[Persona 4] Partners
Title: Partners
Fandom: Persona 4
Author: inksmears
Characters/Pairings: Youske, Souji
Genre: Friendship/Angst
Rating: PG
Prompt: Based on this image.
Author's Notes: N/A
It felt like someone had dumped a bucket of cold ice water over their heads. It was the only thing Yosuke could think of to describe that absolutely awful sensation when he saw the scene inside Nanako's hospital room. The complete silence, the stillness and the slow dawning realization that yes she's really dead was a feeling he never wanted to face ever again. Once was enough but now to feel it all again made him want to hit something. He couldn't do anything but swear in rage, listening to Chie and Yukiko sob followed shortly by Rise's crying outside. But it was the sight of Souji that made Yosuke most upset. He had never seen Souji cry or look so defeated before in all the time he had known him.
Yet there he was, looking more broken than Yosuke had seen anyone look before. But who could blame him at a time like this? Yosuke watched him kneeling by Nanako's bedside, head bowed and hands still clenched tightly around Nanako's smaller ones. He was silent and still but Yosuke had seen the tears before he had hid his face. Chie and Yukiko filed out and one of the nurses attempted to console Souji. He watched her speak quietly to him, patting his shoulder and his hands. When there was no response she gave him one last sympathetic look and shuffled out after the others.
Yosuke took a deep breath. He was boiling with anger but he suppressed it. It was difficult but suddenly he was filled with a sense of duty. Souji needed someone else to be the leader right now and Yosuke had always thought of himself as second in command. Even if that was self-appointed. He crossed the room in silence, peering sorrowfully at Nanako's lifeless form and Souji's equally still form right beside her.
He reached down and touched Souji's hands lightly. "Hey..."
No response. He frowned and carefully pried at Souji's fingers. They moved with surprising ease and abruptly Souji slumped backwards. He sat down heavily on the ground, head still bowed forward. Yosuke took a step back and knelt beside him. In all honesty he felt at a complete loss, second in command or not. Strong, confident, dependable, and near perfect Souji looking so broken rattled Yosuke in a way that felt somehow worse than his current sorrow over Nanako. It was alarming and made him wonder that if Souji couldn't pull it together then what about everyone else? Selfishly he thought, what about him? He wasn't as strong as Souji. If Souji wasn't okay he wouldn't be either.
He placed a tentative hand on Souji's shoulder and discovered he was shaking. "Souji..."
"I can't do this anymore," Souji said weakly. He lifted a hand to his face and pressed his palm over his eyes. "This is too much."
I guess there are things even you can't handle after all, huh? "I know," Yosuke agreed quietly. "But you can't just..."
"I'm done." This time his tone was cold, angry. Yet still mostly grief-stricken. "No more. You and the others do what you want but I'm not part of it anymore."
Now Yosuke felt more rattled than previously. Without Souji there would be no more investigation team. And Yosuke wasn't ready to let that happen. His grip tightened on Souji's shoulder. "No way. To come this far only to quit... that's not happening. I'm not letting you do that."
"Stop," Souji snapped and finally lifted his head to glare into his friend's face. There were angry tears in his eyes and tear stains on his cheeks. It was an expression Yosuke would never forget if only for the incredible sadness it made him feel. "This isn't a stupid game anymore, Yosuke. Nanako is dead. Do you understand? Dead because of me."
Yosuke felt his suppressed rage start to surface though now he aimed it at Souji. He gripped both Souji's shoulders firmly, holding his gaze. He felt suddenly confident. Here was his chance to be there for Souji. After everything Souji had done for him and his own grief Yosuke finally had a chance to give that comfort back. No, more than that. He could prove that Souji had given him confidence and strength he was sure he never had before.
"Listen," He said sternly. "It's no one's fault but that bastard Namatame. It happened because of him. All of it, everything..." Yosuke took in a sharp breath when his blood began to boil. He had to remain calm. "So are you really just going to give up here? Let this whole thing go just like that?"
The anger in Souji seemed to have burned out just as quickly as it had come. He gave Yosuke a pitiful look and shook his head. "I can't..." He said weakly. "I can't be responsible for anymore deaths. I can't..."
"You can," Yosuke reassures him and he sounds as confident as he can. He believes it so it isn't hard to do so. "And stop saying that like it's only your burden to bear. We're a team, remember? We make decisions together and if something goes wrong, we all take the fall as one. That's what it means to be a team. You're the one who taught me that so don't just quit on me now. Maybe this is selfish of me but if you give up then so will I. And I don't want to give up. So I need you to keep going too."
Souji blinked bleary eyes at him, staring at him for a long time. Yosuke held his gaze for as long as the silence lasted. Finally Souji looked away, averting his eyes to the cold linoleum floor beneath them.
"Yeah," He finally said quietly."... Yeah... I just..."
Yosuke cocked his head as Souji shook his. "You're right. I can't let it end here."
He watched his partner rub his eyes against his sleeves and draw in a deep breath. When he exhaled he looked back up at Yosuke. His face seemed more normal, eyes returning to their more familiar gaze of confidence and determination. He smiled faintly, so faint Yosuke almost didn't catch it.
"Thank you," He said and his voice was still soft but no longer so defeated.
Despite everything Yosuke grinned and slung his arm around his friend's shoulders. "You don't need to. I don't say 'partner' for nothing, you know. The word means something. It means we've got each others backs."
Souji chuckled wearily. "You're so sappy sometimes, Yosuke."
"Pot calling the kettle black, dude."
Souji chuckled again and they both climbed to their feet to rejoin the others outside. Things were definitely not okay, Yosuke decided, but at this rate they could be someday.
