A/N: Happy day, everyone! I wrote another long one today. Not much to say about it. There's a LOT of other characters in this one, namely the ENTIRE CAST OF PERSONA 3 AND 4 (the prompt was hanging out with friends, so I was like, hey, friends are awesome). It's not all too fluffy and more based around fun with friends, so if you don't like that, refrain from reading, kay kay?

Audience: "You suck."

Love you too! Anyway, please enjoy and give me feedback if you hate it!

Mitsuru cleared her throat, looking around the circle of friends gathered around her. "I wanted to thank everyone for coming today." The large crowd was clearly no problem for her, as all the members of the Shadow Operatives as well as the Investigation team were there. She still maintained her confidence as she continued her speech. "It means a lot to me and everyone else here that you came for such a small event. . . I hope you all have fun."

Today was Mitsuru's birthday. Labrys spent ages encouraging her to have a party rather than just skip it.

"Are you kidding?!" shouted the bear, Teddie. "I wouldn't miss Mit-chan's birthday for the world!" He blushed a bright, Teddie blush and puckered his lips. "Maybe as a reward for coming, I can get a smooch. . ."

Yukiko and Chie elbowed him.

"No problem, Mitsuru-san. It's our pleasure," said the mild-mannered leader of the Investigation Team. "Also, thank you for hosting us, Makoto-san."

Makoto nodded, not directly acknowledging the thanks. He was currently rushing around the kitchen, trying to prepare food and drinks for everyone. He'd practically emptied his wallet for food for this many people. I sure wish Mitsuru had run this by me first. . . She wanted a modest party, so she chose to host it in Makoto's apartment rather than one of her own mansion-like homes.

"You've got a pretty nice place," said Yukari, looking around the one room apartment. "A little puny, but it's okay."

Cringe.

Junpei was next. "Yeah, it's pretty pathetic. I'm surprised we all fit in here!" he said, clearly joking.

Still cringe.

Akihiko now. "I'm surprised you've got such a quaint little place. I'd think you'd have something nicer. . ."

Cringe.

Before the rest of the party could make the rounds and insult Makoto, Labrys stepped up to save his self esteem. "It's really nice, I think. And we should just be happy he agreed to host, right?" She winked at him.

He smiled.

"Yes, of course," said Mitsuru. "Anyways, as you're all aware, today is my . . . birthday." This party wasn't even her idea; Yukari and all the others urged her to have it, not taking no for an answer. Naturally, once the Investigation Team found out about the party, they insisted to come too. And so, here they all were, crowded in Makoto's apartment. Only having known about the party since that morning, Makoto spent his entire morning buying food and lawn chairs for everyone to have a place to sit. He dismantled his bed and put it into the closet for more leg room, pushing his desk into the corner. He even borrowed Junpei's TV so they had two screens rather than one. With all that in mind, his preparations hadtaken quite a lot of time and energy. Still, for his friends, he really didn't mind putting that much effort in.

"So let's begin the festivities, shall we?" said Mitsuru as Makoto finally sat down to take a break. "Does anyone have an ideas?"

Yosuke put his hand up. "What do you have in mind?"

"Oh, you bet I've got an idea!" said Yosuke, holding a pack of chopsticks up in the air. "King's Game!"

All the men there responded to the idea enthusiastically. "I second that notion!" called Junpei, exchanging a high five with Yosuke. "Oh, man, this is gonna' be great!"

"B-but, whenever we do that something stupid happens!" protested Chie.

"I-I agree with Chie," said Naoto. "This could be embarrassing. . ."

"Senpai, do you wanna see me play the King's game?" said Rise, snuggling up against Yu.

All he did was nod happily.

"Hey, Makoto?" whispered Labrys, leaning up to his ear. "What's King's Game?"

He briefly explained the rules, a bright look in his eyes as Yosuke continued pleading his case. "C'mon, I even brought the chopsticks!" he said as he dug more of them out of his pocket. "Painted and everything!"

"I think it sounds like a fun exercise," said Aigis, holding her hand out for a chopstick.

"Yeah, count me in!" said Akihiko. "Nothin' like a good challenge!"

Ken smiled. "I'm always up for some friendly competition."

Slowly, after all the men agreed, the girls conceded defeat and agreed to play.

