A/N: I apparently no longer capable of writing short, stop-gap chapters. Sorry for the wait.

1. The Guys

Ryuji: We need to have an emergency meeting as the men of the group!

Akira: What's up?

Yusuke: I admit, I am at a loss as well. Do explain, Ryuji.

Ryuji: It's nothin serious just some guy talk

Yusuke: If this is another attempt to aid you in your efforts to woo a member of the opposite sex, I must decline. I'm in the middle of finishing a piece.

Yusuke: Not to mention that undertaking such a Sisyphean task would yield poor, if any results.

Ryuji: Sis-what?

Akira: He's saying it'd be impossible to get girls to like you

Ryuji: Shaddup!

Ryuji: Anyways, that aint what I'm talking about.

Ryuji: Just meet me at the ramen place in Ogikubo

Yusuke: And if I refuse?

Ryuji: I'll treat you. Just don't get crazy with your order.

Yusuke: I shall begin preparing for my departure immediately.

Akira: I guess I'll see you guys in a bit

Ryuji: Alright!

Yusuke: Ryuji? I may also require you to cover my train fare…

Akira found himself sandwiched between two of his now closest friends at Ogikubo's renowned ramen restaurant. The place was as packed as always, the three of them just barely managed to cram into some seats. Akira's own bowl sat in front of him, just served by the cook, its broth steaming tantalizingly. "Thanks for the food," He murmured under his breath, breaking apart some chopsticks and moving to dig in.

"Man, this place is the best!" Ryuji exclaimed, proceeding to loudly slurp some noodles.

"I must agree," Yusuke said. "Such depth of flavor from such a seemingly simple dish is truly remarkable."

"Surprised Morgana didn't tag along," Ryuji said between mouthfuls. "Figured he'd want to get in on this too."

"He said he didn't have any interest since 'Ryuji could hardly be called a monkey much less a man, this will-'"

"You don't have to keep going man," Ryuji said, rolling his eyes. "Damn cat, like he'd know what being a guy is really like."

"Plus he's not really a fan of ramen. Cat's tongue and all," Akira explained.

"Man, forget the cat!" Ryuji said, waving his hand dismissively. His eyes gained a mischievous glint. "We got more important matters to discuss! There's been some rumors goin' around the school…"

Oh boy, here it comes, Akira thought, sighing slightly and setting down his chopsticks.

"Seeing as it is unlikely such a rumor reached Kosei, I would appreciate it if you would elaborate," Yusuke said in between bites of ramen.

"You see, everyone's sayin that the other day, this guy," Ryuji gestured toward Akira, "Was sucking face with our very own class prez!"

"You are referring to Makoto, yes?" Yusuke asked, cocking an eyebrow in surprise.

"Yup," Ryuji replied, with a grin that nearly split his face in two. "Sooo? What's the deal man? Spill it!"

"It's true," Akira said simply. He had no reason to lie, after all.

"Yeah I didn't think- wait what!" Ryuji said, nearly dropping his chopsticks.

"What is your relationship, if you will pardon my asking?" Yusuke asked, seeming more curious than surprised.

"We've been dating for a little over two months now," Akira answered.

"Two months!" Ryuji counted his fingers a few times, doing some mental math. "Wait so, during the class trip to Hawaii… you were with her!" Akira nodded. "Aw man! I thought you might like her after Ann asked what kind of girls you like, but I wouldn't have guessed…" He paused for a moment. "Wait a minute. Dude, why didn't you tell us?"

"It never came up?" Akira offered awkwardly, his answer sounding more like a question than an answer. Truthfully, he was hoping that his line of questioning wouldn't come up. It wasn't that he didn't trust his friends, in fact, he trusted each of them with his life. But, at the time it had seemed like a decent idea. He and Makoto in the beginning were still sorting out their own feelings for each other, and they had wanted take it at their own pace without the rest of the Phantom Thieves hovering over them, as good intentioned as their actions might be.

Ryuji raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "That's seriously lame dude," He said dubiously, unaware of Akira's internal logic.

"For once I agree with Ryuji," Yusuke agreed.

