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the-voltage-diaries · 4 years ago

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Guns N’ Roses - Taki Kozaki (BirTAKIDAY Countdown: Day 5)

Early update today! Truth be told, I have no idea how this turned out, so I’m publishing it now instead of keeping it in drafts any longer bc then i’d shoot myself over the self scrutiny. So, if I pray to the gods that its good, and I hope you like it.

What if instead of the MC, Taki was the one who got shot?

Minor spoilers for Taki’s Season 4 Part 2. Like very minor lol. The creator chose not to give any warnings. Have fun. ;)

A gunshot. That’s all I heard.

That’s the only sound that flowed into my ears while my arms mustered all their strength to push (Y/N) away from me, and into Yosuke’s safe embrace.

I think she screamed my name, but my mind probably didn’t register it as everything lulled around me. It was as if the world came to a slow stop when I felt the bullet rip through me. That was possibly the first time in a long time when I crumbled. Not emotionally, but physically. Right onto the ground in a heap of powerless limbs. What a bloodied sight to behold.

‘When was the last time I felt so lifeless?’ I thought, gasping for air. ‘Was it when my dad left me? Or was it when I got beaten up for not paying the debt on time?’ A lazy smile made its way to my face as broken flashbacks presented themselves to me. It had been a similar situation then, with me being a mass of broken bones, pulsating bruises and blood trickling out of me, just like my life.

How had I even survived?

I didn’t know. And maybe my mind didn’t want to think any further on those lines either, for the next thing I knew, I felt myself giving in to the vortex of black calling out to me, almost sensually. I sensed its fingers reach out to me, caressing me with a certain ease before it opened its arms to welcome me in its soothing, lifeless embrace.

Just as I felt myself extend an arm towards it, I heard someone calling me. No, I heard her calling me.

I tried to ignore it, I tried to ignore her, but the voice just kept getting louder and louder. It was as if it was trying to tell me that I couldn’t leave... not like this. I couldn’t leave it all without ending things the right way. The moment that epiphany came to me, my chest heaved as a burst of life was pumped back into me.

I somehow opened my eyes, clenching my wrists against the immediate pain, and blinked the haze out of them. I looked up, on the verge of losing consciousness again, only to see (Y/N) in front of me, clutching my hands tight in hers.

‘You’re too good for me,’ I thought, and I chuckled, ignoring the stabs of discomfort shoot through me. I gazed into her eyes, wet with desperation, begging me to fight, pleading me to do everything in my power to just, somehow, anyhow, just... stay.

“Ta...Taki, no, don’t- don’t do this, please,” she whispered, trembling. (Y/N) intertwined our fingers and bit her lip, staring back at me with a longing like no other. “Please, don’t close your eyes, okay? We can make it through this, I know we can, okay? We will make it through this,” she breathed, looking away, “Just... please, please don’t close your eyes...”

“(Y/N),” I finally uttered, pushing against the dryness coating the insides of my mouth. "(Y/N), look at me, love,” I whispered again, somehow lifting my fingers to her face, tilting it so that our eyes would meet once again.

“T-Taki- no, no no, please, no,” she murmured in one quick breath, as if sensing what was about to happen.

“I love you,” I breathed, smiling as I finally felt my life slip away from my loose fingers.

And with that, I slipped into a senseless, timeless dark world, feeling it consume me from the inside out.

Things escalated quickly after that. It was like the time that had slowed down to a stop finally sped up into a run, sprinting through my fading consciousness.

Yosuke called an ambulance, even though he knew it was too late, and I was rushed to the hospital where Shun and Kiyohito sat, awaiting any update Yosuke had for them. It didn’t take long for the doctor to leave my side and walk out of the room to let them know that there was no use praying, or hoping, or... wanting.

What was done, was done.

I was with them no more.

Kiyohito, for the first time in ages, looked downright terrified as he curled into Shun’s side, whose tense shoulders did nothing to hide the anxiety he felt either, but he tried to distract himself by rubbing comforting circles on Kiyo’s shoulder as the latter’s eyes welled up with tears, refusing to believe the news.

I feel a crack echoing in my already shattered heart when I recall how pale (Y/N) looked when she crumbled to the ground, silent as a graveyard. Yosuke stood right beside her, clenching his fists to numb the pain even as a silent tear dripped down his cheek.

It happened only a week ago, but I remember everything so vividly that I still have a hard time believing if it’s really just memories or an actual movie playing at the front of my mind, every single day.

Sometimes, I still wonder if pushing her away was the right thing to do.

At the time, it seemed like it was. Pushing (Y/N) away meant saving her life, and that was all that mattered.

But now, as I watch her bite her trembling lip, quivering in her black dress while looking at the photo of me in a navy blue frame, I feel a twinge of regret. I look down at Sydney sitting beside her leg, curled up at her side, staring into my soul through the picture, and I feel a pinch of guilt for leaving this life and the two most important woman in them behind.

If anyone asked me why I’m here, I wouldn’t know how to answer them.

After all, what does one do at their own funeral?

‘I want to spend more time with you,’ I think, scoffing at myself for only realising that now, of all times. If only I looked her in the eye and not Ashiba when I felt the bullet pierce me, maybe I would have done things differently. Maybe I would have fought harder, longer. Maybe... maybe I would have saved us both.

But there never is any use crying over spilled milk, now is there?

I sigh, taking in another deep breath as I watch Yosuke walk over to the low podium, a wet handkerchief held tight between his fingers. He steps in front of the mic, and that’s when I catch a sight of his red eyes. This fool, still trying so hard to cover up how he’s feeling.

“Taki was...” he begins, before his trembling lips stop and he looks up, sniffing. “No, Taki is a...” a quiet sob pauses him, “... great friend. He has been, for the last ten years I’ve known him. Always so straightforward, always so blunt. He was so stuck up, I sometimes thought he had a stick shoved up his ass, you know?”

He laughs, but he fools nobody. His attempt at humor only backfires as his shoulders shake, and he finally lets his tears fall down. He sniffles again, trying to gather himself up, but a part of him gives up, and he just allows the world to see his cheeks, wet with tears, too tired to bother wiping them.

“But, I think that’s what I loved the most about him. His honesty. His strength. In all the years I had the honour to call myself his friend, he never once faltered. He was always so... driven. We didn’t meet under the best of circumstances, but I think life, for me at least, became a much better journey with him in it. I felt like I finally made a friend. We never explicitly stated it, but we both knew we had each other to fall back on, should we ever needed. That is... until that day one week ago. I-I’m sorry Taki, I-” he trembles,”I’m sorry I wasn’t there in time. I’m sorry I didn’t have your back when you needed it the most.”

He takes a moment to dab at his eyes with his kerchief before clearing his throat.

“I never admitted to it, but I loved the man despite all our arguments, our disagreements, our fights, our everything. I know, he loved me too. And I know, he is no longer around for me to pull his leg, or tease him,” Yosuke takes a quick breath, and when he starts speaking again, his voice is nothing above a whisper, “but I know he’ll be right here,” he touches his heart, “no matter what. I couldn’t be more grateful to have made a friend like you, Taki. God knows I’ll miss you and our banter, but... I hope you’re in a better place now. You lived a very, very good life. But I wish you’d stuck around longer, mate.”

Yosuke looks back at my picture near the coffin, and I feel my heart clench at the forlorn look he gives me.

“I’ll miss you, Tacks,” he whispers again, and I know he means it with everything he’s got. “Love you.”

I feel something wet splash against the back of my hand, and it’s then that I realise that Yosuke isn’t the only one tearing up.

This asshole. Who asked this brat to get all emotional? It wasn’t like him at all. And look what he did to me with his mindless mumbo-jumbo.

‘I’ll miss you too, Yosuke.’

One by one, each of the guys and (Y/N) say their pieces, and to my surprise, they all tear up once they look at the blue coffin inside which I lay. Heh, who knew I’d be so loved, after all?

Forget people crying for me, if ten years ago someone told me I’d even have the fortune of having someone attend my funeral, I’d laugh in their face. It’s funny how things change with time.

Before long, the proceedings are done, and it’s finally time to lay my lifeless body to rest. But just as my coffin is rested on the cool, welcoming earth, I catch (Y/N) leading a depressed Sydney to the pit. She takes the bouquet out of her mouth and places it over the wooden lid of the casket.

I gasp and feel a fresh wave of moisture greet the back of my eyes when I see what they are.

Roses. Nine of them.

‘Eternal love.’ I recall the meaning of this particular set of roses, and once again, I can’t help but be grateful to have such a friend like her. ��Thank you.’

It’s when my wooden little residence is covered with soil and my tombstone is placed over it that I read the words chosen for me by them. Yosuke. Kiyohito, Shun, (Y/N) and Sydney. My family. A family that I’m leaving behind.

‘His true wealth was in his generous heart. And what an enormous wealth he had.’

And it’s with those lines, I finally feel myself vanish into thin air with a smile on my face. For ever.

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forkanna · 4 years ago

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[AO3] [WATTPAD]

WARNING: Continued transphobia.

So I did try to put this up sooner, due to cilffhanger feelings, but didn't quite manage it. Hopefully you all forgive me!

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Rise couldn't believe the level of disaster her life had reached. And all because she couldn't keep her mouth shut. Because by the time she had finished crying, scraping herself together and sending the shambles that had once been a lovesick fool back into the school, she knew exactly where the leak had occurred. Plugging that would have to be the first step. And then…

Then what would she do? Beg Ai to take her back? She took out the note, stared at it, and almost threw it in the nearest receptacle. But that wouldn't do. No… she had to hang onto hope that there was still time.

"I got this," she whispered to herself as she used the note to wipe her eyes, smearing her makeup. "I'll do my best." Fine but empty sentiment. She had to take things one step at a time.

And step one was…

~ o ~

"CHIE!"

The bowl-cut-hair had barely stopped whirling around Chie's head from turning to face Rise when she was hit in the face, full force, with a bookbag. The blow knocked her from her chair in the Junes food court and she went sprawling to the ground.

"WHOA!" Yosuke burst out in sheer alarm. "Hey, wait a minute there, Rise-chan! Where's the fire?!"

"You wanna know who's fired? SHE'S fired, that's who!"

Still struggling to sit up, Chie looked a little silly with a bag-print reddening half of her face. "Wha… whahidme?"

"Rise, what is the meaning of this?" Yukiko gasped in exasperation as she crouched over her girlfriend, trying to help her up. "Are you upset about something?"

It took real, concentrated effort not to snap at Yukiko, as well — especially given the Captain Obvious question she had just asked. But she knew she was only trying to be kind, to look after all of her friends equally. So she bit back the scathing retort and focused on the situation at hand instead.

"I'm upset about a lot of things, every day. But this time it's because somebody doesn't understand what a secret is!"

"Me?!" Chie intuited. "Are you- hey, I'm no snitch! Wait, what secret are we… talking…"

The food court went silent. Which was partly because it was too early for dinner, so they were the only ones there, not talking to each other. Rise idly noticed it seemed like Teddie and Kanji were absent, but she was on a mission; she didn't have time to worry about their whereabouts.

Finally… "Oh."

"So you got it? Huh? You figured out how you just screwed everything up?!"

"Now just wait a whole second, okay?" Chie said in a slightly nervous tone as she began to struggle to her feet. "I didn't say- I mean, like, I just figured it came out! Right? Because it's a secret, and this is a small town, and like, c'mon!"

"Who did you tell?"

"I didn't tell anyb-"

"NO! No, don't give me any of that crap, because we both know you had to have told someone — you already told at least one other person! I didn't tell anybody else! So who was it?"

"It… it doesn't matter!" Chie was trying to hedge with a hopeful smile. "Really, like I said, it was gonna come out sometime! Do you really think Ebihara could hide that forever? Like, he's kinda snowing the whole school…"

"Shut up!" Rise snapped, as Yukiko covered her mouth with her hand in alarm at the sharp tone. "That wasn't your choice, okay? And like I said, if I didn't tell, and Ai-chan for fucking sure didn't tell, then there's only one person it could be! Because I-"

"Oh dear," Yukiko whispered.

"Hey! I didn't commit any crime!" Chie shot back, starting to get heated herself now as she clenched her fists. "Tell that to the drag queen you've been hanging around with — he's the one that's gonna catch hell if they figure out he's been using girls' bathrooms and stuff! He should at least tell us if he wants to-"

"It's my fault."

Rise was still shouting when she turned to Yukiko. "What?! I mean…" She cleared her throat, tried to take the volume down a notch. "What?"

"Chie told me. When we were… well, when we were alone, because we're best friends. As you know, because we have already discussed things… so I was the beginning of the problem. I'm sorry."

"Yuka…" Chie sighed, grimacing. Clearly, at some point she had realised what had happened, and shifted her tactic to protecting her significant other. Rise would have respected it… if they weren't both going to be on her list now. At least that cleared up the true reason Yukiko had gasped; it was a sound of recognition.

"Really? You?" Rise said, completely betrayed. And disappointed; that much must have been readily apparent, because the innkeeper hung her head in shame.

"Yes. And Chie was so conversational about it, I… didn't realise… you seem very upset about all the rumours that have started going around now. Did we… have we done something wrong?"

Rise let out an exasperated noise. "Are you kidding? Of COURSE you did!" In the back of her mind, she knew she was basically just coming down on them to sidestep the blame Ai had thrown her way, but she couldn't stop; they had to pay for ruining everything. Someone had to, and she couldn't face herself. Not at the moment. "Do you have any idea what life would be like for her if they figured out for sure?!"

"Dude, who cares?" Chie tried to tell her reasonably. "Remember when we found out about Naoto? We're all cool! So what if she's a chick instead of a dude, or Ai's a dude instead of a chick?"

"U-um, I prefer you leave me out of this discussion," Naoto said in a quiet undertone. "If that's alright."

Throwing up her hands in surrender, Rise began to pace back and forth as she said, "This is unbelievable. I really didn't think confiding in one friend… well, I guess I should ask who you told, Yukiko."

Rise was too observant to miss the glance between her and none other than Yosuke. The boy gulped when she turned her glare on him, holding up both hands in front of his chest.

"N-now, let's be reasonable here. Just a second while I explain-"

"UGH! Did everybody here play a part in this?!" No answers. Rise groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Okay, well… I guess I'm going to be eating a whole big plate of crow later. If she even talks to me."

"Don't be so dramatic," Chie sighed as she rolled her eyes, hands on her hips now. "You're friends, you'll bounce back before you know it!"

But the idol was already shaking her head before she even finished. "You didn't see how mad she was. I'm… I'll see you later."

"But you just got here," Yukiko protested in a pleading voice, taking a step toward her. "I'm sorry we didn't understand the situation, but do you really have to go?"

"Yes. Got a lot of thinking to do."

As Rise headed toward the elevator, she passed Kanji coming from it. He smiled and waved and asked, "What's up?"

"Ask our Judas friends."

"Huh?!" He got no answer to his question. As the doors slid shut, she thought she could just barely hear him say, "Man, chicks sure are crazy," but it was too late for her to attack him since she was already heading downstairs. Oh well; there was always next time for him to pay for his crime against her gender.

~ o ~

That was on her mind a lot as she lay in bed that night, staring up at her ceiling. Gender. Sexuality. The differences between men and women. How those lines could be blurred right in front of her eyes and she had no idea. And when she wasn't thinking about that, she was thinking about…

Why didn't she realize she shouldn't have told Chie? Theoretically, she should have been able to confide in her and everything be fine — and she also knew none of her friends really intended to hurt anyone. They were just careless. But now she could see with sobering clarity that carelessness still had consequences. Would Ai really have to transfer again, just because the secret got out?

Something that made her blood run cold whenever she thought of it: that comment about guys beating her up. Just because she used the women's bathroom? When she thought of it as a man sneaking in there, she supposed that made sense. Most guys would do that to protect any women from being harmed. But she had gone to the bathroom alongside Ai plenty of times — enough to know that she never did anything in there except her business, and preen in front of the mirror. At least she had found a way to prove to those nosy girls that she was all woman.

Even if it was a lie, technically speaking. Which confused Rise so much she just wound up stuffing her head underneath her pillow.

All her texts went unanswered, of course. She had expected that. Somehow, she still couldn't help herself and sent a grand total of seven before she manually turned off her phone to reduce the temptation.

The worst part of all? Now she couldn't talk to any of her friends about it, either. That was what got her into this fix in the first place! So all she could do was panic, wallow, and panic again.

~ o ~

If Rise had thought the previous day was unpleasant, Tuesday definitely counted as a catastrophe.

"Oh my God," she overheard a girl muttering as she walked in through the front gates. "Can you believe she would ever look like that?"

Unfortunately, she only had a few minutes of blissful peace to have no idea what they were talking about. The minute she reached into her locker to get her indoor shoes, she felt the glossy paper on top of them. Withdrawing it, she felt her heart sink when she saw her own face.

A goofy face indeed. There was nothing particularly wrong with the picture; she had been trying on dresses in Croco Fur and was sticking her tongue out with her finger up her nose, obviously making the stupid face for the camera. Nothing incriminating, just vaguely embarrassing. However…

Everyone seemed to have a copy. No matter which way she looked, every single student of Yasogami seemed to have a glossy paper in their hands. Rise felt her face begin to heat up. She had done nothing wrong, and the picture wasn't that bad, but seeing the entire student body laughing at her brought on the reaction regardless.

"Wow, this is hilarious," some guy was saying as she headed to class. "Thought Risette was so cool but she's actually dumb. Look at this! Her finger's in her nose, gross!"

"I think it's cute," his friend said. "She's having fun."

But another guy in glasses standing nearby just sighed and rolled his eyes. "You plebs. Obviously this is just another publicity stunt orchestrated by her management. She probably distributed them herself."

The idol stormed into the room before she had to hear any more. Did they really think she had nothing better to do than print off a bunch of pictures of herself and throw them all over the place?!

"Uh, hey."

She looked up, ready to ream the speaker, when she saw a chagrined looking Kanji standing there, scratching the back of his head. "May I help you? Or am I too crazy?"

His weak chuckle spoke volumes. "Heard that, huh? Sorry… I just didn't know what to say when you snapped at me. Guys filled me in after you left."

"What? You mean the way you all stabbed me in the back by gossiping about my girlf- my new friend?" Damn. She would have to be more careful about that.

"Hey, I didn't do that shit," the tall, dangerous looking boy grunted with his arms folded over his barrel chest. Sometimes Rise forgot just how intimidating Kanji was to most people, because they knew him better than that now. He was a big teddy bear under that yakuza-esque exterior. "Yosuke was the real problem, I guess. He was talking about it to Naoto, and wasn't paying attention to who was around them. Bunch of people overheard. And Naoto didn't say shit to anybody, so don't blame her!"

Rise sighed. Unsurprising that he was so defensive of her, since his crush ran so deep. "Fine. So it's Chie and Yukiko's fault a little bit, and as usual, Yosuke's fault a lot. At least they're the same old idiots they've always been."

Kanji nodded with another grunt. "So… what's with the photo?"

"Ughhhhhhhh."

~ o ~

The way Ai was standing at the edge of the school roof, gazing over Inaba, almost made it look like she was lying in wait for Rise when she got there. Probably because she was — and had been since the start of lunch. The popstar shoved the glossy page in front of her face.

"Well? What exactly is this supposed to mean?"

"Mean? Why, I don't know. Isn't that your picture? Aren't you supposed to be the one who knows?"

"You took this. I literally remember you taking it, with your phone, not mine. So why would you go to all this trouble to print up a dumb picture?"

Ai's smirk was practically demonic as she looked sideways at her without fully turning. The worst part was that she still was as beautiful as ever, even when being an asshole. "A beginning. By the time I'm through with you, you will be begging me to stop, and I won't. I won't stop until you feel the way I did yesterday."

"Right. So this is a really pathetic beginning to a revenge plot?"

"Hah! Good try. Have you forgotten how much abuse I've weathered over my entire lifetime? You're going to have to do better than that to undercut me."

"Ai, you don't have to do this," she pleaded in a quieter voice. "This is nowhere near what I wanted, I still don't want it. I made a mistake, and I'm sorry, but attacking me like this isn't going to-"

She fell silent when Ebihara actually yawned. Her anger flared, and her eyes narrowed to slits as her fists curled tight. "That's your pitch? 'Whoops, I outed you and almost ruined your life, hugs'? Lame."

"Fine," Rise hissed. "I guess this didn't mean anything to you at all. Throw it all away because you're butthurt. Whatever."

"That's why I'm doing it, you idiot." Now her aloof tone had dropped to absolute zero. "Because it did — it meant everything in a way you will never understand. And now I feel stupid for trusting you, because you broke it. Don't go acting all high and mighty and trying to play the sympathy card."

Rise's eyes were watering as she tried to come up with something to say. The bratty side of her personality wanted to swear her own revenge, that she would make things even worse for Ai… but she knew she wouldn't be able to live with that. Besides, it was the wrong move, regardless of what her friend…

Regardless of what her ex-friend had done. It was really over. And figuring that out took all the wind out of her sails.

"Okay. Bye."

"That's it?" Ai chuckled harshly as the idol turned away, walking toward the stairwell. "Wow, you're usually so much chattier. You had better thicken up that skin, Kujikawa, or the next few days are going to be pretty unbearable!"

They really would. Just not for the reason Ai thought. Mourning the end of something beautiful tended to put a damper on one's week.

To Be Continued…

#we'll face ourselves #saphir de lune #forkanna writes #rise x ai #persona 4 fanfiction #jess the writer

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voltage-vixen · 5 years ago

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Kidnapped by the Kings---Part IV

Part I II III

Prologue: It was only a matter of moments, before life as Taki knew it, came crashing down before him. A limo arrived and parked in front of the building she was watching, and she saw the man himself exit. He was going to return to his place and find the note that “MC” had left him explaining why she no longer wanted to be involved with him. Chuckling to herself, she nodded with a smile of satisfaction, and drove off into the night eager for the impact she was going to hear about the next day. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Damn it!” Taki roared as he threw his wine glass against the wall. He had returned home from work and since MC was nowhere to be found, Taki decided to get a head start on preparing dinner for the two of them. Pouring himself a drink, he began to make the preparations in the kitchen, until a note caught his eye on the counter. Assuming it was MC letting him know when she would return, he read it only to have his heart ripped from his chest.

Taki……I’m sorry. I just can’t do this anymore. Please don’t try to find me. I have nothing left to say to you, and I hope you find happiness.

