Disclaimer- I don't own Persona 4 or the characters all rights belong to Atlus.
Warnings- Slash/Yaoi, Minor spoilers if you haven't saved Naoto yet, a little sexual stuff (nothing graphic)
Pairing- Soji/Yosuke
Not really much to say. This is unbeta'd so if there are any mistakes please point it out! Other than that I hope you enjoy!
An Ema Request
The shopping district of Inaba was oddly silent as the silver haired leader walked down the paved road. His shoes clanked against the ground, echoing around him, the rain pounding down softly on his umbrella. Letting his silver gaze move over the buildings, he paused at the shrine a small smile coming across his lips. He had finished his latest request from the odd fox and now it was time to pick up the next one, the discount worth the effort and time he spent. Passing through the wide arched entrance, he didn't bother to look around. The rotting structures and overgrown weeds a familiar sight. His trek down the stone stopped when he reached the offertory box, looking up when he heard that loud howl. The sleek, cunning fox jumped the roof landing gracefully before him, giving him that look of gratefulness. "A new request?" Soji asked, reaching out to wrap a hand around the rain slick wood, gently pulling it away from the fox. There was handwriting on it though for the first time he knew who it was from. The curling, scribbles of his best friend stared down at him and for a moment he couldn't move, shocked. 'I wish I had help moving on and finding a new love. I don't care from where just someone…' The plea that was written on the board hit him hard and he was sure his expressionless face slipped for a moment. Yosuke, his best friend, crush, and partner in the other world, was hurting over the death of Saki Konishi even now all these months later. A cold gust of wind blew past them, causing a shiver to go through his body, his jacket doing little to block it.
The fact that he hadn't noticed worried him. Yosuke may have been able to hide his hurt from the others, but he had always been privileged to see what he hid from the world. Ripping himself away from his thoughts, he nodded to the fox, slipping the wish into his pocket. He would help, this one was personal after all. The day seemed to reflect his new mood, as he made his way out of the area of the shrine, needing to make a plan.
-----------------------------------------------------
School was the same as always, though for once the genius had little want to pay attention. Closing his grey hues, he let out a sigh able to hear Chie writing away beside him and the soft snores from Yosuke behind him. It was a normal day well except for what the day he had planned afterwards. No Junes, no park, no Inaba at all… Soji was stealing his brunette friend for the day to go to the city. When Ms. Kashiwagi was finished with her lecture and the bell dismissed them, he rose his things packed in his case. "Yosuke." He reached out, poking the snoring lump gently, pulling back to see if he would stir.
There was nothing, not movement at all that even suggested his call had been heard. Holding back the childish urge to roll his hues, he placed his hands on the desk, looking up to his friends. "I'll wake him up." Turning his attention to the boy, he wrapped a hand around his shoulder and shook him a little, freezing when he heard something pass the closed lips. "Soji…" Yosuke was dreaming about him? That was new. Raising a brow, he shook harder curiosity bubbling within him. "Come on Yosuke." He growled softly, his normally collected voice holding a bit of annoyance. It seemed to do the trick though, whatever dreams the young man was having were jolted away. Blinking the sleep from his pools, Yosuke looked around, unable to figure out where he was. "S-soji?" He felt a flush come to his cheeks, as he looked down, hands folding his lap. "Is it lunch time already?" The last thing he remembered was the first class of the day starting, before his sleep deprived body demanded he rest his head. "School is over with. Pack up we are going to the city." The leader offered, slipping himself partway onto the empty desk. If he was sleeping all day the problem has to be worse than even the ema had let on. Looking down to his back, he shifted it slightly, the wooden plea buried inside. "O-over with?" Jumping up from his seat, the brunette grabbed his bag, mind reeling. He had obligations at Junes today. Looking at the clock, he groaned loudly, he was already late. "Well buddy lead the way." He crossed his arms, shifting his weight not seeing the point in going to be yelled at. Nodding his head, Soji did as he was told. He still couldn't shake the way his name was being said though. Almost as if the speaker was enjoying some phantom pleasure. "What did you dream about?" He asked, striking up a conversation, as they stepped out of the school and into the sunny outside. "Dream?' Yosuke tried to think of it, his mind a little bit of blur. "Uhm… I can't remember." Rubbing the back of his head, his headphones moved slightly, before falling back into their proper place. Through the blur he remembered being pinned against the wall someone touching and kissing him. A faceless body, but god the touches had left him wanting more and to know the name of the stranger. Looking down, he let out a soft sigh, clasping his hands behind his back. "So why are you taking me? Not that I don't mind." The usual grin found its way onto his face, and laughter left him not entirely false. Being around the other city boy always brightened the day. "A friend can't take another friend out?" Asking dryly, Soji turned the corner the sound of the trains not far off. Nothing was more than a few block away in the small town. Glancing over his shoulder, he smirked, taking in every feature he had grown to admire. "Hmmm… Let me think on that one. With everything going on, a break would be nice." Slouching a little, he tried not to let the depressing thoughts enter his mind and ruin the mood. "Stop thinking about her. Saki Konishi is not coming back, but you are still here." Stepping up to the train station, he didn't look back knowing that Yosuke was following.
