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"The moon... Is it not beautiful, Akechi?"
Yusuke paused after his sentence, turning his head ever so slightly in the direction of Goro. The sentence caused Goro to pause, for her to stop for a moment. It was oddly out of the blue, breaking the silence the walk once held. Goro evaluates once more, looking toward the direction which formally captivated Yusuke's gaze. Up, toward the ever persistent light of the full moon. It shone brightly, it was a cold winter night, making it even more visible. She cracks a small smile, only slightly pulling at the corners of her lips.
Yusuke's eyes are still on her, she can feel it. He awaits her response with baited breath, practically on the edge of his seat with anticipation. Goro found she didn't have to hold her tongue with him.
“It’s quite beautiful…” She whispers, letting out a breath as she does. Her voice wisps in the wind, a cloud forming in front of her due to how cold it is out. She turns to Yusuke, only to see him shiver in response. Right. He was so unbelievably thin he likely had little to no body warmth. She takes a step toward him, garnering a confused look from the other. Her body language is relaxed, she recognizes. Vulnerability was never quite her strong suit, but it suits her perfectly fine at the moment.
She loves Yusuke, she realizes.
And so she acts completely on impluse. Goro normally thinks before she acts, methodical planning. Not this time.
Yusuke unlocked a flurry of emotions that once had been built up behind walls. Walls she had created to protect herself from the world. Yusuke was something that she couldn’t quite puzzle out. She often modeled for him, but then again all of Yusuke’s friends had modeled for him at one point or another. Goro had discovered a sketchbook filled with countless sketches of only her, however. The others didn’t have that. Yusuke complimented her every moment he got. It was obvious he loved her. And Goro was just realizing it now.
She feels like a fool, likely what led to the foolish decision to act on impulse. Foolish, childish, idiotic impulse. She suddenly grabs him by the collar, taking a shaky breath.
“A-Akechi… Is something wrong? Is it getting too cold…” Yusuke’s face suddenly goes pink in the dim light of the moon.
“Shut up and kiss me, Kitagawa. Do it,” She takes another shaky breath, the world feeling as it had stopped, but only for them both. The moon was beautiful, and she loved Yusuke. She wanted him to kiss her, take her away underneath the moonlight. Like a fairytale. She hears Yusuke’s breath hitch for a moment, before he begins to lean in. Giving her exactly what she wanted.
Yet she panics, quickly releasing his coat.
“W-Wait… I’m rusty… I haven’t kissed anyone since,” She flushes a bit, similar to how Yusuke looks at the moment as well. She thinks back to her fling with Akira, failed dates that never went anywhere. A kiss, cold as death. She didn’t know what she wanted back then. She thought she wanted Akira, but she was wrong. Akira never did anything wrong, but they always fit together oddly. A puzzle piece, trying to be forced to fit together with another. It didn’t stick. They parted as rivals, as friends.
Deep down, Akechi wished it had gone differently. An ache in her heart told her she could’ve done something more. That ache ate away at her during the dark hours of the night, blaming herself for not being enough. She couldn’t be what Akira wanted. She needed to be who she wanted to be.
That was years ago however, and she most certainly had grown into the person she wanted to be. But, it had been far too late. Akira was happy with Ryuji, it seemed. Goro was plenty happy for them as well.
She feared, that no one else would love her. Akira was her only chance, and she had blown it. But she was clearly mistaken. The Fox always came back, no matter how annoyed by his presence she seemed to be.
Breaking her train of thought, she clears her throat, craning her neck up slightly to stare into Yusuke’s eyes.
“I haven’t kissed anyone since Akira.” She bites her bottom lip in worry, almost ashamed and panicked at the fact.
Yusuke chuckles at her, and suddenly a hand is on her cheek. His skin is rough, but his touch is gentle and comforting. Goro leans into it.
“I find that humans have a way of remembering…” Yusuke brushes his thumb across her cheek, smiling like an idiot at her. She loved when he smiled like that. Though she would rather die than admit it out loud. Yusuke continues after a moment of silence passes between the two. “Humans often learn from others— To adapt. It’s a fundamental feature for survival…” He hums, Goro hanging on every word he speaks.
“…Your body will remember, even if your mind does not,” Yusuke leans in slightly closer, and the butterflies in Goro’s stomach start again. She feels breathless, and Yusuke hasn’t even kissed her yet. This whole scenario felt so utterly… intimate. “You will find it easy to remember… That’s what’s so wonderful about the body… Whether it is how it functions, or how it appears to look..” He whispers, before smiling fondly at her, and connecting their lips.
The hand on her cheek remained, his other hand moving to her waist to pull her in closer. Yusuke’s lips felt so gentle and soft pressed against her own. She was suddenly melting into a kiss, and she did remember how to kiss. Goro’s hand returns to gripping Yusuke’s coat tightly. She tilts her head slightly, and god she was so utterly pathetic and desperate. It didn’t feel like kissing a dead corpse, emotionless and filled with despair. It felt alive. Goro felt alive.
When Yusuke pulls away, Goro deems it entirely too soon. He speaks before she can even get a word out.
“Goro… If I may call you as such… Will you be my partner?”
Goro’s stomach drops to her feet, and she blushes the darkest blush she’s ever felt in her life. She can feel the heat on her cheeks.
She speaks without thinking, yet again.
“God yes. Yes. I’ve been waiting to see if you’d ask. I was scared.” She feels like a loser, practically falling apart from Yusuke’s gentle touch. Her hands are still gripping his coat tightly.
Yusuke chuckles like before, taking one of her hands and gently squeezing.
“You’re beautiful… Have I ever told you that? Your features are so beautifully sculpted, similar to how I would envision an angelic figure.”
It’s Goro’s turn to laugh, and she takes his hand, returning to her spot next to him. They begin to walk again, and she speaks.
“I believe you have.” She nods. Yusuke’s fond smile returns as he looks forward, beginning to ramble on about how beautiful the surrounding nature is on their walk.
Goro doesn’t know how late it is. Not that she cares. She could stay with Yusuke all night.