Work Text:
Sho sat on the couch’s armrest and ran a hand through his hair, gripping the red locks with a groan. “I’m s’posed to give her something today, aren’t I?” he asked, voice a low grumble.
That is the expectation, yes, Minazuki answered immediately, completely unaffected by his charge’s strife. When Sho failed to respond, he continued, You were aware of White Day’s date. There was no need to wait for the day to come to acquire a gift.
Shutting his eyes, Sho wished - not for the first time - that Minazuki had his own body so that he could punch him in the face. “I was busy,” he griped as he opened his eyes, bringing his other hand to his hair and scratching at his scalp in agitation. “You know how many missions Kirijo’s been putting us on. All this busy work’s making me wanna rip my hair out.”
Flatly, Minazuki chided, Please refrain from doing that.
As if to further provoke him, Sho ruffled his hair, spikes poking out in every direction like a fluffy bird’s nest. At the small noise of indignation Minazuki made, Sho cracked a tired smile. “Well, anyway, back to the matter at hand.” Succumbing to his exhaustion, he flopped backwards onto the couch, his head hitting the cushion and his legs draped over the armrest. “I need to get something for Scrap. Any bright ideas?”
Had Minazuki been in control of the body, he might have been smiling something akin to a knife’s edge if the honeyed tone he spoke in was anything to go by. She is your girlfriend, is she not? This is a matter that you should be knowledgeable in, not I.
“Sheesh, what’s your problem today?” Sho huffed, moving his arms to cross them over his chest. “It’s not like you don’t see her. I’m just asking for a second opinion here.”
Perhaps I am still displeased after last month’s incident, he answered coldly. She very nearly killed you with that… that thing. He deliberately paused, allowing Sho to absorb the words he had spoken. Unbidden, flashbacks of the awful substance and how it had knocked him out instantly flashed through Sho’s mind, and he gulped unconsciously. You refused to listen to me when I warned you against it. What reason have I to help you further entrench yourself in the lion’s den?
“She made it for me,” Sho rebutted with a heavy frown. “You saw how she was looking at me. How could I say no?”
… Hmph. She was quite persistent about that matter, Minazuki allowed with a quiet sigh. It was the closest Sho would get to an acknowledgement of his argument. However, I must ask you to heed my warnings in the future, especially when they directly concern your wellbeing.
“Yeah, yeah,” Sho dismissed with a roll of his eyes. “So... gift ideas?”
Minazuki hummed in thought. After a moment, he said, It would be unacceptable to give her anything edible, as she is unable to consume it. With a lighter tone, he continued, A shame, truly. I would like to return to her what she inflicted upon you.
“Revenge is a dish best served cold, not as a radioactive substance under the guise of food,” Sho agreed, frown deepening. However, annoyance grew in the pit of his stomach, and he found himself speaking out against his companion. “And I got it already - it knocked me out. She did her best so stop harping on her, alright?”
It wasn’t surprising at all that Minazuki was so hung up over Labrys’ attempt at cooking, especially in how it had nearly killed Sho on the spot. Sho’s safety had always been Minazuki’s primary concern, after all. Regardless, Minazuki’s passive aggressiveness on the matter was seriously pissing him off. Labrys spent time making it for him, and that was what mattered.
Finally, Minazuki sighed, Very well. I apologize, even if my point still stands.
Admittedly, it was a step in the right direction, considering that Minazuki was just as stubborn as himself. Making himself comfortable, Sho moved his arms to cross them behind his head with only a minimal amount of grumbling. His exhaustion was beginning to catch up with him, and a yawn escaped his lips. “Okay, so no food,” he then paused, his thoughts trailing back to their first date back in December. “And I doubt she needs new clothes after our trip to the mall.”
Why not purchase her a jacket like yours? Minazuki asked. She had been insistent on wearing it on the way home.
“I uh…” Sho coughed awkwardly, turning his reddening face to the side. “I think she only wanted it because it was mine.”
You are not giving it to her, Minazuki interrupted immediately, voice brooking no argument.
“O-Of course not!” Sho spluttered. “It’s my favorite, like hell I’m giving it away!” He shook his head and recomposed himself. “So. No food or clothes. What else is there?”
