Story Title: Sleepy Time
Author: Mathais
Rating: T
Fandom: Persona 4
Warnings: Unabashed fluff.
Pairings: Subtext.
Summary: Nap time for the Investigation Team.
Disclaimer: The characters and elements of the Persona 4 don't belong to me. I'm just here to play.
Notes: Fill for this P4 kink meme prompt: http:/ /badbadbathhouse. livejournal. com/ 1990. html?thread=11648710#t11648710
OoOoO
When they stumbled back to the studio entrance, with him half-slumped over Yosuke and Teddie, all Souji could think was, "Let's not do that again." He was too much of a leader, however, to say those words out loud.
Thankfully, that was what Yosuke was for.
"Partner, let's not do that again. I don't think I've ached this bad since..." Yosuke attempted to scrounge up some sort of reference, but his brain fizzled out. "Um, Kanji's Shadow kept using that stupid lightning attack!"
"Hey!" Kanji raised his fist in what would have been a threatening gesture if he weren't, you know, currently using his shield as a crutch. "I—" he tried again but deflated when the aches from repeated Garula and Magarula spamming flared up again.
"Yes, Senpai, I don't believe that a repeat of today's events would be... conducive toward our training," Naoto said.
"Kanzeon's making my head hurt," Rise complained for once. "Did we really have to take out three dungeons today?"
"Not that I'm complaining about training," Chie added, "but even I think it was a little overkill, Leader."
Yukiko grumbled a bit as she leaned on Chie. "I'm out of energy. Completely drained. I can't heal anybody right now."
"Teddie needs some rest too," Teddie moaned.
Souji took one look at his team. Chie nursed a swollen ankle, despite the fact that Yukiko, whose face began to take on an even paler color than usual, leaned on her. Kanji could barely stand, and even then he was helping a limping Naoto, whose wobbled with each step. Teddie's fur was almost as bad as it had been when Shadow Rise had steamrolled over him, and Yosuke had to blink blood out of his eyes every so often from the cut on his forehead. Even Rise, while physically untouched, held her head in her hands and wavered unsteadily. Souji himself could barely move. Thanks the gods for Goho-Ms. "You know what? You're right. We're done for the day," Souji sighed at last. "Good job, everyone."
The fox looked at them in hope and began rubbing its greedy little paws. For a moment, Souji half-considered it. He even went as far as asking the price, because showing up inside of Junes (or even the freaking hospital) looking as they did was not something he wanted to contemplate. (The last time had involved a spitting mad Dojima, a sniffly Nanako, a nerve-wracking attempt at paperwork involving eight stories and half-made up assailants, and almost a week of being grounded if Souji hadn't had the Expression to sweet-talk his way out of it. Souji did not want to deal with it all again. No, just... no.) Of course, when he heard how much it would cost, he nearly swore.
Kanji was the first to respond to it. "Oh hell no!"
"You freaking extortionist!" Yosuke shouted. "That's way too much!"
As the others continued to hurl insults and attempts at haggling at the fox, the only thing Souji could think was, "Fuck, I really wish I fished that Guardian now." What he ended up doing was saying, "Let's just take a rest here. We cleared the dungeons in record time, and I'm sure if we just chill a little, one of us can scrounge enough SP for a Mediarahan or Mediarama."
"Senpai, don't we have any more healing items left?" Naoto asked.
Souji shook his head in response. "Not unless you want to burn a Soul Food or Soma."
Naoto grimaced and nodded as the rest gave tired groans of assent. Souji ended up looking at the fox and saying, "No deal."
The fox huffed a little and—did it just give him the middle finger? Souji stared at it blankly as it flicked its tail and disappeared out of the TV.
"That's it," he said finally. "I refuse to play anymore. Screw this." And, heedless of the fact that two teammates were more or less still attached to him, he slumped forward to meet cool ground. Aah, cool ground, how he missed thee. Unwittingly, a small smile crossed his face as his eyes closed.
"Whoa, partner—" Yosuke said as he nearly fell over as well but managed to keep his balance.
Of course, his falling managed to take off Teddie's head as well, but to be honest, the bear didn't mind. Now free from his confinement, Teddie instead grinned and said, "Yay, sensei!" before shedding the rest of his outfit. He plopped onto the ground, one hand fisted in his beloved sensei's uniform, a smile of contentment on his lips.
As if that was the cue, the rest of the Investigation team fell where they stood, finding what should have been hard ground to be perfect for their aches and pains. Yosuke slumped forward, his left hand still clutching Souji's jacket as if it belonged there.
Kanji just fell forward as well with a muttered, "Finally," and dragged Naoto with him, but she did not seem to mind quite that much as she held onto Kanji's jacket. Chie and Yukiko lay down as well, much more gracefully, though Yukiko was careful to make sure that Chie didn't damage her ankle any further. Rise just huffed that the two spots next to her senpai were filled and sprawled on the ground while looking desperately at Souji.
