A/N: This is my first persona fanfiction and I'm still getting the hang of writing the characters, so I apologize beforehand if any of them may be abit out of character (I hope they're not though!). I ship Akira and Futaba so this is definitely an Akira x Futaba Fanfic :D

I wrote this as a birthday present to a friend before I knew February 19 was Futaba's birthday. Anyway, happy birthday to Futaba^^

(I know it's super late, but I had already posted this on my tumblr and AO3 last month so yeah... sorry!)

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

It was late at night and Futaba was still wide awake. It had been an hour since Sojiro came into her room and told her to sleep. She had complained that she should be allowed to at least sleep late now that she was in high school. Besides, tomorrow was a weekend. She should be allowed to sleep as late as she could.

"Don't you have plans for tomorrow?" her foster father had asked.

"No," Futaba had replied with a long exhale, lying on the bed with her arms spread wide. At Sojiro's inquiring stare, she added, "Everyone's busy."

She hadn't asked, actually, but it was common sense now that everyone would be busy. Ever since New Year came around, the third-years had been busy with entrance exams while Makoto and Haru had appeared less and less now that they were university students.

Sojiro had opened the door wider, crossing his arms and leaning on the threshold. "Should we make plans, then?"

Futaba had cocked her head and glanced at him. "What kind of plans?" she had asked without lifting her head from her bead.

"Hmm… Your favorite curry and coffee?" Sojiro had asked, the corner of his lips quirking slightly up. "Then we can spend the day outside if you want and we'll buy a cake and have a little party just the two of us if none of your friends can make it."

Futaba had felt her own lips stretched into a smile "What about the shop?"

Sojiro had only shrugged. "I'll close it for the day. It's a special day after all."

He'd left then, telling her to go to sleep again before closing the door. And even though she had said she liked Sojiro's idea, she couldn't help the slight tightening in her chest at the thought that she couldn't celebrate her birthday with Akira this year. But, what could she do? He was already back in his hometown and he was probably busy with the entrance exam coming up.

She had gone to her computer and looked up places she would want to go tomorrow with Sojiro. Akihabara would be nice, but Sojiro probably wouldn't want to go there. A movie? There was something she wanted to see. Or should they just go out and have that expensive sushi from that expensive place from before? Futaba almost drooled at the thought. She looked up more stuffs on the internet before she went to sleep.

~ O ~

"Sojiro!"

Futaba had been looking for Sojiro the next morning but it seemed her foster father wasn't anywhere in the house—not his bedroom, not the bathroom, not the kitchen. She'd fetched her cellphone in her room and called his number but there was no answer. There was only one more place he could be, but he'd said he wasn't going to open the shop today. Still, there was no harm in checking.

She grabbed her coat from the coatrack and wore her boots and went out, locking the door behind. Winter was thawing but the air was still chilly. Though the small neighborhood had woken up for the day and the shops and stores around were already open, not many people were seen outside, so Futaba made her way quickly toward LeBlanc.

The café her foster father owned had its lights on inside and the sign said 'OPEN'. The bell overhead rang when she opened the door and she was immediately greeted by the smell of Sojiro's famous coffee and curry. The clanging of kitchen wares and the distinct hum of the coffee maker filled her senses as Futaba closed her eyes and breathed in the scent. She stood still for a whole minute until a familiar voice reached her ears and she opened her eyes, reminding her of her intent.

"Sojiro!" she called, annoyed, stomping her foot as she approached the kitchen. "You said you'd close the shop for the—"

Her feet stopped before the coffee maker and her eyes went wide as she beheld the person stirring the pot of curry. Instead of the forty-some-year-old man that was her father was a boy with fuzzy black hair and glasses wearing the apron he'd worn on the days he'd helped Sojiro at the shop. At her voice, the boy turned around and grinned, as if he'd known he'd see her there and then.

"Oh, Futaba, you're here," Akira said, as if he'd been living in the attic upstairs in the past year and Futaba was just coming by again to hang out with him.

"Akira…" was all she could say.

Akira grinned again, and it was a different grin from the one he had before. It was the grin she'd seen on him at his release. The one he had when they sent him back home.

