#did i mention i have his c1 and plan to c6 him in his next rerun (IM KINDA F2P BTW) by kinda i mean i bought only 1 welkin in 2-3 years onl

[thebrochtuarachs]

Something in the Rain - “Interruptions”

A/N: I hope you like it. As always, your comments and suggestions are very much welcome.

A modern day meet cute instance between Jamie and Claire. 

AO3  / C1: A Day In June : C2: Definitely, Maybe : C3: So We Meet Again : C4: Friday Lunch : C5: Finding Solid Ground : C6: Situations

XXXXX

“What should I wear tomorrow?” Claire texted Jamie on the eve of their first official date. She wanted to have an extra time to shop should the need there be. 

“What do ye mean?” he replied. 

“I want to dress appropriately to wherever you’re taking me, James Fraser.”

“I see. Smart casual would do. :) Sorry, I dinna thought of informing ye earlier but wouldn’t it be hilarious if you dressed to the nines and we’re going to some sort of cattle farm”

“Exactly.” Claire replied with the eye roll and laughing emoji. “Can I know where we’re going?”

“Don’t ye want to be surprised?” Jamie messaged back and saw three dots typing afterwards. 

“Hmm, thinking about it, yes. I’m excited to see the Jamie Fraser Date Experience.” 

“Hope it doesna disappoint. I, too, am excited to see the Claire Beauchamp Date Experience. ;)” he replied, knowing the use of emoji will make her smile as he rarely uses one.

“I hope it doesn’t disappoint, too.” she replied with a winky face too. “Are you back in Edinburgh?” 

“Just about to arrive home. I might just wash and then hit the sack.” 

“Rest then, Jamie. I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

“Thanks, Sassenach. I’ll message ye tomorrow when I’m on my way” 

----

It has been four weeks since their accidental meeting at the sidewalk. After countless run-ins, lunches, and an absurd amount of consumed soy chicken, the day of their date has arrived. 

When Claire accepted his invitation three days earlier, Jamie went into a slight overdrive trying to plan what to do. He meant to ask her out when he got back - but when he found out that she met Laoghaire, something pushed him to go for it before Claire had any wrong idea about his connection with Mrs. Fitz's granddaughter. 

His first idea was to go all out - book the fanciest rooftop restaurant in the city, get the best chef he knew, and plan a private dinner for them. Fancy and exclusive seemed like a safe choice and a sure hit. 

Then he thought about Claire and all their interactions so far - hole in the wall kitchens, asian street food, very light and casual. Jamie pondered on the idea and realized that jumping from that to an uber private dinner might not be the best, so he kept that card to play for later. 

It was then he decided to just take their casual lunch to a casual dinner. He’ll just exchange one-hour savory chicken meetings for a comfortable, popular city restaurant and longer conversations. He also decided on wearing more casual clothes, opting out of his office suits that she’d seen him often in for a navy turtleneck, khaki pants and white sneakers. 

Arriving at her front door, Jamie took one last stock of himself, suddenly feeling a wave of nervousness, and knocked on her door. 

What he saw next knocked him out. 

Claire opened the door wearing a burgundy sleeveless jumpsuit that was both modest and sexy, yet casual enough. Pairing the ensemble with black heels, the garment hugged Claire’s curves in just the right places that left Jamie staring for a hot minute. 

“Hi” Claire broke through his thoughts and he remembered his manners.

“Hi, Claire. Wow, ye look beautiful” 

“Thank you. You’re not so bad yourself. Going to stop traffic pairing blue on blue like that” 

“Ye ready to go?” 

“Yeah. Are we going to walk?” She asked as she locked the door to her place. 

“Yes, I hope ye dinna mind. Ye live close by all the nice places to eat.” 

“No, I don’t mind and also, very true.” 

It was a short 10-minute walk before they arrived at Howie’s Restaurant. 

“Howie’s. Interesting choice.” Claire commented as they walked to the hostess. 

“We can go somewhere if ye dinna like it here.” Jamie offered. 

“No, I actually quite like it here” she had to stifle a laugh at how adorable she found his tenseness was.

