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The door of his bedroom opens so quietly, he only notices because the light of the hall comes spilling into the room, flowing like a stream until it touches his feet. When he raises his head to face it, he finds Aigis standing in the doorway, still wearing her winter uniform.
“I thought you may be wearing your earphones, so I invited myself in,” she explains, her silhouette bathed by the light. “May I?”
She lingers by the doorframe, another subtle reminder of how much she has changed; especially in this past month. The times when Aigis used to enter his room as if it were her own seem to be a lifetime away.
In a way, Makoto guesses it really has been that long.
“Yeah,” he remembers to say, turning his player off.
She closes the door behind her, crossing the room until she is standing right before him. Looking up at her from this close, there is no mistaking the concerned look in her eyes. “I had a feeling you were awake… Are you worried about tomorrow?”
His smile doesn’t waver but his gaze does drop to his hands, hanging limply between his knees. “No, I know we’ll do it.”
Aigis takes a seat beside him, so carefully the bed barely shifts. The room is silent for a long moment before she asks, without looking at him, “Then... are you afraid?”
“A little, I guess... I talked big, but we already lost senpai. I don’t want to lose anyone else.”
“You won’t.” Aigis states, resolute. She is looking at him now, a reassuring tilt to her lips. “We made a promise and we will see it through. This, I know for certain.”
Makoto returns the gesture, but it’s not long before it falters and he lowers his gaze again, absent-mindedly playing with one earphone.
Aigis leans forward to peek at his face. "There is something else... troubling you, isn't there?”
He doesn’t say anything, he doesn’t need to. She straightens again, thoughtful. “I... feel it, too. It's strange to know we will be fighting an entity that was once a… friend."
It’s the first time he has ever heard Aigis refer to Ryoji as anything more than a menace, and for some reason it makes him happy. He wishes Ryoji could’ve been there to hear it.
The thought does nothing but sharpen the hurt.
"Do you think Ryoji's consciousness is still there somewhere?" The question sounds naive even to his own ears, but he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about it.
Aigis looks sad when she shakes her head. “I don’t know how much of himself he will be able to keep now that he has regained his final form. However...” She places a hand atop of his own, causing him to meet her eyes. She holds them there. “I do believe the part of it that we knew as Ryoji-san would be happy to rest by your hand. That’s why he gave you a choice, isn’t it?"
Slowly, Makoto finds the weight in his stomach lifting just slightly. “…Right.”
Aigis' smile widens a fraction before quivering. She takes her hand back, averting her gaze.
“It’s quite ironic that Ryoji-san and I were both made human through our bond with you. And yet…we have brought nothing but misfortune to you. I’m sorry, Makoto-san. I truly am.”
His eyes widen, brows furrowing with confusion. “Aigis, what are you talking about?”
She does not budge, does not meet his eyes. He is the one to reach for her hand now, fingers wrapping tightly around her own.
“Being Ryoji’s friend made me happy. And you…”
He trails off. His throat goes dry.
He has known for a while now, probably ever since he met her, that Aigis is special to him. Precious in ways he isn’t ready to give a name to, not yet at least. So he reels the words back, exchanging them for the closest he can find.
“…If it means meeting you, and everyone else, I would do it all over again. No second thoughts.”
She turns to him, hopeful but uncertain. Makoto gives her a reassuring smile, squeezing her hand. “I have no regrets, Aigis.”
“Regrets…” She echoes, growing thoughtful again. Her focus shifts to his hand, still lying atop of hers. Makoto can only watch with baited breath as she slowly, tentatively, entwines her fingers with his. “This… reminds me of something Junpei-san was saying this morning. That we should do and say everything we want to, in order to make sure we will fight tomorrow with no regrets.”
Oh.
The meaning of Junpei’s advice isn’t lost on him. All of a sudden, there is an onslaught of feelings and questions crowding at his throat. He swallows, thickly, but there is no avoiding it; not with Aigis this close, not with his heart thrumming this loud.
Should I…?
Before he can gather himself enough to decide, Aigis is speaking again; anxious but determined.
“Makoto-san, what I told you the day we made our promise… I meant it. Tomorrow, I will fight by your side. I will protect you. But I'd also...” Her voice grows strained, her eyes trembling with emotion. “Even after we defeat Nyx, I..."
"Aigis..."
“What I want most in the entire world… is to remain by your side. To live by your side,” she stresses the word, letting it shoulder the weight of her resolution.
