A/N: Dear gods, I have completed a multi-chapter story! ToT

I may or may not have been one hundred percent satisfied with this, but it was a lot harder to write than I thought. However, I love writing Ren when he takes the Big Bang challenge. Because seriously, how is that kid still living?

Enjoy!

Note: It has been brought to my attention that I have the return home date wrong. I guess instead of paying attention to game details, I looked up when Japanese kids actually go back to school, and went from there. Basically, Ren's not leaving until I make him! He shouldn't be leaving at all...

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 5. If I did, my NG+ would have started with Makoto as Ren's girlfriend instead of her being mean to him.

His Sins

Gluttony

Ren had no idea how he had managed to score such an amazingly forgiving girlfriend.

Makoto made him promise he would live through the ordeal with Akechi. He did. Then she made him promise he wouldn't lose himself when confronting Shido. He didn't. So naturally when he promised her she would never be alone, he thought he could keep it.

He had a lot of making up to do for that one.

And after two months in prison, he would promise her anything. He had told her as much when she had stopped by to spend the night with him on Valentine's Day. His first, her first, but hopefully not their last. But when she brought up her concerns about his returning home, he felt more determined to prove to her that they would be fine.

She had left with her spirits a little higher, but not enough for his liking. He wasn't going home for a few more weeks, and he planned on spending every waking moment with her. He started wondering where he could take her on dates. He always wanted to ride a boat in Inokashira Park as he often heard couples did. He wanted to go to Odaiba and ride the Ferris Wheel, maybe because he had never been on a Ferris Wheel and he was leaving Tokyo soon, so the opportunity may never happen again.

First things first, he wanted to eat the chocolate she had made for him.

The small box sat on the edge of his desk and he continued to admire it. He could still feel the tingling sensation in his heart from the gesture. And how embarrassed she had looked when she handed him the box from across the booth. She was just too damn cute for him sometimes.

But then his mind went into a gray area; if he finished it all now, like he wanted to, because he was sure he wouldn't be able to stop, would that signal the end of their relationship? Would they be able to handle not being around each other every single day? It would only be while he was still in school, so he would be preoccupied, and she would be going to college on the path to her dreams, so…

He shook his head. All of that from some urge to eat chocolate? He laughed as he tried to unwrap the box, but between the ribbon and the wrapping, he found it surprisingly difficult. Maybe it was a sign he should wait? Maybe he could share it with her, while he put a piece to her lips and leaned in to taste both…

"Just because the Metaverse is gone doesn't mean you can slack off like this."

He jumped in his chair. He had been surrounded by walls and darkness for so long that he forgot what it was like to have Morgana around.

"Are you telling me you can't even open a present? As your mentor, I am ashamed!"

He smiled to himself as he pushed away from the desk. He turned to Morgana, his smile changing into a playful grin. "You should be ashamed. An eager guy trying and failing to open his girlfriend's gift is embarrassing."

"I'm also really bitter that you never told me you were dating Makoto," he replied with a smug expression.

"And here I thought you were an expert on gathering intel," Ren jabbed back, causing Morgana to jump from the bed onto the desk by the present.

"I trained you well if you can keep a secret like that from me!"

He leaned back in his chair. "I wasn't trying to keep it a secret. So much just kind of, happened, and…"

"Well, I'm happy for you both!" Morgana exclaimed, noticing the somber look appearing in Ren's eyes. "Make sure to give me the heads up when she comes over. As much as I want you to be happy, I don't want to be around to see you guys in bed together."

Ren's eyes widened, horrified that Morgana could say something like that with a straight face. He opened his mouth to say something in return, but the heat on his face killed any words he would have said.

Morgana laughed until cat tears poured from his eyes.

-0-

March 14th was just around the corner. White Day. Ren had been looking forward to it since Makoto walked out of Leblanc on Valentine's Day. He fought and fought for days on end for ideas for gifts to give her, but anything he thought of didn't seem to pass his final judgment. He thought about taking her out to dinner, give her a gift, then head home. Was that lame? Was that too much? Why the hell was dating so hard?

So when Sojiro asked him to help out around the café on that day, he had to find a good reason quick. "I can't. I, uh-,"

"Kid, why do you think so much?"

Ren was visibly shocked. "Um, I'm sorry?"

Sojiro huffed. "All you have to do is make her my recipe for curry and she'll be all over you."

Okay, so it looked like everyone was expecting him to sleep with her. He would admit to one of those people, but…that could wait. "Is that going to be good enough?"

