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Yusuke, the newest addition to the Phantom Thieves, was weird as hell, to say the least. Walkin’ up to Ann in the middle of the street, asking to draw her nude, even though it was pretty damn ballsy, it was all weird! The damn bastard was lucky he had the balls to stand up to Madarame, cause Ryuji wouldn't have hesitated to give him a piece of his mind otherwise.
The Phantom Thieves were still making their way through their second palace, collecting will seeds and finally finding a route to the treasure. Now that Yusuke has a persona, and isn't actively antagonizing them, Ryuji is stuck dealing with him and the weird way he talks on the front lines. Not exactly a problem, but not something he's used to.
“Hey,” Ren- Joker- guess he’s still getting used to the metaverse rules- elbows Ryuji- SKULL- as they sit in the safe room. “You look like you’re trying to burn holes in the back of Fox’s head.”
Damn, he must've been staring too hard. He probably looks creepy as hell, staring daggers at Fox, who looks like he's trying to get a good view of… the safe room door? “Ack- sorry ‘bout that. Still gettin’ used to the new guy.” He rolls his shoulder. “He's a little… odd?”
“Pfft,” Mona scoffs. “That's rich, coming from you, Skull.”
“Oh, shuddup!”
Fox clicks his tongue. “I can hear you, by the way.”
Skull groans. “Whatever, you ain’t denying it.”
“Skull!” Panther, who was sitting on the table (that's somehow in every safe room), elbows him in the side. “Don't be mean!”
“I'm not!” He whines, and he means it! Fox is a… fine guy. Uses a lotta big words and talks weird, but he ain’t a jerk or anything. Skill doesn't fully understand him, but there's worse things a guy can be. Like a pedophile (wow, not even close to comparable).
“He is correct, though. I'm not denying it.” Fox puts his hands down and faces the rest of the group. “I can admit that I act queer in nature.”
“You- WHAT?!” Skull sputters, looking back and forth between Fox and Joker’s (always unnaturally calm) face. “Dude, did you-”
He gets another elbow to the side from Panther. “Jeez, Skull. Calm down!”
“Queer also means weird.” Joker adds.
The fact that everyone is talking like this is common knowledge is blowing Skull’s mind. “Well, pardon me! I didn't know we still lived in the 1800’s!!” He flails his arms around.
Mona sighs. “Basic grammar is NOT from the 1800’s…”
“Nah, Skull has a point.” Joker shrugs. “Still an outdated term.” He adjusts his mask. “Are we ready to get out? I need to visit the twins.”
“The twins..?” Mona tilts his head. “Whatever. Let's head out!”
Joker snaps his fingers in approval and starts bringing the group back to the entrance, and eventually out of the metaverse.
—---
Leaving the metaverse never gets easier on Ryuji. It's like all the running and fighting and whatnot finally catches up to him all at once. He's shocked his bad leg has been able to keep up.
“Woah!” Ann cracks her back. “That was a good day! Will seeds AND a treasure route? We're on a roll!”
Ren pushes his glasses up his nose. “We still need to make and send the calling card. There's a week left, so let's meet up later to work it out.”
“Sick.” Ryuji leans over the railing at the subway station, the current meeting spot. “Can I go home now? I'm tired.”
Yawning, their leader nods. “I mean, I can’t blame you for that. We spent all afternoon in the palace.”
“I must admit, I'm also quite exhausted.” Yusuke’s stomach rumbles. “And famished, it seems.”
“Dude, when are you not famished?” Ryuji chuckles. “D’ya wanna grab a bowl of ramen with me? Ain't like I got much going on.” He offers it casually, trying to not sound like he desperately wants to understand the guy.
“I…” Yusuke pauses for a second before shaking his head, looking almost surprised. “I'm afraid I'll have to pass. I have- matters… to attend to. Yes.” With that, he scurries off.
“Well- damn, okay.”
There's a short bit where no one does anything, until Morgana peaks out of Ren’s bag. “Y’know, maybe Ryuji was right about something. He's a bit of an oddball.”
Ann snorts. “Says the talking cat.”
“Lady Ann!!” Morgana gasps in genuine horror. “I thought you understood me! I am NOT a cat!!”
“Yeah, you’re a bus.” Ren scratches under the cat's chin before said cat has another chance to complain. “Anyways, I'm heading out. I'll see you guys at school tomorrow.” He turns on his heel, waving goodbye before walking around the corner.
“Guess that's our sign to get going.” Ann sighs. “So why do you look like a kicked puppy?” She moves to lean against the railing with the other blonde.
“Wh- I don't!” Ryuji stands up unnaturally straight. “I just- I don't get Yusuke, man! He's weird, but not in the way you or I are weird! It's like- new territory, or something!”
