I See You
Eri had had a crush on Beat for a long time.
And she knew how cliché that was: that the pretty, popular girl would have feelings for such a handsome man (though he was a skater boy, and she had never said "see you later, boy").
But what could she say? There had just been something endearing about him that Eri could easily see, when Shiki would go from hanging out with her, to spending time with him. Especially after the guy Shiki had loved, Neku, had vanished, and it had seemed like Beat was one of the few people who could who make Shiki feel better in the slightest after that—and Eri was eternally grateful to him for that.
And the times she'd seen him with his little sister, Rhyme, also scored big points for Beat in Eri's book, since anyone who cared about their sibling was someone who should be cherished, in her eyes. Eri had lost a little brother when she was young, and she still wasn't over it, thank you very much. She probably never would be.
But more than anything, Eri appreciated that Beat actually explained the Reapers' Game stuff to her, so she wouldn't be left out...
Though he probably shouldn't have, because Joshua-who sometimes still gave her the chills—had looked like he was going to kill her or Beat for that when he had... but since nothing had happened since then, Eri now saw it as a blessing that she was no longer out of the loop.
And to Beat's credit... he hadn't told her about the Game willy-nilly or selfishly, but when Shibuya was threatened a third time, she guessed, and everyone had decided they could use all the help they could get. Apparently, they'd thought about bringing Eri into the UG, in thinking her Imagination must be pretty high, for being the lead designer for Gatto Nero.
That hadn't happened, in the end. But when Eri had heard her city—and possibly other regions beyond it—was in danger, she'd been willing to kill herself to end up in the Game, to help the Players and Game Masters out.
But for now, she just carried a badge on her in case she was finally needed, if destruction was threatened a fourth time for Shibuya... since it was sadly trendy at this point?
Anyway, it was for all of these reasons that Eri liked Beat... but she didn't think he'd ever feel the same way about her. He was a living legend as much as Shiki, Neku, Rindo, Joshua, and the Wicked Twisters of old and new were. And who was she in comparison to that?
But the reason Eri had started thinking about Beat right now, was because she was a normal maiden who wanted a mate and those sorts of things, she supposed.
...But also, because she saw Jupiter of the Monkey was having a contest right now, where you were paired up with someone, to see which team could come up with the best new pin design... and thinking of the Reapers' Game—the Reapers' Game of old, that she had never been a part of; now they used badges instead of the old pins, apparently—Eri found that she really wanted to do this. With Beat in particular. But she doubted that he would ever be game for it. Or that any of the Hachiko Group, Wicked Twisters, or Blindfold would be, really.
But it was just as she was having that self-deprecating thought, that Beat just happened to come from Tokyu Hands to Cat Street, and saw her there. And Eri couldn't help beaming the moment that he did approach her.
"Yo-yickity-yo-yo-yo, Eri. What's crackin'? You thinkin' about buyin' some pins here? Man, does the thought of 'em bring back memories."
"Actually, Beat," Eri corrected, a smile even wider on her face somehow, as she crept closer to him, "I'm thinking of entering the contest here, to try and make a winning design for a pin. I make clothes... but I've never tried my hand at this sort of art before. I think it might be a fun hobby. Wanna join me?"
And it took all that Eri had within her, not to stand on her tiptoes and kiss Beat, as a sort of drunk on happiness feeling overtook her. Perhaps someday: if she was fortunate to win all the gods above's favor, in order to make him love her, but not now…
"Yo! That right there sounds like all kindsa fun. I'm ona break from the Olympics, so I could dig doin' tha' right now. Just give me the detes on where's you want ta meet up and I'll be there!"
And Eri did just that, thinking that maybe fortune was perhaps smiling on her again, after all.
And she and Beat began the vigorous task of making a pink pin—something that Beat had not been on board with at all at first, but eventually Eri convinced him of it with a neat black background that looked like space—that was somewhat reminiscent of the ones you'd get in America's "Hot Topic", before they stopped selling them, but that was also completely original. Eri knew, because she'd lived in America for a few years, before moving back to Japan and meeting Shiki…
When Beat and Eri were done, they had what looked like a pink sun setting across the solar system—looking striking as it did so-and Eri couldn't have been more pleased with it if she could try. And she could tell that Beat felt the same way, too.
"I don't care if we win or not, yo. This pin is sick, and I'mma wear it when I go back to work, and maybe see if I can make pins in again. But why'd ya wanna make it so badly, Eri?"
And, damnit. Beat was giving Eri the puppy dog pout—in her room no less—and so she felt all her walls crumbling down, and her mouth moving to tell him the truth, despite itself.
"...I don't know. I guess because it represents something I feel I can never reach with you guys: Your first Reapers' Games. But Beat... you tried to include me in all that… so I guess I can touch it a bit more through you, than I could have otherwise. And I- I like you for that. So- so thank you."
And Eri couldn't believe that she'd just admitted that she liked Beat, so out of the blue, when she was certain he wouldn't feel the same way. And so matter-of-factly, too.
But fortunately, he seemed to realize what she meant right away, Eri guessed (that she liked-liked him, to sound like a fourteen-year-old again, and not just as a friend), as he suddenly knelt in front of her and held her hands in his own. Was he preparing to just soften the blow, or-
"Eri, you're on our level. Ai'ight? Don't even think otherwise! You was ready to throw down wit us. And might have to in the future, sadly… Oy. And if it weren't for you, Shiki would have done no designin', and might not have had her Mr. Mew psych to save Phones in the first Game. And then we all woulda been wrecked. So, be like Shiki and 'ppreciate yourself now, yo. Or I'll have to do it all for you...
"And, to be frank, I wouldn' mind havin' ta learn ta do that. Jus' give me a lil' time here, ta be able to recipr'cate your feelings."
And Eri laughed. And then pulled away from Beat some, and put her hand over her heart like a girl getting everything she ever could have asked for from a marriage proposal from a worthy man. To her, it was as good as that.
And Eri leaned down and kissed Beat's forehead.
It was the nice start of something new. And something sweet, since they didn't win the pin contest, but Eri wouldn't complain. It was her first rodeo with that kind of thing, after all.
And Beat wearing it as he snowboarded on TV was really all she'd ever need.
Author's Note: I wrote this to try and figure out Eri's character again—because I used to write her a little, back in the day—for another fic, maybe. And because I wanted to write Beat.
So, the two things combined, and we have Beat/Eri… which I used to ship, though I don't know if I do anymore.
So, I wrote this for my younger self, so to speak… Especially since I deleted the one Beat/Eri fic I wrote, back in the day. And this one's much better.
The Hot Topic line, was because I was trying to show that pins had really become unpopular in recent years! Like, they were once all the rage there, as well. But now they weren't. But now it sort of seems like an unnecessary line, meh.
And Beat swapped his skateboard for a snowboard:)
