A/N: Heeeeeey. How's everyone doin'?

Audience: "You suck."

I hope you like this one. I liked this one anyways. Special thanks to Ark2012 for help with the idea. He's beautiful. Love him. (I know I do.)

Makoto buttoned up his suit jacket, looking at himself in the mirror, eyebrows creased in disappointment yet again as he decided he didn't like what he was wearing. The plain black suit and white dress shirt weren't really a problem; hell, they mirrored his regular equipment, but he was having far more trouble than expected with selecting a tie. Mitsuru had provided everyone attending the event with a large array of jewelry and accessories, but he just couldn't decide what tie he wanted. Nothing seemed to fit well, no matter how many things he tried.

Red tie? It pops out. More noticeable. Makes me look approachable, yet bold?

Green tie. Friendly, kind. Open to conversation. Maybe too friendly. . .

Black tie. Formal. Official. Good impression.

. . . Can't decide. He sighed, groaning as he continued digging through Mitsuru's arsenal of formal attire for something that would fit well. After all, it was an important event.

At least, it was important to Mitsuru. She'd been invited to a party being hosted by someone high up in the national government, which was an excellent sign. Considering the actions of the Shadow Operatives and how they were looked down upon by other members of the government, them being invited to this thing was no small occasion. And naturally, Mitsuru wanted to go and improve their opinion of her and her organization even further. It was a logical enough decision. Even if Makoto wasn't fond of a black-tie super fancy party environment, he had agreed to go for the sake of the group. So did everyone else. Even Junpei and Ken managed to make time to show up. And considering Ken was going, Koromaru probably would be, too. But none of that would matter if he couldn't decide what tie he wanted. This was a matter of life and death.

Red tie.

No, green tie.

Wait. Black tie.

Once again, the options flickered through his head as he was forced to make a decision by the ticking hands of time. I've got to go pick up Labrys. . . Just pick one!

He sighed a sigh of resolution as he made a final selection, deciding on a dark blue tie, rushing towards the door. He mentally ran over things in his head, almost panicking. Can't be late. . . Checklist: Phone, check. Tie, check. Earphones, check, MP3, check. . . Now he just had to pick up Labrys and make his way to Mitsuru's limousine so they could arrive in fashion. He turned his phone on and fired off a message in record time.

Where should I pick you up? We're going to end up late at this rate.

She replied quickly. Don't worry about it. Just come by the base, Yukari and Mitsuru are helping me with some stuff.

He replied his affirmation and stepped out onto the street, letting out a deep breath before beginning the trek to Mitsuru's. This should be . . . "fun".

"You sure about this, Yukari?" asked Labrys as Yukari rushed around the wardrobe room, grabbing dresses and jewelry and who knows what else for Labrys to try on.

"Absolutely!" She laid all of her selections out on the bed, before jumping up and down excitedly. "This is your first big fancy party! Aaaand, you've got a date! You've just got to look perfect!"

"Yeah, well. . . I dunno' if Makoto's into all this glamour stuff. . ." Labrys looked at the sequined and laced dresses in front of her. "I mean, this is all really fancy stuff! I'm gonna' look like a bit of a pushover."

"Oh, please. I've known Makoto for years now, and every man likes a good bit of glamour every now and then, even him! Besides, you'll get to show off!" Yukari picked an outfit and handed it to Labrys. "C'mon, go try it on!"

"A-Are you sure?"

"Just do it!" Yukari's enthusiasm was getting the best of her.

"Alright, if you say so. . ." Labrys said, preparing for the intensive session of trying on outfits she was about to have.

Knock.

Makoto checked his phone, sighing with slight dissatisfaction as he saw the time. We're supposed to be there in half an hour and not even everyone's ready yet. He stood in front of the door to Labrys's room in the base. Even though his expectations for the night weren't that high, it would be a lie to say he wasn't excited about at least one thing. He found himself clenching his fist in anticipation to see the sight that lay beyond this mighty barrier posed by the door in front of him.

Buzz.

