Chapter Text
A lot could change in life, even in so short a time.
No longer was she content with simply doing as she was told, going through the motions of life.
For a while, she had simply distracted herself by throwing herself at her studies.
Distracted herself from her lack of connection or friendship with her peers.
Distracted herself from her strained relationship with her sister.
Distracted herself from how lonely she felt.
It didn’t sting as much to admit that now,
Because she had friends now. Friends that she wouldn’t give up for the world.
And of course, there was her boyfriend.
Her very, very, very affectionate boyfriend, who was currently peppering her face with kisses.
“R-Ren, stop!” she laughed, trying to get away from his amorous assault.
Not that she tried very hard.
“Ok, I’ll stop.” he smirked. “... as soon as you stop being so cute.”
“H-Huh?!” she stammered, her face flushed red. “That’s...mmph!”
She was cut off by her boyfriend's lips.
“Guess you don’t want me to stop.” he chuckled as they broke apart.
To be fair, she really didn’t.
She wasn’t aware of how much she craved affection until recently.
She found that while he was more reserved in public, he was fairly affectionate when it was just the two of them.
At one point, he had confided in her about how lonely he had felt when he had first arrived in Tokyo.
So she wanted to be there for him as well, as his equal.
She cupped the sides of his face, drawing him into a deep kiss before moving her fingers into his hair just how he liked it.
He let out a soft groan into her mouth as she lightly tugged at a strand of his messy black curls.
She hadn't exactly expected their study session to turn into a makeout session on her living room couch, but she certainly wasn’t complaining.
She shivered under his touch as he felt his hands begin to roam her body.
“W-We should take this back to my room.” she whispered. “Come o-”
“Makoto, I’m home!”
She froze, hearing the sound of her sister getting home from work… much earlier than normal.
“Have you finished… making… dinner…” Sae trailed off.
She had planned to tell her elder sister about her boyfriend… eventually.
Having her catch them sucking face on the couch with his hand up her shirt wasn’t exactly how she wanted her to find out, though.
They immediately separated and stood up to face her.
“Makoto… who is this?” Sae muttered, her voice eerily calm.
“O-Oh… sis, um… this is, um… my study partner.” Makoto stammered.
“Right… now why don’t you tell me who he really is!” Sae demanded.
She wasn’t calm anymore.
She found herself shaking, unable to look her sister in the eyes.
As if sensing her hesitation, she heard Ren clear his throat, ready to speak.
“I’m Ren Amamiya, Niijima-san.” he said, giving a small bow. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“And what exactly is your relationship with my sister?” Sae spat.
“I’m… M-Makoto’s boyfriend.” he stuttered.
“For how long?” Sae responded.
“A few days.” he answered.
“Don’t lie to me.”
“A… few months.” Ren corrected.
She could feel her sister’s gaze drilling into her.
“And you never told me this, Makoto?” Sae asked, venomous anger seeping into her voice.
“How could I? You’re never home.” she whispered.
“What was that?”
“N-Nothing, sis.”
Her sister’s gaze shifted towards Ren, carefully scrutinizing him like a defendant on the stand.
“Wait… I know you.” Sae coldly observed. “You’re that criminal that Sakura-san took in, aren’t you?”
She saw her boyfriend visibly wince.
“That’s not-
“Yes or no.” Sae coldly said.
“...Yeah, that’s me.” he muttered.
“Sakura-san has a daughter under his care, doesn’t he.” Sae stated.
Shifting her gaze to the side, she saw her boyfriend clench his fists.
“What about her?” Ren said through clenched teeth.
“Ren…” she whispered, trying to calm him down.
“How do you feel about Sakura-san, as a guardian?” Sae inquired. “From what I understand, his daughter’s been a shut-in for years.”
She knew that her sister had threatened Boss in regards of Futaba’s treatment, but now she was trying to extract information from Ren.
As calm as Ren normally was, threatening Boss or Futaba would quickly set him off.
She needed to do something before things got too heated.
“Sis, just stop already!”
They both turned to look at her.
“C-Can we talk in private, please?” she asked. “I’ll tell you everything sis, just… please.”
A few very uncomfortable seconds passed before Sae gave a loud, exasperated sigh.
“Fine, let’s talk.” Sae said, before turning towards Ren. “And don’t you even think about leaving.”
As she went to follow her sister, she felt Ren grip her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.
“Thank you.” she whispered, his encouragement filling her with strength.
She followed her sister into her room, utilizing breathing techniques her father had taught her in order to stay calm.
Conversing with family shouldn’t be this stressful, and yet...
“Now, are you going to tell me why you were alone here with a boy?” Sae coldly said.
“I invited him here.” she admitted.
“Why?”
