"HEY MAN!"

Before Akira, with a heavy burgundy duffle bag over his shoulder, could even turn his head, he was being pounced on by an over energetic Ryuji in the backstreets of Yongen-Jaya. He had just shuffled his way up from the underground trains and burned his eyes in the bright summer sun peeking over the shabby apartments near Leblanc.

"My guy!" Ryuji shouts, gaining the attention of two old disgruntled women gossiping around a milk crate on the ground. Akira grins at him in greeting and Ryuji pats his friend's shoulder with vigour as he cries, "Yo everyone's already waiting for ya, come on!" He starts running toward the cafe before Akira can even take a step.

Da-ding!

"Akira!" Ann cries, wearing a sweet yellow sundress cut above her knees. Her hair and eyes really pop with this new look, and she's slightly bobbing on her heels as she waves excitedly. Yusuke and Futaba look like they had been arguing behind the counter while Boss just shook his head at them. Regardless, the two had broken up and now everyone's attention and loud greetings were overwhelming Akira, who tried to keep up with his nods of acknowledgement before he realized one important person wasn't there.

"Where's Makoto?"

"Argh, THAT'S the first thing outta his mouth?" Ryuji sighs, put out. He gets an eye roll and a shove from Ann who ends up giving Akira a side hug.

"She's coming soon I bet," Ann reassures him.

"Hey, key item," Futaba calls, jumping up on the counter to Sojiro's dismay.

"He does not prefer that nickname," Yusuke interjects with his arms crossed and his hip against a sturdy booth.

"OH shut it! We really missed you, ya know." Akira smiles and finally drops his duffel with a loud DUNK and a roll of his shoulders. He smiles bashfully and finally waves to Haru who's sharing her new coffee with Sojiro again. The others smile right back at him in agreement with the youngest girl here.

"You guys are alright," Akira shrugs. That had the group getting all riled up and whacking each other with flailing limbs until the door chimed. Akira whipped his head around and his eyes widened behind his glasses. Makoto had one shy hand raised while her other arm was tightly hugging her stomach that was exposed by a dark red midriff.

"Damn…" Ryuji comments before getting bored and averting his eyes. Akira raises a brow at his best friend before staring at his girlfriend all over again. Not only was her stomach more exposed than ever, but the shirt even had shoulder cut outs. It looks like she stuck with black tights and a skirt anyhow. No complaints there, Akira thought excitedly, pumping his fist on the down low.

"Damnnnnn," Ann comments with a big cheeky smirk, just making Makoto drop her eyes and wave it off with a bashful smile. "Don't just stand there, lover boy!" Ann pushes Akira forward a step and he stumbles over his big feet, "go get her!" Akira slowly approaches with his back hunched like always, and Makoto smiles at him through her lashes with a slight dusting of pink over her cheeks. Akira doesn't say anything before he scoops her up in his arms.

"I missed you, beautiful." Makoto blushes more and hugs him back with a tightness she hardly has the chance to hug with. Over his shoulder she catches their friends smiling happily except for Ryuji who's finding more interest in fixing his white belt holding up his baggy black shorts. As Akira lets go, he sneaks in a kiss against her forehead and whispers, "make sure you stay until everyone else goes tonight, ok?" Makoto blinks and before she can question it, Ryuji starts barking again and demanding they celebrate their leader's return with expensive sushi.

"Well you won't get me to pay," Sojiro huffs, shaking his head as he cleans the dated yellowing counter. Makoto found she couldn't care less about where they went or what they did because she was far too distracted by the way her boyfriend's hand was reaching for hers. She was swept off her feet and mentally taken away just like that. It's been too long since I felt this way, Makoto realized. It's only been a few minutes and I'm already happier than I've been in two months. Her bright eyes look up at him and she can't help but keep her smile wide on her face.

Before long they're all rushing down the streets toward the train station. ...And GEEZ was the train packed this Monday at one twenty-two. I could swear it wasn't like this on the way here, she thought to herself as the teens piled on nearly toe to toe while a bunch of unfriendly adults were eyeing them suspiciously.

"Where are we going again?" She asked with a low voice so as not to disturb other riders.

"What, were ya too busy drooling over this guy?" The other riders were already shaking their heads at Ryuji's consistently obnoxious voice.

