Chapter Text
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP… Click
It was her sixth snooze in a row, but the lovely lady with the auburn fluffy –right now messy by the pillow which her head rest for about 4 hours now– hair knew that sleep was the most important thing right now, even if she didn’t know that today was the most meaningful day of the week, month and year.
It was the summer of 2018. And while the memories of those Phantom Thieves fighting in the skies of Shibuya have already been forgotten almost a year and a half ago, those thieves were still leading their own life by their own will.
But Haru didn’t care about summer or fighting shadows. She wanted to sleep. A lot of it. And that’s one thing the mysterious lady entering her room wasn’t let it happen.
With a temper strut and wearing a contemporary navy blue shirt dress (with a black set of leggings), the dark-skinned lady arrived at the one large window in front of Haru’s bed, quickly took both of the curtains and opened them wide, letting the sun enter into the room eliminating the few dark spots left. A loud groan came out from Haru, covering herself with all her blankets to keep out the almost midday sun.
“Miss Haru... is almost 11:30. As your assistant I’m sorry to say this but, you need to get up and get ready for today.”
Another groan came out of the queen size bed, with Haru moving under the blankets and trying to get more sleep and maybe some dreams with it.
“Miss Haru, this is your second call. Get up or I will take you to your shower, blankets including, of course."
Once again the groan came out, now muffled by Haru resting her tired face against the pillow.
“Miss Haru, I need to remain your agenda. You know that Master Ren is coming to Tokyo today?”
As soon as the lady finished her sentence, Haru’s head popped out of the blankets. Even with her messy hair, her rising blush and perplex sight couldn’t be more obvious. She forgot why she hit the bed so late last night.
“OH FUCK!” came out of Haru. Rushing to her bathroom while her assistant smiled to herself and let out a single chuckle.
“I guess… love can be a better alarm clock.” Said the assistant while giving the signal to the maid to be ready to tidy up Haru’s bed.
"Elizabeth! Elizabeth!” The voice of Haru came out of the bathroom.
“Yes, Miss Haru?”
“Is the final gift ready?”
“Already done and with a ribbon, Miss.”
“And the letter?”
“We received the confirmation yesterday and we’re arranging everything.”
She couldn’t see anything since a large cloud of vapor came out of the bathroom but, she knew inside that Haru was carrying the biggest smile of her life right now.
Dream of Butterfly, or is life a dream?
Don't wanna wake up 'cause I'm happier here…
Sweat. It was the first thing Ren noted once he woke from what it was a nightmare, he fell how almost all his body and pajamas were cover with cold sweat. A quick look at his phone showed to him that 3 a.m. was a bad time to be awake.
Careful to not disturb Morgana–his “cat” and metaverse friend– who was on a deep sleep by this time, Ren pull out from his bed and got out of the room.
Click. The lights on the house’s upper bathroom were kindest to him, Ren thought as soon he enter and put the lights on. A quick look on the mirror revealing his saggy pj’s and the bags on under his eyelids, which have been more defined for those sleepless nights like this.
As soon Ren took out his pajamas, more things were in the mirror in front of him. That included the scar tissue from his former adventures with the Phantoms all over his chest.
From some small holes from gun attacks he endure, some burn spots from all the elements the PERSONAs shot against him and his friends, to ultimately the large scar coming from his chest that cross all the way into his left pectoral. The last one sending his memories from the Cruise of Pride and the final confrontation between them and the Holy Grail.
Water. A lot of water for the bathtub was he needed right now. For him, this wasn’t the first time he woke up in the middle of the night sweating or feeling the anxiety creeping up to all the corners of his mind. But every time something like that happened, a good bath help him relax while he thought how to recover the lost hours of sleep.
Only when Ren sit inside of the bathtub and fell the warm water embrace each corner of his body, he let his mind slowly drift away.
Was this the first time? He thought.
No. Of course, it wasn´t.
His mind bounced from memory to memory, let him relax while still feeling remnants of the anxiety from his nightmare a few moments ago.
His first day in Shujin. The first time he met Arsene. That dinner with Ryuji and Ann that led to the creation of the Phantom Thieves. How he met Yusuke and Makoto. How he met Futaba and saved her from eternal grief. How he met Haru and how he became her boyfriend. Everything came down on him like a full wave as he remembered that his year of probation in Tokyo went down from being a dull moment to maybe one of the most exciting years of his teenage life.
But then, it hit him.
The many times he almost died in each palace or mementos.
Each form of distorted desires represented in the form of Kamoshida. Madarame, Kaneshiro, Haru's father, Masayoshi Shido and the Holy Grail itself.
