Author's Note:

This is for Elisabeth aka Miss Hanamura, who requested a Naoto/OC for our fanfic trade. I'm really not that great at writing erotica and am pretty new to it soooo this is kind of an experiment, ha ha. I hope you enjoy it anyway, Elisabeth!

Electric Feel
a Persona 4 (© ATLUS) one-shot

All along the eastern shore
Put your circuits in the sea
This is what the world is for
making electricity
You can feel it in your mind
Oh you can do it all the time
Plug it in, change the world
You are my electric girl

Most days, Erin Suzuki feels small. She's a normal, if not slightly more reserved, girl attending high school in a rural town. She's alright at school and she has great friends, but that's hardly a claim to fame at the age of sixteen. She works a part-time job at Junes, but she usually just mops or cleans up so she doesn't have to deal with customer service. People know here know her, but it's just because she's a transfer and a new face (and everyone in Inaba knows each other). Still, she manages to blend in like she's part of the background, like she's not even there.

She's long since decided that she'd rather be part of the background than the family disappointment back home. She's a small dot in small Inaba, but it's better than being constantly compared to perfection she knows she'll never achieve.

Some days, she feels she can conquer the world. When she's standing on stage, dressed in extravagant costumes and decorated in make up, when she isn't actually Erin Suzuki, she looks like she can soar. The words that flow from her lips are nothing like her usual stutters, the graceful leaps across the stage contrary to her stumbles and falls. When her hair is done up in curls and her lips are painted red, when people are 'ooh'ing and 'ahh'ing at her her, she actually feels superior.

When she's with the Investigation Team, when they're in the TV, when she's casting spells and damaging Shadows and healing her friends, she experiences an incredible kind of euphoria. She doesn't just feel like a superhero — she feels invincible. Every time she wipes out a Shadow, every time she helps up a friend, every time someone asks for her help, Erin's heart swells and she feels like she belongs. It's like she was made for this, or this was made for her. Having people depend on her doesn't just make her feel wanted; it makes her feel whole.

But those days are long gone now. The Investigation Team is no longer needed — which is ultimately a good thing, she supposes, since it means their world is safe — and some of their members have dispersed. Their leader is back in the city, though he visits on major holidays. Rise is actively involved in show biz again, often giving shout outs to her beloved friends back in Inaba. Teddie spends a lot of time in the TV, but he'll poke his nose out every now and then. Naoto is busy with police and detective work, but is still attending school regularly. When Yu comes home and Rise visits, everything seems like it's back to normal, but it's all just fleeting.

Life is mundane, for lack of a better word. She goes to school, she goes to work, occasionally she goes out to eat with friends, she goes home and does homework. The cycle continues until suddenly it's halfway through her third year of high school. Her final year of high school.

"Time really has flown by, hasn't it?" Yukiko asks with a sigh.

"Yeah… One year ago we were still in the middle of that case," Chie mumbles. "Now we're seniors getting ready to graduate!"

"It feels like it's been much longer than a year, to be honest… Maybe it's because we're in such a different place. It's hard to return to normal life after everything we went through." She and Chie exchange a laugh. When they both realize that the third member of their party has been silent this entire time, they turn towards her curiously. "Are you alright, Rin-chan?"

"Sorry!" she apologizes quickly, snapping out of her reverie. "I just… got lost in my thoughts." They don't seem entirely convinced, but Chie and Yukiko take it anyway and continue with their conversation. Erin bites back her own sigh as she finishes packing up her things. "I have to go to work now." She struggles to don the smile that she's been faking for months. "I'll see you guys later, okay?"

Yukiko blinks. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Of course Yukiko can see through her act. Erin doesn't want to needlessly worry her, though, especially since she herself doesn't know exactly what's wrong. "I'm alright. I guess I'm just tired. But seriously, don't worry about me, you guys. I probably just need to sleep." She waves to her friends and scurries off, not wanting to be questioned anymore.

