Makoto is in love.

"Representing the Lovers, Valentinus was a priest in Rome, and he has many legends behind his name. In one such legend, it was said that he defied the orders of the emperor and secretly performed christian weddings, allowing the young men to escape army conscription. In another tale, it is said that before his execution, he restored the vision of his jailor's daughter, and to her, he wrote a note signed 'from your Valentine', which is said to have inspired the romantic missives of today's tradition."

[9 Years Ago]

Makoto tried to not look smug at the irony of the situation, but she couldn't help but feel a little vindicated.

Sumire was spending time alone, whereas Ren was here with her. On Valentine's day.

Granted, it was not a romantic date. It was not even a friendly gathering, it was just Makoto babysitting her niece while Ren miserably stuck around to complain about being kicked by his ex-girlfriend.

She wondered which breakup number this was. Number three? four? She is legitimately starting to lose count.

Not that it matters.

Takkun and her sis were out on a date. The poor couple seriously needed a break from parenting and their work responsibilities, so Makoto volunteered to watch over baby Yukino.

Her little niece gave her a gummy smile that melted her heart. Makoto made faces and the baby giggled.

Beside her, Ren droned on.

"...And she said that she needed some time to think, but I honestly have no idea what that could mean at all. I was so sure I did everything right, but she insists she needs space." He ranted.

Makoto winced. Right, Ren wouldn't shut up about being kicked by Sumire.

"Well, maybe she is overwhelmed? With the upcoming competition and all." She said neutrally.

A part of Makoto couldn't help but think that Sumire was sometimes a little vapid. And worse, Ren-kun was starting to feel the same.

It was as if the symbiosis of their clearly unhealthy relationship changed the former charismatic and helpful leader into an anxious, needy guy that was sometimes a little full of himself.

Makoto knew her thoughts were awful, but she was starting not to care.

"But I want to support her!"

Makoto sighed. "Ren-kun, sometimes, you don't have to be everyone's live-in therapist. It's not healthy for you either."

He didn't seem to like her words very much, judging by his face. Makoto just bumped her shoulders with his.

"You need a distraction. Thinking about this will get you worked up forever. Sumire wants space, so give her space."

He sighed. "I guess you're right. Sorry for bothering you with all of this, Makoto."

She brazenly put a hand on his arm. "You never bother me. We're friends."

He smiled, she smiled. It was one of 'those' smiles, the secret ones that you shouldn't be leveling at just friends.

It was a little dirty and sinful. And god, she liked it. It always left the air between them charged in a delicious way.

He soon averted his gaze and started to make funny faces at Yunchan, to try to diffuse their inevitable chemistry. The baby laughed at him.

The problem with Ren was that he seemed to forget that Makoto was not stupid.

She knew what his gazes meant. What his smiles meant. What his proximity, his constant small touches and even invasion of her personal space meant.

And she let him. It felt good, it felt really good even if it was not so innocent.

And besides, he was single at this moment. Nothing illegal, nothing immoral with their interactions.

Before the first or even second breakup, Makoto stayed put. She respected Ren and Sumire's wish to be with one another. She distanced herself, and she made sure to only think of him as a friend.

She was respectful and proper.

But every single time, without fail, whenever Sumire kicked him to the curb, it was to her that he came to cry to.

She was a charitable, understanding and sympathetic friend at first. Always giving him friendly advice to make up with Sumire, to try to be more understanding, so that they could work it out.

After a while, though, she stopped. Why bother? They would break up again. And it was also awfully tiring to keep up the pretenses that she didn't want Ren.

She wanted him. All for herself.

If Sumire constantly broke up with him, then it means he must not be very valuable to her.

Makoto would be more than willing to cherish him instead.

If he gave Makoto the greenlight to be brazen with him, she was not going to be stupid and self-sacrificing any longer.

Smiling a little mischievously, she approached his ear and whispered.

"You'd make a really good father, you know?"

He seemed to startle a little, but Makoto just smiled innocently. He had goosebumps in his arms, and Makoto felt her ego inflate.

She did this to him. He couldn't deny forever that they had chemistry.

"You think?" He said with a small smile after he recovered.

