insurmountable | just pay me back | with one thousand kisses (closed)

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just pay me back | with one thousand kisses (closed)

[It hadn't been too long after Yu had fallen asleep, that Yosuke leaned over from his sitting position, resting his upper body on one arm on the side of the bed while keeping his hand curled into the palm of his sleeping partner. He'd laid his head down, and almost as soon as his own eyes closed, sleep took him. It hadn't mattered where he was, exhaustion from the past twenty-four hours or so had taken a toll. And he was grateful to be able to rest, finally.

Yu, of course, wasn't able to get up right away and take care of himself. And thankfully because of how far Yosuke was away from home, they'd made an exception for him and given him a place to sleep in the hospital itself as preparations were made to return the two teens to their home planet. There wasn't very many places he could go anyway- they had his name, his profile, even his genetic code on file. The people who'd stolen him away to begin with would be on the lookout for the Earth boy that was extracted recently. It would be easier to keep him there, someplace already known to be safe and well out of the enemy's sight.

Not that he minded. He could see Yu anytime he wanted save for when the nurses and doctors had to tend to him every now and again. And there wasn't any way he wasn't going to abuse that privilege. He'd make sure Yu had what he needed or wanted, though not without whining sometimes. Though it wasn't so bad, sometimes he'd get to check out the hot nurses as he left Yu's room to retrieve things. In a small way, it was a win-win situation for him.

However, the day finally comes when Yosuke comes walking into the room, grinning. He'd received some good news, and a tray with some hot food is placed in front of Yu on the small folding table that was attached to the hospital bed. He doesn't bother to sit- he's too full of energy to be able to sit still at the moment.]

Yo! I brought you some breakfast. Eat up, because we've got a lot ahead of us today!

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[ Grinning. This is what you chose to be involved with, Yosuke. Ponder your life choices.

But the news gets him to shift in surprise, and he drives the heel of one hand into the bed so he can help himself sit up a little straighter, ignoring his food in favor of this news. Without realizing it he's actually leaning towards Yosuke a little, like that will somehow help him get this news faster. ]

Seriously?

[ He's no longer smiling, too surprised for that, but his excitement is practically palpable. Though he's got patience enough for a saint, even he's starting to go stir crazy, and the news that he can start working more actively on his recovery is incredibly welcome. But the look on Yosuke's face tells him there might be more to this. ]

Was there anything else?

Woah, careful partner! You're not better yet. Why don't you wait until we actually start the therapy for that?

[He winks, as Yu leans forward. He knew he'd like to hear that news, but he can't just tell Yu the other part of the news he'd received. Gotta build it up a little bit, make him wonder, it'll be way cooler that way.]

And, well, once you're up on your feet...hey, you're gunna eat that, right?

[He nods down towards the food, purposely stalling.]

Ah...

[ Getting his own antics turned back on him. Yu blinks, then huffs through his nose and leans back on the bed again, thoroughly defeated and torn between annoyance and a weird sort of fondness for this jerk deliberately dangling a carrot in front of him. This is payback for the nurses thing, he knows it.

With a shake of his head, he adjusts the table so that it's over his lap and starts to work on his meal, hardly caring what it is because his mind is still buzzing with possibilities. ]

Once I'm up on my feet?

[ He prompts, with a sideways glance at Yosuke. He will make this nurses thing so much worse if you hold out on him, man. ]

[He is genuinely glad to see Yu eat, watching him slowly recover in bed, eating more- it was difficult, but he knew that he'd be okay. Now that he was eating more normally, he could rest a little better. His head turns towards the hallway, pretending as if he heard something out there that might of been interesting, though there is nothing there, after all. Yu's question earns his attention snapping back to his partner, and he smiles again.]

What? Oh yeah. You know, it won't be easy! We've got to take things one step at a time, to make sure that you're all in working order. That means no slacking! We're gunna hit it hard, everyday!

[He's clearly dragging this out, but he does realize he's said something weird...]

T-that's not what I meant! The therapy, so you can get around without looking like a granny!

[ His diet is still pretty strictly controlled. After all, most of his internal organs had been shredded and are still recovering. He'd been on a solely liquid diet for at least a week. He's up to semi-solids, which has been a great comfort to him, but there's still a ways to go before he's back to anything resembling real food.

