A/N: Second Persona fanfic and I'm still getting the hang of writing the characters (I hope I'm getting better at it). Also, I'm using the name Ren because I like it better than Akira Kurusu :3

I actually wrote this last month, maybe a week or two after Valentine's Day, but I have been too insecure to post this anywhere. Well, here it is.

Thanks for reading! Comments/reviews/helpful critics are always welcome. Thanks!

February 14. The day where girls and women from all around the country gave chocolate to the boys or men they loved. That was why on this particular day, the school was filled with couples and confessions. At the hallways, in the school yard—all the girls went kyaa-kyaa and popular boys had their desks buried under a mountain of chocolate bars, chocolate cookies, or home-made chocolate cakes.

The love didn't have to be romantically, though. You'd give a friendship chocolate to your best friends if you wanted.

"And yet, after all we went through, we didn't receive a single chocolate," complained Ryuji as both he and Ren rode the train back to Yongen-Jaya. "Not from Ann or Makoto or even Haru. Freaking Haru, man! The only girl in our group you'd think would prepare something for Valentine's."

Both of them were standing just by the sliding door, hands gripping the hand-holds attached to the rails overhead. It was rush hour and the car was packed. Not packed enough you didn't have room to breathe, but still packed that both your shoulders touched other people on your left and right. And if one person jostled another, the effect would be like a domino cascade from one end to the next—unless someone managed to hold their ground and absorb all the energy.

One such thing happened just as Ryuji finished his sentence. And Ren almost dropped the book he was reading. The cascade came from his left and he managed to stop most of it, letting the few he didn't manage to catch into a bump against Ryuji, who held his ground.

Ryuji clicked his tongue under his breath as Ren straightened himself and gripped his book tighter. "Some people just—"

"Not their fault," Ren said. Ryuji glanced at him. Ren nodded at the sight beyond the window of the sliding doors. The train was screeching to a stop and was slowing down as it entered their station. "It's our stop."

The rush of people through the open door was like water breaking through a dam. It was a breath of fresh air when they finally got out of the car. Ryuji drew an exaggerated gasp of breath when they finally escaped the afternoon crowd coming home from work or school.

"Is it always like that?" he asked, giving an evil eye to the still-coming crowd coming up the stairs from the underground station behind them.

"It was particularly more crowded today," Ren answered with a chuckle at his friend's exaggeration. "Though morning trains can be a lot more crowded than that."

"God, I'd hate to be you," Ryuji commented, to which Ren laughed.

Outside the station, the afternoon was still bright. They passed a convenience store and Ryuji wanted to buy something to drink. Ren followed him inside.

A breath of cool air as the door slid open. On most days, you wouldn't think twice about the chocolates they had displayed on the table by the door. But you'd be blind to miss how they had doubled—or maybe tripled—the size of the table and the amount of the various shaped chocolates, arranged onto three piles to form hearts. Completed with Valentine's cards on display beside it.

Ryuji stared at one of the piles, then stared at Ren, then stared at the chocolates again. "See?!" he exploded, hands pointing at the chocolate stacks in frustration. "They have chocolates everywhere!" He grabbed a bar, looked at the price, and shoved it at Ren's face, who stepped back just in time and managed to focus on the price tag. "And it's not that expensive!" He shoved the chocolate bar back down on its pile. "The heck with Ann running off on us like that?!"

Not receiving any chocolate on Valentine's Day had made Ryuji feel down. Not that it was any surprising, seeing as both of them were, well, outsiders. A pair of troublemaker and a rumored criminal. Despite the rumors having died away in the past year, and despite Ryuji having made amends with his former teammates, it wasn't like they would be popular in the blink of an eye. Not that Ren had any issues with it. In fact, he preferred this to being in the center of everyone's attention.

But Ryuji felt differently. And though he might not have expected to receive a chocolate from a girl, he had expected the girls in their group would at least give them something.

