They stood on the train platform together and watched the city move. It was early enough to still be slightly chilly and Yosuke shoved his hands into his pockets, pulling his jacket tighter around his body. What the hell were they even doing here? He hated this place - everything it reminded him of. He didn't think he'd ever come back here again, after this. He glanced over at Souji, who was looking straight ahead into the bustling mass of people as though he could see right through all of them. Maybe he could. Yosuke wasn't sure about him sometimes.
He knew it was up to him to lead and he did, weaving through crowds and down streets, and Souji followed him, easily keeping pace with him, not saying a word. Yosuke wasn't sure if he would have been able to respond if he had. He had never really been in a fight before - most of his fighting experience had come from other people beating the crap out of him or watching them beat the crap out of someone else - but this time he felt as though he had something to fight for.
A few blocks before reaching their destination, Yosuke sighed and veered into a coffee shop, took a seat by the window and waited for Souji to sit down across from him.
"This is really sort of insane, partner."
"Probably. But that's why it will work. He doesn't expect us to do anything about it."
"I'm not really used to doing anything about it."
"Which is why it's even more important that we do."
"What?"
"I know you're not used to fighting back when someone hurts you. You try to ignore it. You try to pretend it's not happening, or you try to forget about it, or you try to push it down so far that it can't hurt you anymore. But in the end, that just hurts you more. They think they can treat you terribly and nothing will happen. You think you deserve to be treated that way."
Yosuke said nothing and Souji continued.
"But you don't. You're not going to let anyone do that to you anymore. I know this scares you. It scares me too. I don't know who this guy is, and clearly, you don't really know who he is, either. I don't even know if we can win. But even if we don't, you will have stood in front of him and looked him in the eye and told him that you're not just going to take it. You have a lot of strength in you, Yosuke. You found it for me. You just need to find it for yourself."
Yosuke stared at him for a brief moment and then slid his hand across the table, palm up, just as Souji had done on the train. Souji covered it with his own and Yosuke didn't pull away.
---
Matsubara was right where Yosuke had expected to find him, crouched in the aisle of a rickety old comic shop, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth and some weird manga anthology in his hand. Yosuke didn't look too closely at it. Matsubara's taste was bizarre on good days and sadistic on others. The whole place smelled damp, like a mixture of mold and old socks, and Yosuke had never not wanted to be anywhere as badly as he did not want to be there. Souji crossed the store and approached him from the other end of the aisle, blocking him in, and when Matsubara finally stood up and noticed their presence, his face registered no surprise, only amusement.
"You've got balls, Hanamura. Well, not that we didn't know that already. The whole world knows all about your balls now, don't they?"
"You set me up."
"You set yourself up with those nice pictures. Oh, who are you? You must be Seta. You like giving it to him up the ass enough to come all the way out here, huh? He holding out on you now? I'll give you some advice. Ignore him. Stop paying attention to him long enough and he'll do anything you want--"
Souji took a step toward him and Matsubara laughed.
"Going to try to beat the shit out of me in a bookstore? Mess up that poor old man's inventory? Man, Hanamura, you really know how to pick them. Is he the strong, silent type? Nice big cock for you to drool all over?"
Yosuke bit the inside of his cheek.
"He's right, partner. Maybe we should do this outside."
"Go." Souji nudged him with his foot - kicked him, really - and Matsubara laughed again, followed Yosuke outside and leaned casually against the wall. Yosuke glanced around. This wasn't like Inaba. If they got into it here, in this part of town, nobody would bat an eye. Somebody would come by a few hours later and scrape them off the sidewalk, help themselves to whatever was in their wallets for the trouble, and that would be the end of it. All or nothing.
"What the fuck do you want, Matsubara?"
"I already got what I wanted."
"What was that?"
"Mori told me all about it, how you almost cried, how you would do anything so that he wouldn't find out what a bitch you are, how fucking delicious it was when you were choking on his cock - although really, someone with your history should have done a much better job. I was a little disappointed in that part. Losing your touch?"