The hostess pointed them to the bar to wait for their table. Claire excused herself to the bathroom and Jamie ordered a light whisky for some liquid courage. 

When the bartender served his drink, a familiar bloke sat beside him and greeted him. 

“Jamie Fraser, hello!” 

Jamie gulped the drink and turned to the man beside him. “Joe! It’s good to see ye, man!” 

The two shook hands and exchanged more pleasantries. 

“I’m actually meeting my wife.” He looked at his watch and then to the front door. “Oh, good, she just arrived!” Joe quickly waved her in and introduced her. 

“Jamie Fraser, meet Gail Abernathy. Gail, Jamie.” he paused when Jamie extended a hand to her. “He was the guy who volunteered at our center two weeks ago. All the kids were just drawn to him.” 

“No wonder.” Gail observed, her comment earning a jokey sigh from her husband. “So, Jamie, what brings you to this side of town on a Saturday evening?” 

Jamie was about to share that he was on a date, but then right on cue, Claire arrives to greet the trio. 

“Hello, everyone!” 

“Claire!” Gail squealed as she gave her friend a tight hug. 

“Lady Jane, you clean up good!” Joe remarked. 

As they finished their greetings, Jamie quietly whispered to Claire to order any drink she’d like. The husband-and-wife duo caught on and couldn’t resist to pry. 

“You guys on a date?” Joe asked frankly. 

“First one, actually.” Jamie replied as Gail raised an eyebrow while Claire returned to his side, drink in tow. 

Joe leaned closer to Jamie and pretended to whisper in his ear, “My date advice is don’t challenge her or don’t allow her to challenge you to a drinking game. You will lose” 

Claire groaned while the rest laughed at her expense. 

Just then, the hostess approached the pairs and told them their tables were ready. They exchanged their goodbyes and were led to their areas. 

 ---

Jamie had been a perfect gentleman. 

He opened her seat, allowed her to order and choose whatever she wanted from the menu (They both went to the steak and fries!), and is making just the right amount of banter. 

Claire actually liked this dining choice - Howie’s comfort food really brought out the easy ambiance and conversation to their date. She didn’t mind going to a fancier place but she knew that if they were there, things would be too formal, delicate and shy. This was much better and she’d Jamie props for this. 

Moreover, what made this official first date a little bit more fun is much of the first date awkwardness is gone. They’ve covered much of the basics about their life during their lunches - their families (both their parents are alive and have retired away from the city, Claire’s an only child while Jamie had an older sister), how they chose their careers and where they went to school (Jamie is Oxford Law while Claire is Cambridge Med, the school rivalry something they joke about), their current or main interests (horses for Jamie, herbs for Claire) and many other things.

So the evening was more or less less a continuation on what they’ve normally done - catching up on their days, sharing an interesting story at work or a photo they found on the web, asking more random questions - the only difference now is, there’s a more clear and intentional purpose for knowing these things and whole lot of shameless flirting in between.  

Forty-five minutes in and halfway through their steak, a man approached their table. “Dr. Beauchamp, it’s nice to see you here!” 

Jamie and Claire looked up and saw a slender man, not much older than they are with grey eyes. 

“Tom, hi!” Claire swallowed a fry and grabbed a cloth to clean her mouth. 

“I’m sorry to interrupt your evening but I saw you from the bar and just had to pass by and greet you. I mean at least, this time, not at the hospital or during check ups” 

Claire smiled and made the introductions. “Oh, I’m sorry. Tom Christie, this is Jamie Fraser. Jamie, Tom. He is a teacher at the public elementary school. We met when I did the annual medical checkup for the kids. Also, I’m the peds of his kids, Allan and Malva.” 

The mention of the word kids made Jamie release the tight fist he didn’t know he held beneath the table. He didna like the way the man eyed Claire but it was not his place - not yet at least.

Jamie gave the man a nod but ultimately wished he’d go. When neither said or did anything, Tom said his farewells and confirmed his kids check-up schedule in two weeks. 

---

They decided to share a slice of chocolate cake and one last glass of wine each to cap off their dinner. 

