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"Beep! Beep! Beep!"
The loud annoying sound rang out from Yusuke's phone. The blue haired boy groaned sleepily as he reached his hand out of his futon and grabbed onto his phone. After stopping the irritating alarm, he stared blearily at the home screen:
[January 28th 6:30AM]
He sighed as he pushed the duvet off of his body and stood up. There was a wintery chill in his room, but thanks to Goemon's affinity to ice, Yusuke barely noticed.
He folded up his futon and placed it in the nearby closet, making sure it was out of the way and then slowly wandered into the bathroom, placing his phone on the kitchen counter on his way.
"Hm?" He hummed in surprise as he stared into the mirror. There was paint smeared on his nose and cheeks. Oh, that's right... He was painting last night. He must rubbed his face at some point. Yawning, he grabbed a flannel, ran it under the hot water and began gently scrubbing his face. He was used to this, after all. It was a very common experience for him.
After cleaning off every last speck of paint, Yusuke moved onto his every day routine: brush his teeth, brush his hair, get dressed into his uniform, search for everything he needed for school, pack his bag, pick up his phone and out the door to catch the train.
Just another dull morning. The crisp winter air stung Yusuke's cheeks slightly as he walked towards the station. The sky was still dark and the streetlights illuminated the streets as tired workers and students made their way to their jobs and schools. Yusuke yawned as he stared flatly at his phone screen.
There was nothing on it, no notifications, no texts, he just wanted to look at the photos. As he stepped into the warmth of the train station, he came across a photo that made him smile softly. Ren and Futaba drawing on his face while he slept with Morgana giggling in the background. Yusuke couldn't help but sigh happily at the sight of the messy black hair and the cheeky grin.
"Yusuke?" A voice called out to him. Yusuke flinched at the sudden mention of his name and turned around. The tactician of the Phantom Thieves stood there, staring at him.
"Oh, good morning, Makoto." Yusuke greeted her, slipping his phone into his pocket.
"Yes, good morning. It's quite rare for us to bump into each other at this time, isn't it?" Makoto commented with a gentle smile.
"I suppose it is..." Yusuke responded absent mindedly as he mind wandered to a different place. It was quite rare for him to bump into Makoto. Sure, sometimes he bumped into Ann, maybe Ryuji, he even bumped into Haru once before, but there was one person that he frequently encountered on his way to school.
He just wished he could see that fluffy black hair and the cat sticking out of his bag again.
A dejected huff left Yusuke's mouth as he thought of him. Makoto was trying to get his attention when a loud growl suddenly emanated from Yusuke's stomach.
"Yusuke... Have you eaten any breakfast?" Makoto interrogated him, crossing her arms and glaring at him with a piercing gaze.
"U-Uh... It seems I forgot to..." Yusuke awkwardly admitted, avoiding eye contact.
"I swear... You're hopeless..." Makoto sighed in disbelief as she rummaged around in her bag. Yusuke watched her, confused until she pulled out a breakfast bar and shoved it into his hand.
"O-Oh... Um, thank you? Although, you really didn't need to." Yusuke clumsily thanked her.
"Don't thank me, just eat. Geez, Yusuke, you need your vitamins, please just eat properly." Makoto lectured him, shaking her head.
'And she wonders why we call her team mum...' Yusuke thought to him with a chuckle as he unwrapped the bar and took a small bite.
"Aoyama-Itchome. Train is now arriving for Aoyama-Itchome." The station announcement sounded out.
"Oh! Well, I've gotta go, see you later!" Makoto waved goodbye as she briskly jogged off to her train. Yusuke just waved back and continued eating the bar before noticing that his own train had arrived and wandered over to the platform.
Yusuke let a bored sigh as he leaned onto his desk. Just lunch and then two more lessons to get through and then he could leave. School just seemed to really drag recently. Yusuke didn't really know why but he didn't like it.