Ryuji glared at the young artist. "Why does every damn one of you always have to say 'for once?' You could just agree ya know!" Shaking his head he gave Akira probing look.

"I just… wanted to keep it quiet for a while. I didn't want Makoto to have any trouble getting any letters or recommendation or for bothersome rumors to start around her," Akira explained, giving the justification he had come with later on during their relationship. They deserved to know that much.

"I guess I sorta understand that," Ryuji said, scratching the back of his head and shifting uncomfortably. "The rest of the school's been pretty rough to you, huh?"

"I understand. Ryuji and Ann are hardly the most discrete individuals amongst our friends," Yusuke said, having drawn his own conclusion, and Akira was glad that the artist was able to fill in the blanks himself, though with a little less tact than he would have hoped. Ryuji gritted his teeth but didn't respond. "So, what changed?" Yusuke asked.

"The other day someone in our year started hitting on me," Akira began.

"Dude…" Ryuji sighed, his tone clearly envious.

"I was trying to let her down gently, but she wouldn't back off. I was about to just leave when she starting mouthing off about Makoto," Akira continued.

"I imagine that was upsetting," Yusuke said sympathetically.

Akira nodded, frowning slightly as he recalled the incident. "I don't know what I would have done if Makoto hadn't showed up. She told the girl we were dating point-blank and… you know the rest."

"Wait, so she started it?" Ryuji asked incredulously. Akira replied in the affirmative. "So…" Ryuji began, grinning ear to ear. "How far have you to gone?"

"That's none of your business," Akira replied firmly, instantly shutting down that line of inquiry. He was willing to admit that it was a little messed up that pretty much the whole school knew about he and Makoto's relationship before his actual friends, but beyond that the more intimate parts of their relationship were going to remain private.

"Aw come on man, give me something here!" Ryuji complained. His eyebrows arched mischievously. "Is she… aggressive, when y'all are alone?"

"Ryuji…" Akira said warningly, hoping it didn't show on his face when he recalled a few incidents of Makoto's… competitive streak.

"Capturing such passion might make for a wonderful painting," Yusuke pondered.

"Not you too," Akira sighed exasperatedly, as his friends looked at him expectantly.

2. The Girls

Ann: Hey what are you guys up to?

Makoto: I didn't really have any plans today

Ann: Futaba?

Futaba: New game. Busy.

Ann: Come on, we should all go out! Just us girls!

Makoto: I'm not opposed to that

Ann: Yeah! It'll be fun! C'mon Futaba!

Futaba: This isn't the Futaba you're looking for

Ann: ?

Ann: I don't really get it, but you're saying no right?

Makoto: I believe so.

Ann: We can go anywhere you want! My treat!

Futaba: …

Futaba: Anywhere?

"I have to admit, I wasn't expecting China Town," Ann said after placing her order. "Then again, I'm not sure my wallet would have survived another sushi run," She laughed.

"It was pretty expensive," Makoto agreed, recalling their celebration after stealing Kaneshiro's Treasure. She hadn't expected China Town either, though then again, not many were able to predict Futaba's whims. Makoto had gone herself with Akira before, though not the restaurant they were currently in. It would be interesting to draw some comparisons.

"Just ate sushi with Akira and Sojiro the other night," Futaba answered. "Plus this zone has some shops with some ~awesome sweets." The red-haired girl had been apprehensive about going anywhere after realizing Akira wouldn't be with her, but with a little help from Ann, Makoto had been able to reassure her that it would be okay. The red haired girl had murmured something about a 'promise list' before hesitantly agreeing. She seemed to be fine for now, thanks to Makoto working with Ann to shoo away any pushy guys, and once they had made their way to the restaurant they had carefully chosen a more isolated portion of the seating area.

"Now you're speaking my language Futaba!" Ann replied excitedly. "Speaking of talking, I figured we could do some girl talk while we're out here."

"Not interested," Futaba answered, quickly shooting Ann's suggestion down.

Ann pouted, but didn't press the issue further. Futaba did always march to the beat of her own drum, after all. "What about you Makoto?"