"Keep it down," Ann scolds, jerking her elbow into Ryuji's side roughly until he scowls and stares out the smudged window. "We're just stopping off at the mall to try out the new ramen shop. Something different for Akira to see since it's been a while." Akira smiles in thanks and squeezes Makoto's hand a little tighter. "Oh and," Ann leans into Makoto with a knowing look, "I'll be sure to get these idiots out of your guys's hair tonight." There's an edge of sensuality to it that sets something off in the couple. Makoto feels her face go hot and she presses into Akira a little tighter for some back up.

"I-I see," Makoto stammers.

"Thanks," Akira chuckles, itching the back of his neck.

Once they all yelled over each other to get their orders in, they sat down at a huge steel booth in the center of the bustling cafeteria with sticky green tiles under their feet. Everyone in the group barraged Akira with question after question about how things were with him back home, and he answered in his cool and level headed way until Ryuji slammed his hand against the table and demanded that Akira would,

"Tell me ya got some hot girls back home!"

"Here we goooo," Ann sighs, closing her eyes and sipping up her broth.

"Akira-kun is not the kind of boy to think like that," Haru argues with a shake of her head. Her tea cup was just a hair away from touching her lip.

"I haven't noticed any," Akira explains quietly, feeling his girlfriend's eyes on him as he chugs his strawberry Ramune. Ryuji slams the table again and Yusuke groans.

"You are interrupting my dessert," Yusuke complains, closing his eyes in distaste.

"Oh shuddup," Ryuji hisses, leaning over the table toward his best friend again and leers at him like a thirsty wolf. "Now come on, tell me you're getting some from someone el-"

"-Excuse me?" Makoto interrupts with dead serious eyes that make the blonde boy slowly take his seat and bow his head.

"Sorry Queen," he mumbles, making Futaba laugh outwardly with her knees up to her chest. Akira pats Makoto's knee under the table and she quickly takes his hand.

"We don't need a repeat of last month do we?" Ryuji gulps at Makoto's threat and his eyes widen at his half eaten bowl before he stuffs food in his mouth and swallows an egg hole.

"Last month?"

"Futaba caught him sending you henta-"

"HEY WHY YA GOTTA TELL EVERYONE, HUH?!" Ann and Yusuke laugh under their breath and Futaba loudly explains that,

"Makoto knocked him into the next room." Makoto huffs at the memory and Akira kisses the top of her fuming head.

"I wouldn't have wanted it anyway," the quiet boy reminds her.

"I know… it was probably wrong for me to intervene anyhow. He is your best friend after all…."

"Yeah, ya think?" Ann stomps on Ryuji's foot and he yelps before shutting up again.

"I understand your discomfort. I'm not upset by what you did anyhow." Makoto nods her head and feels her body untense at his words. The rest of their meetup goes smoothly. By seven PM they've all been sitting and chatting huddled around the Leblanc counter playing a boardgame Futaba begged to play. After a while Akira ended up losing and sat at a booth listening to the banter among the group before he surprisingly heard the over excited verbal buzzing from Futaba letting them all know Makoto was out next. Akira moved over closer to the wall so his girlfriend could sit on his side of the booth.

"You lost on purpose didn't you?" Makoto just smiles and wraps her arms around Akira's slim neck before boldly nipping at the lobe of his ear. He hums in approval and his hands reach for her waist before dragging upward and caressing the smooth skin on her back. She shivers obviously and he grins more like the phantom thief in him than he has in awhile.

"Don't give me that," she breathes against his shoulder. "It's been a really long time since you touched me," she defends, brows knit. He runs his hand through her short hair and watches as his fingers graze her shoulder. Their faces are close enough to see the specks in each other's exotic eyes.

"Trust me, I understand," Akira shushes her, bumping his longer nose against her's. Their lips slightly part and the mint from the gum he was chewing earlier pleasantly fills her nose. Her red eyes are transfixed on his lips that are turned up on one side and am I sweating, she wonders absently. However, Akira retreats inside his own mind when he notices that the others were too busy playing to notice the couple who were in their own world only a few feet away. I could say something but I run the risk of scaring her off, Akira thinks to himself. ...I may as well try. He leans in, brushing his lips against her cheeks until he gets to her ear where he huskily whispers, "You have no idea how much I've been wanting you, Makoto." His girlfriend seems to freeze at that. He gives her nearly a full minute before risking it even further and gripping her slim waist tightly in his hands and continuing with, "I've had to get myself off almost every night this week knowing I was gonna see you again just so I could hold myself back for when I finally met your eyes."

