be quite as reactionary as that, but it was better to be cautious than sorry.

Also, if Ren freaked out with all the equipment and goods currently set out around him, there was a good chance the kid could accidentally hurt himself. Best to avoid that outcome as well.

‘I need to ground him…’ As Iwai was trying to figure out how he wanted to approach this, Ren’s cat jumped up onto the glass display counter and meowed. Seemed the cat was worried too.

After a few moments of silent thought, Iwai had an idea. Reaching over the counter, he pulled a wrapped sucker from a bag he had sitting open beside his computer. He then stepped into Ren’s line of sight. The kid’s eyes remained unfocused, looking as though he were looking through Iwai, rather than at him. Crouching down, Iwai put himself at eye level with Ren.

“You’re safe here, kid. No one is going to hurt you,” Iwai spoke assuredly. “Can you hear me?”

Ren’s eyes didn’t focus but he still turned to face Iwai’s general direction and nodded.

“Good boy,” Iwai said, his voice sounding strangely gentle even to his own ears. He then took the sucker he had grabbed earlier, and unwrapped it. Lifting the candy, he gently placed it against Ren’s lips. “Open up,” he requested, and Ren did.

As soon as Iwai had managed to place the candy in Ren’s mouth, he saw Ren’s eyes suddenly focus again as he closed his mouth around the sweet. ‘Good.’ Still, he knew the kid wasn’t in the clear quite yet.

“Focus on the taste. What flavor is it?” Iwai asked now that he had Ren’s attention.

Ren closed his eyes, seeming to swirl the candy in his mouth a moment. The white stick poking out between his lips moved slightly. He heard the kid inhale deeply, before his dark eyes opened once more, meeting Iwai’s gaze. “It’s strawberry,” he answered quietly.

Iwai gave him a relieved smile. “Welcome back, kid,” Iwai said kindly, and Ren gave him a small smile of his own.

“Thanks,” he replied. He then slowly knelt on the floor, and took Iwai by surprise, reaching out and grabbing Iwai’s hand in both of his hands, holding onto it tightly.

Unlike before, when Iwai had initiated the touch, Ren didn’t flinch this time, or tremble. In fact, holding onto Iwai’s hand, Ren looked the most relaxed Iwai had ever seen him. Iwai continued to let the kid hold his hand in silence, and slowly yet surely he felt warmth returning to Ren’s.

~Ren~

It was dark. Voices were screaming at him to confess. Metal cuffs weighed around his wrists as it cut into his skin. Where was he? How long had he been there?

It hurt, it was hard to breathe. Each breath was painful.

He needed to flee, but how? And where? Someone grabbed his wrist.

“Let me go!” he wanted to scream, but his throat remained closed.

‘No… No… No…!’

Not again! Would the nightmare continue like this? Eternal torment? Was this what he deserved, standing for what he felt was right? He felt his body being moved across space, and he floated along.

Amidst his panic, he shook. He felt cold. So cold.

“…are you alright?”

Suddenly, there was a voice. This one, unlike the harsh voices of the interrogators, was gentle. It was a man’s voice. One he recognized. ‘Iwai-san….?’

“Kid?” the voice called out to him again.

Where was it coming from? All Ren could see was darkness.

“Ren!” another familiar voice cried out.

‘That’s Morgana…’ Ren realized. ‘But where are they?’

He blinked, and light started to seep into his vision. It was blurry, but bright.

“You’re safe here, kid. No one is going to hurt you,” Iwai said, his voice sounding so very reassuring.

‘I’m… safe?’ Was that true? Ren desperately hoped so.

“Can you hear me?”

Ren turned in the general direction the voice was coming from. He still couldn’t see properly, it was still blurry. He wanted to say yes. But his throat felt too tight to speak. Instead he gave a small nod.

The gentle response of “Good boy,” was unexpected. Even more unexpected was how gentle Iwai’s voice was, but it set Ren at ease. Then he felt something lightly touch his lips.

“Open up,” Iwai’s voice prompted.

He opened his mouth obediently. ‘Wait…’ Ren closed lips around what Iwai had slipped into his mouth, and was surprised by how sweet it was. ‘Candy…?’ Ren thought idly.

Ren blinked a few times and his vision grew clearer. He recognized where he was. He was inside of Untouchable. So he had made it to his destination, but what happened between the station and here?

Before his thoughts could wander any further, Ren’s eyes focused on Iwai, who he found was crouched in front of him, speaking to him in a soft and low tone. His eyes held a tenderness and a concern that Ren never could have imagined he would see from the ex-mobster.

“Focus on the taste. What flavor is it?” Iwai asked, and Ren had to close his eyes to block out the sudden onslaught of sensory information in order to focus on the flavor of the candy in his mouth.

Breathing in, Ren rolled the candy around in his mouth, focusing his full attention on identifying the flavor of the sucker. It took a few moments, but eventually Ren found his answer.

“It’s strawberry,” he answered quietly, relieved to find his voice working again.

