Work Text:
Here are the solid, concrete facts Akihiko knew:
- The Phantom Thieves were Persona users, dealing with the same cognitive and Metaverse… whatever the Kirijo Group had been working on for the past decade. They were using the Metaverse to change the hearts of wicked people, which seemed fine on paper, but Mitsuru, Aigis, and the twins were almost positive something else was at play here.
- When the time came for the Shadow Operatives to intervene with the Thieves, they sent Ken. Or, more accurately, Ken barged his way into a meeting and said he was sick of being left out again (“yes I know entrance exams are coming up, Kotone-san, but if I could juggle elementary school and SEES work I can balance this”). He also pointed out that it made the most sense for the high school student to infiltrate the group of high school students. Which, to be fair, it does.
- Ken gets along disturbingly well with the Phantom Thieves. Akihiko’s only met a few of them, but all of them treat Ken as one of the team. Yukari pointed out that having someone close to his age who has gone through the same trauma of having a Persona is good for him. It’s true; Ken hasn’t smiled and laughed this much in years, and Akihiko couldn’t be happier for his adoptive son. But it’s still a little eerie. Granted, he knew Akira from Inaba back during that whole P-1 Climax ordeal, and Shirogane introduced him to Makoto’s older sister, so it shouldn’t be that surprising. But it is.
- The Phantom Thieves know that the Shadow Operatives have Personas, that Aigis and Labrys are robots, that Ken has been doing this since he was 11, almost everything. And they are… surprisingly okay with it. Akihiko isn’t sure the cat… thing trusts them at all, but the cat is also insulting and rude so who cares? Akira also has the same power Minato and Kotone had once, the same power Narukami has, and that’s frightening to think about.
- Ken has left the door to his room open, and is currently on a video call with one of the Thieves- Akihiko associates the voice with the punk called Sakamoto. His son owns a headset, but he never uses it- he’s like the opposite of Minato in that way. Something about the sound confining Ken; it’s an autistic thing that Akihiko doesn’t understand but supports anyway.
“Seriously, how do you handle all this crap at once? School and Phantom Thief crap keep me busy enough, and I’m barely passing school,” Sakamoto says over the speaker.
Ken shrugs. “I’ve had a lot of practice. Believe me, I wasn’t always this way. There was a while when I was in middle school…” He gestures to his hair. “You weren’t the only one with dyed hair.”
“Dude, you have to be kidding me. I can not imagine you with dyed hair.” Ken laughs, holding a fist up to his mouth. Akihiko smiles to himself. “Everyone says I should go natural again, that I wouldn’t look so stupid or whatever, but I like it.”
Ken’s smile falls. “I actually wanted to talk about that, Sakamoto-kun. When you say ‘everyone,’ you mean the rest of the Thieves, correct?”
“Well, them, the school, my old track teammates, but yeah. Why’d ya ask?”
There’s a pause, and Akihiko watches Ken’s chest rise and fall. Koromaru sits up from behind him on the bed. “I wonder if they’re actually good for you.”
Sakamoto makes a noise, but Ken plows forward. “I’m not saying that you’d be better off alone. There is absolutely strength in numbers, especially when dealing with Shadows. It’s just… the way they treat you, it really doesn’t feel like they’re your friends.” Silence. Ken scratches his cheek, the way Akihiko knows he does when he’s embarrassed. “Can I be blunt, Sakamoto-kun?” There’s no response, but Akihiko can’t see the screen- maybe Sakamoto nodded. “You’re a victim of abuse, and they make light of that abuse. I see how it affects you. They tease you, insult you, call you the same things that your abusers said, yet you never speak up.” Ken glances away, towards his window. “I… I know how it feels to be looked down on by the rest of the team. It really sucks, and I don’t want you feeling like that.”
Akihiko winces internally. They were kind of dismissive of Ken when he first joined. They valued him, appreciated his contributions, but they treated him with pity. Maybe if they hadn’t… Aki can hear Shinji in his head saying “don’t focus on has-beens,” but the notion lingers.