"Oh my God," she gasps in a choked way. Her hands tighten around his shirt collar and pull him. It wasn't clear if she was pushing him away or pulling him in. She probably didn't know herself. He leans back to look at her face that's beet red with her bottom lip caught tightly between her even teeth. Her eyes are stuck between being worried and being incredibly heated and it makes Akira's penis twitch in his black and red checkered pants. He notices she's closed her legs tighter together and it makes him twitch again. She's looking for friction. Even though he wants to just reach out and touch her, he holds himself back because doing something so brash in front of their friends would be a sure fire way to ruin their first time.

That's right. First time. No wonder Makoto was looking frazzled and straining herself to watch her own reactions out of embarrassment.

"I-is that why you asked me to st-stay late?" Akira reaches up to the back of his neck and digs his nails in slightly. He's nervous too. The two still haven't noticed that Ann was looking their way and picking up on the vibes.

"Maybe a little. I… I want to hang out with you more than just… that though."

"Alright guys, let's go home," Ann announces while unexpectedly chucking the pieces of the board game back in its box. Ryuji throws his arms up and tries holding onto the board with his slippery hands. It becomes a game of tug of war until Ann kicks his shin and he cries out, getting angry when Futaba laughs at him and points in his pouty face.

"Yeah yeah-" Ryuji coughs, standing up and shoving his hands in his pockets, making his shorts sag more. He completely looks past Makoto and holds his hand up to high five Akira who gives him a firm slap that turns into a hand shake. The two boys hum and smile at each other.

"Cute," Ann comments, patting Makoto's back in farewell before holding her hand over her mouth and saying, "Have fun you two." Makoto whines and itches her scalp before Futaba and Yusuke follow after the blondes. Haru gives a side hug to Makoto before parting ways as well. Akira shifts and the couple stand up, waving them off before Akira flips the sign for the cafe and locks the door. He braces the handle and in turn braces his mind before turning back around to look at his suddenly insecure girlfriend who's hugging herself and looking blankly at the painting of Sayuri. It seemed that even Sojiro had an inkling the two might want to be alone since he privately told Akira he could stay upstairs for the night instead of staying in a cozy room back at Boss's home. Akira knew that look on Makoto's face though. She's panicking now that we're finally alone.

"Want some ice cream?" Akira offers with a shrug. Makoto bows her head but declines.

"I'm far too full for that but… thank you. Really." The two sort of rock back and forth on their heels, starring in opposite directions before Akira drops his hands at his sides and lunges forward out of nowhere. He starts tickling Makoto's underarms and she shrieks, bursting with laughter. "No no! I hate-AHH!" He doesn't let up, grinning like a fool and taking the uncontrollable hits his girlfriend is sending his way. "Pleaseee stop!" He finally gives in after an agonizing minute and she sags against him, hugging herself to his chest. Their heartbeats slow down just to pick up again at the closeness of their bodies, and Makoto takes a minute just to breathe in his scent she's become nostalgic for. She shuts her eyes tight, nearly crying all of a sudden. I didn't ever think I could miss someone so much.

The two months apart started off strong, and they had promised each other they wouldn't get too sad since they knew within sixty days they would see one another again. But then, just seven days in, she cried herself to sleep for the first time since her Father died, and she had to shamefully pick up her phone and call Akira at one AM on a weekday, surely disrupting his sleep.

"I-I'm s-HICK-sorry Ak-HNN-I hate being apart-I can-" she had been a complete mess and despite being distraught over such a small thing she was angry that she had let herself fall this hard that she relied on another person to such an extent. She felt like she had broken in two the second he got on the train back home after the group of them dropped him off. Of course he calmed her down like no one else could have as he whispered soothingly into her ear while she stuffed her face into her cushy pillow.

"Don't feel ashamed," he had demanded right away, already knowing that was in the forefront of her mind. How did she find someone who could read her so well? "Just listen to my voice. I'm here for you, Makoto." In all honesty she couldn't hear much of what he was saying after that since she was busy heaving into her arms. When she finally calmed down thirty minutes later, she swallowed jaggedly and begged him to,

"Say you love me." She felt like an idiot when the words slipped out into her cool pitch black room until his deep voice rang out.

