Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Persona series.

This spot was originally for the one-shot that is now going to be posted on my birthday. I'm curious to see if anyone has a guess as to what that pairing will be.

Anyway, today's one-shot was deemed by the random number generator to be the last pairing, but it was switched, so now it is here! Now, I know that this is an extremely popular pairing, so we will see how this goes.

Please enjoy this next part of the P5 Shipping Round Robin Challenge!

P5 Shipping Round Robin Challenge:

Detective Prince:

Akira x Goro

-Goro-

Making a great first impression was always important. No one knew that more than Goro Akechi.

As far back as he could remember, Goro would make the extra effort to appear poised and confident. He carefully crafted an air of intelligence and kindness, to appear as an expert on all things related to law enforcement.

Goro was smart, and he knew it. It would have been so easy to flaunt this aspect of himself, but he was not only academically intelligent… he also had street smarts.

If he did flaunt his success, people wouldn't like him. They would mark him as arrogant, and would therefore disqualify anything that he said, even if it were true. So, he had to make sure that he remained humble above all else, at least on the surface.

Another way that he would impress others would be how he dressed. Goro was fortunate enough to go to a relatively prestigious high school, and their uniforms followed that tone. A nice, crisp jacket, black pants and shoes, and black tie completed the look. It gave off an air of simplistic sophistication, which tied into the attitude that he maintained.

Goro added the black gloves for a multitude of reasons, but the main one was to add to this gentlemanly appearance. It made him look a little bit older, and he could use as much help as he could get in that department. He'd observed first-hand how many of Sae's superiors would make subtle negative comments about her work performance, saying how she didn't deserve to be where she was given her inexperience. It was also due somewhat to her gender, but Goro knew that many older adults frowned upon the younger generation if they were seen as not knowing their place.

An additional benefit of this image was, of course, attracting many fans, girls and boys. They all considered him very attractive, and he used this to his advantage by swaying public opinion. He was so admired and respected that he could say whatever he wanted and others would believe him, even if he contradicted himself or went against logic itself.

All in all, Goro spent years crafting his image, and he believed it had brought him true success. He didn't realize that it could result in something else entirely.

When Goro first started to talk to the leader of the Phantom Thieves, he had thought of him as a true equal. Sure, he was a little unpolished, but Goro could tell that Akira was more than what met the eye.

After the initial meeting, the two spent time together on random days. Sometimes, they would play chess, other days, they would take a trip to the batting cages, and some days, they would simply sit at Leblanc's bar and talk over coffee.

It was during one of these coffee excursions that Akira mentioned something to the detective prince.

"You know," the boy murmured, "you look really great in this tie. It makes you look very… dapper." Akira reached out a hand and touched his fingertips against said article of clothing.

Goro had looked down at his hand, surprised. Akira didn't seem like the touchy-feely type, yet here they were. The detective prince did what he rarely did. He laughed… but he laughed nervously. "H-heh. Why thank you, Akira. I appreciate the compliment.

When Akira remained silent, Goro shyly took a sip of his coffee so that he had something to do.

A few moments passed, and neither boy said anything. Goro knew that he must have looked foolish, but he couldn't help but nervously chug down the rest of his drink, not knowing how else to break the tension. Usually, he would be able to make a witty comment or somehow deescalate the situation, but at the moment, he found himself tongue-tied.

When Goro felt a slight pressure on his neck, he looked back over at Akira to see him pulling his tie from side to side. Blushing, Goro was finally able to get some words out. "A-Akira? What are you doing?"

The boy smiled as he let go. The detective prince noticed with a start that his hand brushed against his bare neck, and he shivered slightly at the touch.

Looking into Goro's eyes, Akira murmured, "Your tie was a little uneven, so I decided to straighten it for you. I hope you don't mind." Goro wasn't sure if it was a reflection of light off of the other boy's glasses, but he could have sworn that he winked at him.

The detective prince cleared his throat. "I see. Thank you, Akira. I'll be on the lookout for that from now on."

The two boys engaged in a polite conversation after that, and before too long, it was time for Goro to leave.

They both stood, and Akira reached out his hand. "I'll see you soon?" He smiled.

Goro found his blush from before beginning to resurface. With a gulp, he pushed it down and instead firmly grasped Akira's hand. "Of course." With that, Goro turned and walked out of the store.

As he walked down the street to reach the subway station, he paused. Looking at his reflection in one of the store windows, he honed in on his tie. It looked perfect as always. But if Akira had commented on it… perhaps he was losing his touch?

"No matter." The detective prince slowly reached up and straightened his tie. "I'll just have to make sure that I make the extra effort from now on. I cannot disappoint my fans with a sloppy appearance after all." He smiled to himself.

With that promise in mind, Goro continued to make his way down the street.

And from that day forward, the boy always made sure to straighten his tie, especially when the leader of the Phantom Thieves was around.

One of the many great things about Persona 5 was the style, and that included how all the characters dressed. I was thinking about incorporating this style into one of the stories, and this is the end result! Plus, I think it's kinda cute to think that Goro developed this kind of nervous habit because he wanted to impress someone he had a crush on.

See you tomorrow!