Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/4471256.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      F/M
  Fandom:
      Persona_4
  Relationship:
      Yosuke_Hanamura/OC, Souji_Seta/OC
  Character:
      Yosuke_Hanamura, Souji_Seta, OC_-_Character
  Stats:
      Published: 2015-07-31 Updated: 2016-03-04 Chapters: 2/? Words: 3321
****** Right Before Your Eyes ******
by astridrosen
Summary
     Souji has been dating Arisu (OC), but now he's being kind of a dick,
     but Yosuke is always there for her.
Notes
     This is my first attempt at an OC, so plz forgive me -_- rated E
     because I might go into... stuff later. Ahem.
***** Chapter 1 *****
Beep beep beep.
The sound of the phone permeates the air and I jump in my seat, woken from the
trance I had gone into. The silver haired boy to my right checks his phone and
frowns. I lean over, trying to discreetly look, but he puts it back into his
pocket.
“Er, Yosuke. I’ve gotta go… do that thing, you know?” He says, standing up.
“Souji..?” I want to ask why he’s going, but he cuts me off.
“Sorry Arisu. We’ll hang out another time.” He ruffles my hair. “See you!”
“Later partner.” Yosuke says.
Souji flies out of the room leaving Yosuke and I still sat on the sofa, the
film we were watching now playing to itself. I reach a hand up to my hair to
smooth it down.
“Did he just… ruffle my hair?” I question out loud, but to no one in
particular. Yosuke opens his mouth to reply, but I carry on. “Like, we don’t
ever hang out on our own. He’s bored of me.”
“He’s an idiot Arisu. I mean, he’s my best friend, but he’s an idiot.” Yosuke
sighs.
I think of all the times Souji and I have hung out in the last month. He
doesn’t like to call them dates, because he doesn’t want to commit too much to
me. He says it’s because he likes to keep things casual, but I think it’s
because he wants to keep his options open. Things have become very one-sided
and with a sudden awareness I play over our latest interactions together. He’s
become less affectionate, certainly, and less interested. He never initiates
conversation, or kisses and he’s rarely the one to suggest hanging out. If he
does, he always invites Yosuke.
I replay the ruffling of my hair, and somehow I know it’s the nail in the
coffin.
I sit cross-legged on the sofa, turning to look at Yosuke. I lean my head on
the back of the sofa, tilting it to the side. I’ve never really given him a
second thought, but here he is, still with me where Souji has gone. He’s cute,
sure, but girls don’t trail after him like they do with Souji. He’s kind of
dorky and excitable, where Souji is a bit more laid back. Too laid back. Maybe
I was too hasty in going after Souji. Yosuke has always been there for me, he
never abandons our plans to go elsewhere, especially without telling me where
it is he’s going. The realization hits me like a ton of bricks.
“Yosuke.” I whisper. He looks up at me, and I reach out my hand for his.
Confusion spreads across his face as he looks at my outreached hand. “It should
have been you. It is you.”
Yosuke looks at me for a second before he mirrors my seating position and
reaches out his own hand and takes mine, scooching over to me so our knees are
touching.
“He’s my best friend, and I like him a lot, but he’s been a real dick to you
lately. He’s no good for you.” He whispers back. “You haven’t been happy, I
know you haven’t.”
It dawns on me that he’s right. I don’t enjoy being the girl who chases after
her... I can’t say boyfriend, because he doesn’t like that word. Whatever he
is. I feel useless with him, all the power has been sucked out of me and I’m
just waiting for him to tell me what we’re going to do.
“How did you know?”
“I know you.”
“Where is he?”
Yosuke pauses and sighs, “Do you want to know?”
“...No.” I say after a moment’s consideration, because I don’t. I’m glad he
went.
We sit like that for a while, holding hands and looking into each others eyes
with our heads propped on the back of the sofa. The film we had been watching
ends, and cuts out suddenly. The TV flips back to the channel it had been on
before, the local news, and we’re watching a familiar face flash up on the
screen. Rise Kujikawa.
Then I have my next light bulb moment.
“She’s here, isn’t she? In Inaba?” I ask.
Yosuke pauses again. “Yes.”