Iwai gave him a relieved smile. “Welcome back, kid,” Iwai said kindly, and Ren gave him a small smile of his own.

“Thanks,” Ren replied. He wasn’t sure how Iwai had done it, but thanks to him, Ren managed to escape the nightmare state he had been in.

The sudden wave of relief to wash over Ren was intense, and he knelt on the floor. He was suddenly overcome by a maelstrom of emotions. Embarrassment, gratitude, self-loathing, and more swirled around inside of him and threatened to take over. It was then Ren’s gaze landed on Iwai’s hand, resting at his side.

Maybe if he had something to hold on to, he wouldn’t get swept away. It was that thought that prompted Ren to grab Iwai’s hand.

For some reason, unlike before, he wasn’t afraid. No. If anything, the warmth of Iwai’s hand in his was comforting. Just that small amount of contact, and Ren could feel Iwai’s warmth seeping into him. He realized that the numbing cold feeling he had earlier had now dissipated entirely.

The two stayed like that for a bit, as Iwai seemed content to let Ren do what he needed for as long as he needed to in order to re-regulate himself.

By the time Ren felt fully calm again, he had no idea how much time had passed. As he released his grip on Iwai, the older gentlemen looked him in the eyes.

“Better?” he asked simply.

Ren nodded. “Much better,” he said, his voice a lot stronger now. “Sorry you had to see that,” Ren apologized, his gaze wandering.

Iwai shook his head. “You’ve had it rough, kid. Harder than anyone your age should ever have it. No one can fix all their problems by themselves. That’s why people seek each other out. You aren’t expected to deal with everything on your own,” Iwai said before sighing and standing up, offering his hand to help Ren up as well. “What I mean to say is, you can rely on me a bit more, just as I have come to rely on you,” Iwai admitted, giving Ren a handsome smirk.

‘So cool…’ was all Ren could think as he took Iwai’s offered hand. There was something poetic in the way that Iwai pulled Ren up and back onto his feet. Ren smiled at Iwai. “I feel like I’ve already relied on you far more than you have me,” he said, feeling as though Iwai was the one losing out in this relationship in terms of who got more out of it.

Iwai just gave Ren a cocky smile. “Then I’ll just have to think of some more work to give you next time you come in to work for me, won’t I?” he said in good humor.

Ren smirked back. “I suppose that is only fair,” he replied with a chuckle.

“Ren! I’m glad you’re okay!” Ren heard a voice behind him and whipped around to spot Morgana perched on the counter. The cat’s tone conveyed his relief. He must have really worried his friend.

Ren plopped a hand down on Morgana’s head, and rubbed it playfully.

Iwai watched the two interact contentedly, before pointing to Morgana. “You should consider getting a treat for yer furry friend there. He’s the one that led me to you,” Iwai explained.

Ren looked back at Morgana, his eyes wide. “You went that far, for me?” Ren asked.

Morgana made a happy purring noise. “Of course. I promised you I would watch your back,” the cat mewed.

Ren got a bit teary-eyed at that. ‘I really have the most incredible friends,’ Ren thought to himself. Speaking of friends, despite having made it to the shop, with all the chaos he had completely forgotten why he had come here in the first place. That was until now, when it suddenly dawned on him.

“Oh!” he gasped before rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. “I know the shop is probably closed by now, but I actually initially came out here to buy some stuff and make a couple of custom orders. I feel bad for asking, especially with how much you helped me today, but would you be willing to sell me a few things still?” Ren asked meekly.

Iwai rolled his eyes, before stepping around behind the counter. “Whatever,” the older man grunted, passing Ren a slip for requesting model gun customizations. “You should be grateful.” Iwai smirked.

And Ren was. Incredibly, undoubtedly grateful to him.

Chapter Text

~Ren~

After Ren’s little freakout a couple of days ago, Iwai had kindly escorted him back to Leblanc once he finished up his business of acquiring new gear for his comrades. Iwai didn’t even try to play off his concern for Ren as they walked back. It was refreshing, seeing the shop owner so honest, it was just a shame Ren had to suffer a literal panic attack before seeing the old man’s softer side. Seeing that side of him, the caring side that Ren had seen, until then, reserved only for his son, just solidified Ren’s crush.

More importantly, today was the day he returned to the metaverse. He wouldn’t lie and say he wasn’t nervous. After all, last time he had been in the metaverse he had “died”, but with his friends beside him, he was confident things would be alright.

“Ready?” Morgana asked him as Ren did a final check on the new equipment he had acquired for his friends.

Satisfied he had everything, he nodded to the cat. “That’s everything. Let’s head to the station,” he confirmed.

Morgana meowed in amusement, hopping up on Ren's shoulder. Ren flinched, but recovered much quicker than before at his friend’s sudden contact. “Oh! Joker! Joker! Say the thing!” Morgana requested, blue eyes sparkling in anticipation.

“The thing?” Ren asked, confused.

