Summary: ShuAke Confidant Week, Day 5: Welcome/Initiation/Cheating. The Phantom Thieves take their newest member to Mementos.
Note: [looks into the distance] fellas, is it normal to end up making a scene of someone taking off a mask come off as somewhat erotic?
Warnings: New Akechi Outfit (Because I Can), Joker Is Thirsty, Crow Can't Keep His Hands To Himself, Author Screws Around With Some Things And Finally Shows What The Results Are.
Disclaimer: Don't own P5.
.
None of the Thieves was surprised when Ren called for a meeting to go to Mementos the day after the festival was over; merely a day after Goro had barged into their group.
They only had a couple of Mementos targets at the moment, which meant their trip would be short, and that made it ideal timing to test how Goro would work within the group.
"First things first," Mona started as the Thieves made their way down the stairs leading to Mementos' entrance, "We call ourselves with codenames, because it's not a good idea to be throwing our actual names around in people's subconscious. I'm Mona, and this is Panther-" Mona rattled off their codenames, gesturing to each one of them to connect a codename to a person, "-Skull, Fox, Queen, Oracle, Noir, and our leader-"
"Let me guess," Goro interrupted him, "Joker."
"Yes." Mona stared at him, baffled, "How did you know?"
Joker could feel Goro's gaze heavy on his back as his feet hit the floor after the final step, and his clothes changed into his thief outfit, heels clacking, and tailcoat fluttering, with a familiar weight settling on his face.
He turned around, casually tugging the gloves on his hands tighter, not out of a need to make sure they stayed snug on his hands, but rather out of habit, and met Goro's gaze, lips stretching into a shark-like grin, mirroring Goro's.
"Lucky guess." Goro chuckled lowly before he took the final steps down to stand in front of Joker, form flickering amidst blue flames as his Metaverse clothes made their way to the surface, engulfing Goro's frame.
Joker raised an eyebrow as he unabashedly ogled Goro, appreciating the tight midnight blue bodysuit stretching across his muscles, showing off his calves and forearms, while his black, knee-length shorts draped comfortably around his legs, not too tight and not too loose. A matching shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows was partially hidden underneath a sleeveless blood-red hoodie so dark, it almost looked as black as the shirt underneath it, with a low v-shaped neckline. His right glove was as red as the hoodie, while his left was stripped black and white.
But what was the most striking about him was his mask: a pure black mask with its nose stretching down for a few inches into a sharp point, along with horn-like curves curling backwards over his head.
No wonder the Shadows recognized him by mask when he had one like that.
Goro walked closer to him, footsteps silent in his flat-heeled shoes, "Well then, what would mine be?"
Joker cocked his head to the side, "What do you want it to be?"
Goro stared back at him contemplatively for a few moments before his eyes glinted, "How about Crow?"
Joker hummed, rolling the codename around in his head, "Welcome to the team, Crow."
"Any particular reason you're going with Joker?" Crow narrowed his eyes at Joker, who merely shrugged and gestured towards Mona, who preened.
"I picked that name." Mona put his paws on his waist, puffing his chest out in pride, "Because he's our trump card."
"I see." Crow nodded slowly, "It's a coincidence," He muttered under his breath, "I can't believe it's a coincidence."
Joker smothered a snort at how petulant Crow sounded. Crow glared at him, clearly sensing that Joker found his predicament amusing.
Joker rolled his shoulders, "Well, I'll leave the team to fill you in while I go get something done before we start today's work."
"Get what done?" Crow asked at the same time as Mona slid next to him.
"Second, sometimes it looks like Joker is just zoning out and staring blankly at a wall or the sky, but that's because-"
Mona's words trailed away as Joker stepped through the door to the Velvet Room.
.
When he left the Velvet Room with a new batch of Personas on him, he found Crow staring intently towards the escalators leading down to Qimranut, while the rest of the Thieves were observing him quietly.
"Alright, are you ready?" He started, his voice snapping the others out of their thoughts and causing them to change their focus towards him, "We have a newbie to initiate."
Crow sniffed indignantly, "This is not my first time in Mementos."
"Yes." Joker leered while the Thieves shared mischievous smiles, "But this is your first time with us."
Crow's expression changed to mirror Joker's, "This may be my first time with you, but you don't have to be gentle. I can take rough."
Joker cackled, "Let's get started. Mona!"
"Right away!"
.
The Thieves insisted that Crow take the front seat next to Joker while they all piled into the other seats. Joker knew it was just an excuse to be able to easily stare at the back of Crow's head during the ride.
