Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 5 or any of its characters, only any original ones depicted here.

Chapter title comes from "Stormy Weather" – Tokio Hotel.

~•~•~•~

The next five days had passed quickly, especially on the weekend, and it was now September 28th. The Phantom Thieves had their deadline for the next heist approaching very soon; it was time for the group to finetune the details.

Akira, Ryuji and Ann sat in their meeting room, casually chatting about their day as they waited for two people: Fox and Makoto. The missing thief had to finish up some errands while the inspector was on her way from work. The leader was wary about Makoto since he last spoke to her Sunday night. He had called her and informed her that they were holding a meeting at 6 PM today to discuss the last bit of their plans, to which she agreed to attend (not like she had a choice). But so many things could go wrong until he saw her in person in this very room.

Maybe she had snitched and had a fellow SIU officer tailing her.

Maybe she planted her chip on a decoy.

Or maybe she wasn't even going to come.

"Think I could get Fox to fix my gloves?"

Akira looked up at the sound of Ryuji's voice. "Again?"

The blond man grunted. "Damn thing got snagged on my pipe and ripped at the thumb."

Ann sighed, toying with the end of her ponytail. "You know, I don't know why he doesn't charge you for that. He could make a killing off of that alone."

"It's not like I'm doin' it on purpose, babe!"

Lips quirking a bit as the couple continued with their usual banter, the dark-haired man heard his phone buzz on the table. Picking it up, he saw a new text message from Makoto.

'I'm downstairs.'

Making a sound of approval, Akira interrupted the duo. "Hey, she's here. Can one of you let her in?"

At the mention of the guest, Ann and Ryuji looked at their leader before shooting each other a look of reluctance.

"Uh…rock, paper, scissors?"

~•~•~•~

Makoto kept her phone in her hand, waiting for a reply from Joker to know if he got her message. She hoped he saw it and didn't leave her out here too long; standing in front of an abandoned warehouse could make even an innocent child look suspicious.

Tapping her foot a bit, she reflected on Sunday night when her phone had started ringing while she was making lunch for the next day. Answering it without looking at the caller ID, she was a bit surprised to hear the deep voice of the Phantom Thieves' leader. He did mention he was going to keep in contact with her but she didn't expect it to be so soon. A meeting was going to be held on Tuesday to go over some last-minute details regarding the upcoming heist; this was going to be new territory for Makoto. Joker explained that they would fill her in as much as possible but she had to be attentive and be able to soak everything in like a sponge. She remembered huffing at that, saying that she was always a good listener and was going to catch on quick. The amused chuckle he gave preceded a cocky 'sure you will', prompting the brunette to give him a brisk goodbye before hanging up, chopping the rest of her onions with more force than necessary.

Just as she was about to send another text, the metal door opened up halfway before a hand motioned her to enter.

Makoto quickly squeezed herself in before looking up to see Skull shutting the door behind her. The man then shoved his hands in his hoodie pockets and gave her a slight lift of his chin.

"Yo."

Clearing her throat, she gave him a small nod back. "Hello."

"Surprised you actually showed up solo. Or are one of your buddies hidin' out there?"

Makoto's ruby eyes rolled at the blond's hostility. "No, none of my 'buddies' even know I'm here. Have at least a little bit of trust in me."

Skull snorted in disbelief, raising a short brow. "Trust and cops don't mix for me, lady, you'll catch on to that pretty soon." He turned and began walking towards the stairwell. "C'mon, everyone is waitin'."

Following the man, Makoto kept a respectable distance as they climbed the two flights of stairs. She couldn't help but think in hilarity to herself how much easier this was versus climbing up a fire escape and busting a window open.

The two eventually reached the meeting room, Skull letting her walk in first. "Cop lady's here."

Joker and Panther paused their conversation to look up at their guest, the former's mouth tilting while the latter frowned. Makoto stepped closer to the table and nodded at each of them. "Hello Joker, Panther."

"Hello Makoto. Nice to see you kept your word."

She shot the leader a look of indifference. "Of course I kept my word, it wouldn't be very wise of me to not show up."

Panther mumbled, not quite enough for Makoto to not hear. "Pity you did show up."

Her quip earned a glare from the inspector and a look from Joker that screamed 'behave'. The woman wasn't fazed as she continued leaning back in her chair, legs crossed as she played with the end of her ponytail. The brunette prayed that she wouldn't continue with this the rest of the day, not trusting herself to keep her temper in check with constant smart comments. There was only so much attitude she could handle. Skull walked over to the chair next to Panther and plopped down into it, wrapping an arm around her shoulders before rubbing her arm. The blonde's icy expression melted a bit at the touch, leaning into the other a bit. Joker took this distraction to clear his throat, catching Makoto's attention. He motioned to one of the empty chairs on the opposite side from the couple.