She can't quite explain why she feels so off. Maybe it's because it's just not the same like it used to be. Maybe it's because high school is almost over. Maybe it's because time keeps going and she doesn't know if she can keep up with it. Erin feels stuck — not Inaba, just here. She feels like she's walking through molasses but everything and everyone is speeding past her. Most of her friends already know what they want to do after school, but she's still trying to figure out if she should go back or not. She doesn't know if her parents even want her back, if her grandmother would mind her staying in Inaba (if she even wants to stay in Inaba), if she should pursue acting or go to university, if she should just do something else entirely. Erin doesn't think about the future much if she can help it, and now she's starting to think it's because she's so stuck in the past.

She heads down the stairs, watching each step to make sure she doesn't trip. Even with her eyes focused intently on the step, she manages to scuff the top of her shoe against the last one, so that she ends up stumbling. "Eep!" she yelps, reaching out for the nearest person so that her face doesn't collide with the floor.

"Oh…!"

Erin's grateful for her long curly hair, which shields the redness of her face. "Naoto-kun…!"

The dark-haired Detective Prince gasps as she tries to steady both herself and Erin's weight. "Rin-senpai, are you alright?"

Once she's sure that her blush of embarrassment is more or less gone, Erin swipes her hair out of her eyes. "Y-yeah… You know me, so clumsy, a ha ha…" She rubs the back of her neck sheepishly, averts her gaze to her feet. She's always been stupidly nervous around the underclassman. "U-um, I thought you were in the city doing some detective work."

"I was," Naoto answers. Erin removes her hand from Naoto's shoulder with reluctance; both notice but neither say a thing. "I just finished up, actually. I've been given the next two weeks off so that I can concentrate on school and exams." She runs her fingers along the rim of her trademark hat, adjusting it slightly. Her ever-perceptive eyes peer into Erin's; the latter flushes but refuses to look away. "How are you, Senpai?" There's something deeper in her question, more than just an obligatory greeting. She can see that something is wrong even though they've only been standing together for a minute. Sometimes, Erin thinks Naoto knows her better than she knows herself.

"I'm good," she answers. Naoto's eyes flash; she knows it's a lie. Erin swallows thickly and clasps her hands in front of her to keep them from shaking. "How are you, Naoto-kun?"

"I'm doing well."

"Good!" Her reply is too shrill and she notices too late. She swallows thickly, laughs a bit awkwardly, mumbles an apology that neither of them can really hear. "Good," she repeats, this time in a softer tone. "I… I, um, missed you while you were away. I- I mean…!" She quickly back tracks, trying to cover up her slip of the tongue. "I've really missed everyone, you know?"

A brief smile graces Naoto's lips. Erin's heart pounds in her chest. "That's understandable. Personally, I'm still readjusting to the absence of some of our members."

"Yeah. I really hope all of us can get together soon." She starts to rub her arm; Naoto notices but keeps to herself. "Um…"

"Yes?"

When she finally gathers the courage to look Naoto in the eye, Erin almost reels back from the intensity of her gaze. "N-nothing. It's nothing. I'm just— j-just being silly is all. 'S'cuse me, Naoto-kun." Naoto reaches out and grasps her firmly by the wrist, calling for her to wait. Erin's eyes dart to Naoto's dexterous fingers. Her touch is like electricity. "Naoto-kun…?"

"We're friends, aren't we, Senpai?"

The question strikes her. Of course, she wants to reply immediately. Naoto is one of her very best friends, in fact, even if the other may not consider her the same way. Naoto is strong and beautiful and intelligent, everything Erin wishes she could be. She has her insecurities and her fears, but she's worked to overcome them. Naoto has incredible strength, but Erin doesn't envy her; she's inspired by her. But she's sure this relationship (this awe, this dedicated, this love) is one-sided, so she's also afraid. Erin doesn't think she'd be able to handle it if Naoto rejected her. Her heart would surely shatter.

"Senpai?"

"Sorry," Erin breathes, pulling her wrist out of Naoto's grasp. "I really have to go." She rushes out because she's embarrassed and scared— Because the last thing she wants is to be left behind by someone she loves.

And Naoto just stands there, her brow furrowed, her lips in a frown, her fingers twitching. Her heart wrenches painfully, but she doesn't know why