"Have a seat," Akira said, nodding at the chairs by the counters. "I'll be finish with this in a second."

He turned back to the curry and it was so weird seeing him there again in that same brown sweater and that same green apron and he seemed so at home that one might think he hadn't left at all. Futaba took a seat in random and asked, "Sojiro?"

"He went out to buy some things," came another voice. A bundle of black and white fur leaped onto the chair next to her and Futaba almost leaped in surprise. "Mona?!"

Morgana scratched his ear with a paw and frowned. "Mor-ga-na," Morgana said, emphasizing on each of the syllable of his name. "And please don't yell so loud. You're hurting my ears."

He still had his yellow scarf around him, still the same black and white cat, and Futaba reached out to him. She poked his head. He swatted her finger. She pulled at his ears.

"Stop it!" he exclaimed, shrugging off her hands.

Then, just for the sake of it because it had been so long and she didn't care if this were a dream or not, Futaba petted and rubbed Morgana's head so rough that the cat was screeching and yelping and trying to leap away and Futaba was laughing.

"You're real!"

"Of course I'm real, you idiot!" Morgana yelled, leaping away onto the counter out of Futaba's reach.

At the kitchen, Akira was laughing under his breath as he scooped curry onto a plate of rice. He placed the curry on the counter in front of her and poured her a cup of coffee he'd been brewing.

"Happy birthday, Futaba." And he was smiling and she was smiling and she couldn't help the tears that trickled down her eyes as she scooped up a mouthful of curry into her mouth. It was the best curry she had ever tasted—second only to Sojiro's.

~ O ~

"I have some things to do, so I figured I'd stop by," Akira said when she asked him what he was doing there. Sojiro had come in not long after Akira served Futaba the curry. She had gotten angry at him when she finally coaxed an answer out of Akira saying he'd arrived at first light and had went straight to Sojiro, who had immediately brought him to the café to surprise her. Sojiro then took over the bar and told him to sit by her, all the while tasting the curry Akira had made and complimenting on the taste.

"And that something just so happen to be on my birthday," Futaba said, to which Akira only shrugged. Futaba grinned mischievously. "You miss me, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Akira said coolly, and Futaba couldn't help the smile on her face, until Akira added, "And I also miss Sojiro, and Ryuji, and Ann, and—"

"You know that's not—" Futaba cut him off.

"—I miss you, so much, probably a thousand times more than you." He met her eyes, silencing her, and that genuine smile he so rarely showed was there and she felt her face heating up.

Futaba shifted her gaze abruptly, focusing instead on her curry, scooping one spoonful at a time, feeling the curry melt inside her mouth. "Ahhh! Why is this so good?" she exclaimed with a mouthful of curry.

"Don't talk while you're eating, Futaba," Sojiro said with a chuckle.

"I mean—" Futaba gulped the last of her curry, "—it's so good it could even pass as your curry, Sojiro!" She looked at Akira again, at that still-smiling face now on the border of holding back a laughter. "Since when were you so good?"

Akira snorted a laughter. "Oh, Futaba." He grabbed a tissue from the counter and went to wipe the smack of curry on her nose. "I've been this good since before I left," he said; again with that smirk. "Ah, why are you so cute?" he teased as he ruffled her hair. She shrugged off his hand. As annoyed as she was whenever Akira ruffled her head, she couldn't help but smile.

Sojiro came by to their seat with a laugh to take Futaba's empty plate. "Well, since you're here, why don't the three of us go out to celebrate?"

"Oh, right! Sojiro, change of plans!" Futaba exclaimed, sitting up straight and holding up a hand to her foster father. "We can celebrate tonight with a cake here just the three—" Morgana cleared his throat, "—four of us, but right now…" She looked at Akira expectantly. "I just bought a new video game and I've really, really, really wanted to play it with you. Come on!"

In one movement, Futaba had already leaped off her chair her hand already dragging Akira toward the door.

"Wait, hold up!" Sojiro called out. "You two are not going be in that house alone!"

"And seriously?" Morgana piped in. "You haven't seen each other since summer break and you're just going to spend the whole day holed up in the room playing video games? On your birthday?" he added with a pointed look at Futaba.

"He's right," Akira agreed, pulling Futaba to a stop.

