The only creature, Brennan loves more than Neala is his cat. Her name is Soot Sprite, because she looked like a tiny ball of fluff when he first found her. He expected her to leave after she was well, but she never did, and has been his partner in crimes since ❤ He taught her how to steal shiny things, which he'd pawn (tho that kinda backfired because she just brings him *anything* shiny, like forks or pens from around the house lol) and she's also incredibly affectionate and loves everyone 😂
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Persona 5
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira
Characters: Akechi Goro, Persona 5 Protagonist, Kurusu Akira
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Grand Theft Auto Setting, GTA!AU, yes you're reading that right, ShuakeWeek2022, Aged-Up Character(s), Immortality, Alternate Universe - No Metaverse (Persona 5), Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, p3 and p4 characters exist in the au but arent mentioned here, personas and wild card still exist they just function differently, Implied Relationships, Fluff and Angst, POV Persona 5 Protagonist, Wings
Series: Part 4 of Shuake Week 2022
Summary:
They kicked Shido's ass, met the Shadow Operatives, and rule over South Los Santos; there's little else Kurusu can ask for right now. Well aside from some peace and quiet. He loves his fellow Phantoms Thieves, don't get him wrong, but sometimes he wants to get away from everything. It's more Los Santos than anything else. He used to live in another country entirely, his town was small, but it was his. Now he chokes on the air of the city and curses the corruption that has made this state its home. He's been changed permanently and there's little where else he can go, certainly not back to his hometown anymore.
The Phantom Thieves- his family, they helped make being here feel worth it. But that's not why he stays in the end. (It doesn't help that if he were to leave, they would follow making it a moot point.) Ultimately he stays not for them, not for the Shadow Operatives, sure as fuck not for the city. He stays for Akechi Goro. His enemy, his murderer, his rival. His friend, his confidant, his lover.
He couldn't say if it's can't or won't that Akechi doesn't leave San Andreas behind. But he knows no matter which one, he'll stay with Akechi. They won't be alone again.
fic under cut
3 a.m.
A haunted hour some say. For all the times Kurusu has stayed up here at this hour, he can safely say the only thing haunting this hour is him. Well… at least usually just him. Tonight he’s not alone in haunting the station roof. Sitting behind him is Akechi Goro, the once idol now ghost of Los Santos. The man watches the city while Kurusu watches the sea.
Their cars sit at the base of the mountain, by the cable car parking lot. Though neither particularly needs it if they want to get away from each other, they’re wildcards after all. But even if they weren’t, if push came to shove, it’s not like falling down the mountain could actually kill either of them.
Thankfully neither of them wants to get away.
Kurusu stretches and stands up. He sits down again next to Akechi this time, wings spread out behind him, catching the wind. Neither says anything, Akechi watching the city, Kurusu watching Akechi.
He doesn’t really know what Akechi sees in the city. It’s crowded and loud, the pollution practically chokes him. People hear gunfire and no one cares. It’s an ugly and rotten place where people like fucking Shido Masayoshi can thrive. The only things making the place worth it are his crew, his family.
But he doesn’t say any of this.
If anyone knows just how fucked up Los Santos is, it’s Akechi. He’s the one who had to actually work for Shido after all. He’s the one that lost his mother to this city. Who had to come into close encounter with the LSPD on a regular. Who bled himself out for this city. And yet… yet he still watches it as if it’s worth it.
The most bitter and jaded man Kurusu knows, yet he still thinks Los Santos is worth it.
And maybe Kurusu won’t say all the things Akechi already knows, but he still asks after what he doesn’t, “Why do you watch the city?”
If he caught Akechi off-guard it doesn’t show. He’d repeat himself except he can see Akechi’s expression shift into something more thoughtful. So he waits. And then Akechi answers, “The lights look like stars.” Kurusu looks back to the city.
He supposes Akechi isn’t wrong, particularly since the city is covered in fog. He still prefers the regular stars though, unfortunately, those are all covered by the light pollution from the city.
Akechi continues and Kurusu turns back to look at him, “My mother loved the stars you know. It’s one of the few things she never minded about the night.” A soft, but somber smile is on his face. “We didn’t have a computer to look things up and we could never afford the planetarium. But if we were together at night we’d go outside and look up. She’d always try to reach for them.”
A pause then, “I think she would’ve liked this view. She would’ve been able to touch the stars then.” He takes a deep breath, “That’s why I watch the city.”
“Because she loved the stars and you love her,” Kurusu summarizes.
Akechi finally turns from the city to look at Kurusu, “Because I love her,” he echoes. His smile is brittle but honest. And all Kurusu can think is how much he loves that smile even as it speaks of nothing but the bittersweet.
