Makoto wet her lips, eyes wandering from her studying materials to the corkboard on the wall her desk was against. It was no use. She couldn't study, not with the thoughts plaguing her mind. Said thoughts came from a girl in particular - Haru Okumura.

It was… strange, to put it mildly. Her heart seemed to beat strangely, pulse picking up when the girl was near. A sudden heat would rush to her face - dusting her cheeks pink when Haru said her name. More aptly put - when Haru said her nickname. Makoto had never read a romance novel in her life - so she didn't know what it felt like to like someone. This seemed like something that would be common in one.

Correction; she did know what it was like someone, just not someone of the same sex.

But...Haru - Haru was a girl.

And girls - girls are definitely not supposed to like other girls. So she didn't like Haru. That would be wrong.

And if she did like girls, that went against her sister's expectations of her.

She would be shamed.

A disappointment.

A no-good, useless little disappointment.

So she didn't like girls.

She couldn't afford to.

The next few weeks the thought never left her mind. She toyed with it, rolled it over and batted it around once or twice, but didn't act on it until suddenly, she was in the girl's bathroom and crying, because it was wrong to like girls.

And she couldn't!

She shouldn't!
Sadness was rippling through her, pinpricks of pain honing into a fine point and stabbing at her. At the same time, it felt like everything was choking her. It was wrong, and she was ashamed.

Ashamed of herself, ashamed of her feelings.

No one could know. She would have a happy life, a one-sided marriage, some kids, that was that. She had to pull herself together.

This wasn't the Makoto everyone knew.

The red eyed teen just couldn't enjoy anything, being scared that someone - anyone would find out and judge her. She second-guessed everything she said, and she just felt alone. The loneliness almost made her feel hollow - and she had only been dealing with this for a few weeks. Could anyone help? She was rummaging around in her brain, thinking of someone - anyone - who could help.

Her sister? That was a definite no.

Ann? Perhaps. She was bi….but it just didn't feel right...

Ryuji? She didn't quite know what he would do - so that was a definite no.

Yusuke? Although he seemed like he may swing the other way, Makoto wasn't one to pass judgement so easily. It looked like that option was out, too.

Akira? Maybe….

Yes, maybe Akira could help sort these feelings out. He was a bisexual man, after all.

Maybe he would help her fold up her feelings and store them neatly away.

She hoped so.

It seemed like her only option.

A week later, after finally gathering the courage and taking the plunge, Makoto asked if they could meet at leblanc after school. Akira - sensing something was wrong - agreed. Now she was sat on his sofa, while he was sitting in his desk chair, nursing a cup of tea in a way that was akin to how she nursed her own.

When he spoke up, his voice was soft. "What's on your mind, Makoto?"

She gripped her cup tightly, tears welling up. "Akira, I-" the words caught in her throat. She couldn't do this. She couldn't. He would judge her, she'd lose it all!

But as the tears fell down her face, the words managed to worm their way out of her mouth.

"I think I'm in love with a girl," her voice was broken, alone and confused. The tears of frustration she had been holding in for so long came out, running down her cheeks. This was wrong. She was wrong.

Something had to be wrong with her! This...this couldn't be natural.

And then she was pulled into a warm, accepting embrace, one that spoke of warm feelings. And she was sobbing now. Sobbing because she had accepted it, and was lost. What happened from here? What would she do? Who was she, really?

Her crying stopped, until she was sniffling - and Makoto Niijima never sniffled.

Akira pulled back, smiling gently. "Hey now, no more crying. You're safe. You're going to be okay. We'll sit right here until we figure this out, alright?"

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, and nodded. He settled himself back in his seat

"To start off, who's this girl you have a crush on?" He asked quietly.

She looked down at her tea - which had previously been taken from her, but was now back in her hands. "It's Haru," she said, equally as quietly. "My heart does strange things when she's around, and I get flushed. My pulse races, too."

Akira nodded. "She's a sweet girl. When did you… ah, figure this out?"

"A-about two months ago."

"Right after I got back from prison?"

"Yes. I don't know what to do...liking a girl just feels….like it's something I shouldn't do," The brunette said quietly.

Akira gave her a wry smile. "It's what our society believes. And as we know, our society is -"

"-corrupt." Makoto finished, regaining some of herself.

"Correct. Look at it objectively, Makoto. What's wrong with two girls loving each other, or two guys in a relationship?"

Furrowing her eyebrows, she quietly said; "Nothing."

"Then what's wrong with you loving Haru?"

"Nothing."

Akira gave her a small smile. "See? Love is love. There's nothing wrong with that."

The realization was almost dizzying. She could love Haru...there was nothing wrong with that. It was like a weight had vanished, now just leaving her with questions. So many questions. And apprehension. But now - now she had someone to help her through it. "Love isn't a choice, Makoto. That's just how it is. You're just you...and that's something everyone that truly loves you is going to accept. The first step, however, is you accepting yourself."

"Accepting… myself?"

"Yes. Above all else, you must accept that this is you. You like girls - and possibly guys too."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" She quipped, cheeks growing hot.

