This was originally published on AO3 as part of Makoto Niijima Week and I'm just getting around to uploading it here.

Makoto liked to think of herself as a conscientious law-abiding citizen. But it couldn't be denied that what she was doing was in hazy legal territory. She could only imagine what her sister would think if she could see her now.

Stalker.

She let the word ruminate in her mind. Then shook her head in an argument with her own mind.

No, she was a detective. She was investigating.

Even though she had been at it for over three weeks, Makoto had still not shaken off the feeling that what she was doing was inherently wrong. It didn't help that she hadn't managed to make any real progress since Principal Kobayakawa had entrusted her with the task of finding the identities of the Phantom Thieves.

Amamiya Ren was proving to be frustratingly difficult to follow. At first, she had figured that she could get familiar with his routine within a few days, but it quickly became apparent that the only pattern in his behaviour was that there was no pattern at all. He held several different jobs with no set schedule, and his days were spent in different parts of the city with wildly different people. How he had managed to make more confidants within two months of arriving in Tokyo than she had managed her entire life in the city escaped her.

Most often, she would cease to follow him once it was clear that he was taking the train home, but a few times now she had lingered behind him as he returned home. Or at least, what was listed as his home address in his school file. She would have thought the listed location an error had she not seen him enter the cafe, a black and white cat with its head just sticking out over the top of his knapsack, with her own eyes.

If she was more brazen, she would have followed him inside the establishment and pretended to be just another customer. But she only entertained that thought for a few seconds before coming to her senses and rushing back home.

While he seemed to meet with the other suspected members of the Phantom Thieves individually, twice she caught them congregating as a group within the Shibuya underground. Before she could analyze the situation fully, they seemed to disappear. Makoto had paced around the area for nearly half an hour before giving up and returning home in defeat.

As a result of her stalking (no, investigating, she reminded herself), she had come to learn a lot more about Amamiya than just his after school patterns. For one, he seemed to be some sort of airsoft enthusiast, frequenting a store off the beaten path in the central of Shibuya and almost always coming out with some sort of package tucked under his arm.

From what she could tell, his favorite drink was Udagawa Soda and he liked to pick up katsu buns from a small bakery he passed on the train back home. He also never made sure to miss out on yakisoba pan, which only seemed to be in stock on Fridays at Shujin. Whenever he wasn't spending time with a rotating cast of students and adults, he would usually study or read at a quaint little diner that Makoto had never noticed before even though she had passed it many times. Sometimes, he would even catch a movie alone - or well, with his cat. She still hadn't figured out why he brought that thing everywhere he went. She hadn't bothered reprimanding him for bringing the animal to school because she truly found it to be cute. When she was close enough, the pattern of his meowing almost made it seem like they were having a conversation.

One day, while tailing Amamiya and his weird cat through the Shibuya underground, she somehow managed to lose sight of him as he turned the corner. Makoto craned her neck over the crowd, speed walking to gaze into the various shops trying to see if she could regain her tail on him. After several minutes, she internally admitted defeat. Unconsciously, she let out an audible groan at having wasted yet another day without earning any additional intel.

Almost immediately, she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. Startled, she spun around with a yelp, nearly dropping the manga she had been pretending to read the whole afternoon.

None other than Amamiya stood before her, with a muted but very much satisfied smirk gracing his features and an eyebrow cocked in her direction. Makoto felt her cheeks and neck begin to heat up as they made intense and prolonged eye contact. It was clear that he had no plans on being the first to look away.

"Amamiya-kun!" Makoto sputtered, her brain refusing to supply her with a normal sounding reply. "Umm, I-I have to go!"

With that, she practically sprinted towards the train, never looking back to see if he was watching her or following. Makoto only allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief when she was on the train, proceeding to chastise herself for allowing the school delinquent to fluster her so easily.

So much for pretending to be a detective.

After the whole debacle with Kaneshiro and her own awakening, Makoto had never planned to follow Ren again. He was her ally now, after all.

So the fact that it ended up happening again was purely accidental. She'd been browsing through one of her favorite used book stores in Jinbocho when she had spotted the familiar mop of messy black hair a couple of aisles over. His usual knapsack was strung over his shoulder, the tips of Morgana's ears barely visible if you didn't know to look for him.

But they weren't alone. Ren was chatting quite animatedly with a slender girl with long dark hair. She seemed familiar, although Makoto couldn't quite place where she might know her from. The girl exuded poise and elegance even from a distance.