The look that crossed Sojiro's face was probably the scariest thing he ever saw in his life. And he had known Makoto and her sister for some time now.

"You doubt my abilities, kid?"

He was wise to answer quickly. "N-no, of course not! I…I just want to," he stuttered as he rubbed the back of his head. "I just want to do something different. Surprising. I made her dinner last time. And while I'm sure she would love it again, it's…kind of not what I had in mind."

Sojiro cocked an eyebrow at that. "You planning on proposing to her?"

Ren almost fell out of his seat. "W-what?! N-no!" The older man smirked at his reaction. "Dinner dates are just, I don't know, cliché and what everyone does."

"White Day is just for a response. It isn't supposed to be that impressive."

"Well, I want it to be."

When it was quiet, Ren feared he may have spoken too harshly. Sure, he may have been defensive; it was going to be his first White Day after all. But Makoto had touched his life in a special way and he didn't want to have her expecting something grandiose and amazing only to disappoint her. She sure as hell didn't disappoint him on Valentine's Day.

"I understand," came Sojiro's response. "But sometimes, it's the little things that leave the biggest impression."

Ren fought to keep his jaw from hitting the bar. "Y-you really think so?"

Sojiro sighed deeply and reached for his carton of cigarettes. "You really do think too much."

-0-

He had no idea training could make him feel so disgusting.

But, Makoto seemed to be enjoying watching him fail miserably. "You did much better this time." Her giggling would have been adorable had he not felt so sick.

He planted his face on the table. "I don't know why I told you about this."

He had a little more than a month left before his return home, and the beginning of March meant that school was just around the corner. Makoto had asked him if there was anything he wanted to do or see in Tokyo before he left and before she had to focus on school. When he mentioned that he thought it would be cool to complete the Big Bang Burger Challenge, he expected her to brush it off.

And here he was, sitting across from her at a booth in the burger joint, training his stomach so he could earn that medal.

He may have secretly wanted to impress her, too.

He felt her hands stroke through his hair and it helped settle his stomach. He thought about lifting his face from the table, but her fingers brushing through his hair felt too satisfying to think about anything else. He may have zoned out for a few minutes.

"Oh, that's too bad," came an unfamiliar voice and Ren shot up from the table, an angry quip on his tongue. They had ruined his moment!

He was met with a dissatisfied employee who took a quick glance at his unfinished meal and frowned. "Better luck next time," was all she said as she turned and walked away.

Makoto turned back to him with a weak smile. "You don't have to keep going if you don't want to."

"Oh, I will on one condition," he replied with a smirk on his face.

"And what's that?"

He reached across the table and grabbed her hand, lowered his head to the table, and placed her hand back in his hair. "You keep doing that, and I will be able to do anything."

Her fingers began to move in his hair again, her nails occasionally raking across his scalp and sending shivers down his spine.

"Anything?"

He may not have heard what she said, but he sure as hell heard how she said it. Her fingers didn't cease in their teasing, which suddenly made him more uncomfortable. In a good way, just…not in a way he wanted to be in a restaurant.

He groaned when she pulled her hand from his hair. He heard her chair scrape along the floor, and soon she was cradling his face in both of her hands, wearing a dangerous smile that he was tempted to kiss right off her lips.

His heart stopped when she gently guided him back to lean against the cushion of the booth. She had been more impulsive and slightly harder to read after they started dating, but at the moment, the only thing he thought about was what kind of award he would receive if he pulled her onto his lap and-

"I'll get you another one, then."

She pulled away from him and turned around to head back to the counter. After his initial shock faded away, he released his breath and placed his head into his hands. If ingesting all of these burgers didn't cause him to fall over dead, she would.

He regained his composure to some extent when she came back, tray in hand, with another "comet" burger. "You can't stop now if you want that medal."

He looked from her eyes to his burger, then back to her. "What else will I get if I complete this challenge?"

She noticed the tone in his voice, but didn't bite. "You'll probably need to get your cholesterol checked."

He laughed at her, then leaned in as close as he could from where he sat. "What will you give me if I complete this challenge?"

Her blush spread quickly over her face and he fell back into his seat, satisfied. She ran her hands over her skirt before she answered his question.

"Well, I'll make sure it's worth your time."

He almost choked on his food.

-0-

Ren woke up on the 14th in a panic. He wasn't ready. He was extremely sick from his poor decision making the day before. So sick in fact that Sojiro even noticed and mistook it for nerves.