"Alright, who's the king?" asked Yosuke as he looked around the circle. "It better be someone good!"

"Yyyyyyes! The beary bearst beastly bear king there ever was, at your service!" shouted Teddie as he stood. He smiled quite possibly the brightest smile the world had ever seen.

"Oh, great," Yosuke said, slamming a palm into his forehead. "This is gonna' be terrible."

"I have prepared my demand!" he said. However, everyone on the Investigation Team already knew what was coming.

"Smooch! 4 has to give me some cuddles and a big ol' smooch!" he said, already prepared and puckered up. "Oh, please be a pretty girl, please be a pretty girl. . ."

"What the hell- no way!" shouted Kanji, standing up. "No way am I kissin' Ted a second time!"

Second time? Labrys giggled at the thought of her "knight" and Kanji kissing.

"The king's orders. . ." started Yosuke, laughing.

"Are absolute!" shouted everyone simultaneously.

"C'mon Kanji, get ready! I'm going in!"

"No way, Ted, no how!"

It was too late. Teddie had already tackled him into the ground, the sounds echoing through the room.

The next round was set up by the time Teddie and Kanji returned.

Kanji's shame was eternal.

"Alright, now who?" asked Junpei. "I'm not king, so it must be-"

"Alright!" said Akihiko, standing up. "I'm the king!"

"This should be good," said Ken. Koromaru barked his agreement.

"6 has gotta challenge me to a protein shake drinking competition."

It was pretty much what everyone expected.

Mitsuru, surprisingly, stood up. "Alright, Akihiko, I accept your challenge."

His confidence disappeared. Mitsuru and Akihiko. . . This should be good! Labrys laughed as the competition kicked into high gear. The atmosphere was tense, Akihiko and Mitsuru engaging in an intense stare down. However, while Mitsuru's gaze was as cold as ice and as powerful as a rampaging rhinoceros, Akihiko looked more like an intimidated puppy trying to hold desperately to his territory. Slowly but surely, they reached for their drinks, both preparing to put their pride on the line. . .

Mitsuru had Akihiko soundly beat before they even started. She was far too intimidating for him to handle. "Argh, why couldn't I have gotten anyone else!? Why not Junpei!?" shouted Akihiko in frustration.

"Hey, what, Senpai? What makes you think I couldn't handle a protein shake!?" Junpei seemed genuinely offended.

"Junpei, if I recall correctly, you personally requested my assistance in getting rid of Akihiko's protein shakes without him knowing," said Aigis, in a matter-of-factly tone.

"Hey, Aigis, keep that a secret! That was just between us!" Makoto found himself laughing at the never-changing interactions between his old friends. They really do never change.

Labrys and Makoto exchanged a look, smiling gleefully. "Are you enjoyin' yourself, Makoto?" she asked, whispering.

"Yeah. Everyone seems really happy."

"I'm really happy, too." She winked at him, a secretive way of expressing her affection.

"Alright, Mitsuru!" said Yukari, congratulating her on her victory. "Just a little while longer and the girls will have beaten all the boys!

"Senpai, I wanna be king!" shouted Rise. 'C'mon, hurryyy!" She rubbed her hands together, licking her lips enthusiastically. "I got a good feeling about this one!"

"We'll just see if that good feeling checks out," said Yukiko, also preparing to draw her stick. "Because I'm gonna' be king this time!"

Oh boy, friendly rivalries. My favorite kind. He laughed a bit at the growing competition and reached out and drew his stick, dissatisfied by the fact that it said "6" and not "king." He looked around the circle, looking for the enthusiastic face of the king.

"Yeeessss!" shouted Rise, waving her hands in the air. "I'm the king!" She giggled, rubbing her hands together. "Let's seeeee, who shall I get?" She peeked around the circle, looking for numbers to call. "Let's seeeeeeeeeeeee. . ." she repeated, looking even more maniacal by the second. "Number . . . 5, has to let me sit on their lap for the rest of the King's Game!"

Yukiko cringed.

"I-I. . . Uhm, I'm number 5." As she said this, both their airs of enthusiasm disappeared. Rise slowly shuffled towards Yukiko, before awkwardly sitting down on her lap, hands rested on her knees. They looked totally uncomfortable, blushes rising to their cheeks.