As they waited for their order to arrive, they got startled with a loud noise. 

“Jamie, is that ye?!” one man said.

“Oh, heavens, tis!” another man replied. 

Jamie could not hide the embarrassment he felt as the two blokes approached their table. Once they noticed Claire, they did not waste time introducing themselves. 

“Hello, I havena seen ye before. My name is Angus” the thin, beardly man extended his hand. “And ye are?” 

“Hi, I’m Claire.” she reached out but eyeing Jamie for confirmation that he knew these people. 

“I’m Rupert.” the other man said. “We’re Jamie’s cousins” 

“Distant cousins” Jamie retorted back. “What brings ye here?” he asked while glaring at them to leave. 

“We have a double date” Angus shared, pointing to the table where two ladies were indeed waiting for them. 

“Then I suggest you return to your dates then.” Jamie replied then proceeded to converse with the two men in Gaelic. 

When the conversation was apparently over, Rupert sighed and turned to Claire. “It was nice meeting ye, lass. Please ask Jamie here to bring around one of our office events and meet the rest of the clan. I’m sure they’d love to get to know ye as well.” 

Jamie stood up quickly and had to push the two back to their table before they said anything else that may ruin the evening. 

“I’m sorry about them, Claire. They are quite the more, erm, rowdy members of my family.” he said as he sat down again. 

“It’s alright. They seem really nice” Claire said, smiling. “So, clan huh? Just how big is that family of yours really?” She brought the conversation back up again hoping it would ease his discomfort.

Jamie visibly relaxed and then, they were back in their bubble, “How many generations back?” 

---

Desert went by swimmingly with the chocolate cake and red wine proving to be a winning combo. After an almost three-hour dinner, Jamie asked for the check and insisted on paying for the meal. 

 They were one their way out of the restaurant then Claire was greeted by incoming guests. 

“Dr. Beauchamp!” 

Claire turned to look who called her. “Oh, please call me Claire. It’s nice seeing you here” 

“Likewise. Please call me Meredith.” she quickly signaled to the man beside her. “This is my husband, Derek.” 

“Of course, Dr. Shepherd.” Claire politely acknowledged him with the man insisting to be called casually as well. 

“Anyway, I’d just like to say that I just read your latest paper in the Journal of Pediatrics. I look forward to hearing all about it in your visit to Seattle.”

Claire graciously accepted the complement with a smile and bow. “Thank you. We’ll catch up in Seattle in a few weeks, then.” Remembering her companion, she turned to her back where Jamie was patiently waiting for her. “Oh my, where are my manners. Meredith, Derek, this is Jamie Fraser. Jamie, this is Meredith and Derek Shepherd. They’re visiting doctors from Grey Sloan Memorial in Seattle.” 

Jamie returned the pleasantries and shook hands with the doctors. 

“Alright, I’ll let you guys go on with your evening. Sorry for the sudden call out” Meredith said. 

“It’s no problem at all. A good night to you both as well.” Claire replied as she looked at Jamie and motioned for them to head out. 

--

Once they we're out of the restaurant, Jamie lets out a light laugh. 

“What’s so funny?” she asked. 

“I was just thinking that I’d never unexpectedly run into that many acquaintances in one evening, let alone in a date!” he shared, chuckling more as the thought further sank in his mind and Claire joined him in his mood. “It isna exactly part of the Jamie Fraser Date Experience” 

“I’m really sorry.” 

“Don’t be, there’s nothing to apologize for. I mean, who would’ve thought, right?” Jamie retorted, his humor infectious. 

She was touched by his honesty, not just with the situation but the entire night. He was caring, makes great conversation, and is always authentic with who and how he carries himself. She cannot make a full judgement of his character yet, as that is something she is still getting to know, but she likes what she is seeing so far. 

Taking a bold step, she wrapped her arm around his as they started walking side by side back to her place. 

Jamie looked at her hand, smiled and hoped it conveyed to Claire the joy he felt at the moment. “Is this part of the Claire Beauchamp Date Experience?” he asked nonchalantly. 