--------------------------------------------------
Ice cream, a rare delight for him was clutched tightly in Soji's hands. His bright pink berry brought saliva to his mouth. Reaching out, he grabbed it, moaning softly while licking the sugary concoction. After walking around, talking and browsing for sometime, before deciding to settle with the frozen treat, even if the season was not prime for it. Crossing his legs, he leaned back against the bench, allowing his hues move to Soji. "So buddy there is something on your mind. You've avoided it all day, but speak up. Did you finally snag one of the girls?" That grin slipped back onto his face, this time real. Allowing his hand to fall onto his lap, the leader cast a glance over to his friend. "No. They have eyes elsewhere anyway. It is about a little problem I found out… We are going to get you a date. Someone to take away the pain that's still there." The worry that he felt for his friend, didn't really carry out through his voice, despite it being there. Taking another lick, he took note of the tensing of his friend's shoulders. "I'm only trying to help." He offered, shifting slightly uncomfortable. Yosuke wanted to scream that his friend had no place in this. That he shouldn't even bother because he was fine. "A date hmm?" His mouth betrayed his mind. "If you can find someone then we can double date perhaps?" He raised a brow, wiggling it, rising from his seat. "Come on. I'm not in the mood to really be here any longer." Throwing out the sweet, he shoved his hands in his pockets, but not before he pulled up his headphones and blocked the world out around him. A date… Was that what he really wanted? Confusion was starting to cut through the deep hurt.
-------------------------------------------------------------
A week had passed since the mentioning of the tablet and Soji was lost at what to do. He had asked around to see if any girls wanted to date them, but had been turned down from everyone. So as a last resort he had enlisted the help of Naoto and Rise. Both girls didn't mind and he knew for a fact that Rise was infatuated with him, not that the feelings were returned. When the bell rang to dismiss them, he rose turning to face the sleeping man. There was some sort of festival going on in the city over and he had invited them to go over there that night as couples. "Hey Yosuke." He muttered, doing his daily routine of shaking the brunette until he awoke. The low snoring seemed to grow louder as the students started leaving only too happy to get out for the day. Sighing to himself, he kicked the other in the shin allowing the other to feel the pain. That nameless face was touching him again, his body craving more wanting to go farther. His body was arched and all he had to do was look to see the woman. The pain spread through his body, but that face was becoming clearer for him. Pushing it down, his dream self opened a hue to catch a glimpse of grey hair, and intense grey hues. Jumping awake, his head collided with someone's chin, his mind reeling at the revelation. His mysterious visitor, the one that his body had wanted was nothing other than his best friend. He knew they were close, but that was an all new level. The fact that he was gay for his friend didn't bother him… It was the fact that it had taken dreams for him to figure it out. He was confused, very confused and as he rubbed his head he wanted nothing more than to be alone and think. "Yosuke." Rubbing his sore chin, Soji glanced down at the brunette not sure what to think about the action. "We have a date tonight." He offered, slipping somewhat onto the desk. "A date?" Lost to when this was planned, he rose from his seat grabbing his bag from the floor. Leaving sounded like a good idea right about now. The leader nodded his head, raising a brow in question at the behavior. "Yes. You told me if we double dated you would. So we are going out tonight with some girls I asked out. We have time though so we are going to hang out." His tone left no room for arguments as he pushed himself off the desk, crossing his legs. Blinking, the words sank into his head and Yosuke relaxed. There was no dating between them. Good he still had time to figure out these dreams as well, even if Soji would be in the same room as him. "Uhm… Sure. Where do you want to hang out buddy?' He let an easy false grin fall on his face, forced cheer in his features. "The pavilion by the river." There was homework and he wanted to get it out of the way. Heaving his bag over his shoulder, he watched Yosuke nod, before heading out. His friend was following him silently, which was fine with him for the moment.
