A/N: Yes, I, too, am someone who enthusiastically ships people and wants to write about it! This particular pairing is Makoto (as in the Persona 3 protagonist) and Labrys (the P4A character). While they've never technically interacted, I think both characters are adorable and when you put two adorable things together only good things can happen, right? I think so anyways. I feel like they go well together, though, and wanted to write about it! So why not? Doing this challenge will probably make me a better writer, don't you think so?
Audience: "No, you suck."
Haaaah, you guys are hilarious! (butdon'tactuallyhateitplease) I'm trying to be as creative as possible with the prompts, simply to improve as a writer! Some of them are going to be really fluffy and some of them are going to be more comedically centered but hopefully I do a pretty good job. Also, I tried to keep it as canon as possible, but without the whole Makoto being *SPOILER ALERT* a door. So basically everything here is the canonical story line of the Persona Franchise but without the door part! These aren't going to be in any chronological order, it just so happens that this is the couple's first romantic endeavor together. We'll get more into the super fluff next time, promise!
Anyways, onto writing stuff! Today's prompt is hand holding. Make sure to beat me up in the review section if I do terrible and make sure to give me hugs and love if I don't!
Ramble over!
NECESSARY DISCLAIMER: I don't own Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona 4 Arena, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, or any products of Atlus or the Persona Franchise.
The blue-haired boy with the ear phones was departing from his rather anti-climactic job with little motivation. He felt that that was how his life was progressing at present: walking with little motivation. The Shadow Operatives certainly didn't pull any punches when it came to work load, especially for Makoto; while people like Junpei and Yukari, the auxiliary squad, didn't have much work to do, people on the actual payroll had it a lot harder. Constant training from sun-up to sun-down, literal tons of paperwork weekly, all while having to actually perform field operations at least once a month, usually. Makoto didn't like to screw around, but he also wasn't really the most motivated person when it came to idle busy work. That kept him busy for most of his week, and that didn't even count the errands he had to run for Mitsuru and Akihiko on a daily basis after hours. Speaking of which, he had an errand he needed to take care of today. . .
Detective Kurosawa would probably be waiting in the mall as he was so fond of doing. He guessed it was a comfortable meeting point, considering the incident 3 years ago. Paulownia Mall stood in front of him, almost completely vacant given the late hour, save the stores that stayed open this late. He was to pick up some documents, per Mitsuru's request. He walked towards the police station with a bored expression on his face, head bobbing slightly to the beat of his music. Kurosawa should be in the ally way right over here. Hopefully I'm not too late, though. After all, he was a lot later than he thought it'd be; he'd only just made it to the mall by nine thirty, and he wasn't sure what time he was supposed to get there. Fortunately, in the ally next to the police station stood Officer Kurosawa, just as Makoto had assumed. He had unexpected company, however; Makoto's coworker from the Shadow Operatives, an Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon by the name of Labrys. It looked like Kurosawa was handing her some papers before they noticed him.
"Oh, Yuuki-san." Kurosawa bowed his head to Makoto. "What are you doing here?" He looked confused.
Makoto tilted his head. "Picking up the documents." He liked to keep his replies short. It felt better that way. He'd come a long way from how quiet he was in high school, though.
"Oh. Well, that makes this kind of awkward. . ." He glanced from me to Labrys, who looked somewhat confused. "Mitsuru told me that she would be sending Labrys instead. Something about wanting to give you a break, so. . . It looks like it wasn't necessary for you to come here." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "My apologies."
Makoto wasn't really disappointed in the development, but to say he was fine with losing an extra hour of sleep in his ridiculously tiny apartment would be a lie. Mitsuru had insisted he stay at the Shadow Operatives base, but he didn't want to. He still wanted to have some semblance of a normal life, anyways.
Also, the pay wasn't substantial enough to support Makoto's MMO addiction and the fast food restaurant by his apartment provided some extra pay so he could keep his monthly subscription fees paid.
Makoto said a short farewell and spun on his heels, walking towards the fountain in the middle of the mall. Maybe if I'm quick enough I can make it home in time to play a quick game before I turn in. However, his thoughts were interrupted as a familiar Kansai accent shouted: "Hey, wait up!" As he could've guessed, it was Labrys, who seemed enthusiastic to talk to him, carrying the documents in a brown leather bag at her side. She was in heavy winter-wear: a brown pea coat with an thick, matching skirt and some thigh high black stockings, along with average shoes and a pair of black gloves, and a white scarf to top it all off. It made her look like a normal girl, and fortunately the season didn't make her choice of attire look out of the ordinary in the slightest, even if Makoto knew that under those clothes were metal and parts. "Sorry 'bout that. Mitsuru said she was gonna' text ya' 'bout not comin', but it looks like she couldn't get to it."