"I promise you I won't let your curry be that bad." He laughed again. "I will make it myself if I have to and you can pass it off as your own."

While he was thankful for the gesture, the mention of food brought his mind to his upset stomach. "Can we not talk about food right now?"

His voice must have sounded weak because Sojiro stopped laughing instantly. "You sick?"

Ren nodded lightly before he cradled his head in his hands.

"What did you get into yesterday?"

"I-," he paused to breathe. "I completed the Big Bang Burger Challenge last night."

Sojiro laughed again. "Well that's on you, kid. Why would you risk your 'big' day by doing something like that?"

He smirked behind his hands, his nausea slowly turning into something different. "For my reward."

Sojiro didn't appear to pick up on his insinuation, which was a good thing. He really didn't need that talk when he was already feeling like shit. Instead, he slammed a glass of water on the counter space in front of him.

"Better start feeling better or she's not going to stick around long enough tonight to give you anything."

Okay, so maybe Sojiro was better at understanding people than he gave him credit for. Ren reached for the glass while Sojiro eyed him curiously from where he stood in front of him. He brought the water to his lips and took a drink to wash down the nerves building in his throat. Sojiro watched him like a hawk, and it made him extremely uncomfortable.

"W-what?"

"Oh, nothing," he said with a grin that Ren was all to familiar with. "I'll close up shop here soon so you can get the rest you need." He only turned back around after he had checked on the pot of curry. "I doubt you'll be getting too much of it tonight."

Sojiro laughed as Ren coughed on his water. Thankfully, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He needed a distraction at this point.

It was Makoto. Did you want to try your luck at the challenge again?

Forgetting Sojiro was in the room, his grin widened as he typed back, Why? Eager to give me my reward?

She didn't respond to that, but he could easily imagine her reaction. His fingers kept going. I had something different in mind today, actually. Would you want to come over later tonight? I have something for you.

Sojiro came back into the picture. "Texting your girlfriend, huh?"

Ren looked up from his phone, but when it went off in his hand, he read Makoto's response.

And what would that be?

He glanced at Sojiro, who grinned madly at him. He then turned his attention to his phone. Let's just say that you won't be disappointed.

He put his phone on the bar in front of him, his sickness all but forgotten at this point. Sojiro spared him one last chuckle before he walked around the bar and to the door, sliding his fedora over his head.

"Well, I'll leave you to your cooking or whatever else it is you need to do to prepare." He turned around and pointed to the kitchen. "You can guarantee if any of the curry I prepared for tomorrow is gone, you're going to be training every hour until you leave, you hear?"

He grinned back. "Oh trust me. I know what I'm doing."

Sojiro tipped his hat to him. "Good luck, then," he said as he closed the door behind him. Whether his luck was supposed to improve Ren's cooking or his charm, he didn't want to think about it.

-0-

Ren was grateful for Sojiro's curry. Because he was definitely going to need it after all of his pitfalls. Did Sojiro ever slice his finger open cutting vegetables? Did he ever knock over a simmering curry pot when he cut said finger dicing vegetables?! Did he ever burn his other hand when simmering curry from said pot was splashed onto him?!

If he managed to live through the ordeal, maybe he could impress Makoto with his coffee instead.

He didn't know when his nervousness hit him, but when it did, it hit hard. He had never fumbled wielding a knife, in the Metaverse or in the kitchen. And yet here he was, a finger wrapped in a towel while the other hand was shoved under the faucet. He also never swore so much in his life than he did in that five minutes of chaos.

He also didn't know specifically when Makoto was to arrive. He placed a bet it would be within the hour, because being humiliated by his own ego wasn't enough entertainment for the gods. At least he had cleaned up his mess on the floor and stove before tending to his own wounds.

When the hour passed without a knock on the door, he felt a sense of relief. He would never hear the end of it from Sojiro if he scared Makoto into tending to his self-inflicted injuries rather than…other things.

It was truly amazing how he didn't slice his whole hand off thinking about her.

By the time there was a soft knock on the door, he was ready. Ready, as in his injuries were covered and he had time to clean any evidence she may have found to use against him. He wasn't really ready to bring her inside, though.

He hesitated long enough that her knocking grew louder and he chastised himself for leaving her waiting out on the doorstep. He shouldn't be so nervous, and he maybe thought Sojiro was right when he told him he was thinking too much.

"Sorry," he said when he opened the door. "I was in the kitchen and didn't hear you."

Makoto regarded him for a moment, then looked away. "I-it's okay."

