[ He's panicking. He's totally panicking. He's seen Yu gasp and struggle and then go still and it's the worst fucking thing he's seen. He reaches out in the hope of grabbing something to slow him down, but the fact that Yu even manages to grab back gives him an immediate sense of relief. And renewed resolve. ]
I've got you!
[ Now that he's holding on, he doesn't let go.
The river throws them about as Yosuke struggles to pull up properly next to the other boy, but once he does, he wraps his arm around Yu's torso tightly. He has to use his opposite arm like a rudder to steer them properly--now where the hell are they even?
It takes a moment to get his bearings, but he quickly realizes they've already passed the town proper. Good for Yosuke, not good for Yu. He has to get this human out of the water as fast as possible.
Up ahead...around a corner, there's a fork--left might be even worse with how shallow it gets, but right--right it gets big. With more room, it could slow down the current...
If he hadn't spent so much time riding the currents rather than exercising, maybe he wouldn't have known this. Guess being a slacker pays off sometimes, doesn't it?
He goes right at the fork. True to his predictions, the river widens considerably. The current is still fast, but Yosuke finds himself in more control as the energy is spread out. It's enough that several meters down, he's able to reach out and take hold of a large fallen tree. The tree redirects the current in a sudden burst of speed around it, but as long as Yosuke pulls them past it, they're good. ]
Just hang on!
[ Is Yu even still with him?
He hopes he is.
It's a struggle to reach the shore, but he does it. Somehow. His arms are tired, not used to having to do so much heavy lifting, so to speak. But Yosuke manages it, pulling Yu up with him onto the gravel and mud of land. He's still half in the water, as is Yosuke, but the current is far enough away from them to threaten to pull them back in.
Yosuke breathes heavily as he looks down at the boy. ]
[ he can't breathe he can't breathe it burns he can't breathe
There are warm arms around his middle. He's never felt them before, not like this, and yet he feels like he knows them. They're familiar, strangely comforting, solid and unrelenting even against the vicious tearing of the waves and currents.
he can't breathe
With Yosuke's help Yu's head is kept mostly up above water, but he'll be limp, dead weight in Yosuke's arms, unresponsive and unhelpful. He no longer tries to grip, or to hold on. He doesn't do much of anything. His body still hiccups with its increasingly slower attempts to breathe, to push out water, but they get weaker and weaker by the moment.
By the time they hit sand and gravel, Yu is still. There is water in his mouth, playing about his lips, and his eyes are shut.
Yu does not respond when Yosuke speaks to him. He simply lies there, cold and still.
(is he dreaming?
it would be a nice dream
if yosuke were here) ]
WHAT WOULD I DO TO SEE YOOOU SMILING AT MEEEEEEEEE
[ If he wasn't panicking before, he's certainly panicking now.
But he was, so this is just a mess.
Yosuke shakes Yu's shoulders, watching some of the water dribble out of his mouth with the motion. He chokes on a breath of air and lump in his throat. ]
Wake up, dammit!
[ Shaking Yu again doesn't help. He even goes as far as to life Yu's head up, turn his head to the side as if to encourage the water itself to leave. Yosuke's breathing is automatic--the labyrinth in his chest is able to filter oxygen in the water or derive it from the air if need be--his breaths on land are significantly less frequent than a humans due to this. He doesn't know how the switch happens, he just knows that it doesn't happen for Yu. He has no idea how human lungs work.
But he does know one thing--something from the old tales that he would otherwise mostly ignore.
It seems like such a silly idea, uneducated and drastic, but Yosuke isn't sure what else to do. CPR isn't anything he knows or would know. The closest thing he has is a gift that, if even true, shouldn't be freely given, but...
He goes for it.
Cupping Yu's face in his hands, Yosuke leans over and presses their lips together, letting his breath flow into Yu's mouth. What he remembers from one particular story is that of a fisherman who has previously saved a turtle, but fell overboard a month later. Rather than let him drown, for his kindness, he was given the ability to breathe underwater by the act of a kiss.
He's just--...if it is even true, Yu isn't even underwater. Would...his lungs being filled with water even count? ]
Yu knows very little. He feels warm. He doesn't feel wet. He feels someone beside him, touching him, saying something, doing something, hands on his face, yelling...
It doesn't matter.
It doesn't hurt anymore. The burning has stopped. He should just sleep...
There's one more sensation. Warmth, this time very close, pressed up against his side, holding his face, touching his lips...
And something strange happens.
What's actually going on is that Yosuke was right: this is not just a legend. This is magic. Real magic. And it transforms Yu's lungs. Though he does not at all get the same labyrinthine apparatus in his chest that Yosuke already has, the way that his lungs process both air and liquid is transformed in the space of a heartbeat. His lungs, though they aren't moving at all, no longer feel the automatic reflex to spasm in the presence of liquid. Liquid is accepted here, now. His lungs can process water as easily as they can process air.