“Only to a rare few” she said as she slightly tugged him closer. 

The walk back seemed shorter than the one they did earlier. Before they knew it, they were already standing in front of Claire’s building. 

“Oh, before I forget!” Jamie exclaimed as he fished out his car keys and a grey miata lit up open beside them. He pulled out an exquisite posey bouquet of red roses and handed it to her. “These are for you.” 

Claire took them and smelt it, “The flowers are beautiful” 

“I hope ye had a good time, Sassenach” 

“I had a great time, Jamie. Thank you” 

After a beat, Jamie took a deep breath, gathering strength to what he was about to say next. “Claire, we’ve known each other for about a month now, became unexpected friends in a short amount of time, had our lunches and now, our first date. I hope ye dinna think this is too forward of me but...I like you and I would like to see you again or keep seeing you, I guess.“ They we’re holding each other’s gazes as he laid out his intentions and waited for her reply. 

Claire sighed and was just amazed by him. Her previous encounters are usually with male friends who constantly hang out with her then a few months down, asks her “what they are” as if she had to know or feel that something was happening from the get go. So, Jamie's forthrightness and old-fashionedness was truly refreshing and she was more than willing to give it a go. 

As a final check to their chemistry, she stepped closer, tilted her head and leaned in to him. Quickly responding to her actions, he held her face on one hand and placed the other on her hips to pull her closer. He followed her lead until their lips crashed into each other in a single deep kiss.

In that moment, both Jamie and Claire knew something big shifted in the dynamic of their relationship. 

This was not usual. 

This is different.

And oh so good.

They felt each other smile against their lips just as they pulled apart for air. 

“I like you too, Jamie and yes”

--

A/N: Maybe not the first date you might've thought of but hope you liked it! As always, thank you for reading! Your comments, suggestions, and questions are always welcome. If there's a story or scene you'd like to know, feel free to drop it! :)This was my original idea for the date but as I was writing it, I was going back and forth about scraping the entire thing and think about something else. But the original thought kept developing in my mind so I went back and stuck with it and cross-fingers, hoped it worked and made sense. I knew she had doctor friends but adding the Greys Anatomy characters just came about since I've been binging the show and thought it'd be fun to crossover. Hope you're keeping safe and in line to get vaccinated for the COVID-19 shot! See you all in the next one!

[pulaasul]

Femoral Meeting-C8

One day after school, Ryuji stumbled as his broken leg was acting up, and because of that, he met one of Gekkoukan High’s former athletes. Kazushi Miyamoto.

FFN I AO3

Prologue I C1 I C2 I C3 I C4 I C5 I C6 I C7

“Breaking News” The television blared as Sojiro bid farewell to the last customer during the lunch hour.

“Shujin Academy was just attacked by an unknown terrorist group.” The television continued, stopping Sojiro from what he was doing. “According to initial investigations, no one was awake during the siege.”

Sojiro dropped everything he was doing, flipped the ‘closed’ sign on his door and grabbed his car keys.

The TV changed scenes and showed the entrance of Shujin Academy as the reporter thanked the newscaster.

“We have Police Officer Sanada to discuss a few more details of this terrorist attack.” The on-scene reporter as another man stood beside him.

Sojiro chose this time to turn off the television and rushed towards the school.

After rushing towards the school to fetch his daughter, he decided to grab Ryuji and Anne as well. The trio showed signs of being banged up, which made him fear for the worst. He’s just glad that the trio were relatively safe.

“What the hell happened at school for you to be banged up like that?” Sojiro asked as he dabbed some antiseptics on Ryuji’s wounds. “Don’t tell me you decided to play hero and fought some of those terrorists.” Which made the Sakamoto wince a bit.

“There were no terrorists.” Futaba interjected as she removed the blazer from her person. “That was a cover up.” She added.

“Futaba-chan’s right.” Anne agreed as she got out of the restroom, wearing Ryuji’s shirt. “It was the Shadows that attacked us.” She informed.

“The Shadows from that metaverse thing from last year?” Sojiro asked in surprise, that he unintentionally dabbed on Ryuji’s wound a little harder.