“I’m sorry if I overstepped my boundaries,” Ken continues. Right, Akihiko was totally not eavesdropping on his son and his friend.
“No, no, it’s… shit, dude, I guess I never really noticed,” Sakamoto says bashfully. “But you’re… you’re not entirely wrong. I was so used to it that I… huh.” There’s a beat, and then- “wait, why did you notice?”
Ken’s eyes grow to full-on anime size. He starts scratching his ruddy cheek, the way Akihiko recognizes as his embarrassed tick. “Ah, that’s, uh, well… um. You’re… you’re really important to me, Sakamoto-kun.”
“If I’m so important to you, you could just call me Ryuji, ya know,” is the quick response.
“Alright, alright,” Ken relents, face still flushed. “What I mean to say is… well, what I just said. You’re important to me, Ryuji… kun. I’m sorry!” There’s tinny laughter coming from the speaker, and Ken is giggling right alongside it. “You know how long it took me to drop the honorifics for my dads?”
The chuckles die down, and Ken exhales through his nose. His fingers wouldn’t be visible to the webcam, but Akihiko can see them form patterns and stitch themselves in the hem of Ken’s hoodie. If he watches carefully enough, he could probably make out words. The boy is nervous. “This- this isn’t the ideal way to do this, I’d really rather talk to you about it in person, but-”
“Then do it. In person, I mean.”
“What?” Ken jerks back in his chair, startling Koromaru enough for him to yelp.
“Iwatodai isn’t that far from Tokyo, and I know we aren’t doing any Metaverse shit this weekend, so why not come by? Ya can even bring Koromaru if ya want, I know he makes you feel better!” Akihiko imagines a high-wattage grin, the kind that crinkles around the eyes and leaves cheeks aching.
Ken mulls it over, tapping his chin in thought. “I am ahead on homework, and Kotone-san and Aigis-san missed me last time I was there… I’ll ask my dads.”
“Sweet! Let me know as soon as you do, okay?”
As Ken speaks, Akihiko takes the chance to analyze his expression deeper. Ken’s eyes are tender, open; his lips have curved into a gentle smile. It’s relaxed and content, emotions that Ken guards with the same ferocity that Koromaru guards him.
And while it’s not an exact duplicate, Akihiko knows he’s seen this face before. He sees it when Yukari looks at Mitsuru. When Junpei gazes at Chidori. Or when Kotone observes Aigis or Minato stares at Ryoji.
It’s the same face Shinji makes when he looks at Aki.
As eager as Akihiko is for his son to finally find love, he can’t help but dread that it’s with another Persona-user. It feels like he’s on the fast track for heartbreak, and Ken’s heart is still a mess of bandages and superglue.
Akihiko forces himself to focus. Ken’s reaching across to turn off the webcam. They must’ve finished talking while he was going into dad mode. Ken stands, turns to the door, and sees Akihiko there. His face contorts into something that’s a cross between mortified and pissed off. “Were you- DAD!”
“It’s your fault for leaving the door open,” Akihiko counters, leaning against the doorframe. “So you need to go to Tokyo this weekend?”
Ken grumbles to himself and crosses his arms, but nods.
“Mitsuru wanted me to check out some stuff next time I could swing by. And you know Fuuka always wants to see Koromaru,” he says simply. Ken’s shoulders sag in relief. “Now about that Sakamoto kid… you said he’s really important to you.” And the shoulders are back in their defensive position. “Ken, you don’t have to go into details. I just want to understand if this is what I think it is.”
“...it’s what you think it is,” Ken confesses, blushing. “I… I’ve never felt this way about anybody before, Dad. It’s overwhelming, but I… I really like him.”
