BIRTHDAY QUICK FIC 2024: November 12-Ann Takamaki (Persona 5)

Fandom: Persona 5

Summary: Years later, Ren and Ann finally make that return trip to Japan to watch the sunset together again. (Ren/Ann)

Content Warnings/Themes: Romance, no sex

It had been several years, but Ann and her boyfriend were finally fulfilling a promise they'd made to each other the last time they'd cuddled close together and watched the Hawaiian sunset. At last, she and Ren were back in Hawaii, and this time, it was just the two of them.

“I’m so glad we were finally able to make it back,” she said. She scooted her butt across the bench, pressing her body even closer against Ren’s. She could never be close enough to him for her liking. All the time they’d spent with significant distance between them in the years since their first trip to Hawaii probably had something to do with that.

“Me, too,” Ren said. “It didn’t feel like it was ever going to happen.” He put his arm around her waist and held her against him. Ann rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. The view of the sunset was great, but it was the company she enjoyed most. Her first trip to Hawaii was a treasured memory, but she was already even happier with her return trip. She loved the rest of her friends dearly, but coming back here with Ren alone was a treat she’d longed for, and they were here at last.

She and Ren spent their final year of high school in different cities, able to see each other only on special occasions and having to rely on texts and video chats to get their fill of each other. Even after they’d graduated, they still couldn’t see each other all the time. She and Ren got into different colleges with different focuses, and she also was busy working as a model. Between getting their education, working on the side, and traveling for work, in her case, getting quality time with Ren was precious over the last several years. Managing to squeeze another trip to Hawaii into their schedule simply hadn’t been possible.

They’d both graduated now, though, and she’d been able to carve out enough of a break in her steadily building modeling career to take a vacation with her boyfriend. Her manager had suggested that they could make it a working vacation and take advantage of the beauty of Hawaii to produce some photography to be sold to any companies who might want to feature it in an advertisement, but Ann shot that idea down right away. This beach in Hawaii would have made an excellent backdrop for a photo shoot, but she was glad she hadn’t agreed to make time for any work during this vacation. This was for her and Ren alone.

Ann wound up scooting even closer to him, planting her butt in his lap and pulling his arms around her waist so he could hold her.

“Sorry if I’m blocking your view of the sunset,” she said. She didn’t actually feel that sorry, but she would move if he really wanted her to. Somehow, she didn’t expect that to happen.

“No need to apologize,” Ren said quietly. “I have the best view in the world.” He kissed the back of her neck, making her giggle. His lips remained on her skin, kissing their way over to her shoulder. His hands, which had been around her waist and resting on her belly after her final scoot, started to slide higher up her body, stroking her bare skin. She was wearing a new two-piece bikini, so most of her body had been on display for him to admire earlier, and he continued that admiration with his hands now. Ann held her breath, wondering if he was going to be bold enough to grab her boobs through her bikini top or maybe even untie the top so there would be nothing in the way of his hands. They'd never fooled around that blatantly in public before, but with everyone else nearby focused on watching the sunset, maybe Ren felt like taking a chance. It probably wasn't the best idea, but she didn’t think she was going to stop him if he went for it.

Ren’s hands didn’t travel that far north, though. Rather than continuing up her chest, they reached out to grab her hands. His fingers laced through hers over her belly, and she smiled and squeezed his hands gently. It was far less adventurous than the place her mind had gone to, but she wouldn’t complain about that. Her boyfriend brought plenty of excitement into her life in a number of ways. Right now, sitting in his lap and holding his hands while they watched the sunset together made her so happy that she couldn’t imagine how this moment could possibly get any better.

“Marry me, Ann.”

It took a moment for the words to settle in, but when they did, the breath left Ann’s lungs in a gasp.

“What did you say?” she asked, her whisper coming out shaky. Intellectually, it wasn’t a shock that he would propose. They were already making plans to live together, and getting married was a logical step in the future that she saw together with him. But she still hadn’t expected a proposal, at least not here and now.

“I asked you to marry me,” Ren said into her ear, making her shiver. She held her breath, still staring at the sunset and not daring to turn her head back around to look at him. If she looked away from this picturesque sunset, she was afraid it would break the spell and ruin this moment. “Sorry; this wasn’t how I meant to do this. I already bought an engagement ring, but it’s back at the hotel room. I had this whole plan worked out on how and when I was going to propose, and what I was going to say. But sitting here like this with you, I just felt like I didn’t want to waste any more time not being engaged to you.”

His mouth opened again as if he was planning on saying more to explain his impulsive proposal, but Ann didn't need to hear any more. She half-turned in his lap, threw her arms around his neck, and silenced his explanations with a kiss. Thanks to all the time they spent apart, Ann was used to trying to pour everything she felt for him into every kiss she got to give him, and this one was just as needy and passionate as the kisses after even the longest times they’d spent apart. Had they not been on a bench overlooking the water with people all around, she might have done even more than moan into his mouth and run her hands through his hair. They were getting a few whistles as it was, though. It was getting dark, and those who had stayed to watch the sunset were leaving the beach behind now. This was neither the time nor the place for her to show Ren just how she felt about his impulsive proposal.

“That was a yes, just in case you weren’t sure,” she breathed after finally pulling her mouth off of his. Ren laughed.

“Good,” he said, giving her an adorable smirk that made her want to push him down on the bench and have her way with him. God, he was so cute! And he was all hers! “I’m glad I didn’t ruin it for you by asking on a bench, with the ring back in our room.”

“It was perfect,” she said, giving him one more quick kiss before climbing off of his lap and standing up. “And once we get back to the room and that ring is on my finger, I’ll make sure to thank you for such a perfect sunset.” She looked back over her shoulder at him and winked while playing with her bikini bottoms, wedging them in to give him a cheeky tease. “I don’t care if it takes me all night.”

As they raced back to their hotel as quickly as they could, Ann honestly wasn’t sure which of them was more eager to get that ring on her finger.