"Ann didn't even speak of Valentine's or anything all day! Did she even say where she was going?" Because when Ren asked Ryuji to hang out to cheer him up, they'd asked Ann to come too, but she refused and said she had something to do and rushed off without saying anything else.

Just as they were about to turn to LeBlanc's street, they witnessed girls in some school uniform getting out of a cake shop, giggling and holding little bags that no doubt contained chocolates.

Ryuji eyed the girls' bags until they disappeared from sight. "Agh! I can't take it! Are they even our friends?"

"Calm down, Ryuji," Ren said. "Are you seriously measuring the friendship you forged in the past year by chocolates you'd receive on a single day?"

Ryuji scowled. "I didn't—" he mumbled.

"And look at the bright side," Ren added. "You don't need to give them anything on White Day."

Ryuji stared at him. He narrowed his eyes.

"What?" asked Ren.

"Did you get one?"

"Nope."

"Then how are you so calm?!" Ryuji wailed.

Ren sighed.

~ O ~

They reached LeBlanc. The café was empty, the TV was on as always, and Soujirou, in his apron, was sitting by the counter. He turned around at the sound of the bell as Ren opened the door.

"I'm home."

"Welcome home." Soujirou looked at him, then at Ryuji, his eyes examining their empty hands, nothing bulging from their bags. A smirk. "Guess someone's not popular with the ladies," he said. "Do you want some tips?"

Ryuji's face reddened in an instant. Flustered, he tried to brush Soujirou off. "I—I—It's not like getting chocolates on Valentine's is something special! Right, Ren?"

Ren shrugged. "I don't particularly care, to be honest."

"Of course you don't." They all turned at the sound of the deep voice as the bell over the door rang for the second time and a tall boy with midnight-blue hair appeared. A knowing smile gracing his lips, Yusuke added, "I say you only care about one particular chocolate. Am I right, Ren?"

Ren shrugged again.

"Ah, as expected of our leader. A heart as unwavering and calm as a sea before a storm."

Ren frowned at the implication he found behind those words. "Listen, Yu—"

"Yusuke!" Ryuji exclaimed, cutting clean over Ren's words. "What are you doing here?"

"I have a sudden craving to see Sayuri," Yusuke answered. "I hope you don't mind, Boss," he added toward Soujirou.

"Help yourself. Though you three are going upstairs when customers come in."

Yusuke nodded his head in thanks and turned to the wall, where the painting of his mother was hung by the door. Beautiful and captivating. Yusuke heaved a sigh of relief as he beheld the portrait of his mother before she died.

"Oh, everyone's here," a voice suddenly broke the serenity. Having stopped coming with Ren to school, Soujirou had installed a flap door on the entrance. Morgana came through it, a bundle of black fur and a yellow scarf.

"Welcome home," Ren greeted. "You went somewhere?"

"Just here and there," the cat said. He looked at Ren, then at Ryuji, and smirked—in a way a cat would smirk. "What's this? You didn't get any chocolates today?"

Ryuji fisted his hand. "Are you picking a fight, cat?"

"Hey, hey, I'm not trying to ruffle your fur!" Morgana defended himself, leaping onto the nearest counter chair. "I'm just stating the fact. The fact." Despite that, it was clear to whoever who could understand him that Morgana was trying not to laugh.

"Just so you know, you didn't get any either," Ryuji countered.

And, despite not having issues with the lack of chocolate on Valentine's Day, Ren couldn't help but add, "You're a cat after all."

"Nice," Ryuji said, holding out a hand.

Ren couldn't help the smirk as he high-fived Ryuji.

Morgana gasped. "I'm not a cat!"

"Are you still going on about—" Ryuji began.

"And what? Are you saying Lady Ann forgot about me?!"

Clearly not liking how Morgana seemed to ignore what he was about to say, Ryuji couldn't help adding, "Not only did she forgot you, even our Miss Beauty Thief forgot about you."

"What did you say?!"