"R-Rise-chan, that's not comfortable!" said Yukiko, fidgeting around.

"S-Sorry, Yukiko-senpai," said Rise as she adjusted her position on Yukiko's lap.

"Woohoo, the game's getting heated!" shouted Teddie. "Sensei, aren't you so glad we decided to play this?"

Yosuke and Yu nodded, Junpei and Ken joining in. "Very."

"Well, I guess it's time for round three!" said Fuuka, now suddenly interested in playing the game. She seemed really interested, which was strange, for a member of the opposite gender. "C'mon, everyone, pass the sticks in!"

"This is getting pretty intense. . ." Naoto wiped imaginary sweat off of her forehead as she jumbled the sticks up, once again passing them throughout the crowd.

"Hey, partner, what do you think you'll do if you get to be king?" Yosuke asked, directed at Narukami.

Narukami looked at his stick, and stood up.

"I guess we'll find out."

A chorus of "oohs" and "ahhs" broke out as he prepared to give his decree. Everyone knew that Yu took this game seriously, as he did everything else, so whatever he decreed would probably be pretty intense. He twirled his stick around in his hand, clearly showing off.

Psshh. Not that cool, thought Makoto, grumbling at the "9" on his stick. I'll be king next time. Labrys smiled at his evident frustration, waving a hand to him. He smiled back in a gentle fashion, happy that she was enjoying the game. "Having fun?" he whispered, trying not to distract Yu from his dramatic performance.

"Yeah. . . With these many colorful people playin' such a silly game, how could I not be havin' fun?" She laughed. Normally the two would be draped across each other, but they hadn't yet told their friend circle that they were together, at Labrys's insistence. She wasn't sure if she was ready for all of her friends to know that she and Makoto were together, or that she even had the nerve to have a boyfriend. And so, they acted like normal friends, trying to hide the chemistry between them.

"Yeah, guess so." He chuckled. "Let's see what the King says this time. . ."

"Seven," said Yu, holding the stick in a stationary position, "has to give me a back massage."

"Wait, wha-" said Yukari, as she stood up. "That's . . ."

"C'mon, Yuka-tan, you gotta' do it!" said Junpei, smiling widely. "To think she got picked! That's gold, man, that's gold!"

"N-No, I don't really-"

"The King's orders. . ." started Yu, silencing her protests.

"Are absolute!" was the chorus that followed his decision. Yu Narukami nodded with satisfaction.

"Ugh. . ." Yukari groaned, making her way over to the space behind Yu's seat. "I don't like this. . ." she said, before she started to massage Yu's back. He crossed his leg, sipping his refreshment dramatically. It almost looked like he had planned for this to happen.

"Grrr," grumbled Teddie, "why couldn't it be me!? Sensei, do you hate me!?"

"Yeah, senpai, no fair!" said Rise.

The next round started as Yukari shamefully walked back to her seat, a satisfied Yu Narukami sitting cross-legged in his chair. "Dude, you are too lucky! You just got your back massaged by a freakin' model!" said Yosuke, oogling. "Dude, you're my hero! Teach me how you do it, please!?"

Once again, the sticks were passed out. "Tsk" was the only sound Makoto released. This time he'd received 11. Kanji stood, pumping his fists. "Woo, I'm the King, baby!"

"Oh dear. . ." said Yukiko, still blushing from underneath Rise. "This one should be good, I conjecture. . . Kanji-ecture . . . . Kanj-ecture!" she said, reusing the same old joke. Still, she started laughing furiously, slapping her knees (and occasionally Rise's). "Kanj-ecture, that's too -" She stifled her own sentence with a massive burst of laughter, hurling Rise off of her.

"Ouch, Yukiko-senpai!" said Rise, puffing her cheeks out. "Careful!" She clambered back on top of her, Yukiko barely managing to stop laughing.

"U-Uhm. . . N-Number 3's gotta' give me a big ol' hug! N-Not that I care, of course! I mean, it could be their dog if they wanted!"

Oh. So it's Koromaru he wants. Ken looked at his stick and at Koromaru. "Sorry, Tatsumi-san. It's not mine."

