I own nothing. Monika does.

As soon as the door to the apartment was open, Goro rushed in and collapsed on the couch, Sayori not far behind him. The two leaned against each other in an awkward silence for a few minutes. Their rain soaked clothes stuck to them in uncomfortable ways, and yet Sayori found that easy to ignore. On any other day, she would have expected her roommate to be trying to fill the silence in order to keep both of their minds occupied, perhaps with skillful observations of something that had caught his interest that day at work, or maybe he would mention a particularly confusing part of one of his cases. If there had been nothing of the sort to talk about, he would normally suggest that they get out one of their books and attempt to read together until he declared that he needed to start dinner.

Yet tonight he was oddly quiet. Even on the ride home, when they could have talked to each other in comfort in the back of the taxi, he had been mute. As soon as they had gotten in, Goro had made sure his jacket was still secure on Sayori, and after that, had done the bare minimum of responding to her. This was so unlike the detective, who was normally eager to have people to talk to, that Sayori was becoming more and more convinced that her roommate really was sick.

Before she could bring it up, however, Goro shifted slightly before clearing his throat. "We should probably take showers before we head to bed…" He murmured, obviously trying to deflect Sayori's attention away from him. Her aura of concern for him, while endearing, only served to make the detective feel even more weary than he already was.

However, this comment seemed to have the opposite effect, because now Sayori was staring at him even more, as if waiting for something. The detective couldn't help but become worried by this. Had they run out of something that she needed? Was she waiting for him to give it to her? Or did it have something to do with their evening? Maybe after tonight… she expected him to do something more? Or was it the worst possible scenario… Did she suspect him of something?

All of these thoughts made his stomach feel as if it had turned inside out, and he began to noticeably sweat. Sayori noticed this, and added these factors on to her theory that he was most definitely sick. Which was also why she was waiting for him to get up and go take that shower he was suggesting. He had sounded like he had wanted to excuse himself earlier…

Her poor, poor roommate must be really sick. Maybe being ill just made his supposedly smart mind really slow, or just made it harder for him to get up… Or maybe Sayori was thinking too hard about this. The girl squinted at her roommate, considering her options, unaware that her narrowed eyes were only putting him more on edge.

"S-Sayori, why are you staring at me like that?" Goro asked nervously. "Aren't you cold at all in that? I… I should have brought an umbrella tonight," he began to quietly berate himself, and Sayori couldn't help but frown.

"I'm waiting for you to go take a shower! Why would you think I'm cold? You're the one without a jacket," Sayori pointed out. "Look! You're even shivering!"

Shivering was not the right word for it. It was more like he was trembling, because he hardly felt cold. However, one glance at Sayori told him she wouldn't accept any excuses. That didn't mean he wasn't going to try though.

"I'm just tired, Sayori. Tonight had been rather taxing, after all…"

Something about that seemed to cut Sayori, because now she looked absolutely livid. "Don't talk like that, Goro. You can't be just tired. Don't… don't talk like that."

Although she was trying to be stern, and have an unbreakable, unquestionable look of authority, her eyes betrayed it all. No matter how hard she tried, there were layers for how much she could hide from her roommate. She couldn't hide anything with anger or frustration, it was beyond her capabilities to act that way when all she wanted to do was take those closest to her in her arms. However, looking at Goro, she decided to give him one small mercy before she did that.

Shifting closer to him, Sayori put a supportive hand on her friend's shoulder, smiling kindly. "Goro, my dear, sweet, amazing roommate… Go take a shower before I drag you there myself," Her smile had taken on a slightly more menacing aura as those last words left her mouth. "And when you're done, let's talk. It's important."

The poor detective felt that he was in a corner. One thing had become clear in the time he had shared a space with Sayori. He could almost never say no to her, and the look on Sayori's face was that of a kitten who had just discovered she had claws.

Goro sighed before heading to the shower, knowing that in one way or another, he was not going to enjoy the conversation. At the very least, maybe the shower can help me get my thoughts in order…

Sayori was already dressed in her night clothes, waiting for him. Goro felt a strange mixture of nervousness and reassurance at that. The girl gestured to the seat beside her, expectantly. "Do you feel any better?" she asked hopefully.