Makoto watched as the two made their way out of the store, making sure to keep her distance as she followed, her original goal now forgotten. The two seemed to be enjoying each other's company, and at one point Ren must have said something particularly charming or entertaining as the girl broke out into a smile and let out a shy giggle. A strange sensation hit her in the gut, not unlike the feeling of falling. She tried to shake it off, but for reasons she didn't quite comprehend the sight of Ren so comfortable and joyful in the presence of this beautiful girl did not sit right with her.

Ren and his companion parted as they reached the nearby station and the dark haired beauty disappeared down the stairs with a smile and wave to the leader of the Phantom Thieves.

"Queen! Over here!" Morgana called out to her, as he stood on his front legs against the opening of Ren's bag. Makoto groaned, she'd obviously allowed herself to get too close.

At the greeting, Ren turned around, confusion obvious on his face until his gaze settled on her. He smirked at her as Makoto made her way sheepishly to the pair, hoping it wasn't too obvious that she'd been watching them.

"Doing some shopping?" Ren asked her.

"Huh? O-oh, yes," she responded nervously, shifting her weight from one leg to the other. "Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude on your date."

"My date?" Ren's brow was furrowed for a moment, followed by a furious head shake. "Oh, you mean Hifumi-san? No, it's not like that - she's just my shogi master."

Makoto couldn't help the amused smile that teased her lips at that comment. Ren's life was so very strange and eccentric. "I didn't know you played shogi."

"He's not exactly good at it," Morgana interjected. "She always obliterates him. It's hard to watch."

Ren rolled his eyes then shifted his focus back to Makoto. "I was actually going to head back to Leblanc for the day. Would you like to walk to the train together?"

Makoto actually had several stores that she still wanted to visit. But instead of informing him of such and parting ways, she simply smiled and nodded. "That sounds lovely."

Ren smiled back at her and Makoto felt a jolt in her stomach. It was rare that he smiled so genuinely - it made for a comforting sight.

She hoped she had the privilege of seeing it more often.

The next time it happened, it was no coincidence.

At some point that summer, between changing Futaba's heart and investigating Eiko's boyfriend, Makoto had realized that her feelings for Ren had developed into something beyond friendship. And it terrified her.

Always the diligent student, she'd never had romantic interest in a boy before. She hated how it made her act - how easily she would fluster when he teased her, how her mind would drift to thoughts of him when she should be studying, or how her gaze would linger on him for much longer than necessary.

But she especially hated how these feelings, this foolish crush, would make her behave so irrationally. Like in this moment - hiding behind the corner of the Shibuya underground, sneaking glances at Ren as he worked at the flower shop.

She wasn't quite sure what had prompted her to do it - she hadn't intentionally followed Ren like this since her pre-Phantom Thief days. She'd just had the sudden urge to see him. And not having the excuse of Eiko or a trip to the Metaverse, her silly mind had thought it would be a good idea to orchestrate an impromptu meeting between the two of them after his shift ended that afternoon.

Makoto pulled out her phone, noting the time. Only five minutes remained until he would be done at the shop.

What are you doing, Niijima? The more rational side of her brain had resurfaced to reprimand her. This is not clever, it's crazy. You're turning into a crazy stalker again.

With that thought, her courage started to falter and she began to speed walk her way to the station. She could talk to Ren tomorrow.

"Going somewhere?"

The familiar voice stopped her in her tracks. Ren stood only several paces behind her, an amused grin on his face. There was a certain smugness to the way he was looking at her, his bag strung over one shoulder with what looked like his flower shop apron peeking out. Apparently, he had finished his shift a little early and had caught sight of her.

"Oh, um…" she trailed off, not quite sure what to say.

Ren seemed only to grow even more amused at her lack of coherent response "You know stalking is a crime right?"

Makoto felt her face heating up. How had she found herself in this situation again?

She began to apologize, but Ren cut her off. "Makoto, I'm kidding. It's nice to see you." He moved closer and his expression softened. "I was actually just thinking that I should grab something to eat. I'm starving. Care to join me?"

Makoto simply nodded, the heat in her cheeks having lessened slightly at his invitation. "That would be nice."

He flashed her a grin. "There's this great yakitori place near here that I think you'd like. Here, this way."

They fell in step as they made their way through the underground. Makoto didn't know if it was her imagination or the force of the crowds around them, but she could have sworn that Ren was leaning a little closer to her than usual. That the way he was looking at her was different somehow - warmer, more attentive.

And when, for just a moment, he'd let his hand linger close to hers so their fingers brushed, she'd felt her heart beating so quickly in her chest that she could swear it was reverberating throughout the walkway around them.