Taki felt like someone had punched him in the stomach with a baseball bat when he read those words. He read them over and over, wondering to himself if this was someone’s idea of a sick joke. Fuming with a mixture of rage and desperation, Taki had failed to notice that Sydney had slipped outside the door, and shortly returned with Yosuke. Yosuke took a few seconds to take in the scene in front of him. The two men had known each other for a long time, and he knew Taki was not one to get easily riled. For Taki to get this intense about something, MC had to somehow be the cause behind the billionaire’s fury.

Taki had sensed another presence in the room and turned around in hopes of seeing MC but sighed in disgust when he saw it was only Yosuke. “Tonight, is not a good night for your nonsense,” he snapped, “Get the hell out of here!” Yosuke ignored his outburst and walked over to take the note that was crumpled up in Taki’s hand. He took a closer look at the note and noticed a very faint smudge in the corner of one of the characters. “Taki, look at this,” Yosuke pointed at the faintly manipulated section, “I think this letter was tampered with.”

Feeling a bit hopeful for the first time since finding the letter, Taki snatched it from Yosuke’s grasp. “Right here,” Yosuke showed him the mark, “Someone traced this. My guess is that someone managed to get a copy of something MC handwrote, and then forged this note.” Taki couldn’t believe he had doubted MC for a second time in the course of their relationship. His guilt was soon replaced with anger when he realized what this meant. “That means someone is holding MC against her will,” he pounded the table when he came to that conclusion. Yosuke had begun trying to trace her phone, but he wasn’t surprised to learn that he was unable to find the location.

“I’m going to find her if it’s the last thing I do,” Taki swore as he pulled on his jacket. Yosuke was already on his tail and they went to go find the other guys so they could fill them in on the dire situation. Before Taki closed the door, he turned around smiled softly at Sydney. “Thanks Sydney.” The crocodile seemed to give a slight nod of her head, and Taki waved goodbye. He jogged down the hallway to catch up to Yosuke. “I’m going to call the police,” Taki informed his friend and reached for his phone. “No, not yet,” Yosuke advised while taking Taki’s phone. “We can’t let the kidnapper know that we figured out the note was a fake. It could put MC into danger,” Yosuke explained.

Taki shook his head in frustration, but he had to admit that Yosuke had a point. “We’ll try it your way first,” Taki agreed, “But then I’m getting the authorities involved. I’m going to hire a private detective in the meantime.” Yosuke nodded as they reached a compromise and went ahead to start doing whatever it was Yosuke did to obtain his information. This was the first time Taki had been alone since Yosuke had determined that MC wasn’t the one that left him with an aching heart by writing that note. He felt alone and vulnerable without having his other half by his side. “I promised you we were never going to be apart from each other again MC,” Taki declared out loud, “I will bring you back home to where you belong.” Reaching into his suit pocket, he pulled out the diamond ring he had planned on giving to her that night. “You are going to wear this ring on your finger one day.” With those final words, Taki began his search to find the woman that had been cruelly taken away from him.

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About a month had passed since MC was abducted and sold at the black-market auction. She wanted nothing more than to return home to be reunited with Taki, but the man who had bought her was still refusing to let her leave. He would get angry anytime she tried to bring up the subject, so MC had eventually given up on trying to find out if there had been any progress in the case to track down the man that had kidnapped her. The door to her room had opened and she was shocked to see Mr. Ichinomiya walk in with her breakfast, rather than the usual room service staff that would visit her during mealtimes. “Is everything alright?” MC asked him in curiosity. They would talk on the occasion during her last month of imprisonment, but she lately she had noticed that he had been visiting her room more frequently.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Mr. Ichinomiya questioned back. He dropped the tray of food onto the table in her room. “I thought I would join you this morning,” he informed before sitting down at the table, “Do you know how to make coffee?” She nodded and he gestured to the maker located in the kitchenette. “Then make some,” he ordered while beginning to read the paper. MC started to gather the items she needed, when realized that she had no idea how he took his coffee. “Mr. Ichinomiya, how do-,” but she was unable to finish her question since he had cut her off. “Eisuke. I don’t mind if you call me Eisuke,” he replied. Confused by his gentle demeanor, MC just shook her head and went to begin to make the coffee.

MC noticed that Eisuke had started to eat a pastry, so she figured he must have a sweet tooth. Taking a gamble, she set out some extra cream and sugar and started to brew a pot. The smell suddenly became overwhelming and made her feel nauseous. She started to gag, and with a hand over her mouth, MC scurried off to the bathroom. Barely making it to the toilet, she had begun throwing up. Eisuke had followed her and was holding her hair back with one hand, while rubbing her back with the other. He handed her a towel to wipe her face with and went to the kitchen to return with a glass of water. “Thank you,” MC told him sincerely. Once she cleaned herself up, MC stood back up and was faced with Eisuke staring at her. “Is everything alright? I have a doctor you can see right here at the hotel,” Eisuke offered.

“I’m ok,” MC assured him, “I don’t know what happened. The smell of the coffee just…”

MC’s face began to turn pale. She couldn’t be….. No, it was impossible. Then she thought back to that last morning she spent with Taki before she was taken. Their desire and passion for each had been so strong, neither had taken the time to think about protection and had given in to their carnal desires. Her period had been late, but MC had just assumed that the combination of being sold in an auction and being held captive played a role in that.

Trembling slightly, MC turned back around to face Eisuke. “Eisuke,” she whispered, “I need you to go get something for me.”

Part V

Feel free to check out my Masterlist!

@agustd54, @kageseirelle, @bibbletae, @totally-not-a-turtle, @kitsune-mana

#kidnapped by the kings #kissed by the baddest bidder #kings of paradise #taki kozaki #eisuke ichinomiya #voltage fanfic #kbtbb #kop #otome fanfic #love 365 #voltage inc #voltage otome #voltage fandom #otome game #otome fandom #multi chapter

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thedevillord-writes · 5 years ago

Text

Pandora - Value

"A value is valuable when the value of value is valuable to oneself"

-Dayananda Saraswati

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The vibrating of his phone woke him up. At some point, Eisuke fell asleep waiting for Haruka to wake up while holding her hand. He straightened himself and loosened the hand holding Haruka's to reach into the inner pocket of his suit. By the time he got the phone out, the call ended. As he turned the phone on, the screen lit up to show messages from several people and many missed calls from Yumi. As the phone started buzzing again, Eisuke let out a sigh of frustration. He specifically told her to cancel all his appointments for the rest of the day, what could she be calling about?

He looked to Haruka who was still sleeping, taking the towel off her forehead and pressed the back of his hand against it. Although warm, it was significantly cooler than when he first arrived. He leaned forward and planted a kiss on her forehead before pressing the answer button.

"You better have a good reason for calling. And by good, I mean life or death."

"Why are you speaking so softly?"

Not wanting to disturb Haruka, Eisuke whispered into his phone. As if mocking him, Yumi was whispering into the phone on the other end. There were times when Eisuke questioned Haruka's decision on her replacement. Looking over his shoulder, Eisuke let out a sigh and closed his eyes. If he was patient enough to deal with Yumi for the next six months, he would get Haruka back. It did not seem like a bad deal, six months for Haruka.

"Why are you calling?" Eisuke asked, moving further away from Haruka's bed. He was speaking normally, though his volume was still hushed.

"I know you said to cancel everything, and I did. But there's someone here to see you, a Miss Inoue Junko. She refused to leave, saying that she would wait here until you come back."

"I'll be back in half an hour. Get her a cup of tea, Darjeeling."

Ending the call on Yumi, Eisuke walked over to the bed again. If it were up to him, Eisuke would stay here with Haruka for the rest of the night. If she was awake however, Haruka would be telling him to go. One of the reasons why he kept her around was because she always knew the right decision at the right time. It was one of her superpowers. Many times, she saved him from having to make the decision of which client to give up when there was a clash of time. All those times, her decision managed to keep both clients.

Against every fibre of his body, Eisuke decided to leave.

~.~

By the time she woke again, it was dark outside.

Turning her head sluggishly, Haruka let out a groan as she glanced to the clock on the wall. Despite the shock of knowing she slept most of the day, she had no energy to deal with the shock. She rolled onto her side and the towel on her forehead fell on her pillow. With a frown, she managed to push herself into a sitting position and picked up the towel. While her memory was a little fuzzy, she clearly remembered she used a fever patch instead because it was the last one and she had to go out for more. As she was recalling her day before her blackout, Yosuke's visit came to mind. Was he the one who took care of her?

At the thought of Yosuke nursing her, Haruka could not help the chuckle. The Yosuke she knew was not the type to take care of others. Or at the very least, he was not fit to take care of others. That childish personality of his would only make matters worse for his patient.

Dismissing the idea, Haruka got out of bed and stretched out her limbs and back. After eight healthy years, she had forgotten what it was like to be ill. This feeling of lethargy and disorientation was not something she missed at all. Dragging herself to the kitchen, she was pouring a glass of water when she noticed a thermos with a sticky note on it. She plucked the note from the thermos, tilting her head slightly as she read it. It seemed she was wrong about Yosuke, and the note was proof.

World's Greatest Secretary,

I know you're amazing at taking care of others but sometimes, you just have to take care of yourself.

This is chicken soup. Don't worry, I didn't make it. I just went downstairs to the convenience store and microwaved a can, ha! Anyway, when you wake, eat the soup and take your medicine.

Get well soon! I can't lose my best girl ;)

Your best guy,

Sagara Yosuke

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"Well, well, well. If it isn't the world's busiest secretary."

"It's nice to see you too, Naoko."

"Come here!"

It took her a good week to fully recover from her flu; just in time for her to meet with an old friend. Naoko was a good friend of hers in high school. They were in the same class every year and were sat right next to each other. Naturally, they became close friends. Every lunch time, Naoko would sit at her desk and they would share their bento. After school, Naoko would drag her to the nearby snack shop to buy the newest sweets for her sisters. Naoko was the one who found a job for her when she desperately needed one. They kept in touch after graduation but ever since Haruka started working for Eisuke, she had no time for her friend.

As Naoko pulled her into a hug, Haruka let out a big smile and gladly returned the hug. Seeing her friend was feeling nostalgic yet at the same time, refreshing. Naoko definitely changed a lot since her school days. The cute schoolgirl with a side ponytail was no longer but instead, a woman wearing an off-shoulder blouse and long jeans with long wavy hair dyed golden brown sat opposite her. The bubbly girl was now a charming woman who was already catching the eye of several guys in the café.

"So, how did you manage to convince your boss to let you out?"

"I didn't, because I don't need his permission to be here. I took a leave."

"Just to spend time with me? Oh wow, I am so honoured."

Despite not meeting for years, the two friends hit it off almost immediately. They started by catching up for the past few years then, it was mostly reminiscing their school days together. They were giggling and whispering as if they were two teenage girls once again. This was the type of interaction Haruka missed, where she could just be herself and talk about things that someone else could relate to. Where she did not have to run around, putting out fires (figuratively and literally twice), and dealing with unreasonable individuals.

She missed being able to just sit in a café with a cup of tea and a slice of cake, not with a tablet in her hand while her phone was ringing off the hook because there were more fires for her to put out. She always knew that because of her job, she missed out on a lot in life. She was not there when Haruna's dance club won the championship. She was not there when Haruko was giving her valedictorian speech at her middle school graduation. Listening to Naoko now, she was coming to realise that she missed out on a lot more than she originally thought.

Over the eight years, there had been countless class reunions and school reunions, all of which she never attended. Several of their classmates got married, some to each other. Most of them were parents too. Naoko and Haruka seemed to be one of the few focused on their career instead.

All of a sudden, in the middle of their conversation, Naoko leaned in and grabbed Haruka's hand. The look on her face was the same one back in high school whenever she would get excited, especially when it came to Haruka's love life. Though she only found out after graduation, it seemed like Naoko had a little bet going on with most of their friends to see who Haruka would go out with in the end. She had the exact same look back then as she did now when she found out Haruka went on a date with the basketball captain.

"Don't turn around, but there is a super hot guy staring at you."

"A super hot guy? Really? We're not in high school anymore, Naoko, stop playing around."

"Oh my...! He's coming over! He's coming over!"

In her excitement, Naoko was hitting Haruka's upper arm over and over. Grabbing Naoko's hand to stop her, Haruka looked over her shoulder out of curiosity. The result, however, was more than disappointing. When she felt overworked and needed time to herself, she could take leave from work and be away from Eisuke and the other guys. But when she felt irritated and wanted to get rid of him, he was like a stubborn rash that kept coming back.

Beaming from ear to ear, Yosuke took a seat next to Haruka before looking to Naoko. "Nice to meet you, I'm Sagara Yosuke. You must be Ayasegawa Naoko." Unable to resist his charms, Naoko shook his hand with a smile to match his. "You're as pretty as Haruka said you are," he continued.

"Really? Haruka told you about me?" Naoko asked, turning to her friend. "But you never told me about your super hot boyfriend."

"He is not my boyfriend," Haruka denied. "And he is not super hot. He is a super creepy stalker."

"If I have a stalker as hot as you, I wouldn't mind being stalked."

"And I would love to stalk a woman as pretty as you."

Stuck in between the two, Haruka could not help but feel awkward. Weird was an understatement to describe the exchange between the two. She always knew Naoko was eccentric in her own ways. She would use to come up with dramatic scenarios that were good enough to be written as a romantic drama or a film. She also knew that Yosuke was no simple man. He was complicated in many ways, ridiculous and dramatic in many more. When put together, their eccentricity seemed to have amplified and Haruka just did not have the energy to deal with them.

Rolling her eyes at their conversation, Haruka interrupted by flicking at Yosuke's forehead. While she was used to his random appearances, it did not mean they were any less irritating. He was an omen; nothing good ever came out of his visits.

"First of all, creepy," Haruka said, circling the air between Naoko and Yosuke. "Secondly, I'm trying to spend some time with my friend and you are interrupting. And last but not least, please don't be friends with him. He's really just a creepy guy who has a lot of time on his hands."

"First of all, ouch. Secondly, ouch again," Yosuke grinned. "Last but not least, aren't you supposed to be nice? It's your job, isn't it?"

"I'm on leave, I'm allowed to not be nice."

Now it was Naoko's turn to feel awkward between the two. Since meeting Haruka for the very first time by the gates of their school, she had been known to be a nice person. There was a point where Naoko thought Haruka was simply acting nice for others to like her but she was proven wrong almost immediately. Even in their yearbook, Haruka was voted the kindest. Seeing the way she was acting with Yosuke now, however, she could not help but think there was some kind of connection between them that no one else could understand. Yosuke was bringing out a side of Haruka that even she herself did not know about, most likely.

It was a good thing though. Being her friend for years, Naoko knew Haruka's story. She would never let it show but Naoko knew she always hid her feelings away so others would not worry about. It was a blessing and a curse at the same time. Even after her mother's death, Haruka forced herself to put on a smile every day so everyone at school did not have to worry but Naoko knew she would cry alone in the bathroom stall. Somehow, Yosuke's presence allowed a path for Haruka's feelings to come out without even knowing herself.

"Anyway," Yosuke smiled, turning to face Naoko. The way he looked her in the eye was making her feeling shy. "I'd like to ask to borrow Haruka for the rest of the day, if that's okay. I hate to ruin your plans but there is somewhere important I need to go and Haruka needs to be there."

"You are more than welcomed to take her," Naoko smiled. "Have lots of fun, you two. Haruka needs it."

"Naoko!"

"Bye!"

Begrudgingly, Haruka went with Yosuke. She really did not have a choice because Naoko was adamant about her going with the 'super hottie'. As she got into Yosuke's car, she could not bring herself to be mad at him. She was reminded of when she was ill a week ago and Yosuke was the one who took care of her. Despite every fibre in her body yelling at her to scream at him, she could not bring herself to. She owed him a favour.

They did not speak for the entire car ride; just because she could not be mad at him did not mean that he could not be on the receiving end of a silent treatment. Arriving at a hotel, Yosuke stopped the car just outside the entrance where a valet came running down the steps and greeted Yosuke as he got out of the car. He got something out of the trunk before handing the key over and knocked on the window on her side, beckoning for her to follow. As she got out of the car, she was handed a dress bag and was directed to a bathroom upon entering the hotel.

The scenario was reminding her of Eisuke, how he would used to just bring her a dress without much explanation. And just like Eisuke, it seemed like Yosuke had an eye for dresses for her. She rarely wore purple but the dress Yosuke chose for her was pastel lavender in colour. It hugged her curves perfectly yet did not feel restricting at all. Instead of her cleavage, the dress revealed her back instead. He was considerate enough to have prepared the appropriate bra too.

"You do realise that I took a break from work to get away from all these, don't you?" Haruka asked, her arm hooked onto Yosuke's as they entered the venue together.

"But you are here as my date today," Yosuke corrected. "Just enjoy yourself."

"I highly doubt I would."

~.~

Setting down his wine glass on a random table, Eisuke let out a sigh. Such events were ones that he hated the most. Socialising was a big part of the event but it was the one thing that he despised doing. The handshaking, the smiling, and the joking as if they were old friends. It all felt as if he was kissing up to them, and Ichinomiya Eisuke did not need to kiss up to anyone. Except, he had to. A good handful of the people present were those he dealt business with. Another handful was potential clients that he had his eyes on. He had to butter them up, and be buttered up.

Just as he was about to call for Yumi, a couple entering the venue caught his eyes.

He would recognise her anywhere. That long hair of hers that did not need any professional setting yet still bounced with every step she took. The natural aura she emitted that would turn every head the second she stepped into a room. Without a doubt, it was Haruka. What was she doing here? More importantly, what was she doing here with him?

Subconsciously, his feet moved in their direction but someone caught his elbow before he even took two steps. Irritation settled on his face as he turned to see who it was. Right away, Eisuke swapped the frown for a smile. Standing before him was a tall woman, her hair curled and swept to one side neatly. Her dress was a little too tight but it did the perfect job of showing off her cleavage, which every man in their immediate vicinity was appreciating.

"Isn’t it rude to be abandoning your date, Eisuke?"

"You were in the middle of a conversation, seemed rude to disturb you, Miss Inoue."

"I've told you many times to just call me Junko."

Inoue Junko was a model. She started her career at fifteen, modelling for clothes brand but soon moved on to fashion magazines. Her first fashion show was at seventeen where she was the featured model. She starred in so many advertisements that she was known as the Ad Queen. It was almost impossible for her not be to known by anyone in Japan. Eisuke, on the other hand, knew her father better.

"If you’ll excuse me for a moment, Junko."

"Wait a minute." Grabbing Eisuke by the elbow once more, Junko followed his line of sight before letting out a smirk. "Ah, the legendary secretary. I was starting to wonder where she was. Running off to rescue her from all the creepy men?"

"Something like that."

"Before I let you go, let me ask you one thing Eisuke." Junko let go of his elbow though she stood in front of him, blocking his way. "Every other man seemed to be captivated by her. Now I understand, that as men, they tend to think with only one thing. No doubt that secretary of yours has a pretty face, I was charmed by her once too. But the Ichinomiya Eisuke that I know, is not like other men. He doesn't get captivated by a woman simply because she's beautiful and he didn't use his brain. So tell me, what's her value?"

"Her value?"

"Her value. Everyone has a value. To me, that man over there has no value because he wouldn't bring anything to my career, or my future. That man, however, is a director. Now he's valuable. So what's her value? What can she bring to your life?" Junko asked. "Let me answer that for you: nothing. A commoner like her, the answer is always nothing. She can fool others with the expensive dresses, the shoes. She can fool you with her elegance, and willingness to do anything for you. But let's face it, when it comes down to it, she's nothing."

"And what value do you stand at, Junko?"

He was mad.

He was mad, but he could not let it show. It would do him no good to lose his temper here, especially not with Junko and especially, not because of Haruka. A place as public as this, Eisuke was at a disadvantage and Junko knew it. That was why she chose to agitate him here.

"I can't be certain what value I'm worth to you, but I can tell you for sure that I'm far more valuable than she is. Don't forget how you got that casino hotel of yours. Don't forget who my father is. And I'll let you know, anything that everything that I want, I get."

#pdr ch12 #kissed by the baddest bidder #kbtbb #kings of paradise #kop #eisuke ichinomiya #yosuke sagara #voltage inc #finally it's out

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shadowtarot · 5 years ago

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A Hillside Chat

Continuation of this because why would I just leave it there?

Yosuke lies in his bed that night, thinking back to what he saw. Yu struggling to allow something from coming out. All that surge of energy bringing him to his knees. And what he said as he fought it off.. Just how much did he hide from everyone? From even him?

“I gotta call him. Tomorrow’s Sunday anyhow so we have all day.” In one quick motion,Youske flips his phone open and calls Yu. It rings about four times in the dead silence of the bedroom, before hitting voicemail.

“Damn...he must be passed out already.” He shakes his head with a quiet sigh. “I’ll just text him in the morning then...”

As he stashes his phone away, Teddie steps in with a curious look spread along his youthful face. “Were you trying to call someone, Yosuke?”

“Hm? Yeah, I just uh...wanted to see if Yu was free tomorrow is all. But it seems he’s already asleep.” He plays it off casually, laughing as Teddie changes into his PJs.

“I hope Sensei feels better in the morning. He looked really hurt when we were in the TV.” Teddie pouts, arms folded as he sits on the floor.

“Yeah, I think he’s just been overworking himself is all.” Even though he felt like the others should know, going behind Yu’s back wouldn’t be right. Plus he needed to make sure it really was his shadow, and not some...weird Wild Card thing.

“Well I have the morning shift tomorrow so I’m gonna hit the hay! You’re off right, Yosuke?” Teddie asks as he fluffs his pillow.

“That’s right. A rare Sunday off for me...” He sighs, shaking his head. He had to take advantage of this.

“Well hopefully Rui-san isn’t too harsh on me...” The bear sighs.

Yosuke gives Teddie an annoyed side glance. “I thought you were going to go to sleep, Ted.”

“Y-Yes sir!” Teddie lies down and falls asleep, leaving Yosuke once again to his thoughts.

“No matter what, I’m talking to him about it.” He rolls over and falls asleep.

By the time the brunette wakes up that morning, Teddie had already left for work. It’s only his second time to have a shift when Yosuke himself didn’t, but he still can’t help but worry.