His classmates rushed out of the door, while Yusuke just stayed in his seat. He didn't have anything for eat for lunch anyway. He usually spent his lunchtimes painting, but he hadn't had any inspiration at all for the past few weeks, so he just laid his head down on his desk, hoping to have a quick nap.
The moment he closed his eyes, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He sighed in annoyance as he checked his phone.
[Futaba: Yo Inari, you're coming to Leblanc after school, right?]
Yusuke frowned in confusion at that message. Sure, he had been visiting Leblanc a lot lately, but he hadn't made any plans to visit today...
[Yusuke: No, I'd rather just go straight home today.]
[Futaba: Nope. Makoto texted me earlier, said that you hadn't eaten any breakfast this morning. So, now Sojiro says that he IS making you some curry and you WILL eat it.]
Yusuke sighed quietly to himself again. He really didn't want to impose, it just made him feel guilty but Sojiro was taking the time to make him food, so it would be more rude to refuse.
[Yusuke: Fine, but only for a little while.]
[Futaba: VICTORY!!!! >:3c]
Yusuke really didn't trust that message, especially since it was from Futaba but he was too tired to care at this point. He just slid his phone back into his pocket and laid his head onto his desk again, closing his eyes and blocking out everything else.
Exiting the train in Yongen-Jaya, Yusuke stretched his back and sighed again. Today had just been really bland and boring. Nothing of interest had happened and Yusuke just seemed to feel really melancholic today.
The sun was already starting to set as Yusuke left the station and wandered down the street to the cafe. The cold wind swept through the streets, biting at Yusuke's face and blowing his hair all over the place. Yusuke brushed his hair back to the side as he pushed the door open, the sound of the bell jingling echoing through his ears.
As he glanced up into the cafe, a sudden loud 'POP!' made him jump and confetti rained down onto his head.
"W-What?" He muttered in surprise as he pulled the confetti off and turned his attention in front of him.
"Happy Birthday, Yusuke!" A chorus of voices cheered.
His eyes widened as he noticed the rest of the Phantom Thieves were stood before him.
Ryuji and Ann were proudly displaying a homemade banner with the words 'happy birthday!' painted onto it,
Makoto and Haru were each holding a small present in their hands,
And Futaba was stood at the front of the group, beaming wildly with a huge handful of party poppers.
"Wh...What?" Yusuke repeated, entirely unsure how to process what was happening. He glanced over at Sojiro, who was wearing a cheap party hat, for an explanation.
"Don't ask, they've been planning this for a week." He chuckled lightly as he poured out a cup of coffee for the birthday boy.
"C'mon, man, we've all been working really hard lately, especially you! So, let's just relax and celebrate, yeah?" Ryuji suggested with a grin as he slung his arm around Yusuke, who simply stood there with a bewildered look on his face.
"Seriously, you've been worked yourself to death lately, you deserve a break on your birthday, at least!" Ann added, placing the banner down on one of the seats.
"Yes, besides, all of us were worried when Mako-chan told us you hadn't eaten breakfast today..." Haru spoke up in her usual soft tone.
"Besides, you look like a total zombie! I mean, look at those bags under your eyes!" Futaba butted in, firing another party popper into Yusuke's face.
"Futaba, careful with those!" Sojiro scolded her as he placed a cup of coffee on the counter in front of Yusuke.
"Come on, we know that you want to help Ren, but do you think he'd be happy to see you like this? You're practically skin and bones..." Makoto persuaded, gently pushing Yusuke onto a seat by the counter.
Yusuke thought about what she just said. She was right. He desperately wanted to get Ren out of prison, he didn't do anything wrong, after all! But, he remembered all of the times Ren had scolded him for not eating or for staying up all night painting, and when he'd insist on making Yusuke some food. He sighed with a conflicted smile on his face.
"I suppose you're right... Thank you." Yusuke murmured quietly, smiling down at his coffee before picking it up and taking a sip.
"Yaaaaay! That's the way, Inari!" Futaba yelled cheerfully, firing yet another party popper, causing Yusuke to choke on his drink slightly.