From the moment he actually died in Shibuya to finally be rescued by the real Igor and his assistant, Lavenza; to the final shot made by Satanael to end the reign of sloth which Yaldabaoth wanted from the beginning.
He didn’t forget one of the most important things about that: Akechi Goro’s sacrifice.
He still remembered how Akechi shot the alarm to let the iron curtain rise from the floor and separating the thieves from the former detective who was, in the end, Shido’s son and the one doing his dirty work as the “Black Mask”.
Finally, his mind went blank at this point. He put his head under the water one more time before resting it on a towel over the white acrylic while staring into the ceiling.
And he let them go. All the pain flowing through his body. All the scars feeling fresh.
Each hit, each spell, each time he fell guilty for putting his friends and family in danger.
The sense of death coming from several spots in the bathroom.
The bath went cold, his body fell like ice, but his mind was on fire. He couldn't handle it anymore, he was trying to get out but couldn’t find an exit.
“Ren? You awake?”
A feminine voice snapped out of that state. Quickly, he took up his head from the cold towel and asked:
“Who’s calling?” The usual 'Joker' tone of voice he developed on Tokyo could be heard loud and clear.
The bathroom door slid easily in the floor and revealed the figure of his mother.
Katherine McBride wasn’t a normal mother. Considering how she and her husband Vincent came to Japan from the USA in search of better jobs.
She, a proficient and fierce manager, became the #1 option in all of Japan for management and the most required person on almost all the big names in the services industry. And while her pregnancy–which came in the precise moment before taking a job for the Japanese imperial family, that she rejected–didn't encumber her in the many plans she had, she knew that Ren was the real future she and Vincent were expecting.
The weirdest part of all was Ren’s name. While Vincent often asked for a full English name, she knew that making the foundation for her future son was in the name itself. ‘How my son is going to be the best person in Japan if he doesn’t have a name that stands like him!’ said once on one of her many hormone outbursts against Vincent.
Ren’s probation proved to be a good challenge to her. The spot in his file would make things even harder for her son and the decision for sending into Tokyo for his probation proved that everything isn’t fair in the world but in the end, showed that his son was ready to take in the world.
She remembers the day in which all of Ren’s charges were acquitted, a heavy load from her shoulders was lifted that day. And every time she saw his son, she would help him to make his own future. But in that moment, she was in a moody state. No makeup over her face which revealed the wrinkles and crow's feet on her eyes, the product of her workaholic state when she came to Japan many years ago and her age–in the middle of her 50s–.
Her hair in a bun–that had been evolved from her usual blonde-beige straight hair to a much deep brown almost black color– that showed how much carefree had become in the late years was still messy from the sleeping hours.
And lastly, her vintage 1960s sleeveless honey-color sleeping robe, a wedding gift of one her former employers –one of the biggest stars in fashion worldwide– rocking all the way to her knees.
"Well, of course, it isn't your mother. Obviously." She responded with the same sarcastic tone that Joker used on Tokyo.
“Oh. Hey mom. How’s going?” Responded Ren clearly baffled from her mother’s response.
“You know, checking it out. Making sure certain someone doesn’t become an icicle while bathing. Is something the matter, honey? Is too early to get prepared to leave me and your dad alone.” She said while sitting in a small seat beside the bath.
“Wait. Is too early? I thought you wanted me to be an early person. I still remember those days you wake me up to get ready to school at 5am…when school was at 9am. I mean, no regrets but that was one of the things I didn't like as a boy.”
"I know and I'm sorry for that, Ren. But still, is Sunday. I thought you wanted some sleep before leaving me to rot while your father melts into his favorite sofa." She said with a certain tone that left Ren feeling guilty… to finally realize that her sarcasm levels were off the charts.
“MOM! Can we please leave the sarcasm alone?” Ren exclaimed while making a little pout.
He didn’t expected his mother patting his head and rubbing his scalp, the one ‘off switch” if you can say. Feeling his pout transform into a blissful–almost catlike–smile, his mother said something he couldn’t decipher.
“Wait… what did you say?” Ren finally let out the thought after regaining his senses.
She paused a little bit before answering, almost like thinking about she said previously: “I said that I will miss you too, honey.”
“I… I will too Mom.”
“Now, get up and get ready while I’ll make breakfast.”
“Not waking up Dad? Huh.”
"Ah, you know how your father is, sweetie. A sizzling pan with some food is better than an alarm. Besides, he exchanged one of his tokens so today he isn’t getting any rage from me.” Said while looking with a certain innocence into the ceiling.
