[IC] Inbox @ cerealia

[youraffection]

yosuke hanamura

video • voice • text ❝ You've reached Yosuke! You know what to do. ❞ [ BEEP! ] action [ Available at his apartment, working, or otherwise. ]

( original code by whaleparties )

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7/8 morning action

[pseudonyms]

[While the ViViD level the day before was kind of a huge embarrassment for everyone involved, it was at least relatively painless and they were able to rescue their friends from the game and log out safely. It was a good idea to stick together at any rate, but that doesn't mean that when she first woke up she didn't initially forget Yosuke was sleeping on the couch.

Truthfully, she needed to get used to sensing him again. It had been some time since he disappeared, and though she doesn't know why he and Teddie arrived when Chie disappeared she knows better than to question too much. So instead of questioning, she gets up. She gets up and she heads for the main area of the apartment. Yu seemed to have left already, but it was a little later in the day. That didn't surprise her.

It takes a short amount of time, but sooner or later Yosuke may wake up to the scent of coffee very close to him. You know. Probably because Rise's perched on the arm of the couch above his head with two mugs in her hand and still in her pajamas. Her hair's pulled back into a singular messy ponytail but she's definitely wide awake as she nudges Yosuke's head with her foot.]

Yosuke-senpai...[She frowns lightly, dropping her voice to sound just a little more whiny but not too much. (There was a fine line between being annoying and pretending to be disappointed.)] Wake up already.

[youraffection]

[ What a weird frickin' day.

Emotionally exhausting is definitely one way to describe it, and for all the info he'd been dumped by the Powers That Be, Yosuke had been very grateful that his friends let them crash at their place. It's not a familiar area, but they are familiar, and that's a comfort he thinks he can afford right about now. Exploring the futuristic city and wondering what the hell is really going on can come after a good sleep.

Or, you know, mid-morning coma, as he seems to be practicing. Yosuke's used to waking up early for school or work, but he's not a morning person by nature. If given the opportunity, he loves being able to sleep in. And after yesterday? He thinks he's deserved it. It usually takes him a while to fall asleep, but last night he'd knocked out pretty quickly and apparently slept through other people getting up and leaving for the day.

He doesn't wake up at the smell of coffee, though his nose twitches at the scent. Instead, coffee gets incorporated in his dreams. A giant cup of coffee that was named after him, likely related to that awful drink from ViViD. Ugh. His eyebrows scrunch together as his dream self struggles to get out of the large cup--

--and then something pushes against his head. A giant spoon to stir in sug--

--no, it's really happening. Yosuke gives a low groan as he pulls in on himself, wearing a frown as his eyes slowly peel open. ]

Mm...

[ He blinks a few times and, really, can anyone feel grumpy when they wake up looking up at Rise Kujikawa? His frown smooths out quickly as he rubs his eyes. ]

What time 's it? [ He asks around a yawn. ]

[pseudonyms]

[Aw, that's much better! She gives him a playful smile and scoots back just a bit so he can see her better and also as a subtle message that he should probably sit up soon.]

Let's just say it's late enough in the day that everyone else is already out. You were knocked out for a while. [She looks down at the coffee in her hands then, a puzzled look flickering across her features briefly.] You like coffee right?

[youraffection]

[ He gets the message pretty easily. He continues to rub his eyes with the heel of his hand as he pushes himself upwards. He even makes sure that he scoots a little further down on the couch if she wants to take a proper seat on the cushions rather than balancing on the arm, although he doesn't mind either way. He's...never seen her in pajamas before, has he? They're pink and cute, just like Rise. ]

Yeah, sorry about that. [ Should he have gotten up earlier? Eh, he figures that if he was needed, someone would have poked him before Rise got to him. As for coffee...

Yosuke drops his hand to his lap with a sleepy but friendly grin. ]

Oh yeah, of course. Coffee's great! [ Wait a second. He remembers...Rise's cooking before. She can't mess up coffee, right? ] ...Did you make that?

voicemail #1 (out of 3)

[beaconed]

[ Guess who finally got his hands on his CereVice again. Can you guess? Can you?? ]

YOSUKE!!! Are you guys okay?! I was so worried! I still am, kinda. I mean, I dunno if this is even reaching you. But... call me back if it is!!

voicemail #2

[beaconed]

Oh, sorry. This is Jaune, by the way. Probably would've helped if I said that from the start...

S-So. Yeah.

voicemail #3

[beaconed]

[ ...aaaaand another one: ]

From the thing! We were kidnapped together! I'm the one who-- uh, well... you know how that went down. Which... I realize probably makes no sense now... hm. I'm... gonna hang up now, and... you can call me back when you're, like... not screaming or something...

