Practice Makes

[madimpossibledreamer]

Main Points: Persona 4 AU
Chapter Summary: Souji isn't good at everything.
Word Count: 530
Rating: T
Note:  Dancing All Night is what this is leading up to, but nothing's spoiled that you don't find out in the first five or ten minutes of the game (going by memory, anyway) so I wouldn't say it's spoiler heavy.  Souji/Yosuke not heavily featured but definitely a part.

 

            It takes a lot of hard work, in the end.  Not that Souji had expected anything else, really.  Yosuke never yells at him, never raises his voice.  His corrections are gentle, and occasionally they’ll stop dancing and just do other exercise instead, because, as Yosuke says with a smile and a shrug, “Stamina and strength are important too, so if we work on that too, that’ll help.”

            From annoyed late-night phone calls that have Souji yawning in class in the mornings, it seems that Chie, when she’s not being taught by Rise, hasn’t had the same experience as he.  Apparently Yosuke’s a lot more careful about it when he’s dealing with his boyfriend.  Chie whines about that, too, though in Yosuke’s defense, it’s not that he’s purposefully more jerkish around other people or that he’s way too nice to his partner.  (There’s even, Souji knows, an unacknowledged part of Chie that’s jealous, since in a conversation they’re both pretending never happened, Chie asked, wistfully, what it’s like to be dating Hanamura.  It took him a little while to realize she wasn’t interested in Yosuke, not really, but she’s kind of sad there’s a side of him that she doesn’t see, and she is definitely jealous that he gets a sweet, thoughtful boyfriend and she doesn’t.  In self defense, he hasn’t asked about Yukiko yet, just in case he’s seeing things that aren’t there.)  None of it is conscious.  Souji brings out the Magician in the brunet, and he’s a lot more aware of what he’s about to say and censor it than usual.  Seta’s not sure what it says about him that no one else, apparently, inspires the same sweet, goofy self-consciousness.

            It’s not even disappointment, really.  Yosuke knows that the impossible is being asked of them.  Knows they’ve accomplished the impossible before, works that much harder to help them reach the heights they’re aiming for, but there’s only so much they can do, and sometimes, when they’re so tired they can barely stand, Souji senses the frustration.

            He doesn’t like that feeling, feels a little piece of his soul splinter every time the Prince hides it behind a smile as he says they should call it a night.  So he’ll practice when he gets home until he has to crawl to bed.  He’s even started sleeping in class.  His grades have barely suffered; he’s still able to get the material, but participation is a thing of the past.  And future, hopefully, when this all is over.  There was one concerned Skype call from the parents when informed of the situation, but when they saw the burning determined look in his eyes, they stopped, just saying that he shouldn’t let this hurt his grades too much, given the year and looming college.  He’s glad he earned a backbone to stand up for what he believes in, because now, now he knows that the sky’s the limit and all the has to do is strive with the help of his hands.  There’s probably things even they can’t do, out there, but they’ve yet to find them, and he’s not about to let this be the first if he can help it.