Morgana nodded. “Yeah! The thing you always say before starting a mission! To really get us in the mindset.”

Ren tilted his head in confusion, having no idea what the fuck the cat was talking about, when it suddenly dawned on him. “Oh. That,” Ren breathed. How long had it been since he had last said those words? An audacious grin drew across Ren’s face, not unlike Arsené's. “It’s showtime!” Ren announced.

Morgana pounced off his shoulder excitedly, landing and facing Ren with the closest thing to a smile a cat could muster in that body. “So cool!” Morgana fawned, and Ren let out an exasperated chuckle over the state of the fanboying cat.

~~~

Once everyone had met up, they decided on what target they would take down first.

“It seems we have two targets in Kaitul, so let’s start there,” Joker suggested, and the thieves agreed with that call.

“There are lower level demons on that floor, but it's been a while since we were last here, so caution is the best policy. Take care not to be reckless,” Queen advised.

Oracle nodded. “I’ll still be your support, but I second that. Also, try to keep your time in the corridors to fifteen minutes, any longer than that and the Reaper might show up,” she warned.

With everything established, the mission had officially begun. Joker looked to each and every one of his precious friends and gave them all a confident grin. “Let’s do this!” he called out, and all of his friends cheered.

It was showtime.

~~~

They made it to Kaitul fairly quickly, the weaker shadows on the upper floors quickly being dispatched by his comrades before Joker even had a chance to get a hit in. Upon arriving in Kaitul however, Joker immediately felt like something was off.

“There aren’t any shadows,” Joker noted uneasily. They had to have mapped out half the first level at this point.

“You’re right… It’s strangely quiet,” Fox quickly agreed, an apprehensive look on his face.

Usually unless you were in a safe room, there was constant ambient noise from shadows slinking around the sea of human subconsciousness, but now the only sound to be heard was the purring of the Mona bus.

“That’s weird. Oracle-chan, are you seeing anything with Necronomicon?” Noir asked, looking concerned.

“Negative. Nothing is showing up on the radar. Keep your eyes peeled, everyone, something's up,” she warned.

Descending into the next four levels revealed much of the same. Nothing. Not a shadow to be seen. Every shadow-less floor built the gang’s apprehension.

“The next level is where the target should be,” Mona announced as they were about to descend onto the fifth floor. “I don’t know what is happening, but stay alert,” he added, and the thieves all exchanged glances and nodded to one another.

As they arrived onto the entry platform of the fifth floor, Joker looked at everyone. “Let’s explore this floor on foot. I want to get a better look. Maybe we’re missing something,” Joker suggested.

The thieves looked uneasy, but they trusted their leader, and decided to follow his lead. They searched the floor on foot, which was slower than by bus, but it allowed Joker to get a better look around. Usually black mist or ooze stained the walls, but now, the walls only contained the strange, vein-looking structures that glowed with an ominous red light.

“This is giving me the creeps,” Panther murmured, and Skull agreed.

“I never thought I would see the day that not encountering a shadow would be the weird thing, but here we are.”

Eventually they found the swirling vortex with bent tracks leading into it that indicated a distortion pocket.

“Our target is in there,” Mona confirmed, having turned back into a car as they all took a moment to stare into the swirling void.

“Do you sense anything else, Mona-chan?” Noir asked what likely all of the thieves were thinking.

Mona shook his head. “No, but…” Mona trailed off, before looking up. As soon as he did so, he shouted. “Guys! Look out! Above us!” he shrieked before jumping back.

As soon as he did so, a giant shadow oozed from the ceiling and plopped onto the floor in the exact spot the cat had just been in.

‘An ambush,’ Ren thought grimly. They had been caught off guard.

Standing before the shadowy beast, Ren reached for the power that had always been inside of him, willing his Persona to manifest as he had done so many times in the past. “Arsené!” he cried out, but nothing appeared.

Ren tried once more, his voice a bit more panicked, as he called the name of his true self, but once again, he reached inside himself only to grasp nothing. It was as though Arsené’s mask had vanished.

“Joker?! What’s going on?!” Mona asked worriedly, noticing something was wrong.

“My Persona… I can’t summon it!” he called out. This was bad. Maybe if he switched masks... “Black Frost!” he shouted in desperation. He felt a bit of the icy cold energy of his hee-ho friend trickle into him, but he was unable to manifest the snowman. At best he would be able to maybe cast a weak bufu spell, but otherwise, he was well and truly defenseless.

“Everyone! Protect Joker!” Oracle called out, and all of the thieves rallied around their leader.

“Leave this to us!” Ryuji said confidently.

Joker truly didn’t deserve to have such incredible friends. Still, this helpless feeling, being powerless to save himself and those who mattered most to him, it was like the interrogation room all over again. ‘Shit. Shit. Shit!’ Why couldn’t he summon them!

It was then the shadow ripped off its own mask to reveal itself as the worst possible entity to encounter at a time like this.

“Reaper,” he whispered, as he stared the manifestation of death in its formless face.

