The room was spinning as the lights made Ren's head throb. All the noise was muffled and sounded like they were yards away. Everything was hurting as Ren stared down the barrel of a gun. Staring up at the crazed eyes of the boy he once almost considered a friend and ally.
"You lose Joker." He said giving Ren that sadistic grin he's come to know, before he pulled the trigger and the entire room went white as the bang rang out in his ears.
Ren shot up in his bed, panting heavily as his body tightened up and his heart pounded in his chest. He could feel the cold sweat pouring off his body as the ringing was quickly replaced the soft noises of the neighborhood at night that came in through the open window. A shaky hand coming up and pushing his wet hair out of his face.
"Why now all of a sudden? After all this time?" Ren asked himself. He has not dreamt about that night in over a year. He thought he was finally able to move past everything that happened. "That wasn't even me…"
As his body finally began to calm down from the nightmare, Ren looked out the window up at the cloudy night sky. There was no way he was getting back to sleep tonight it seems. He sighed defeatedly as he laid back, and make a grimace as his pillowcase was sopping wet from sweat. "Disgusting…" He said placing an arm over his face as the hours ticked by and the sun slowly began to rise.
"So you're telling me you got no sleep last night?" Makoto asked later on in the day. She stopped by to see Ren when she saw how disheveled he looked. She quickly laid his head on her lap as she gave his forehead a rub. "Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm fine, it was just one of those nights you know. Where, for whatever reason, you just can't seem to get comfortable." Ren said sighing as Makoto looked at him, worry bleeding through her eyes. He smiled as he reached up and patted her cheek. "I'm okay, I mean it."
Ren was clearly lying. He's felt on edge the entire morning into now. That dream for whatever reason shook his core. Ren usually prided himself on keeping a calm face in the presence of danger especially with everything that happened with Shido and the corrupt police force, but to say he wasn't feeling the effects of everything after, would be a lie. He remembers that night better than any other day in his life. The boots and fists of those bastard cops beating on a high schooler, getting off on it.
They wanted him to suffer and they did. If it wasn't for the goodness of Sae and her willingness to help out with everything, Ren was certain he would have not left that interrogation room alive. He looked up at Makoto, who was looking down at him with concern. He smiled softly as he took her hand from his head and wrapped his fingers around hers. "You got more important things to worry about besides me not getting one night of sleep."
Makoto frowned a bit as she squeezed Ren's hand. She could tell something was bothering him, but what? Why did he have to be so damn proud and always try to act like nothing bothered him? "You know you could talk to me right?"
"Of course I do. You're the only person I know I can. There's just isn't much to talk about. But next time I have a bad dream, I'll tell you, promise." He said smiling as she nodded her head.
"You better. Now go get washed up. We've got a date." Makoto said patting Ren on the chest.
"Wait what?" Ren asked sitting up as Makoto stood up from the bed.
"Sae invited the two of us out for lunch. So get up. You can nap later." She teased as Ren stood up. He ran a hand through his mess of a bedhead as he listened to her and went to grab a quick bath at the nearby bathhouse. After a quick cleaning, Ren dressed as nice as he could before meeting the Niijimas at the restaurant. As he stepped inside, he already felt out of place. Everyone looked at him funny, probably wondering why a young man like him was here.
"Amamiya, over here!" He heard a voice call out. He turned around and thankfully saw both Makoto and her older sister Sae at their table, waiting for him patiently. They were always the epitome of class to Ren, so it's not a surprise at all. Ren gave them both a wave as he quickly walked over and sat down across the two.
"Hello Sae, good to see you again." He said smiling.
"I can say the same to you. Haven't had a chance to speak to you since your last day here." Sae said resting her chin in her hands.
"I believe your last words to me were "keep my sister happy or else"." Ren said laughing nervously as he remembered the intense look Sae gave him.
"Oh, I didn't think you'd think I was serious. That was just some light teasing is all." Sae said innocently as Ren chuckled at himself.
If that was a light heart teasing I REALLY don't want to see her pissed off at me.
"It's still good to see you though. You look good, eating better as Makoto asked?" Sae asked. Ren felt like he was being questioned again. The memory of Sae slamming the table, demanding he give her answers on the Phantom Thieves.
