Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

School days, the everyday routine after… After everything connected to the Phantom Thieves seemed so insignificant, and yet so precious. At least, that is what many of the Phantom Thieves thought as they had to go back to cafés, family businesses, university entrance prep and other matters demanding their full attention. For Ryuji and Yusuke, returning to everyday life meant returning to the little things. To little things like noticing every action of their beloved, every word, to calling each other “beloved”. To noticing those very little things in every place, every moment, no matter how familiar both of them were with the location.

Days at school became the clearest example of how much both of them had changed. Having basically faced the end of the world, you stop doing anything “half‑heartedly”. Ryuji stopped just “attending school” and suddenly, now and then, showing his intellectual abilities. Thanks to Makoto’s persistence, he got the highest score on the very first exam. Yusuke stopped visiting places that were painful memories for him. He stopped visiting necessary study locations just once and then finishing a painting in the dorm, not too inspired by that visit. This ended with there being times when someone would call Ryuji, as Yusuke’s designated emergency contact, to help drag Kitagawa out of a church where he would keep sitting long after closing time, just to capture every scuff, every single detail, refusing to do anything “half‑heartedly”.

It seemed that the averted end of the world affected the two of them more than any of the other thieves. Suddenly, Ryuji became calmer and more open, qualities he had usually hidden behind a mask of crudeness and ignorance. Yusuke… became even stranger to society, even though it seemed that was impossible to begin with. On the other hand, they started trusting each other even more, becoming truly two halves of a whole.

They seemed to read each other’s minds to some extent. Sometimes the thoughts were obvious, like Yusuke wanting a matcha drink from his favorite café, and Ryuji a bowl of beef ramen. But then there were birthdays and, in general, moments when they would accidentally guess each other’s wishes. A manga Ryuji had been eyeing for a long time but had never told anyone about. A sketchbook with a set of different A4 papers that Kitagawa could only occasionally dream of. They loved guessing each other’s desires, so they kept a silly tally that showed who had “won” in certain moments, and when and how.

The end of the world had made both of them pay attention to small details that reminded them of each other. Any view, even, perhaps, a pencil stub, reminded Ryuji of Yusuke and how the artist might use it to create a new masterpiece. Watercolors were always for places with a lot of water. Ryuji loved managing to get Yusuke out into nature, whether it was a boat ride down a river or sitting on the sand by the sea, Ryuji knew anyway that Yusuke would try to fill an entire sketchbook with watercolor sketches. And Ryuji knew that nearly all of those sketches would be dedicated to him. Pastels were for forest locations. Ryuji loved how deeply Yusuke admired the pastel animal works of one particular artist, so under the pretext of “getting some fresh air”, he would always invite Yusuke to the woods, expecting a filled notebook of animals or at least plants. In general, any art supply reminded Ryuji of Yusuke in one way or another, simply because of what Kitagawa was like.
Yusuke’s problem was that absolutely any object, any property of the universe, everything in this world reminded him of Ryuji. This was not just a pretty turn of phrase. It was a truth from which Yusuke could not escape. The simplest association was sports. Sometimes Yusuke saw students in the dorm courtyard playing volleyball and could not help but imagine Sakamoto among them. Passing by a sports shop, he could imagine Ryuji running in beautiful new sneakers, trying on a bright, stylish T‑shirt and wondering whether his tape or binder was visible through it. Ryuji always thought about so many things at once, even though at first the Phantom Thieves had thought his head was empty. The fact was that in this, what Ryuji saw as a cursed brain, there was too much of everything all at once. Yusuke had confirmed this himself, realizing that Ryuji needed time to say something coherent, something he truly meant.

It was a Saturday. The day Yusuke was supposed to meet Ryuji after his prep classes, into which Makoto had pushed Sakamoto, having seen his potential in future sports medicine. But no matter how many classes, extra assignments and thoughts about entrance exams there were, rest was also important. On Yusuke’s initiative, they were supposed to go to an amusement park.
It was meant to be a good break from regular school life, especially since the holidays were starting and Yusuke could stay with the Sakamoto family. Ryuji’s mother was only glad, even though she, like Ryuji himself, would be working most of the time, but Kitagawa did not mind. It was an opportunity to fill his sketchbook with new drawings, including new sketches of Ryuji and of what he, Yusuke, considered home.

