It had started with an appointment she didn't want to go to, the pain she'd been hiding for years trying so hard to come to the surface despite her efforts to crush them back down. He was much too kind, and broke whatever resolve she might have had in keeping everything to herself. Eventually, it all becomes too much, too painful, and it overflows, with his warm, welcoming hands waiting to hold her as she cried. This clumsy but soft man would be the beginning of the end for her pain, but reality can be cruel sometimes.


Hi y'all! There simply isn't enough Maruki fanfics out there, at least, ones where he's involved in a relationship with a reader/original character, so I thought I'd remedy that! A lot of this is inspired by an RP that is still ongoing with a friend on Tumblr. This is also my very first fanfic, so pls feel free to give constructive criticism but also keep in mind the main form of writing I've been doing for years and years has been RPing on Tumblr. I'm not that confident in my writing tbh, especially since I don't have experience writing fanfics, but I hope y'all like it!

OC is the adopted older sister to the protagonist, whose name will be Akira Kurusu here. She is a Persona user as well, though not a phantom thief. She falls kinda fast for Maruki, but tries to fight it. Maruki takes longer than her to come to the realization that he likes her.

OC is 23, Maruki is 29.

Follows the course of Royal, but doesn't touch on every single thing that happens in the game. Will focus more on the relationship between OC and Maruki, as well as between OC and the protagonist.

NO BETA, ONLY ME. I'll more than likely edit every chapter that goes up at least once, because I don't tend to notice mistakes in grammar, spelling, or things I wanted to add and/or change until I actually upload it.


" No, no please, I'm begging you, ple-! "

SHWING!

The sound of metal flying through the air and then cutting into something solid sounded off, the frantic, begging voice cut off with a gurgle before a hiss was heard. The shadow disappeared in a mist of black as a female figure stood over where it had previously been. Short in stature, though the heels she wore helped to add to her height, the longer than normal dagger held in her hand was shaking just slightly. Short breathes escaped her mouth as her hair, a deeper black than one would typically see in Japanese people, fell over her shoulders to hide her face from view. The deed she had done was over with, and yet, she stood there, shaking like a leaf in the wind. As she straightened up, the pink rimmed white mask upon her face only doing so much to hide her identity, confliction could be seen in her eyes.

Am I really doing the right thing?

The thought echoed loudly in her mind as she made to turn and leave the underground subway station, her heels clacking softly with each step she took. Mementos was as creepy as usual, and perhaps that was why she was on edge. She'd never really gotten used to the place despite how many times she had been there. The atmosphere as well as the way everything looked was just something she could never get used to. It was funny though. Though she liked scary movies very much, encountering a real life scary movie, made her legitimately scared. Maybe that was why she was breathing so heavily. It could also just be the adrenaline from the kill, which always seemed to bother her in some way. She always had to convince herself that it was a good thing she had done, and that she had eased or downright gotten rid of someone elses cause of suffering in their life.

Using her phone to leave the metaverse once she got back to the entrance of the place, a wave of exhaustion crashed over her and she felt her posture slump as a result. God, she was never going to get used to that. It was a wonder how she even managed to have as much energy for everything else, though the sugar filled sodas she loved so much might have something to do with that. She only ever got enough sleep to function on after all. Well, she usually did, at least.

" Ugh, it's so late now, I probably won't be able to get much sleep before my schedule tomorrow morning…. "

Technically already the next morning, a groan left her lips as she looked at her phone. It was 12:27, but it would only take her fifteen minutes or so to get home to her much too large condo, despite how tired she was. By the time she'd walked through the front door, it took all of whatever energy she had left to even be able to make it to one of the sofas in the living area. Collapsing onto it, it took all of two minutes before she was passed out, phone still gripped in her hand. Good thing it was, because the alarm set to go off in less than five hours was going to be a particularly loud one.

. . .

" Evie, please, would you take this seriously?! "

Snapping to attention as her name was practically screamed in her direction, Evelyn nodded her head in response and then proceeded to try a different pose for the camera aimed at her. Her head pounded with a headache, so she had simply been slumping forward in pain, though her expression remained neutral. Obviously that didn't mean she wasn't taking the photoshoot seriously, she just needed a break! However, that wasn't going to happen any time soon, because her lunch break wasn't for another couple hours. The photoshoot itself wasn't supposed to take that long, but there was a meeting after it to discuss which photos to use for the cover of the magazine she was going to be on. The front page of the magazine, to be specific.