Akihiko smiles, patting Ken’s shoulder fondly. “That’s how it feels at first. Especially if it’s your first crush. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if you’d ever be interested in someone.” There’s a pregnant pause, then he quickly amends with “not that there’s anything wrong with that.”
“No, I understand. I did some research a while back, because I was wondering if maybe I wasn’t into romance at all? This was before I met Sakamoto-kun, mind you. But apparently there are a lot of labels regarding both sexuality and romantic attraction that I had never heard of.” He gestures for Akihiko to follow him into his room. As he sits back down at his computer and starts typing, Koromaru hops from the bed to demand affection. Akihiko obliges.
Ken turns the computer screen towards his father. “See, there’s something called ‘demisexuality.’ Essentially, it describes someone who experiences romantic attraction, but only after getting to know someone. I think it applies to me,” he says delicately. There’s a twinge of pride and jubilation in his voice though, and Akihiko relishes in that joy.
“I think I get it, but it still sounds like a normal crush to me. Or maybe I’m just officially an old man,” he jokes. Ken laughs and closes the tab. “I’ll go let Shinji know we’re going away this weekend. Want to bring Koromaru?”
Ken nods. “If it’s not too much trouble.” Koromaru barks once in response, nudging his nose into Ken’s palm. “Ah, do you want to see Sakamoto-kun and the others too, Koromaru? We can visit Aigis-san and she can translate for you, too!”
Akihiko smiles to himself as he exits the room, taking care to shut the door behind him. His son has his first crush. His son has entrance exams in a few months. Hell, he’s a father. Eight years ago, if someone had told him this is what his life would be… well, old Akihiko probably would’ve punched someone in the face.
He practically sprints down the hall, eager to tell his husband the good news. First, though, the fact that he’ll be alone that weekend. He’d invite Shinji to come with them, but the restaurant is keeping him occupied. A little too occupied for Aki’s liking.
He opens the door to their bedroom and Shinji is there, lounging on his bed, checking his phone. He looks up and Akihiko sees that lovestruck expression for the second time that day. He wonders if he’ll ever get tired of seeing it on Shinji. “Hey, moron. The bed’s getting cold.”
“Ken’s got a crush,” is, inexplicably, the first thing out of his mouth.
Shinjiro looks legitimately surprised. “Ken. Our Ken. The same Ken that ignores every fangirl he’s ever had, like a certain idiot I know.”
Akihiko rolls his eyes at the insult, but nods. “Yeah. That Ken.”
And without missing a beat, Shinji goes back to his phone. “‘Bout goddamn time. Y’know who?”
“One of the Phantom Thieves. Sakamoto.” Aki pulls off his shirt and flops onto bed, snuggling up against Shinjiro’s shoulder. He smells like fresh noodles and sweat and just a hint of orange cologne.
“Wait, the punk-looking one that uses Zio spells?”
“I think? I mean, he does look like a punk,” Akihiko confirms.
Shinji sets his phone down and rubs his temples. “Shit, I hate how much he’s taking after me.”
“Hmm… I say it just means he has good taste. ‘Sides, Sakamoto dyes his hair. Mine’s just… like this, somehow,” he replies, and even he realizes how stupid he sounds. “Maybe Persona users just tend to have weird hair. Would explain Fuuka, anyway.” Shinjiro just grunts in response, laying down on his back. Akihiko follows, still chasing the heat and security Shinji radiates. It’s getting harder and harder to stay awake, but he manages to keep his eyes open long enough to say “oh yeah… Ken and I’re going to Tokyo this weekend. Bringin’ Koromaru too, if you’re OK with it.”
Shinji rolls over and pulls Akihiko into a squeeze. “We’ve both been so busy lately-”
“I know, and I’m sorry,” Aki interrupts. Shinji kisses his temple in response, right over where he used to wear that bandage. “So let’s make up for lost time now, alright?”
Shinjiro has always been a person who responds by acting, not talking. Akihiko is much the same way. And after all these years, Akihiko has gotten pretty good at reading Shinji’s body language. But in this instance, he’s fairly certain the bruising kiss and vice grip on his wrists speak for themselves.