"Take a seat."

The woman complied, heading over to the folding chair and sitting down, shifting a bit to get comfortable before setting her purse down on the floor. Clasping her hands in her lap, she did her best to avoid looking in the blond duo's direction, looking up and meeting Joker's steel eyes instead. "Are we still waiting for Fox and Oracle?"

"Fox should be here any minute, Oracle is here though."

At this, Makoto's face became confused. "They are?" There were only four of them in the room, how could they be-

A crackling sound followed by a bit of static came out all of a sudden, making her jump. "I'm right here, lady!"

Makoto's eyes widened and went to the source of the feminine voice, noticing a small speaker sitting at the long end of the table. "O-Oh…hello, Oracle."

"'Sup?"

"Um…is there a reason you're not present in the room?"

"Got too many things to do down here. Besides, I've got cameras so I can see all of you in high def! Hey Skull, you missed a patch of hair on the back of your head again."

The observation brought a curse out of the man. "Aw come on, I'm gonna kill that damn barber of mine! 'It won't show that much', my ass."

His complaining brought a chuckle and a giggle out of the two other thieves while Makoto couldn't help a small quirk of her lips. It went away though when Oracle spoke again.

"By the way, lady, you really need to get more sleep, you snore like a big old bear."

The brunette's jaw dropped at her sentence, shocked at how she said it so casually. "Wh- I do get enough sleep!"

A huff came out of the speaker. "Uh huh, sure you do. Since Thursday, you've only slept thirty-one hours. And don't act like you go back to sleep or take naps, I hear you rustling around like you're getting ready for work at the crack of dawn."

If Makoto's personal bubble didn't already feel violated with the tracking chip, now it had been popped completely. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment as the others stared at her in mirth at her poor sleep schedule and…loud noises. She came here to work, not to be ridiculed, dammit.

Thankfully, the door opened and interrupted Oracle's scrutiny.

In stepped a very tall person (they had a couple of inches on Joker and Skull) with a large tote bag on their right shoulder and hands full of multiple plastic bags. Their hair was dark blue and shoulder-length, tied into a low ponytail while the bangs nearly covered their left eye. A baggy white shirt sat on their torso, the collar loose enough to expose black tank top straps and their bare right shoulder; a graphic of a large black paint splatter engulfed the lower left side. A long silver chain hung from their neck, a small ring of various keys hanging at the bottom below their chest. Their jeans were a regular denim color and flared out slightly at the bottom, nearly hiding the shiny black loafers on their feet. They kicked the door closed behind them before speaking in a deep voice.

"Apologies, everyone. I had to run back home and grab my sketchbook. It slipped my mind that I would have to be making a creation for our newest member." The man's gray eyes scanned the room before landing on Makoto, his head tilting in curiosity. She couldn't help but swallow a bit at how intensely he was sizing her up. "So this is her…"

Joker got up from his seat and walked over to him, standing next to the man and motioning his hand out towards the inspector. "Fox, this is Makoto Nijima. Makoto, Fox."

Makoto got up and walked over to Fox, holding a hand out. "It's nice to meet you, Fox. My apologies for imposing."

Fox snapped out of his staring at her voice and set some bags down so he could clasp her hand and shake it. "Hello Nijima-san. Please, don't apologize. I'm sure you have your reasons for aligning with us and while I am a bit wary on them-" She swore she saw a sparkle in his eyes. "I am sure we will manage to cooperate. But I must say, I am honored to be in the presence of an aesthetically pleasing person. You are very unlike those brutish officers I see on the streets, there's an elegance about you."

Makoto couldn't help but blink owlishly at him. 'What a way to introduce yourself.'

"O-Oh…thank you?"

Fox's lips curled a bit. "You are very welcome, ma'am."

The two let go of each other's hands before Makoto took her seat once more, leaving Fox to set the rest of his bags down. He pulled a large sketchbook and a pencil case out of the tote bag before taking the seat open next to her, wasting no time in flipping it open to a blank page before scribbling. Seeing that everyone was accounted for now, Joker walked to the long end of the table in front of their whiteboard.

"Alright, is everyone ready now?"

Everyone in the room nodded while Oracle gave a 'yup' from the speaker.

"Good. First things first, we have a new member in our midst." His eyes fell on Makoto's garnet ones. "Makoto Nijima, welcome to the Phantom Thieves. Usually I'd have you tell us a bit about yourself and why you joined but I don't think that's necessary, no?"

Makoto narrowed her eyes at the cocky smirk the leader gave. "No, it's not. Besides, I don't think anyone here would care to hear what I have to say."

Panther and Skull chuckled a bit, the former giving a snarky comment. "At least she knows how to read the room."

Ignoring them, the brunette crossed her arms. "Why don't you just spare the formalities and get me up to speed, Joker? I'm sure there's still some issues you have to resolve before we go on this heist."

