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It’s in a moment of relief that Shotarou grabs hold of Philip’s shoulders and kisses him.
Honestly - before today, the thought of kissing his partner had never crossed his mind. Why would it? Shotarou cared about him to a great degree; his death had been absolutely agonising, but those feelings had been on the more platonic side of things. Sure, he thought of Philip as his partner and their relationship was the most important thing in Shotarou's life for quite some time, but those were normal things to feel about your best friend.
(And even if he ever thought about kissing Philip, which never happened obviously, it would’ve been in a completely platonic way.)
But there was something about seeing Philip after all this time, laughing and smiling while explaining how he had been revived that made Shotarou feel...emotional. Or something to that degree, a mixture of happiness and shock that made him act on some sort of impulse.
That impulse being to kiss Philip was a little concerning, to be fair.
It goes quiet when Shotarou kisses Philip. Even Akiko’s fanfare dies down, likely in shock, but Shotarou can’t really find it himself to be bothered. Not when Philip’s lips are against his (cracked, because he chews on them and refuses to wear chapstick despite Shotarou's insistence) and his shoulders are warm (and shaking, ever so slightly) beneath his hands. Despite that, there’s no sign of Philip reciprocating the kiss.
But then Philip pulls back, and for a second Shotarou is worried that he’s completely fucked this up - until the corners of Philip’s lips raise almost imperceptibly. If Shotarou wasn’t face to face with him, he probably would’ve missed it.
There’s a smile in his voice when he opens his mouth, too, not quite amusement but he’s clearly not displeased.
“Were you waiting a whole year to do that?” he asks like he already knows the answer - knowing him, he probably does. There's a particular coyness in the way he looks at Shotarou, it reminds him of when Philip would playfully tease him about being half-boiled. It’s embarrassing to admit that seeing such an expression again makes him a little happy, so he doesn’t.
“Hah?” Shotarou scoffs, flicking his fedora back up from where it had slipped. “‘Course not. Do I seem like the pining type?”
Instead of an answer, Philip just laughs and threads a hand through the hair on Shotarou’s nape. His simper softens to a small, genuine smile that Shotarou has the urge to kiss off his face. He doesn’t for obvious reasons, but he lets the thought settle for a bit.
“It has been a year, after all. There must be quite a few new things I don’t know about you, Shotarou.”
Shotarou adverts his eyes. It really has been too long since he’s heard Philip say his name. “Like I’d tell you...Philip.”
The edges of Philip’s eyes crinkle when he laughs, Shotarou notices. He’s always looked human despite technically being made out of data, but today he looks more human than he ever has been. Maybe it’s because of Wakana’s sacrifice, or because he’s reunited with the ones he left behind. Shotarou’s just glad to see him so happy.
They stand there for another few seconds, staring into each other’s eyes, before someone coughs twice.
“Ahaha, you don’t have to hog Philip-kun like that…” Akiko sputters, looking between the two. She’s latched onto Terui’s arm, who doesn’t look surprised in comparison to the chief.
The other two, Akira and his sister, are sort of just staring at them. Poor kids, barely anything had probably made sense to them today and now this? Speaking of today’s events...
“Ah, right.” Shotarou mutters, pulling away from Philip. He pats down his vest and turns to the end of the bridge. “There’s still a Dopant we gotta deal with.”
Philip does the same, brushing a lock of hair away from his face. “The Energy Dopant, correct? Maybe you should buy Mick’s food from someone who isn’t a gang leader, next time.”
“How was I supposed to know? He’s your cat, you should be the one taking care of him!” Shotarou retorts, glowering.
“Wow, what a mood change..” Akiko whispers to Terui, who’s lips twitch in response.
Across the bridge, the Energy Dopant/Gang Leader/Random Pet Shop Worker glares at them with such contempt that Shotarou can almost feel it in his bones. “What the hell are you doing? Quit ignoring me!”
Philip tilts his head, leaning forward mockingly. “Sorry, I was occupied with something much more important than you. Or perhaps, stronger than you?”
Embarrassingly, Shotarou can feel himself smile. It really is good having Philip back by his side. “You don’t gotta work him up like that, it’ll just make it more embarrassing when we destroy his Gaia Memory for good.”
“Stop flirting and fight, you two.” Terui calls out, and Shotarou exchanges an amused look with Philip as they pull out their respective Memories.
The Double Driver appears on both of their waists, and the extra weight almost makes Shotarou cry. He could never get used to how light the Lost Driver was - this felt like coming home.
Before inserting the Cyclone Memory into the slot, Philip turns back to Terui with a sly smile. “Who said we can’t do both?” He says, and reaches for Shotarou's hand.
Shotarou clasps it tight.
“Henshin!”