[nope's peak trash squad post-game psl: the first meeting]

[artisticliberty]

[back in tokyo, it takes a few weeks for things to settle down back to semi-normalcy. yusuke, having for the first time in his life been flush with money, has no idea how to be financially responsible and nearly blows it all on buying extravagant works of art and an albino lobster he saw on the internet. fortunately, all of his friends immediately realize that he needs guidance in this area and convince him to spend it on more wise investments, such as an actual studio apartment he can live in when he graduates from kosei. makoto and futaba's arguments are very convincing in particular. another term one might use to describe them is "threatening", but hey, whatever works.

he doesn't forget about the people he had to leave behind, though. he moves his larger paintings into the apartment for the time being before he has to move out of the dorms, and it's there he keeps his many portraits of tatsuya and sudoh. it's already been too long since he's seen either of them, yusuke thinks, and as soon as winter break hits, yusuke bids a brief farewell to the phantom thieves, akechi, and shuichi--he has a world to hop over to.

rin's world is not that different from his own, on the surface. yusuke recalls the steps everyone took to ensure that a meetup would be possible: rin's house as the base of operations would be able to provide others with messages passed between missed connections, and help people get acclimated to the environment. yusuke, at the very least, takes the opportunity to catch up with rin and sonia. he and tatsuya had agreed to meet up around this time, but still... there was the worry that time would be a factor in world-hopping, or that something would go wrong with the watches, or any number of things. yusuke will leave a message for him if he doesn't show up, but there was a big part of him that longed to see the boy that yusuke gave half his heart to.

for now, all he can do is wait. yusuke takes the opportunity to get more drawing done, often spending his evenings sitting outside rin's house with his sketchbook, even on a chilly winter night like this one...]

Comments

[motorcycle_noises]

[ It's cold outside, colder than it had been when he'd left home for this world. Tatsuya shivers slightly, wishing he'd grabbed a scarf before he'd headed out. But he hadn't wanted to take the time, had been concerned about any number of factors— would it even work, would he end up in the wrong year (1999 as opposed to 2018), would he miss Yusuke entirely...? But Tatsuya isn't the type to let his fears paralyze him, so he'd come regardless.

A quick perusal of a newspaper had assured him that the year was correct, at least. The coordinates given weren't just for the world, then, but oriented so he could visit the right time, too. That's good. Time travel is a headache, but he'd hate to miss everyone because of that.

Presently, Tatsuya is consulting a map as he walks along. He already misses the tablet from Nope's Peak, but a paper map works just fine in trying to find his way to Rin's house. He takes a moment to pause, looks at where he thinks it should be— and his breathing hitches.

Yusuke. ]

[artisticliberty]

[yusuke is sitting on the front porch, his knees drawn up to his chest with his sketchbook balanced on them, sketching idly a scene of snowflakes against a moonlit night sky, his breath visible in the air. he's considering going inside, the chill in the air is starting to get to him. he hears footsteps though...? slowly he lifts his head.]

[motorcycle_noises]

Yusuke.

[ He breathes the name out loud like a prayer, his feet moving him forward almost without his permission. ]

[artisticliberty]

[yusuke's eyes widen when he sees who it is, and he almost stumbles as he gets to his feet, sketchbook immediately set aside, moving to close the distance between them]

Tatsuya--

[he's reaching for him as though he could disappear at any moment]

[motorcycle_noises]

[ Tatsuya is real to the touch— and he's reaching for Yusuke too, grabbing Yusuke's hands with his own. ]

I thought... I might never see you again...

[artisticliberty]

[yusuke squeezes tatsuya's hands tightly, his own chilled by the air and probably tatsuya's too, but not caring at all]

... you really came. You're real. You aren't some vision I dreamed up. Are you?

[motorcycle_noises]

[ Tatsuya lets out a chuckle. ]

I should be asking you the same thing.

[artisticliberty]

[yusuke brings tatsuya's hand to his cheek, still cold but starting to warm up]

I am real. Is this proof enough for you?

[motorcycle_noises]

I wouldn't mind more convincing.

