raspberrylemonaid | Post canon college stuff

Post canon college stuff

It was after everything with Sho that Yosuke decided 100% that he was going to go to school after graduating. Of course he decided this during his third year- but thanks to Yu the year before his grades weren't THAT bad. And, well, having a GOAL made forcing himself into cram classes and studying all night much easier to swallow.

And in the end he did it. By the skin of his teeth, but he did it. Sure it was for general courses... but he was still figuring out what his major was going to be. But he wasn't the only freshman doing so, it wasn't a big deal just yet. He could try a few things and see what stuck.

But there was no decent school anywhere near Inaba (his dad suggested Okina- all he'd need for a simple business degree. Yosuke had managed to weasel out of that at least) so it meant he was going to be living in the dorms. With a roommate. Not that he didn't have experience with that kinda thing after Teddie, but...

Well who knows, maybe his roomie would be cool? Someone he could totally become friends with! He was practically jittering with nerves as he was unpacking, waiting to see what this Tachibana guy was going to be like...

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Yosuke winces, though it's aimed at himself and he offers his best sheepish smile. Of course it was a treasured keepsake. It was like telling someone their kid's head was too big. Good job Hanamura you are the best at this.

"Did he end up giving a lot out?"

Edited 2015-11-28 07:19 (UTC)

"Well...no. We could only recruit one other member to our team, actually. But we did try very hard." Even Haru, who specifically tried to use his little bird keychains as a bribe.

"In fact, I'm not entirely sure what happened to all of the extra ones." Rei and Nagisa probably have them now, since it's their job to get more members to replace him and Haru. Which...he's been trying not to think too hard about, even if it is true.

'Those little monsters probably scared them off' he thinks. Thinks but doesn't SAY this time.

"Well, I bet swimming isn't an easy sport to just pick up. I mean, hell my school didn't even HAVE a pool."

Yosuke does have a point. But it was disappointing, never even having a single person come to tryout...

"It was a bit of an uphill battle. For a while, our school's pool wasn't fit for swimming. We had to clean it out ourselves before we could even have a team at all. And by then, everyone either wasn't interested, or they were in their own clubs already..." Makoto sighs, but his smile is quick to return. "But it did work out, in the end."

"Man, that's a lot more dedication then most people would bother with. Our basketball team had a really hard time keeping people too. I had a job so I didn't even join any clubs.

Though I guess I can see why you wanna keep pursuing it."

He shifts a little so he can rest his forearms across his knees, looking over elsewhere in the room. He doesn't see the room, though. No, instead he's looking at a scene from years and years ago, where he, Nagisa, Haru, and Rin had been posing for a picture with their trophy from winning the relay.

"I've been swimming since I was little. We all had. I guess it wasn't something we wanted to give up on easily."

"That's a lot of time to sink into something if you don't love it. Must be nice."

The tinge of bitterness in his voice is very light: the whole reason he was here was to not get into that thought spiral again. Thinking that the Investigation was going to be the high point of his life, that his adulthood was going to be a lifetime of pining for a time where what he did was important. He told himself that it was a platform to build the rest of his life on, not a roadblock.

But it was easy to slip back sometimes.

Makoto picks up on Yosuke's tone, and if he'd been looking at Yosuke the other boy might have seen the way his expression grew a bit concerned. Where he may have asked if something was wrong, he holds his tongue, here. He just met Yosuke barely an hour ago; whatever it might be, it's not his place to pry.

"Mmhm. It was a lot of work. Exhausting, sometimes. ...I'm going to miss it," he admits as he looks back up at Yosuke above him. "But professional swimming is best left for those who really have the knack for competing."

As Makoto looks up, he looks down, the angle making Makoto look upside down to him. He meets his eyes and doesn't say anything at first, before-

"That golden ticket called 'talent' huh?" his lips twist a little, as if he bit into something sour. He never thought he would quote him, but well... it's not wrong here. Once you get to professional level with somethings, the amount of hard work and suffering needed to keep up or even excel outweighed the rewards. It took a certain type to hurt themselves that much for a dream, and most people just weren't that breed.

Yosuke himself sure as hell wasn't... at least not anymore.

"But at least you're ding something with it, right? That's pretty admirable."

He gives a soft, thoughtful noise at that.

"There is a certain amount of natural talent involved, yes. But any skill can be honed with practice. It just comes easier to some than others." Haru could probably have gone his entire life without any professional training at all and would be an amazing swimmer. He was just built for the water, never mind the fact that he was already so passionate about it.

"But that's very kind of you to say. Thank you," Makoto adds after a moment, his eyes catching the gleam of the surface of Yosuke's guitar. He nods a little to the instrument, his expression softening, "It looks like you have a hobby you're passionate about, too?" It's asked as a question, just as a precaution; he knows plenty of people who are forced into certain things by their parents, whether it be music or otherwise. But he doubts Yosuke would have a guitar out with him if he didn't want it to be there.

It seems Makoto said just the right thing, as Yosuke's morose air is gone in almost an instant, replaced with a sheepish blush and pleased smile.

"H-ha, well I'm not very good but... hold up."

He rolls off the bed, landing with a light 'thump' before making his way over to the instrument, plinking at the strings a little to make sure everything made it through the trip okay.

"I've been teaching myself over the last couple years now. I even got to play in my friend Rise's show. Though I've learned a few more songs since then."