This time, she'd managed nearly six years without another incident.

Ren had been acting strangely over the last few weeks. He had been working late hours, more so than usual, and would often leave the room when getting calls or messages. The tracking app that they had installed on each other's phones seemed to be constantly "acting up" on his end, so she could never tell when he was on his way home or whether he was really at the office like he claimed.

Makoto had managed to repress her concerns until she realized one day that Ren had changed the password on his phone. They'd both had each other's passwords for years, and it wasn't uncommon for her to look through his photos to send them to herself. But now, she was locked out. And she didn't know how to approach the subject with him, because she was afraid that maybe his response would further confirm her greatest fear.

So instead, she turned to Ann for advice over a spontaneous invitation for lunch, confiding in her friend her worries regarding Ren's odd behaviour.

"If he's cheating on you, Makoto, I swear I'll kick his ass. We all will," Ann declared with a glare. "But I really doubt that's what's going on. That boy is so ridiculously in love with you."

Ann was probably right, but she couldn't ignore the feeling in her gut that she should be worried.

Her friend got a contemplative look on her face. "You know...there could be another explanation for how weird he's being."

She narrowed her eyes, unsure of what was being hinted at. "Such as?"

Ann grinned as she leaned in conspiratorially. "Do you think maybe he's going to…propose?" The last word came out as a near whisper.

Makoto's breath caught in her throat. The thought of that hadn't even crossed her mind. Sure, it was something they had discussed in passing, but as something that could happen in the future after they were both much more settled in their lives and careers. Would they even be ready for such a huge step? What would she say if that was in fact what he had been hiding?

Oblivious to the internal struggle going on in her friend's mind, Ann clapped her hands together as he eyes lit up. "Ooh, I bet that's what he's hiding! You have to tell us the second you get engaged, okay? I'm not sure how long I can hide this from Ryuji, he can always tell when I've got a secret."

Makoto managed a tight lipped smile. "Of course."

Unable to shake the conversation with Ann and its implications, she decided to leave work a little early and head over to Ren's office. He claimed to be working late once again, so if he was really being truthful with her, he should be absent come quitting time. And she could go home with significantly less weight on her shoulders, and talk to him about his odd behaviour in a mature way once he returned that night.

It didn't take long for her to spot him. She could feel her heart sinking as she watched him leave his office and begin his walk towards the station. Taking a deep breath and brushing away the nauseous feeling in her chest, Makoto began to follow him at a careful distance.

Observing him, Makoto couldn't pinpoint anything suspicious in his behaviour that would imply he was being unfaithful. No paranoid glances over his shoulder, no uncomfortable or guilty body language. The situation was just so confusing, and she wished she could get to the bottom of it before it drove her to do something crazy. Well, more crazy than she was currently being.

They eventually exitted the train at Roppongi. It wasn't an area that either of them frequented - her main experience with the area when Ann and Haru had dragged her to visit a host club "just for fun". She didn't have the desire to repeat the experience.

Ren made his away effortlessly through the crowd, oblivious to the fact that his girlfriend was trailing him. Eventually, he disappeared into a nondescript building, the name of the establishment written in gold cursive writing.

As Makoto realized where he had just gone, the twisting in her gut from earlier only intensified. Suddenly feeling the need to sit down, she made her way to a nearby bench and place her head between her knees.

What was her boyfriend doing in a hostess club of all places?

Was this really how Ren was spending his evenings away from her? It was true their sex life was not nearly as active as it had once been, but that was normal for a relationship as long as theirs. Despite her busy work schedule, she still kept herself fit and ate well, and he was always reassuring her that she was attractive. But somehow that didn't seem to be enough, if he was resorting to ogling strangers. (God, she hoped all he was doing was ogling these women).

Her disbelief quickly turned to fury. With a deep breath, she stood up and marched to the front door of the club, determined to wait as long as she needed to face him.

Twenty minutes passed before Ren finally made his exit, noticing her right away as the door shut behind him. He froze mid stride, his mouth open and his eyes wide. If not for her anger, she would have reveled in the knowledge that she'd finally caught him by surprise.

"M-mako?" he sputtered, his usually calm exterior crumbling. "What are you doing here?"

Eyes narrowed, she crossed her arms in front of her. "I was just about to ask you the same thing."

Ren swallowed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I was really hoping to keep this a surprise…"

"Keep what a surprise? That you'd rather spend your time at hostess clubs than at home with me?" Her voice cracked, and tears were starting to sting the corners of her eyes. She willed herself to keep it together.