“He’ll be fine. Knowing the others, one of them is bound to go into Junes anyhow. I have something more pressing to worry about..” Once again he whips out his phone and types out a text to Yu.

> Hey man R U free 2day?

> Yeah. What’s up?

> I need 2 talk to you abt somthn

Yu takes a bit to respond. Well maybe not a bit, more like four whole minutes. Yosuke gets a bit worried that he already figured out why, but then..

> Alright, where do you want to meet up then?

> Does the hill from before sound good? No one normally goes up there this early in the day.

> No short hand? You must be serious then. But, jokes aside, yeah sounds great. Let me eat something real quick and I’ll wait for you there.

Yosuke sends one last message before closing his phone. He managed to do it in the end, it seems. Confronting Yu will be a lot harder, however. He’s not exactly the most open with his emotions...

Getting dressed and eating something quick Yosuke heads to the hill, where Yu is already there with his arms folded on the rickety fence overlooking the town.

“So what made you bring me out here so early, Yosuke?” Yu asks, glaceing over at his best friend. “Something going on with you?”

“Well, in a way. It’s because...I’m worried about what happened last night in the TV. Yu...you do know you can talk to me about anything going on, right?” Yosuke walks up beside him, and folds his own arms on the fence.

“...I know. And as I said before, I’m fine so you don’t need to-”

“Bullshit. You’re just as quick to hide what’s going on as I was. That’s...how I know something’s up.” Yosuke looks right at Yu, who’s gaze is already going everywhere but right back.

“...” Yu goes silent, not speaking.

“If you’re not comfortable talking about it, it’s fine. But..I just want you to know that whatever issue you’re facing right now...you don’t need to deal with it alone man.” The Magican rubs the back of his neck and laughs. “You have me, and the others to rely on. And no matter what, we’re gonna stick by you. That’s...what you reminded me of before, so maybe it’s only right I tell you as well.”

Yu grabs the fence with his right hand, gripping it tighly as he lets out a sigh. “I appreciate it. It’s always reassuring to know you guys have my back..”

While he may have meant those words, Yosuke felt like it was still forced. As if he’s still refusing to touch the subject.

“...we all gotta face it one day. Either in the TV, or otherwise right? Doesn’t matter what you hear, what matters is that you become better through acceptance. “

Yu steps back from the fence. “...maybe.” And with that, Narukami simply walks down the hill and away from the area.

Did Yosuke mess up? Or did he give his best friend the push he needed? With a solid shake of his head, he decides to see if Kanji’s free. Trying to hang out with Yu anymore after that conversation might not be the best idea.

What should Yu do? YOU DECIDE!

#persona 4 #yu narukami #yosuke hanamura #teddie #shadow pains #this is to tide you all over while I work on the wild card post

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neni-has-ascended · 6 years ago

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Persona 4 Fanfic: “You Wouldn’t Expect” [Commissioned by spiralstorm]

Characters: Teddie, Labrys

Type: Romance

Description: Teddie takes Labrys out to the beach.

Read on Fanfic.net: HERE

Read on Ao3: HERE

Author’s Note:

A commission piece. Since I personally love this pairing to bits, I had a lot of fun writing it, though it took me a lot longer than anticipated... Mostly because I had trouble deciding what to do with the requested setting.

If you want to commission me as well for art, writing or translation, please check click here.

I also have a tip-jar.

Most people considered him an extrovert. Most people thought of him as a person who was incapable of taking anything serious, regardless of the situation. Most people had trouble imagining him with anything resembling a sense of shame. Most people would also assume that such a shameless, unserious extrovert would not experience any sort of anxiety going to a social outing they, themself, had suggested and set up in the first place.

Most people were wrong.

There Teddie stood, drenched in a mixture of sweat and some overprized body spray he’d snuck from the hygienics department (on Yosuke’s tab). His bike stood angled and leaned against the wall right next to him. Ever since the incident with the pine tree and the rubber tape he wasn’t allowed to use the rollerblades anymore, so fixing up Yosuke’s old ride was his only way to get out here on his own. Probably a good idea anyway; he was well aware of the enticing properties these fabled ‘rides’ were supposed to have on cute girls. Though, didn’t the bikes he’d seen in Yosuke’s magazines look quite a bit different from that bicycle next to him? Not to worry unnecessarily, but this distinct aura of lameness he could feel radiating off the beat-up thing now that he wasn’t on it seemed a bit… troubling.

Ah! Focus, focus! Teddie clapped his hands onto his face and took a deep breath. Now was not the time to lose his nerves! Not here, not today! No, not when this was the moment, the one, his irreplaceable and very special, very first… date.

His breath stopped even just thinking the words. M-Maybe the air was just especially thin today? Who would be surprised, geez, with how unbearably hot and humid it was, good thing he hadn’t come in his beautiful fur, all the moisture would just have ruined his shine, but now his poor head-hair had to deal with these conditions, and his skin was all wet and his foundation was dripping, and his clothes were wrinkled, and the flowers were wilting, and he couldn’t stop biting his lip-

“Hey. Sorry, did I make ya wait?”

-He snapped to attention and froze up like a popsicle in a straight jacket.

Without him realizing, he’d been approached by a slender figure dressed in a light, flowing summer dress, a pale-yellow ribbon holding her long, azure hair together in a ponytail. Fuuka had really done amazing work in restoring those cloaking features. If he hadn’t known better, Teddie would have assumed it was a regular human girl that had just greeted him so kindly. However, he was sure that the face and voice he saw and heard could only belong to one person in this big world.

“O-O-Ohhhh~~!! L-Labby-chan!!”

He could force melodic inflections into his words all he wanted; it didn’t keep him from stuttering. He found it so hard to not stumble over his words whenever Labrys was around. This, too, he wanted to blame on the infernal heat today. It dried up his tongue and made it so hard to articulate! Yes, that was what was going on here, clearly, without doubt.

“‘You okay, Ted? You lookin’ kinda frazzled.” Labrys’ head tilted slightly as she spoke. Oh no, now the hot weather had gotten her worried for him, too! Not that he minded being cared for, of course, but… No, no! Today was not a day to be anxious and worried. Not for him, and definitely not for her! With a hearty shake of his head, Teddie tried to throw off the many oppressive feelings weighing down on his poor little head and laughed.

“Oh no, mon ami, what are you talking about? I’m doing just bearfectly fine! Especially now that I am in such stunning company~!”

“…If ya say so.”

She rolled her eyes a little, giving a slight sigh. While Labrys wasn’t necessarily the best people-reader, she did consider herself fairly perceptive, and the fact that Teddie right now didn’t appear to be at the height of tranquility was obvious to everyone but himself. Then again, hyperactivity was barely out of the norm for the little guy, now, was it? Giving Teddie a gentle pat on the head, Labrys began to scan the area around them a little.

“Whoa, it sure is packed. You sure it was a good idea to come today? Maybe we shoulda rescheduled, huh…”

The doubt in Labrys’ voice was like a lightning strike to Teddie’s motors, and at once he was bouncing along eagerly in front of the young gynoid lady, shaking his head in utmost denial.

“Nonsense! Don’t you know that getting lost in the crowd is part of the charm of this kind of event? Walking down the beach together, hand in hand, in a sea of blissful couples, gazing at the night sky above, and then--!”

“I… I was kinda hoping we’d be going for a swim.”

That sentence killed the scenario in Teddie’s head quicker than Yukiko could kill a man’s self-esteem. Labrys continued talking, her hands tugged away behind her back as she considered her surroundings. When had she ever found herself stood in a large gathering like this before?

“Y’know, since that whole Beach Party thing we were talkin’ about in spring didn’t end up happening yet, ‘cause everyone got busy, when you said we were meeting at Shichiri Beach, I just kinda… assumed.”

His face went through at least 5 different emotions upon the realization that whatever miscommunication he had allowed to happen had caused Labrys to come here with wildly different expectation from him. Teddie eventually settled on a boisterous laugh that came out more awkward than intended, trying to right the wrongs of what he had suggested.

“Ah… AHAHAHA! Of course, of course!! Swimming, at the beach, what beautiful maiden wouldn’t want to swim at the beach, it’s bathing suit time after all!! Summer, sun, pin-up poses! Never you fear, I always carry an emergency bikini just for cases like this, right on my-“

“…Going swimmin’ in a crowd like this would kinda blow my cover. My cloaking device can’t project into water, y’know.”

“-Oh.”

Well, that was quite unfortunate. And though she tried to hide it, a certain sense of disappointment on Labrys’ face couldn’t be denied. Teddie, for some reason, felt put on the spot by this. Embearrassed, even. And there he’d been mapping out this whole, unforgettable evening in his head already. What a debacle.

“Em… Should we…” he didn’t mean to, but he ended up having his head sink in between his shoulders on him. “Should we go home?”

Fast, unusually quiet and short was how Teddie’s question came out sounding. Still, Labrys seemed calm.

“Nah, let’s stay. It’s sorta my own fault for not researching the event before sayin’ I’d come. ‘Sides, I’ve never been to a ‘festival’ before. Maybe it’s gonna be fun.”

Teddie’s enthusiasm was restored.

“Of COURSE it will be fun! You’ll love it! We’ll buy snackies and weird thingie-dings, and write wishes on tiny sheets of paper, and catch goldfish and watch the fireworks and the stars…”

A young, gold-blond boy was excitedly jumping around in front of his azure-haired friend, continuing his descriptions in such a manner that it was hard to believe he was ever going to stop. Labrys chuckled. As nervous as it made her to be around these many strangers, as long as she had Teddie just being Teddie, she knew all was still right in the world. She took a deep breath of salty beach air mixed with the scent of fried meat and Takoyaki and looked out to the festival site stretching out before them.

“Shichiri-Tanabata Festival, huh.” she mumbled to herself. “Let’s see…”

★

Teddie hurried to drag Labrys along to every little point of attraction that grabbed his attention, his excitement unbroken even as the hours marched along. Calling his way of selecting the booths they’d spend their time at ‘erratic’ would have been flattery. In a hurry he jetted from one site to another, from a saleswoman selling star-themed charms to an ice cream stand, to a pair of performers, to a fishing game, to a stand selling cold drinks, and so on. It definitely helped that Labrys didn’t mind his guidance, much to the contrary. She was glad to have something resembling a line to navigate along this chaotic gathering of people, whose countless voices constantly threatened to overload her sensors. Her 5th generation hardware simply wasn’t optimized for complex social situations like this one. Following Teddie’s lead and focusing on his voice helped drowning out the noise. Holding his hand to not lose track of him kept her from getting distracted. Eventually, she found herself sitting by a table put up next to a little tree with lots and lots of colorful papers hung on it, sipping from a plastic cup of iced tea (her systems could handle tasting and excreting liquids; it was only solid foods that caused problems.)

“There sure is a lot to do here,” she said with a sigh, gazing at the mass of people she’d been walking through all afternoon and wondering how she’d survived it. She turned to Teddie. “You’ve been to a festival before, haven’cha?”

“Yes, but never to this one,” Teddie admitted, still a bit flushed from the excitement of all the games they’d been playing. “The one in everyone’s town is very different from here. It’s a lot smaller and a lot less romantic. This one here makes me feel like I’m being swept off my feet!”

“Hm…” Sip, sip, sip, Labrys worked her way through her drink, considering Teddie’s statement. For someone who had never been to this festival either, he sure seemed to sure his way around. There was a lot she could learn from him, especially considering that he hadn’t been living in this world for that much longer than her. It probably paid to be as wide-eyed curious as him when it came to this sort of thing. It was then that a small stack of tourist brochures on the table next to them caught Labrys’ attention. She reached out, took one and began to read it. Of course, Teddie looked over her shoulder.

“Ohhh, English! Fancy.”

“It’s frickin’ broken as heck tho,” Labrys frowned at the grammatical mess before her eyes.

“You speak English, Labby-chan?”

“Came pre-installed with ‘nuff to read most of it. Can’t exactly speak it tho. Well, not withoutta soundin’ like an, um, y’know. Robot.”

It took Labrys some mental effort to stop her language processing programs from going bonkers trying to deal with the monstrosity presented to them. Eventually, however, she had processed the text enough to read out some of it.

“Tanabata, also known as the Star Festival, originates from the Chinese Qixi Festival. It celebrates the meeting of the stars Vega and Altair, who’re thought to be embodied by the deities Orihime, the Celestial Weaver, and Hikoboshi, the Celestial Cowherd. According to legend, the two lovers were forbidden from meeting by the Sky King, who thought their relationship prevented them from performing their duties. Only once a year, when their stars meet on the 7th day of the 7th month, the two can meet, and it is said that wishes written down and bound to bamboo or branches on this day will come true.”

“Ohhhhh, that’s so romantic!!” Teddie almost squeaked hearing the story, making wide eyes at the paper in Labrys hands. She laughed.

“Sure, you’d like that. You’re into mushy stuff like that, aren’cha?”

“Hm. It would be even better if Ori-chan and Bosshy got to meet whenever they want,” Teddie declared after taking a few seconds to process the story. “I mean, it’s so sad! I thought true love was supposed to be forebear! Not giving them a happy ending when all the other fairytales get one just screams of discrimination, if you ask me! They should complain to the management!”

Somewhere halfway through Teddie’s critique had stopped making logical sense, but Labrys didn’t mind that. She’d expected as much. In fact, she kinda found it cute. She ruffled his hair.

“It’s probably a really old story, ya know. I reckon’ by now they’ve long got it worked out,” she suggested. “Like, maybe they quit their jobs and moved in together? That’s what I think woulda made sense, at least.”

“Mhm…” Teddie replied surprisingly half-heartedly as Labrys stroked his hair. Lowering his head, he mumbled. “If it were me, I’d do everything, so-“

“Hm?” Labrys tilted her head. Teddie’s voice had been too low for her to pick up all of what he’d said. However, he wouldn’t repeat the words. Instead, he swung his legs and leapt up from the bench the two of them were sitting on.

“Aaaaaalright! Where shall we go next, milady!?”

A 180° turn to the tree next to their table gave Teddie his answer.

“Oh, I know! Let’s write some wishes!”

★

It wasn’t Teddie’s first time writing wishes on Tanzaku paper. He’d done it the year before with Yosuke’s family, though then he hadn’t known the legend. However, it was Labrys’ first time, and she was struggling a little. To her it felt awkward trying to put any wishes she might have into words, especially knowing how many people there were around that could possibly be looking over her shoulder. The fact that Teddie kept loudly vocalizing every single thing he wrote down, proudly announcing his wishes to the world (he was up to tying his 10th Tanzaku to the tree now) didn’t help. Just how was it so easy for him to come up all these things to say? Maybe she just ought to stop thinking and just write down the first thing that came to her?

Eventually Labrys found a wish and wording she was happy with and put it on the paper in neat, clean handwriting, tying a perfectly symmetrical bow as she hung it to the branch. Yeah, this was okay. It reflected her hopes for the future, and she didn’t feel weird about the fact that someone else might read it. She was satisfied.

“Oookay!!”

Hands on hips, Teddie looked over his army of 27 Tanzaku Papers merrily fluttering on the tree, Labrys’ sole wish mixed right in with them. He seemed proud of the image, miming the hand-gestures of a photographer looking for the perfect shot again and again, though never actually taking a picture of the scene. The one to really take a photo was Labrys. The way Teddie was hopping around in front of that tree was just too cute.

“Careful, ya gonna tear ‘em down with all the wind you’re makin’ wavin’ ya arms ‘round,” she laughed.

“Wind? My lady, I will have you know, this is no orbearnary wind I’m kicking up here! It’s the cosmic shock-wave that will carry our wishes to the heavens! HMMMMMMM!” And he threw his finger up in the air and struck a pose, yelling. “ORI-CHAAAN! DID YOU GET ALL OF THIS!?”

Teddie’s display of unabashed confidence drew the attention of bystanders. A pair of college age girls could be heard chatting.

“Whoa, that kid’s Japanese is pretty good… And he’s kinda cute, too, isn’t he? Hee hee.”

“Careful what you say, I think he came with his big sister. You see that foreign-looking girl next to him?”

“Whoa, she’s pretty good-looking as well, check out that figure! How come foreigners get to have all those curves, huh?”

“Calm down, you’ll bother them. Hey, let’s move on, alright?” The girl took her friend by the hand and walked away, though she could still be heard adding. “It sure is nice, seeing that some siblings don’t feel like they need to ‘grow out of’ being cute together…”

Labrys and Teddie waited until the college girls were out of earshot. Then, they turned to each other, a little stunned.

“…Big sister?” Teddie asked, tilting his head a little. “Whatever did she mean by that?”

Labrys shrugged. “I guess we looked like siblings to them?”

“Oh, sort of like how Yosuke always says that all foreigners look ‘the same’? Geez, how rude!”

He didn’t look offended at all.

“We ain’t really foreigners though,” Labrys pointed out.

“So, we look the same to them because we’re both not human? Hmm, people are weeeird sometimes.”

“Yeah, can’t argue with that…”

“I mean…” Teddie put his fingers on his chin pondering. “It’s not like we should come across like siblings! After all, you are my fair Princess! And I am your Royal Knight, Sir Teddie, coming to your aid in shining armor.”

“Well, I dunno a lotta stuff ‘bout knights. But some of them were princes, right?” Labrys said. “And a prince can be a princess’ brother, I think.”

“Wha—No, no, no! None! That’s not it at all!” Teddie stomped one of his feet in the sand a little, not hard, just enough to kick up a dramatic dust cloud. “I mean… I maaaay be quite princely in just bearly all aspects, but! That’s not the nature of our relationship at all!”

“I mean. Yeah.” Labrys didn’t know what there was to get dramatic about, but on a purely factual level, she had to agree. “I do got some siblings, but last I checked, you weren’t one.”

“Right!?” Teddie seemed vindicated by that statement. He crossed his arms. “And… And anyway! If anything, I’d definitely be the older brother!”

At that, Labrys could only snort. “Really?”

“But, of course! In fact, ever since Sensei has gone back to the big city, I’ve done my beary best to stuff that sad, bro-shaped hole in Nana-chan’s life,” he told her. It’s not like I could ‘replace’ Sensei. Not even moi could ever do that. But! I’ve been visiting her lots and lots! We’ve been going shopping and watching TV and playing in the park and making music…”

Teddie’s mood went from high-strung to almost tranquil as he talked. His face visibly relaxed.

“Actually, you know, I wanted to bring Nana-chan here too! But… She was busy with school today, so she couldn’t come.”

“Why didn’t you just call me to reschedule then?” Labrys asked curious. “I wouldn’t of minded comin’ a day later so we can bring her, y’know.”

“No, it’s okay.” Teddie shook his head. “I’ll come with her another time! Besides… I thought it might be nice to come, maybe… just with you.”

Labrys accepted that statement, though she wasn’t quite sure what he meant by it. Generally, she found him rather unreadable at the moment. His expression, the way he didn’t really look at her but more at the ground behind her, that slightly pink tinge on his cheeks… Was he okay? If he was human, she would have guessed that he was showing early signs of a fever, but…

“Hey, hey, Labby-chan, look, over there! I wanna try that!”

And thus ended a brief, quiet moment.

The ‘that’ Teddie was referring to turned out to be a large stretch on the beach without booths, where people were currently gathering to perform some sort of folk-dance. Onlookers were evidently allowed to join in. Labrys was hesitant, after all, who’d ever heard of a dancing combat device? However, it didn’t take much coaxing for Teddie to get her to join. Despite their exotic appearances the two of them didn’t stand out among the dancers nearly as much as they could have. The crowd was diverse, some people having come in Yukata, while others were in casual clothing like Labrys and Teddie. There were even a few westerners, probably tourists, mixed into the bunch. Chaotic as it was, nobody noticed how many steps the two of them missed in their attempts to follow the shrine priestess and middle-aged man leading the dance. It was all in good fun. Some parts of the dance were performed in pairs and these were the parts that made Labrys most nervous. The idea of having to synchronize with the moves of a total stranger in order to not disrupt the event sent her logic circuits into disarray. However, Teddie kept close to her and immediately paired up with her whenever he heard the musical cue to, and though Labrys knew he probably had his own reasons for doing so, she was thankful. ‘He’s always been pretty clingy around girls, huh?’ she thought to herself. ‘Well, I’m glad he’s having fun.’ It was only fairly late into the song that it occurred to Labrys how many other good-looking girls her own age actually were in the crowd of dancers. Yet, throughout the entire song, Teddie hadn’t strayed from her side even once. When she realized that fact, Labrys fell silent.

“…”

“Labby-chan, what’s wrong? The music isn’t over yet.”

“Wha—O-Oh right.”

Labrys had been so lost in her thoughts, she’d stopped dancing on the spot. Now it was just Teddie and her standing still in the mass of dancers, small wrinkles forming on his forehead as he looked at her in worry.

“Are you tired? Should we take a break?”

“…Yeah, maybe. Thanks.”

Holding her hand gently, as if taking extra care to not hurt her, he led her to the edge of the beach’s waters, a little off from all the music and commotion. It was here, where the crowd was thinner and the noise less prevalent that, for the first time, Labrys could take a moment to breathe and process the events of the day so far. Her sensors registered a high content of sodium-chloride in water vapor in the air… Sea salt. A nice scent. In the distance the sun had begun to set, dyeing the sky and ocean in a dazzling red color. Carefully, Labrys stretched out the bottom parts of her legs to let the waves splash them a little. What appeared to be her ‘feet’ wasn’t real, of course, those parts of her body were a pure projection of her cloaking device, but it still was nice to pretend.

Watching Labrys stretch her legs out to the water like that, Teddie began to pout a little. He buried his face between his legs. “I’m sorry I didn’t take you swimming. You’re probably beary disappointed still.”

Labrys laughed at that. “What’cha even talking about? Today’s been great! I’ve been havin’ a blast.”

“O-Oh!” Surprised, Teddie looked up. “I was just thinking… You’ve been looking so nervous ever since we’ve come here, so maybe you weren’t actually having any fun.”

“Mhm… I’ve never really been ‘round this many people before. So, it’s a tad strange still, ya know?” Labrys admitted. “But a gal’s gotta get out sometime, right? I’m thinkin’, I wanna make friends that ain’t Persona Users too, some time. So, I’d better get used to seein’ more people around like this... You’ve already got that part of livin’ down to a tee, don’cha?”

