Makotos auburn eyes stared right back at her. She stared intently at the mirror, trying to decide how she would tell Sae about her boyfriend. She and Akira had only been dating a few months, but their time together had been shortened since he had come out of interrogation. Being forced to lay low meant he couldn't go out too often, nor could he be out for extended periods of time. Makoto had also been busy with school and her Student Council duties, so she she hadn't been able to go over to LeBlanc to visit him. She and Akira texted every night, sharing intimate thoughts and wishing they could be together soon.
Makoto had thought long and hard about her approach, and why she wanted to tell Sae so soon. The Phantom Thieves popularity had declined considerably, and the police were looking all over Tokyo for them. Sae hadn't entirely approved of the actions of the Phantom Thieves, but she was no longer hellbent on trying to catch and jail them. Beyond that, Akira would be leaving in just a few short months. There's no telling what would happen after they change Shidos' heart, so she felt that this was her only real opportunity. Ever since the Thieves had gotten together to tell Sojiro and Sae about the Metaverse, Sae had been more relaxed and easygoing; even telling Makoto she was glad the Thieves had been great friends to her and that Akira sounded like a a great leader. Makoto had done her best to hide her beaming pride in him, but she was sure Sae had noticed her trying to hold back her smile. She sincerely hoped that this would be enough to convince Sae that Akira was a worthy partner.
Makoto sighed softly. She had told Akira to come over tonight to properly introduce himself. She couldn't fathom how Sae would react. She parted her brown hair and adjusted her headband. Her mind was led to Akira. He had such a rugged charm to him; she hadn't thought much about his appearance initially, but the more she studied him, the more she noticed just how handsome he really was. Makoto blushed, then giggled to herself when she noticed. She couldn't initially understand how other girls weren't throwing themselves all over him. He oozed confidence, and he had such a cool demeanor. She sighed once more. His delinquent past had tarnished his reputation. She would often hear the other girls talking in whispers about how how he had an ex-girlfriend that he would beat. Other girls would have been too scared to be anywhere near him. He too had heard these rumors, and vehemently denied such accusations. Makoto calmed him, knowing he would never do anything of the sort to her, or anyone.
Akira adjusted his black jacket and fiddled with his glasses. His stomach felt like it was knotting up.
Morgana hopped up onto the table next to him. "Is our fearless leader afraid of a prosecutor?"
Truth be told, he was afraid of Sae, especially when it came to how protective she was over Makoto. He also hadn't been around Makoto in a while, and she always had a way of getting his heart to race. Beneath his often calm exterior, he was constantly nervous and freaking out. He was afraid to share his true emotions with Makoto; he wasn't sure if she was quite ready for it either. He didn't want to potentially worry Makoto, or make her think he was uncomfortable around her. Makoto was his first girlfriend, and he wanted to make sure that he wouldn't mess up their relationship.
Morgana teased him again. "Come on, Akira. You can do this. You can beat up shadows, but you can't even talk to your girlfriends sister." Akira softly patted Morgana, then playfully shoved him off the desk. Morgana let out a yowl before hopping onto the bed. Akira piped up. "You're right, Morgana, I am worried. She may know about the Phantom Thieves, but that doesn't mean she'd be fond of me dating her sister. There's no telling how she would react to our relationship." Morgana licked his paw and brushed it over his ear. "You'll be fine. You've survived everything until now, I'm sure you can make it through this." he meowed playfully.
Akira nodded. "I'll be back later, Morgana." He walked towards the stairs and headed into the cafe section of LeBlanc. He could see Sojiro leaning back onto the wall of beans, arms folded across his chest. His head was turned towards the television. Akira could hear a cooking channel being played. The aroma of coffee plunged into his nostrils, filling him with a sense of delight. He had become accustomed to coffee quickly, especially since he had been a huge connoisseur of it back in his hometown. He looked around the shop. The booths against the wall were empty. The store had closed not terribly long ago, yet Sojiro was still hanging around.
Sojiro snapped out of stupor and turned his attention to Akira. "Ah, I wondered when you'd be down. You're heading over to Makoto's right?" Sojiro had been incredibly considerate when Akira brought Makoto over, even closing the shop early so they could spend some time alone. Sojiro walked around the counter and stood in front of Akira, sizing him up. After what seemed like an eternity he stepped aside and nodded to himself. "Makoto doesn't seem like the type to be interested in just anyone, especially a delinquent." Akira could hear a playful tone from Sojiro. "I just wanted to see you off. You need to look appropriate if you're going to impress anyone." Sojiro gave him a hearty smile. "You've been learning from me after all, don't mess this up or it'll reflect poorly on me." Sojiro chuckled. "All right kid, get out of here."
Akira smiled as he headed out the door. Sojiro had been cold and bitter towards him when he first arrived, but as they bonded and talked more, Sojiro and him had become closer. Sojiro had become an uncle of sorts, maybe even a second father.
