A/N: Hello folks!

I have quite a few stories that are published over on AO3, and figured I would start cross-publishing them here. This was actually the first Sadayo/Ren story I ever wrote, and it's relatively short and fun and light-hearted, so I hope you enjoy what is the first of a few Persona stories that I'm going to bring over here.

I use Ren Amamiya as my P5 protagonist name (though Akira is growing on me).

There's nothing like a breeze on a not-too-hot-to-breathe kind of late-summer day. It was the kind of day that, saddled between summer and autumn as it was, couldn't very well decide just what it wanted to be. But on balance…there were birds, flowers, colorful trees (steadily marching on toward their autumn costumes), couples roaming about holding hands…it was all quite lovely. Lovely, of course, for everyone except for Sadayo Kawakami.

Kinda hard to pull off public displays of affection when your boyfriend was not only a minor, but a student. And not just a student. Her student.

Describing their…relationship as "complicated" would've been a colossal understatement.

It had started with what she presumed to have been a maid fetish. You know, just a couple of teenagers playing a little prank. That it had been Sakamoto's idea wasn't really too big of a surprise when Ren had fully disclosed the events of that night. But, boy, was she glad that it had happened.

Hell of a way to meet your future boyfriend, gotta be honest.

Also a hell of a way to meet the sweetest, kindest person she'd met in years. Maybe it was the naivete of a teenager that led to this kindness that allowed him to see past Becky and find Sadayo. Maybe it was just his character. If it was, she wouldn't have believed you after Ren's astonishingly terrible first impression. Missing half the day? Associating with that "troublemaker" Sakamoto (she knew better now, of course)?

Terrible first impression.

Not that hers had been any better.

She'd been tired – no, exhausted – for so long that she couldn't remember a time when she hadn't been. She had clung to the idea of not being tired the way a kid who recognizes her parents' handwriting still clung to the notion that, yes, there is a Santa Claus. It was pining for better days that she wasn't sure could exist anymore.

But some dumb kid had called a maid service.

Turns out that dumb kid was pretty damn special.

Life sure comes at you fast, Sadayo.

She had the ring to prove it.

"It's such a nice day, hmm?"

"Sure is." He kept his eyes forward, ever respectful of their unique situation.

"So…I wanted to ask you something, master."

Yes, it was going to be one of those conversations.

With a smirk, he nodded for her to continue.

"How about we find a bench first."

Keeping his hands in the pockets of his jeans, he followed his teacher/maid/maybe-girlfriend to a nearby shaded and (thankfully) secluded bench. She kept a publicly respectable distance between them, hands remaining in her lap.

"So what's up, Kawakami-san?"

She wasn't the only one showing public respect and social decorum. It made the teacher smirk.

"Sadayo is fine." She crossed her legs under her jean skirt. "Just keep your voice down," she added with a little smirk. But he understood; he always understood. "I was wondering…while all of this is nice, why me of all people? I mean, beyond an apparent maid fetish and a thing for rule-breaking and older women, that is."

He barely took a second to respond. When he did, it sure sounded like he'd thought about his answer to this question before. Many times before.

"Well, Makoto's a bit too bossy. While that's fine when we're all…doing thievery stuff, it's not so great out here. Ann can be a bit of a flake, Futaba's basically my little sister, and Haru's a little too intimidating."

Well, that was…a lot. She shook her head, her thick dark hair slowly waving around her face.

"Intimidating? Haru seems really sweet."

Wait. What? There were other, more pertinent questions here, Sadayo!

Ren grinned at her. "Oh, she is, but she's a little scary. You ever see her wield an axe? Wait. Of course you haven't."

"She WHAT?"

"You know, 'axe', when we're doing the Thief thing. It's her weapon of choice." He shrugged. "There's no accounting for taste, I guess."

There were so many questions that needed to be asked, but she knew so little about…whatever it was that Ren and his friends actually did as they quietly changed the world. Those questions would have to wait, if they ever got asked at all.

"Okay, but what does any of that have to do with my original question?"

He chuckled before his expression tightened into all seriousness.

"Sadayo-san, how do I put this? You know what you want and who you really want to be. You're a teacher, and a damn good one in my opinion." He scratched the back of his neck in the way that he did. It was the surefire sign that he was thinking – really thinking – about something. "I guess…I guess I spent so much time helping my friends figure that out that it's refreshing that I can just talk to you, um, without putting in that kind of work."

"But you helped me out, too," she quietly pointed out.

He smiled in that way that he did. He smiled in the way that she found so mesmerizing – this quiet but confident kid that had taken more than just the hearts of the evil and sadistic. It was the smile of the kid that had taken something far more personal from her.

And it appeared that he was going to hold onto it for a little while longer.

"Oh, I know that. But you never needed to figure out who you were – or are. You knew that from the start. It was just a matter of letting you be…you again. Besides, I know a thing or two about carrying around unjust guilt. I couldn't just let you drag that around. It wasn't fair."

Oh, he was making her blush. What couldn't Ren do?

"For a high schooler, you sure have a way with words."

He nodded, a little too earnestly. "Thievery again," he deadpanned.

Sadayo's eyes shot open. "WHAT?"

He shrugged, all nonchalance and confidence. "Yeah, sometimes I have to, uh, talk…to the things we fight when we're…you know…doing that stuff. Like negotiating, I guess. Makoto had the same reaction when she saw me do it, too. She still can't believe it." He grinned then. "She sucks at it, actually."

"Oh, now that I don't believe. You mean the student council president can't do public speaking?"

"Goodness no! She's terrible at it. The first time I let her try it, she just pissed the thing off. Had to kill it instead. Shame, really. We could have used it on our side."

Sadayo blew out a breath. There was a lot to unpack there, too. "Ren, I have no idea what you're talking about, which is probably for the best."

He merely hummed his agreement.

For a while they simply watched sunlight sparkle over the breeze-blown lake.

Sadayo decided to broach the next topic.

"You know we can't 'do anything' for a while, right? I mean, if that's what you wanted…or expected, or…." She fiddled nervously with her fingers. Her eyes remained on the water.

"I know, Sadayo-san. That's not what I'm after. Well, not just that. Not now."

She smirked this time, fully aware of her light blush. "So, what are you after?"

He shrugged. "This. Just being able to hang out with you. Maybe go fishing. Hold your hand when we're alone. Maybe even kiss you," he added with a little wink before clearing his throat. "When we're alone, of course. After all, word on the street is that you've got some free time now."

Doing her damnedest to hide the blush on her cheeks, Sadayo allowed herself to edge just a little bit closer to her boyfriend. Yes, that was who this kid with some very odd tastes was. Her boyfriend.

And maybe that was okay.

"Yeah, Ren, I'd like that."