*SPOILERS* For events immediately following the completion of the 6th Dungeon. I don't delve into specifics, but still if you care about that and don't want to be spoiled, turn back now.
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I'm talking like in the first line here guys.
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Alright, let's get started!
"… Latest police reports have indicated that the mysterious leader of the infamous Phantom Thieves has committed suicide shortly after his arrest. Details are…"
The newscast continued on the tinny speakers of Makoto's phone, but at that point she was hardly listening. She swallowed hard. Everything was going according to plan, right? Yet still, she couldn't shake the sudden uneasiness and fear that made its way into her heart. What if he really was… She shook her head hard. No, she had to believe in Akira. He was alive. He had to be.
"Makoto?" A voice asked suddenly. "Is everything alright?"
Makoto turned around. "Ah, Eiko…" Thankfully, she had been able to patch things up with her new friend. It had been hard at first, and Makoto knew that her stubbornness didn't make her the easiest person to be friends with. "Sorry, I just spaced out for a moment there," Makoto replied.
Eiko's eyes widened as she examined her fellow third-year. "Hmm…" Suddenly, her eyes widened, and a teasing grin wrapped across her lips. "Oh, I get it. I had heard Kurusu-kun went back to his home town for some reason. Do you miss him already?"
Makoto's cheeks reddened suddenly. "T-that's not it!" Sighing exasperatedly, she went on. "I'm just… worried about him, that's all. I know it's stupid but…"
"You can't help it right?" Eiko finished. She nodded sagely. "I totally get that! Kurusu-kun seems like a nice guy, but he also seems like he attracts trouble."
If she were in a better mood, Makoto might have chuckled. Trouble was an understatement.
"It's not stupid though," Eiko said firmly. She smiled softly. "You just want to be there to protect him… like you protected me…"
"Eiko," Makoto murmured, her eyes wide.
"Anyways, maybe not today, but sometime soon, we should grab some sweets. I know that always makes me feel better," Eiko continued, sounding a lot more like her usual bubbly self.
"That sounds… good," Makoto answered, smiling back at her friend.
"It's a date then! See ya!" Eiko said cheerfully, making her way towards the school entrance.
Makoto, figuring that she should start heading home as well, went to go gather her things, when suddenly, her phone rang. Seeing it was from her sister, she promptly answered. "Hey Sis, what's up?"
"Makoto, can you meet me now? We need to talk," The elder Niijima said.
A sense of dread washed over her. "Sure Sis, what about?"
"I think you know," Sae said. "Meet me at the park, things should be quiet over there."
After they met up, Makoto told her sister everything. There was no point in denying anything anymore. After all, she had already spoken to Akira, who had likely at least given enough information to earn her trust.
"So it's all true then," Sae said, closing her eyes in contemplation. "I can still hardly believe it all. So," She trailed off, coughing awkwardly. "You and Kurusu-kun?" Makoto nodded, well past the point of embarrassment now with all of the explaining she had done earlier. "Well… normally, I'd disapprove but… as long as you're happy, that's all I'm concerned about."
"About that... Sis, is Akira… is he…" Makoto trailed off, unable to finish.
Sae smiled reassuringly at her sister. "I had to drop someone off at Leblanc before I came here. It's been a long day, I could go for some coffee. Why don't you call your friends, maybe they'd like to join us?"
Makoto suddenly hugged her sister, much to the older woman's surprise. "Sis… thank you…"
Sae chuckled lightly, placing a reassuring hand on Makoto's back. "I'm sure things will be difficult, but for now… everything's alright."
Makoto could hardly resist throwing her arms around Akira the moment she laid eyes on him. She had known because of her sister that he was alive, and she truly did believe he would succeed, but… Seeing him right now, in front of her… He really was alive. Bruised and battered for sure, but alive.
The team celebrated their brief moment of victory for a while, and Makoto's sister left after a while, but eventually Boss made to send them all home. "I think you've all had enough excitement for one night. You kids should probably start heading home. Wouldn't want to attract too much attention wandering late at night. Plus, the last trains are going to start running soon," he said.