The comment almost gets Yu to choke, and though his expression doesn't change, his ears might go a little red. He's hard to faze, sure, but he's new at this relationship stuff too, and very much in love. Some things get to him, you know. But he manages to keep it more under control than Yosuke does, at least. As it is he just kind of briefly ducks his head before recovering. ]

Really? I thought all my hobbling around was pretty sexy.

[ Delivered perfectly straight-faced. Tit for tat, buddy. He takes a few grateful bites of his food, not having realized how hungry he was until he started eating. ]

Did they tell you what I'd have to do during my physical therapy?

Huuuuuh???

[He has to step back, his own face flashing a bright red at the well-delivered line. He swears he's sweating a little bit now, and he fights screaming in terror a little bit. Emotions have worn down by now- he's a little more stable than he was when Yu first woke up, the first time Yosuke saw him open his eyes since he held him in his arms in front of that cave, dead.

He looks around nervously, as Yu takes bites of his food without incident. How is this even fair? How can he just say crap like that without even blinking an eye? And now he's just eating like this is no big deal? What the hell? All these thoughts fly through his mind until Yu asks his question, which brings Yosuke back to earth for a minute.]

You're seriously gunna say something like that right to my face and then ask me that question like nothing even happened??? What kind of torture chamber is this?

[He sighs. It's so very Yu though, he should of seen that coming a mile away, especially after what's transpired here.]

We're gunna start doing walking first. I'll be able to help you, and then you'll do some unassisted stuff too. And...

They've already started to make plans for our return back. [He winks. That's what he was keeping from him.]

[ Something rather remarkable happens as Yosuke kind of loses his shit a little bit over that line. Back on Earth, back in Inaba, before all this happened... well. He probably wouldn't have delivered a line like that to Yosuke in the first place. Maybe to Rise, as a joke, to hear her giggle. But his best friend, back then, would have found it too weird to deal with and would have asked him where the hell something like that even came from. It's always been his sense of humor to say weird things like that to rile up his buddies, but he knows what lines he can and can't cross. Back in Inaba, if he could have delivered that line, he would have carried on with this conversation like he hadn't said anything strange. Probably taken Yosuke's reaction in stride and moved on.

But though he, too, is more stable since the day they both arrived here, it's still, at times, a work in progress. And that he can say something like that to his jumpy best buddy and get away with it, and get a reaction like that...

Yu starts to laugh. Really, actually laugh this time. He has to pause his eating, actually, placing a hand over his stomach because his breathy laughter is making his stomach muscles really hurt, bad. But he just can't stop. He's not loud about it, but it is still a rare thing, this laugh, something that would be strange to see out of him back home. It's the kind of thing that's been a little more common out of him since he died and came back. It does take over his expression and his whole body for a little piece of time. Once he recovers the look he gives Yosuke is the soft-eyed smile of someone so much in love that it might actually be a little embarrassing to look at, little does he seem to realize it. ]

That sounds great. [ He means it earnestly. ] Both of those things. I can't believe they're already prepared to send us home. Did they say how long it would take?

[Yosuke stands, a little bewildered for a moment. He's being laughed at again, so he starts to act very indignant at this entire ordeal, as he sees it. Yu has always been weird like this, and now is no exception. He's never known Yu to really laugh like this though- small little chuckles and smiles, smirks and what have you is what he'd see at home. Like when he's getting someone's goat, or finding something amusing. But this is real laughter, and Yosuke can't stay mad at the guy. He tries with all his might to stay angry, even vocalizing it while Yu laughs-]

Duuuuuude, it's not funny-

[But that look of love does it in for him, and his expression immediately softens once more. He'd rather have this than the alternative. He'd rather have Yu here, in a bed recovering and laughing at his stupid remarks and reactions. He'd rather be able to see his bright eyes staring back at him with an expression that he never could of imagined coming from his partner. And in turn, he returns the same look back, embarrassing as it was. He finally crosses, propping his butt right up on Yu's bedside to sit there, without disturbing the table but close enough that he could easily reach out and touch his face if he wanted.]