They were both trying too hard not only for themselves and each other, but in general for all their friends, the Phantom Thieves and beyond. Makoto was now studying law, Haru, who had gifted them the park tickets, was studying management, and everyone else was experiencing the hell of preparing for final exams while combining it with ordinary life.
“Did you wait long?” A sudden voice rang out, the one Yusuke would recognize anywhere, but which right now was the only precious sound in what seemed like all of Tokyo, all of Japan, even the whole world. A voice Yusuke wanted to listen to endlessly. Kitagawa shook his head in reply, pulling Sakamoto into his arms, and they stood like that for a couple of minutes, motionless, not even thinking about stepping aside somewhere else. It was a simple hug, just two friends for someone else, what could be wrong with that?
Yusuke’s head rested comfortably on top of Ryuji’s, who had disappeared into his embrace, and Kitagawa took full advantage of that. Maybe five or ten minutes passed before Ryuji pulled away from the hug with a wide grin. The very smile Yusuke had fallen in love with after Futaba’s Palace.

“Are you ready for a whole evening of ‘I need to sketch this’ and ‘are you done yet?’” Ryuji said teasingly, not meaning anything mean. He was used to Yusuke and loved him the way he was, with all his quirks. Even when, just like now, Yusuke arched a brow, not fond of that kind of teasing. Ryuji fixed that bad mood quite easily. “You get to choose the first ride. And first thing, I’m going to get your favorite chopped ice. Blue, right?” After receiving a confirming nod and seeing his expression relax, Ryuji smiled before leaving a kiss on the artist’s face.
The lines for all the rides were… enormous, and that was putting it mildly. Of course, they both could have logically assumed that on a Saturday evening there would be crowds of people with their kids, but in the end that did not affect Yusuke’s choice. Naturally, the very first thing he chose was just a walk down the park streets. With that book on the imagineers designs of amusement parks, there had been a lot said about their planning, so that one could see both the “ideal” of the American dream and practicality, and, most importantly, that they convey the fairy tales and cartoons they were based on. Ryuji did not complain. He knew that, after that book, Yusuke would be more interested in the park’s structure and layout than in riding carousels, meeting mascots or anything else a normal person usually associated with visiting an amusement park.

Only after about an hour of walking the same streets, which Ryuji had by then memorized by their names and the shops, Sakamoto gently managed to slow his boyfriend down by taking his hands in his own.

“You know, it seems to me… we should go on the Ferris wheel. First, you can compare the park’s structure to that of Tokyo and the Tokyo subway as a whole.” Yusuke lit up at the idea, which Ryuji could see in Kitagawa’s eyes, but then he gently stroked Yusuke’s palms to signal he had more to say. “Second, we’ll get to spend time alone. Just the two of us in a cabin, no crowds of people… only you and me. Well, sounds tempting?” Ryuji spoke, barely holding back a laughter. Yusuke’s face gradually shifted along a scale of excitement from “very” to “way too very”, which made Ryuji happy.

“That sounds very tempting, especially for the end the day,” Kitagawa said, letting Sakamoto’s hand lead him to the Ferris wheel line. Even though they had only walked around the park with no extra activities, no rides, Yusuke was already tired and overloaded by all the noise and people. Ryuji seemed to be the only one who truly understood his state, with the exception of Futaba.

A minute, another… In total, it felt like more than ten minutes passed before a cabin arrived in which Ryuji and Yusuke could be alone. Ryuji took a deep breath, slightly regretting not bringing his cane to ease the pain in his knee, but any pain faded when he looked at Yusuke. Yes, Yusuke was tired too, but his eyes radiated from how much he had enjoyed just walking around and analyzing the park. And now, from the Ferris wheel’s height, with even more opportunities and things to analyze… It was clear that, despite the overload, Yusuke was happy.

When they reached the very top of the Ferris wheel, Ryuji stroked Kitagawa’s hand as if asking permission. As soon as Yusuke nodded, Ryuji slowly leaned in and pressed a quick kiss on Yusuke’s lips. Their kisses never lasted long. Perhaps because in such moments Ryuji was too shy. Perhaps because otherwise Yusuke would never stop talking about how long the kiss had been and how he urgently needed to capture it in his sketchbook, which immediately turned Ryuji beet red. It would have been fine if Yusuke talked about this only between the two of them, but no, he wrote about it in the Phantom Thieves’ chat, talked about it with each of them separately, there was even a moment when he mentioned it to Ryuji’s mother. In short, Sakamoto tried to control himself and Kitagawa at the same time.

Soon their cabin had completed its circuit and it was time to get off. Yusuke helped Ryuji up from the seat and supported him by the hand as they walked toward the amusement park exit. They were both satisfied, even if Yusuke now needed absolute silence for a while and nearly all of Ryuji’s muscles ached.

