The act of meeting your significant other's parents was definitely one that any teenager dreaded. Tales and legends of how wrong the event could go were passed down through the generations with each poor soul adding their account to the already lengthy ballad of romance and pain. Yet many willed themselves to be strong enough to handle it for the promise of a life filled with love and affection seemed to be the ultimate reward. Not that he would treat his beloved in such a way that made her seem like a prize. He just felt that strongly about her which is why he had to make a good impression tonight. The elevator he was currently in felt like it was ascending Mt. Olympus, it was taking that long. The analogy fit though. He half expected there to be the King and Queen of the gods at the summit, ready to smite him down for dare even thinking of their daughter in such a way. He audibly gulped at the scenario, lucky enough that no one else was present in the metal compartment to notice how nervous the boy was. In his 17 years of living she was the only girl he had ever fancied and as such wanted to make this work.

He turned towards the mirror at the back end of the elevator and began to carefully inspect himself to make sure his appearance was appropriate and clean. His black hair had been combed back to match the smart casual attire he had donned for the evening. His hands held within them a gift for her parents. A box of daifuki with an assortment of fillings. His girlfriend had mentioned that her parents quite enjoyed them, specifically ones with coffee flavours. He had to wonder though, was this too shallow of an attempt to win their favour? No, better not think of that.

*DING*

The sound of the elevator forced him out of his thoughts as its silver doors opened. The ninth floor. Apartment number three on this level was his destination. He stepped out through the doors and slowly made his way through the carpeted hallway. Within a minute he was met with the most imposing door he had ever seen in his life. He wiped his hands on the lining of his pockets to get rid of the sweat that had been building and took a deep breath. With his exhale he pressed the button on the doorbell. He could hear delicate footsteps moving towards him and before he knew it the door had swung open. His eyes met her red ones and subconsciously he let out a relieved smile. There was just something about seeing her face that kept him grounded even if knowing you're dating probably the most beautiful girl in the world can give you the biggest ego boosts. He better not act like a massive tool tonight. Her lips curved into a massive grin.

"Rikuto-kun! You made it!" she said in her normally cheerful tone.

He shyly nodded. Hearing the voice of his girlfriend Kazue always felt like music to his ears. He almost instinctively went in for a greeting kiss when he noticed two faces in the background eyeing him. The two people he was scared of the most.

Ren and Makoto Amamiya.

Her parents.

Kazue led him inside as he took off his shoes before bowing at the two adults present.

"Pardon the intrusion. My name is Rikuto Tanaka. It's an honour to meet you." he said.

Despite not seeing their faces he could feel both their gazes boring into the crown of his head. He had heard the countless news stories about Commissioner Amamiya and her iron fist of justice. How the crime rates in the Tokyo area had plummeted ever since she had been put at the head of the Police Force. Like she was some sort of super woman and he hoped to all the gods out there that she didn't have laser eye beams lest he'd have a massive hole in his head now. Kazue's Father didn't exactly give him confidence either. He was a high ranking official in the government's social welfare division. That should have given him comfort considering the position meant you had to care about people but it didn't. After all, fathers often cared a little too much when it came to daughters especially when it came to boyfriends. He slowly raised his head and was surprisingly met with slightly cheerful expressions from the Amamiyas. They both bowed respectfully.

"It's nice to meet you, Rikuto-kun," Makoto said "Kazue has told us much about you. I am Makoto Amamiya and this is my husband Ren."

He smiled at that and handed her the box that he had been holding.

"Th-this is for your family." he stated.

Makoto smiled once more and set the box of daifuki aside on the kitchen table.

"Thank you, Rikuto-kun." she said.

Rikuto was beginning to feel a little more at ease when he suddenly noticed Ren's gaze lingering on him. A bead of sweat dripped down his forehead as he looked at his girlfriend's father. Ren slowly extended his arm out causing the boy to wince in anticipation.

'Oh, it was just a handshake.' Rikuto sighed.

He took Ren's hand into his own and shook it but noticed that Ren had been giving it a little bit of a stronger squeeze. Not knowing what to do he squeezed back causing Ren to smirk a little before his expression dropped to a neutral one.

"Tell me, Rikuto-kun." the older man's voice spoke "How do you take your coffee?"

"Papa…" Kazue was heard groaning.

"Coffee?" Rikuto wondered "Um… regular I guess?"

Ren let go of Rikuto's hand and began to tap his chin in thought, a habit he had picked up from his wife. Rikuto had to wonder if that was a bad answer or not. It's not that he disliked coffee; he quite enjoyed its taste. It was more the fact that he wasn't one to drink it too frequently unlike his girlfriend who seemed to inhale the liquid on a daily basis. The face that the Amamiya patriarch was giving him felt like he was being judged, however. Was he messing up already? He swallowed another gulp of saliva as Ren's expression softened.

