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A fun picture that inspired this chapter.

Ace Checkmate

Friday—June 05, 2021

Ren's eyes flew open as he stared at the stone ceiling above. Cold, hard metal stabbed him painfully in the back and the rattle of chains breached his ears. Every muscle of his ached, screaming and pleading for mercy although it paled in comparison to the fire in his wrist. Ren's eyes moved to survey the damage he had inflicted upon himself in his rampage and saw the skin around his hand and forearm had turned black. He dared to flex his fingers, bolting upright as he did so; he was expecting the pain but not to the extent of what he felt. His stomach churned at the very thought of moving again so all he could do was stare at the chains binding his hands and feet to the wall.

"Trickster, I wish I could rejoice our reunion," came a soft voice from beyond the bars.

Ren narrowed his eyes as he tried to penetrate through the darkness. He confirmed there was definitely movement occuring from the other side and his curiosity won out. The prisoner rose to his feet the best he could in his condition and staggered over to the bars, his right hand wrapping themselves around the metal that felt as hot as ice to the touch. He looked around again, eyes narrowing more. He had no doubt where he was, but was shocked to see how much the Velvet Room had changed since his last visit.

"My master no longer resides within you," Lavenza said softly as she emerged from the shadows, yellow eyes as piercing and unnerving as he remembered. Ren straightened up at the familiar face and frowned as she continued. "Your cognition has changed...and so has my master."

"Igor?" Ren rasped, voice dry.

"Yes," Lavenza said, nodded, and reached out a gloved hand to wrap her fingers around the same set of bars. She looked up at him with an unblinking stare. "Trickster, I introduce you to the Deceiver."

Ren felt any response he conjured in his head evaporate as she prepared him for an introduction. The doors of his cell swung open with a resounding bang as metal hit stone; he had his reservations of leaving, but for the second time, Ren's curiosity got the best of him. He did his best to maneuver with the heavy chains while also trying to avoid exacerbating the pain in his wrist. He stumbled awkwardly, his gait uneven, but managed to make it past the door and into the slowly brightening room. He looked around as the lights began to illuminate, revealing a single table and two chairs. He felt his stomach twist at the very thought and this felt uncomfortably familiar. He took a step back, but jerked to a stop mid-step as another figure came out of another prison cell.

Goro emerged with a black mask. He, too, was manacled and weighed down. His eyes met Ren's for the first time but there was no warmth or welcome behind his brown eyes although Ren could not say he was expecting one. He averted his attention away from Goro and back to Lavenza. He watched her cross the room and stand beside Crow, who remained stoically unreadable. The Deceiver closed the distance and stood before him with a hungry gleam behind that mask. Ren returned the same, insatiable appetite as his counterpart; Joker and Crow had been reawakened though they never slumbered...both yearned a chance to rip off their masks once more and unleash their ire upon this distorted world.

"Return to me, Loki," Goro said as he ripped off his mask, throwing it up and roaring in triumph as black flames unveiled the very Persona Goro had used against him. The room began to shake as the ceiling and walls began to disintegrate. He raised a hand then pointed at Ren, who adopted a defensive stance at once.

"Joker."

Ren looked up at the familiar name, a wave of relief flooding over him as he recognized the eerie, sinister voice calling him out. He let out a sigh and released his anxiety, allowing the warmth to spread over his body. Blue flames erupted around his eyes as the familiar coldness of his white and black mask appeared from the ashes. The fire spiraled around his frame and engulfed him in the burning sensation he craved for so long.

"Thou has returned to me," came the voice again. Ren looked down at his gloved hands, a smile creeping up on his lips. "I bind to thee."

The darkness began to lift to reveal a sky of black, blue, and purple. He, Goro, and Lavenza found themselves on a platform in a vortex somewhere between his heart and mind.

"Release thy distortion!"

Ren's mask seemed to shatter, breaking off into shards and lifting off into the endless sky, each broken piece emulating a twinkling star. He lifted a hand, fingers playing the beads of light.

"Welcome, Satanael," Ren murmured.