Which means that his lungs draw oxygen from the water in them, and it is enough to help Yu stir, his eyes fluttering open even though his chest hasn't lifted with a single breath.
At which point he feels the water in his lungs and, in a fit of reflexive panic wherein his mind screams bad! wrong!, his whole body seizes up and he twists out of Yosuke's grasp to start coughing and hacking so hard and so deeply it wracks his whole frame.
This whole process takes a few moments, but, at the very least, he's very much alive.
At the end of it, he gathers himself enough to open his eyes, and he finds himself facing--
Facing Yosuke. They are very close. Yu squints, his lungs aching (though not burning like he thinks they should be), and chokes out, his voice hoarse: ]
[ When Yu doesn't move, Yosuke fears the worst. He was too late, wasn't he? He fought hard, he's exhausted, but Yu didn't make it. Dammit, dammit! Why did this have to h--
--and then, suddenly, Yu comes to life, pulling away and coughing and shaking.
He's never felt such relief.
Yosuke sucks in a breath of air out of reflex, eyes widening as he watches Yu come to himself. His mouth hangs open in shock, and when Yu turns his own questioning gaze to him, Yosuke does the only thing he can think of: he throws himself at Yu, grabbing onto the other boy's shoulders and hugs him tight. ]
[ Yu is still coughing when he finds warm arms thrown around his shoulders. His coughs are half laughs, and he's so tired, and soaked to the bone, and he's alive. Yosuke's alive. They're both alive and right here and his best friend is in his arms. Tiredly, Yu lifts his arms and wraps them around Yosuke's back, hiding his face in the other boy's shoulder. ]
Sorry, [ he mumbles into Yosuke's skin. ] I won't do it again.
[ Trying to calm his breathing, swallowing and sniffling against Yosuke's shoulder, he just lets his heart rate slow to something normal. Until, after a few moments, he pulls back and looks at Yosuke with a warm sparkle in his eye. ]
[ Though he doesn't really need to, he sighs, letting the relief wash over him. He's never been this close to Yu before, but that thought doesn't register right away. He's just so happy, so glad that Yu is alive.
As Yu pulls back, Yosuke refocuses on his face. Why this suddenly feels so intimate, he can't say. Maybe it's the look in Yu's eye, something he hasn't quite seen before. ]
I--
[ His mouth hangs open for a moment before he lowers his head. ]
--did you think I wouldn't?
[ A huff out of his nose. ]
What the hell were you doing out in this storm, anyway?
Yu can't say he minds the proximity. There's still adrenaline coursing through his veins from his near-death experience, and if his foggy memories are clear, did...
... did Yosuke ...
... kiss him?
Yu laughs, which prompts a few more hoarse coughs. ]
It's just... I was out here in the first place because I was looking for you. I wanted to make sure you were okay. But in the end, you had to save me...
[ Yu pauses, his eyes narrowing a little. It's still raining, the wind still howling, the river water pulling at his legs. But all he can care about, somehow, is Yosuke being this close. ]
... how did you--? [ Not pull him from the water - he knows Yosuke can do that. But put air in his lungs - that's another matter entirely. ]
BUT I KNOW SOMETHING'S STARTING RIIIIIGHT NOOOOOOOOOW~!
[ That comes as such a shock to him that his face is just open with a sense of "que?" The fact that Yu would even think he needed to--should it be insulting? Yosuke's home is the river, after all, so of course he's weathered a few storms before.
But, no, it's...touching, actually. For as "important" as he knows he is in the grand scheme of things, people only seem to really interact with him out of obligation. The thought that someone was looking for him because they actually cared is...nice. His chest feels a little warm. ]
Of course I am, I'm a pro at this, you know.
[ There's a lack of honest vibrato in his voice, though he does manage a cheeky grin.
Yosuke doesn't mind the wind and the rain so much, especially the latter, though it does make his hair a little messy. (One of the fortunate side effects of being a merperson is having water resistant hair that somehow looks good both in the water and out. And that has nothing to do with animation choices.) ]
Ah, well...
[ He swallows, breaking eye contact. ]
I'm not exactly sure, I just...there's this story I remember from when I was a kid about this fisherman guy who was going to drown but didn't so I thought I should try whatever I could. You weren't responding...
[ The look on Yosuke's face makes him want to laugh, and he just ends up coughing some more instead. Without thinking he tilts his head forward until it contacts Yosuke's chest, and there Yu stays, to breathe, to feel Yosuke talk more than he hears it.
Is it just that he almost died, or is Yosuke even more beautiful than usual?
