Chapter Text
The date was everything Ryuji had dreamed of.
To be honest, he wasn’t entirely sure what he dreamed of. Just that he wanted to take Makoto out on a date. It was the first date he had ever been on, so any number of things could have gone wrong.
Like, what were you supposed to talk about on a date? Date stuff? How the date is going? Where’s a goddamn manual to dating when you needed one?
But despite his fears and doubts they made it through. They had a good time. They went to see a movie, got a reasonably expensive dinner that he was actually able to pay for, and they just… talked. About their day, what they were up to when not dating, that sort of stuff.
Was this what dating was? Being with the person you’re absolutely, almost blindingly crazy for? Hell, this was easy. Terrifying, but easy.
“I had a really good time, Ryuji,” Makoto said as they stood in front of her apartment building.
“Yeah?” he asked hopefully, an uneasy smile across his face. “This was kinda my first date. Was worried I was gonna mess it up.”
“If it makes you feel any better, this was mine, too.” Makoto thought about that for a second before amending, “Well, it’s my first real date.”
“‘Real date’? What’s that mean?”
“Akira pretended to be my boyfriend while I was trying to help my friend Eiko.” She patted Ryuji on the chest when he made a disgruntled face. “Don’t worry, it was purely an act. I don’t feel that way about Akira.”
Now it was her turn to look disgruntled. “Trust me on that one,” she said a little forcefully.
That was going to be something Ryuji needed to ask about, but for later. Right now, he was going to accept what she said at face value.
Truthfully, he did feel a pang of jealousy when she mentioned the ruse, though he understood that Akira was only helping out a friend. Based on her reaction, it probably wasn’t a pleasant experience for either of them. That probably shouldn’t have made Ryuji feel better, but he couldn’t help it.
“It’s good. I shouldn’t be jealous either way.” He held his arms out in a shrug. “Even if you were, not like we were dating at the time.”
Makoto gave him a smile. “That’s very mature of you.”
Ryuji gave an uneasy smile before he looked down at his shoes. “Truth be told, I’m… Y’know what? Never mind, it’s stupid.”
She stepped forward and placed a hand on his bicep. He resisted the urge to flex and show off. A year ago, he’d be busting out poses and shit. God, what an idiot he was.
“No, I want to know,” she said, clearly concerned. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s just…” He scratched the bag of his head and bounced his right leg. “This has been one of the best days I’ve had in a long ass time. You’re effin’ amazing, ‘Koto.”
“‘Koto?” she parroted, stepping back and crossing her arms. She flashed him a wry smile. “What happened to ‘Prez’?”
Ryuji grinned. “What? ‘Koto’s cute. I mean, so’s Prez, but I like ‘Koto more.”
“I think I can agree with you on that one,” she laughed before her face hardened again. “But what’s so wrong with that?”
“It’s been a long time since I had a day this good with no strings attached. I guess I’m worried that some shit’s gonna go down and I’ll mess it up, or I’m gonna wake up and this’ll all have been a dream.”
He shrugged. “It’s just… why should good things start happening to me now?”
As soon as he finished that thought, a pair of hands grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him forward. Ryuji’s eyes went wide as he felt Makoto’s lips press against his.
That’s when he was pretty sure his brain exploded.
A girl was kissing him.
Not just any girl, this was Makoto Effin’ Niijima! The girl of his dreams!
Damn, she was real good at kissing. He closed his eyes and leaned into the kiss.
…Maybe it was a little too good, right now.
Down boy, he thought to himself. The last thing he wanted to do was make this awkward. He was enjoying this far too much for it to end due to biological reactions.
He wasn’t exactly sure how long it was before Makoto pulled again, nor how long it was before he realized they weren’t kissing and his eyes fluttered open.
Her cheeks were red, but she looked happy.
That was his first kiss. Was that her first kiss? Was he good? Because she was really good.
“Uh…” Ryuji blinked. Inwardly, he cursed himself. He was no Akira, but he was smoother than that, right? “That was… I liked that.”
Makoto giggled. “I liked it, too.”
There was that laugh again, like music to his ears. He may not have been the smoothest customer on the block, but if he was able to make her laugh like that, he was okay with it.
He asked, “But, um… why?”
“Good things can happen to you, Ryuji,” she said, placing a hand on his chest. “I’d like to think I’m one of those things.”
A wide smile broke out on his face. “You got no idea how right you are.”
Makoto smiled and bowed her head. “T-Thank you for the lovely night out.”
“Yeah,” Ryuji said, nodding along. “I’ll see you soon?”
“I’d like that.”
She turned and started to walk into her apartment, when Ryuji called out to her. “Hey, uh, ‘Koto?”
She looked back to him.
He shifted on his feet and rubbed the back of his neck. “I was wonderin’... do you think we could… uh, maybe… kiss? A little bit more?”
She looked at him with a smile before she tilted her head up to look at the window to her apartment. “Well… my sister shouldn’t be home for a few more hours~”
Ryuji’s eyes lit up. “Does that mean--?”
She cut him off by grabbing him by the wrist and practically dragging him into her apartment. Makoto was a hell of a lot stronger than she looked.
He couldn’t say he minded all that much.