A/N: Hello everyone! This is the first story I've ever written so I'd love to hear any constructive criticism or comments anybody might have so please leave a review. I got inspired to write this because of guillotineghosties femprotag/Naoto stories. If this story interests you definitely check that stuff out. This is going to be a multi-part story, each chapter won't necessarily happen in perfect chronological order, but rather jump around to interesting points in their relationship. That being said I hope you enjoy it and happy reading!
Reminder: I do not own Persona series or any characters within
Frankly, she was surprised at the enthusiasm that her team was showing. She hadn't really taken them as a group that would get into the whole club and party atmosphere. Not that she minded, at least not that she'd normally mind. With that new detective hanging around though she just hoped nobody slipped up too badly. The leader went to take another sip of her drink only to find that it was already empty, she hadn't realized that she was drinking so fast, a downside to the whole stoic leader vibe she tried to embody she supposed. She reached forward to set her drink back down on the table, as she did she felt gravity suddenly shift and she almost slid out her chair. She jerked back into her seat suddenly, letting her empty cup fall over on the table as she hurriedly tried to right herself, now very nervous that maybe she might be the one who got into trouble because of her drink. She hoped nobody had noticed her inebriation. She glanced across the room only to see that the detective was watching her with an upturned eyebrow. Well so much for that hope.
She turned her focus back to her friends and their debate on playing some game known as "King's Cup". She had never heard of it herself.
"Come on senpai… I promise it'll be fun." Rise whined at Yosuke. Rise was the one who came up with the idea for them to play this game, with the exuberant support of one manager in training.
"Ya, Yosuke, maybe you could even get a kiss from Chie-senpai." Teddie wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at the now flustered upper classman.
"Wha.. what are you talking about Teddie? There's no way I'd ever want that." Youske retorted perhaps a little too quickly.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" A now angry Chie jumped up from the couch, swaying lightly on her feet.
"N-nothing, jus.. just that I.." Youske backed into his chair trying to get some space from the martial arts master waving his hands defensively into front of himself.
"Chie and Youske sitting in a tree…" an obviously drunk Yukiko began to lightly sing from her spot on the couch.
"Shut up!" Both Chie and Youske turned on the manger-in-training who stopped suddenly before bursting into fits of giggles at the two friends incredibly serious reactions.
"Now, now, guys there will be plenty of time for that later," Said Rise as she somewhat successfully tried to suppress the laughter that was threatening to break out of her. "Now let's get to this game." She held out the required sticks with a mischievous glint in her eye.
The leader and the rest of the investigation team stood up in a circle ready to play, she glanced around her friends seeing the mix of drunken happiness and apprehension among their visages. She spared a glance at the lone individual still sitting. The boy detective was staring at the table with a slight frown on his face. Perhaps she should invite him to join. The boy looked up to meet her gaze, she gestured a silent invitation to the outsider among them that evening. He let out a quiet sigh, stood up and straightened his outfit.
"Oh, you're going to join us, Naoto?" Kanji asked surprised that the sleuth would join their game.
"I suppose I am." He replied simply.
"Well, the more the merrier." Yukiko threw her hands into the air and burst into a new fit of giggles.
The group reached into the center and each pulled out one of the sticks.
The leader looked down at her stick to a small number 2 written at the bottom. She looked back up at the sound of Yukiko squealing in excitement. "I'm the Queen!" she gleefully shouted. "Hmm, now what should I command…" She brought her hand up to her chin in thought. "Alright, number 3 I want a hug."
"Heehee, finally Teddie gets a shot with the elegant beauty." Teddie bounded across the room to Yukiko. He picked her up in a big hug and swung her around in a circle as she giggled in response. Teddie set Yukiko down and moved back to his original spot in the circle. Yukiko began swayed noticeably more exaggeratedly after being deposited back from Teddies' embrace.
Rise clapped excitedly in response to Teddie and Yukiko's antics, "Alright, let's go again everyone. And remember, whoever is King next has to do something crazier than that."
The leader smiled to herself, enjoying the festive atmosphere among her companions. She spared another glance over at the invading force in their midst, Naoto. Shockingly he had a small smile gracing his face as well; she had it admit he looked pretty cute with it instead of his normal straight faced look. Naoto must have felt her watching him as he returned her glance, the leader quickly averted her eyes as she felt a small blush dust her cheeks. "That was weird, why did she feel so light all of a sudden, and this blush. She never blushed. Must be the drinks." She told herself. "There's no other explanation."
By this point Rise had taken upon herself to gather everyone's discarded sticks and held them out to the circle once again. The leader and the rest of the crew reached into the circle and grabbed their new stick. As the leader withdrew her stick from Rise's grip it slipped out of her own and fell on the floor. Quickly Rise bent down, picked it up, and handed it back to the leader. As she did so however the leader thought for sure that Rise had snuck a peak at her designation, though she wasn't positive. The leader took a look at the stick herself and saw that there was a small number one on it.
"Goody, looks like I'm the Queen this time guys." Rise cheered clapping her hands together. "And for my command I want number 1 to sit on number 4's lap for the rest of the evening."
Immediately as she heard Rise say number 1 the leader's gaze shot over to her. As soon say she finished her pronouncement Rise looked back a telltale smirk on her face and devilish gleam in her eyes. So she had seen her number. She probably tried to get me to drop it too. Just as she was about to protest Rise's command Kanji - bless him - beat her to the punch.
