Archive of Our Own

It is a normal day in Mementos when it happens. The team is fighting shadows as usual, getting used to working with their new member when a new shadow appears.

"We haven't seen this one before, keep your guards up everyone!" Oracle warns as they enter battle. The team, made up of Joker, Mona, Crow, and Skull, heed her warning and approach with caution. The shadow resembles a large flower with many vines at its base. It pulsates uncomfortably and sways in the Mementos breeze.

"Skull, try hitting it with your bat." Joker commands. Skull nods and prepares for attack. The flower does nothing to dodge and he hits it solidly against the stem. It shudders but otherwise remains the same. Next in the lineup, Joker tries hitting it with a fire attack. As the flames engulf the flower, it screeches and thrashes around.

"Good job, it seems you've found a weakness! It's knocked down!" Oracle cheers. Joker calls for an all out attack and the team attack it in unison. The flower bud closes up in defense, shuddering.

"Alright! Looks like this will be easy!" Skull grins, swinging his bat in a circle.

"Don't be too hasty, Skull. We've only just begun." Crow warns, though he's inclined to agree. This battle does seem like it's going very well for being on such a deep level of Mementos.

"Let's finish this up quickly." Joker brandishes his knives, confident as ever.

The battle continues in much the same way, though they deal less damage with the flower in a seemingly defensive position. Eventually, it starts to pulsate harder and the vines around its base start to wriggle excitedly.

"Looks like it's preparing to do something! Watch out, everyone!" Oracle warns. It seems only seconds after everyone braces themselves for attack does the flower open its petals wide and spray some sort of powder down over the group. Joker dodges gracefully, as does Mona. Unfortunately, Crow and Skull are not so fortunate and take the brunt of the powder. It clings to their clothes and their hair and burns in the back of their throats as they breathe it in. They both fall into coughing fits, completely incapacitated. Luckily, it doesn't take much longer for Joker's fire to defeat the flower. It wilts and gives one last pathetic puff of powder before disappearing.

"Good job Joker!" Mona congratulates. Though the battle is over, Crow and Skull keep coughing to try and get the strange powder out of their throats. Joker offers them both a drink and they each down the entire bottle in seconds.

"We should keep an eye out for any more enemies like that." Crow says, voice somewhat hoarse. "I believe the effects of its attack are lasting outside of battle."

"Shit, so you feel it too? It's like, super hot in here." Ryuji agrees, tugging at the collar of his suit.

Joker suggests that the two of them rest up at a rest stop while the others continue onwards. Crow tries to say that he can continue too, but Joker insists.

Now, Ryuji finds himself sitting alone with his least liked member of the team.

"So, this sucks." He says, kicking at the floor. Akechi laughs charmingly. It kind of pisses Ryuji off, knowing it's fake.

"I'm inclined to agree with you. I'm supposed to be training with the group and getting used to your dynamic, but here I am on the benches." Akechi gestures to the literal benches they're sitting on.

"Just cuz it's kinda hot in here doesn't mean I can't fight!" Ryuji argues. Akechi nods in agreement.

"It is quite hot in here though." Akechi undoes a couple of his top buttons on his Metaverse outfit. Then he pauses. "Do you mind if I take this off?" He asks, gesturing to his top.

"Knock yourself out."

Akechi takes off his princely top to show a white undershirt underneath. Ryuji has to roll his eyes. Of course that nerd would be wearing an undershirt under his costume. Akechi folds his top and puts it on the seat next to him. He then takes the bottom of his undershirt and pulls it up to wipe the sweat off his forehead. Ryuji looks over at the abs on the guy, and his eyes widen a bit. He never would have guessed Akechi was built! The shirt pulls up farther, and Ryuji thinks he can almost see a peek of a nipple before Akechi lets go and his shirt falls back down.

It's all of a sudden that Ryuji realizes he's hard. His thighs slap together tightly to try and hide it. Shit, he's gonna think I got hard from looking at him! He thinks to himself in a panic. He can't let that happen. And it's not true, anyway. Sure he has no idea why he's suddenly rock fucking solid, but it's definitely not because of Akechi.