“Run!” Oracle called out, but trying to flee wasn’t an option, as the Reaper seemed to teleport and cut them off at every turn.

This was bad. All of his friends had started to panic.

‘What do I do!?’ Joker shouted in his mind, when suddenly, all was quiet, aside from a lone voice.

“Need a hand? It seems you have gotten yourselves into quite the situation…” A strange voice that sounded like his own called out to him.

Opening his eyes, Joker found he was staring at… himself? The one standing before him, offering his hand, looked exactly like Ren outside of the metaverse. It was even wearing his school uniform. The only difference was that the Ren in front of him had pupils that glowed with an otherworldly golden light.

‘A shadow?’

It was then Joker realized that all movement surrounding him and… himself? had ceased, his friends frozen mid panic, as though time around them had stopped.

“Who are you?” Joker asked, shying away from the shadow’s extended hand. His shadowy doppelgänger chuckled. “You should already know the answer to that, other me,” the shadow said with a cocky grin, before clarifying. “I’m you. Clearly. Only… I’m the part of yourself you continue to deny exists, born from your pain and trauma.”

“No,” Ren gasped, vision blurring with tears. He wasn’t ready to face this.

“Yes, and yet, somehow, you know it’s true, don’t you?” the shadow said, no longer extending a hand, but instead circling around him like a bird of prey circles its target.

“Why… why now?” Joker asked, tears finally spilling down his face. He had tried so, so hard to ignore his fears, his trauma, his hurt. They would only hinder him from moving forward, and yet, here he was, hindered by the manifestation of the ignorance of his pain.

“Because it hurts to be isolated and ignored. Treated as though I don’t exist. Like I don’t matter. Like I’m powerless,” the shadow hissed, looking down on him. That last statement really resonated with how he had just been feeling.

“You think that I’m pointless, that I would just make you weak. But…” His shadow giggled. “As you are probably starting to realize, I’m not going anywhere,” the shadow said, crouching before him. The shadow then reached for Joker, who flinched, but contrary to his expectations, the shadow just ruffled his hair.

“I’m you. You’re me. I won’t simply disappear. However, unlike most people, who can only hope to cope with their suffering, you are a trickster,” the shadow said, voice softening. It sounded almost... encouraging?

“So why not accept me, and turn that pain and fear into your strength, ne?” The shadow's smile seemed far more docile than menacing now as it stood up and offered its hand once more.

“All I have to do is accept you?” Joker asked warily.

The shadow nodded. “You don’t have to like me, but if you accept I am a part of you, I will become thine strength,” the shadow answered.

Joker let out a shuddering breath, before meeting the shadow’s eyes, and making his choice. “I am thou,” he said naturally, clasping the shadow’s hand in his own as the shadow pulled him to his feet.

“Thou art I,” it replied.

“I shall deny you no longer, so become mine strength, and break thine chains which bind me,” Joker said, feeling as though he were in a trance. The words he spoke like a spell coincided with his shadow starting to glow, shimmering and losing form.

The light grew brighter and brighter, and then with a flash of white, everything seemed to move again.

~~~

Joker’s eyes snapped open, no longer feeling panicked and hopeless. Instead, he knew what he needed to do as he felt the power of his new mask flow within him. The power that he would wield to protect his friends.

“Come forth! Ishtar!” Joker yelled, and before him manifested the Persona that had represented all of his fear, pain, helplessness, and anguish.

His suffering had taken a strangely beautiful form. An ethereal floating woman appeared before him. She had flowing blonde hair, and a white top and matching white miniskirt. Her eyes were closed, and atop her head were two black horns, curling in towards each other, with one being longer than the other.

All his pain, that he had done his best to deny until now, had manifested as Ishtar, Mesopotamian goddess of war and fertility, who was said to have discarded her divinity to save her husband, Tammuz. Ishtar’s sister, a ruler of the underworld, was said to have captured and tortured Ishtar, in her time confined to the underworld, before being given the modern day equivalent of conditional release from hell.

“That- That’s a new Persona! Does that mean you’re okay now?!” Mona was the first to react.

Joker nodded in the cat’s general direction, glad the tuxedo cat caught on so quick. “Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry to worry you all,” Joker said, taking a step to place himself between the Reaper and his teammates and ordering Ishtar to use a heat riser on each of them. “Now with that settled, how about we give cowl-face here a show to remember?”

~~~

After a solid hour of raising his teammates’s stats, debuffing the reaper, and healing his friends, they somehow managed to overcome the literal manifestation of death.

“Well done, everyone okay?!” Joker asked as they landed one last all out attack.

Each of his friends assured him they were, and as the Reaper fell and exploded into prize money, Joker collapsed as well. Awakening to Ishtar only to use her powers for so long must have drained him. The last time he remembered being so drained from using a Persona was when he was still getting used to Arsené’s power.