"Hold on, isn't the rule that the King, or Queen in this case I guess has to make a command involving themselves?"
"Not all, Kanji. Anything goes as far as commands go. Did I neglect to mention that earlier?"
Rise adopted a sheepish grin that the leader knew was a fake. "I'm sorry."
A near passed out Yukiko chose that moment to awaken from her trance-like state. "Yep, anything goes!" Before collapsing blissfully back into the couch.
"Well, I guess if Yukiko-senpai says so it's fine by me."
The leader's fist clenched in frustration. "Since when did Kanji become so understanding." She angrily thought to herself. She closed her eyes for a moment and let out a long sigh. She should probably just get this over with. It couldn't be that bad, could it?
She stepped forward, "Alright I'm number one, whose four?" A collective gasp as her around the group aside from Rise who was silently gloating to her victory. The leader decided to make sure she got her back for this.
When nobody stepped forward among the group Rise begin to get impatient. "Come on guys, it has to be one of you."
A deep sigh was heard from the shadowed figure sitting slightly outside to circle of friends. "I suppose I am this number four you demand so badly." Apparently it could be that bad the leader decided.
"What? Naoto gets to have sensei sit on his lap." Teddie whined. "That's not fair at all."
Teddies' childish arguments as well as all the other sounds in the room seemed to fade into the distance as the leader comprehended what exactly she was going to have to do. The rest of the evening, in his lap. The blush and lightness she felt earlier returned in full force, she was definitely going to get Rise for this. She started walking over to the detective who was seated in a chair on the opposite side of the circle. He wouldn't meet her gaze as she walked over, instead focusing on the floor. Her friends were talking around her but their words became a dull roar as she got close to the youth investigator.
She was almost a stride away when things went from bad to worse for the suddenly nervous girl. On her last step she felt gravity pulling her to the floor once again. However this time it wasn't the drinks affecting her, well not entirely, rather she had tripped. She was thinking so much about the situation she hadn't bothered to watch where she was stepping and she had caught her foot on some foreign object. She hardly knew what was happening before she felt a pair of slim yet strong arms catch her. She had squeezed her eyes shut without realizing it, and when she slowly opened them she realized that it was Naoto who had caught her. She thought she could make out a light blush on the detectives face but it was too dark to known for sure.
"Thanks", she spoke barely above a whisper. She rearranged herself on Naoto's lap, the detective certainly didn't have much bulk but what was there the leader could feel was quite toned. She avoided looking directly at the detective due to her continuing uncomfortability with the situation. She didn't understand why the closeness with the investigator was making her quite so nervous; she was the leader of a team that had rescued multiple people from an otherworldly dimension filled with all sorts of monsters and other enemies. She focused her resolve slid her arms up and wrapped them around Naoto's neck and snuggled further into his chest. She felt the boy intense instantly in response to her movement. Looking up at the detective in what she hoped was a cute manner she smiled, "Relax Naoto-kun, I don't bite."
"In… indeed." He stammered in response to her ploy. She smiled and rested her head against him as she yawned. She sure was sleepy, nobody would notice if she closed her eyes for just a moment would they?
She awoke to the rhytmic feeling of someone carrying her bridal style as they walked. She groggily opened her eyes as she tried to get her bearings. She could hear the somewhat hushed tones of her friends talking somewhere closely ahead of her carrier. "What happened?" she wondered to herself. "We were at the club and I closed my eyes sitting in Naoto's lap…" She suddenly snapped to attention realizing what had occurred, she glanced upwards to confirm her suspicion and as she thought Naoto was the individual currently holding her aloft. Her sudden action seemed to notify the boy as to her awakening as he looked down at her.
"Don't worry," he started. "We're headed back to the hotel we are staying at with the rest of the class. You… passed out during the game and your friends insisted I be the one to assist you back." He paused at the conclusion to his recounting of the evenings events. "Would you like to walk now?"
Even in the dim evening light she could see the blush on his face and flustered countenance evident on his features. Despite herself she found herself enjoying the feeling of being in his arms, she wasn't typically the type of girl who pursued such chivalrous gestures but at the moment she found herself loving it.
"I'm not sure I would be able to do so effectively." She somewhat lied to the boy.
"I... I see. Very well." He returned to his previous pace and before long they had returned to the hotel property. Her friends had already arrived and were in their respective rooms when Naoto arrived at her door and set her carefully back down on her feet.
"Well then, I trust you be fine from here. I must return to my own accommodations. Thank for the inclusion in the evening activities and I will see you another time." After finishing his speech the detective turned to leave.
"Wait." The leader found herself reaching out to stop the boy.
"Y…yes?" He shifted back to facing her.
"Just so you know you're always welcome to hang with us in the future." She reached out her hand that was still extended from her call to the boy to wait. Without fully realizing what she was doing she brushed her fingertips over his cheek and tucked a lock of his hair behind his ear. She felt his entire being tense at the contact, his already noteworthy posture became ramrod straight. Before she lost her courage she learned upwards and kissed him lightly on the cheek she had just cleared. "And thank you for carrying me all the way back here." She finished with a small smile and wink as she turned from the obviously shocked detective and entered her room.
So how was it? Good? Bad? Hilariously awful? If their are any scenarios that you'd like to see represented then me know. In any case thanks for reading!