A/N: Where have I been all this time? Well, first of all, I was working on this one-shot. It's a birthday gift for TheBurgerMaster, a really good friend of mine! It's a Persona 5 future fic with MakotoXAkira as it's central pairing, although there are other pairings hidden in there. Anyway, it's time for romance!
One step at a time
The days of working in the shadows as the Phantom Thieves were long over, but Makoto's mission for justice continues to this day. To fulfill her aim to become the Commissioner General of Japanese law enforcement, Makoto had spent the past ten years working her way up the police ranks, making sure to keep her integrity along the way. At 27 years old, the name Makoto Niijima was well respected, and even feared at the National Police Agency.
There was something poetic about Makoto's current position as the head of the Juvenile division of the Community Safety Bureau. It meant that back when she worked out in the field for the Juvenile division, Makoto often dealt with troubled teenagers, some of which reminder her of herself back when she worked with the Phantom Thieves; angry against authority and with no one to turn to. So Makoto found herself spending a lot of time talking with these teenagers, helping them through their problems.
Of course, that also meant that sometimes coworkers and teenagers were introduced to the "Queen" whenever they found themselves on Makoto's bad side. But at the same time, Makoto couldn't help but feel pain in her heart whenever she saw a young teenager throw away their futures when she arrested them at the scenes of more… serious crimes. Failures like this reminded Makoto she still had a long way to go.
Nowadays, Makoto spent most of her time behind a desk, directing lower ranking officers to the assignments she gave them. While it wasn't the most exciting job, Makoto knew it was necessary to one day being able to lead the entire country's police force. Makoto heard the sounds of of someone approaching her and she looked up from her paperwork.
It turned out that her older sister, Sae Niijima, had popped in for a visit. Makoto smiled at her, asking, "So what brings you to my office, Sis? Surely you aren't here to because you need help defending one of your clients?"
"I can't just drop by to see my little sister?" Yet Sae was smiling too, because she knew Makoto was just teasing. "Well, I ran into a friend of yours, and she was of the opinion that you are spending too much time at work."
"That would be Eiko," Makot said, her tone exasperated but also affectionate. "And I suppose she wants to drag me away for some girl time? Very well, I suppose I could make some time after work. However, in the evening I plan to head to Leblanc."
"Well, there's no reason that your friend can't accompany you to Leblanc," Sae said, smirking as if she knew exactly why Makoto was going to Leblanc. "I'd like to go as well. It's been awhile since I've had a really good cup of coffee."
Just those words caused his face to flash in Makoto's mind. To think ten years had passed since Makot first met the bushy-haired young boy she suspected as being one of the Phantom Thieves. Ever since he opened her eyes to the way the world really was, Makoto walked by his side, first as a fellow Phantom Thief and now as a partner in life. If Makoto wasn't mistaken, even now he would be hard at work, changing the world in his own way…
"...And it is here in Shibuya that I've found a true home. So I promise, as your representative, to work together with all of you to make this a home to be proud of."
The crowd outside of Shibuya station all applauded the speech, though not just because it was well performed. Rather, because the speech giver was none other than Akira Kurusu, former leader of the Phantom Thieves and current member of the national Diet (the House of Representatives, so be precise). The road to public office was far from easy.
It didn't help that publically being cleared from an false assault charge didn't stop the charge from lingering in people's minds. Even worse when he was (correctly) suspected of being the leader of the Phantom Thieves. Akira found himself having a difficult time breaking into local politics with so many officials looking at him with suspicion. In fact, Akira didn't even know if he could have a political career if his mentor didn't vouch for his character.
Akira spotted his mentor, Toronosuke Yoshida, in the dispersing crowd, so he went to go greet him. The older man smiled at the sight of his student making such good use of the speech lessons from so long ago.
"How have you been lately, Akira?" Yoshida asked. "I see you're still keeping touch with constituents."
"Well, it helps keep me honest if I remind myself where I started," Akira said. "Even if I'm still not used to talking so much after all this time."
"You always were a man of few words," Yoshida said, chuckling. "You must admit seeing a well-respected politician in a suit and tie standing outside a subway station is an odd sight indeed."
Akira smirked. "I could say much the same about you, Mr. Prime Minister. Most people would expect you to stay in your office all day."
"As you said, it is good to remember where you started," Yoshida said, as people began to group around the two politicians. "I rarely get time free from my duties, so I wanted to see you while I had a chance."
Yoshida and Akira were both part of the same independent party, which was beginning to gain prominence with Yoshida's election as Prime Minister, and Akira being elected to the Diet. There were even whispers of Akira replacing Yoshida, but Akira was unsure if he wanted to do that. He was content with being able to come to Shibuya, walking around the streets just like the old days. More importantly, he wanted to spend as much time as possible with the precious people in his life, and with a certain woman in particular.
A woman he first met as an enemy, trying to pin him as a criminal. Perhaps it was fate, then, that they would end up on the same side working to reform the world. And over the course of the year that Akira was first in Shibuya, he found in her a passion for justice that he grew to greatly admire, as well as a sharp mind and a gentle kindness. It was natural that Akira would come to fall for her, even if they didn't always have a lot of time to spend together these days. Speaking of which…
Akira had noticed the crowd but didn't say anything, hoping they would disperse on their own. When they didn't, he knew it was time to pull a quick escape. Not that he would leave Yoshida to deal with the crowd on his own, of course.