Yu is quiet for a moment while Yosuke explains, loosely hanging on, noting that Yosuke hasn't let go of him, either. Then, all at once, he'll murmur: ]
You kissed me.
[ His voice is mostly free of inflection, but if Yosuke pays close attention, he might notice there's something pleased about his tone, like a kind of delight that he's only just barely managing to contain. ]
[ Explains feels in part more like excuses, but Yosuke did try his best. He's just glad that it worked out in the end, even if he was totally drawing at straws. The way that Yu just rests his head against his chest makes Yosuke's heart skip a beat. He must be tired....right?
Yosuke knows he doesn't have the strength to swim Yu back up stream in this weather. Hell, he's not going to be able to get home until after the storm passes anyway. Yu might be too tired to walk back, too. Just how far would it be on land?
You kissed me.
His heart skips again. ]
Uh--...
[ He's actually not sure how to read into that, Yes, he did kiss Yu, though it was with the intent of saving his life. That...that makes it better, right? Yu doesn't sound upset, but...now he's nervous. ]
[ He's exhausted. Almost drowning, while having been struggling wildly for your life, really takes it out of you. Part of him feels like he could fall asleep right here, even despite the lashing rain and the howl of the wind.
Yosuke continuing to hold him probably has something to do with that.
But he can't. Even if uncle and Nanako didn't pick up on it this evening, they'd realize in the morning that he'd never come back home, and Dojima would be frantic. Not to mention when his friends found out...
No. There are so many reasons they both need to return. He'll work up the strength at some point.
He wants to laugh at Yosuke's verbal stumbling. Maybe that's all it was... just a desperate play to save his life. It doesn't really need to be more than that, does it?
Yu doesn't attempt to examine why he wants it to be. Instead he pulls in a breath and then lifts his head, smiling in a way both kind and grateful. ]
Thank you, [ he says, and really means it. ] Seems I'm in your debt.
[ He's not sure what sort of answer he's expecting, but Yu's tone nor expression is accusatory. That makes him feel a little better, but as Yu looks up again, Yosuke finds their faces impossibly close. Funny, before he hadn't even paid attention to it when he reached out to cup Yu's cheeks in his hands, but he has some amazingly long eyelashes.
Yosuke swallows visibly and lets out a choked laugh. ]
Uh...nah...I think. We're finally even.
[ Yu had spared his life, after all. ]
...Heh, now that I think about it...it's kind of like the story.
[ Oh--he should explain, huh? ]
The fisherman, I mean--he spared this turtle once before, so when he was going to drown, this mermaid decided to save him instead for his kindness...
[ There's really no reason for him to feel so nervous about this, right? They've been talking for a while now. He considers them good friends. ]
It, ah...sounds better how it was written.
[ Another pause as he swallows again, amber eyes scanning silver for something he can't quite place. ]
[ Try not to focus on how beautiful your friend is for a few moments, Yu. Stop paying attention to his many scattered freckles or the pink of his lips or the artful strings of pearls or, you know, anything, really. Let's try and pay attention to the situation at hand, okay?
Cool. Great. Boy, almost dying ruined his composure.
Yu hums, and even that makes him cough, though only once this time. ]
No, it -- it sounds great, [ he manages, somewhat strained but sincere. ] For my kindness... is that why you saved me, Yosuke? [ With a quirk of a smile. ]
It wasn't weird at all.
[ I wish it could have happened in better circumstances, he thinks but doesn't add. ]
[ For his kindness. Yosuke's eyes narrow, but not from the rain pelting down on them or the wind blowing hair in his face. Despite the storm, it almost feels like there's an untouchable bubble around them at least for a moment. ]
Something like that...
[ He should pull back, right? Give Yu some space to gather his thoughts and probably get himself further onto shore. It's better if Yosuke stays close to the water, if not in it, but Yu would be better off on land. ]
Yeah? [ Yosuke let's out a quiet "whew" that's drowned out by the storm. ] Okay...that's--good. 'cause I don't really make a habit of going around kissing people. Just so you know.
Yu can't stop smiling even though he almost just died, even though they're technically still in danger. He doesn't feel in danger. Not with Yosuke by his side.
His heart skips a beat when Yosuke goes on to explain, and though his expression doesn't much change, he suddenly looks considering. ]
Just me?
[ His voice is quiet. ]
Edited (i thought i changed it already...) 2016-12-27 04:46 (UTC)
[ Why does this feel like a test? Yu isn't the kind of person to test him like this, so is Yosuke testing himself? Now? Of all times? He can admit to himself that he's been spending a lot of time trying to find reasons to talk to Yu and sometimes coming up with nothing other than "why not". Even his friends--peers, more like it--have noticed he's distracted when he's not spending time downstream.