After a moment of quiet contemplation, Minazuki carefully said, I have a proposition, if you are willing to listen to it.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Sho asked as he narrowed his eyes, annoyance clear in his tone. “I’ve been asking you for suggestions this entire time. What makes this one so special?”
I would need to borrow your body for the second phase of my plan, he explained. At Sho’s immediate eyebrow raise, he continued, It is not anything dangerous, I assure you. However, it is something you do not have the capability to do.
Sho rolled over onto his side, facing the rest of the room. The walls made of library shelves encircled him, and he found his eyes idly tracing the colorful spines to calm his mind. “Sure, whatever,” he said dismissively, shutting his eyes. “It’s better than you just taking over without warning me like you used to.” Pulling his legs closer to his chest and resting his head on his arms, he let out a loud yawn. “I’m honestly beat. You wanna do step one for me?”
Minazuki seemed to hesitate before speaking. I have not even informed you of my plan. Is this truly what you desire?
“I trust you,” Sho said simply, eyes still shut. Pressing his cheek further into the crook of his arm, he mumbled, “Just leave killing her out of it and I’m fine with whatever.”
Alright, Minazuki agreed, allowing his consciousness to slip forward and overtake Sho’s. Opening his eyes and sitting up, he finished, “If that is your wish, then I accept.”
Rolling his shoulders back, he frowned at how sluggish his body felt. Kirijo had been dispatching them on countless missions as of late, and even though they were simple tasks that the boy had accurately described as busy work, the exertion was beginning to take a toll on them. Sho had been insistent on fulfilling his job as a Shadow Operative to the point of perfection, declaring that it had been out of spite for Kirijo, but Minazuki was aware of Sho’s true intentions. The boy lived and died for approval - something intrinsically ingrained in him back in the lab by that vile man he called father. So, while he proclaimed that the lower-end missions she was sending them on were incredibly easy and demanded for more rigorous operations, the boy simply had one desire: to feel useful.
Pushing the thought aside, Minazuki ran his hands through his hair, brushing it into a somewhat tameable mess. Perhaps a haircut was in order… and maybe a package of hair dye to stand out less. He finished pushing his hair back into its typical spiky shape and hummed quietly to himself in thought. It was the boy’s body, so the decision was ultimately up to him. Minazuki held no strong opinion either way, but having such an ostentatious hair color in a small town such as Inaba made it difficult to stay under the radar. It was an irksome but overall trivial inconvenience. He would just have to put his hood over his hair when he headed into town.
Standing up languidly, he stretched his back and brought his hand up to massage the nape of his neck; the boy certainly knew how to leave the body feeling tense and wound up. After a few more moments of stretching and relaxing his muscles, Minazuki made his way through the small hallway connected to the other main room, his shoulders brushing uncomfortably against the walls. Ikutsuki’s architectural design had always been questionable - especially when it came to the room Sho used as a pseudo-bedroom.
Natural sunlight poured in through the large hole above him where the ceiling should have been. Glancing up, Minazuki’s eyes traced the metal bars crossing the gap; the room seemed more like a prison cell tilted on its side. If the design had not been odd enough, the impracticality of it was arguably the worst part about its structure. The room’s walls were bookshelves just like the other room, and Ikutsuki had large television screens set up on the side directly across from the hallway. If nature desired easy entertainment, any bout of rain or snow could easily ruin everything in the room. Truly, the architectural design was nonsensical to anyone besides Ikutsuki.
But perhaps, Minazuki mused to himself as he retrieved Sho’s jacket from its spot on the bed, Ikutsuki enjoyed the greens of The Dark Hour. The man must have stared up at the sky and smiled to himself, knowing that he was growing closer and closer to The Fall. Of course, Kirijo and her friends from high school were able to put a stop to his plans - but the image of Ikutsuki sitting on the bed with his eyes fixated on the unnatural greens of the sky was clear in Minazuki’s mind. After all, he had sat at Sho’s bed and stared at the stark white ceiling in the same way.
