mindremanent | I Dream of Detectives

I Dream of Detectives

[Yosuke would be lying if he said he didn't have plenty of dirty dreams in his time. He also wouldn't be so quick to talk about his dirty dreams, but that's besides the point. Still, he's never had one before that's made him unable to sleep for the rest of the night, and yet that's exactly where he stands. It's more like he had a nightmare as he tries to struggle his way through school the next day. Thankfully, him acting like a zombie through the school day isn't all that uncommon - what's uncommon is that he can't even sleep through the boring lectures of the day.]

[He just can't get it out of his head]

[That stupid dream]

[With her of all people!]

[And the more he tries to fight it, the more his dream runs through his head. The seductive words, the girl squirming in his lap, looking up at him with those half lidded eyes. How very soft her body was against his, the way she unbuttoned that jacket so teasingly...]

[Then like all the times before, as he remembers the part where clothes hit the floor, he feels like slamming his head against the desk]

[Why, of all people, was Naoto in his dreams?! Dammit, it's just not right! And the entire day, he can't wrap his head around it, much less look any of his friends in the eye. So of course, it's just his luck when Yu wants today to be a journey into the TV world.]

[And of course it's just his luck when, with the team breakdown, he ends up with Naoto. Which means spending the entire time going through Magatsu Inaba trying not to focus on her in the slightest - slightly difficult when your lives depend on each other. And naturally, when you're trying NOT to stare at someone's ass and chest is when you can't stop. By the time they find a room that's relatively safe, he's just trying to find somewhere that isn't her to look]

[TOTALLY NOT AWKWARD AT ALL]

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[It's not like Naoto isn't use to Yosuke's... oddities. Actually she had become accustom to the entire group's strange ways of behaving. It was somewhat enduring now. It made her feel like she truly did have friends. Sometimes it amazed her that she did.

Even so... Yosuke was acting odder than usual. Maybe it was just her, but... he seemed to be avoiding her. He didn't want to look at her, he turned quite red when he had to help her up during battle when the enemy scored a lucky hit and he generally seemed to be keeping his distance.

Her first thought was that maybe she'd done something wrong to offend him. Then she reminded herself this was Yosuke and if she had she would've heard about it. Loudly. More so she hadn't really spoken to him one and one in awhile. They weren't often alone together and if they were it was always brief, a quick word when she was shopping at Junes and he was working without Teddie at his side.

Still, it bothered her a bit. As Yu-senpai had saw it fit to pair them up so it was important that they worked together. At the very least he needed to be able to look at her properly. He had nearly run face first into a few Shadows because he'd been so preoccupied looking away from her. Really, it was a little worrisome.

Upon arriving at a decent check point, she let out a breath and removed her hat to wipe sweat from her forehead. Fighting Shadows was a bit of a workout when it was just two people. She glanced at him. As expected, he was looking in the opposite direction.]

Is this a suitable place to stop and rest? [She asks slowly, staring at him the whole time. Trying to will him to turn around and meet her gaze.]

[Crap crap crap crap crap he is not ready to have to talk to her yet! Not by a longshot! But there isn't much of a way around it now except for awkward silence, especially when they're stuck together like this for a while]

[...]

[Awkward silence it is!]

[But he also can't just flat out ignore her question, so he risks a glance at her out of the corner of her eye, seing her wipe the sweat from her head and no brain do not think about her sweating! Bad brain! Bad! No thinking of her as the sweat drips down her body as they roll around and - this is not working!]

[He can feel his face burning but tries his best not to look away - not that he's doing such a great job of looking at her]

Y-yeah, this place should be fine. No shadows, and we know the hallway outside is clear.

[...... Okay then. That was a little bit of a strange reaction. Why did his face get so red?] Very well...

[She isn't sure she should approach him despite her concern. His behavior was weird but maybe she was making it worse. So, at least for now, she'll take a few steps away from him toward the wall. She places a hand on it, feeling the rough concrete beneath her fingertips. It seemed just fine, then. No shadows could break in either.

She reaches and rubs at her right shoulder a bit, working out some of the tension that resulted from firing her gun so much. She turns back around to face him. Distance established maybe she could safely inquiry about his weird behavior...]

