Heads up, I'm messing with the timeline a smidge! The Castle did NOT happen on his first day of school, because Akira arrives earlier and has some time to settle into a routine, and Ryuji Wakes a bit earlier as well ;) Also I'm not strictly following the cutscenes frame by frame and skimmed a lot of the canon dialogue cause, come on we've heard it a million times right? We know it by heart by now :3
Joker had always been a special case when it came to the Metaverse. The others couldn't quite put their finger on why he turned out different. He could capture and use Shadows as Persona. He could procure items and equipment from sources he won't reveal. There's been more than one occasion where they would see him standing in a corner in some trance and come out of it with a new mask in his roster. And of course there was the way Arséne could merge with him bodily. Perhaps it was because he was the first granted power? The first to enter the Metaverse? But if that was true then Skull would also be counted as a special case.
They entered together. Their rebellions sparked together the second they crossed. Their powers had a link from the start. Joker Awakened to the threat of Ryuji's life. Skull Awakened at Akira's call to fight. The Wildcard had left his mark on his Chariot before they even exchanged names.
Probation was not going like he had hoped, Akira had hoped to just float on by this year much like he did at home but it didn't seem like it would happen easily.
First off he hasn't slept well in weeks. Ever since the end of the trial, his parents (expected) disappointment, the rushed send off, the trip over, the anxiety alone was enough to keep him up- but then the dreams started, hallucinations of shadow figures, yellow eyes and blue flames, and now that he was in Tokyo there was the Mystery App From Hell That Would Not Die!™
It had been a few days, with his beat up box of everything he owned, a guardian that seemed to be waiting for the littlest slip, and the school already pegging him as a crazed serial killer. Most expected him to go berserk if they so much as breathed the wrong way in his presence. It was already harder than he expected to be..
The worst part of it all though was his voice.
He grew up watching Feather Man and similar shows. He had always loved the corny yet empowering battle monologues the heroes gave when doing team poses. How words alone could fill you with confidence and the strength to win.
But his voice had failed him. Like it always does. The judge brushed his right to testimony aside, his words silenced, his defense shattered. His parents gave in to the last straw.
And now no matter how hard he tried he couldn't force more than a few simple sounds past his lips for some reason. Words were locked in his throat and it didn't help anything when he was called on in class or questioned by Sakura-san, it just seemed to intensify their judgment on him.
Today it was raining, Akira had ducked under an awning in hopes to be a smidge less wet for a bit. He had some spare time to get to school. Maybe the rain will let up some?
His phone pings and Akira is greeted yet again by the eye of the MAFHTWND. Frustrated he taps to delete it AGAIN, before being distracted by someone else joining him in his shelter.
It was the girl that sat at the desk in front of him.
There was a car.
The girl left.
A boy snarled into his view.
He had blonde hair, and an angry aura. His ranting distracting Akira from the pings on his phone. Then the boy turned towards him as if waiting for him to agree, their conversation one sided other than Akira's yes or no nods. He didn't seem bothered by it though, more worried about being late now and mentioning a shortcut as they stepped back into the rain.
They were turning a corner in an alley when the world pulsed, pain spiked through Akira's head so suddenly he stumbled into the boy, reflexively gripping the others' jacket and knocking them both over. Something slithered in the corner of his vision.
After a minute the migraine eased to a dull throb, allowing Akira to look up and see the blonde clutching his own head with a pinched face.
They both got headaches at the same time?
Akira realizes how close they had landed, their limbs bumping into each other. Akira flinches and scrambles up to his feet, the boy leaning on the wall as he hauls himself up.
"Uuuugh I hate the rain.." the blonde groans, a hand kneading into his thigh. "Wish I could just go home and sleep.." he seemed pained by more than just the headache, did he get hurt in the fall?
Consciousness returned along with the growing headache. Akira bolts up taking in the prison cell that crept a little too close to his recent dreams. The blonde boy stood at the door screaming into the darkness.
The door is unlocked, a swarm of knights descending on the two kicking them around the grimy floor. A man in nothing but a cape and speedo waltzes in and looms over the blonde boy.
Chains clink softly, reaching out to the boy even as they were pulled to opposite sides of the room.
A deep voice echoed throughout the cell. But no one but Akira reacted to it, all other sounds seemed muted, just like his voice.
"What's wrong? Are you simply going to watch?"
The blonde boy's face turned white with fear.
"Death awaits him if you do nothing.. Was your previous decision a mistake then?"
The King drew a sword from one of the knights. No.. this couldn't happen! Saving that woman had turned on him yeah. But letting someone die?!
"Very well, I have taken heed of your resolve."
"Please, I don't wanna die…" Save him!
"Vow to me!"
Agony flared through his body. Every cell burning with crackling energy, he stumbles before getting slammed into the wall by metal shields.
"I am thou! Thou art I!"