Ann twirls her hair idly. “New territory of weird… I think I see what you mean. He's kinda his own breed.”
“Like- who says no to RAMEN??” He shrieks, only to remember that this is a public place, sheepishly clearing his throat. “Whatever. He'll probably get used to us.”
The girl lets out a giggle. “I mean, I didn't talk to you for years, and now we're just fine. I'm sure he'll come around.”
“Heh. Yeah, you’re right.”
“Of course I am!” She pushes herself away from the railing. “I gotta go. The convenience store near my place will close soon, and there's a 2 for 1 deal going on. I'll see you tomorrow, ‘kay?” She winks.
Ryuji laughs. “Yeah you will! Wait- a 2 for 1 deal on what?”
“Candy!”
Of course. Did he even need to ask? “What happened to calories, huh?”
“Oh, shut up!” Ann sticks her tongue out, turning around. “I'm leaving!”
Ryuji shrugs his bag over his shoulders, thinking about what Ann just said (about Yusuke, not about calories). He might be… weird as hell, to put it lightly, but so is everyone else in the Phantom Thieves. It's nothing crazy. He’ll belong in no time.
~
The door to Leblanc slams open. “It's preposterous! It's- it's utter madness!!” Ryuji doesn't need to lift his head from his manga to know who's at the door, and by the lack of response from everyone else at the table, the same goes for the others.
“Hey,” Sojiro lightly scolds, washing dishes behind the counter. “Just because I have no customers doesn't mean you can act like… that.”
“I apologize, Boss.” Yusuke sighs as he sits down at the booth. “It's just- something terrible has happened.”
Makoto, the newest (and most helpful) addition to the group, looks up. “Yusuke, what's going on? Is it serious?”
“It's dire.” He goes to dump out his bag, only for nothing to fall out. “I- I ran out of sketchbooks!”
“...Oh.” Makoto blinks slowly. “That's… all?”
“Yeah, get used to it.” Ann flips her notebooks shut. “I'm kinda surprised, though. Last time you talked about your sketchbooks, you said you had a whole bunch!”
“That's what I thought, too.” He shakes his head. “I guess I’ve been going through them more quickly as of late. My funds haven't been able to keep up, it seems.”
Taking a second to dig through his backpack, Ryuji tosses a random spiral notebook the artist's way. “Here. It's not like I take notes.”
“Ryuji!” Makoto reaches over to give the notebook back. “We need to teach you better study habits!”
“Whatever…” The blonde grumbles, kicking the tables legs before flinching in pain. His bag leg has been worse than usual today. Very annoying.
“I appreciate the gesture, but I'll have to pass. I wouldn't be able to draw with the lines on the papers.”
“C’mon, it's just lines! Ain't art just a buncha lines?”
“Art is NOT just lines, Ryuji!” Yusuke gasps. “It is a deep expression of-”
“Ok, that's enough.” Ren shakes his head. “Remember? The requests?”
Makoto nods sternly. “They've been stacking lately, so we should start getting on top of it. If we get to Mementos before 2:30, we can-”
“Memen- huh?” Sojiro raises an eyebrow. “You kids are strange. Don't be getting into trouble now.”
Makoto goes pale as Ann speaks up. “Hah! S- sorry, Boss! No trouble here! Nope, not from us!!”
“Actor of the year over here…” Ryuji mutters under his breath. Ann gives him a sharp glare.
“...Whatever you say.” Boss shrugs, turning back to the dishes.
After a moment, Makoto lets out a breath. “Let's… get to the subway.”
Morgana decides to pop his little head out. “You said it. We've had way too many close calls lately.”
As the group leaves, Ryuji swears he hears Sojiro mutter something about a certain “noisy cat,” but decides to leave that topic alone. Even if he agrees. As he walks out, he winces whenever he puts too much pressure on his leg.
—---
Being squished in the back of the Morgana-mobile is an odd experience. Especially when they don't have an active palace to go through, everyone is a lot less uptight. And a lot more weird.
“Joker?” Queen asks, still facing the road like the careful driver she is. “What exactly is ‘farming the reaper’? Should I be nervous?”
“Don't worry about it.” Joker smirks, not at all answering the question. A dumb thing to do, by the way, because there isn't a universe where Queen will take 'don't worry about it’ as an answer. In other words, those two will be going back and forth for a while.
The seating in the back of the Mona-bus rotates, and today's the day Skull gets to be smushed between Panther and Fox. Seriously, Mona better get some upgrades if they plan on recruiting any more members. Does he smell weird? Mementos is extra stuffy due to the rising heat, and it's not like phantom thief attire is made for the heat.