“Hmph,” he said quietly, lowering his gaze to the jacket in his hands. His fingers were gripping the camouflage material tightly, and he released the tension in an instant. Anger for a man long-since buried would do him no good. Without further delay, he slipped his arms into the sleeves of the oversized coat and zipped it up halfway. Feeling inside one of the pockets, his hand met Sho’s flip phone and a sizable amount of yen. Fortunately, it seemed he was already prepared for his outing.
Step one of his plan involved purchasing a camera, which he believed was a well-thought out gift for Labrys. During her trip with Sho at the shopping mall, they had shared the boy’s cell phone to capture pictures of their time together. If she wished to continue capturing memories into tangible mementos, certainly a camera was the optimal present. Besides, she would never need to borrow the boy’s phone again, which made this the superior solution.
How would the boy describe it? Killing two birds with one freaking stone? Minazuki shook his head with a quiet chuckle, dismissing the thought.
The subsequent trip to the Junes electronic department was uneventful, for the most part. Minazuki kept his hood up and ignored the stares he got - which turned out to be a lot more than usual, actually. Sho had been going into town more, so perhaps he was being recognized as that punk redheaded kid with a scar. He felt more like a zoo attraction meant to be gawked at than a human being, which… could be argued, considering his actual nature. Nevertheless, the body he inhabited was not the most efficient in blending in with the crowd. It seemed the camouflage pattern of his coat did little to aid his efforts.
Regardless, he found himself in the aisle full of technological devices without too much strife. The only other person in the aisle caught a glimpse of him before promptly releasing the cellphone they were looking at and skirting out of his line of vision, which was incredibly fortunate. Perhaps being the tall, frightening teenager was working out in his favor.
Directing his gaze back to the products on the shelf, Minazuki reached for a sleek, silver camera and turned it over in his hands. The lens had the option to extend, making for more precise photos - and it had quite the sizable storage to boot. Powering it on, he inspected the inner workings and allowed a small smile to grace his lips. Certainly he had struck gold with this discovery. However, being as meticulous as he was, he found his eyes sneaking towards the other cameras on the shelf.
Various other models spanned the shelf, mostly small, thin, and silver in color. After perusing the other variations, he consistently found his initial camera to be the superior choice. Checking the price once more, he reached into the pocket of his jacket and retrieved his handful of yen. Sho had a tendency to shove money into his pockets without sorting it by amount, so that left Minazuki to organize it. Once he had sorted through the bills and ascertained that he could afford the camera and then some, he remembered step two of his plan.
Making his way towards the food department, Minazuki fought against the smirk tugging at his lips.
When Sho came to, he was standing at the door of the Shadow Operatives’ headquarters in Tatsumi Port. There was a gift box in his hand, wrapped in white paper without a single crease and a neat red bow, and he raised it up to his eye level to inspect it. It didn’t look big enough to fit a weapon, but maybe Minazuki had opted for a pocket knife or something.
Giving it a precautionary shake, he heard an indignant noise from the voice in his head. Do not-
“Just makin’ sure you’re not trying to kill her, is all,” he said nonchalantly. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, “And what the hell is this color scheme? It looks like Christmas’ bastard child.”
It is White Day, Minazuki said slowly, as if confused by Sho’s questioning, so I chose white wrapping paper. And red bows seem to be the norm, if the selection at Junes is anything to go by.
“Uh huh,” Sho responded dismissively with a nod, lowering the gift to his side. He redirected his gaze to the steel door in front of him. “... Scrap know we’re here?”
No, he said in his low voice, but I am certain she is here. I can sense her Plume of Dusk.
Sho shut his eyes and scratched at the back of his head. “Alright, cool. Surprise visit it is.” He stepped forward, putting in the pin number for the lock, and watched as the door slid open before him. Walking inside, he called, “Helloooooo?”
To his misfortune, the wrong toaster stood at one of the computers pressed against the wall. “Sho-san,” Aigis began, blinking in surprise. “I did not know you were coming by today.”
“I didn’t either,” he answered, forcing his words to carry his usual jovial tone. Watching as the robot’s eyes trailed down to the box in his hand, he blurted out, “Where’s your sister?”
She fixed him with a knowing look, perhaps amused by his poorly-concealed motivation for coming to the Shadow Operatives’ base. “She is in the back room. She should not be too busy, so you should be fine to visit with her.”