Ryuji hopes beyond hope that Akechi hasn't noticed, but when he looks over, he can see Akechi's eyes pointed directly at his dick. Akechi, sensing he's be seen, looks up to meet Ryuji's eyes, and fuck, that doesn't do anything to make his boner go away. Quite the opposite. If he didn't know better, he'd say that Akechi looks... hungry. They hold eye contact for too long before Ryuji looks away and folds his hands over his crotch. He hears Akechi shifting around in the shitty plastic subway bench seat, but he dare not look back. If he just keeps looking out at the rest of Mementos and thinks about gross things, he'll be fine.

He's not fine. No matter how hard he tries to keep his mind on track, it keeps coming back to his dick. He's so hard it hurts, and he can't keep his hips from shifting in his seat uncomfortably. Maybe Akechi wouldn't mind if he just...

Ryuji looks back over to see how his teammate is doing, and nearly falls out of his chair when he sees Akechi is still staring at him. More than that, Akechi is touching himself. It's just his hand over his pants, gently rubbing his bulge, but it's undeniable. At least this time he has the decency to look ashamed. He casts his eyes away this time, but doesn't stop his hand.

"What? You can't tell me you don't feel this effect, too." He says defensively. Ryuji is confused for a moment before it clicks. This is no random boner! This is-

"Sex pollen!" Ryuji exclaims. Akechi gives him a disdainful look.

"If that's what you want to call it." He says. Ryuji slumps in his seat and groans.

"Not again..."

That makes Akechi pause in his palming, his eyes going wide.

"Again?!"

Ryuji laughs at his response, which earns a glare that sends shivers down his spine (not unpleasantly).

"Something like this happened in Kaneshiro's palace. There was some kinda trap that sprayed it and Fox and I got hit." Ryuji explains, then panics and waves his hands in front of him. "Do not tell him I told you that! I promised not to tell anyone! Shit..."

"You and Fox..." Akechi repeats thoughtfully, and his hand starts to move again. Ryuji doesn't notice.

"Yeah. He got hit way harder than me, though. I just got a little warm but he got full blown hornified." Ryuji explains, happy that talking about it is at least distracting him from how turned on he is. "So we went back to a safe room."

"And you fucked him?" Akechi asks, breathlessly. Ryuji startles and looks over at the Detective Prince who would never say something so vulgar. It makes his cheeks heat up and his dick to twitch. Akechi has his hand in his pants now, the well fitting suit not doing much to hide how he's jerking himself off in there. That makes Ryuji's dick twitch again.

"Are you getting off on this?" Ryuji asks, bewildered. Akechi pauses and gives him a look like he thinks Ryuji is an idiot.

"Keep telling your story. I'm interested to learn about how this can be dealt with." Akechi prompts as Ryuji dumbly watches him stroke himself in his pants.

"Yeah. Okay." Ryuji says and then swallows. "So, we go back to the safe room and, no, I don't have sex with him. He really wanted me to, though. God, he was so desperate for it..." Perhaps telling this story isn't a good idea, he thinks as he absentmindedly touches himself over his clothing. It's not helping this boner go away.

"He begged?" Akechi repeats with far too much interest in his tone. And then Ryuji understands. Akechi is really getting off on this, and Ryuji is getting turned on too, so it's okay if they both enjoy themselves. Right? With renewed vigor, Ryuji relaxes in his seat and spreads his legs to give himself more room to touch.

"Yeah. I think he even cried." Ryuji continues.

"Mph." Is all Akechi has to say in response.

"And I wanted to, damn, I really really wanted to. But it wasn't like him, and it felt wrong. He wasn't in his right mind."

"Out of his mind with lust." Akechi adds.

"Yeah. So I left the room and let him take care of himself."

"How cold." Is Akechi's answer. Ryuji looks confused.

"Huh?"

"Leaving him in there all alone, begging for you to come back and give him what he needed." Akechi bites his lip as his hand moves faster. His pants restrict him a lot, though.