The dark-haired man didn't say anything for a few seconds, looking at her with an unreadable expression in his charcoal eyes before he nodded. "Nice to see we're on the same level. I'm assuming you managed to read some of what was on the board before you got caught?"

"All I saw was that you were targeting Higuchi Hitoshi, the layout of his house, who was designated to steal certain items and the deadline. I have heard of Hitoshi-san before, he's an executive producer from Sunshine Studios, correct?"

"Yes, that's right."

Makoto raised a brow. "Tell me why you're targeting him."

Joker leaned down, resting his hands on the metal table, his tone now grave. "Hitoshi has a pretty clean image to the public but we've gotten word from sources that he's been sexually harassing his employees for God knows how long."

The inspector was a bit surprised to hear this, not having heard any reports or allegations about the producer. "And no employees have told the authorities or even their HR representative?"

Skull piped in now, his leg bouncing on the ground. "That's the issue, the piece of shit has been threatenin' to fire them if they squeal to anyone. Apparently, it's hard to get hired at Sunshine Studios so a lot of the victims don't wanna risk losin' their jobs."

Panther joined in, a scowl on her pretty face. "And getting fired can also lead to getting blacklisted in the industry. It's awful…"

Makoto picked up on the twinge of sorrow in the blonde's voice, wondering if this situation was hitting a bit close to home. Either way, she could see why the gang was targeting this man. Using his position to prey on earnest workers was despicable. It boiled her blood to hear of these actions and while the rational part of her says that these should be brought up to the police, the spontaneous part knew that not much could be done by them and well, it just might make things worse for the victims. Lips turning down in disgust, she looked up at Joker again.

"So harassment, coercion and blackmail."

"Exactly. Is that enough to convince you for now?"

The brunette pressed her lips tight, nodding with conviction. "Of course. So how are we doing this?"

Oracle's voice boomed from the speaker. "So Hitoshi's got some pretty high-end security systems around his mansion, any regular old burglar wouldn't be able to get in without earning a one-way ticket to jail. But with my hacking skills, I managed to crack it and see how it's set up and where the cameras are located. I'll be able to temporarily deactivate the alarms and sensors along with diverting the cameras so you can all sneak past."

Panther gave a look of confusion at the explanation. "Why not just completely deactivate everything, Oracle?"

"See, that was my original plan going in but with this system, the company who makes it gets an automatic alert if any part of it is inactive for more than five minutes. It's too risky so you guys are gonna have to be super sneaky ninjas that night."

The blonde woman pouted but nodded, looking back at her leader now. "Alright, so we'll really have to watch our steps. The treasure we're grabbing, is it still the same as when we had our last meeting?"

Joker nodded, adjusting his glasses a bit. "It is. Skull, you'll be going to the trophy room on the second floor to steal his People's Honour award. Panther and Fox, you're going to his office to take the manuscript for his upcoming show and the contract for his position at Sunshine Studios. Those three items should be enough-" His face became a bit troubled. "I did have something else in mind to take but it won't work if we don't have the right skills to execute it."

Makoto had been listening intently but she was bewildered that she had not been given a task for the heist yet. Raising her hand, she interrupted his instructions. "Joker, exactly where do you plan to have me stationed?"

He turned to her and tilted his head, staring for about half a minute before answering. "…Can you drive well?"

The brunette blinked in surprise at the question. "It…It's been a while but yes, I've never had any complaints."

"Alright. That brings me to this-" The smile forming on his face resembled a cat about to knock over an expensive vase. "You know how to hot wire a car?"

Of all the things she thought he was going to ask, that was not one of them. "E-Excuse me?"

Skull laughed from the other side of the table. "Joker, you think cop lady of all people is gonna know how to hot wire a car? C'mon man!"

Makoto turned her ruby eyes onto the obnoxious man, narrowing them in offense. "And exactly what is that supposed to mean, Skull?"

The blond met her eyes as his lips screwed into a cocky grin. "I'm sayin' that you probably know jack shit about that, why the hell would you need to learn somethin' like that? I'm sure you and your buddies have perfectly workin' cars on call, no?"

Irked by his taunting, the inspector huffed and raised her chin while crossing her arms. "You're right, we do have functioning patrol cars, however-" Now a smirk of her own formed. "That doesn't mean I've never tried to hot wire a vehicle before."

The way his face dropped into one of shock was satisfying.

Joker interrupted the two's tiff. "So you do have some experience…"

Looking at the table, he tapped his finger while staying silent for a minute. His head then lifted, making eye contact with Makoto once more. "Looks like that idea of mine could happen after all. Alright Makoto, here's your task."