Labrys grinned at Teddie as she said that, which he visibly took as permission to feel pride. Wearing her statement as a badge of honor, he puffed up his chest a little.

“Weeeell, if you ever need anybody to show you how to bring ALL the hot studs in town to the yard, you can come to me! I’ll be your wise and powerful mentor in the art of socialization and bearing it all to the world!”

“I’m sure ya will,” Labrys pet his hair a bit, partly to get him to dismount that high horse of his for a while. “Look. The stars are comin’ up.”

★

As the day drew to a close, the scene was lit by lights, both around and above them, all reflecting colorfully in the ocean before them. Labrys and Teddie spent the time talking, about themselves, the time they’d known each other, their friends. There was so much to say, the minutes seemed to pass much too quickly, and by the time Labrys had googled and pointed out the locations of Vega and Altair in the sky to Teddie, the festivalgoers had gathered around where they were sitting to gaze up at the stars as well. The fireworks began.

They were were even prettier than the last time Teddie had seen them, painting the sky in all possible colors, lights raining down above them in this pleasantly warm summer night. There were so many people around them, and – Labrys recalled – there were endlessly many more watching up to this same sky right now in this world. It was a concept hard to understand for someone who’d spent so much of her existence isolated from people, so why did she feel so at peace right now?

“I woulda never expected looking at some lights in the sky could be this beautiful,” she said quietly, almost a whisper.

“…Me neither,” Teddie said in much the same tone. And, whether he realized it or not, his hand was on top of hers.

In this moment, regardless of all the people and voices all around, it almost felt as if nobody but the two of them existed in this entire world. It was just like how, during the dance, Teddie had stayed only by Labrys’ side, like she would have never expected him to. That thought on her mind, Labrys found it easy to move closer to the boy next to her, her fingers intertwining with his, before she slowly drew him into a kiss.

“Next time, I’ll take ya out swimming,” Labrys told Teddie, breaking their lip-lock to bop his nose.

Stunned as he was, even if Teddie had had something to reply, he wouldn’t have known how to say it.

#Persona 4 #Persona 4 Arena #persona 4 ultimax #Labrys #Teddie (Persona 4)#TedRys #Neni Writes #neni does comissions

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arcplaysgames · 2 years ago

Text

THE TENSION IS BAD IN HERE. THE VIBES ARE BAD. BOY FUCKING HOWDY like the way the mob mentality grows so quickly over this cowering man.

It JUST SO HAPPENS that the Midnight Channel comes on and... somehow.... Namatame's Shadow? Starts speaking directly to the team, and talking about how he failed and its their fault but the cops won't be able to keep him anyway?

This shit feels off. This makes me wanna scream. What the actual fuck is the Midnight Channel? Like, images aren't supposed to be clear unless the person is in the TV. Namatame is not. And he's denying the shit the Shadow is saying.

Also like, the game is specific enough to say "Other Namatame" and not "Shadow Namatame."

Hang on, I have literally 6000 screencaps, I need to check something.

Yeah, in other instances, the speaker is plainly stated to be "Shadow NAME," unlike here. But the "Other" Namatame tries to make it seem like Namatame was in his full and understanding mind as he did all this shit.

fucking Naoto points out that we can just kill him here and now. Naoto, usually our voice of reason (and, okay, admittedly also voic eof stupid questions), brings up the idea that we should just ensure justice will be done and kill him now before the guards return.

And oh man, the mood feels like you're holding out a hand to try and slow down a runaway train.

Kanji and Yosuke are gonna kill Namatame until the game gives me the option to talk them down and BOY HOWDY. THIS IS WHERE IT BRANCHES HUH.

FIVE dialogue checks, I think? I almost looked them up but then was like "EH FUCK IT I have a safety save" and I think.... I got the right choices. I really get the feeling if you fail any of these checks, you get a bad end like if you killed Ryoji.

maybe I'll go back and watch that later.

NAOTO, BUDDY, YOU WERE THE ONE WHO HANDED EVERYONE A METHOD TO KILL THIS GUY its fine, we were all upset, everyone makes mistakes. But man, Naoto's still waters run deep and angry, and he's good at making his impulses sound like well-reasoned presumptions. Dangerous.

IRL I was like "Ah, Judgement time?"

YEP. JUDGEMENT TIME. Instead of Investigation Team, we are the Seekers of Truth. Which is a stupid name but I'm just glad we didn't murder a guy.

Outside, everyone tries to basically rewind to reopen the topic of the entire case, from the announcer lady up to Nanako.

Adachi is listening in and man. MAN.

WHAT IS KILLING ME is that I don't fucking trust Adachi even remotely, but like. He's a hapless fucking gofer for the most part.

The only things that really make me distrust him are

some of his line reads really really make me stop and squint at him, and this is a game with frankly impeccable voice direction

he's a stealth asshole and doesn't like people, and it veers from "affable everyman joking about his mean boss" into actual simmering contempt a little too often

that FUCKING moment when he stopped swaying, like he forgot to play the role of a harmless dude for a second

i think he lied about the diary. he says that Namatame made "advances" on Konishi but that doesn't track with what we know.

ryoji vibes

But functionally, so far he has been a decent facilitator to the team, both wittingly and accidentally. I would think he's just being a reasonable, good guy if not for the FUCKING swaying moment that haunts me.

Somewhere, Elsewhere, Teddie is alone on a blank, featureless road, walking.

NANAKO FUCKIGN SURVIVES

I feel like I just matrix-dodged a bullet. Or, five bullets, to be exact. In the bad ending, does Nanako just legit die?

I don't understand what happened here, like how would Teddie even get back to the TV World from here? Did he somehow sacrifice his sit-up-conjured body to save Nanako's life?

Where IIIIIIS HEEEEEEEE.

God this game happens so much.

#p4 #persona liveblog

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discoagidyne · 6 years ago

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To Make a Dinner

Fandom: Persona 4

Pairing: Yosuke Hanamura/Yu Narukami

Rating: General audiences

Other notes: Anniversary fluff // @magusarcana

Yu was a good cook. Everyone knew that. He was somewhat famous around Inaba for it, after all, even after he’d moved back to the city. A few of the little old ladies that frequented the Junes produce section had even asked about him after he’d moved. Apparently Yu had competed with them for discounted items on a daily basis and they’d swapped recipes when they were feeling less competitive.

What everyone didn’t know was that Yu had only gotten good at it through trial and error. Yosuke himself had no idea that his partner worked so hard at cooking until after they’d started dating and he walked in on Yu spitting one of his failures into Dojima’s sink.

Yosuke, however, was not the chef his boyfriend was. He could cook eggs, toast, rice, even miso soup on a good day. But typically, if it was Yosuke’s turn to cook, they tended to end up at a restaurant with his most recent paycheck instead of at the stove with the groceries. Yu always said he didn’t mind, that he liked having a man who'd take him out and show him off (at least, once Yosuke actually got comfortable doing that), but deep down, Yosuke knew he’d have to learn to cook a meal other than breakfast eventually.

Our anniversary is coming up, so what better time to learn? Yosuke figured. It can’t be that hard. Then, remembering the pained expression Yu wore as he lifted his head from his uncle’s sink, Yosuke swallowed his fear and thought again, to reassure himself, It can’t… be that hard… No way…

He’d make Yu a spectacular anniversary dinner if it cost him his life.

That’s what he’d thought, anyway, until he saw Chie eyeing up a banana on her kitchen counter as she stirred her curry. Not until then had he considered it might actually cost him his life.

“Chie, please don’t tell me you’re considering putting that banana in the pot.” Maybe Yosuke didn’t know how to make curry, but he definitely knew curry didn’t have freaking bananas in it.

“Wha--” Chie recoiled defensively. “I just thought it could be a little sweeter, you know?”

“Uh, no.” Yosuke didn’t even want to imagine whatever disaster Chie was thinking of making. “You’d think after all this time you would’ve figured out how to make curry.”

Chie turned to face Yosuke, one hand on her hip and the other pointed directly at him. “Well, if you know so much about curry, why don’t you make that for you guys’ anniversary?”

Yosuke’s mouth twisted a little as he thought it over. He played with his necklace, a gift from Yu, turning its cat pendant over in his hand. “Doesn’t that seem kind of…” He dragged it around its chain. “I don’t know, too safe?”

Chie shrugged. “I dunno, I mean--” She returned to stirring. “We had curry that day you and Naoto brought him back to Inaba.”

The Dojima family had been waiting for them outside when Yu, Yosuke, and Naoto arrived. Yu was already halfway out of the vehicle when Yosuke’s car came to a stop. On a normal day, Yosuke might have scolded his boyfriend for such reckless behavior, but as he saw Yu dash into a group hug with his uncle and cousin, Yosuke couldn’t bring himself to do anything other than watch on with a resigned smile.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this emotional,” Naoto said, switching off her phone and stashing it away in her pocket. Through the rear view mirror, Yosuke noticed she was smiling, too.

“It’s been a rough couple of months.” That was an understatement. It’d been more like years. Yosuke hadn’t even the slightest idea how bad it’d been until after they’d gotten together, or how much pain Yu had been hiding behind those intense gray eyes for all that time. But it wasn’t really Yosuke’s place to share that. He had a feeling Naoto might have already deduced that much on her own anyway.

“Shall we join them?”

They did just that, catching up to Yu as he swung open the door to the Dojima household to see the rest of his friends there waiting for him. It was meant to be a surprise -- Naoto had texted everyone ahead of time -- but Yu had already heard them from outside.

Everyone’s quiet hiding spots had been abandoned in favor of stopping the curry from boiling over and destroying Dojima’s kitchen. Not that it prevented Yu from taking each and every one of them into a teary-eyed embrace and turning the surprise around on everyone save for Teddie, who’d glomped Yu first, announcing something about making up for last time. Yosuke’s smile went wry as he made a mental note to ask Teddie later what exactly that was supposed to mean.

But just then wasn’t the time for that conversation.

Yu was finally home. His real home.

“Something smells good,” Yu said once he finished his rounds. “What’s cooking?”

“Curry!” Nanako answered excitedly, practically bouncing as she said it.

“Yeah?” Yu placed a hand on her head and shuffled her hair. She’d grown quite a bit since the last time he’d done that. “Did you make it, Nanako?”

“Mmhm! And Chie and Yukiko and Rise and Teddie all helped, too!”

The color left Yu’s face. “I-is that so?”

Yu and Yosuke both shot Kanji a panicked look. Kanji made a distressed arm motion at the girls, then made an X with his arms and shook his head.

Yukiko dished up a plate and handed it to Yu. “C’mon, try it! We’ve improved since last time.”

The curry was pink.

“It does... smell like curry,” Yu conceded, offering them a smile though his eyes were still screaming in terror.

Rise hooked an arm around his elbow. “I promise you’ll love it!”

They herded Yu to the table. Yosuke went with. As much as he dreaded it, he knew he couldn’t let Yu face this alone. They sat down, side-by-side. Yu accepted a spoon from a very apologetic-looking Kanji, and then stared down his meal.

Yosuke was pretty sure it moved.

Yu glanced up with a nervous chuckle.

Yosuke took his hand, right there in front of everyone, squeezing it and brushing his thumb over Yu’s knuckles. The room seemed to pause, their friends’ eyes widening in realization. No one said a word, until finally Yu shoved the spoon into the rice. “Here goes nothing.”

Yosuke’s brow flattened over his eyes. “You know, Chie, as nice of a memory as that is, I don’t think he’d really want me calling back to that curry.”

“What are you talking about? Yu loved that curry.”

“I hate to have to be the one to tell you this, but he pretended to like that curry for Nanako.” Yosuke grimaced as though the memory slapped him in the face. “I spent the night knocking on the bathroom door to check if he was still alive.”

“Well, just...” Chie hesitated, looking down at her dinner with a mix of worry and guilt. “Don’t make that curry. I mean, we’ve all had curry together a lot since Yu first came to Inaba. I’m sure he has a lot of other good memories attached to it.” She paused again, worry tugging her frown tighter. “...Right?”

And each curry was more questionable than the last, Yosuke considered saying, but seeing as Chie actually seemed to feel bad about the quality of the girls’ cooking for once, he kept it to himself. He spent a few moments thinking over all the meals the former Investigation Team had shared together, from the camping trip to their most recent dinner party at the Amagi Inn, and finally, he replied, “That’s true.”

Chie seemed relieved to hear that, at least. Yosuke uncrossed his arms and pushed himself from the counter he’d been leaning against.

“I’ll keep it in mind. Thanks, Chie.”

*****

Fridge door cracking open. Bottles rattling.

“Oho! I spy with my little eye… a beary delicious snack!”

Yosuke rolled over on his parents’ couch, pulling the pillow over his head as he turned.

Fridge door slam. Tap, tap. Trash can click. Swish, ka-shunk. Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap. Microwave door snap. Dull click of plastic on glassware. Microwave door re-snap. Beep, beep, beep. VRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR--

Yosuke dragged himself into an upright position. “Teddie, do you have any idea what time it is?”

--RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR--

“It’s nighttime, you silly bear!” Drag of kitchen drawer wheels on wood. Rattle of chopsticks. Crash of drawer’s contents as it was slammed shut.

--RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR--

If Yosuke had known Teddie was going to spend the night in his parents’ kitchen instead of his old bedroom, he would’ve slept up there himself. “Are you seriously eating at--” Yosuke turned to the digital clock on the VCR, briefly wondered why his parents still had a VCR, then continued, “--3:47am?”

--RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR--Ding!

“Of course! You and I both know how hastily the freshness window for food court leftovers closes.” Teddie’s voice had an enthusiasm to it that was entirely too awake for the hour. Microwave snap open. Painful yelp. Fabric slide. Plastic scrape. Microwave snap shut. Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.

Yosuke pushed his bedhead out of his eyes and rubbed them. He crossed his arms over the back of the couch and rested his head in them. “That window’s on a haunted house that’s been locked up for years, Teddie.”

“Sounds like someone’s grumpy. You should go to bed, Yosuke.” Teddie shuffled over, sliding across Mrs. Hanamura’s newly waxed floor and into the living room with a plate of reheated yakisoba balanced in one hand. Yosuke’s heart rate shot up, and not in the good way like it did when Yu kissed his ears.

“Please don’t do that.”

Teddie hopped onto the couch, and despite not living with his parents anymore, Yosuke saw his life flash before his eyes when the fried noodles bounced on the plate. Teddie held up his chopsticks and wagged them teasingly at Yosuke. “Remember the last time we had Junes yakisoba?”

“Yosuke, we’re understaffed. Yosuke, the food court is packed. Yosuke, the newbies don’t know how to use the yakisoba grill,” Yosuke whined mockingly as he scraped burnt shards of noodles and veggies from its surface. He knew it was petty, but it made him feel better. “Yosuke, your day off isn’t as important as this--” He started scraping faster. “--stupid yakisoba grill.”

“How’s my hardworking man doing?”

When Yosuke turned around, there was Yu, standing at the customer window. He was dressed to the nines in a suit that Yosuke never would’ve guessed had come from a thrift shop if he hadn’t been there when Yu bought it.

“Oh, you know me. Nose to the grill… stone.” Yosuke frowned. “It sounded better in my head.” He wiped the crumbs from his scraper with a rag. “How’d your interview go?”

Yu’s smile faltered, and he turned away with a small sigh.

Yosuke leaned over the counter, resting his head in his arms. “That good, huh?”

That got a laugh, albeit a weak one. “I’m getting used to it.”

“You’re not supposed to get used to it, Partner.”

“No, I know, but...” With another sigh, Yu rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s starting to feel like I’ll never find a job.”

Yosuke looked up at Yu, taking in his partner’s gloomy expression until he couldn’t bear it anymore. He pushed himself up, then put his own hand over the one Yu had on his neck and pulled Yu into a kiss. It took a moment, but soon Yu relaxed and leaned into it.

When they parted, Yosuke whispered, “Better?”

Yu broke into a tiny smile and nodded.

Yosuke returned the smile, though it waned as soon as he saw the manager approaching.

The manager was a tiny, older man with a ring of hair crowning his bald skull. He’d been working at that particular Junes location so long he couldn’t be fired.

“Great,” Yosuke mumbled, lowering his head in hopes the manager would move on after a glance.

The manager instead strolled over, then squinted at Yu, giving him a judging once over. “You again?”

“Me again,” Yu confirmed with a small shrug.

The manager turned to Yosuke. “You know we’re not paying you to flirt with your boy toy, right?”

“Yeah,” Yosuke said, slowly looking up.

“Then why is he here?” The manager pointed a thumb at Yu. Yu’s nose scrunched up a bit.

Yosuke shuffled his hair with one hand. “No, I know. But I already took care of the line and cleaned up.”

“Well, maybe,” said the manager, his voice increasing in volume. “If you weren’t so busy making eyes at him, you’d see how much there is to get done around here.”

Yosuke shrunk back, then clenched his fists and stepped forward, mouth open and ready to throw it back, only to be cut off when Yu slapped a thousand yen note into the tray on the counter.

“I’ll take two plates of yakisoba.”

The manager gave Yu a confused scowl. “What?”

Yu met the manager’s eyes, his own eyes blazing with a determination over his otherwise blank face. “I’m a paying customer.”

“Oh, so now that I’m scolding Hanamura, you’re going to buy something?”

“Now that you’ve called him in on a day he asked off several weeks ago...” Yu leaned in, towering over the angry little man. “Yes, I am.”

The manager glared at Yu, then Yosuke, and then he scuttled away, grumbling to himself.

Yosuke let out a relieved sigh, then leaned over the counter and muttered, “Look on the bright side, Partner. At least you’re not stuck working here.”

Yu gave Yosuke a peck on the cheek, then rested his chin in his hand and smiled up at him. “Is it better or worse than working for your dad?”

Yosuke groaned as he pushed himself away from the counter. “So much worse. You don’t even know.” He adjusted his apron and headed back to the grill. Smiling to himself, he flicked on the heat. “But thanks for standing up to him. I know it’s not much, but I’ll whip up some yakisoba for you on the house.”

“Make some for yourself, too.”

“Make it three, Yosuke!” Teddie said, popping up in his mascot costume under Yu’s elbow and making him jump.

“Wha--” Yosuke flinched back, pointed his spatula at Teddie. “Dude, how long have you been there?!”

Yu was still staring at Teddie with slightly widened eyes and a mild look of shock.

“Long enough to see you two get lovey-dovey~!” Teddie sang.

Yosuke groaned. “Get back to work, Ted.”

Teddie sank into a pout until Yu patted his head, then he sprung back to his cheerful self and hopped off to greet a family at a nearby table.

“I swear he spends more time picking on me than actually working,” Yosuke said. He was still annoyed, but there was a familiar affection to his voice.

“Maybe I should apply for his job,” Yu said with a laugh.

“Yeah, maybe,” Yosuke said, starting on the noodles. Then he paused, and turned back to Yu. “Actually, on second thought, don’t. That’d be way too distracting.”

“More distracting than Teddie?” Yu leaned against the counter, resting his chin in his hand. “I’m flattered, Yosuke.”

“That wasn’t that long ago, was it?” Yosuke said, leaning back against the couch. “That was that weekend I asked off because you were visiting our new apartment.” Yosuke’s face fell into a grimace. “...and then we both got roped into working, because Junes is a freakin’ black hole of capitalism.”

“Mmmmm-hm!” Teddie agreed, though he’d done it with half a plate of yakisoba in his mouth and a tone that made it hard to for Yosuke to believe he was even listening.

“If you’re gonna eat it in front of me, at least share,” Yosuke grumbled. “I didn’t get to eat anything at Chie’s.”

“Hmmmmm...” Teddie’s tone decrescendo’d as he thought it over.

“They’re not even your leftovers!”

Yosuke made a swipe for the chopsticks and Teddie leapt from the couch, taking the noodles with him.

“It’s waaaay past your bedtime, Mister!” Teddie chided.

Yosuke tossed his blanket aside and jumped to his feet. “That’s my line!”

*****

Dojima hung up the phone. “Yu called. Said he should be here in an hour.”

“Actually, he texted me saying the trains weren’t running on time because of the weather,” Yosuke said, looking around. The Dojima house was pretty much as he remembered it, save for the fact Nanako’s fridge artwork had vastly improved. Yu had told him she’d been drawing more lately because she had free time at the bus stop after her piano lessons. “Is it okay if I wait here?”

“Yeah.” Dojima glanced at the stairs. “I’m sure Nanako will be right down. You want anything to drink?”

“Sure, I’ll take a soda if you’ve got one.” Yosuke felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He took it out and flipped it open.

Yu: How’s the small talk with my uncle going? ;)

Yosuke’s face fell into a wry smirk.

Dojima opened the fridge and took a can from it. “I’m kinda surprised you two didn’t come down together.”

“They’re understaffed at his job right now, and I had some family stuff I had to be back for, so… You know how it is.”

Dojima answered with a thought-delayed grunt as he handed Yosuke the soda.

Yosuke: reeeeeal arctic u late guy

“Thanks,” Yosuke said. He gave Dojima a nod, then looked back at his phone and frowned.

Yosuke: *arctic elate

Yosuke: **attic undulate

His frown deepened.

Yosuke: ***i hate these new phones

“Hey, Mr. Dojima. Do you have a smartphone?”

Dojima’s face twisted just enough to answer for him. “I can’t stand the thing, but they’re required at work these days.”

Yosuke let out a pained sigh. “You know, I thought relating to you might make me feel better, but now I just feel old.”

Dojima’s brows popped up. “Excuse me?”

Yu: Did you just call my uncle old?

“I mean, not that you’re old,” Yosuke rushed in before Dojima could react beyond his initial shock. “You’re in great shape for a man your…” Yosuke trailed off as it dawned on him that he’d rambled himself into a corner. “...for a man.”

Yosuke glanced down at his screen again, then over to the stairs.

Yosuke: ur texting nanako rn arent u

“Uh… thanks,” Dojima said, an eyebrow raised over a hard gaze.

Yu: I might be

Yosuke: tell her to come downstairs n save me

Dojima sat down at the table with his half-finished mug of coffee. “He was stuck at work though, huh? I sure hope that kid doesn’t end up like his mother.”

“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that.” Yosuke took a seat across from Dojima. Then, with a wink, he said, “Not to brag, but he can’t stay away from me for that long.”

Dojima kind of laughed, but he also kind of gave Yosuke a wary once over. “How long have you two been together?”