“Gaah!” Ryuji hissed.

“And done.” Sojiro announced. “Wear this.” He threw one of Ren’s shirt at the wounded boy.

“The same one.” Futaba answered Sojiro’s question as she fixed her hair and Ryuji wore the shirt given to him.

“Are all of you okay?” Makoto demanded.

“Do you require any assistance?” Haru asked in concern.

“Where are you now?” Makoto asked.

“Makoto calm down.” Anne reassured. “Boss fetched us and we’re currently in Leblanc.” She explained to the phone on the table that was on loudspeaker.

“You do not leave there.” Makoto ordered. “Haru and I will be there shortly.” She finished as she ended the call.

Ryuji and Anne looked at each other.

“It’s probably better that they hear everything from you.” Sojiro piped in as he gave the trio a plate of curry each and cup of juice each. “Even after knowing your activities last year and Wakaba’s cognitive psience, I still can’t believe what you told me.”

“Even we can’t believe what just happened.” Anne exclaimed. “And we experienced it.”

“What’s unbelievable was how powerful that Kirijo person is!” Futaba exclaimed. “She was able to communicate with us even from far away.” She added. “Either that or she has someone powerful to assist her in doing what she did earlier.”

“Wait Kirijo?” Sojiro questioned. “The CEO of the Kirijo group, Mitsuru Kirijo, is involved in all of this?” He asked in disbelief. “What kind of mess are you kids into now?” He growled.

Ryuji was about to explain when his own phone rang. He looked at it and saw that his mom was calling.

“Sorry Anne, can you guys handle this?” Ryuji asked. “Ma’s calling, she’s probably worried sick now.”

“Go reassure your mom Ryuji.” Futaba assured, as disrespectful to her elders as ever. “We’ll handle Sojiro.”

Ryuji nodded and headed upstairs for some privacy.

“Here’s the rundown of what has happened in the past few days.” Anne explained as she began to narrate.

“Are any of you injured?” Ren’s voice questioned over the phone.

Ren had called Anne’s phone as Makoto and Haru arrived at Leblanc. He was worried to what his friends experienced.

“We’ll explain later, Makoto and Haru just arrived.” Anne stated. “Ryuji’s mom just called.” She explained.

“Why don’t you guys talk upstairs?” Sojiro suggested. “You can get more privacy up there, a customer might walk in the middle of the conversation.”

“Thanks Boss.” Ren expressed his gratitude over the phone.

“Ren?”

“Ren-kun?”

“Hello Haru, Makoto.” Ren greeted. “Where’s Ryuji?” He asked.

“He’s upstairs.” Futaba answered. “His mom called.”

“Futaba, call Yusuke.” Ren ordered as the group went with the owner’s suggestion.

As if on cue, Futaba’s phone rang.

“Well, I guess, Inari’s a step ahead of us for once.” Futaba commented.

“None of it was true.” Ryuji answered everyone’s queries. “It was a cover up by Kirijo herself.”

“What do you mean?” Ren questioned. “The news said that the school was attacked.”

“By Shadows.” Anne supplied. “Not by terrorists but by shadows.”

“That’s impossible!” Morgana denied the claim. “Shadows can’t exist in the real world.” He added. “And the Metaverse is gone.” He continued.

“We don’t exactly know what happened.” Futaba chimed in. “One second I was in the middle of class and the next I was surrounded by upright coffins and the surroundings turned green and black.” She continued.

“Not to mention that the shadows we fought were the people who didn’t turn into coffins.” Anne added.

“Did any of you experience the same thing?” Makoto asked the others.

“No, nothing of that sort happened here.” Ren answered.

“I can confirm that.” Morgana chimed in.

“I’m afraid no.” Yusuke denied. “I was in class when it was suddenly suspended because of what happened at Shujin.” He stated over the phone.

“Classes went on as normal for Haru and I as well.” Makoto nodded. “Up until the sudden suspension.” She finished.

“I must admit that I was worried for everyone’s safety.” Haru admitted. “I immediately rushed to Mako-chan’s side before making the call.”

