Chapter Text
Branch: Leaving The Nest
Written By EvokerRose
(Flashback originated from Issue 12 of Persona 3 Reload: The Calling*)
“The name’s Labrys! I'm a 5th Generation Anti-Shadow Weapon. A sistah unit to Aigis, who I'm proud to claim as my actual sistah!” Labrys greeted Makoto Yuki as she extended her hand towards him. The resurrected Wild Card user looked down at the welcoming hand with a small smile and took it.
“Yuki. Makoto Yuki.” Makoto greeted back as he and Labrys shook hands. Despite the awkward introduction at first, both Labrys and Makoto were able to start things over with a proper greeting.
“Haha! I'm glad I'm able to meetcha for the very first time.” Labrys cheered and flashed Makoto a wide grin. Remembering how important he is to Aigis, Labrys hoped to get to know the resurrected Wild Card user better.
“Same here.” Makoto agreed as he kept his light smile. Even though she’s quite different from Aigis in terms of personality, Makoto can easily tell Labrys has a good heart just like her sister. It made him happy knowing Aigis had someone at her side while he was gone. Labrys turned around to Aigis.
“Ooooh! I can't believe it!” Labrys exclaimed as she made her way over to Aigis in shock and excitement. The older android girl is still in disbelief that Makoto Yuki is back in the world of the living after all these years. After all, she’s only known him this whole time as Aigis’ dead boyfriend, but here he is now! Makoto made his way over to the loft chair adjacent to Fuuka as the two happily watched the two android sisters interact.
“But…why didn't ya tell me the minute you found ‘im again? I woulda rushed over!” Labrys questioned her Aigis with concern as she stood face-to-face with her sister. It confused Labrys why her sister didn’t alert her right away about Makoto. Ever since Labrys joined the Shadow Operatives, she and Aigis would always do everything together both on and off-duty, so it didn’t make sense for Labrys to be told something this important this late by her own sister. Aigis meets Labrys’ gaze with a sullen expression.
“We're…we're unsure of the nature behind his return. Recently, we've discovered a phenomenon relative to the Dark Hour that involves Makoto.” Aigis solemnly explained, and Labrys’ expression transformed into worry.
“Oh…” Labrys muttered and turned away in thought, now feeling a bit guilty for that brief interrogation. The older android girl now realized why she was called over to Mitsuru’s mansion. Still, there was another question that was itching in the back of her mind.
“That explains the emergency meetup, but I was the only one to get the alert! Yosuke and the others… they neva got one themselves!” Labrys brought up, wondering why her boyfriend and the rest of the Investigation Team were excluded. The older android girl had brief experiences with the Dark Hour five years ago when Hina-no-Kagutsuchi was trying to end the world, and it took both the Shadow Operatives and the Investigation Team to put an end to it. If there's a new threat related to the Dark Hour, wouldn’t it make more sense to get everyone involved? At least, that’s what Labrys believed.
“We need to determine the threat first before I move to involve any other operative.” Mitsuru explained, announcing her presence as she walked into the room. Labrys nodded in response, guessing the answer made sense. There’s no need to call in everyone if the threat level is manageable for just one team to handle. Still, Labrys was hoping that at least Yosuke could’ve been called in as well. The older android girl missed fighting alongside him, and she knew her boyfriend was itching for some excitement. Labry guessed maybe next time then.
February 7th, 2017
The flashback ends as Labrys stands outside Yosuke’s apartment door in Minato City. After graduating from Yasogami High School, Yosuke moved out of Inaba to attend Keio University, one of the best business universities in Japan. A decision that also gave him the ability to live closer to Labrys as Tatsumi Port Island is less than 15 minutes away by train, allowing the couple to meet up way more often than before whenever Labrys isn’t on active duty. The door opens up to reveal Yosuke in his casual wear, and Labrys immediately pulls her boyfriend in for a hug.
“W-Woah! That’s quite a hug there! Missed me that much, Miss President?” Yosuke teasingly remarks as Labrys looks up at him from her hug with a cheeky grin.
“Of course I missed ya, ya big dork! You’re my one and only Captain Ressentiment!” Labry quips back as Yosuke returns the hug. Years ago, Yosuke would’ve died of embarrassment from being called that nickname, but now the young college student treats it as a term of endearment. Besides, being called Captain Ressentiment is what led Yosuke to meeting Labrys.
“I missed you too, Labrys.” Yosuke states as the couple share a kiss at the doorway. Luckily, none of the neighbors are outside to watch.
“I bought takeout on the way here. Let’s head inside and eat.” Labrys suggests as she holds up a bag of food she’s been carrying in her hand.
“Wait, so you’re telling me Aigis’ boyfriend came back from the dead? Just like that?” Yosuke asks dumbfounded after swallowing a mouthful of beef and rice. Labrys had brought with her takeout from a nearby Chinese restaurant. It’s not as good as Aiya’s, but it still really hits the spot. Labrys answers with a nod as she takes a sip of her drink.
“I’m still tryna wrap my head ‘round the whole thing. It's crazy, you know. Aigis shared with me her memories of Makoto-kun, and the guy hasn’t aged one bit! You’re actually older than him now, Yosuke!” Labrys exclaims, pointing her chopsticks at her boyfriend. Yosuke is surprised by the sudden fact.
“That weirdly makes sense. You can’t age when you’re dead, but he died about seven years ago right? That’s gotta be a tough experience. Waking up alive and finding out that the world has left you behind? I’d hate to be in his shoes.” Yosuke reckons as he stuffs another piece of food in his mouth.