Sojiro looked at Morgana, then back at them. "What did the cat say?"

"What? Should we go outside?" Futaba asked.

Akira grinned. "You go on home and get ready. I'll take off his apron first and grab my bag. I'll pick you up at the house in a bit."

~ O ~

"So, where are we going?"

"Hmm… I'll go wherever you want to go."

Futaba looked up at him, saw him smile down at her.

"Really?"

Akira nodded.

"Then…" Her brain was already filled with everything she had planned and not planned for her day with Sojiro and with Akira here, the things she had scratched off from her list were back again. She looked at her watch. They had promised Sojiro to be back at LeBlanc before sundown so they could have a little party later. "When did you say your plans were going to be again?"

Akira chuckled. "It's at night. Don't worry about me. We'll still have time for cake."

Futaba sighed. "So much to do in so little time." She went to grab his hand, then realized it's the first time she'd held his hand in a long while, and stopped short.

Within the short pause, Akira reached out to hold her hand instead. It was big, with long slender fingers, and his hand seemed to engulf hers inside it. Safe. She was safe.

Akira made a little tug on her hand, pulling her gaze upward to meet him. "Where to, General?" he asked.

Futaba couldn't stop herself from the huge smile that split her face. "Let's go."

~ O ~

"Of all the places in the entire city and you chose an amusement park," Akira commented the moment they stepped inside the new amusement park in the city. It was the weekend and even though the amusement park had just opened, it was already teeming with people. Families and couples and friends on their left and right; shops and stores and vendors spread out everywhere.

"What's wrong with it?" she asked. "It's fun. It's exciting. And I haven't been to one with you before."

"What happened to that new sci-fi movie you wanted to see at Shibuya? Or walking around Akihabara?"

Futaba gasped. "How did you know?" she asked, wide-eyed, a bit of an exaggeration. "Don't tell me; you didn't hack into my computer, did you? No, I suppose you couldn't. Or… did you bug my room?"

Akira laughed. "Seriously, even if I could get past your security system, be that your computer, your phone, and not to mention your room, I wouldn't ever breach your privacy. You know that."

Futaba smiled again.

"What?" He looked at her, somewhat suspiciously.

"Nothing," she said, linking her arm with his. "Come on. Let's have fun."

For the entire day, Futaba basically dragged Akira everywhere. To the roller coaster and the haunted house, the cafes and vendors and shops, and all the attractions the park had to offer. They bought ice cream and smeared each other with it. They played with paint and watched dolphins jump and dance in the water. They bought cat-ears and keychains and toys. They took pictures and selfies and Futaba figured she should surprise everyone who she was with right now.

She send a picture of her and Akira wearing the cat-ears they'd bought to their group and it didn't take long for their chatroom to be bombarded by questions from the others.

Ryuji: Dude, Akira, is that you?

Ann: Oh my God, are you two together right now?

Yusuke: Is that the new amusement park that just opened?

Ann: You two look so cute! Ahhh I wish I were there too!

Ryuji: Me too! Dude, you should've told us you were coming! I could've escaped the house arrest then.

Ann: Haha, just accept it Ryuji. You need all the help you can get if you want to pass the entrance exam.

Ryuji: Shut up! You're one to talk. It's not like you have great grades like Akira did.

Ann: At least my grades are better than you.

Ryuji: You're only good at English. You think you can pass the entrance exam with just that?

Futaba: Shut up, Ryuji. You're getting off topic. Weren't you guys going to welcome Akira back?

Responses came that turned back into complains and arguments and Akira laughed reading their exchange. They only stopped when Makoto and Haru came in asking them to stop and welcomed Akira properly. They all wished Futaba a happy birthday and wished they could join them at the amusement park but Ryuji was "under house arrest by his mother and is forced to study", Yusuke had an art exhibition, and Ann had a photo shoot schedule.

As they bid everyone good bye, Akira commented, "I miss hanging out with them."

Time flew as they laughed and enjoyed themselves and before they knew it, it was almost sundown. They were sitting on the balcony of a two-story restaurant overlooking a square with benches and a gurgling fountain. The sun cast long shadows on the cobblestones and Futaba watched as Akira looked off into the distance in silence, their bags filled with souvenirs. They had finished the parfait they'd ordered yet they had only sat there for the last ten minutes, not talking, not wanting to leave.