“Hey, Joker?” Skull calls out. “What's the party lineup for today? Do I get to kick ass or what?”
Joker’s eyebrows furrow before he responds. “Skull, I'll have you and Fox sit out for today. Mona hasn't had much time on the front, and Queen’s still getting used to the metaverse. Besides, didn't you say your leg was acting up earlier? Is it more painful than usual?”
Dammit, why did he have to go and mention that? “C’mon, it's not like my leg’s gonna fall off or whatever!” He huffs in frustration, trying not to grab his knee as it throbs.
“Skull,” Queen sighs, exasperated. “You can't keep sidelining your physical health! If you keep acting recklessly, who knows what’ll happen to your leg?”
“The plan sounds good to me.” Fox shrugs, drawing mindless shapes on Mona’s windows. “I have no problems.”
Skull grumbles. “Of course you don't, you’re all-”
“SHADOW!” Mona calls out, screeching to a halt before transforming out of his bus form. “You heard Joker, get in formation! Without Skull!”
“Oh, shut up, you dumb cat!” He almost goes up to give that cat a piece of his mind, but he's stopped by Fox taking his arm and pulling him back.
“Stay.” He says sternly. “You have an injury. We don't want you hurt.” The look in his eyes was fierce enough to Skull to stay put, albeit reluctantly.
“Fine, fine.” He rolls his eyes. “It's just… stupid! My leg isn't nearly as bad as it used to be! Just because it hurts more sometimes doesn't mean I can't fight, dammit! It's so unfair, and I-” He pauses when he realizes Fox never let go of his arm. In fact, he's tracing random shapes onto it, seemingly not even listening to Skull. “Uh… what are you doing?”
Fox’s eyes flick up for a second. “Drawing.” He says like it's obvious, eyes moving back down.
“You're drawing? …On me?”
“Yes.” He nods.
“...Why?” His voice is 2 octaves higher than it usually is. Probably ‘cause he's all nervous. Wait- why's he so nervous?
Fox hums. “When I'm on the sidelines, I like to sketch. I find Mementos brings me extra inspiration. But with my lack of a sketchbook, I’m using your arm.”
“Weirdo.” Skull says, but the way he talks has no bite. “Ya really can't go even a second without drawn’, can you? You're literally just tracing my arm with your finger.”
“Indeed I am,” He nods. “It'll help me remember later, when I get my hands on some paper.”
Skull’s doing his best to ignore how fast his heart is beating, because why should it be? Skull gets touchy with his friends all the time, and Fox is a friend! A more touch-aversed one, but-
“I’LL BUY YOU ONE.” Skull blurts out, almost against his own will.
Fox’s head shoots up. “Pardon me?”
“I- uh-” He sputters. “I dunno, sketchbooks can't be that expensive, right? I can spare some change. For ya.” A pause. “…To get one. Is that cool?” He squeaks out.
Fox blinks, before a smile peaks out under his mask. “I'd be positively elated if you did that for me, Skull.”
“Don't be weird about it!” Skull turns away, now smiling. “Just- we can stop by some random store after we leave Mementos. But- don't make me buy an expensive one.”
“Nice one, Joker!” Mona says, walking back with the rest of the thieves. “I bet Skull is-” He stops, seeing Fox still holding Skull’s arm. “Jeez, Skull, we don't need you fraternizing on the job!”
“WHAT?!” Skull chokes, shoving Fox away. “Jeez, I didn't see ya’ get back!!”
“Clearly…” Panther snorts.
“Guys, please,” Queen’s head is in her hands. “Can we just focus on what we're here to do? Not on- Skull and Fox?”
“GUYS!!” Skull shrieks. “Nothin’ weird is goin’ on! YOU’RE the weird ones here!”
Joker shrugs. “Mona, bus. There's a request somewhere on this floor.” He (thankfully) ignores whatever the current conversation topic is.
“On it, Joker!”
Before entering the bus, Joker nudges Skull. “I see you, dude.”
“See… what?”
“Nevermind.” He hops into the front seat.
When everyone gets settled in their seats, Fox (who's been awfully quiet ever since everyone got back) gets back to tracing Skull’s arm.
Panther gives Skull a look. Skull flushes.
~
“Inariiiiiiii!” Futaba groans, flicking Yusuke’s forehead. “Are you done yet?”
“Do not distract me!” Yusuke glares, sketching more random people at the subway station. Ryuji has no idea why he's so intensely focused, but he is.
“Ann is probably soooo lonely without us!” She continues to complain. “If Makoto were here, she wouldn't let you be this late!!”
Ryuji sighs. “Just let him, Futaba. He's weird like that.”