"I love you Makoto." Her heart soared. "I love you completely."

That sweet beating of her heart was back here, in Leblanc, in his lanky arms again at last. His black t-shirt was soft like tissue against her nose and she muzzles him closer, her anxiousness slipping away. He presses kiss after kiss against her head and gently runs his fingers up and down her back until her eyes flutter closed.

"Mm," she hums, lips against his clavicle.

"Feels good?" She just nods and she can hear his teeth click when he grinned. A minute goes by and she feels herself rocking slightly, so fixed on his touch she can hardly hold herself up. She opens her eyes and leans back a little.

"Akira?"

"Yeah?" Makoto tugs at her shirt and looks down at the dark floorboards.

"Sorry I… lost my train of thought, I guess."

"I get that," he admits. It seems like he can't stop touching her because even now he's dragging his hands over her arms and watching his own movements with an intensity she doesn't see in him often. One of his hands snake their way up her neck and his fingers tangle into her feather soft hair, cradling the back of her head before he leans in slightly. Her breath catches in her own throat. And why am I still getting this nervous over just a kiss? Get a hold of yourself, Makoto.

"You should." Akira raises a brow at her quick words. "You should kiss me." Akira hums in a cocky sort of way and she almost groans before he hurries to claim her mouth as his. She's hooked at the first taste of his tongue. "Nn-mmmph." A rush of arousal floods her hips and they surge forward against his before she can help it. She opens one eye to see if he noticed but he doesn't show it on his face. Akira pulls her flush against him and cranes his neck to kiss her deeper while slowly guiding her toward the front door so he can blindly flip the lightswitch off. Good idea. No one can see in with the TV glare. She can't think past that once his hand reaches down to her backside and squeezes though because she's caught between being put off by the feeling and wanting more of it. Apparently he gets that though because he only squeezes one more time before scooping his arm under her backside and lifting up. She pulls her mouth off him and, with alarm, yelps out a-

"Hold on!"

"Too late." She has no choice but to hold onto his neck and wrap her legs around his narrow waist.

"Akira! I'm too heavy!" He just shakes his head fervently and kisses her nose.

"Don't be a silly goose."

"...You're so tacky sometimes." They both smile and he starts kissing her again, freezing in place to suck on her bottom lip. He didn't think about the distraction part of this because he can hardly walk a step toward the stairs before stopping again. She starts to take over the kissing and she presses her breasts into his chest and he groans at the subtle feeling of her hard nipples teasing him.

"Ungh," he moans. I want to hear more of that. And quick, Makoto decides.

"T-take me upstairs," she rasps into his mouth, not even opening her eyes. He doesn't move at first, too focused on sucking her plump tongue that's peeking out of her swelling lips. He grinds against her more purposefully and she whines loudly. "O-oh God…." She pushes him by his shoulders and he finally stops his kissing before they both give each other equally needy looks. "Im... really REALLY scared but um. L-let's try ok?"

"Ok." He kisses her again and starts jerkily making his way to the steps again.

"Please don't drop me," she worries against his neck that she was biting at a second prior.

"Then stop kissing me like that," he jokes.

"You've gotten cockier, huh…?" He just smirks, satisfied with himself, and she frowns before sucking extra hard in the place that makes him twitch. He gets so into it he closes his eyes and almost loses his balance. Makoto gasps and braces them against the wall with one hand. They both stifle their laughs before bursting out into a fit of giggles and he sets her down on the top step. "You're too much for your own good," she reasons, wiping at her eye.

"That would've gone in the books for the best screw up I've done. Instead of busting a nut I'd bust our heads."

"Akira! Language!" He just snickers and she shoves him up the last of the stairs with a chuckle under her breath. When their eyes connect with the wide expanse of the room however, and his head snaps to the right where a certain loudmouth cat should be… his happiness falters. Akira drags his hand over the light blond wood of the table top and leans heavily on the surface.

"I didn't think about this part when I came up here…" Akira mutters. Makoto quickly comforts him, hugging him from behind as if to give him a sense of privacy. She knows he never cries in front of anyone… he hasn't even cried in front of her. And now she's wondering one thing.

"Akira…? Did you, um. Did you ever cry over him?" Akira's breath hitches and Makoto finds herself cringing slightly.