His phone vibrated in his pocket. It was a message from - surprisingly enough, - Labrys. Makoto, change of plans. Me and the girls already left for the party. Akihiko's comin' by to pick you and Junpei up.

Makoto sighed as he replied affirmatively, sliding his phone back into his pocket. Change of plans, I guess. He started rushing out towards the garage, his hopes dashed of seeing his girlfriend in a beautiful dress. At least, not yet, anyways. He fired off another message to Akihiko to confirm his location, before getting ready to rush on over to the dance. Eventually.

The dance was just as hosh-posh money money as he'd expected it to be. If anything, he looked out of place with how bland his clothing was. Dammit. Should have gone for the red tie.

Junpei walked towards him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder as he drank a bit of the classy champagne they were offering at the food table, which was draped in red velvet. "Hey, dude! Man, is this party off the chain or what?" Hopefully he wouldn't be getting too much of that champagne to drink.

Makoto looked around at the interior with disinterest. The large glass chandelier hanging above him, the red-curtain draped walls, the tables adorned with crystals and expensive foods and silverware, the massive ballroom floor. Someone really influential must have been hosting this party. "It's alright."

"C'mon, dude, don't even try and pretend you aren't excited to see the giiiirls!"

Makoto awkwardly cleared his throat as the thought came back to him. He's right. I really do want to see Labrys. . . He looked towards his phone yet again, for about the hundredth time that night. When are the girls going to get here?

Cliche entrance, initiate.

"Welcoming to the party, miss Mitsuru Kirijo, Yukari Takeba, Fuuka Yamagishi, Aigis and Labrys!" shouted a disembodied voice from somewhere in the hall. Makoto looked towards the door, his heartbeat palpitating in expectation and anxiety. He saw Yukari, Mitsuru, and then . . . her.

Without a doubt, his night had been made.

Labrys was donned in a turquoise dress that was accentuated the slim upper half of her body, but the dress thickened out towards the bottom of the long skirt, covering her legs all the way down to her feet, which were in simple black flats. The upper half of the dress donning her torso was covered in glittery silver sequins, sparkling brightly as the light from the chandeliers reflected off of them. Along with the gorgeous dress she wore a white coat over her shoulders, similar to Mitsuru's fur coat (to disguise her arms and neck), and a glamorous silver necklace that Makoto couldn't even begin to estimate the price of. Regardless of the small details, Makoto was speechless. Junpei waved his hands in front of Makoto's face, but nothing could break him from his trance.

The group of females (along with the now-present Akihiko and Ken) approached Makoto and Junpei, who were standing slack-jawed at the sight in front of them. "Duuuuude. . ." said Junpei.

"Dude," was Makoto's only reply.

"Good evening, Makoto-san, Iori-san," said Mitsuru, bowing to them with a curtsy.

"Wow, Mitsuru-san!" Ken said with a glitter in his eyes. "You look amazing! You too, Yukari-san!"

Yukari giggled at the compliment. "You look rather dashing yourself, Ken-kun!" They both laughed.

"Fuuka-san!" This time it was Junpei's turn to shower them with compliments. "You look awesome! Damn, do you guys clean up nice!" His antics hadn't changed in the slightest. Makoto had a brief flashback of the beach and his more than thorough examinations of all the girls during summer vacation.

However, Makoto couldn't pry his eyes from one person in particular. He stared at Labrys, as if it was the last thing he'd ever see. Not that he'd mind that, of course.

"H-Hey, Makoto," said Labrys, the pink in her cheeks growing even further. He blinked a few times, snapped out of his daze.

"Hey." He beamed warmly at her. "You look . . . amazing." He could hardly begin to describe it.

"You really think so?" she asked, self esteem shrinking. "I think I look kinda' goofy. This was all Yukari's idea, so I thought you might not like it. . ."

"I love it. You look absolutely astounding."

Her cheeks were burning up at this point. "Th-Thanks. Uh, y-you look great too."

He chuckled. "What I'm wearing is nothing special." He silently cursed himself for not going with the red tie.