The Phantom Thieves cleared through Okumera’s palace relatively quickly. As a result, they had a lot of down time while waiting for the change of heart. They were originally going to have dinner at a decent ramen place with everyone, but Makoto’s been studying for college entrance exams, and Haru’s dealing with… being rich? Ryuji has no clue, but she's always super busy. Ren’s just Ren. He's always got something going on. That left just Ryuji, Ann, Futaba and Yusuke to get dinner. Still a solid group, in Ryuji’s opinion.
“Come on!” Futaba shakes Yusuke’s arm. “It's way too crowded here!”
A sigh comes from Yusuke. “Fine. I suppose I can continue this later.” He flips his sketchbook shut.
“Yes!!” Futaba all but drags him away from his spot and up the stairs. “We have a looong trip, Inari.” They, in fact, do not have a long trip. The ramen place isn't that far from the subway station.
“Dude, what was that about?” Ryuji slides up next to Yusuke as they start to walk. Futaba's already a solid distance ahead. Not far enough to get lost in the crowd, though. It's still Futaba. “It was just rando’s on the subway. I doubt they were that special.”
“I…” Yusuke pauses, averting his eyes. “It was something… important. I had to jot it onto paper before the idea left my mind. I'm sure you understand.”
Ryuji stares for a second, not really sure what to say. “Uh-huh. Cool. Can I see it when it's done?”
“Maybe.” Yusuke finally looks back. “I want it to turn out well before I show it to the public.”
“Aw, c’mon dude!” Ryuji elbows him. “I haven't seen a single art… thingy… whatever- you've done that doesn't look good! I don't think you CAN make something look bad! Even if you tried!”
The way Yusuke lets out a small chuckle makes Ryuji’s stomach flip. “I thank you for your kindness.”
“Aha. Yup!”
“Are you two done flirting yet?” Futaba turns back to face them, looking unimpressed. “We're here.”
“Wh- buh- flirting!?!?” Ryuji almost chokes on his tongue. “Are you crazy, Futaba?!”
“I assure you, that's not what I was intending.” Yusuke confirms.
Futaba rolls her eyes. “Yeah, right. You're not flirting, I'm not a professional hacker, the sky is green. I'm going inside, I'm mega hungry.” She turns on her heel. “Oh, hi Ann!” She waves at Ann, who's sitting in a booth by herself.
“There you are! What took you so long?”
Futaba looks back and points at Yusuke. “Blame Inari. He took forever trying to get a sketch.”
“Sounds about right.” Ann shrugs while everyone gets settled, Yusuke and Ryuji across from her and Futaba. “I bet Ryuji wasn't any help.”
“Boy, you tell me.” She slouches over, head on the table. “He was just egging him on!”
Ryuji lightly kicks Futaba under the table. “I can still hear you, by the way. And I wasn't egging him on!”
Futaba peaks up just to give Ryuji a look, kicking him back (noticeably pausing when she almost kicks his bad leg, moving to his good one instead). “Whatever you say. I know you were into watching him draw.”
“What the hell is your deal today??” He sputters.
“They hated Jesus for preaching the truth.” She shrugs like that's just a normal thing to say.
Ann tries to cover up her laugh, but to no avail. “Anyyyways,” She segways. “I'm going to the counter to order. Are you guys coming up, or should I take your orders for you?”
“One medium bowl with extra egg!” Futaba says quickly. “I don't wanna go up. Sounds scary.”
Yusuke, who's been nose deep in his sketch book the whole time, looks up. “If you would, could you order me a small-”
“Nope.” Ryuji cuts him off. “You need to actually eat food. I'll order you at LEAST a medium. Don't worry ‘bout paying me back.” He stands up, joining Ann.
“But I-”
“Yusuke, you are getting a medium miso bowl. No objections.”
Yusuke gets ready to argue, but stops and sighs. “I thank you, Ryuji. But I promise, next time I can order for myself.” He goes back to his sketchbook.
Ryuji grins at his victory. “Don't stress out too much. I'll cover you, man.” He turns to Ann. “Are we goin?”
Ann answers by taking Ryuji’s arm and dragging him off.
“H- hey! The hell?” He eventually yanks his arm away.
Ann scoffs. “Ryuji. It's pretty obvious that you have a big fat crush on Yusuke.”
“WHAT?!”
“Shhhh!” She shushes him. “You aren't exactly subtle about it.”
“Subtle about what??” Ryuji gawks at a quieter volume. “Seriously, Ren’s been on my ass about this, and now you??”
“And Futaba.” Ann adds.
“AND Futaba!”
“The reason everyone's on you about it is because it's so obvious!” She shakes him lightly. “Are you really trying to deny it??”
