Castling Your King: An Akira Kurusu/Goro Akechi Rec List

Castling Your King: An Akira Kurusu/Goro Akechi Rec List

“I’m glad I found you…to paraphrase Hegel, advancement cannot occur without both thesis and antithesis.”

fics may be based on the canons of either Persona 5 + Persona 5 Royal. Check notes and tags of fics for warnings and ratings, esp for violence, dark topics etc.

One-Shots   (includes canon, canon divergence, future fics, and AUs)

all we inherit by Mertiya Akira visits Akechi’s Palace, and events play out differently.  

warm data by scionblad Goro Akechi was seventeen years old and fond of biking, high-class food, and bouldering. It felt a very mechanical way to get to know a person, like a checklist of the things that made them up. Bullet Caught Between Your Teeth by npcx  Akira’s forgiveness is unrelenting. Akechi’s heart can hardly keep up.

Start Again At Your Beginnings by joishbishmyoga   The thing about having given your heart, your service, and most of your soul to your country, Soujiro thought, mouthing at an unlit cigarette as he sat uselessly by Akira’s bedside for the second night in a row, watching that the kid kept breathing through his concussion… The thing was, you either broke, or you learned to appreciate the simpler things in life. Fine coffee. Fresh curry. Regular customers.

Old friends.

ashes and ruin by SpookyVern An evening conversation that traveled into Kurusu’s attic, ruined by one sentence.

“We know you know about the metaverse.”

furball by hamnet Goro finds a kitten. Despite everything his logic tells him, he keeps her.

Spring Cleaning by deplore  Goro’s hair grows longer and his feelings grow deeper as he waits for Akira Kurusu to return. Emotions gain a peculiar, foreign dimension to them, like he’s slowly being filled with the things that he previously lacked. Or maybe it’s more that he’s regaining things that he once tried to throw away: his dreams, his passions, his opportunities, all burned to crisps and used as kindling to keep the hell-fire in him fierce and unyielding. a multitude of deaths, and a world for us alone by deplore  Post-canon AU. Goro and Akira go on a trip together, and Goro has bad dreams. Goro breathes in deeply and interlaces his fingers. “The night sky,’ he begins to say, and then lets the subject trail off with no action behind it, letting that trite, overused line go unfinished: the night sky is beautiful, which really means – I think you’re beautiful. I love you.

get lost tracing my steps back by the hyacinth girl (arguendo) Favors exchanged after a juvenile court hearing.

Places, everyone by neonsign Because where Akira Kurusu goes, Goro Akechi follows. Everyone knows the rivalry, even if their knowledge is limited to what’s been in the papers; a game like this draws attention from those content to sit on the sidelines. 

With Mournful Tread by Yustiel   There’s Akechi, bandaging his wounds in the dusty summer evenings with gentle hands; Akechi, reading the English aloud for his sake; Akechi, with undue viciousness, tearing at the shadow that had threatened them.

"Don’t worry,” he said. “I won’t let them touch you.” But oh, they’re not the ones he’s afraid of. (New Game+ AU)

and it looks so very much like me by Rethira felix faces him, leans down and murmurs, “i don’t mind if you call me goro, amamiya-kun” (the velvet room has a new attendant)

Felled by izanyas At the dawn of their doomed partnership, in a moment of weakness, Joker gives Akechi a chance.

How to Build a Temple by sakuraba Falling in love – not the how, but the where. Or: Akechi Goro finally gets something he’s desperately been lacking.

i can put on a show by SpineAndSpite “Were you this hard when you killed me?” the vicious mouth asks.

skeptic by chashmish Maybe it’s just a born characteristic of Kurusu’s, Goro thinks idly. To be so cynical.

playing with ghosts by dcuros Late at night, Akira brews a particular blend, sets up the chessboard and chases the ghost of Akechi Goro.

the devil’s details by relationshipcrimes When Akechi is sentenced to six years in prison after Shido’s change of heart, Akira makes sure to stay in touch.

the love exchange by relationshipcrimes After a late-night accidental kiss at Leblanc, Akira and Akechi wind up in something that could be a casual, low-stress relationship, except that Akechi is incapable of doing anything casually and without stress. As always, Akira has to do everything around here.

when your eyes say it by lesbianedgeworth Akechi exhales sharply. Annoyed. Better then soft any day, if he matched this with pity Joker would throw himself off a roof and be done with it— he meets Joker’s eyes as abruptly as he decides to do anything. “You like me. Is that right?” in the aftermath of february second, akechi and joker have some things to say.

it’s not the waking  by theexistentiallyqueer  There’s something hot and thick sitting in his throat almost choking him, something heavy and full of furious grief.You should know the moment when you first fall in love. (Persona 5 Royal spoilers) 

the second hand of fate ticks closer to home by theexistentiallyqueer   “Hey,” Akira says, catching Akechi by the sleeve of his jacket before he can leave. “Stay for a bit.”