" Yes, sorry! "

Proceeding to strike a pose, this continued on for about thirty more minutes before the camera man gave the okay that they were done. She couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped her lips, though she made sure to not slump forward in case her manager was still watching. As far as she knew, he was doing something else in another room. Walking over to where her bag was, she pulled out her phone to check the time, and noticed she had a few missed calls from her parents. More specifically, her mother. Why had they called her was beyond her, because she hadn't gotten word from them about anything in almost a year. It was surprising, and before she could go to call them back, her mothers number popped up on the phones screen and Evelyn wasted no time in answering.

" Uh, mom? Is something wrong? Why'd you and dad call me?"

" Ayaka, we've got unfortunate news for you. Your brother is going to be coming to Tokyo and we need you to help him adjust to being there. "

Confusion spread across her features and her brow furrowed. Akira was coming to Tokyo? The annoyance at being called her former name only briefly crossed her mind; finding out what was going on was more important than arguing yet again with her mother over the name she preferred to be called.

" Uuuhh, why's he coming here? Did something happen? "

" He can tell you more when he gets there, but he got in trouble with the police, so he's on probation now. "

Shock flashed across her face and worry began to spread within her chest. What had happened?!

" Um?! Why can't you tell me what happened? Why do I have to wait for him to tell me more? "

" Listen, honey, it's complicated. He'll be there in about a week, so make sure to call him and give him your address! Bye, love you! "

Before Evelyn could say anything else, her mother hung up and she was left with nothing but a feeling of frustration. Leave it to her mother to not tell her what was going on, and then just leave her hanging like that. Looking around quickly to make sure no one needed her at the moment, she tapped away on her phone, texting Akira to ask what was going on. Luckily, he seemed more open to explaining what was going on, and the frustration she was feeling bloomed into fury as he sent a few paragraphs summarizing what had happened. What the hell! He was arrested because he had tried to help a woman who was being harassed? He had only tried to help, but the man who was harassing the woman fell, got hurt, and then blamed it on Akira? The fact their parents didn't seem to do much, if anything at all, about it all only made her even more angry. Then again, she shouldn't be surprised. They couldn't even use the name she wanted them to use when referring to her, so why should she expect them to care that their son had been falsely accused of assault?

Evelyn felt so bad for her brother, this couldn't have been easy for him to deal with, and it only took a second for her to decide to do what she could to help him once he got to Tokyo. She wasn't sure what she could do with her current schedule, as ruthless as it had been lately, but she could afford to put her foot down here and there to make time for him, couldn't she?

" Evie, time for the front page meeting! "

Sighing, she put her phone back into her bag, scratching at her head as her headache suddenly got worse. This was going to be a long day, wasn't it?

. . .

The days following the photoshoot seemed to bleed together, a whirlwind of activity that left hardly any time to rest and barely enough time to sleep. Between her schedules, she spent time preparing her condo to welcome her brother to the city as well as researching the school he was going to, Shujin Academy. She'd never heard of it, but apparently it was a good school if the things she had read online were anything to go by. She didn't even have time to go to Mementos to carry out another of her "hits", as she liked to call them. No one was actually making her do them, no one but herself, but that was besides the point. She had begun doubting what she was doing when it came to that in the first place, and so it was almost a relief that she didn't have time to go there.

He wasn't going to be staying with her, so she had no idea why she was making sure her place was looking the best it could, but maybe it was just because she was trying to make sure it would be a safe place for him to come to if he ever needed to. Perhaps he'd come over if he needed to de-stress, or needed someone to talk to. She had already decided to give him a spare key so that he could come in whenever he wanted, even if she wasn't home, knowing she could trust him enough to do so without risking anyone robbing her home.

Before she knew it, the day he'd be coming over arrived and she was lucky enough to get home in time to welcome him inside. Akira had already been in Tokyo for a couple days by then, so she guessed she was lucky he'd had trouble finding her place. A few minutes later and he'd have probably gotten there before her!