“Joker? Ren?!” he heard one of his friends call out, though he wasn’t sure which, as his consciousness started to fade. Before he passed out though, he felt the reassuring presence of all of his masks within him again. Unlike before he had confronted himself, all of his masks felt within his reach should he need to call for them.

At the edge of reality and oblivion, Ren thought he heard a familiar voice though he couldn’t place it.

“Well done, trickster. You have truly made this game worth playing.” 

Chapter Text

~Ren~

“Seems like he’s coming to.”

“For real? That’s a relief!”

“Joker, can you hear us?”

“Diarahan!”

‘Ugh…’

His body felt like lead, including his eyelids, and even with his eyes closed, he felt dizzy. Still, behind his eyelids he could see the faint greenish-blue glow of a healing skill being cast on him, slowly stilling the churning feeling. Each moment that passed, he slowly felt the weight of fatigue lift from him, allowing him to finally open his eyes.

At first everything was blurry, but he made out the shapes of what he assumed were his companions looking down over him. Though he could not see their expressions, he could guess based on the concern in their voices what their expressions would be. After blinking a few times to clear his vision, Ren confirmed his suspicions, but the initial concerned looks quickly turned to ones of relief.

“Nice to have you back with us, Leader,” Queen said from behind her metal mask. Even though they all still had their masks on, their relief was evident.

“Truly,” Noir agreed, affectionately brushing some of Ren’s raven locks from his forehead. It was a soothing feeling.

“You gave us quite a fright, collapsing back there,” Fox added, though his voice sounded a bit further away. Ren assumed he must be standing further back and watching from a distance.

‘Back there…’ Ren paused as he processed that information. As he did so, the memories from earlier came flooding back. The strange lack of shadows as they explored, the ambush by the Reaper, his shadow self, and the awakening of his new Persona. The sheer flood of memories was almost overwhelming, but he remained strong, and his friends were kind enough to give him a moment as tears filled the corners of his eyes.

With clear memories, he had one burning question. “Where are we now?” he asked, assuming they had likely taken him somewhere safer than the middle of Mementos.

“Back at the entrance. We weren’t going to press forward with you in that state,” Mona replied for everyone, bouncing forward a bit.

Ren sighed in relief. “And no one was hurt?” he asked, noting his voice was a bit raspy, likely from all the yelling he did in battle earlier.

“Thanks to that new Persona of yours, we’re all perfectly fine,” Panther chimed in, sounding somewhat awed.

Ishtar, as it turned out, was more of a support Persona, but thanks to the stat buffs and healing she lent, Ren had been able to power up all his allies and keep them healthy through the slightly extensive duration of their duel with death.

“What about you?” Mona asked, tottering a bit closer, peering at Ren worriedly with round blue eyes. 

With tears still glistening in the corners of his eyes, Ren lifted his hand off the cold subway floor and reached forward, plopping his hand atop Morgana’s watermelon-shaped head, giving it a playful rub.

“Mmh fine. I probably just collapsed from the exhaustion of awakening to a new Persona and then using its powers as extensively as I did,” Ren guessed, sitting up. Something similar had happened when he first awoke to Arsene as well.

“Speaking of the new Persona, what the hell was that?!” Skull’s boisterous voice called out, as Ren looked up to see his blonde friend looming over him while still standing, eyes sparkling in curiosity.

“I was wondering about that myself,” Oracle added. “Where the heck did that thing even come from? I didn’t pick up any signals from another shadow, so spill!” his red-headed sister figure demanded.

Ren furrowed his brow for a moment, trying to decide how to explain the exchange he had with his inner-demon-turned-Persona to them. After a few moments of silence, Ren heard a gasp and looked up, for some reason finding it hard to clearly see the seemingly shocked faces of his friends. Not to mention something warm and wet was running down his face, and…  ‘Oh…’

That was when Ren realized he was crying.

“S-Sorry! That was insensitive of me! You don’t need to tell us about your new Persona if it’s too painful!” Oracle backpedaled, looking and sounding extremely flustered.

Ren shook his head. “That’s… not it,” he muttered, tears still streaming down his face. “But why am I….?”

In truth, he had a good idea as to why he was crying. All this time he had refused to cry in front of his friends, determined to keep the image of their fearless and confident leader intact. But, because he had accepted Ishtar, he had in turn accepted his own pain, weakness, and suffering. The same suffering that had just given him the strength to keep his friends alive in the Reaper fight. Accepting how his suffering, his pain, and his trauma had affected him, however, made it much harder to hide his pain now. 

An awkward silence came over the group as the Phantom Thieves as they watched with concern as Joker stared at his lap, tears dripping down his chin.

Suddenly he felt a warm hand on his shoulder, and he looked up with watery eyes to meet the strong ruby gaze of Queen.

“I think I understand,” she muttered sweetly, before wrapping her arms around Joker in a sisterly embrace. “All this time, you’ve been holding back your pain and feelings regarding what happened, for our sakes, yeah?” she muttered soothingly.