"Well, I'm trying. Though you know how college can get. Don't often have time to make a full meal, especially in my place." Ren said as the waiter came over and took their orders, Ren ousting himself by ordering something light.
"I'm sure, though you need to eat better. You are as skinny as you were when you got out of juvie." Sae said eyeing Ren, who shifted back and forth in his seat.
"N-no. It just looks like that. He's actually much fitter than he used to be." Makoto suddenly interjected.
"Oh? And how would you know? Got yourself a handful? No wonder you came back home so happy that morning." Sae asked as Makoto began blushing deeply, realizing what she just said.
"I-I mean he just looks fitter. I wouldn't know! We didn't do anything!" Makoto said, getting more and more flustered with each word she said. Ren couldn't help but watch in embarrassed amusement as Makoto kept digging her hole deeper and deeper, trying to explain. Sae only laughed at the two before waving her sister off.
"Relax Makoto, you're an adult now. You can do whatever you want. I just trust your judgement." She said giving Ren a grin. "You should have seen Makoto before you got here. All she did was talk about you and what to do for the next month. She even asked me for tips on what to wear to really drive you crazy."
"I need to go to the bathroom." Makoto said, flustered as she quickly stood up and made her way to the bathroom, leaving Ren and Sae alone.
"I swear that girl is the most immature mature person I ever met." Sae said with a sigh, shaking her head. "So how about the unrehearsed answers. How are you doing really?" She suddenly faced Ren and gotten serious. The former prosecutor returning for a split moment.
"Everything is fine, really." Ren said sitting just a bit straighter after the sudden change.
"No one giving you answer issues back home?" She asked as Ren shook his head.
"My life is good, honest." Ren said, giving her a smile.
"Just making sure. After everything you went through that night, I'm surprised you recovered as easily as you did. Not many could pull through that so quickly." Sae said as for a split second, Ren thought they were back in the interrogation room, Ren beaten and bloodied, barely struggling to fight through the narcotic pumped into him. The look in his eyes must've changed as Sae noticed. "You okay? You look like you're 100 miles away."
Ren quickly began shaking his head as everything went back to normal. Again, why think about this now of all times? He laughed as he rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah sorry, I didn't get much sleep last night, guess I'm in need of a nap."
Sae stared at Ren a moment, wanting to push forward, but Makoto returned from her trip to the bathroom, finally calming herself down. "I'm back, did I miss anything?" She asked sitting down.
"Oh no, just asking your boyfriend here when he's gonna pop the question." Sae said, smiling to herself as the blush came back to Makoto as well as the shock to Ren.
"P-Pop the…?" Makoto began to ask.
"Question?!" Ren finished. "Aren't we still too young to be thinking about marriage?"
"It's never too early to start thinking about your life together. No one is saying it has to be next week. Besides, I just want to know when I'll get to be known as Auntie Sae. To be the fun aunt that they always want to be around." She said holding her face with both hands as she imagined herself being an aunt.
Both Ren and Makoto looked at her funny, never once imagining Sae to be the one to love the idea of being an Aunt. The two looked at each other before Makoto tried to hide her own blushing face. The image of Makoto wearing a wedding gown filled his head as he couldn't help but blush too, the image just too pure to ignore.
"That's in the cards sure, but I think that it's still a long way away. Don't think you Ren?" Makoto asked, partially covering her blushing cheeks with her hand.
"Y-Yeah….still a long time away." He said composing himself as their food arrived. As they began to eat in a slightly uncomfortable silence.
"So onto this party. Anything you'd like special Ren?" Sae asked politely.
"Something I'd like? Oh you don't have to do that. Make whatever is best. I don't have a preference." Ren said scratching his cheek.
"Still as modest as ever. You should be more willing to ask for what you want, but since I know you'll still insist on it. I'll keep it a surprise for you." Sae said calmly. The rest of the meal went much smoother, Sae keeping her embarrassing questions to a minimum as they discussed the matter of the party.
As they finished their meal, Ren went to offer to pay, but Sae quickly stopped him. "It was my treat in the first place. Save you money for someone else." She said with a wink. "I hate to just eat and run, but I gotta get back to the office. Meetings for the rest of the day. I'll see you tonight Makoto." She added giving her sister a hug before giving one to Ren too. "You're practically family at this point anyways." She said patting his head.