"Oh please, Makoto. You're not as slick as you think you are," he laughed.

Makoto laughed along with him, feeling just a bit more free than she had previously.

"I think….I'll be able to wrap my head around that." She confirmed, nodding.

Akira nodded back. "Once you do, and once you're ready to tell people, start small. One or two of your friends slowly transitions to all of the phantom thieves, and then your sister, and then when you're completely comfortable with who you are, it'll be everyone. Fuck anyone who thinks otherwise or criticizes you - you love who you love. That's the honest truth."

She nodded, apprehension creeping into her. Could she really do this?

"It seems like a lot now, but once you start taking those steps, it becomes less and less. You can do this. I've got your back the whole way."

Makoto gave him a smile, full of hope. "Thank you so much, Akira. You have no idea how much this means."

"I think I do. Makoto Niijima," he started, turning from serious to joking, "I now pronounce you as a Bisexual,"

Makoto laughed for a minute before falling silent once again.

They stayed silent for a bit, until Makoto broke the silence. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Sure," Akira responded, leaning back in his chair and taking a sip of his tea.

"Do you and Ann ever talk about having crushes other than each other? I'm just wondering...you and Ann seem very devoted to each other but I feel like it's something that would come up."

"Oh, yeah we do that all the time actually," he responded easily, amused. "Yesterday's topic of conversation was Ryuji - the day before that was Futaba, and the rest of the days have been celebrities or anime characters."

Makoto giggled. "It's really neat that you guys can do that."

"You think?"

Makoto only nodded, feeling lighter than she had before.

The days came and went, and it all had gone in the way Akira said it would. The second person she had told was Ann, and then Morgana, and before she knew it, all of the phantom thieves knew her secret. Haru in particular seemed happy, and Makoto had some thoughts as to why that was, but hasn't stopped to fully ponder it. Before she knew it, it was February - and Akira was out of jail. She had waited for him to get out - they'd agreed beforehand that Akira was going to be with her when she told her older sister - and now the time had come.

They sat in a booth at Leblanc, eating curry and chatting idly, until the younger red-eyed female broke the easy banter, unusually nervous and skittish.

"Um… Sis, there's actually another reason we called you out here," she started nervously.

Sae's eyebrows rose. "Go on, then,"

"Well, I did some soul-searching while I was being a you-know-what," she took a deep breath. "And um, I like both sexes."

Sae seemed a bit surprised, "As in, you want to have romantic relationships with both sexes?"

Makoto nodded, blushing furiously but seeming determined.

"Well, I can't say I see a problem with that," Sae smiled.

Makoto let out a breath. "So you're okay with me being a bisexual?"

"Well, if it's not hindering your studies, then I'm completely okay with whatever makes you happy,"

Akira grinned, patting Makoto on the back. "Told you so,"

Sae rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "I should have known he had something to do with it,"

Akira held his hands up in a mock surrender. "I plead the fifth,"

Makoto found herself laughing, feeling even lighter.

"Are you sure this will be okay?" Makoto asked as they made their way up the stairs. Currently, she was with Ann - one of the two people who had set this up - Akira - as always - and Futaba - the second person who had set this up.

"Positive!" Akira's blonde girlfriend chirped, giving Makoto a thumbs up.

"She's right," Akira grinned.

Futaba scrunched up her nose. "You two are so sweet that I'm actually going to physically get sick if you don't stop,"

The other three people laughed, and with that, they had finally reached the stairs to the roof.

"Space; the final frontier," Futaba stated, saluting Makoto. With a small snort and an eye roll, she was climbing the stairs, pulse racing faster with each step.

Finally, she had reached the door. It swung open with a gentle push, drawing the attention of her short haired crush.

"Oh, Mako-chan! You're a bit late," Haru pointed out, frowning in concern.

"I'm sorry," she apologized.

"It's no problem. What did you want to see me for?"

"Oh, um…." Makoto sighed. Being so timid and nervous was so unlike her, but it wasn't as if she was comfortable and confident confessing to someone. "Well….I'm not really sure how to say this, and I don't even know if you like girls in that way…..but I -" the words caught, but she forced them out. She had come this far, no point in backing out now. "I like you."

Haru's face went a shade of red, a cute blush to add to her sweet nature. After what seemed like an eternity, she responded. "I, um, never found a way to tell anyone, but I like both sexes, too. And I like you, too."

Makoto looked up - having been staring at her feet before. "Really?"

"Yes."

"Then, um….would you like to be g-girlfriends?"

Haru nodded, giggling. She moved closer to Makoto. "You're cute when you stutter, Mako-chan."

Makoto blushed furiously. Moving closer still, Haru reached out and took Makoto's hand, interlacing their fingers.

Makoto looked down at their hands, and then up at her girlfriend.

How could she have ever thought this was wrong?

This is one of my favorite things, although I don't know if it is too rushed...I don't think it was.

But, Bi!Makoto coming to terms with being who she is really inspired me.

And it's pride month, too, so it works!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, and please leave a review or comment! It helps a lot more than you think!