"I don't mind, but I might not be the most fun person to talk to about such things," Makoto replied sheepishly, attempting to deflect. She had been anticipating this line of questioning for a while now but knowing how interested Ann was in such topics there would no doubt be an endless barrage of questions, a few of them likely to be mortifying. She had hoped to put that off for a little longer.

"Oh really?" Ann said, raising an eyebrow. "Even with the rumors about you and Akira floating around?"

Here we go… Makoto thought, steeling herself.

Futaba perked up suddenly at the mention of their leader's name. "Rumors? Akira?"

Ann opted to fill her in. "I heard a lot of people at school talking about how they saw Makoto kissing him in the middle of the second year floor!" She explained excitedly. She readdressed Makoto. "So, so? Are you two dating?" She asked, her voice dripping in anticipation.

Makoto relented, the cat was out of the bag. "Yes, for about two months now."

"Oh, I'm so happy for you Makoto!" Ann replied, squealing with hardly suppressed excitement. Futaba began typing furiously on her phone. "So, what's it like?" Ann asked curiously.

"It's… nice…" Makoto said. Honestly she wasn't sure how to put the emotions she felt into words… without saying one or two embarrassing things, at least.

Ann smiled slightly, but looked dissatisfied. "That's good! But come, on give us some juicy details!"

"J-juicy?" Makoto stuttered. She did not like where this conversation was heading.

"What do you want Ann?" Futaba asked suddenly, grinning wickedly. "Texts? Emails? Voicemails? Pictures?"

"H-hey! Those are supposed to be private!" Makoto shouted, her face reddening.

"Oooh, show me something from around when they first started dating!" Ann said excitedly.

"Ann! Don't encourage her!" Makoto cried. Who knew what they might stumble upon?

"Got something! A picture from the class trip to Hawaii," Futaba said triumphantly. She passed the phone to Ann, who wriggled out of the way of Makoto's attempts to snatch the phone away from them.

"Aww, you two are so cute! You can totally tell that you had just started going out!" Ann cooed, revealing the picture to Makoto: A selfie of the two of them on the beach under the gentle light of the sunset. Makoto was smiling shyly, and even Akira's trademark smirk was nowhere to be seen, just a simple, serene smile playing at his lips. She handed the phone back to Futaba, much to Makoto's relief. "Alright, that's enough, we shouldn't snoop too much," Ann said.

"Are you sure? I could send you an archive of all this stuff…" Futaba offered, grinning mischievously.

"Nah," Ann declined. "Those things aren't meant for us," She said, chiding the younger girl gently.

"Where's the fun in that?" Futaba mumbled, shifting her gaze downward.

"Well we're friends right?" Ann reasoned. "Friends respect each other's privacy with these sorts of things you know?"

Futaba glanced away shyly, but Makoto didn't miss the slight smile on the younger girl's face. She knew from her own personal experience first joining the Phantom Thieves how gratifying it felt to be able to count on each member both in and out of the Metaverse, as a team mates and friends. Their 'work' both fostered and required an implicit degree of trust, but it was nice to put a name out loud to the comradery they all shared.

"Besides, I'm sure Makoto will tell us a few thing if we're nice about it? Right Makoto?" Ann said.

Makoto could only sigh as the blonde began asking all manner of questions about her relationship.

3. The Boss

Sojiro Sakura turned his eyes up at the sound of Leblanc's door chime ringing. His hopes for a customer were quickly quashed when he set eyes on his current ward, Akira Kurusu. Sojiro still didn't know what kind of mess the kid had gotten himself into to end up on probation, but he seemed to have a good head on his shoulders, and took to helping around the shop like a natural, whether it came to making coffee, cleaning dishes, or making small talk with the shop's few regular patrons. A wry smile made its way on the older man's face. If the kid kept up at this pace he'd be able to open his own shop and put him out of business in no time. That was all without mentioning what he had done for Futaba. He might never say it out loud, but he would always be grateful for to the kid for breaking her out of her shell. Couldn't have him getting uppity on him now, after all.

"Hey kid, help out with the dishes will you?" Sojiro said gruffly.