“I didn’t even think of that, but Aigis is there to help him out. They’ve been attached to the hip, I tell ya. I’m still a little bummed she didn’t tell me right away after finding him, but I understand her reasons.” Labrys clarifies as she digs her chopsticks into her lemon chicken and chow mein.
“Oh yeah, Aigis must’ve been really excited having him back, right?” Yosuke asks as he glances at his girlfriend.
“I remember she and the other Shadow Operatives would bring him up from time to time. The way she talked about him reminded me of how I used to talk about Saki-senpai. O-Of course, I don’t t-think about her at all or anything! Okay, I do think about her sometimes, but n-not in a romantic sense! I-I’m way over Saki-senpai!” Yosuke prattles frantically until he notices that Labrys isn’t paying attention but instead looking down at her dinner with a small frown on her face. The android girl appears to be in deep thought.
“Hey, Labrys? Are you alright?” Yosuke asks as he waves his hand in front of his girlfriend’s face. Labrys blinks as it seems to snap her back to reality, and she looks back at her boyfriend.
“Huh? Oh. I’m fine, Yosuke. Sorry, I didn’t mean to space out like that.” Labrys reassures as she pops another piece of lemon chicken into her mouth, though Yosuke still looks a little concerned about the android girl.
“Are you sure? It’s just that I’ve never seen you space out like that before.” Yosuke points out as Labrys sets down her chopsticks. It takes a moment for Labrys to gather her thoughts before looking back at her boyfriend to respond.
“Well, it’s about what you said about Aigis bein’ excited that Makoto-kun’s alive again. She absolutely is, but then it got me thinkin’. I didn’ realize it at the time but whenever I see Aigis with Makoto-kun, I see this smile on her face that I’ve never seen her have before. I even checked my memory banks to make sure. I think… I think this is the happiest I’ve ever seen Aigis be.” Labrys muses while Yosuke listens.
“It’s not like I don’t want Aigis to be happy. Otherwise, what kinda sistah would I be? I guess it just felt odd, ya know? It makes me wonder if Aigis was ever truly happy before Makoto-kun resurrected.” Labrys confides as she looks down at the floor dejectedly. Yosuke puts his food down and scoots towards his girlfriend, wrapping his arms around her for a hug from behind. Labrys’ perks up in confusion as the android girl glances back at her boyfriend, blushing a little.
“Of course Aigis was happy. You’ve always been there for her just like she has been for you. Even if this Makoto guy hadn’t come back from the dead, Aigis would still be happy because she has you in your life. Nothing will ever change that, Labrys.” Yosuke comforts the android girl, who smiles sweetly at her boyfriend’s kind words. Labrys twists her body around to face her boyfriend.
“You really know how to make a girl feel betta, ya know that?” Labrys coos as she wraps her arms around the back of Yosuke’s neck, causing the latter to blush madly from the intimacy. The android girl leans closer and plants a kiss on her boyfriend’s lips. Yosuke immediately reciprocates, kissing Labrys back as she sits on his lap. The orange-haired young man winces a bit as despite his girlfriend being shorter than him with a slender frame, she’s still pretty heavy due to her metal body. Still, that doesn’t stop Yosuke from making out with his girlfriend. After their makeout session continues for a few more minutes, the couple finally break apart with both Labrys and Yosuke staring at each other deeply.
“You’re right though. Aigis has always been happy. It’s silly of me to think that was never the case. I guess I was just really worried over nothing.” Labrys chuckles shyly.
“You were just worried because you care about her that much. There’s nothing wrong with that. It just means you’re an awesome big sister.” Yosuke counsels as he holds both of Labrys’ hands. The android girl gives her boyfriend a peck on the cheek.
“Thank you, Yosuke. It’s true what I said before. Ya really do know how to make a girl feel betta. At least, you know how to make me feel betta.” Labrys expresses as she dreamily stares at Yosuke. The target of her affections chuckles lightly as his blush doesn’t go away.
“Of course! I’ll always be there to make you feel better. If you’re ever feeling down, I’ll be the hand that picks you right back up. I love you, Labrys.” Yosuke professes, making it Labrys’ turn to blush.
“I love you too. Say, what do you think about us goin’ on a double date with ‘em?” Labrys suggests, grinning at the idea.
“Sounds fun! If this Makoto guy is anything like Partner, then he must be really cool. I’ll just have to see which days I have off from work first.” Yosuke replies with a firm nod. In order to pay rent while attending Keio University, Yosuke had to find a part-time job. Luckily, Yosuke’s dad was able to pull some strings with a coworker friend at one of Junes’ many Tokyo branches, and got Yosuke transferred to the Junes branch in Minato City. Not only did it save Yosuke from having to search for a new job, but he also gets to keep his current position with the store.
“Perfect! Just lemme know when you’ll be free, and I’ll make plans with Aigis for the double date.” Labrys responds with her grin still plastered on her face.
“By the way, our dinner’s probably cold by now.” Yosuke points out, and Labrys looks back at the Chinese takeout they had left untouched for a long while now. The android girl shrugs her shoulders and turns back around as she gives Yosuke a flirtatious look now.
“That’s alright. I’m ready to have dessert now.” Labrys purrs as she gently pushes Yosuke down to the floor and straddles his waist. Yosuke looks up at his girlfriend in silent awe as it was a sudden surprise but not an unwelcome one, and the android girl leans down to pepper her boyfriend’s face with multiple kisses. Yosuke then places his arms around Labrys’ back as the couple engages in another makeout session. Even though Labrys easily dismissed her insecurity from earlier, it didn’t actually go away but instead got buried deep at the back of her mind where it’ll lay dormant for now.
End Prologue