He watches Yosuke as he crosses the room, moving to fold his jacket in his lap in the meantime. He says he's not very good, but he got to play in a show...? Makoto chuckles softly, putting the folded jacket aside to be put away later.

"That's impressive. I'm not very musically inclined at all..." He's participated in karaoke before (on the very rare occasion that Nagisa could somehow convince him to, but only when it was just between friends and no one else), but he's never played an instrument.

He also doesn't want to be 'that person', but he can't help but ask: "What songs can you play?"

Yosuke laughs lightly, unable to look at his new roommate directly. "Mostly covers. A lot of western stuff. Hmm... I could play something if you want? I mean, it's not a big deal either way. We have a lot of work to do after all-"

He turns redder and redder, looking happy but also very very self conscious, already talking himself OUT of the idea before giving Makoto a chance to say one way or the other.

"We just got through hauling all of these boxes up here. I think we'll be okay to take a short break," he points out, tipping his head to one side a little. Besides, he's curious to hear how Yosuke can play, though he won't push him if he really doesn't want to. ...but he does seem to want to, as shy about it as he may or may not be. And Yosuke seemed to be working himself into something of a corner a moment ago, and Makoto doesn't want to see his new friend feeling down for whatever reason.

"Just one song wouldn't hurt anything, would it?"

"I guess not. Hmmm... okay, just let me..." He sits down on the bare floor crosslegged, struming on the strings for a few moments before playing for a bit.

Yosuke is focused on the song to the point that he doesn't even look up at Makoto while he's doing so. His eyes are even closed, head titled like an interested dog.

Makoto listens quietly, watching Yosuke's hands move along the strings as he plays. It's a little baffling to him, almost, to hear someone say they "aren't very good" right before playing something as nice as that. He doesn't say anything at all, instead simply enjoying the music.

He waits until the song tapers off before speaking up, "That was beautiful, Hanamura-kun."

If he was red before he's out right glowing now, quickly putting his guitar aside. "Come on man, you're gonna give me a big head." Yosuke turns away frantically working on his unpacking his boxes, pulling his game system out and working on untangling cords.

"I should get started on this or I'll never do it and end up sleeping on the bare mattress for a week...."

He laughs softly to himself, getting up while grabbing his jacket so he can put it away before starting in on the boxes as well.

"Alright. It shouldn't take long." Especially not with the both of them working together. It's a good thing that they still have the rest of the weekend before classes really start. It will give them both a chance to settle in, as well as get to know each other better.

Yosuke is content to unpack in largely silence. Eventually tugging his headphones on. But he keeps glancing over to see where Makoto is- make sure he isn't coming off as rude or anything.

Once his clothing is put away and the bed dressed he sets to work setting up his TV. A slightly too big for the space thing to go with his system.

In the end, Makoto is a little glad that his roommate thought to bring more than he did. They'll at least have plenty to do when they aren't busy with homework and studying, though he has a feeling that their free time probably won't come too often. Since he didn't have much, it doesn't take Makoto long to get his bed made and all of his things set up and put away. The final touches are small, and once he's through he starts to help Yosuke unpack the rest of his things.

After everything is done, the space they have left is...small at best (smaller, anyway) but given the way Makoto smiles as he looks over the room, it doesn't seem to be a bad thing.

"Well...it's almost like home, hm?"

A grin, and Yosuke dusts his hands off. "Yeah, I think we did a pretty good job, huh? Oh! And you can totally use the tv and stuff if you want. You know, as long as everything goes back where it's supposed to go." Though Makoto seems like the type that would be really careful about other peoples' things.

Kinda like Yu. Yosuke's smile doesn't wane, but it does gain a nostalgic air to it. It wasn't like he wasn't going to talk to his friends all the time on his phone or on Skype. But wow, this really was him on his own now, huh?

"Man... I think all this just sorta hit me."

He nods a little to Yosuke's offer, folding his arms over his chest. Thankfully for Yosuke, Makoto is as far from a Teddie-type person as you can get. He's probably lucky it's him and not Nagisa, or else this would be a different picture entirely.

As Yosuke says that second admission, however, Makoto glances over at him out of the corner of his eye. It's starting to sink in for him as well. Somewhere, far across the ocean, Haru is settling into an apartment with Rin. He'll probably be meeting with a trainer from his school within the week, both of them would. He wonders if he'll be too busy to really talk, at first. And Nagisa and Rei will be busy with the swim team, recruiting new members in preparation for the new season...a whole new team.

He doesn't allow himself to dwell on those thoughts for long, though, his own smile taking on a similar feel.

"This is going to be a whole new experience. A new chapter. It's exciting, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is. Scary as all hell too. But hey, wouldn't have put in the work if it wasn't worth it, right?"

He laughs lightly, as much to convince himself as Makoto... but knowing there was someone else feeling similarly made him feel better. With a nod he turns to his new friend with a grin.

"In fact, I think we should celebrate, Tachibana-kun."

"Celebrate?" he echoes, drawing a hand briefly to his chin. That's an appealing thought, thinking on it...he'd much rather not do anything else today that requires too much heavy lifting, anyway.

"It's probably gotten a bit late by now, but...what should we do?"

"I say we go out. I heaven't been able to actually GO anywhere in Tokyo in YEARS... just showing up here to do paperwork. Though crap, it'd have to be somewhere close. I have my bike but only one helmet."

Yosuke don't even SUGGEST going double on your motorcycle Matoko probably wouldn't fit on it ALONE.

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