Oh god, she sounded nervous, too. That could only lead to disaster. He led her into the café, where she glanced around the room before coming to face him.

"Sojiro closed up shop?"

He would have said something witty if he wasn't so damn nervous. "Yeah."

She noticed it. "That's all you have to say?"

He decided to change the subject all together. "Are you hungry?" She followed him to the end of the bar and pulled back one of the barstools for her to sit at. Then, he took Sojiro up on his offer. "I made some curry."

"That would be nice, thank you." Her smile was more bashful than happy, but since he was in the same boat, he decided not to read too much into it. He stepped into the kitchen and proceeded to carefully create two picture-perfect plates of curry. Lady luck was in his favor for the moment, as he managed to successfully bring both plates to the counter without dropping either of them.

"I'll have to thank Sojiro for the food next time I see him."

His heart fell and his damaged pride took a critical hit. "What, you don't think I can make curry this good?" He forced a grin. "I have been training for a while."

She put her spoon down and turned to face him. "Yes, but last time, you made it from scratch." She turned back to her plate. "You didn't do that this time."

He felt the disappointment in her tone crash into him like a bullet train. He opened his mouth to say something, but he stopped and dropped his head in defeat. "I…may have had some troubles, and ran out of time."

"Is that where the burn on your hand came from?"

He forgot how perceptive she could be. He sheepishly rubbed at the back of his neck. "Yeah. And the cut on my finger. And the blow to my pride."

He was rewarded with quiet laughter. "You didn't need to go through all of that just to impress me, Ren."

"Sure I did," he added to keep the humor alive. "I was just so excited to make you something in return for your-,"

His breath hitched when he felt her hand on his knee. It wasn't the first time she had done so, but like this, alone in his quarters, with his thoughts running wild and everyone's suggestions screaming in his mind?

If she picked up on his nerves, she didn't acknowledge it. "You don't need to feel obligated to repay me. That's not what I want this relationship to be about."

He looked down at his untouched food, his heart heavy with regret. "I know. That's…not why I wanted you to be here." He placed his hand on top of hers before she had the chance to pull away. "I wanted you to be here because I wanted to see you. I mean…" He stumbled to find the right words. "Maybe I wanted to impress you because today is White Day and I didn't want you to be upset with any pitiful attempt I came up with to do just that." He squeezed her hand and looked into her eyes. "And you may have set the bar too high if my best effort to jump over it only gets my face smashed in by it."

She stared back at him, and he didn't know if the look on her face was one of awe or not. It wasn't until she dropped her eyes and a beautiful blush came to her face that he knew he was in the clear.

He turned in his chair and smiled. "Since no one has ever given me homemade chocolate or any gift really for Valentine's Day, I may need to brush up on my knowledge of White Day. I was told a little too late that a gift was supposed to be white and probably food related." She softly laughed at him as he reached for her other hand. "But I'm sure there will be more chances, right?"

She reached up to place a kiss on his lips. "I would like that."

Even though her kiss had been chaste and quick, he couldn't help but feel the temperature warm a few degrees. He grinned at her while his nerves danced around in his stomach.

"So, remember when I said I had something to show you?"

She watched as he stood up before her, her eyes showing the slightest hint of curiosity. "You said I wouldn't be disappointed."

He offered her his hand. "Let me show you, then."

She looked at his hand and for a second, he was worried she wasn't going to take it. She eventually placed her hand in his and he exhaled the apprehension from his lungs. She did, however, tug on his hand when she realized he was leading her up to his room.

"W-wait." He stopped immediately. It was suddenly ten degrees colder. The only thing that kept him warm was her hand wrapped in his. "W-we haven't u-um, f-finished eating."

If he ate now, he was going to throw it back up. She didn't need to know that. "But I've been waiting all day to show you."

She took one look at their practically untouched meal, then back at him. "O-okay."

His smile widened as he led her up the stairs and towards the bed. The desk. He led her towards the desk. Because the desk was where he left his surprise. He released her hand and she immediately came to a stop in the middle of his room.

He laughed. "You have to come here and look at it."

"I-I can see if from here."

He grabbed something off his desk, but shielded it with his hands. "You won't be able to see it from there."

Now it was getting warm. "T-then m-maybe you should…you should b-bring it over here."

Not wanting to turn her nervousness into discomfort and have her walk away, he stood up and walked up to her until he was only inches away. He was slightly upset when she took a step back.