“That’s where he is.” I say, not a question this time, because I know it’s
true. He’s always loved her, and if she’s in town, it makes sense that he’d go
to her.
The pause, then again. “Yes.”
“Good for them.” I say, trying not to sound bitter, because I don’t feel bitter
at all. I feel…relieved. I knew he was hung up on her when we started seeing
each other, he told me as much himself. Whenever he sees a photo of her, or
catches her on TV, he goes quiet for ages and ignores me.
“Arisu, you don’t need to…”
“I know, but I mean it. It’s good for them. They both love each other, right?
So they should be together whilst they can.”
Yosuke squeezes my hand before letting go. He gets up and heads over to the TV
set, turning it off. I stand up myself and go to him. When I’ve walked the few
short steps to where he is, I realise I don’t have anything planned and that
now it looks like I’ve just followed him across the room. I stop just before
him, inches between us, and I realise that I’ve never been this close to him
before. He’s about three inches taller than me, and I look up into his eyes
nervously. My heart starts racing and I realise this is what I’ve wanted. I
want to be nervous because I’m excited, not nervous because I don’t know how
the person is going to behave with me today. I smile.
“What?” He asks, putting his arms around me so his forearms rest on my
shoulders and his hands meet behind my neck.
“I’m nervous, but I’m excited. It’s good. I’m good. You make me happy.” I tell
him every thought that’s come into my head, I don’t want to hold anything back
from him.
“I knew I could.” He smiles.
“What’s your smile for then?” I ask. It’s only fair he tells me too.
“I’ve waited so long for this. I just want to take it all in.” He pulls me into
him, holding me so my cheek is resting on his chest, smelling my hair. I put my
hands on his shoulder blades, surprised at how muscular his back is.
Yosuke moves his hands, one to the small of my back, the other to the back of
my head, threading his fingers through my hair. My spine tingles when his
fingertips reach my scalp. He laughs and pulls away from me, leaving his hands
in the same position. We start to lean in to each other, a kiss building
between us. Suddenly Yosuke stops leaning in and pulls away instead, still
holding me, still looking at me, but the kiss shatters in the air.
“We can’t. We need to tell Souji first.” He says.
“Like he told me about Rise?” I don’t mean it to sound venomous, but that’s how
it comes out.
“He’s my best friend, and your… whatever he is.” Yosuke says firmly. “We need
to tell him.”
“What if he –“ I start. Yosuke cuts me off.
“Arisu, I’m not asking his permission. I’m telling him what’s what.” He says it
with such determination; I know I’m making the right choice. I can’t believe
what an idiot I’ve been, how long I’ve wasted. The shiver goes down my spine
again and he pulls my hair lightly. Instinctively I lean in to him, desperate
to kiss him. He looks at me and grins. “Not yet.”
“I need to...” I whisper.
“I know you do. I do too.” He whispers back, and pulls me back in to his chest.
***** Chapter 2 *****
Chapter Summary
     so, i was going to have things going on with souji a lot longer, but
     i couldn't do that to yosuke
The next morning I wake with a smile on my face for the first time in ages. I
roll over and check and my phone my heart sinks with realisation of what’s to
come later in the day. As we parted yesterday, Yosuke and I made a pact to
visit Souji and tell him about us. My heart beats in trepidation. I’m not good
with confrontation at the best of times, but to end things with Souji and then
tell him I’m going to be dating his best friend seems a little harsh. No more
harsh than he’s been to you lately.
I get up and pad around my room, collecting my clothes together. Yosuke said
he’d give me a ride to wherever we go after Souji’s on the back of his scooter,
even though technically he’s not supposed to have anyone ride on the back. With
this in mind, I opt for jeans rather than a skirt or dress, and pair them with
a strappy, flowing top, hoping the pastel colours in the top will make the
green in my eyes stand out a bit more. I hesitate in front of my underwear
drawer. Is it really presumptuous to wear my best matching set, or is it just
better to be prepared? After staring at the open drawer for what feels like an
age, I opt for a matching black, lacy set, not my best - we’ll build up to that
I guess – but still nice, just in case.
Getting ready seems to take longer than usual. I know I should be excited that
I get to spend time with Yosuke later without everything hanging over our
heads, that once things are done with Souji I’ll be much happier, but I’ve
begun second guessing myself and the doubt is becoming too much. I run a brush
through my hair, put my makeup on and then lay down on my bed staring at the
ceiling.