[ He leans in to give Yusuke a quick kiss on the lips. ]

[artisticliberty]

[--! yusuke's breath catches in surprise, and before tatsuya can pull away he seizes the chance to kiss him again, grabbing the front of his jacket and pulling him in]

[motorcycle_noises]

[ Tatsuya makes a surprised sound but he leans into the kiss, his eyes fluttering shut as he rests his hands lightly on Yusuke's upper arms. ]

[artisticliberty]

[carefully he deepens the kiss, shifting closer to tatsuya so he can wind his arms around his neck. the relief and joy he feels from seeing tatsuya again, from touching him again, all comes bubbling up at once and he wants to hold him like this forever]

slides in here ages late because i remembered i could just do this

[newworldcoming]

[for all his promises to try and visit Rin's world, to see them again, Sudoh puts it off until too late, and shit has already hit the fan beyond recovery. It's months before a half-familiar redhead makes his way to Rin's house, hesitantly, almost turning away halfway down the road.

But he talks himself into stepping onto the porch, at least, before he stalls out again.]

KISSES 4 U

[artisticliberty]

[it's already early spring, and both yusuke and tatsuya have felt the pain of sudoh's absence, of wondering if he was dead or unable to come see them. they both have tried to be hopeful, to not resign themselves to never seeing sudoh again, but there have been nights when it's been difficult. they've been able to console one another, at least, but it's been hard sometimes.

at this point they've worked out a system--rin's house as the meeting point, and carefully scheduled weekends make their meetings at least somewhat regular. this week is between the end of the school year and the start of a new semester, so yusuke has been spending part of it here. he hears the sound of someone near the front porch, and he glances through the curtained window to call out]

Is someone there?

[he can't see them clearly, but he can see a figure...]

<3!!!!

[newworldcoming]

[oh

shit

the figure on the porch goes very still and quiet, but that doesn't make him any less present. at least he doesn't book it?]

/2

[artisticliberty]

[yusuke's brow furrows and he goes to glance through the door peephole--]

[artisticliberty]

[--and in an instant, the door is flying open, yusuke's eyes wide as he stares openly at this somehow terribly-familiar stranger]

[newworldcoming]

[sudoh meets his eye for about a second before tearing his gaze away, looking off to the side raising a hand to scratch at the back of his neck, all nerves. his voice is rough.] Sorry. Am I late?

[motorcycle_noises]

[ After some very careful experimentation, Tatsuya had managed to bring a motorcycle to Rin's world. "His baby," he'd call it somewhat lovingly sometimes, and it's certainly the one he takes the most care of. He'd been repairing it that day, so he'd been working with it in the garage when he hears voices at the porch. He walks out curiously, a bit of grease smeared on his face and a wrench still in his hand when he


stops


and stares. ]

S....udoh....?

[artisticliberty]

[yusuke is just struck frozen for a moment, staring, and then suddenly he's advancing towards him, his hands moving quickly to touch sudoh's face, cup his cheeks, feel his jaw and chin and lips and cheekbones]

Sudoh, is it--is it you? Truly?

[newworldcoming]

[snaps his head around to catch a glance of Tatsuya before getting sidetracked by Yusuke touching his face, entirely and visibly compromised.] ...Yeah. I made it.

[motorcycle_noises]

[ Tatsuya's feet move almost of their own accord, propelling him towards Yusuke and Sudoh until he's by them both. He hasn't moved his hands yet, almost as if he's afraid to touch Sudoh— afraid that if he tries, he'll disappear and it will all be a dream. ]

Is it really... are you really here?

[ Please don't be a dream. ]

[artisticliberty]

[even as yusuke's hands crawl into sudoh's hair to keep verifying that what he's seeing is real, his eyes are shining]

Your body is... but it is you, is it not? It must be.

[newworldcoming]

Yeah. I'm really here, and I'm really me.

[leaning into yusuke's hands, needy cat motion entirely familiar even in this taller, lankier body.]

Tatsuya. C'mere?

1/2

[motorcycle_noises]

[ Tatsuya reaches to touch Sudoh, to brush his hand lightly against his cheek— ]