When the brunette leaned forward to show she was paying close attention, he continued. "Hitoshi has a Maserati that was gifted to him by a fellow producer for his work on one of the network's best shows, he treats that car like it was his child. To really hammer home that we're not messing around, I want you to steal it."

"What?!" The woman shot up out of her chair, slamming her hands on the metal table. "You must be out of your mind; do I look like someone who's stolen a car before?!"

The leader wasn't fazed by her outburst, simply raising an eyebrow while shrugging. "Oh come on, you must have apprehended some carjackers before, you should know how they work. Plus you said you're a good driver just now, no?"

Makoto's head whipped back and forth, the dark brown strands brushing against her cheeks. "Yes, but that's when I'm driving the speed limit and obeying traffic laws, not speeding away from the police because I did something illegal! Joker, this is absurd, there has to be another task you can have me do."

"Hmm…actually, there is another one you could do."

"What is it?"

Joker's steel gray eyes became harsher, turning stony with distaste. "You can turn around, walk out of that door and never come back here."

Makoto's mouth dropped, her eyes narrowing in confusion. "I beg your pardon?"

The black-haired man straightened up and walked over to her side of the table, now standing a few inches in front of her, head tilted down to meet her stare. His voice then came out icily. "If you don't do this for us, then you can forget about having our help. I'm already risking our safety by allowing you to come back here and see our faces and know our moves, you should consider yourself lucky; any other gang would have had your body lying in a field somewhere by now." Joker leaned closer, his nose hovering a couple of inches from hers, speaking in a low voice. "So accept the task or get the hell out."

Having him in her personal space and subtly threatening her was starting to have a familiar anger seep into Makoto's veins. This man had the nerve to threaten her? He was too cocky for his own good; had she been a treacherous woman, she could have the entire SIU ambushing this place before midnight. But that wasn't her, no matter how much this guy was pushing her buttons. At the end of the day, this was her one and only lead to capturing Black Mask. She didn't need any more innocent blood on her hands because she decided to lose her temper.

Taking in a deep breath, the brunette's garnet eyes stared straight into his, a fire simmering underneath. "Fine. But I'm going to need some assistance with this."

A little less hostile now that she was cooperating, Joker moved his head back a bit, raising a brow once more. "What?"

"Although I know the streets of Tokyo well, I'd still like to have an escape route laid out to prevent any accidents or capture. I'm also going to need information on the exact make and model of Hitoshi's car to research the best way to start it." She was going to stop there but one last idea popped up. "Oh, and one last request."

Joker's brow lowered again, his face mildly exasperated. "Yes?"

"I'd like someone to accompany me during the escape."

Now his face showed full-blown irritation. "You want me to give you one of us to help even though we all have our own tasks? I don't think so."

Skull jeered from his spot. "Joker, don't entertain this bullshit, man. Let her figure this shit out herself!"

"Oh Skull, you underestimate me." Makoto's head turned away to give the rowdy man an innocent look. "Sure, I might need assistance but what if I don't keep my word? What if I decide to head straight to the police station and tell them everything I know? Where your hideout is, what your faces look like, who you just stole multiple articles of personal property from-" Her rosy lips curled into a smirk. "There is quite a bit of pending charges against the Phantom Thieves, they just need the suspects themselves to go ahead with them."

Within seconds, the blond sprang up from his chair with enough force to knock it back, growling through his gritted teeth. "You fuckin' bitch."

Panther stood up as well, resting a hand on his chest and back, speaking in a gentle but firm voice. "Skull, calm down. Don't let her rile you up-" Her blue eyes laid on her face, cold as ice. "She's not worth it."

Skull kept his heated stare on the inspector for a bit before closing his eyes, visibly taking a few deep breaths before letting his partner lower him back into the seat that she picked up for him. The dark brown orbs opened back up but the flames in them were only higher, hoping to burn the woman on the other side of the table.

Joker sighed heavily, at Makoto's words and Skull's predictable outburst. He could tell the woman was just screwing around and giving a justifiable reason for having another body with her but his best friend was a man who was the definition of 'react first, think later'. It really was a non-ideal situation that could happen if she decided to go back on her word; he'd have to be a naïve fool to think that she wouldn't be capable of that. Rubbing the bridge of his nose under his glasses, the leader answered. "Fine, we'll give you someone."

Makoto smiled, pleased that her little manipulation tactic worked. "Great, I'm glad that we're seeing eye to eye."

The lanky man rolled his eyes at her before stepping back and looking at the others. "Alright, who's volunteering?"

He shouldn't have been surprised at the lack of response but it annoyed him regardless. "Guys?"

His emphasized tone brought Skull and Panther's eyes up to him, shaking their heads no. "I don't think it's a good idea for either of us, Joker. You already assigned us to steal the other items and I don't think you should leave these two in a car alone."

Skull only nodded in agreement, not trusting his mouth to hold back from saying anything derogatory about the brunette.