“We have a whole free day tomorrow. Even if we spend all of it on putting your portfolio together and me drawing bones… At least we’ll be together, right?” Ryuji asked with a kind of feigned innocence, then rose up on tiptoe to kiss Yusuke on the nose. Yusuke only nodded, hugging Ryuji, and then they slowly walked in the direction of the district where the Sakamoto residence.
There were still so many problems ahead of them, whether school‑related, work‑related, or maybe someday again as Phantom Thieves, but…
Kitagawa only thanked every possible god for such a wonderful gift as Ryuji in his life.

Chapter Text

"He’s already half dead, what the hell are you doing?" Yusuke stared in disbelief at the Phantom Thieves, especially Ann, who had started punching Ryuji in the ribs until he curled up on the ground. The other girls and Akira began hitting with legs as well, until Yusuke tried to stop them by stepping between the group and his little lightning bolt, Ryuji. "He just saved our lives! Why… why do you want to almost kill him again?"

"I think he deserves it. For me and not only me. He was always the weak one, let him pay for it now," Morgana said loudly and clearly, watching what was going on on the ground instead of being in Akira’s bag as he usually was. This statement made Ryuji only moan from pain, as if trying to protest, but they shut him up with a kick. Yusuke didn’t care whose leg it was, but he cared deeply about the one at whom his storm of emotions was directed.

"Stop it!" Yusuke suddenly shouted sincerely, catching someone's raised fist and pushing away the kicking leg, stepping forward trying to protect Ryuji, barely conscious. No one had the right to treat anyone like that, especially someone this close to Yusuke’s heart.

"You shouldn’t contradict us, Yusuke," Akira suddenly spoke, who was usually quiet. Everyone else often spoke for him, he only had to confirm or add a final genius idea. Judging by everything, now was that moment. "Either you and Ryuji stay silently and without problems as Phantom Thieves, or… or you leave us," Akira said calmly, as if it was the choice between apple or orange juice. As if this decision wouldn’t be the most significant in Yusuke’s life.

Another groan came from Ryuji lying on the ground, suddenly looking into Yusuke’s eyes as if letting him know he would stay with him till the end regardless of the decision.

One, breathe in. Too many thoughts about possible outcomes. About how he would lose all his friends, his loved one, how he would lose the place where he might belong…

Two, breathe out. Thoughts sorted out on their shelves. Were the Phantom Thieves really a place where he could belong?

Three, look so that eyes meet Kurusu’s gaze. The choice was made.

"Ryuji and I are leaving the Phantom Thieves. If we’re not valued here, then… we must create conditions where we are respected."

***

About two weeks had passed, and it could be said that Ryuji had fully recovered from the broken ribs and leg. Not without the help of their secret helper and medicine dealer, of course, but Yusuke considered that less important than Ryuji’s own determination to get better.

Especially considering that Ryuji did everything opposite to “calmly sit at home and recover.” Instead, Sakamoto tried to get out as often as possible, firstly to the city and Mementos to make a real image for Arashi, secondly, he simply couldn’t sit quietly at home when a world full of shadows awaited him to destroy. And to some extent, Ryuji could not refuse himself the pleasure of parkour – he liked to jump, leaping from roof to roof in the small districts of Tokyo.

While Yusuke sighed in dissatisfaction, he couldn’t deny that he was glad Ryuji hadn’t given up after the incident with the Phantom Thieves. Added to his beloved’s qualities was the enthusiasm to become something better and bigger than the Phantom Thieves. Gradually, Ryuji was beginning to succeed, after many missions per day, people started learning about Arashi. Arashi was a child of the combined logic of Ryuji and Yusuke. Since their powers were electricity and snow, the most logical combination was a storm. It sounded both logical and resonant, though not as epic as Phantom Thieves.

Yusuke mainly worked either helping Ryuji in Mementos and Shido’s Palace or promoting Arashi. He started painting graffiti all over Tokyo. His greatest pride, which attracted so much attention to them, was near downtown Tokyo, where no one noticed him for two hours. That fact alone deserved praise, but the artwork itself was valuable purely for its technique. Of course, Yusuke would ideally spend a couple more hours on it, but overall, it was a worthy sketch, like the other graffiti he left all over Tokyo.

Now it seemed like a normal day. Yusuke arrived at their shared apartment, which was rented with Ryuji’s salary and money from some missions. Ryuji was standing, leaning on the couch, as if waiting for Yusuke. Kitagawa approached to kiss his partner in business and in all other things on the cheek. When Yusuke felt no warmth in return, he stared at Ryuji.