"Wait, what!?" shouted Yosuke, jumping up, hands on his stick. "No, Kanji, pick another number! Pick another number right now!" He said. "Anyone wanna' switch!?"

"The king's orders are absolute!" said everyone around them, much to their own dismay.

Kanji and Yosuke slowly stepped towards each other. "Uh, Yosuke-senpai-"

"Just. Do it, Kanji." Yosuke wiped an invisible tear from his eye. "Goodbye, innocence. . ."

The two embraced in what was quite possibly the most hesitant and awkward embrace ever. Labrys found herself laughing madly as the two complained in hushed whispers, even coming to blows once or twice.

"That's it, I want in!" shouted Teddie, tackling the two of them to the ground. "It's no fair that it's just you two!" He weaseled his way into the middle of the hug.

"Ted- What the hell d'ya think you're doing?" shouted Kanji, smacking him away.

"Kanji, how dare you!?" He wrestled his way in yet again, as the fight ensued on the other side of the room.

"Well, I guess it's time for the next round?" said Chie, looking away from the fight.

"Oooooh yeah," said Junpei, rubbing his hands against each other. "This time I'm sure I'm gonna' be King!"

"Don't be so sure, Iori-san," said Mitsuru, a fire in her eyes. "I shall be the King this time around!"

The competition is getting pretty intense. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. . . thought Labrys, scratching her head as the sticks were passed around yet again.

Everyone drew their sticks. As Labrys drew hers, she noticed a little red mark on hers. "Hey, mine's got a little red thing. Does this make me the king?"

"Yay, Labby-chan!" said Teddie as he returned to the circle, fur heavily ruffled. He looked at his own stick, before continuing. "Hey, maybe you should give number 9 a smooooooch!" He puckered his lips. "I still haven't gotten a smooch from a hot babe yet! Wanna be the first!?"

Fuuka laughed. "Yeah, a smooooooch!" she said.

Yeah, uh, not from Teddie. Labrys laughed at the notion of Teddie trying to "smooch" her, even if he didn't know she had a boyfriend.

"That's not how the game works," said Naoto. "You've got to top what's already been done."

"Yeah, yeah!" Yukiko giggled. "You've gotta do something big!"

Labrys looked around, the crowd chanting. "Uh. . . okay? Number. . . 8?"

Makoto cleared his throat. Well, I get to do something, even if it isn't the fun part. . . He stood up, hands in his pockets. "Uh, so. . . what do I do, Labrys?"

"Whatever the king says to do!" said Yukari. "This should be good. Labrys, make sure it's something nice and terrible for our old leader!"

"Oh, oh, how about an embarrassing undying love confession!" said Rise, giggling. "I'm sure he'd never live that down!"

"Nonono, gotta' go bigger than that!" said Junpei. "Uh, punch him! Square in the face!"

Makoto waved his hands back and forth, denying the idea. "Make him buy you a life-time's supply of meat!" said Chie, practically salivating. "No, wait, don't do that! I want that for my turn!"

"Oh, maybe make him dress up in a funny costume and run around Gekkoukan Academy!" Ken laughed as he said that.

"Uh, Ken, I think he'd get arrested. . ." said Yukari, chuckling slightly. "Then again, that might be funny. . ."

"What if you took away his video game memberships for a month?" suggested Fuuka, a hand in the air.

Makoto looked visibly shaken at this notion.

With all the different suggestions in the air, Labrys was struggling to pick one. She exchanged a glance with Makoto, who smiled warmly, as if saying "I'll forgive whatever you do". She, too, smiled, once again amazed by her incredibly understanding boyfriend. I'm really, really, really, really sorry about this.

She raised her arm, pointed it at his face, and sent her fist flying.

"O-Oh my gosh!" shouted Yukari as Makoto landed on the floor with a thunk.

"H-Hey, dude, you okay? I-I didn't really mean it!" said Junpei, leaning forward to see if he was alright.

Labrys covered her mouth with her hands. "O-Oh crap, I didn't mean to hit that hard! Makoto, are you okay?" she said, kneeling over him as he sat up, rubbing his slightly reddened cheek. "Ohmygosh, I am so-so sorry!"

"Maybe it's time we stopped this king's game. . ." proposed Mitsuru.