Joker's arms folded across his chest. "So why don't you go with her instead, Panther?"

The tall woman gave him an 'are you kidding me' look. "Um, no. Not only do I not want to be near a cop, but somebody also needs to keep Skull and Fox focused so we can get in and out."

The leader sighed again at her excuse before looking at the man still sketching away behind Makoto. "Fox, what about you?"

Without looking up from his book, Fox responded. "I don't believe that's wise, Joker. You know I get carsick rather easily plus I'm terrible with directions. I think it's best if I abide by the task you gave me."

"Jesus Christ…"

Oracle's voice crackled from the speaker. "Obviously, I can't volunteer 'cause, you know. Sucks though, I'd like to see the inside of a Maserati!"

Joker threw his hands up before letting them fall by his sides, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Wow, thanks for coming forward, everyone." Looking at Makoto once more, his face expressed mild defeat. "I guess I'll be offering myself to you."

The brunette couldn't help the small chuckle escaping her lips, amused by how reluctant the leader was to be forced into the position she requested. "Sounds like we have a plan."

A ringing started filling the room abruptly, everyone (sans Fox) looking around to see where it was coming from. Skull exposed himself, standing up and pulling his phone out of his back pocket, taking a glance at the screen before answering it and holding it to his ear. "Yo."

He was quiet for a few seconds before his eyes widened. "Oh shit, for real?"

Silence again. "How powerful are we talkin'?"

Once more. A grin now came up. "Aw man, that sounds awesome! When-"

He stopped suddenly, the grin now changing into a surprised expression. "Today? Uh, dude, we're kinda busy right now, I don't think-"

A longer silence before a scowl formed. "Alright, alright, shut the hell up, damn! So pushy…I'll see if we can stop by soon. Peace."

Hanging up, he grumbled and turned to Joker. "That was pain in the ass Iwai. Said he finished customizing that uh, 'tool', for us and wants us to pick it up ASAP."

"I'm glad he finished but why the rush?"

The blond rolled his eyes, blowing a raspberry. "Says he's got 'important business' tonight and is closin' up early, he wants us to test it out in case we need any more modifications."

Joker mirrored the eye roll, shaking his head. "Wonderful. Alright guys, this meeting is adjourned for today, just make sure you study over the plans and shoot me a message if you have any questions." His face became stern. "We only have four days left, there's no room for error."

Oracle spoke out. "Hey Joker, you got anything else for my workpile?"

"Yeah, can you look up the exact make and model of that Maserati for me? Our newest member might need some info."

"You got it, dude. Oracle out!"

At the other's goodbye, Makoto tilted her head in confusion at the leader. "You're going to have her look it up for me?"

Joker nodded. "You said you needed info and I said there's no room for errors. I'm only doing it so you don't blow this whole thing to pieces." He then nodded to Skull. "Come on, let's head down to Iwai."

The other nodded before looking down at Panther. "You comin' too, babe?"

The blonde shrugged and stood up also. "Why not? He might have something new I could pick up for Saturday."

"And I could get you that strawberry parfait you like afterwards!"

Panther's eyes sparkled with delight as she hooked an arm around one of the other's. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Wasting no time, she practically dragged her partner to the door, not before shouting a goodbye to Fox while ignoring Makoto. Joker chuckled at the display before talking to the remaining occupants in the room. "Makoto, you're free to go once Fox is done talking to you. I'll send you any info that Oracle comes up with. Fox, try not to give her too hard of a time."

They both nodded at him, receiving one back before he left, shutting the door behind him. A tension she didn't realize she was holding left her, forming into a sigh and a slump of the shoulders. Looking at Fox, she saw that his hand was still flying across the paper, eyes narrowed in concentration.

"Um, Fox?"

"One second, Niijima-san, I must finish this bit." In a minute, his pencil finally paused before he studied the work, giving a nod to show that he was pleased. Looking up, his intensity dimmed down into stoicism. "Are you ready for me?"

"Yes, but…exactly what do you need from me?"

Fox's slate eyes widened in mild surprise. "Why, I need your measurements. Did Joker not inform you?"

Now the inspector's jaw dropped. "My…my measurements?"

"Yes, your height, bust, waist, hip, everything that will be necessary for me to create an outfit for you."

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute! What do you mean an 'outfit'? What's wrong with my clothes?"

The blue-haired man sighed as if he was explaining things to a child. "Niijima-san, there is nothing wrong with your current attire but it's customary for Phantom Thieves' members to have a special outfit for our heists to lower suspicion. If we performed while wearing our usual clothing, it would risk having our identities found out."