"Yes. You seem to do really well near kids." She said, with a more genuine smile this time.

He gave her a soft look in return.

Besides the sexual tension that she knew was there, Ren and her also just clicked. They were the leaders of their merry band of Thieves, after all, but whenever they had conversations like these, it never felt like a power imbalance.

It always felt like a partnership instead.

Ren once confessed to her that sometimes he was afraid Sumire was too dependent on him, and that he didn't know how to rely on her in return. He would often get worried and worked up during these breakups because he was constantly thinking of her mental wellbeing while they were away.

Makoto always forced him to calm down and to try to understand that only Sumire could do the first step towards taking care of herself. Nobody else could do it for her. Him being there would not make a difference if Sumire wasn't ready and willing.

Unironically to her, she sensed that these conversations always grounded Ren back into the man she knew he could be.

The man she loved.

"She looks so much like you. I think it's cute, you know?" He said teasingly.

Makoto chuckled.

She loved her little Yunchan so much.

"Sis thinks it's karmic payment for all the things she did to me. I just think it's a little thing called genes." She said with a laugh.

"Well, for what's worth, I'm pretty sure any kid of yours would look beautiful, like their mother." He told her with a smirk.

Makoto raised a teasing eyebrow at his words. What a flatterer.

There is no way he is not aware of what he is saying. She thought it was a little cynical of him to compliment her like that.

She hated and loved it.

"I guess I just need to find some good father material first. Maybe I should date Tomo-kun."

Ren's smile went a little stiff.

Oh, he hated her police partner. She had brought Shiraki-kun to group hangouts once or twice, and it never ceased to make Ren look irritated.

It secretly made her rejoice.

"Right, that guy. I mean, sure, you guys work together and all, but… Don't you think his nose is a little crooked?"

"And? I think it gives him sort of a boyish charm." She said nonchalantly.

Ren seemed a little disconcerted but laughed it off.

"Well, his eyebrows are a little too bushy." He said with criticism.

"Adds to his personality." She quipped.

"His smiles are a bit too intense. He looks like a maniac."

She snorted. "Ryuji-kun grins like that."

"And?"

She looked at him incredulously. "With all due respect to Ann, but Ryuji is handsome in a cute, roguish way."

"So you like guys who look a little gruff, huh? Are you a fan of athletes?" He joked with a little snark present.

Her smile was predatorial.

"I like smart and suave guys a lot more."

The look he gave her in response was hungry.

Makoto, the evil priestess that she was, decided to completely leave him hanging and started to goofily play with her niece.

"Come on snowball, let's watch buchi-adventures!" Makoto said with child-like wonder.

Her niece laughed happily. "Buu!"

"Yes!" She replied as if she understood the toddler. Yunchan would say Buchi-kun before the year was over, or she wouldn't be Makoto Niijima.

Ren looked torn in a mix of infuriated and genuinely fond of her.

"Your aunt seriously loves this thing, Yunchan. Don't let her contaminate you."

"Watch it criminal, you're talking to a cop." She mock-glared at him.

He grinned mischievously.

They spent another hour watching TV and playing with the baby without any sort of charged commentary or obvious flirting. It was just Ren and Makoto, best friends.

Yunchan soon fell asleep and Makoto put her in the nursery. She fondly kissed the forehead of her niece.

Then she bit her lip. She could tell him to go home, or…

She could just ask him to hang around her for a little bit.

Deciding to not overthink and go with her instincts, Makoto exited the nursery, and entered the kitchen of her sister's apartment. She purposefully started to mix some drinks.

Eicchan and surprisingly, Iida-kun from Shujin had taught her to appreciate cocktails and other drinks. They would often go bar hopping on the weekends to taste test new drinks and nice hotspots for afterwork hangouts.

Makoto didn't like to drink too much, as she was always paranoid of misbehaving, not to mention that the history with her father always haunted her. But she was moderate and responsible, plus it was often seen as an antisocial thing if you don't go out for a few drinks with colleagues and friends from time to time.

She learned to loosen up a little.

"Here, check this one out. I learned this one with Lala-chan, Ohya was my taster." She said as she passed him one of her specialties.

"I still can't believe you're something of a mixologist now. Makes me honestly jealous." He teased her.

