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Sho dug his hands further into his pockets, curling them into fists. Scrap led the way with a small bounce to her step, and he followed behind with a level of trust that seemed foolish to give to her. It had been just about a year since the night of red fog, but he still felt awful about his entire arrangement with Labrys. How selfish was he to take her as his? How selfless was she to accept him for who he was?
Lowering his gaze to the ground, he realized he was dragging his feet with every step. He really shouldn’t have been so hung up over this; it was Labrys’ choice to accept him - it seemed wrong to guilt her about it. And besides, she made him happy. Maybe it was selfish of him to take her outstretched hand, but it was difficult to deny himself that one desire.
Labrys slowed her gait, causing Sho to lift his gaze. “This is the place,” she said in explanation, keeping her eyes straight ahead and her back to him. “Feels a little nostalgic to be here…”
Taking in his new surroundings, he realized that they had exited the forest they had been trekking through and had arrived at… a beach? They were a few steps away from where the sand began, and the water glimmered with the oranges and pinks of the sunset. It was a pretty sight for sure, but…
“What’s so special about this place?” he asked rather bluntly, stepping forward to stand at her side. Now that he was able to see her face, he noticed how her gaze softened while looking beyond the pier and towards the horizon.
Labrys shook her head lightly. “You’d think it’s dumb,” she answered, her expression still pinched.
His eyes flicked from her to the beach, taking in the scenery. The him of last year would have agreed with her - but he had grown to understand sentimentality. At least a little bit. He offered a small shrug and said, “I’ll try not to. What’s up with this place?”
Labrys brought her hand to her chest, placing it over where her Plume of Dusk would be. Even now, Sho could feel it resonating with his own. “I made a wish here,” she said quietly. “When I escaped the lab and thought I was gonna be turned off forever. I made a wish right here that the ones who came after me…” she paused, half-lidding her eyes as tears began to form, “that they would find happiness.”
Sho’s lips twisted, his heart jumping into his throat. He wasn’t good at consolation in the least bit, but seeing Labrys cry spurred him into action. He brought his arm around her shoulders, pulling her towards him. “Hey, uh… you don’t have to cry,” he mumbled awkwardly. “I’m sure they did. You did, after all.”
After a moment, Labrys leaned her head against his shoulder. “Sis did,” she said with a small sniffle. “She met someone special to her, right there on that pier.”
Sho had overheard the stories during his time as a Shadow Operative. The original leader of Kirijo’s group of Persona users - he was a boy who was about his age when he fought against Nyx and died to protect humanity. Sho had never understood why somebody would willingly serve as a martyr to defend this disgustingly cruel world, but...
His eyes trailed to the girl at his side, her head pressed into his shoulder. Maybe this world wasn’t total shit all the time, so maybe it made sense.
“Your wish came true then,” he murmured, giving her a small squeeze with the arm he draped over her shoulders. “How cool is that?”
Labrys sniffled, laughing a little. “Pretty cool,” she admitted, a smile playing across her lips. After a moment, she pulled away and turned to face Sho. “Wanna go sit at the pier? There’s a nice breeze by the water.”
Her tears had already begun to dry, but their tracks glimmered against the light porcelain of her skin. Without thinking, his arm reached forward and his hand cupped her cheek, wiping away the tears with his thumb. “You sure you’re waterproof?” he asked softly with a small smirk. “Can’t have you short-circuiting on me. Your friends’ll probably blame me for it.”
“Our friends wouldn’t do that,” she corrected with a giggle. “And I told ya - I’m waterproof enough.”
He dropped his arm back to his side, his smile faltering for a moment. “Our, huh...”
Labrys offered him a nod, crimson eyes shining with the colors of the sunset. “You’re a Shadow Operative,” she said simply, placing a hand to her hip. “Of course they’re your friends, Sho-kun!”
Everything in Sho immediately wanted to disprove her statement, but a small nudge from the other guy caused him to hold his tongue. He shifted awkwardly on his feet, sorting out his emotions. A few seconds passed before he allowed a small, tentative smile. “I think I’m shit at the whole friend thing,” he admitted with a halfhearted shrug, “but hey, I think I’m shit at the boyfriend thing, too.”
“I think you’re doin’ great,” Labrys reassured, patient and accommodating as ever. Sho had a feeling that no matter how long it took him to change and grow as a person, Labrys would wait for him. She waited for him at the end of the world, so what was a few months? “Not a lotta people could live the life you did and come out the betta of it.”
Warmth rose up the back of his neck, settling comfortably in his face. While his first instinct was to fight it, he selfishly allowed himself to savor the feeling. “Yeah, yeah,” he said dismissively, even if some part of him wanted her to keep praising him. Kind words would never change what happened in his past, but they could at least soften the complicated emotions churning in the pit of his stomach. As sentimental as she made him feel, he could let himself be human for once. “Enough about me. How about we go peer at the sunset on the pier?”
Labrys shook her head with a giggle, and the sight of her was so beautiful that Sho wished he could freeze time and stay in this moment forever. “That was awful,” she said, but the smile she wore was so genuinely happy that Sho doubted her claim. “But I’d love that. I gotta make my wish come true, too, ya know?”
Sho’s gaze softened as he looked at her, and he felt a grin pulling at his lips. “I know you already made mine come true.”