"Not really," Goro admitted, much to Sayori's chagrin. "But then again, I haven't felt better about these things in a long time." He said these things hesitantly, knowing that this was uncharted territory that he had just entered. However, if there was one person who he would like to share a semblance of the truth with, Sayori was much more preferable than any others he could think of right now.

"Goro, I've had this feeling all night that there's something you aren't telling me," Sayori began, wondering how far she should try to pry. "We're friends, aren't we? You've been nothing but good to me these past months, and I can't help but feel so lucky, and happy, that you invited me into your home. I know that this is a lot to ask for, especially since I'm really only your guest in formal terms…"

Sayori sighed as she leaned her head back on the couch, silently wondering how she had never really thought to ask him things like this before. "Wow, there's really not a good way to ask this… It's just, I was hoping that hanging out tonight would be a chance for us to become… closer, but you've seemed uncomfortable the entire night. Is it because of me?"

Goro Akechi immediately stiffened, as if that was the last thing he wanted to hear. Sayori had made it clear that she needed more reassurance than he had been intending to give, more details, in order to insure he wasn't lying for her sake. He couldn't help but weakly moan, wondering who was really going to need comfort in the end.

"Sayori, don't belittle yourself like that. You've made this night better than it would have been if I had gone out alone tonight, and on any other night, no matter how hard my day has been, I can count on the fact that I can walk into an apartment that's less empty than before… You've given me a more noble goal to pursue," The detective bit his lip in consideration. He wasn't going to elaborate on the last part. That information was too sensitive for her ears to hear, and one wrong slip could put everything in jeopardy.

"Oh, I'm happy that you think of me like that…" Sayori smiled slightly, before glancing at Goro in concern. "But if I wasn't making you uncomfortable, than what was?"

The detective blanched, taking his turn to lean his head against the couch. It was obvious to Sayori that she had struck a sensitive area. However, just as she opened her mouth to take it back, the detective spoke ten words that seemed to make the entire world stop in its orbit.

"Everything about tonight, has made me think about my mother…"

It took a few seconds for Sayori to remind herself that she needed to breathe in order to speak.

"Your mother?" she gasped. Goro had never spoken about his family, and since he was living by himself at the age of seventeen, Sayori had been content to leave the subject alone. It had never occurred to her that this was something they should have talked about.

"Yeah… I should have picked a better spot to take you, but it only occurred to me when it started to rain that I wouldn't be able to handle talking about these things." For a detective, he felt that he was quite foolish for not considering these things.

"That spot was perfect, Goro. That memorial bridge was beautiful. Wait, you said it was a…" Sayori's face paled as she glanced her roommate's way. He seemed to sink further and further into the couch as realization dawned on her. "A memorial to… oh. I'm sorry, Goro… I'm sorry." Sayori felt like crying, but couldn't bring herself to do so. Afterall, there was no way she could possibly feel worse about it than him.

"It's not your fault, Sayori. There's nothing to apologize for," the detective ran a hand down his face. "If anything, it's mostly my fault."

"Your fault?" Sayori asked softly. There was that familiar alarm going off, telling her that her friend desperately needed a hug, or a hand on his shoulder, or anything he might find comforting.

"Yeah… I was one of the main people that took away my mother's future. She threw away her life because I was such a burden to care about…" Goro Akechi felt his throat close up. He shouldn't be talking about this with Sayori. If she put two and two together, she might assume that he pitied her, when that was the farthest thing from the truth. He pitied himself. He had put himself in a corner that there was no way to get out of. However much of a respite Sayori was for him, it was best that she was only there briefly. So she shouldn't bother herself with his emotional, as well as mental, issues.

But before he could say this, tell Sayori to worry about herself, she was already wrapping him in a tight hug.