Makoto was starting to understand the reasoning behind this method; it was pretty ingenious. "I see…" Her arms folded across her waist now, face morphed into wariness. "But…do you really need to go to all this trouble for me? Technically, I'm not an official member…"

Fox waved a finger in the air, now looking stern. "You may not be one in the other's eyes but right now, you will be working with us and therefore, you will need a uniform. Besides-" A pleased smile grew on his pale face. "It has been nearly two years since I've made one from scratch, I'm grateful for the opportunity."

Unable to not reflect the smile back, Makoto lowered her arms, happy that at least someone here was polite to her (even if it may have been superficial). "Thank you Fox…and you're welcome."

Chuckling, Fox stood up and bowed slightly. "The pleasure is mine. Now, let me go get my measuring tape and then we can begin."

And so the duo spent the next hour with their task, getting to know each other a bit in the process. The man was surprisingly rather easy to talk to, having none of Joker's cockiness, Skull's brashness or Panther's sassiness. Fox kept answering Makoto's questions and asking a few of his own, keeping a calm yet focused demeanor the whole time. The inspector had learned that he was an artist and was responsible for the Phantom Thieves' logo and calling cards (her jaw dropped when she found out that he had individually created each one rather than photocopy them), along with their heist outfits. He was more of a painter and drawer than a seamster but circumstances had forced him to learn some sewing skills to prevent too many outside forces being involved; in a way, he saw it as a way to broaden his horizons. Once the measurements were finished, he had her sit with him and give details on preferences and dislikes while he sketched out ideas.

She also found out some…interesting facts about Fox. The artist had told her among many things that he created a dish last night with ingredients that, in her opinion, should never go in curry and he had two pet lobsters named Leonardo and Vincent. When she asked why he had lobsters, of all things, as pets, he merely looked at her like she grew two heads, saying why wouldn't he have two lovely specimens as his pets. Not sure how to answer that without offending the man, Makoto brushed it off and went onto other topics.

By the time they were finished and Fox had walked her out, the streetlights were on and the skies were a dark blue. The brunette stretched her arms out, loosening her taut muscles. Today was quite the day. Surprisingly, Makoto wasn't tired and didn't feel like going home to an empty apartment, just to eat, watch some TV and then go to sleep. She could only think of one solution to her problem.

Pulling out her phone, she went into her 'recents' folder and tapped a specific number, holding it to her ear and waiting for an answer.

"Helloooo, Mako!"

"Hey Eiko, are you busy right now?"

"Well, I was about to head to work but they just called and said they don't need me tonight!"

Wincing, Makoto remembered that her friend usually worked on Tuesday nights, reprimanding herself for forgetting. "Shoot, I forgot Tuesdays were off the table. But what happened?"

A huff sounded before she ranted. "Get this, Airi-chan asked me to cover her a few nights ago 'cause she wasn't feeling well so I said 'sure, more money for me!'. That was no problem with the boss but when she offered to cover one of my own shifts this week, he said he wasn't pleased but he would let me know ahead of time what day that would be. So tell me why the hell this asshat called me a few minutes ago, after I got dressed and did my hair and makeup, to say he called Airi-chan in tonight to cover my shift! Ugh, I'm so mad but relieved at the same time, I don't wanna be stuck in the house!"

The brunette could barely hold back her giggling as the other complained. "Well, I guess I called at the perfect time. I could go for a couple of drinks right now…maybe you can show off your outfit also?"

A fake sob came out of the receiver. "Oh Makoto, this is why I love you, you're such a good friend! Meet me in twenty minutes?"

Looking around, Makoto realized that her current location would make her trip longer than usual. "Actually, make that thirty, I have to make a stop before I head over."

"Okay! See ya soon!" A smooch sounded before Eiko hung up, leaving the inspector with an amused smile.

She could always count on Eiko Takao to brighten up her day.

~•~•~•~

Akira stared at the jars of coffee beans across from him, reading each label for what must have been the tenth time.

Once he, Ryuji and Ann picked up their 'tools' from Untouchable, the trio split up (the blonde was adamant on the parfait her boyfriend promised to buy for her), leaving him all by himself on Central Street. Stopping in Triple Seven, the black-haired man grabbed a bag full of snacks before heading underground to take the train back to Yongen-Jaya. He headed back to the hideout to find Fox by himself in the meeting room, furiously sketching away in his sketchbook. Akira hated interrupting him when he was in the zone but it was getting late and he had to get Oracle home soon. Thankfully, he didn't kick up much of a fuss this time and packed his belongings before heading towards the door. To his surprise, Fox turned around with a serious expression, informing the leader that he should have a bit more trust in Makoto as she didn't seem like a disingenuous person. When the leader had queried as to what brought him to such an observation, his blue-haired friend merely smiled and said it was just a hunch.

From closing up the building to walking Oracle home to heading to Café Leblanc, that statement had been on his mind.

Akira was brought out of his reverie when the bell above the door sounded, bringing his gaze over to see Sojiro entering. "Welcome back."