She just grinned at him and they started to enjoy their drinks.

"Cheers, my good Joker."

"Cheers, my good Queen."

It was honestly pretty enjoyable to drink with Ren. Eiko and Tomoe would often try to get Makoto wildly drunk, but she preferred quietness and intimacy.

Like this. Just her and her Joker.

"That's honestly delicious, Makoto." He told her sincerely.

Makoto beamed at him. "Thanks. I don't like them too sweet, but I have learned to appreciate some sweetness in the right mixes."

"I for one love sweets. The sweeter, the better." He said huskily.

Ren might have had Satanael, but it was Makoto who smiled like the devil herself.

"Is that so?"

He looked away and grinned. "Yep."

"What a sweet boy you are, Ren-kun." She purred in response.

They put their drinks down a little. Ren's looks were ferocious and intense. They weren't even drunk yet, but she could sense the liquor was just the excuse.

The reasons went much deeper.

He closed the space, and their bodies were almost flush with one another.

Shit, they were getting a bit too out of hand.

But Makoto didn't care. She has been waiting 6 years for this.

"So, would you like a taste, Ren-kun?"

He swallowed dryly. "And if I say yes?"

She closed the distance. They were almost touching.

"Then it's all yours." She whispered.

Their mouths clashed. It was forbidden, it was lusty, it was explosive, evil incarnate and a delightful sin.

Everything she wanted and more.

They continued to kiss each other. What started as a charged explosion of desire, evolved into an amorous flame. The kiss was becoming sweeter, more chaste, more innocent.

Loving, even.

It made things to her heart that she thought should be forbidden.

But it was alright. She was in his arms now.

However, all good things must come to an end. Makoto, who thought she would come up for air victorious, faced only defeat.

"I…Makoto, we shouldn't have done that."

What a fucking slap to her face.

She didn't say anything. His face was pure regret, and fear. He looked spooked, as if he had committed a crime.

What was once warm, was now cold. What was sweet, now bitter.

"Right." She said, "So, you're going to run away again, hm?"

"Makoto… We're friends. This shouldn't have happened…"

Friends, friends, friends.

Always just fucking friends.

She was always Makoto, the stupid shoulder to cry on. To comfort him.

Always second, never first.

"You know what? I don't care. Go, you coward. Go be her fucking dog, always at her beck and call, but don't expect me to be here forever. If you can't be man enough to admit your feelings, then get the fuck out."

He stayed silent, helpless, unsure. She wanted him to choose her so badly.

Choose me. Choose me, my love.

Ren looked at her with longing and regret, then closed his eyes, and turned his back on her.

At each of his steps, her heart was being hammered on and broken further.

Coward. Bastard. Cretin.

All the love, all the longing, all the need that she had for this man was morphing into pure, unabashed hatred.

He didn't even have the fucking decency to try to reason with her. Not even to turn her down gently. He just took her words at face value and left.

Makoto was left behind in that apartment, once more alone on another Valentine's day.

But this time, it was so much worse, because he took away her first kiss.

And also her love for him.

[The Present Day]

Across from her, sat the sweetest human being on earth, with a napkin cutely wrapped around his neck, fork and cutlery on his eager hands, and a hungry look upon his cherubic face as he enjoyed his most delicious pancakes.

Makoto held in the urge to snicker at the scene, but lost the battle. Akechi was too predictable.

"What the hell is so fucking funny? Stop laughing." He said as he hangrily ate his food.

"You don't always have to be such a grump, you know? I'm feeding you out of the goodness of my heart after all." She said teasingly.

"Shut up, trash." He grumbled.

Makoto tutted. "Akechi-kun, that is a weak one. You need to come up with a better repertoire."

If there was a god of irony out there, he certainly thought that making her befriend Goro Akechi, out of all people available on earth, was a good source of comedic relief in her otherwise complicated life.

Akechi was not a good guy or human being, and he was not even her most uplifting choice of company, honestly.

But, these days she found that she cared less and less.

He was awful, yes, but she also lived in a world where her former enemy was now her reluctant friend, and her former friend, now her bitter enemy. Her sister had been a corrupt prosecutor, and her own brother-in-law tried to brainwash the entirety of Tokyo anyways.