S-Sorry!

Voice

[zombiedude]

Yosuke,

I know it's been awhile [A really long while for him] but I wanted to say thank you for getting me back to my apartment. Sorry for the trouble.

Voice

[youraffection]

Nico!

[ Despite how Yosuke had pretty much chewed him out back there, he actually sounds happy to hear from him. ]

Dude, you don't need to thank me for that. I figure you'd might want some space after everything that happened. How're you feeling?

[zombiedude]

I'm... good. [As good as one can be when they're stuck in a crappy place like Cerealia.]

If I'm remembering right, I think I may have, uh, passed out on you mid-conversation. I'm sorry for that too, if that actually happened. [Awkward tone is a-go, because he's pretty sure Yosuke was also yelling at him when he'd fallen on him.]

text, ambiguously pre-event 32

[covenantal]

Yosuke?

[youraffection]

wats up partner?

[covenantal]

[ It's hard to tap out these texts when his hands are shaking. ]

Can I see you?

text, post-event 32

[covenantal]

[ He meant what he said.

After they'd both returned to normal and Yosuke had asked him for space, Yu was more than willing to honor that request. They both needed time and distance to process what they'd admitted to each other. How close they'd been...

But the promise he'd made, to himself as much as Yosuke... he'd meant every word.

I won't let you go. No matter what happens.

It's been tough to be around the apartment in the aftermath of the city going haywire as a result. There was cleanup to do, appliances to replace or do without, and Yu had wanted to be there for that - he had to figure out how he was going to cook for everyone again - but he also didn't want to exile Yosuke from the apartment again. They've been picking their way carefully around each other's orbits, interacting with their friends but keeping their glances from meeting in the middle. It's not something Yu likes very much, but he recognizes it as a necessity.

After all, for all his outward calm and implacability, he's scared, too.

What does it mean, that Yosuke wanted to? That he was afraid of the implications of agreeing he was being a hypocrite? --he knows what those things could mean. But he won't dwell on it. Refuses to. Forces it all down and locks it up tight under the considerable force of his own self-control.

It means whatever Yosuke wants it to. That's that.

Given enough time - and the slow-dawning realization that maybe Yosuke doesn't really know how to approach this any better than he does - Yu makes a decision. He makes sure he's out of the apartment, and has been for some time, before he braces himself to send a text. ]

10:32 AM
Hey. You up?

[ It's a gentle joke as much as it is a real question. ]

[youraffection]

[ He couldn't handle it. He just couldn't.

He couldn't.

It had been too much, too much...he can't say admitted, but tumbled out of his mouth that felt new and a little terrifying. Things he'd heard from Yu that maybe a part of him had suspected (entertained?), but hadn't been prepared to hear. Not after everything.

Just...just too much.

It's all been too much.

The space has been needed, which is not typical for them. Yosuke usually has no problem attaching himself to Yu's hip as soon as he enters the room, so hopes that they weren't making everyone else uncomfortable. No, Yu wouldn't, at least. Besides, they both thankfully have their priorities of keeping the apartment together as best they can. Yosuke hadn't wanted to sleep in a bed, to be honest, so he holed up on the floor in his room in blankets for a few days. Not the most comfortable, but at least the floor won't try to eat him.

Probably.

He has slept a lot. With all the destruction and his jobs more being on an "on call" basis, they don't really need him. (Really, why try to sell jeans when the store isn't even open?) Sleep is nice. Sleep doesn't betray him. Mostly.

He can't stop his brain from wandering back to everything...well, everything. It's hard not to.

He's actually awake when he hears the notification from his CereVice. It's on vibrate which is what rouses him, just laying down with his eyes closed listening to some music. It helps him unwind. His back pops as he turns over to look at the screen--

--oh.

He's a little hesitant. ]

10:35 AM
yea
surprised?

[covenantal]

10:38 AM
A little. You sure you're not sleep texting?

[ Yosuke was the one to break the tension and start them breathing again last time. He's taking responsibility now.

The hollows of his chest feel shivery and insubstantial as he taps at his CereVice, but this is something that needs to be done. It's been a few days now... and they have to talk. It hasn't escaped him that when Yosuke found out they kissed, they were speaking again the next morning even though Yosuke had every right to be angry. But after discussing... what their so-called Shadows discussed...

Silence.

For days.

Not total silence - they both make it their more immediate priority to care for everyone else in the apartment, to keep everyone together and make sure everyone is alright. They can work together on that, if more distantly than usual in a way Rise and Naoto have likely noticed. (... probably Dipper, too, if Yu thinks about it.) But when it comes to their own personal affairs, their friendship... they haven't spoken at all.

