Note: I spell Anne as Anne because it's my preference to spell it the Japanese way. Any review telling me that I'm misspelling will be ignored.
Ren had mixed feelings about tomorrow. He was surprised that his parents had reached out to his friends and had aided them in clearing his name. They were eager to make amends and Ren did miss his hometown. And yet…
Ren had made so many friends here in Tokyo.
Ryuji. With the way they had met, Ren would have never guessed that they would become best friends. He was loud and brash, yet incredibly loyal and fun to be with. None of his former friends had even begun to compare to him.
Morgana. When he stumbled across him in the Metaverse, Ren had no idea how integral he'd be to Ren's life. When they had thought they'd lost Morgana... Ren hadn't known what to do without him.
Yusuke. The artist was... eccentric, to put it lightly. Ren hadn't been too pleased with him in the beginning, but they had eventually forged a strong bond. Yusuke never failed to make him laugh. And looking at the Sayuri... Never failed to make him smile.
Makoto. Things had been extremely rocky at first, with how Ren assumed that she was complicit with Kamoshida's actions. But once the air had been cleared... Ren had to admit that she had almost become like a big sister to him.
Futaba. She was honestly like the little sister Ren never knew that he wanted. She had quickly attached herself to him, but Ren would be lying if the feeling wasn't mutual. Not to mention how she was the reason why they were able to fool Akechi after the casino heist.
Haru. Like many of his friends... they hadn't started off on the right foot. But Ren couldn't help but admire her inner strength. Haru would go far... and Ren knew that she'd be able to achieve her dream.
Sojiro. Ren had originally thought that he was a world class asshole, with how he treated Ren initially. But the gruff man eventually became like a father to him—more than his actual dad.
Kawakami, Yoshida, Iwai, Takemi, Chihaya, Ohya, Hifumi, Mishima, Shinya, and Sae. Ren had never expected to befriend so many different people. And somehow he managed to touch their lives, help them with their various issues... And they had rallied together to free him from prison.
And lastly, Anne. Sometimes Ren couldn't believe that they were together. Anne was sweet, kind, and beautiful... They had been trying to make up for lost time after Ren was released from prison, but the remaining weeks flew by all too quickly.
So Anne had invited him to spend his last night in Tokyo with her. He had spent some nights at Anne's place, and sometimes she slept over with him. Sojiro was well aware of the fact—he actually gave Ren a bag of condoms.
"You'll never know what will happen," he had said with his trademark smarmy grin.
But Ren was now staring down at the kitchen counter. It was covered with various ingredients that Ren had purchased from the local supermarket in Yongen-jaya.
Ren originally did not know how to cook much. Just the basics, really. But Sojiro had taught him how to cook his special curry. Sojiro encouraged him to learn more, teasingly adding, "Women love a man who know how to cook."
By then, he had a full blown crush on Anne—and Sojiro knew it.
And Ren wanted to make something special for Anne tonight. To pamper her.
Anne loved Italian, so Ren figured that he could give it a stab. Plus there was that Destiny movie with the dogs... so he figured pasta would be a good romantic dish. He also bought some bread so he could make some garlic bread as a side.
"Thank god for online recipes," Ren muttered to himself.
He was going to make a pasta skillet with sausage and spinach, topped off with cheese. Lots and lots of cheese. After all, Anne often called him a cheesy romantic.
Ren was still snickering to himself about his joke, when a pair of slender arms wrapped around himself.
"What's so funny?" Anne asked.
"Nothing important, beautiful," Ren replied, turning to face her before he kissed her quickly.
After Ren broke off the kiss, Anne stepped aside. She then tilted her head, eyeing the ingredients. "Quite a spread you've got here," she remarked.
She then picked up the bunches of herbs, blinking at them.
"What even are all of these?"
"Oregano, parsley, and basil," Ren quickly rattled off. "It's vital to Italian food. And for this recipe, it's all for the marinara sauce."
"You're making the sauce too?" she asked incredulously.
"It seemed pretty simple from the recipe," Ren explained. "And... why not? I want tonight to be special."
"Any night with you is special," Anne said sweetly.
"And you call me corny," Ren teased.
Anne just giggled in response. "What can I say? You're rubbing off on me."
Then she looked at him.
"So... what can I do to help?"
Ren quirked an eyebrow at her. "You wanna help?"
"I do!" Anne chirped. "I mean, come on, it's my house... Should you really be cooking?"
"I like to cook for you," Ren said. "But if you're sure, I'd love some company."
Ren started off with boiling a pot of water. Then he added a pinch of salt, causing Anne to stare at it.
"...I never really got that," she said. "Adding salt to water you're gonna cook pasta in."