"Shut the fuck up."
"Oh, sorry, I forgot, can't say those kinds of things in front of Seta... oh shit, he doesn't know, does he? He has no fucking clue! Oh shit, this is too rich. Hey, Seta, you want to know how Hanamura got anyone to be friends with him? Damn, for a while, he was making friends every time he opened his mouth--"
And then Matsubara stopped talking, blood rushing from his nose, and it wasn't until Yosuke reeled back that he realized it was because of him, that he had lunged forward and hit him so hard that he was spitting one of his teeth onto the ground... and still Matsubara was laughing, this funny, low, gurgly laugh, his mouth still full of blood.
"You're gonna have to pay for that, bitch, but honestly, I never thought you could actually hit. I'm going to knock those fucking glasses right off your face. Seta, you ever rough him up a little? He'd let you, no question, he'd look real pretty too, all covered in bruises. You ever try it?"
Souji was beside him in an instant, tried to land another blow on Matsubara's face but missed and caught air instead. Matsubara threw a punch at him, connected with the top of his right cheek, and Yosuke rushed forward, enraged, couldn't stand to see him hit Souji. He tried to grab his hair but was evaded, felt Matsubara's fist connect with his ribs, and then brought his knee up reflexively. It connected; Matsubara gasped in pain and Souji pinned him to the wall, much like he had with Mori, but this time he was holding Matsubara's throat to the wall with his bare hand. Matsubara spit blood at Yosuke and Souji let go of his throat just long enough to slam his head back against the wall. Yosuke had a brief, terrifying thought that Souji might actually kill him, but he stopped there, holding him there and waiting.
"Why do you hate me so much?"
"Why do you hate me so much?" Matsubara was mocking him, mimicking him. "Because you make me sick. Because you're a fucking bitch. All you do is whine about shit and complain about shit and wonder why nobody likes you. Why the fuck do you think nobody likes you? You're annoying as shit. Your voice just grates on and on, you can't take a hint when somebody doesn't want to hear you anymore, sometimes it's like you talk just to hear yourself talk. You hit on girls even when they're disgusted with you just so you can prove to yourself that you want to hit on girls, but you don't, and fucking everybody knows it except you, which is fucking sad. You still trying that shit at the new school? They all hate you yet? You ever manage to get your dick into any of them? No, right? Let me tell you why: because you're a fucking fag, Hanamura, they smell it on you, the scent of a cocksucking whore, and nobody wants you. Not the girls, not even Seta, do you even like yourself?"
"I'm only letting you talk now because I'm not sure you'll be able to when we leave."
"Is that supposed to scare me? Are you trying to sound tough? It's like a little kid with a plastic gun who thinks he's invincible. I'm supposed to be afraid of the guy who took a train in a fucking urinal to have someone to sit with at lunch?"
Yosuke wondered if he would ever be able to look Souji in the eye again. Probably not. Maybe he should just run after this, away from all of it, just give up. Souji still had Matsubara against the wall, Matsubara's hands clawing at his fingers now. He was still breathing but it was clearly a great effort to do so with the pressure Souji was putting against his windpipe.
"You going to kill me, Seta?"
"I'd like to."
"Sorry to find out Hanamura isn't what you thought he was?"
"I haven't heard anything about Yosuke. I've heard a lot about you being a sick fuck, but I haven't heard anything against him. Give up. There is nothing you can say or do that will change anything between us."
"You're as stupid as he is."
"You don't understand it, do you? Why I feel that way? I feel sorry for you. Nobody has ever felt that way for you and nobody ever will. Leave Yosuke alone. You can't touch him."
"Ahh... already did a lot of that--"
Yosuke slammed against him, his fist striking just above Matsubara's waist, and Matsubara slumped forward, wheezing.
"Alright. Alright, fine. You want me to leave Hanamura alone? Fine. You like pounding his ass enough to put up with his bullshit, that's your problem. But I'm not the only one who has that shit online. The whole fucking world has that shit, because of him. I didn't start it. He started it."