Well, there's only talk right now. They haven't prepared a ship or anything for us yet, since that's going to be a bit trickier. It's gunna be a few weeks before we even know how they're getting us off the planet. So that should give you time to recover more before we leave. They said we'll still be able to do your therapy on the way back.

[ One side of Yu's mouth quirks up when Yosuke takes a seat on the bed, and he reaches out to find one of his partner's hands, gently tangling just two of their fingers together. A small gesture, but Yosuke will have learned by now small gestures are the ones he likes best. In all things he's never grandiose or loud; even in this, even in love, he's quiet and a little restrained.

If also prone to gross amounts of goat-getting. ]

Alright. I hope we can send a message home soon, too. I can't imagine what everyone must be thinking. It'll be nice to work on recovering and getting back there again.

[ It tugs at the back of his mind, his own desire to get out there instead and keep fighting, but he knows he's in absolutely no state to do anything remotely like that. Getting home first and getting his health back are the first priorities. Letting the team know - and letting them make their own decisions about whether or not they want to help - will come after that. ]

Think we can get started once I'm finished? [ He indicates the meal, which he starts to work on again. ]

[He doesn't mind the fingers sliding between his own. If anything, he lets his two fingers curl around those, gently securing them together as a sign of solidarity between them. It's small, it's something he can handle, and it's a gesture he's more than willing to make with Yu as this point in their lives. His eyes wander downwards to look at their fingers, a subtle and soft smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. But he only lingers for a moment before blinking back upward with a much brighter smile.]

Yeah! I don't see why not. They did already give me the okay, so, what's stopping us? Some of the higher-ups are still here from the mission you ran, I saw them hanging around somewhere. I guess if we run into them, we should ask them about contacting everyone back home and letting them know we're safe. We've been gone a pretty long time, huh?

[He asks, wearing a facade that suggests that the time spent away was minor. No big deal. But it did bother him, in a sense, but he tries his best to shrug it off with a smile.]

[ That smile - the soft one, the one that makes Yosuke's eyes new shapes Yu had never seen before in all his time of knowing his best friend - is something he wants to kiss off his partner's face. It's a new impulse that makes something in his stomach jolt, and one he has to actively fight down after his pulse kicks up a few notches. It's hard not to picture, the way Yosuke's face would turn red or the way his expression would crinkle with indignation and outrage and embarrassment before he decided he was alright with it, and tilted his head just enough for his lips to fit perfectly beneath and respond to Yu's own, their mouths moving together for just a breath of time... ]

What?

[ Oh. What? Oh. Yosuke was talking. Help. ]

Right. Yeah. It's been almost four months now. [ But Yosuke playing it off as minor makes him sigh and smile a little. That's his partner, making the best of a tough situation. He nods. ]

Sounds like a plan. Come on. I'm ready if you are. [ He's done eating, after all. ]

[He grins, and with a small bit of hesitation, uncurls his fingers from Yu's and picks up the plate. Yosuke crosses the room to set it down on the counter, and returns to move the table back into its folded position behind the bed. As he does this, he can't help but tease his partner. He'd noticed that little space out, it would be hard to notice if you didn't know him. But there was a distant look in his eyes for a second, like he was daydreaming or something.]

I don't know, you don't seem totally with it today, partner- [The table begins to get folded back-] you sure you're all there? You were totally spacing it just now. What, can't keep your eyes off me or something, hehe?

[His voice is a little sing-songy, teasing, playful, just the way he wanted it to see how Yu reacted. He even leans in just a little as he reaches to push the table back behind the head of the bed that's propped up for Yu, but not so far that he feels uncomfortable being too close. He knows he's within arm's reach, but he's not expecting to get grabbed. Even if he might get grabbed.]

Edited 2015-10-14 00:58 (UTC)

[ Yu has to suppress the urge to groan. Caught. Of course he got caught. No one knows him better than Yosuke, and of course Yosuke'd notice him staring. And take the opportunity to roast him for it. Well, two can play that game, as always. Though Yosuke leaning in gets a little color to rise in his face, and the other boy has the height advantage of standing. Damn. Yu's left blinking up at him for a second, temporarily one-upped, trying to think of a response...

> "Must be all the medication."
> "Sure I can."
> "It's your raw animal magnetism." ]

It's your raw animal magnetism, [ he says, in that plain, straightforward way of his. He doesn't need to reach out and grab Yosuke. All he does is smile and wink.