"You can take those off if you want..." Ryuji tells him, gesturing to his pants. "I wish my suit was easier to take off and put on." He grumbles to himself with jealousy as Akechi shucks his pants down his legs and starts jerking off properly. He sighs at finally being able to stroke himself easily, eyes closing and head tilting back.

"If you walked out on me like that, I'd come get you and make you come back in." Akechi says to the ceiling. Ryuji hates how hot that makes him feel. "And then I'd make you come. And come. And come and come until you were crying and nothing else could come out." Ryuji isn't sure if Akechi is talking to him, really, or fantasizing out loud. Either way, Ryuji's starting to not care about how hard his suit is to put back on. This touching himself through his pants business is not nearly enough to satisfy the waves of heat that Akechi's words kept sending through him.

"Maybe I'd refuse." Ryuji responds, getting Akechi to look at him. "Maybe I'd hold you down so you couldn't do anything. To me or yourself." Akechi's eyes get wider and Ryuji can't tell from across the way, but he thinks his pupils are wide too.

"You wouldn't let me come? How cruel."

"Mm, maybe I would. Maybe I'd make you promise to keep your hands to yourself or I'd tie you up-"

"ngh"

"-and then I'd slide down-"

"uh huh"

"-and suck you off."

Akechi curls in on himself and comes all over his hand and chest with a strangled cry. He's ruthless to himself as he goes through it, continuing to stroke himself at the same pace even as he comes down off the high, until he's twitching so much he has to remove his hand. Ryuji watches with utmost attention. His own restricted dick aches with jealousy.

"Haah- ahh, mmn." Akechi breathes heavily and leans back, basking in his afterglow. Luxuriating in it. Like that was the best orgasm he's ever had. Its an act, but it still makes Ryuji whine uncontrollably as he wishes he could feel like that too.

Akechi opens his eyes and a wicked grin crosses his features. He sits up, pulls up his pants, and walks over.

"Oh you poor thing." He says mockingly. Then he drops to his knees in front of Ryuji and if Ryuji were stroking himself off better that image would have made him come immediately. Right on that pretty face.

Akechi looks at Ryuji's costume and clicks his tongue against his teeth in annoyance.

"I can take it off-" Ryuji starts to say, but is cut off when Akechi pulls out a knife, a real knife, and cuts a hole in his suit. The knife disappears and Akechi uses both hands to rip Ryuji open like a Christmas present. He wastes no time from there. Ryuji barely has time to feel the cold air against his sensitive skin before he's enveloped in heat. It feels so good he can't hold back his loud gasp. Akechi gets to work right away, giving no time for Ryuji to adjust. Barely enough time for him to even enjoy it. It's so good that Ryuji's mind goes blank (not a difficult achievement, Akechi would say) and his moans are uncontrolled. And then just like that, he's hitting that peak and cumming hard down Akechi's throat with a shout. As he starts to come down from it, Akechi's still sucking. Ryuji's eyes go wide and he tries to push Akechi away as the overstimulation hits him. Akechi gets the message and pulls away, but not before sucking his way off with a pop. Ryuji shudders and forgets how to breathe for a second.

Both breathing heavily, Ryuji looks down at Akechi as Akechi looks up at him. Akechi licks his lips and wipes the back of his hand across his chin and mouth to get rid of the drool that came out around Ryuji's dick while it was in his mouth. Ryuji realizes that he can't see any cum anywhere. Akechi swallowed all of it perfectly.

"Fuck-" Ryuji breathes. If he weren't still reeling from that orgasm, he might be getting hard again. He takes a little longer than that to get it back up, but in the scheme of things he has a very short refractory period. That is either a good or bad thing, because Ryuji really wants to go again. They shouldn't, he knows they shouldn't, but as Akechi stands up and reveals that he's half hard in his pants again, his self control goes to the wind.

Ryuji pulls the pants down, startling a gasp from Akechi, but he isn't stopped. He wraps his hand around Akechi and marvels at the feeling of someone else's dick in his hand. It feels weird, like he's doing it backwards. It feels good though, he likes the way Akechi hardens in his palm.

"Ngh, insatiable." Akechi mutters. Ryuji laughs.