At the same time, Ren saw how his mother’s eyes gleamed with a yellow tint, similar with to the ‘Third Eye’ he used a lot to see beyond the usual things around him.
It was in this moment that he knew that his mother entered ‘Full Executive Mode’, a state he only saw when his mother was in the verge of pure rage or when she needed to focus on her management job.
To face her wrath while in that state would be worse than meeting the Reaper face to face.
By now… he just needed to get up and be ready for breakfast, he thought at the moment her mother exit the bathroom.
Tu sais, tu me demandais hier
Ma vision du bonheur
Eh bien, chaque jour elle est plus nette
Il ne nous fera plus peur.
Water. The last she needed to end her bathroom routine as she brushes her teeth. While Elizabeth’s reminding of the day had made her heart beating at a fast pace she thought that the best thing right was to be calm, get ready for the day and mostly wait for the precious hour to come. The hour which will saw Ren coming out of the train and into her arms, to finally saw his face to face and then…
Click. The hair blower was taking care of the best trait of Haru, her fluffy auburn hair. While she didn’t mind at first–especially after, earlier in the fake ‘relationship’ she had, Sugimura ‘asked’ for a full makeover which involved getting a new haircut–, her hair was one of the things Ren always liked about her.
She always remembered how one time Ren fell asleep on one of the waiting room between the areas within Mementos. Her
Sweat. A few drops fell down her back while waiting for her assistant’s confirmation to finally leave the house and go to the train station. She was waiting for this for a long time. While dealing with college, her new plans to make ‘Café Noir’ a reality and her long–soon to be close– distance relationship with Ren; Haru had been dealing with the remnants of their short but sweet times as Noir, the beauty thief of the Phantom Thieves.
After all, some panic attacks and anxiety became part of the norm in the immediate months after Ren left and went back home outside of Tokyo. But with therapy, some meds, the many phone and video calls with Ren and a touch of kickboxing–as per recommendation from Makoto, obviously–, she had been prepared to deal with this. The waiting, the emotions, her love for Ren, the anxiety, her future and of course, the unknown.
While finishing her wardrobe from today; which included a medium striped light blue dress, a pair of sandals with part of her hair in a small ponytail and a light pink lip gloss, Haru thought the many things he and Ren would do this time. No magic personas or palaces to interrupt their days. “We will take our time," she said to herself while looking at the final result in her large mirror.
A voice came from the other side of her bedroom’s door.
“Miss Haru, the driver is ready. We can go now.”
Letting out a deep sigh of relief, Haru stood up from her bed. Walking into the door she smiled and let out a single phrase: “Well…break time is over.” But as soon she said the words and opened her bedroom’s door, she saw something and let out the biggest high-pitch happiest scream in the entire mansion.
“MY EARS! GOD HARU!” said Ren, wearing a white buttoned shirt–with the sleeves already rolled to his forearms– with a pair of wash-worn jeans and who was in the other side of the door, while holding each hand against his ears. Totally amazed by the young girl reaction to him being in her house.
“Oh! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! But… How? Ren… why are you here?” said the fluffy girl while thinking if this was the right moment to hold Ren in her arms.
“Well,first of all…”
Magic. That’s what she saw around her when Ren finally kissed her. She fell Ren’s lips as tender as ever as he embraced her in the middle of the door frame. His touch was soft, melty and velvet as always. His lips were saying all the things he didn’t get to say, all the time he didn’t spend besides her, all their calls and all his desires for her resumed into one beautiful kiss.
Dreams. Is what she thought in the instant Ren took and carried her–bridal carry style– to her bed. Giggling all the way while seeing his grey eyes, Haru fell like her problems were disappearing one-by-one. But also her mind connected that he was there, Ren was in front of her eyes, and now Ren wouldn’t say that he’s going to go back to his city or that they didn’t need to be separated anymore. Everything was going to be alright.
Peace. The main feeling when she and Ren finally got down to the bed. Ren obviously taking almost all the bed for himself while she rested by his side. Haru took this opportunity to place her head over the chest of the young man which she gave her heart.
To finally feel safe listening to his breathing was the best gift she could imagine, even Haru didn’t notice that her assistant already closed the door and that Ren was already caressing her auburn hair.
Was only when Ren broke the silence that Haru got out of her livid dream.
“So… I was going to tell you something.”
“Besides telling me why you are here and not at the station?”
“For that… Well… Surprise~” Ren got his hands waving in the air before finally resting his left arm around Haru.