"I'm not a little kid, Goro…" Sayori murmured. "I can handle hearing things like this, especially if it's coming from you. It's the least I can do after everything you've helped me with." It was true, Goro had helped her in more ways than he could fathom. He had always made sure she wasn't lost in her head for too long, and made sure the rainclouds never got too heavy…

After a long time of heavy silence, Sayori was beginning to wonder if Goro was even awake, he was rather limp as she grasped onto him afterall. Before she could investigate this, however, she felt his arms tighten around her waist, and the way the detective was once again trembling. Sayori put in as much effort as she could to hug him back just as tightly.

"It's okay, Goro. Let it out. You can cr-"

"I hate him so much!"

What? Sayori had expected sadness, maybe even fear, to be the cause of these trembles. The last thing she had expected was anger.

Yet, it made sense. He had snapped at her once before, but had apologized immediately after. Still…

"Goro? Who are you talking about?"

The detective once again went stiff, secure in the knowledge that he had slipped up. Sayori gazed up at him from where she was leaning on him, choosing not to bring up how he was slightly suffocating her, instead settling for piercing him with her worried, very sad, eyes.

Goro Akechi was inwardly chastising himself. He didn't want to talk about that trashy, manipulative excuse for a man. Not right now, at least. Instead, he simply decided to meet his roommates gaze with his own, taking a few deep breaths. Maybe if he could calm himself down in enough time, he could go back to his original sadness. It made perfect logical sense in his messed up mind that sadness was much better, simply because he could share that with Sayori, without making her worried about her own safety. His anger only ever seemed to hurt people, and he didn't want to think about what he would do if Sayori got hurt because of his rarely seen temper.

While Goro Akechi was in the middle of his emotional crisis, Sayori was thinking of the best way to calm him down. She had missed something while clinging onto him earlier… One moment they were talking about his mother's death, her poor roommate looking like he wanted to bawl his eyes out. Then suddenly he looks like he wants to strangle the next living male thing around him. The only thing currently on Sayori's mind was getting the full story, or at least the closest thing she could get to the full story, of why this normally composed detective was being such a spaz.

Of course, when it came to the emotions of others (she sucked at her own) Sayori was a genius. Retightening her grip around Goro's shoulders, the girl readjusted her position so she was as close to the detective as she could get. While Akira's assumption that they were fools for not starting a relationship earlier was true, that didn't mean Sayori wasn't waiting desperately to start one. Then she could be as unsubtle as she wanted, about how much she wanted to cuddle this stupidly smart pancake beside her.

For now, however, Sayori could settle with the role as temporary therapy pillow. When she was properly seated, she nudged her head against Goro's before calmly smiling at the fuming boy. "You went a bit too fast, Goro. Start from the beginning… How did tonight remind you of your mother?"

The poor detective spared a glance at the pink haired child, too mentally tired to so much as even blush. Instead, he focused on the earlier feeling of being drenched… trying to replace the sad feeling of loss he normally associated with it, with the old excitement of seeing his mother crossing the street.

"My mother and I used to play in the rain all the time when I was a kid…" The detective inwardly huffed to himself. "When she got home from work, whatever job she could hold down, she would spend any time she could with me. Her favorite spot was always that bridge that I took you too… said that it reminded her of home." Goro smiled at the memories, the few things that would get him through the years that would follow.

"She must have really loved you," Sayori hummed, leaning on her roommate's chest.

"She did…" Goro agreed, the smile losing some of its luster. It was a given fact that what followed her love only proved him as the burden he really was. Her love for her son caused her to give up so much, to the point that she couldn't give anymore. Subconsciously, he held Sayori a bit tighter.

"It's sad for me to think about… She died so far away from her own home. She came to Japan with hopes of getting a good education, and she left the world robbed of almost everything that had mattered most to her," Goro knew he was close to once again losing his temper.

Sayori knew this too, because she quickly made an attempt to keep his attentions off of this horrible source of misery. "Goro, tell me more… How did she spend her time with you?" Perhaps this could give her ideas of how to make him happy, if only for a short time.

Goro hesitated, wondering if the memories would hurt more if he spoke them, rather than simply thought about them in the privacy of his own mind, still slightly stuck in denial. "I do remember that she had an instrument from her homeland, but I don't remember what it was called. It was one of the few things she owned from the time before she had me. She would play it for me every night, explaining the history and meaning behind everything she performed… even had a song about the rain…"

Sayori didn't know exactly why… but she had a bad feeling about where he was going.