Yes, wink.

And then, like nothing happened, he starts pushing the covers back and going through the careful motions of getting out of bed. ]

[He fights back his own laughter at Yu's face. It's red, and for a brief moment in time, Yosuke feels triumph over Yu. It rarely happens, if ever, but there it was, as plain as the day. He seriously got him and it was great, and the grin starts to spread over his face again, that shit-eating grin he has when he thinks he's found something he can hang over someone's head, or that he can tease someone about until the end of time. Stuff that will never get old, stuff that should get him slapped half the time.

Well, that is, until Yu delivers his one liner and winks. Yosuke is instantly taken aback, and he even leans back up in a partial horror. He's shocked, and he would be lying to himself if his heart didn't beat a lot faster suddenly at the wink.]

Ah-! W-What the hell is that?! Animal magnetism????!!!! Dude, we aren't some freaky zoo animal couple or something! Don't make me see things I can't unsee now! I need some fresh air!

[He clambers over to the window, throwing it open and thrusting his head out of it.]

[ Well. At least now he can grin to himself and hope his blush goes away while Yosuke is preoccupied with shoving his head out the window Yu sits there on the edge of the bed after easing his legs out of it, palms braced on the edge, and just grins stupidly at Yosuke's back. ]

What can I say? [ He keeps his voice lightly, pushing gently to his feet and keeping a hand on the bed for balance. ] You just have a natural draw. I can't keep my eyes off you, partner.

[ He drops his voice just a little on the word "partner." But only a little.

Standing has gotten much easier. He wears pants under his hospital gown, though no shirt. They need access to his wounds for occasional cleaning and redressing, after all. He's barefoot, and knows he should find the socks he was issued, though doesn't much want them at the moment. They're probably buried in his covers... Sigh. While Yosuke is busy, Yu shuffles to the end of his bed, casting around through the blankets and sheets. ]

[He sucks in fresh air, letting the sun warm his face as he shoves half of his body outside to try to clear his head. It was too much. It's everything he can do to try to let this refresh him a little, but that small little word- partner- floats through his ears and he can feel his heart drop and his face burn in guilty embarrassment. It was subtle, but Yosuke can hear it, his jaw dropping as his mind goes places that he's never dared to go before. The teen can't even bear to turn around and look at his friend; no, his boyfriend, a word that he hasn't quite associated with the two of them yet.

It was still surreal to think about. But the warm sensation that rises up in his chest was an indicator of it, more than anything else. Yosuke gulps, and turns slowly around to see Yu trying to find something clearly buried in his covers. He thanks everything that Yu isn't staring at him, and does whatever he can to regain his composure. This, of course, is done by getting angry.]

Go ahead and do your stupid walking by yourself! And keep your eyes to yourself too! Jerk.

[He realizes that Yu, as always, was trying to get him riled up again. He walks back over to the bed, making sure Yu was okay first, then starts to help him dig through the covers for whatever it is the other was looking for. His face is clearly still flushed.]

What are we even looking for anyway...you shoulda waited so I coulda helped you out of bed.

Edited 2015-10-14 02:02 (UTC)

[ His boyfriend.

Yu, at least, is smiling a little to himself as he looks for his lost socks, and ducks his chin a little as Yosuke joins him. He really does love this stupid goof, for whatever that means for both of them. Not for the first time and not for the last, he's glad to be alive. ]

I could, [ he says slowly, ] but it'd be awfully lonely, don't you think?

[ With a sideways grin. Which part is he talking about, the walking or keeping his eyes to himself...? ]

My socks. They're here somewhere. And I'm alright. As long as I'm careful, I don't tug anything. [ Ah -- with a victorious yank, Yu manages to retrieve sock number one. ] There we go.

[Yosuke shoots up straight from looking through the covers, unsure of how to take that. Being hit on like that, even if it's referring to the walking or his eyes, is not something he's used to. He glances over nervously as Yu plucks the sock from the covers, composure lost once again to the words of Yu Narukami. Sometimes he thinks to himself how incredibly unfair it is that he has this power over Yosuke to get him to flip out like this all the time, even when he tries to play him at his own game.