"You drive?" Crow asked, eyeing Joker's hands on the wheel with distrust.
"I do!" Joker replied cheerfully, "I have my driver's license and everything."
"I doubt the legitimacy of that license."
"Same goes to your license." Joker hummed, "If you even have one." He huffed in fond amusement, "Driving without a license isn't beyond you."
Crow grinned viciously, "I won't get caught if I drive fast enough."
"How scandalous, Tantei-san."
"Right back at you, you little imp."
"I'm not the one wearing tight clothes."
"You like?" Crow stretched his legs a bit before somehow managing to cross one over the other while seated inside the Monamobile.
Joker shamelessly tilted his head to stare, "Oh, absolutely."
"Really, guys? On my seats?"
.
"Alright," Joker spoke up as he spied a Shadow ahead, guiding the Monamobile to a stop at the curve of the road, "Time to see how you deal with combat. But before we start, mind telling me if you know what your elemental weaknesses and strengths are?"
Crow stared at his pensively, clearly debating whether he should or not. Joker figured he felt uncomfortable sharing such details out loud with people he never worked with before. He'd be offended that Crow didn't trust him to tell him about it, but he understood that Crow probably never had to state his weaknesses to a group of people.
Crow huffed, shaking his head, "Weak to Curse, strong with Bless."
The Thieves ooh-ed.
"You counter Joker, then!" Noir declared, "That means you two will be paired up when dealing with Shadows using Bless!"
"Paired up?" Crow tilted to the side, curiosity and mischievousness glinting in his eyes, and Joker grinned.
"I'm the opposite. Weak to Bless and strong with Curse. So we can cover each other in cases of incoming attacks. Like Fox and Panther, and Skull and Mona, and Noir and Queen." Joker's foot pressed down on the gas pedal to move forward again, "We'll be moving in on the Shadow now. Crow will be with me, with Oracle as support and the rest on standby. We'll see who will go in against the next Shadow with you."
"Figuring out my dynamics with everyone?" Crow hummed, "Smart."
Joker pouted, "What? Of course I'm smart. I wouldn't have survived this far if I wasn't."
"Are you sure it wasn't luck?"
Joker sniffed imperiously and floored the gas, hurtling towards the Shadow and slamming into its front before skidding with the vehicle away from it as it split into two Girimekhala.
Joker opened the driver's door and slipped out, followed closely by Crow.
"This Shadow reflects both physical and gun attacks, but you're in luck- it's weak to Bless."
"Like you?"
"Shhh!"
The two took ready positions in front of the two Shadows as they lumbered to a standing position, and Joker gestured to Crow.
"You get the first move."
"I'm honored, honey." Crow straightened and splayed his right hand with its glowing red glove over his mask, stretching his left arm to the side, "Robin Hood!"
Joker focused intently on Crow as his mask dispersed into dark blue flames dancing around his figure, and chains clinked, manifesting around Crow and surrounding the form that appeared crouched by Crow's side.
Slim and dressed in black from head to toe, with a tight body suit under a pair of baggy shorts and a shirt with tattered sleeves, along with a hat sat atop a head with dark blue skin, face splashed a gray streak across its glinting green eyes. The figure raised the great bow it held in its right hand, left reaching towards it with an arrow to notch it and aim towards the Shadow.
A Kougaon slammed into the Shadow on the right, obliterating it instantly, and the Persona, Robin Hood, faded from view.
"Crow took one out in one blow! Nice!" Oracle's voice filtered into their ears.
Crow pulled his hand, glove no longer glowing, Joker absently noted, away from his mask, "So, about that Baton Pass Mona mentioned earlier…"
Joker didn't have time to think about the deeper meaning behind what Crow said as he turned towards Joker with his hand raised, ready to high-five Joker, who immediately raised his hand for the Baton Pass. The slap of their hands meeting generated a snapping sound, and the motion itself carried power to Joker's body.
Joker loved the invigorating feeling a Baton Pass caused.
Grinning wildly as he stepped forward, he took his gun out.
Crow made a strangled sound at the sight, "Joker, you said it reflected gun attacks, what are you doing?" He whispered furiously, but Joker merely grinned even wider.
Oracle snickered.
He leaped, taking aim, and-
"It's supposed to reflect gun attacks, you said." Crow growled at Joker, who landed on his feet and sprang forward to keep the downed Shadow trained under his weapon, "Did you lie to me?" Joker can feel the scowl Crow was aiming at him from the side, even if he couldn't see it, as the two kept their guns trained on the lone Shadow. And damn, did Crow's crossbow look ready to take aim at Joker and let loose the loaded bolt into Joker's guts.
