Persona x Reader

Akihiko Sanada x Fem!Reader (P3)

When you were young you didn't dwell much on the thought of your life. Unlike many other kids, you were raised in an orphanage, and didn't have any parents. Since you grew older though you started to think about why your life turned out the way it did.

Not to say that it was horrible, the orphanage was nice and quite homely as well, but knowing it was the only home you ever had made you a little sad. At the very least you had school to distract you from it, as well as your friends from the orphanage.

Akihiko was a very straight-faced boy, but despite how serious he looked he was kind. The same went for Shinjiro who you also talked to a lot. The three of you spent a lot of time together, and it usually took your mind off your non-stop questioning thoughts about your life. 

.. It usually did. Lately, even that hasn't been enough, and it didn't go unnoticed.

You were staring down at your desk in the mostly empty classroom, counting the scratches on the wood. It was after school time, so many went ahead to their clubs or straight home.

'To their families...' You thought sourly, your frown deepening. Akihiko had boxing and Shinjiro presumably went back to the orphanage already, so there was no point of sitting waiting, but you couldn't bring yourself to move. 

Doing homework was out of the question too, since you couldn't focus. So you stayed seated, listening to the birds chirp outside. You closed your eyes, resting your cheek on your palm with a sigh. 

For a while, it was tranquil, and the sounds of nature soothed the pesky thoughts swirling in your mind. The birds tweets were small and cute. Then they got louder.

Maybe you were just imagining it, but it was starting to sound like a name was being called, in a really pitchy voice. 

"Akihiko-kun!" 

You opened your eyes, just in time to see the birds by the window flee. The squeals continued as well as exasperated reprimands.

'Aki must be done already, huh?'  You thought to yourself. He'd probably worry if he found out you were just sitting here alone for no reason, and you didn't want to be a bother. You listened as the sound of fangirling eventually quietened as well as the many pairs of footsteps. 

The door slid open, making you glance over and freeze. Akihiko stood there, visibly exhausted, making you wonder if it was due to the boxing or it was because of the girls chasing him. 

He looked just as startled as you were to see him. "Y/n?"

You waved at him, an half-hearted embarrassed chuckle leaving your mouth. "Hi." 

His posture being slightly hunched, he walked over and pulled a seat adjacent to yours across from the scratched desk you were staring at so intensely before.  

"You're still here?" He questioned curiously. You nodded.

"... Yeah." Quickly changing the subject, you asked something yourself. "And you?"

Akihiko's brows furrowed. "I could barely get out the room because of them. The guys helped out though." 

An amused hum left your mouth, it being a short one before the sad expression on your face took over again. Akihiko watched you carefully as your gaze returned to the desk. 

"... Hey." He spoke up. 

You looked up at him with a quizzical look. Your eyes locking before he glanced away.

"What's wrong with you?" Was his question before he visibly winced at how harsh it sounded. "I mean, you've just been so... Quiet lately." 

You bit your lip. The last thing you wanted was to worry him, and now that knew something was up, he wasn't going to just drop it.

"It's... Well." You sighed. "I've just been thinking about things."

"Things?" Akihiko prodded, listening attentively. 

You absentmindedly fiddled with the ends of your school skirt, trying to word the thoughts that have been plaguing you. 

"Like... Why did I have to be an orphan?" You mumbled out. When you glanced up to gauge Akihiko's reaction, he was staring back at you with surprise.

"Sorry. It's stupid isn't it? I know I'm not the only one to feel like this, but..." You trailed off, the fabric of your skirt started to feel heavy between your fingers.

There was a moment of silence between you both when he spoke up again. 

"... So that's it." 

"Huh?" You looked at him, confused. 

"Shinji and me noticed a while ago that something wasn't right. You're not very good at hiding things." He said, almost joking in his tone. 

"Sorry... I just didn't want to worry you both. I thought I was just being stupid, so..." 

"Don't apologise. You're right about not being the only one to feel like that." Akihiko continued. "Anyways, it's not like you don't have a family."

You couldn't understand why you were tearing up, but you were unable to hold them back. Akihiko looked a bit caught off-guard seeing them roll down your face.

"Aki..." You sniffled. He awkwardly patted you on the shoulder.

"H-Hey, it's fine. Don't cry..." His pale went noticeably pinker when you leaned into his touch. 

You wiped your eyes, finally being able to laugh properly. "Hehe, sorry." 

He retracted his arm, instead reaching up to scratch his warm cheek. "I-It's fine. You don't have to apologise so much..." 

You nodded at him, feeling much lighter than you did previously. "Okay. Thanks, Aki."

He glanced at you, defying his embarrassment to see you smile, mirroring it with his own. Knowing you were finally feeling better made an imaginary weight lift for him as well.

"Now let's go. Shinji will be on our case if we're not there soon." He said, standing up and hoisting his black jacket over his shoulder as he usually did.

You beamed, standing up with him. On the walk there Akihiko told you about his today, venting about a particular group of persistent fangirls. The atmosphere felt considerably more comfortable than before when you were sad, and it was just like old times. 

You were thinking about the nicer memories at the orphanage during your walk with him when a thought occurred to you.

"Hey, Aki?"

He turned his head. "Hm? What?"

"When you said 'it wasn't like I didn't have a family', what did you mean?" You asked. 

He blinked, his eyes not focusing entirely on yours. "That? Well... I mean, family is just who you're close to right? So..."

You clasped your hands together with a shining smile. "I got it! Like when we used to play house when we were little, right?"

His hold on the jacket tightened as he gawked at you. "That's-"

"You're right. Sorry I didn't notice until now, Aki." You were unable to stop yourself from grinning at him. Akihiko was finally able to look away, his head turning so fast it looked as if his neck would snap.

"... Let's just go, already." 

Without waiting for an answer, he walked ahead at a brisk pace, he gaze firmly directed at the ground beneath him. You couldn't help but giggle as you watched him storm off, your chest feeling warm.

"Okay, okay! Wait for me!" You called, rushing to walk alongside him. Akihiko sighed when you finally joined him again, but he couldn't say it was completely out of annoyance. 

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A/N: Requested by @AvaWatson7 !

Sorry for the delay, but I hope this was alright! This was supposed to be set before they get into high school but it doesn't really show in the writing. ^^

Finally finished all requests! I have some to do on my other book though so the ones here will still be closed, but I will still update! I'll probably write about characters that haven't been requested yet.