The older man grunted, locking the door behind him before walking to the far side of the counter, hanging up his hat and jacket on the coat rack. "Sorry to leave you alone, you know how demanding she gets when it comes to curry. Had to make a whole new pot for her before she let me leave."

Akira chuckled. "Didn't you make her one yesterday?"

"Yeah, she told me she finished it this morning for breakfast!" Sojiro sighed and shook his head, seeming more tired than irritated. "That daughter of mine, I swear…"

"Don't act like you don't enjoy doting on her, she could've moved out years ago and only talk to you once in a blue moon."

The owner sighed once more, rubbing the back of his neck as he worked out the kinks. "True, true." Looking down at the counter, he raised a brow at the other's half-eaten plate and nearly full cup of coffee. "Something on your mind, kid?"

Akira looked at him with confusion, wondering how he picked up on his mood. Sojiro responded by motioning to his food. "Usually by now, you'd have the plate clean and would be asking for a second cup."

The younger man looked off to the side, eyeing the door; the closed sign was turned so no one should be overhearing what he was about to say. Slouching even more on the stool, Akira looked up at the other with reluctance. "It's…it's about that 'new' member I told you about a few days ago."

"Oh?" Sojiro leaned back against the shelves, folding his arms across his chest. "She giving you trouble?"

The bespectacled man scoffed, picking up his cup. "Something like that." Taking a sip, he winced when he realized his coffee had gotten cold during his daydreaming. "Damn."

"Here, I'll heat it up." Akira handed the cup to the other, watching as he poured it into a tiny pot before turning the stove on. While the coffee reheated, he continued with his dilemma.

"That woman…today was the first time she attended one of our meetings. I thought it'd go according to plan but I should've known better. Of course Ryuji and Ann are still hostile towards her but she didn't back down; I thought either one was going to jump across the table and swing at her." His mouth now formed into a scowl, steel eyes darkening while his fists clenched. "And then just when I realized that she could do that one task I was going to give up on, she refuses and when I manage to convince her to do it, she flips it around and gets me involved in it."

Sojiro raised a brow once more. "So? She's helping you out, I don't see what the problem is."

Akira gave the other man an exasperated look. "The problem is that she's too damn stubborn and bossy. For someone who came asking us for help, she's making a lot of demands and interfering with the plans that we've come up with long before she came around."

The owner gave him a no-nonsense gaze, shaking his head. "That can't just be it, kid, there's gotta be something else about this situation that's bugging you."

Silence stretched between the two for a couple of minutes, the sound of the TV in the background filling up the café. Akira sighed deeply, taking the glasses off of his face before setting them down, rubbing his eyes. Once he stopped, he looked back up at the older man, his gray eyes looking more tired than before.

"Since I met her, I keep wondering if I made a mistake in letting her get involved with us." Taking the other's silence as a go ahead, he continued. "I've met some silver-tongued people before and they can convince you that they shit gold until it's too late and you're left with nothing but piles of crap. I'm worried she's one of them and is just playing us until she gets our guard down to turn us into SIU." His eyes hardened, resembling stones. "I won't let any of my friends take the fall because of that, I have to keep an eye on her whenever I can; the second I get an inkling that my hunch is correct, she's out."

Sojiro took in his words, staring down at the wooden counter with contemplation. He brought his head back up to look at his guest. "So why haven't you kicked her out yet?"

"I've been going over the idea in my head, over and over, but…" Hesitant to say the next thing out loud, Akira ran a hand through his hair to get his bearings before speaking once more. "Yusuke said something today that stopped me."

"What was it?"

"He said…" His eyes looked into the other's, swirling with conflicting emotions. "He said that I should trust Makoto more…that he had a gut feeling she wasn't a bad person."

The older man hummed in understanding, stroking his goatee. "I see…well, that kid is a strange one but he's always been a good judge of character, from what I've seen."

"Yeah, that's why I'm conflicted. I can always trust his judgment so I'm wondering if he has a point…"

"Mm." Sojiro turned to shut off the stove before pouring the coffee back into its cup. "You want my personal opinion, kid?"

Akira shrugged, knowing he was going to get it regardless of his answer. "Shoot."

Sojiro set the steaming cup down in front of him, his aged face showing nothing but sincerity. "Keep working with this Makoto and keep an eye on her but step back a bit sometimes and see how she carries herself. Does she treat the others with respect, even though they're opposed to her? Is she completely changing your plans or giving suggestions on how they can be carried out better? And is she keeping her word that she won't mention any of this Phantom Thieves business to anyone else?" His hands rested on his hips now. "Keep those in mind and you should get your answer sooner than later."