Akechi looks away, “It’s not all bad, you know? I learned what NASA calls their rovers since then.”
Kurusu snorts and asks, “Oh yeah, what do they call them?”
This time Akechi looks up at the sky as he says, “They called them Discovery, Curiosity, Explorer, Spirit, Opportunity, and Perseverance.”
“Humanity is shit for the most part, but sometimes,” Akechi looks back at Kurusu and says, “Sometimes we do pretty alright.”
Kurusu tilts his head. “You think she would’ve liked that?”
“Oh, she would’ve loved it,” Akechi looks at his hands, picking at his gloves, “No matter how bad things got she was still an idealist.”
“The same could be said for you right now, you know,” Kurusu teases, bumping his shoulder into Akechi’s.
Akechi smiles at him, “Guess that’s where I got it from then, hm?”
“Good or bad?”
Akechi bumps his shoulder into Kurusu’s this time, “One of the best things she could’ve given me.” He lays his forehead on Kurusu’s shoulder as he says, “Even after everything.”
Kurusu hums and curls a wing around Akechi. Akechi’s smile softens and the two turn back to the city. Kurusu rests his head on top of Akechi’s and smiles. The city still sucks, but Kurusu focuses on the lights. And it feels like their transformations aren’t the only thing keeping the cold out. There will be work to do in the morning. The city will call their names and they’ll answer just as they always have. But for now, they watch the city and think of the stars.
So I’ve been doing some thinking about classic FAHC, helped by listening to a band that I think has major Fake Vibes (”The Score” if anyone is curious), and I’ve kind of started to define which ‘job’ each crew member holds, at least in my interpretation of the crew and this AU. Of course, everyone has their own ideas and everything is fab, but this is mine:
Geoff: Kingpin, obviously. While he started out as the backbone of the Fakes and built it brick by brick, now he can (mostly) sit back and run the show effortlessly with enough of a crew to support most of the day-to-day logistics of running the biggest criminal empire on the West Coast. He’ll sometimes sit out heists, but when he joins in, the chaos is overwhelming and his boys are always thrilled to have him back. Regardless, he is King. There’s no doubt in any of the crew member’s mind about who runs them, who owns them. He has their overwhelming respect and purest loyalty... even if there’s a lot of in-crew teasing and playful banter.
Jack: Jack’s the driver, yeah, the pilot, the get-away (wo)man. But she’s also the right-hand (wo)man of the crew, she’s the one who makes a lot of the big decisions at the behest of Geoff and the one who keeps them moving when the chaotic nature of the others can sometimes get out of control. She is their rock and they rely on her to always have another way out. She is the support that without they’d be nothing. Whatever they need, she has. She’s always prepared, always ready for anything. And when you get on the back of her motorcycle, you better hang on tight, because she’s a hell of a wizard behind that wheel.
Ryan: Ryan is somewhat the defacto leader of the manic boys, the Top Dog that runs the pack when their owner is away. While before the Fakes he was a merc, a silent assassin, now he’s one of the chaotic dogs that lays at Ramsey’s feet. But Geoff trusts him to run the jobs he doesn’t want to run and more often than not, he’s at the head of the pack with the little puppies around his feet, guiding the game with an expert hand. He does tend to get a little carried away, but its his quick wit and measured shots that have got the Fakes out of many a scrape. He’s the darkest of nights, the demon that lurks in the back of nightmares. Ramsey’s Trump card, the man that will change the flow of the battle before you even realize the tide is coming in.
Gavin: The Golden Boy, the golden-tongued little witch, the feral bastard and Ramsey’s pet. Gavin has many names and so many guises even sometimes his own crew doesn’t know what mask he wears. With his golden glasses and sharp teeth, he can spin the best lie in the world so well that you don’t even realize you’re being seduced and played. He’s the grifter of the crew, the unknown, the man who can dye his hair and adorn a new outfit and be a completely different man. If he’s not laying on the lap of his crew member of choice, murmuring sweet nothings and begging for kisses, he’s behind the keyboard, just as much a master of the Dark Web as he is the social web.
Michael & Jeremy: The muscle of the crew, the movers, the enforcers, Ramsey’s dogs - these boys have many names. They are the ones that get shit done. They’re the boys with the bloody knuckles and the savage smiles, the ones more likely to hold a spiked baseball bat or brass knuckles than an AK or an M14. The savage, bloody smiles, the feral look in their eyes, the fire in their hearts. They rarely are found without the other, goading each other on with wicked language and even more wicked grins. Every crew needs the grunts, the muscles, the one who will actually pull the trigger and this is the Fakes. Ramsey treats them like Kings, like pets, and their most comfortable spot is lounging by his feet.