He...he doesn't want to jump the gun here. And yet, somehow Yu's quiet voice is louder than the storm around them. His lips twitch into a smile that fades halfway, the fins on the sides of his face flexing open just a little more, the way they do when he's particularly interested in what Yu is sharing with him. ]
Yeah...just you.
EXCUSE ME??? COMING FROM MS "I WANT TO KILL YOSUKE"????
[ Yu practically breathes out the words, swallowing past his heart in his throat. To all appearances he's cool and calm, but he can feel his own racing pulse. He leans in just enough to bump their foreheads together. It's not a far distance to travel. ]
That's a relief. Since I was just thinking... that I don't make a habit of going around letting people kiss me. Actually, it's just you.
[ Yosuke lowers his eyelids instinctively, sucking in an unnecessary breath through his nose. He's picked up a lot of strange habits after listening to Yu, he's realized, for someone who isn't as reliant on the breathable air on land.
Yu's forehead feels a little cold, but as he shifts slightly and bumps their noses together, Yosuke finds that the pinkness developing there is from warmth. ]
Just me?
[ He repeats the question for a lack of better lines to drop. Wait, since when was he dropping lines? ]
I KNOW, I'M JUST SAYING, I'M NOT THE ONE WHO ACTUALLY HAS KILLED HIM, YOU BLOODTHIRSTY ANIMAL
[ Is this... really happening? Can ... they even make this work? There's so much that stands between them. Yu is going to leave in a few months and he and the Investigation Team are still caught up in the middle of these murders, and even if all of that gets solved, they don't even belong to the same worlds. He's from land, Yosuke is from river, and--
And--
Yu really wants to kiss him.
It's all he can think about, at the moment. ]
That's right, [ he breathes, his own eyes lidding until they're open only a sliver. Yu hums, the sound a laughing one. ]
Maybe this is as good a time as any to tell you that I've got a crush on you. I have since we met, I think.
[ He wants to lean in. It's just a centimeter away, he can practically feel Yu's lips on his own as he speaks. Maybe he is leaning in and he doesn't even know it--yet, when Yu shares that, Yosuke pauses before pulling back, brows raised nearly into his hairline. ]
Wh...what? Seriously?
[ His stomach does a flip. ]
You--
[ Surprise slowly turns into curiosity, and then curiosity to laughter. He laughs despite the rain and the wind, despite all the things that tell him he should be cautious, he has too much on the line. But he knows he's never been so invested in someone or something before.
Without warning, Yosuke closes the distance between them and places another kiss on Yu's lips, less desperate than before. ]
[ This time there is no hiding his delight, as he makes a quiet, happy sound when Yosuke swoops in and kisses him, just like that. He's thought about this -- maybe too much. Yosuke's warmth, his bright laughter and smile blinding as the sunset glinting off the waves of the Samegawa, his curiosity and his tendency to bring anything and everything he thinks Yu might be able to talk about, that Yu might like (he caught onto that, yes), his ... everything. His beauty had been the basis of Yu's infatuation with the other boy, but his personality had done all of the rest. Yu was accustomed to finding people attractive regardless of their gender ... he just normally didn't act on it. He'd never planned to develop real feelings for another person, not here in Inaba.
But here he is, in the arms of a boy, and for just a breath of time, he finds himself perfectly happy. Yosuke won him, fully and completely.
Yu kisses Yosuke back with enthusiasm, though the kiss remains tender, sweet. He's just an obvious and active participant, tilting his head so their mouths meet just right, moving his lips against Yosuke's, smiling against his friend's mouth.
When the kiss breaks, Yu laughs and simply hugs Yosuke tightly. ]
I'd been thinking about doing that for a while, too.
[ With a happy sigh, he pulls back enough to look at his ... boyfriend? ]
As much as I'd like to stay here and kiss you... [ Yu frowns out at the water, at the rain. His legs are getting numb, and he pulls them in, onto the sand. ] ... I need to find shelter.
[ He doesn't mean alone - but he's guessing Yosuke can take these temperatures. He's not built for it, though, and hypothermia is a real concern, even in September. ]
[ Looking back on this, he'll likely find the entire situation completely ridiculous. Just minutes ago Yu nearly died, but perhaps that's all the more reason for it. No time left to lose, right? Neither of them had planned on meeting, of course, yet Yosuke's day became finding excuses to go downstream. He was worried that Yu might find that too much, strange, even. But after what Yu said, his doubts left--for the moment, at least.
He really doesn't want to break away especially when Yu starts kissing him back. The hug isn't too bad, it's just not the same. Yosuke places his hands on the either side of Yu's face when he pulls back, fingers running through short wet hair. He looks happy, almost radiant with it.
Oh.
Shelter. ]
--Ah.
[ His smile falters just a bit as the realization settles in entirely--Yu needs to go one way, Yosuke needs to go another. ]
R-Right. Um...I don't really know what is around here...