Are you feeling all right, Yosuke-senpai? You look a bit flushed. If you're ill please let me know and we can return. [He shouldn't be fighting and running around this place if he was. ~~poor clueless detective~~]

[Craaaaaaaaaap she noticed! Of course she was going to notice, she's one of the greatest detectives in the world - but then she's also just socially clueless enough that he can work with this. Maybe, juuuuust maybe, he has a chance to weasel his way out of this!]

[But then it's not like he can admit to being sick - either she'll worry about him all the way back, chastise him for agreeing to fight while sick, or a little of both. So what can he make up to get her off his back ~~and onto hers STOP IT BAD BRAIN~~]

[Then again... it's Naoto. A lie won't work either. What to do? He risks looking at her and makes it as far as staring at her feet. It's a start!]

No! No, I'm alright. Just... have a lot on my mind today, that's all. [It's not entirely a lie!]

[She frowns at him.] Did something happen?

[... Ah. Well, it might not be any of her business, come to think of it. She shakes her head slightly.] Regardless... try to stay focused. [They could contact Rise at any time for help or to call in SOS to the others, but... it was still dangerous without the full group. It was important to remember that.

Though back to the mystery at hand... he still didn't seem to be able to look her in the eye. He's just making himself more suspicious to her.]

Do you... need to talk about it? [Her awkward attempt to comfort him might have been better if she hadn't sounded so unenthusiastic by the idea. And if the problem didn't revolve around sex dreams about her. Not that she had any idea of that, of course.

Still, she meant it sincerely. If he needed to talk about his problems, she'll listen!]

[Technically the only thing that's happened is in his head, but her question still makes him want to bash said head against the wall until he can get himself under control]

Right! I will, don't worry.

[The question is what is he going to focus on, because as he tries to move his line of sight up her body he's having quite the trouble to not stop his gaze on certain... areas. He groans a little in frustration, mad at himself. It's not as though he's never been distracted before, and it's never gotten to him this bad! Why can't he get it together? He's likely to be a liability to her at this rate, and the thought of her getting hurt over his inability to control his groin's influence on his life is unacceptable]

[And so he does the unthinkable. he actually starts talking. Not like it can get any worse, right?]

I'm not sure what there is to talk about, I just... I've had some weird dreams lately.

[She gives him a brief look, a little skeptical, but nods. If he says he'll be fine then she'll trust him. She trusts all her friends with her life.

She strips off her jacket, leaving the white shirt underneath. She lays it on the ground near her feet and sits heavily, releasing a loud breath. She presses her back against the wall. Sitting here is a little uncomfortable but at least she finally gets to sit and rest. Her eyes close a moment, willing the pain in her shoulder to go away, before she opens them to lift her gaze at him.

Oh, Yosuke. Famous last words. They can always get worse.]

Dreams? About what?

[No no no no no no no no no! Naoto you are not allowed to do this! You put that jacket back on right this instant! Even with those bindings, that shirt is starting to cling in places and this is not helping his anything right now, dammit! He forces himself to look away, though he takes his own seat nearby, hoping the cool wall will make him calm down just a bit]

[Okay. He can do this. He's more clever than folks give him credit for, and certainly he can find some way to say what's on his mind without blurting out SEX DREAMS ABOUT YOU. Deep breaths. He can handle it]

Just... dreams about the team, you know? About... stuff that could happen to us.

[There! True, and wonderfully vague! It could mean anything, and with the way he's phrased it, it can't be taken the wrong way!]

[... probably!]

[It's definitely clinging to her since she's been working up a sweat fighting. At least she put the hat back on? Oblivious to his hormonal dilemma, she rests her arm on one bent up knee and fixes him with a curious stare as he finally seems to relax. Sort of. At least he sat down and stopped looking as nervous.]

I... see. That sounds vaguely ominous. [So was he having nightmares? She knows the case has personal ties to him... She also knows she was less that tactful about that when she spoke to them about it. She glances away and frowns.]

Bad things? [Probably, right? His behavior was so strange about it she could only assume so. Maybe he was embarrassed by having nightmares? The mystery deepens...]

Not really bad, I guess...

[And there it goes. The one chance he had to convincingly lie and get himself out of this situation, and he runs his mouth before he can even try to seize it. Classic Yosuke, really. Okay, so it's out there, but he can salvage it!]

You ever had a thought that wasn't bad, but just... weird? And it's so weird you can't get it out of your head, and it just sits there? It doesn't make any sense at all but the more you try not to think about it the more you do?