(And if Ken doesn’t look them in the eyes the next morning until Aki confirms they’re traveling that weekend, so be it.)
. . .
There are certain perks that Shadow Operatives have, due to their connections to the Korijo Group. One of them being able to call off work or school and not having to worry about getting in trouble.
It’s not a perk Akihiko wants to use most of the time, but it comes in handy.
Ken is playing with a fidget cube while Akihiko texts Kotone. As soon as she heard he and Ken were visiting for the weekend, she insisted they stay with her and Aigis. Not even Mitsuru argued. Even without the powers of a Wild Card, the female Arisato was a force to be reckoned with. Apparently, even Minato wanted them to stay with them, even though he had long since moved in with Ryoji. What a thing to think about- how they all had lives now, homes, and yet still fell into the same rhythm they had in high school with each other. The Arisatos would call that the power of bonds. Akihiko thinks it’s nothing more than shared trauma, but what does he know?
Koromaru whines as they approach the station in Tokyo. Akihiko bends over in his seat to pet him. “I know, bud. You’re not fond of the big city. But it’s just for the weekend.” Koromaru whimpers, but it sounds much less troubled than before.
Ken looks up and glances out the window before dropping his fidget cube. “What the- wait, is that?” His face presses up against the glass and he gasps. “Did that idiot skip classes?”
Akihiko follows Ken’s gaze and lays eyes on a boy with dyed blond hair and a pronounced slouch. Sakamoto. “You’re one to talk, Ken,” he quips, pocketing his phone. “Come on, let’s grab our luggage.”
They disembark the train without incident, but the second his feet touch the platform Ken is sprinting towards Sakamoto with confused malice. “Hey, just because I skipped class doesn’t mean you should! I have the grades to pull it off!”
“Nice to see you too, man,” Sakamoto answers snidely, but his smile is megawatt. “Seriously though, classes got canceled. A pipe burst so they had to empty the school. No school tomorrow, either! We got all weekend!”
Ken’s haunches lower, but he still appears concerned. “You still didn’t have to meet us at the station-”
“Yeah, but I did. I wanted to, anyway. Hey, Maru-san!” Sakamoto turns his attention to Koromaru, who barks cheerfully and sits next to Ken. “How’s my favorite Persona pup doing?”
“He’s the only dog with a Persona, as far as we know,” Akihiko reminds him, dragging the shared suitcase behind him. “And not so loud about the Persona thing…”
Sakamoto at least has the brains to look sheepish at that. “Heh, sorry. It’s Sanada-san, right? Nice to see ya again!”
Akihiko nods, smiling lightly. “Good to see you, too. And how are the rest of your group doing?”
“Oh, y’know, same ol’ Phantom Thieves shit,” he replies, lowering his voice. “Think we’re gonna discuss our next big target tomorrow morning since classes are canceled. Now that you mention it, I’m pretty sure Akira wants to try out this new sushi place, if you wanna come with,” he adds, looking directly at Ken.
Ken flushes, just a minute amount. “O-oh! Well, I’m not sure-”
Akihiko lays a calming hand on his son’s shoulder. “It’s fine with me. Go hang out with your friends. I’ll let Kotone and the others know you’ll be back later tonight. But Mitsuru texted me and said she wanted your input at the meeting tomorrow, and like hell you’re skipping out on her.”
“I wouldn’t dream of canceling on Mitsuru-san,” Ken says gravely. “Do you want to come with me, Koromaru?” The dog whines and moves to stand next to Akihiko. “It’s okay if you want to go rest. I’ll be alright on my own for a bit.”
“You could always use Morgana as a therapy pet for a bit, I’m sure Akira won’t mind loaning him out,” Ryuji offers.
