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[For the moment, Ren’s entire world begins and ends with the blood filling his mouth and the heartbeat contained within it. This is his first time tasting blood as a vampire, and it draws a long, indecent-sounding moan out of his throat when the first drop reaches his tongue. A small drink is not enough; the desire for more tugs Ren farther and farther down.

He wants to unhinge his jaw and swallow Akechi whole, like a giant snake. He wants to push his teeth deep into the skin and muscle of the other boy’s arm and suck out every last drop of blood from his veins. He wants to crack open his bones and lick up every speck of marrow, taste the final beat of his heart, consume him completely until there is no division remaining between Ren and Akechi, just them, together, indivisible at last -

The tug backward barely registers, and it’s not enough to make Ren stop, but it’s enough to shake his trance and redirect his gaze up to Akechi’s face. His expression is what shocks Ren into ceasing his drinking - Ren recognizes he’s hurting Akechi.

Immediately, Ren pulls his mouth away from Akechi’s arm and claps a hand over the cut, healing it closed with a gentle green energy that glows from underneath his palm. With the hyperfocus on blood now broken, Ren looks properly horrified about what he’s done.]

Edited 2025-11-10 02:24 (UTC)

[And despite Ren's bloodlust, Akechi pulls him closer.]

Ren, it's all right. I knew what I was getting myself into.

[It's not Ren's fault. He didn't ask for any of this. And...

His tails flick slightly. There was something... appealing about Ren's intensity.]

[Impossibly, against all common sense, Akechi isn’t pushing him away. Ren is too dazed from the sudden rush of sustenance and the duel before to properly interrogate this fact. Instead of resisting, Ren allows Akechi to pull him closer, and he reciprocates with wrapping his arms around the other boy.]

Why? Akechi, I - I could’ve killed you.

[Not indirectly, through the inaction of not being fast enough to stop what happened in the engine room of Shido’s Palace. Not by making the choice to break Maruki’s stranglehold on reality and reset the world to the one where Akechi appeared to perish. With direct action, by stealing away every bit of Akechi’s life essence and keeping it for himself.]

I couldn’t live with myself if I killed you again.

Edited 2025-11-10 04:19 (UTC)

Ren, I wouldn't let that happen.

[Sighing, he grasps Ren's shoulder firmly.]

And you didn't kill me. If anything, I'd argue that you saved me.

[Ren bites down on the impulse to argue that Akechi couldn’t have stopped him if he’d truly wanted to keep taking his blood until he’d taken his life entirely. It’s a stupid argument, likely to only lead them in circles, and Ren doesn’t have the energy to fight any more battles today.]

I saved you … [He repeats it, but there’s a note of doubt in his tone.] ‘Cause I didn’t keep you in Maruki’s reality, right?

[Ren sighs and pulls back just enough so he can study Akechi’s face.]

I know I didn’t kill you … but it felt like I did for a long time. And sometimes, with these changes, I - I think I could. If I’m not careful … if I go too far … if I lose myself again …

[It was foolish of him to allow the bloodlust to take control, Ren understands this now. Hindsight is always crystal clear. Frowning deeply, he continues:]

I told you I’d rather die than hurt you again, and I meant that.

I still believe our "bond" may have saved me on Shido's ship.

[It's the only explanation he can think of, particularly within a cognitive world. Why not, really?

Still, he remains close. Right now, Ren needs the support.]

Regardless, I would smack you to your senses if you took it too far. I am strong, Ren.

[The idea that it was the bond they forged that kept Akechi alive turns Ren’s insides upside down and upright again. He’ll need to unpack those feelings at another time, because there’s something else more pressing that he needs to communicate.]

I know you are.

[His mouth twists in a wry half-smile. It took four of the Phantom Thieves working together to take him down, after all. Akechi is without doubt the stronger fighter between the two of them, and if they were back in Tokyo as semi-ordinary humans, Ren wouldn’t question whether Akechi could overpower him on his own.

But they’re not in Tokyo, and neither of them is just human anymore. Ren reaches to place a gloved hand along Akechi’s jawline and gently rub his thumb over the whiskers near his nose.]

You’ve won every duel against me here. But … what if this thing I end up turning into is stronger? What if I’m not myself anymore?

