Author's Note:

ELISABETH — I should have written and finished this like a week ago, but I'm lazy and unmotivated and a bum. ; w; I hope it was worth the wait!

Us
a Persona 4 (© ATLUS) one-shot

They made a statue of us
And put it on a mountain top
Now tourists come and stare at us,
blow bubbles with their gum,
take photographs, have fun, have fun
They'll name a city after us

The other girls would be livid if they knew about this, Erin thinks, especially after last night's fiasco. To be completely honest, it had been their fault; it was the boys' turn to use the hot springs, so how were they to know that the girls were still there? Of course, Yukiko and Chie insist being in the right despite knowing the truth. It is pretty hard to suck up the pride and apologize for throwing all those buckets so ruthlessly.

Yosuke doesn't look like he's gotten over it, either.

"I said I was sorry," Erin repeats, wearing a slightly teasing grin. He just grumbles his response and sinks further into the water so that it covers his nose. "You guys kinda took us by surprise. You can't say it was totally unwarranted."

"Are you kidding me!?" he yelps, jumping up dramatically. "I get being surprised, but this—!?" He points to the colony of bumps on his head and the bruises on his skin, at which she can barely contain her amused laughter. "This is just overkill! I saw my life flash before my eyes, Rin-chan." Yosuke wails pathetically as he falls back into the water, allowing the warm liquid to soothe his battle wounds. "And I can't even tear an apology from Chie… See if she gets anymore steak from me…"

Erin eyes her best friend with pity, though inwardly she can't deny that she's at least somewhat entertained. "They're just flesh wounds," she says jokingly. "They'll heal." She carefully maneuvers around him so that she's wading behind him, then places her hands on his shoulders. "Relax!" She laughs when he jumps under her skin. "It's a massage. It's supposed to make you feel better." It doesn't take long for his tense muscles to relax under the careful ministrations of her fingers and palms. "We could probably get in trouble for this."

Yosuke shrugs. "Whatever. We're the only ones in here."

"That's probably the problem. And I feel like they split up guys and girls for a reason…"

"Relaaaax," he says, and the two share a laugh at his good-natured mocking. Yosuke releases a pleased sigh when she finds a particularly rough knot near his neck. "I know you're really into acting, but you'd be a great masseuse."

Erin raises an eyebrow. "I think you're just sucking up to me."

He groans as he leans further back, closing the distance between their barely covered bodies. She manages to stifle her yelp, and she's grateful that he's facing the other way so that he can't see the blush in her cheeks. "Yeah, you caught me." He angles his head so that he can grin at her. "Hm? Are you getting hot?"

"W-what?" she asks.

"Your cheeks are red."

Because he points it out so plainly and without reservation, the blush deepens and she swears she's going to die from embarrassment. She has to wonder how obvious it is — the fact that she likes him so much. The others aren't blind to it because even Kanji has made a comment about it (with her promptly stepping on his foot to get him to shut up), but if Yosuke knows he hasn't hinted at it. Part of her wants to just confess, with the hope that getting it off her chest will allow her to breathe freely around him again, but the other part is terrified. Yu says that Yosuke's gotten over Saki's death, but is it even possible to get over something like that…?

"Rin-chan?" The sound of his voice tears her from her thoughts, puts her back into place. She realizes that her hands have stopped moving, that they're simply laying on his shoulders, skin to skin. She pulls away like the touch is a burn. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" she yelps, her voice too high. When he faces her, he wears an expression of concern. "I guess I am just getting hot. Ahahah, we've been in here for a while…"

"We just got in ten minutes ago."

She swallows thickly. "Oh."

He has to know, she thinks, with the way he's looking at her.

"Why do you look so nervous?" he asks with a grin.

She's become prone to getting nervous around him lately, but she doesn't know why. Well, okay, she does know why, but she doesn't understand why it's affecting her so much all of a sudden. Erin has always recognized her feelings for Yosuke, but it's become so much harder to be around him. It used to be so easy — talking to him, hanging out with him, working with him — but now it's such a strain and she can't figure it out.

"I-I'm not nervous," she answers, without much conviction. When he quirks an eyebrow at her, she shrinks back until she's chin-deep in the hot springs. "I'm just getting warm, that's all."

Yosuke doesn't say anything, just lowers himself so that they're in the same position, so that their eyes are level. Erin tries her best to fight back the blush ("You've been this close before," she tells herself), but his gaze is too intense and her heart is pounding a tattoo against her chest. Just as she straightens to get up, his hands clamp on her shoulders and spin her around, so that her back is to him. "W-wha-what—!?" she splutters.

"I think you're the one that needs a good massage," he says, his breath hot against her ear. "I'm not as good as you, but it should be fine!" His large hands work at her shoulders, which quiver underneath his fingers. "Man, you need this more than I do…"

His words float in and out of her ears without much thought; she's too busy praying that he can't feel her shaking.

"… Hold on a second." His fingers push aside the stray curls that fell from her bun, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake. She gasps, waits for his hands to return to her hunched shoulders, but Yosuke hesitates. Erin doesn't realize how much closer he's gotten until she feels his breath ghost across her skin. "Your hair was in the way…" And then his lips, cold like ice, press against the warmth of the back of her neck.

"Yosuke!" she says, nearly breathless, as she moves away from him in shock.

His large eyes blink back at her innocently, which makes her wonder if she'd just made up the entire scenario in her head. Then he smiles, in that way that has always warmed her heart, and finds her hands with his. "You've always been really bad at over thinking things, Rin," he says, giving her fingers an affectionate squeeze. "Sometimes you just have to go off instinct."

Erin cocks her head to the side. "Instinct…?"

"If it feels right, just let it happen," he elaborates.

Oh. She allows herself to float towards him, until they're only inches away from each other. This feels right.

The distance closes.

"Traitor…!"

"N-No, Chie-san…!"

"Ssssh, Chie!"

Erin yelps as she steers backwards, as far away as she can. Yukiko, Chie, and Taiga stand off to the side, two of them looking embarrassed and the other just looking flabbergasted. "W-we didn't realize you were in here… Ahahaha, I guess I got the schedule wrong again," Yukiko says lamely, tugging on Chie's arm. "We should go, right, girls?"

"I didn't know there was a coed time for bathing," Taiga whispers.

Yukiko shakes her head, still blushing, and drags both of the girls away before any more of a racket can be made.

Yosuke barks out laughter as soon as they're gone, startling Erin (who's still trying to regain her nerves). "God, those guys really know how to ruin a moment, huh?" Before she can reply, he wades over to her and confidently takes her face into his hands. "We can try again," he says softly.

"A-again?"

He chuckles before swooping in.