This is the first time that I've written for P4 in a looong time. I've missed writing for these two especially. So… I hope you all enjoy. I'm really hoping to get back in the swing of things. This came out after a long, long hiatus. It's sort of a silly idea, but... enjoy?
It was rare Souji was the second one home. More often than not, he'd be off work and able to return just as the sun was setting, and still have time to put together a quick dinner before meeting Naoto at the door with a warm embrace.
However, since his last semester of university started, late nights at the library had become a common occurrence. While efforts to make a dinner that could be reheated before he left in the morning had been made on numerous occasions, each time he was assured with a gentle scolding that he needed to focus on himself and his studies, and that Naoto was perfectly capable and more than willing to take care of dinners for the time being. Despite his protests that Naoto, unlike himself, was working on a quickly blooming career as a respected detective – much to her fatigued, but genuine delight – and held long hours, she quickly shushed him with whatever mix of logic was required and scolding that he quickly succumbed to. Such had been their lives for just over a month.
Stifling a yawn with one hand, Souji fumbled with his keys in the other and pushed the door open with his hip. Much to his surprise, the entryway was dark, and no sounds drifted down the hallway from the old, but carefully restored record player that Naoto often listened to while reviewing case notes from the day. It was simply… silent, but quiet or not, he shouldn't have had reason to be concerned. Like himself, late nights were not something foreign for Naoto, but she'd always made it a point to call when she wouldn't be home by the time it was dark.
As he hung his keys near the door, his gaze drifted downward, spotting a dark pair of shoes already sitting on the mat. Turning his head, he noticed Naoto's keys were already by the door and her coat was visible through the partially opened closet door nearby. All of these things were fairly normal; small things he'd seen so many times and come to appreciate, as they were a gentle reminder that he was not once again coming home to an empty household, unlike that terrible time late in the year when he'd gone to live with his uncle in Inaba. The silence, in contrast, was almost unsettling, a complete change from what he'd gotten so accustomed to, and for a moment, he had to resist the urge to step back outside just to hear the sounds of the street.
"Naoto?" he called out, stepping out of his shoes as he moved to hang his coat. He received no response, and the unease he felt grew as his chest tightened. Swallowing, he raised his voice and tried a second time, only to have the feeling grow tighter still when she did not reply.
Moving quickly, his first stop was in the kitchen, finding almost all of the lights off except that of the one nearest the counter on the stove. Sitting atop a plate covered with tight plastic wrap were two rolls of meticulously crafted sushi, a recipe that he recognised as one that Naoto had taught herself very recently. He brushed his fingers over the surface, surprised to find that the raw fish in their centres was still quite cool to the touch. His hand shifted again, moving over the top of the nearby rice-cooker to find that it was still slightly warm, but even the implications of a freshly made dinner were not enough to sooth his quickly frazzling nerves.
"Naoto? Are you home?" Souji called out a third time, moving out the kitchen through the opposite side to peer down another hallway. A heavy sigh escaped his chest as he noticed a light coming from the study at the opposite end and he quickly began to move toward it. When he finally reached the doorway, the smile he'd forced over his features in what he hoped was a convincing act that he'd never been concerned in the first place quickly melted away. The room was, as far as he could tell, empty. The only sign of life he could make out was a white cat perched atop the back of a sofa. As he stepped further inside, the cat's head turned, blinking at him with calm blue eyes before returning her attention to the cushions.
Unconsciously, Souji moved forward and extended his arm, running his fingers over the feline's soft, silky fur. He could feel his stomach knotting and unknotting itself as he frantically tried to assure himself that Naoto was most likely simply busy at work and could not call him and would as soon as she was able, and that, despite her things still being inside, maybe she'd simply had to rush out the door, or perhaps Rise had shown up again to drag her out for a 'surprise girl's night', or that maybe the soft snores of the person on his couch would know where she—the snores!
Alarmed, Souji looked down and immediately felt the air rush from his lungs as his shoulders relaxed and he almost laughed.
Lying across the couch was Naoto herself. The top two buttons of her shirt had been undone, revealing the top of her white undershirt, and untucked from her plaid trousers. An arm reached upward, bent at the elbow and framing the top of her head, with fingers curling slightly into themselves. Her other arm draped across her stomach, curled around the body of a colourful orange tabby that was no more awake than she was. Two more furry bodies – both gray in colour – had forced themselves into the small space between her legs, fast asleep with their heads occupying each of her thighs. Much to Souji's amusement, one more tiny body of dark coal, barely the size of his foot and only a few months old, was curled up happily just under Naoto's chin, purring loudly away in his slumber.
All at once, the tension in Souji's body melted away as he leaned forward, and rest his forearms against the back of the couch as he took in the sleepy scene. The corners of his lips curled upward, working into an easy, relieved smile as his pulse fluttered happily and warmth grew in his chest, replacing all the cold. Naoto was, as he always thought, so very adorable, but more importantly, she was safe. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could almost hear Naoto laughing at him for being so paranoid over something so small, only to be playfully scolded later for his carelessness at rushing into a room when he couldn't have been certain that it was her inside.
"Heh…" Moving his arm, Souji intended to reach down and stroke Naoto's cheek, only to have his palm intercepted by a white head pushing itself against his hand. He could feel the vibration of the young feline purring, demanding his attention be on her rather than his slumbering partner. He bit back another laugh and curled his fingers, dragging his nails across the point where the white cat's ears met its head before he pulled away silently.
Perhaps waking her could wait until after he enjoyed dinner. He had to go retrieve his phone from his coat anyway. He'd just have to remember to turn off the flash.