Akira closed the door behind him and watched Sojiro turned his attention back towards the televison, almost like it had hypnotized him. The brisk air brushed his hair across his eye. He settled it back to normal, and then set out to the apartment the two sisters shared.
Makoto had been making her way out of the bathroom when the doorbell rang. She turned her head to look at the door, almost as if she was a deer caught in the headlights. Akira was early, she hadn't gotten the chance to tell Sae about him coming yet.
Sae made her way to the door to answer it. Makoto tried to yell out to her, but she fumbled her words as her mouth went dry. This was it, she hadn't had the time to prepare Sae for the shock she was about to receive.
Sae grabbed the knob and pulled the door open. Before her stood a teen that was about the same age as Makoto. His black hair was a tad messy, with a part of his bangs strewn over the bridge of his nose. He wore glasses that served no more purpose than to suit his face and charm. Beneath those were dark grey eyes that rarely showed an expression. He was dressed in fairly casual attire. Sae didn't want to admit it, but the boy had a charm about him.
"Makoto, why is he here?" All of the color from Makotos face drained away. She looked white as ghost, and felt as if she were about to pass out. "U-Uhm, Sis..." she struggled to find the words. "I-I meant to..." she looked down and choked out the rest "I meant to tell you earlier. I invited him over for dinner..." Sae looked at her sister flabbergasted. Why would she ask over the leader of the Phantom Thieves? She had understood why she had joined them, and there was no reason to further convince her of their actions. "Makoto, is there something you'd like to tell me?" she inquired, puzzled.
Akira stepped forward into the doorframe. "Hello."
Sae was taken aback at just how calm he seemed. Makoto shot him a sideways glance. She never understood how he was always so calm, but she admired his resilience in the face of any kind of danger, and right now, there was no telling what kind of danger he might be in.
Sae had never been violent, but Makoto had never asked a boy over before. Makoto took a deep breath and faced her sister. She stared into her sisters eyes. They were a deep brown, and she almost felt like she was spiraling into them with the intent her sister stared at her with. "Sis, I wanted to introduce you properly to my boyfriend." Openly admitting it had caused her to blush a deep red. Her cheeks burned with warmth, and a nervous smile slowly creeped along her face. She couldn't be sure, but she thought she noticed Akiras cheeks quickly turned a light shade of pink.
Akira looked around nervously and tried to hide his blushing cheeks. He raised a hand to the back of his neck and rubbed it. He finally locked eyes with Sae. She looked flabbergasted, almost as if she had seen a ghost. "May I come in?" Akira squeaked out, the nervousness he felt became audible.
Sae stood there for a long while, staring at Akira with ferocity. She knew that Akira was actually a good person, and had been helping Makoto break out of her shell. She hadn't seen anything like this coming. She finally stood aside and closed the door behind Akira, her gaze transfixed on him as he walked past.
Sae and Akira made their way over to the table while Makoto hurried into the kitchen to get the food. she had forgotten all about it between going upstairs to practice how she would tell her sister, and the arrival of Akira. She quickly plated the food. Akira had taught her how to make curry at LeBlancs during one of their earlier dates. She hadn't had much time to practice, but she put every ounce of effort into trying to perfect it this one time. She grabbed the three plates and headed to the table.
Sae sat at the head of the table, while she split up Makoto and Akira to opposite sides. Sae barely touched her food while Makoto and Akira ate quietly and nervously.
Akira took a bite and was instantly transported back to his date with Makoto. She had trouble getting the ratio of spices right, but he knew how hard she was trying. They had had a lot of fun that night, including a short-lived food fight before Sojiro had came in to get something he forgot in the shop. Sojiro had chewed them out, but the nights events had been so great he could barely focus on Sojiros words. All he could think about was how beautiful she looked in the apron. Her brown bob bouncing around as she hurried around the tiny kitchen, her auburn eyes lighting up with fiery passion.
That was also the first time they kissed. Makoto inquired about it, and leaned nervously into Akira. Akiras stomach had turned over. He hadn't kissed anyone before. He reciprocated and leaned into Makoto, brushing their lips together. It was short, and might barely be able to be classified as a kiss, but it made him feel like he was standing on top of the world. When their lips parted, Makotos cheeks had turned to a deep red, and her smile had been more grand and happy than he had ever seen her. He too had a smile the size of hers, and they both giggled over how cute each other looked. His heart began to swell with more happiness and emotion than he had ever experienced in his life. He hadn't realized it at the time, but it was the point in their relationship that he had completely fallen in love with her.
Sae had a neutral tone to her voice, trying her hardest not to sound angry. Akira completely snapped out of his thoughts, and turned his attention to Sae. "How long have you two been seeing each other like this?" Makoto looked to Akira and then back to her sister. "We've only been dating a few months, Sis." Sae looked at her sister quizically. How long could a few months be, and what could they have done in that time? Her mind raced with questions, but she turned her attention over to Akira. For the first time, she could see the expression in his eyes, he was nervous. This pleased Sae. He can feel something after all.