[Akechi doesn’t need to be a detective to see the fear that’s taken up residence in Ren’s dark grey eyes. It’s a new kind of fear, to not be able to trust and control his own body and mind. The closest he’s ever experienced before now was being overtaken by any of the various status effects thrown by Shadows in the Metaverse, and those were always temporary, quickly healed by one of his team or worn off by the time battle ended. Vampiric desire for blood is very different.]

I don’t think I can explain just how much I wanted you just now. All of you. Or how much I still do …

[He drops his hand and looks down, ashamed in his confession.]

You’re inside me now - I can still feel your heartbeat in my mouth. And there’s something else in here that wants more and doesn’t want to stop until it’s got it. What if I can’t control that? You’ll need to do more than just smack me a few times.

[His nose wrinkles a bit at the touch. Whiskers are so sensitive, but he knows Ren means well.]

If it comes down to that, I can heal you. Whether or not this power remains is unclear...

[But... hm. He'll place a hand over Ren's all the same.]

But the same can be said of your current state. For all we know, this shall pass.

[He’s right, of course. These changes could be temporary. Ren could be worrying when there’s no need.

The weight and warmth of Akechi’s hand on his helps ground Ren, pulling his mind back from giving in to the fear and panic bubbling up and threatening to explode. He laughs under his breath and glances back up to Akechi with a grateful smile.]

I love you so much. [Ren shifts to gently fold his fingers around Akechi’s hand.] When did you get so good at being this calm?

Edited 2025-11-12 18:26 (UTC)

...Something changed here.

[Those angelic wings of his twitch ever so slightly.]

While I'm in this state, I feel... strange. It doesn't carry over to my chimera form.

[Hmm. Akechi did mention experiencing psychological effects during their duel. Instantly, Ren’s focus switches off himself and onto the other boy.]

Strange … in a bad way?

I'm... not normally so driven to protect.

[At least, not in his own opinion. Perhaps it's his biases speaking. Who can say? But even so...]

For reasons I can't comprehend, I want to do good. I want to help. I feel so... "pure."

I’ve always believed in your ability to do good, if you wanted to.

[Ah, but maybe that’s the issue. Ren knows better than anyone how fiercely Akechi values his free will.]

Does it feel like something is forcing you to do good? To help? Like you’re being controlled?

It's more like an abundance of sentimentality. A strange compulsion to protect and guard all things pure and good.

[He casts a glance at the angelic wings on his back.]

Imagine me, a defender of purity.

[Ah yes, Akechi's famously favorite thing. Sentimentality.]

I don't have to imagine it. You're right here.

[It's not hard to picture, either. It's not a far leap from goodness and purity to justice, and Ren is keenly aware that the differences between how Akechi's life progressed are a mirror to his own. The Phantom Thieves fought for justice, after all. If their roles had been reversed somehow, Akechi could have been the one leading the charge for righting injustices in their society. That's what was at the root of his elaborate revenge scheme against his father, after all - addressing the injustice both he and his mother suffered at Shido's hand.]

So ... if you're a protector of all things good and pure, and you just rescued me from that fighting ring ... are you trying to say you think I'm something good and pure?

[His mouth curves into a crooked grin and his eyes take on a mischievous glint.]

'Cause I think we both know that's a stretch.

You're certainly more pure than me.

[Still, he matches Ren's grin with one of his own, tapping his cheek ever so gently with a claw. Just one. The others remain retracted.]

Still, considering you find me attractive in my present state, one might question the purity of said attraction.

[Really, it's all in jest. If anything, he's flattered.]

You say that like I didn’t just literally drink your blood.

[Ren has to laugh at the absurdity of that incident, now that he’s made it through the danger and anxiety of it. Now that a healthy flush has returned to his skin and he feels warm and alive again, he can manage a little humor for the situation.

The pinprick of Akechi’s claw on Ren’s cheek kicks his heartbeat back up, and he closes his eyes for a moment to savor the sensations of this brand of danger. This one is so much more thrilling, because it feels less like losing control and more like giving it to his more-than-rival, with all the trust and love Ren holds for Akechi in his heart.

Ren lazily opens his eyes again and gazes up longingly at Akechi through those impossibly long, dark lashes. The corner of his mouth quirks up, playful once more.]

Or like I wasn’t thinking some very impure things when you pounced on me, back there.

Well, it was oddly attractive.