-------------------------------------------------- Night rolled around too quickly for the brunette. He wanted more time to sit and think about his revelation. His hands were shaking as he pulled on his headphones, nodding his head to the tune, the train taking only himself and Soji to the celebration. They would be meeting the girls there. Humming the song, he let his gaze stay on the window, though it stayed on Soji instead of the moving darkness outside. Before today he would have never entertained the idea of looking over his friend. Though after the dreams and those lips pressed against his hot skin, trailing down… He couldn't find himself pulling away as he observed the features of his crush. If he could call it a crush. There was nothing he could really call it himself, but he knew it was there and that he wanted Soji. Sighing, he closed his hues the train starting to announce that they needed to get off in a few minutes for their stop. Oh yeah tonight was going to be a very interesting night. With the girls around he wasn't sure if he would be able to hold it together.
The leader rose when the train crawled to a stop, seeing Yosuke do the same out of the corner of his eye. He was worried, but kept didn't speak of it, as he started off, looking at the transformed streets. According to Rise they would be hanging out right around the corner from the stop. Looking around, he spotted her waving hand and started over, nudging his friend to follow. "Hello. You are both looking beautiful." Smiling that charming smile of his, the silver haired male nodded to both Naoto and Rise, holding out his hand for her to latch onto, which she did. He thought he felt a glare directed at his back or at Rise, but the feeling disappeared quickly. "Yosuke these are our dates for the night. Have fun you two." Hearing Rise giggle on his arm, he started to walk away with her, doing as she wished. It was going to be a long night, but for Yosuke it was a small price to pay. Blinking at his friends retreating back, he let his gaze stray down to that ass, before he shook his head from the thoughts. "Uhm… Yeah… Where do you want to go Naoto-kun?" He asked, already telling this would be awkward. Turning to face her, he found a knowing smirk on her face. "I am doing this as a favor to Soji-senpai. There is something on your mind. Would you care to talk about it? Or is there something on Senpai's ass that is appealing?" Grabbing his larger hand, she led him slowly down the street, her uniform still on gaining them odd stares. Yosuke cursed his luck for getting the perceptive one. "No nothing on his ass… Well what would you do if you found out you were having dreams about your best friend? Not just any dreams either. Sexual ones." Running his hand through his hair, he stopped a booth, dishing out the money for a skewer of meat for the both of them. Finding a secluded bench, he led Naoto there, sitting down beside her, leaning back. He slouched, head lowered his gaze on his folded hands. He was so damned confused and he just wanted to kiss Soji or something to make it all go away. Coughing softly at the question, the girl covered her mouth for a moment. "Well if I was I'd probably ask him out? I'm not the best for advice in dating. You are a little dense though. It was obvious that you have deep feelings for senpai." She broke off there, taking a bit of her meat, waiting for his answer. Deep feelings? Yosuke blinked, closing his hues for a moment trying to think about it. It didn't work very well. He wasn't suited for the thinking area unless it was dealing with the murders. "Heh. Dating another guy should gross me out. It doesn't though, maybe I'll try your advice. You however need to ask Kanji out. Dude has got it bad for you." He laughed, feeling a little better. "K-k-anji?" A light blush covered the girl's pale cheeks at the mention of the punk. Standing up, he stretched, offering a lopsided smile and a wink. "Of course Naoto-kun he loves you. Come on we can't ruin this date." Holding out his hand, he led her around, finding a way to tease her through Kanji.
The night ended however and stopping in front of the other couple, he bent down and gave Naoto a kiss on the cheek, before looking to Soji. "Ready to go lover boy?" He winked at the name, starting up the steps of the train knowing that Naoto would find a way to keep Rise behind.
