polarissruler

This fic is once again for the Reddit challenge! It took me a long time to get an idea - including one where Yosuke went to Ikebukuro, but that felt too much like repeating Mikado's story. Mikado used to live in a small town, so I thought - why not make it Inaba? I hope you like this story!

Title: Rumors
Characters: Mikado, Yosuke
Fandom: Persona 4 & Durarara
Rating: T
Summary:

"You are Hanemura, right? The one from the city? C-Can you tell me how is life there?"

It would not hurt Yosuke to help that boy, right? Except he feels he has bitten more than he can chew.

Read it also on AO3 and FFN.

Yosuke held his breath. Straining every muscle in his body to keep his balance on the squeaky ladder, he took a canned soup from the box he was hugging and put it on the shelf. He exhaled. Nothing had fallen. Yet. The box was emptied. Work was over.

Climbing down, with a stop on every step as the ladder lightly swayed, Yosuke checked the shelves. He had stocked everything. His eyes looked for anything out of place, almost as if he wanted to stay and keep ordering the warehouse. There be would be alone, most of the workers still at the main building. It felt like Heaven compared to working with customers and acting as the department complaints for all coworkers. But he would not miss carrying huge boxed on squeaky ladders.

Well, time to go home. Yosuke walked out of the warehouse. The coast looked clear, most customers away from the electronics department for now. A quick walk to the lift and then home.

“Um, excuse me.”

Oh, no! Yosuke clenched teeth, trying his best to not scream. What would be today’s result on the customer roulette? Asking unreasonable demands? Looking for a part-time job so perfect it could be only a dream?

“You are Hanamura, right? The owner’s son?” The little boy looked up at Yosuke. Oh great, did he now had to add babysitter to his job description? “The one from the city?”

Then it was most likely answer three: ruin Yosuke’s life because it was the town’s official pastime. What would it be today? “Your shop destroyed my family’s business!” “People say you are bullying kids and I have never seen it, but it must be true!” He could clench teeth and brace it. “Yeah,” Yosuke answered.

The boy smiled. “S-so” - he tangled his fingers while trying to speak -” can you tell me how life is there? My parents told me to ask you because I might move there in the next school year. It’s still not sure! But I thought I should ask…” If people could burn from shame, that kid would have become a pile of ash by the time he had learned to speak.

Still, how often did Yosuke have a chance for a normal conversation? He supposed he could go and spend a bit of time with the kid. At least he did not seem to hate his guts for whatever reason.

People’s trust surprised Yosuke as soon as he stepped in Inaba - or only the kid believed in him so much. When Yosuke offered him to go somewhere better to talk - the food court for example - the kid immediately agreed and followed him. In his home city such it would never happen - but in there one did not ask someone unknown for help out of the blue, either.

“So, what’s your name, kid?” asked Yosuke after they had sat at the food court.

“M-Mikado! I’ll be moving to Tokyo and I wanted to ask how is life there and -”

“Tokyo, huh?” Well, Yosuke didn’t expect the big leagues. “That’s much bigger than my town. You could have asked Yu; he can help you better with that place.”

Mikado shuffled in his chair. “I… Well, I have reasons to not ask him. They’re pretty stupid, I know! I shouldn’t believe them, but - “

“Hey, hold on.” Did that kid react to everything like that? Yosuke already felt like a babysitter. “You haven’t even said your reason.”

“Oh, right. It’s just… He came almost before the murders started, didn’t he? So, some people are saying he could be the murderer. It’s not like I believe them!” Mikado bit his lip. “I don’t even know why so many people believe that!”

“Seriously?” Yosuke clenched his fist. If he had let the boy speak any longer, he would have punched him. “Out of all possible rumors in this town - including the one where my family plans to drive the town out of business - you are scared of that one?”

“It’s the most interesting,” Mikado replied. “The rumor about your family is too close to the truth. Whether I believe in it or not, doesn’t matter. But with a story so wild, it changes everything about the person. Can the new perfect boy be a horrific murderer?” He needed no time to breathe as if he lived on the rumors. “Depending on the person you choose, it changes everything, doesn’t it? Makes the life in Inaba way less boring.”

“You choose to believe every tall tale there is out of boredom?” Yosuke almost slapped his face out of disappointment. “Can’t you find a more normal hobby, or something? I’m not the person, who should explain how horrible those rumor spreaders are!” Some heads turned to Yosuke. His blood ran cold as he imagined the newest talk of the town. ‘Did you see the boy from Junes shouting at children?’

“I’ve already told you. The stories about you are boring, so don’t worry. I’m only starting the wildest rumors. And if they didn’t have a bit of truth somewhere in their heart, why do so many people trust them?” Mikado smirked. “So I’m not that big of a lair.”

“This will earn you many enemies, so you know.” Yosuke had promised the boy to help him, otherwise, he would have left as soon as Mikado spoke about the rumors. “Because once you get out of here - “ What should he say? People changed? As if! Everywhere he had met the same gossiping cliques, all of them talking about the same rumors. Hell, even Yosuke sometimes used to read the tabloids about idols, even if they were full of non-stop lies. “Do you think of the people you are gossiping about?” Yosuke changed his angle.

“Sometimes, I guess.” Mikado pouted, his features tightening. “I can’t say anything about them otherwise. Yeah” - nodded he - “you can say I think of them.”

“No! I mean, do you think how they would feel about it? What if someone started calling you a psycho murderer? How would you react then?” Could there be a more simple comparison? Even that kid would understand it, right?

“That would be pretty interesting.”

What? Yosuke blinked, as if he would wake up from the dream and Mikado would say something normal. “What?” said he, this time out loud.

“I thought that it would be interesting.” Mikado put hands on the table and started explaining. “If everybody starts spreading this rumor, it means they all will be on their toes around me. They will tiptoe and I won’t know why and I’ll try to find out. And, of course, they won’t tell me - so I’ll have to look for clues more and more…”

What would his TV World be? Yosuke remembered the Void Dungeon - the bleakest world painting a beautiful coat over the darkest personality. Mikado seemed so strange - almost like real and fake meant nothing to him. Yosuke imagined him walking to his Shadow and saying “You are me,” even without prompt.

“W-was it too strange? I’m sorry! I think I lost track of what I was saying! I-I’ll be going home!” Mikado jumped out of his chair, almost pushing the table over Yosuke. “Sorry for wasting your time!”

Yosuke thought about chasing after the boy, but stopped. There was something weird with that Mikado and Yosuke had no idea what to say. If only he had Yu’s ability with people…