Work Text:
Kanji corrected his posture again after he began to hunch over while passing a group of girls. He wasn’t the angry blonde punk without a direction anymore. It had been a couple years, but some old mannerisms were hard to break out of. People weren’t his enemy, the countless Shadows he had pummeled made that pretty clear. Especially his own Shadow, which Yosuke would also add had changed his life forever too, albeit for the worse. Kanji ran a hand through his hair and sighed; some people couldn’t learn to let go.
“Are the crowds making you nervous, Kanji-kun?” A soft voice next to Kanji could only be Yukiko.
Still, he was shocked that she was able to sneak up on him like that. “N-no, not at all. How long were you standing there?” Kanji demanded.
“Oh, just a few seconds, I wandered about, window shopping while waiting for you.” Yukiko smiled and her eyes emphasized the warmth of the expression.
It had been a couple years since Yukiko Amagi crossed paths with Kanji, under the worst circumstances in his opinion. According to Yu-senpai, Yukiko was the least fussy about the steamy bathhouse and constantly pushed the team in saving Kanji. ‘Out of the whole team, Yukiko-senpai never made fun of me for my Shadow, just like our leader. She’s never been one to judge.’ Kanji thought as his palms got sweaty. ‘Her smiles are the best.’
Kanji saw that Yukiko was sporting a simple white flower dress with a big, sky blue cardigan, her dove earrings and necklace complimented the ensemble. Her slender shoulders weren’t tense from stress anymore and her hair was pinned up into a loose bun. His palms got damper and he looked somewhere else.
“S-sorry, Yukiko-senpai,” Kanji could feel heat rushing up his neck, but he had to say it. “you look very nice today.”
She gasped gently and it made Kanji’s stomach flop. “Thank you very much, Kanji-kun. To be honest, I felt silly wearing something so breezy. Now I don’t feel so awkward.” Yukiko took a couple steps forward, making Kanji turn his attention back to her. “You look very nice too.” She said softly.
That was Yukiko, always finding the good in the bad. Kanji only wore a black, long-sleeve shirt and jeans, nothing fantastical there. He did wear a couple studs in his ears, for old time’s sake, but the thug vibe he gave off was gone once he let his black hair grow back and wore his prescription glasses. He could only swallow in response; she had never gotten this close before. The only other times she would approach would be to slap him or help him up if he fell in battle. But this wasn’t the TV World and they weren’t in a fight. Kanji wasn’t against her being so close; her dark eyes were gleaming with energy that he felt was contagious.
Yukiko giggled and hooked her left arm around Kanji’s right arm. “So it’s agreed, we look stunning and now we’re going to dazzle the craft shop with our brilliance.” She declared and pumped a fist in the air.
Kanji chuckled and both walked at an even pace towards the craft shop. In his peripheral, Kanji noticed some people staring and he tensed automatically. He may have accepted his true self, but it was hard getting past the defenses he created. It was hard to accept the idea that not everyone was out to get him. Instead he focused on Yukiko’s gentle clasp to his side. She wasn’t tense at all and Kanji always envied her mastery of being aloof. He expected her to detach from him once they entered the shop, but as the little bell chimed, she still held on to him.
“Welcome, how may I help you?” The clerk chirped and raised her eyebrows when she saw the couple.
“Oh, we’re just browsing, thank you.” Yukiko replied politely and even bowed her head a little. “Kanji-kun, show me that one fabric.” She said in a quieter tone.
“Uh, sure, it’s closer to the back of the store.” Kanji winced as his voice boomed in the small shop. Other patrons in the shop whipped their heads at the source of the disturbance. ‘Just ignore them.’ Kanji clenched his jaw and carefully led Yukiko to the back of the store.
The patrons went back to their own private worlds, something that surprised Kanji. And he remembered he didn’t stand out as much. He adjusted his glasses and a soft snort fired from Yukiko. “What’s up?” He watched his senpai shake her head.
“Nothing, I’m just glad you’re wearing glasses again.” Yukiko replied and turned her attention to something on the wall.
Heat was radiating from her arm or was it his body heat transferring over to hers? They had been attached so long, Kanji began dreading detaching arms. It would be so cold. “Uh, Yukiko-senpai, the fabric is over here.” Kanji gently tugged her towards the left. He feared she’d resist him leading, but he felt her body shift compliantly.
“Oh, I see, this is the fabric.” Yukiko reached with her free hand and ran it over. “Wow, like the water’s surface.” She murmured.
“I know, not too bad for a synthetic fiber.” Kanji stated and looked at their entwined arms. ‘I wonder.’ He started pulling away and it took everything he had to not yelp in shock. Without looking at him, Yukiko readjusted her arm and pulled him closer. ‘D-damn, she doesn’t want to let go.’ He felt his cheeks heat up and a small smile spread on his face. It wasn’t just him that was enjoying the closeness.
