Persona x Reader

Pharos + Reader (P3)

Staring up in awe at the large building before you, you felt your stomach twist. It was organised for you to start staying here at the dorm, the same one connected to your school. A lot had changed in such a short time for you, not to mention you still hadn't come to terms to what had happened only a couple days a go.

Before you could dwell on it further, the heavy door opened with a creak. A girl a couple years older than you peered down the short stairway, expression softening as she saw you. "Oh, hey! You must be Y/n, right?"

You nodded hesitantly. "Yeah..." 

"Come on in then!" She held out the door, and as you ascended the steps she sent you a friendly smile. "My name's Yukari. There's more people inside."

More people? Just how many more people...? 

'Well she seems nice at least.'  You tried to shake off your nervousness as the two of you entered the dorm, and sure enough a couple other people were inside. 

Another girl with a serious look turned to you. "So you're here. Welcome, my name is Misturu."

You were surprised at how polite her greeting was, but you accepted it all the same. "Nice to meet you... I'm-"

"Y/n, right?" Mitsuru questioned. "We were told about you. I'm sure you've seen some... Strange things. You don't need to worry, we've all been through it as well. You're safe here."

You paused. She must've been talking about that night... 

"Anyway, we have a room prepared for you. I can have Takeba take you there."

"Um," the words left your mouth before you had even realised. It was too late, as the two girls were already looking at you oddly. "I... I can find it myself. If that's okay."

Yukari and Mitsuru exchanged looks. 

"I suppose that's fine. Well then, we can talk later. I'm sure you're quite exhausted and need some rest." Mitsuru said. She told you the room number, and you made your way to the staircase.

Halfway up, your heard the muffled sounds of conversations. It was hard to hear, but not impossible.

"I feel bad... The Dark Hour scary for me, but I can't imagine what it would've been like for someone so young." You heard Yukari mutter. 

Mitsuru's was next to speak. "Indeed... But I believe things will be better for them here. After all, we've all experienced it."

"True... I wonder if they're okay?"

You sighed, going up the rest of the steps. 

Eventually you reached your room, evident as you checked the room number. The door opened slowly at your soft push, revealing a bed and desk inside. The room was empty, otherwise.

The suitcase you carried felt heavier each minute, and as you dropped it to the floor ands at down, you found that somehow the weight had moved to your shoulders. 

"The Dark Hour..." You mumbled. "That's what it was called?"

It was still difficult to believe it was anything other than a dream. The night was unlike anything you had seen before. The sky was dull and coloured a sombre green, and the streets were dark, littered with coffins and pools of blood.

At some point, your breathing had sped up. It had to have been a dream. It had to, even though it felt so real. 

You squeezed your eyes shut, letting your forehead rest against your knees. As much as you tried to push it to the back of your mind, you couldn't. You couldn't simply forget the stench of rusted iron in the air, or forget how eerily quiet the once busy streets were. One moment everything was normal, and the next they had become coffins that loomed over you, casting a shadow over you that sent shivers up your back. 

If it was just that, maybe you'd be fine. The eery silence that lined the pavements was still frightening, but it wouldn't keep you up night. Rather it was what interrupted the silence in that odd hour that had your heart racing, even now. 

That thing that chased you... It couldn't have been real-

"Hey." 

You shrieked, jumped up so quick your head hit the wall adjacent to your bed. Quickly your eyes scanned the room, landing on a boy around the same age as you. Despite just seemingly appearing in your room, he smiling as if nothing was wrong.

"You didn't look too well there. Are you okay?"

In shock you could only stare at him, before finally finding your words. "Wha... Who are you?! I don't remember seeing you downstairs."

"That's because I wasn't downstairs." He answered with ease. "Anyway, I'm called Pharos. You're Y/n, right?"

"How do you know that?" 

He seemed to smile wider. "You ask a lot of questions, don't you? But you don't answer any of your own."

You frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"You were thinking about that night, weren't you? The Dark Hour." 

"So you know about that, too..." This was by far the strangest conversation you've had with someone, but you were curious. "B-But that wasn't real. It couldn't have been." 

Pharos just continued to smile. "I could argue with that, but I think you know the truth already. You're just looking away from it."

His words say still in the air for a moment, and slowly they sunk in. "No... I... You can't prove that!"

"I can't, but you can." He replied. "But I don't blame you for trying to push it away. It must've been scary." For a short moment, his smile had dropped in place of a sympathetic frown. 

You inhaled slowly, looking down at your feet. Peeking out from the fabric covering your ankle was a bandaged, and even just gently moving the limb you could feel the pain. You had tried to ignore it all this time, but this was the cold hard truth. 

"Okay... F-Fine." You exhaled, looking back up to meet Pharos' eyes. He was smiling again, and looked proud of you. 

"That night, I... Saw something. It chased me, and when I tried to run I tripped and twisted my ankle badly." You admitted. "Then that older boy saved me... He said it was a shadow." 

"Don't you feel better now?" Pharos asked. "Now you can move past it properly, and heal. Just like your ankle!"

For the first time since entering, the corners of your lips turned up in a small smile. "That's true... Thanks, Pharos. You're... A good friend."

Pharos' bright blue eyes widened, as if he was surprised, but as soon as you blinked he was smiling again. "It's true what they said, too. You'll be safe now."

"They? Wait, how did you know-"

A knock resounded from your door, cutting you off. "Hey, sorry to bother you! We're putting together a meeting so you can get to know everyone. You're not sleeping, are you?"

"U-Um, no, I'm not." You answered, standing up. Somehow, the pain in your ankle was much more bearable now. 

"Oh, good!" As you opened the door, you were greeted by Yukari's friendly smile. "Were you unpacking?"

You shook your head. "No, I was talking to-" 

However as you turned, you found nobody was there. The room was empty. 

Your eyes travelled from wall to wall, but Pharos was nowhere to be seen. Yukari tipped her head to the side in confusion. "Y/n?" 

Turning back, you replied. "I-It's nothing. I was just dozing off."

Yukari shrugged it off and lead you downstairs after you closed the door. On the other side a figure appeared, still somewhat at a loss.

"Friends...?" The word felt foreign, but the warm feeling it brought wasn't unwanted at all. 

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A/N: Requested by @star16738 !

I'm very sorry for the wait!