phantasmalrift | THE RETURN; in the darkness you shine

THE RETURN; in the darkness you shine

Who: Minato!!! Guest starring Akira (boy version). Closed prompt for Shido (and close CR).
What: Minato returns from his canon update and now he’s sad. Also: stargazing, chocolate, and training with A Friend!
When: February! The like. Middle half. Ish.
Where: Around the station, also the beach
Warnings: Persona 3. Mind those subject lines? Canon update was not happy.

[Closed 2/7 very late evening; the night is so long]
[One week.

One week since Minato disappeared.

He’s back now, washed up onshore like driftwood and just as motionless. He’s not unconscious, but he’s also making no move to escape the tide. Just...waiting. Waiting for what? Maybe sleep, if his blue pajamas are any indication. But judging by the deep, dark shadows under his eyes, the way his face is drawn and pale...sleep is a rare thing for him now.

Once he’s been found, of course, those close to him will probably want to come be with him.]

[Open 2/8-2/10 nights; when everything’s wrong]
[Sleep doesn’t come easy, and isn’t welcome when it does. Minato isn’t up for a lot of alternatives, though - too little energy, for a guy who’s default state is ‘tired’. But there are always the stars.]

Never gets old…

[He can be found on the roof at night, wrapped in a blanket and holding a toy rocket, gazing up at the stars. Instead of sleeping. Because he and sleep aren’t great friends, these days.]

[Open 2/11-2/13; if you give me your hand]
[Oh, shit. It’s February. And he’s dating three people???

Minato will accept no less than ideal for his boyfriends, so he’s...making a lot of batches of chocolate. He’s dedicated. Not to fear, though, he’s perfectly willing to give away his good batches that aren’t perfect! And, in fact, he encourages people to enjoy them.

Though, uh, maybe someone should like. Stop him from eating the disaster batches himself? That can’t be healthy. One of those is even less chocolate than charcoalate at this point.]

[Open 2/15-dungeon days; i will help you hold on]
[There’s another mission coming up. Minato and his friends have gotten into more than enough trouble on these in the past, but he’s stronger now. He’ll do better. So he has to be ready.

He’s down on the beach, training away with a variety of weapons: axes, bows, spears, swords… Not to mention his upgraded set of Personas. He’s going all out - because while he’s better rested than he was, exhausting himself is a pretty solid way to get some rest.

Or, well, he’s going all out with training until a small black ragdoll kitten pounces and somehow knocks him face-first into the sand. Kitten has demands that must be met. Something to the effect of “stop training and play with meeeee!!!!” So, maybe you just find Minato fooling around on the beach with a kitten instead of training. Because, honestly, who here is going to deny a kitten?

((OOC: threads for this prompt may or may not get replies from

beguiledcard!))]

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[He's cold, shivering - out here in the surf, in only his pajamas, of course he would be. But his breathing is slow and steady. No water in his lungs. His right hand is gripped tightly around some sand.

He does look at Shido, but doesn't reply. Too little strength. He's easy to lift, lighter than he was before. There are no signs of injury or serious illness.

But there's clear stress, severe exhaustion, and a hopeless look in his eyes that is exactly the opposite of how he looked before he left.]

[... oh. The concern in his gaze increases considerably. His hand automatically comes up to pet his head.]

You'll be alright, Minato.

[He moves to unzip and take off his jacket, which he wraps around the boy. He then goes to his device, and sends a message to Akira, Kurama, and Goro:]

Minato is back. He seems weak and exhausted, but uninjured. I'm taking him to the clinic.

[With that done, he puts the device away, then gently eases his arms underneath the bundled up Minato and gets up— ah, he's... light. His brow furrows; just what on Earth happened to him...?]

I've got you.

[With that, he holds him warmly and protectively in his arms as he takes them to the clinic.]

Edited 2019-02-10 22:03 (UTC)

will be there

[ He drops everything.

The drink in his hand is at least put into his inventory as he's running back down the hallway. It's not important.

Akira will be pacing the floor as they come in. Don't mind him, he's just a huge ball of anxiety. ]

[He remains dazed, almost lifeless, the entire way from the beach to the clinic. By the time they arrive, there are people waiting for them - but Minato's limited attention is drawn to one in particular.]

Akira.

[He finally responds, shifts to try and sit up a little more in Shido's arms. Akira. Akira is here - and memories run through his head. It's somewhat like the sensation after a tourniquet is removed: the return of something that wasn't there, but wasn't quite gone. Akira. The cliffs. The ring. Falling.

It feels like a lifetime ago.]

Akira, I'm so sorry.

[And his focus breaks, he looks around the room. Overwhelming... It's overwhelming to be back, and he doesn't have more words yet.]

[ His breath catches softly... ]

Minty... No.

[ Now he's just moving forward, pressing his face into Minato's chest, his eyes closed as the threat of a sob slips out. ]

You did nothing wrong... okay? [ gently, he's grabbing onto Minato's shirt, tugging him closer ] Absolutely nothing wrong. I'm just... happy you're back.

[It's not the clothes he left in. No, those were light but warm, for sparring in the cold. These are worn blue pajamas, a little big on him. No shoes or coat other than the jacket Shido wrapped around him.