Ken laughs and rolls his eyes. “Yes, I’m sure Morgana will take that swimmingly. But I appreciate it, though I really do think I’ll be okay.”
“You remember the way back to Kotone’s apartment?” There’s a nod in response. “Alright. Be back by nine and text me if you need me. Have fun, Ken.” He watches as Ryuji grabs Ken’s wrist and tugs him away from the station platform, Ken turning back to wave goodbye. Something in his heart swells and Koromaru gives a content woof . His tail thumps against Akihiko’s leg as it wags. “Come on, Koromaru. Let’s go see our team.”
. . .
There was no force on Earth quite like an excited Kotone Arisato. During their SEES days, Akihiko believed she was trying to make up for her brother’s more subdued reactions, but time has proven that’s just her natural energy. Two seconds after Akihiko knocked on her apartment door, she whisked him in, cooing over Koromaru and asking Aki endless questions.
“We saw each other less than a month ago, nothing has changed, Kotone. Iwatodai’s pretty quiet these days,” he reminds her as she pours coffee.
“I know, I know, but I was more talking about Ken- you said something was going on with the Thieves?” Kotone replies.
“I am curious, too,” Aigis adds, sitting down on the couch next to Akihiko. “Amada-san is very close with this new group, and I would hate for him to be in trouble.” Koromaru barks and jumps up onto the couch, curling up between Aigis and Akihiko. Aigis observes the dog as he nudges her palm. “Oh, I see!” Aigis exclaims, petting Koromaru’s head. “Apparently Amada-san has a crush on one of the Phantom Thieves,” she translates.
“I was getting to that,” Akihiko sighs, leaning back against the couch. Kotone takes her place in a nearby chair, eyes glimmering. “Yeah, that’s why Ken wanted to come out here, to- well, I don’t know if he’s confessing, but to at least spend time with his crush.”
Kotone is practically vibrating in her seat, palms pressed together excitedly. “Ohh, Ken’s first crush! You have to tell me which one!”
“Geez, Kotone-san, leave Kenny out of this, will ya? Kid deserves some privacy,” says another voice, emerging from a room down the hall.
Akihiko turns to see another robot, similar to Aigis, and he smiles gently. “Hi, Labrys. Didn’t know you were here, too. That means Fuuka’s around?”
“Fuuka-san is out at the moment, but will return for dinner,” Aigis tells him.
Kotone nods. “Don’t worry, she’s not cooking. But I guess Labrys-chan is right. I shouldn’t pry into Ken’s personal matters.”
Akihiko shrugs. “I know you meant well. Besides, if anybody should be in trouble, it should be Koromaru,” he says, crossing his arms. Koromaru whimpers and lays his head on Akihiko’s lap. “Spilling the beans to Aigis like that… I know you’re excited for Ken, but damn.” There’s laughter from Kotone and Labrys, Aigis smiles at him, and Akihiko feels himself unwind. It’s good to be with my family again.
Dinner is more subdued than Akihiko was expecting, which means it was merely as loud as a rock concert and not a shuttle launch. True to her word, Kotone prepares food, making sure to leave extras for Ken. She even sets aside some for Koromaru. The rice is a smidge overcooked and the curry is a teensy bit too spicy, but it is leagues better than anything Fuuka could’ve concocted. Something about it makes Aki yearn for Shinji to be there to critique it- maybe next time.
It turns out Fuuka and Labrys are staying the night as well. It reminds Akihiko of their time in the dorms, only with half the floorspace. The discussion shifts between Fuuka’s work with Maddice to Kotone’s career as a teacher to new recipes Shinjiro has been forcing on Akihiko and Ken. Koromaru proudly demonstrates that old dogs can, in fact, learn new tricks by playing dead. Eventually, Labrys digs out a box of ice cream mochi, saying that even if she can’t eat them, “I like lookin’ at the squishy lil’ things.”
It’s casual and easy, which is probably the opposite of whatever Mitsuru has planned for tomorrow morning.
