fanfic100: Change of Heart (Persona 3/SEES)
Title: Change of Heart
Fandom: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3
Characters: Junpei, Fuuka
Prompt: #6-hours
Word Count: 1,260
Rating: PG/K
Notes: As you probably already know, I do not own Persona 3 or its characters...sadly.
Little Damn Table: Here ♥
Junpei, for some reason, is unable to sleep.
It was rare that Junpei Iori not be able to sleep. Especially after a Tartarus session.
As enthusiastic as he was about his new-found power and essentially becoming a hero, he was always one of the first to admit to being tired. Yukari wasn’t at all hesitant on pointing this out at times, which really played on his guilt on certain days, but Minato was always kind and understanding about it. He lost little sleep over it; their two senpais were probably bigger powerhouses than he would ever be anyways, and they were more than adequate to take his place.
That night, though. He wasn’t sure what it was about it. It wasn’t that different from any other night of dangerous Tartarus exploration, but for some reason he felt anxious. Maybe it was Fuuka’s constant reminders about the powerful enemy he knew they’d soon have to face, or maybe he just wished he had stayed as back up, just in case he was needed. He lost what felt like hours, just tossing and turning; throwing his bed covers off because it felt too hot, then snuggling back in them because it felt too cold. There was no way to get comfortable, it seemed-so he just gave up.
He sat up in his bed for a moment, looking around his room, and finally walked out into the empty hallway with a sigh. The Dark Hour had long since passed, and though he didn’t remember hearing any doors shut or any indication of the rest of SEES returning, he knew they were probably already back.
His suspicions were confirmed when, walking down to the first floor lounge, he noticed a distinct glow emanating from the dining table, with an accompanying clicking noise. He recognized that glow, he realized; it was one he knew all too well. He’d wasted hours of his day before, staring at that glow, making those very same clicking noises with his fingers-typing. And he was pretty sure he knew who this was.
“Fuuka?” he asked, treading carefully. He took note of her unique hair color, which almost seemed to match the light coming from her screen. She seemed startled and stood up quite abruptly, nearly knocking over the chair in the process-and nearly tripping, as she tried to step away from him. He supposed he never noticed how clumsy she could be. “Hey, relax,” he assured her with a laugh, “Relax! It’s just me.”
He reached out and grabbed her hand before she had a chance to lose her balance, and pulled her towards him. Though it was dark, the relieved look on her face was obvious.
“Oh, Junpei-kun…” She let out a sigh, and placed a hand over her chest, composing herself as she took a seat back in the chair. “I’m… I’m sorry. I should have realized.”
“No worries,” he replied. He took a seat next to her and casually glanced at her laptop screen. “I, uh, didn’t mean to scare you…what are you doing, anyway? It’s pretty late-shouldn’t you be asleep?”
“I…well, that is…” Fuuka seemed suddenly protective of the computer screen, once she noticed him trying to look at it. If it hadn’t been the only source of light in the room at the moment, he was certain she would’ve just closed it. She angled it downwards, at least, and seemed to look away shyly; and though he was deeply curious, he decided it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to be nosy. “It’s… it’s nothing. Just um…some research, I guess,” she replied dismissively. “A-anyway…I thought you would be asleep too, by the time we got back…”
Junpei scratched his head, laughing a little nervously as he acknowledged the subject change. Figures it would put Fuuka back in her comfort zone, and kick him right out of his.
“Yeah…I thought so, too. Funny, huh?” He shrugged; and though he tried to think of an explanation for his restlessness, nothing seemed to fit-like puzzle pieces in the wrong box. So he just went with the obvious. “I was a little worried, I guess. I probably shouldn’t have left so early…did we…I mean, I guess they beat that Shadow you were detecting, right?”
“Oh! Yes, of course,” she replied, smiling. “I can never seem to detect the weaknesses in these powerful Shadows…this one was no different, but they were able to take it out quite easily. Everyone’s come such a long way; I just knew we could win.”
“That’s great.” He smiled and pretended that some great burden had been lifted off his shoulders. She seemed quite proud, and perhaps thankful for something else to talk about. He couldn’t help but feel proud too, and though he never really had any doubts, he was glad everyone was able to make it back safely.