"Sure thing boss," Akira replied, popping upstairs to drop off his bag before heading back down and tying on his apron. Within moments he began cleaning the day's dishes with careful precision. Within a few minutes he was finished, letting out a content sigh.

Sojiro set a freshly brewed cup of coffee in front of the boy. "Thanks for helping out."

Akira nodded appreciatively, holding his cup in his hand for a second to enjoy the aroma before having a small sip. The youth closed his eyes as he processed Leblanc's signature flavor profile, and Sojiro couldn't help but feel pleased with himself at the small smile that made its way on the teen's face. Suddenly a loud chirp interrupted the moment, and Akira carefully placed his cup back on its saucer before reaching into his pockets for his phone. Sojiro watched carefully as Akira's face lit up upon finding the sender of his message, the teen chuckling softly as he typed out a response.

Sojiro, being a man of experience, knew the look of charmed man. Akira had been acting a little differently for a while now, and the older man had had his suspicions (the kid had brought a few girls around the shop with his friends) but now he was sure. Sojiro smirked slightly. Well I'll be, the kid's got himself a girlfriend.

"So," Sojiro began, "Who's the girl?" Sojiro barely suppressed a chuckle as Akira fumbled his phone, nearly dropping it.

"What do you mean?" Akira asked, to his credit keeping his voice level. Even so, this time Sojiro allowed himself to chuckle out loud this time.

"I've been around, and I know the look of a guy who's got it bad," Sojiro teased.

Akira rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "You remember Makoto Niijima, right?"

Sojiro did. Sharp girl. Pretty too. Sojiro raised an eyebrow, "What happened to being just friends?"

Akira began twisting a few strands of his hair. "Technically, we didn't start dating till after that."

"Mhm," Sojiro grunted knowingly. "So, is she coming by the shop later?"

Akira nodded affirmatively. "Today was… tiring. Everyone else found out about and they were pretty insistent about getting details," He grimaced.

"Lots of boys your age would kill for that problem," Sojiro said. "Like that knucklehead friend of yours."

Akira couldn't help but laugh about that. "Yeah…" A serene look made its way to his face. "I'm… very lucky."

"Save the sappy stuff for later Romeo," Sojiro sighed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. He didn't know how to react when the kid was being so sincere instead of making some snarky remark. "And remember to lock up the shop," He went on, as he took off his apron, gathered his things and made his way toward the door. "And make sure you walk back her to the station at least, you hear? Even a punk like you can manage that right?"

"Will do, Boss," Akira replied, and Sojiro gave a casual wave of farewell on his way out. On his way down the street back home, he found himself smiling again. If he had looked back on the way out, he would have found Akira smiling too.

4. The (Totally Not A) Cat

With Sojiro out for the night and Makoto on the way, Akira headed behind the counter. Creating a makeshift blend of leftover beans from the day, he got to work roasting them. As he worked, Morgana emerged from upstairs and hopped onto the countertop, his ban from the shop lifted with the store closed for the day.

"So, how was your day?" Akira asked.

"I mostly just watched your rentals," Morgana replied in a bored tone. "I tried out one of those… video games that Futaba is going on about." He sighed. "Kinda hard to work that controller thing with just paws."

"You could have tagged along," Akira said good-naturedly.

Morgana turned away from him, in what Akira approximated was apprehension. "Yeah… I wasn't feeling up to it. Plus, Ryuji's voice is really grating on the ears. And though ramen sounds good, cat's tongue," Morgana asked, looking downcast. He looked up at Akira. "I wonder if it would be different as a human?"

"Not sure," Akira answered. "Some humans are also are sensitive to temperature."

"Is that so?" Morgana answered, not really seeming interested. He looked back at Akira. "Makoto's coming over right? I overheard you and Boss." Seeing Akira's nod, he continued. "I can go for a walk, if it'd be better if I'm not around…"

Normally Akira would appreciate the consideration, but something about his friend's phrasing bothered him. He'd noticed Morgana acting differently than normal since Futaba joined. "Is something wrong?"