"I'm really sorry about today, everyone," Souji finally muttered into the floor. "I just have a bad feeling, is all."
"Dude, it's cool," Yosuke said. "I mean, those bad feelings saved our asses multiple times, so I'm not complaining if we get in a little extra training."
Chie grinned. "Yeah, I'm cool with training. Though, did you really have to head butt that Ardent Dancer?"
"It worked, didn't it?" Souji said. Never mind that he had to Diarama himself afterward to get rid of the ringing in his ears.
"You must have a really hard head, sensei!" Teddie giggled.
Souji huffed in mock-disapproval, but then Chie started giggling as well. "I always thought your haircut looked a bit like a helmet. For once, you proved me right."
"Snerk—" Suddenly transitioning into a laughing fit, Yukiko could only gasp out, "Swinging Souji— Bat—"
Souji gaped as Yukiko's laughing fit caught onto both Teddie and Chie. When Naoto dryly responded, "I'm not quite sure any of us could wield Senpai like that. Well, maybe Kanji could swing him a couple times..." the rest of the Investigation Team devolved into a full on laughing fit as Souji buried his face in his arms.
After they calmed down from their laughter, they talked about whatever came to mind. Small things, like the new Featherman R episode (that Naoto vehemently denied watching despite being able to match wits with Souji, who interacted with it many times between his job at the daycare and Nanako's love for it, and Kanji, an admitted fanboy), or the latest books that came out (Souji, Yukiko, and Rise had a back and forth about the Timid Teacher series and expressed a desire for the final volume, with, surprisingly enough Yosuke interjecting comments that, afterward, he would blush and stutter and deny when Chie teased him as he mumbled something about wanting to understand people better), and the movies (Chie wanted to display a high kick she swore was the coolest thing she'd seen, but Naoto seemed to think that her Galactic Punt was quite possibly the most brain-breaking thing she'd witnessed and refused to believe that another kick could top that, not after seeing Chie make a Dominating Machine become a twinkle in the sky, while mouthing something along the lines of WTF and the laws of physics. Teddie gleefully shouted something about learning how to score that had the rest of them eyeing Yosuke weirdly and questioning what he was letting Teddie watch, to which Yosuke stuttered and flailed while never once letting go of Souji, who smirked into his arms unseen).
"And that's—" Souji paused to yawn. "—that's how you make curry."
Yukiko blinked rapidly a couple times before finally responding. "So you don't... You don't add tuna?"
"...maybe at the end."
Chie turned so that she was resting her head on her arms. "What about mint chocolate? I thought it might add something."
"Typically, no."
"And the mocha?"
It was with a distinctly green look on her face that Naoto broke in. "Senpai, what...? Did you actually...?"
Yosuke's face twisted into a half-grimace. "Yeah, we did."
Kanji opened his mouth to speak, yawned, and finally finished, "I think I can forgive you about the animal crackers now, Yosuke-senpai. That's... Mystery Food X is brutal."
"I'll—I'll have you know...!" Chie started valiantly before she slurred her words and eventually just nodded off with a slight whimper. Further investigation showed that Yukiko had fallen asleep not long after her own question, head nestled quietly in her arms. Rise's eyes were similarly closed, her breathing even.
Souji was just getting used to the way Teddie snuggled into his side, having gradually migrated toward him in his sleep. He patted Teddie on the head and carefully ran his hand though the soft strands. Yosuke still clung stubbornly to his other side, but his eyelids drooped every other moment.
"Ma tried to teach me some cooking," Kanji said wistfully. "I didn't take too well to it though, except for a few things. Nothing like what you can make, senpai."
"I'd be happy to try some," Souji said.
Kanji grinned at him a little sleepily, though his movements were a bit sluggish.
"I'd be interested as well," Naoto mumbled out quietly.
"Sounds nice," Kanji whispered out and succumbed to sleep before the full implications of the statement could affect him. Souji held back a snicker when Naoto, upon realizing what she had said, flushed brightly as she gazed at him. Souji smiled back, an unspoken promise in his eyes, and Naoto simmered down quietly and fell to sleep's embrace as well.
"Mystery Food X sucks," Yosuke managed to grumble, though even that short statement was interjected by loud yawns. "I'm gonna have nightmares about it."
"Go to sleep, partner," Souji chuckled.
"See ya in the mornin'," he mumbled before dropping his head to the side.
Souji took one last look at this circle of unlikely friends, and he felt a small smile cross his face. This... It was one of the things he'd dreamed out for years. This kind of circle, these kind of people. Even though he had to go back in a few months, Souji thought he finally found the place he wanted to be.
As he gazed upon the faces of friends he'd fight for, that he'd willingly die for, his eyes locked with Rise's, who watched him with a knowing look.
"These guys... They're the best, aren't they?"
Knowing where she was coming from, Souji could only agree. "Yeah, they are."
Rise smiled at him softly before closing her eyes once more.
As Souji settled down himself, surrounded by the warmth of his friends, he could still feel the smile on his face.
Yeah, they were.