For a while, the two simply sat in silence. Fuuka was very eager to get back to her computer; he could tell, but whatever it was she was doing, he knew she wouldn’t as long as he was there. He couldn’t help but wonder what she was looking at that could be so bad she had to hide it. They were all friends after all, and he was sure Mitsuru-senpai could find ten times worse by just looking in his room anyway. He laughed and shook his head, deciding not to intrude on her privacy any further.
He knew she had seen her and Yukari talking a lot lately around the dorm; “girl talk,” they always said. They’d been quite secretive lately, and though he knew he’d never get a straight answer, he supposed he could assume it had something to do with this.
Girls. Sometimes he felt like he’d never understand them.
“Well,” he finally said, “I didn’t mean to interrupt you or anything, so…I guess I’ll go.” He stood up, and her eyes seemed to widen in surprise, as she did the same. “Thanks…you know, for keeping me informed. And for always helping us out.”
“W-wait!” He hadn’t even had the chance to take a step towards the stairs, before Fuuka called him back. He could feel her hand, too, attached to the back of his t-shirt for a brief moment, before she caught herself and let go. “Sorry,” she stammered quickly. “I mean…I…” She was looking away again. This time, he even noticed a red tint in her cheeks, though he had to admit, it could have been his imagination. “I didn’t mean to scare you off. You… you can stay… you know, if you want.”
“What’s this?” Junpei laughed, teasingly. “A change of heart?”
“I…I could use the company, now that I think about it.” She paused. “J-just for a little while?”
She didn’t seem sure about this at all. He may not have been the best at reading people, but he could tell that much. That little voice inside his head was screaming at him to get some sleep-that this was somehow a bad idea. Obviously however, he found it quite difficult to say no. Instead, he smiled, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. He could feel her relax for whatever reason, just a little, and all of a sudden he felt like he was doing the right thing.
“Sure,” he replied, more seriously this time. “I’ll go grab a book or something, okay? And… maybe study for once in my life.”
He laughed, as he walked up the stairs; he could hear Fuuka’s laugh echoing with him, as she waited patiently.
And the voice in his head no longer objected.
A/N: Written for the kink meme, so yeah, I guess I’m de-anoning ^^; The pairing’s pretty rare, so it was interesting to write and the prompt just inspired me for some reason. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it.
Fandom: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3
Characters: Junpei, Fuuka
Prompt: #6-hours
Word Count: 1,260
Rating: PG/K
Notes: As you probably already know, I do not own Persona 3 or its characters...sadly.
Little Damn Table: Here ♥
Junpei, for some reason, is unable to sleep.
It was rare that Junpei Iori not be able to sleep. Especially after a Tartarus session.
As enthusiastic as he was about his new-found power and essentially becoming a hero, he was always one of the first to admit to being tired. Yukari wasn’t at all hesitant on pointing this out at times, which really played on his guilt on certain days, but Minato was always kind and understanding about it. He lost little sleep over it; their two senpais were probably bigger powerhouses than he would ever be anyways, and they were more than adequate to take his place.
That night, though. He wasn’t sure what it was about it. It wasn’t that different from any other night of dangerous Tartarus exploration, but for some reason he felt anxious. Maybe it was Fuuka’s constant reminders about the powerful enemy he knew they’d soon have to face, or maybe he just wished he had stayed as back up, just in case he was needed. He lost what felt like hours, just tossing and turning; throwing his bed covers off because it felt too hot, then snuggling back in them because it felt too cold. There was no way to get comfortable, it seemed-so he just gave up.
He sat up in his bed for a moment, looking around his room, and finally walked out into the empty hallway with a sigh. The Dark Hour had long since passed, and though he didn’t remember hearing any doors shut or any indication of the rest of SEES returning, he knew they were probably already back.
His suspicions were confirmed when, walking down to the first floor lounge, he noticed a distinct glow emanating from the dining table, with an accompanying clicking noise. He recognized that glow, he realized; it was one he knew all too well. He’d wasted hours of his day before, staring at that glow, making those very same clicking noises with his fingers-typing. And he was pretty sure he knew who this was.
“Fuuka?” he asked, treading carefully. He took note of her unique hair color, which almost seemed to match the light coming from her screen. She seemed startled and stood up quite abruptly, nearly knocking over the chair in the process-and nearly tripping, as she tried to step away from him. He supposed he never noticed how clumsy she could be. “Hey, relax,” he assured her with a laugh, “Relax! It’s just me.”