“Okay, cool,” he responded, already turning on his heel. He had no intention in carrying this conversation past pleasantries. Feeling a small nudge from Minazuki, he belatedly said, “Thanks.”
“Glad to be of assistance,” Aigis said pleasantly with a nod before turning her back on him, returning to whatever she was typing at the computer. Apropos of nothing, she asked, “Is that for White Day?”
Sho’s shoulders hitched up in his surprise, eyes widening at her inquiry. Answering after an unnatural pause, he harshly said, “And what if it is?”
Aigis seemed unperturbed, even if she had ceased her typing. “I would have no issues,” she said calmly, “if that were the case, of course.”
“It’s none of your business,” he gritted out, doing his best to keep his temper in check. He had been working on not lashing out at everyone who talked to him, and it had been going relatively well lately. He didn’t need to tarnish his track record. Taking a deep breath and exhaling it, he sighed. “Whatever. See ya, robot.”
“Goodbye, Sho-san,” Aigis said, and Sho bit his tongue at her slightly amused tone. It was like she knew something he didn’t - or maybe his reaction to her calling him out was entertaining to her. It didn’t matter, he chided himself. It didn’t matter. He left without answering her further.
When he crossed the space and stopped in front of the open door to the attached room, he caught sight of the girl he came here looking for. Her back was to him as she dealt with paperwork on the table in front of her, and she didn’t turn to face him. She must have been caught up in whatever she was doing, and Sho was hesitant to call out to her. Would he be interrupting her? Maybe she would get mad at him for distracting her. She had always taken her work with the Shadow Operatives seriously.
To strengthen his resolve, he observed her from his spot at the doorway. Her light blue hair was pulled up into a high ponytail as always - I do not believe she can let it down, Minazuki had commented one time - and she wore a simple sweater and skirt combination. He always found it funny that she dressed like a normal girl, even if she prominently displayed her robotic parts. It was like she wasn’t ashamed of who she was - and knowing her, she probably wasn’t.
Sho shook his head, brushing aside those thoughts for now. He tightened his fingers around the gift box in his hand and found his voice. “Hey,” he began, and Labrys turned to face him in an instant, “are you busy right now?”
“Hi,” she greeted, a small smile tugging at her lips, “not really. What’s up?”
“I uh.” He averted his eyes, attempting to piece together his thoughts. Why was this so hard to say? He coughed awkwardly. “I got you something.”
Labrys blinked owlishly at him. “You ain’t really a gifty person,” she remarked, voice tentative. “What’s the occasion? Is it my birthday?”
“I don’t know?” Sho said, his voice upturned as if asking a question. Truthfully, he had no idea when her birthday - activation date? Did Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapons have birthdays? - was. If he dug into Ergo records, he could probably pinpoint the exact day, but he was at a loss at the current moment. He shook his head. “Never mind that. Today is special, though. Apparently.”
“Apparently?” she echoed. She crossed the room, walking closer to him. “Well, if it ain’t my birthday, then what is it?”
“White Day. Y’know, like… The holiday?” He brandished the gift to her, unwilling to continue stumbling through a conversation. “‘Cause you gave me something on Valentine’s Day last month, I’m s’posed to give you something today. So take it.”
Hesitantly, she took the box into her hands, metal fingers ghosting over his knuckles. “Thank you, Sho-kun, but…” she shook her head, frown flitting across her lips, “You didn’t hafta. My gravy didn’t really count as a gift.”
Pushing down the immediate nausea he felt when recalling her cooking, he brought his gaze to meet hers. “You still made it for me,” he insisted in a rare display of sentimentality. “Yeah, it nearly killed me but… I survived, didn’t I?” he huffed a laugh. “I guess you’re lucky surviving is something I’m really good at.”
“Yeah,” she said quietly, a small smile on her face. “That’s only one of the things I’m lucky for.” Before he could process the underlying meaning of her statement, she pulled lightly at the bow tied around the gift. “You ain’t taking no for an answer, so I guess I gotta open this, huh?”
“I’d rather not go back to Junes,” he commented, even if he wasn’t the one to make the trip. Silently praying that Minazuki had chosen a fitting present, he continued with more confidence than he felt, “But yeah. You’ll love it.”
