Souji Seta stirred in his sleep one night as his phone went off in the middle of the night. Who in their right mind would be calling someone this late? He fumbled around for his cell phone, trying to keep his eyes open long enough to check the Caller ID. His hand finally grasped the phone tightly as he brought it up to his eyes to check who was calling. Yosuke Hanamura. If he was calling, that could only mean one thing.
"Yosuke?" he sleepily asked, fighting the urge to drift back off to sleep. "Is everything okay? You're calling pretty late. What's going on?"
"She's gone, Partner…" Yosuke's voice choked out on the other end. It was obvious that he was sobbing as he spoke. "I just….I don't know what to do. It's just me and the kids, and I just…."
He bolted upright, suddenly wide awake. "Gone?" he asked. Everything suddenly clicked in his mind. A month back, Yosuke had called him and told him about how his wife was in the hospital. Yosuke had said that she was receiving treatment, but the weight of his best friend's words suddenly hit him hard. "No," Souji quietly said, realizing exactly what "gone" meant. "Yosuke, talk to me. Are you okay?"
"She was everything, man," his best friend whimpered. "What am I going to do now? I can't raise these two girls by myself. I don't know the first thing about girls. They're going to grow up hating me, and I don't know what I'm going to do. Ami always knew what to do with them, but I don't know what to do. How will I tell them, Partner?" Yosuke's voice cracked as another sob escaped. "How am I going to tell my daughters that they're mom is…?" He couldn't bring himself to finish that sentence, and there was no way Souji was going to make him.
"I'm on my way," the silvery-haired man simply replied, throwing his blankets off of him and standing up. He checked the time. It was one o'clock in the morning. "I'll be there by dawn, Yosuke. Do you think you'll be okay until then, or should I stay on the phone while I drive?" Souji grabbed a duffel bag and began to shove the essentials in it. "Do you have anyone else you can talk to?"
"Ted and Naoto are here," the other replied. "I don't remember it, but I guess I called him in hysterics the moment I got the call from the hospital. They got here in record time. I just don't know what to do, Partner. What am I going to do without her?"
"Hand the phone over to Naoto and go talk to Teddie, okay?" Souji instructed, hurrying through his small apartment as he threw things into his back. "Just promise me you won't be alone."
Naoto's voice sounded rough over the receiver after Yosuke finally handed over the phone. "Are you really on your way here?" she asked, voice cracking with worry. "I've never seen Yosuke so shaken up, Souji. If he gets any louder, he's going to wake up the girls. Teddie and I have been trying to console him, but I feel you'd do a better job." She sighed. "You know how these two brothers can get. Before too long, they'll both get loud."
During Yosuke's senior year of high school, his parents had decided to adopt Teddie, shifting Yosuke into the role of big brother before he could really tell what was happening. For the first few months, Yosuke seemed to complain about the bear more than he ever had before, but one day it all just stopped and he started to genuinely care for his adopted younger brother. Souji had been convinced that it was due to Ami, Yosuke's wife, who had been his girlfriend at the time.
Souji rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I remember," he sighed. "I'm finishing up packing and then I'm hopping into my car. I should be there by dawn. Do you think you can keep them quiet until then?"
"I can damn well try," she sighed. Her voice sounded as if she wanted to join in on the symphony of sobs in the background. "Please hurry here," she choked out, "but also remember to drive safely."
"Got it," he replied with a nod, though he knew she couldn't see him. "I'll be there before you know it."
.
Naoto Shirogane glanced across the living room to where Yosuke had finally cried himself to sleep on the couch. She herself was sitting on Teddie's lap where he slept in an armchair, absently running her fingers through his golden hair. Her eyes went to the window, where she could see the first rays of morning light spreading across the sky. She snuggled into Teddie, feeling his arms wrap around her, closing her eyes.
A soft knock on the front door caused her eyes to snap open. That had to be Souji! She slowly released herself from Teddie's arms and made her way to the front door. "Souji," she breathed upon opening it. Her eyes took in the disheveled man before her. He really had jumped out of bed and come here! She noted that he was still in his cat-themed pajamas and that there was stubble on his chin.
Souji dropped his bag and immediately enveloped her into a tight hug that she didn't realize she needed up until that moment. "I'm sorry I took so long," he softly told her as she cried into his shoulder. "I'm sorry that you had to be the strong one for so long, Naoto. It's okay now. Let it out. Cry all that you need to. I'm here now."
And with his blessing, Naoto cried until she had no tears left.