The Open Sun

[madimpossibledreamer]

Main Points:
Persona 2/Persona 4 crossover (Broken Hero)
Chapter Summary: Jun and Tatsuya finally talk.
Word Count: 530
Rating: Teen
Pairing: Jun/Tatsuya

         “I’m glad you’re all right.” It’s not the first time he’s said so, of course; he’d mentioned that in the hospital as well, but it’s no less true for the repetition.
         Tatsuya smiles knowingly, trying to sit up even as he blinks like he can’t keep his eyes open. “Only thanks to you and the others,” he responds, in much the same tone.
         “Do you remember how you ended up inside the TV?” Jun asks, coming over to help prop up his friend, kneeling on the tatami. He doesn’t want to presume or overstay his welcome, but with the way his dragon leans into him, that might not be a concern he need have.
         This close, he can feel Tatsu-chan shivering, still. “I…got a note, I think?” He’s frowning. “They said they’d only meet me if I was alone. I didn’t feel a Persona Resonance, so I wasn’t being as careful as I should have been. It only occurred to me now that I don’t feel one from the kids, either.” That’s—actually a really good point.
         “Perhaps because they can’t use their Personas in the real world?” Jun suggests. It’s a strange limitation, but from what little Katsuya has shared, there’s still much they don’t know about Personas.
         Tatsuya shrugs, but Jun knows it’s made him think. “I was drugged; they found a needle mark, but I don’t remember that part at all.” He actually sounds frustrated.
         “You got ambushed, I’d guess…” The kadōka knows he shouldn’t feel guilty, but he does anyway. “Ask me to accompany you next time.”
         Tatsuya sighs. “I got cocky. I know better now.”
         Oh yes, he shouldn’t forget something vital. “Your notes were stolen.”
         His dragon clenches his fists, but he’s thinking. “That was after I was gone. I can’t recreate them. I…don’t actually remember a lot of that. The doctors thought it was due to the drug, but from how Amagi was, I’d guess being separated from your Shadow in the TV World also interferes with memory.” Despite himself, he yawns.
         He might remember more later, but for now, there’s one final thing Jun needs to establish before he lets his dragon rest further. “As for the rest…” Jun begins, pulling a long-deserved gift from his pocket. He barely has to show it before Tatsuya starts blushing and ducks his head.
         “Don’t tell me you always have that with you,” he states, in words that another might interpret as another rejection if they didn’t know him.
         “Of course not. I only packed it in my luggage because I was going on a trip with you,” he replies, cheeky, grinning happily. “You tried to tell me once to wait and give my heart to someone more deserving, but in reality I’ve only ever been its keeper, waiting long, cold years to return it to its rightful owner.”
         Tatsuya blushes still brighter, but he holds out a trembling hand, and this time he doesn’t try to give the button back but clasps it tightly, a treasure as dear as the lighter he always keeps with him. It takes him some time to remember how to speak, but when he does, he mentions shyly, “I may have rejected the gesture and told you I couldn’t be the boyfriend you deserved, but I couldn’t tell you we were no longer dating or that you were no longer my boyfriend.” Because he couldn’t take that step to make it official, Jun understands instantly, as he’s always understood. Because some part of Tatsuya will always be the scared little boy afraid to make the decision, to say the words to make it real. And some part of him wanted to pretend, have a little fantasy against the harsh reality. He would never have resented Jun for moving on, if he had, but the younger Suou would and could not have done the same.
         “Oh, Tacchi.” Jun draws his dragon into a hug, even as the man trembles, probably at least partly from the lingering cold. “I believe I once told you I’m not leaving your side. I meant every word, and I wish to renew that promise.” Tatsu-chan laughs, a sound between happiness and pain, and rests all his weight on the kadōka’s slim frame, on the verge of falling asleep. Jun doesn’t need words to know that he’s far from unwanted, here with the dragon he loves.