My phone buzzes and I reach over and grab it. Yosuke is calling. Can he read my
mind?
“Hey.” I say, my voice cracking.
“Hi Arisu.” He replies, I can hear the smile in his voice. I like the way he
says my voice. “Am I still seeing you today?”
“At Souji’s?”
“Yeah, I guess. I mean, I could pick you up, but it’ll look obvious then, won’t
it?” Yosuke sighs.
“I guess so, but then it will when we both say we want to talk to him.”
“I’m a bit worried. I don’t want to upset him.” He confides. I’m relieved that
it’s not just me feeling like that.
“Me either. It’s ridiculous. I still think he’s a good guy, just because things
haven’t worked out with us, doesn’t mean he’s not.”
“It’s better not to lie to him, right?” Yosuke asks. “And things will be better
between us if we don’t have to think about all of that.”
I smile, he’s really cute. “You’re right.”
“Yeah, I know. Great, huh?” He laughs. “I’m leaving now. I’ll see you at his
place.”
“See you soon.”
Talking to Yosuke seems to have calmed me down a bit. I don’t feel confident
about our chat with Souji, but at least now I don’t feel crippling guilt every
time I think about it. I pull my Converse on and leave the house, plugging in
my headphones. It’s a leisurely walk over to Souji’s, and when I get there,
Yosuke’s scooter is already parked outside, a helmet on each handlebar. I take
a deep breath and knock on the front door. Souji opens it, and looks at me
confused.
“What is with people turning up unexpected?” He asks, opening the door wide for
me to enter and heading back into the house. I close the door behind me and
follow him into the lounge. Yosuke is sat on the sofa, but he stands when I
come in. He winks at me and starts to move over to where I’m standing and I
glare at him, sending him a silent warning to play it cool. He stops in his
tracks.
“What are you two doing?” Souji sighs, sitting down on the sofa. “I don’t
really have any time today, I’m going out soon.”
“That’s okay partner. We just had something we wanted to tell you.” Yosuke
says, gesturing at me to say something.
“Yosuke… can you give us a minute?” I ask. I feel like Souji and I need to be
alone for the first part.
Yosuke nods and goes to move out of the room to give us privacy.
“Wait.” Souji says suddenly. Yosuke turns around. “I think I know where this is
going.”
Yosuke walks back over to where I’m stood. Souji looks at the two of us, and
gestures for us to sit down on the other sofa. We both sit.
“Partner?” Yosuke says cautiously.
“You want to date each other, right?” Souji asks. He makes it seem so
straightforward.
“Yeah, we do.” Yosuke says.
“Arisu?” Souji looks at me.
“I do. We do.” I say, looking him straight in the eye. A broad smile spreads
across Souji’s face. I look at Yosuke nervously and he shrugs.
“That’s great!” Souji exclaims. “You two have so much in common, I think you’ll
be great together.”
“You think?” Yosuke asks.
“Yeah! I think you’re much better suited to Arisu than I am.” Souji turns to
me. “I’ve been really shitty lately. It’s nothing you’ve done, it’s just me.”
“I kind of noticed.” I say in a small voice, staring down at my feet. “You
could’ve just ended it.”
“I didn’t want to upset you.” He says, and he sounds genuinely remorseful.
“Well, just as an FYI for the next girl, don’t do that. Just get it over with.”
I say, sighing.
“Anyway…” Yosuke says. He doesn’t follow it up with anything, so I think he was
trying to calm things down. I look at him and he winks at me, my heart starts
melting. We all stand in awkward silence for a few moments until Souji coughs.
“I’m leaving the house soon, so I should go and get ready.” He says, gesturing
upstairs.
“Yeah, we’ll go.” Yosuke moves towards me and puts his hand on the small of my
back. “See you, partner.”
“Bye guys.” Souji says. I don’t say anything, and I just wave as we head out
the door.
“That was surprisingly easy.” Yosuke says as we stand by his scooter. He looks
at me and frowns. “Do you not have a jacket?”
“What? Will I need one? It’s a pretty nice day.” I say.