"Alright, well lets head home team," Ryuji said. "Tomorrow, we start planning getting back at that bastard!"
Akira nodded firmly, making a noise of acknowledgement. Satisfied, the various members of the Phantom Thieves began filing out of the store, leaving the Boss, Futaba, Morgana, Akira, and Makoto.
"Hmm? Did you need something Niijima?" Sojiro asked, noting that she was the only one left who didn't live nearby. "I can call a cab for you…"
"N-No, it's fine Boss, err- Sakura-san," Makoto answered nervously. "I was wondering, do you happen to have a first-aid kit here?"
"Should have one behind the counter," Sojiro answered, his glance flickering between Makoto and Akira. He closed his eyes before nodded sagely, letting out an almost inaudible chuckle. "Help yourself. C'mon Futaba, lets head home."
"Aye aye, Sojiro! Laters guys!" Futaba answered, waving at the remaining Phantom Thieves.
Before exiting, Sojiro turned around. "Hey kid!" He began, addressing Akira. "You've had a long day, but don't do anything irresponsible, okay?" If Makoto hadn't known him so well, she might have missed the brief flickering of embarrassment that crossed Akira's features. Not that she could blame him, with her own cheeks coloring at the implications, joking or not. Seeming satisfied with their reactions, Sojiro left, Futaba in tow.
"I'll, uh, walk around for a bit," Morgana said awkwardly. "I'll…" He paused, before his expression lit up. "I'll make sure Lady Ann gets home safe!" And with that, he left Leblanc as well, leaving only Makoto and Akira.
"Do you want to go ahead and head upstairs? I'll be up in a minute," Makoto said. Akira nodded and began to go upstairs, and Makoto frowned with worry as she noticed that he seemed to favor one leg over the other. Not wasting any more time, she went behind the counter, searching briefly before locating the first-aid kit. She checked the contents: bandages, antiseptic wipes, various gels for burns and inflammation, pain-killers, medical tape, among other things. Sakura-san certainly had been prepared. Taking the kit in hand, she went upstairs to Akira's room, finding him waiting on the sofa.
"Take off your shirt and pants, please," Makoto said, doing her best to maintain an even tone despite her embarrassment at the question. Seeing Akira grin cheekily and begin to open his mouth, she quickly cut him off, "And spare me the wise-cracks," She said firmly. Akira's face became a little more serious, but silly as ever, he smiled softly as he pantomimed zipping his lips shut. It was a gesture that Makoto might have found cute, had the stakes of their plan been less dire. Wordlessly, he took off his school uniform, folding the articles and setting them aside. Makoto had turned away during the process, to preserve a little of both their modesties, only turning around only once Akira had announced he was finished.
Once she saw him, she promptly covered her mouth in horror, seeing the bruises that covered his body, the bloodied rings around his wrists where the cuffs had dug into his wrists. There was a distinctly boot shaped bruise that was nearly purple on his injured leg. And the bruises on his chest indicated that he was fortunate to not have any cracked ribs. "A-Akira… What did they do to you?" She approached him slowly, bringing her hand gently over his face. She ran her hand slowly down his face down his neck to his chest. She paused there having noticed his jaw tighten as her fingers brushed over one of the nastier bruises. She lifted her hand off his chest and gently picked up one of his wrists, just above the cuff marks. She noted a strange bruise surrounding a bloodied pinprick just below his forearm. The drug injection site, she deduced, though whether the procedure had been 'complicated' by Akira struggling or a sadistic administrator was unclear. She didn't want to ask.
She couldn't help but feel powerless. They had devised that this was the only plan that could save his life, in the process ensuring the Phantom Thieves could take down the true mastermind behind the psychotic breakdowns. Her free hand tightened, as she couldn't help but wonder, wasn't there something she could have done so he wouldn't have had to endure this? She choked back a sob.