"Oh, I didn't." Joker kept grinning and signaled him and Oracle for the next move.
"All-out attack!"
.
"So you said you didn't lie." Crow glared a hole in the side of Joker's head, "How did you do it?"
"I can bypass any strength towards gun attacks when I attack with a gun." Joker preened, "I learned from a shooting pro."
Mona sighed, "You mean an elementary school kid taught you how to get good at shooting by teaching you how to play a shooting game."
"What?" Crow said, and Joker sniffed imperiously.
"Doesn't make him any less of a shooting pro."
"Ooh! A treasure chest!" Panther pointed from the backseat, "Let's get it, Joker!"
.
By the time they reached a safe floor, Crow had been partnered up with all of the Thieves, which meant they would be back to their usual frontline team of four when they started the next floor.
Joker offered Crow the coffee thermos he brought with him, as he needed it the most, given how he'd been on the frontline constantly. To his credit, Crow didn't seem to be as tired as any new member usually would be at this point. But then again, Crow wasn't really new to the Metaverse.
Crow accepted the thermos and took a sip, "That doesn't mean you're off the hook yet." He nudged Joker with his elbow, clearly holding in the urge to ram it into Joker's side. He was miffed about what happened earlier, but he'd bounced back.
"What? Am I supposed to spill all of my secrets to you?" Joker asked, genuinely curious instead of playful, and Crow must have caught it, as his brow furrowed in response.
"No," He said, lips pressed together into a thin line, "Not yet."
"Why?"
Crow sent him a searching look, "Because I don't want you to spill your secrets to me when I'm not ready to return the favor."
Joker quirked an incredulous eyebrow.
"Why are you looking at me like that?!"
Joker leaned closer towards Crow to whisper his response into his ear, but his mask uncomfortably pressed against the side of Crow's head. With a frustrated huff, he pulled back to reach to his mask and take it off, but Crow snatched Joker's hands in his, stopping him in place.
"Don't." Crow stood up, pulling Joker along until they moved further away from the Thieves, who had the decency to keep their attention pointedly away from the duo, and closer to the escalators leading to the floor above them.
"It's not like you don't know who I am."
"It's the principle of the matter."
"I thought we were past that point."
"We are!" Crow hissed, "It's just-" He cut himself off with a frustrated huff, raking a hand through the back of his head, "You're going too fast," He muttered.
"Too fast? Is this about what I did when we teamed up a few floors up? Because if so-"
"It's not about that!" Crow looked tempted to throw himself towards the tracks and make a run for it, or throw Joker towards the tracks and make a run for it, "This." Crow gestured vaguely at the both of them, "Us. I've been fantasizing about taking your mask off your face for two years now. It's been so long, and I've desired it for so long, that you just casually trying to take off your mask in front of me was overwhelming."
"So, you're saying you wanted to take off my mask by yourself?" Joker didn't know whether he wanted to kiss Crow or slap him. Maybe both.
"Yes." Crow raised his hands to touch the tips of Joker's mask. Joker stood silently, not moving in any way to make sure he didn't send the wrong signal to Crow to, heaven forbid, cause him to believe Joker didn't want it like Crow did.
Crow's fingers trembled as he pulled the mask away, and Joker blinked up at him, face exposed.
"Oh." All of Crow's breath whooshed out of him in one go, and he was left standing, staring at Joker dazedly, a blush staining his cheeks and steadily gaining brightness until his face glowed red.
Crow raised his hands again to frame Joker's face, mask still gripped but maneuvered to make sure it wouldn't accidentally poke Joker anywhere, his thumbs caressing over Joker's cheekbones.
"Oi!" Mona shouted at them, "We don't have all day!"
Crow snapped out of his daze, letting Joker's face go and clearing his throat into his fist while offering the mask back to Joker.
Joker didn't take it from him, "What? You don't want to put it back on my face by yourself?" He teased.
Crow glared at him halfheartedly, cheeks still pink from his previous blush, the color refusing to leave completely even after Crow had willed it away, but carefully placed the mask back on Joker's face anyway.
Joker smirked, "You look so adorable when you blush."
Crow huffed in annoyance, "Let's go already. I have something to show you."
"Oh, what is it?"
"You'll see."
Joker almost pouted. Almost.
.
Crow had two Personas.
The fucker had two Personas.
Joker was so going to get him for springing this on him so suddenly.
(Maybe make him extra spicy curry the next time Goro came over to Leblanc?)
.
End
Yes, I shamelessly changed how Robin Hood looks like in this AU.