As she tugged at the bow, Minazuki remarked, You have put quite a large amount of trust in me.
Sho rolled his eyes as if to say, Yeah, no shit, asshole. And considering Minazuki’s sigh, the message came through loud and clear.
The ripping of wrapping paper brought Sho back to reality. When Labrys hooked her fingers under the lid of the box, Sho found himself holding his breath in anticipation. Once the lid was off, she placed it under the box and reached her hand inside. Pulling out her gift, she turned it over in her hand.
“A camera?” she asked, and Sho exhaled in relief, eternally grateful that Minazuki had purchased an actual present and not a weapon. “Oh!”
Before Sho could snark ‘oh,’ what?, Labrys brought her eyes up to meet his. “Now I don’t need ta borrow your phone to take pictures,” she chirped.
In a flash, he remembered their date at the mall back in December. Labrys had seen the waterfall, insisted on taking a picture together in front of it, nuzzled her face into the fuzz of his jacket hood, and admitted to not having a phone. They had spent the remainder of the date passing his phone back and forth to snap pictures of each other. Now that she had a camera, she wouldn’t have to steal his phone.
He smiled to himself. Minazuki’s observant nature and attention to detail had come in handy, after all.
“I didn’t want you always stealing my phone whenever you wanted a picture,” he explained, anxiety beginning to fade. Realizing Minazuki’s underlying intent, he mused, “I guess this is a gift for both of us, huh?”
“I don’t mind sharin',” Labrys said without missing a beat. Tilting her head slightly, she asked, “Ya think we can get a picture togetha to commemorate this?”
“If that’s what you want, sure,” he said, reaching forward to take the box, discarded wrapping paper, and loose bow from her other hand. “Lemme get this outta the way.” Walking towards the table Labrys was originally working at, he put the gift box down as she fiddled with the settings of her present.
“There’s a video already on here?” Labrys asked, confusion clear in her voice. For a reason unbeknownst to Sho, Minazuki’s presence seemed to shift. Forcing himself to move and investigate, he walked behind Labrys and looked over her shoulder.
To his shock, the small blurry thumbnail in question showed him - or at least, his body. Sho knew it wasn’t him that had taken the video, considering he had come to once it was already packaged, which left only one person who could have done it.
“Ugh,” Sho groaned, pressing the palm of his hand to his forehead. “He took that. Just delete it, alright?”
Against Sho’s wishes, Labrys pressed some buttons on the camera to navigate to the video. “I wanna see it,” she explained, crossing the room to take a seat at one of the metal folding chairs. “Watch it with me?”
He bit back another groan and made his way towards her. Grabbing one of the other seats, he turned it backwards, sat down, crossed his arms across the top, and leaned forward. “Guess I have no choice,” he sighed, turning his head to the side and using his arms as a pillow. It wasn't comfortable enough to fall asleep, but it was a close thing.
On second thought, Minazuki interrupted, it might be in your best interest to delete that video.
Sho shut his eyes, imagined the conflicted expression on Minazuki’s face, and fantasized what it would be like to punch him. Probably more or less the same as punching himself in the face, but it was the catharsis that made the thought enticing. “Make up your goddamn mind,” he grumbled. “Why record some shit and then tell us to trash it? Dumbass.”
“Let’s see what Minazuki-kun recorded,” Labrys said, sliding the camera onto the table in front of them, and with a press of a button, the video began to play out before them.
Minazuki stood in the kitchen of Ikutsuki’s safe house, an unimpressed look on his face. Sho found himself frowning at the sight; it was always strange, seeing someone else wearing his skin. While he was never conscious when Minazuki was in control of the body, it was still unsettling to watch.
“I hope this video finds you before your next cooking attempt,” the man in the video said, and Sho felt his heart drop into his stomach. “Your previous attempt was a complete and utter failure, and I forbid you from cooking for the boy until you watch this video to its conclusion.”
“I know it was bad, but uh,” Labrys turned to look at him, a nervous expression plastered on her features, “is this really necessary?”