"No." Makoto stood slowly, returning to his chair. "I . . . will be king."

His resolve was admirable.

After the game had ended, Makoto still hadn't been graced with the red mark he desired. They'd spent many hours playing the game, but still, he was never King. Even after he was punched in the face, and sentenced to all kinds of torture through the game, he still wasn't king.

I give up. This king's game was a failure.

"Ahh, that was fun!" said Fuuka, clapping her hands together furiously. "Let's do it again sometime, alright!"

"I agree, Yamagishi," said Mitsuru. "That was an enjoyable exercise."

All those who had initially wanted to play were now sick of the game, having suffered fates unimaginably cruel. Yosuke shuddered visibly. "Yeah, I'd really rather not. . ." Makoto nodded, agreeing with him.

"I-I've seen things no man should see!" said Kanji, still shivering in the corner. In one round of the game, he was sentenced to "seven minutes in heaven" with Teddie.

He might not ever recover.

"Yeah, I had a lotta' fun," said Labrys. "Eh, sorry again, Makoto-kun."

"No problem," he said, smiling at her. Even though his cheek was swelling up a little, he was glad she had a good time. As long as she had fun, I guess this party served its purpose. Throughout the game, the smiles he saw on her face were worth all the punches, unnecessary hugs, piggy-back rides, and monetary losses combined. I wonder if we'll ever tell anyone we're together.

"Still, how'd it feel to get decked by Labrys, Makoto?" Yukari laughed at his expense. "Her hand must have hurt pretty bad."

"Yeah, she, like, rocket fired it at you!" said Ken, still in admiration. "That must've hurt even more than one of Sanada-san's punches!"

"Hey, I bet I could punch Makoto just as hard! Hey, Makoto, c'mere, let me punch you!" he said, upset that his manliness had been offended.

The circle of friends laughed at the antics that ensued afterwards. Yeah, if I've got this many good friends, everything'll be perfect. . . Labrys thought to herself, as she looked to Makoto. She looked at his radiant smile, that she only saw when he was around her and his friends. A perfect smile. Just perfect.

"That was a lot of fun, Makoto-san. Thanks for having us," said Yu as he and the last members of the Investigation Team left, leaving just Labrys and Makoto in his apartment. After all the birthday festivities had ended, they'd simply stuck around and played some video games for a while. Labrys was rather content with the fact that she was the third best person in the room, behind Makoto and Fuuka. She was actually surprisingly good, all things considered, though she did have a technological background.

"Yeah, Makoto, it was a lot of fun," Labrys said, hugging him for the first time that day. It was reassuring to be held in his arms again. "King's Game was definitely my favorite part. I was pretty good at it, yeah?"

"Yeah, I guess. . . You know, except the whole punch-in-the-face bit." He smiled wryly, his cheek still pink.

"Would you rather have made a 'dramatic love confession'?" she asked, giggling. "I could've made you declare your undying love to Akihiko-san or Junpei-san.

"Well, when you put it like that, I'm glad. . ." He kissed her forehead.

Labrys laughed, pressing the side of her head against his chest. "We'll tell them soon. . . I promise."

"I don't mind," he said, resting his head atop hers. "As long as I can be with you, and you're happy, I'm happy."

She smiled, pulling away from the tender embrace. "C'mon, let's get a few practice rounds in," she said, heading towards the play station. "I wanna' be better than Fuuka-san by the next time we play together."

He sighed, chuckling as she prepared her controller and turned the console on. "You'll need to put a lot of work in, then."

"Yeah, but you're here to help me, right?" She blew an enticing kiss towards him, already getting the round started.

The couple practiced for hours on end, Labrys's determination like steel. The hours were hard and tiresome, but if she was happy, he was happy. Always happy.

A/N: Yay, back to long ones! That was nice. SO MANY OTHER CHARACTERS. I feel like I neglected some of the fluff! And some of the other characters, but I went for the funniest ones. Was it funny?

Audience: "You suck."

Thanks, guys! Anyway, yay. Review and favorite if it's your favorite. Follow if I ran out of follow puns to use in Chapter 8 and you want to see if I ever come up with any more to use in Chapter 10.

Or if you just wanna' read more. Also, the next prompt is wearing animal ears. .