Morgana suddenly looked surprised. "W-what? What are you talking about?" He puffed himself out. "I'm giving you a hand here, that's all! I'm expecting the same treatment once I become human and get… you know!" Morgana stretched and began making his way toward the door. "I'm fine, really. Though if you want to make it up to me, I wouldn't say no to some sushi…"

"Done deal," Akira chuckled. He wasn't totally convinced that Morgana was okay, but he hoped that when the time was right, he would confide in him.

"I'll hold you to that," Morgana said, laughing a little. "And don't do anything weird in our room, I have to sleep their too!" He teased, and before Akira could retort, the shop's chime sounded and Morgana was gone.

5. The Aftermath

The chime sounded through Leblanc as Makoto stepped inside. She closed her eyes and let out a sigh. What a day… She scanned the shop for Akira, finding him busying himself behind the counter preparing some coffee. He looked up at her for a moment, giving her a smile and small wave.

"Take a seat, I'll be wrapping up in just a sec," Akira said, putting the finishing touches on the cup he was preparing.

Makoto obliged, letting out sigh as she slid into one of the well-worn in booths of Leblanc. "Where's Morgana?"

Akira chuckled. "He excused himself. With the promise of sushi of course." Within a few moments he joined her, mugs on saucers in hand.

"You're spoiling me," Makoto chuckled. "Won't Boss be upset with you?"

"He can take it out of my paycheck," Akira replied, smirking.

Makoto raised an eyebrow at him. "…Boss doesn't pay you though…"

"Case in point," Akira said, taking a sip of his coffee with a casualness that suggested that, in his mind, the matter was closed. Makoto couldn't help but giggle, resulting in an upturned lips from Akira. "Besides, I think he'd support the cause."

"The cause being?" Makoto asked, smiling as she played along.

"Serving the best cup of coffee in Tokyo to my girlfriend," Akira said nonchalantly, causing Makoto's cheeks to flush a little. He looked thoughtful for a moment, completely oblivious to her embarrassment. "Well… pretty close to the best. I'm not quite at Boss' level yet," Akira went on laughing. He took another sip of coffee. "So? How was it on your end?"

"Things were fine, at least after Ann convinced Futaba to not archive all of our private data," Makoto said.

Akira rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Sounds like you had the worst of it then. Other than Ryuji's… 'curiosities' it wasn't so bad for me."

"Thankfully Ann didn't really press into anything too intimate," Makoto said in relief. She wasn't sure if she would have been able to handle a bawdier inquiry from Ryuji. It was probably better for his sake that she wasn't there, Mementos kept her aikido skills quite sharp after all. "I'm not sure how I would have reacted if she had gone there," Makoto mused out loud, sipping some of her own coffee and reflecting on the day's events.

"You know, everyone's questioning today made me realize something…" Her gaze shifted back to Akira. "You don't really talk about your life before coming here that often."

Akira's face darkened a bit. "Yeah…" He trailed off.

His reaction prompted Makoto to backpedal. "Y-you don't need to tell me about it or anything but… I feel distant from you sometimes because of that…"

Akira's face looked pained for a second, but he quickly collected himself. His mouth set in a firm line. It reminded her of the expression he would make whenever they faced a particularly difficult foe. An unwavering figure of strength for all the Phantom Thieves to rally behind. If he ever had any doubts or fears he kept them to himself.

Makoto's eyes widened. Himself?

Akira's voice interrupted her train of thought. "It's in the past. It doesn't bother me now." He sounded far away, despite being in arms reach.

"You don't have to tell me," Makoto repeated again softly. "But don't shut me out Akira," She pleaded.

Akira's gaze shifted downward. "I guess it'd only be fair, since you told me about your past…"

"That's not what this is about!" Makoto said, a little more emphatically than she intended, prompting Akira to wince slightly. She took a deep breath, calming herself down. She didn't want him to misunderstand. "This isn't about fairness or give and take. I told you about those things because I wanted to… because I felt like if anyone could understand what I was going through it would be you… It made it easier, having someone there just to listen while I was trying to figure things out."

