Author's Notes:
So... this is a thing that's happening. The idea came about on the Discord server of the P5 fanfic Phantom Dumbasses. The concept basically boiling down to throwing our characters into a multiversal apartment complex and just see what kind of interactions came about.
Now, unlike my partners, I've made the decision to make the first 3 scenes I wrote for this canon to For Want of a Skull (an upcoming P5 fic I'm writing right now involving the exploration of how P5's plot may have gone if Ryuji was dead) & Into the Skye-Verse (an upcoming crossover fic surrounding the variants of Skye Mercer, one of my FFXIV OCs who has bled into other games & fanfics of mine over the last couple years). I do think I've written this in a manner that it can be enjoyed as a standalone piece though.
Also, the fic on AO3 says it's inspired by the fic Sometimes I Hate the Life I Made (fic link here: /works/3805150), but that's just because one of the Skye variants mentioned in this fic is loosely inspired by the Daisy Johnson of that series & I wanted to credit where my inspiration came from. Plus it's just a damn good MCU fic. Damn shame it's sequel is on indefinite hiatus...
Last thing to note, this first chapter has been co-written by the lovely InviernaInvicta and crosses over with her fic The Reaper's Retribution. Link to read it will be at the end of the fic.
Now, LET THE MADNESS BEGIN!
It was during a conversation with Skye Mercer, a friend & fellow Phantom Thief, about
her recent discoveries about her multiversal ties when Ren spotted the giant blue door in Leblanc that hadn't been there previously. It was a different shade of blue from the ones that led to the Velvet Room though, so Ren had no idea what to expect.
"... You're seeing that door too right?" Skye asked.
"Wait, you can see them too? I thought you only had one Persona?" Ren asked.
"I do. As for how I can see these doors… I don't know? Guess it's just some Skye-Verse bullshit I got from my recent encounter with those other versions of myself…" Skye answered. Ren was really glad she'd just told him about all that or else he probably wouldn't have believed her.
"So… do you know what's on the other side of that door?" Skye asked.
"Nope. Usually these lead to the Velvet Room, that place I told you, Morgana & Shiho about the other day, but this is a different shade of blue than the other ones I've seen," Ren answered.
"Welp… only one way to find out…" Skye responded.
"WAIT! We should probably let the others know where we're going. I'll whistle to tell Morgana to come back," Ren said before Skye could open the door.
Ren did so & it wasn't long before Morgana returned.
"What is it Ren? Are you & Skye done?" Morgana asked.
"No, we're just investigating something, but we're not sure how long it will take us. If we aren't back by sunset, either stay up in the attic or go to Skye's apartment. But I'm sure everything will be fine," Ren responded.
Morgana seemed about to ask why he couldn't come with them, but simply nodded and did as Ren asked.
After that, Ren decided to text Shiho in the Phantom Thieves group chat to let her know what's going on.
/
Ren-Ren: Heads up Shiho, Skye & I will be investigating a strange, ethereal door we found in Leblanc. If you don't hear from us for a while, that's why.
Shiho-ho: Thanks for the heads up Ren-kun! I will await your return before investigating Madarame much further.
SkyeIsTheLimit: … How many times do we have to tell you to stop with the honorifics? We clearly established that we don't use them in this group.
Shiho-ho: Sorry! I'm still getting used to that being alright. But are you sure it's alright for you two to go in alone?
Ren-Ren: We're sure, Shiho! It'll be fine!
SkyeIsTheLimit: Yeah! What Ren said! Even if this is some sort of multiversal portal, I have experience with this stuff! We'll be alright!
Shiho-ho: OK! Come back safe then! I'll tell Ann you said hi when I visit her in the hospital tomorrow!
\\
"So… Ready to venture into the unknown, Phoenix?" Ren asked.
"I'm always ready, Joker," Skye responded with confidence.
And with that they stepped through the door.
When they arrived, they were surprised to discover what on the surface looked like a normal apartment complex. But Ren & Skye nevertheless opted to remain cautious & Ren pulled out their weapons. Ren took out a dagger & a model gun resembling a pistol whilst Skye grabbed a rapier & a model gun resembling an MP5.
As they began walking through the complex, they soon found that there wasn't a door where they'd come through.
"Great! Disappearing doors! As if this place isn't creepy enough already!" Skye quipped. Ren knew that quips like that were how she naturally acted when tense, so that told him that she wasn't feeling too great about this.
"What do you think this place is? Some sort of waystation between worlds?" Ren asked her.
"I don't know… But I don't like it," Skye responded.
But when they turned away from each other & back towards the apartment they found a strange brunette woman wearing a black & purple ensemble carrying a scythe on her back.
"SHIT!" Skye screamed as she tried to fire her gun, only to find it didn't work, clearly implying that this woman knew their guns were fake.
The woman, rather surprisingly, barely reacted at all to Skye's attempts to riddle her with holes. Instead, she merely tilted her head with a smile. "Is that any way to say hello to a stranger?"
