[closed]

[wantsnudes]

Who: Yusuke and Akira
What: Someone isn't taking Ianchus's murder well.
Where: The Phantom Thieves' hideout house
When: After this thread
Warnings: References to death, gore, character trauma

After heading out to Ianchus's party, Yusuke arrives back home again late at night, wordlessly moving to the bathroom. The sketchbook he took with him is missing upon his return, and his arms, hands and clothes are covered in blood. He stumbles to the faucet and runs the water, and he tries to wash his hands with increasing intensity until the skin is rubbed raw. Perhaps the more he scrubs away, the more he can rid himself of such horrible memories, replaying themselves over and over in his mind--

A flash of memory hits hard, and he has to brace himself against the sink. He doesn't know whether to throw up or sob.

He doesn't know what to do about anything, so he just sinks to his knees uselessly, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. Which is how Akira will find him if he chooses to investigate; the bathroom door is wide open, and he's making no attempt to hide himself.

"Why..." he whispers to himself, gripping the edge of the sink. "Why did this happen..."

Comments

[jocoeur]

"Ah...?" he hadn't thought too much about the stumbling at first, or even of the running water— at least until it keeps running... and running— which is what has him shuffling towards the bathroom also.

He pokes his head around the door's frame, with a curious "Yu—" before he sees the state his friend is in. Akira's grey eyes widen at the sight of the blood, at Yusuke's red and inflamed hands, and he's already falling forward with a much more intense "Yusuke!" than he'd originally started with.

His thoughts are on the the source of all that blood, pressing quickly along the slender boy's chest, trying to find the wound, and coming up short. "Where are you hurt? What happened?"

Shit, shit. If only he had a persona that could heal in this in this island hell!

[wantsnudes]

Yusuke is in such a state of shock it takes him a few seconds to even register that Akira is there, and he just blinks at him with a wild, startled expression when he feels his hand across his chest.

"A-Akira... Cepheos-san, the one hosting the party, he... Someone..." He pauses, trying to pull himself together. He's a Phantom Thief, isn't he? He should be better than this in front of his leader. He swallows and tries to compose himself, stop his trembling, at least a little. "...Someone murdered him."

[jocoeur]

"What...?" there's a small amount of time that Akira allows for shock, before his expression turns serious again, and now he's patting down Yusuke's arms, making sure that he can't find a wound. Traces of blood are sticking to his hands, but he pays it no mind. There are more important things to focus on...

"Tell me what happened— were you caught in the cross-fire? Do you know who's responsible?" And maybe, most importantly, "Are you okay?" Both in that he wants to know that his friend's physical condition... and whether or not he's in any danger.

[wantsnudes]

"I'm all right." Physically, at least; he shows no signs of injury. "I found his body after he had been killed, and his killer had since fled. But his wounds were still so fresh... If I had just reached him moments sooner..."

He knows it's irrational, but he can't help but feel some guilt that no one noticed until it was far too late, that the first to even find a body had to be him. Ianchus had been nothing but kind and caring towards him, even nurturing, and what had he offered in return when he needed someone most...?

He can feel his eyes welling up with tears again; he feels so overwhelmed.

"We... have to do something."

[jocoeur]

That verification seems to release some tension in Akira's shoulders at least, though his concerned expression remains the same. Knowing that the wounds don't originate from Yusuke now, he takes a quick moment to briefly stand, turn off the sink's water, and bend down again with a damp cloth, moving to gently rub at some of the drying stains on his friend's hands and arms.

As he listens, his brows knit downwards together, speaking with a soft tone as he works. "It's not your fault, there was no way anyone could have known that at a party of all places..."

Akira's expression softens as he looks up to see the tears cresting in Yusuke's eyes, his lip digging in at one side at the sight. He reaches up, wiping at a few errant drops on the side of his face.

"We will do something." He says it so confidently, it's almost like he has a plan. Maybe you can even just tell by the look in his eyes what exactly he means, as he looks to make eye contact, following up with, "All we need to start with... is a name."

[wantsnudes]

Yusuke bows his head in gratitude as Akira helps him wash off the blood, and squeezes his eyes shut when Akira wipes the tears from his face. Perhaps one of the reasons he's grieving so much is that Ianchus was kind to him just as Akira is like this, and perhaps he would have even comforted him in the same way.

Yet some things are different. To Akira's suggestion, he meets his gaze, expression becoming harder, more determined. "Very well. If Cepheos-san returns to Hadriel--" He pauses, corrects himself. "No, when he returns, I will try to glean what I can. He must have seen something that will help us."

It will be hard to probe for information without seeming too obvious that he intends to do something with that information, but he has to try.

[jocoeur]

There's just the slightest of nods, as a steely glean seems to shine over Akira's glasses with the movement. They'd managed to find Palaces on little intel before, what kind of Thieves of Hearts would they be if they didn't at least try?

"Our numbers are fewer, but we're still the Phantom Thieves... we still have the power to make hearts change," there's a fire in his tone that seems to light whenever he takes on that leader-like voice.

"Let's find this killer."

[wantsnudes]

It's hard not to be inspired by Akira's leadership, to think that somehow, things will work out. So Yusuke nods, shaken yet determined.

"I once found justice for my mother's death... and for the lives stolen from all my fellow students," he says quietly. Then he looks up, meeting Akira's gaze. "I can avenge Cepheos-san too. No -- I must avenge him."

The longer it takes for someone to act, the more other people will surely be hurt. Not doing anything is out of the question.