It was awkward at first, and Evelyn found that she was the one doing most of the talking. He was able to tell her more details of what had happened that night and the subsequent consequences of his actions, and it took all she had to not get angry in front of him and keep a smile plastered on her face. He wasn't happy with how things had ended up for him, that much she could tell, but he was also handling everything in stride. She wasn't sure she'd be able to do the same thing if she were in his shoes, so she found herself admiring how strong he was being. They continued to talk over take out she had ordered shortly after he'd been let inside, chahan from a local place she'd never tried, but it wasn't long before it was time for him to go back home to where he was staying. Someone named Sojiro Sakura, whom so far, seemed to be viewing him as a burden, if what Akira had told her was anything to go by. She hoped that changed, and soon, because if it didn't she'd have to try and do anything she could to see if he could come live with her instead. Although she knew that wasn't likely to happen no matter how hard she'd try, it was still a fight she would give her all for.

Once he was gone, she felt a strange sadness wash over her, and she found herself vaguely thinking about maybe getting a cat or two.

. . .

The days following her brothers visit seemed to blur together, though not in a good way. She was exhausted daily, and her schedule just did not seem to be getting any less busy. They were really trying to push her right now, for her own success they had said, and while she was grateful that her management seemed to care so much about her success, it was beginning to take a toll on her. So much so that, without warning one day, her manager pulled her aside and ask if she was alright. "You've looked really down lately", he had said. He mentioned her lack of energy as well as the fact that she had looked downright depressed more often than not when the camera wasn't on her. It made her angry with herself, because she was the type to suffer in silence, and so the fact that she had slipped up so much recently that she was being asked about it only served to make things worse. She ended up lashing out at her manager, which resulted in him putting his foot down and halting all of her activities completely. Any schedule she may have had for the foreseeable future was now canceled and she was completely dismayed as a result. He had implored her to seek help, maybe in the form of a therapist or something like that, and then told her to go home.

That night, she cried herself to sleep as the exhaustion she'd been dealing with the past few weeks all seemed to have been for naught. Every bit of her effort felt like it had been wasted, and now she found herself with absolutely nothing to do. She could make music, or practice dancing, sure, but it just wouldn't be the same if she didn't have anyone to show it to on a stage.

She had been seeing her brother at least once or twice a week since he had come to Tokyo, and during one of these visits after she had been forced into her hiatus, she offhandedly mentioned what was going on to him. She needed help, she said. She needed to see a therapist, according to her manager. She couldn't help the tone of disdain in her voice as she had told Akira all of this, though it wasn't directed at him. He then mentioned had started seeing a counselor himself, one by the name of Dr. Maruki, and that he seemed like a nice guy who could possibly help her like he was helping Akira. Though she didn't think she needed the help she had been told to get, she asked him for a way to get into contact with the doctor, and then proceeded to make an appointment the next day. Then, all she had to do was wait until the day of the appointment would come. The days leading up to it were a blur in a different way as she found herself getting too much sleep, too much rest. Perhaps it should have been a blessing considering how ridiculously busy she had been previously, but instead it was nothing but a problem.

Not willing to acknowledge it, but knowing it was indeed there, depression had become a near constant in her new every day life. She barely even ate enough to function. It was honestly pathetic, that all it took to break her down to a state like this was just being told she couldn't perform anymore. For now, at least. The passion she held for her career choice was usually what kept her going, and to have that taken away without her say so was heartbreaking.

The day came where she would finally meet this Dr. Maruki, and it couldn't have been more awkward. He seemed nice enough, welcoming her into his office with a warm smile, but considering the fact she didn't want to be there in the first place, it made the atmosphere tense at first. Well, on her end at least.

" Well, I'm Maruki Takuto, and I hope I can help you in whatever way you may need! Do you want something to drink? "

He gave his full name and offered her a drink; of the options provided, she chose soda. It probably wasn't the best idea, considering the amount of sleep and food she'd been dealing with recently, but her addiction to the sugary drink wouldn't let her refuse. Her sleep schedule had been a mess since she'd started sleeping so much, and it her drinking as much soda as she did had not been helping.