Satanael revealed himself and it was all Ren and Goro could see. Loki remained where he was, but the dancing, black lights around the Persona flickered as Satanael's bluish glow began to emit a stronger burn. Ren opened his arms as if to welcome the power. The spirit flared out its six wings and opened its arms in the same way its conjurer did.

Goro's eyes widened as he lowered his hand away from Ren, taking a few steps back as he tried to swallow the scene before his eyes. The Trickster raised a hand at Goro though his eyes were soft. He turned away from Crow and faced Satanael, looking at the back of his hand with overwhelming calmness.

"Thou desire my power," the Persona said and reached out a hand, conjuring a blue halo around the boy. "Then so it shall be granted. Upon my wings bear the burden of imprisonment. But, together, we forge our bond."

Ren reached out a hand as his Persona began to mirror his actions; he turned slowly to face Goro, hand snapping into a fist as he wore a wild grin on his face, ecstatic to be reunited with his rebellious spirit once more. A shadow of doubt, suspicion, and perhaps fear flitted across his face as he stared at the other, but he stood his ground.

The halo transformed into an orb, encircling Ren and obscuring him from Goro's view. Satanael burst and scattered into millions of stars, lighting the once dim skies and revealing a endless and timeless galaxy.

Ren's breath hitched in his throat, excitement pouring through every vein of his body, overwhelming his senses and blinding him to everything but the Persona. "I am thou...thou art I. It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity."

"Thou will be free from thy chains though thou be chained to Hell itself," the voice called out, his voice trembling with eagerness to be reunited with his former summoner. "I grant power to thee...the power to damn thy enemies to Hell!"

"Come, Arsène!"

Ren's mask returned as his first Persona unfurled his black wings from around the Trickster, revealing them both.

"Your bond has been sealed," Lavenza said as she stood between Ren and Goro. "The vows you made to your Personas are extended to each other to siege control of the Metaverse again."

"Someone is controlling the Metaverse?" Goro asked, voice strong but almost...shaky.

"Or something," Ren supplied, closing the last bit of distance between him and Goro. They now stood face-to-face, eyes piercing one another as the Trickster and the Deceiver shared their bond. He held out his right hand and extended it. "Let's do this."

Goro grasped his hand, fingers pressing hard into the skin, and nodded. "Let's."

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Goro woke with a start and rubbed his eyes tiredly as his ears craned to hear the soft music still playing from his phone. He must have fallen asleep without meaning to. Sunlight streamed through the blinds of his room—but this was most definitely not his room. He remembered his bed having a black duvet, not a red one. He sat up straighter and tried to blink the tiredness from his eyes, groaning as the memories of yesterday and last night came flooding back. Sakamoto insisted they stay to witness a rally, but everything went wrong and—

Goro jerked awkwardly to see Ren sprawled out on the bed next to him. His cheeks flushed red as he clambered off, dusting his shirt. The movement roused the boy although Goro had a hunch he was not in a deep sleep in the first place. He cleared his throat and forced himself to regain some of his composure. But it was hard seeing Ren in such poor condition; his friend's eye was swollen and bruised, there was a long gash that ran from his temple to the corner of his mouth, and there was a nasty cut above his eye and down the bridge of his nose. Ren's bottom lip was busted open and his nose and left cheek were black and blue. However, his eyes reflected the most pain.

"Morning," Ren said in greeting, looking at his jeans with a frown. "I didn't change?"

"You were unconscious in all fairness," Goro replied curtly and folded his arms over his chest, mind reeling back to the dream he had. Although he knew it was no dream...still, he wondered if Ren had any recollection of their reunion in the Velvet Room. "You've looked better."

Ren scowled, a much better and more comforting sight because it meant he still had some fight left in him. Goro could not help but smile.

"We should have someone look at your wrist."

Ren, unsurprisingly, shook his head at the suggestion. "I'll wrap it today and find a brace. The last thing I want is an interrogation for the rest of...this."

He gestured to his face in general.

Goro hummed, looking ready to argue but secretly understanding his wishes. Ren slowly heaved himself to his feet, the effort of doing so looking taxing, and crossed the room to grab his clothes. Right then and there, he yanked the shirt over his head to reveal his torso Goro never had the damn pleasure of seeing. He turned bright red almost immediately and the heat emitting from his skin felt hotter than Loki's black flames of Hell.