He masked it well. "Remember how you said you would reward me if I completed the Big Bang Challenge?" He revealed the medal he held in his palm. He may have been slightly sick thinking about it, but he also felt proud. Proud because he was one of the very few people in Tokyo to complete it, and proud because of the gasp that came from Makoto's mouth.

"Y-you actually finished it?"

With a hand now free, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into him. "I did." He put his lips to her ear, eliciting another gasp from her. "Now, about that reward."

His hand slowly made its way up her back until he reached the crook of her neck. She lowered her head, as if she was studying the medal to make sure it was real. She then took it from his hands and carefully placed it around his neck. They separated for a moment, but the way she was admiring him caused his skin to burn.

She closed the distance and very un-Makoto-like, pulled him down for a rough and passionate kiss. It took the wind out of him, so much that he actually stumbled backwards. He cursed himself for it, because she broke the kiss so he could have room to steady himself.

And then she became embarrassed. "I-I'm s-s-o s-sorry!"

He wanted to groan and pound his head into the floorboards. "Don't be sorry, Makoto," he managed to say. "That was-amazing. I just…maybe…didn't expect it, is all."

Her gaze never left the floor. He sighed, then approached her again. He placed a hand under her chin to look into her eyes. "That was a surprising reward," he smirked when her cheeks grew red. "Please don't make me do the challenge again just so I can have you can kiss me like that."

She still didn't look into his eyes. "A-are..i-is th-that all y-you wanted?"

He couldn't help but be curious by that. "What do you mean?"

"Never mind."

He was about to question her but she fell into him, her head coming to rest right over his heart. He felt something thicken in the air and it made it a little difficult to breathe. Did…did she really want something more, or was she only saying that because she expected him to start something…or…

He didn't want to assume anything. "Will you tell me what you meant?"

She didn't say a word.

He held her away from him, her eyes looking anywhere but at him. "Hey, you can tell me. I don't want you to feel like you can't be open with me."

"Will you be open with me, then?"

Not quite how he wanted her to respond, but, "Of course."

She was quiet, and he was worried she wasn't going to say anything. "Why haven't you opened my present?"

He felt his heart sink into his stomach. He opened his mouth quickly to say something. "I-I want to, but…it's my first Valentine's Day gift and I really just wanted to look at it and remember how I felt when you gave it to me."

Finally, her eyes met his. "I-I made it for you with the intention of you eating it."

"Compromise then," he said as he turned to grab the still wrapped box from his desk. "And I'll admit another reason why I haven't opened it."

She still didn't look happy. "Ren, you can tell me that you didn't-,"

"I wanted to see if they taste as sweet and amazing as its creator. Together."

That got a reaction out of her. "H-huh?"

He dropped to the bed behind him to quickly open up the box. He tried to work as fast as he could before something happened and the mood changed again. He gave up on trying to be gentle and started ripping at corners until he finally was able to reach the candy inside. He broke off a small piece before he stood up, walked right up to her, and placed the chocolate at the edge of her lips.

His lips followed shortly after. He was careful not to be too brash, but at the same time, he wanted to return the passion from when she had kissed him moments ago. He steadied her with one arm around her waist. His other hand dropped from her mouth to rest on the curve of her neck. It was easy enough to slip his tongue past her lips, and he wondered what his taste buds enjoyed more: her or her chocolate.

Both. He very much enjoyed both.

He was so engrossed with the sensation of her that he didn't even register her pushing him back until his legs hit his bed and he toppled over. While he was thankful for the time to catch his breath, he was not so thankful that they had stopped. His breath left him again when he looked up at her, face flushed and the most beautiful smile on her lips. She stopped him when his hand made a move for the box of chocolate, and he felt something blossom in his chest.

"You're going to make me so fat," he said, lifting his outstretched hand to brush her loose hair behind her ear.

"You'll work it off," and she silenced any remark with a kiss.

Why did they skip over White Day? Like damn Ren, way to be a jerk.

Anyway, now that this is finally done, I can start working on another story so I don't have to adult yet. However, my PSVita memory card comes in the mail tomorrow, and someone is about to start playing Persona 3, so...

The biggest shoutouts to leawright, IarIz, RoastedButter, rebfan90, jminator, and DiegoARL38 for your reviews! And a very nice thank you to Speaking-the-truth16, because that was the longest review I've ever read, and it provided me with many minutes of entertainment and laughter. If only writing fanfiction was my greatest sin...

Thank you to all of you for reading and keeping my mind off of my adult life. I wish you all the best in whatever you do!

The dragon rests.

龍の神様