He doesn’t look to see if Akechi stays; he can hear that Akechi stays, because the door doesn’t open and the bell doesn’t ring. Akira goes behind the bar to grab a canister off the shelves on the wall and make them both coffee. (Persona 5 Royal spoilers)

To err is human by Katraa  to forgive, divine. It’s a matter of perspective. At least that’s what he tells himself so he can sleep at night. His sleep isn’t sound, instead riddled with nightmares and roaming hands. Hot whiskey eyes and bony fingers make themselves at home in his mind and he can’t escape. There’s a bomb, ticking away, set to explode – or perhaps implode? – in less than a month and yet he can’t help himself from wanting to play with the wires.

life expectancy by futuresoon It’s remarkably dull, knowing you aren’t real.

ambiguity aversion by lady_peony *disclaimer that this fic was written by me, but i think it’s good so /shrug “Give him back,” Crow hisses, taking a single step forward. The venom in his voice cracks through the air like a bullet. or: Goro Akechi puts his negotiation skills to the test.

irregular resolution by lady_peony Akira has dreams sometimes; Akira tips back his head, sets it more deeply into the chair behind him. “Stars can move.” He brings up a finger, rotates it slowly in the air, one full circle, and another. “Binary star systems. Because there’s more than one…their paths change, because the other exists.”

Fold In by SomewhereFlying  As long as Goro was still around, the Thieves would be in danger - if not from him, then from Shido - and that was something he could no longer bear. Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is run away.  What You Don’t Know by SomewhereFlying  Akira was supposed to be keeping his nose down during his probation at Shujin, but sometimes things don’t work out the way you expect. Sometimes you befriend the other misfits in school and start working to expose an abusive teacher for the scum that he is. Hey, it couldn’t be helped - these things happen.

Sometimes you have to distract the student council vice president by making out with him. These things happen.

leave me something to remember you by by gesugao  Akira tries to save Goro from the world, other people, and himself. 

cognitive by D_Maradine (Warnings for major character death) In the Engine Room, Akira orders a forceful Palace exit in attempt to save Goro. However, the one who comes back to the reality is not him, but detective’s cognitive version, thrown into real Goro’s body. And he doesn’t really get how this “real world” works.

uncertainty principle by akc In the silence, Akira asks his ceiling why things turned out this way. His ceiling does not answer. (goro and akira are childhood friends au)

Between Scylla and Charybdis by KivaEmber Akira has a near-fatal encounter in Maruki’s Palace. Akechi… barely takes it well.

It’s a Date by KivaEmber Goro stared at his reflection in dismay. It didn’t compare to Akira, but at least he looked like he put some effort in. Fine, his rival can have the win in presentation, but this competition was just getting started. Goro will sweep him off his feet and turn him into a blushing, stammering mess by the end of the night. He will not lose.

Cover Your Tracks by prosodiical   On the day Goro Akechi first entered the Metaverse, a stranger followed him in. A little more than two years later, Akira Kurusu returns to Shibuya, accidentally stumbles into another Palace, and meets a talking cat.

Place All You’re Given in Infinite Trust by chashmish Inexplicably, Ren dropped to one knee. Goro’s mouth fell open. “What the hell are you doing? You don’t know who’s been walking on that floor. Or where their feet have been.” Ren paid no mind to Goro’s words or to the other shoppers, who were starting to gape at the two of them. He looked solemnly at Goro. Then he said, “Will you marry me?”