"One day, after she lost a particularly well paying job, she realized she had bills to pay, and a mouth to feed… and sold her instrument at a pawn shop."

A pit simultaneously dropped in both of their stomachs. Sayori's was out of horror, and Goro's out of grief.

"I think it was at that point that she really started to wear down. She became quieter, less hopeful about things, and sometimes would stare off into space for hours at a time… Then one day, she came home from work, acting happier than she had in months. I was relieved, unaware that she was only acting like that in order to give the best last day she could…" Goro finished that story, a final sad sigh escaping his lips. Sayori lightly patted his back, knowing it was something he had needed to say, even if this particular piece of information hurt.

"One more question?" Sayori asked quietly, already predicting what the answer was most likely going to be. She noticed Goro nodding slightly out of the corner of her eye, and steeled herself. For the most part, Sayori had figured out the answer to this question, but she still wanted to know for sure.

"Where was your father in all of this? Your mom obviously wouldn't have adopted you, if she was going to have so much trouble taking care of you. Yet it sounds like she took care of you all alone…" Sayori knew there was a reason Goro had yet to mention a father in this entire mess, and would have liked to leave the subject alone. But at the same time, she needed to know as much as Goro was willing to tell her, if she wanted to comfort him to the best of her ability.

Goro Akechi allowed the bare minimum of anger and frustration to enter his body. He was tired, and he didn't want to think about all of his own shitty mistake and tragedies that had lead him to this corner. Still, Sayori could at least hear the first part of how his father was absolute trash.

"My father… was scum of the Earth. My mother was only an intern at his place of work, and he wouldn't stop bugging her until… until…" The detective wanted to burrow into his own bed and never come out at this rate. He was honestly surprised at how easy it was for Sayori to keep him calm, almost to the point where he didn't want to kick his father's stupid face in.

"Until they had you?" Sayori questioned, hugging him tightly.

"Well, I think he was interested more in the part about having sex than he was the actual baby that would result out of it, but yes… When I came around, he stopped bugging her. By that, I mean he completely disappeared, leaving my mom with no other option but to drop out of school and fend for herself… And the rest is recently told history," Goro lightly grumbled. He would spare Sayori the horror stories of foster care, unless she asked questions.

He would tell her everything she wanted to know, up until the point that involved his current revenge scheme.

However, Sayori seemed satisfied enough with the answers she had gotten, and instead focused her attention on trying to make her beloved roommate feel better. Already a small, not well thought out plan was blooming in her mind for something she could do later. For now, though, she had a sure fire way to make the detective feel a bit less like dumpster leftovers, and more like the ace detective he was to her.

"I can see why you hate him…" Sayori murmured. "If it wasn't for the fact that it would be incredibly embarrassing for you to have to arrest me in public, I'd ask you to point him out in a crowd so I could have my way with him."

The detective almost smiled at that, but resisted. Aside from the fact that it was adorable how Sayori tried to look like an angry lion, only to fail miserably, there was also the fact that she wouldn't need to worry about doing anything to his father.

He already had his own plan worked out, for the most part.

"I can't really understand why he would disappear like that either. For one, considering how you are now, you must have been an adorable baby. I don't know how any sane man could say no to that," Sayori slightly teased.

This time Goro did blush, pleased by the compliment. He couldn't help but hold the girl even more tighter, if that were even possible.

"The other thing I don't get though, is how a man could act so selfishly…" Sayori could practically feel Goro nodding in agreement from her tightly held position. She decided to continue her explanation, wondering if this part would make any sense to the detective. "I mean, obviously your father had more money than your mother, and he was an actual worker, instead of just an intern. He was higher on the totem pole. Someone like that should feel that they have an obligation to help the ones who are weaker than them in that situation. Even if he couldn't have helped raise you, he should have at least provided financial support," Sayori began to ramble, knowing she probably sounded rather idealistic.