"I'm going to head over to Leblanc. Want to come with?" Akira asked.
"Of course, but how are we going to-" Before Yoshida could finish his question, Akira grabbed him by the arm, and pulled him along as he plunged them right into the thick of the crowd.
Even to this day, Leblanc was a pretty obscure cafe, tucked away in an alleyway that not many people wandered down. Those that did find it spoke highly of the quality of the coffee and curry, which suited it's proprietor just fine. The lack of customers didn't bother Sojiro Sakura, as long as the customers that did come enjoyed the food and atmosphere. And if he wasn't mistaken, he would be getting quite a group today.
"Good evening, Mr. Sakura," Makoto said as she walked through the front door. "I've just come from my work shift, and I'd appreciate a strong cup of coffee."
"How many times have I told you to just call me Sojiro? But sure, one cup of the house blend, coming right up," Sojiro said, chuckling. Just behind Makoto, her sister Sae and her friend Eiko entered right after.
"No matter times I come here, I always feel so relaxed the moment I enter," Sae said, sitting in her favorite seat by the counter. "A cup of my usual, please."
"One pork curry please!" Eiko called out as she sat next to Sae. "I'm hungry from making sure Makoto actually has a life outside of work."
"I assure you I don't need that much of your help, Eiko," Makoto said, sighing.
"Oh hey, haven't seen you guys in a while," Futaba said, poking her head from the kitchen area in the back. "What have you been up to?" The former hacker, ironically, had landed a job as a computer security expert. But since she made her own hours, she often stopped Leblanc to see Sojiro.
"Less talking, more helping with the orders," Sojiro scolded, even as a small smile formed on his lips.
"Oh c'mon, Sojiro!" But Futaba went back to attending to pot of curry she was currently cooking, albeit while grumbling under her breath. It wasn't long, however, until the door opened again, this time admitting Akira and Yoshida.
"Sorry it took a while to get here," Akira said, waving his hand causally at everyone in the cafe. "Took a while to shake the crowds that were following us."
"Well you seem to be causing trouble, as usual," Sojiro said, shaking his head. "Although it's not every day the Prime Minister drops by."
"Please, while I'm here just think of me as just another customer," Yoshida said, wearing his usual pleasant smile. "And I'm just here to enjoy some coffee and a nice bowl of curry."
Then Akira and Makoto saw each other, and suddenly the weariness from their respective jobs melted away. Akira found himself putting on a familiar grin as he approached the counter.
"Have you eaten yet, Makoto? Because I could always make you your curry just the way you like it," Akira said.
"As a matter of fact, I haven't eaten yet," Makoto said, smiling herself. "So I would appreciate it if you made me one of your excellent meals."
"At least that's one less order I have to do. I'll leave that one to you, Joker!" Futaba said, winking at Akira.
"Thanks for that, Oracle," Akira said, deadpan. Regardless, Akira got behind the counter, remembering all that he had been taught. As much as his life was changing lately, he always seemed to find his way back here, the place where he first found somewhere to belong.
As he prepared Makoto's meal, the two of them talked about each other's days, from Makoto talking about the latest case her division was working on, while Akira ran laws that were being considered by the Diet past both Makoto and Sae for their viewpoint on them.
The door rang opened one last time, and Haru entered the cafe. Her face immediately lit up when she saw all the people she cared about in the cafe. Makoto gestured for Haru to take a seat next to her, which Haru was glad to do.
"Are you here to scope out the competition again, little Missy?" Sojiro said, his light tone indicating that he was joking.
"Of course. I must check out how my competition fares so that I may better my own cafe," Haru said, her eyes intense.
"And don't forgot about checking out the cute barista!" Futaba added, a playful expression on her face.
"Of course I wouldn't forget about that," Haru said, her expression much softer. "Perhaps the barista in question would be interested in catching up?"
"She can do that all she wants after she finishes working," Sojiro said, much to Futaba's dismay.
Haru giggled, before turning her attention to Makoto. "So how have you been, Mako-chan?"
"Enjoying some really well made curry," Mako said, chuckling in Akira's direction, who smiled back in response. "And really, taking a breather I feel like I really needed. It's been so long since so many of us have been together like this."
This wasn't even all the members of the Phantom Thieves- Yusuke was holding an art exhibition, Ryuji and his family were currently on vacation, and Ann was on a modeling shoot overseas with Shiho accompanying her. At the very least, Makoto was happy to know that all her loved ones were thriving.
Everyone in the cafe kept talking, happy to be in each other's company. Eventually, it was time for Leblanc to close, and everyone slowly left the cafe. The last ones inside were Makto and Akira, with Akira cleaning up the last of the dishes. Once he did, he put one of his arms around Makoto's waist, and for a moment they looked each other in the eyes.
"Let's go home, Makoto," Akira said, leading his love out of the cafe. Perhaps they didn't see each other as much as they would like. But as partners in life, they would never truly be apart. Instead, they both pursued their brand of justice together, and that's how it would always be, no matter what else changed.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed this, Bee! And I hope everyone else enjoyed this as well. I really liked writing this, and might even do more Persona 5 fics in the future. Remember that I can always be found on my Tumblr Snowthefirst. Until then, this has been Orion Fowl, and thank you for visiting my Corner of Romance!