"I suppose it'll do." Ren muttered before setting off towards the kitchen to brew a fresh pot and check on dinner.

"You'll have to forgive my husband." Makoto apologized "He has a rather high opinion when it comes to coffee."

"It-it's fine." Rikuto stuttered.

"Why don't we sit down?" Kazue suggested in an attempt to diffuse the awkward atmosphere.

Rikuto soon found himself sitting in the Amamiya living room with Kazue beside him and Makoto sitting on an armchair across from them. With how close his girlfriend was sitting beside him he felt like he had to move over a little as the red eyes of her mother seemed to look at their proximity with an unreadable expression.

"So, Rikuto-kun," Makoto began "How are your studies?"

"Mama!" Kazue whined.

Of course her mother would ask about her boyfriend's academic scores.

"I-I uh th-they're good!" Rikuto stuttered before composing himself "I mean, I consistently score in the top ten."

"Oh? That's good to hear." Makoto responded.

It seemed she approved of that aspect, for now. Still, the prospect of being asked more questions terrified Rikuto. He had tried to mentally prepare himself for any onslaught but it seemed all of his meditation had flown out of his ears as soon as he saw those red eyes. His girlfriend had the same ones but the looks she gave him were loving and full of compassion. Her mother's on the other hand felt like they were about to burn holes in his head. While Makoto had been smiling at him, part of it felt a little forced which looked a little obvious.

"Are you in any clubs?" she asked.

"I'm the um… the Vice President of the Student Council." he answered.

That definitely piqued Makoto's interest. After all, their daughter and Rikuto both attended Shujin Academy. It was the school where she had met her husband and whether it was a freakish coincidence or fate it seemed that the Amamiyas had another romantic affair with someone in the student council. How amusing.

"Kazue never told me that." Makoto said as she looked at her daughter who shyly turned away "Did she mention that I was the student council president during my time at Shujin?"

Rikuto nodded.

"Y-yeah. She told me that when we started to get to know each other…" he responded.

Truth be told, when he found out that the Tokyo Police Commissioner had been on the student council at his school during her high school years he felt he had some big shoes to fill. It was made worse when he began to date her daughter. Still, it seemed this exchange was going well for now. They had slipped into a comfortable silence until a door from a nearby hallway opened. Slowly a younger boy stepped into the light, his scruffy hair almost a dead ringer for his father's. Rikuto recognized him as Kazue's younger brother Yamato who was three years their junior. His eyes were a lot darker than both Kazue and her Mother's, more akin to their father Ren's. In fact, Rikuto couldn't help but notice that Yamato looked more like a shrunk down version of Ren Amamiya than anything else.

"Oh… Riku-nii-san." the boy said as he noticed the guest in the family living room "Whatcha doin' here?"

Rikuto couldn't help but get flustered at the way the boy addressed him. He had gotten to know the boy through his girlfriend and was on rather good terms with him as they both had an interest in video games. In fact, Yamato seemed to be quite alright with Rikuto's relationship with his sister. Now all he had to do was do the same with her parents.

"Your sister invited her boyfriend over for dinner." Makoto explained with a smile.

Except the smile was a little rigid which made Yamato feel a little uncomfortable.

'Hang in there, Riku-nii-san.' he mentally cheered.

"Can you help your father with the rest of dinner?" Makoto asked of her youngest.

"Huh? Why not onee-chan?" Yamato asked but was only met with a stern gaze from his mother.

"It would be rather rude of Kazue to leave our conversation, don't you think?"

"R-right. I'm on it, Ma." Yamato obeyed.

Rikuto watched as the younger Amamiya sibling disappeared into the kitchen. He noticed Makoto looking at him in the corner of his eye. Beside him his girlfriend seemed to be a lot more nervous than usual. This was starting to feel a bit like an interrogation.

"So, Rikuto-kun." Makoto spoke "Do you have any plans after school?"

"Mama!" Kazue whined again.

She knew that her parents would be asking these sorts of questions but still. Her boyfriend was going to get scared off now. He was being interrogated by Tokyo's Iron First of Justice after all. Kazue peered worriedly at her boyfriend who had been trying his best to stay composed. Kazue knew how scary their mother's gaze could be.

"Uh well… it's not definitive but I was thinking of something in social sciences." Rikuto answered.

"That's quite interesting." Makoto commented "Perhaps my husband can help you find some pathways towards your goal."

Rikuto audibly swallowed the saliva that had been building in his mouth. While what Makoto was saying was friendly and positive he couldn't help but feel something underlying in the tone of voice she used. Why did it sound like "my husband can keep an eye on you so don't try anything, boy"? Why were her parents so scary?! He swore he could've seen a little smirk forming in Makoto's mouth. And why did it always feel like her eyes were shooting lasers at him? Was this what it was like for all the criminals that had dared cross the commissioner's path?

