Fanfic - Persona: Comfort
Title: Comfort
By: neutraltwin
Rating: G
Fandom: Persona 4
Pairing: Ai/Souji
Warning: Nope!
Disclaimer: Don't own Persona 4, bla bla.
For the prompt: This might be a bit out of left field, but... Souji + Ai friendship fic? Because as hilariously shocking as it was at the time that someone would actually dump Souji *shock, gasp!*, this anon found that option way more awesome than taking the usual girlfriend route.
So, Souji + Ai as post-relationship BFFs please. ♥
Another slow day in the weeks after the investigation had wrapped up; Souji didn’t regret a moment of it, of course, but without that overriding purpose, without the path of the journey set out in front of him, Igor and Margaret always behind him...well, to be frank? Inaba was kinda boring without it. He wouldn’t complain, couldn’t, but the sheer lack of anything to do was starting to bug him. He propped his feet up on his work table, tilting his head back into the sofa cushions, and stared up at the ceiling. He thought about his friends, the town, the things he could do today. He switched Personas in his mind, Incubus to Titania to Cu Chulainn.
Five minutes passed before his phone trilled in his pocket, Souji letting out an audible sigh of relief.
“Oh, thank god.” he murmured, flipping the phone open and bringing it to his ear. “Hello?”
“It’s me.” the caller said, her confident, feminine tones immediately bringing a smile to Souji’s face. There was a voice he hadn’t heard for days.
“Hello, Ai.” He said, sitting a little straighter against the sofa. “What’s up?”
“Nothing. That’s the problem.” Ai replied. Souji bit back a chuckle at her frustrated sigh. “Want to come over? We can...watch a movie or something, I don’t know.”
“Sure. I wouldn’t mind.” Souji replied. He earned a scoff of disbelief from Ai; he could picture her smiling, flicking her hair back with a well-practiced tilt of her head.
“Yeah, right. You’re just sitting on your sofa staring at the ceiling again, aren’t you? Just waiting for someone else to make the first move and call you.”
It still unnerved him, how easily she knew that. “...maybe.”
He was rewarded with a light, tinkling laugh; Ai would be getting up now, fiddling with something in her room, one of the little figurines he’d built for her while they were still dating.
“I’ll see you in fifteen minutes?” she asked. Souji looked down at himself, still in his nightshirt, a small stain of something that had...certainly seemed like beef at the time, stubbornly staying there from a late-night snack last night. He frowned down at it as if the stain would shrink and run away.
“...make it twenty. See you then.”
“Yeah, see you then.” Ai replied. There was a moment’s awkward pause before she added: “Oh, and bring some movies!”
Souji opened his mouth to ask, but she’d already hung up. He looked down at himself again as he slipped his phone back in his pocket. He’d better get ready...Ai never did like him being late.
Twenty minutes passed; Souji was glad he gave himself extra time, having ran into Sayoko on the way and passed a few words with her. She had smiled something about ‘young boys and their adventures’ in passing, but Souji had simply smiled and brushed it off. Not like that anymore, as much as he’d enjoyed it. He wouldn’t have it any other way.
Ai greeted him at the door with a smile, as usual, disregarding the butler standing stiffly to the side. Souji gave a nod to the man - Ito-san, if he remembered correctly - as Ai led him up the sweeping stairs, along the path he’d trodden plenty of times before.
His eyes brushed over her fitted jeans and brand-label blouse (the one with a high collar, since she'd remarked about how good it looked on him) as they walked up the stairs, lingering perhaps a moment too long on the curve of her ass as they reached the top, turning instinctively to the left. Friends or not, Ai was still one of the most attractive girls he'd ever met. Not that he'd ever let Rise know that, of course.
A cool sensation hit him as they entered the small study that Ai had converted into her personal lounge; he shot her a look which she shot right back, squinting disapprovingly. It was an old argument by now; Ai liked having the air conditioning on all the time - she 'didn't do sweating', after all - and Souji thought it was a waste of electricity. They stared for a few moments before Souji broke off, chuckling under his breath as he took a seat on the sofa, shifting nostalgically. How much time had they passed on here.
Souji looked up as Ai turned, a remote in each hand. He gave a small nod, opening his bag to retrieve the movies he'd brought over; old favourites, a new one he'd picked up from Junes, and a shamelessly sappy romantic comedy that he knew Ai liked, no matter what she said.
"This one first." Souji said, offering the new movie. Ai took it, wrinkling her nose at the cover.
"Are you sure?" she said. "I remember hearing this one was pretty bad."
Souji smiled. "That's the point."
Ai gave a snort of laughter before shrugging, turning away from him to insert it into the - frankly, intimidating - entertainment centre. Souji got up to retrieve drinks from the mini-fridge Ai had had installed in the room; glancing around, he noticed the air conditioning going, the lights, the fridge, and the countless devices in the entertainment centre. He passed the drink - her favourite, Cielo Mist - to her as she plopped down next to him with a satisfied noise, triggering the movie before settling back into the cushions.
"I'm still surprised the electricity doesn't overload with everything in here." Souji commented.
"Oh, shut up." Ai countered, elbowing him lightly in the ribs. Souji made a light noise of discomfort, chuckling to himself. Still so easy to rile.
The movie played on, Ai offering criticism, Souji chipping in with wry observations at critical parts. Souji shifted as Ai leaned against him, her wavy hair falling against his shoulders as she stared at the screen, turning the soda can between her hands.
This was, he reflected, very comfortable. Sure, he'd saved the whole town with his friends, become closer to them than he had with anyone else...but this was something else altogether. Souji had never believed in allowing bad feelings to stagnate or letting old relationships to sour and die.
After all, he'd loved Ai before, and she'd loved him, truly and deeply.