"I don't want to talk about that." Straightforward and slightly harsh. Makoto lets go of him and places her hands behind her back. A sharp wall comes up between them and Makoto purses her lips with a wrinkle in her brow.

"I'm sorry to pry." Akira doesn't say anything and drags himself over to the wooden wall where his idol poster of Rise still hangs. The top left edge never did stay up quite right, and now it's about to completely fall down. He stares at it with his hands shoved in his deep pockets where his fingers play with little bits of lint. The two are sort of just there again, breathing in the same air but hardly sharing the same space. I shouldn't have said anything, Makoto thinks with frustration as she takes her eyes off the back of his head and gazes at the three row shelf packed with accessories. She walks toward the small picture of them he had taken time to print from the arcade. Makoto thought it was flattering since they hadn't even been dating when the picture was taken. When she had asked him why he did it he just said he wanted to. Illusive as always. Ccc-tk. Makoto turned around to spot Akira rapidly flipping through channels manually with the sticky black button on his CRT. Makoto sighs outwardly.

"Did I really damage the mood this severely?" Akira pauses his hand right where it was before turning the TV off and standing up again.

"...Sorry. I… I don't know what I was thinking. It shouldn't have gotten to me like that." Akira's head falls again and she feels herself getting more and more on edge. "I'll get over it. Wanna kiss for a while?" Makoto opens her mouth but nothing really comes out because she's too busy studying his eyes that are cloudy and a little red.

"Akira, sit down."

"Ok?" He awkwardly settles down on the jankey old couch and she swiftly sits down next to him, reaching for his boney knee.

"I need you to tell me something. Please be honest. I'll know if you lie."

"Makoto…?" She just shakes her head and kisses him softly on the lips. Her next words come out hushed.

"When's the last time you cried about something?" Akira shifts to the side and breaks their eye contact. His jaw has become so rigid it seems like it could pop at any time.

"I… don't really like to…." He looks as though he is about to stand again so Makoto straddles his lap and he looks up at her with surprise.

"When was it?" She presses on his firm shoulders and he drops his hands on the couch by her thighs without touching them.

"L-last month."

"And when before that?" He just shakes his head. "You can't remember?" He shakes his head no again. She cautiously grabs the sides of his skinny face and directs him toward her so their foreheads are close. But the bridge of his glasses is bumping into her so she gently removes his glasses before continuing. She rubs at the back of his skull with prying fingers which seems to calm him down. She wants to push… wants to ask what he cried for and why he hadn't ever talked about Morgana since it happened, but she keeps quiet. To her surprise… he breaks the silence with a sharp intake of breath and squeezes his watery eyes shut before covering them with one shaky hand.

"Can you get off?" He tries to keep his voice even but the sniffling kills it. "I need a second downstairs; I forgot something." Makoto doesn't move. His struggling is half hearted but it's clear he's grown excruciatingly uncomfortable. She tries to steer this situation into something different… so she kisses him fully on the lips and assures him that,

"You can let it out in front of me." His breath catches again and the wrinkling on his brow looks almost painful now. Makoto threads her fingers through his hair and out of nowhere he latches onto her and sucks in raggedly against her smooth neck. He makes little noises of a cry that's being held in achingly and she's never felt her heart hurt like this. From the trauma of losing people close to him to the feeling of being alone in confinement for months… she couldn't imagine the pain. Not only that, but…

"I h-hate being a-ap-AHEM. Apart from you, i-it feels… it feels wrong," he cries, holding in heavy sobs that wrack his chest. The gasps for air make Makoto nearly cry herself and she hugs him tighter over his shoulders. "Makoto…" he half-whines, "I just want to be with you already." Her eyes widen at his statement since he hardly ever says so much let alone something so revealing.

"One year and you'll be out of high school," she reminds him, keeping their cheeks pressed against one another. He doesn't respond back, instead holding her waist tighter with his arms. Soon, memories of everything he's gone through flood his mind like he always attempts to avoid, and out of nowhere the dam in him bursts. He's crying like he hasn't since he was a little boy and it makes him feel more pathetic than anything.

"Shh shh, it's ok Akira. It's alright sweetheart." Somehow her simple words help him relax, but he can't stop the crying no matter how he tries to berate himself. "I love you so much."

Somehow here at eight PM on a weekday like every other, Makoto Niijima got her boyfriend to peel back his layers of defense and nonchalance.