And as Morgana and Ryuji argued back and forth, and Soujirou trying to break off the fight despite not understanding a word the cat said, and Ren trying not to overthink about the chocolate that, as Yusuke had said, he was waiting for and how he couldn't reach her since this morning, a grumble sounded loud enough to split the air in two.

Everyone went silent.

"Is it raining?" Soujirou asked.

But it was as bright as ever outside, no signs of cloud or rain.

Another grumble, louder and closer. They looked at each other.

Another grumble.

They all looked at Yusuke, still on the chair, still staring at the painting.

Yusuke, realizing the sudden attention, turned his gaze away from the painting to his on-lookers. "Is something the matter?"

Soujirou sighed. "What am I going to do with you kids? Sit down. I'll make some curry."

"Oh, why, thank you, Boss!"

"Don't start. Just sit."

"Do we get some too?" Ryuji asked excitedly.

"Yes, yes. Table for three—four," he corrected as Morgana was about to yell a protest. "Ren, go change out of your uniform and help me with this."

~ O ~

"So, Yusuke, did you get some chocolates?" Ryuji asked in-between mouthfuls of curry.

"As a matter of fact, I did," Yusuke replied.

"You did?!"

"Is that so surprising?"

"No, I mean like…you know…"

"What?"

"Nothing," Ryuji said instead.

Yusuke stared at him for a moment before he said, "I have a feeling you were going to say something rude, Ryuji."

"He was," Morgana piped in from where he ate his curry on his bowl on the floor by their table.

"Anyway," Ryuji said, "how many did you get?"

"Hmm, let's see…" Yusuke grabbed his bag. He counted one, two, three, piling them on the table between them. "Eight," he concluded. "Oh wait, I ate one on my way here," he added. "So, nine."

"Nine?" Ryuji was speechless with shock.

"Do cookies I got from our home-economics class count?"

"Ten?!" If Ryuji had been speechless, he was now deflated.

"Jealous, Ryuji?" Soujirou asked from the counter.

"A—As if!" Ryuji stammered. "I wouldn't want to have to prepare ten gifts for ten girls."

"Gifts?"

"For White Day."

Silence. Ren and Ryuji looked at him.

"You return the favor by giving the girls who gave you chocolate on Valentine's Day gifts on White Day," Ren said. A blank look. "A month from now," he added.

"White Day," Yusuke echoed. He stared at his chocolate boxes and bars.

"Then again, how can you prepare gifts when you can't even buy yourself food," Ryuji said nonchalantly with curry in his mouth, which earned him a smack on the back of his head by Ren.

Ryuji scowled at Ren, rubbing his throbbing skull. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"I can't do anything about the chocolates I had eaten," Yusuke began. "Should I just give the rest back?"

Before anyone could answer, the bell jingled as the entrance door opened again and the old couple came in. A silent cue that their time downstairs had ended. They finished their food and drinks and Ren washed their dishes while Ryuji, Yusuke, and Morgana retreated to the attic.

No one mentioned anything about chocolates after that. Just a group of guys who had nothing better to do on Valentine's Day. They watched a movie Ren had rented. Yusuke offered them his chocolates and Ryuji was all too happy to eat them. But the movie wasn't as interesting as the guy from the rental shop had said and Ryuji was soon asleep and Ren had retreated to his bed with a book on his hands and Morgana was napping on the sofa. Only Yusuke remained by the TV and when the credits rolled, he turned around with tear-lined eyes.

"It was beautiful," was all he said.

Yusuke took out the CD and put it back in its place. As he changed the channel, Ryuji woke up with a huge yawn.

"Is it finished?"

"You didn't even last the first ten minutes, Ryuji," Yusuke said.

Ryuji ignored the comment and looked at the window. "It's getting dark."

"It is."

"Should we be getting back?"

And before anyone could say anything, they all heard distinct, unmistakable voices from downstairs. Then footsteps up the stairs, and…

"Hello, everyone!" A greeting so loud and cheerful met them as Ann led Makoto, Haru, and Futaba into Ren's attic room.