The rest of the dinner had gone by quietly, and they retired to the couch in the living room. Sae didn't object when Makoto sat next to Akira. Makoto twiddled her fingers, while Akira sat forward, more attentively. He didn't want to seem disrespectul to Sae.
He suddenly felt a soft hand along his back and turned to Makoto. She gave him a heartfelt smile. She removed her hand and took one of his in it, intertwining his fingers with hers. Her heart swelled with intense joy as he wrapped his hand around hers. Her cheeks went pink again and she looked down trying to hide it. Akira looked to Sae, who just quietly sat and watched them. Sae hadn't yelled, or even reacted to Makoto and Akira when they held hands.
All of the thoughts boiled down into a single one. Is she happy? In truth, that's all Sae ever really wanted her sister to be. That's why she had tried so hard to get her to study, to get into a good college so she could secure her future with a good job. She had realized too late that she was trying to force Makoto to be happy instead of letting her decide her own path.
Sae spoke up, spooking both Akira and Makoto.
"Makoto, are you happy?" she asked plainly. Makoto stared into her sisters eyes. From his position, Akira could faintly notice a burning intensity in Makotos eyes. A fire burning brighter than any. "I am, Sis. In fact..." Makoto looked down to the ground and closed her eyes. Akira could see a smile forming as big as the one she had that day in LeBlanc. "...I love him." she finally whispered, delighted. Sae and Akira both looked on shocked. Makoto squeezed Akiras hand, and finally turned up to look at him. She was still wearing her smile, and her cheeks had turned to an adorable shade of red. Akira looked at her, utterely stunned. He finally found his strength, his voice was full of emotion. "I love you too, Makoto."
His heart felt like it was going to burst. He could feel his face beginning to hurt from how happy he was too. They shared a brief, but passionate kiss before they turned their attention to Sae.
Sae was crippled with shock. She had never thought she'd bear witness to something of that caliber. It took her several minutes to return to reality. She blinked several times, making sure the people in front of her were actually there. After a few more moments, she rediscovered her voice. "I see." was all that she could say. Makoto giggled. She had never seen her sister so out of her element before, it was humanizing in a way. The group sat in silence for a while longer.
Sae sighed and stood up. Her face became softer. "All I've ever wanted you to be was happy, Makoto. I wish you had told me sooner, but I'm glad you've found someone that makes you happy, and someone that you can share love in." She turned and locked eyes with Akira. "If you ever do anything to hurt her, I will bring more pain to you than any shadow could." Akira looked on stunned once more, but managed to nod in agreement. "Good." Sae responded.
The three talked for a bit longer, with Sae getting to know more about Akira. All she had really known about him was that he was the leader of the thieves, and cared for his friends. Akira told her about how his studies were going, and how Makoto helped him. He told her of his friends and they moments they've shared. Sae nodded along, making the occasional
comment or asking the odd question. She wasn't quite sure if he would be the greatest influence for Makoto, but the more she learned about him, the more she was willing to give him a chance.
After a few hours of talking, Sae turned to the clock. It was late, far later than she thought. She got up. "It's getting really late, I think it's time Akira headed home." Makoto stood up as well, looking kind of crestfallen. She knew that Akira couldn't stay forever, but she didn't want him to go. She turned to Akira. He looked dispirited. He too didn't want to leave. Sae looked at them both. "It's too early to say, but I might consider letting you spend the night together at some point." both of them perked up at the thought. "I said maybe!" Sae called out. Makoto and Akira shared a glance and laughed. Sae was right, it might be too early, but they both yearned for a chance to spend a night together. Akira stood up and stretched, then walked over to Makoto. They both beamed with pure bliss before locking lips in a passionate kiss.
Makoto took his hand and led him to the door. Neither wanted to break from each others grasp. Sae effectively had to tear them apart when they refused to let go of each other.
Akira stood in the hall.
"I love you." he said through a grand smile.
"I love you, too." She replied, her cheeks burning up and her smile going from ear to ear.
Sae shook her head and laughed. "It's time to go home." Akira nodded solemly. Akira and Makoto locked eyes for the final time that night. The fiery passion of their love blazing in each. Their gaze broken by a grey door closing between them. Makoto and Sae parted ways too, each heading to their respective rooms to go to sleep.
Makoto sauntered over to her bed. Akira had done wonders to her. She had never felt so calm. She had never had this kind of confidence, or self-esteem. She would have never been able to even come close to telling Sae something even remotely like that before him. Akira had changed her, and made her more happy than she had ever felt. Makoto crawled into bed. As she drifted to sleep, Akira filled her thoughts, and she couldn't help but smile one last time before she let sleep overtake her.