Makoto rested his head on the pillows of the couch, scrolling through his Instagram. He'd been thinking the entire time, and only the distant voices of Kyoko and Junko could drown it out. They were in Kyoko's bedroom, probably getting ready for the party. His mind traveled back to his conversation with Leon. Frankly, he was mad. He was mad that he needed the bastard so much. He hadn't forgiven him. He doubted that he ever would, it was a horrible thing Leon did to him. But still, he missed his partner in crime. He had some texts from him, too. Saying that he shouldn't accept his apology, to give everything time to process... Makoto knew how bad his friend felt. Everything he said felt so genuine, as if he truly was remorseful.
But for now, other worries plagued Makoto's mind. Mainly, the worries surrounding the owner of the couch he laid on. Leon's words lingered in his mind. He definitely wasn't ready for something new, but the idea that Kyoko might feel something for him... It sparked him joy. Reaching to his cheek, Makoto was surprised to find some tears rolling down them. He slowly sat up, locking his phone and shoving it in his pocket. He stood up, and made his way over to the kitchen. He heard some footsteps making their way down the stairs. And there she stood.
As he laid his eyes on Kyoko, Makoto couldn't help the blush covering his cheeks. They smiled at eachother. Kyoko gently scratched her wrist.
"H-How do I-" She cleared her throat. "How do I look?"
"You look amazing.", he replied. It was Kyoko's turn to blush. He walked a bit closer to her, taking notice of her hands. "Your gloves..." She glanced down, seeing the small rips in the faux leather fabric.
"I know they clash with the outfit.", she frowned. "But I'm not taking them off." Makoto smiled, taking hold of her hands in his.
"There's no need.", he whispered. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, copying the movements she'd make if she's nervous. "You do that when you're ready." Kyoko felt her eyes start to sting. Everything Makoto said always felt so genuine. As if he genuinely cared for her. She looked up at him, still wondering when he got taller than her. Sure, it was only a little bit. But still.
"Makoto-"
"I need to tell you something, Kyoko." He took a breath. "I've been thinking, and I felt that I needed to-" Makoto stopped when he heard quick footsteps scramble down the stairs. They turned around, their gaze at Junko. It was most likely quite the sight. Makoto holding Kyoko's hand, the other on her cheek. It most likely gave off the wrong idea.
"Ohhh shit, am I interrupting something?", Junko asked. Makoto took a step back, quickly shaking his head.
"N-No! It's fine." He sighed. "Let's head for the party?" The girls nodded, and they made their way to Junko's car.
Makoto took the backseat, while Kyoko sat down next to Junko at the front. They pulled out of Kyoko's driveway, headed for the center of the city. The car ride was quiet, and Makoto spent majority of the time gazing outside. The stars had started to come out. He felt a small tap on his leg. He looked up, seeing Kyoko point to her phone. Quickly deciphering what she meant, he checked his texts.
Kyowo: What is it you wanted to tell me?
Makoto felt his chest start to sting. He wanted to tell Kyoko how he felt about her, but... Not like this. He figured he'd just come clean about that.
Makowo: It's something. Idk if special is the right word, but I wanna tell you in person. :)
He saw the girl at the front seat nod.
~~
The party was loud, to say the least. There were so many people, and the music was honestly, quite tormenting. Mukuro left as quickly as she came, which did definitely put a dent in Kyoko's mood. She saw a few familiar faces, such as some of the upperclassmen of the 77th and 76th class. None of them Kyoko would consider herself particularly "close" with, but it was nice seeing at least some faces she knew. Two girls from the 76th class, Makoto seemed to recognize. Their names were Kaede Akamatsu and Miu Iruma, if Kyoko recalled correctly. As the three of them chatted, the detective couldn't help but ponder why they knew eachother. She figured not to ask, she wasn't in a great mood and, depending on the answer, it might make it worse. She excused herself for a minute, and went outside.
The garden was very pretty. It had a small pond, some fairy lights and a bench. Barely any people, too, which was awesome. Kyoko sat herself down on the bench, staring at the fountain which decorated the pond. She took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh winter air. She checked her phone, but didn't see anything special. No texts or anything of the sort. She felt a presence sit down next to her.
"You don't seem to be enjoying yourself.", the voice said. Kyoko looked up, seeing a small girl. Probably around her age. She had dark brown hair, and beautiful dark skin to match. Relieved it wasn't some creepy guy, Kyoko smiled.