He tried his bed to avert his eyes, but they kept going right back to the lithe frame, surprisingly strong body behind that cornstalk physique. He could see scars on his back, shoulders, chest, and stomach, but—oh...Goro didn't know Ren had such definition to them…he pursed his lips so tightly they disappeared and ran a distressed hand through his hair. Goro vaguely heard something or someone making noise so he hummed as a response but truly had no idea what was being said.

Goro was taken aback more than anything but this sudden display of skin. He had never seen Ren in anything other than casual attire or that Shujin uniform. He had never seen him old school clothes since he decided to avoid Tokyo for those months, but...but he never would—where was his mind going? Goro stopped and tried to reign in his thoughts but they felt scattered and unorganized. His mouth had definitely gone dry. He had seen girls swoon at him and even show more than he cared to see of them, but he never felt his face flame up like this.

"There's more where that came from."

Goro snapped his head up at that blatant comment and spluttered indignantly. "Wha–ho–you think–I–"

"What are you on about?" Ren asked strength, genuinely confused.

"Tha—that comment!" Goro said though he was grateful his voice came out stronger.

"I asked about coffee," Ren snorted and shoved his hands in his pockets.

Goro watched the teen have the audacity to smirk. Or...was he imagining it? He rolled his eyes and huffed sharply, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of being his source of entertainment.

"Oh, enough of that! Don't get an ego just because you were unsightly enough to start undressing here!"

Ren's smirk grew wider. "Had you looking long enough."

However, the frivolity lasted for a second at most for the pain in his ribs took him by surprise. He groaned as his hand went straight for his side, giving himself away immediately, especially to the observant detective. Goro's expression of annoyance quickly vanished, leaving him with worry.

"I'm fine," he grunted before Goro had the chance to ask. "Just sore from yesterday."

Goro hummed at that and decided to check his watch instead. Suddenly, Ren's phone started going off. He pointed to the device that was haphazardly tossed on his bed and buried within the sheets. Morgana still lay sleeping soundly despite all the noise they were making. But when Goro went to rustle the sheets, the feline went for his hands, claws exposed.

"Oh, sorry, Akechi," Morgana said apologetically as Goro yanked his hands back and nursed the bleeding wounds. He pushed Ren's phone from its hiding spot. "Bad dream and all. Here…what time is it?"

"Great," Goro huffed and turned to face the teen, who was shaking his head. "Quarter to four."

"In layman's terms, please," Morgana huffed and stretched dramatically, fur rippling along his spine as his tail flicked from side to side. "I'm still getting used to how time works around here."

"03:45," Goro said impatiently, clicking his tongue.

"In the morning?" Morgana said, aghast and immediately plopped himself back on Ren's pillow, curling up into a ball and placing his tail and paw over his nose. "I'm going back to sleep!"

Goro opened his mouth to argue with the cat some more, then stopped when he realized how ridiculous the entire scenario was. Instead, he turned his attention back to Ren, who was grabbing his towel and pointing to the phone in Goro's hand.

"Respond for me—"

"What?" Goro said blankly.

"My phone—"

"It's locked—"

"I'm getting there. The passcode is 6298."

Goro typed it in and unlocked the phone as he realized he was in Ren's phone. He tried not to look around, but Ren's phone was so characteristically like him. He had one screen of apps, all disorganized, on top of a red and black, abstract background. He pulled up the messages app and tried to figure out who sent what.

"It's probably Sumire," he muttered.

Goro most likely would have liked Yoshizawa more, especially since he fought alongside her in the Metaverse, if she didn't keep mooning over every little thing Ren did. He pulled up her image icon and frowned at the screen.

"She is asking if she can come over," Goro said, proud at how well he disguised his agitation at the simple text.

"Not today," Ren said with a shake of his head, catching Goro off guard. He always assumed Ren wanted to spend every second with his precious, little friends. "There are other things I need to do."

"Such as?" Goro asked, unable to help himself or his curiosity.