"Partner, let's go."
Souji shook his head. "I just have one more thing to say to him."
"I'm all ears, Seta."
"If I could, I would kill you for what you did to him. Right here. With my bare hands. But I can't do that. I'm not going to let you turn me into someone who can do that. I'm not going to let you say that Yosuke or I are responsible for anything you did. The only person who's responsible for what you did is you. So you're going to walk away and we're going to leave and you're going to think that you got away with it, but really, you haven't. Yosuke knows what you are. I know what you are. Sooner or later, the truth has a funny way of coming out, and you won't get away with it then."
He released Matsubara's throat and Matsubara crumpled to the ground on his hands and knees, gasping for breath. Souji turned to leave and Yosuke turned to follow him, then thought better of it, turned back, took a couple of bills from his wallet, and threw them at Matsubara's head.
"I don't owe you anything, you son of a bitch."
This time, as they left, Yosuke didn't look back.
---
They paid for deluxe seats on the train on the way home, blowing a hole in their finances but well worth it for the plush cushions and the extra room. Souji's cheek was forming a nasty bruise where he had been hit and Yosuke created a makeshift ice pack from a pack of tissues and a cup of ice from the beverage cart. Halfway home, Souji shook his head at it, resigned to the fate of having a visible injury for a while.
"What he said... is it true?"
Yosuke nodded.
Souji tilted his head back against the seat and covered his eyes with his hand.
Yosuke nodded, feeling queasy, wanting to get off the train. He still hadn't been able to look at Souji properly since they'd left.
"If I asked you to hold me, right now, would you?"
"Yes."
"Is that what you want?"
"Yes."
"But you won't ask me, will you?"
"No."
"Can I see your hand?"
Yosuke dropped his hand into Souji's expectant one. Souji turned it over and carefully traced I-<3-U into his skin with thumb.
"Just so you know. In case you forgot."
Yosuke curled his hand in on itself as though he could preserve Souji's touch forever and then carefully, carefully scooted close enough to lay his head on Souji's shoulder.
---
"Yosuke! YOSUKEEE!!! SENSEIII!!! You guys are horrible! You have Sundays off and you went somewhere and you didn't see if I wanted to go even though it was my day off too and I played with Nana-chan instead which was good because I love Nana-chan but you could have at least ASKED!"
Yosuke suppressed a snort of laughter. Teddie was so genuinely offended that it was hard not to smile - and promptly promise never to repeat the same mistake again.
"Sensei... what happened to your face?"
"Ahh... I had an accident. It's okay, though."
"Nothing can defeat Sensei!"
"What about me?"
"I don't see anything on YOUR face."
"Well, I see something on yours. Oh, never mind. It's just your actual face."
Souji almost choked. Yosuke started to laugh, couldn't stop, and it was the best thing he had felt in a long time. When Souji left for home he went upstairs, went to his computer, and wiped his hard drive, deleted everything. None of it mattered anymore. Nothing on it was irreplaceable. Souji, his friends, even Teddie, annoying little creep that he was... they were a different story.
---
Seta Souji Apr 22, 2012 20:19 PM hey partner Hey. i miss u Want me to come over? nah my parents would be pissed i just wanted to tell u It'll be easier next year. u still think i can get into college w/ u?! lol I know you can. u better start tutoring me yesterday then I already have been! You keep ignoring my math tips. dude who even gets ur weird jokes I [<3132, 7245, 7893] you. OH COME ON
Thread 91/91 FINAL
anonymous
April 22 2012, 23:19:02 UTC
---
He met Souji on the way to school the next morning, just where the road split, and the smile came almost as easily as it had used to.
"Hey."
"Hey. Souji... about that stuff yesterday..."
"You don't have to talk about it."
"It's not that. I mean, yeah, it kinda is, but... I don't want to... do that right now, I guess? I don't even want to think about it, and if I know you're thinking about it, then I kind of have to think about it, so..."