“They’re upstairs.” Sojiro’s voice was heard over the phone.

“Thank you, Boss.” Yusuke thanked the owner.

A moment later everyone was in the same room except for Ren and Morgana.

“In any case, are the three of you okay?” Ren repeated his question from earlier. “You did mention getting into a fight with Shadows.

“We’re relatively fine.” Futaba answered.” Although Ryuji’s weakness to wind was exploited a few times.” She informed everyone. “His shirt was torn open and even managed to nick his torso.” She finished.

“Ryuji are you fine?” Came Ren’s voice.

“Are you fine?” Was everyone else’s reaction.

“Chill guys.” Ryuji reassured everyone. “Boss already patched me up with some disinfectants and band aids.” He informed everyone. “Hey Ren.” He changed everyone’s focus. “Boss let me wear your shirt, my PE uniform got torn by a shadow.” He explained. “As Futaba said.”

“Which shirt?” Ren asked.

“That white V-neck shirt.” Ryuji answered. “Boss immediately handed me one of your shirts after patching me up.” He explained. “Don’t worry, I’ll get this washed and return it when you come for a visit.”

“Keep it.” Ren chuckled over the phone.

“For real?”

“Yeah, consider it a job well done for keeping everyone safe in shadow fights in my absence.” Ren praised.

A faint blush appeared on Ryuji’s face, mostly unnoticed.

“I-I don’t know what to say.” Ryuji admitted.

“I’m serious, a shirt is a small price for everyone’s safety.” Ren shrugged. “In any case, can you give everyone else a complete rundown of what happened at school?” He asked the trio. “I’m still a little iffy on what happened.

“I agree.” Morgana voiced his agreement over the phone. “The Metaverse should have been gone, and that included our ability to summon our Personas.”

And so Anne, Ryuji and Futaba took turns to explain what happened during the Shadow Attack.

“Not only is Kirijo-san a powerful woman, she’s also a Persona-user herself.” Haru shared her thoughts.

“So in this strange event, only people with Personas can roam around freely,” Makoto mulled “and anyone without a Persona will risk getting turned into a shadow.”

“Not necessarily turn into.” Morgana interjected. “I feel like their shadows had gone berserk and took over.” He explained.

“I am somewhat glad that Ryuji’s status as Persona user was compromised.” Ren admitted.

“I guess you can find a silver lining there.” Morgana sighed. “But that was still a dumb mistake Ryuji.” The cat chastised over the phone.

“What was that?!” Ryuji growled.

“No, that wasn’t at all Ryuji’s fault.” Makoto voiced out. “If anyone from Shujin encountered Kirijo-san they’d most likely be scanned for a Persona.” She explained.

“If anything, it’s thanks to Ryuji’s quick thinking, he was able to preserve our identities.” Anne praised. “And the person Kirijo-san sent was none-the-wiser.” She smiled as she put an arm over Ryuji’s shoulders.

“I guess the monkey can think of a good plan sometimes.” Morgana fired.

“What was that you dumb cat!”

“Wait, we aren’t going to talk about that Akechi look-alike?” Futaba asked.

“What is there to talk about?” Haru asked. “Didn’t he introduce himself as Ken Amada?” She continued.

“What if that was really Akechi?” Futaba countered. “Hiding behind an alias and all that.”

“Didn’t he have a different Persona than the one Akechi used last year?” Makoto questioned.

“Yes, I believe he called his Persona Kala-Nemi.” Anne nodded.

“Don’t forget, Akechi can use multiple Personas.” Futaba reminded.

“Futaba presents a good point.” Makoto nodded. “We were caught off guard when we saw Akechi use Loki.” She added. “It is possible that Kala-Nemi is another of his Persona.”

“Didn’t you say that you couldn’t get a reading after the gunshot?” Yusuke asked the group’s navigator. “Wasn’t that the reason why we were forced to retreat and were unable to save Akechi?” He continued.

“I know what I said!” Futaba exclaimed. “I just can’t ignore the possibility that the person who killed my mother is still alive.” She explained. “And continue to roam freely.”