Sweat started to gather on Yosuke’s forehead. He laughed weakly. “Almost a year.”

Yosuke: could use some help here

Yosuke: any time now

“Feels longer,” Dojima said. He took a long sip from his mug. The drops of sweat on Yosuke’s skin were quickly becoming bullets.

Yu: I’m interested in hearing what else you’ll say about me

“Y-yeah… Sure does.” Yosuke pushed out another laugh, noticeably more nervous than the last one.

Yosuke: u want me to tell ur uncle n eves popping cousin abt how the small of ur back is ticklish

Yosuke: *peeve spotting

Yosuke: **EAVESDROPPING

Nanako came bounding down the stairs, and Yosuke couldn’t help but feel a tinge of satisfaction.

“Hello, Yosuke!”

“Hey, Nanako!” Yosuke gave her a wave. “Long time no see.” He leaned toward her with a smirk. “How’s your big bro doing?”

Nanako’s face went pink, and guiltily she replied, “I think he’s a little bored on the train.”

Dojima bounced a slight squint between his daughter and Yosuke, but said nothing.

“I guess it is a pretty long journey,” Yosuke said, scratching the back of his head. “It feels a lot longer when you have to go it alone, too.”

Yosuke and Nanako’s phones buzzed in unison, and they checked them together, almost as though it’d been planned.

Yu: I didn’t bring my net :(

Attached was a photo of a rice grasshopper trapped in the train with him.

Yosuke: dont u dare bring that back with u

Dojima sighed tiredly. “Well, it’s a good thing you have those phones.”

“I—uh, sorry.” Yosuke went to put his phone back in his pocket when it buzzed again.

Yu: I could cook it for dinner

Yosuke frowned deeply and drummed out a curt reply on his screen.

Yosuke: DONT

Nanako burst out into a fit of giggles when she saw it.

“Sorry,” Yosuke repeated with a tired sigh of his own as he relaxed. He slipped his phone into his pocket.

“It’s fine.” Dojima took another sip of his coffee. “Almost a year, you said? Anything special planned?”

“Well...” Yosuke dragged out the word as he cast his eyes to the side and broke into a bashful grin. “Just between us, I thought I could cook one of those real nice romantic dinners for him, but it’s still in the planning stages.”

Dojima chuckled softly. “Somebody seems excited.”

“Oh, that sounds great,” Nanako said, clapping her hands together. “I bet Big Bro will love it!”

“I sure hope so.” Yosuke’s smile waned as his nerves took over. “It’s been a while since I’ve manned a stove outside of Junes.”

“Have you cooked for him since that time he twisted his ankle?” Nanako asked. She’d spoken with zero ill will, but the question stabbed through his heart like a dagger.

Et tu, Nanako?

Clutching his chest, Yosuke melodramatically lamented, “What happened to that kind, innocent girl we used to play with?”

Yosuke dropped the spatula and grasped his hand, seething. “Dammit—“ He turned to Nanako, standing beside him with a plate, looking worriedly up at him. “I mean, darn it!”

“Are you okay?” Nanako asked, setting the plate down on the kitchen table. “I’ll turn on the cold water.” She did just that, and Yosuke put his burn under the water with a wince.

“Thanks.” Yosuke frowned at the red mark on his hand. “I didn’t think making him dinner would be this hard.”

“Is this your first time?”

Yosuke’s frown deepened. “Making eggs? No.” He sighed and turned off the water. “I swear your kitchen hates me.”

Brows pressed together, Nanako hummed in thought. “No, I don’t think that’s it. Maybe you’re just nervous.”

Yosuke laughed, sort of. “What makes you think that?” He made a dismissive motion with his hand and bumped his burn against the kitchen counter. “Sh—Crap,” he squawked, then added in a deeper, but still pained tone, “Crap.”

“You seem antsy.”

“Me? Antsy?” Yosuke asked, too incredulously to be convincing. “Nah...”

The toast popped up, and Yosuke popped up with it.

Nanako squinted at him. “Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure!” He leaned against the counter, legs crossed in feigned nonchalance. Then he sniffed once, then twice, and shot around to snatch up the spatula again. “Don’t you dare burn on me, egg!”

Nanako put the toast on the plate. “If you say so.” She set the plate on the table and, taking up a knife, she began spreading butter over the toast.

“I mean, I don’t know.” Yosuke flipped the eggs over and shuffled his hair. “I might be a little nervous. Your big bro is so good at this stuff, you know? It’d be nice to make something he can actually enjoy.”

“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that, Hanamura,” said Dojima from the couch. He turned the page of the newspaper he was reading. “I once saw him eat grass.”

Yosuke laughed. “What? You mean like plain lettuce?”

“No,” Dojima answered with a tired sigh. “Grass.”

“Hmm...” Nanako’s butter knife slowed to a stop. Her face scrunched up in thought.

“Grass, huh...” Yosuke said, suddenly aware of how tightly the disappointment was stretched across his own features. The egg popped and sizzled, grabbing his attention again. “Oh, oops. I think these are ready. You got the plate, Nanako?”

“R-right here!” she said, straightening up and offering the plate. Yosuke took it from her with a grin.

“Alright, and here we go!” He slapped the eggs onto the toast, one and then the other. “How’s that?” he asked, lowering the plate to show Nanako. “Do you think your big bro will like it?”

“Uh-huh!” she said, beaming up at him. “Big bro likes Yosuke, so I’m sure he’ll like Yosuke’s eggs!”

Yosuke started to respond, then faltered as his face filled with heat. After a tense chuckle, he finally managed, “You really think so?”

“Yeah!” Nanako tugged at the borrowed apron around Yosuke’s waist. “Let’s take it up together!”

Dojima cleared his throat and lowered his paper. “Actually, Nanako, I think he can handle it.”

“Huh?” Nanako turned to her father, mouth agape with surprise. “But--”

“Yosuke’s got it under control, Nanako,” Dojima reassured her with a smile and an awkward wink that didn’t suit his gruff detective exterior in the least.

“Mr. Dojima?” Yosuke began, only to be interrupted by Nanako’s tiny hands pressing into his back.

“You’ve got this, Yosuke!” Nanako announced again, as though Yosuke hadn’t heard Dojima the first time.

“Okay, okay! I’m going. Sheesh.” Yosuke headed up the stairs with the plate. He stopped at Yu’s bedroom door and knocked. “Delivery!”

“Come on in,” Yu called back from the other side. When Yosuke entered, Yu was stretched across his sofa with his wrapped leg propped up on the armrest. Yu looked Yosuke over, then said with a grin, “I didn’t know Junes delivered.”

“Ha ha, very funny,” Yosuke said, unamused. “I made some eggs.” He handed the plate over. “Nanako helped. So, you know--” He paused to shrug. “--it wouldn’t turn out like the girls’ cooking.”

Yu met Yosuke’s eyes. “Thank you, Yosuke.”

Yosuke turned away with a bashful smile. With one hand, he shuffled his hair. “Y-yeah. No biggie, Partner.”

Yu’s eyes wandered over Yosuke, then back up. “That apron’s not a bad look for you.”

Yosuke lit up red, and he turned around even further to hide it. “Oh, uh… thanks.” He shuffled his hair again, then his hand settled on his neck. “It really suits you better, though.”

“You’re right, it does.”

Yosuke turned back around, arms crossed, but smiling. “Dude, humble much?”

Yu chuckled back at him, then met Yosuke’s eyes again. Their eye contact lingered just long enough for their smiles to fade and the pink of their cheeks to brighten. Yu broke it first, laughing again, although more tensely. “I better eat this before it gets cold.”

Yosuke blinked. He shook his head, then ran a hand through his hair to push it back into place. “Yeah, definitely. Enjoy.” He took a seat next to Yu’s work table and made himself comfortable with one of Yu’s cushions. “So how’s your leg holding up?”

Yu turned to his ankle. He lifted it about an inch, winced, and eased it back down. “It’s… sure there alright.”

“Not great, huh?” Yosuke crossed his arms, casting his gaze down at the table. “Sorry I let you down.”

“You didn’t let me down, Yosuke.”

Yosuke’s hand returned to his neck, its grip tightened. “But if I hadn’t freaked out back there, then your ankle wouldn’t be--”

“I’d rather have you than my ankle,” Yu said firmly, his eyes locked on to Yosuke’s. Yosuke stared back, speechless and ironically frozen in spite of the heat slowly rising to his ears. As Yosuke’s gradual color change became visible, Yu broke eye contact, hiding his own pink face behind his fist as he cleared his throat. “I mean, who would make me eggs?”

Yosuke cracked into a smile, then a small laugh. “I’m pretty sure Nanako could handle that.”

“I didn’t mean it like that!” Nanako said, waving her hands. “Sorry, Yosuke.”

“I can forgive you,” Yosuke replied, crossing his arms and turning away with a feigned reluctance. “I guess.”

“Yosuke!” Nanako whined back.

Yosuke patted her on the head. “Kidding, kidding.” He broke into a smile and winked. “Even if I was mad, I’m sure your big bro would plead your case when he gets here.”

Dojima smiled, lowering his mug. “About that anniversary dinner, are you making eggs again?”

“What? Now I’m getting razzed by both of you?” Yosuke sighed and put a hand on his hip. “I’m starting to see where my partner gets it from.”

*****

“Do you want this packed a certain way or…?”

“Just shove it all in,” Yu said, doing just that with his shirts. He took no care to keep them folded or neat, instead hastily stuffing them into his duffel bag and moving on to the next drawer. Naoto wasted no time following orders, sliding the gadgets and trinkets upon Yu’s desk into a large shopping bag Yu had dug out from the cupboard under the kitchen sink earlier.

Yosuke, however, hesitated. “Dude, are you sure? I mean--”

“My parents will be back within the hour.” Yu didn’t look up. “I’d prefer to avoid that conversation.” His voice was strangely calm compared to how he'd sounded over the phone ten minutes prior.

“Agreed,” Naoto said, giving the desk drawers a final check.

With a tense sigh through tight lips and clenched teeth, Yosuke began emptying the contents of Yu’s already sparse shelf into his backpack.

“There’s nothing in here that can’t be ironed or replaced. Most of the sentimental things are already at your place.” Yu smiled as he said that, like a child getting away with a prank. Yosuke hadn’t really thought about it until then, but hearing Yu say it, it dawned on him just how much stuff Yu had smuggled into the Hanamura household, just how many times Yu had brought things over and ‘forgot’ to take them home, just how many times Yu had asked ‘Can I keep this here? Since I’m staying over so often?’, and just how often a flirty wink had been disguising the true nature of those questions.

“We’ll have our own place soon,” Yosuke said, face gradually twisting as he threw Yu’s college textbooks into the bag. “Far away from here. They’ll never hurt you again. I won’t let them.”

Yu turned, meeting Yosuke’s eyes, drawing his mouth tight as he swallowed, then opening it, only to be cut off by a whiny gurgle. Yosuke’s face went pink, and Yu snorted into his fist, hiding a smile behind it.

“It’s not that funny!” Yosuke protested. “C’mon, Partner! This is a serious situation.”

“It’s a little funny,” Yu replied between giggles. Yosuke shook his head and sighed.

“We did skip lunch to be here.” Naoto was wearing this smug, knowing smile that made Yosuke feel like pouting. Why the hell wasn’t her stomach making embarrassing noises, too?

Yosuke sighed. “Honestly, Partner, you're lucky I was in town.”

Yu smiled. “I know I am.” He stood up and kicked the bottom drawer of his dresser shut. He flung his bag over his shoulder. “You two finish up here, I’ll get us something for the road.”

“Good idea.” Naoto nodded. “It’s a long drive to Inaba.”

“Thanks, Partner.”

“No problem, Partner,” Yu said, his duffel bouncing against his back as he left.

Setting aside the warm, fuzzy feeling of the word ‘Partner’ in his partner’s voice, Yosuke frowned slightly, perking up an eyebrow. “Is it just me, or is he enjoying this?”

With a somewhat melancholy smile, Naoto checked under the bed, then behind it. “Though I can’t say for certain, I have a theory,” she paused, standing up straight and placing a hand to her chin. “That freedom may taste different for those who have to seize it for themselves.”

As the words sunk in, Yosuke nodded slowly, packing the last of Yu’s personal belongings, those that didn’t fit into his backpack, into the pockets of his cargo pants. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

They gave the room one last once over, then joined Yu in the kitchen, where Yu filled Yosuke’s arms with a heavy stack of plastic containers filled with pancit.

Nearly dropping the tower of food he could barely see over, Yosuke asked incredulously, “We’re taking all of this?!”

“I paid for it. I cooked it.” Yu said simply, indifferently. “It’s mine.”

Yosuke looked over the containers. “W-well, alright...”

“Thanks, Babe,” Yu said, giving Yosuke a peck on the cheek and patting his shoulder to point him and his red hot face toward the door.

On her way past him, Naoto relieved Yosuke of the top half of the leftovers, softly chuckling to herself.

Yosuke frowned. “What?”

“I assure you, it’s nothing.”

Yosuke squinted at her from behind the whole way down to his car.

Naoto tapped the side of her water glass. “I know it’s a bittersweet memory, but that drive was really important to him, and he seemed to be genuinely amused when his phone went off over dinner time that evening.”

“Even if he did end up hurling lunch into Dojima’s toilet with that pink curry,” Yosuke muttered.

Naoto tugged down her cap. “Letting the others influence Nanako’s cooking was a mistake.”

“You can say that again.” Yosuke heaved a long, drawn out sigh. “Even after all that Chie still suggested curry. I guess, at least there’s no way I can screw curry up that bad.” He paused, glancing at Naoto’s phone on the table between them. “You have any pancit recipes I could borrow? Or even curry ones?”

“You don’t want to use your boyfriend’s recipes?” Naoto asked with a hint of amusement.

Yosuke set his elbow on the table and motioned to Naoto. “Listen, Yu? He has shockingly few physical, written down recipes for a guy who cooks as much as he does. Why do you think it’s taken me this long to start seriously trying to cook?”

“So, you’ve got a natural on your hands?” With a small grin, Naoto crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. “Sounds like you’ve got your work cut out for you, Senpai.”

Yosuke sunk his chin into his hands and groaned. “Don’t remind me.”

Naoto laughed gently and picked up her phone. “I’m on the case.”

Yosuke’s expression softened. He smiled back at her. “Thanks.”

*****

“You really think I can make this?” Yosuke made a face at the bowl of poke in front of him.

“It’s super easy to make,” Rise said, reaching over the table to point at the dish. “All you have to do is cut it up, mix it, and season. I make it all the time at home.”

Memories of Rise’s past cooking surfacing in his mind, Yosuke gave her a flat, incredulous frown in response. “Really?”

“You don’t believe me, do you?”

Yosuke’s frown deepened. “Can you blame me?” He put his elbow on the table and motioned his hand at her. “Don’t you remember that omelet?”

“That was years ago, Senpai!” Rise crossed her arms with a huff so big it made her over-sized sunglasses sink down her nose. She glared at him over the rims. “Besides, it wasn’t even that bad. You guys just have no taste.”

And yet, Yosuke thought as he let out a pained sigh, you brought me here instead of making it yourself. A younger Yosuke would have said it aloud, but this time he only considered it just before realizing those words might result in Rise dragging him out of the restaurant and into exactly the kind of situation he wanted to avoid.

Maybe Yu was rubbing off on him more than he thought. Not that it was a bad thing.

“Fine, whatever.” Yosuke rubbed his forehead. “But please tell me there’s a way to make this that doesn’t involve so much fish.”

“But I thought Yu liked fish?”

Yosuke lifted his head away from his hand and gave Rise a confused squint. “You know, I kinda thought I’d make something the two of us could eat together.”

Rise sat up straight. “Wait, you don’t like fish?”

“No?”

“Then why didn’t you ever say anything?”

“I did!” Yosuke snapped back. “All the time! Back in high school I used to talk about it so much I die a little inside every time I think about it!”

“Huh.” Rise fell back into her chair. “I must’ve tuned it out.”

Yosuke hid his face in his hands and groaned. Yep. As expected, there it was again. That dying feeling.

Rise’s brows bunched together. Twirling a lock of her hair, she said, “But back in LA, I remember for sure, you didn’t say a word when I got poke for you guys then.”

Yosuke lowered his hands and let one of them slap down on the table. “Yeah, because your bear of a foreign bodyguard was glaring at us the whole time.”

“What are you talking about? Kevin’s a sweetheart.”

“Maybe to you. I could’ve sworn one wrong move would’ve landed me and my partner in the hospital for the rest of the trip.”

“I told you! His face just looks like that; he can’t help it!” Rise said, hands perched on her hips. “Besides, you didn’t complain when I came back without him either!”

“Don’t forget, my concert starts at eight sharp, okay?”

Yu and Yosuke, dragged their eyes away from the bald six foot seven man towering over them, tattoos winding up his arms and to his face that glittered with piercings, and shared a wary glance.

Yu swallowed. “Got it,” he said.

Yosuke, chewing slowly, with a pained expression, merely nodded.

“See you two later!” Rise left with a wave on her way out, pigtails bouncing behind her.

The hotel room door clicked shut.

Yosuke spat a red chunk of tuna and gasped, “Finally!” Yu ran his hand up and down Yosuke’s back as Yosuke gagged and continued, “Ugh… You know, Partner. I thought I’d be free from all that fishy stuff in the States.”

Yu had said not a word, instead chewing his poke in silence. It wasn’t until Yosuke looked at his partner that he realized Yu was a bit pale.

“You alright, Partner?”

Yu swallowed again. “His fist is the size of your head.”

Yosuke scooted closer and wrapped his arm around Yu’s waist. “Oh, c’mon,” he said, forcing out a grin. “We’ve faced scarier things inside the TV, right? He’s nothing.” Yu gave Yosuke a sidelong gaze that sunk down to the chewed up tuna in Yosuke’s take out box and rose back up to Yosuke’s face. “Y-you know what?” Yosuke patted Yu’s bicep. “I bet you could cut him down with one blow.”

Yu chuckled weakly, but his smile remained. “Thanks.” He leaned over, eyes falling shut, pressing his lips to Yosuke’s cheek.

Blush steadily climbing his face, Yosuke mumbled, “Yeah… No problem.” He tugged Yu back in by the cat pendant that hung around his neck. They kissed, once, then twice, then once more; their mouths slowly falling open a little more with each return until Yosuke scrunched up his nose and pulled back. “Geez, dude. You taste like that tuna.”

With a bright-eyed grin, Yu tossed their take out boxes onto the nightstand and fell back onto the plush hotel bed, dragging Yosuke down with him. Like magnets, their lips clicked back together.

“Yosuke? Hello?” Rise waved her hand over Yosuke’s eyes. “Earth to Yosuke?”

Yosuke snapped back to reality, his dopey grin disappearing in an instant. “Wha...” He pushed Rise’s hand out of his face. “The hell?”

“So...” Rise smirked as she settled back into her seat. “What were you thinking about that was so good you had to clock out of our chat, Senpai?”

Yosuke shot a couple uneasy glances around the restaurant. “Oh, you know, just...” He cleared his throat. “Thinking about how good this would be without fish.” He laughed tersely.

“Reeeeeally?” Rise asked, drawing out the word in such a way that Yosuke had to swallow his embarrassment before he replied.

“Yes, reeeeeally,” he echoed back, drowning his mortification in sarcasm.

Rise giggled. “I might be able to find some vegetarian recipes.”

Yosuke sighed, relieved. “Thanks.”

*****

“Yosuke,” Yu laughed. “How far are we going?”

Yu inched forward gingerly, blinded by Yosuke’s hands. Beneath those hands, he was grinning from ear to ear.

“Not much further,” Yosuke reassured him from over Yu’s shoulder.

Though his smile didn’t falter, Yu squirmed a bit. “Your hair tickles.”

“We’re almost there, alright?”

Yu laughed again. “I didn’t say I didn’t like it.”

“Dude,” Yosuke said with a slight frown.

After a few missed swipes, Yu clumsily patted Yosuke’s arm. Then surprise cleared his face, and he sniffed the air. “Something smells good.”

Yosuke brought his blinded partner to a stop, then removed his hands to reveal the colorful spread of dishes all across their small table in a kitchen dotted with candles’ flames.

Yu’s eyes went wide. “Yosuke, did you...”

“I hope it tastes as good as it smells.” Yosuke leaned into Yu’s field of vision and winked at him. Yu took Yosuke by the arm and pulled him up into a firm kiss. Once the shock faded, Yosuke eased into it, letting his eyes fall shut and settling his hands on the belt at Yu’s hips.

Yu grinned as they drifted out of the kiss. “I’m sure it will.” His eyes gave Yosuke’s face a once over, and his hand curled around Yosuke’s nape, thumbing the necklace chain. “But will it taste as good as you?”

Yosuke snorted. “What am I? Dessert?”

“No, tonight that’s me.”

“How can you say that stuff with a straight face?” Yosuke asked, his face aglow in the dim room. Yu only laughed. Yosuke tugged Yu toward the table. “C’mon, we gotta enjoy this mood lighting before it sets off the fire alarm.”

“Classy.”

“Shut up, dude,” Yosuke shot back, smiling despite his words. “Anyway...” He pulled out one of their old, worn out second-hand kitchen chairs and motioned to it with a flourish. Yu met his eyes, smiling with anticipation as he took a seat. Yosuke pushed Yu’s chair in and proceeded with his best waiter impression, “Tonight’s main entree is curry. For side dishes, we have pancit, veggie poke, and yakisoba mixed with eggs on toast.”

Yu’s smile fell as his mouth fell open.

“Something wrong, Partner?”

“No, it’s just…” Yu pushed his hair back behind his ear and chuckled. “This spread’s a real trip down memory lane.”

Yosuke matched him with a nervous laugh of his own as he sat across the table. “Yeah, I, uh… I got some suggestions while we were visiting Inaba.”

Yu narrowed his eyes over his returning smile. “Is that what you were up to while I was out?”

“You caught me.” Yosuke’s shoulders lifted with a resigned shrug.

“Whose idea was the curry?”

“Chie’s.” Fear flashed over Yu’s eyes, and Yosuke rushed to add, “But I swear the recipe isn’t hers.” Yu breathed a visible sigh of relief, and Yosuke gave him a wry smirk. “C’mon, Partner. Have more faith in me than that.”

“Alright, alright.” Yu said, amusement brightening his face.