"Hey," Akira's voice cut through her self-pity, his arms wrapping around her. "I'm okay… I'm okay…" He said gently, rubbing her back in soothing, circular motions. He was so warm… so alive. He was reassuring her in more ways than he could possibly realize. In a moment of weakness, she let him hold her despite herself.
"I'm sorry," Makoto murmured softly, as she gently pulled away from him after a few minutes. "I'm supposed to be taking care of you right now but…" She shook her head, willing herself not to wallow in negative emotions. She could do something now, if only a little. "Sit down." Akira complied, and Makoto quickly began breaking out the supplies she would need from the first aid kit, deciding to start off with the antiseptic wipes. She started with his face, dabbing it gently along each bruise, with Akira not showing any signs of pain other than the occasional lip twitch. She then moved on to his wrists, and cleaned the injection site, using new wipes and applying bandages as necessary, and as gently as she could while still making sure the wounds were cleaned.
Finishing there she moved to grab the anti-inflammatory gel for some of the larger bruises on his chest and leg. Squeezing some into her palm, she began to gingerly rub it into one of the bruises that marked his ribcage. As she continued, she felt heat rise to her cheeks as she pointedly tried to ignore that she was touching her nearly naked boyfriend. She paused her ministrations for a moment, resting her hand on his chest. It seemed that she wasn't the only one who was feeling flustered, she thought as she noted his pulse was elevated. She dared to look up at Akira's face, finding he was in a similar state, his face slightly flushed and his gaze directed away from her. Refocusing at the task at hand, she tried to ignore the fact that she felt slightly pleased about how her touch seemed to affect him.
Finishing at last, she began to rise up, "O-ok, all done, that should be- " Her voice died as her eyes met Akira's. His gaze was so intense that she reddened reflexively. Before she could even open her mouth to say something, he closed the distance between them, pressing his lips to hers with a hunger she had never felt from him before. After her initial surprise, her inhibitions melted away, and she eagerly kissed him back.
When they broke account Akira distanced himself a little bit before twisting one of his errant locks, a nervous tick of his that Makoto had become fond of as she began to know him better. "Err, sorry about that. It was… kind of hard keeping still while you…" His voiced faltered, and he swallowed, his mouth seemingly having gone dry.
"D-don't worry about it!" Makoto stammered, Akira's embarrassment amplifying her own. "I-I… I also…" What am I saying! Makoto thought, her cheeks on fire at this point. "A-anyway! Y-you should probably get dressed, it's cold outside!" Makoto said, gathering the contents of the first aid kit and making her towards the stairs.
"R-right." Akira answered awkwardly, though by this point Makoto was nearly halfway down the stairs. Out of Akira's room, she put the first aid kit away and sat herself down in one of shop's booths, sighing as she sunk into it. She attempted to compose herself as her heart raced inside her chest, and even after a few minutes her results were mixed at best.
Her attempts were halted as she heard a creak from the stairs. Makoto turned around to find Akira, who was thankfully now dressed in some night-time wear. He looked toward the clock at the other end of the shop before shifting his gaze back to her. After a moment, he sat across from her, laying one of his hands on top of hers tenderly. "It's late," He said simply, and Makoto understood the implicit meaning of the statement: What do you want to do? "Boss mentioned calling a cab earlier… I could-"
"No…" Makoto said, cutting him off softly. "I…" She paused for a moment, steeling her resolve. Her fingers wrapped around his, and her eyes met his. "I'd like to stay if that's okay. I… don't want to leave you alone right now, after all of this…"
"Makoto," Akira murmured, and Makoto felt his fingers tighten slightly around hers. He nodded. "Mm, I'd appreciate that." After a few moments of comfortable silence, Makoto couldn't help but yawn as the days fatigue started to weigh on her. "We should get to sleep," Akira suggested, trying and failing to suppress a yawn of his own. Makoto nodded, and the two disentangled their hands and made their way toward the stairs. Akira paused at the stair entryway, flourishing his hands dramatically. "Ladies first," He said, with his signature cheeky smile.