“We understand how you feel Futaba,” Ren’s voice cooed from the phone. “-but we can’t bother ourselves with hypotheticals.” He added. “Or we’ll lose sight of what’s ahead of us.”

“I know that.” Futaba nodded, eyes downcast. “But still…” She trailed off.

“Nothing.” Ryuji interjected. “You got to live in the present.” He added. “You got to stop living in the past and look what’s a head.” He finished.

“Thanks Ryuji.” Futaba nodded as she hugged the older boy tightly.

“Ryu-kun!” Houtarou’s voice was suddenly heard from downstairs.

Ryuji’s immediate reaction was to perk up look at the stairs.

“Ryu-kun?” Morgana voiced everyone’s question over the phone.

“Ma?” Ryuji questioned as he quickly untangled himself from Futaba.

The male Sakamoto immediately headed downstairs and was greeted by the sight of his frantic mother with watery eyes.

Hotarou’s response was to immediately hug her son as relief flooded her system upon seeing him safe and sound.

“As soon as you stated where you were, I immediately rushed to this place.” The female Sakamoto explained as she buried her face to her son’s chest. “I just needed to make sure.” She added.

“It’s fine Ma.” Ryuji hugged his mother back. “I’m fine.” He reassured. “No one was hurt in the attack.” He added. “While I was one of the few people awake, I made sure to hide.” He assured.

The rest of the thieves just watched from the room upstairs.

“How about the two of us eat somewhere else?” Hotarou offered. “Then go home right after?”

“What about your other jobs?” Ryuji asked curiously.

“I already called in.” Hotarou explained. “They understand.”

Ryuji was about to turn around and grab his things, when Anne immediately put his bag on his shoulders and greeted the new arrival.

“Hello Sakamoto-san.” Anne greeted.

“Anne-chan!” Hotarou exclaimed. “Ryuji, you didn’t mention that Anne-chan was here.”

“I just haven’t had the chance to.” Ryuji sheepishly replied.

“Aren’t you going to introduce us?” Makoto prompted.

“Oh!” Ryuji perked up and stepped sideways. “Ma, these are my friends.” He gestured to them as the rest of the group met with elder Sakamoto. “The girl with black hair is Makoto Nijima-senpai, to her right, the girl with auburn hair is Haru Okumura-senpai.” He gestured to both girls. “You already met Anne.”

“Hello.” Anne greeted.

“It’s nice to meet you Sakamoto-san.” Makoto bowed in respect.

“It’s nice to meet you as well Sakamoto-san.” Haru mimicked the other girl.

“Next is Yusuke Kitagawa, the only other boy.” Ryuji gestured towards Yusuke next. “And lastly is Futaba Sakura, the boss’s daughter.”

“It is nice to meet a fair woman who has birthed someone as vulgar as Ryuji.��� Yusuke greeted.

“H-hello.” Futaba responded as she hid behind Ryuji.

“Hello.” Sojiro greeted.

“It’s nice to meet you all.” Hotarou bowed. “I hope my son hasn’t caused anyone problems.”

“Ma!” Ryuji whined as he blushed. “You don’t gotta do that.” He exclaimed. “I’ve been a good boy alright.” He insisted. “Right guys?”

Everyone didn’t want to meet Ryuji’s or Hotarou’s eyes as they thought up of an answer.

“He did cause a few problems.” Anne trailed off.

“But he has bailed us out more times than I can count.” Haru immediately interjected.

“C’mon guys.” Ryuji whined as he appeared redder than before.

“Ryuji!” Hotarou called out. “That’s not how you treat your friends.” She scolded.

Everyone just laughed at Ryuji’s expense and even Ryuji himself joined in.

After a whole afternoon of bonding with his mother, Ryuji kissed his mother goodnight and headed for his own room. He immediately lied down as soon as he was inside when his phone rang.

“Hello?” Ryuji groggily answered.

“The same thing could be applied to you, you know.” Ren’s voice stated calmly.

“What are you talking about?” Ryuji yawned as he got up and sat on his bed.