The girls came, much to their surprise.

"Figured all of you would be here," Makoto said.

"What brings you girls here?" Yusuke asked.

"Here." Haru came forward and placed something on the table they often used in their meetings. A bag. A chocolate bag?

Ryuji rushed over and peered at the top.

"Is this what I think it is?" Ryuji asked, eyes gleaming, as he took out the square box that contained, undoubtedly, a deliciously smelling chocolate cake inside.

"Sorry it took so long," Haru said. "We rushed to finish the cake after school ended. Good thing all of you were here."

"Good thing all of you haven't gone home," Makoto corrected.

"Is this really…?" Yusuke asked, tempted by the waft of chocolate as Ryuji took off the lid.

A circular cake sat inside. Chocolate icing with white cream. Beautifully and intricately crafted. Yusuke found himself admiring the swirls and lines of the cream and icing, the aesthetically pleasing detailed design of the cake.

"I should congratulate your chef for such incredible craftsmanship," Yusuke said. "To be able to draw this on a cake so beautifully. And this…" He picked up one of the eight miniatures spread around the cake. A miniature of himself, in his phantom thief clothes, holding his katana. He tapped it and found it solid.

"Clay," he said. "Splendid."

Ryuji fingered one of the puffy white cream and licked it. "Delicious!" He looked at Haru, a huge, wide grin splitting his face. "Haru! Thank you!"

"Hey! All of us pitched in to make the cake!" Ann protested.

"Can you even cook?" Ryuji retorted.

"Well, to be honest, Haru's chef did help a lot," Makoto said. "So to make it up, we also bought some chocolates for you." Makoto took from her bag a plastic bag with four chocolate bars. "For Ryuji, and Yusuke. And… Morgana?"

"Mona-chan!" Haru looked around and found him still sleeping on the couch.

"See?" Ryuji said, as Haru and Makoto went to wake Morgana. "This is what normal friends do: give their friends friendship chocolate on Valentine's Day, not ditching us off to go somewhere."

Ann laughed. "Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to run off on you guys like that. Though in my defense, I ditched you guys to make your cake."

Ryuji scoffed. "The hell? They probably didn't even let you inside the kitchen, did they?"

Ann frowned. "Okay, I didn't help them make the cake. But I helped them make the miniatures!". She grabbed a piece of miniature Morgana and held it out to the boys, a huge grin on her face. "Look! Isn't it cute?"

Yusuke returned her smile and nodded while Ryuji just shrugged. Dejected at the lack of response, Ann sighed and put the Morgana miniature back.

"Fine, here!" She fished a plastic bag from her bag and handed Ryuji two boxes of chocolates.

Ryuji blinked in surprise.

"Figured you'd be moping around not getting any chocolates again this year, so there. Two for you."

Yusuke gasped. His gaze flitted from the chocolate, to Ryuji, and to Ann. "Don't tell me… Ann, do you…?"

"Friendship chocolate," Ann said firmly. "Friendship. You hear that, Ryuji?"

"Yeah… thanks," Ryuji said.

"That means double the presents on White Day, okay?" Ann added with a huge grin.

Ryuji clicked his tongue. "Fine. Fine."

Ann couldn't stop herself from grinning even wider. "Ooh, I wonder what you would give. Can I have a say in it? It doesn't have to be white, or even a thing. I'd prefer it if it were food, though. Oh!"

Her eyes lit up, and Ryuji had a sinking feeling in his heart. "I'm not taking you to that buffet!" he said before she could say anything.

Ann clicked her tongue. "Cheapskate."

Ryuji scowled. "Don't you know how expensive that place is?"

"Fine."

Ryuji looked around, Ren's name on his lips, thinking he shouldn't let Ann decide what he'd give her on White Day—

—And realized that they were short two people.

"Where's Ren?"