Ren frowned. "What? No, of course not." He took a step towards her but she instinctively took a step back. He sighed. "Look, just follow me, okay? I promise this will all make sense once I show you."

As she allowed herself to be led, the tension was thick in the air around them. Ren kept nervously looking at her, while Makoto did her best to keep a stoic expression.

Thankfully, they didn't have far to go. For the second time that night, she found herself confused as to her destination.

"A body shop?" She watched as Ren fumbled in his pockets, pulling out an unfamiliar set of keys. "Why do you have keys to this place?"

Ren didn't answer, simply opening the door and gesturing for her to walk inside. After a brief hesitation, she complied.

Despite the fact that the place appeared empty, a low light illuminated the shop. Two vehicles were stationed in the middle, obviously in the middle of being worked on. "Ren, I don't understand-"

"Over in the back," he interjected, gesturing for her to follow him as he made a beeline for one of the adjoining rooms.

As soon as the lights flickered on in the small room, Makoto realized just how wrong she had been.

"Oh." Her voice sounded small, but not nearly as small as she felt in that moment. She felt her cheeks heating up.

Ren was watching her intently, rubbing the back of his neck. "So, what do you think?"

Speechless, Makoto approached the bike carefully, running her hands over the smooth metal and relishing the way it felt on her skin. The body was mostly silver with blue accents on the seat, wheels, and the front that were distinctly familiar. "I….is she supposed to be Johanna?"

"That was the idea," Ren said, approaching her cautiously. "I'm still waiting for some parts to come in, and then she should be ready to go. That's what I was doing at that club - one of the mechanics who's been helping me, he does security part-time over there so I was checking in about a part that we're waiting for. He's also the one who lent me a key so that I could keep an eye on the progress. Iwai put me in touch with him."

The more he spoke, the more ridiculous she felt. "And I hired Yusuke to make you a custom helmet, but he hasn't quite finished yet. Said he won't show it to me until he's captured 'the very essence of the duality that is Makoto and Queen'." He rolled his eyes at the last part. "Mako, please say something."

She sucked in a deep breath before turning to meet his gaze. He was staring back at her expectantly, chewing on his lip as he waited for her answer. "She's beautiful. But I just don't understand...why?"

Ren grinned at her. "Typical Makoto. Don't you realize you have a very important birthday coming up?"

Of course. She would be turning twenty-five in only a few short weeks. And her boyfriend had gone out of his way to prepare this surprise for her, probably spending an unreasonable amount of his time and money to make her happy. And she'd suspected the worst of him.

Ren ran a hand through his hair. "I was hoping that I could surprise you, but I guess I mucked that up."

Makoto shook her head, hugging her arms to her chest. "Ren, I'm so sorry. You've just been acting so weird lately, and my mind came up with the worst case scenario. I'm such an awful girlfriend."

"Come on now, stop with the crazy talk," he told her, carefully removing her arms from their crossed position so he could hold both of her hands in his. "You're right. I have been acting weird. I was so focused on making sure this was ready on time that I didn't stop to think how it must look to you. I hate that I worried you."

Makoto bit her lip. "I still can't believe that you went through all this trouble for me. It's too much."

Ren laughed, letting go of her hands to wrap an arm around her and bring her closer. "There's no such thing when it comes to you. Plus, I'm not being completely altruistic here. I can't think of anything sexier than watching you ride off to work in the mornings on the back of this beauty. Brings back some amazing memories of you in your skin tight metaverse outfit."

Makoto snorted into his chest. "I'm still sorry. I never should have doubted you."

They sat in a comfortable silence for a moment. Ren ran a hand through her hair, and she let out a contented sigh at the sensation. "You know, Ann had the silliest theory today...she thought you were planning to propose."

"Oh, yeah?" She could practically feel his smirk where his chin rested at the top of her head. "Believe me, when the time comes for that, I'll be much sneakier. So there's no chance to ruin the surprise."

Makoto lifted her head to look at him with a pout. Ren chuckled at her expression. "I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you. I'm starting to get pretty good at stealth."

Ren laughed. "Is that so?"

"I snuck up on you today, didn't I?"

"Well, I wasn't exactly at my best today. Won't happen again."

She couldn't help but smile at his cheekiness. "I guess we'll see when the time comes, won't we?"

His eyes twinkled as he grinned at her, and Makoto felt a warm feeling flow through her at just how happy he made her feel, even after all these years. "I look forward to it, my Queen."