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[lakebrat]

Hello. You've reached Goro Akechi, known as Frog. Please leave a message.

[Beep.]

[[ooc: WARNING that threads with willowandoak may contain unmarked NSFW. Tread lightly. Blame Sunflowren.]]

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[willowandoak]

The look on Goro's face infuriates him. If he saw the cop right now, he can't guarantee that he wouldn't stab him. Lacking that option, he closes his arms around Goro, stroking his back.

"You're okay," he murmurs into Goro's ear. "If any fucking cop tries to pull anything, I'll gut them. Don't even worry about it."

[lakebrat]

Goro lets himself melt against Ren, reluctantly at first, then progressively less so. As if only the two of them existed in the world. His hands fist absently into the cloth of Ren's overshirt.

"But you get it, right?" he murmurs. "Suou said he fought Nyarlathotep, in his time. That it was bent on destroying the world, leaving nothing behind. An overarching threat, as I suppose Yaldabaoth will be for us. If Maruki's Persona is more powerful, more ambitious than that... we have our work cut out."

But, he reminds himself, Phoenix defeated Maruki. It can be done.

[willowandoak]

"There are people here who've beaten Maruki," says Ren, echoing Goro's thoughts. "Phoenix. Maybe others, if we ask on the network. We can do anything they can."

We, not you. He's made progress.

[lakebrat]

Yeah. Goro turns his head, to press a kiss against Ren's jaw. "We've got him. Back home, we can with luck take care of him before he ever becomes a problem. Taking care of him here will help."

But it's not just the study. Goro thrives on study, to Ren's perpetual incomprehension.

[willowandoak]

He tilts his head to give Goro better access to his face, on instinct more than anything else.

"Yeah," is all he says. He waits for the rest.

[lakebrat]

Yeah. Goro buries his face in Ren's shoulder again. "You were really pissed off. It was glorious. I took a screenshot."

[willowandoak]

Ren smiles a little. "I thought you'd like it." He kisses Goro's hair. "Couldn't believe the way he was talking about us. Like we just needed an adult."

But if he thinks about it, he's gonna get mad again, and he needs to be calm right now for Goro. "Do you wanna go upstairs?"

[lakebrat]

A bit disgusted with himself, Goro nods into Ren's shirt. "I really want a coffee. But I'd have to make it."

[willowandoak]

"I can bring you one, if you want. If there's anywhere else you'll take it from."

[lakebrat]

"Later." He tugs on Ren's sleeve, leading him upstairs, half in a dream and half in a stupor.

[willowandoak]

Once they're in the attic, Ren takes over. He takes Goro's hand and pulls him over to the bed, where he sits them both down, with Goro tucked against his side. Instead of saying anything, he pulls Goro close again. Goro can talk or not, whichever he wants.

He hates this. He's doing a pretty good job of remaining outwardly calm, but he hates that someone's made Goro like this.

[lakebrat]

Goro, for his part, isn't really aware that he's "like" anything. He just needs to sit down. And sure, it's good to have Ren here with him. Close by. Leaning in, he reaches, a little absently, for Ren's hand.

"You think I need babying," he observes. Ordinarily, his pride would have got the better of him.

[willowandoak]

"I dunno," he says, matching Goro's tone. "The amount of times you've done this for me... Were you babying me?"

[lakebrat]

"No," he murmurs, brushing his cheek against Ren's ear. "I... not at all."

He looks slowly around the attic, from the bedpost (he has a bedpost!), to the shelves, to the table by the stairs. "I just. Really didn't like him, you know. He's so earnest."

Goro himself, of course, can be pretty fucking earnest at times.

[willowandoak]

Maybe so, but Goro's not a cop. Ren grimaces. "In person too?"

[lakebrat]

"If anything, he was even worse." Goro leans on Ren a little more. "Went on about how he didn't want to be the lead authority. As if he would ever have been given the option."

fantasies of violence

[willowandoak]

Ren hisses through his teeth, stiffening in outrage. And then, inevitably, his mind goes to Crow's promises of talking Suou around, making him act like less of a dick. There's no way that's possible. Lead authority his fucked-out ass. If he tries to take authority away from Ren because he's an adult or a filthy dogfucking cop, Ren will stab him. Right in the gut. No one will be able to stop him. Suou's body will separate under his knife so satisfyingly as he screams and blood spills over Ren's hands, as flesh parts to show the guts beneath—

He sits there seething in silence, his arm clamped tight around Goro.

[lakebrat]

"Hey." The rage steaming off Ren is as tangible as a knife to the gut. Goro turns in his seat, to turn Ren's face toward him; to rest a steadying hand on his shoulder.

[willowandoak]

...Fuck, that's right, Ren was supposed to be calm and shit. He struggles to focus on Goro's face through the haze of fury. "Sorry," he manages.

[lakebrat]

"No, you're good. He really was a piece of shit at times," he murmurs, running his hand into Ren's hair. "I thought there was a spark of something, back when he talked about his own time under Igor. Actually, not under Igor at all, but someone named Philemon. Igor's boss."

The patter of detail may be calming, or it may not. Goro tries to hold Ren's attention, as he speaks.

[willowandoak]

The last part does focus him a little. "Igor has a boss?" he mumbles. "What the fuck?"

[lakebrat]

"So he said." Goro leans in further, weaving a charm with his voice. "He said Igor operated the Velvet Room on behalf of this Philemon. That he was the source of Personas."

[willowandoak]

"Huh...?" Ren says, intelligently. His head still spins a bit with the aftermath of his rage, but he can actually think now, more or less.

That said, he's always been susceptible to Goro's voice, and words, and face, ever since they met. And it's only gotten worse with time. "They have a source? Which isn't us?"

[lakebrat]

"That's exactly what I said." He traces a hand through Ren's hair, leaning in to kiss him lightly on the nose. "In fact, it's exactly what the twins told me. Persona potential is inherent to everyone. It's just that only a few can access it. We could examine that further, of course."

Goro's mouth twists a little. "This Philemon, anyway, was Nyarlathotep's opposite number. They made a bet to determine humanity's true nature."

[willowandoak]

Ren's eyes sharpen with annoyance. "A fucking bet? This is a game?"

But, though he's pissed off about it, it's not the billowing fury of a moment ago. If anything, it's brought him back into the room.