Yosuke cast an embarrassed look toward his lap, rubbing his neck. “I can always count on you to be there for me, Partner. Not just to cook, but any time I need you, and I…” He lifted his head to meet Yu’s eyes. “I wanted you to know you can do the same. I'm always here, Yu.” Yosuke laid his arm on the table, offering his open palm.

“Yosuke.” Yu placed his hand into Yosuke’s, clasping it tight. He took up his spoon, but paused it above his plate as he dreamily gazed across the way at his partner, eyes glistening with darts of candlelight. “I love you.”

Beaming radiantly, Yosuke answered, “I love you, too, Partner.” He took up Yu’s hand in both of his, squeezing Yu’s fingers under his thumbs. “Happy anniversary.”

#persona 4 #souyo

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angevon · 6 years ago

Text

Souyo Nov 2017 Writing Challenge (prompt list)

Day 24: Party/Festival

Links

Souji - AO3, ffnet

Yu - DW, Pillowfort, Tumblr (read it below)

Heh, yes, that’s right, 2017... this is over a year late now... But this is a cute one and hopefully worth the wait. It’s an AU of the Culture Festival Event. Instead of a group date, there’s a kissing booth!

[ko-fi]

It was the first day of Yasogami High's Culture Festival. Yosuke trudged up the stairs to the second floor. He didn't want to take part in some stupid group date cafe, and he was pretty sure no one else did either. Why'd everyone in class vote for that?

At the top of the stairs, though, he stopped and stared, because an unbelievably long queue of fellow students and other festival-goers was lined up outside his classroom. There was Saki-senpai's little brother, and Hanako Ohtani, and that girl who liked being on the roof, and that one old lady in her mourning garb, and...

Yosuke was speechless for a long moment. "W-wait," he finally said. "Are you all here for the group date cafe?"

"What group date cafe?" asked Kou, who was standing in the line. "That doesn't sound like fun at all."

"We're not doing a group date thing," Chie said. She wasn't in line. By the big 'Ask me anything!' sticker on her blouse, she was part of the festival staff, helping visitors find their way around the school. "Come on, Yosuke, you were there when we made the decision in class." She rolled her eyes. "Of course you weren't listening."

"I don't remember," Yosuke admitted. "But I can't say I'm all that disappointed we aren't doing that, even if it was my idea and all."

Kou laughed. "That sounds like one of your ideas."

Yosuke made a face, then asked, "So what are we doing? This hall is more happening than Junes on a sales day."

"Our class is doing a kissing booth, you dork," said Chie.

"What, really?" Yosuke blinked in surprise. Then he narrowed his eyes at Kou. "Wait, you wanna kiss someone other than—oof!"

Kou nudged him hard in the ribs. "Ahaha, no," he said, eyeing Chie with a vaguely panicked expression. "But no one can resist the guy they got at the booth."

"'Guy'?" Yosuke's expression flattened. "It's not Teddie, is it? I mean, he's always charming people at the store."

"Guess again," said Chie.

"It can't be our class rep. I mean, he's got the glasses going for him, but that's not a wide enough appeal."

"One more try."

Yosuke's crossed his arms and thought. Anyone watching him could pinpoint the exact moment the truth dawned on him. "N-no way," he stuttered. "Yu?!"

Chie's toothy grin told him he was right on the money.

"Why don't you get in line, too?" Kou said. "There's room for one more. Or five," he added, as a few more students lined up behind him.

"I don't want to kiss Yu!"

Chie tilted her head. "Well... you're in the minority here."

Bewildered, Yosuke glanced down the long line once more. Some of the students weren't even from Yasogami. Wait, was that a cat!?

"Huh," he said.

He thought of how he'd always wanted his first kiss to be something special under the moonlight. His tentative plan to fake a yawn and stretch his arm out and lazily put it around his girlfriend's shoulders, and then he'd move in and they'd gaze into each others' eyes and...

A kissing booth wasn't romantic at all. Yosuke wondered how many people were going to ruin their first kiss with Yu like this. A lot, by the looks of it. Heck, even Nanako-chan was in line—she waved at him when she noticed him looking—but she was just a little kid so it didn't mean anything.

"You wanna be the only guy who hasn't kissed Yu?" Kou asked.

Yosuke scowled. "Come on, don't make it weird."

"I, for one, am getting a kiss," Kou said.

The line moved then, and Kou moved with it, putting him inside the classroom. Yosuke stared after him, still frowning.

He remembered all the times Yu had listened to him without judgement. How he'd told off those annoying girls at Junes on his behalf, and how he'd always looked after him in the TV World. And when he thought about it, well, Yu did have a really cute smile.

They were best friends, and the truth was that Yu was important to him.

Avoiding everyone's eyes, Yosuke got in line. He could feel Chie sneering at him, but fortunately, she was soon distracted by a student asking for directions to a different event.

Despite its length, the line moved quickly, and soon enough he was inside the classroom, where the line looped around a few desks. He could see the kissing booth situated at the far end, next to the chalkboard. A thick red curtain hung around the front of the booth to allow some privacy. Yosuke appreciated that. He knew he wouldn't want an audience.

One by one, like a production line, people went behind the curtain to get their kiss and left with wistful smiles on their faces. It couldn't be much of a kiss, Yosuke figured, since it happened so quickly. It'd just be in and out. No need to get all nervous about this. Heck, Yu'd probably just kiss his cheek and that'd be it.

Yeah, there's nothing to worry about, Yosuke thought as the line continued to move. It was just a kiss from Yu. His best friend in the whole world. Besides, he was just one person in this big crowd. No one could judge him for being here. He could just point out that they were in line too. And he knew Yu. Yu wouldn't think anything—

"Next?" Yu's voice came from behind the curtain.

Startled, Yosuke glanced around before realizing 1) that he was next and 2) that Yu had called "Next" for him more than once.

With the combined strength of all the glares of everyone in line behind him hitting him full force, Yosuke couldn't hesitate any longer. He hustled around the curtain. Standing there resting his arms on the booth's counter and looking totally relaxed, was Yu.

Totally relaxed only for a second, anyway, because he was startled most ungracefully when he saw Yosuke approach. Yosuke wondered if he was okay, but within seconds Yu had composed himself. "Yosuke," he said, with a somewhat glassy smile as if he hadn't nearly just fallen over. "I didn't expect to see you."

Yosuke waved a hand. "Uh, w-well, it was Chie's idea to come here," he claimed. "And I gotta support our class, you know?"

"Oh," Yu said. "Of course. Umm, okay, then... come closer."

Yosuke nodded, determined to get this over with and move on. He stepped closer and closed his eyes and waited.

Nothing happened.

He opened his eyes. Yu was simply looking at him. Spacing out, maybe? No, it wasn't exactly looking, more like gazing at him in a way that reminded him of a puppy.

"Yu?" Yosuke asked.

Yu blinked back to himself. "Oh. Sorry. Umm, here."

He leaned over the booth's counter and gently set one hand behind Yosuke's head, pulling him a little closer. With the other hand he cupped Yosuke's face. Despite himself, Yosuke's heart began to beat faster. This was closer than he'd ever been to his best friend. His cologne was strong, maybe he'd put it on extra thick today. As for himself, Yosuke hoped he didn't smell as nervous as he suddenly felt.

He closed his eyes, because this would be too embarrassing to watch. Yu's presence drew closer. Warm breath played over his face, building anticipation, and then...

Yu was kissing him. It really was just lips on lips, a simple kiss. Yosuke sighed softly and prepared to draw back as the kiss ended.

Except it didn't end. Yu's soft lips lingered. Then his tongue darted over Yosuke's lips. Confused, Yosuke opened his mouth, and Yu apparently took this as a sign.

The kiss deepened.

Yosuke's alarmed sound was cut short by the realization that this felt good. Yu's hand, steadying the back of his head, was gentle as it threaded fingers into his hair. Yu murmured softly into his mouth, and Yosuke found himself murmuring back. He tasted faintly of mint.

When they finally parted, all Yosuke could do was stare and lick his lips. Yu was staring back at him, too, an odd look on his face that Yosuke didn't recognize.

Yu broke the gaze first. "You should probably go," he said.

"H-huh..." Yosuke managed. Slowly, he remembered where he was. At the Culture Festival, right. He was holding up the line. Other people wanted to kiss Yu, too.

And with a kiss like that, he couldn't blame them.

"R-right," he said. "Uh..."

Yu's eyes were already looking past him, as if he could see around the curtain to the next person in line.

Yosuke stepped away, unsure of what he was feeling. On his way out of the classroom, he didn't notice how the next person in line kept checking his watch.

In a daze, he wandered around the Culture Festival, but didn't find anything he wanted to do. After passing a takoyaki stand, he thought of eating, but he wasn't hungry. The taste of mint was still there in his mouth, making him think of how it'd got there, how it had been passed to him by Yu's tongue. He didn't want to wash it away just yet.

Eventually he ended up on the roof, where some of the Investigation Team were gathered: Rise, Yukiko, Kanji, and Naoto. Chie was absent, probably still helping out somewhere.

Rise sent him a playful look as he sat down to join them. "Soooooooo," she trilled. "How was it, Yosuke-senpai? Don't deny it, Chie-senpai told me you went for it."

Yosuke crossed his arms and tried to shrug nonchalantly.

"Yeah," Rise agreed with a nod. "I wish it'd been more than just a peck. Senpai's lips felt like they could do so much more."

"I must admit I'm a little disappointed too," Yukiko said.

"Wait," Yosuke said. "It wasn't just a..."

"Still," Rise said, "I thought you wouldn't go for it, Yosuke-senpai. Way to go! You've matured so much since I've known you. Don't worry, a tiny peck like that isn't weird."

A... peck?

"It wasn't..." Yosuke shook his head and caught Kanji's eyes. "Wait, did you do it too? The kissing booth?"

"Uh, yeah?" Kanji replied. "Senpai's the man. He taught me a lot, y'know. 'Course I gotta support him."

"Support him with your lips?" Yosuke's voice grew louder as he began to panic. "Wh-what kind of kiss was it?!"

Kanji's brow knit together. "Dunno what you mean. Was just a peck."

"Just a... Naoto, did you do it?"

"But of course," Naoto replied. "I can't deny I was curious."

"But what was it like!"

"I could describe it as no more than a peck. It was on my cheek, for the record."

"A peck? A peck?" Yosuke stood up suddenly, and the world reeled around him, partly from his panic and confusion, and partly from the blood rushing from his head.

"Yosuke-senpai?" Rise asked. "It's all right. We all kissed Senpai, or were kissed by him anyway. So we're all in the same place. Oh, but I wonder... does that mean we indirectly kissed everyone else too?"

Yosuke opened and closed his mouth, and then sat back down. He palmed his forehead and splayed his fingers through his hair, trying to calm down. The revelation that Yu had given him and only him much more than a peck was too much for him to process.

"Nah," said Kanji. "Senpai had a whole jug of mouthwash back there. He washed out real good every time."

"That much mouthwash can't be good for him," Naoto remarked. "But I suppose he'll be fine if it's just for the festival."

Yosuke nibbled his lower lip. So that's why the minty taste. It had faded from his tongue by now, and he couldn't help but feel disappointed about that. Maybe... he could visit the booth again later?

The door to the rooftop opened and, to everyone's surprise, Yu joined them.

"Hi," he said, breathlessly. It had to be breathlessly, Yosuke figured, after all that kissing. But then, if he'd only given everyone a peck of a kiss, he wouldn't need much breath for that. "They finally let me have a break."

"You..." Yosuke began.

Yu smiled at him, then addressed the rest of the group. "How's the festival?" He sat down between Yosuke and Rise.

"The haunted house wasn't scary," Yukiko said. "This boy kept following me around inside it. It was very uncomfortable."

"For him, you mean?" Rise said.

Yukiko's eyes glinted in the sunlight.

The group continued to talk about the festival, but Yosuke wasn't listening. The kissing booth wasn't supposed to mean anything. It was just a stupid school event, but now, now...

Now Yu was right next to him and Yosuke didn't know what to think. He found himself watching his mouth. His lips were kind of red, probably from kissing people all day. Had it really been just Yosuke, or were there others he'd kissed so deeply? Which of these scenarios was he more okay with?

Yu was his best friend, and best friends didn't kiss with tongue, right?

At some point during the conversation, Yu wet his lips with his tongue, and Yosuke found himself mimicking the action.

All of a sudden—or so it seemed to Yosuke—Rise was getting up, followed by the other underclassmen. "We gotta get back to our class's booth," Rise said with a dramatic sigh. "We're just doing a bake sale. It's so boring."

"I dunno, the cupcakes are hella cute," Kanji said. "You oughta come by and get one for Nanako-chan, Senpai."

"I will," Yu promised.

"I'll come with you and get one for Chie," Yukiko said.

"See you later, Senpai~~"

In the middle of his crisis, Yosuke now found himself alone with Yu. He wasn't anywhere near ready for that.

Though Yu didn't seem to be either. He was fidgeting with his fingers in his lap. The awkward silence lasted for some time. Finally, Yu spoke. "Yosuke? You've been awfully quiet."

"Why?" Yosuke blurted out. "Why was my kiss different?"

Yu's eyes widened. "It wasn't—" he began, but he saw the look on Yosuke's face and stopped attempting to deny it. His eyes darted away, and then back again. Finally, he mumbled, "...Why do you think?"

Yosuke opened and closed his mouth. "Me?"

Yu didn't answer.

"Me?" he repeated. "Of all those people... you really wanted to kiss me?"

Yu was blushing. Yosuke was pretty sure he'd never seen this before. It was flattering.

"That was my first kiss," Yosuke told him.

"It wasn't mine," Yu said.

"Well, yeah! You were kissing people all day!"

Yosuke laughed, and soon Yu was laughing too. The tension between them lessened into something more comfortable.

"I couldn't help it," Yu said. "I didn't want to kiss any of them, not really, but everyone had voted for me to man the booth, so... I didn't have a choice. And then you were there, and... I wanted something more."

"After the kiss you gave me, I kinda want something more too," Yosuke admitted.

Yu stared at him. "Really?"

Blushing, Yosuke set his hand conspicuously between them. Yu watched it, and like a wary feline, he slowly brought his own hand closer. Yosuke didn't pull his hand away. Finally Yu placed his hand on top, and Yosuke turned his hand so they were holding hands.

Yu's goofy smile after that was its own reward.

"You were my first kiss," Yosuke said. "And..."

"And?" Yu prompted.

"I think," Yosuke said, "I want you to be my second kiss, too."

As they closed the distance, Yosuke could only think: and third, and fourth, and fifth, and...

#persona 4 #souyo #souyowrimo 2017 #p4 #my fic

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the-voltage-diaries · 4 years ago

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“Your bed head is really cute.” - Taki Kozaki [Request]

It’s like 1 am when I’m publishing this lol. Basically what I’m trying to say is that I’m half asleep as I hit the publish button so be prepared for typos and errors. Also it might just be my sleepy brain encouraging me to share it with the world because I really don’t know if this is good or not.

Moral of the story? Do not write when sleepy.

Also thanks @some-ikemen-snob for beta reading it and being my sleep police and accomplice.

Should I ask her if we can postpone this?

I roll my shoulders, taking a deep breath. I massage the back of my neck with one hand, trying to ease the stiffness there, while I nonchalantly lift the other to check the time.

But I do want to spend time with her...

I sigh, turning my head to look outside the window at the buildings passing by, not really finding a solution to my dilemma. I told (Y/N) two days ago that today’d be the day I would finally get some time off of work and be home on time, and we made a plan to sit back and relax at home instead of going out for the night.

But right now, the only hindrance to our extremely inviting plan is my lack of energy.

It’s been a busy week, and I have had to put in a number of late nights and long hours. As an inevitable aftermath of it all, I’m feeling exhausted, both physically and mentally.

“I can’t wait to get home to her...” I think, imagining the smile that would grace (Y/N)’s face, welcoming me right in and easing all of my weariness. "Exactly the kind of re-charge I need...”

“Did you say anything, sir?” The driver asks me, and it’s then that I realise I involuntarily mumbled my thoughts out loud.

“Ah, no,” I wave my hand dismissively, feeling a little embarrassed at almost being caught daydreaming about my girlfriend. “Are we there yet?”

“We’re here, sir,” the man says after a moment, slowly pulling the car to a stop. I give him a nod, murmuring a thanks before stepping out of the vehicle and making my way towards the entrance of the high-rise.

I half-heartedly greet the people I come across before finally stepping on to the elevator, and a sigh of relief escapes me at finding it empty.

I do like being around the other three guys, but I’m in no mood to deal with any of them right now.

Especially Yosuke.

I press the button of my floor and watch as the elevator doors close, almost as if in a trance. I’m so pre-occupied with my thoughts of (Y/N) that I don’t even notice when the elevator doors open again.

I wonder what she’s made for dinner today.

“Taki?” The voice sounds so far away I almost don’t hear it.

Is it some sort of a fish-based dish?

“Hello?”

Or is it chicken?

“... Are you alive, Taki?”

She does like to cook beef too...

“Yep, now I’m getting concerned.”

Hmm, I feel like having her brandy tea right now.

“Earth to Taki!” I feel something grab me by the arm and shake me hard, almost violently. I break out of my thoughts and look down, only to see an arm holding on to me. Following the organ, I sigh in exasperation when I find out who it’s attached to.

“What the heck, Yosuke?”

“You’ve been standing here for almost five minutes, Taki.” He looks at me, an eyebrow raised in mock suspicion. It’s more of an ‘I know what’s up and I am about to tease you to hell and back for it’ kind of a look.

“What, I can’t stand in my own elevator, now?” I say, straightening up, averting my eyes to prevent him from getting any more suspicious than he already is.

“The lift has been on your floor the whole time, Tacks. What are you waiting for?”

“I...” I trail off, not knowing what to say to that.

“You even had this dreamy look in your eyes,” he smirks, taking a step closer to me, “I wonder who you were thinking about?”

“It’s none of your business,” I turn my head away, taking a step in the direction of the hallway.

“Dinner does sound nice, hmm?” I almost hear the amount of fun he’s having out of all of this.

“None of your damn business.”

Just before the elevator doors close, I hear Yosuke whisper, and not discreetly at all, “WHIPPED~”.

I like ‘em big, I like ‘em chunky is the song I feel (Y/N) shaking her shoulders to as she sits beside me, cuddled up at my side. My arm is around her waist, holding her close to me and her fingers have mine entwined with them.

Does she have any idea how adorable she looks?

Not being able to hold myself back, I bend a little and wrap my other arm around her too, and pull her to me. She lets out a shocked yelp, but then grins at me and her eyes shift back to the screen.

“Mm, you’re so cute, (Y/N),” I mumble, nuzzling my nose against her neck, holding her close to me and feeling her warmth melt with my own.

“What’s gotten into you?” She asks, looking back at me. When I shake my head in denial, she just laughs and falls back against me. I sigh, letting her body heat envelop me...

... and before I know it,my head falls on (Y/N)’s shoulder and I almost wrap myself around her. With the voices of the various animals on the TV gradually becoming just a background noise, I slowly fall asleep.

I wake up to fingers travelling through my hair in a slow rhythm, and gentle, timed pats on my shoulder; slowly fading to nothing, only to come back again a second later, in the same motion.

I blink a few times, slowly opening my eyes when I hear no animal voices and no moto motos. I lift my head up a little and my eyes fall on (Y/N)’s, who is right underneath me. I look around, still feeling a little dazed, and find the room completely dark, except one or two night lights still turned on, casting the room in a dark but calming atmosphere.

It’s then that I notice that the TV is switched off, and there is a blanket over me. It’s also then that I notice that (Y/N) and I are on the couch, with me lying on top of her, my head resting at her chest. Her fingers don’t break their tempo, and nor does her other hand.

“Did I... fall asleep?” I mumble, rubbing my eye to get rid of the remaining traces of sleepiness, only to fail miserably at it.

“Sure did,” she smiles, raising her brow. “You could have told me you were tired, you know?”

“I wanted to spend time with you...” I close my eyes and succumb to her fingers, my head falling back on her chest.

“But you were tired, Taki,” she says, and her accusation hits the bull’s eye.

“No, I wasn’t,” I deny, feeling traces of sleepiness course though my body again, at the mercy of her touch.

I feel her palm stop patting my shoulder, instead coming around to gently hold on to my face. She pulls my face up to look at hers, laughing when I let out a little groan at the loss of the warmth.

“What is it?” I ask, opening my eyes just a tad bit, taking in a deep breath. My shoulders relax as I breathe out, and I blink slowly, before looking at her again.

“Your bed head is really cute.”

My what, now?

“You’re so ditzy when you’re half asleep, it’s adorable,” she continues, giggling to herself when I mumble something akin to a partly coherent agreement.

“You’re the one who’s adorable,” I say, slowly pulling my body up a little to press a lazy kiss to her lips, smiling to myself when I see her suck in a sharp breath, her cheeks getting their usual rosy colour.

“Stop teasing me, will you?”

“You started it.” I wrap my arms around her, hugging her close to me, almost as if she was a body pillow. I allow myself to be consumed by the oncoming desire to fall asleep once again, with the desire only growing stronger each time I feel (Y/N)’s fingers come in contact with my scalp.

“Oh com...” her voice fades off into the distance gradually, and my head grows heavier against her chest. “... Taki?”

“Y-yeah! I’m awake I’m fine,” I mumble, my body jumping a little when I feel a nudge at my waist. “I’m listening.” I try to open my eyes but they don’t comply, too heavy with drowsiness.

“No doubt,” she whispers back, beginning her shoulder pats again.

“I seriously am.”

“I know.

“No, like, seriously seriously.”

“Yeah, I like... know, know.”

“Are you teasing me?” I turn my head up, opening an eye to look at her.

“I don’t know,” she winks back, her hand grabbing on to my head to gently push it back down. “Am I?”

I let out a low chuckle, feeling myself gradually drifting off to another session of tour of dreamland. “Hey,” I mutter, barely keeping myself awake.

“Hmm?”

“The next time those animals plan to lose their mind, count me out,” I say feeling (Y/N)’s body shake under me as she laughs at my remark...

... and that musical laugh is the last thing I hear before I finally cave in to the slumber.