He smiles, wondering if Aigis realizes just how closely those feelings mirror his own. “We will, Aigis. The two of us. Together.”
“Together,” she reaffirms, lips curling up with something akin to sadness. “That’s the wish I hold closest to my heart. But in this past month we have spent together, I have come to realize that may not… be all there is to it.”
He isn’t sure he understands. “What do you mean?”
Her free hand fiddles with the hem of her skirt as she looks away from him, her hair concealing her expression. “Until now, I’ve always… referred to you as something precious to me, but I now believe that’s not… the correct way to express this feeling.”
Something catches in his chest. Makoto’s voice is barely a whisper when he asks, not daring to hope, “Then… what is it?”
“I… It’s probably best if I don’t. If I were to use the proper words, it wouldn’t…” She cuts herself short, fingertips digging into his skin. The pressure is not painful, but it makes concern well in his gut.
“Aigis…?”
She seems to get a hold of herself, because her hold eases. She turns her head just enough so that he can see the starts of a shy, pained smile taking to her lips.
“I’m sorry, Makoto-san… it appears I lose control of myself a lot when I’m around you. But that is… probably to be expected, isn’t it?” The smile broadens, touching her eyes and wrapping itself around Makoto’s heart. “Being with everyone makes me feel human, but being with you, Makoto-san… it makes me feel alive.”
He sucks in a ragged breath. He knows it, then—he can feel it in the air around them.
Everything between them has just changed.
There is no turning back. Not anymore.
More than anything, Makoto realizes—he doesn’t want there to be.
“I realize this isn’t much of a response, but I would like to cherish this feeling, to cherish you, for as long as I live. I will… never leave you,” Aigis promises him, wearing such a bright, loving smile that he feels its warmth seep into his skin.
And maybe that’s why he doesn’t try to resist when his body moves on its own. Why he lets his hands cup her cheeks and his eyes touch her parting lips before he covers them with his own.
The kiss is feather light, but he feels it in the shiver that runs down his spine, in the sense of belonging that pools in the pit of his stomach.
When he leans back, he gives the stunned Aigis a light smile before letting his forehead rest against her own, hands still cupping her cheeks.
“...No regrets, right?"
He doesn’t know how much time passes before she finally moves, but the tension in him unwinds when she covers one of his hands with her own. “Makoto-san, do you really mean that…?”
He nods and Aigis shudders in his hold.
“I… I’m sorry, I can’t think of anything to say… I feel so… happy…! I feel I may break down somehow.”
Makoto laughs, his heart swelling. Aigis leans back to look at him, her eyes crinkling in that adorable way they do when she smiles.
“Then, there’s… something I would like to ask of you, Makoto-san.”
“Anything, Aigis,” he says, and means it. She lets out a happy gasp, and Makoto can’t help but feel a little curious when she guides his hand to her ribbon.
“At the base of my neck, behind the knot of this ribbon... My most important component is located there. My emotional engine... the Papillon Heart,” she explains, innocently beaming up at him. “It's extremely delicate, but I... want you to touch it."
His eyes widen, darting from the ribbon to her own. “Aigis…! Are you sure…?”
“Yes, I want you to do this, Makoto-san.” She nods, closing her eyes and pressing his hand closer. “I want to leave indelible proof in this body of the understanding that you and I have reached. Not as a memory that can be erased, but as something permanent... Something irrevocable.”
When she opens her eyes again, Makoto is struck speechless by the intensity of her gaze. There are no doubts there, just a silent request—a strong yearning.
He takes a steadying breath and nods his agreement.
Aigis beams again, looking more elated than he has ever seen her. “Ah… I’m so happy!”
Her enthusiasm is contagious, and Makoto feels his lips twitching despite his nervousness. “Just tell me if it feels uncomfortable, okay?”
Something seems to occur to her then, because she suddenly grows rather shy. “I… apologize in advance if I say something odd, or make unusual noises…”
For some reason, hearing that makes Makoto feel rather self-conscious—but as Aigis lets go of his hand and meets his eyes from under her bangs, a light rosy hue on her cheeks, all he can think is that he wants to see this new side of her.
That he wants to touch her heart, just like she has touched his.
He gently lies her down on the bed, eyes never leaving her own.
“Well then,” she murmurs with a smile, fingers coming up to brush away his bangs. “Will you… untie my ribbon?”
.
.
.