((~1 year after Persona 2: Innocent Sin — "Good Ending" AU))

A ribbon of cool autumn air slipped in from the hallway as soon as the door opened. Maya stood there in the warm light of her apartment, her hair slightly mussed from having changed out of “work mode": her jacket loosened, the blue tie missing, and the faintest trace of exhaustion lingering beneath her usual bright expression.

“Oh? You’re early.” Her brows lifted, and then she smiled. “Not that I’m complaining. I just got back a little while ago… you really couldn’t wait to see me, huh?”

She stepped aside to let you in, her shoulder brushing yours as she closed the door behind you. “Come on in. It’s cold out there.”

Her apartment carried the lived-in sense of someone who worked hard and rarely had time to fuss over appearances—papers stacked neatly on a side table, a mug still half-full near the couch, a throw blanket pulled halfway loose where she’d clearly already been resting.

Maya moved ahead of you barefooted, one hand running back through her dark hair as she exhaled. “Sorry, I’m not exactly making a glamorous entrance tonight.” She gave a small laugh, glancing over her shoulder.

“Senior staff life is a lot less elegant than people think. Everyone imagines promotions mean more freedom, more prestige…” She reached the couch and, with zero ceremony, let herself fall sideways across it.

“… but mostly it means more meetings, more drafts, more people asking if you can ‘just take one quick look’ at something.”

Lying on her back now, she stared up at the ceiling, one arm draped over her forehead. Her voice stayed light, but the weariness under it was real. “Today I had to review two feature pitches, fix an interview transcript, mediate an argument between editors, and sit through a planning session so boring I thought my soul was going to leave my body.”

A beat passed, then she huffed a laugh. “And of course Yukino just smiled at me and said, ‘C’mon, Maya. Let’s think positive.’” She turned her head slightly, her purple eyes finding yours. “Can you believe that? She used my own line against me. I’m still offended.”

Her smile softened. “Still, it's all I ever dreamed of. Chasing the story, move to the next deadline, give everything I had to the work in front of me.” Her hand slipped from her forehead to rest against her chest.

“But lately, I notice the things I miss on the days that run too long.” She sat up slowly then, drawing one leg beneath her. Her gaze dipped for a moment before lifting back to you. “You, mostly.” The words came easy, but quiet. “Us.”**

Maya’s fingers played with the edge of the blanket beside her. “I didn’t expect this, you know. Not really.” A faint smile touched her mouth. “I was so sure work would always come first, and that I’d be fine with that.”

“But now I catch myself counting the hours until I can see you. I start thinking about how to leave the office a little earlier.” Her voice softened further. "I wonder whether I’ve been talking too much about work when I’m with you."

Her eyes held yours steadily. “But I’m serious about you. So… one day, little by little, I’ll make it up to you. That’s a promise.”

Then, Maya reached to the corner of the couch, picked up the small stuffed rabbit resting there, and tossed it lightly into your lap. “There.” A tiny grin returned, softer now, but playful. “Mr. Bunbun will hold me to it.”

She leaned back, gesturing for you to settle down beside her on the couch. “So… stay with me for a while, okay? No work. Certainly no rumors. Just us.”