"Not a problem." Truthfully, it was his fault. He had run the battery dry on his cell while checking video-game sub-forums to see what the latest patches looked like.
"Yeah, so, uhm, I wanted to apologize for sorta' stealin' your job, so, uh. . ." She fidgeted with her metal fingers slightly. Makoto had known Aigis for several years now, but he was still absolutely shocked at just how human Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapons could be. With the addition of a not-so-robotic tone, like the one Aigis spoke with, it was just like he was talking to a real person. He liked it. He didn't know why she was fidgeting, but he liked it. "Could we . . . I-I mean, would you like to . . . y'know. . . Do somethin' fun to, maybe, make up for it? I-I mean, I don't have to get these files to Mitsuru 'til tomorrow, so I've got time. . ." She was blushing. Makoto smiled. It was an odd feature for a weapon designed to kill shadows to have, but that was one of his favorite things about them. Their array of humane features that seem completely unnecessary was mind-boggling.
"What do you have in mind?" He asked, a slight hint of curiosity in his tone. Labrys took it as a victory and silently celebrated inside her head as she tried to play it off as cool. This is my chance! I didn't expect him to be here, but this is a perfect opportunity! Truthfully, she'd been planning this outing for quite some time. She'd planned on asking tomorrow, but using this opening to establish some healthy relations was probably a good idea. This way it seems far more natural.
"Uh, I dunno'. What's open this late? You've lived here longer than I have." She didn't want to sound forceful or rude, and while she had some things in mind, she would rather let Makoto decide.
"Hmm. . ." Makoto stroked his chin. "We could always do Karaoke. They stay open pretty late." To be honest, he would've liked that a lot. After all, he hadn't gone to the karaoke parlor since his high school days. Junpei always made fun of him for it as he left the dorm late at night, and Makoto had earned quite a reputation at school for his odd hobbies.
"O-Oh, yeah, that sounds fun!" She laughed far too enthusiastically, and it came across as awkward. But Makoto found it endearing.
"Alright then, follow me." He removed his earphones, hanging them around his neck as they ascended the stairs into the Karaoke parlor.
"So, Yuuki-san, are you a good singer?" Labrys asked, fidgeting nervously. Yikes, that was a terrible idea. I can't even sing, why did I agree to Karaoke? She sighed internally.
"I don't know. I've never had an outside opinion on the matter. Maybe you could tell me?" he asked, as he paid for the tickets and the room. He was actually somewhat nervous. He'd never been singing alone with a girl before, especially one who seemed to be expecting something from his performance. "And just Makoto is fine."
"U-uhm, right, Makoto-kun." She brushed her ponytail over her shoulder as the pair walked into one of the rooms, sitting down and preparing to make their selections. "So, uh, I don't really want to, so you go first, alright?"
He chuckled. She wasn't sure why until she realized she sounded terribly rude when she said that. "Uhm, uhm. . . I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to sound offensive!"
"No, that wasn't it." He sat on the bench across from hers. "It was your accent."
Dang it! I knew he wouldn't like it! She started to apologize again before he interrupted her. "It's cute."
Those two words managed to render her almost speechless. Labrys had never received any compliment of that sort from a boy before. Well, maybe Teddie, but he didn't count. She felt her cheeks flush bright red as she turned away from him. "O-Oh. Thanks."
"Anyways, I suppose I'll go first." He scrolled through all the song selections while Labrys took a moment to stealthily observe him. She wasn't sure exactly why she had been so smitten with him; he had actually only been working for the Shadow Operatives for a few months now, at Mitsuru's request, and they'd only talked on certain occasions and some field missions. She found him . . . cool. And kind. And attractive. Albeit, his clothing choice was strange. . . Whenever he was doing anything work-related at the Shadow Operatives, he wore a Gekkoukan High uniform. Originally, Labrys had questioned it, but Mitsuru and Akihiko told her to leave the issue alone. She guessed it must've just been an old friend thing.
Makoto stood and made his way to the podium, clearing his throat, before beginning to sing.
Labrys might've been biased, but she found the performance absolutely mesmerizing. She had never heard such an emotional song in her life, and as 'Memories of You' ended she found herself almost disappointed, craving more. Makoto bowed nonchalantly and stepped down from the podium. "How'd I do?"
