DHC: Christmas fic for my good friend, Armand! He wanted a hetero fic from me since he's not all into yaoi and so I obliged. Not my typical fandom, not my typical writing, and oddly enough, it's one of my favorite pairings despite that. Oh, well. Hope everyone else likes~!
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Naoto was fidgeting her hands, they kept plucking at various articles of her clothes. She kept biting her lip anxiously, shifting a bit uncomfortably. Every one who passed by took a glance at her; she felt vulnerable. When she was dressed like normal, she felt fine, people recognized her, she wasn't someone they'd think twice about. But now, here she stood, adorned in a simple tan skirt, a sporty white polo with a denim jacket thrown over her shoulder and a cute pair of black flats with simple ankle socks. Her hair was pulled back out of her face to the left, pinned back with one silver and one blue clip.

She tried her best to not keep worrying on her lip, lest she chew off the light pink gloss. She looked at herself in the reflection of the glass, noting the way the dusting of light green eyeshadow brought out the tone of her eyes and the simple dash of eyeliner made her eyes look that much wider, more feminine. Again, she felt out of place and uncomfortable. Her fingers plucked at her skirt, her newly manicured and painted nails scuffing against the fabric; she felt out of place and vulnerable. She was a woman, that's what people expected her to be, any way.

Anger boiled under her skin for a moment at the thought, but she pushed it down. No, getting angry was no way to go about this. She wasn't vulnerable. She wasn't weak. She was just Naoto Shirogane. Today she wasn't the "Detective Prince", she wasn't a child, she was just...Naoto.

"Sorry, am I late?" Came a voice from behind her and she fought down the urge to blush as she turned around, a small smile rising to her face as she came face to face with Souji, who was dressed more casual as well. He exhanged his school outfit for a pair of black slacks, a casual white button up, the top two left undone to let the collar flare free, and had a jacket of his own flung over his shoulder. He gave her a radiant smile that only made her face heat up and made her heart pound.

"Not at all," She managed to answer without stammering, congratulating herself for not losing her cool. "I was just a little early."

"Old habit dies hard, hm?" Souji teased with a soft, knowing laugh. Her face heated up worse and she looked to the side, huffing a little, pretending to look affronted.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She excused.

Souji merely smiled again. "Shall we go, then?" He asked, side-stepping around her and offered her his arm.

Her blush got brighter, if possible as she ducked her head down, her nervousness coming back with a vengeance. "Y-yes, let's get going." She said. She hesitantly stepped closer to him before taking his offered arm. He gave a small tug and they began to walk through the strip together at a slow pace.

Their walk was uneventful, neither saying anything, but the looks they exchanged spoke the words neither wanted to say. They made it to the small cafe near the edge of town and Souji saw Naoto to her seat courteously before sitting down himself. She was blushing brightly at the special treatment he was giving her. She wanted to protest, but every time she tried, he'd silence her with that damnable smile of his.

She was distracted throughout their entire meal, only barely able to keep their meniable conversation going. She felt so off-how could his mere presence do this to her? She was proud of her usual tact and front she could hold, but now she was reduced to this quiet, almost shy-like demeanor of a childish girl! ...Perhaps, spoke her inner voice, the true Persona within her. ...That is who you truly are. You know nothing about this kind of thing. Nothing about a relationship, nothing of love. How do you even know what you feel is real?

She bit her lip, looking away. She didn't know, that was the truth of the fact. This was something new and unfamilliar to her; she could very well be walking blindsided into something she couldn't handle. Though she could generally pride herself upon saying she could handle such a thing usually, her own feelings came into the mixture this time. Could she? Could she really handle something so delicate and big as a relationship?

"...Naoto?" Came a voice, snapping her from her thoughts. Eyes widening, her eyes snapped to focus to see Souji looking at her concernedly, and she felt her face heating up in shame.

"S-sorry..." She managed to say, looking down to her lap, one hand fidgeting with her skirt again. "I-I..."

Before she could even begin to explain anything, She felt warmth touch her other hand. She looked over to see Souji's hand resting atop hers. Her eyes glanced up and over to see Souji smile calmly at her. His eyes held nothing but a gentle understanding and a light in them-something foreign, yet unmistakable. She swallowed hard as she heard him speak.

"Hey... It's okay. I'm here for you."

She flushed harder, looking away again, biting on her lip even harder. She tried to come up with a response. "I-I... Th-that is... I mean..." She stopped herself, realizing she was stammering and must sound like a total idiot and heaved a frustrated sigh. "...Thank you."

Souji smiled, curling his fingers around Naoto's hand to clasp hers, pulling her arm towards him a little more. "I just want you to know... That I can wait, if that's what you need."

She looked up at him through half-lidded eyes, feeling her heart racing, and she went through a million reactions all at once, a dozen responses, but finally settled upon one. Her hand curled around Souji's in response and she lifted her head and managed to look the other straight in the eye. Her face was bright red, but she managed to speak clearly: "That...won't be necessary. I've...made my decision."

Souji smiled warmly at her, and Naoto's own trembling lips managed to quirk upwards, too. Perhaps she could, she told herself. There was always more to gain upon trying, upon experiencing, to run without trying was only to be as weak as she had been. ...She wanted to be as strong as Souji so she could walk just as confidantly alongside him.

When Souji walked her home that evening, she didn't shy away when he stepped a little closer, and didn't pull away when he leaned in. His hand brushed across her cheek and he gave her a small smile that had her pulse racing. He didn't kiss her, not this time, but that was alright to her. The way his eyes spoke to her were enough.

When he turned to walk away, his hand slowly slipped from hers and she felt a sudden fear creep into her. "Souji-" She called after him.

He stopped and inclined his head back towards her. She fumbled for her words. "...Don't leave me..."

He only smiled at her and the shadows that tried to bind her down again left. "I'm not going anywhere," He answered softly. "I'm always here." He pointed towards her heart and if possible, she felt what was left of any doubt inside of her leave that she was making the wrong choice. She smiled fully at him and gave a nod. "...Goodnight."

He flicked his jacket over his shoulder as he began to shuffle away. "Goodnight, Naoto."

She turned and went inside of her house and went to her room. It wasn't hardly ten minutes later that a text popped up on her phone. When she red it, her face heated up beyond comparason, but the smile that lit her face all the way to her eyes made it all the worthwhile.

'Sweet dreams, Naoto. Love, Souji.'

Owari.