"What happened?" Yusuke didn’t even ask like 'Did something happen?' He knew for sure from Ryuji’s behavior that something had happened, only needed to clarify what.

"Goro survived. Wants to meet us and bring someone else with him. I’m not sure how safe the meeting is. The street and café where he proposes to meet haven’t been involved in any crime for the past year, plus it’s far from Phantom Thieves’ territories. We can take the risk and go, gaining allies. Or we can not risk and stay safe. The decision is yours, foxie," Ryuji said, then acted like he urgently had to fix and replace his knee brace.

Yusuke wanted to immediately make the risky choice, but he understood Ryuji would ask “why?” He always required reasons from everyone, especially from himself. Ryuji had changed too much in two weeks without the Phantom Thieves – there was no leader to just agree with even if you disagreed. There was only Ryuji and Yusuke. An unlucky duo. Or the opposite, because they were gaining more popularity than the Phantom Thieves had in their first two weeks. But their popularity was casual – just a random parkour runner and a random graffiti artist, nothing more. No matter how hard they tried, they needed to become more visible, more serious.

If Goro could offer that – then they both were for it.

***

"I didn’t expect you to accept my invitation, but I’m more than glad that you did," Akechi said, his usual public smile on his face while they went downstairs into the café's working basement, where Goro allowed himself to drop the mask. "Ken? I’m not going to play hide and seek," Goro said unhappily, his tone devoid of affection or anything else. Suddenly, another teenager came down the stairs, as if in uniform, and with him… a dog, wearing the same uniform vest. "Thank you for deigning to honor us with your presence," Goro said irritably then looked at the former Phantom Thieves. "Meet Ken Amada, my nephew, Koromaru, his dog, no need for introductions. All three of us want to join Arashi," Akechi said as if discussing a regular newspaper issue, not ultra-secret information.

"How can we trust you? Goro calmly betrayed the Phantom Thieves. I’m not sure about Ken either, maybe betrayal runs in the blood," Yusuke said, but he didn’t notice how Ryuji sat down on the floor, smiling happily, letting Koromaru sniff his hand. He agreed to anything as long as the dog recognized him as a good person. But it didn’t take long; Koromaru immediately began licking Sakamoto’s hand, then moved to his face, causing Ryuji to laugh. Something Yusuke hadn’t heard for a long time. The entire existence of Arashi and long before that. Yusuke immediately turned to Goro and Ken, who both didn’t understand what was going on, and nodded to them both. "You’re on probation. Thank Koromaru and Ryuji for that. I suppose you have some ideas on how to get Shido’s palace treasure?"

Probably one of the most naive but useful collaborations Arashi had ever had. Not because of the information, not because now they had a valuable ally, much more valuable than the Phantom Thieves.

Because Ryuji had learned to laugh again.

Chapter Text

White Day was mostly considered as a day for girls to express their love. But Ryuji, as usual, didn't care much for rules, thanks to his nature. Even in art, he was often told that he had broken a few of the fundamental rules, not that he minded the results, but it showed that he was... flighty? Right words rarely came to him at the right time, so Ryuji gave up on making another writing entry.

Sakamoto pulled five postcards from a pocket hidden in his journal, ones he’d prepared for White Day. His hands trembled slightly as he looked over them, thinking about which one would be the best for the occasion. He had tried to make them all fairly neutral, but he couldn’t help himself and made one with showing him and Yusuke hugging. That one was to be given only if Kitagawa liked the other four, which grew increasingly personal with each one. It all began with a lake scene. One where Yusuke once invited Ryuji to, supposedly so Ryuji could sketch it. The next card depicted a storm, not exactly ideal for White Day, but still… a mix of snow and electricity. He couldn’t think of any other way to combine their powers. To him, that combination felt a bit romantic.

The third postcard showed marigolds. Yusuke had once casually mentioned they were his favorite flowers, and Ryuji couldn’t miss that opportunity. Of course, several sketches turned out badly, flowers weren’t easy for hands used to drawing people and technics. The next card featured two otters hugging, by coincidence, one blond and the other black with a bluish tint. Ryuji justified it by saying he just really loved otters.

Maybe all his acrylic paintings were terrible, and Yusuke would only laugh. Maybe Yusuke had already received far too many chocolates, cards, and love letters today, he was far too popular for his own good. All Ryuji could do was clutch his pillow tightly, squeaking softly as his postcards slipped to the floor.