#kings of paradise #taki kozaki #kop #my little crumbcake~#yosuke sagara #Madagascar #Moto moto #fanfic #taki fluff #wow lol this was nice #i think #idk its like 1 am #i might be very wrong #i'm practically half asleep myself

34 notes · View notes

forkanna · 5 years ago

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[AO3] [WATTPAD] [QUOTEV]

NOTE: Happy birthday to me! Though this might be posted right AT midnight my time, so technically after my birthday. Also, there won't really be much smut this chapter; just coupley fluff and a hint of steaminess.

CHAPTER SIX

"Well, you two sure are snug as bugs in a rug."

Chie scowled over at Yosuke as they sat around on the school roof, ploughing their way through plastic bowls of instant miso ramen. "I don't have any idea what you're talking about."

"I'm talking about this." He leaned way forward, headphones slipping around on his neck as he poked his chopsticks between her and Yukiko's arms. And touched both of them. "You've been glued at the hip all day!"

"We have not." Cheeks having taken on the vaguest of rosy tints, Yukiko pretended to find her ramen much more interesting as she daintily drew the noodles into her mouth. She did slurp, but it was somehow a polite slurp; Chie never knew how she did it, while she was over there making enough noise to tell the whole school what she was eating for lunch.

"I mean, do you think I'm dumb? Let me rephrase," he cut Chie off when she held up a finger to respond, taking a deep breath as well. "I'm not dumb. I can see that something's different. Like, all day has been a chick clique, with me and Narukami all benched over here."

"I haven't felt 'benched'," Yu put in very mildly, though he had also been glancing at the two girls just as curiously.

Finally, Yukiko broke her silence, though she was still staring down into her lunch. "I think you're making a lot out of nothing, Hanamura-san. There's nothing wrong with two friends spending time together, especially after going through something so harrowing."

"'Hanamura-san'? Geez, it's like that, huh?" Yosuke sighed, scratching the back of his neck.

"Listen to Yuki-chan," Chie snapped. "Like, it's none of your business, anyway. But yeah, we're just hanging out! You think it's weird? For two girls to be friends?"

"No! But I don't think that's the only thing going on here." Squinting slightly, he pointed at Chie with his chopsticks again. "I think there's a lot more than just 'gals being pals', y'know? Like, Class S-"

"God, here we go," she groaned with a huge roll of her eyes as she set her bowl aside. "You and your 'everything is dirty' brain, you pervert." She stood up and cracked her neck, then started rolling her arm around to loosen her shoulder. Immediately, he was throwing up both hands to ward her off.

"Wait, wait! Hey, I don't think there's any call for violence, exactly! C'mon, what's the big deal in me pointing out what it looks like?!"

"The 'big deal' is that you're trying to make something normal into some gross fantasy in your brain!"

"Hey, can you blame me? After what we saw in the TV… I mean, your shadows were really into it��"

Instantly, he was being kicked down to sprawl out on his back by a very irate Chie. Limbs flailing everywhere, he tried to fend off the brown loafer that continued to descend upon his face and chest repeatedly for the next few seconds. "AH! CHIE! FOR CHRISSAKE, CUT IT OUT WILLYA?!"

"MAYBE QUIT BEING A GROSS PIG AND I WILL!"

While he was still trying to protect his face, Yu commented calmly, "The gross pig has a point. If shadows are part of who you are, it's not such a strange question to ask."

"Et tu, Yu?" Yukiko sighed, frowning down at her bowl. "Isn't it bad enough we had to be there while you two saw the other us… doing such things?"

"You say that like it wasn't the best show of my life!" Yosuke chuckled — earning him a fresh strike to the mouth with a rubber sole. "RGH! Okay, get off, I'm kinda done!"

Finally reclaiming her spot next to Yukiko, Chie grumbled, "Me too. Like, stop being so disgusting."

"Oh yeah?" He sighed and shook his head. "What a waste lesbians are."

While Yukiko's head began to sink lower, Chie's face burst a few capillaries as she snapped, "WHAT?! Okay — listen, you jackass! Y-you don't even know what you're- and what do you mean, a 'waste'?!"

"Like, that's two less girls for the rest of us," he continued to protest as he stirred his noodles. "Hard enough for some guys to get dates without some chicks pairing off with each other."

Chie took a deep breath to reply… but to her surprise, it was Yu who said, "I think that's ignorant. They should be able to date whoever they want."

"What?" Eyebrows sky high, he snapped, "Yu, bro… how can you stab me in the back like this?"

"Stop being dramatic. And I'm sure there will still be plenty of girls to ask out. Don't you have someone you're interested in? Anyone at all?"

"Risette," he sighed wistfully. When the other three were blinking at him in surprise for a few seconds, he cleared his throat. "I-I mean, that Ebihara is hot. But I dunno, I don't have any game."

"You really don't," Chie confirmed.

"Whoa, shots fired…"

"What do you expect, man? You treat girls like Pocky flavours, just trying to pick which one suits your mood today. Seriously, do you even care about how they feel? Whether or not their personalities match yours? You just seem to care if they have big boobs and nice hair."

Taken aback, he finally set his ramen aside. "What the hell, Satonaka? I thought we were friends, and you're like, totally ripping me a new one here! What did I ever do to you?"

"For starters, you told me and Yukiko that we're 'too close' and a 'waste of space'."

"Hey, I never said 'waste of space'. Just like, a waste of two really gorgeous, available women."

"Lies! You have never thought I was gorgeous."

"Oh. Good point." This time, she actually took her loafer off and threw it at his head. "WHOA! Hey, hey — I wanna live, I WANNA LIVE!"

~ o ~

Despite trying her best to focus on positive thoughts, Chie's blood was still boiling well after school let out for the day. She kicked a can down the quaint, lazy street toward the rest of Inaba, still grumbling about how chauvinistic he was and that they were better off not dealing with someone who didn't even see them as fellow humans.

"He isn't that bad," Yukiko snickered. "He could use some work, but… you know he doesn't really believe those things."

"Yeah? Well I think he's worse than we think!"

"How can he be worse than you think if you already think he's worse?"

"That's… well…" Pouting, she watched her footsteps for a while as they paced through the homey little downtown district. "Y-you know what I meant. Like, I know he's a boy, but so is Yu and at least he's halfway decent. There's no excuse!"

"Maybe not." They were quiet for a moment. "Um, do you want to stop by Souzai Daigaku? Grab a couple of croquettes?"

Chie knew what she was doing. Obviously this was a ploy to distract her from her ranting about their friend's misogynistic tendencies. And… it worked, but only because she knew Yukiko didn't like gossiping all that much and wanted to spare her. "For sure. I crave meat — oh, and a lemon soda."

"Okay," Yukiko chuckled as she slid her arm through Chie's. The action seemed to bring both of them to a sudden halt, and she blinked. "Oh. That's strange, I… I didn't mean to do that. But it felt very…"

"Natural," Chie supplied. After only a tiny hesitation, she raised a hand to rest on Yukiko's wrist, keeping her there. "It's cool. I don't think anybody's gonna pay attention… we probably won't, uh… be noticed…"

Nodding her agreement, they continued to walk arm in arm. Despite her confident words, Chie's heart was racing. Somebody was going to call them yuri — make some kind of gay joke, or even just a simple catcall would be a fate worse than death. But maybe they wouldn't be seen at all.

They were.

"Ohhh, so pretty!"

The two looked around for a moment, trying to find the source of the compliment and figure out why it was even made. But nobody was closeby. Had they imagined it?

"Oh!" Yukiko breathed when she finally looked down.

A small elementary school girl was standing in front of them, wide smile and brown pigtails radiating pure innocence. Her little pink dress was on over a white turtleneck. Chie found herself wanting to pick her up and put her on a shelf, she was so adorable.

"Awww, hello there!" she gushed with an equal grin.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" The girl gave a little bow. "Are you two on a date? I didn't mean to stop you!"

"Wh-WHAT?!"

But Yukiko led with, "N-no, it's okay. But what did you think was pretty?"

"You! I mean, I've never seen a girl as pretty as you, ever — 'cept maybe Risette! But she's a star. Nobody as pretty as Risette would be in Inaba."

While she was still trying to recover her voice, Chie squatted down to ask, "Hey, what's your name?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm Nanako." Then she seemed to remember her manners and bowed. "N-nice to meet you."

"Likewise," she chuckled. "And you're right, this is the most beautiful woman in the whole world."

"Really?" she breathed in wonder — while Yukiko made flustered noises beside her.

"Yep! And we're really lucky to see her! They say she only appears to little girls who have been really good this year."

While Nanako was looking completely enthralled, Yukiko tutted, "Don't fill that poor girl's head with nonsense!" But she was blushing a bright red to match her sweater.

"Sorry," Chie laughed, though she didn't sound especially sincere about her apology, before she turned to pet the little girl on the head. "It was nice meeting you, but we have a date with meat."

"Okay!" she breathed, still obviously very taken with the idea of a magically appearing prettiest girl in the universe. She waved distractedly as the two moved off toward the restaurant.

"Well she didn't seem to mind that we were arm-in-arm."

Yukiko smiled through her rosy, embarrassed expression. "You're terrible. But… I suppose I appreciate the compliment. Thank you."

Now they were both flustered. Luckily, their trip to Souzai Daigaku in silence could help them temporarily forget they were in the middle of such a touchy, anxiety-inducing conversation.

Which only lasted until Chie was halfway through her order of way too many croquettes. Yukiko had mostly just been watching her devour them with wide eyes, both disgusted and impressed as she nibbled at her own single croquette.

"WHOO!" she burst out. "This is great! Time for dinner now."

"Time for- you really are a bottomless pit." When Chie only saluted like an American soldier, she giggled. "Wow. Do you want to head into Aiya for a beef bowl? I'm not hungry, but… I don't mind spending more time with you."

Obviously that got her best friend grinning like a loon. "R-really? I mean, you know I'm going to be taking the portal to the meat dimension."

"Oh? I thought they only served that on rainy days."

"Well… they'll make it for me, since I'm one of their best customers. But I have to pay more if it's not raining. Seems like a fair trade-off." She finished off her croquette and stood. "Ready?"

Still caught off guard, she blinked and stood beside Chie. "Lead the way."

The Chinese diner happened to be right next door to the croquette stand, so it wasn't as if they had a long walk ahead of them. Chie pulled her to the door by the hand, and Yukiko stumbled briefly before adapting to the quickened pace, sliding her arms around her prince's to steady herself. All smiles. They were so giddily in love, even though they hadn't been at all aware of said love a couple of days ago. Life could change so fast…

"Welcome!" said a girl in a red apron with short blue hair and a white scarf covering most of it — which was most of what one could see, given that she was already bowed low in greeting. "How may we serve you?"

"Hey, Nakamura!" Chie said casually enough. "Not out on deliveries today?"

The server straightened and shrugged with a smile. "Nope, Satonaka-san." Clearly she was being formal because they were customers, but her tone and expression was full of familiarity. "Booth in the back?"

"Sure! And you already know what I want. Yukiko?"

"Oh, just a small order of zhēngjiǎo," she told her with a wave of her hand. "And green tea. Thank you, Aika-chan."

"With chicken?" Yukiko nodded, and Aika beamed. "I'll have those out for you right away. Please have a seat."

They made small talk until their food arrived a few minutes later. Chie plunged into the mega beef bowl with gusto while her new girlfriend daintily nibbled at her plate of steamed dumplings. Halfway through, she began to pet up and down Chie's back with her free hand.

"Hmhg?" Chie asked around a mouthful of beef, eyes wide when she turned them on her. Yukiko giggled, which only made her grin — while morsels of food dropped from her lips.

"YUCK!" she cackled, while Chie blotted at her mouth with a napkin. "I'm actually dating a pig!"

After having swallowed down the rest of her mouthful, she laughed and nudged Yukiko with her shoulder as she started to dig into the fried egg on top of the bowl at last. "Sorry, sorry. But like, it was hilarious watching you get grossed out." Which only earned her the daintiest tongue sticking out at her.

They lapsed back into a comfortable silence for a few more minutes. This time, when Yukiko pet her back, Chie didn't overreact; just hummed and relaxed into the gentle touch. It really was a night and day difference. Instead of making them feel awkward and weird, now it was warm, and safe… it felt like a little piece of home could be created wherever and whenever they chose.

"I really… can't believe how easy this is."

"Mm," Chie hummed around her mouthful before reaching over to lay a hand on her bestie's forearm under the table. Once she managed to chew and swallow it down, she whispered, "It's pretty crazy, I can't believe I'm starting to get used to this. Keep thinking you're going to snap out of it and like, tell me to get away from you. Because I'm… whatever it is I am."

Yukiko tutted at her as she wrapped both arms around Chie's, laying her head on her shoulder. "You say that like it's just you. Not both of us. Maybe you had those thoughts about me first but clearly I'm not running away. So…"

When she didn't finish right away, she prompted, "What?"

"So, um… don't be so…" She swallowed. "Don't be mean to yourself. Don't put it all on you, especially when I'm happy. This is a good thing, not a death sentence."

"O-oh, I never- I didn't mean it was bad! Just like, weird, and it's gonna get people saying weird stuff about us. Like Yu and Yosuke already keep doing."

"They should be ashamed of themselves," she sighed as she dipped another jiaozi into the tiny pool of sauce. "Well… Yosuke should especially, but Yu was also too persistent."

Shaking her head, Chie stirred the contents of her bowl angrily. "Oughtta stomp all over those two. Like, it's none of their business! I don't care what they saw in the TV!"

"Shhhh, I'm sorry." Yukiko pet her thigh now, kissing the side of her neck. "I didn't mean to get you upset. Even though I do agree with you. So… relax, alright? Enjoy the meal."

But that presented a brand new development for Chie. Her stomach fluttered as she realised they weren't just cuddling, or being good friends. Food was now completely gone from the forefront of her mind. They were together, in public, and Yukiko was touching her leg. That thin uniform skirt was the only protection from getting to fully enjoy the warm smoothness of her dainty hand.

"Y-Yuki-chan…"

"What? Is something wrong?"

The hand came to a stop, yet Chie was still breathing shallow and rapid when she said, "O-oh, nothing, I just… I'm having a good time. With you! Yeah, with you, um… h-honey."

Both Yukiko's flawlessly-shaped eyebrows shot up. "Honey?!"

"SHHHH!" she hissed at her desperately. "I don't know, I've never had a girlfriend before! Or boyfriend! An ANY-gender-friend!"

"Oh, my honey!" Yukiko snickered in English, entire face lighting up. Lapsing back into her native tongue, she purred, "I think it's really sweet. Funny, but sweet."

"Oh, shut up, Honey!"

"Wow, that isn't very nice. And here I'm being so affectionate toward you."

Though Chie's mouth opened to protest, no sound came out when she felt impossibly soft lips barely pressing into the corner. This was insane! Anybody could see them — anyone from school, from in and around their neighbourhoods. The proprietors of Aiya. All of Inaba. Not only was the hand still teasing her leg, but it seemed to be heading down toward her knee. The hem of her skirt.

"Yukiko… this is so bad, what happens if they catch us?! We're gonna be out to the whole freaking town!"

Snickering a little, the innkeeper whispered into her ear conspiratorially, "Nobody's watching us, I promise. Look around." Her other hand casually gestured to the inside of the restaurant, where couples, men dining alone, groups of students eating while they studied, filled its interior. None of them were looking in their direction.

"A-ah. But…" Chie licked her lips as she felt her skirt being hiked up by the playful fingertips. "They could still… turn around and see you doing this… isn't that illegal, anyway?"

A little at a time, Yukiko's playful smirk faded and she dipped her head as her hand came to a stop. "Sorry, my Prince. I guess I just really want to make you feel good, and it seems exciting to do it right here, but... you're right, it's too risky. I don't know what got into me!"

"Oh, hey…" She put an arm around Yukiko's shoulders, pulling her in close against her body. "I'm not mad or anything. Just like, freaked out at the idea. Do you still wanna try it?"

"No," Yukiko told her with a small smile. "Well… yes, but it isn't that urgent. We should finish our food."

"You sure?"

"Yes. I don't want to make you choke on your beef bowl, anyway."

A little snort fell from her girlfriend's lips. "C'mon, I could handle both at the same time. Probably. I'm only iffy about it because I don't wanna get caught and thrown out of my favourite restaurant."

"Really? Because I don't think I could!" They both laughed a little, and Yukiko leaned up to kiss her cheek again. "But if you're sure you don't mind experimenting… we could see what happens."

"Yeah." She nodded to further drive home how serious she was. "Hit me. If I can't handle it, I'll tap out."

"Tap out?"

"Yep! You know, in American wrestling when they're… done with… yeah, no reason you would know that. They tap the mat in a super obvious way to show they give up. So like… I'll do this."

When Chie tapped the edge of her bowl twice with her chopsticks, Yukiko's eyes hyperfocused on the action and she nodded. "Ah, I see! Yes, I will definitely understand that action's meaning now."

"It's not that serious," she muttered. But then Yukiko was petting the inside of her thigh again, and all she could do was grunt to keep from moaning. "O-ohhhh… oh, we're… starting again."

Not just starting. Yukiko's nimble digits were making their way straight to her panties, no waiting. Chie felt her stomach disappear as she anticipated the touch hitting home at last. Any second now…

"YOU."

They both nearly fell off their chairs at the sudden sharp word issued from so close by. Trying not to appear as flustered as they were, the two girls looked up to see a near-flawless face gazing down at them marred by a haughty, annoyed expression. Her blonde-highlighted hair hung around her face in elaborate curls that had obviously taken a long time to fashion, just brushing the lacey pink choker wrapped around her throat — like Chie already wished her hands were, and they had barely begun a conversation.

"Ebihara," Chie breathed as her blood ran cold.

"What?" Ai Ebihara snapped, resting a hand on one hip as she cocked it out to the side. "Can I help you with something?"

"Uhhhhh, you came up to me, dude. What do you want?"

That response made her scoff loudly. "Nothing from some bowl-cut reject. I was talking to the priss."

While Chie was trying to ignore the vein throbbing in her forehead, Yukiko sat up a little straighter and pointed at her own chest. "Me?!"

"God, you're both idiots. There are only two people at this table, so if it's not the bowl cut, guess who it has to be?"

"Hey, watch it," Chie warned her as she leaned an elbow on the table. "Tell us what the hell you want or get out of here."

Scowling at her, Ebihara flipped her hair over her shoulder gracefully before edging into a chair across from them. Which was exactly the opposite of what they wanted; they were kind of in the middle of something! Couldn't she go away and come back another day, much like other black clouds?

"You have something I'm after. Give me that and I'll leave you to your pedestrian food."

Yukiko must have been sensing that her friend was going to stand up and shout at the interrupting annoyance, because she started petting up and down her thigh again. Soothing this time rather than teasing. "And what might I have that you want? I'm sorry, but I truly don't know."

"Narukami," she said without preamble.

"What about Narukami?" Chie asked suspiciously.

"I want him."

The other two girls exchanged a look. Where the hell was this coming from?! "U-uhhh…"

"Don't act so surprised. He's such a tall, mysterious stranger from so far away… practically the only boy at Yasogami who's remotely interesting. And you have been hogging him to yourself long enough. Fork him over."

"Wait, wait," Yukiko giggled nervously, hand flexing on Chie's thigh. She had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from letting out a yelp of surprise. "You don't think… I'm actually dating Yu, do you?"

"I didn't say anything as heavy as 'dating'," she shot back with a roll of her honey-hued eyes. "But I've seen you two together a few times. How you smile at him. It's loathsome, but I can't deny you have an in with him that I do not… yet."

"We're friends, Ai-san. That's all, I promise!"

Her eyes narrowed as Yukiko pet higher. Chie had to fight to stay focused on the conversation. "Hmm. I could almost believe you…"

"Please do. I have no reason to lie to you."

"Very well. Let's say you are being straight with me. How can I turn his little grey-haired head — what's the story with that grey hair, too? Dye job, genetic thing?"

Before this point, Chie had been mostly nodding along, waiting for the tortuous exchange to come to an end. But something going on beneath the table now had her undivided attention. Yukiko had not stopped in her advance. Her fingers were now teasing the insides of her thighs dangerously close to her center as she kept her eyes pointed squarely at Ebihara.

"U-um…" But when their guest turned a glare on her, she shut up.

"Yu seems to really enjoy a lot of things," Yukiko quickly said to draw her attention back.

"A lot of… things." Ai raised an eyebrow at her. "Is that seriously as specific as you can get?"

"N-no, not at all. Maybe… if you could be more specific yourself, I can be more helpful. I don't mind, I'm just not sure exactly what your goal is."

As Ebihara contemplated, Chie found herself wondering the same question about Yukiko. What was her goal?! There was no way they were actually going to test out their friendship's newfound sexual component while sitting across a restaurant table from the prima donna of Yasogami High. Was there?!

"Well, I guess I'm curious why he hasn't asked me out yet," Ebihara said as Aika returned to their table. "Ever since I was made manager of the… I'm sorry, may we help you?"

Blinking at the cold tone, the waitress said, "U-um, I was going to ask the same thing. What can I get you, miss?"

"Nothing from this craphole." But when nobody followed up that statement, and Aika just scowled, she sighed. "Green tea. Unless you do boba here." The wince was enough to communicate they did not, so she sighed and waved her away, "Just regular old tea then, and take your time. I don't eat at places like this."

As poor Aika stomped away, Chie grunted, "You could h-haaaave been nicer to her."

Unfortunately, that near-moan didn't escape Ai's notice. "Your time of the month or something? You look like you're having some wicked cramps."

"Y-yeah," she said, figuring it was the easiest explanation. The girl made a disgusted face but didn't further pursue that line of questioning; all girls understood that one, right? Plus it took the heat off her from Yukiko's fingers gliding slowly up and down along her slit through the all-too-thin fabric of her undergarment.

"Anyway, I think he's really cute, and he irritates me a lot less than the other boys on the team. Plus when he works up a sweat during practice…" For a brief moment, while she was biting her lip and trying not to smile, she almost looked like a normal girl.

"So you have a crush on him," Yukiko said as casually as she could… while still driving her best friend crazy.

"Uh, yes? Hello? What other conclusion could you reach from what I just said?!"

"Of course, of course. Well, why don't you just ask him out instead?"

Ai scoffed and pressed a hand to her chest as if scandalised by the very notion. "ME?! Look at me. I'm stunning, and I work hard to be this stunning. What's the point in doing so if not so that the boys are the ones to fall at my dainty feet?"