“I dunno what you’re seeing, but I don't-”
“Uhhhhh.” The underpaid worker at the restaurant speaks up. “Are you two ready to order?”
“We’ll talk about this later!” Ann says to Ryuji before ordering for herself and Futaba. Unfortunately, that leaves Ryuji with his thoughts about what she said. His obvious crush on Yusuke? The hell is she talking about?
After getting everyone's orders in, the pair make their way back to the table, where Futaba is completely leaning over to stare at Yusuke's art. “Hey! Inari’s drawing you, Ryuji.”
Yusuke jumps in his seat. “Futaba!!” He whisper-shouts.
“Buh.” Ryuji says, dumbly. “Me? When did you have time for that? Weren't you drawing the subway crowd?”
“He wasn't!” Futaba continues, not even giving Yusuke the chance to answer. “He totally lied. He was so focused on drawing you, apparently. And it's REALLY good! He put a lot of detail into your face.” She takes a moment to squint. “And your… arms?”
“Futaba-!” Yusuke sputters, face flushing a cute (what) red (no, go back to the cute part!! What was that about???). “I- it wasn't the initial plan for you to be my model, Ryuji. But when inspiration strikes upon me, I must answer! I was hiding my intentions because… I believed I was doing a poor job with transferring my vision onto the page.”
Ignoring how all of this is making him feel (being the subject of Yusuke's art? Holy moly), Ryuji plops down next to Yusuke. “That's what's got you all freaked out, dude? You don't need to act all weird about that. I already told you, all of your art looks awesome! Lemme just-” He quickly snatches the sketchbook from Yusuke’s hands.
Damn, Futaba was right, the drawing looks great! It's obviously unfinished, but it sure as hell looks like Ryuji. The drawing is of him talking to Futaba while they were waiting on Yusuke, but way less detail was put into Futaba. Ryuji swears he can count the freckles on his face, and the designs on his shirt were captured perfectly. He has no idea what Yusuke was on about. Meh, weird art nerd stuff, probably.
“Bro, this looks sick!” He grins as he passes the drawing back. “It looks just like me!”
“No, it doesn't.” Yusuke huffs. “It doesn't fully… encapsulate what I want to convey. It's incomplete in this current state.”
“Dunno what you mean, it looks like me.” He shrugs. “You’re weird. I'll model for you anytime, dude. As long as I get to wear clothes.”
Yusuke closes his eyes and smiles. “I can be amendable.”
Ryuji playfully rolls his eyes. “Great. Ann, how are-” He looks to see Ann and Futaba frantically gesturing at each other, looking between the boys and each other. “Uh… guys?”
“We,” Futaba points to Ann. “Will finish this later.”
Ann nods sternly. “Hey, Yusuke? Let's check on our food.”
“Me? But, when you-”
Ann, somehow, yanks Yusuke OVER Ryuji and out of the booth. “Just! Come! With!”
Watching Yusuke get dragged into the depths of hell with Ann, Ryuji gets flicked on the forehead.
“Ow! Dammit, what was that about?”
“You know what you did.” Futaba responds.
Ryuji, in fact, has no idea what he did.
~
Ryuji has felt like throwing up for the last couple days. No one else but Ren could pull off that insane stunt, but he's been in that interrogation room for so long Ryuji might just die. With the way times flowing in his mind, it could've been hours, days, or months since their heist in Sae’s palace. And judging by the fact that the Phantom Thieves have gathered in Ren’s room just because everyone was on edge, Ryuji isn't the only one.
Futaba’s been pacing the room for the last 10 minutes. “There's literally no way it could've gone wrong, right?”
Makoto shakes her head. “You know Ren by now. The plan is definitely going smoothly.” She says, but she's fidgeting with the hem of her shirt uncomfortably.
“You can't really blame us for being nervous!” Ann, who's laying on the floor with Morgana, groans. “There's like- a gazillion ways it could go wrong!”
Haru’s been sitting on the small couch with Makoto. “I have to agree. It's scary knowing what would happen if it goes wrong.”
“Come on, guys!” Ryuji slams his fists on Ren’s bed. “This is Ren! He's got this in the bag!!” He says mostly to comfort himself.
“Yeah, but-” Futaba squats down to play with Morgana’s ears, and receives minimal pushback (that's how you know it's serious). “I dunno, so much could happen! What if he couldn't pull the switch-off? Or if he sells us out for some reason? What if they- in the interrogation-”
Ryuji cuts her off by reaching down to also pet Morgana, who only squawks once (jeez, what's this damn cat going through?). “Please. Like he'd ever sell us out. Like he’d ever let that bastard Akechi win.” Everyone else nods with him, clearly in agreement.