He quickly searches for the other sock himself, maybe a little too hurriedly, finding it and yanking it quickly out to hand to Yu.]

There, here's your stupid sock. I can't believe you were worried about this, so just put them on already so we can start.

[So he can stop thinking intrusive thoughts, stuff he didn't want to think on right now, memories he didn't want to think about either. Like a certain kiss in a hospital bed that had happened not too long ago, one he enjoyed and was thinking about again. Entertaining the very idea of doing it again was making him flip out, but then, he wonders if Yu was saying these things just to get him to think about it.]

[ It probably is a little unfair. Unfair how much fun it is to wind him up.

Yu can't help a chuckle as he takes the other sock from Yosuke, bundling both against his chest. Without thinking, his other arm reaches out for Yosuke's. Standing up and sitting down have become complex processes since his near-death experience, and Yosuke will be used to this by now. He needs help for even the littlest things, like sitting down. You don't realize how much you engage your core muscles for things like that until you can't use them, and he can't sit down without help. He won't be able to for weeks. It gnaws at him, this helplessness, and Yosuke will know that too from the occasional shadows that pass over his eyes. Joking around is keeping the shadows at bay today.

Provided Yosuke lets Yu grip his arm for balance, he'll lever himself down to sit again and get those socks on. ]

I did ask for slippers. They said they didn't have any.

[ As if that's the real concern at hand. Once he's done, he'll need Yosuke's help to stand up again, and he'll glance up at his partner with a true smile. Ready? ]

[It's not even a question, Yosuke moves close to Yu to let him grip onto his arm, and supports him with it and steadies him with his free hand on his shoulder. He can't imagine what it's like to always need that support, but he's more than willing to provide it. And he'd continue to do so until Yu was well enough to stand and sit on his own, no matter how long it took. The concern has finally worn off, knowing that this is normal for the time being, and he speaks while Yu puts his socks on.]

What kind of hospital doesn't have slippers? But, the treatment is free...

[He offers his arm once more to help Yu stand again, grounding himself to take on the added weight.]

Where do you wanna walk to today? We don't have to go too far, don't wanna wear you out. [He winks.] But, they've actually got a nice garden out back. Probably just for this kind of thing.

[ It's a somewhat laborious process, as always, just to put socks on. He's grateful as ever for Yosuke's patience. He finds himself seeking ... anything, really, some small sign that Yosuke must be getting tired of this, taking care of him like he's an old man. He's used to being almost self-sacrificing in his own self-sufficiency, so to suddenly flip over into this kind of dependency on another person is hard on him. But the signs he finds himself searching for never come, and he ends up only chastising himself for looking in the first place. Time, he thinks. Time, and faith in his friend. Boyfriend. Partner. All three of those things.

Once he's back on his feet he manages to stand straight, leaning on Yosuke only slightly. He's still hooked up to an IV - he needs to be - but it's mobile, and an easier one to move around than on Earth. After all, it's just a little pod he has to carry around that his nurses change out every so often. Technology, right?

The wink gets one corner of Yu's mouth to quirk. ]

A garden, huh... alright, let's head there. I like the sound of that. I'm tired of just sitting around. I want to see how far I can make it. I'll be alright, I promise. Show me the way.

Sure.

[He starts to walk with Yu slowly, not too fast so as not to throw his partner's balance off. Not over the hard linoleum floor, at least. He pays attention to those details- if Yu looked like he was tired, hurting, not to mention how bad he must feel that he had to rely on Yosuke to get around. But the teen knew that this is what his partner needed, and Yu could go ahead and let himself feel like that for all he cared. He'd just have to get over it, and Yosuke was going to make sure that Yu knew that he'd take care of him every step of the way. It's the least he could do, after coming here, to Tera. For getting him out of the mess, sacrificing everything to make sure he was okay and safe, out of their filthy hands.

And one thing he never does, he never presses how Yu has to depend on him, or bring it up to make fun of him. It didn't feel right, and he could never bring himself to tease him that way. He was too grateful. Too in love, even, though Yosuke might not completely comprehend that now.]

It's a good thing your room is on the first floor. We can just head out there instead of having to stand around and wait for a dumb elevator. [The hallway is long, but smaller hallways are attached with doors that lead outside to the back garden. Nurses and doctors, other employees of the rescuers walk by, and one even nods to Yu in acknowledgement.]