She guessed she just had a huge soft spot for formerly horrible people.

"How is the child?" Akechi asked softly.

Makoto smiled. Akechi may try to hide it with his abrasiveness and constant hate speech towards everything and everyone, but he had a soft spot for Aki-kun.

"He is fine. Doing well in school. Won second place in a science fair, which made him very happy." She told him, proudly.

"Hm. I have a gift for him. I'll stop by your place later." He said as he ran a hand through his hair.

She nodded. "He'll be happy."

She shouldn't have her son around a former murderer, but Aki-kun loved his uncle Goro too much. The man knew Akio since the day he was born, and has been the closest thing to a father figure for her child ever since.

Her thoughts then turned to her complicated predicament.

"Goro, I think that man is calling the hotline."

He rolled his eyes, then chuckled darkly. "You mean, Amamiya? Yes, I'm aware. In fact, he asked precisely for a certain popular priestess."

"He won't stop calling my landline." She muttered.

Akechi scoffed. "And I bet you keep taking those calls."

"It's our job." She told him simply. "I cannot refuse without giving away my identity."

"Keep telling yourself that Niijima. Deep down, he must know." He said, chuckling in evil amusement.

She glared at him. She was never going to hope for that. Mr. Red wanted to hear Hanna, not Makoto.

"Whatever. Now, be a good boy and finish your pancakes." She teased.

He just threw her a look that said 'Shut up or I'll kill you.'

Ren decided to follow up on Hanna's advice.

It was valentine's day, and he decided that a cozy, candlelight romantic dinner would be a very nice and loving gesture to show his wife that he cared.

The salmon was perfect, and he had expensive, delicious liquor chocolate alongside a beautifully written, romantic calling card that he made just for her.

Something to steal Sumire's heart again.

He looked at the bottles of wine, and the other alcohol he had around their house, and froze.

An unbidden memory of his former friend mixing up drinks for their gang, and teaching them all kinds of flavors and tastes, flashed in his mind.

She was good at that. He remembers dad even joking one evening that her favorite drink was now irish coffee. She had bantered back that she was going to turn Leblanc into a bar.

An unexpected feeling of sadness came over him. To think that something she started as an enriching experience was twisted into loneliness and addiction always made him feel lost. She didn't deserve that.

But, he too, didn't deserve having that woman invading his mind on the very night he was trying to put up an effort for his wife.

He hated her for it. Cursed be, the memory of her.

Her sinful smile. Her touches, her kisses.

He needs to focus on his task.

Finishing his cooking duty, Ren started to prep the decorations. Rose petals, scented candles and other tricks would make or break his plans, and he got into work.

Sumire arrived not long after he finished all his preparations. At least, he managed to take a quick shower.

Her eyes had widened and she greeted him with a sweet, loving smile.

They enjoyed their dinner, their alcohol and the chocolates. They danced, they laughed and smiled. Ren felt smug and happy at all the little reactions he provoked on her.

They made love that night. It had been a long time, but it felt good. Sweet, slow, loving, passionate in its own way.

Ren was a happy man. He didn't need anyone else.

He could be happy. He was happy.

Tears came to his eyes.

He didn't need her.

For a few fleeting moments of weaknesses, she had been his own devil to worship, from head to toe.

It was not gentle, or loving, or slow.

With her, everything was a storm, an explosion, it was angry, ugly. It was pure hurt and pleasure.

The high of his life.

He wanted to pretend nothing happened, that he was too drunk to remember. And that she didn't lie to his face.

…

He needs a distraction.

Ren got up, and left his sleeping wife alone.

"Thanks for reaching out to The Confessional. My name is Tom, and I will be your personal priest today." He said, trying to sound youthful, charismatic and approachable.

It was… Quite different from his false detective prince persona. He had to inject enough sincerity for it to make others comfortable. He found that, after spending time with Makoto, he surprisingly managed to achieve some manner of honesty.

She was a positive influence, even though he absolutely loathed her for it.

He heard a snort from the other side of the line. "I have a confession to make."

…Fuck. He hated fridays. She always called on fridays.