Something covered his face. It was suffocating! He couldn't breathe! He had to get it off! His hands rose, nails digging into the object, heedless of the blood that poured as skin rips away from his face. All the sounds his throat locked away for so long roared into a scream of freedom, anger, anguish and vengeance! His body was shrouded in blue flames.
"Call upon my name! And release thy righteous rage! Show the strength of thy will to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own justice! Though thou be chained to Hell itself!"
His throat bubbles with the first real word that passes his lips in months. "Arséne!"
They were almost out. The cat urged them on quietly through a side hall. Akira had never felt this exhausted in his entire life. The being that answered his call had given him power, darkness that consumed like fire and the outfit it crafted for him instilled a confidence that he never had before. Ironic how the power had crafted him a knife of all weapons, considering all the rumors that had spun around him. But still, soon after they locked Kamoshida in the cell his new form flickered and his body sagged with sudden weight. He felt as if he was one of the illusions of the volleyball team they passed on their explorations, physically abused within an inch of collapse on top of the dregs of an emotional meltdown. The blonde seemed angered with every cell they passed.
The multiple fights along the way had done the opposite of help. Though the cat they freed from another cell helped in whittling enemies down. Arséne a new, constant buzz in his mind, calling back the outfit when needed most, allowing him acts of agility he didn't know he was capable of. Once the way was clear again Akira staggered as the multiplying toll kept adding up on his soul. The blonde boy was practically the only thing holding him upright at this point as they shuffled along, his arm over the other's neck. Akira worried about the boy's limp.
The cat, Morgana, had planned to lead them to a small window that led to the courtyard. But it fell through when Akira's legs gave out, both him and the boy stumbling down just feet from the dungeon stairs and stopping close to the foyer. The noise did not go unnoticed.
The King had surrounded them. False knights dogpiled on top of both him and Morgana, the blonde dragged across the floor for trying to free them again. The sick grin on the King's face.
He didn't know what made him say it, maybe it was the warmth and confidence of Arséne in the back of his head, maybe it was that this man had apparently broken the boy once before, maybe it was the fear of death or just that in a way he saw himself in the blonde.
Chains rattled, binding their fates together.
"DON'T LET HIM WIN!"
The boy's eyes grew wide, and he exploded into blue flames. Lightning filled the room knocking the knights off their feet. The last thing Akira sees before he faints was a giant skeletal figure carrying him as they flew out the door.
Talking was starting to come, not easier per say, but less painful. While he still froze up when cornered in class (why did they keep trying?) or by people in general. The boy he met, Ryuji, had helped. Even if it started out as just questioning each other if what had happened was real or not. They often paired up on the roof at lunch, thinking about what happened and planning out an attempt to get back in.
Akira wasn't able to answer every time, but he could sometimes get out a word or three. On rare occasions a full sentence. Ryuji was slowly learning how to read the silence in between his texted replies.
They went out to ramen once, and shared their full he had to type his story on his phone. Akira felt something in his chest tighten as a small, foreign voice dubbed Ryuji with the title of Chariot.
He even was able to answer Sakura-san from time to time. The man was intimidating at first, especially after the castle incident and the missed classes. As fate would have it Akira was able to pass it off as getting caught up in the panic of a train accident that happened just after he got off it that day. His exhaustion and bruising luckily convincing enough to cast the issue aside.
Sakura-san had even started giving him breakfast in the morning. Curry was an odd choice but it was the cafe specialty and Akira hadn't had any money himself to buy lunch at school or on the way home. Ryuji has shared with him almost daily now.
Things in the real world had escalated somewhat. There was a big tournament coming up and since their castle adventure Akira had become supremely aware of how many of the other students he passed bore injuries. His vision just seemed to close in sometimes, all else fading into darkness leaving bright highlights on things that connected to his foremost thoughts or unseen secrets. The school halls would flicker into red carpet and marble. Kamoshida's image would be replaced by the yellow eyed King.
Sometimes he saw chains or a card floating over Ryuji's head, there was also a ghost of a shape forming over Sakura-san's.
There were also instances where they could feel their Personas stirring under the surface. Ryuji had been cornered by some old teammates and told off, Akira had been hit in the face a few times by Kamoshida's spikes during gym. No one saw the flash of colors in their eyes.
Akira would hear laughter in the back of his head sometimes. A warmth of soft confidence and grace steadying his movements. His attention would hook onto something shiny, his fingers would twitch with anticipation. But luckily he could resist the thought of straight up pickpocketing, way too dangerous with his situation. Instead satisfying the instinct with plucking up lost change or the occasional forgotten morsel of food.
They had made it back to the castle, the man from his dreams finally cluing Akira in on what the Mystery App From Hell That Would Not Die did. Meta Nav was less of a mouthful at least. Ryuji wanted to see the team members again, look into who was here and see if they could get someone to confess in the real world. Morgana had found them again right at the gate.