"Hey, you got hard again faster than I did." He points out, though Akechi isn't wrong. He is insatiable. It's been like two minutes and he's ready for more. He's so ready for more. The memory of his recent orgasm in Akechi's mouth is going to be something he uses to get off on for a long time. He wants to return the favor.

Without warning, Ryuji leans forward and down to reach Akechi's cock with his tongue. The angle is weird, his body doesn't really bend that way. After Akechi gasps with surprise, he steps back to kick his pants off the rest of the way. Then he climbs up over Ryuji's lap, takes a hold of Ryuji's head, and guides his dick back into Ryuji's mouth.

"Ahhhhh..." Akechi moans unashamedly. "Oh, this is good. Hey, watch the teeth." Akechi takes charge and holds onto Ryuji's head to keep it in place as he slowly fucks in and out of his mouth. "Ohh, yes, just like that."

Ryuji's not a big fan of his head being held in place, but he is a big fan of the way Akechi keeps moaning and praising him. He lets the other do what he wants while he takes his own dick in hand and jerks off. He tries to follow Akechi's directions. Keep his teeth away, move his tongue, take a deep breath before Akechi shoves himself completely down his throat.

That is decidedly less okay. Ryuji gags immediately, which only seems to stimulate Akechi more. He can't breathe, there's a cock blocking his wind pipe. At least that's how it feels.
Ryuji reaches up and slaps Akechi on the thigh repeatedly to get his attention. Akechi pulls back slowly and looks down at him. God he looks pretty like this. is all Ryuji can think when he meets Akechi's gaze and sees his expression. It's a mix of desperate and demanding that makes Ryuji forget what they even stopped for.

"You can handle this." Akechi says gently, even petting Ryuji's head. Ryuji feels warmth flow through him like a wave of pleasure. "Take a breather, that's it." Akechi is guiding his dick to run over Ryuji's lips while he talks. He lets Ryuji lick at the head of his dick, getting it all messy and hot from his gasping breaths. Then he lines back up to let Ryuji suck on the head. "Are you ready?" Akechi thrusts back in before Ryuji can answer.

It's less kind, now. He doesn't wait for Ryuji to adjust as he immediately starts fucking his throat. Ryuji can only take gasping breaths in through his nose on every pull out, gagging on every thrust in. He can't move his head away, Akechi's got it gripped between both hands. He tries to slap Akechi on the leg like before, but Akechi doesn't stop or even slow down. His praises change, too.

"Ohh, fuck yeah. You were made for this, weren't you? A perfect fuck hole, just like me- yeah, take it bitch." Akechi is babbling to himself, Ryuji thinks. Without much to focus on besides the pain from Akechi's dick hitting the back of his throat and his fingernails digging into his head, Ryuji listens and tries to get off, but this isn't really doing it for him right now. He's feeling used, and not in a good way.

"Little slut, wanted this so bad, didn't you? Bet your mouth watered for me. Bet it's all you could think about. You want this. You want this." Akechi pants. "You like this- being used as a- a fuck hole, made for me. Mine, mine."

Ryuji's just about had enough of this. Akechi's babble is starting to border on the sound of unhinged, and Ryuji does not appreciate being called a fuck hole. At least, not right now. If circumstances were different and he was into this from the start, then maybe... but right now he's pissed.

As Akechi thrusts into his throat, Ryuji raises a hand and brings it down hard on Akechi's thigh. At least, it was supposed to be his thigh. It lands closer to his ass that Ryuji meant. But as the slap rings out over the sound of Akechi moaning nonsense and Ryuji choking, Akechi's voice takes a sharp turn into something much higher.

"Ah-!" It almost makes him sound like a girl. Before Akechi can realize it and retaliate, Ryuji slaps him again. Akechi cries out that high pitched feminine cry once more and comes down Ryuji's throat.

That's... not what he expected. Akechi pushes his hips hard into Ryuji's face gripping his head harder than ever. Ryuji tries to swallow it down, but there's so much. Even with Akechi having come already earlier, there's too much. He tries to swallow but he can't stop gagging and he splutters around Akechi's dick, saliva and cum coming from between his lips and Akechi's member. It feels like it goes on forever, and Ryuji's sure he's going to actually, seriously, choke to death on Goro fucking Akechi's cock.