Every crew needs backup, needs freelancers they can call in to assist in jobs, extra muscle or a talent that they aren’t 100% confident in. A crew of six can take a city, but to hold it, they need extra help. Thankfully, the Fakes have gathered quite a substantial B-Team from which to pull assistance from. All these talents can be found in the main six, but having a dedicated person with a talent for chaos and a love of money always makes all the difference.
Trevor: Trevor is the front-man for the B-Team. Trained by Geoff, he runs the day-to-day dealings of the Fakes, all the logistics Geoff doesn’t have any desire to handle. With a good head for numbers and a talent for coordinating a team that isn’t exactly the easiest to control, Trevor has the respect of the entire crew. He’s also quite possibly a master thief, a man with sticky fingers who can lift a wallet without someone realizing its gone until they go to use it. It’s a great skill for those quiet jobs, the ones where the Fakes’ patented smash-and-grab tactics aren’t going to work.
Alfredo: Alfredo is their assassin. Quiet and smooth, he can be in and out of a mark’s home in two minutes with the job done and the body hidden. His skills with a gun are remarkable. While normally he’s used as another sniper, it diminishes his skills for death. Either sent in with Ryan or alone, they know if they give Alfredo a job and a pile of cash, the mark won’t be a problem any longer. Problem is, once they started to get to know Alfredo, they found out about his penchant for mischief... and how well he and the Lads tend to get along...
Fiona: Fiona is their primary sniper. A New York girl with a hell of an attitude, she’s an unbelievable shot. Raised in cities - France or New York, it didn’t matter - she’s comfortable in high rooftops and sniper nests, capable of making shots that amaze even the most skeptical of watchers. When she shot the heart out of a playing card from the top floor of the penthouse, they realized she was their girl. Gavin’s also got her comfortably learning the act of the grift and with her spunky personality, they know that she’ll be a formidable force... if the Golden Boy doesn’t train her full of bad habits first.
Matt: Gavin is the primary hacker for the Fakes, but a lot of the time he’s sent out on grifting missions that can’t have him watching cams. The Golden Boy needs to be seen and Gavin’s golden tongue conducts most of their more subtle negotiations. Someone needs to be on overwatch and that someone is Matt. Nearly as good as the Golden Boy on cameras and computers, Matt is a trusted and integral part of the Fake systems. If he doesn’t die of a food-induced coma beforehand, that is. He’s also a decent shot and a great driver - very much a jack-of-all-tradesman that they can call in as needed.
Lindsay: Lindsay is their firebird, their angel of chaos, their explosives expert. Her connection with a certain Michael Jones makes them the boom-boom team. If you want something to burn, Lindsay is your go-to girl. She knows every explosive to its core, can build a bomb in thirty seconds out of what you have in your pantry, and is 100% the mad-woman a bomb expert needs to be. One wouldn’t think she’d be focused enough to not have something explode in her face, but she’s never once even been singed by a bomb, and she’s gonna keep it that way.
Here’s my idea of the crew and everyone’s rolls! It changes almost daily, so this is just my thoughts and feelings right now..! I’d love to hear what other people think for the roles of the crew, the B-Team especially. <3
Don’t know if you get this but can you possibly do #17 (“Bite me”) with Michael?? (if you don’t write for Michael, Ryan or any other Lad would be top) Happy to see you writing again! 💖💖
I'm going to make this gta!au because I feel like it fits better for Michael.
You were invited to stay in the penthouse with the infamous criminals of Los Santos. You weren't so innocent yourself though, you helped them cover most of their tracks and gave them leads. You were highly regarded, and very much so protected as a gratitude gift. You were greeted by the bickering of familiar voices as you stepped foot out of your room.
"Oh come on, I won that!" You heard Jeremy whine, you could see that they were playing cards. You couldn't help but roll your eyes. These criminals were actually children. "No, I clearly did!" Michael retorts, shoving his cards on the table with defeat.
"Seriously?" You speak up, as much as you liked the entertainment, it just wasn't something you wanted to wake up to. Michael turned around to face you, "Oh bite me Y/N!"
"Yeah? Maybe later if you're lucky." You smirk, making your way towards the kitchen where the sound of hollering was all but behind you.
Gavin has never felt such an intense pain as this in all his years.
His first gunshot wound doesn't compare; the way he cracked his ribs after being shoved down some stairs was basically a paper cut; life has had it out for him since he was a child, but this has to be the worst thing that could happen to him.