Their targets listed, treasures looted at Arséne's insistence, each fight becoming easier as they strengthened their power while they searched for more evidence. Even the surprise of Shadows deciding to join Akira. Settling into the back of his mind next to Arséne, but never feeling quite as natural to him as the thief did.
They left the castle with faces in mind and Morgana's offer of some plan Ryuji didn't stop to hear.
–
The interrogation wasn't going well. They tried asking around after the student vs teacher rally, though it looked like more of a beatdown. A brief and controlled glimpse of what happened behind closed doors. Every volleyball player that turned them away made Ryuji that much angrier.
"Proof?! They want proof?! Isn't my goddamn leg proof enough?!" his eyes were shining, not that Akira would point it out. Until he noticed that the left eye seemed to change colors.
He didn't even think before it happened, Akira reached out holding Ryuji's chin still while he inspected. The blonde instantly froze, Akira barely handled a pat on the back without tensing up, his initiating touch for the first time outside of getting thrown around by Shadows was as shocking as getting hit by Kidd's lightning.
"Your eye is glowing.." Akira whispers.
"What!?"
"Well that's unexpected.."
Akira's fingers flinch away at the new voice, both turning attention to the sudden appearance of a familiar black and white cat on the table next to them.
After almost two weeks of living there, Akira had somewhat of a routine set. Going straight to the messy attic after school and trying to decontaminate the air of dust without making any noise. Only to get caught trying to sneak downstairs one night when he thought the old man had left.
It would have been innocent enough, coming down to use the customers toilet, if it wasn't for the fact he had an armful of dirty clothes and a washrag to clean up using the sink.
He was presented the next evening with a spare key and a handful of bills.
"You know there's a laundromat right across from here right?" Did Sakura-san seem agitated? Like he didn't appreciate Akira using the small toilet to keep sanitary? "I'm sure the bathhouse next to it would be a lot easier than a sink. Maybe if you start helping around the shop after school now and then I'll give you some pay for it."
In actuality it was Futaba that reminded him that the kid was practically locked in at night with no funds of his own (to their knowledge, he was saving it for actual emergencies) to get even the bare necessities, nor did he ever ask for food even when Sojiro didn't have enough time to stuff breakfast into him if the kid woke up late. The man just didn't expect him to be that adherent to following his rules.
The "security" cameras Futaba set up for him had caught several instances of the kid walking down the stairs half asleep, looking in the fridge late at night, if there was enough leftover rice that a cups worth or so wouldn't be easily missed Akira would eat it cold and thoroughly wash any evidence, if not he'd just guzzle water and head back upstairs. Even more surprising was the cat that sat on his shoulders as he wandered around.
And if a few nights later Sojiro would 'happen' to come upstairs to investigate some weird noises and catch the furball sitting casually on the beat up mattress, that was just coincidence. Futaba swore Akira nearly cried the next time he invaded the fridge, surprised that a space had been cleared to hold some tupperware of curry and fruit, a few small bottles of milk all clearly labeled with his name. He didn't want to be accused of starving the kid after all, he was skinny enough when he got here.
They agreed to Morgana's plan after seeing a girl leap off the roof. The same girl Akira witnessed getting called to Kamosida's office earlier that day. Ryuji rushed to confront the coach, his eyes blazing gold with Kidd's wrath, one always brighter than the other. Kamoshida couldn't see it, neither could Mishima, it seemed.
The threat of being expelled panicked Akira yes, memories of the last few months threatening to overwhelm him. But under it all was Arséne supporting his resolve to prevent more people from being hurt. More people from ending up like he and Ryuji did.
Newly donned with the names Joker, Mona, and Skull. The trio returned to the castle to secure their route. A feral growl released from Joker's throat when he pounced on the first shadow they came across, his fingertips left little pinpricks on the mask he ripped from it. All of them too caught up in their mission to be aware of their tag-along.
You can't tell me Morgana would give himself away with something as obvious as a litter box, he's a "refined gentleman" after all! Of course he knows how to use a toilet, it's much more sanitary! Sojiro knows about Futaba's hidden cameras, how else would they have gotten installed if he didn't help set them up while she was still too scared to leave the house? It was her way of keeping an eye on him during work and sometimes when the shop was empty he'd talk out loud and she would text him replies. He just trusts that if anything did actually happen in the shop she would tell him about it. They just never bothered to put any upstairs. I also lean into the hc of Akira's neglectful parents, other than a few lines there is literally no mention of them at all. No calls, no cutscenes, not even in his thoughts. And yeah being smothered into silence like he is in the beginning is unfortunately a learned habit. Also he did not have any free time to access money/food or a shower until after Ann joined a whole week later, more than that here given my messing with the timeline. So I decided to use it.
Also.. would you guys be interested in a story where joker learns how to shapeshift? it started out as a self indulgent smut thing for myself so the first few bits are WEIRD but im kinda having fun with it now?