Chapter Text
Fuuka was sitting on the couch in her high school dorm’s living room, doing various things on her laptop. It was the middle of the night, and she couldn’t sleep. Koro-chan had joined her on the couch a little bit before that, curled up sleeping near her. She stroked his soft white fur, as she lamented the sleep she was losing. Summer break for Gekkoukan High had just started, and she wanted some rest.
A creak from the hallway alerted Fuuka to someone coming down the stairs. She hurriedly smoothed down her short teal hair. She didn’t think anyone would be up for a long time still. Everyone in the dorm was her friend, but it was still embarrassing to be caught in your pajamas. She’d lived in the dorm for a few months now, the residents were all members of a group called SEES who fought monster’s during the dark hour. The dark hour was a time at midnight, that only certain people got to experience. The sky would take on a green tint, all technology would stop working, and the shadows would come out. They were a group that fought tirelessly against the shadows, trying to help people. They fought with their persona’s, their other selves basically, which had magical powers. Fuuka’s power wasn’t fighting, but analyzing. She could tell where all of her friends were as they explored the skyscraper dungeon of shadows called Tartarus, that appeared out of their school during the dark hour. She could also sense the whereabouts of really strong shadows, and warn her friends beforehand.
Those living in the dorm were all high schoolers that went to Gekkoukan High, all in their 2nd and 3rd years of school there. The people living here were Akihiko Sanada, Mitsuru Kirijo, Shinjiro Aragaki, Junpei Iori, Aigis, Yukari Takeba, Ken Amada, the dorm’s resident dog Koromaru, and Minato Arisato.
As Fuuka looked towards the stairs, she saw Minato come down sleepily rubbing his eyes. He was wearing a simple white t-shirt and blue pajama pants. His dark navy blue hair was sticking up in odd places, and his grey eyes were only half open. He was a second year high schooler like her, and the leader of their group fighting against the shadows. He had just transferred to the school at the beginning of the school year in Spring. He was a quiet boy in that he never said much, but he was a great friend and most everyone enjoyed his company.
Minato walked towards the fridge, and grabbed a water bottle out of it. He caught the glare of a screen in his peripheral vision, and turned towards the living room.
“What are you doing up so late?” he asked confusedly.
“No, reason, just couldn’t sleep.” She said looking down sheepishly at her feet.
Minato walked over, plopping himself down on the couch.
“What’s actually wrong?” He asked inquisitively.
Fuuka sighed, how was he always so observant?
“It’s sort of a personal reason, I don’t really want to bother you with it.”
“It’s fine,” he said like he had all the time in the world. Listening to problems was Minato’s strong suit anyway.
“Okay then. It’s pretty much a force of habit to be up at this time, because of my parents.” She stopped, glancing at him.
He nodded at her to go on.
“Well you see everyone in my family are doctors except for my parents. They were always looked down on because of this, and in turn the pressure fell on me to be better than them. They’d wake me up every morning around 3 to 4 am, forcing me to study. It was all I was really allowed to do in my free time. And even now that I’m away from them, I still can’t sleep during this time of night.” She fidgeted on the couch, embarrassed she’d just admitted such personal life problems to Minato.
“Well how about I tell you a bedtime story?” he replied casually.
Fuuka thought he was just messing around, but he looked dead serious. Well it didn’t hurt to try. She closed her laptop, and set it on the coffee table nearby. Laying her head on the armrest opposite his, she got as comfortable as she could on a couch.
Minato began just talking. He spoke about how he’d come to this city a few months ago, and some of the big things that had happened to him. He continued on this way for a while, never faltering, just the quiet tones of his suave voice. Fuuka eventually began to feel her eyes drooping closed, and giving in to the lulling sounds of his voice, was fast asleep. When he glanced over and saw her sleeping, he fetched a blanket, and affectionately draped it over her. He hated to leave her on the couch, but he wasn’t allowed in a girl’s room unless invited, so he began making his way up the stairs back to his room. Sending one last glance at her peaceful sleeping face, he smiled.
Every night from then on Fuuka received an mp3 file on her computer around 10 o'clock at night. They were simple recordings by Minato, just recounting the events of his day, but they never failed to make her happy. She played them on repeat every night until they ultimately soothed her to sleep. They made her feel safe and comfortable, and with them she never had trouble sleeping through the night again.