Guess you're popular around here, huh?

[ Yosuke may have started to notice other little things, too. Like the fact that Yu favors one side when he's walking - his left side. Opposite the side of his exit wound, a still-healing half-open snarl on his right hip. That injury tugs when he walks, you see, and his stride on his left side is a little easier. Small details like that. He doesn't really try to hide it, though pride might otherwise demand he do so. But there's no real need to do so around Yosuke. He lets his parter support him and just takes it slow and easy, taking steady breaths and focusing on the walk itself.

It gets easier every single day. That's his hope. That's what drives him forward. That this is getting better. That he'll get better again. He lived. That's what matters.

The employee that nods to Yu gets a spark of recognition and a nod in return. Yosuke gets a wry smile. ]

I got to know some other employees of Interstellar on my way here. I haven't seen many since... [ A beat. ] Anyway, that was one of them. Guess he must have some business at the hospital today.

[ Two young nurses, cute things, will pass by shortly after that, and Yu gives his friend a nudge. His expression remains clear, but somehow, something about his very body language has a hint of mischief to it. ]

Yeah...

[His head follows the employee as they pass, noting the uniform. It was the same as the ones that came from the helicopter to airlift Yu away and to this hospital- something he'll never forget. He peels his eyes off of the employee, wondering how he'd look in that uniform one day. As if it were a question that he wouldn't wear it eventually.]

...we really owe them one. I'm glad that-

[The nudge cuts him off completely, as his eyes go a little wide at how cute those nurses are. His breath catches in his throat as he awkwardly stares a little at them, and Yu's body language alone makes his face flush a bright red. The nurses whisper to each other, smiles across their faces as they eye the two boys walking down the hallway. Yosuke catches a bit of their conversation-]

...at him, blushing like that! They're so cute, I heard the grey-haired one came for him. They must be dating...

[As they pass, Yosuke feels a variety of emotions wash through him- embarrassment, denial, anxiety. He's mortified. Yet at the same time, he feels that connection to the boy using his arm as support, love, and resolution. Like he wants to crawl under a rock, but only if he can go underneath it with Yu in tow. It's not right, and he knows it's not right to want to hide it, but he does.]

Did you just hear them-!!!! [He hisses, quietly.] Does everyone know we're kinda...you know! [Together. He can't say it, though.]

[ Kinda...?

> "Kinda what?"
> "Dating, you mean?"
> Say nothing

Yu's silent for a moment, though he's unable to keep from reacting himself at what the nurses said, ducking his chin slightly and huffing through his nose.

I heard the grey-haired one came for him.

A thousand times, the more romantic piece of his mind thinks. He'd have come a thousand times, died a thousand times, if it meant saving the person on whose arm he's balancing right now. The person who, at the moment, is a little mortified to so much as admit they might be kind of an item.

Yu doesn't mind it, really. He never imagined Yosuke would want this at all, in the three long months he spent on the way here. If he survived the mission at all, he hadn't actually planned to tell Yosuke his feelings, and he'd admitted as much. To not only get to express his true feelings but to have them returned in kind is more than he could ever have hoped for, and he's happy. He knew his best buddy would be skittish at best about being with another guy, and he doesn't take it as an insult that Yosuke is so appalled at being even potentially called on it. He knows it's not a slight against him personally or anything like that. It's just how Yosuke is.

They keep walking as he considers his words, drawing closer to the garden. When he does respond, he takes a fourth option. ]

Sorry, partner. It must be my fault.

[ He glances askance at Yosuke with those peculiar gray eyes of his, the slant of his mouth something that could be a smile in the right light. ]

I guess they must just see how I look at you.

[ The way he says it is quiet. Not exactly gentle, but also sincere. It's that kind of thing where he might be messing with you, but it's so earnest, and comes from a place so true, that you're not sure if he's just expressing how he really feels or not. ]

Edited 2015-10-15 03:52 (UTC)

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i needed a lot of icons for this okay don't judge me

LAUGHS omg

the plague of having a very expressive character

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you think i couldn't reply to this before bed? you were wrong if you thought that

monster.