“...You’re right.” She pouts. “Now stop bouncing your leg! It's making the floorboards shake.”
“Ack- sorry, didn't notice I was doin’ that.” He rubs his neck.
Yusuke, who's been next to him on the bed the whole time, coughs, which is the first noise he's made in a while. “While I'm sure we all believe in Ren’s success,” He starts. “I think it's reasonable for us to feel some worry. The operation is, quite literally, life or death.”
“Jeez, way to comfort us, Inari.” Futaba grumbles.
“No, he's right.” Makoto agrees. “The only thing we can do now is promise to be there for him when he gets back.”
When everyone nods, there's a pregnant pause.
“So…” Ryuji smacks his lips, leg still bouncing. “Now what.”
“That's our Ryuji.” Morgana meows.
“Man, whatever!” He collapses against the wall besides the bed. “We're all tryin’ to be there for each other. And now we're here, and we're just sulkin’ around!”
“He has a point…” Haru muses. “I don't think Ren would like to see us like this.”
“Hm…” Makoto puts a hand to her chin. “Maybe we could unwind by watching a movie?”
Ann jumps up, eyes practically glowing. “Have you guys watched Legally blonde?”
Makoto blinks slowly. “...What's that?”
“Never heard of it.” Futaba tilts her head.
“It's only the best movie ever!” She clasps her hands. “It's an American film, but there's a Japanese dub for it at the video store. We WILL watch it!!” She snatches her bag and starts running down the stairs. “I'll get it! Be right back!”
Not even 30 minutes later, everyone is sitting around Ren’s dinky little TV watching a Japanese dub of Legally Blonde. Ryuji has no idea what's happening in the movie (NOT because he's still on the bed with Yusuke!!), but Makoto and Futaba are already fully invested, along with Morgana, who's pretending like it's the most boring thing ever.
“Ugh, when Ren gets back I NEED to watch this with him! He'd totally love this.” Ann says, eating candy she got on her trip to the video store.
“I'm sure he's already seen this!” Haru laughs. “He says he's a frequent regular at that store.”
“HE BROKE UP WITH HER???” Futaba’s jaw drops.
“No, no, that's not right.” Makoto pulls out a notepad that she has for some reason. “He absolutely should've proposed!”
“Inari, Ryuji, are you seeing this??” She turns over her shoulder only to find Yusuke deep in his sketchbook (what else is new) and Ryuji trying to look over. “Ah, right.”
“Futaba!” Makoto shakes her shoulder. “Guess where Elle said she's gonna go!”
“...No. No, she didn't!”
“Harvard!!”
“ELLE!” She shrieks, turning right back to the TV. “I can't believe the girl! All for a MAN!”
“See?” Ann smiles as she pets Morgana. “I told you guys this movie was great.”
Ryuji ends up easily blocking out the sound of (apparently the best movie in the world) Legally Blonde, and this time it’s not because he's distracted by Yusuke. He's cool and all, but Ryuji can’t help but feel worried about Ren. Here they are, all hanging out and having a fun time, while who knows what is happening to their leader in the interrogation room. He feels bad for abandoning his best friend like that, but he needs to remember that Ren chose to do it, and that he's strong as hell. It should all work out.
…And his leg is bouncing again.
“Ryuji?” Yusuke puts his pencil down. “Are you alright?”
“Huh? Nah- I mean- I'm good, dude.”
Yusuke looks unconvinced. “Really. Because your bouncing your leg, and by extension the mattress, and it's making drawing incredibly difficult.”
“Wow.” Ryuji deadpans. “Thanks, man. Y’know, you can sit on the floor if you wanna.”
“I’d rather not.” He scoots closer (woah, what?). “What’s troubling you?”
“O- oh.” Face flushing, Ryuji gulps, suddenly feeling less worried. “Well- I was just thinking ‘bout Ren. I know I was just talkin’ about how we gotta believe in him, but,” He sighs. “I'm still all freaked out! He's all alone, and we have no idea what's happening to him, and-” He stops when he feels a cold, slender hand on top of his own. “...Whuh.”
“No, please go on.” Yusuke geastures for him to continue, lacing their fingers together.
“Woah- woah- hold on,” Ryuji waves his free hand, practically abandoning his train of thought. “What's goin' on here.”
“Hm?” He tilts his head to the side, a weirdly cute (WHAT) trait he has. “What do you mean?”
“You’re-” He points at their hands. “And I’m-” He points at himself. “And YOU’RE-” He points at Yusuke. “And THIS!” He points back to their hands.
“Is there a problem?” Yusuke asks, loosening his grip, before Ryuji instantly tightens it.