"I understand."
"But I get it if you think I'm kind of... you know..."
Souji glanced around, made sure nobody was watching, and then pulled Yosuke behind a tree with him, and kissed him once, softly.
"Partner..."
"Mm?"
"As far as bruises go, that one's pretty sexy."
Souji laughed and Yosuke leaned into him as they started walking again. Everyone would forget eventually - they always did. Until then, he had Souji, he had his friends... and maybe it would be okay. Maybe everybody had something they didn't want to remember, maybe everybody fucked up, made a mess of things at some point, and over time it all evaporated, turned from something that could drown you into something you couldn't see at all.
Souji nudged him and Yosuke smiled.
[SCREAMS I CAN'T BELIEVE I FINISHED WRITING THIS. thank you so much for reading this monstrosity. i am so sorry to the op that got saddled with me SKHAFKASJFHKSFing all over their prompt, and i am so sorry about the lousy ending and i am so sorry in general about this fic's existence, but THANK YOU all the same.]
Re: Thread 91/91 FINAL
anonymous
April 22 2012, 23:53:32 UTC
Except it wasn't lousy and don't ever apologize because this fic is and was beautiful and a very emotional, well-written, well-thought-out story. I've been following this from the first update or two and I'm actually kind of sad that it's ended even though it's ended so wonderfully. Man I can't even put into words how much I loved it and how many times I cried. I'm tearing up again now
It's beautiful and you're beautiful too, OP. Congrats on finishing and please do let us know if and when you're going to put this fic up outside LJ.
skdhskdg GOD thank you so much. i'm glad you liked it. i cried like 57932874 times writing it but i cry at everything including the final scene in home alone so i consider myself a terrible barometer...
i haven't tried my coding in ao3 but that will be my next project!! ♥
Re: Thread 91/91 FINAL
anonymous
April 23 2012, 02:08:16 UTC
Oh... my gosh? This fic gave me so many feelings, my god. It's actually really difficult to type coherently right now, but I'll try!
I LOVE how you not only kept the theme of the request, but enhanced it. You brought out his deepest fears, ones that were actually mentioned in-game, even. His vulnerability in front of his computer, how he thought it was safe and okay... just. It seemed so real. His family problems and so, so susceptible to peer pressure. Ah, such as a teenager's life.
Then began the emotional roller coaster! Things got horrible, then it seemed to be getting better but then all hell breaks loose. Ugh, the EMOTIONS this made me feel!! The tears and hopeful moments and SOUJI and his FRIENDS ahhh. Him wanting to keep it a secret from Souji dkfjdskflj it was all too real and so perfect
Oops long comment! ah well I just really hope you keep on keeping on, and let us know if this is going to be posted elsewhere?? And THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WRITING THIS.
fff thank YOU anon. yosuke is very relatable for me :') (and 90% of teenagers honestly) even as i was writing i was thinking YOSUKE NO DON'T DO THAT NO but then... !!
if this goes anywhere else i will drop a link. ugh best anons, you guys. ♥
Re: Thread 91/91 FINAL
anonymous
April 23 2012, 02:33:11 UTC
FUCK FUCK FUCK THIS FIC MAN THIS FUCKING FIC
okay now that i've got that out i just want to say that i've been following this thing since like 70 or something and i kept anxiously awaiting updates and wow like this fic was literally perfect and everything i've ever wanted out of a souji/yosuke fic
your characterizations were perfect, the storyline was fantastic, and this fic just made me feel SO MANY THINGS. I love the ending, i love how you wrapped up everything and i just i really want to draw stuff for this fic omg
just, thank you so so much for writing this fic, thank you for keeping up with it, and thank you so much for just putting out such an amazing piece of work. this was just such a good fic i love it so much aaahhh <33
Re: Thread 91/91 FINAL
anonymous
April 23 2012, 03:19:31 UTC
screams and dies of feelings!!!!!
man thank you anon for writing this fic, every time it's updated it's brought a bit of schadenfreude-joy into my life. other gushings and joys here. no sorries, it was quite great.
Re: Thread 91/91 FINAL
anonymous
April 23 2012, 04:24:23 UTC
Thank you so much for writing this, authornon ♥
It was amazing, and I loved it, and it made me have more feels for Yosuke (Souji, too, but Yosuke more) than I could handle ;A; I love your characterization of the two (loveddd your interpretation of Souji). You made them so adorable and believable and I just know I'll reread this fic sometime and my heart'll squeeze from their asdfgf[neog,iaelk-ness all over again~
Thank you again!
Would love to read more smut you've written of them hehhehheh
They stood on the train platform together and watched the city move. It was early enough to still be slightly chilly and Yosuke shoved his hands into his pockets, pulling his jacket tighter around his body. What the hell were they even doing here? He hated this place - everything it reminded him of. He didn't think he'd ever come back here again, after this. He glanced over at Souji, who was looking straight ahead into the bustling mass of people as though he could see right through all of them. Maybe he could. Yosuke wasn't sure about him sometimes.
He knew it was up to him to lead and he did, weaving through crowds and down streets, and Souji followed him, easily keeping pace with him, not saying a word. Yosuke wasn't sure if he would have been able to respond if he had. He had never really been in a fight before - most of his fighting experience had come from other people beating the crap out of him or watching them beat the crap out of someone else - but this time he felt as though he had something to fight for.
A few blocks before reaching their destination, Yosuke sighed and veered into a coffee shop, took a seat by the window and waited for Souji to sit down across from him.
"This is really sort of insane, partner."
"Probably. But that's why it will work. He doesn't expect us to do anything about it."
"I'm not really used to doing anything about it."
"Which is why it's even more important that we do."
"What?"
"I know you're not used to fighting back when someone hurts you. You try to ignore it. You try to pretend it's not happening, or you try to forget about it, or you try to push it down so far that it can't hurt you anymore. But in the end, that just hurts you more. They think they can treat you terribly and nothing will happen. You think you deserve to be treated that way."
Yosuke said nothing and Souji continued.
"But you don't. You're not going to let anyone do that to you anymore. I know this scares you. It scares me too. I don't know who this guy is, and clearly, you don't really know who he is, either. I don't even know if we can win. But even if we don't, you will have stood in front of him and looked him in the eye and told him that you're not just going to take it. You have a lot of strength in you, Yosuke. You found it for me. You just need to find it for yourself."
Yosuke stared at him for a brief moment and then slid his hand across the table, palm up, just as Souji had done on the train. Souji covered it with his own and Yosuke didn't pull away.
---
Matsubara was right where Yosuke had expected to find him, crouched in the aisle of a rickety old comic shop, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth and some weird manga anthology in his hand. Yosuke didn't look too closely at it. Matsubara's taste was bizarre on good days and sadistic on others. The whole place smelled damp, like a mixture of mold and old socks, and Yosuke had never not wanted to be anywhere as badly as he did not want to be there. Souji crossed the store and approached him from the other end of the aisle, blocking him in, and when Matsubara finally stood up and noticed their presence, his face registered no surprise, only amusement.
"You've got balls, Hanamura. Well, not that we didn't know that already. The whole world knows all about your balls now, don't they?"
"You set me up."
"You set yourself up with those nice pictures. Oh, who are you? You must be Seta. You like giving it to him up the ass enough to come all the way out here, huh? He holding out on you now? I'll give you some advice. Ignore him. Stop paying attention to him long enough and he'll do anything you want--"
Souji took a step toward him and Matsubara laughed.
"Going to try to beat the shit out of me in a bookstore? Mess up that poor old man's inventory? Man, Hanamura, you really know how to pick them. Is he the strong, silent type? Nice big cock for you to drool all over?"
Yosuke bit the inside of his cheek.
"He's right, partner. Maybe we should do this outside."
Reply
"What the fuck do you want, Matsubara?"
"I already got what I wanted."
"What was that?"
"Mori told me all about it, how you almost cried, how you would do anything so that he wouldn't find out what a bitch you are, how fucking delicious it was when you were choking on his cock - although really, someone with your history should have done a much better job. I was a little disappointed in that part. Losing your touch?"
"Shut the fuck up."
"Oh, sorry, I forgot, can't say those kinds of things in front of Seta... oh shit, he doesn't know, does he? He has no fucking clue! Oh shit, this is too rich. Hey, Seta, you want to know how Hanamura got anyone to be friends with him? Damn, for a while, he was making friends every time he opened his mouth--"
And then Matsubara stopped talking, blood rushing from his nose, and it wasn't until Yosuke reeled back that he realized it was because of him, that he had lunged forward and hit him so hard that he was spitting one of his teeth onto the ground... and still Matsubara was laughing, this funny, low, gurgly laugh, his mouth still full of blood.
"You're gonna have to pay for that, bitch, but honestly, I never thought you could actually hit. I'm going to knock those fucking glasses right off your face. Seta, you ever rough him up a little? He'd let you, no question, he'd look real pretty too, all covered in bruises. You ever try it?"
Souji was beside him in an instant, tried to land another blow on Matsubara's face but missed and caught air instead. Matsubara threw a punch at him, connected with the top of his right cheek, and Yosuke rushed forward, enraged, couldn't stand to see him hit Souji. He tried to grab his hair but was evaded, felt Matsubara's fist connect with his ribs, and then brought his knee up reflexively. It connected; Matsubara gasped in pain and Souji pinned him to the wall, much like he had with Mori, but this time he was holding Matsubara's throat to the wall with his bare hand. Matsubara spit blood at Yosuke and Souji let go of his throat just long enough to slam his head back against the wall. Yosuke had a brief, terrifying thought that Souji might actually kill him, but he stopped there, holding him there and waiting.
"Why do you hate me so much?"
"Why do you hate me so much?" Matsubara was mocking him, mimicking him. "Because you make me sick. Because you're a fucking bitch. All you do is whine about shit and complain about shit and wonder why nobody likes you. Why the fuck do you think nobody likes you? You're annoying as shit. Your voice just grates on and on, you can't take a hint when somebody doesn't want to hear you anymore, sometimes it's like you talk just to hear yourself talk. You hit on girls even when they're disgusted with you just so you can prove to yourself that you want to hit on girls, but you don't, and fucking everybody knows it except you, which is fucking sad. You still trying that shit at the new school? They all hate you yet? You ever manage to get your dick into any of them? No, right? Let me tell you why: because you're a fucking fag, Hanamura, they smell it on you, the scent of a cocksucking whore, and nobody wants you. Not the girls, not even Seta, do you even like yourself?"
Reply
"Is that supposed to scare me? Are you trying to sound tough? It's like a little kid with a plastic gun who thinks he's invincible. I'm supposed to be afraid of the guy who took a train in a fucking urinal to have someone to sit with at lunch?"
Yosuke wondered if he would ever be able to look Souji in the eye again. Probably not. Maybe he should just run after this, away from all of it, just give up. Souji still had Matsubara against the wall, Matsubara's hands clawing at his fingers now. He was still breathing but it was clearly a great effort to do so with the pressure Souji was putting against his windpipe.
"You going to kill me, Seta?"
"I'd like to."
"Sorry to find out Hanamura isn't what you thought he was?"
"I haven't heard anything about Yosuke. I've heard a lot about you being a sick fuck, but I haven't heard anything against him. Give up. There is nothing you can say or do that will change anything between us."
"You're as stupid as he is."
"You don't understand it, do you? Why I feel that way? I feel sorry for you. Nobody has ever felt that way for you and nobody ever will. Leave Yosuke alone. You can't touch him."
"Ahh... already did a lot of that--"
Yosuke slammed against him, his fist striking just above Matsubara's waist, and Matsubara slumped forward, wheezing.
"Alright. Alright, fine. You want me to leave Hanamura alone? Fine. You like pounding his ass enough to put up with his bullshit, that's your problem. But I'm not the only one who has that shit online. The whole fucking world has that shit, because of him. I didn't start it. He started it."
"Partner, let's go."
Souji shook his head. "I just have one more thing to say to him."
"I'm all ears, Seta."
"If I could, I would kill you for what you did to him. Right here. With my bare hands. But I can't do that. I'm not going to let you turn me into someone who can do that. I'm not going to let you say that Yosuke or I are responsible for anything you did. The only person who's responsible for what you did is you. So you're going to walk away and we're going to leave and you're going to think that you got away with it, but really, you haven't. Yosuke knows what you are. I know what you are. Sooner or later, the truth has a funny way of coming out, and you won't get away with it then."
He released Matsubara's throat and Matsubara crumpled to the ground on his hands and knees, gasping for breath. Souji turned to leave and Yosuke turned to follow him, then thought better of it, turned back, took a couple of bills from his wallet, and threw them at Matsubara's head.
"I don't owe you anything, you son of a bitch."
This time, as they left, Yosuke didn't look back.
---
They paid for deluxe seats on the train on the way home, blowing a hole in their finances but well worth it for the plush cushions and the extra room. Souji's cheek was forming a nasty bruise where he had been hit and Yosuke created a makeshift ice pack from a pack of tissues and a cup of ice from the beverage cart. Halfway home, Souji shook his head at it, resigned to the fate of having a visible injury for a while.
"What he said... is it true?"
Yosuke nodded.
Souji tilted his head back against the seat and covered his eyes with his hand.
"I'm sorry."
Souji swallowed hard and shook his head.
"That's what he should be saying. Not you."
"He'll never say it."
"Then don't say it for him."
Reply
"If I asked you to hold me, right now, would you?"
"Yes."
"Is that what you want?"
"Yes."
"But you won't ask me, will you?"
"No."
"Can I see your hand?"
Yosuke dropped his hand into Souji's expectant one. Souji turned it over and carefully traced I-<3-U into his skin with thumb.
"Just so you know. In case you forgot."
Yosuke curled his hand in on itself as though he could preserve Souji's touch forever and then carefully, carefully scooted close enough to lay his head on Souji's shoulder.
---
"Yosuke! YOSUKEEE!!! SENSEIII!!! You guys are horrible! You have Sundays off and you went somewhere and you didn't see if I wanted to go even though it was my day off too and I played with Nana-chan instead which was good because I love Nana-chan but you could have at least ASKED!"
Yosuke suppressed a snort of laughter. Teddie was so genuinely offended that it was hard not to smile - and promptly promise never to repeat the same mistake again.
"Sensei... what happened to your face?"
"Ahh... I had an accident. It's okay, though."
"Nothing can defeat Sensei!"
"What about me?"
"I don't see anything on YOUR face."
"Well, I see something on yours. Oh, never mind. It's just your actual face."
"You're REALLY BEARY HORRIBLE! Sensei, isn't Yosuke horrible?"
"Only sometimes."
"Can I ask you something else?"
"Sure."
"Can I marry Nana-chan when she grows up?"
Souji almost choked. Yosuke started to laugh, couldn't stop, and it was the best thing he had felt in a long time. When Souji left for home he went upstairs, went to his computer, and wiped his hard drive, deleted everything. None of it mattered anymore. Nothing on it was irreplaceable. Souji, his friends, even Teddie, annoying little creep that he was... they were a different story.
---
Seta Souji
Apr 22, 2012 20:19 PM
hey partner
Hey.
i miss u
Want me to come over?
nah my parents would be pissed
i just wanted to tell u
It'll be easier next year.
u still think i can get into college w/ u?! lol
I know you can.
u better start tutoring me yesterday then
I already have been!
You keep ignoring my math tips.
dude
who even gets ur weird jokes
I [<3132, 7245, 7893] you.