Ren laughed. "Come on, you should know this, Anne."
Anne just stared blankly at him. "...No. No, I don't."
"We learned it in chemistry! The boiling point elevation. It raises the temperature needed for water to boil so it'll cook faster."
"It'll take longer to boil then," Anne pointed out, before she pulled a face. "And no school talk!"
"Okay, okay!"
Ren held up his hands in surrender.
"But anyhow," he continued, "because it's hotter, it'll speed up the cooking process since it's still on the fire. And besides that it seasons the noodles."
"I guess." Anne stuck her tongue out at him. "But anyways... What do you need me to do?"
Ren tapped his chin, letting out a little hum. "Let's start with prepping the ingredients. Peel the red onions and dice them."
Ren made quick work of the garlic, then moving on to chopping the chicken sausage.
A sniffle. Ren paused in chopping the sausage, turning his head to look at Anne. Her head was bowed low, her hair veiling her face.
"Are you crying, Anne?"
"N-No!" Anne yelped. "There's just something in my eye!"
"Yeah. Tears."
"S-Shut up..." Anne pouted. "It's the onions!"
Ren laughed. "Come on. Wash your face and I'll show you how to dice those onions properly."
Ren stepped behind Anne, carefully readjusting her grip on the knife. He then guided her through the motions.
"You've got to be quick and precise," he said. "Like... this."
Then he let go of her hand, taking a step backwards.
"Now you try."
Anne stared down at it with pursed lips before haltingly chopping at the onions. It was better than before but there could be room for a lot of improvement. Eh, practice makes perfect.
"What's the bread for though, Ren?" Anne asked.
"Garlic bread," Ren answered easily. "I don't have to be a big fan of Italian food to love that."
"Ugh, this is gonna be killer for my diet," Anne groaned.
"One day where you let loose won't kill you," Ren said.
Then he stepped closer to her.
"And besides..." he added huskily, "I'm sure we can find a fun way to burn some calories later."
"Ohh?" Anne drawled out.
Ren then smiled cheekily. "But first we gotta cook dinner first."
Anne glared at him. "You're such a tease," she grumbled out.
"What do you mean?" Ren asked innocently. "But like I said... this meal isn't going to cook itself."
Ren snickered to himself as Anne continued to shoot him an annoyed look. She was just too cute when she got worked up like this. Maybe he'll pay for it later but... he might as well have some fun with her now.
Anne bounced up and down in her seat as Ren served up their dinner. Ren couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. Some people may find it immature, but Ren just found it endearing. She was just too cute.
"For you, my lady," he said, presenting her a plate with a flourish.
Anne shook her head, hard enough to make her pigtails bounce up and down. "No, we should eat together!"
"Okay, okay!" Ren laughed, holding up his hands in surrender.
He served himself a portion, before sitting across from Anne.
Anne went for the garlic bread, eagerly biting into it. She let out a delighted squeal.
She was really too cute.
"Sooo good!"
Ren just smiled. "I'm glad you like it."
Anne just beamed. "I knew it'd be a good idea to add some cheese on top!"
"Be careful, eat too much cheese and you might end up as cheesy as me," Ren lightly teased her.
Anne stuck her tongue at him for a moment, before she closed one eye in a wink.
"I don't think that's even possible," she laughed, her blue eyes twinkling.
"Oh?" Ren drawled out.
Anne briefly smirked. "You're the king of cheesiness."
"I thought I was the king of drama," Ren snickered.
Anne just giggled. "You can be the king of both."
"If only you'll be my lady," Ren quipped.
"Sure, just find me a crown first," Anne teased.
Ren then took a bite of the pasta, closing his eyes as he savored it.
"Damn, I'm good."
Anne just shook her head, even as her lips twitched into a smile. "Ego, Ren!"
Then her lips formed a pout.
"And besides, I helped!"
"Even though we nearly let the pasta burn," Ren quipped.
Anne stuck her tongue at him. "Oh, like you were complaining."
Ren just smiled. "So... I saw your last photoshoot. You looked amazing."
Beautiful. Confident. The list went on.
"Thanks! It actually took forever because oh my god. The photographer was sooo picky! You think Makoto's really detail oriented, right? But he makes Makoto look like a saint in comparison, I swear!"
Ren let her rant in between bites of food. But the conversation eventually faded into something more cheerful. They talked about everything. Nothing.
They eventually finished their meal. Ren was about to start washing everything, when Anne lightly smacked his wrist.
"Ah-ah!" She waggled her finger at him. "We haven't even had dessert!"
Ren huffed. "Okay, what does the lady have in mind?"