Yu tries not to miss him, because it's only been a few days and they're still around each other, and he somehow manages to fail.

He has no idea how this talk will go. Where they'll end up or what they'll decide. All he knows is that it needs to happen. ]

sometime post-event text

[pseudonyms]

YOSUKE-SENPAI! What are you plans for today? Anything special?

[youraffection]

nah just helpin clean stuff up at work
what u up 2 rise-chan?

[pseudonyms]

Up to my elbows in tofu that went bad (︶︹︺)
But I'm starting to finish up here! are you on break soon? let's go do something fun

[Also everybody went through a lot of bad shit and she's more than happy to be a pick-me-up for her friends, bottom line]

9/9 sure why not

[covenantal]

I could use your help with something.

[ no hey, no preamble just - this. sup, yosuke? ]

[youraffection]

sure wats up?

[ Usually it's Yosuke to send a text out of the blue, but... ]

[covenantal]

I found a music store that's still operating. Want to come with me? I trust your taste in music a lot more than my own.

[ Even if you listen to Nickelback. ]

9/24

[covenantal]

[ It's evening, and everyone is starting to settle in for the night. It's been ... some time since Yu regained his function and Yosuke's blindness wore off, and they stopped sleeping together in Yu's room.

... he .... misses it.

The first night after Yosuke left and he went to sleep in a cold bed and woke up with no one beside him, no one tucked up against him, no one to hold his hand...

He'd felt very cold.

Of course, he'd also had to deal with the emotional fallout of remembering Minato, realizing they'd forgotten each other, that he was only able to freely love Yosuke because his feelings for Minato had disappeared with his memories.... he'd ended up spending the day his memories returned largely alone, needing the time to think and adjust and just be angry that they can all be toyed with so easily.

Given time and things returning to routine - as much as they can while the colony continues to decay around them - Yu has had time to calm down, and reflect on the whole affair. Free of the trappings of his guilt and lingering feelings for Minato ... being with Yosuke, falling asleep with him each night, just loving him ..... had made him so happy. Happier than maybe he'd ever been in the colony before. Granted, he'd been incapacitated most of the time and his friends were all feeling the effects, and that was hard .... but he also can't ignore how Yosuke made him feel.

Is that how he could feel? If they were...

He's kept things normal between them ever since, eased off on any of the flirting he was doing during that week and returned to how things were before the lost his memories. Not a huge change, but something Yosuke might still notice.

And since then, he's been ... thinking.

Yosuke ... he'd never pulled away. Never seemed disgusted or even really upset... maybe a little uncertain of himself, bordering on discomfited, but ... mostly sort of nervous. He'd blushed a lot.

... does Yosuke miss it as much as he does?

A week or so later, he decides it's time to gather his Courage and find out.

So, that evening, after dinner's done and everyone's mostly gone off to their own rooms, Yu heads over to Yosuke's doorway. The door is open just a crack, and Yu raps his knuckles on the door. ]

Yosuke? Can I come in?

[youraffection]

[ To be fair, Yosuke hadn't wanted to sleep in his room after his bed had tried to eat him. But returning to it after their last episode had been...difficult. For a lot of reasons. A lot of complicated reasons.

He didn't really want to spend time thinking on it, but he couldn't help it. Being blind had been terrifying and knowing that Yu was suffering and he couldn't be able to help to the extent he would have liked. They did what they could, they were still able to rely on one another and assist the other to the best of their abilities. That should count for something, shouldn't it? But...it's strange that there isn't as much relief as there should be when he can see again.

That doesn't' mean he wasn't relieved. Oh, yes he was. Yosuke hadn't really appreciated how much he relied on sight until he lost it. But even he couldn't deny that some sort of gap had been bridged between them again. Things had gotten awkward, confusing, but their mutual disabilities had given them an opportunity to reconnect. And being connected? It was nice.

His room feels too big. And he's still not sure he trusts his bed.

Which is why he's actually sitting at his desk when Yu is at his door. He looks over, turning in the chair. ]

Yeah. 'course. [ He sets down his CereVice, having been reading recent news. Yu has his immediate attention. He just saw Yu at dinner, buuut...they haven't really hung out, hung out since before...everything happened. is he a little hopeful? ] What's up?

[covenantal]

[ The way Yu smiles reflexively when he pushes open the door and Yosuke turns to face him has a warmth to it that Yosuke might recognize.

But he quickly starts to speak, leaning easily against the doorframe with his arms loosely folded. ]

I was just thinking ... how would you feel about a sleepover? [ His smile turns a little crooked. ] We haven't had a real one since Inaba. We could stay up, watch movies...

[ ... unsaid but implicit is: you'd stay the night in my room. ]