Work Text:
"So someone would want me around!"
Goro clenches his jaw as the words he shouted on the night that he died rush back through his head. It's been years since that day, yet he still can't get those words out of his head. The words of a child so desperate for recognition, for love, that he became blinded to reality. He thought that Shido needed him, perhaps even that Shido was grateful towards him for being the one to build Shido's empire.
How foolish.
Goro cuts through three more shadows. Ahead of him is a reflection of the teenager lashing out at the world with no regards for a future he didn't think he'd live to see. The metaverse never disappeared like it was supposed to, which gives Goro free reign to use it for anger management.
Goro kills another. He wanted to be loved. His sword slices another with ease. In that moment, on that night, he spilled out everything he had been repressing since he was young. He lost everything, even his life. It was pathetic, but what is even more pathetic is the fact that even now he's still desperate to be loved. Ignorance is bliss, they say, and at least before he was so focused on his revenge scheme that he never noticed just how much he craves being cared for. Now, it just pisses him off.
"The target has been eliminated," Goro had said, at age fifteen after killing Isshiki Wakaba.
"Excellent work," Shido had responded with a nod. "And her research?"
"Not even a single note was left behind. It's all in the hands of your men."
"Good work. Should I need anything else, I know where to reach you, so you can go back to your business now."
That was the conversation that occurred after his first murder. Goro remembers a strange feeling in his chest at the praise, which he at the time assumed was just due to fooling Shido into think they were on the same side. It's stupid just how easy it was for him to manipulate Goro, and the fact that he didn't notice for years. If all had gone according to his plan, Shido still would have won.
If Goro had joined the Thieves, would it have made a difference? Goro shakes his head and tightens his grip on his sword. Shadow after shadow falls before him, Loki laughs and swirls around in the air beside him, though they avoid attacking anything, leaving all that glory for Goro himself. He stabs right through where the neck would be if a shadow were human, his sharp fangs poke through the skin on his lips, sending his own blood through his mouth.
"Senpai, we found you!" Sumire shouts from behind him. Goro heaves a sigh, whipping his sword to knock off some of the blood from the tip. She stops just at his side, bouncing on her toes to get rid of the momentum from running. She looks to him with a smile, her eyes bright underneath her mask.
"You really kept us waiting!" Sakamoto shouts as he bashes in the skull of another shadow. Goro frowns at the interruption, but he does suppose that he had plans today with Akira's friends. He's never let himself get carried away like this before, not that he figured it would matter, anyway.
"We can leave," he crosses his arms. "These small fry won't pose a problem to our escape," Sumire nods and follows by his side as he walks back, with Sakamoto coming up close behind. Once they're clear of shadows, Goro crushes a Goho-M to send them back to the entrance, and the three exit together.
"Senpai! We brought him back!" Sumire calls out to Akira, waving enthusiastically to him once he's in sight. Goro puts a hand to his forehead, his other resting on his hip. As if he's some sort of child that needs to be watched over.
"Sending your entourage out to come and get me?" Goro mutters to Akira once he reaches the other's side. Akira looks confused, momentarily, but it seems to dawn on him as he changes to a more pleasant (albeit smug) expression.
"They're the ones that asked me to hang back, actually. High and mighty Goro Akechi not used to having friends look for you?" He asks back, nudging Goro in the ribs. Goro's expression turns sour, he looks to Akira and opens his mouth to say something undoubtedly foul, before Sakamoto interrupts, rubbing the back of his own head.
"The two of you in the metaverse together is just askin' for lovey dovey bullcrap. All that 'I just love taking two at once', and shit," Sakamoto looks to the ground, Goro's face heats as he tries to think of a way to deny it.
"Aw, you say that but you were worried for him too, Ryuji!" Sumire pipes in, perhaps an effort to spare Goro. "Though you two do get a little... intense, sometimes..." Sumire smiles awkwardly.
"Let's just get on with things," Goro eventually settled on, the words leaving his mouth like molasses. Akira looks at him with a half smile, whispering:
"Maybe we should... get intense tonight, huh?"
Goro's face is red. He fucking knows it's red, and he fucking hates it. "Of course!" Sumire once again steps in to save him, "I found a great hiking spot to show you guys!" She claps her hands together and pulls out the red bow from Kasumi she still wears when she works out.
"Hell yeah! Since you were late doing whatever in the metaverse, I'm workin' you twice as hard, Goro!" Sakamoto makes a fist and hits the palm of his other hand. Instinctively Goro's face twists in disgust at his given name, but he reels himself back in within a second. He's gotten much too comfortable expressing himself truly around these people.
Then again, they were looking for him, weren't they? Both Sumire and Sakamoto came of their own volition to look for him, didn't they? Not only them, Sakura talks with him about Featherman, even leaking new episodes for him before they come out for the general public, Takamaki invites him out for sweets and to talk model drama. He doesn't speak as much with Niijima or Okumura, but neither seem to hate him like they should.
"Hey," Akira nudges him while the other two talk excitedly about the day's activities, "You okay there?" He whispers so as not to catch their attention. Goro nods.
"If you don't answer this honestly I will kill you," Goro prefaces, and Akira laughs fondly in response. Goro rolls his eyes before he continues, "did you send the two of them in after me?"
"Of course not," Akira's hand trails down to Goro's, and he interlocks their fingers. Goro looks at him seriously, and he holds his other hand up to his heart to swear it. "Sumi and I got here around the same time, she asked where you were, and when Ryuji got here we knew you had to have lost track of time or something. You didn't respond to your phone, so Sumire thought you might be blowing off some steam in the metaverse, and Ryuji suggested the two of them go check on you," he details.
Goro thinks it over. He supposes he'll trust in that for now. Still, as the group starts walking, he can't help but ponder to himself. They were looking for him. He's never had a friend before, never considered himself worthy of those, or considered anyone else worth his time. People noticing his presence, both when he is or isn't around, just because they like him for him. A sobering thought, to be sure. His thoughts from earlier come back as he walks between Sumire and Akira.
So someone would want him around, huh? Maybe... Just maybe... he's finally achieved that.