[Yes, he'll admit it with a snicker. If Ren's going to admit 'impurity,' he might as well.]

Though, if you're having such sinful desires, it's a shame there aren't many comfortable venues to indulge in them.

[Not that he expects it to stop them, if that's what it comes to.]

Mm, I do miss our van.

[It may technically be Ren’s van and Akechi may have his own vehicle, but they have made something of a home there together. So Ren has decided, quite firmly, that the van is theirs.

He’s missed playing like this, too. No one matches his energy quite like Akechi does. No one else is this much fun. It reminds Ren of those first outings after they’d just met - the skillful verbal sparring, the mental cat-and-mouse dance.

And if he can manage to keep Akechi from being drawn into his own troubled thoughts for a while, that’s even better. Ren fakes a scandalized expression - mouth open, eyes wide, palm pressed to his chest - and sits up.]

Why, Akechi - are you saying you liked seeing me out of my mind with how much I wanted you?

[Look at this face. Babies aren’t this innocent. Ren slowly leans forward and drops the feigned shock, allowing a devilish grin to take its place. His voice drops in tone to a sultry purr.]

You don’t need to bleed for me if you want to see that, you know.

Why, yes. Yes I did.

[Look at that toothy, feline smirk, even daring to brush a claw down Ren's chest ever so gently.]

To be so thoroughly desired... To see you unravel before me... Heh. It's quite the spectacle.

[Ren may not have previously lived with the same level of feeling unwanted as Akechi did, but the understanding that he was more tolerated than outright cherished never fully escaped his notice. His parents were less than enthusiastic about his presence in general, and in small towns like the one where he grew up, friends are often made by default, by convenience of proximity more than shared interest or sincere affection. Even when he was sent to Tokyo, followed by the specter of his criminal record, Ren struggled with the knowledge that he was, for the most part, not welcome - until Ryuji and Ann and the rest of the Phantom Thieves. His various friends, contacts, and confidants genuinely wanted to spend time with Ren, and among them all, Akechi was the one who asked for little in return except Ren’s company.

Some of that bond they forged was wrapped in performance, with ulterior motives, on both their parts. But some of it, the more important portion, was authentic and deeply rooted. Akechi was a celebrity; he could have spent what little free time he had with anyone in the entirety of Tokyo, yet he chose Ren, time and again. Truly being someone’s chosen was a thrill for Ren akin to zipping through the Metaverse with his grappling hook and the incredible new powers discovered in his Personas.

And this is a large part of why losing Akechi was so painful for Ren, why Akechi was his wish in Maruki’s reality. All of the bonds Ren forged in Tokyo were unique, of course, but Ren never had a rival before. Akechi’s bond was special.

Akechi made Ren feel special.

Then he was gone.

Nothing was the same between them in January, after Akechi returned, impossibly, miraculously, and sought Ren’s help. There were moments that felt right - moments when they teamed up in battle, perfectly in sync; moments at the jazz club, sharing soft words over drinks - but there was a new kind of distance between them, and it hurt, a splinter in skin that refused to be removed. Eventually, it made sense, after that last long night before facing Maruki, but understanding didn’t soothe Ren’s suffering when Akechi disappeared once again. His rival, gone for good this time, or so it seemed.

Until Revan. Here, Akechi was alive, his heart changed of his own accord, and Ren finally understood the depth of his feelings for his rival. Yet Akechi still hesitated, still resisted allowing Ren in, arguing he didn’t deserve this second chance they’d been given. Square one all over again, with Ren sensing he was more or less tolerated by Akechi but doubting he was truly wanted.

Even after Akechi began to allow his walls to slowly crumble, Ren was never entirely certain his presence was welcome. He’d needed to make a deal with Akechi for the consent to love him, and the question of whether Akechi truly desired the affection Ren offered was one he struggled to fully shake. What if Akechi was only humoring Ren? What if Akechi only agreed because he felt pressured into it? Such uneasy thoughts nagged in the back of his mind, no matter how many kisses or words or moments of soft touch they shared.

Akechi’s answer now dissolves any shred of that doubt that remains in Ren’s mind. His yes, given freely and without reservation, is exactly what Ren needs to hear to finally feel like his status as part of Akechi’s life is truly desired.