He reached out and grabbed her hand before she had a chance to lose her balance, and pulled her towards him. Though it was dark, the relieved look on her face was obvious.
“Oh, Junpei-kun…” She let out a sigh, and placed a hand over her chest, composing herself as she took a seat back in the chair. “I’m… I’m sorry. I should have realized.”
“No worries,” he replied. He took a seat next to her and casually glanced at her laptop screen. “I, uh, didn’t mean to scare you…what are you doing, anyway? It’s pretty late-shouldn’t you be asleep?”
“I…well, that is…” Fuuka seemed suddenly protective of the computer screen, once she noticed him trying to look at it. If it hadn’t been the only source of light in the room at the moment, he was certain she would’ve just closed it. She angled it downwards, at least, and seemed to look away shyly; and though he was deeply curious, he decided it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to be nosy. “It’s… it’s nothing. Just um…some research, I guess,” she replied dismissively. “A-anyway…I thought you would be asleep too, by the time we got back…”
Junpei scratched his head, laughing a little nervously as he acknowledged the subject change. Figures it would put Fuuka back in her comfort zone, and kick him right out of his.
“Yeah…I thought so, too. Funny, huh?” He shrugged; and though he tried to think of an explanation for his restlessness, nothing seemed to fit-like puzzle pieces in the wrong box. So he just went with the obvious. “I was a little worried, I guess. I probably shouldn’t have left so early…did we…I mean, I guess they beat that Shadow you were detecting, right?”
“Oh! Yes, of course,” she replied, smiling. “I can never seem to detect the weaknesses in these powerful Shadows…this one was no different, but they were able to take it out quite easily. Everyone’s come such a long way; I just knew we could win.”
“That’s great.” He smiled and pretended that some great burden had been lifted off his shoulders. She seemed quite proud, and perhaps thankful for something else to talk about. He couldn’t help but feel proud too, and though he never really had any doubts, he was glad everyone was able to make it back safely.
For a while, the two simply sat in silence. Fuuka was very eager to get back to her computer; he could tell, but whatever it was she was doing, he knew she wouldn’t as long as he was there. He couldn’t help but wonder what she was looking at that could be so bad she had to hide it. They were all friends after all, and he was sure Mitsuru-senpai could find ten times worse by just looking in his room anyway. He laughed and shook his head, deciding not to intrude on her privacy any further.
He knew she had seen her and Yukari talking a lot lately around the dorm; “girl talk,” they always said. They’d been quite secretive lately, and though he knew he’d never get a straight answer, he supposed he could assume it had something to do with this.
Girls. Sometimes he felt like he’d never understand them.
“Well,” he finally said, “I didn’t mean to interrupt you or anything, so…I guess I’ll go.” He stood up, and her eyes seemed to widen in surprise, as she did the same. “Thanks…you know, for keeping me informed. And for always helping us out.”
“W-wait!” He hadn’t even had the chance to take a step towards the stairs, before Fuuka called him back. He could feel her hand, too, attached to the back of his t-shirt for a brief moment, before she caught herself and let go. “Sorry,” she stammered quickly. “I mean…I…” She was looking away again. This time, he even noticed a red tint in her cheeks, though he had to admit, it could have been his imagination. “I didn’t mean to scare you off. You… you can stay… you know, if you want.”
“What’s this?” Junpei laughed, teasingly. “A change of heart?”
“I…I could use the company, now that I think about it.” She paused. “J-just for a little while?”
She didn’t seem sure about this at all. He may not have been the best at reading people, but he could tell that much. That little voice inside his head was screaming at him to get some sleep-that this was somehow a bad idea. Obviously however, he found it quite difficult to say no. Instead, he smiled, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. He could feel her relax for whatever reason, just a little, and all of a sudden he felt like he was doing the right thing.
“Sure,” he replied, more seriously this time. “I’ll go grab a book or something, okay? And… maybe study for once in my life.”
He laughed, as he walked up the stairs; he could hear Fuuka’s laugh echoing with him, as she waited patiently.
And the voice in his head no longer objected.
A/N: Written for the kink meme, so yeah, I guess I’m de-anoning ^^; The pairing’s pretty rare, so it was interesting to write and the prompt just inspired me for some reason. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it.