Now they just loved each other in a different way.
By: neutraltwin
Rating: G
Fandom: Persona 4
Pairing: Ai/Souji
Warning: Nope!
Disclaimer: Don't own Persona 4, bla bla.
For the prompt: This might be a bit out of left field, but... Souji + Ai friendship fic? Because as hilariously shocking as it was at the time that someone would actually dump Souji *shock, gasp!*, this anon found that option way more awesome than taking the usual girlfriend route.
So, Souji + Ai as post-relationship BFFs please. ♥
Another slow day in the weeks after the investigation had wrapped up; Souji didn’t regret a moment of it, of course, but without that overriding purpose, without the path of the journey set out in front of him, Igor and Margaret always behind him...well, to be frank? Inaba was kinda boring without it. He wouldn’t complain, couldn’t, but the sheer lack of anything to do was starting to bug him. He propped his feet up on his work table, tilting his head back into the sofa cushions, and stared up at the ceiling. He thought about his friends, the town, the things he could do today. He switched Personas in his mind, Incubus to Titania to Cu Chulainn.
Five minutes passed before his phone trilled in his pocket, Souji letting out an audible sigh of relief.
“Oh, thank god.” he murmured, flipping the phone open and bringing it to his ear. “Hello?”
“It’s me.” the caller said, her confident, feminine tones immediately bringing a smile to Souji’s face. There was a voice he hadn’t heard for days.
“Hello, Ai.” He said, sitting a little straighter against the sofa. “What’s up?”
“Nothing. That’s the problem.” Ai replied. Souji bit back a chuckle at her frustrated sigh. “Want to come over? We can...watch a movie or something, I don’t know.”
“Sure. I wouldn’t mind.” Souji replied. He earned a scoff of disbelief from Ai; he could picture her smiling, flicking her hair back with a well-practiced tilt of her head.
“Yeah, right. You’re just sitting on your sofa staring at the ceiling again, aren’t you? Just waiting for someone else to make the first move and call you.”
It still unnerved him, how easily she knew that. “...maybe.”
He was rewarded with a light, tinkling laugh; Ai would be getting up now, fiddling with something in her room, one of the little figurines he’d built for her while they were still dating.
“I’ll see you in fifteen minutes?” she asked. Souji looked down at himself, still in his nightshirt, a small stain of something that had...certainly seemed like beef at the time, stubbornly staying there from a late-night snack last night. He frowned down at it as if the stain would shrink and run away.
“...make it twenty. See you then.”
“Yeah, see you then.” Ai replied. There was a moment’s awkward pause before she added: “Oh, and bring some movies!”
Souji opened his mouth to ask, but she’d already hung up. He looked down at himself again as he slipped his phone back in his pocket. He’d better get ready...Ai never did like him being late.
Twenty minutes passed; Souji was glad he gave himself extra time, having ran into Sayoko on the way and passed a few words with her. She had smiled something about ‘young boys and their adventures’ in passing, but Souji had simply smiled and brushed it off. Not like that anymore, as much as he’d enjoyed it. He wouldn’t have it any other way.
Ai greeted him at the door with a smile, as usual, disregarding the butler standing stiffly to the side. Souji gave a nod to the man - Ito-san, if he remembered correctly - as Ai led him up the sweeping stairs, along the path he’d trodden plenty of times before.
His eyes brushed over her fitted jeans and brand-label blouse (the one with a high collar, since she'd remarked about how good it looked on him) as they walked up the stairs, lingering perhaps a moment too long on the curve of her ass as they reached the top, turning instinctively to the left. Friends or not, Ai was still one of the most attractive girls he'd ever met. Not that he'd ever let Rise know that, of course.
A cool sensation hit him as they entered the small study that Ai had converted into her personal lounge; he shot her a look which she shot right back, squinting disapprovingly. It was an old argument by now; Ai liked having the air conditioning on all the time - she 'didn't do sweating', after all - and Souji thought it was a waste of electricity. They stared for a few moments before Souji broke off, chuckling under his breath as he took a seat on the sofa, shifting nostalgically. How much time had they passed on here.
Souji looked up as Ai turned, a remote in each hand. He gave a small nod, opening his bag to retrieve the movies he'd brought over; old favourites, a new one he'd picked up from Junes, and a shamelessly sappy romantic comedy that he knew Ai liked, no matter what she said.
"This one first." Souji said, offering the new movie. Ai took it, wrinkling her nose at the cover.
"Are you sure?" she said. "I remember hearing this one was pretty bad."
Souji smiled. "That's the point."
Ai gave a snort of laughter before shrugging, turning away from him to insert it into the - frankly, intimidating - entertainment centre. Souji got up to retrieve drinks from the mini-fridge Ai had had installed in the room; glancing around, he noticed the air conditioning going, the lights, the fridge, and the countless devices in the entertainment centre. He passed the drink - her favourite, Cielo Mist - to her as she plopped down next to him with a satisfied noise, triggering the movie before settling back into the cushions.
"I'm still surprised the electricity doesn't overload with everything in here." Souji commented.
"Oh, shut up." Ai countered, elbowing him lightly in the ribs. Souji made a light noise of discomfort, chuckling to himself. Still so easy to rile.
The movie played on, Ai offering criticism, Souji chipping in with wry observations at critical parts. Souji shifted as Ai leaned against him, her wavy hair falling against his shoulders as she stared at the screen, turning the soda can between her hands.
This was, he reflected, very comfortable. Sure, he'd saved the whole town with his friends, become closer to them than he had with anyone else...but this was something else altogether. Souji had never believed in allowing bad feelings to stagnate or letting old relationships to sour and die.
After all, he'd loved Ai before, and she'd loved him, truly and deeply.
Now they just loved each other in a different way.