Things are starting to unwind- Fuuka has returned to her and Labrys’ room to finish some last-minute work- when Koromaru sits up, ears perked back. He trudges over to the door and paws at it. “Huh? Somethin’ the matter, Koromaru?” Labrys asks, getting up.
There’s indistinct conversation for a moment, then just as Labrys reaches for the doorknob, there’s a loud smack on the other side of the wall.
Aigis immediately sits up, failing to hide a smile behind her hand. Labrys is doing an even worse job and is straight-up giggling. “What? What’s so funny?” The doorknob jiggles for a moment before stopping. “Seriously, if you’re laughing cuz somebody is trying to break in-”
“No, it’s alright, Akihiko-san,” Aigis reassures, shifting back after whispering in Kotone’s ear. “You will see in just a moment.” Kotone snickers into her girlfriend’s shoulder.
Labrys leaps back from the door just as Ken opens it, quickly shutting it and leaning against it. His hair is sticking up in multiple directions, made all the more obvious by his undercut. He’s breathing heavily. His lips look swollen. His expression quickly shifts from something blissful to fully appalled. “How-” He swallows thickly. “How much did you guys hear?”
“My sister and I heard everything,” Aigis says simply, not even bothering to hide her grin. “Akihiko-san and Kotone heard the loud bang. Are you quite alright?”
“I- uh- that wasn’t me!” Ken snaps back, before realizing how incriminating that is. “Er- well-”
Akihiko crosses his arms behind his head. “So that talk with Sakamoto went well then, huh? Happy for you, Ken.”
Ken groans loudly and stalks off to his room, Koromaru chasing him, but Akihiko can see the remnants of a smile on his face. Kotone falls over laughing into Aigis’ lap. Labrys is doubled over, leaning against the wall.
Akihiko may not know the facts about what happened, but he’s willing to guess.
. . .
(Here is the solid, concrete fact that only Ken and possibly Aigis and Labrys know:
Ryuji lived only a few blocks away from Aigis and Kotone, so he offered to walk home with Ken. He even said he’d walk him to the door, like any gentleman thief should. Ann and Futaba had a good laugh over that. Akira sent them both some knowing looks, and Ken felt extremely flustered as they exited the restaurant. He felt even more uneasy when he realized he didn’t want Ryuji to go home, to leave him, even though they would see each other tomorrow.
“It sucks that we can’t hang out more,” Ryuji said, slinging an arm around Ken’s shoulders. He’s casual and liberal with his contact, and Ken both adores and abhors it. “Yeah, Iwatodai ain’t that far, but-”
“Actually,” Ken interrupted, subconsciously leaning sinking into Ryuji’s touch. “Nothing’s set in stone yet, since I still have exams, but… most of the colleges I’m looking at are here in Tokyo.” He smiled, a bit bashfully.
Ryuji beamed back, full supernova. “Dude, for real? That would be amazing! But won’t ya miss your family and shit?”
“Sure, but like you said, they aren’t that far away. Not to mention how many quality schools are here, and a wider selection than what’s back home.” Ken swallowed, watching Ryuji mimic the action. That familiar twinge of envy reared its head at the sight of a bobbing Adam’s apple, but Ken suppressed it. “Perhaps most importantly, however, is that… there’s a lot in Tokyo I miss dearly when I leave. The Arisatos and Aigis-san, for starters. Boss’ coffee. The shops, the rest of the Phantom Thieves… and you.” He grabbed Ryuji’s hand off his shoulder, guided it across the top of his head, before squeezing it in his own. He couldn’t look. He was too busy worrying his bottom lip and trying to keep from puking.
Ryuji, conversely, looked between Ken’s flushed face and their entwined hands. “Wait- dude, wait, are you serious?” he squawked, voice breaking a bit.