He just wanted to make and give the perfect gift!
Something that would make Yusuke proud of him, that would earn him a tight embrace, something that would make Yusuke open up to him, just so they could be partners not only on Phantom Thieves’ missions.

All he had to do was wait until tomorrow.

***

Yusuke was tired of his repeated failures.

More precisely, of the fact that every batch of chocolate he made came out with only one single successful piece, inseparable from the rest of the failed ones. As usual, he barely restrained himself from throwing the tray, if not out the window, then at least across the floor. Instead, he set it down on the table with a heavy sigh.

Who could’ve guessed that making ordinary chocolate from already-made ingredients could be this hard? Yusuke found himself admiring all the girls who made chocolates for their loved ones and even for friends. Meanwhile, Kitagawa struggled with just one single portion for his beloved (not yet boyfriend).

He already had the perfect plan to win Sakamoto’s heart! He would invite him to the park Ryuji loved to paint in, offer him the chocolates, and pretend they were from some admirer. But at the bottom of the bag would be a note, revealing that Yusuke himself made the sweets and wanted to go out with him. It was perfect! Everything, except for the fact that Kitagawa apparently had an allergy to cooking.

It really could have been the ideal plan. With how often Sakamoto ran out of money, he would definitely accept a free bag of chocolates. All that was left was to actually fill the bag. He could have given up and bought some instead, but… that just wasn’t Yusuke’s way. Either he did something completely on his own, mastering it fully, or he didn’t do it at all. 'Not at all' sounded like something Ryuji didn’t deserve, so Yusuke poured another pot of milk onto the stove.

Maybe he just lacked practice. Just like volleyball — he hadn’t been good at it for a long time, letting others treat him like dirt. But now, professionals were inviting him to join. Because he didn’t give up. And that’s why he wouldn’t give up on the chocolate either. When he finally got it right…

All he had to do was wait until tomorrow.

***

"You sure your fangirls won’t chase you down here?" Ryuji said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "This place isn’t that far from school, and honestly, it’s kind of obvious for volleyball practice. Big park area, open field nearby… not exactly inconspicuous. Maybe we should just go back to my place?" He did his best to keep any trace of sadness out of his voice.

He was just background noise to Yusuke, invited only because he was an 'available bro' and Yusuke needed a shield from all the adoring girls showering him with love and attention. If Ryuji even dared to confess now, he’d just end up thrown away like trash, along with his five, or however many, cards. It hurt so much to keep it all in, but he wouldn’t say it. Not today. Not when Yusuke needed his help and support, too.

Yusuke only shook his head, as if to say, “This place is perfect,” as though he’d tested it through countless walks and escapes from others. He didn’t fully understand what was wrong. There was a faint sadness in the air that Kitagawa couldn’t understand and find where it was from. Ryuji was smiling, so what was wrong?

"I’ve hidden here many times. From girls, teammates, even, I’ll admit, from the Phantom Thieves. But not from you," Yusuke said with a satisfied grin, winking at Sakamoto before giving him one of his most charming smiles. So far, everything was going according to plan. Next, he had to pull out the bag, the one with the note at the bottom. The chocolates were from him, the note from him, but the story would be different. Alittle surprise for White Day. "This is for you, Ryuji. Someone gave me this bag, I thought we could share it."

What happened next... Yusuke could never have predicted. Because it was utterly unpredictable. Ryuji stood from the bench, looking him straight in the eyes. At that same moment, Yusuke noticed tears forming and streaming down the blond’s face. A notebook fell from Ryuji’s lap, where it had been unnoticed until now, and out scattered… painted postcards? Yusuke caught sight of the one where they were hugging, and it was all too much for his brain to process at once already.

"I thought I made it obvious enough! Clear enough for you to understand! But even after that, you offer me some other girl’s chocolate. Someone who, like me, was hoping for any sort of feeling in return! If that’s how you treat her and me, then... then I’m leaving-"

Ryuji didn’t get to finish before Yusuke grabbed his shirt sleeves and pulled the blond closer, whispering words meant only for him.

"I made this chocolate myself. And I wrote the note under it myself. I’m sorry I made up that stupid story, as if it would somehow hide my feelings or make them more romantic. But you’re the only one my heart belongs to now. And to no one else," Yusuke said quietly, looking into his beautiful brown eyes before finally pulling him into a kiss.

That kiss felt like the start of something completely new. Butterflies, not just in their stomachs, but in their lungs, stopped their breath, caught in their throats. Teenage love, its outcome unknown. Whether it would grow into something beautiful and real, or end in ruin and heartbreak...

All they had to do was wait until tomorrow.