It's like that, pretty much.

[And while it's a true explanation, it's also a pretty weak one, so he can't help but add]

Man, when I say it out loud... sorry it's throwing me off so hard. You took a nasty hit earlier because my head's in the clouds.

[~~she needs some tender lovin' care clearly~~]

[If by "salvage" you mean "totally confuse" then sure... To her credit she does seem to listen seriously to him. Then she just blinks and stares at him for a few seconds.]

Um... I can't say anything specific that fits that particular description comes to mind. [Her brows knit together and she seems to be actually trying to think about what he was trying to say. Mostly because she's concerned that it seems to be weighing on his mind so much. Alas, she doesn't come up with anything.] But I think I can at least understand your dilemma. [Sort of.]

It's all right. [She offers a small smile.] I'm fine. [It had hurt and she was still kind of sore from it now (maybe that's why her shoulder ached worse than usual) but was tougher than that.]

[~~maaaaybe... or maybe you're just dreaming again yosuke~~]

[Eager to take any chance to transition to a different subject - and genuinely sorry that he messed up, Yosuke feels his body relax as the conversation becomes a little more natural]

Well yeah, of course you're fine. I'm not saying you're made of glass or anything, we all know our Ace Detective made of tough stuff! But it doesn't mean I like watching any of my friends take a hit. I'll make it up to you later, alright?

[Granted, he has no idea how to even try to make it up to her. It's not like Chie where he can buy a steak and be in the clear, or like Yukiko where he can agree to be a test dummy for some terrible food. Or Rise, where he can agree to whatever mischief she has planned. It's this thought that gets his mind off of her as an object and clears his head a bit]

[Confusion and discomfort turns to thoughtfulness as he begins to truly wonder: what could he ever do for Naoto?]

[She appreciates the sentiment but she always feels a little awkward when people think they're indebted to her like that. She shrugs her non-aching shoulder.] If you'd like but it isn't really necessary.

[Sometimes Yosuke was more of a enigma than even their fearless leader. Naoto thought she had pinned his personality down pretty well. Because that's how everything had to be in her head. Categories and filing and knowing how someone will react to what. That's a skill that's useful as a detective but not very functional outside of it. Something Naoto learned when stuff like this happened. People couldn't be fit into categories like that. There were always sides of them that were unexpected.

So when Yosuke said something like that, she wasn't entirely sure what to do with the new information.]

[He can't help but laugh a bit - most of their other teammates would have jumped at the offer to have Yosuke in their debt. Then again, Naoto's always been different from everyone else. It's not a bad thing]

Well I know you won't make me treat you to steak or anything, but still. Why don't we grab some Aiya later? My treat.

[And don't think he didn't see you shrug only the one shoulder, young lady. His guilt wells up again, but it's quickly replaced by a feeling of stupidity as he suddenly remembers something]

Oh hey, that's right! I've got some ointment on me! Why not take it for your shoulder, squirt?

[She has no idea why he'd be laughing at that and shoots him a curious look. But she doesn't pursue it and instead nods.] Very well.

[He seemed to be set on the idea and it wasn't like she had a real reason to refuse his offer. Plus she didn't really have the energy to argue the point.

Annnd... there we go. Back to the usual Yosuke she has come to expect. It's always somehow both a relief and an annoyance when he acts the way she actually expects him to. She shoots him a flat look.] Don't call me that.

[It's rude. But she accepts the offer for some relief to her ache, holding out her hand for it expectantly.]

[A flat look? He was secretly hoping for a fluster. After all, even he can't help but admit that she's pretty damn cute when she loses her cool and lets her emotions show, and now that the idea is in his head he won't rest until she does just that]

[... of course she was doing much more than that in his dream, but he tries to shove it from his mind again]

[He pulls the ointment from his pocket, bowing low as he holds it out towards her]

Yes, of course! Forgive me, I did not mean to insult The Great and Powerful Naoto, lord of all detectives!

[He's gonna have to try harder than that if he wants to make her blush. ... Okay, well. That wasn't true. She was terribly easy to fluster given how shy she actually was. And Yosuke if nothing else had a talent for pressing people's buttons.

She rolls her eyes at his theatrics and takes the medicine.] Don't be ridiculous. [You're so weird, Yosuke.

