Work Text:
“Uh-uh, no way,” Ann repeated, punctuating her dissent with a firm head shake. “I’m not skipping out on an evening with my partner just to rehash some middle school bet.”
Ryuji dug his hands into his pockets, having zero rebuttals prepared besides “please”.
He already knew she’d say no, but having the obvious explained made him look even more foolish. Makoto didn’t visit very often, and when she did, it was usually only for a day or two. So, yeah, no shit this festival meant a lot to Ann. Ryuji could see Yusuke any time he wanted. His friend wasn’t so lucky.
“It doesn’t hafta be the entire night. You hang out with Makoto, I hang out with Yusuke, then we meet up and split off for an hour, tops. Gives the two of ‘em a chance to focus on anythin’ they wanna see, but that we ain’t as interested in, y’know?”
Ann sighed wistfully. “I can’t say I haven’t missed when we used to go to the festival together. The year I went without you… just wasn’t the same.”
“That’s why I’m proposin’ this. For a while, we were close again. Then, after the Phantom Thieves disbanded, we went back to bein’ total strangers.” The sting of nostalgia bloomed in his chest, and Ryuji shrugged, hoping to mask his yearning. “I don’t wanna be a stranger to you anymore, Ann.”
“Well, your arguing’s certainly gotten better.” She pursed her lips, and Ryuji was certain he’d won her over. “One hour. Not a minute more.”
She removed Ryuji’s hand from his pocket, presumably to seal the deal. He initiated touch more often than he accepted it; the list of people allowed to reach into his personal space without warning could fit on his palm. Ann was, of course, included.
He smirked. “You’re on.”
*****
Yusuke, once again, shattered every expectation Ryuji had for how beautiful his girlfriend could possibly be. He’d lost track of how many times she’d stolen his heart. All the days they’d been together, plus most of the days they hadn’t, plus their Showtimes, and oh, he couldn’t leave out the enemies she’d downed with her stupidly hot theatrics… yadda yadda, math continued to be his weakest subject, but it was a big-ass number!
She arrived in a stunning deep blue yukata dotted with white flowers and green-gray leaves. Upon stating her plans to wear the same piece as the previous year (and however many years before), Ann instantly objected. Whether she rented or bought it didn’t matter—she just needed something new. Something to honor the first summer of the rest of her life.
Ryuji, on the other hand, wore pretty much the same thing he always did. No meaningful significance there… though maybe that, in itself, was significant. He tailored his wardrobe to his tastes and his tastes alone, and regardless of those tastes being the opposite of hers, Yusuke loved every part of her garish muse. And hey, she can be just as garish, too!
“Ann and Makoto should be here soon,” Ryuji said, watching her scarf down the last of her yakisoba. “Is there anythin’ you plan on doin’ when we split up?”
“Hmm…” Yusuke blotted her face. “I was thinking of watching the dancers for a while. They look especially elegant this year. Where did you say you were going again?”
“Uh… I don’t really gotta specific place in mind.”
She nodded. “The most enjoyable experiences often occur spontaneously.”
“Yeah. That.”
Soon, he spotted the pair amidst the crowd and waved them over.
“Ryujiii~” Ann’s tone was already laced with competition, her cat eyes narrowing.
Thankfully, Yusuke didn’t seem to notice. “Hello Ann, Makoto. Enjoying the festivities?”
“Oh, totally.”
“They’ve really gone all out this year,” Makoto added. “I especially love all the educational pamphlets at each vendor.”
Ryuji snickered. “‘Course you would.”
“Wh- hey!” She crossed her arms, a few such pamphlets sticking out of her bag. “Celebration isn’t worthwhile unless you understand what you’re celebrating!”
“Yeah, show some respect, Ryuji.”
He could’ve mistaken Ann for that firecracker of a middle schooler he used to know, back when bets determined who paid for ice cream during a heatwave, or who would have to retrieve a dropped cellphone from a sewer grate.
Speaking of phones… Ryuji pulled out his own, thumb hovering over the “start timer” button. “Sooo… meet back here in an hour?” The group nodded, and he tapped it with nearly enough force for the device to slip from his hands. “1-2-3-go!”