Ren sniffled a bit, but nodded. He felt another warm hand on his opposite shoulder and this time his eyes met with Noir’s caring gaze. “You have always sacrificed so much for us,” the fluffy-haired brunette added.

He heard a soft gasp from both Mona and Fox, as though the two of them had realized something. “Then that powerful Persona…” Mona started, before Fox chimed in.

“Was a manifestation of the feelings that he had kept locked away. Facing your darkest of feelings, and wielding them, all in order to save us. Such an artistic narrative! Truly, your avant garde ways never cease to inspire us!” Fox fawned, before Oracle slapped a hand over the artist’s mouth.

Noir and Queen’s eyes widened at Fox’s revelation, while Oracle noticed that Skull and Panther seemed completely lost.

“TLDR, Inari is saying that the powerful new Persona Joker was using was created from his suffering, and awakened as a result of him facing that pain.”

“Ohhhh,” the two blonde-haired teammates said in unison as they seemed to better understand Oracle’s translation.

“Wait! For real?!” Ryuji asked, staring at Joker as it all seemed to finally click into place for him. 

Ren nodded, his voice shaking a bit. “That about sums it up,” he said with a somewhat wobbly smile.

“You don’t need to force yourself to smile on our account,” Queen chided him kindly.

“But-” Ren started, but Noir gently cut him off.

“No buts. You should smile when you are happy! And it’s perfectly fine to cry when you are sad. You don’t need to pretend for our sake,” she said kindly.

“But as your leader, I’m supposed to be strong. Confident. Reliable. Not… a total mess,” Ren managed to get out.

“You may be our leader, but you’re a person too. We would have to be kinda heartless to ignore that fact, especially when you were the one that helped all of us find ourselves,” Oracle stated sagely.

Panther scoffed. “Also, are you implying that crying makes you weak? If so, I’ll have you know the first time I heard the story behind the Hachiko statue, I cried for fifteen minutes straight!” Panther stated almost proudly. “And anyone who tries to say I’m not strong… well, I’ll whip them into shape!” she said with confidence, placing a hand on the handle of her whip that was coiled at her side.

Skull rolled his eyes at Panther’s antics, but gestured towards Fox. “Speaking of crying, Fox is currently joining you in that,” the bleach blonde stated a bit flatly.

Ren looked up and watched as Fox took off his mask to reveal tears beautifully spilling down his slim and almost feminine face. “It’s just… I’m so moved by the camaraderie of our team. It is as if each of us is a color daubed across a canvas, blending in perfect harmony. A picture painting a brighter future than any of us could have achieved alone,” Fox uttered, a bit choked up.

Oracle deadpanned a bit. “As cheesy as that was, he’s right, you know,” the redhead stated before approaching Joker and playfully patting the top of his head, her hand gentle, before offering it to him as though she were going to pull him up to his feet on her own. 

While Ren appreciated the gesture, he was fairly sure if he took that hand they would both end up on the floor. Instead he whipped off his mask and quickly wiped his face with the back of his sleeve, and politely detached himself from the warm embraces of his two upperclassmen friends before rising to his feet. He somehow felt lighter than he could ever remember feeling.

‘I truly have the greatest friends a guy could ask for,’ he thought to himself and gave them all a genuine, unforced smile. “Thank you all. Seriously. I’m truly lucky to call each and every one of you my friends,” he said, gratitude apparent. 

“No problem, man, what are friends for?” Skull replied, giving Ren a cheesy grin and a hearty pat on the back.

Ren noted in surprise that he didn’t flinch, but stored that information for later as Panther gave him a playful wink. “What Skull said,” she added.

Queen stepped forward. “You’ve helped me more than I can ever thank you for, and I’m sure the others feel the same. It should be a given we will be there for you too,” she said pragmatically, before Noir jumped in.

“I think what Mako-chan was trying to say is that we care about you, so it’s okay to rely on us,” the brunette said sweetly.

“Of course I’ll stand beside you! I still have big ambitions that I need you to help me achieve!” Mona stated with a playful grin, after which Skull gave the cat creature a noogie, much to the cat’s chagrin.

“Joker, you brought color to my otherwise monotone existence. Even if you feel lost, I’ll gladly walk beside you every step of the way,” Fox said bluntly, but kindness shone in his eyes.

Oracle chuckled. “That almost sounded like you were proposing to him, Inari,” she said with a sly expression.

Fox’s face turned crimson. “Preposterous!” he gasped, but Oracle ignored that. 

“Anyway, you gave me my life back. The least I can do is hear ya out if you ever need me to.” She quickly turned away, but not before Ren had noted the blush that endearingly adorned her face.

A supportive atmosphere had filled the entrance of Mementos as the thieves rallied around their leader. That was, before a loud growling sound shattered the atmosphere.

“While I’m glad we are all getting along, can we leave now? I hunger!” Oracle asked.

Ren held his stomach as it responded with a loud growl of its own. He blushed a bit and all the other thieves agreed that food would be good.