"You said we needed to talk," Ren replied with an air of caution, finally able to stand upright. His battered body looked as bad as it must have felt. "We can talk about whatever it was, unless you changed your mind."

"I never do," Goro said immediately though he regretted his sharp tone. He had never been one to change his mind as he believed in follow-through. "Yes, I do want to talk, but we barely get anywhere because we end up disagreeing to the point of fighting."

Ren remained silent then nodded slowly. "I'll get ready and we can go for a walk."

"Is a walk a good idea in your condition?"

"Shut up," Ren's voice said as he departed the room.

True to his word, the pair headed off the moment he finished preparing for the morning. While the rest of the teens were asleep, the two enjoyed wandering the nearby streets in the early hours of the morning. It was quiet at first, neither speaking the first word. Goro fiddled with the sleeve of his tan jacket, pulling at a thread that came loose somewhere between the move and this morning.

"Going back to our previous conversation," Goro said, putting a hand to his chin as he recalled those carefully stored-away memories. "I caught rumors of jails instead of palaces? How were those different?"

"The Monarchs of the jails were prisoners of their own hearts," Ren said slowly, hands twisting in his pockets as he clung to the chess piece. Unknown to him, he felt guarded and afraid the inquiries would turn into an interrogation. "We found it easier to sympathize with them than the rulers of the palace. But, I have a question of my own."

Goro's eyebrows rose up but he kept silent and allowed Ren to continue.

"When I was finishing my second year, where were you?" he asked, a hint of bitterness mingled with his tone. "You never returned to Tokyo...I left without knowing if you were even alive."

"There were signs," Goro said earnestly and frowned sharply at the feeling of being wrongly accused. He unconsciously quickened his pace as his walk turned vigorous. "Besides, was it wrong of me to desire a normal life for once? One out of the spotlight? One out of the public's eye? Even if it meant staying away for a while?"

"Did you even care?" Ren spit out, rounding on Goro as he, too, matched his pace with his long legs. He grabbed Goro's arm and shoved him off the main streets and around the corner of an alley. "You left us scouring newspaper clippings, searching every scrap of news for your return? Everything you have said from the day we met to the night you put a blade between my shoulders...did you care to think what that felt like?"

"I don't care about your insipid feelings, Amamiya," Goro said harshly, concealing his true feelings with very convincing abrasion.

"But you do," Ren scoffed haughtily, something he did when he knew he was right. He narrowed his eyes maliciously as he ruthlessly hacked away at Goro's carefully placed walls around his heart. "Because you are here; why did you come back to us if you did not care? You could have lived your insipid, honest, student life anywhere."

For the first time in years, Goro felt himself flinch away at Ren's words as if they had physically seared his skin.

"I am disappointed," Ren said with a mirthless laugh, cold, hollow, and devoid of life and emotion. "And you call yourself a detective…"

Goro just stood there with his back against the wall, hands curling into fists at his side; he was grateful the darkness covered his reddening face.

"I told you Maruki's distorted reality brought you back to me," Ren continued, running a hand through his hair as he began to pace, movements jagged and staccato. "I did not understand why at first but it made sense...well, now it does."

Goro felt himself frown and narrow his eyes as he watched the other's ire grow the more he recalled these memories. Unexpectedly, Ren stalked forward and slammed both palms against the wall behind Goro, effectively trapping him. Ren's arms acted as a barrier on either side of Goro's head and his body blocked his only other escape route. He heard the teen hiss although it was unclear whether it was due to the pain, anger, both, or neither.

"Maruki created a damned paradise and called it reality," Ren spat, lip curling back.

At that moment, Goro could see the shadow of not just Joker but the demon Persona Ren called Arsène. Just like that, blue flames burst from Ren's eyes, revealing the achingly familiar black and white mask; the flames spiraled around his body, completing the rest of the transformation. Ren stood before him as Joker, and slammed the fist holding the chess piece against the wall, mere inches away from Goro's right ear. But, Goro was hit with a breathtaking epiphany…Maruki created a distorted reality in which no one suffered...no one felt the agony of emotional pain...of loss…

Ren's paradise resurrected him...Goro. Ren's paradise was one with him in it; his paradise was him…

"I hate you, Akechi," Ren murmured, voice barely above a whisper although it harbored more emotion than any of his spiteful comments. Goro felt himself hang his head.