He exhales heavily and closes his eyes. Akira is mistaken, Minato knows. He's done everything wrong. He's responsible.]

I'm home. [His voice cracks with bottled emotions, but he won't let himself break just yet.]

[ He's not responding verbally - not at first. Instead, he pulls back with a strained smile, with a couple of tears escaping. He begins lightly peppering kisses over Minato's face (sorry, dad, he'll be talking to you in a moment). ]

Yes...

[ Very gently, both hands comb through Minato's hair, only to slide back to rest on each side of his boyfriend's face. His smile is warm, loving, even if... still strained around the edges. ]

You are.

[Warm...

Nothing has felt this warm since he left. His world has only been getting colder, like his hope and his faith that they were doing the right thing had been what was heating it all along. Even though it was all lies. He leans into the touch, knowing full well it's warmth he doesn't deserve.

It doesn't ease any of the tension in him.]

Didn't want to leave you. [Of course Akira knows that. It's what they'd last talked about.]

On my way.

[Like Akira, Goro drops what she's doing to immediately make for the clinic. A pair of blue jay wings shift on her back as she waits having been only a little further away than Akira.

She's managing to avoid pacing, but only by virtue of fidgeting with her rings and bracelets. Every minute or two, she looks up from her jewelry to stare at the door.]

[Once he's in the clinic, he seems to be responding again. Maybe not quite functioning, but responding.]

....Goro.... This is.....really Keystone?

[It feels too good to be true. Like a dream. If he ever had good ones anymore.]

[And Goro will be quick to his side. She rests a hand on his arm, looking concerned.]

It is. You've been gone for a week.

[That startles him. He reacts like getting hit with cold water.]

Only a week?!

Fissures can bend time. Akira was once lost in one for a while, but it felt like an instant to him.

[She pauses, a little hesitant. She's not sure she wants to know the answer, but...]

You went back to your own world, didn't you?

[He leans back, exhaling heavily. Only a week. Not enough time to forget about him. He nods.]

Two and a half months.

[Two and a half months. Not quite to the end of the Dark Hour, but...]

An exhausting two and a half months, by the look of it.

[He glances away.]

Just haven't been sleeping well lately. [Or at all.] Will be fine. [He's lying. Even in future tense.]

[Given Minato's love of sleep, that's definitely setting off alarm bells.]

We have some things that should be able to help with that. They're not perfect, but you seem tired enough that it might not matter.

[He nods, cooperative enough right now. He doesn't have much fight in him. ...He doesn't have much of anything in him.]

I'm sorry...

For what?

[She moves her hand to comb through his hair.]

You didn't choose to disappear.

(no subject)

biddentodance - 2019-02-18 01:28 (UTC) - Expand

coming

[Usually Kurama's texts are a lot more grammatical than that. He texts a lot more like a modern teenager when he's in a rush.

Just like his fiances, anything else he might have been doing is a nonissue, and he arrives at nearly the same time as Goro.

He's not pacing, but mostly by dint of iron self control.]

[It's probably a small relief that Shido was right. Minato isn't, physically, hurt.

But he's got the limp quality of someone who's ready for everything to just be over, and all the signs of severe stress. If dread counts as fear, he reeks of it, of dread and despair both.]

...Kurama... [It's good to see them again. He wishes he could say he missed his boyfriends, but..... God, he doesn't deserve them. Not after forgetting. He glances away, ashamed.]

[Kurama hates this long before Minato looks away from him. He only knows two outcomes to a disappearance. Either no time passed for them at all...

Or they returned to their own world for some period of time.

It's clear time has passed for Minato, and Kurama knows too much about his situation to be at all okay with that.

He reaches to rest a hand against Minato's face, urging his boyfriend to look at him again gently. Kurama won't force it, but he can't imagine he'll need to, Minato being himself. His tone is soft and carefully steady.]

Welcome home.

[Kurama is right, Minato doesn't fight it. He does fight down the shame, drive it from his expression, and....he doesn't fully succeed. But he isn't showing much.

Kurama knows him better than that, though.]

I'm home....... I'm sorry. [The people he loves would be better off if Minato had been gone long enough for them to forget about him.]

[He really does. If Minato is showing any of a negative emotion, then he's feeling a lot more.

Kurama leans in to brush his lips softly over Minato's, thumb stroking tenderly over his cheekbone.]

No one has control over Fissure disappearances. You don't have anything to apologize for, beloved.

[If it weren't so tragic, it would be cute that Minato thinks they could forget about him.]

[It relieves nothing, but the kiss is like spotting an oasis in a desert. There's a hesitance here - less a lack of desire and more his issues with his own worth coming back twice as strong, like a hydra.

They shouldn't want him. Wouldn't want him if they knew everything. Couldn't possibly. It's selfish to keep them in the dark, but......but...

He's so tired, and there's an ache deep inside he can do nothing about.]

...Fffff... [With all three Lovers telling him he has nothing to apologize for, he....can't. He can't take it. He shivers, despite growing warmer.] ...Forgot. The whole time. Forgot you, forgot Keystone...forgot everything.

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