Just as Ren was about to ascend the stairs, he heard the sound of a metal door opening, and happened to look back at the glowing blue outline of the Velvet Room, just in time for his eyes to meet either Caroline or Justine (he couldn’t tell from this distance).

He watched warily as the warden beckoned him over, and despite not really wanting to deal with them or their master at this moment, he felt mysteriously drawn to the room. As if in a daze, he wandered into the Velvet Room, his mind hazy up until the moment he heard a familiarly deep voice.

“Welcome, Trickster. It seems in just a short amount of time, your rehabilitation has progressed greatly.” The long-nosed man who called himself Igor chucked to himself. A sound that had always deeply unsettled Ren. 

“You should greet the master properly, inmate!” Caroline shouted and slammed her baton into the metal door of his cell. A door that looked as though the bars had gotten… thinner, somehow? As though whatever force held him back from approaching Igor was growing weaker.

Justine watched on, not speaking. Instead, she looked uncharacteristically lost in thought. 

‘Strange.’

Igor continued, seemingly uncaring for Ren’s unease or Caroline’s demands. “Your powers continue to grow, as do the relationships you hold with your contractors,” Igor said with an impish grin. “Most unexpected, to have taken your pain and given it shape as a Persona. You never fail to amuse me.”

‘I’m not doing this for your amusement!’ Ren wanted to shout, but held his tongue. Now was not the time. 

Igor continued on. “You have truly made this game worth playing.”

‘Wait…’ That last line sounded strangely familiar. It was as though he had heard it recently. Yet, he couldn’t remember where or when.

A bit fed up with the big-schnozed man’s cryptic words, Ren sighed. “Is that all you wanted to say?” he asked in a somewhat exasperated tone. A tone Caroline took exception to.

“Know your place! Inmate!” she barked, and Ren looked away, once again noting the absence of Justine’s critical speech.

Looking over, he noted that the other warden looked tired, almost dazed. He felt a bit of concern for the usually bossy child-looking girl, but logically, even if something was wrong, there wasn’t much he could do for her in his current state behind an iron door. 

“Yes. Now then, I look forward to whatever unexpected twists you bring next,” Igor stated as his voice started growing more distant. Next thing Ren knew, he was back at the base of the stairs leading out of Mementos.

“Hey! Joker! You coming?!” Oracle called out to him from the top of the steps, snapping Ren out of his daze as his friends gave him looks with varying degrees of concern. 

“Yep!” he called out, taking the stairs two at a time in graceful strides, finally exiting the metaverse. As he returned to reality, the cool evening December air was the first sensation to greet him. 

Chapter Text

~Iwai~

Iwai: ‘Got some work for you at the shop, let me know if you can come in.’

Iwai stared blankly at the screen of his phone, his message he sent to Ren earlier in the day remained unread. 

While Ren and his friends were leaving Mementos, the disgruntled figure of Iwai could be found hunched over behind the counter of his shop.

‘I haven’t heard a peep from the kid as of late,’ the gun enthusiast shop owner mused to himself, the ever-familiar coil of worry settling in the pit of his stomach in a most unsettling way. The last time he had seen the kid, the poor guy just about had a breakdown. Luckily for the kid, that hadn’t been the first time Iwai had helped someone with a mental crisis. 

Still, it was uncanny to see the usually cocky-looking little shit so out of sorts. Ren’s paleness had resembled that of the lifeless bodies he had witnessed many times in his former life as an ex-gang member. The eyes of the raven, usually so full of fire and spite, were seemingly almost snuffed out that day as Iwai had tended to him. Quite frankly, that scared the shit out of Iwai. He was glad that by the time the kid had left his shop, his eyes were again fiery with determination.

Still, the kid wasn’t the only one acting strangely. Iwai realized he himself had been acting out of sorts as of late. The kid was supposed to be a pawn, or a business partner. Nothing more, nothing less. Yet, somehow it seemed the little shit had managed to get under the ex-yakuza member’s thick skin. Iwai found he actually enjoyed spending time with the kid, and he had grown increasingly concerned for the guy, and his wellbeing. Concern that usually was exclusive to the well being of his son, Kaoru.

‘I’m starting to get attached,’ Iwai thought to himself and sneered, the little voice in the back of his head jeering, ‘Starting to? It’s far beyond that.’ Iwai let out a small growl of frustration under his breath.

An incoming message startled the shop owner from his thoughts as his phone vibrated in his hand. For a moment, he thought maybe the kid had gotten back to him, but his hope was quickly replaced with disgust as he saw the name of the sender. Tsuda.

That asshole was up to something slimy, Iwai could sense it. Still, if he was going to get out of this situation with Kaoru safely, he would need to play nice, for now. Looking at the message, he sighed.

Tsuda: We have business to discuss. Meet me at the warehouse on 12/12 at 6pm. Do not make me wait. 