[ Ah. Yosuke really likes to touch. Yu finds himself warmed by the attention, by Yosuke's hands on his face and fingers in his hair. It feels nice.
But as much as he truly wants to keep feeling that, and as much as it wrenches at his chest to watch Yosuke's smile dim, his life is still in danger.
Yu squints out at the storm again. Briefly he turns his head and leans in to press a peck to Yosuke's lips, and then he sits up properly, worming his way out of Yosuke's arms to brace his hands on the sand. Well, one hand; the other shields his eyes as he looks out at the rain. It's futile, though. With a sigh, Yu just pulls himself entirely out of the water, though once that's done, he reaches for Yosuke. ]
I can't see anything, and I haven't been this far downriver before. Looks like we'll have to wait the rain out.
[ Truthfully, he's concerned. Staying out here, wet and cold... he could get very sick. What if something happens? Dojima will wonder... Yu huffs, blowing water out of his face as he does so. ]
[ It is a bummer, though Yosuke isn't so selfish as to put his own infatuation above Yu's wellbeing. He pulls back to give Yu room to move, taking a moment to look over his own shoulder towards the river. He'll have to stay close to shore for the right, if he goes too far out he'll just get swept by the current.
When Yu drags himself further upshore, Yosuke turns to watch. He's hesitant to take Yu's hand, though. The bottom half of his tail is still in the water. ]
Yeah. I'm fine. Kinda banged up, but I've had worse.
[ Bruised would heal. ]
I should tell you about the time I got caught on a hook.
[ He's teasing, of course. ]
But, um...you should go, but I can't come with you. [ Its harder to say than he thinks it should be, the stark reality of their different situations already settling in. It's just unfair. ] If I dry out...
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WHAT WOULD I GIIIIIIVE TO LIVE WHERE YOU AAAARE...
I've got you!
[ Now that he's holding on, he doesn't let go.
The river throws them about as Yosuke struggles to pull up properly next to the other boy, but once he does, he wraps his arm around Yu's torso tightly. He has to use his opposite arm like a rudder to steer them properly--now where the hell are they even?
It takes a moment to get his bearings, but he quickly realizes they've already passed the town proper. Good for Yosuke, not good for Yu. He has to get this human out of the water as fast as possible.
Up ahead...around a corner, there's a fork--left might be even worse with how shallow it gets, but right--right it gets big. With more room, it could slow down the current...
If he hadn't spent so much time riding the currents rather than exercising, maybe he wouldn't have known this. Guess being a slacker pays off sometimes, doesn't it?
He goes right at the fork. True to his predictions, the river widens considerably. The current is still fast, but Yosuke finds himself in more control as the energy is spread out. It's enough that several meters down, he's able to reach out and take hold of a large fallen tree. The tree redirects the current in a sudden burst of speed around it, but as long as Yosuke pulls them past it, they're good. ]
Just hang on!
[ Is Yu even still with him?
He hopes he is.
It's a struggle to reach the shore, but he does it. Somehow. His arms are tired, not used to having to do so much heavy lifting, so to speak. But Yosuke manages it, pulling Yu up with him onto the gravel and mud of land. He's still half in the water, as is Yosuke, but the current is far enough away from them to threaten to pull them back in.
Yosuke breathes heavily as he looks down at the boy. ]
C-C'mon, don't do this...
WHAT WOULD I PAAAAY TO STAY HERE BESIDE YOUUUU?
There are warm arms around his middle. He's never felt them before, not like this, and yet he feels like he knows them. They're familiar, strangely comforting, solid and unrelenting even against the vicious tearing of the waves and currents.
he can't breathe
With Yosuke's help Yu's head is kept mostly up above water, but he'll be limp, dead weight in Yosuke's arms, unresponsive and unhelpful. He no longer tries to grip, or to hold on. He doesn't do much of anything. His body still hiccups with its increasingly slower attempts to breathe, to push out water, but they get weaker and weaker by the moment.
By the time they hit sand and gravel, Yu is still. There is water in his mouth, playing about his lips, and his eyes are shut.
Yu does not respond when Yosuke speaks to him. He simply lies there, cold and still.
(is he dreaming?
it would be a nice dream
if yosuke were here) ]
WHAT WOULD I DO TO SEE YOOOU SMILING AT MEEEEEEEEE
But he was, so this is just a mess.
Yosuke shakes Yu's shoulders, watching some of the water dribble out of his mouth with the motion. He chokes on a breath of air and lump in his throat. ]
Wake up, dammit!
[ Shaking Yu again doesn't help. He even goes as far as to life Yu's head up, turn his head to the side as if to encourage the water itself to leave. Yosuke's breathing is automatic--the labyrinth in his chest is able to filter oxygen in the water or derive it from the air if need be--his breaths on land are significantly less frequent than a humans due to this. He doesn't know how the switch happens, he just knows that it doesn't happen for Yu. He has no idea how human lungs work.