"Okay, this wasn't planned buuuut…"
Anne walked over to open the freezer.
"Tiramisu gelato. I thought that it'd be a good combination of our favorites."
"Ah, but you'd probably eat anything if it has sugar in it," Ren teased lightly.
Anne stuck her tongue out at him.
"Come on, let's sit at the balcony. It's a beautiful night."
After Anne scooped out two bowls (and added a drizzle of chocolate on hers, to Ren's amusement), they headed for the balcony. Anne had obviously planned for it, as there was a chair large enough for two people to sit. There were plenty of pillows to make them comfortable.
They curled together in the chair, admiring the Tokyo skyline.
"It really is beautiful," Anne said, smiling dreamily.
Ren gave her a cheeky smile. "Not as beautiful as you though."
Anne scoffed, rolling her eyes. "That's such a cheesy line. Believe me, your title as the king of cheesiness is safe."
"I can't help it, though," Ren protested, before lightly kissing her hand. "You do look beautiful."
Anne had her hair worn down tonight, because she knew that he liked it. She had told him once that she wasn't huge on wearing it on a daily basis because it got all in her face.
Anne then suddenly looked up.
"Wow, it's clear tonight. You can see the stars!"
"I guess." Ren shrugged.
As someone who grew up in the country, Ren had spent many nights looking up at the night sky. His mom had an interest in astronomy so she had taught him about constellations. One of their bonding things when he was a kid was him going with his mom, lying down on a picnic blanket together as she pointed out the constellations.
She had had a keen interest in myths and legends so she would sometimes tell the stories behind the constellations too.
"It's much clearer at home," he clarified.
"Ohh…" Anne said. "I didn't think of that."
Then she smiled.
"Maybe I can visit you some time."
Right. Ren turned his head slightly so that Anne wouldn't see his expression.
He was… leaving tomorrow.
He felt wary. He couldn't help it.
He still remembered how his parents had treated him, how the entire town had turned their backs on him. He knew that his parents were sorry now but…
It still stung.
And he didn't really want to leave Tokyo. He was happy here… happier than he could remember, even with all the insanity.
Anne's concerned voice yanked him back to reality. "...What's wrong, Ren?"
Ren quickly averted his eyes. "It's nothing."
"Ren..." Anne said warningly. "Do you remember the last time you said that to me?"
Ren bit his lip. Christmas. He had wanted so badly to protect Anne's feelings, to shield her from learning that he intended to turn himself in to protect everyone else.
But he ended up hurting her. Badly. He could still remember the way her voice had broke when she said quietly, "You're hiding something from me... aren't you?"
Ren heaved out a sigh. "I just... I was thinking about how I have to leave tomorrow," he said quietly. "And how I don't want to leave you."
"Oh, Ren..." Anne's eyes softened at that. "Is that what you're worried about?"
"Sometimes I get to thinking. About how I got to see you practically every day this past year. And how we would spend after school together. Not just as Phantom Thieves but just us hanging out. And I don't want to lose that."
"Ren, look at me," Anne said gently. "You may not be sitting behind me in the next year. We won't even be in the same school. But it doesn't mean that we won't spend time together. We'll have video call dates. I'm expecting one every week, y'know! And your hometown isn't even that far away! I'm sure that we can swing weekend visits."
Anne then took Ren's hand, a soft smile on her face.
"And try to think of the positives," she added. "I remember you telling me that you thought that your parents wanted nothing to do with you. But they do feel awful about this. They want to make amends. Take this next year to reconnect with them. And your old school friends."
Then she smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.
"...I'd love to have that kind of opportunity," she added sadly.
Even after they started dating, Anne still didn't open much about her parents. Only that it was… complicated.
Ren's eyes widened. "You... You're right," he admitted. "Thank you, Anne... Guess I freaked out a little there, huh?"
"It's nothing." Anne waved her hand dismissively. "I mean, you've given me how many pep talks? Not to mention how you encouraged me to stand up for myself with Kamoshida."
"It's still amazing. You're amazing." Ren then smiled. "And Anne... maybe you should reach out to your parents. Maybe it doesn't have to be like... them being here in Tokyo with you. But a couple video calls a week... I'm sure that they can manage that."
Anne's eyes then widened. "I... I guess I can try."
"That's my girl." Ren smiled even wider at her. "Hey," he said softly. "I love you."
Anne smiled, a pink blush coming across her face. "I love you too. Now enough about serious conversations tonight. Let's enjoy the rest of tonight."
"As my lady commands."
Happy Shuann Week! I have four pieces in store for you this round. This piece, Snow, Rose, and Festival. (Though honestly Snow is sorta a fusion between that and Holiday.)