Ren's expression did not change, but his tone involuntarily grew softer...more pained.

"Where have you been? I've been searching all along…" he asked, holding the chess piece wrapped up in Goro's glove in his own gloved hand; he still had his other arm bracing against the wall. His expression turned dark, but there was no rage behind it...only sadness. "You challenged me to the ultimate duel, Akechi."

"I—"

Ren ripped off the mask and summoned his persona, leaving Goro to briefly wonder if the other was going to finish him off.

"You left me with an opponent impossible to beat. You won...ace checkmate," the Trickster rasped and shoved the king in Goro's hand, pulling away as he looked away.

Arsène wrapped his black wings around his summoner, obscuring him from view. In a burst of blue light, one that Goro had to throw up his arm to shield his eyes, Ren had returned to his normal self; he skipped the formalities of a snarky farewell and departed without another word, disappearing into the shadows.

.oOo.

Ryuji (08:02): Have y'all seen Ren anywhere? Haven't seen the guy this morning.

Ann (08:02): No, did you check his room?

Ryuji (08:04): No shit. Not there

Yusuke (08:05): He appears vacant from this home.

Ryuji (08:05): Same w/ Goro

Yusuke (08:06): Perhaps the two had a rendezvous.

Sumire (08:10): Sorry for the late response! I haven't heard from Ren today although I texted him this morning.

Ann (08:14): Did he respond?

Sumire (08:17): He said he was too busy today to hang out.

Ryuji (08: 21): Busy? The guy just got his ass kicked. The hell does he think he's goin?

Sumire (08:22): I don't know either. I left another message, but he didn't respond to that one.

Yusuke's thumb hovered over the screen of his phone, ready to back out of the group message and privately contact Futaba and have her track Ren's phone. However, he ultimately decided against it to avoid a panic across the world. Admitting he needed her to track a friend's phone would surely raise suspicion. He did not want to be the cause of her concern when he should step up as Ren's friend. He pocketed the device and finished dressing, fixing the collar of his shirt and rolling the sleeves to his elbows. He ventured across the hallway and knocked on Ryuji's door, clearing his throat to announce his presence.

"Yo, come in," Ryuji's voice said through the door.

Yusuke opened it with some difficulty as something was blocking it from the other side. Morgana came skittering around his ankles, darting into the Ryuji's room and jumping up on the desk that was buried under a massive mound of balled up and wrinkled clothes. Yusuke's nose immediately wrinkled at the chaos his friend called organized chaos and folded his arms over his chest. This room squandered not only his creative mind but his thoughts in general. It was impossible to think in these conditions.

"We should look for Ren," he said after taking a few more seconds to recompose himself, trying to make himself as small as possible. "He would do the same for any one of us."

"Yeah, man," Ryuji said in agreement and grabbed a sweatshirt, yanking it over his head and pulling the strings. He grabbed his phone, wallet, and keys, giving him the thumbs up. "But I dunno where to even start lookin'. Do ya think he coulda gone somewhere for coffee?"

"Perhaps," Yusuke said and hummed thoughtfully to himself, eyebrows pinched as he tried to concentrate on anything but the pile of clothes at his feet. "Although I am not familiar with the cafes or routes in this city."

"We gotta start somewhere," Ryuji said, adopting Ren's confidence. "Did ya try callin' his phone?"

"Yes, in addition to Goro's number," Yusuke said and pulled up the call log on his phone to show he had, in fact, tried several times. "Do you think the two had another row?"

"It's all they do," Ryuji said earnestly, shaking his head and running a hand through his short, blonde hair. "I dunno, dude. Ren's been strugglin' with Goro's return n' all...worse than us."

"Those two nurtured a relationship far beyond our understanding," Yusuke said fairly, thinking back to the times in Tokyo; he rarely saw one without the other, whether they were challenging each other to one thing or another, arguing, or debating. Their dynamic seemed almost impossible to complement, but they always did gravitate towards one another in the end. "They are the yin and yang as one would say in Chinese culture."