Soaking in everything the elder was saying to him, Akira found that his words were easing his worries slightly. Although he presented himself as calm, cool and collected in front of his group, he had his own troubles that permeated in his head from being the leader of such a targeted organization. Having to juggle the responsibilities they carried out, keeping their identities a secret and living an unassuming life as a civilian didn't do well on his mental health at times. Sometimes he needed the wisdom of someone outside of his group to get his head together and Sojiro Sakura was that someone, having known the younger man since he was a teenager. It helped that he knew about the Phantom Thieves too; having to explain your problems while holding back incriminating details was not easy.

"Alright…thanks Sojiro. I'll keep those in mind…hopefully things get better."

The owner nodded, pleased that his advice wasn't being taken in vain. "Not a problem, kid. Who knows, maybe you can really get on with this woman and end up with a girlfriend!"

Akira nearly spit out his drink at the other's joke, giving him a look of disapproval when he laughed. "Sojiro, I told you, I'm not interested in dating right now, especially with a cop."

"Heh, just messing with you, kid. Now hurry up and finish your meal so I can start cleaning up!"

Rolling his eyes at the older man, the black-haired man continued with his food while Sojiro started cleaning up the kitchen. He was used to the other taking the piss out of him but his tired brain couldn't help but think back to what he said (why, he could not understand). Akira wasn't blind, Makoto was rather easy on the eyes but he meant what he said about putting dating on the back burner. The Phantom Thieves took up too much of his time, leaving only a crumb of attention to be given to whoever his girlfriend was at the time. But he wouldn't entertain the thought of seeing the inspector in that way, she'd probably castrate him for even getting any ideas.

He could see their relationship ending up as something similar to Batman and Catwoman's.

'No thanks.'

After twenty-five minutes, Akira finished and offered to help Sojiro clean up in exchange for letting him stay after hours. By the time he left, it was after 11 PM and the streets of Yongen-Jaya were dead, save for a few office workers returning home after a long day. Heading to his house a few blocks away, he shrunk into his jacket as a strong breeze blew by, causing goosebumps to form on his skin. The temperature was steadily dropping as the days went by, showing the signs of a brisk fall season. He was eager for it to come, despite knowing that it would only get colder and the night would get longer; it meant there would be more time to work during their heists.

He reached his house eventually and opened the front gate before a meow sounded from his left, causing a smile to form before he looked over.

"Hey there. Waiting long for me?"

A black and white cat trotted over to his person, looking up at him with big blue eyes expressing annoyance. It meowed once more, bringing a chuckle out of Akira as he picked it up, scratching it behind its ears.

"Sorry Mona, had some thinking to do. You must be hungry, huh?"

Mona meowed with eagerness, its eyes twinkling with excitement at the mention of food.

Akira grinned and started heading towards the front door with the feline, shutting the gate behind him. He grabbed his keys from his pocket and unlocked the door, setting Mona down, letting the cat dart inside straight to the kitchen where their bowls lay. Closing the door, the man took off his shoes and walked to the room and grabbed a jug of milk from the fridge along with a can of tuna from one of the cupboards, filling both of the bowls to the brim.

"Alright, enjoy. And don't make a mess, okay?"

The cat meowed in response to the human's stern look, wasting no time in digging into its dinner. Satisfied that they understood him, Akira headed upstairs to his bathroom, dying for a shower to loosen his tense muscles. Leaving the door cracked open in case Mona needed something, he quickly stripped down before turning the water on, waiting for it to heat up before stepping in. Sighing in relief, he let the hot water run over him, soaking his hair and skin while the tension escaped his body. Running a hand through his wet hair, he grimaced at the slight oiliness in the waves before grabbing his shampoo to get rid of it. Letting the suds sit for a while, he washed his body in the meantime, the scent of spearmint filling his nostrils and the bathroom. He rinsed off completely after a few minutes, toweling himself off before heading to his bedroom to change into a gray T-shirt and black joggers to sleep in.

By the time he got back to the kitchen to clean up after Mona, Akira was ready to pass out, his stomach full and his body relaxed. He washed the bowls and set them aside to dry before calling out. "Alright Mona, time for bed."

The cat peeked its head back into the kitchen and meowed, watching the human turn off the lights before following as he went back upstairs to the bedroom, running up to the bed and hopping up, curling in its usual spot. Akira soon joined after closing the door, letting out a sigh as he laid down and pulled the covers over himself and shut his eyes.

"Night Mona. Sleep well."

A soft meow sounded before he drifted off into a deep sleep, managing not to toss and turn as the night went by.

~•~•~•~

New chapter, ahoy!

I honestly didn't expect to have such a gap between the last update and this one but I had some writer's block going on along with stuff in my personal life that prevented me from finishing until now. Some changes are going to be happening so I don't know how quickly I'll be updating but don't worry, I promise this story will not be abandoned! ;u;

Next chapter will be the heist itself, I'm eager yet scared to write it out lol

Reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated!