Never Changes Part I
Apr. 11th, 2016 09:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
madimpossibledreamerEveryday's great at your Junes!
Main Points:
Persona 4 Universe Optional; Part I of a 2-part that is also completely optional (i.e. can be standalone)
Chapter Summary: Souji's quieter than normal when they're hanging out.
Word Count: 1079
Rating: ...there's not really that much, not even cursing? It's just fluff. friend!ship. Is that a thing? It is now. (Part II will be ship!ship, so, read if you wanna.)
also for the p4 geeks among us, note that the days line up (i.e. the first day of play, 4/11, is a Monday. guess what today is, both day of the week and day of the month of april)
Main Points:
Persona 4 Universe Optional; Part I of a 2-part that is also completely optional (i.e. can be standalone)
Chapter Summary: Souji's quieter than normal when they're hanging out.
Word Count: 1079
Rating: ...there's not really that much, not even cursing? It's just fluff. friend!ship. Is that a thing? It is now. (Part II will be ship!ship, so, read if you wanna.)
also for the p4 geeks among us, note that the days line up (i.e. the first day of play, 4/11, is a Monday. guess what today is, both day of the week and day of the month of april)
“Hey, Partner, I made it through the underwater castle level; do you wanna…” Yosuke glances over to see Souji…well, nothing much seems different, really, but even as quiet as the guy normally is, this is weird even for him. So he’s concerned, yeah, but he’s got a right to be, after all they’ve been through! It’s kind of like how Souji will go off and stare at a wall for a while, but given that he’s able to summon some new Persona every time after, they’ve all stopped questioning at one point or another. Except now he’s got a textbook on his lap, they’re definitely not in the TV World, he doesn’t appear to be concentrating, and he’s definitely more quiet than normal.
“Yo, man, you in there?” He’s comfortable where he is, lying on his stomach, controller in hand, pillow beneath his elbows and headphones comfortably nestled around his neck. As usual. And he’s got a blanket draped over him. The only thing more comfortable would be if he’d changed into pajamas, but he doesn’t quite feel their friendship has made it to the ‘sleepover’ level yet. Plus, he’d feel weird if he was in his sleepwear and Souji was still in the school uniform, buttoned all the way up.
He’s not sure how he got here, thought-wise, but…Okay, the point is, he doesn’t want to move, really. But he’s definitely getting to be a little worried for his buddy.
“Souji, if you’re alive, now would be the time to tell me,” he jokes and then instantly feels bad. It’s not worth joking about, not after everything they’ve been through. Not after the danger they’re still in. Seta had taken that hit earlier in the week, and he’d seemed to heal right up after Yukiko’s dia spell, but, well. Yosuke knows what it’s like after one of those. They heal, but there’s an ache that remains, like it’s healing up a little on its own, like it’s a bruise or something and it’s nearly but not quite healed. It goes away, but it’s still not the same.
There’s still no reply. Yosuke had been reluctantly dragging himself up, but not anymore. He pulls himself up without protest, setting the controller down easily and letting the blanket fall to the ground. He picks his way through the discarded notebooks, messenger bag, and what seems like the five bags of books Souji had lugged in with an ease born of practice.
It’s only once he gets close that he even hears the breathing. So he’s alive. That’s good. Even his Shadow’s mumblings have grown completely silent. Sure, his Persona/Shadow might question, every now and then, exactly why they’ve gotten so close, but the fact that he’s Souji Seta is probably the best answer they have.
He reaches out and shakes the grey-haired Leader’s shoulder gently. This close, he can see that Souji’s head is hanging a little, and the eyes are definitely closed. “You okay there, Partner?”
Souji mumbles something that sounds a lot like “Lemme sleep a little longer, Nanako,” head falling a little further forward, and Yosuke steps back a little, taking in the situation again. Nope, it definitely doesn’t look like the guy is asleep. Seta looks like he really is just resting his eyes and is just going to re-open them any second and take over their character’s fate.
Speaking of which…whoops, he didn’t pause it. They’re dead. Oh well. His Partner’s more important than some fictional character any day.
Hanamura glances toward the clock, and…yeah, okay, he wasn’t completely wrong. He had lost track of time while playing that level, but it’s still anything but late. The Midnight Channel won’t even have come on. If it was even raining, which it isn’t.
Yosuke’s hit by the urge to do something childish, like scrawl on Souji’s face. He resists it. The guy’s sleeping. He’s had a rough week.
Then the thought of the mop weapon that Souji had been proudly displaying and those stupid glasses that no, Yukiko, Souji, will never, ever, ever be cool crosses his mind, and he decides that Souji probably won’t be that mad.
Besides, the guy is unhealthily obsessed with cats. He probably won’t object too much to whiskers.
Yosuke steps back to admire his handiwork and nods to himself. Then he sets about making Souji more comfortable—grabbing a few pillows from the cabinet, taking the textbook out of the guy’s lap (which makes his friend mumble but luckily not actually wake up) and very carefully tucking a blanket around Souji as he leans the guy back just a little further against the couch so he won’t get a crick in his neck. The last thing Souji needs is to get sick right now, given what he apparently is going through.
He steps back and sighs. “You need to take better care of yourself, Partner.”
Dojima doesn’t sound happy when he calls the man to tell him, but softens when he hears that it’s because he didn’t want to wake his friend. “He’s been trying too hard,” the police officer growls, and Yosuke can’t help but agree.
His parents, on the other hand, agree enthusiastically. As he’d expected, really. If he’s not careful, Mrs. Hanamura is going to try to feed them both until they explode.
“Yo, man, you in there?” He’s comfortable where he is, lying on his stomach, controller in hand, pillow beneath his elbows and headphones comfortably nestled around his neck. As usual. And he’s got a blanket draped over him. The only thing more comfortable would be if he’d changed into pajamas, but he doesn’t quite feel their friendship has made it to the ‘sleepover’ level yet. Plus, he’d feel weird if he was in his sleepwear and Souji was still in the school uniform, buttoned all the way up.
He’s not sure how he got here, thought-wise, but…Okay, the point is, he doesn’t want to move, really. But he’s definitely getting to be a little worried for his buddy.
“Souji, if you’re alive, now would be the time to tell me,” he jokes and then instantly feels bad. It’s not worth joking about, not after everything they’ve been through. Not after the danger they’re still in. Seta had taken that hit earlier in the week, and he’d seemed to heal right up after Yukiko’s dia spell, but, well. Yosuke knows what it’s like after one of those. They heal, but there’s an ache that remains, like it’s healing up a little on its own, like it’s a bruise or something and it’s nearly but not quite healed. It goes away, but it’s still not the same.
There’s still no reply. Yosuke had been reluctantly dragging himself up, but not anymore. He pulls himself up without protest, setting the controller down easily and letting the blanket fall to the ground. He picks his way through the discarded notebooks, messenger bag, and what seems like the five bags of books Souji had lugged in with an ease born of practice.
It’s only once he gets close that he even hears the breathing. So he’s alive. That’s good. Even his Shadow’s mumblings have grown completely silent. Sure, his Persona/Shadow might question, every now and then, exactly why they’ve gotten so close, but the fact that he’s Souji Seta is probably the best answer they have.
He reaches out and shakes the grey-haired Leader’s shoulder gently. This close, he can see that Souji’s head is hanging a little, and the eyes are definitely closed. “You okay there, Partner?”
Souji mumbles something that sounds a lot like “Lemme sleep a little longer, Nanako,” head falling a little further forward, and Yosuke steps back a little, taking in the situation again. Nope, it definitely doesn’t look like the guy is asleep. Seta looks like he really is just resting his eyes and is just going to re-open them any second and take over their character’s fate.
Speaking of which…whoops, he didn’t pause it. They’re dead. Oh well. His Partner’s more important than some fictional character any day.
Hanamura glances toward the clock, and…yeah, okay, he wasn’t completely wrong. He had lost track of time while playing that level, but it’s still anything but late. The Midnight Channel won’t even have come on. If it was even raining, which it isn’t.
Yosuke’s hit by the urge to do something childish, like scrawl on Souji’s face. He resists it. The guy’s sleeping. He’s had a rough week.
Then the thought of the mop weapon that Souji had been proudly displaying and those stupid glasses that no, Yukiko, Souji, will never, ever, ever be cool crosses his mind, and he decides that Souji probably won’t be that mad.
Besides, the guy is unhealthily obsessed with cats. He probably won’t object too much to whiskers.
Yosuke steps back to admire his handiwork and nods to himself. Then he sets about making Souji more comfortable—grabbing a few pillows from the cabinet, taking the textbook out of the guy’s lap (which makes his friend mumble but luckily not actually wake up) and very carefully tucking a blanket around Souji as he leans the guy back just a little further against the couch so he won’t get a crick in his neck. The last thing Souji needs is to get sick right now, given what he apparently is going through.
He steps back and sighs. “You need to take better care of yourself, Partner.”
Dojima doesn’t sound happy when he calls the man to tell him, but softens when he hears that it’s because he didn’t want to wake his friend. “He’s been trying too hard,” the police officer growls, and Yosuke can’t help but agree.
His parents, on the other hand, agree enthusiastically. As he’d expected, really. If he’s not careful, Mrs. Hanamura is going to try to feed them both until they explode.
Souji’s first of all completely confused about where he even is in the morning. and when he figures it out doesn’t stop apologizing until he enters the bathroom. (Yosuke got to sleep in his own bed; it’s not like the guy was in the way, and he didn’t really mind, but it’s surprisingly difficult to get that through Seta’s head.) When he comes out, all the protests are gone, but he’s strangely smiley, but doesn’t say anything about it, so Yosuke assumes it’s all fine.
They stop by the Seta residence just to drop off a few things. Nanako can’t stop babbling about how amazing the whiskers are, and even Souji’s quietly appreciative. Success. Of course, Dojima-san doesn’t seem quite as on board, but given the overwhelming support, he can only glare at Yosuke above his coffee.
Souji refuses to wash it off all day, which is weird, but it’s the general eccentric charm that they’ve all gotten used to from the guy, so no one’s all that surprised. Chie does ask him to remind her to never go over to his house, and they bicker, and no one’s that surprised about that, either.
