personavelvetroomdr | The Silence After the Storm

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The Silence After the Storm

The Ken Amada who made certain threats, whom Igor didn't bring to the Velvet Room and didn't welcome, has been permanently contained within his other-world self. Many of the Velvet Room residents mobilized in the effort to neutralize the threat he posed, and now, in the moments after the devastating battle that sealed Ken away, perhaps you have business to conclude.

Maybe you're a fighter, left in the rubble the battle made of its surroundings—or maybe you were a noncombatant this time, left behind to wonder what's happening or prepare for the aftermath. Maybe you linger around the battle site, or maybe you have other things to do.

Or maybe you didn't survive. Maybe you're one of the glowing forms slowly coalescing in front of Igor's desk in the Velvet Room over the course of the subsequent half hour. Igor presides over them gravely, with no sign of his usual smile. Near his desk sits a box of snacks, familiar to anyone who's used the operation's training room.

[[ooc: This post is a general catch-all for the aftermath of the battle! It's backdated to February 26, the day Ken got got.]]

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A shadow of a smile touches his lips, and his fork pauses near his plate. "You're welcome. Back to me being the leader now."

He's teasing, just a little. He doesn't like the look on Ren's face.

"You must've been a real asshole in a past life." Unlike Ren, who's an asshole in this life and knows exactly why he was punished like this. He touches Goro's hand briefly, then goes back to his curry, at the same eating contest-level speed. It's not just that he's hungry, although he is. The sooner he's done, the sooner he can go upstairs.

"Maybe. Or maybe I got that out of the way back before all this started."

He turns his hand to brush against Ren's touch, then returns to shovelling curry into his own mouth, with slightly smaller scoops.

With triumph, he sticks the last spoonful of curry in his mouth. As he pushes the plate away, he makes an inquisitive little noise.

That noise makes him want to drag Ren straight upstairs and force him into Goro's onesie. "You won't agree. It's just the same old stuff."

Just him and his mother, and let the rest of the world go hang. That sort of thing. Goro's not too worried about it.

"Oh," he says darkly. "That shit." But he's too tired to start arguing about it. He'd rather go to bed. "Hurry up and eat."

He doesn't need a second telling. The last of his curry vanishes into his maw, quick as you like. Then he stands up and stretches, watching Ren with veiled affection.

"Screw the dishes. They can wait until the morning." He hides a yawn. "Sorry, Boss."

Seeing an opportunity, Ren gets to his feet and wraps his arms around Goro's middle while he's stretching. Without a word, he presses his face against Goro's neck, nestling close and feeling his warmth.

Heh. He giggles, momentarily delighted, before he wraps his arms around Ren in turn, keeping him close.

"Thought you were tired," he tells Ren's ear, in an undertone.

"I am." He closes his eyes. " 's just nice."

In theory, he wants to go to bed. In practice, Goro is so comfy.

Ren is comfy too. Goro lets himself mould to him, against the planes of his stomach, the curves of his thighs. "Mmm," he agrees. "What do you think, time for bed?"

In theory, he feels like he'll lie awake all night. In practice, he has a feeling he'll be out as soon as he hits the pillow.

"Yeah," he sighs. "My brain hurts."

What with keeping track of the flow of the entire huge battle with its various horrible twists, and keeping himself alive and fighting, and giving orders when people needed direction, and refusing to sit down and die like Fatalis's aura wanted him to do... He feels weird now. Kind of dull and foggy, like his brain has run out of thinking juice.

"Why do you think I wanted to come back here and cook?" Cooking makes him feel better. More like himself. Master Chef Goro Akechi.

He gives Ren a little push in the direction of the stairs. Come on, Ren, bed's awaitin'.

"I thought you didn't want to deal with them after they woke up."

He's too tired not to say it. He goes where Goro nudges him, keeping his eyes on the stairs. So close to bed...

... and Goro slams to a halt behind him, feeling slapped. "You're kidding."

Of course he would have dealt with them. But he's not the one who built relationships with them all, not really. Not even Hamuko. Not like Ren did.

"No?" He turns to look back, brow furrowed. "Like. I didn't want to. I wanted to go with you."

But he studies Goro's expression with a glimmer of worry.

... and Goro forces himself to relax again. It was a lot. Even it being over is a lot.

"I guess. Come up, let's go up." He nudges Ren toward the stairs again. "Of course I would have stayed to deal with them. It's just... I don't know. I think you understand it."

Leader shit, is what it was. Ren was the leader. Goro wasn't.

Yeah, that's why Ren stayed, and why he doesn't blame Goro for leaving. But rather than continue up the stairs, he hesitates, caught by a strange, wobbly anxiety that he's too exhausted to hide like he usually would.

"I didn't mean it as an insult."

And it's so unlike Ren to wobble like that, that Goro wobbles himself, staring wide-eyed up at him. It's okay, kaasan. Here, I'll make you some tea....

He shakes himself. "I know you didn't. I guess I'm more tired than I thought. Not surprising, given everything."

He looks exhausted.

"Yeah." He holds out his hand.

Goro takes it, lacing his fingers through Ren's, just a little desperately. Then he kisses the knuckles. Lancelot watches from the back of his head, with something like contempt.

Ren's heart twists. "You're okay," he murmurs. "That fucker is just some weird black goop locked in Nox's weird body. Everyone's alive again. Nothing left to do but collapse."

He tugs Goro up the stairs.

He goes, glad to be led along a little. Let Ren push him and prod him and mould him into shape. Right now, he'd be glad of it.

The attic is lit as it often is late at night, with the soft glow of a multitude of lights in the rafters, threaded through by Yusuke's glowing stars from the planetarium. Goro likes the restfulness of it, the multitude of shadows to hide in—although maybe he shouldn't, at this point in his life. The bed is, as he promised, turned down, with the cable of an electric blanket hanging out. It is February, after all.

Goro buries his face in Ren's neck. "I was wondering about him," he says, lips brushing skin. "What do you think he'll even do now?"

"Rot," mutters Ren, as he unlaces his boots and steps out of them. "Cry like a baby. Thrash around in pain. Wish for a body that could scream."

Admittedly, these are hopes and not actual thoughts.

Goro's mouth twists in a nasty grin, behind Ren's back. "If only," he agrees, reaching around to peel off Ren's overshirt, instead of undressing himself.

"I wonder, though. Whether there was just a stupid kid in there, in the end. Once you took the multiverse-ending powers away."

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