" So, I heard your brother, Kurusu Akira, recommended me to you. I can't help but be surprised by that, I think he sings my praises a bit too much, but nevertheless, I'm here to help! Nothing leaves this room that you don't want to leave it, so please, feel free to talk freely! "

Evelyn couldn't help the smile that had made it's way to her lips at the mention of her brother. Akira really was such a good kid, wasn't he? Even though he didn't know she didn't want to go to counseling, he had been so ready to help her with this recommendation, and it warmed her heart to know he cared so much.

" Thanks, uh, I've….never been to counseling before. Even when I was in school, I was never sent to the school counselor or anything like that, so I'm…not really sure what to talk about. "

" That's perfectly fine! We can just have a normal conversation about anything that may come to mind! How about I start?" He waited a moment before continuing.

"I tried to make my own apple juice the other day, but I ended up with apple mush instead of juice. Guess I should try to get a juice machine since I can't seem to do it myself, haha! "

Her expression didn't change from its neutral state, though her tone of voice as she replied to him indicated she thought what he had said was funny.

" Really? I have a juicer myself, I could recommend a good one to you if you want… "

He blinked before chuckling lightly, reaching up to scratch at the back of his head. " You'd do that? You don't have to, but I'd appreciate it nonetheless! "

" Yeah, er…."

The awkwardness was coming back, and she figured the only way to break it would be to just flat out say why she was there.

" Listen, Doctor, I'm not really here because I want to be….I'm kind of being forced to be here….." She neglected to say who was forcing her here, because at the time she was refusing to even think of his name, let alone give him room in her head. Petty, she knew, but she honestly couldn't help it. "I don't think there's anything wrong with me, but who knows….maybe there is and I'm just in denial."

He looked thoughtful for a moment before regarding her with a kind smile. " I see…Well, I don't know much about your predicament, but I can say that I have at least a little experience with celebrities! Well, sort of, heheh. I'm currently seeing a rising star in the world of gymnastics, your brother might even know her! "

She highly doubted that a gymnast was similar to her in any way, but she refrained from saying so because it was rude. Instead, she let out a soft sigh, tucking some hair behind her ear as she mumbled a "maybe" in reply. A beat of silence came and went before he spoke again, his head tilted to the side slightly.

" Let's see, why don't you walk me through what a normal day is like for you? Maybe we can start from there. "

A grimace showed on her face at this, but she complied with it for the time being. The sooner she can get this done and over with the sooner she can go home, after all. "Well, nowadays I sleep a lot, but that's not how it used to be. Ever since I got forced into this stupid hiatus, I don't really have anything to do…." She couldn't keep the bitter tone out of her voice, but really, why even bother trying to do so. She was bitter, and she felt she had every right to show it. Though, she was kind of lying when she said she didn't really have anything to do. She had plenty of hobbies she could partake in, but they just didn't seem like they were worth the effort right now.

" Sleeping too much could be a sign of something else going on….but hmm, it looks like you've been given too much free time, too fast, but I'm sure there's something you could do to fill the time! Reading or playing video games are good things to do to make the time pass, as well as exercising! "

Oh, if only he knew just how much exercise she technically got every day. Well, she used to get a lot exercise, usually in the form of dancing, but now it was different. Sure, she could have kept up with it herself, but it all boiled down to what the point of it was? She was just so depressed over the hiatus she'd been forced into that she couldn't bring herself to take part in any of the things she loved to do anymore.

" I get what you're saying, but I also don't see the point of it…what's the point in doing anything like that if I don't even have my livelihood to look forward to every day?"

This thought only served to frustrate her and she ended up putting her face in her hands, trying to calm herself down as she felt her face heat up. That usually meant she was about to cry, and she really didn't want to cry there, in front of him. Not in this situation. She couldn't even bring herself to respond to his words, nor did she even notice he had moved forward slightly in his seat across from her.

" You're not alone in this Miss Evelyn. I'm here to help you, even if you don't think you need it. "

She almost wanted to roll her eyes, the frustration she was feeling stating to bleed into something else. Yet, his words comforted her, if only a little. That also served to upset her as well, however, and she found herself letting out a shaky huff.

" I just wish everything could go back to normal….this isn't fair…."

Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes from behind her hands, she realized with horror, and so she desperately tried to keep them from falling by blinking rapidly. She needed to calm down, getting upset here wouldn't do her any good. If anything, it would make her situation even worse.

" Evelyn." Somehow, her name without a "miss" in front of it seemed to make her feel warm, and she briefly wondered if she was getting sick from how hot her face was getting. Maybe all that soda had finally done some damage. "Please, you're not alone in this, I'm here for you to use however you feel you may need to. I understand how hard it can be for your life to be ripped away from you, truly, I do. But, you're not alone, alright? I can help you! You just have to trust me. "

Hostility immediately flared up inside her, and she wanted to shout at him to shut up, to go away, but instead she remained silent. The tears in the corners of her eyes finally fell, and she found herself feeling exasperated. Was the kindness he was offering really all it took to break her down to this point? Clearly she was weaker than she gave herself credit for.

Hearing a shift in the seat he was occupying, she vaguely wondered if he was going to get up, but it didn't matter what he was going to do anyway. The fact she was crying in front of him, in front of anyone, was humiliating to her. She only ever cried in private, usually in the comfort of her own room, but to be crying here, in such a vulnerable state, only seemed to fuel the upset she was feeling right then. If she was going to have to endure being there, the least he could do was use her preferred nickname. It would bring at least some comfort to her, aside from the comfort he himself was bringing her with his kind words. Kind words that seemed to be having the opposite effect on her.

" Call me Evie, please…"

A pause, and then he spoke again, his tone gentle and understanding.

" Evie…please let me help you. That's what I'm here for. " Another pause. " Did you know crying can make you feel better afterwards? Usually, when people are done crying, a chemical releases inside their body that helps them feel emotionally better. "

A lengthy pause then ensued, in which he took her hands away from her face and held them in his own, which surprised her, but she made no move to remove her hands from his soft grip. It felt nice, actually, but how professional was it that he was holding her hands? It didn't do anything to quell the tears though, which only seemed to increase as they fell down her cheeks, but it did make her heart skip a beat.

" W-what can you do then? Where do….where do we even begin? "

He gave her a bright smile, his eyes closing as he did so. " We'll figure that out as we go, but for now, how we just stick to having normal conversations? I don't want to force you to open up about anything until you're ready. "

A tiny smile appeared on her own lips as his own seemed to light the office up; it was kind of contagious, his smile. It made her want to smile too. A beeping sound suddenly sounded off, startling her and making him look over to his phone. An alarm had apparently gone off on it.

" Well, that's the time. Are you going to be alright? I can extend the session if you need a little more time to calm down. "

Ah, so that was what it had been. The session had gone by so fast, it seemed, and she was almost disappointed over that fact. Shaking her head, however, she pulled her hands from his and wiped at the tear streaks on her cheeks as she made to stand up.

" N-No, I'll be fine. I … kind of want to get home and take a nap anyway. "

Nodding, a smile was still there on his face as he pulled away as well, moving to do something on the computer at his desk. " How's next week sound for you then? We can do weekly sessions if you feel that works with your schedule! "

A sardonic smirk flittered onto her lips, aimed more at herself than him. " Well, I don't really have much of a schedule right now, so that doesn't really matter…..but yes, weekly sessions sounds alright. "

" Great! I'll see you then! It was nice meeting you, Evie! "

No response was given to him as she stood up and left, feeling like his eyes were on her back until she knew she was out of his sight. It took every ounce of the energy she had left after crying like that to make it home without collapsing and passing out. She hadn't cried like that in such a long time, even the other night when she had cried herself to sleep wasn't as bad as this had been. Evelyn found herself wondering if she should actually even go to the next appointment, but the fear of her manager ending her career kept her from thinking too much on that. Sure, it was irrational, that fear, but she couldn't help it. In the ten plus years she'd been doing this she had never once taken a break or hiatus, after all. It was such an alien concept to her, it just made her feel sick. She was happiest when she could sing and dance on a stage, but now she couldn't do that and it felt like she had nothing to live for anymore. Oddly enough, she's kind of looking forward to her next appointment with the doctor now. Maybe it was because he was so cute, heheh.