Iwai sighed. Who did this dipshit think he was, talking down to someone who was once his superior. Still, he had left that world behind. He was sick of the blackmail, but he would meet with the bastard for the sake of keeping his son safe from the truth. The last thing he wanted was Kaoru getting involved in his mess. 

Speaking of Kaoru, the time given for the meeting was usually when he and Kaoru would eat dinner together. He would need to figure out how to deal with the scheduling conflict later, but for now, it was almost time to close up shop. As Iwai stood up to start going through the motions of closing, he received another message.

This time it was from the kid, much to Iwai’s relief. 

Ren: Hey Old Man, sorry for leaving you unread. Some stuff came up and I was away from my phone and didn’t get your message until now. I'm fairly sure it’s a bit late to say I’ll come over to help with the shop tonight, but you can have me on 12/12 to do your grunt work at the shop if that works for you. After all, gotta return the favor for the help you gave me before.

‘You don’t owe me nothin, kid, I just happened to pass by at the right time… but…’ Iwai thought to himself, scratching his chin as a plan formed in his mind. ‘Well ain’t that convenient. Sometimes I swear the future is scripted,’ he mused.

Tsuda had Iwai playing his shit game his way until now. Not anymore. Somehow the kid had perfect timing. Iwai was about to introduce a new playing piece on his side to this little game.

Iwai: I’ll take your time, and the help, but I have a special job just for you on 12/12 outside the shop. 

Ren quickly sent a response that consisted of a single question mark, and Iwai grinned to himself.

Iwai: I’ll send you the details on 12/12. Be ready, I’ll be working you hard.

Ren: What does that mean?!

Ren’s increasingly frantic responses amused Iwai greatly, and he let out a rare chuckle. 

Iwai: You’ll find out. 

~Ren~

After getting food with his friends, Ren returned to his attic room and collapsed onto the bed, utterly drained, when he realized he had failed to check his phone for almost the entire day. Seeing he had multiple unread messages, Ren did his best to make his tired fingers move as he sluggishly responded to each one until he came across Iwai’s message. 

It was a bit embarrassing, but the old asshole had really saved him the last time they met. He felt guilty that he had left his savior hanging for so long, but in his defense, it had been a chaotic day. Still, opening Iwai’s message, Ren found that his heart sped up a tick, making him feel slightly more awake.

Iwai: Got some work for you at the shop, let me know if you can come in.’

“Gruff and to the point as always.” Ren pouted, though he supposed it would be weird if the guy were to suddenly seem sappy or concerned for Ren. Not to mention, Iwai’s bluntness was something Ren found attractive for whatever the hell reason. 

As Ren mused to himself he responded naturally to Iwai. 

Ren: Hey Old Man, sorry for leaving you unread. Some stuff came up and I was away from my phone and didn’t get your message until now. I'm fairly sure it’s a bit late to say I’ll come over to help with the shop tonight, but you can have me on 12/12 to do your grunt work at the shop if that works for you. After all, gotta return the favor for the help you gave me before.

If there was one thing Ren hated more than admitting he had a thing for the gun shop owner, it was being indebted to anyone, said gun shop owner included. He had really saved Ren, and Ren wanted to even out that scale of favors, even if just a bit. 

Ren could see Iwai was typing a response, but it was taking him a bit, as though he were deciding something. Ren yawned as he waited, the fatigue of the day weighing on his eyelids, causing them to droop. Luckily, the finished message alerted Ren to its arrival before the raven’s eyes could fully close. 

Iwai: I’ll take your time, and the help, but I have a special job just for you on 12/12 outside the shop. 

‘What the hell does that mean?’ Ren wondered, sending Iwai a swift response of befuddlement.

Ren: ?

Ren would kill to know what kind of expression the guy was making as he typed his next message. Ren imagined it was the pleased smirk he gave whenever he decided to tease Ren. An expression Ren found oh so infuriating, and somewhat hot. 

Ren could feel his cheeks warming as Iwai’s next message arrived. 

Iwai: I’ll send you the details on 12/12. Be ready, I’ll be working you hard.

Now Ren knew Iwai was fucking with him. If he wasn’t so damn tired he might have even enjoyed that.

Ren: What does that mean?!

Ren swore he could hear the bastard chuckling through the screen of his phone as those three little ‘…’ bubbles blinked as Iwai typed out another response.

Ren waited for whatever sassy retort the gun shop owner was about to shoot him with bated breath, only to receive a slightly cryptic message. 

Iwai: You’ll find out. 

‘That clarifies nothing!’ Ren pouted as he rolled over on his bed. 

Another wave of fatigue rolled over Ren and he let out a weary sigh. He was too tired to try and pry further answers from the fingers of an ex-gang member. He decided he would just agree and deal with the consequences later. 

Ren: Fine. Have it your way. 

Ren sent that final response before setting his phone down, his eyelids slamming shut, too heavy to open again. Maybe he would see Iwai in his dreams? Or would that classify as a nightmare? Those were Ren’s last thoughts as he drifted off to a greatly needed sleep.