Embrace Space | Ryuji and Akechi

[showhost]

Welcome to the Embrace Space!

The crew lets you in, and you find yourself in a... bedroom. The only really noteworthy features are the way-too-large bed and a timer on the wall, though you can poke around. There's some standard bedroom stuff in there, but nothing too scandalous.

The timer starts at 5 minutes, and the crew will helpfully inform you that if you don't kiss before the five minutes ticks down, you'll be kicked out of the room.

If you do, you'll find, the timer then starts over--at 4 minutes.

Then 3.

Then 2...

And so on and so forth, until there isn't any time at all between kisses. Listen, the point of this room is make-outs, okay.


Ryuji has already seen this, but now Akechi gets to experience the minion hanging out in this room.

Comments

[boneface]

[ Ryuji is here, bounding into the room and then — pausing. Because, what? ]

Oh... it changed again. This is weird.

[ IMMEDIATELY distracted by this. ]

[flaweddetective]

[This room is... God, this room...]

This is an eyesore.

[It sucks ass. And he's not going to point out the "again." Because they don't have a lot of time and it can't be spent with pointless antagonizing and arguing. He's also fucking tired.]

[boneface]

[ You know what? They can agree on this. Ryuji just responds with a simple — ]

Yeah.

[ And continues looking around the room for a moment before jolting slightly as he spots the timer. Fuck! Pay attention, Ryuji! He looks over at Akechi then, a little wild-eyed. ]

Shit, okay. No cameras on us. No one around to listen. I know you remember everythin' that happened. Maruki, Shido's palace, everything. Don't lie to me right now, I know you do.

[ But — ]

S'not why I brought you here though. First, before anything else, I wanna apologize to ya. I got desperate, I said something shitty, and you have no reason to accept my apology but I'm genuinely fucking sorry for what I said at the Match Ceremony. I was just — just tryin'a get a reaction 'cuz you kept lyin' to me but that doesn't mean I should've used that against you.

I dunno if the wall is still up. I don't think it is, 'cuz of the rules of the room. So, if you want, punch me. Hit me. Hell, strangle me if ya want. Just — I owe you that much.

[flaweddetective]

[At the mention of the comment at the ceremony his shoulders rise some. It was uncalled for. And he should kick Ryuji's ass. No time for that. And a single punch hardly seems justified.

Either way there's no time for it. He just taps at his watch.]

Is there more or is this just an off camera apology?

[If this was all for an off camera apology then there really will be an off camera ass kicking.]

[boneface]

[ A shake of his head, still a bit manic as the timer ticks down and he tries to think of all the things he wants to say, desperately cramming it into these five minutes. He knows Akechi won't kiss him, he knows he'll just leave instead, but he needs the time, he needs the time, he needs the time. ]

No, not just that.

[ He takes a breath and then spills into it. Speaking fast, of course. ]

We ain't friends, I know this. I know there's no chance of it happening and I'm sorry for that too, 'cuz during that last semester when you were with us, I got to see your actual personality and it wasn't bad. You were fun to be around and I liked the time I spent with ya in Mementos and everywhere else, when we were a team. I liked you.

So, when I got here, and when I saw that you were on the list of people here, you know what I felt? Excited. It's been a few months for me since ya disappeared after the shit with Maruki. I saw you here and I thought holy shit, you're alive. I thought we'd team up, figure this shit out together. You're so smart, you're so effin' smart, I knew that you'd figure out these matches easy peasy. And I thought I could help ya with that 'cuz I know how to talk to people, a bit more than you do. Genuine talk.

Then — then you pretended you didn't know me and you know how much that hurt? That really just... fuck, I didn't know what to do. I've messed it up since then 'cuz I just — I just wanted you to admit it. That you knew me. It drove me crazy. It felt so god damn disrespectful too, not to me but to Haru and Futaba — to everyone you've hurt. I was like, did he learn nothin'?

But that's why I wanted to get ya alone after everything I did. Just. I wanted to tell you, for real, between the both of us, even with everythin' — I want you to get your wish. And I'll do anything I gotta do to help you get it. I'll talk to people. I'll change their minds about ya. Or I'll leave you alone completely and leave you to it. But you deserve it, okay? You deserve that wish, you deserve a fresh start. So, please just, play the game. Let people connect with ya. Get your wish.

[ He's almost out of time. He thinks, briefly, of what Will said — ]

And you're not alone, alright? You got me. I know that means shit to you, and I prolly sound like a hypocrite. But. I didn't tell you any of this to start so how could you have known why I was so upset? So, here I am. Tellin' ya it. And promising you — you got me. I know you don't want me but you got me.