"Mama, you're doing it again." Kazue said.

That caused Makoto to move her gaze to her daughter.

"My apologies, Kazue." Makoto said.

Rikuto could feel his finally blood flowing again. Why did it even stop? A few moments later Yamato walked in with a tray of mugs filled with coffee. Rikuto politely took one and began to sip it. His eyes widened at the taste. It was perfectly balanced. The ideal amount of bitterness with a hint of acidity coupled with the underlying sweetness that made it dance on his taste buds. He took another sip eagerly. It was even better the second sip. Just as he was about to drink some more he noticed his girlfriend and her mother giggling.

"Wh-what?" he stammered.

Kazue laughed and wiped some coffee that had dripped from his mouth from his chin with a tissue.

"It's just how everyone reacts when they taste Papa's coffee for the first time." she said.

Rikuto blushed before taking another sip.

"Why does he work for the government when he brews such fantastic coffee? You should totally open a café with coffee this good!" he said.

"Oh?" Makoto wondered "You haven't taken Rikuto-kun to LeBlanc yet?"

There was a hint of pink that permeated through Kazue's cheeks.

"W-well it's just Grandpa Sojiro would definitely make fun of me and Aunt Futaba would definitely find out from him." Kazue responded.

Makoto smiled knowingly. The café owner certainly doted on her children as if they were his own grandchildren and as far as she and Ren were concerned they already were. Futaba meanwhile was a valid concern. It seemed even at her age she still had a penchant for mischief and pranking. At least her husband wasn't as bad these days.

"You should take him there next time." Makoto suggested.

Her daughter merely nodded, dreading the teasing that would eventually come from it. The trio quietly sipped their coffee before Ren's voice called them to the dining room. Kazue led her boyfriend to the table sitting beside him across from her mother and brother with her father sitting at the head of the table. Rikuto looked down at the plate in front of him. On the porcelain platter was a heaping of curry on top of a bed of fluffy white rice. He looked confused at first as curry was a rather common dish in Japan, some even saying it had become the national dish alongside ramen but he shouldn't complain or think like that. His girlfriend's family had made this for tonight after all and he should just be happy with it. It was then that the intoxicating aroma slowly made its way towards his nostrils. Good lord it smelt good. He noticed his girlfriend and her mother smiling at him. At the front it looked like her father had been supressing an amused smirk.

"Well, time to eat." Ren said.

"Thanks for the food." everyone said in unison.

"Th-thanks for the food!" Rikuto added on half a beat late.

He shoved a spoonful of the curry in his mouth. Bubbles of flavour began to burst as the rich sauce filled his mouth. Sweet mother of god this was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted. A moan of delight unwillingly left his lips as he shovelled spoonful after spoonful into his mouth. A light chuckle brought him out of his food based trance. Beside him his girlfriend seemed to be highly amused by her man's reaction. It seemed the rest of the family were in a similar way.

"Papa's curry has that effect too." she said with a smile.

"Try taking a sip of coffee after your next bite." Ren suggested.

Rikuto looked at him confused for a moment. Curry and coffee? Really? Then he noticed the look Ren was giving him. That wasn't a suggestion. It felt more like an order. He gulped before complying, spooning another bit of curry and rice into his mouth before taking a sip of coffee.

"Woah!" he exclaimed after he had finished chewing.

How the hell did these two things perfectly balance each other? He saw Ren smirking in delight as Makoto stifled a light chuckle. Even Yamato seemed to be quite entertained by the exchange.

"Good to see my daughter's boyfriend can appreciate good taste." Ren said.

They continued to eat, occasionally partaking in light conversation. The tension that Rikuto had been feeling began to go away as dinner went on. Rikuto was even able to joke around with them, the sight of that made his girlfriend quite happy. Before he knew it they had finished dinner with him having in fact demolished the serving of curry he had been giving. It was way too delicious. What happened next was something he had been dreading. Makoto had called both Kazue and Yamato away to help with the dishes leaving Rikuto alone with Ren. He thought he had been saved by Yamato coming back but the younger boy only poured coffee for them before leaving once more.

"So…" Ren began as he took a bite of the daifuki the boy had brought with him "Hm, coffee flavoured. A not unwise decision."

Rikuto felt his breath lodge itself in his throat. Was that a compliment? Unable to talk. He listened intently as Ren spoke again.

"What are your intentions with my daughter?"

It was then that all the breath he had in his body expended itself before his lungs forcefully tried to bring it back in causing him to begin coughing violently. It took him a good minute to regain composure. He carefully looked at Ren's expression. The man did not at all look impressed.