Epic Fics

Crooked Hands by coolkidroland In which Akira absolutely does not learn to leave well enough alone. (alternate title: A Fork in Want of a Light Socket). Part of a series. Followed by Goblin Men and The Reed Which Grows Nevermore Again.  

an all encompassing guide on how to stop the snow from falling by akc After living quietly by himself for nearly two years, dead in the eyes of the Phantom Thieves, Akechi Goro makes the decision to step into Leblanc unprompted to face them all, unaware of the tumultuous unfolding and unfurling that will come along with it.

long goes into the night by confidantes Ren & Goro find each other again after ten long years.

take me to church by cruellae  “I’m going to give you the one thing you want most in the entire world. The one thing your heart yearns for, even if you don’t realize it.” Goro draws in a sharp breath at the sight of the familiar silhouette in his kitchen, long and lanky with tousled black hair. It’s been more than a year, but he still hasn’t forgotten the way Akira moves. Akira turns and smiles, his messy dark hair falling over his forehead, his eyes a brilliant sunflower yellow.

marigolds by colbulb Akechi meets a mysterious being chained to a door after death and gains a second chance.

Interobject by howitleft It is June when Akira is ambushed by someone wearing the face of Goro Akechi claiming to be from next year, sent back to the past by Igor to help undo a bad decision.

Dreaming of Butterflies by heavymoons Akira wakes up, his mind bursting with visions of the future and his heart burning with resolve … only to discover that he hadn’t needed to worry about it at all. (I.e. NG+ maxstats!Akira might be an anxious, mildly depressed wreck but he has never looked this good.)

people like you, people like me by cybersquatt I know about the Metaverse and what you are, he sometimes thinks about dumping the hard truth onto Kurusu, just to see that notorious poker face off guard at least once. You better stop this hero act before you ruin us both. As if he’s not the one driving them off the road. (Persona 5 Royal setting)

killed with kindness by veterization Goro can’t quite figure out why so many people keep acting like they’re his friend. (Or: the one where the Phantom Thieves decide to know thy enemy, befriend thy enemy, love thy enemy, crush on thy enemy). 

it takes a village by shouldbeworking Each passing day brings new challenges, and each passing day brings his plan closer to fruition.

So, who cares if he keeps remembering things that never happened? So what if there are eight Phantom Thieves, rather than the three he expected? And so what if their leader has proven surprisingly adept at avoiding him? None of it matters. A new game is starting, and Akechi Goro is going to win it.

a shrike to your sharp and glorious thorn by theexistentiallyqueer Goro spent three years in juvenile hall, unmoored and deserted on a metaphorical island with no ship in sight. He never planned for a future beyond ruining the man who ruined him. (The funny thing about futures is that they have their own way of finding you.)

you will not take my heart alive  by myotinae Kurusu leans forward and says, “Look. You do deserve to feel this bad. I’m sorry, but you do. But you don’t deserve to be alone while you deal with it. So I’ll leave now if you want me to, but I’m coming back tomorrow. All right?” Goro wipes his face with his sleeve and glowers at him: Great Akira the Moralizer, who knows exactly what everyone else deserves. Perfect, beloved Akira. Once More With Feeling by beesandtoes Akira’s determined not to let Akechi die this time. Akira’s determined not to let Akechi die this time. Akira’s determined not to let Akechi die this time. Akira— well, he’ll get it next time for sure.

the cognition by relationshipcrimes You are the captain’s cognition of Goro Akechi, who you have just murdered. Next on the list is Joker.

Nine Lives by KivaEmber After dying for the second time as Maruki’s Ideal Reality crumbled, the last thing Akechi expected was to wake up as a cat, in the past, and get saddled with the impossible job of trying to rehabilitate his past self.

or; Joker gets Morgana. Akechi gets… his future self in cat form.

the first step to find your way is to mark where you have been by futuresoon (Akechi’s got a Palace, sort of, and Akira’s the only one who can enter it. Now he just has to figure out what he’s supposed to do in a Palace with no Treasure and no Shadow–and if his tag-along even wants him to see what’s in there.) So Close Your Eyes Close With My Dreams by LovelyLotus Ren arrives a few days early to Tokyo and is promptly run over (via bicycle) by a certain detective. This accidental meeting sparks an intense friendship that neither boy is willing to let go of, even as forces begin conspiring to set them against one another. Whether it’s Masayoshi Shido or the God of Control, nothing in hell is going to divide Joker and Crow. Trickster’s Maze by TwilightKnight17 In the aftermath of a year from hell, Akira is fine. Yes, he’s been separated from his friends, is home with his distant parents, and hasn’t heard from the boy who promised to come back to him, but he’s fine. Sure, he’s sleeping more, and his friends don’t text back much, but he’s fine. He always knows what to do.

Everything is fine.