[flaweddetective]

[Well. He doesn't know what he expected. He really doesn't. But it wasn't all this. It just proves that he really doesn't know Ryuji all that well. Only that he has the biggest mouth in existence and can't keep anything a secret. It's, quite frankly, a miracle that the Thieves were able to get one over on him with this kid in their ranks.

He also would not take Ryuji for someone who could articulate all of this. All of this. And it's a lot. It's a lot of feelings.]

You're so damn annoying... [Excellent start. Truly impeccable. But it would be best to start at the beginning of this whole thing. And go from there, as best he can.] I... I don't know how long it's been since Maruki. I can admit that. I don't know what month it is. Or even the year. If it's only been a few months then what... June? July? Past graduation, to be sure...

[He won't get into the sudden leaps of time. From November. To late December. To... whatever it is now. The missing time spent not existing in this world. The surreal feeling of knowing you're dead and these extra little moments are just to count down the end of your life. This winter it was in hopes that he wouldn't lose his autonomy. And here it's... again counting down the days and wondering if he'll be alive or still dead by the end of it. All of this is mixed with the weird confession that Ryuji liked who he was back in January. It's far too much to unpack especially when it wasn't the vibe he got back then. Granted, he did his utmost to avoid them all at all costs. Calling them teammates feels disingenuous to him. Better to call them reluctant allies since he couldn't solve the problem by himself. But... There was never a moment to really address their situation either. They had to work and work fast.

But the little comments in there do resonate and spark at something. Something that is genuinely important to him. Being told he's smart. Something that is earned and all his own. He doesn't hear it often. There is praise for being top of the nation in interviews but it was never the focus. Grades are boring television, after all. So... he does appreciate that despite himself. Followed by hearing that Ryuji will, earnestly, help him get his wish. That he will try and recover the ground that was lost with the other people here. It's frustrating how earnest he is. Hate is easier to contend with. Kindness is... It burns. It feels too much like pity and he can't stand it.]

You have the biggest mouth in existence. I couldn't, for a moment, risk you saying something that didn't need to be said. If there is one misstep in these four weeks someone will lose a wish. And there isn't a doubt in my mind that mine will be the first to go. This is my only opportunity to stop the back and forth I've currently been experiencing between death and life. God forbid I'm brought back, again, due to another scheme from Maruki or something equally stupid. [He doesn't know how any of that resolved but one can only hope that guy is dead. Knowing Joker and the rest? He's likely and unfortunately alive.] I thought if I could just be who I was famous for being and slide through these four weeks then I knew I'd be fine. I would just figure out the matches, make good choices for the booth and then the math is simple. I solve it and I leave. It was just easier to pretend the past never happened.

[He did not take into account volatile emotions from his former enemy/former "teammate". A fatal flaw, it would appear. The more you know... He doesn't know what to do with people that care and want to help. It makes him feel pathetic and useless. And he seethes angrily against the door, letting out a slow breath through clenched teeth and brushing a gloved hand over his eyes.]

Let me make one thing very clear... I am keenly aware I don't deserve anything being offered here. You can claim otherwise but you should know I wouldn't do anything differently either... Because every time I pulled the trigger of my gun it was that person or me. I walked into Shido's lair and there was no walking out of it alive... [Hell, he still didn't manage it despite everything. But there was a part of him that never expected to either. Even if everything worked out perfectly there were too many people close to Shido that had too much to loose at his death. People that could and would come for him. It's why he didn't bother to apply to any Universities. What would be the point? But it was a dream to continue to study and go to school. Foolishly and perhaps senselessly he had told Shido that when he'd asked about his dream. That the bastard asked knowing that he was going to kill him is... He said something to Joker not all that long ago. And it was truthful despite the sea of lives he kept around them both... If they'd met before. Before everything... Life would be different. Better. But they didn't. And this is where all the chips had fallen. There's no point hoping otherwise in what ifs and that which can never be.] But I am here now so...

You can save your breath in talking to anyone. They can all hate me. Or like me. It doesn't matter. They can avoid picking me every time and blow the whole thing. So, I die again... Who fucking cares?

[boneface]

[ This response... it's better than he could have hoped for. Mostly because it's honest. Ryuji knows he's not the smartest guy around, he knows he's not the quietest either. But his strength lies in emotion. He's empathetic, he's kind, he's got too soft a heart for half the things that have happened to him and then some. He can't hold it in him to be more than a brief flash in the pan level of angry at people. But his foot is perpetually in his mouth, obvious in the stuff that happened between him and Morgana. And the stuff that's happening now between him and Akechi.

So, he's here to fix it. Whatever he can do to fix it, that's his goal right now. He can't leave well enough alone and maybe it would've been smarter to leave Akechi alone for the rest of the time here, but it's just not in Ryuji's nature to let things sit. Which is probably why he messed up Akechi's own plan so badly. It would've been a fine plan if Ryuji wasn't here, he realizes that as Akechi describes it. It would've made sense for him to approach the game this way. But Ryuji couldn't let him and that's — that's on Ryuji, for being too volatile, for sure.