Chie had to chance it, even though she was very nearly panting like a dog in heat. The comment was begging for a rebuttal. "I've… never h-heard someone describe their own feet as dainty before."

"Yeah? Well, stay tuned for more originality, courtesy of moi." Even though she was so elegant-looking, it was such a jarring, brutish move when she suddenly slapped her calf on top of the table, making the dinnerware clatter. "LOOK. Look at them."

Yukiko and Chie both blinked down at her now-shoeless foot. It was covered by her white stockings, of course, but it seemed dainty enough in size. So Chie said, "Yep, that's a foot."

"It, um, seems lovely?" Yukiko attempted. As the leg mercifully withdrew before the proprietor of Aiya saw it and was offended at such a rude display, she continued, "I also envy how trim you are, Ai-san. How do you stay in shape? Chie does a lot of sports training and martial arts."

"Mostly diet," she told them smugly as she pulled out a compact and preened slightly. Chie wondered idly how anyone could be so self-absorbed. "And a little time on my elliptical at home every evening. Gotta burn those calories. What about you?"

Caught off guard by the question being turned around on her, Yukiko smiled demurely as she went back to teasing Chie harder. Her throat constricted to cut off a very genuine moan. "Oh, nothing in particular. Portion control. Though my duties at Amagi Inn do tend to keep me very active."

"Really? I can't believe that — you're way too perfect for that to be the whole story. What is it, kale? Juice cleanses? Do you…"

For a little while, Chie lost track of the conversation. Her entire focus was on those fingers playing over her growing wetness. Luckily the diner was full of pungent, savoury aromas or she would really have been in trouble — no way she wasn't stinking up the place with the scent of her arousal by now. All she wanted was to drag Yukiko off to the bathroom for a glorious finish, but she wasn't sure she would be able to stand just now. Besides, it would be the only move even more conspicuous than what they were already doing.

"...definitely working," Ebihara was finally relenting when she refocused, trying to block out the urges to moan and roll her hips by distracting herself. "But yeah, loan me that when you get the chance."

"Of course." Yukiko only occasionally glanced at Chie, to make sure she wasn't distressed or angry. And since Chie was trying to look politely interested in the conversation, it never showed how intolerable this whole situation was for her, so she went right back to petting and chatting. "And as I said, I don't know what sort of perfume he prefers, but anything should be fine. But knowing Yu, I don't think he would care about the brand if you name-dropped."

Ai's brow furrowed slightly as she tapped the surface of the table. Meanwhile, Chie was doing the same with one of her legs, jiggling it up and down in an attempt to abate the feelings assaulting her. In fact, it made them worse… but even after realising that, she couldn't seem to stop. She needed to get off now.

"Well, he certainly does look at me like he likes what he sees. What the hell's his problem? What more do I have to do?"

"It's probably a courage problem," Yukiko told her — while pressing two fingertips harder against Chie's clit. Which was throbbing so hard it didn't even present a challenge for her to find through the panties. "He hasn't worked up enough to ask someone as pretty as you out yet. Give him time, or make your own interest more obvious, since you said you didn't want to ask him yourself."

Ebihara tapped her chin. "You know, even though you're just a townie, I think you have a point. I won't outright ask him, but I could flirt a little. I'm just used to the boys making all the moves on me."

"A-ah…"

"Hm? Something wrong, Satonaka?"

"N-nah," Chie tried to cover. In reality, she had been unable to suppress that moan when Yukiko's fingers inadvertently tensed upon being called 'just a townie'. Despite the reason, it had felt too good against her greedy flesh. "Still my… red tide. Mm, what would you do? To flirt."

Looking at her a little funny, Ebihara shrugged. "I don't know. That's not really my thing; I prefer to have them chasing me. But I guess I've thought about it before, just in theory."

"So, u-um, try out some lines. Maybe we can tell you if they're- nhh… if they're too cheesy."

"Fine. Guess there's no reason not to." While Chie's hips began to squirm back and forth, the orgasm so close now, Ai preened at her hair a little more before leaning her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her folded hands. "Hey there. What's a nice guy like you doing on a crummy team like this?"

"I don't think that's very kind," Yukiko put in — while circling her best friend's clit harder than ever. "Try not to put down the team, he might take offense."

"But they really are a crummy team. Well, except for Kou-chan…" Her expression flickered, and it almost looked a bit wounded for a moment — before she recomposed herself into the usual arrogance. "Okay, you're probably right. Let me try something else."

"Please," Chie begged. Though it was actually for release and not another flirtation demonstration.

"Wow. You just made yourself my guinea pig, Bowl Cut." Chie wanted to be mad…

But an instant later, Ai's hands were delicately taking up the one of hers that was resting on top of the table. Her eyes softened as she looked up into Chie's, slightly wetted lips parting as her throat worked to swallow, as if nervous.

"I know… I haven't been the manager for very long, but… I really like seeing you every day. And you're so strong, and athletic… not to mention easy on the eyes. I wouldn't mind spending a little more time with you, okay? One on one."

"Really?" Chie half-panted, just barely able to keep from making it completely obvious what was happening under the table. "One on one, h-huh? What for?"

Anyone would have been able to tell Ebihara was fighting down some variety of "Are you stupid?" response. But after the brief flicker of ire, she leaned further forward, showing a slight glimpse of her collarbone beneath her school uniform, the very top of her cleavage. Her eyes were sparkling, lips parted even more as she began to heave for breath. Chie responded in kind… because she couldn't stop herself from letting the desire show through anymore. Even if it wasn't actually desire for the person in front of her, at least it came across like she was playacting for the sake of aiding their classmate.

"To make all your wildest dreams come true. Listen…" One hand still holding Chie's, she let the other one raise up to graze well-manicured fingernails up and down along the inside of her forearm. Goosebumps raced over her skin. "I've been thinking about this for a long time, and…" She feigned being shy, biting her lip and looking away.

"And?" Chie prompted hastily, riding the edge as Yukiko sped up her efforts. A quick glance over showed she was curious to see what might happen next.

Looking back up, the normally snooty girl leaned so close their noses were almost touching, voice dipping down into a husky whisper. "And I want… you to be my first. Will you claim my body?"

Well damn.

This orgasm was the hardest yet, and it bowled over Chie with such a force she had no way to prepare. A moan started to burble up past her lips, and had just barely begun when she belatedly realised that even though her entire mind was consumed with the taboo of this activity, with the sheer potency of the climax itself, she still had to keep the whole diner from figuring out what they were doing. What a nightmare, what an impossible situation!

Which she made worse, because in her Cro-magnon brain's efforts to stop the noise, it sought the easiest avenue possible when there was a set of pouty lips a mere inch away from her own.

"MM!" Ai grunted when she felt the kiss begin, the hand holding Chie's clamping down hard so that her nails bit into the skin of her palm. But when Chie grasped it back just as hard, she sort of… melted. Just for a few seconds, they were really kissing each other while Chie's climax made her hips roll against the punishing fingers, milking that moment for all it was worth.

Then Ai drew back and smacked her across the face.

"OW!" she yelped, completely shocked. "Wh-what-"

"EXCUSE YOU!" she gasped out, cheeks flaming red now despite her furious expression. "This was supposed to be acting, not with… with actual… th-that was too far!"

Though Yukiko looked quite thoughtful, she still put in, "Actors kiss all the time. Even in school plays. I think she was just really into the scene."

"Y-yeah," said a dazed Chie, brain too foggy from orgasm afterglow and the stunning blow to her face to say much more.

"W-well, I… I didn't say we could do that, so it was very rude to do it without asking!" The prissy girl pushed her hand into her mouth. "GOD, I kissed a girl and I didn't even hate it — I'm a yuri. At least she didn't steal my first kiss! Then I would be really mad, you don't even know!"

"She didn't?" Yukiko asked curiously, even while smirking playfully at the flustered Chie. Apparently, they would be talking about this at great length later. "Who was your first kiss?"

"Some boy I- oh, nevermind! Screw you two perverts, you're crazy!" She hastily got up from the table, then stumbled a little before sitting back down. "UGH! And if I didn't take off my shoe earlier, I could have stormed out of here and looked much cooler! DAMN it, I'm having the worst day!"

To Be Continued…

#We'll Face Ourselves #persona 4 fanfiction #forkanna writes #p4 fanfic #chiko #jess the writer #Happy Birthday

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individuationfic · 6 years ago

Text

Seeking to Seize Chapter 2

AO3

Igor calls him a Wild Card

Yu knows he should have more issues with this whole situation than he does. He’s sitting, immobile, in a limo he’s never seen before. The interior is covered in blue velvet and barely lit, making the whole thing even more mysterious than it already is.

He signs, ‘What does that mean?’

The pretty blonde woman holding a book relays this to Igor. There’s a pause, and Yu assumes Igor is speaking, though he can’t tell. It’s similar to the Teddie situation—Igor’s mouth doesn’t move normally, so Yu can’t read his lips. He’s grateful for the interpreter.

Igor replies with, “Your power will come from your heart. To strengthen your heart, you must establish bonds.”

‘Bonds?’

“Connect with the people around you. Force meaningful relationships. These relationships will translate to benefits.”

That sounds kind of artificial to Yu. He doesn’t think many people would want to be friends with someone whose opening line was, “Hey, I want to be your friend for my own benefit!” But somehow Yu gets the feeling Igor knows more than he’s letting on, so he keeps those thoughts to himself. ‘How will I know which relationships are the right ones?’ he asks instead.

Igor says, “You will know.” Then, before Yu can ask another question, he says, “My assistant is Margaret. She will be of invaluable help to you on your journey. The Velvet Room is open to you whenever you have need of it.”

The world lurches, and Margaret and Igor look up. Igor says, “It’s time for you to leave us for now. I look forward to seeing you again.”

Yu closes his eyes, and when they open again he is in his room, having been shaken awake by Nanako.

For a while, Yuu wonders how much of that encounter was real. Then, while he’s walking through the shopping district, he sees an ethereal blue door that everyone else ignores. The key in his pocket grows heavy.

Yu runs into Hanamura on the way to school. He’s a little surprised when Hanamura holds his hands out and bends his index fingers towards each other, mimicking a bow. “I looked up how to say hello!” he says, proud.

For the first time in a long time, Yu’s smile feels genuine.

Despite Amagi’s disappearance hanging over their heads, Yu and Hanamura still meet on the roof at lunch for a JSL lesson. Yu starts off easy, teaching him how to finger spell, and suggests a basic conversation as practice.

Slowly, his hands moving in a way Yu can only describe as a stutter, Hanamura signs, ‘How did you learn to sign?’

‘I’m mostly self-taught. After I got out of the hospital, I got a bunch of books about JSL and practiced in the mirror. I also watched a program on TV where people would play news headlines and sign along with them.’

Hanamura looks like he wants to ask something else, but he suddenly stiffens and his head swings towards the door. Yu, feeling a pull in his chest, does the same, and is only mildly surprised to see Yuk-senpai standing at the entrance to the roof. The third year raises a lazy hand in greeting and says, “Yo.”

Yu and Hanamura both scramble to their feet, lesson forgotten.

Hanamura and Satonaka do their best to relay Teddie’s information to Yu while he nurses his injured hand. He whips his phone out and types, So he doesn’t know if Amagi is in there?

Hanamura shrugs. “That’s what it looks like.”

Satonaka frowns. She looks nervous, and she’s bouncing from one foot to the other in an anxious dance. “I’m going to go to the inn and warn Yukiko.”

“It’s going to rain tonight, right?” Hanamura asks. “Let’s make sure to watch the Midnight Channel. We can decide on our next move from there.” He looks to Yu, his eyes searching for approval, and he only relaxes when Yu nods in agreement.

Chie absently agrees and takes off.

Amused, Yu types, She should just confess to Amagi already and shows it to Hanamura, who turns red.

“You think she—?”

Yu nods.

An odd look crosses Hanamura’s face, like he’s never thought about that before. Maybe, Yu thinks, he hasn’t.

The thing that surprises Yu the most about the Midnight Channel is the subtitles.

They’re stylized to match the absurd get-up Amagi is wearing, pink and bubbly and sparkly, but still clear enough for Yu to read, even at the speed at which they crawl across the screen. He’s pretty sure whatever is causing the Midnight Channel is connected to the Velvet Room, so Yu tells himself to ask Igor about it next time he’s there.

His phone buzzes.

[Hanamura Yosuke]: Did you see that?

[Hanamura Yosuke]: That was Yukiko-san for sure!

[Hanamura Yosuke]: And she looked like she was on some low-budget TV show…

[Hanamura Yosuke]: What’s going on?

[Narukami Yu]: You should try to contact Satonaka.

[Narukami Yu]: She said she was going to see Amagi, right?

[Narukami Yu]: Maybe she saw something.

[Hanamura Yosuke]: That’s a good idea.

[Hanamura Yosuke]: Meet at Junes in the morning?

[Narukami Yu]: Sounds good.

[Narukami Yu]: Try not to worry too much.

[Narukami Yu]: We’ll figure it out.

[Hanamura Yosuke]: Yeah.

[Hanamura Yosuke]: Thanks, Narukami.

[Hanamura Yosuke]: Good night.

As Yu plugs his phone in to charge for the night, he hears Izanagi’s voice in his head. You’ve grown closer to your Magician. Well done.

Why do you keep calling Hanamura a magician? Yu asks. Does this have something to do with those bonds Igor was talking about?

Izanagi sounds amused when he says, Yes, it does. Each of the important links you can forge are associated with the major arcana. Hanamura Yosuke is your Magician. The closer you get to him, the stronger your bond with that arcana will be.

Yu sighs. Looks like I have some more stuff to research.

He falls asleep to the sound of Izanagi’s laugh. Traitor.

In another house in Inaba, four sets of eyes stare at a now-blank television screen. “Well,” the younger girl says, voice deceptively light, “that means it’s starting, doesn’t it?”

The boy next to her huffs. “Those guys have even more problems than we did. All we had to do was deal with a tower and some cancer patients. They have a serial killer.”

The older woman, with platinum blonde hair and piercing yellow eyes, says, “Margaret will take good care of the new Wild Card. He has nothing to worry about!”

The older man stays silent. His only response is to tighten his hand on the younger girl’s shoulder. She doesn’t know if it’s to reassure her or himself.

Good luck, Narukami-kun.

#individuation #ao3fic #cover #persona series #persona 3 #persona 4 #fanfiction

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tubbotums · 7 years ago

Text

I want you to imagine a situation for a sec, so close your eyes and imagine

It’s late March, two months away from your high school graduation. You’ve been a part of a friend group in high school that you’ve cherished for three years, and now you’re faced with the fact that you’re all going to pretty much be going your separate ways. You’ll see each other, but it’ll never be the daily after school hang outs again. Not only that, your relationship with a girl who had basically been by your side for your hardest moments in the past year, someone who defended you and loved you, just ended, and now that relationship along with various others have just ended in the rockiest fashion possible despite you trying your best. Along with all of that, you got yourself with a fandom that’s basically spit you out and kicked you around, called your ideas garbage and basically made you feel like shit because of your race, gender and sexuality. All of this you have to deal with as you also face the possibility of moving out of your apartment, the place you’ve called home for 17 and a half years because your mom wants a change of scenery and onset depression that’s quickly becoming more and more severe by the day.

That was me a year ago, and truth be told I had never felt more alone and lower than at time. I had come to this site to try and escape that, and it worked for the most part, but really it was just something that was always nagging and there, and no matter what I did I just couldn’t escape it. I didn’t wanna get out of bed, my personal health and hygiene dropped, and I was really a shell of myself. I couldn’t do anything right it felt like, and I felt like there was no one to really help me. I started escaping more to anime, music and video games as a result, and a lot of old insecurities popped up and just left me a mess.

Then, one day after school with my friends I accidentally dug up my old PS Vita, the white one that you got if you got the Assassin’s Creed bundle. I made a remark that I hadn’t played it in years, and a friend of mine who had graduated the year before said he knew some good games, and literally the first thing that came out of his mouth was Persona 4 Golden. I had heard of Persona, but I never actually knew what it was or anything. It seemed so foreign and just out there that it had never came up on my radar, so he immediately dragged me on a 15 minute walk to the nearest GameStop and grabbed the one copy of P4 Golden that they had in stock. He even went out of his way to buy it for me, a $40 game for a dead console. Now I wouldn’t really make a big deal out of this stuff, but this was one of my friends who never really had a lot of money on him. He was always saving his money up, so the fact that he was willing to shell out the money for me like that meant he was serious. So, we went back to my place, and I put in the game.

The opening title played, Shadow World, and that colorful opening played. I always make it a thing to watch the opening on my first playthrough when I play a game, and this game was no exception. I remember liking the visuals, but there was one person that caught my interest right off the bat. There was a person who was doing a little dance with a trash can, and at the time I thought that was really funny. I read his name, and it just said Yosuke. I looked on the cover for him, and I said to my friend “He kinda looks like me”, and that ensued a bunch of jokes and a short nickname for a while. Anyways, I remember because of this I was really interested to learn more about him, and going into this game knowing nothing I didn’t know when I’d meet him. Luckily for me, he was the first person I met in the game (or at least one of the first). I remember him crashing into that trash can and just Yu not helping, and him getting kicked in the balls by Chie after not returning her ‘Trial of the Dragon’ in one piece. I thought this was really funny, since the dude was kind of a down on his luck dork who meant well, and it was something I could really relate to.

However, as I got further into those first few hours of the tutorial and everything, I learned more about him. His full name was Yosuke Hanamura, and he was the son of the man who owned the big chain mall in town, Junes, the one the MC’s character sings the jingle to whenever it’s on T.V. He was voiced by Yuri Lowenthal, the same VA who voiced Simon the Digger in Gurren Lagann, a favorite of mine, and he had a crush on a cute girl named Saki. However, his crush ended up being the first victim in what would become a string of murders in Inaba, and he wanted to find out the truth of what happened to his dearly beloved. So into the TV World they go, and there Yosuke finds out that not only did Saki not like him back, but she outright hated him and resented him since his father’s business stole business away from her own family’s. He hears her talk about her hatred toward him, and also has to come face to face with his Shadow, his true self. We find out that he’s actually depressed and hates life for the most part. He moved to Inaba not too long ago, and he felt alone and isolated because he was from the city. He wanted people to like him, and he tried his damnest to feel like an equal to people, including the person who would become his best friend in the MC. But, there he was, hating life and always feeling like a burden to those around him and wanting to isolate himself from others because he didn’t feel like an equal.

I’m not a man of god or anything really, but this felt like a sign or something. I never had related so hard to a character in my life before, and it was enough that I actually found myself crying at the end of learning about him and the two of you agreeing to solve the murders.

So I went on and played the rest of the game, with Yosuke being the first social link that I finished in the game. I saw him try and come to terms with his depression, realize that he now had a group of friends around him who accepted him, and that he’d always be considered an equal with his bro and partner. As I’m writing this, I’m still thinking about the raw emotion I felt seeing all of this for the first time and just tearing up about it. For a long time I changed my profile pic on Facebook to a picture of him, he was the character that really made me want to cosplay, something I had never even thought of before, and I ended up deciding to make him my face claim, something I still keep up to this very day. I remember I tried to get my hands on any type of merch for him, though I didn’t really find much until later on (like a partial yaoi manga with him and Yu, something I’ve read time and time again with no regrets~). Despite all of that, my love for Yosuke had ran deep at that point, so when I finished the game in the middle of August I cried once more. My time with him was done, and I would never really get that same feeling back like the first time I met him.

That now meant I had two weeks to play Persona 5, the first game I got on my PS4 after I rebought it due to selling it to get the Switch. I went into this game with high expectations, since everyone told me it was amazing. However, I still had my biases, like the fact that there wasn’t Yosuke in this game. So I sat down and decided that I was going to basically speed run this game for two weeks, trying my best to finish it before I went off to college. I worked basically from 7 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon, and the second I got home I’d basically play it until 2 in the morning. For two weeks, I went to work at a summer camp with five year olds in the blazing hot sun on five hours of sleep a night. It was an experience to say the least, one that kinda made me realize too how much I didn’t want to work there again, but I digress.

So I sat down and played this game for two weeks, got about 72 or so hours in and had to stop right at the final palace before I went to college. That being said, once more I was blown away by this game and it’s characters, but again someone had captured my heart, this time the lovely model Ann Takamaki. I could go on about how much I love her, but I’ve done that enough on here so you guys get the point. The Phantom Thieves of Hearts felt like a group of friends that I was a part of, and it just made me feel... so special. I can’t explain that feeling, but I felt like they were there with me all the time, and that no matter where I went or what I did they were going to support me with all their hearts, just like they had done for all of their friends in game too. It was a shame that my journey with them had to be on pause for four months, but regardless that feeling of belonging helped me fit into a new friend group at my university, ones that shared similar interests, treated me like an equal, and yes, even loved Persona as much as I did.

When December came and I was home for winter recess, I immediately picked back up Persona 5 to finish it. By now, I had gained new friends, especially a ton on here that had helped me a lot more with my own issues, and that meant I was ready to pick up and catch up with my other friends in Persona 5. I spent another 30 or so hours finishing up the game, and I remember finishing the game at 1 in the morning a few days after New Years Day. As I watched the credits role, I ended up crying even harder than I did with Persona 4. The entire journey was over, and it felt like I was saying goodbye to all of these friends I had made over the past few months, and that I wouldn’t see them again. Of course I would, but much like with Yosuke I wouldn’t have that same feeling. I sobbed in the middle of the night over nine characters and their friends leaving me, and I felt a pain in my heart that I seriously don’t feel all that much. It was so surreal to feel that type of way about pixels on a screen, but I felt it nonetheless.

And now, as I listen to the soundtracks of the two games that I played for days on end, I find myself thinking back on all of this. I can’t express what this series has meant to me, and how much it has contributed to me making friends, improving as a person and just really getting my life back on track. I know people probably don’t wanna read this, but I wanted to share it with all of you, because really I think it’s important. I hope you guys have something you all can gush about like I do, because it’s just super wonderful. Thanks to this series for just... everything. I seriously can’t express how much it’s played a part of my life for the past year.

Now, sad boy hours are over, and I’m going to grab a snack. I hope everyone’s having a wonderful night and are happy right now. I’m spreading some of my positive vibes toward all of you~ <3

#we gonna go under the tag for this so I can avoid making people's feeds too long

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