Soji watched the two, unsure of what happened. His date had been boring and uneventful, the knowledge that Rise wasn't the one he wanted beside him making it so. Smiling at Naoto, he started to lead Rise onto the train. "Rise can we still go around. Yosuke said he wasn't feeling good and I just haven't been able to see all of the sights." Fixing her hat, she looked out at the festivities. "Please." The leader allowed his arm to slide free. "Go. I'll make sure Yosuke's okay." Leaving them there, he started up to the train station, noticing the brunette sitting down waiting for the next train to arrive. "Hey you feeling okay?" When he got no response he was starting to think that the concern was truly needed. Waving his hand in front of his spaced friend, he moved to pressing the back of his palm against his forehead, finding it cool to the touch. "Spacing out again?" He asked, pushed the other, before deciding to be bold. Sitting down on him, he tapped his fingers against his legs, just waiting for Yosuke to notice.
Noticing took a few minutes for Yosuke, his confusion slowly unraveling. When he felt the weight on his body, he blinked, shaking his head a few strands of brown slipping into his face. "Uhm.. Buddy.. You're sitting in my lap." He offered, reaching out to touch the jacket and the male underneath. Nodding his head, the grey haired male turned around slowly. "It worked." Staying there despite the duties being finished, he watched Yosuke. "How was your date?" He asked, a small smile snaking onto his face. The hand that was on Soji's shoulder dropped as the brunette looked away, a blush appearing on his face. "Uhm… It went okay. I don't think Naoto and I are going to be doing that again." He offered, licking his lips softly. His gaze traveled up his friend's face, stopping on the lips he wanted to kiss. "No? I guess we'll have to find you someone else." Soji mumbled, closing his hues rubbing his temples. Laughing nervously, Yosuke tried to figure out what to say or do. His chance to show his feelings was literally sitting in his lap. Letting his hands slip up, he let them rest on Soji's waist. "Uhm…. Buddy that really isn't necessary… I already have my eyes on someone. I just gotta ask them out." He took a deep breath, gathering his frazzled nerves together and trying to ignore how this position was reminding him of all the dreams.
Raising a brow, the leader waited to hear. "Who is it?" The brunette sucked in a deep breath, offering a shaky grin. "Well…" He trailed off, looking down for a moment, before looking back up at his friend. This was his chance take it or leave it. And he was feeling lucky. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips against Soji's, pulling back before it could deepen.
"Uhm… Well I wanted to date you… See where this could lead…" His heart wasn't supposed to be pounding so hard in his chest, but Yosuke couldn't help it. No words were exchanged, leaning forward the leader pressed his lips against his friend's, allowing his tongue to flick out wanting to deepen it. When he gained entrance, he let it slip into the warm, inviting entrance teasing the muscle he found within there. He was surprised that this was even happening, Yosuke was the straightest friend he had and yet here he was.
The train rolled into the station behind them, forcing them to break apart slightly breathless. "Spend the night Yosuke?' Soji asked, slipping off of the teen's lap so they could board. Blushing, the brunette nodded his head not trusting himself to speak. Running over to the train he boarded with Soji wanting to continue where they left off, this was so much better than dreams. His lips were still tingling slightly at the sensation of the other's pressed against his. He only hoped that tonight would take a turn in a favorable direction.
----------------------------------------------------------------
It was sunny again, maybe a reflection of his mood, Yosuke wasn't exactly sure. The night had been exactly as he wanted it, relaxing and comforting. Thoughts of Saki-senpai had not entered his head in a while now and as he looked over to Soji he couldn't help the grin that broke out on his face. Real happiness. He hadn't been able to recall the last time he had felt that. Stopping before the old run down shrine, he looked back to his friend for a moment. "Hang on. I need to do something here." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a few bills and made his way to the offertory box. His boyfriend didn't follow, but he felt those eyes on his back. Slipping the bills between the slots, he closed his hues. "Thank you for helping me." He whispered, turning and walking away. He had someone who cared for him and maybe…Maybe it would turn into something more. He was crossing his fingers on that one.
"Come on let's go to Junes. I'll buy lunch." Wrapping his arm around his silver haired companion, he started in the direction, missing the low howl of that mysterious fox.
A/N: Review?