"Futaba! What did I just say?!" Sojiro scolded her again as he stirred the pot of curry. Futaba pouted childishly.
"Party pooper..." She muttered as she flopped back down onto her seat. Yusuke just chuckled quietly as he wiped his mouth. Ryuji sat down next to Yusuke and glanced over at Ann with a smirk.
"I've actually got you a little treat, but it'll have to wait for a bit." The pigtailed girl explained.
"Okay?" Yusuke replied, tilting his head but was quickly distracted by Sojiro placing a plate of curry in front of him.
"C'mon, eat up, kid." Sojiro instructed him with a soft smile.
"Alright, thank you." Yusuke responded gently as he placed a spoonful into his mouth.
Everyone waited patiently and chatted to each other until Yusuke had finished his meal. The blue-haired boy carefully pushed the plate away with a contented sigh.
"Thank you for the meal." He said gratefully.
"Heh, no problem. Glad you liked it." Sojiro replied with a chuckle, picking up the plate and placing it into the sink.
"C'mon, let's move onto to the presents already!" Ryuji exclaimed, excitedly tapping his hands against the counter.
"Presents? No, you really shouldn't have." Yusuke protested gently, waving his hands slightly.
"Nope. Not listening. Here you go." Makoto persisted, shoving her present into Yusuke's arms.
"W-Well... If you insist..." Yusuke admitted defeat and slowly unwrapped the gift.
Everyone else leaned forward in anticipation, eager to see Yusuke's reaction. His eyes widened in surprise as he discovered what was inside: the high quality oil paints that he had wanted for the past three months but couldn't afford.
"Y-You really didn't have to-!" He exclaimed, unable to believe that his friend had spent that money for him.
"We didn't have to, but we wanted to. So we did." Makoto refuted with a sly smile. Yusuke gaped at his friends before looking back at the paints and smiling softly.
"Thank you." He expressed his gratitude, carefully pulling the paints out of the wrapping papers and placing them in front of him.
"Here, open mine next!" Haru squealed excitedly, sliding her present towards the artist.
Yusuke gently picked it up and unwrapped it to discover a large artbook about many famous artists. He couldn't help but gasp at the sight. This was the book he had been searching for! He'd been searching for it for half a year!
"H-How did you...?" He asked, staring at Haru in disbelief.
"I just asked some associates to help me look for it, that's all!" Haru giggled happily. Ah, that's right. She's rich. Everyone just stared at her in amazement until Ryuji awkwardly cleared his throat.
"Yeah, uh... I didn't really know what you'd want, so uh... I just got you these." He clumsily explained as he gave Yusuke a very large handful of supermarket coupons.
"Thank you, Ryuji. These will be a huge help." Yusuke chuckled with a grateful smile. Ryuji just coughed bashfully and looked away.
"Aaanyway! Here's my gift!" Ann cheered as she placed her present in front of Yusuke. It was a large cake.
"Ah, of course you would provide a cake, Ann." Yusuke snickered as he analysed all of the small details on the dessert.
"I would argue against that... But, you're right." Ann huffed in defeat. After laughing, everyone turned their attention to Futaba.
"Well? What did you get him, Futaba?" Sojiro asked.
"Whaddya mean? His present is my presence!" Futaba announced with a proud smirk.
"...Yay." Yusuke responded unenthusiastically.
"It's your fault! I was gonna get you a drawing tablet, but you called them the 'devil's instrument'! Don't be so picky!" Futaba snapped back.
"Well, excuse me for preferring to draw on paper with the security of knowing that it won't be deleted!" Yusuke retorted. The two just glared at each other.
"H-How about we all have some cake?" Haru suggested, hoping to change the subject before their squabble could escalate.
"Yeah! Good idea!" Ryuji quickly agreed. Sojiro just nodded and headed into the kitchen to search for a knife.
"Hey, Futaba, can I take this hat off now?" Sojiro asked as he dug through a cupboard.
