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Yeah, they're cute, aren't they? If Ananke were my Persona, I'd always have them out. I kinda of miss Nekogami being a little cat sometimes.

[ He was a good shoulder scarf cat who demanded affection on his own terms, but now he's huge and has to just sit there and accept it when Kido hugs him. Like hugging Totoro... that's the urge Kido has every time Totoro comes on screen, to hug something warm and soft and bury her face into warm soft fur. Where is Ami... ]

Yeah.

[ Terry would rather Nekogami go back to being a small ghost cat, but things must change. He has a kangaroo plush on the bed so he puts that next to Kido. Ami isn't allowed inside... ]

Imagine if someone had something like Totoro for a Persona.

[ Thanks. Now Kido's going to hug this kangaroo plush for the entirety of the movie instead of Terry. Happy Christmas. ]

That'd be cute. But shh, let's just watch the movie.

[ At least she'll snuggle close against him, but also, shh, no talking during cute Miyazaki movies or you can't appreciate the dialogue and the music. ]

[ Terry stays quiet throughout the remainder of the movie. It's 87 minutes, and Terry only adjusts his position slightly from time to time.

He finds it nice to see that the children care so much and are doing all they can to help the sick one. ]

I want a Totoro guardian...

[ He mumbles, lying on his back after finishing the movie. ]

[ Wouldn't it be nice if the would were filled with kind, caring children? Unfortunately, that's just not how reality is.

By the time the movie is over, Kido's using Terry's arm as a pillow and is half buried in the covers so that she can barely see the credits rolling on the wall. The movie is so short but the bed is so warm that she just wants to sleep the rest of the day away. ]

You have Vassago as your guardian. Would he hate a warm sweater for you to hug? [ ...she shifts to look up at Terry ] Have you ever hugged Vassago?

He'd squish me under his hand if I tried.

[ Real talk. Vassago is nice to Ala and all, but he's always harshest with Terry. That said, he's been more open about doing mundane things lately, so it's not like it's completely bad. Imagine a Terry that rejects physical affection though. That's basically Terrence--Vassago still makes up a large part that the other demigods pushed onto Terry, but with his own things into the mix.

Terry looks over at Kido and slowly blinks. He never really thought of Vassago as a guardian of anything. ]

So I'm fine not hugging him. Kinda like how I don't need to verbally say thanks. He'll just know.

[ Getting along sure sounds tough still. It's no wonder that Ala screaming about Vassago protecting Terry never resonated with him, if he never believes it. ]

I guess. It's still nice to hear sometimes, though... You always look happy to hear those things.

[ Maybe because you can't really know from others unless they explicitly say it, while one's Persona's thoughts and feelings are always right there in your mind. ]

[ Yeah, that hits the nail on the head. Terry nods and smiles. ]

I always like hearing things like that from people. Even if it's a small thing, it feels nice.

[ Then say it to Vassago even if you get your skull crushed for it... Kido decides to make more of an effort to say these things to Terry too— she does it a lot when with people she's looking after, like Yamato when she took him through the dungeons and whenever she's around Seto, but it looks like even super powerful demigod clones like praise even if they don't necessarily need the encouragement.

Kido sits up and stretches her arms forward until the tips of her fingers touch her toes under the cover. ]

Mm... Do you want to start the second movie? I'll brave the room temperature outside the blankets and put it in.

[ It's kinda like the difference of giving a kid praise or not after they do well in school, though Terry takes any praise and eats it up. ]

No, it's fine. Actually, I have a present for you.

[ Terry rolls to the edge of the bed and pulls out a box. He rolls back in under the blanket and hands it to Kido. ]

Merry Christmas, Kido.

Oh. Merry Christmas. I didn't expect...

[ Kido mentioned before, offhandedly maybe, about knitting a sweater for Terry so he wouldn't be surprised about what she gives him, but she didn't think he'd get her something.

Please be a cat.

Kido carefully opens the box... please be a cat please be a cat please be a cat ]

[ It's not a cat, but there are cat socks and a cat plush pillow. It's a foot long.

Also, assuming Kido is now on her stomach and opening the box instead of on her back, he gently takes her left hand and puts this on her ring finger. It's garnet, a January birthstone, that's embedded in there because-- ]

I'm glad that you were born, Kido. I'm glad that you're here... I wouldn't have met you otherwise.

[ He kisses her cheek. When Kido told Terry that she shouldn't be sorry for being alive or something similar to that, he was glad to hear it. And this is to reflect on that saying. ]

Thanks for supporting me all this time. I love you.

[ The rest of the month is going to be spent in these cat socks and the cat sweater Akira gave her.

When the ring's slipped on her finger, it feels like time slowed, a hissing whiteness between her ears that makes it hard to think or hear and so all she can do is focus on Terry's voice and ignore everything else- the pounding of her heart, the heat on her face, the twisting in her gut that's nerves or fear or butterflies telling her that she's got this wrong.

