15. “This isn’t going to be fixed. You’ve ruined this for good now.” For Akekita? uwu
mm. pain.
***
The rain's wetting his hair, making it stick to his face. Yusuke tries to fix it before taking a deep breath and taking out his phone to make a call. His hands are shaking.
"I'm outside," he says without feeling like any words left his mouth. The world seems blurry, its colors washed away - the sounds coming from somewhere far afield. He sticks his hands inside the pockets of his coat and looks up, at the drab apartment building. All the windows are shuttered shut, averting their gaze from outsiders. It's the last place anyone would expect the Goro Akechi to reside.
There's a clanging, then the entrance door opens and Akechi steps out. His expression is as mild as always. He's truly an expert at painting his mask.
"Yusuke-kun," Akechi says with a nod. "What do you-"
He's cut off as Yusuke punches him in the face. Something cracks and Akechi stumbles away, clutching his nose. "So that's how it is," he snarls out.
"You killed him," Yusuke hisses out. "You killed-"
"Keep your voice down, damn it," Akechi snarls, his face twisting with anger so ferocious it makes him seem inhumane. Yusuke bites his lip until he tastes blood.
"We have talked about this," he says breathlessly, "and you made a promise-"
"I lied," Akechi cuts in, his voice low and grim. "There was no other choice despite the deal."
The deal, the bond two of them have shared. Help Akechi get rid of rotten adults, the true scums undeserving of their calm lives, unbothered with consequences. (If they died, Yusuke reasoned, so be it). They went to Mementos, to sketchy bars, and Akechi's apartment; they took down criminals, capital-obsessed businessmen with dark secrets, and politicians bribed by lobbyists. Then Yusuke learned that the Black Mask was to kill Akira - Akira, who was the one who saved Yusuke's soul from his wretched sensei, then became his first true friend. So he asked Akechi not to harm Akira. And he - he promised. Just a few days ago, he promised to show mercy. And Yusuke believed him. How foolish.
"Have you thought about," he says softly and gestures at them, "this, though?"
"This?" Akechi narrows his eyes.
"I mean the agreement we've shared." Yusuke looks him straight in the eye. His chest aches with despair. "This isn’t going to be fixed. You’ve ruined this for good now."
Akechi shakes his head. "How melodramatic, Yusuke-kun." His lips twist into a smile devoid of any joy. "So be it."
Without any preamble, he steps back inside the building and closes the door after himself, not once looking back at Yusuke, still frozen in place. It's as if something snaps, right there and then, the thin link connecting them snipped, the recoil leaving Yusuke reeling with vertigo. He drops to his knees, the pavement harsh under his palms, and tries to figure out what he's even supposed to do right now.
At least this is the last time he ever sees Akechi again.