"Idiot," Makoto muttered though there was no bite behind it, and she began making her way up the stairs without protest. Akira followed, and they soon found themselves in the middle of the room fidgeting awkwardly.
Akira began to twist a few errant strands of his hair again. "… I could take the couch…"
"Absolutely not!" Makoto replied firmly, putting to use her 'stern student council president' voice. "Your injuries are still fresh, and sleeping on the couch would put you in even more pain in the morning."
"It's pretty comfortable, don't-"
Any rebuttal Akira was about to make was immediately halted by a sudden huff from Makoto as she grabbed Akira's hand and began to drag him toward the bed. Within a few seconds she had gently pushed him onto his bed, though admittedly Akira had barely offered even the feeblest of resistances. Makoto sat at the edge of his bed, leaning to place her hand on his cheek before beginning to run it through his unruly hair. "Geez of all the times to try and be stubborn," She muttered, though the warmth in her tone belied any semblance of chastisement.
"Hello pot, meet kettle," Akira quipped, and Makoto found herself giggling despite herself. "The unstoppable force meets the immovable object," He went on, smiling.
"You moved pretty easily back there," Makoto shot back playfully.
"I let you."
"Oh, is that so?"
"Boss said you should always know when to give it up when it comes to arguing with a woman," Akira explained.
"Smart man," Makoto chuckled.
"Still, I think we can have a compromise," Akira replied. Barely allowing a moment for Makoto to raise an eyebrow, he sat up wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against him.
"Akira!" Yelped Makoto, as he moved to begin spooning as he shifted to fit himself snuggly behind her.
"No good?" He asked, and Makoto found herself shivering at his voice in her ear.
"It's f-fine," Makoto answered. She felt his lips move as he smiled into her hair. One of his arms reached over her waist to find one of her hands, and his thumb began to tenderly stroke the back of her hand.
His thumb paused suddenly. "I'm sorry for making you worry."
"Why are you apologizing?" Makoto replied, a little taken aback. "You were the one who had to go through…" she disentangled her hand from Akira's and gently ran her finger over the mark left by the cuffs on his wrist, "… All of this…" Her voice sounded as small as she felt at the moment. "We came up with the plan, but really, we didn't really do anything. I didn't do anything…"
Akira's hand found hers again, giving it a gentle squeeze. "That's not true," Akira said firmly. "My memories of everyone, even while I couldn't think straight because of the drugs, gave me the strength to push through. Most of all though, I thought about you." His voice softened, "I thought about how I would do everything I could to get back to you…"
Makoto shifted out of his grasp, turning around to face him. "Akira…" She said softly, placing her hand on his face once more.
"Makoto… I love you," Akira said, and as Makoto looked into his eyes she knew it was true. So she kissed him. She kissed him senseless, till they were both nearly gasping for breath. To remind herself that despite everything, he was here, he was warm, he was alive… And he was hers.
He drew her into an embrace, and Makoto nuzzled his neck. "I love you too, Akira…" She said softly. His arms around her tightened, pulling her deeper into the embrace. At the moment the future seemed uncertain, but for now, Makoto savored the moment, however fleeting with her boyfriend. Before she knew it, she drifted off to sleep, lulled by sense of security being in Akira's arms brought. It was the best sleep both of them had gotten in weeks.
A/N: Sorry for the wait guys! I had planned for this to be a quick 1-1.5k thing, but it quickly ballooned into this (I also may have gotten sucked into NG+). I wrote this because I was really hoping that romances would have more of an impact in the story and was kind of disappointed that they still are just kind of window-dressing. Dates are a step in the right direction, but hey, can you blame me for wanting a little more? Heck, not even just romances, I feel like there was so much calendar space that could have been used for interactions for more of the rest of the cast. It's a real shame since all of the characters are pretty great. Anyways, rant over, hope you all enjoyed. I plan to write a few more one-shots in the future, in particular I really want to get a White Day one shot out there sometime soon, so stay tuned!