Labrys struggled to find the right words. "Uh, you did good. I-I mean, you did really good, like, super good! Amazing even!" She stumbled over her tongue as the words tried to come out, Makoto laughing the whole way. She could tell it was a light-hearted laugh, not something insulting, but she still felt foolish. "So, uh. . . I-I guess that means it's my turn now, huh?" She scrolled through some of the music selections, but wasn't really sure what to pick. She was putting a lot of thought into the decision, intent on impressing Makoto. But in the end, she let Makoto pick for her and simply sang to the best of her ability. He applauded every time she sang, so she thought she either did well or he was just pitying her. He insisted it was the former.
The two passed the hour in the small room rotating between singing, Makoto often managing to outshine Labrys's performance, no matter how much effort she put into it. Fortunately for her, however, Makoto never made an effort to brag and always congratulated her on a job well done. She felt flutters in her heart throughout the whole thing as these emotions she had never felt before arose within her. She knew what they were, of course, but that didn't mean she was familiar with experiencing them.
The two left the karaoke parlor even later at night than they'd anticipated; Labrys was having so much fun she didn't even notice Makoto had paid for another hour. She'd have to scold herself in the mirror later, but in the mean time they were on their way back to the base where she lived.
"Y-Y'know, you don't have to walk me home, Makoto-kun. I can make it back myself." As much as Labrys was enjoying his company, she didn't want to take advantage of him. He probably wanted to get home and sleep, after all.
"It's alright. I'm enjoying myself." He held his hands in his pockets as he usually did on their way back. Labrys wasn't really sure how to respond.
"I-It's just . . . if you're tired, I dunno . . . I'd rather you go home than force ya' to lug me around, y'know? So if you wan-"
Labrys interrupted herself as she felt a strange warmth engulf her body that she'd never felt before. She looked down towards her hand, which was now interlocked with Makoto's. Her face flushed the brightest red that she was capable of handling. She tried to open her mouth in protest, but she couldn't manage to. The small smile on Makoto's face prevented her from thinking about anything else. All that she could think about at that moment was not falling over as she walked, and the sensation of having Makoto's hand in hers. Honestly, she wasn't sure how to feel, but she knew it felt good.
"Is something the matter?" he asked, with light concern in his voice.
She finally mustered the courage to speak. "I-It's just. . . I-I-I. . ." She couldn't quite put a sentence together. She had never felt so nervous in her life. "Wh-Why?" was the only word she managed to fully form.
"I'm not sure. I just kind of felt like it." He loosened his grip slightly."If you want, I can sto-"
"No!" She shouted, interrupting him. "I-I mean. . ." She coughed. "It's nice." And thus she tightened her grip on his hand, while he reciprocated the gesture. "It's just . . ." She flexed her fingers a little. "Don't you mind?"
Of course, she was talking about her physical state. "Why would I mind? You're just like anyone else." And he meant that entirely. Never had Makoto looked at an Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon and thought of it as a robot or a tool, but as a person. He didn't see the big deal about it really.
She swooned, both physically and mentally this time. This was arguably the best she had ever felt in her entire life, as if all of her parts had been replaced with helium balloons and she could just float off into the stars without a care in the world. "O-Oh," she said, completely elated.
The rest of the walk was had in silence, but it wasn't an awkward silence. It was more blissful than anything. Occasionally, Makoto would ask Labrys a simple question, to which she would reply with a simple answer, but it was nothing significant. Eventually, they made their way to the front of Labrys's "home" and it was time to say goodbye for the time being.
"That was fun, Labrys." Makoto bowed his head. "Thanks for accompanying me tonight."
"O-O'course. If you ever wanna' do it again, just ask, okay?" She said, trying to play it off as cool as possible. That was difficult, though, and Makoto yet out let another light-hearted chuckle.
Reluctantly, the two of them released each others' hands and Makoto raised his hand to wave goodbye. "Of course. See you tomorrow." With that, he turned to begin the walk home, leaving Labrys to swoon internally for the remainder of the night and well into the morning. The warm and cuddly feeling didn't go away, nor did she want it to.
For Makoto, however, his bright mood was dampened upon arriving at the train station.
The last train for the night had left the station just as he arrived.
Dammit. Gotta' walk.
And thus Makoto walked home, reminiscing on the events of the evening with a smile glued to his face.
A/N: Challenge 1, complete! Wow, that wound up a lot longer than I thought it would! Originally I was going to make it a lot simpler and just be a chapter of them discussing and stuff while holding hands, but I liked the romantic development this chapter, didn't you?
Audience: "No, you suck."
Haaaah, what a bunch of jokers! Anyways, I do think everything turned out pretty well. So review it and tell me how good I did!
Review if you want. Favorite if it's your favorite! And follow if you can't see very well and need something to guide you through the dark on your way back home! Or if you just wanna' read more.
Ramble Over!
