afterstory •.^* an akeshu collection

after - context chapter

BASIC INFO: (spoilers)

* these oneshots take place after the true ending of royal!
*i'll be using Ren Amamiya as joker's name, but feel free to use word substitutors on google extensions if you're an Akira person

CONTEXT FROM AFTER ROYAL:

Ren:
• Ren went home to his parents for 3 months - his parents felt he brought shame to the family name (despite being arrested on false charges) and so being in his hometown was uncomfortable. When talking about with Sojiro about his struggles over the phone, he offered to let him move back into Leblanc, which he jumps at.
• He's been learning piano and guitar on the side of his studies - using music as an escapism/coping mechanism - and also using it as a way for more phantom thief hangouts in the form of sharing music and planning to form a band.
• He gets by as usual, but in the back of his mind, he's still waiting for Goro - holding onto his glove tightly.
• His train into Yongen-Jaya begins departing. He sits there, remembering that he hasnt told all his confidants about his return. He decides to do it simply from his socials.

@renannyamiya
now
Finally coming home to Tokyo today. I'll see some of you soon!

• Right. Home. They say home is where the heart is, but his is long gone - stuck with a boy on the other side of an engine room.
• He exhales slowly. He can't do this now. Maybe later tonight, when he can lose himself on the fading scent of Goro Akechi within a leather glove, tears threatening to spill out once more, almost like a nightly routine. But not now. He has to put his Joker mask back on, seem like everythings fine, seem like he's moved on.
The train stops. He picks up his bag carefully, not wanting to deal with Morgana right now. Out of the station, into Leblanc. His face of exhaustion contorts into an air of confidence, of reassurance, of leadership.
• After 3 months, the facade of Joker returns once more.

Goro:
• After Maruki's Reality is destroyed, Goro finds himself in a hospital bed. Injuries from the original incident in the engine room are healed - the only proof of it remaining in a bullet shapen scar on his chest.
• He was found in an alleyway near the Diet Building, according to his nurses. He can't remember. During his time in Maruki's Reality, he had been in a coma. After being discharged as a result of no more physical injury, he was referred to a rehab center where his mother once went - and spent his time outside of rather fruitless treatment checking up on where Ren and his sycophants had ended up. He didnt care about Sakamoto's move, Ann's modelling abroad, Okumura-san's café, Sakura-san finally going to school, Yoshizawa-san going into prelims-- no. He cared about one thing only, and that was that Ren had moved back to his hometown.
• He hated to admit it, but deep down he was worried about him. He knew about Ren's parents - zero contact since the second he stepped into Tokyo, bugged phone calls where they would call him a taint on their image. It made his blood silently simmer in the pit of his stomach just learning about it, so to see Ren - his rival, his everything - openly walk into the jaws that wanted nothing but to swallow him whole - it made Goro feel nothing but anger.
• He kept his feelings down in his chest. Ren wouldn't want to see him - would he? Not after forcing him to take the deal, to take away Goro's life. To ruin the one selfish wish he's ever had.

And yet, as he scrolls though his phone, his body trembles reading a post:

@renannyamiya
18 hours ago
Finally coming home to Tokyo today. I'll see some of you soon!

• And with that, his mind is made up. He walks to the front desk. his required period to be at the facility ended 2 months ago, but he had nowhere else he needed to be, so he stayed. Now he was leaving. Discharged with immediate effect. And he was hopping on a train, towards Tokyo....
and Ren, his home.

- CONTINUED IN REUNION -