"Fuck! Apologies about that. I was just on edge already & your Grim Reaper looking ass outfit & weapon just pushed me over the edge," Skye responded.
"Apologies about Skye's… colourful language. She's from America & defaults to quips & sarcasm as a defence mechanism when tense," Ren said as he jumped in to defend his friend.
"Interesting." The girl seemed to appraise Skye for a moment. She stepped closer. Maybe a little too close, honestly. For some reason, the air seemed to get a little colder in her presence. "I don't know you. Where'd you come from, exactly? And I don't mean America."
Ren stepped in to explain before Skye could say something rude in her moment of tenseness, "Skye & I were chatting about her… recent bit of adventure… in the Leblanc Cafe in Tokyo when we saw the door. We stepped through it together & ended up here. Also, where is… this place exactly? It's definitely not the Velvet Room."
"Oh no, Amamiya, I don't mean Tokyo either." the stranger responded.
Ren was shocked by the fact that the stranger knew his last name, but before he could say anything Skye realized that the stranger was talking about multiversal stuff and stepped in. "We're from Earth-5524. If you're asking about what world we're from," Skye responded to what she assumed was the stranger's question.
"Both of you?" She tapped her foot on the ground, then shrugged. "Oh well. I suppose it doesn't matter as long as you're staying out of trouble." Her eyes glinted, strange and dangerous as she looked towards Ren. "You are staying out of trouble, right?"
"As long as nothing tries to kill us, we intend to," Skye answered as she let go of her MP5 & let it hang around her waist thanks to the model's sling.
She snorted at that. "I can't vouch for anything else in here… but as long as Amamiya behaves himself, you won't have a problem from me."
"How do you know my name?" Ren finally asked the stranger.
"Because your alternate selves are kinda…" She paused, seemingly thinking for the right word to describe him. "Drama queens. They like to make longwinded speeches about how great they are. It's usually Kurusu, or Amamiya, so I made a guess."
"That's… good to know, I guess," Ren responded after a moment.
"Great! So Ren has colorful alternate selves too! Hope one of your counterparts isn't a genocidal mass murderer like one of mine was! Boy she was something else…" Skye interjected.
"Hm…" The stranger looked surprisingly thoughtful at that. "I guess it technically is genocide. But… very specific genocide? Eh, I think I'm the only me who's in this line of work. Most other me's are dead."
"Damn… Sorry to hear that. Guess that makes you the Spider-Gwen of your various alternate selves? Except a bit more intimidating & murderey," Skye said to the stranger.
"Much more." Her eyes glinted once again. "But, oh well, it's not like it really matters. You'll probably find more of me in here somewhere. We like to crop up in these things from time to time. Tell them to behave, it's… not pleasant, when I have to reap myself."
"OK… It's been nice talking to you… stranger. But I suppose we should get going & find others," Skye said as she gestured to Ren that they should get moving.
Ren simply nodded and said "Bye stranger! It's been good talking to you!" as they left.
The stranger, simply laughed.
"Was that woman giving you the creeps too?" Ren asked.
"At first, but over time she proved to not be the creepiest person I've encountered in the Multiverse," Skye responded.
"Was it the genocidal version of you?" Ren asked.
"Nope! That honor goes to the version of me that could cause an earthquake powerful enough to destroy an entire planet... And did exactly that," Skye responded.
"The hell?!" Ren responded.
"Yeah. She wanted to destroy multiple worlds because she felt that only her universe deserved to exist. That the existence of other universes negated her sacrifices. She even manipulated the genocidal mass-murderer I mentioned earlier into thinking her even spending time in other universes was causing their destruction & that what she was doing was inevitable. It wasn't. We did ultimately kill the "Destroyer of Worlds" & put an end to her rampage, but the whole affair still rattled me," Skye explained.
"How so?" Ren asked.
"I just can't help but think that if two versions of me became maniacs due to the power they were given… who's to say this power we've been given won't corrupt me too?" Skye replied.
"Skye… you're NOT a monster. Just because two versions of you are monsters doesn't mean you're inherently a monster too. It was their choices & life circumstances that made them who they are. Just as it's your choices & life circumstances that made you into the Skye I met at that train station. You want to know what I think? I think that we will always make the right choice, so long as none of us make those decisions alone," Ren told her.
"... Thanks for that Ren. I think I kind of needed it," Skye responded.
"No problem. Now, let's find either more… occupants to talk to or, better yet, a way back to our world," Ren said to her.
"Copy that," Skye replied.
Author's Notes:
If you wish to join the Phantom Dumbasses Discord server, here's a link (this link will expire 30 days after this is posted, so if you want to join and that link no longer works, drop a comment and I'll send a new one): /kY8PhCckV
If you want to read Phantom Dumbasses (which I would recommend), you can do so here: /works/27015517/chapters/65950468
If you want to read The Reaper's Retribution, you can do so here: /works/46404391/chapters/116835622