Then Akechi finally pulls out, panting hard and sitting down on Ryuji's lap with his legs still spread around him. If Ryuji weren't coughing and sucking in as much air as he can, he'd appreciate how flexible Akechi is. But for a good moment they just catch their breath.

"Don't... don't hit me." Akechi says as angrily as he can while breathless and blushing.

"Don't choke me!" Ryuji retorts, coughing. Akechi scoffs and rolls his eyes.

"Oh please, you enjoyed it. Look, you're hard again." Akechi points out, gesturing down.

"You should... help me with that." Ryuji says, voice hoarse. Akechi smiles sweetly.

"No, I don't think I will." And he starts to get up.

Ryuji knows he's just going to walk away, get redressed, and leave him here with his suit all ripped up. He's such an asshole. In a fit of rage and horniness, Ryuji shoves Akechi off his lap. He falls to the floor with an "oof" and Ryuji gets down on top of him, holding him down. Akechi looks startled, maybe even scared. Ryuji likes that maybe more than he should.

While Akechi was on his lap, all that saliva and cum that Ryuji couldn't swallow made the area around Akechi's crotch really slippery. Extra slippery when Ryuji spits in his hand and wets his dick. Akechi's eyes go wide when he looks down between their bodies and registers Ryuji has slotted himself between his legs. From this angle, he could penetrate him. Akechi starts trying to scrabble on the floor away, but Ryuji's got a good hold on him.

"W-wait- no-" Akechi pleads. It makes Ryuji grin.

"Calm down, I ain't gonna hurt ya." He doesn't go anywhere near Akechi's ass, instead he presses his pelvis against Akechi's, tucking his dick in the crease between Akechi's dick and his thigh. Then he starts to thrust.

"Oh." Akechi comments, his mouth making a perfect O shape. The motion is easy with how much moisture is down there. Ryuji wasn't lying; it doesn't hurt. In fact, Akechi lays back and relaxes. It simulates being fucked, but the only pain is their bodies colliding, which only adds to how good it feels.

"Yeah... saw this in a video, always wanted to try it." Ryuji says with a grin. Seeing as Akechi isn't struggling anymore, he sits up a bit. He grabs Akechi's leg to move it in an angle that lets him get closer. Then he takes a second to just move Akechi's leg around in different directions.

"Wow, you're really flexible!" He marvels.

"Yes yes, I'm flexible, can you get back to fucking me now?" Akechi grumbles impatiently.

"Oh right right, yeah."

Akechi leans his head back on the floor and closes his eyes, the rocking motion and pressure pulling soft moans from him. He's not getting more than half hard, but he seems to be enjoying himself.

Ryuji certainly is. It's not the same, but Ryuji's never had sex before so this is the closest thing to penetrative sex he's felt. The slide again hot skin, the wet slapping as he thrusts as evenly as he can, he's having the time of his life. The two second blowjob earlier was great, but he can take his time with this. They have all the time in the world.

Ryuji looks down on the other, laying there just letting him do whatever, looking up at him with half lidded eyes and a mouth slightly parted to let out heavy breaths. His chest rising and falling under his white undershirt, now damp with sweat and some cum splatters at the bottom. His nipples poking through the shirt and drawing Ryuji's eye to them. He's been distracted by them before, not specifically Akechi's, but just in general. And porn has told him that they're sensitive. He's never felt much when he's touched his but maybe it's different for others. He slips his hand under Akechi's shirt and pushes it up. For a moment Akechi looks confused, but when he gets what Ryuji is doing, he adjusts so Ryuji can help him take it off.

"Damn." Ryuji says, running his hands over Akechi's chest. The muscle definition is there, but it's not so much that it's like he's trying to be a body builder. His skin is soft, too. He slides his hand almost reverently across Akechi's chest until his reaches a nipple with his thumb. Akechi takes in a small gasp, but nothing phenomenal like hentai had Ryuji believing would happen. Ryuji rolls his thumb around it, getting a feel for it. Akechi squirms a little and bites his bottom lip. Ryuji looks up from the little pink nub to meet Akechi's eyes. Akechi looks... expectant. When Ryuji pinches his nipple, Akechi's eyes close and he makes a small noise.