Sho buried his face into the crook of his arm with a groan. “I don’t want to be here right now,” he said, feeling like five years had been taken off his life. Honestly, it would be great if Minazuki took over and owned up to his little stunt, but Sho had a feeling that wasn't happening. Lifting up his head, he brought his gaze back to the camera’s screen to see what travesty awaited him and Labrys.
Unperturbed by the happenings in reality, the Minazuki in the video continued. “That substance you made last month could slaughter an unsuspecting victim. You are fortunate that this body is quite durable, or you might have added to your body count.” He reached towards something off screen and came back with ingredients that Sho knew he didn’t own. “I will teach you how to make gravy. I recommend you keep this video on hand the next time you make an attempt.”
“I mean, this’ll definitely be helpful,” Labrys commented, always finding a way to be optimistic in every situation. Even with Minazuki condescendingly explaining how to cook gravy and criticizing her ineptness every step of the way, she watched the video with her undivided attention.
Quietly, Sho grumbled, “Really, asshole?”
You did not ask about my plan, Minazuki answered without missing a beat, his voice never breaking from his calm, calculated cadence. You said, and I quote - he raised the pitch of his voice in a poor caricature of Sho’s own - ‘I trust you.’
Sho cringed at the awful impression and pressed his face back into the crook of his arm. “The camera was good. This video?” he gagged for emphasis, “Real sinematography.”
His comment seemed to get under Minazuki’s skin; his tone seemed more accusatory - a rare display of an emotion compared to his usual calmness. Forgive me for attempting to save your life. Who knows if her cooking would have grown deadlier, had I not intervened?
“Whatever,” Sho huffed. Minazuki probably was saving his life by doing this, no matter how embarrassing it was. “It’s fine. Who gives a shit, anyways!”
“Sho-kun?”
Whatever he was going to say next died on his tongue. He lifted up his head, and to his surprise, Labrys fixed him with a concerned stare. “What?” he asked, softening his voice.
“I didn’t mind the video,” she said carefully, and he could tell that her smile was genuine. “It’ll definitely help me next time I try ta cook, so I appreciate Minazuki-kun takin’ the time to record it.”
At the telltale sign of his face heating up, Sho ducked his head, still feeling completely and utterly embarrassed. “Sorry it came across as so degrading,” he apologized, even if he had nothing to do with the filming. “You can talk it out with him the next time you see his ugly mug.”
“Ain't his-”
“You get what I mean,” Sho cut her off, raising his chin so that he was finally facing her again. Fighting against his embarrassment and focusing on the lingering feeling of butterflies in his chest, he asked, “You still want that picture or is that off the table now?”
Labrys' crimson eyes seemed to glint mischievously, a small smile pulling at her lips. Without a word, she took the camera into her hands, making a big display of her taking it off the table, watching him expectantly-
“Pfft!” He found laughter bubbling in his throat, and he brought his hand up to cover his mouth as he cackled. “Off the table!” he repeated through his chuckling, shutting his eyes with how hard he was laughing. "You're learning, Scrap!"
He heard the telltale noise of Labrys’ chair moving, the quiet creaking of her joints, and a click before he opened his eyes. Labrys held the camera in both of her hands, and on the screen was a picture of the two of them - Labrys smiling goodnaturedly and Sho cackling like a hyena. While the moment had passed and his laughter had finally died down, the proof of their mirth was captured in that picture for eternity.
“See?” Labrys said, gesturing with the camera. “Now I don’t hafta steal your phone to do that.”
The perfect gift, indeed, Minazuki remarked in his usual calm tone. It seemed Sho's admission and Labrys’ gratitude for his gift doused his anger.
Finally moving his eyes off of the image, he looked towards Labrys. She looked much prettier in real life, he mused to himself. While the picture was a nice way to memorialize the moment, he certainly enjoyed living in the present and not the past.
“Yeah,” he said with a nod. “I guess that kills two birds with a single freakin’ stone.”
For some reason, Minazuki laughed at that.
Undeterred, Sho found a small smile taking residence on his face when he asked, “Wanna take another?”
“I wanna fill the entire storage,” Labrys said with a smile of her own. She held the camera away from them, leaned forward, and pressed her lips to his.
Click.