Everything had fallen apart and fallen back into place once again.
Forevermore
The past 24 hours of Narukami Yu's life had been a living hell.
Snow had started falling from the sky when someone far too young to was taken from his grasp. No one understood that the way he stood there, completely still, silently looking on with the straightest of faces, that it wasn't a moment of being strong.
Backs turned, leaving him to stand outside the hospital with snow floating down, dashing that promise to build snowmen with the very child who had taken her last breath.
But one that seemingly left returned.
The tall, slender figure of Yosuke Hanamura stood before him.
Nothing was said at first as he took a standing position next to his friend.
But then, the mask of their strong, valiant, calm leader began to break.
The humanity became overpowering, breaking through as tears began to fall down those cheeks. He had been questioning himself and he made it verbally known as well.
Had he done the right thing?
Letting himself completely fall into a thousand pieces, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Then he could only grasp onto the one thing that was still keeping him sane. Clutching, sobbing, and breathing out every bit of sadness that he could in that moment.
It had felt like the world had ended in that moment. The darkness of the night along with the coldness of the atmosphere, it was the most unwelcoming of feelings.
Yet, although there had been no raindrops, the tears that were shed had made way for the calming of the storm.
"Nanako-chan is alive!"
The cheers, smiles, and tears of happiness were never-ending as a miracle took place the very next day.
Seeing that life-line ticking again had never brought such an utter relief to the young man who had been on a constant mood-swing since her small hand had gone lifeless in his hand.
Everyone was animatedly chatting, talking about how they couldn't wait to have a celebration for Nanako's recovery once she was able to leave the hospital.
"Well, we should definitely discuss this soon so we can finalize the plans." Yukiko was already trying to figure out a decent time to have off from working at the inn.
"We could all meet up at Junes after this is over?" Chie saw everyone nod at the suggestion.
"Yes, well, for now I think we should all go home and try to get some rest." Naoto added. No one had slept properly at all after the previous night's events.
The group began to split up. Yu stood outside the hospital entranceway, not really sure where he wanted to go from there.
Overall, he didn't care. He felt far too much happiness, and he couldn't imagine ever feeling so grateful for anything else in his entire life.
"Everyone already left?" Yosuke appeared, walking from the automatic doors as he approached his friend. Snow had covered the ground in a blanket of white ever since the day before.
"I'm so happy. This is real isn't it?" Yu looked over to his friend, staring into those brown eyes as he had done so many times before. He had grown so adept at seeing the emotion that shined through them, and he could see nothing but happiness as a confirmation in that instance.
"It's real."
Reaching out to smack Yu's arm playfully, the auburn-haired man smiled widely.
Yu chuckled lowly, letting his gaze revert back to the sky that was shining so brightly now.
"I never told you thank you for last night."
"You don't have to thank me partner."
Shaking his head, the leader of the group let himself stare at his friend standing beside of him.
"I do. I was practically inconsolable then. But you stayed."
He had stayed all night. They had returned back to Yu's house after interrogating Namatame, and Yosuke sat there the entire night, letting his friend rest on his shoulder if he needed until he eventually passed out from the exhaustion of crying.
But he much preferred seeing his friend smiling non-stop.
"You would've done the same for me. But dude, next time, we need to make sure you have more tissues. You got so much snot on my shirt."
Yosuke was trying to keep a straight face but he found it hard to with how Yu was now laughing.
"Sorry about that."
Yu stared at him still. Without knowing, he moved his body over, letting himself envelope his friend in a hug.
Yosuke blinked, but he let his arms return the gesture by moving his hands onto the blue jacket that was always shaped onto his friend's body during outings.
The happiness had grown to the extent to where he just wanted to hug someone. Even more so, his best friend. It was another form of the thank you he had just spoken, and it was also a way of showing how much he meant to him.
Without Yosuke, he wasn't sure just how sane he would be. He wasn't sure just how much fun he would've ever had without him around, and he didn't imagine that he would've ever grown to be as open and fun a person without him.
They stayed in that position for a few minutes.
Yosuke was breathing slowly, feeling strangely content in how they were holding one another. He could smell the faint scent of apple-cinnamon. The mix was unique, just like him.
Everything had altered so drastically and so quickly. All those tears were replaced with smiles that were ever-present, and he couldn't help but to almost melt at how happy his friend looked. At the same time, the thought had occurred to him of Nanako and how she had passed.