But he does know one thing--something from the old tales that he would otherwise mostly ignore.
It seems like such a silly idea, uneducated and drastic, but Yosuke isn't sure what else to do. CPR isn't anything he knows or would know. The closest thing he has is a gift that, if even true, shouldn't be freely given, but...
He goes for it.
Cupping Yu's face in his hands, Yosuke leans over and presses their lips together, letting his breath flow into Yu's mouth. What he remembers from one particular story is that of a fisherman who has previously saved a turtle, but fell overboard a month later. Rather than let him drown, for his kindness, he was given the ability to breathe underwater by the act of a kiss.
He's just--...if it is even true, Yu isn't even underwater. Would...his lungs being filled with water even count? ]
WHERE WOULD WE WALK, WHERE WOULD WE RUN....
Yu knows very little. He feels warm. He doesn't feel wet. He feels someone beside him, touching him, saying something, doing something, hands on his face, yelling...
It doesn't matter.
It doesn't hurt anymore. The burning has stopped. He should just sleep...
There's one more sensation. Warmth, this time very close, pressed up against his side, holding his face, touching his lips...
And something strange happens.
What's actually going on is that Yosuke was right: this is not just a legend. This is magic. Real magic. And it transforms Yu's lungs. Though he does not at all get the same labyrinthine apparatus in his chest that Yosuke already has, the way that his lungs process both air and liquid is transformed in the space of a heartbeat. His lungs, though they aren't moving at all, no longer feel the automatic reflex to spasm in the presence of liquid. Liquid is accepted here, now. His lungs can process water as easily as they can process air.
Which means that his lungs draw oxygen from the water in them, and it is enough to help Yu stir, his eyes fluttering open even though his chest hasn't lifted with a single breath.
At which point he feels the water in his lungs and, in a fit of reflexive panic wherein his mind screams bad! wrong!, his whole body seizes up and he twists out of Yosuke's grasp to start coughing and hacking so hard and so deeply it wracks his whole frame.
This whole process takes a few moments, but, at the very least, he's very much alive.
At the end of it, he gathers himself enough to open his eyes, and he finds himself facing--
Facing Yosuke. They are very close. Yu squints, his lungs aching (though not burning like he thinks they should be), and chokes out, his voice hoarse: ]
... Yosuke?
IF WE COULD STAY ALL DAY IN THE SUUUUUUUUUUN!
--and then, suddenly, Yu comes to life, pulling away and coughing and shaking.
He's never felt such relief.
Yosuke sucks in a breath of air out of reflex, eyes widening as he watches Yu come to himself. His mouth hangs open in shock, and when Yu turns his own questioning gaze to him, Yosuke does the only thing he can think of: he throws himself at Yu, grabbing onto the other boy's shoulders and hugs him tight. ]
O thank--....!! D-Don't scare me like that!
JUST YOU AND ME.... AND I COULD BE....
Sorry, [ he mumbles into Yosuke's skin. ] I won't do it again.
[ Trying to calm his breathing, swallowing and sniffling against Yosuke's shoulder, he just lets his heart rate slow to something normal. Until, after a few moments, he pulls back and looks at Yosuke with a warm sparkle in his eye. ]
... you saved me.
PART OF YOUR WOOOOOORLD
As Yu pulls back, Yosuke refocuses on his face. Why this suddenly feels so intimate, he can't say. Maybe it's the look in Yu's eye, something he hasn't quite seen before. ]
I--
[ His mouth hangs open for a moment before he lowers his head. ]
--did you think I wouldn't?
[ A huff out of his nose. ]
What the hell were you doing out in this storm, anyway?
I DON'T KNOW WHEN! I DON'T KNOW HOW!
They are really close.
Yu can't say he minds the proximity. There's still adrenaline coursing through his veins from his near-death experience, and if his foggy memories are clear, did...
... did Yosuke ...
... kiss him?
Yu laughs, which prompts a few more hoarse coughs. ]
It's just... I was out here in the first place because I was looking for you. I wanted to make sure you were okay. But in the end, you had to save me...
[ Yu pauses, his eyes narrowing a little. It's still raining, the wind still howling, the river water pulling at his legs. But all he can care about, somehow, is Yosuke being this close. ]
... how did you--? [ Not pull him from the water - he knows Yosuke can do that. But put air in his lungs - that's another matter entirely. ]
BUT I KNOW SOMETHING'S STARTING RIIIIIGHT NOOOOOOOOOW~!
[ That comes as such a shock to him that his face is just open with a sense of "que?" The fact that Yu would even think he needed to--should it be insulting? Yosuke's home is the river, after all, so of course he's weathered a few storms before.