As she left the two, they stood there a moment, shuffling their feet like they were two 1st years again on their first date. They both went to suggest something to do, but kept interrupting the other. Ren raised this hand to let Makoto speak.
"Wanna go for a walk Harajuku?" She asked softly. Ren smiled and nodded his head.
"I'd love to." He said taking her hand in his as the two left the restaurant. They head to the train station and took a ride down to the expansive shopping district of Harajuku.
Makoto was the one to take the lead, pull Ren by his hand in all sorts of directions as the two window shopped the various stores. Makoto was like a young kid again, excitedly showing Ren all the cool things in the window. He couldn't help but smile as the two walked past a bridal shop that made them stop. They remembered Sae's question as the two blushed again, looking in opposite directions. Ren quickly went back to that image of Makoto wearing a wedding gown. Makoto was the first to recover as she grabbed Ren and quickly pulled him again away from the shop, freeing Ren from his own imagination.
"Excuse me, young lady?" A voice called out that made Makoto stop, causing Ren to almost run her over. The two looked around as a woman from one of the clothing stores was waving Makoto over. The two went over as she put on her best customer service smile. "Young lady, I can tell you are someone who wants to really impress her boyfriend here. So how about you come with me and we find you an outfit that will knock Mr. Handsome's here socks off?"
Makoto blushed as she looked at Ren. "S-Sure...I can at least take a look."
"Excellent! Follow me you two. I'm sure we have the perfect outfit for you." The lady said leading the two inside the store. She had Ren sit on a bench as she pulled Makoto all over the store, looking at different articles of clothing. "You want to show your man that you're strong. You take no crap from anyone, but you're still soft and want to be held."
Ren chuckled to himself as this woman had no idea that was what Makoto was already like. No one could imagine that the former student council president was actually more of an ass-kicker than a majority of guys she went to school with. Makoto looked completely out of her element though, as the woman kept piling clothes onto her arms. "Now, go on and try them all on and pick the one you want to show most. I just know you'll knock him dead."
Makoto groaned a bit as she was looking like she was having second thoughts. She glanced up at Ren who gave her a reassuring smile. Makoto forward her brow as she nodded her head and confidently strolled into the dressing room. Ren could hear the shuffling of clothing behind the curtain and the sound of uncertain groans from Makoto.
"Alright….this is the only one I like….please don't laugh Ren." Makoto said shakily as the curtain was pulled back and Makoto stepped out. She was wearing a white dress accented by a light blue watery pattern by the hem that hung just by her knees. It hugged her body in just the right ways, never looking to tight or loose. "Well...what do you think?" She asked raising her thumb to her mouth nervously.
"I think you look amazing. Just the absolute cutest." Ren said the smile that grew on Makoto's face only rivaled by the one the sales woman had.
"You really think so?" She asked looking down at the dress, giving herself a spin to let Ren see the whole dress.
"Absolutely." He said as Makoto looked down at her feet, embarrassed, but loving the compliment.
"Is that a sale I hear?" The sales woman said as Makoto nodded.
"Mhmm I'll take it." Makoto said as she quickly got changed back into her regular clothes and purchased the dress. The woman thanked the two for stopping by as they left the store, Makoto clutching the bag tightly. "I can't remember the last time I spontaneously bought something like this before."
"It's good to treat yourself. You should do it more often." Ren said placing his arm around her shoulder as she quickly leaned herself against him.
"You should take your own advice." Makoto said, giving her a side look. "I don't think I ever seen you spend money on something that was for yourself."
"I just don't have a need to buy a lot of things." Ren said, shrugging his shoulders.
Makoto thought about it for a second, before giving him a big wide smile. "Then from now on, I'll buy you the things. All I ask is your love and attention in returning." Makoto said, stepping in front of Ren, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Sounds like you're one of those rich older women who prey on younger men." Ren teased, his arms moving around her waist.
"Oh? Do you prefer older women Ren?" Makoto asked, tilting her head to the side. She reached up and slid his glasses off his face before placing them on herself. "Do I look older wearing these?" She asked, putting a hand behind her head.