The word and the way it’s delivered catch Ren off guard. He’s grown accustomed to the low-grade underlying sense of resistance coming from Akechi that’s persisted ever since January, when the other Thieves shook themselves out of Maruki’s reality and joined the fight. The sudden awareness of something missing that he’d forgotten to notice delivers a shock Ren can’t keep from overtaking him. His expression, usually so firmly under his control, cracks for the moment it takes for the understanding that Akechi wants him to sink in, leaving him stunned and silent as if he’s been dealt a physical blow. He’s forgotten how to breathe. Do vampires even need to breathe? It doesn’t matter. Akechi wants him. Akechi likes that Ren wants him, likes seeing Ren wanting him.

Ren doesn’t need to argue his case any longer. He was right all along - they belong together. Two sides of the same coin, each indivisible from the other half. His brain restarts, remembers how to make words again. His gaze fixes on his more-than-rival again, this time entirely earnest. He isn’t playing anymore.]

Wanna see me unravel all the way for you? I can show you right now. Wouldn’t take much.

[He shifts forward to climb straight into Akechi’s lap, slide his arms over Akechi’s shoulders, press his own body in close to the other boy, melting into his warmth like butter on a plate of pancakes. Any space left between them is too much, and Ren wants it gone.]

Might need your help getting me out of this, though, [he mumbles into the side of Akechi’s neck, taking a deep inhale of his scent, savoring it. Akechi’s claws down his chest sent a few sequins flying moments ago; he may as well finish the job he already started.

What’s the next step beyond desire - need? Obsession? Whatever it is, that’s where Ren has now landed, and he couldn’t be more content.]

Right here, in a house of mirrors?

[Ha... What a thought. It's hardly private. Anyone could stumble upon them, their everything reflected for all to see.]

My, how daring...

[But it's not a no, is it? He even moves one hand to try and help Ren with his top.

They're hardly prepared. They have a hard floor, no comfort or flourishes, and he hardly knows how far they'll want to go... But when was anything ever simple with them?]

[Truly, it’s a shame they’re not better prepared; Ren happens to think getting pinned down and railed by his incredibly hot, incredibly powerful rival sounds pretty awesome, actually. Congrats, Akechi, you woke the freak streak.

Alas. They’ll need to put a pin in that for potential discussion and exploration at another time. Still, even without thorough planning, they have options. They’re both wild cards, after all - resourceful, adaptable.

They’re also both teenagers, at the mercy of their raging hormones. Necessity, invention, etc.

The bodysuit Ren pilfered zips almost all the way down in the back, with two additional hidden zippers on the sides, under the arms. If Akechi can oblige with unzipping the back, Ren will handle the same at the sides while stamping ravenous kisses wherever he can - over Akechi’s neck, under his jaw, up to his mouth. Any graze of his fangs is only a tease, never intending to puncture skin and take blood.]

Don’t wanna share my performance with anyone else? [He grins against Akechi’s mouth, dots another kiss on the bridge of his nose.] Wanna keep me all to yourself?

[Hmmm... Quite the question. Akechi hums, as if this requires deep contemplation.

But yes. He'll unzip the back, gladly accepting the kisses and nips from those pointed teeth.]

I must admit, I'm not particularly inclined to share...

[Zippers now undone, Ren shrugs out of the top part of the bodysuit and allows it to fall around his waist, leaving his top half bare except for the light flush of his skin, the steady glow of his sigil, and the gloves still on his hands. He grins and leans in to kiss Akechi again, deeper, lingering, while his gloved fingers slide gently into his hair.]

Oh - Crow, Crow … don’t you already know I’m yours? All yours. Only yours. For as long as you want me, I’m yours.

[So what if he’s playing up the act a bit - Akechi wanted a spectacle, right? And the sentiment behind the exaggerated manner is still genuine. Ren lazily rolls his head back, eyes shut, throat bared like prey in surrender.]

I need you. Need your hands on me - please, Crow. Touch me.

inbox!!

slaps down a cw for gross vampire imagery

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spice advisory; suggestive levels increasing

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cw for #TEENAGERS

very STUPID teenagers. with hormones

cw very teenager very suggestive

cw for more dumbass idiot boys being idiots

cw stupid extremely suggestive idiot boy acting very stupid and horny

1/2 cw for more suggestive, horny idiots... and getting interrupted, lmao

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