This post has the following content warnings:
It's a peaceful day at Leblanc. Sojiro has a couple customers in his shop, both sipping coffee, one eating a curry. Mellow music is playing, the lighting is cozy, and the coffee is as good as ever.
He nods a greeting as Akira enters the shop on her way home from school.
She giggles. "Yeah, I guess so. Thanks, Ryuji. You really know how to cheer me up."
She looks down at what's left of her meal and offers Ryuji the onion rings. "Want a couple of these?"
"Sure!" He grabs a couple and tosses one into his mouth. "Want some of my fries?"
"Yeah, sure." She takes a couple and puts them in her onion ring holder. "I have to say, it's really good to kick back and relax." She slurps her Crush.
Non, moitié. We deserve to revel in the company of those we love. You have these girls and this boy who are utterly taken with you, and I'm sure you can have them as well.
Hee. Indeed.
Akira has her fries, and looks over the table at Ryuji.
She should kiss him. She really, really should kiss him. But the table's in the way...
"Hey," she says to Ryuji. "Lean in for a moment, I want to tell you something."
Akira leans in as well... but rather than whisper in his ear, she plants a firm kiss on his cheek.
She pulls back with a teasing smirk on her face.
Akira looks away and then back.
"W-would you like another?" she manages. She's trying to be smooth but her voice seems to have other ideas.
"Yes please."
He leans close again, and cups her cheek when she draws near.
She leans in, and cautiously kisses his lips.
It's a soft kiss. Chaste. A little clumsy. She's never done this before, and this is physical reality: she can't just imagine the motion and have her body follow gracefully like in the Metaverse.
... It's still good.
Ryuji returns the kiss gently, and a bit clumsily as well. He's looking at her like Christmas came early, when they pull away.
Oh. Oh wow. That is Such An Expression.
She flushes and returns to her burger so she doesn't have to say anything.
He returns to his burger as well, but keeps glancing up at her with That Expression periodically.
Come back, moitié. You are a beautiful young girl with every right to kiss any boy or girl who wishes it. I am proud of you right now. There is nothing to be ashamed of here, chérie. Come back to us.
She takes a slow breath. It doesn't matter what her family called her or didn't call her. She's her own person, and they're wrong anyway.
She reaches out across the table.
"... could you hold my hand?" she asks.
Ryuji nods and reaches across, squeezing Akira's hand gently. "Yeah."
After a beat, he asks, "Bad memories?"
She nods. "But let's not linger on them. I..." She ducks her head and smiles. "I have you, now. And all the rest of us. And that — puts the lie to everything my family said."
She squeezes his hand. "So let's stay here, in this moment. Where we've got each other."
He squeezes her hand back. "Yeah. We've got each other, and we've got Ann and Shiho, and everyone else can fuck off, 'cause having you in my life is pretty damned great."
She nods. "Yeah." She intertwines her fingers with Ryuji's, as if to lock their hands together forever. "Having you all makes me feel whole. And you..." She looks away. "My family always would say one thing and do another. They were two-faced. But you... The more I get to know you the more obvious it is that you say what you mean and mean what you say. You're so earnest. That soothes me. It makes it easy to like you, easy to care about you. Easy to kiss you."
He squeezes her hand, and scratches the back of his head sheepishly, blushing and grinning. "I dunno, Akira. I just do what feels right."
View Flat HTML
View Metadata
Search Post