Silence settles for a beat after Terry stops speaking, and there is no "Will you marry me?" and that's when Kido can breathe again, because yeah, of course she got it wrong. Just because it's a ring on that finger... ]

...A promise ring.

[ She puts her arms around Terry's shoulders and kisses the side of his neck before pulling him close and closing her eyes. ]

I'll promise that: I'll always love you. I'll always support you, and I'll always be here for you. Thank you for being here for me too, and for loving me.

[ The way Kido says it sounds like a marriage vow, so Terry can't help but to feel really happy in saying that. There is no heart thumping in his chest because he doesn't have one, but if it did, it would surely be noticeable when Kido pulls him close. He wraps his arms around Kido and nuzzles the side of her head--taking in her warmth, her scent, and everything about her that makes him feel relaxed in her hold.

Speaking of which... ]

I'll always love you, Kido... even if I have to wait thousands of years just to see you again.

[ ... ]

I actually... wanted this to be something like an engagement ring, but... well, I... I wasn't sure if you wanted that.

[ Okay, so she was half wrong. Even hugging Terry like this, face buried in the crook of his neck and fingers curling on the back of his shirt, it feels a little like hiding- retreating, somewhere safe in the arms of somebody she knows would do everything to keep her safe. ]

I do, but...

[ but

but she's nervous, and maybe she'll always be nervous, tiptoe-ing into uncharted territory with somebody who also has no idea what the hell he's doing, and even though she knows there's no wrong way to do this, it's scary. It's so fast, it's scary. She's scared, and she doesn't know of what. Of giving her heart to the one person who will never die and leave her all alone, like so many people did before her? She can't understand it, and so just turns her head to press the side of her face against his empty chest and lower her arms to wrap more comfortably around his waist. ]

I want you to ask me when all of this is over. When everybody is free and happy and no longer have to live in fear... Until after we see all this through to the end, I wouldn't be able to focus or relax. I might not- [ ...live to see the end, but she's determined to, so she bites that fear down yet again. ] ...I want to be able to say yes without reservation. Is it okay to wait?

[ Understandably, this is a huge deal to both of them. It may not seem like it for Terry, who seems to do things out of spontaneity rather than thinking things through, but when Kido pauses at the "but", he his breathing stops for a second. After hearing her out, he relaxes a little more, quietly breathing out. ]

We'll definitely see things through to the end.

[ He gives her a slight squeeze in that hug. ]

I'll always wait for you.

I know.

[ 40k years and he still came back to her, and she never has to doubt that. She tilts her head up and kisses him on the jaw, smiling a little. ]

So kick the Daitengu's and the Kotengu's ass, and I'll marry you.

[ In case he needs any more motivation!!! ]

[ Terry honestly didn't need more motivation, but he does now and he smiles, looking down at Kido with a happy look on his face. It's warm under the blanket, in Kido's hug, but most importantly, the warm feelings that they share. He feels a genuine happiness bubbling up within him and leans in to kiss her. ]

[ Kido smiles into the kiss, soft and slow and now I fully expect a marriage proposal at the end of the game if they both make it out. Don't disappoint us. ]

[ Terry's kiss lingers a little until he pulls back for a second not so far, kisses again, and deepens it.

what is endgame when good end is in in march and true end is in july ]

[ She lets her eyes flutter shut at the kiss, feeling the way the warmth spreads across her face to touch her ears and down her chest, arms moved to loop around the back of Terry's neck so she can pull him on top of her and feel his warmth and weight over her. ]

[ There's a surprised blink, multiple, when he's pulled on top of her. He's a little startled, but tries not to fully squish her by putting his arms down by both sides of her head to hold himself up a little. Terry doesn't say anything after and resumes his kiss, licking a little at her lips during so that she can open her mouth.

He's trying not to think about how embarrassing this could be. ]

[ Same. And Kido's learning that the moment she starts being embarrassed about everything, she's going to pull back and run away and she doesn't want to do that anymore, arms pulling Terry down a little closer as she opens her mouth and feels her tongue run against his and it's a little weird. It's very— no, her brain is getting shut off right now, and she forces herself to think of nothing but Terry and what he's doing, soft lips on hers and a comforting weight on her chest, hand by her head that she wants to lean against but doesn't want to break off the kiss.

All this does is make her feel even more embarrassed than ever, but it's warm. ]

[ Terry leans his weight on his left arm so that his right hand can move up to caress the side of Kido's face in a loving gesture. Tongues brush against each other, intertwine, and lick before Terry breaks off the kiss, his head a little over Kido's, not too far apart, and gives her one more chaste kiss on the lips before kissing her nose, then her cheek--it continues to move in that direction until he gets to her ear and he lightly kisses that too. ]

[ Her head lifts just a little when his lips leave hers, chasing until she feels him kiss her nose, then her cheek, peppering her face with kisses until she feels hot breath against her ear and she can't help but let out a quiet noise of surprise, melting a little because Kido is just like Minato in this respect. ]

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