But, no, it's...touching, actually. For as "important" as he knows he is in the grand scheme of things, people only seem to really interact with him out of obligation. The thought that someone was looking for him because they actually cared is...nice. His chest feels a little warm. ]
Of course I am, I'm a pro at this, you know.
[ There's a lack of honest vibrato in his voice, though he does manage a cheeky grin.
Yosuke doesn't mind the wind and the rain so much, especially the latter, though it does make his hair a little messy. (One of the fortunate side effects of being a merperson is having water resistant hair that somehow looks good both in the water and out. And that has nothing to do with animation choices.) ]
Ah, well...
[ He swallows, breaking eye contact. ]
I'm not exactly sure, I just...there's this story I remember from when I was a kid about this fisherman guy who was going to drown but didn't so I thought I should try whatever I could. You weren't responding...
watch and you'll see... someday, i'll be...
Is it just that he almost died, or is Yosuke even more beautiful than usual?
Yu is quiet for a moment while Yosuke explains, loosely hanging on, noting that Yosuke hasn't let go of him, either. Then, all at once, he'll murmur: ]
You kissed me.
[ His voice is mostly free of inflection, but if Yosuke pays close attention, he might notice there's something pleased about his tone, like a kind of delight that he's only just barely managing to contain. ]
paaaaart of yooooouuur...
Yosuke knows he doesn't have the strength to swim Yu back up stream in this weather. Hell, he's not going to be able to get home until after the storm passes anyway. Yu might be too tired to walk back, too. Just how far would it be on land?
You kissed me.
His heart skips again. ]
Uh--...
[ He's actually not sure how to read into that, Yes, he did kiss Yu, though it was with the intent of saving his life. That...that makes it better, right? Yu doesn't sound upset, but...now he's nervous. ]
Y-Yeah, I mean...that's...how it works...
wooooooooooooooooooooorld............
Yosuke continuing to hold him probably has something to do with that.
But he can't. Even if uncle and Nanako didn't pick up on it this evening, they'd realize in the morning that he'd never come back home, and Dojima would be frantic. Not to mention when his friends found out...
No. There are so many reasons they both need to return. He'll work up the strength at some point.
He wants to laugh at Yosuke's verbal stumbling. Maybe that's all it was... just a desperate play to save his life. It doesn't really need to be more than that, does it?
Yu doesn't attempt to examine why he wants it to be. Instead he pulls in a breath and then lifts his head, smiling in a way both kind and grateful. ]
Thank you, [ he says, and really means it. ] Seems I'm in your debt.
DRAMATIC WAVES IN THE BG
Yosuke swallows visibly and lets out a choked laugh. ]
Uh...nah...I think. We're finally even.
[ Yu had spared his life, after all. ]
...Heh, now that I think about it...it's kind of like the story.
[ Oh--he should explain, huh? ]
The fisherman, I mean--he spared this turtle once before, so when he was going to drown, this mermaid decided to save him instead for his kindness...
[ There's really no reason for him to feel so nervous about this, right? They've been talking for a while now. He considers them good friends. ]
It, ah...sounds better how it was written.
[ Another pause as he swallows again, amber eyes scanning silver for something he can't quite place. ]
...It wasn't weird, was it?
and then yosuke turns into foam
Cool. Great. Boy, almost dying ruined his composure.
Yu hums, and even that makes him cough, though only once this time. ]
No, it -- it sounds great, [ he manages, somewhat strained but sincere. ] For my kindness... is that why you saved me, Yosuke? [ With a quirk of a smile. ]
It wasn't weird at all.
[ I wish it could have happened in better circumstances, he thinks but doesn't add. ]
well that escalated quickly
Something like that...
[ He should pull back, right? Give Yu some space to gather his thoughts and probably get himself further onto shore. It's better if Yosuke stays close to the water, if not in it, but Yu would be better off on land. ]
Yeah? [ Yosuke let's out a quiet "whew" that's drowned out by the storm. ] Okay...that's--good. 'cause I don't really make a habit of going around kissing people. Just so you know.
AM I WRONG THOUGH
Yu can't stop smiling even though he almost just died, even though they're technically still in danger. He doesn't feel in danger. Not with Yosuke by his side.
His heart skips a beat when Yosuke goes on to explain, and though his expression doesn't much change, he suddenly looks considering. ]
Just me?
[ His voice is quiet. ]
YOU WANT HIM TO DIE SO QUICKLY
He...he doesn't want to jump the gun here. And yet, somehow Yu's quiet voice is louder than the storm around them. His lips twitch into a smile that fades halfway, the fins on the sides of his face flexing open just a little more, the way they do when he's particularly interested in what Yu is sharing with him. ]
Yeah...just you.