The bell chimed and the clerk said her scripted dialogue. The shop was filled with obnoxious chatter of teenage girls, but Yukiko didn’t flinch. Kanji did. He silently prayed they would go to the opposite side of the store where all the jewelry kits were, but they seemed to be interested in looking around. It wasn’t long until they were in the same aisle as Kanji and Yukiko. And Kanji did everything he could to not yell when he heard their failed attempts at whispering.
“Oh my god,” One of the girls started and Kanji kept his attention on Yukiko’s face as she grabbed the fabric gently, “look at Mr. TDH over there. He’s putting up with his girlfriend’s shopping, how cute.” she giggled with the rest of her group.
Kanji took a deep breath and realized Yukiko was looking up at him.
“Kanji-kun, this fabric is a little transparent, could I put a black cloth behind it?” Yukiko’s eyes were genuinely searching for an answer.
“Of course not, the black background will overpower the soft blue color and it’ll darken the room. This type of fabric you want to use a soft shade of blue or white, but I really advise against it. After all, the birds are also white so it’d be harder to see them. The purpose of this fabric is for the summer seasons. It breathes better than thicker fabrics.” Kanji could not stop the locomotive of information; it was so ingrained into him. He adjusted his glasses with a trembling hand.
Yukiko smiled, “Wow, I’m so glad I came here with you, Kanji-kun. The Amagis will always be indebted to the Tatsumis.” She teased and began chattering about how much fabric she would need for several rooms.
Kanji began tuning out Yukiko because his ears were always picking up negative comments over positive ones. The group of girls were a little further away, but they still sucked at being subtle.
“Did you hear him blather on about fabrics?” One girl hissed in horror.
“Oh, maybe he’s just a special type of friend.” Another chimed in.
“Oh my god, you mean like a girlfriend?” The loudest one of the group blurted, making sure to add a lisp and the other girls began laughing.
The tightness in his chest returned and his stomach began burning. Memories of middle school came back and was beginning to see red. His old self was starting to claw back up; he was ready to push everyone away. He was so engrossed in his shame and rising anger that he didn’t notice Yukiko unhooked her arm.
What he did notice was that both of her arms wrapped around his waist and her head was resting on his chest. This time he couldn’t contain his shock, he squeaked in the most unmanly way imaginable, but before he could form a sentence, Yukiko spoke up.
“I have the best boyfriend ever.” Yukiko declared loud enough for the group of girls to hear.
A chorus of sharp gasps and huffs rose before the whole group marched out of the store. The only thing Kanji caught was one of the girls going, “I can’t believe Yukiko Amagi did that! What a rude bi—” the bell chime cut off the rest, but Kanji filled in the blank.
“Well, that worked better than I hoped.” Yukiko said in her normal tone, but she kept her arms wrapped around Kanji.
“D-did you do something?” Kanji’s voice cracked a bit and he kept his arms raised slightly.
Yukiko looked up at him and grinned. “I flipped them off.” She chirped and she entered a small laughing episode. “Kanji, you should see your face!”
Her body shook and vibrated with each laugh that sprouted from her lips. Kanji chuckled, amazed that Yukiko Amagi flipped off a group of snooty girls. After their shared laughter, both sighed out their tension. In that moment, Kanji realized she had dropped the honorific in her moment of joy. And the statement she made earlier echoed in his mind.
“Hey, Kanji, why don’t you put your arms around me?” Yukiko asked huskily.
Kanji looked down and gasped at Yukiko’s expression. It was intense, but not threatening. Hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around her and felt her tighten the hug. Afraid a nosebleed would happen, Kanji looked up at the ceiling and gulped. He had to say something—anything to let her know it was mutual.
“Thanks, Yukiko. I’m glad you’re with me.” He said softly.
Yukiko loosened her hold and Kanji feared he stepped too far by dropping the honorific. She did only pretend they were a couple, maybe he misread the signals. He looked at her and realized her face was very close. Knowing his face was red as a beet, Kanji lowered his head so that his forehead was a couple inches away from Yukiko’s. She gently pushed her forehead against his and that was enough.
‘Oh god, she is...’ Kanji’s mind drifted into incoherent euphoria.
Then he felt his nose run and he jerked back in horror. It was too late, some blood was already brushing past his lips. Yukiko didn’t laugh, she was actually blushing so much her exposed neck was red. She went to dab his face with her sleeve, but he held a hand up, stopping her. He took out a black handkerchief from his pocket and cleaned himself up.
“I’m sorry.” Both Kanji and Yukiko apologized in unison.
They looked at each other and began laughing nervously. After collecting their wits, Yukiko bought several yards of the fabric and both left the clerk guessing what in the world happened in her store. Yukiko grabbed Kanji’s hand and squeezed it. Without hesitation, Kanji squeezed back and laughed when Yukiko began running to the nearest bakery. People stared at them, but Kanji didn’t even care anymore.