"...I'm here for your troubles." He said, unimpressed.

He could feel her grin, even if he wasn't seeing it. Stupid girl.

"So, there is this petty bitch I hate with a passion. He killed my mother, helped others gaslight me into thinking I killed her, then went on a killing spree that victimized my friend's shitty dad, and also many others."

'Not this shit again.' He thought, tired and irritated.

"...That is a strong declaration, my esteemed confessor. Why don't we expand upon these subjects?"

He didn't want to expand upon shit, but this was his job.

"Well, I don't think there is anything I can do, when he murdered everyone thanks to a satanic pact with his inner, psycho self. There is no way we can keep him in jail for life without real world evidence, though. So, yeah, I'm coping by calling this line."

Of that, he was well aware of it. She wouldn't let him forget it for a second.

"It sounds like you went through many trials and tribulations, my dear confessor. What more do you have to unburden yourself with?"

"Well, he saved my best friend's life, and as a consequence he now lives as a fake priest atoning for his sins. I feel like I owe him a big one now, and that sort of annoys the shit out of me."

He counted to ten so as to not snap. If he had known he'd have to listen to this same drivel every Friday thanks to it, he would have never aided a passed out Makoto the first time.

Fuck his life.

"I see. I am sorry to hear that" He said insincerely. He actually didn't give a fuck in the slightest.

"Eh, this is honestly nothing compared to all the other crazy shit in my life, such as having possessed supernatural powers of brainwashing over fifteen years ago, don't you think so Mr. Priest?"

"It does seem to be the case, my dear confessor." He said dryly.

The confessor's voice turned into the definition of impish. "Hey, I have one more confession! I think the guy who murdered my mom, who is now a fake priest, is also irredeemably gay for my brother."

Godammit, he had to stop her before she started with the humiliating, chronically online, brain rotting, sexually deviant speech of the week.

"My child. This is a place for holiness, chastity and piousness. Please, refrain from bringing blasphemy and deviancy into holy territory." He scolded her with his most stern voice possible.

He hated the roleplay but he had to get into it at times. It was part of the contract those assholes shoved down his throat. He remembers Makoto's smug face when she saw that her conditions weren't as restrictive as his. He was a dog on a leash, while she was the absolute darling of this ridiculous venture.

He hated everyone, and he hated everything.

Fuck his life.

"Hah, come on. None of this shit ain't even Church sanctioned. One letter to the Vatican and y'all are done for." The confessor said, snickering like a fiend.

He doubted the Vatican would waste their time to bring down a silly helpline from Japan. For the most part, they never disrespected the religious teachings or figures. Everything was done to be as respectful as possible.

But he was sure the idiot on the other side didn't care.

"This is beside the point. Please, be respectful."

"Fine, whatever. Anyways, where was I? Oh, right. So, my enemy wants to jump the bones of my brother," She said, then paused in her drivel, likely to take a sip of a drink. "And my brother, despite being married, secretly wants to jump the bones of my best friend. No matter how much he denies it."

That was a shitty way to summarize things, but it was a somewhat correct assessment. Though he wouldn't say he wants to 'jump the bones of Amamiya', as that bastard would never see him that way. He wasn't Makoto, he had some fucking self-respect.

The confessor continued with her idiocy. "By the way. Let's say that, hypothetically, I want to bone my sister-in-law, the wife of my brother, and said brother in turn wants to bone my best friend, who is obsessed with him in return, BUT, she also happens to be best friends with my enemy, who in turn, wants to bone my brother too because of some weird rivalry shit from over fifteen years ago. What does it all mean?" She asked with a fake innocent tone of voice.

'That everyone involved is going to burn in the deepest pits of hell.' He thought sarcastically.

"My child, this sounds like a complex moral conundrum. If not in the arms of God, maybe seek a therapist, alongside some heavy medication to go with it."

In other words, shut up and get some fucking help away from me.

"Nah, that's not as fun as dialing a fake priest to ask the important questions of life, such as: What are we? Where do we come from? Where do we go in the end? And also, how many people can we cram into this shitty chain of scandalous sexual tension?"

Akechi wanted someone to give him something for the pain and let him die.

Fuck his life.

To be continued…