"You know what I love most?" Futaba said, breaking the silence. Akira pulled his gaze away to focus on her. "Spending time with you." He was her savior, her best friend, her lover. The one she had thought was a brother figure became someone very important and very dear to her. Even if they were apart, he was always there.

Futaba blinked away tears that had gathered in her eyes. "Come on. Sojiro's waiting. And you'll be late for your meeting."

She'd gotten to her feet when Akira said, "Do you want to know a secret?"

"What?"

Akira gestured with his hand and Futaba leaned down across the table.

She had expected him to whisper something to her.

She didn't expect the kiss. A quick and light thing. One moment their faces were inches apart, and the next, she felt his lips on hers. And then it was gone, like a fleeting bird, before she could even comprehend what just happened.

"I love you," he said, with that smile, that genuine smile. And then he stood up and gathered their bags as if nothing had happened, as if he hadn't just rendered her speechless. "Come on."

But Futaba couldn't move. Even as Akira's back disappeared beneath the stairs, she could only sat back on her chair.

She touched her lips and remembered the kiss. "Did he just—" Her face heated. Futaba covered her face in her hands and squealed.

She didn't speak at all. Akira didn't even try to coax something out of her. But he held her hand all the way home.

~ O ~

It was nightfall by the time they reached Yongen-Jaya. Futaba had been following Akira silently until then, but once they got out of the station and she realized the sun was gone and the moon was out, she pulled Akira to a stop.

"Didn't you say you had plans for tonight?" she asked, to which Akira replied with a knowing smile.

"I'm not going to leave you in the middle of street after nightfall."

So Futaba followed behind him again. LeBlanc was just around the corner when Futaba pulled Akira to a stop again.

"What is it?" Akira asked when Futaba didn't say anything.

Futaba hadn't been able to look Akira in the eyes. Her eyes had been looking down, watching the gravel path move beneath her feet. Even now, she couldn't find the courage to face him.

"A—At the park…" she began. "What you…"

Her voice trailed away as she lifted her head—

—and found LeBlanc dark and lifeless behind its windows. She cocked her head. "We planned to eat the cake in LeBlanc, right?" she asked him.

She let go of his hand and went over to LeBlanc. Did Sojiro forget? Had he gone home?

Futaba turned the door knob and found it unlocked. The moment she swung it open, the lights turned on and party-poppers popped and people were there and shouted, "Happy birthday, Futaba!"

The sudden burst of light blinded her for a while and she didn't understand what was going on. Everyone was there—her friends. And they were singing and smiling and laughing and there was a cake on their usual table and even Morgana was wearing a hat he no doubt despised.

Futaba couldn't help the laughter that escaped her lips. "What's all this? Weren't you guys busy?"

"We were," Ann said, "until Leader there told us he's coming today."

"He told us to prepare this party for you while he takes you out," Makoto explained.

"Do you know how much I had to beg my mom to let me out of the house just to prepare this?" Ryuji said.

Futaba still couldn't believe it. She turned around and Akira was already there. "You planned all this?"

Akira shrugged nonchalantly. "Not much of a Leader if I can't do this much."

"Not much of a boyfriend if you can't make your girlfriend happy," Ryuji shouted.

"What do you know about having a girlfriend, Ryuji?" Ann teased.

"For all we know, Akira knows more about girlfriends than you ever will," Yusuke added.

They all burst into laughter.

"Then the plan you had for tonight?" Futaba asked.

"Is here at LeBlanc," Akira replied with that grin. "Happy birthday."

Futaba couldn't hold back the tears now and she ran into him and wrapped her arms around him. "You know you didn't have to do this."

"I didn't have to," Akira murmured back. "But I wanted to." She could feel the smile in his voice, the warmth of his arms as he embraced her.

Futaba smiled against his chest. "Thank you." This is the greatest present in the whole world.

And Futaba looked up into his face and stood on her tiptoes. A small, quick kiss that sent their friends cheering. "I love you too," she whispered in a voice that only he could hear.

~ END ~