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Souji’s phone beeped rhythmically beside his pillow, stirring its owner from a deep sleep. Said owner rolled over and slapped his hand down on it, pressing a button on the side to stop the ringtone. He sighed and cracked his eyes open to meet the darkness of his room, trying to figure out what time it was. Squinting across his room, he could barely make out the time on his stereo. Suddenly, he regretted not buying an actual alarm clock for his room for times like this that called for quick glances.
Resigned to his fate, he flicked open his phone and shielded his eyes from the beam of intense light the screen created and read the time. 3:32am. He growled, who in the world would be texting him at this hour?
He pulled up his inbox and glowered at it, seeing that the culprit was Yosuke. He opened the text, intent on chewing him out about how late it was, but the message made him stop in his tracks.
"help"
His mind began whirring quickly, just as fast as his heart jump-started into gear, and he sat up and immediately called Yosuke back. His fingers tapped impatiently on the back of his phone as it rang and rang, he soon feared that Yosuke was in serious trouble and here he was grumbling about the time—
“‘Lo,” Yosuke mumbled into the phone, causing Souji breathe in more than he was already holding in.
"Yosuke? Yosuke, are you okay? What was with that text?" Souji asked all in one breath, not letting Yosuke get a word in.
Not that Yosuke tried to, he kept quiet as he spoke and even after, just breathing into the receiver. Souji heard the wind whistling outside of his window, and on Yosuke’s end as well.
"…Yosuke? Where are you? Are you outside? What happened?" Souji questioned, making sure he was speaking slower this time. He tried to remain calm, but he desperately wanted to know if Yosuke was okay.
"…Souji," Yosuke’s voice cracked on the other end. He sniffed, "Souji. S-Souji.Partner,” he sobbed into the phone. Souji pressed the phone closer to his ear. “P-Partner, please. C-Come get me.”
"Yeah, okay," Souji replied instantly at the same time he shifted to get off his futon. "Okay, yeah. I’m coming to get you. Where are you?" He dug around his dresser for a sweater and a jacket and threw them on as Yosuke tried to calm down enough to answer him.
"S-Shrine," he managed to sob out, "Hurry."
"I’m on the way out right now," he half lied, hurrying down the stairs as quietly as he could. "Are you hurt?" he asked, digging the first aid kit out of the cabinet and setting it on the table, just in case. As he thought, he went into the spare room and grabbed a blanket, something telling him he may need it.
"No," he sniffled.
Souji grabbed the travel-sized pack of tissues out of his bag and with them and the blanket in hand, he quickly but carefully slipped his shoes on and stepped out into the biting cold. “Okay, good. I’m heading there now. Keep talking to me, Yosuke, all right?” He heard a shuffle on the other end but no answer, so he assumed he nodded. “Talking means talking, not nodding.”
There was a slight chuckle on the other end that quickly ended up as a sob, and Souji regretted making the comment. “Souji, Souji,” Yosuke kept mumbling into the phone as Souji nearly ran to the shopping district, thanking several gods that it wasn’t terribly far from his house.
He finally made it to the shrine and snapped his phone closed to focus on looking for Yosuke. “Yosuke?” he called out, glancing around the offertory box just under the ledge of the roof. He saw something shift behind it and cautiously leaned over it to see Yosuke leaning against it, his knees pressed against his chest. “Ah… Yosuke…” he sighed in relief.
Yosuke’s head shot up and his red-rimmed eyes met Souji’s grey ones, “P-Partner—!”
Souji walked around the box and sat beside him on the cold concrete, “Yosuke, are you okay? What happened?” He asked again, hoping he’d get an answer this time around.
Yosuke’s eyes watered and he curled in on himself, “Y-You’re here, I can’t beli’ve…” Tears fell between them, staining the ground in perfect little circles. “Souji, I’m so sorry, I’m sorry,” he sobbed, tears falling down his cheeks in fat drops.
He was at a loss, but pulled Yosuke in a hug nonetheless, “Sorry? For what? You haven’t done anything wrong.”
Fingers clutched at Souji’s back as Yosuke bawled loudly into his shoulder, “I d-don’t know. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for e-everythin’.” He pressed himself closer into Souji’s embrace and in return, Souji tightened his arms around Yosuke’s shaking frame. “I-I don’t know why. I’m sorry. For being m-me an’ letting you get ‘urt,” he sniffled, obviously wiping his nose on Souji’s clothes. “‘M sorry for bein’ stupid an’… shit and for makin’ mistakes…”
Souji dug around his pocket and wordlessly offered Yosuke a tissue. Yosuke accepted it gratefully. “Yosuke, you have nothing to apologize for. You’re yourself. I know you already, remember? I was there to see your Shadow. I know,” he said, petting Yosuke’s hair, “And I’m still here. I’ll always be here for you.”
Yosuke’s sobs slowed to slight hiccups as he relaxed in Souji’s hug, “You’re leavin’ soon,” he said, barely audible.
"Yeah," Souji conceded. "But you know what I meant. I’ll always," he leaned and pressed his cheek to the top of Yosuke’s head, "Always be there for you. Call me, text me, email me, write me. I’ll talk to you. Listen to you.” He shifted and draped the blanket over them both, “I’ll always be your partner.”
Another sob broke from Yosuke, “Partner, my partner,” he cried. “I’m ‘appy. So happy.”
"Me too," Souji smiled. "Feel better now?" He felt more than saw Yosuke nod, "Want me to stay until you’ve calmed down again?" A quiet "mhn, yes" came from the boy in his arms, so he decided to get comfortable.
Soon after, Yosuke’s sniffles died out and his breathing evened, and Souji resigned to the fate of falling asleep outside in the biting cold in a nearly-abandoned shrine, but that was okay.
He had his partner.