MAJOR spoilers for December.

I feel like more physical interaction between Akira and the cast could have some scenes a lot more meaningful. One such instance is one I will now demonstrate.

Also, hey. I was taking a break for a tick, but I have returned to you all.

Eeeeeenjoy!

Joker stood a little straighter as he neared what he assumed to be Queen's cell. The light blue glow from the room she was presumably waiting in was a welcome difference from the eerie calm mixed with the unsettling darkness. He opened his mouth to call to her through the bars, only to find that there was no such obstacle.

What the-...the door's open?

"Queen?"

No answer. Makoto was simply staring off into space, one hand tightly clutching her arm as she closed her eyes in thought. "...Makoto?"

He stepped inside the cell, gently patting Makoto's cheek after pocketing his gloves. "Metaverse to Makoto. Awaken, my love, all that."

Her head snapped up at the contact, turning to stare at Joker as if in disbelief that he was even standing in front of her. He took off his mask, tossing it over his shoulder to dissolve into a spark of light, and smiled. "Hey - oof!"

Akira stumbled back as she pounced on him, arms around his shoulders as she nuzzled shamelessly past the collar of his coat and into his neck. As such, her words were muffled, but Akira couldn't help but smile at what they were. "You're safe...what a relief!"

"Arguably, that's what I should be saying. Seeing you disappear like that took a few years off my life."

Akira returned the hug firmly, letting one hand rest on her hair as the other wound around her back to keep her close. "I'm glad you're okay."

Makoto smiled, her arms tightening a bit around him before she realized that something felt off. Her fingers brushed against the hardy material of his jacket as she murmured, "You're in your Phantom Thief attire...and I'm back in my regular clothes?"

Makoto pulled away but kept her hands on his shoulders, offering a sad little smile at Akira as he hesitated from losing her embrace. Her sight flicked back down at her clothes, her voice but a whisper as she pondered, "Could this mean that the will of rebellion is no longer within me?"

They both flinched as the cell door suddenly slammed shut, effectively trapping both of them inside. Akira grabbed one of the bars, giving it a good shake only to find out that it definitely wasn't going to budge with raw power. "...Crap."

"W-what just happened? Is that bad?"

"Well, we're both locked in here now. It's a little troubling."

He reached into his pocket and tossed a lockpick in the air, crouching in front of the door and deftly catching it as he set to work undoing the clearly magical lock. "Let me see what I can do."

Makoto hovered around him worriedly as light metal clicks echoed through the air, stopping and jumping back to act like she wasn't doing anything when he looked over his shoulder and smirked lightly. "Talk to me. It'll help my focus."

Makoto watched him work on the door, moving beside him to sit against the door with an audible sigh. "We have to fight that Holy Grail again...right?"

"That we do."

Akira narrowed his eyes at the lock and twisted his hand slightly, nodding to himself as he heard a jangle of metal. "You're worried."

"Are you not? Could you imagine defeating something like that?"

"What can I say? I'm a dreamer."

"...It has the support of the masses, and with it, a near infinite amount of power. No matter which way I approach the problem in my mind, nothing points to our victory."

"I'm gonna shoot it in the face."

Something in Makoto snapped, and she glared down at Akira to growl, "Do you always have to bluster like that? It's almost impossible to tell what you're truly thinking!"

Akira paused what he was doing, looking up at Makoto as she covered her mouth with a hand in shock of what she had said. "I-I'm so sorry."

He watched her carefully for another moment, grunting noncommittally as he turned his attention back to the lock. Makoto wrung her hands, trying to look anywhere but Akira as an uncomfortable silence settled in the cell. The door remained locked, and, even if Makoto found a way to open it, Akira was still waiting in front of it. A lump in her throat stifled anything she might have tried to say until she heard him murmur, "I'm terrified."

She looked down at him as he spoke again, albeit more quietly than she was used to hearing. "Huh?"

"I'm scared, Makoto. Quaking in my boots. When I saw that glorified cup fix all the damage we dealt to it, I felt myself waver. When I saw you disappear like that, it felt like something was being torn out of my chest. Is that what you want to hear?"

The lockpick he was using snapped in his hand, and he looked at it glumly before letting the pieces fall to the floor and standing. He straightened out his jacket as he turned to face Makoto, slowly walking forward as his grey eyes hardened into an uncharacteristic steel. Makoto, unsure and unsettled by his outward cold, found herself backing away until her back hit the wall and she gasped in surprise. Akira stopped a foot short of where she stood, gazing evenly at her until he leaned forward to rest his forehead on her shoulder. The sigh that followed was soft from his apparent exhaustion and shaky from his evident fear. "...I don't know what's gonna happen when we get out of here. The only thing I can hold onto at this point is that I'm going back out there no matter what."

Makoto remained silent, stunned by the flood of raw honesty as Akira stared dully at the floor. "...This is usually the part where I would tell you everything's going to be fine, and I'm gonna get Ryuji and throw an awesome Christmas party, but...I can't. And I'm sorry."

Makoto quietly wrapped her arms around his shoulders, squeezing him comfortingly as he let go of another shuddering sigh. He felt rather than saw a flash of light, the grip on him growing stronger as he leaned away to see his Queen gazing back at him. She pursed her lips slightly as if she meant to say something, instead choosing to smile and say, "Ryuji would just make you do everything."

Akira grinned, a telltale shine returning to his eye and his mask swirling back over his face. "You know me. Have to make it seem like he's contributing, y'know."

"I know."

Queen looked at the cell door and felt her shoulders sag a bit, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. " I'm okay. My resolve was shaken, but it's stronger now."

"You sure you're good? Last time we had issues with certain obstacles, you tore up a good chunk of Mementos."

"You actively encouraged that behavior."

"That I did. When life gives you lemons…"

"Burn its house down? With the lemons?"

Joker nudged the cell door open with his foot and smirked at the development, turning to Queen and breathing, "Damn, I love you."

Queen blushed and punched his shoulder as she strode out of the cell, throwing the door closed with a satisfied smile after Joker followed her. "Ah, that was more cathartic than I imagined. Shall we go?"

Joker cocked his head to the side until he felt a pop in his neck, groaning softly and nodding. "Mhm. The others are waiting over yonder."

He made to set off in the direction he mentioned only to be pulled back by Queen, who latched onto his arm briefly and leaned up to his ear. What he heard her whisper softly put a grin on his face and nursed the ever-growing flame in his heart. He hopped into a jog to keep pace with Queen's brisk, but confident, walk, playfully throwing her scarf over her head in a silent challenge to a race. After getting over her initial surprise, Queen smiled, breaking into a run as her Joker laughed and dashed off.

It's been a minute, so forgive me for any quality drops. Not that I was the gold standard before but he-hey! I am glad to be back, flaws and all!

So, about the whole door thing…

*ding* LET ME EXPLAIN.

It can be said that the door was open in the first place because Makoto had pretty much opened up her heart to Akira in the first place before the whole dilemma. When the reality of being defeated hit her, that's when the door actually shuts, with Akira being trapped as coincidental problem. From there, you know...developments.

Someone else would probably be able to explain this better. Unfortunately, that's not me. Rrrregardless, I hope you enjoyed. I'll be publishing something soon. No guarantee on what that'll be because I don't even know!

But! Till next time. Thanks for reading, as always.