“Well, yeah, but it still gets kinda cold in the wind on the scooter…” He
replies. He zips off his grey hoody and hands it to me.
“But then, won’t you be cold?” I ask.
“It’s okay. I’m used to it.” He smiles at me and pulls his helmet on.
I slip the hoody on and zip it up. It smells like Yosuke, which makes me feel
strangely fuzzy. He passes me the spare helmet and I put it on. My hair hangs
down another couple of inches. Yosuke moves over to me and does the strap up
under my chin, brushing my cheek with his thumb when he’s done. He looks down
into my eyes and I smile back at him.
“Where are we going?” I ask him, we never made plans for what came after we
spoke with Souji.
“You wanna hang out at mine?” He asks. I nod in response and he holds the
scooter still, helping me onto it. When I’m on he climbs on himself. He turns
round to me. “You need to hold on to me. I’ll go slow, so don’t worry. I won’t
let anything happen to you.”
I smile and move closer to Yosuke, so I’m completely pressed up against his
back. I put my arms around him and clasp my hands at his front.
“This okay?” I ask.
“Yeah, that’s cool.” He says, and I think I hear his voice hitch a bit.
It’s a quick journey back to Yosuke’s place, and when we park up he holds out
his hand to help me off the scooter. I take it, even though I don’t really need
his help, and I think about how thoughtful and attentive he’s being. I try and
remember if this is what Souji was like in the beginning, but I’m drawing a
blank.
“Want to hear something funny?” He asks, already laughing. “The reason I got a
motorcycle licence was so I could give girls rides places and have them all
pressed up behind me.”
“Yosuke! You perv!” I laugh, unclipping my helmet.
“Kinda backfired though. I could only afford a scooter, and I’m not meant to
give people rides on that.” He smiles, hanging his own helmet on the handlebar.
I hand him mine and he puts it on the opposite side. “That was a one time
deal.”
“There are easier ways of luring a girl back to yours.” I smile. He winks at
me, which I really wish he’d stop doing as he looks insanely cute when he winks
and I’m starting to lose any restraint I might have started the day with.
We head into his house and I automatically go to his front room. It’s where we
always go when we’re hanging out at Yosuke’s place. He follows me in and stands
awkwardly in the door. I’ve sat down on the sofa when I look up and see he’s
not followed me.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“I er… I thought we’d… go up to my room instead.” He says, rubbing his neck.
“Oh!” I exclaim, shocked he’s being quite so forward, but mainly that I’m being
so naïve. I stand up and walk over to him, trying to get past so I can go
upstairs.
“Unless you don’t want to?!” He says quickly, not letting me by.
“I want to.” I say, looking up into his eyes. He takes me by the hand and leads
me upstairs. My heart beats faster with every stair we take. Yosuke opens the
door and lets me go in first. I look around. His room is really tidy, and
there’s hardly anything incriminating around. He has some photos on the wall,
but they’re all really recent.
“I hid all the bad stuff.” He grins at me.
“Well, that’s no fun.” I pout. I move over to the mirror. “Oh man, major helmet
hair.”
I try and sort my hair out, fluffing it out at the bottom. It curls up slightly
at the bottom, just past my shoulders. It’s definitely ruined, so I get a
hairband from my jeans pocket and go to tie it up. I put my hands behind my
head and start gathering the hair up into a ponytail, and Yosuke moves towards
me and takes my hands.
“Please leave it down?” He says gently, bringing my hands in between us and
placing them on his waist. He lets go and pulls me closer, putting one of his
arms around my back and resting his hand between my shoulders. I look up into
his deep brown eyes and smile. Yosuke smiles back at me. “What do you want to
do?”
“I don’t know, we could just talk?” I shrug.
Yosuke smiles at me and moves his hand down my back. Once he reaches my waist
he lets go of me, and moves over to his bed. He positions himself so his back
is propped up against the wall and beckons for me to go over to him. I sit next
to him, in the same position and he puts his arm around my shoulders and pulls
me in closer to him. He takes his other hand and reaches for mine, I oblige and
we sit with our fingers interlocked. We never do talk, and we just sit in
silence, occasionally looking at each other and smiling. I feel so safe in his
arms, after a while I feel myself drift off to sleep and I go with it.
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