"I'll ask you again. What are your intentions with my daughter?" he repeated.

Rikuto swallowed the saliva in his mouth and took a deep breath before shouting as proud as he could.

"MY I-INTENTIONS ARE PURE! I L-LOVE KAZUE WITH ALL MY H-HEART!"

Ren looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you willing to be lay down your life for her should the situation require it?" he asked.

Rikuto looked confused for a moment. When would a situation like that even happen? He looked at Ren whose grey eyes stared directly at him. Was this a test? Simply agreeing without considering the repercussions could be seen as quite shallow. He had to say the right thing.

"W-with all due respect, Sir." Rikuto's voice nearly cracking as he spoke "I don't think Kazue would let me…"

He looked at Ren whose lips began to curl into a satisfied smirk. Not long after he began to chuckle before laughing loudly. Rikuto looked at him confused. Did he say the right thing? Ren fake wiped a tear from his eye before clapping Rikuto on the shoulder.

"She's just like her mother." Ren said.

Rikuto laughed awkwardly at the older man's joke. At least, he thought it was a joke. Ren merely smiled at him.

"You know, I was originally going to scare you a lot more than I already have." Ren stated.

"O-oh…?" Rikuto mumbled.

The Amamiya father laughed.

"Don't worry, I promised my wife I wouldn't be too bad."

"I-I see."

"I understand how you must be feeling though." Ren continued "Meeting the family is pretty scary after all."

"Did you have to go through this with Makoto-san as well?" Rikuto asked.

Ren paled a little at the memory.

"Something like that." he awkwardly laughed.

The two continued to sip the coffee in silence. It was still a little awkward.

"You sound like a good kid though." Ren stated "I like you."

Rikuto looked at Ren with confused eyes.

"Does that mean…"

"Yes." Ren smiled "I approve of your relationship with my daughter… for now."

Rikuto's mouth dropped before he stood up abruptly and bowed.

"Thank you, sir!" he shouted.

He sat back down and looked at Ren who's eyes lingered somewhere behind him. Rikuto turned around to see Kazue standing at the dining room entrance, a massive grin on her face.

"K-Kazue!" Rikuto stammered "H-how long have you b-been there?"

"Just a few minutes." she answered.

She walked over towards the two males and leant down to where her father was sitting. She kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you, Papa." she said.

Ren smiled at his eldest.

"As long as he makes you happy, that's all that matters." he said before turning to Rikuto as his expression changed "Keep in mind, if you ever hurt her. I'll have your heart stolen."

Rikuto damn right nearly wet himself with the way Ren had said that last line. Kazue meanwhile was not impressed.

"Papa! Stop joking around like that." she groaned.

Ren began to laugh loudly.

"Sorry ZuZu-chan. Your old man couldn't help it."

His daughter frowned at him.

"Papa stop calling me that." she whined.

Ren merely laughed at her. At seventeen years old with a boyfriend of her own he couldn't help but think of her as his little girl. Even if she had outgrown that nickname the moment she turned five. In all honesty, the reason why he had given his approval was because of how similar the situation felt to his own in the past. Ren noticed the way his daughter had been looking at Rikuto all night. It was the same way Makoto looked at him. He knew that his little girl was in love and there probably wasn't anything in the world that could change that. At least the boyfriend seemed like a reasonable young man. He could live with that as long as Kazue was happy. That was all he ever wanted. He extended his hand towards Rikuto who looked confused for a moment. The boy regained his composure and smiled before taking it into his own and shaking it.

"Thank you, Sir." the boy said with a bow.

As Ren let go of Rikuto's hand the doorbell rang.

"Yamato, can you get that?" Makoto called out.

"Sure thing."

Kazue moved to peer out at the doorway to see who had arrived. For some reason Rikuto noticed her body tense as soon as she looked.

"Oh Aunt Sae!" Yamato was heard saying "What are you doing here?"

Rikuto suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. He peered up to see Ren looking at him with concern. The older man merely spoke two words before walking off.

"Good luck."

And so ShuMako comes to an end. This was my first time doing anything prompt related and I had a lot of fun with these pieces. I hope that you guys enjoyed them!
I'll definitely write more pieces as well as some one shot sequels to some of these. I kind of want to build my own little universe based on shorts using Persona 5 characters. I'll definitely want to explore some of the supporting cast as well and give them their own little spotlight.
Hopefully I can get that done and entertain you guys in a way that makes me happy as I write them.

For age references. Kazue and Rikuto are both 17 with Yamato being 14.
Also Rikuto better be scared cause Aunt Sae hella overprotective when it comes to her niece and nephew heh.

Thank you all again for reading my submissions! If you'd like to follow me on twitter, type in these usernames.
MadmanJrs
shumakoweek