EXCUSE ME??? COMING FROM MS "I WANT TO KILL YOSUKE"????
[ Yu practically breathes out the words, swallowing past his heart in his throat. To all appearances he's cool and calm, but he can feel his own racing pulse. He leans in just enough to bump their foreheads together. It's not a far distance to travel. ]
That's a relief. Since I was just thinking... that I don't make a habit of going around letting people kiss me. Actually, it's just you.
THAT'S WHAT THE FOAM IS GOSH
Yu's forehead feels a little cold, but as he shifts slightly and bumps their noses together, Yosuke finds that the pinkness developing there is from warmth. ]
Just me?
[ He repeats the question for a lack of better lines to drop. Wait, since when was he dropping lines? ]
I KNOW, I'M JUST SAYING, I'M NOT THE ONE WHO ACTUALLY HAS KILLED HIM, YOU BLOODTHIRSTY ANIMAL
And--
Yu really wants to kiss him.
It's all he can think about, at the moment. ]
That's right, [ he breathes, his own eyes lidding until they're open only a sliver. Yu hums, the sound a laughing one. ]
Maybe this is as good a time as any to tell you that I've got a crush on you. I have since we met, I think.
I'M NOT GOING TO KILL HIM YET GEEZ
Wh...what? Seriously?
[ His stomach does a flip. ]
You--
[ Surprise slowly turns into curiosity, and then curiosity to laughter. He laughs despite the rain and the wind, despite all the things that tell him he should be cautious, he has too much on the line. But he knows he's never been so invested in someone or something before.
Without warning, Yosuke closes the distance between them and places another kiss on Yu's lips, less desperate than before. ]
"yet"
But here he is, in the arms of a boy, and for just a breath of time, he finds himself perfectly happy. Yosuke won him, fully and completely.
Yu kisses Yosuke back with enthusiasm, though the kiss remains tender, sweet. He's just an obvious and active participant, tilting his head so their mouths meet just right, moving his lips against Yosuke's, smiling against his friend's mouth.
When the kiss breaks, Yu laughs and simply hugs Yosuke tightly. ]
I'd been thinking about doing that for a while, too.
[ With a happy sigh, he pulls back enough to look at his ... boyfriend? ]
As much as I'd like to stay here and kiss you... [ Yu frowns out at the water, at the rain. His legs are getting numb, and he pulls them in, onto the sand. ] ... I need to find shelter.
[ He doesn't mean alone - but he's guessing Yosuke can take these temperatures. He's not built for it, though, and hypothermia is a real concern, even in September. ]
yet
He really doesn't want to break away especially when Yu starts kissing him back. The hug isn't too bad, it's just not the same. Yosuke places his hands on the either side of Yu's face when he pulls back, fingers running through short wet hair. He looks happy, almost radiant with it.
Oh.
Shelter. ]
--Ah.
[ His smile falters just a bit as the realization settles in entirely--Yu needs to go one way, Yosuke needs to go another. ]
R-Right. Um...I don't really know what is around here...
please don't murder yu's new fish boyfriend
But as much as he truly wants to keep feeling that, and as much as it wrenches at his chest to watch Yosuke's smile dim, his life is still in danger.
Yu squints out at the storm again. Briefly he turns his head and leans in to press a peck to Yosuke's lips, and then he sits up properly, worming his way out of Yosuke's arms to brace his hands on the sand. Well, one hand; the other shields his eyes as he looks out at the rain. It's futile, though. With a sigh, Yu just pulls himself entirely out of the water, though once that's done, he reaches for Yosuke. ]
I can't see anything, and I haven't been this far downriver before. Looks like we'll have to wait the rain out.
[ Truthfully, he's concerned. Staying out here, wet and cold... he could get very sick. What if something happens? Dojima will wonder... Yu huffs, blowing water out of his face as he does so. ]
... are you alright? I haven't asked.
i won't (probably)
When Yu drags himself further upshore, Yosuke turns to watch. He's hesitant to take Yu's hand, though. The bottom half of his tail is still in the water. ]
Yeah. I'm fine. Kinda banged up, but I've had worse.
[ Bruised would heal. ]
I should tell you about the time I got caught on a hook.
[ He's teasing, of course. ]
But, um...you should go, but I can't come with you. [ Its harder to say than he thinks it should be, the stark reality of their different situations already settling in. It's just unfair. ] If I dry out...
NO NOT PROBABLY
80%
no :|
82%
IM GONNA FIGHT YOU!!!!!
COME AT ME BRO
FIGHTS U. W MY MOUTH. ON UR MOUTH
omg
:)?
you're ridiculous
is this a problem
maybe a good problem
o-oh [swoon.jpg]
iamherenow.jpg
faints gracefully in your strong arms