OH COME ON
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He met Souji on the way to school the next morning, just where the road split, and the smile came almost as easily as it had used to.
"Hey."
"Hey. Souji... about that stuff yesterday..."
"You don't have to talk about it."
"It's not that. I mean, yeah, it kinda is, but... I don't want to... do that right now, I guess? I don't even want to think about it, and if I know you're thinking about it, then I kind of have to think about it, so..."
"I understand."
"But I get it if you think I'm kind of... you know..."
Souji glanced around, made sure nobody was watching, and then pulled Yosuke behind a tree with him, and kissed him once, softly.
"Partner..."
"Mm?"
"As far as bruises go, that one's pretty sexy."
Souji laughed and Yosuke leaned into him as they started walking again. Everyone would forget eventually - they always did. Until then, he had Souji, he had his friends... and maybe it would be okay. Maybe everybody had something they didn't want to remember, maybe everybody fucked up, made a mess of things at some point, and over time it all evaporated, turned from something that could drown you into something you couldn't see at all.
Souji nudged him and Yosuke smiled.
[SCREAMS I CAN'T BELIEVE I FINISHED WRITING THIS. thank you so much for reading this monstrosity. i am so sorry to the op that got saddled with me SKHAFKASJFHKSFing all over their prompt, and i am so sorry about the lousy ending and i am so sorry in general about this fic's existence, but THANK YOU all the same.]
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It's beautiful and you're beautiful too, OP. Congrats on finishing and please do let us know if and when you're going to put this fic up outside LJ.
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i haven't tried my coding in ao3 but that will be my next project!! ♥
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I LOVE how you not only kept the theme of the request, but enhanced it. You brought out his deepest fears, ones that were actually mentioned in-game, even. His vulnerability in front of his computer, how he thought it was safe and okay... just. It seemed so real. His family problems and so, so susceptible to peer pressure. Ah, such as a teenager's life.
Then began the emotional roller coaster! Things got horrible, then it seemed to be getting better but then all hell breaks loose. Ugh, the EMOTIONS this made me feel!! The tears and hopeful moments and SOUJI and his FRIENDS ahhh. Him wanting to keep it a secret from Souji dkfjdskflj it was all too real and so perfect
Oops long comment! ah well I just really hope you keep on keeping on, and let us know if this is going to be posted elsewhere?? And THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WRITING THIS.
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if this goes anywhere else i will drop a link. ugh best anons, you guys. ♥
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FUCK
FUCK
THIS FIC MAN
THIS FUCKING FIC
okay now that i've got that out i just want to say that i've been following this thing since like 70 or something and i kept anxiously awaiting updates and wow like this fic was literally perfect and everything i've ever wanted out of a souji/yosuke fic
your characterizations were perfect, the storyline was fantastic, and this fic just made me feel SO MANY THINGS. I love the ending, i love how you wrapped up everything and i just
i really want to draw stuff for this fic omg
just, thank you so so much for writing this fic, thank you for keeping up with it, and thank you so much for just putting out such an amazing piece of work. this was just such a good fic i love it so much aaahhh <33
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i just. i really hate every ending i write but especially this one so i'm like beside myself that people DON'T hate it...
honestly i am not sure what i will do with myself now that i do not have yosuke to torture on a weekly basis.
just. thank you for reading this, seriously.
OH and if you do draw anything please link me as i will quietly (or not quietly) treasure it and hoard it like a squirrel with an acorn!!
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man thank you anon for writing this fic, every time it's updated it's brought a bit of schadenfreude-joy into my life. other gushings and joys here. no sorries, it was quite great.
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It was amazing, and I loved it, and it made me have more feels for Yosuke (Souji, too, but Yosuke more) than I could handle ;A; I love your characterization of the two (loveddd your interpretation of Souji). You made them so adorable and believable and I just know I'll reread this fic sometime and my heart'll squeeze from their asdfgf[neog,iaelk-ness all over again~
Thank you again!
Would love to read more smut you've written of them hehhehheh
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