010 ☀ Private Call to restardom

[skillspanner]

Yo... Rise? Do you have a few minutes?

[Pauses, letting out an uncomfortable chuckle.]

I kinda, uh... need to talk you about something.


[You bet your ass he's sitting in an alley behind the department store so nobody from the centre will hear this, too.]

Comments

[restardom.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure we'll be here for awhile either way.

[skillspanner]

Sorry... I don't want to keep you or anything if you're busy, Rise. I mean... it can wait, you know? Until you get back.

[restardom.livejournal.com]

Nah, I'm not. [ not anymore, and even if she had been, there's no way Rise wouldn't make time for her teammates. ] I might be here for a little while, but I can still listen just as well, right?

[skillspanner]

Thanks, Rise... [He trails off. He is genuinely grateful for this, considering he really has no idea how to handle the situation.] Argh... I guess, I dunno. It's all sort of making sense now. I mean, I kinda knew he was special, even back in Inaba, you know? But since being here, it's just been... different.

[restardom.livejournal.com]

Different how? [ it's not as though she couldn't figure it out, but the more Yosuke talks about it, the easier it'll be for him. ]

[skillspanner]

Like - [He goes quiet again, trying to think of the right way to explain this.] You know, noticing all the weird things? How stubborn he is about letting us help him, or how lame he can be when it's not about being the leader. Or... you know. Just how wrong it felt when he went missing. And, you know, not just because he wasn't there to make a game plan...

[restardom.livejournal.com]

[ she's nodding along, even though he can't see it. ] You've been noticing him, not just as Senpai as a leader.

[skillspanner]

I guess so, yeah. That's... the best way of describing it, I think.

[restardom.livejournal.com]

I get it. [ with a little smile on her end. ] We haven't had that TV stuff to worry about here, so isn't it natural that you'd start noticing?

[skillspanner]

I don't think I did until... he started pissing me off. If that even makes any sense.

[restardom.livejournal.com]

... [ and now there's a tiny snort of laughter. ] Really, Yosuke-senpai?

[skillspanner]

[He doesn't get it.] Wh-what!?

[restardom.livejournal.com]

T-that's pretty cute... I guess guys figure it out in different ways.

[skillspanner]

What? How is that-- [He sighs.] I dunno... maybe that's not it at all. But that's when I guess I noticed it. The way he acts sometimes, you know? I... couldn't understand why it bugged me so much, but I just wanted to punch him in the mouth sometimes.

[restardom.livejournal.com]

...

[ straight-faced. Not that he can see it. ] I didn't know you were into that, Senpai.

[skillspanner]

[....] Rise!

[restardom.livejournal.com]

Sorry, sorry... [ with a bit of a giggle. ] But it's not like it's stuff like him being a jerk, right? Don't you usually get mad when he's being stubborn about help or not taking care of himself?

[skillspanner]

That's... yeah. Usually, that's what it is. [Another moment of quiet. Let's not talk about his freaking out when Souji dyed his hair...]

[restardom.livejournal.com]

... Usually.

[skillspanner]

Yeah?

[restardom.livejournal.com]

What's the other part?

[skillspanner]

Getting... mad over dumb stuff, I guess. [Says this with so, so much unsure in his voice, he doesn't even--]

[restardom.livejournal.com]

Liiiiike...?

[skillspanner]

I dunno, stupid things. I can't really remember because, well, they're dumb.

[restardom.livejournal.com]

Weird, I'd especially remember if it was dumb.