Ren couldn't help but marvel at just how sexy Makoto looked wearing his glasses. They almost seem like they were made for her face. They made her big red eyes pop even more. He would have to let her borrow them again. "I wouldn't say older, but you definitely look sexier. They look better on you than they do me." He said smiling as Makoto smirked.
"Do they? Maybe I'll just take them for myself" She teased before sliding the glasses off her face and back on Ren, kissing his cheek as she did. "But another time. Sometime more...private." She whispered in his ear.
Ren felt the blood rushing to his face as he looked at Makoto. "Don't make promises you don't intend to keep."
"You'll just have to wait and see then." She said booping his nose. "Now come with me. There's still one place left to visit." She put on an authoritative voice, giving him a wink as she walked in front of him.
"Anything you say Ma'am." Ren said playing along, jogging lightly to catch up to Makoto. "So where are we going this time?"
"It's a surprise." Makoto said back as she led Ren back onto the train. Heading back to Shibuya Station, Ren followed her down Central Street down one of the side alleys near the highway. "Here we are." She finally said turning around to face Ren.
"And here is?" Ren asked, looking around the alley.
"This is where you saved me from that Kaneshiro punk back when we first met. When I was just a powerless girl who couldn't do anything but be a bother." Makoto said, looking at the ground as she thought back to those days before she joined the Phantom Thieves.
"Oh yeah I remember now. That dude was being a grade A creep trying to get us to deliver his drugs." Ren said standing next to Makoto as he remembered where he was standing.
"Mhmm, that was the first time some went out of their way to help me. That was the first time I felt like I wanted to do something better." Makoto said stepping closer to Ren
"Just don't go getting yourself abducted by crazed mobsters again ok?" He teased putting his arm around her as he kissed the side of her head.
"But I have my brave knight to save me. Why wouldn't I want that." She teased back, hugging him tightly. "You saved me more times than you realized." She added, resting her chin on his chest as she looked up at him.
"It's the truth. You helped me become comfortable with myself. Helped me learn to connect with others. All without the want or need for a reward." She said.
"Well not entirely. I did snatch you away before anyone else could. Pretty selfish of me there." He said laughing as Makoto joined him.
"That was a fair trade I think. After all, who could compete with you?" She said squeezing Ren tighter.
"Oh stop. Gonna give me a big head." Ren said brushing some hair out of Makoto's face.
"I won't. I'm gonna keep talking about how amazing you are everyday." She said giggling as she leaned up and kissed Ren on the lips. "I want everyone to know my boyfriend is the best thing ever." She whispered against his lips as the two continued to embrace in the moment.
"Ren pick up your phone! Ren pick up your phone! Ren pick up your phone!" A familiar voice shouted as both Ren and Makoto broke the kiss in confusion.
"Uh...is that Futaba?" Ren asked confused.
"It's…..coming from your pocket." Makoto said equally confused by the sudden interruption by Futaba. Ren dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone and couldn't help but laugh. "What is it?"
"The little gremlin went and made a personalized ringtone just for when she contacts me." Ren said showing that Futaba was the one calling him. Makoto laughed herself as he answered the call. "Yeah Futaba? Kinda in the middle of something."
"Make out with Makoto later. Sojiro is asking for you to come back to Leblanc. He wants your help closing up tonight." Futaba said earning a silent head tilt back from Ren. Makoto continued squeezing Ren, listening to the conversation, blushing that Futaba guessed what they were doing..
"Alright, I'll be there shortly." Ren said accepting defeat as he hung up. "Looks like I gotta call it an early end for us." He said frowning, running his hand through Makoto's hair.
"That's alright. Go help out boss. I'll call you tonight." Makoto said sweetly. Ren leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the lips.
"That's for the lovely lunch." He said before pecking her again. "That's for being cute." He added, giving one final peck. "And that's because I just wanted to."
Makoto can't help but laugh as she willing accepts his little tokens of love as she lets him go and gives him a quick push. "Get going already. I gotta get home and hang this dress up anyways. Maybe I'll wear it for the party." She teased as Ren grinned as he stepped out of the alley.
"You better!" He called out, heading towards the station, hoping to catch the last train back before it was too late.
Makoto, left alone for the moment, hugged the bag with her dress in it, smiling even more. "I can't wait for this party." She said to herself as she made her own way out of the alley towards home.