“Well- no-” His voice is high pitched. “Just- wasn't sure.”
“About..?”
“...Stuff.”
“Right.” Yusuke smirks, and by god Ryuji might faint. “I've realized that when you seek comfort in others, you often do it through physical contact. And since you seemed to need support, I provided the contact.”
“That… is the weirdest way to say you wanted to hold my hand.” Ryuji chuckles bashfully.
“Wh- that’s preposterous!”
Ryuji yawns, suddenly hit with the fact that he hasn't had a good night of rest ever since the heist. He doesn't understand why he feels so comfortable with Yusuke, but he sure does. “You’re so weird, dude.” He closes his eyes, resting his head on Yusuke's shoulder. “G’night.”
Yusuke goes completely stiff, unmoving before relaxing slightly. Ryuji ends up falling asleep to the relaxing rise and fall of Yusuke's breathing.
And Futaba and Makoto’s very loud reactions to Legally Blonde, of course.
-
*flash*
“Oh man,” Futaba smirks, already texting the picture of the sleeping Ryuji and Yusuke in the Phantom Thieves group chat. “Ren’s gonna love this.”
~
Getting blown up was not fun. Getting ramen with your friends after was, though. Ann did bitch-slap him when he woke up, but she immediately cried in his arms right after, along with everyone else. Ren made the executive order that they were ordering ramen, and no one wanted to argue (and Ryuji was being hugged so hard he couldn't speak up if he tried). Still, being blown up hurt like a bitch.
Anyways, celebratory ramen, courtesy of Haru and her ass ton of money. They ordered it to go, and are now sitting in Leblanc, which is closed early, courtesy of Sojiro. Jeez, it's been a day, hasn't it?
“If you ever. EVER. Do that again. I will never forgive you!!!” Ann cries, still not fully recovered.
Ryuji slurps his mega beef bowl. “Like I said, I'm fine. I'm here now, ain’t I?”
Ann shakes her head, pigtails whacking Ren in the face. “Why did you DO that?!” She sniffles.“It was SO STUPID!!!”
Morgana nods his cat head. “It was the dumbest thing Ryuji has ever done. And that's saying something.”
“Be nice, Mona!” Futaba rubs his head, and Morgana growls in response. “But I agree. Pretty stupid.”
“You guys sure know how to make a guy feel special.” Ryuji says, voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Guys, please.” Makoto puts a hand on Ryuji’s shoulder. “Ryuji, we are very thankful for what you did and are happy you made it out.”
“But literally never do it again.” Ren interjects. “Please.”
“...That too.”
“Well, I don't think i'll be on any exploding cruise ships anytime soon.” Ryuji chuckles. “But thanks.”
“Exploding cruise ships???” Sojiro looks incredibly concerned. “I still don't get this whole metaverse thing…”
Ren gets up to start working behind the counter. “Don't worry about it, Boss.”
“I'm a little worried!”
“It's fine, Sojiro!” Futaba sits on the counter. “Now can you make some curry? I'm still sooooo hungry! I bet Inari wouldn't pass up-” She stops and looks around. “Hey… where's Inari?”
Ann finishes wiping the last of her tears. “I made him go outside to talk with Haru. It's a very important conversation.”
“What do you- ohhhhhh!” Futaba nods in understanding. “Really? Tonight?”
“Considering what happened tonight, I think it's necessary.” Makoto smiles. “It was too close of a call.”
“Uh, guys?” Ryuji stops eating. “What are we talking about?”
“Nothing.” Ren waves him off. “You'll probably find out soon.”
“Stop bein’ creepy and just tell me!”
“Me? Creepy?” Ren laughs. “Never.”
Suddenly, the door opens, the little bell dinging with it. “Ryuji?” Haru calls out. “Yusuke would like to meet with you. Just outside of Leblanc!”
“Oooooo, Ryuji’s in trouble!” Futaba mocks, before getting pawed at by Morgana.
Suddenly feeling an intense sense of dread, Ryuji gulps. “About… what?”
Haru just smiles. “Go outside!” Thanks, doesn't really answer his question.
“No- is there a reason?” He fights back. “The hell’s goin’ on??”
Ann gets up and shoves Ryuji to the door. “Good luck!”
“FOR WHAT?!??” He shouts as the door gets shut behind him. He is now face to face with Yusuke, who has an unreadable expression. “Uh. Wassup?”
“Hello, Ryuji.” Yusuke nods. “I've been… told to do something. Involving you.”
“I… see. Wassup- dammit! I already said that!!”
Yusuke furrows his eyebrows. “I have a question to ask you.”
“...Shoot.”
“How do you feel about me?”