"N-No, but it looks really nice!" she insisted. "It suits you really well."

"Thanks." Everyone else in their friend circle had departed to do something else, leaving them alone in the middle of the ballroom. Labrys cleared her throat, her cheeks flushing brighter than ever.

"So how do you like the party so far?" She inquired, looking around the expensively decorated ballroom. "Everything looks so amazing. . ."

"It wasn't anything special until you got here."

"Oh, stop!" she said, the redness on her cheeks refusing to die down. "I'm sure you don't mean that. . ."

Fishing for compliments. How cute. I'll comply. "No, seriously," he continued, to appease her silent request. "I'm not fond of these big parties. But with you, in that. . . How could anyone not like it?"

She giggled. "Well, I'm glad I could make your night just a little bit better."

"More than just mine, and more than just a little bit."

Once again, she let out a laugh, her worries disappearing. "I'm kinda' nervous, believe it or not. . . This party's crazy, after all. I mean, just look at all the people in here! I must look like a freak compared to them."

It was true that everyone else in the building looked like they'd dumped out an insane amount of money to be here. I never thought the government would throw parties like this. . . Labrys swooned, thinking about her fantasies of a night like this. Beautiful dress, beautiful people. . . Beautiful music, beautiful everything! Believe it or not, Labrys was pretty fond of glamorous events like this.

"Not true at all. If anything, the only looks you'll be getting are ones of envy." As they spoke, music started to ring out around them. With a grin, Makoto held his hand out towards her, bowing formally. "May I have this dance?"

"Why, of course you can, good sir!" She took his hand, the other dramatically placed on her chest as she was whisked into position. With one of his arms around her back and one hand in hers, they began to dance across the floor, staring into each others' eyes. And so the pair danced, for hours upon hours.

"C'mon, I need a break, Makoto!" She tugged him by his hand towards the wall, despite his childish refusals not to. However, he gave up eventually, conceding defeat to his girlfriend. "That was a lot of fun. I've never danced like that before."

"You did pretty good considering you've never done it before."

"Oh, please! I stepped on your foot more than once." Their laughs echoed out through the hall before quieting down as Labrys rested her head on Makoto's shoulder, looking out at the scene in front of her. "I never thought I'd be able to do this."

"Do what?" he asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Go to a party like this, with a buncha' people, and a guy I love. . . I never thought it'd happen." She wrapped her hand around his, squeezing it tightly as if to make sure she never let go. "I'm just so happy. All these kinda' things that a girl like me shouldn't be able to do. . . It kinda' makes me feel like I'm blessed, y'know? Like I'm the luckiest girl in the world."

He squeezed it back and kissed her forehead, leaning into her further. "We can do things like this all the time. Together."

"Promise?

"I swear."

She turned to face her beloved, pulling his face in as their lips met tenderly. It felt as if they would never separate, sharing this unison forever, had it not been for the unkind interruption soon to follow.

"Wow, Makoto, you sure know how to pick 'em," said Junpei, laughing.

"Should we get you two a room?" asked Akihiko, exchanging a fist pound of camaraderie.

"Oh, stop it," said Yukari. "Haven't you even been in love?"

"I agree!" said Fuuka, nodding enthusiastically. "I think they're just adorable."

Labrys's cheeks flushed as she stood up, almost glowing bright red. "C-Can't a girl have a little bit of privacy?"

Makoto couldn't help but laugh as the scene unfolded in front of him, watching the two things he loved most; Labrys, and his friends, in perfect synergy. She protested anything they said, cheeks flushing even brighter, and he couldn't help but feel the immense warmth growing inside his heart as he witnessed the scene.

Tonight really is perfect, huh. . .

Maybe this party wasn't such a bad idea after all.

A/N: Yaaay, actually getting a chapter out! I've had this one in the works for a few days but it just felt . . . weird, so I've re-tailored it a few times at this point. I hope it was good. Was it good? I bet it was good.

Tomorrow's (or whenever I upload it) prompt is during their morning rituals. That one should be fun.