Ken nodded, eyes still squinched shut. “I know it’s sudden but when I said I wanted to tell you something in person, this was it,” he rambled, “and I don’t even know why I’m doing this when I don’t even know if you like boys and I honestly thought about pausing my transition which is stupid but I also know that if I don’t say something-”
“Du- Ken, Ken, breath. Seriously, calm down. I know you like to squish stuff but you’re squeezing my hand so tight it hurts,” Ryuji said.
Ken jerked his hand away like it was over an open flame. “I’m so sorry, Ryuji-”
The other boy shook his head and took the hand back. “Never said I didn’t like it.”
It took a few seconds for the information to load and process on Ken’s harddrive. “Wait- you- you too?” he stammered.
Ryuji rubbed the back of his neck, laughing softly. “I figured out earlier this year I was bisexual. Don’t really talk about it or anythin’, but… you don’t have to worry about me liking guys. Or liking you. Honestly, I wasn’t sure that was what you meant then… glad it is, though.” His cheeks were dusted pink.
“You… you like me, too.” Ken phrased it like a statement, but it still felt like a question. Ryuji smiled. “I… oh. OK, then. I… I don’t really know what to do next, honestly. I’ve never been in a relationship before, much less a long-distance one-”
Ryuji reached out and grabbed Ken’s shoulder with his free hand, rubbing it softly. “Your rambling is cute, but you seriously need to get some air before you pass out. We don’t gotta figure everything out now. We just have to do what feels right, right?”
And that made so much sense, made everything easier, so Ken nodded again, mirroring Ryuji’s expression. His stomach was in zero-g. “And, uh, what feels right at this moment?” He took a hesitant step closer towards Ryuji. Their breaths ghosted over the other.
“Dude, I really wanna kiss you right-” And Ryuji’s back clashed against the wall as Ken wove his fingers in his hair and kissed him for all he was worth.
How strange it felt at that moment for Ken. He’d never cared about romance or physical affection like this with anybody, yet here he was, making out with a punk. Ryuji’s hair was a gelled, spiky mess that pricked his palms. He tasted like energy drinks and cheap body spray. He held Ken’s waist a little too tightly, a little too much like he was a girl.
And it was positively glorious.
Ken couldn’t tell what was making his chest rumble, his heart or Kala-Nemi. Perhaps it was both. All he felt was pure electricity in his veins as Ryuji kissed back, over and over and over. Hot, needy kisses that forced Ken’s mouth open. It didn’t even register that they were still in a public hallway.
Well, eventually it did, when Ryuji pushed back and Ken started fumbling for the doorknob before remembering this wasn’t even his apartment. Reluctantly, he stepped away, panting like he would after a fight in Tartarus. “I would invite you in, but-”
“Nah, it’s cool, man,” Ryuji insisted, smiling blissfully. “But we gotta do that more often. That was… shit, Kenken, that was somethin’ else.”
“What- Kenken?”
“Yeah, it’s like- a nickname, or somethin’- I don’t have to call you it if ya don’t like it,” Ryuji stammered.”
Ken shook his head, trying to stifle his giggles with the back of his hand. “No, I like it. You can call me that.”
Smirking, Ryuji lowered Ken’s hand, carding his fingers through his hair with the other. “So long as you promise not to hide that smile anymore.”
Ken sucked in a breath that made his whole body shake. “Y-yeah. It’s a deal.” And because he was right there, and still holding him, Ken kissed Ryuji again. Softly, this time, nice and sweet. It still made something inside him burn cherry-sweet. “We… we can talk more about this tomorrow. And I know long-distance is hard-”
“Tomorrow, man. We’ll figure this all out tomorrow,” Ryuji whispered, rubbing Ken’s chin with his thumb. “I gotta go before my ma worries ‘bout me.”
Ken didn’t have words anymore. He nodded and tried not to whimper as Ryuji stepped away. With a final wave and smile, Ryuji vanished down the stairwell.
And so Ken opened the door to the apartment, and elsewhere, a butterfly flapped its wings.)