"He had different goals than my mother in that regard, ones that didn't align with having a family of any kind," Goro replied, his face darkening.

"Your father is stupid…" Sayori couldn't help but grumble. She know she sounded rather childish, a complete contrast to how she sounded only moments ago, but they both knew it was true. "If he held himself in such a high regard in order to achieve his goals, he should have held himself to a higher kindness as well…" And also a higher level of common sense…

Once again, Goro nodded. "I remember my mother once told me she decided to pay him a visit, asking him if he would be so kind to help provide a means for us to return to her home, so she could attend her grandfather's funeral, only for him to have security remove her from the premises…"

Sayori grit her teeth. If this guy was still around, she was going to tell the rest of the Phantom Thieves about this. Or if Goro made her promise not to tell anyone, she was going to march into the Metaverse herself, and probably scream at a wall for awhile. She would much rather face her roommate's trash dad in person, where she could scold and nag all she wanted, and actually have her face imprinted in the man's stupid, not functioning, brain.

"Sayori, you look even more grumpy than I do. Don't get any bad ideas," Goro scolded, completely serious.

Sayori took a few deep breaths, calming down. She then began to think about other things, things that did at least make her smile a little bit. "Whoever your dad is, you probably don't take after him at all. With all you're doing to help me, I think your mother is probably really happy."

Goro cringed, knowing how wrong that part of her assessment was. In one way, he supposed, she was right. His mother had been selectively kind to the people she trusted and liked, and standoffish to most others. Years of being taunted and mocked for being the best mother he could have hoped for had worn away her trust, as well. Still, that didn't mean he had no traits in common with his father. Their lack of mercy, as well as cunning, were the same.

That was enough to have in common with his father to make his mother incredibly disappointed from wherever her soul was trying to rest.

But Sayori still wasn't done with her own praise. "I really do mean it, Goro. These past few months have been so hard, for both of us. Yet, you've always done your best to be there for me, and make me happy. I can't help but think how much that must cause trouble for you," Sayori mumbled, recalling the shopping trips they frequently made.

Goro Akechi could hear his roommate as if she were shouting in his ear, despite how quietly she said that last part. "It's no trouble, Sayori," he quietly assured, putting on a kind smile. "As you said earlier, you are as much my guest, as you are my roommate. I should do my best to make sure you are comfortable staying with me."

"Well, now that I have a broader view of how things have been for you, and the fact that you haven't bothered to tell me this until now," Sayori couldn't help but roll her eyes slightly, "I can't help but think you've been pushing yourself too hard for my sake. I just want you to know that you don't have to do that for me. It makes me sad to see the ones I hold so close feel like that."

Sayori was misinterpreting things immensely. Goro needed to dispel those thoughts right away. Sighing, he slightly loosened his grip on the girl, getting ready to explain one last thing for the night. "I have a lot of things I'd rather not tell you, Sayori. There are secrets about me that I hope you never have to hear… But telling you this stuff is me trying to tell you how much I trust you, because I know when I ask, you won't tell a single soul about this… And it's also me trying to say how much I want you to trust me. I'll get you home, just like I said I would, and I'll keep you safe until then. And please believe me when I say this, but I care about you, Sayori. I care more about you, then I do most people…" Now it was his turn to ramble, blushing multiple shades of crimson as he did so. I think she gets the point now, so why won't my mouth stop moving?

Sayori giggled, amused by the detective's embarrassed antics. She had to admit, she did trust him, with most things. She still couldn't let go of her suspicions, because if he really was that dangerous black masked person everyone was worried about, she needed to consider the safety of her friends. Yet at the same time, she was so incredibly emotionally biased. I'm basically the worst double agent in the history of double agents. It was a bit of an issue, she supposed, that she cared so much for this guy… But she enjoyed looking at his dorky face too much to stop anytime soon.

Still, there was one thing she couldn't help but selfishly wonder…

Could she have both?

Sayori was confused who she was supposed to side with in this situation. But she wanted to believe she was making the right choice…

"One more question, before I go to bed?" Sayori asked hesitantly, spreading herself out on the couch.