Also his dirty dreams might be coming true albeit unintentionally. Naoto, having been the last one to join the group, often has the fallacy of underestimating what a pervert Yosuke can sometimes be. Perhaps because she spends most of her time around Yu and Kanji who tend to be better at masking it. (Sort of.)

So she doesn't really think about it when she turns away, injured shoulder facing the wall, and unbuttons the top few buttons just enough to pull the fabric away to expose the smooth skin of her shoulder. She has to apply it to her skin directly for it work best, after all. By being turned away it does hide it a bit but it's still obvious what's going on here.]

[Mission failed, but all of a sudden it doesn't matter the second he realizes what's going on. It's almost kind of sad, really. A button or two and a hint of shoulder and his brain is going wild]

[Oh Yosuke, I need a little help reaching this spot... I hate to ask, but do you think you could assist me?]

[Then he'd take that ointment and start rubbing it in, then her shirt would slip a little more... she'd start leaning back getting into it, the shirt slips a little more, and then suddenly she'd let out a cute little moan...]

[He's so engrossed in his new fantasy that he doesn't even notice he's staring]

[Blatantly]

[Neither does she. At least at first as she focuses on rubbing the ointment over the ache. She hisses softly under her breath but the medicine does give quick relief. Which was good because she really needed that shoulder to keep firing off her gun with accuracy.

As it turns out Yosuke's mission hadn't failed, it was just delayed. When she looks up to see him staring weirdly at her she flusters immediately and hastily yanks her shirt back up.]

Wh-What are you staring at?

[Crap]

[His hands go up defensively and he tries to find something else to look at but he can't seem to find anything and panic is starting to set in. And with panic?]

[Terrible, terrible excuses]

No, no! I wasn't staring! I was, uh... looking out for more shadows! To make sure nothing jumped you- us! Jumped us!

[Well she'll just go ahead and file that under the Most Obvious Lie category...

She glares at him but her cheeks are obviously red so it might lose the threatening effect she intended.]

What? [What was he even saying? There were no shadows here? She glances around herself to make sure... nope. Why would he watch for them if this area was completely secured?

She looks back him. He really is acting strange...] Are you.... sure you're okay? [Why was he panicking... ~~good thing Naoto can't read minds~~]

Edited 2013-03-22 03:07 (UTC)

[It's totally not an obvious lie, shut up! And he's totally not panicking at all! He finds himself looking all around for an out, but there isn't one. No one else he can shift the attention to, nothing he can use as a distraction. All he has is the ability to bluff, and that went out the window when the buttons started coming undone]

I-I'm fine! Nothing to worry about, nothing at all!

We should, uh, you know...

[And yet he can't seem to think of anything else. He's backing himself into the metaphorical corner]

[She's calling your bluff! Well, at least internally. She looks pretty suspicious of him... then sighs and decides okay, fine. Whatever. There was no use pursuing the subject if he wasn't going to say anything. Which he clearly wasn't.

Figuring they should probably move on and that they had rested long enough, she moves to get back on her feet. Brace yourself, clichés are coming. Because as she moves to get back up she trips on her own jacket she had laid out to sit on.

So down she goes right onto to Yosuke who so kindly breaks her fall. She makes the most horrified little squeak as she lands on him.

She forgot to button her shirt back up too. Oops.]

[And just like that, his brain stops. Or at least, the logical part of his brain stops from a mixture of oof after being landed on and sdlaisje because of who landed on him and her state of... undress]

[Except it's not really undress, it's just a couple of buttons but she might as well be topless for how well his brain is functioning. He can feel his face burning, but his only real conscious thoughts are how light she is, how warm she is, and how soft her body feels against his]

[He's not sure how his arms ended up wrapped around her]

[He also can't seem to remember how to speak]

Naoto! I, uh...

[Wow, awkward. She isn't sure whether she's more embarrassed that she landed on him or that she even fell like that in the first place. She was never that clumsy!

Thankfully (maybe) for Yosuke she doesn't interpret his arms around her slender waist as anything more than his attempt to catch her. Or at least an attempt to keep her from falling on him completely.

She pushes herself up a little to stare down at him in shock. Her face is definitely about as red as his is if not a little worse. Once he lets go which she assumes he will shortly she will move.]

I-I'm so sorry!

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