While Ryuji plays around with his chest, Akechi kicks him with the heel of his lifted foot. Ryuji had slowed down and nearly stopped as his attention was taken by his fascination with a nipple.

"Don't stop." Akechi commands in a low voice that Ryuji couldn't possibly say no to. He ceases pinching and teasing to focus more on thrusting, but he's sure that Akechi liked what he was doing. While his hands take some thought to move, his tongue doesn't. Ryuji leans down and seals his mouth over the nipple he was teasing before, giving it a good suck. Akechi's back arches to press into the stimulation and he makes a small, breathy noise that goes straight to Ryuji's dick. He's pretty sure this isn't going to last much longer.

At some point, Akechi's hands touch the sides of Ryuji's head and gently push him to the other side. Ryuji gets the message and wastes no time with tonguing the little nub and barely biting it with his teeth. Akechi's making more breathy noises now, and Ryuji's breathing is loud and heavy. He occasionally grunts as he frots against the other just right, but it's a more needy sound than a grunt of someone on top. That's another thing porn was wrong about. It's not just one side moans and the other side barely makes any noise. He and Akechi have been making a fairly equal amount of noise.

After a little too hard of a bite on Akechi's nipple, Akechi's hands are pushing him off. Ryuji slows with a concerned expression, but Akechi kicks him with his heel again gives Ryuji a look that says he better not stop. He can't deny those eyes, and even picks up speed a little. Akechi's starting to get into it more now, his spent cock getting a little more energy from the stimulation. Ryuji looks at him, eyes closed, lips parted to release those pleased sighs, and he can't help himself.

Ryuji leans down and seals his lips against Akechi's in a kiss. At first the other startles, but quickly kisses him back. Akechi moans a little as their tongues meet. They taste like cum and saliva and those drinks Akira gave them earlier. They both have bad breath but in the moment neither care. Their kiss is sloppy, wet, and passionate. Akechi's hands hold Ryuji's face close so he doesn't pull away from kissing him. Not that Ryuji would want to. He's moaning softly into Akechi's mouth and Akechi is taking them and giving Ryuji back moans of his own. They trade breath and saliva and pleasure, and eventually Akechi's hands get tight on Ryuji's head. His kissing gets sloppier until he's just panting into Ryuji's mouth. He's coming. Again. And he's making little broken noises from the back of his throat as Ryuji fucks him through it.

Ryuji feels it, too. Akechi's still somewhat flaccid, but it doesn't stop some cum from dribbling out and getting added to the slipperiness Ryuji is taking advantage of to slide his dick in. The realization that it just got wetter down there because Akechi just came brings Ryuji right up to the edge. He sucks on Akechi's tongue as he comes onto his stomach and against his penis. Ryuji whimpers as his hips slowly still, letting his dick stay warm and wet in that crevice as he comes down from that high.

He kisses Akechi more, keeping them from catching their breath. He knows he can't go again, but Akechi's tongue in his mouth sure makes him wish they could. Akechi is the one who ends the kiss, pushing Ryuji's head away. Ryuji gives a little involuntary whine but leans back.

Akechi throws his arm over his eyes as he lays on the floor catching his breath. It's like they ran a marathon, but if the marathon also made them cum multiple times. These are the heavy breaths of satisfied bodies. Ryuji thinks it's his new favorite sound.

Ryuji let's go of Akechi's leg and it flops back to the floor, bent at the knee with his foot planted on the ground. It's quivering a little.

"Get off me." Akechi's voice is startlingly cold. Ryuji pouts but gets up and shudders at the way all that stickiness pulls between them. He once again finds himself wishing he had the energy to go again.

With Ryuji no longer holding him down, Akechi sits himself up with shaking arms. With a disgusted expression, he grabs his discarded undershirt and uses it as a rag to clean up his stomach and between his legs. Finding himself clean enough, he tosses the shirt to Ryuji to use. Ryuji mutters a thanks and wipes his face and between his legs. He feels icky and cold now, and he really wishes he hadn't torn up his clothes.