"You're losin' me," Ryuji said with a deadpan expression. "It's too damn early."

Yusuke chuckled fondly and shook his head. "Let's begin our search and I will explain on the journey."

Once Yusuke and Ryuji were on the move, the blonde began to get some of his energy back. His step had more of a bounce in it as he weaved in and out of the crowd at a surprising speed. Yusuke was thankful for his longer strides otherwise he was not sure if he would have been able to keep up with his hyper friend.

"So...you gonna explain now?" Ryuji asked.

"Ah," Yusuke said with a nod and murmured his apologies as he nearly ran right into a small girl on her scooter. "While they have more differences than similarities, they perfectly balance one another out. Besides, I have never seen Ren so talkative when he is with Goro."

"I'spose," Ryuji muttered.

"Furthermore, it is as if destiny or something more forged their paths together, intertwining them to the point where they became one," Yusuke continued, trying to figure out the best words to explain himself and his rationale. "Everything about Goro and Ren correlates...right down to the most minute detail."

"Huh?"

"One is left handed while the other is right handed. One's style of fighting is charging forward whilst the other ambushes from all angles. Yet...both have the power to wield more than one Persona. They are, in less eloquent terms, Wild Cards together."

Ryuji's eyes flickered as they widened.

"While I am grateful Goro does not possess the ability to conjure more than two, unlike our Leader, I believe he could someday...because of the bond he made with Ren," Yusuke hypothesized, tapping his finger to his chin as he began to lose himself in his thoughts.

Ryuji let out a thoughtful groan and shrugged his shoulders, nudging the Mona-bag that their leader usually carried. "Whaddya think, Morgana?"

"He has a point," the cat said and popped his head out of the bag, putting his front paws on Ryuji's shoulder to get a better view of the street. "And when Goro disappeared for all that time...it really hurt our guy. He went through a whole grieving period back in his hometown."

"Really?" Ryuji asked, sounding astonished.

"I believe it," Yusuke said as he folded his arms over his chest. "When I would pass him by at the flower shop, he became almost unrecognizable."

"You're telling me," Morgana said and shook his head, ears twitching as he listened around. "He thought Goro was dead...he thought he lost him forever. Ren stopped eating, barely came home, and even went days without talking."

"Shit...I didn't even know…" Ryuji gasped before he hung his head. "I shoulda texted him more…"

"There's no point in blaming yourself now," Morgana chided albeit gently, sighing as he swiped a tongue over his canines. "He managed to come round in the end, but I think it's because he...he has gotten so used to not feeling anything."

Yusuke cast his gaze downward, his heart aching for their Leader at the very thought of him enduring such emotional turmoil. He may not understand his and Goro's relationship, but there was no denying it. There was an unshakable bond between the two that even fate had no control over. They would always be connected by something far beyond this universe's comprehension.

.oOo.

"Sorry to worry you," Ren said softly, hanging his head as he held up the bag of bought goods. "I got us groceries for tonight's dinner and school supplies for myself."

"That's okay!" Ann chirped in a falsely cheerful voice. Goro knew it was a front to disguise her genuine concern. She was never a good actress. "I know you were busy!"

Ren hummed, a ghost of a smile flitting on his face before it disappeared, not even coming close to reaching his eyes.

"You've got a brace," Sumire said, trying to avoid any awkward silences. "I'm glad you got something…"

Goro could not bring himself to stay in that townhouse any longer. He ventured out without a word, having no desire to entertain anyone tonight. He quickened his pace to put some distance between himself and the others, rounding the corner and walking until he was at the end of the block and away from the series of townhouses. He turned down an alley and leaned against an apartment complex, letting out a soft sigh now that he felt he could breathe again. With shaking hands, he pulled out his pack of cigarettes, taking one between his teeth and lighting it with some difficulty. He closed his eyes, annoyed the cigarette was not helping him the way he pictured it would.

He exhaled sharply.