"Yeah... Parties aren't really my thing."
"How come you're here then? If I may ask, ofcourse."
"Friend dragged me here." The girl giggled.
"The usual, I see." She held out her hand. "My name's Korra Yuudai. Nice to meet you." Kyoko's eyes widened, as she shook the girl's hand.
"Kyoko Kirigiri. Nice to meet you too." She started to feel a little nervous.
"Are you okay? You seem a little nervous."
"I'm fine. It's just... My friend's ex is named Korra, aswell. This might be quite the coincidence."
"What's their name?"
"Makoto Naegi." Korra smiled.
"Yeah... that's him alright..." They both took an awkward sip of their drink. "So... Are you his new girlfriend?" Kyoko choked.
"N-No! We're just friends, that's all there is." Korra nodded, smiling.
"I hope he's doing well. I haven't talked to him since we've broken up."
"He's doing quite well." Kyoko smiled. "He just got out of a gnarly relationship, but he's being very strong. Though I think he's more affected by it than he lets on."
"It's good that you're there for him. I can't remember much about him, but I do know he was very genuine and sweet." Kyoko nodded.
"He really is."
"KYOKO YOU BITCH!" The two girls turned their heads towards the voice, seeing the one and only, Junko Enoshima. Who probably had a bit too much to drink, so Kyoko already figured she'd be calling Mukuro later. "I was looking for you!! Why are you outside?", the blonde asked as she sat down on the detective's lap, resting her head on the other's chest.
"Junko. What are you doing?"
"Come back insiiiiide~", she whined. "Makoto is looking for youuu~"
"I figure this might be my cue to leave.", Korra said. "My friends are probably looking for me, too. It was nice meeting you, Kirigiri."
"You too, Yuudai." She nodded, and made her way back inside.
"I'm gonna text Makoto that you're outside, okay?", Junko said, in an attempt to form a coherent sentence. After sending a text to what hopefully was Makoto, she rested her head back on Kyoko's chest. The other sighed. "You know, Kyoko..."
"What is it?"
"You should let go. Have some fun, kiss some boys~!"
"... You've had too much, I'm calling Mukuro."
"Nooooo, don't! I wanna stay a bit longer, plus it's my cousin's house. I'm probably gonna stay the night here."
"I still need to call Mukuro to get Makoto and I home then."
"Your boobs are really soft, Kyoko.", Junko said as she poked them. Kyoko felt her face strike red.
"Thank you, Junko, now knock it off.", she replied in an annoyed tone. She grabbed Junko's hand, in order to stop her from being all over her chest.
"Boring!!", the blonde said as she jumped up from Kyoko's lap. She bolted back inside, nearly running down Makoto in the process. He had a confused look plastered on his face, as he sat down next to Kyoko. She let out a loud, exhausted groan.
"What on earth did I miss?", Makoto asked, laughing.
"Surprisingly this isn't the first time Junko was obsessed with my chest.", she replied as she rubbed her face in frustration.
"It's not?"
"She loves going bra shopping together." Makoto let out another chuckle. Kyoko smiled, too. "She mentioned you were looking for me?"
"Ah, yeah... You were gone for quite the while, so I was getting a little worried. A pretty girl on her own at a party..." Makoto scratched the back of his head.
"Not worried about Junko?"
"T-That's different. She scares off any creeps with just her yelling." Kyoko chuckled. "So, did she say anything weird? Drunk people usually say whatever's on their mind."
"She told me to let go and kiss some boys." Makoto smiled.
"Yeah, sounds about right."
"I don't know, I... I don't want my first kiss to be with some rando at a party. Call it cheesy, but I want it to be special.", Kyoko said. She fiddled with the hem of her dress.
"What do you mean with special?", Makoto asked. He scooted a little closer. A small blush started creeping to his face.
"Just... With someone I care about. Someone that cares about me." She looked up at him when she felt a hand cover hers.
"Well, uh..." He cleared his throat. Kyoko felt her cheeks start to redden, too. "I assume you know this already, but uh...", he whispered. "I care. A lot."
Kyoko couldn't say anything. Everything seemed to happen so fast, and at the same time, time seemed to stop. Everything around her drowned out. There was no faint, annoying dubstep music. The trickling of the fountain fell quiet. All she could hear was her heartbeat in her throat, and all she could see was the blushing boy in front of her. The same boy she had been crushing on for months. The same boy that started leaning in closer. Everything aligned when she felt two soft lips press against hers.