As he and Ann dashed off, he could barely make out Makoto turning to Yusuke and saying, “Well, they sure are in a hurry.”
*****
Strength tester, where are you—ah hah!
An easy win, and the prize was even better: a Jack Frost plush nearly half the size of his girlfriend. Every night, she’d get to cuddle up with a constant reminder of his love. For those times he couldn’t comfort her, she still wouldn’t be alone.
…She’d also look at it and think, “My boyfriend is the coolest, and the strongest, and the best at winning bets.” That part was secondary to showing how much he cared, but he deserved to boast every now and again, damnit!
“Hit the bell and win big,” the person overseeing the game explained, their voice lacking any enthusiasm. The sobbing toddler nearby told Ryuji all he needed to know.
“Got it, Boss!”
He raised his hammer—yeesh, did my back make that noise?—and with a deep breath, brought it down on the target. The sun-shaped marker shot up, maintaining a fast pace until it suddenly slowed to a stop just shy of the second-to-last tick.
“For real!? I had it!”
“Sorry, sir. Care to try again?”
He did, adding more force to his swing, though the result was the same. A third try brought the score down a little, and his strength had waned considerably by the fourth.
“Ugh. Forget it.”
Water gun shooting. With all his experience handling “real” guns, a non-moving target not actively trying to kill him should be a breeze. The prizes may be smaller, but the bet was more so about quantity over quality. I mean, a jumbo-sized Jack Frost would’ve been worth at least, like, five smaller prizes… Gah! Focus, Ryuji!
Ryuji ended up hitting all but one of the targets, earning him a small keychain of a shrine fox. His second attempt saw more success, and he departed from the booth three keychains richer. Yusuke’s schoolbag was going to weigh an extra pound after this.
He checked the time. Fifteen minutes. Three prizes. Not bad, but I can do better.
Pocketing his phone, Ryuji noticed Ann in the distance, sleeves rolled up and ready for business. Her bag was a little wider, which could mean nothing. A medium-sized prize, perhaps. Still, it made him pick up the pace.
Next booth: ring toss, something he wasn’t as confident in. He gave it a couple tries, and left with a yo-yo that looked like it would break after a single use. A pity prize; the type given to children to stop them from crying (though that clearly didn’t work in the case of the strength tester toddler). Needless to say, he’d stick to what he knew for the remainder of the bet.
…
As the minutes ticked by, Ryuji felt his chances of winning beginning to slip away.
Fifty-five minutes. Seven prizes. All were fairly small, and though each counted for something, none besides the fox keychain really fit Yusuke. They weren’t items he’d actively sought out. Rather, he’d been… stuck with them, in consolation for not getting what he really wanted. Pity prizes. Damnit.
Ryuji trudged back to their meeting spot, shoulders hunched forward. Realistically, he should feel grateful for being able to give his girlfriend anything. Scratch that, he should feel grateful for having a girlfriend to bring to the festival, period.
He just… wanted today to be special.
Ann sat, chin raised, bag overflowing. “Ten,” she announced. “Beat that.”
“Can’t.” Ryuji took the spot beside her. “You win.”
“Hell yeah!” She pumped her fist. “Victory is mine!”
He thumped his head against the table. “Whatever. Keep gloating—”
“—Oh, I will—”
“—I’m gonna go find Yusuke.”
As if on cue, he heard her call out, “We have returned!”
Ann gasped. “Oh. My. God.”
“Huh…?” Ryuji lifted his head. “Oh my God.”
Instead of his girlfriend, two jumbo Jack Frosts sauntered toward them. Makoto poked her head out from behind one, waving its arm at Ann, who waved back.
Yusuke deposited the chubby shadow into his lap, completely smothering him, then rested her chin on its horn. “I hope you like it.”
“I… I love it.” He craned his neck to kiss her. “But… how did you…?”
She beamed, wrapping her arms around both him and what was apparently his new stuffed friend. “My love, who among the Phantom Thieves had the highest strength stat?”
The number of times she’d stolen his heart grew by one.