“Because he’s my boyfriend and I wanted to spend time with him.” she answered.
She winced as she saw her sister’s expression twist into a scowl.
“I provide food, shelter, and clothing for you every day so that you can have a future!” Sae yelled. “Not so you can go fraternizing with criminals!”
“He’s not a criminal!” she yelled back. “He was framed!”
“Is that what he told you?” Sae asked. “Because the police say otherwise.”
“I believe him.” she said with conviction. “He’s very kindhearted, smart, has a strong sense of justice, and he encourages me to be myself... to be my best.”
“You’re being childish!” Sae argued. “It doesn’t matter whether he framed or not. It doesn’t matter what he’s really like. All that matters is that he was found guilty!”
“How can you say that?!” she shouted. “I can’t just sit by while injustice happens! That’s not what father would-”
“And look where father’s justice got him!” Sae interrupted.
She flinched at her sister’s sharp tone, tears beginning to prick at her eyes.
“I’m trying to protect you.” Sae said, a little softer. “Just know that you shouldn’t be associating with someone like that.”
“Even if the entire world was against him, I would still stick by him.” she insisted. “Because I know that he’s innocent… and…”
“And…?”
“B-Because I love him!” she cried.
She didn’t think it was possible, but her sister’s glare grew even more intense.
But she wasn’t going to just do what she was told anymore.
She was going to follow her heart. Her justice.
So she glared right back.
“And what if he assaults you too?!”
“Ren would never do that!”
They were both screaming now, tears freely flowing down her face.
“How would you know that?!” Sae shouted. “Do you really think he loves you?!”
“DO YOU?!”
The words came out of her mouth before she even realized what she was saying. Immediately, she covered her mouth with her hands, as if it would stop her sister from hearing her words.
But judging by the way that pure shock crossed her face, and how her mouth hung agape, she had heard her loud and clear.
“S-Sis, I sorry, I didn’t m-
“Fine.”
“Huh?”
“Just… do whatever you want, then.” Sae muttered. “I don’t care.”
“Sis, wait!”
She watched as her sister exited the room, the slamming of a door signaling that she had left the apartment altogether.
She started crying even harder as she curled up into a ball on her bed.
“I-It’s all my fault…” she whispered to herself.
A few minutes later, she heard the door to her room creak open.
“Makoto…?”
It was Ren’s voice.
A part of her wanted to just crawl into a hole somewhere to hide.
She didn’t want to appear weak in front of him.
She felt him sit down on the bed, wrapping his arms around her.
“I-I’m sorry.” she sobbed. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
“Why are you apologizing?” Ren asked, gently rubbing her back. “If anything, I should be saying sorry.”
“W-What? Why?”
“She was angry at me, wasn’t she?” Ren pointed out. “I didn’t want to cause trouble between you two…”
“But I was the one who invited you!” she countered in-between sobs. “This never would have happened if I didn’t do that.”
He paused for a few moments, and she knew the gears in his head were turning, figuring out what to say.
“Then… let’s share the blame.” he gently offered. “Together. As equals.”
She gave a contented sigh, feeling herself soothed by his word and touch.
“Yeah…” she trailed off.
They continued to embrace each other for a while longer, no words being exchanged, both of them content to simply be in each other’s presence.
After she had fully calmed down, they broke the embrace.
“Better?” Ren asked softly.
She nodded.
“Do you want to talk?” he asked. “It’s ok if you don’t.”
She bit her lip, debating on whether she should say what was on her mind, before ultimately deciding to do so.
“I… I just wish people didn’t treat you so harshly.” she admitted. “Every time I hear someone say something horrible about you, I just… I hate it!”
She knew how most of the students at school hated him, how his old friends at his hometown had simply abandoned him, and that his relationship with his parents since the incident could be considered distant at best. And now, her own sister had treated him horribly.
But he didn’t deserve that! He did deserve that at all!
“I’m ok.” he insisted, gripping her hand.
“Are you?” she asked.
“I am.” he nodded. “Because I have the other Thieves.”
He started brushing his thumb over her knuckles.
“And I have you, Mako.”
She found herself smiling at his affectionate nickname for her.
“Thank you for not being like the others.” he whispered.
He shifted closer to her.
“Thank you for being you.” he said, his voice beginning to crack.
He looked at her, his face showing clear signs of emotion.
“T-Thank you for loving me…” he said, before placing a tender kiss on her forehead.
“Oh, Ren…” she cooed, cupping the sides of his face. “You’re not alone.”
She placed a chaste kiss to his lips. “You are loved. Please, never forget that.”
“Same to you.” he responded, returning the favor. “I love you, Makoto.”
Her smile turned even brighter as she pulled him into another hug.
“I know, Ren… and I’ll stand by you, no matter what.”