Akechi's leg quivers as he tries to stand up. Ryuji moves to help him but Akechi snaps "I'm fine!" and shivers when he stands. Ryuji feels his own legs feeling a little weak, too. But at least he can stand solidly unlike Akechi who's thighs are still shaking. The eerie chill of the Metaverse doesn't help things. It had been so hot before, but now the moisture that had been warm on their bodies is drying cold against their skin. Akechi gets his pants back on, making a face at how it feels to put sweaty underpants back on. He gets his top and buttons it all up and aside from his tired eyes, flushed face, and messy hair, he looks perfectly presentable. Ryuji sits on the floor in despair. There is no fixing this suit. It's torn so obviously in the middle and down between his legs. He's going to die of embarrassment when the Thieves come back.

Akechi looks down on him with a blank expression. He's really going to just let me suffer, Ryuji thinks. Then Akechi sighs and rolls his eyes.

"Get up, come on." He helps Ryuji to his feet and assesses the damage. He grabs the fabric of Ryuji's suit and tugs on it halfheartedly. There's no way to pull it closed. He lets go but before removing his hands completely he grabs Ryuji's soft member and gives it a squeeze just to hear him yelp.

"What he hell, man?!" Ryuji glares at Akechi's amused expression. Then Akechi clears his throat and puts on his neutral face again.

"You should probably get out of here." He suggests, gesturing to the stairs up. "They'll be back any minute, I'm sure."

"What? No I can't just ditch without-"

"I'll come up with an excuse for you. Just go. I'd rather they not know what went on here." He explains. Ryuji nods in understanding. Before he leaves he comes over to Akechi and brushes his hair down with his fingers. It's not great, but it'll have to do. Akechi was leaning away at first until he realized what Ryuji was doing.

Ryuji stays there for a moment, face to face with Akechi. He leans in for a goodbye kiss but Akechi jerks backwards away from that. The expression on his face not only says that he's disgusted by the idea, but he also looks appalled that Ryuji would even try. With a frown, Ryuji backs off.

"Okay. Thanks man." He says without enthusiasm. Then he jogs up the stairs and out of the safe room, fast traveling back to the entrance where he wastes no time returning to the real world.

It's such a relief to be back in clean clothes that are not torn up. He decides to wait for the Thieves to come out. Now that he's in the real world, he has nothing to hide.

When the Thieves return, Ryuji learns that the excuse Akechi gave them was that he desperately had to go to the bathroom. There's no bathrooms in Mementos, and it doesn't need to be said that everyone agrees that relieving oneself on the floor in Mementos is something none of them want to do.

Of course Morgana makes fun of him, saying something degrading about him pooping his pants, and the dynamic of the group continues unhindered. When they all leave, Ryuji tries to catch Akechi's eye, but the other is pointedly avoiding his gaze and leaves quickly.

Later that night, both Akira and Yusuke text him separately to ask him if that stuff was the same from Kaneshiro's palace. He says yes and that he and Akechi went separate ways when they realized it. Akira asks him if it was a good idea to leave Akechi alone in the Metaverse, but Ryuji just responds "you don't get what it's like, man. I had to get out of there."

Yusuke does not question Ryuji further, but Ryuji commiserates with him a bit about how uncomfortable it was and how he wished they knew more back then so he could have handled it better. Yusuke reassures him that he handled it fine.

Akechi doesn't respond to Ryuji's text at all.

---

A few weeks later, Ryuji gets a text late at night. He sits straight up in bed when he sees it's from Akechi.

Crow: Sakamoto, I have obtained a certain item that I think you may be interested in.

Skull: what is it?

Crow: I think you'll like it.

Skull: come on man, just tell me what it is!

Crow: No.

Crow: But the pollen sure is bad this time of year, isn't it?

Pollen? Ryuji scrunches up his nose in confusion. It's not pollen season at all! The only pollen he's seen recently was-

He figures out what Akechi has obtained.

Skull: what's ur address