Goro paused in his embarrassed mumblings, looking at Sayori with curiosity. He slowly nodded.

"About tonight…" Sayori thought back to the beautiful playset bridge, complete with a tragic backstory, about their final conversation of the night, and how much Goro was trying to assure he that he cared about her. "Was tonight… a date? I mean, do you consider it to be one?"

Yes! Goro Akechi desperately wanted to shout that, scream it even. He wanted Sayori to know what he was trying to get at with all of his stupid attempts at flirting, masked as a protective detective looking out for his roommate… But at the same time, there was another side to this he always kept in the back of his mind, her safety. While he was adamant in pursuing her romantically, Goro had never intended to let the public know in any way. While he trusted Sayori not to brag to the public, he didn't trust the people she would inevitably tell, simply to get her feelings out.

Either way, if the public ever found out that he had been out with a girl, in a way he considered to be a date no less, that would be one more thing others could hold over his head. Not to mention, Sayori would have an even harder time dealing with people. It was much better that Sayori stay under the radar, not only so she specifically wouldn't get caught, but also because the attention the public would give her would make things harder for her.

Sighing inwardly to himself, knowing he was about to disappoint Sayori, himself, and his long dead mother, Goro calmed himself down enough to answer. "No, Sayori… It wasn't a date. It was just… a friendly outing." He offered a small, very forced, smile, and began to head towards his bedroom, slouched the entire way.

Sayori felt disappointed for a moment, until she decided to take at least one more chance. She had already basically declared her crush for him anyway, with that question… What would one more be?

"Would you have liked if it had been a date?"

Goro Akechi froze, as if he hadn't considered at least mentioning that small bit of side information. He very much would have liked that. Glancing at Sayori, he weighed his options. While he could just say "Yes," like an actual functioning human being, he knew for a fact that he was far from functional. Not to mention, he had always been one for dramatics.

So instead, blushing the entire way back to a spot beside the couch, he planned what exactly he could do. Throwing caution to the wind was not something he trusted himself to do, knowing his track record with that was anything but good.

Sitting beside the couch, legs crossed, he made sure he was face to face with the now incredibly confused, embarrassed girl. Or maybe she was just stunned? It was hard to tell… He was slightly above her head, but it was close enough for his liking. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Sayori's arm was hanging limply off the side of the couch. He gently took her hand in his own.

At this point Sayori seemed to know where he was going with this, and nervously wondered what she should do. Should she lean forward? Any other action she could come up with seemed almost too direct, so she decided to go with that. Tilting her head slightly towards the detective, Sayori closed her eyes. She trusted him, and she wanted him to know that.

Goro looked at the girl's flaming face and smiled coyly. Judging by how tight her face was, she was obviously incredibly nervous. She expected so much, but he wasn't planning anything too special. Leaning in, he chose a particular spot on her cheek… Or maybe he should go for the forehead? Afterall, it was an odd fixation of Sayori's to mess with his hair, and her bangs were always in the way…

Finally, he made his decision.

So, how did it go?

Ann's text came much later that night. She was probably expecting too much, and she knew it. However, if Sayori and Akechi made it to any bases in the weird baseball metaphor of love, it was best to give them all the time they needed.

You won the bet, Ann. Go to bed. I'll tell you guys about it tomorrow. Sayori's reply came a little bit later, causing a huge smile to cross Ann's face.

Throwing her phone onto her night stand, Ann relaxed in her sheets. Summer had barely even begun, and already she felt that things were looking up. After she declared victory tomorrow, she would have to remember to arrange a spa day. The people who had helped her deserved a reward after all.

What would the summer bring next? If only they knew…

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I suppose in story terms, there are a lot of events I could cover until it's finally time for Futaba's palace. However, aside from a confrontational dinner with Sae and Makoto, I have come up with nothing. So for the first chapter of 2019, I'm asking you, yes you, not the guy standing next to you, if you have any ideas for what I could cover, or have Sayori do, with the rest of the main cast. Please leave any ideas in the comments, possible with a review if you are able. I'll see all of you next week!