She smiled at him affectionately. "I got a little more than I anticipated but… I couldn't be happier." Akira twisted some strands of his hair, and Makoto didn't miss the slight red dusting his cheeks. "I just want you to know that, if you ever feel like sharing, I'll always be willing to listen." Makoto reached across the table for his hand, intertwining her fingers in his. Her voice softened. "It can't be easy, having gone through everything you have, leading us all, and still keeping things together at school. You don't have to put on a strong face all the time, especially not for me." She looked him squarely in the eyes. "I'll always believe in you, everyone will. But we're here for you too you know? I'm here."

He squeezed her hand gently, and Makoto smiled. She knew then, without words, that he did understand. For a moment they sat in comfortable silence, until Akira's voice broke it gently.

"I was pretty normal, stayed in my lane and kept to myself usually. I would usually stay at school pretty late. Really I'd do anything to get out of the house…" He paused, and Makoto waited patiently for him to continue.

"My parent's relationship had gotten a little… rocky. My mom was a dedicated career business woman, super driven. My dad… he also worked in business but he kind of just went with the flow. He was soft spoken and kind, but my mom couldn't stand how he wouldn't push as hard to advance as she did."

Makoto couldn't help but think about how Akira's mother sounded like how Sae had become in recent years. A woman pushing herself to the brink to succeed in an environment dominated by men. She shook her head, she needed to focus on Akira now.

"W-when I…" Akira's voice shook and he closed his eyes and paused, and Makoto squeezed his hand comfortingly. Clearing his throat we went on, "When I was arrested and my parents came to visit me, my mom was yelling at me, saying that I would ruin reputation, her career once the news inevitably got out, even after I tried to tell her I was innocent. My dad tried to stop her, and at that point she lost it. She yelled at him too for a little while and stormed out. My dad… he kept apologizing to me for a while… then he left too. Last time I saw him before I came here, he told me that my mom had moved back in with her family…"

Makoto's heart clenched painfully as she absorbed the details of Akira's past. "Oh, Akira…" His expression was blank, it looked as if he was recalling those days vividly. The table between them seemed to grow wider. "Akira," She said suddenly, gentle but firm. His head snapped up suddenly. He was with her again. "Come over here," Makoto said tenderly. She scooted over to the far side of the booth. Akira moved in next to her, and Makoto patted her lap. His eyes flickered to hers for a moment and Makoto saw some lingering doubt, how he fought back against the reflex to reach for the mask of the infallible leader of the Phantom Thieves. Makoto looked back at him with warm reassurance. It's okay.

Akira's legs hung off the end of the booth, and it would likely take a little maneuvering to extricate himself later without bumping his head against the table, but he eventually rested his head on her lap. Makoto began running one hand through his hair and resting the other on his cheek, running her fingers beneath his jawline. Akira's gray eyes found hers again as he looked up at her in wonder. After a few moments he closed them, relaxing underneath her touch. She smiled as she felt the rest of his body relax as well.

"Thank you, Makoto," He said quite some time later.

"You'd do the same for me," Makoto replied. She chuckled. "In some ways, you already have." Neither made to move, so Makoto began humming softly while continuing her ministrations until the last trains were about to roll in.

A/N: So I finally got to toy with interactions with the rest of the cast, so that was fun. I hope I was able to portray everyone somewhat convincingly. I feel like Futaba is probably the hardest for me, specifically trying to nail the way she talks without seeming overdone. If you noticed parallels between the guys and girls' conversation, that was intentional, hopefully it came off more humorous and less like lazy writing.

In case it was unclear even with subtle narrative framing (Morgana's discomfort primarily), I tried to frame this as happening prior to Haru joining. I wanted to include her, but I feel like the game becomes a much more serious affair after the events of the fifth palace, making it more difficult to justify general team goofiness, sorry for those who wanted to see her. Moving on, the last scene was tough to write, so hopefully it went across well. I probably could have made things more dramatic, and dragged out 'the talk' until a later installment, but ehh, that's just not my thing. So hopefully I was able to accomplish my mini-goal of having at least a little relationship development between Akira and Makoto each chapter without it seeming forced or rushed. Anyways, sorry about the long overdue update! I can't promise a consistent schedule, but I still have plenty ideas rolling around, so I hope you all will stick with me.