Fandom: Persona 4
Author: inksmears
Characters/Pairings: Youske, Souji
Genre: Friendship/Angst
Rating: PG
Prompt: Based on this image.
Author's Notes: N/A
It felt like someone had dumped a bucket of cold ice water over their heads. It was the only thing Yosuke could think of to describe that absolutely awful sensation when he saw the scene inside Nanako's hospital room. The complete silence, the stillness and the slow dawning realization that yes she's really dead was a feeling he never wanted to face ever again. Once was enough but now to feel it all again made him want to hit something. He couldn't do anything but swear in rage, listening to Chie and Yukiko sob followed shortly by Rise's crying outside. But it was the sight of Souji that made Yosuke most upset. He had never seen Souji cry or look so defeated before in all the time he had known him.
Yet there he was, looking more broken than Yosuke had seen anyone look before. But who could blame him at a time like this? Yosuke watched him kneeling by Nanako's bedside, head bowed and hands still clenched tightly around Nanako's smaller ones. He was silent and still but Yosuke had seen the tears before he had hid his face. Chie and Yukiko filed out and one of the nurses attempted to console Souji. He watched her speak quietly to him, patting his shoulder and his hands. When there was no response she gave him one last sympathetic look and shuffled out after the others.
Yosuke took a deep breath. He was boiling with anger but he suppressed it. It was difficult but suddenly he was filled with a sense of duty. Souji needed someone else to be the leader right now and Yosuke had always thought of himself as second in command. Even if that was self-appointed. He crossed the room in silence, peering sorrowfully at Nanako's lifeless form and Souji's equally still form right beside her.
He reached down and touched Souji's hands lightly. "Hey..."
No response. He frowned and carefully pried at Souji's fingers. They moved with surprising ease and abruptly Souji slumped backwards. He sat down heavily on the ground, head still bowed forward. Yosuke took a step back and knelt beside him. In all honesty he felt at a complete loss, second in command or not. Strong, confident, dependable, and near perfect Souji looking so broken rattled Yosuke in a way that felt somehow worse than his current sorrow over Nanako. It was alarming and made him wonder that if Souji couldn't pull it together then what about everyone else? Selfishly he thought, what about him? He wasn't as strong as Souji. If Souji wasn't okay he wouldn't be either.
He placed a tentative hand on Souji's shoulder and discovered he was shaking. "Souji..."
"I can't do this anymore," Souji said weakly. He lifted a hand to his face and pressed his palm over his eyes. "This is too much."
I guess there are things even you can't handle after all, huh? "I know," Yosuke agreed quietly. "But you can't just..."
"I'm done." This time his tone was cold, angry. Yet still mostly grief-stricken. "No more. You and the others do what you want but I'm not part of it anymore."
Now Yosuke felt more rattled than previously. Without Souji there would be no more investigation team. And Yosuke wasn't ready to let that happen. His grip tightened on Souji's shoulder. "No way. To come this far only to quit... that's not happening. I'm not letting you do that."
"Stop," Souji snapped and finally lifted his head to glare into his friend's face. There were angry tears in his eyes and tear stains on his cheeks. It was an expression Yosuke would never forget if only for the incredible sadness it made him feel. "This isn't a stupid game anymore, Yosuke. Nanako is dead. Do you understand? Dead because of me."
Yosuke felt his suppressed rage start to surface though now he aimed it at Souji. He gripped both Souji's shoulders firmly, holding his gaze. He felt suddenly confident. Here was his chance to be there for Souji. After everything Souji had done for him and his own grief Yosuke finally had a chance to give that comfort back. No, more than that. He could prove that Souji had given him confidence and strength he was sure he never had before.
"Listen," He said sternly. "It's no one's fault but that bastard Namatame. It happened because of him. All of it, everything..." Yosuke took in a sharp breath when his blood began to boil. He had to remain calm. "So are you really just going to give up here? Let this whole thing go just like that?"
The anger in Souji seemed to have burned out just as quickly as it had come. He gave Yosuke a pitiful look and shook his head. "I can't..." He said weakly. "I can't be responsible for anymore deaths. I can't..."
"You can," Yosuke reassures him and he sounds as confident as he can. He believes it so it isn't hard to do so. "And stop saying that like it's only your burden to bear. We're a team, remember? We make decisions together and if something goes wrong, we all take the fall as one. That's what it means to be a team. You're the one who taught me that so don't just quit on me now. Maybe this is selfish of me but if you give up then so will I. And I don't want to give up. So I need you to keep going too."
Souji blinked bleary eyes at him, staring at him for a long time. Yosuke held his gaze for as long as the silence lasted. Finally Souji looked away, averting his eyes to the cold linoleum floor beneath them.
"Yeah," He finally said quietly."... Yeah... I just..."
Yosuke cocked his head as Souji shook his. "You're right. I can't let it end here."
He watched his partner rub his eyes against his sleeves and draw in a deep breath. When he exhaled he looked back up at Yosuke. His face seemed more normal, eyes returning to their more familiar gaze of confidence and determination. He smiled faintly, so faint Yosuke almost didn't catch it.
"Thank you," He said and his voice was still soft but no longer so defeated.
Despite everything Yosuke grinned and slung his arm around his friend's shoulders. "You don't need to. I don't say 'partner' for nothing, you know. The word means something. It means we've got each others backs."
Souji chuckled wearily. "You're so sappy sometimes, Yosuke."
"Pot calling the kettle black, dude."
Souji chuckled again and they both climbed to their feet to rejoin the others outside. Things were definitely not okay, Yosuke decided, but at this rate they could be someday.