Oh, this is an easy question! (So… why is he hesitating?) “Well, you’re my friend, duh. Why’re you askin’ me-”
“No,” Yusuke shakes his head. “What are your romantic intentions?”
And time stops.
And then time quickly resumes when Ryuji hears someone bang their head against a table inside Leblanc. Someone else yells in frustration. Ren starts laughing, because of course he does.
“Wh- what?!?!” Ryuji’s face is bright red, and his heart is pounding out of his chest. “You’re just askin’ that??”
“Yes..? Is that wrong?” Yusuke tilts his head. “I was told by several sources that I should try to identify your feelings. So, I am.”
Someone (probably Ann) from inside shouts “NOT LIKE THAT!!!”
Ryuji covers his face with his hands. “Oh my god, how is this actually happening. Yusuke, you’re gonna kill me.”
“I'm afraid I don't know what I did wrong-”
“Yusuke-” Ryuji takes him by the shoulders firmly. “I don't think you understand. You just asked me to confess. To you. You just asked me to do the confessing. You don't ask someone to confess, you DO the confession!!” He lightly shakes him. “How are you so normal about this!?!?”
There's a moment where Yusuke doesn't do anything, simply staring deep into Ryuji's eyes (and probably soul, if he's being for real).
Then, he laughs. It starts as a light chuckle, before quickly evolving into full on laughter. It's the hardest Ryuji’s ever seen him laugh. He's gasping for air, gripping his sides, and snorting through his nose. It's at that moment that Ryuji realizes-
Holy shit.
He's had the biggest crush on Yusuke Kitagawa for so long. It took Yusuke asking him outright like a crazy person for him to realize, but it's been so obvious! He's absolutely beautiful, charming (in his own way), how did he not realize sooner??
Eventually, Yusuke’s laughter slows. “I must apologize. It's just- you called me normal.” He laughs again. “I cannot recall a single time you've ever called me normal! I was so taken aback- I had to burst into laughter!”
“Holy shit…” Ryuji gasps, stars in his eyes. “You are so fucking hot.”
“I- pardon me??” Yusuke freezes.
“SHIT! I didn't mean to spit that out!” He slaps his hands over his mouth. “Sorry, I'm completely thrown off right now. This is all out of whack.”
Slowly, Yusuke pushes a strand of hair behind his ear, looking almost embarrassed (Yusuke? Embarrassed? He never thought he'd see the day). “Would you permit me to start this again, then?”
“Please.”
“Great. Excuse me.” He turns around, coughs into his hand, and turns back, not making direct eye contact. “Ryuji Sakamoto, I believe I harbor some sort of romantic attraction towards you. It haunts me in my every waking moment, and even in my rest. I am unsure when it began, but I don't think I'll ever be able to stop. So now, I ask you,” Yusuke focuses his eyes on Ryuji. “How do you feel?”
“Uh. Really fuckin’ surprised.” Ryuji blurts out. “BUT- uh. Well.” He feels the flush crawling to his ears. “I guess, I- I feel the same. 'Bout you.”
“That's- that's magnificent!” Yusuke says, and he's practically glowing. “Would you enjoy going on… an outing?”
“A date?” Ryuji nods feverishly. “Hell yeah, man! Sounds awesome!”
“Fantastic. When are you available?”
“I- I'll have to check with my Ma’ about that. I think some time next week should work?”
“I cannot wait!”
“Me neither, dude!”
For just a moment, everything is quiet as Yusuke and Ryuji stare at each other, smiling like madmen.
Then, Futaba slams the door to Leblanc open, throwing confetti and cheering. “FINALLY! Ladies and gentlemen, boys, girls, and cats! Inari figured it out!!” She throws extra confetti in their faces. “Inari has a date!”
"And it only took Ryuji getting blown up!” Ann runs out. “Congratulations!!”
Slowly, Makoto and Haru hand Ren cash. “I honestly didn't think Yusuke would confess first.” Makoto sighs. “A deals a deal, though.”
“There were BETS placed?!” Ryuji shouts. “Who won??”
Ren smirks. “My team. Ann, Futaba, you get 2000 Yen each. Morgana, you’re sharing my funds.”
“SCORE!” Futaba pumps her fists.
“It feels a bit unfair…” Haru hangs her head. “But it happened. Somehow.”
“Aw, come on! If I knew who was betting on what, I would've said it first!”
“You big jerk!” Ann ruffles his hair. “You’re just mad Morgana won!”
“How's he ‘sposed to use the money!?”
As the two continue to bicker, and everyone else talks amongst themselves, Yusuke smiles. Then, he pulls out his sketchbook. This is a moment that feels worth documenting.