Ryuji watches Akechi lean against the door, seeming to curl up on himself a little. His eyes glance at the timer and then back at Akechi. He has so much he wants to say but they have so little time left unless they kiss, but he's not sure if Akechi will agree to it. So, he tries to drill down to what he needs to say before the time can cut him off. ]

I know you wouldn't change anything. But it doesn't mean you deserve bein' both alive and dead. You're only eighteen, Akechi. Neither of us should be dealin' with half the shit we've had to deal with.

[ He sighs. ]

I don't think they're gonna avoid pickin' you. They don't wanna blow it either. But no one's gonna believe the nice boy shit. Even if I didn't fuck it up for you, I don't think it would've lasted. It's too vapid and most of the people here are lookin' for honesty. You don't have to let them in, you don't have to bare your effin' soul or some shit. But you do have to give it to them straight when they ask your opinion on shit. You —

[ The timer goes off then and Ryuji moves quick, his hand pressing out behind Akechi's head to press his palm flat against the door as Akechi leans on it. It's to keep it shut, not wanting the staff to interrupt them yet. It leaves him close to Akechi and he grits his teeth, frustrated ]

I got more to say but I can't unless we kiss. It can be quick or... or I let you go. I'm not gonna force ya to stay, you gave me the five minutes I asked for.

[flaweddetective]

[He doesn't have to give anyone shit. And he's about to say as much but then Ryuji is much too close to him. There's a very real and very concerned expression that flickers across his face as it seems that the other teen is going to kiss him.

He is going to take the opportunity to punch if that happens. But thankfully it doesn't. The offer is on the table though and it just makes Akechi press further into the door.

At the end of the day he's still a teenager. He's been through hell but there are things you hold onto. Especially with the life his mom lived for his sake. You just don't give things away without it meaning anything. And thankfully, despite everything, there's small little parts that have remained unsullied from the cruelty of the world.]

No. [He's not going to let Ryuji be the first person to ever kiss him. It just cannot go down like that.] I just... I get it. Alright?

I can manage. There's no need to bother, alright?

[He honestly doesn't know what else can be said or even needs to be.]

[boneface]

[ If Ryuji knew it would be Akechi's first kiss, he wouldn't have offered it so lightly. He doesn't want to be the one who takes Akechi's first kiss, especially not without any sentiment or feeling behind it. He wants Akechi to find someone who really does like him and who will give him what he deserves and maybe that's soft of him, but it's truly how he feels.

But he nods when he hears Akechi's words and pulls himself back from him, hand off the door, kabedon over. He does feel like he said a lot, most of what he had to say, and his chest feels a lot lighter. He thinks they'll both be able to move forward well here and not as toxic as before. He hopes Akechi will be able to play the game going forward and get his wish. He really wants him to get his wish. ]

Alright. Then let's get out of here before they get mad at us.

[ And he grins, bright, already moving on from the tension that's been lingering in the room since they first arrived here. This is what he wanted. Just an honest conversation. ]

[flaweddetective]

[He breaths out a small sigh of relief and he finds the door handle behind him and quickly steps out of the room.

Hell. But also… this did not go as poorly as it could have. He was content to be vindictive for as long as needed. Now that energy can be directed elsewhere and it will be. But it’s also a relief to not be on such volatile ground considering Ryuji knows an unfortunate amount about him. Better to have things like this than his past thrown about.]

I will say this… [He adjusts his tie as he feels a bit out of sorts after all this.] You better not fuck this up. That’s a girl you can probably rob a bank with.

[Wednesday was the most alright girl in his book, week one opinions and all.]

[boneface]

[ Ryuji is right now on the high of getting an honest conversation out of Akechi and feeling emotional catharsis from their conversation. So, is he expecting Akechi, of all people, to comment on his love life?

No. Absolutely not.

Which means that as Akechi says that much, Ryuji immediately — immediately — goes pink in the face and laughs, a little awkward, a little nervous. ]

I ain't gonna fuck it up! [ well. ] I mean, I'm gonna try not to. She's so cool, dude. How'd I get so lucky? She's so — ahhhh!!

[ BURIES... HIS FACE IN HIS HANDS... they absolutely have to leave this room though before they get kicked out by the staff. ]

[flaweddetective]

[What a gross over the top reaction. He will not be doing that again. His bad.]

Right.

[He's fucking out. Good talk though. Good talk.]

i'm crying akechi you absolute bitch

[boneface]

[ DON'T WORRY, this won't be the last time you hear from him, running buddy!!!

So, yeah. He'll let Akechi go and go busy himself with feeling a little flustered elsewhere.

Good talk. ]