[ Standard JJ protocol suggests that his reaction should be loud, vocal and emotional. It's a difficult scene to see, not just because JJ's gotten more than a little tired of seeing this warped space that they've become trapped in, but because he can't imagine it's like. The weight of the moment comes for three reasons: that Yusuke was to forced to endure such a betrayal from a man he considered a father; that he would be forced to relive this confrontation in this memory; and that something so personal and close to his heart would be exposed to someone else against his will.
In a shocking show of self-awareness, JJ goes quiet.
That doesn't mean he doesn't engage (and he gasps for a moment, like a noisy spectator watching a movie), forgetting momentarily about the very real person beside him to wander closer instead to the mirror-Yusuke, or "Fox" as his friends refer to him. He watches closely at what he can see around the mask, hand lifting to his face like he might be able to remove it, just to know what's underneath.
But of course his fingers pass through his figure like he's nothing, and all too suddenly the scene shifts, tension suddenly skyrocketing as Madarame begins to change, cracks appearing over the memory like clockwork.
JJ, in his alarm, jerks closer to Yusuke, who had somehow settled beside him again, taking a half-step back. The images start to distort around them, becoming fragmented and terrifying, enough that JJ reaches out to take Yusuke's hand in his own, a familiar and easy gesture by now. Hopefully his grip isn't too painful, even when he squeezes in panic as the cracks start to echo, taking up more of the scene around them until they're all that JJ can see.
He turns his head toward Yusuke just in time for the memory to shatter around them, his eyes wide and his heart pounding while the two of them are left standing there in the safety of his house.
The fact that he stays in fight or flight mode, distrusting that things would return to normal so easily is a real testament to the unpredictability of life on El Nysa, but after a few seconds pass, he just collapses against Yusuke, the force of his weight sending them back onto the couch that they'd been settled on originally. He has one arm wound around Yusuke's shoulders, his forehead pressed against his shoulder, and hand still gripping Yusuke's tight.
no subject
In a shocking show of self-awareness, JJ goes quiet.
That doesn't mean he doesn't engage (and he gasps for a moment, like a noisy spectator watching a movie), forgetting momentarily about the very real person beside him to wander closer instead to the mirror-Yusuke, or "Fox" as his friends refer to him. He watches closely at what he can see around the mask, hand lifting to his face like he might be able to remove it, just to know what's underneath.
But of course his fingers pass through his figure like he's nothing, and all too suddenly the scene shifts, tension suddenly skyrocketing as Madarame begins to change, cracks appearing over the memory like clockwork.
JJ, in his alarm, jerks closer to Yusuke, who had somehow settled beside him again, taking a half-step back. The images start to distort around them, becoming fragmented and terrifying, enough that JJ reaches out to take Yusuke's hand in his own, a familiar and easy gesture by now. Hopefully his grip isn't too painful, even when he squeezes in panic as the cracks start to echo, taking up more of the scene around them until they're all that JJ can see.
He turns his head toward Yusuke just in time for the memory to shatter around them, his eyes wide and his heart pounding while the two of them are left standing there in the safety of his house.
The fact that he stays in fight or flight mode, distrusting that things would return to normal so easily is a real testament to the unpredictability of life on El Nysa, but after a few seconds pass, he just collapses against Yusuke, the force of his weight sending them back onto the couch that they'd been settled on originally. He has one arm wound around Yusuke's shoulders, his forehead pressed against his shoulder, and hand still gripping Yusuke's tight.
He sighs. ]