“Much appreciated surprise indeed. But still… Didn’t are you going to Leblanc? I love that you came here first but I got this feeling that you’re hiding something from me.” Haru looked at him with an uncertain look, like saying ‘Be honest with me'. She always got that effect with him, to properly say things not with words, but with looks and actions.
Ren clashed his eyes with those of Haru. And then he said:
“I’m not hiding anything. The thing is… I can’t go to Leblanc for a while.”
Haru went from doubt to curiosity and then anxiety. “Wait. You can’t go there? But… how?”
She stood up and sat on the bed while Ren did the same.
“Don’t you tell me that… Oh god! You got into a fight with Boss?”
“No no no no. A fight with Sojiro? Of course not. Jesus, my mother would kill me first before getting into the rage of Sojiro.”
“Then why you can’t go there?” said Haru while calming herself looking at her boyfriend’s eyes.
"Well the thing is, I'd been out of the attic for a long time and of course is like a second home for me but somebody is there right now."
“Somebody? Ren, I don’t understand.” Haru was confused to this point and that caused a little giggle from Ren. He always loved that she got something too complex very quickly while the simple things were flying just above her. “Don’t laugh, you… you…!” Haru quickly showed a little pout at his light chuckle.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I needed to make some hype out of it. Oh boy. You didn’t think that...” He stopped by a sudden pain because Haru just flicked his forehead.
“Ren Amamiya, my little kitten. You better explain it right now or else…!”
"Ok ok ok. Ouch. That hurt!” ‘How she got stronger all of a sudden?' his inner mind exclaimed.
“Well then… Who’s in your room right now?”
"Futaba." Haru's eyes went out with a surprise she didn't expect.
“She said that somewhere in between her last vacations got the sweet idea to get out of Sojiro’s house and I quote ‘Become a better protagonist for the sequel of my life. So that means get a better upgrade to where check all the loot I got after each quest’.”
“Wait… And Boss said yes to all of this? Huh. But wait, don't all of her computers are with Boss? How could she move that equipment?”
“She didn't. She also stated that and I quote ‘My Navi-cave is the only place where I could fight the crimes of 1Chat. Also, Sojiro is too old and I don’t want him to connect my SUPER NAVICOMPUTER!’ That last part she actually said it, by the way.”
“Huh. I guess Sojiro doesn’t have any spare rooms on his house?”
“Nope. It appears he didn’t think about the idea that somebody would come to serve a parole with him as his guardian when he built the house.”
“And I guess that a hotel room would be very expensive too. I mean… is summer after all.”
The last part made her aware of the situation. That fact was that she was one who could have a spare room to let Ren stay for all of the summer. Her blush suddenly make her aware that she could be spending her vacation with Ren.
She could be spending her vacation… with him. On her house. With him.
"So… That means…" Ren slowly approached Haru, much to her rising blush.
“That means… what Ren?”
“That I need a new place to stay. And since Ryuji cannot do it because his mother is having her sister staying at their house this week, Ann is going to America for a special photo shoot, Makoto is staying at Sae’s department and Yusuke is… well… Yusuke. That leaves~”
Haru quickly understood what he meant.
“It means that is just me.” She whispered while holding her hands to her face in an attempt to cover the biggest blush she got.
“I’m sorry. I cannot hear you, my beautiful sheep. What did you say?"
“It means that you want to stay.” She whispered…again.
“Haru… I cannot hear anything~”
Haru quickly stood up in the bed and threw a pillow at Ren’s head. Needless to say, she failed, most to her blush who was already off the charts.
“THAT MEANS YOU WANT TO STAY WITH ME! YOU YOU… KITTEN!” She screamed.
At the moment the scream went out of Haru, Elizabeth opened the door and asked if something was wrong. But she found Haru over the arms of Ren, totally embarrassed to the desire of his boyfriend to literally spend his last summer vacation as a high school student with her.
With an 'ok sign', Ren assured to her that Haru was in good hands.
“Is all good. She said yes, somehow.”
“Oh. Ok. Anything more you need, Miss Haru?”
“Just… Just talk somebody and take his luggage to one of the guest rooms. Please.” Haru said while hiding her face in Ren’s shoulder.
“Understood.”
Once the door was closed, Haru finally took her face out of the shoulder of her lover. And with all the energy from the emotions she had for him and with a pure smile coming from her heart, she let out the one thing she wanted to say for a very long time.
“Welcome home, Ren.”
“I’m home… Haru.”
A deep and slowly kiss ended all the suspense and surprises of that day.
This was going to be a very good summer vacation to remember, after all.