“Stop living in the past and look what’s ahead.” Ren repeated Ryuji’s words from earlier. “The same could be applied to you, you know.” He pointed out. “You’re still blaming yourself with the track team’s disbandment.” He stated. “Aren’t you?”

“Kinda hard not to.” Ryuji sighed. “The team got canned after I punch Kamoshida’s ugly mug.” He admitted. “To everyone else, I did cause the team to disband.” He finished.

“Should that still bother you?” Ren questioned. “You managed to find the team a much better coach than Kamoshida and his lackey.” He pointed out. “And your teammates already forgave you.” He continued. “Even if I didn’t want to agree with how they have gone about it.” He finished with a hiss.

“I know I should let that go.” Ryuji admitted. “But it’s really hard to when history keeps repeating itself.” He reasoned out. “I ruined the previous team I was in.” He started to explain. “Now, I’m about to do the same to you guys.”

“Didn’t Makoto lay that out earlier?” Ren questioned. “She stated that you’re not at any fault for your identity being compromised.” He remembered the conversation the team had earlier. “Had Mishima been there, I’m pretty sure that Kirijo-san will have him scanned for a Persona.”

“There comes the problem.” Morgana inserted himself into the conversation. “Ryuji’s most likely going to be sued now that Kirijo has proof that he’s a phantom thief.” He explained. “Or at the very least use him as a means to their end.” He continued.” Like how Shido used Akechi.”

“Way to bring the guy down Morgana.” Ren muttered under his breath. “We also can’t ignore the possibility that Kirijo-san is acting out in good faith.” Ren tried to salvage the situation.

“Makoto said the same thing.” Ryuji pointed out. “She also said I should be prepared for the worst and hope for the best.” He finished.

“That is all we can do for now.” Ren sighed. “I wish I was there.” He admitted. “I might’ve been able to steer the suspicion off of you.”  

“Dude no!” Ryuji reacted immediately at the suggestion.” You suffered so much for the team.” He pointed out. “I can’t possibly let you suffer because of me.” He finished.

“But still.” Ren tried to argue.

“But nothing.” Ryuji interrupted. “You’ve already done so much for us.” He reasoned. “It time that I contribute something substantial to the team.”

“Finally the monkey gets it.” Morgana’s condescending voice was heard again.

“What was that?!”

“Ryu-kun! You’re disturbing the neighbors.” Hotarou reminded from outside her son’s room.

“Sorry Ma!” Ryuji apologized.

“In any case.” Ren got Ryuji’s attention. “I hope you won’t be arrested like I was Ryuji.” He admitted. “I wouldn’t want the same fate to befall on you.”

“Hey it ain’t all that bad.” Ryuji grinned. “I could be shipped to your hometown and gain the ability to have more Personas.”

“Ryuji!” Ren hissed. “What I went through was no easy ordeal.” He reminded. “While it’s true that I was really thankful to have met all of you.” He started. “But I could have gone without being tortured and being killed.”

“Sorry.” Ryuji apologized. “I was just trying to lighten the mood.” He sighed. “But seriously Ren, you don’t have anything to worry about.” He reassured his best friend. “I won’t rat anyone out.”

“I’m not worried about them.” Ren admitted. “I’m worried about you.” He exclaimed. “You could face the same horrors I did.”

“Like my Ma always say.” Ryuji sighed.” Hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.” He continued. “Frankly, I’m scared but I’m prepared.” He admitted.

“That’s the thing, you shouldn’t have to face that ordeal.” Ren argued.

“What can we do?” Ryuji asked “I was given this situation.”

“But I promise you this.” Ren’s voice became resolute.” If you do end up being arrested, I will use everything in my power to get you free.” He announced. “Just like you guys did for me.”

A/N: 

I've been asked this a few times now.

Why does the Phantom Thieves have their initial Personas instead of their 2nd-tier Personas?

Considering how the P4 Persona Users in Arena have their initial Personas, I decided to go that route as well because if there's one thing in common between the two groups, its that their Personas evolved through the Social Links/Confidants as opposed to P3's Persona evolution being dependent on the plot.

If that makes any sense.