All night long he had been consoling the man in his arms. One thought had started scaring him too during that entire time. If he had ever lost Yu, he wasn't sure how he would ever handle it. There had already been the time where he had been trapped as they were trying to catch Kubo, and even though he had saved him in time, there had always been the plausible questions in his mind of if he hadn't reached him in time. Yosuke's life would've shifted drastically again if that had been the case.
They had fallen in line together so easily. They clicked perfectly. It scared him to think that something so seamless would never be attainable again. If he lost him, he probably would've lost a part of himself.
Fingertips gripped at the black fabric that lay beneath his palm. Yosuke pulled back just slightly, still seeing that smile on those lips. As he smiled too, he felt himself unconsciously start to lean in.
Yu wasn't sure what he was processing. Brown eyes had started moving close in his line of vision, and seconds later he could feel a set of lips pressing onto his own.
The kiss was short, almost testing the waters.
That was when Yosuke quickly withdrew and took a step backward.
"I-I-I'm sorry; I don't know what I was thinking!"
Staring to berate himself, Yosuke stood there completely baffled with how he had reacted on impulse. He had admitted to himself that losing his friend would've been terrifying, but that gave him no means to go about kissing him.
Yu hadn't disliked the kiss at all. He could never be anything but honest with himself.
In truth, there had been a few instances where he imagined what it might've been like to kiss a guy, more specifically, his best friend. Although kissing girls had been nice, in the few seconds that their lips had joined, he had already felt something ignite within him.
Yosuke was still in a mid-freak out as he was debating whether or not to just leave the other alone.
"I guess I should just head home-"
Yu walked the few steps that remained between them. His hands darted up, sliding onto those fair-skinned cheeks as he tilted his head down enough to let his lips cut his friend off.
They stood there like that for a few moments, neither really moving at all.
Yosuke was unsure of what to do, but feeling how fingertips were starting to caress down his cheeks, it was almost like a subtle hint that it was okay to let down his defenses. Almost completely letting himself fall into the man's movements, he started running his own lips over the ones that had initiated a second kiss.
It was strange, feeling those lips creating something that he never thought he would ever feel. The extent of something growing so rapidly, from the first meeting of a glance to the first touch of a hand. And now, they were intertwined, bodies pressing closer as fingertips slid from caressing to run down and grab onto a single hand.
Yu pulled back slightly, breathing out slowly as he kept his mouth lingering close to the others still as he spoke in a low tone.
"Now, I think we should head home."
The walk home was quiet. Yosuke could feel his heart beating out of his chest as the presence of his friend still there as their hands had somehow found one another as soon as they turned down the street from the hospital.
No strange looks had been given to them as they were falling into step with one another.
Yosuke was surprised with himself at how easily he had become so comfortable so quick. Never before did he think that he would've ever crossed that line with his best friend. But yet, it felt like the simplest thing in the world.
The moment they had kissed something had clicked into place. Like the last gear in the design that was them.
Gripping at the fingers that were intertwined so perfectly against his own, he couldn't imagine ever feeling as happy, calm, and content as he did then. He had already been having the greatest day from Nanako's miraculous recover but now, it was like it had all been multiplied ten-fold.
The houses started becoming familiar-looking. Yu knew they were close.
Stopping just a short distance away from the outlining of their destination, brown eyes shifted over to look at the figure beside of him.
Their joined hands rose up, just as a pair of lips pressed softly onto the top of a fair-skinned hand.
Yosuke blushed, feeling his heart rate jump again at the gesture that he normally would've made a big deal about it, especially since it was something that was done more with a girl. But, he still felt like it was sweet, yet another term he never imagined he would use.
"You can never leave me."
The words were soft, hushed, and yet even though it was more of a command, that underlying question was placed in the air.
"I won't you idiot. But you better not leave me either." Yosuke was blushing incessantly now as he had to actually look down at the ground nearby to avoid blushing even more.
"You know, when you try not to blush more, it only makes you look cuter."
Yosuke couldn't hold back as he went into a mini-fit, his blush only deepening with every second of his tantrum. But Yu simply tugged on that hand that he still had ahold of, moving his head in to silence the other instantly again.
The missing piece had been found. And now, as they looked to one another, they were coming face-to-face with the reality that this was how they were supposed to be. Not just two individuals separate from one another. They were supposed to be together, as one.
~ Forevermore.