[ Maruki watches every step he takes toward that pillow. Azathoth rumbles through his mind, foreshocks before a quake. He closes his eyes, briefly, quiets it again.
It's when his eyes are closed that that last hit lands, and Maruki–
Laughs. Quiet, but genuine. Like they just made a stupid joke over a crossword clue, or shared a ridiculous bit of gossip gleaned from Oracle. For a moment, it's so normal.
His eyes open and fall back on Akechi. ]
Good. I'm glad it is. I hope my life remains that worthless for as long as it can.
[ Stupid. What is Akechi even trying to hit at anymore? He's an animal backed into the farthest corner of his cage, snarling and snapping at air.
The protective arm held between them drops. Maruki tucks both hands into his pockets to try to stop them from trembling. He isn't scared. He doesn't know what he is.
No, he does, and it's so–
Stupid. He cares so much, it's an aching wound in his chest worse than whatever bullet Akechi's going to bury there. ]
I'm not interested in changing anything. That's not why I want to talk to you. I only want to understand.
[ It occurs to him right then, so he voices it right as the thoughts coalesce: ]
Have I ever tried to change anything about you since we've known each other? Why would I start now?
[ Well. Perhaps because he's been overtly threatened tonight, verbally and physically, while bloody confessions dripped from Akechi's tongue.
In time, the full gravity of what Akechi's owning up to will sink in, and Maruki will deal with that in his own way. For the moment, this isn't about him. Not even a bit, not at all, despite the words being spat at his feet.
Akechi isn't a murderer working for Shido. He's a murderer because he works for Shido, because he has to be to attain his goal. There is not a single sliver of Maruki that isn't convinced of that. He has seen enough of what Shido is like in the public eye, experienced only the vaguest whispers of it at his back. He can scarcely imagine what the man is like in private. How Akechi has been warped and twisted to do his father's bidding.
Every time he remembers, it rips through him like wildfire up and down his nerves. The story he was told in the bathhouse, their discussions of a woman who didn't stand a chance against what society had stacked against her. A society that Masayoshi Shido has had no small hand in building and wants to perpetuate. How many lives has he carelessly crushed on his ascent to power just as he did Akechi's?
And then to have Akechi at his side–
It's the most disgusting thing of all. Bile thick over Maruki's tongue to even consider it. What level of manipulation must be occurring behind the scenes.
Earlier he wanted to ask for Akechi's protection. It's entirely turned around now. They will return to their reality, and Maruki will keep his head down, and Akechi will do what needs to be done, and Maruki will repay him for letting him keep his life by trying to help Akechi keep his.
Simple. That's the plan now. There's no alternative.
A steadying breath. A question calmly put forth. ]
How will you do it? You've clearly been planning this for some time. I have no intention of talking you out of it, so– how will you ensure that you can take him out and get away with it?
no subject
It's when his eyes are closed that that last hit lands, and Maruki–
Laughs. Quiet, but genuine. Like they just made a stupid joke over a crossword clue, or shared a ridiculous bit of gossip gleaned from Oracle. For a moment, it's so normal.
His eyes open and fall back on Akechi. ]
Good. I'm glad it is. I hope my life remains that worthless for as long as it can.
[ Stupid. What is Akechi even trying to hit at anymore? He's an animal backed into the farthest corner of his cage, snarling and snapping at air.
The protective arm held between them drops. Maruki tucks both hands into his pockets to try to stop them from trembling. He isn't scared. He doesn't know what he is.
No, he does, and it's so–
Stupid. He cares so much, it's an aching wound in his chest worse than whatever bullet Akechi's going to bury there. ]
I'm not interested in changing anything. That's not why I want to talk to you. I only want to understand.
[ It occurs to him right then, so he voices it right as the thoughts coalesce: ]
Have I ever tried to change anything about you since we've known each other? Why would I start now?
[ Well. Perhaps because he's been overtly threatened tonight, verbally and physically, while bloody confessions dripped from Akechi's tongue.
In time, the full gravity of what Akechi's owning up to will sink in, and Maruki will deal with that in his own way. For the moment, this isn't about him. Not even a bit, not at all, despite the words being spat at his feet.
Akechi isn't a murderer working for Shido. He's a murderer because he works for Shido, because he has to be to attain his goal. There is not a single sliver of Maruki that isn't convinced of that. He has seen enough of what Shido is like in the public eye, experienced only the vaguest whispers of it at his back. He can scarcely imagine what the man is like in private. How Akechi has been warped and twisted to do his father's bidding.
Every time he remembers, it rips through him like wildfire up and down his nerves. The story he was told in the bathhouse, their discussions of a woman who didn't stand a chance against what society had stacked against her. A society that Masayoshi Shido has had no small hand in building and wants to perpetuate. How many lives has he carelessly crushed on his ascent to power just as he did Akechi's?
And then to have Akechi at his side–
It's the most disgusting thing of all. Bile thick over Maruki's tongue to even consider it. What level of manipulation must be occurring behind the scenes.
Earlier he wanted to ask for Akechi's protection. It's entirely turned around now. They will return to their reality, and Maruki will keep his head down, and Akechi will do what needs to be done, and Maruki will repay him for letting him keep his life by trying to help Akechi keep his.
Simple. That's the plan now. There's no alternative.
A steadying breath. A question calmly put forth. ]
How will you do it? You've clearly been planning this for some time. I have no intention of talking you out of it, so– how will you ensure that you can take him out and get away with it?