"No! Never!" Futaba yelped sternly. Sojiro just let out a tired sigh while Yusuke carefully opened the cake's packaging. Sojiro wandered back over and cut Yusuke the first slice.
After everyone had eaten a slice of the cake and continued happily chattering away with each other, they suddenly noticed how dark it was outside.
"Oh shit, what time is it?" Ryuji gasped as he pulled out his phone.
"Oh dear, I should probably start heading back, it'll be my curfew soon..." Yusuke muttered as he hurriedly stood up and grabbed his bag.
"Boo..." Futaba pouted as she fired another two party poppers at the birthday boy.
"Would you stop?!" Makoto shouted, starting to get irritated with Futaba's antics. The headphone wearing girl just giggled cheekily.
"Here, I'll help you pack up all your presents." Ann offered as she helped Yusuke place all of his gifts carefully into his bag.
"Hey, you take the cake leftovers with you, you clearly need them more than these lot do." Sojiro joked as he handed Yusuke the leftover slices of cake wrapped in tin foil.
"Thank you very much." Yusuke responded, delicately taking the cake and sliding it into his bag.
"Are you sure you want to take the train? I could ask someone to drive you back to your dorms." Haru suggested helpfully.
"I appreciate the offer, but I really should start heading back now." Yusuke refuted as he pulled out his wallet and wandered towards the door.
"Alright, if you're sure..." Futaba mumbled, leaning casually on the counter.
"I'm sure." Yusuke replied. He paused slightly as he tried to think about how to express his feelings. "Thank you so much. I hadn't really realised how hard I'd been working myself, so... Thank you. For making me relax... And thank you for remembering my birthday." He spoke with a grateful smile on his face and tears forming in his eyes.
"Heh... You don't gotta thank us, man. You're our friend, of course we're gonna remember your birthday!" Ryuji chuckled with sheepish grin.
"Yeah! Anyway, shouldn't you get going? You might miss your train!" Ann added with a beaming smile.
"Oh! You're right! Good night, and thank you again!" Yusuke quickly called out as he rushed out of the door and down the road.
Yusuke let out a tired sigh as his dorm room door clicked shut behind and flicked the light on.
He carefully placed his bag down onto the floor and began unpacking the contents: placing the leftover cake in the fridge, slotting the art book into his small shelf, placing the new paints into the chest of drawers he used for his art supplies, and stuffing the coupons into his wallet to make sure he didn't lose them.
After arranging all of his new possessions, he placed his bag in it's usual place, ready for tomorrow and checked the time on his phone - 8:06PM. He stretched slightly as he wandered over to his closet and pulled out some more comfortable clothes. Humming quietly to himself, Yusuke considered something to do to pass the time until he wanted to go to bed as he changed out of his uniform.
He thought back to the surprise party and smiled gently to himself. It was a wonderful afternoon, although he just wished that someone else could have been there. A wave of sadness began to flood through Yusuke, but he quickly shook his head, pushing those thoughts out of his mind.
"I'll just have to spend next year's birthday with him to make up for it, that's all." He muttered to himself as he hung up his school uniform.
A thought of how to pass the time suddenly went through his head: he might as well test out his new paints. Besides, he had an idea of what he wanted to paint. He pulled out a canvas and placed it on the easel, poured out some water and then gathered the colours he'd need: black, peach, white, blue, pink. As he sat down to begin painting, he glanced out the window at the night sky and couldn't help but wonder:
"What is he doing now?"
In a different area of town, in a small plain cell, a raven haired boy was sat at his desk. He could hear the other boys cheering and chattering down the hall in the recreation area, but he didn't really feel like joining them. He just wanted some quiet time to himself tonight.
The boy ran his fingers through his messy hair and pushed his glasses up as he mindlessly doodled to pass the time. He let out a quiet sigh and glanced out of the nearby window at the starry night sky, then whispered with a fond smile,
"Happy Birthday, Yusuke."