~ O ~

"Where are you guys going?" Soujirou asked

"Just out a bit," Futaba said without looking at her foster father, eyes focused on the door, her movements half stiff, as if she was trying to stop herself from bolting out of this place.

Ren tried to contain the grin that threatened to betray his emotion. Ever since the girls came, his eyes had immediately fallen on this small figure cowering at the back. She'd met his eyes and he really wanted to smile with the way she kept glancing away. He'd put down his book and went as far as the shelves by the TV. With all the commotion the others were making, no one noticed him standing there, staring at her, asking her silently to come to him.

And she did, after what he had witnessed as a silent internal struggle she had with herself. She had approached him, hands behind her back, and said, in a voice that he could barely hear above Ryuji's shouting and Yusuke's admiration of the cake Haru had brought, "Will you come with me for a sec?"

Well, it wasn't much of a question as Ren would always come with Futaba wherever she asked him.

And now, Soujirou was giving him the Eye—the eye of a father who wasn't ready to let go of his daughter, of a father who was warning him not to lay a hand on her, and a father who was threatening to kill him if he so much as hurt her in any way possible. And Ren always felt his life was on the line whenever Soujirou saw him together with Futaba, even before they became a couple. Now that they were, more things were at stake, and sometimes, Ren could feel Soujirou's murderous intent. Yet Ren only smiled—the smile Soujirou had seen as smug at the beginning but knew enough now that it was confidence. A reassurance that no harm would come to his daughter while he stayed by her side.

Futaba brought him outside. They didn't go anywhere. Just outside the café.

And they stayed like that in silence, him standing just several steps behind her.

"I…" Her voice failed. She cleared her throat and tried again. And failed again.

Ren smiled. "What's wrong, Futaba?"

Futaba flushed at the gentleness in his voice. Steeled herself and turned around to face him.

"I—I didn't want to give this in front of e—everyone," she said. Then, in one quick movement before she could second-guess herself, Futaba held out her hands in front of her. The hands she'd been hiding from him was holding a small green bag tied with yellow ribbon. "H—Happy Valentine's Day!"

Ren took it from her hands. He untied the ribbon and looked inside. From the light of the fading sun and the lights of the café's porch, he could see cookies inside—heart-shaped, star-shaped, round-shaped chocolate cookies.

"It's my first time baking something and Haru helped a lot. I know it's probably not as good as store-bought cookies or even Haru's cake. You can totally throw it away if it doesn't taste good! On second thought, you should throw it away! Yes, definitely! I could've accidentally put something in there and you might be poisoned!"

Futaba was speaking so quick she was stumbling over her own words and when she suddenly reached for the bag of cookies, Ren held it high above his head.

"What are you doing? Give it back!" Futaba yelled, jumping with her arms stretched high.

"Isn't this for me?" Ren asked with a laugh.

"You can't eat it! It's not edible!"

"You don't know that."

"Yes I do! I tried it! It's not good! I'll go get you something from the store. Something you can actually eat."

Ren moved around and moved his hands around. The moment Futaba almost reached it, he'd hold it higher or move the bag to his other hand.

"Ren!" Futaba exclaimed, exasperated, after another failed attempt to retrieve the cookie bag.

At her pause, he quickly picked a cookie and plopped it inside his mouth, much to Futaba's despair. A grimace and a wince as the cookie crunched between his teeth and melted within his mouth. When he finally gulped it down, he waited for a moment… two moments… three…

"It's not poisoned," he said.

"That's good—wait, that's not what I meant! Give it back!"

She snatched for the bag but Ren was faster and the bag was already high above her reach and he had leaned down and he gave Futaba a light kiss on her cheek. A simple brush of his lips against her skin that immediately sent her face red.

He stayed like that, their faces only inches away.

"Though I agree it needs a lot of work, I can taste the chocolate and it's edible," Ren said with that cheeky grin that pulled at her heartstrings. "Thank you. Happy Valentine's Day."

~ END ~