He thought about what Ren had told him earlier that morning, feeling his insides squirm with guilt and unease. It was an unfamiliar feeling and he was not sure what to do with it. Ren had done such a good job throwing his words back at him, right down to the declaration of alleged hatred. Goro recalled the day he had said those three words; he had a horrendous day and his competitive streak made him envious of the teen...he was still envious of Ren. He hated losing, but most of all, he hated that Ren seemed to be...better than him. He had what Goro desired the most. However, none of those materialistic things seemed to harbor as much value or importance than he initially assumed. Ren only mentioned his struggles during his reality with Maruki and only confided his regret for destroying his friends' blissful paradise. Still, his confession was surface-level at most and only reflected shallow decency expected of any human being.

Goro was not sure what exactly went through Ren's mind about Maruki's distortion...until today. The doctor created a reality parallel, or comparable to one's personal paradise. Ren had admitted Goro was a part of his paradise…

Perhaps that was what hurt the most in that entire conversation.

If only they had met a few years earlier…

Perhaps he would have had an easier time letting his walls come down. Would it have been easier?

If only they had met a few years earlier...

Ren had emerged from the townhouse, hands folded over his chest as he came striding over to Goro, who was leaning against the wall, cigarette in his hands. He desired peace from the rambunctious house, seeking quietness that his room could not provide. The dream from last night was still painfully fresh in his mind although he still could not bring himself to ask Ren about it. He spotted his approaching figure, but Goro did his best to ignore him. Talking now would not be very effective given Ren's current state of mind. The boy had been distant and off the entire day, raising the suspicions of his friends' but he kept insisting he was fine.

"I forgot my lighter," Ren said as he reached into Goro's jacket pocket and helped himself to their shared pack.

Goro wanted to protest, but he had little fight left in him tonight.

Ren hummed and closed the distance, eyes covered by long, black lashes as he placed the cigarette between his lips and used Goro's end to light up his own. He inhaled deeply, lips curving into a graceful smile.

"Does it bother you?" Ren asked, leaning in breathtakingly close.

Goro felt his head spin as Ren's fingers held his cigarette steady, sticking the butt end to Goro's and inhaled slowly but deeply, eyes meeting his own. His tongue flicked out to swipe over his tongue as he pulled back, lips closing around the cigarette that dangled loosely in his long fingers.

"No," Goro muttered, although his voice was hardly convincing.

"Hm," Ren replied and shrugged his shoulders, taking a step forward, effectively pressing Goro against the wall. "You really are the Deceiver."

Goro drowned sharply and felt his lip curl back. "And you're a trickster. Neither are exactly award-winning titles."

"Touché," Ren drawled and tilted his head up to blow the smoke out. He clicked his tongue as he looked at the cigarette between his fingers. "You've got a bad habit."

"You can take responsibility," Goro snapped as the smoke came out with his words.

Ren snorted. "It's fortunate for us, these things leave no trace, just the effects. It's like having the privilege to enjoy toxic frivolity without the consequences."

Goro blinked at him with a bit of a blank expression.

Ren seemed to have amused himself for he chuckled with a shake of his head. "I really did sound like Yusuke...Ryuji's right..."

"Is that supposed to be some poorly constructed metaphor?" Goro inquired abrasively.

"That night you and I drank till morning, I went to Takemi's clinic for a trial, forgetting I was not supposed to have alcohol before it," Ren said earnestly, taking a long drag and exhaling slowly, watching the cloud of smoke linger. "I told her and she ran tests but found no trace of alcohol in my system despite having had plenty an hour before."

Goro knit his eyebrows, reluctantly curious.

"You are not the only one who has learned things about the Metaverse," Ren drawled in an almost challenging way, bracing his arms against the wall on either side of Goro like he did this morning. But, it felt different this time...even more suffocating than the previous. Goro's breath shook as he tried to take a drag and play off their current position as nothing.

"I'll tell you about it sometime," Ren replied, pushing himself off the wall and throwing him a knowing look. He put out the cigarette and tossed it away, waving a hand as he made his way back to their townhouse.

Goro stuffed his hand in his pockets, only to pull out the chess piece and glove that Ren must have sneaked in when he made a grab for the pack of cigarettes.

"You tempted me to accept, Amamiya," Goro murmured as he clenched a fist around the piece. "Ace checkmate."