Chapter Text
“I’m forbidding you to touch me for a week!” Yosuke declared as he pointed a finger at Yu who abruptly stopped chewing his food from how ridiculous that statement sounded. “Huh?!”
“Yes, that’s right. You heard me correctly, partner!” The copper-haired boy had more energy than usual that time, a smug smile decorating his lips. It brought some curious and confused heads their way as Yu was eating bread on his seat inside of their classroom.
“No, I heard you perfectly fine,” Yu furrowed his brows as he dropped a sweat. He scratched the side of his cheek before speaking again. “It’s just, I don’t know what you meant by that.”
“I mean it as I said it!” Yosuke was being unnecessarily loud that other of their classmates decided that it would be best to just leave the room entirely. They simply thought they were witnessing a fight that was about to break out. “You’re not allowed to touch me for a week.”
“Like… literally?”
“Yeah. Literally.”
That was where Yu started to react strongly and accordingly. “What? Why can’t I?”
Yosuke scowled as he put his hands on his hips, slightly leaning his body forward to continue yelling at Yu who now looked even more confused and concerned. “Because you’re being too much!”
“Too much what?” Yu asked, matching the frustration Yosuke held. He absentmindedly reached out a hand towards his boyfriend to grab his wrist, and when he did Yosuke immediately yanked his hand away as he pointed a digit at Yu again with a somewhat prideful grin on his face.
“And that’s an additional day.” Yosuke said, the silver-haired boy’s eyes widening in panic. “I told you, you can’t touch me. Now you have to do that for the next eight days.”
“What?! Eight days? Yosuke, c’mon. This is ridiculous.” Yu tried to reason out, his once reserved demeanor was quickly thrown out of the window as he showcased quite a lot of emotions during that certain free period.
“Nuh-uh.” Yosuke wagged his finger right on Yu’s annoyed face, he had his brows knitted together and a pout on his lips. “Eight days. If you manage to hold out that long, you can do whatever you want to me.”
The grey-eyed boy didn’t seem too satisfied with that answer as he was still very baffled with the sudden turn of events. He didn’t quite know what to feel exactly, should he feel agitated or should he just stay confused?
Yosuke, on the other hand, felt rather proud of himself for thinking of a “solution” like that. He thought that perhaps this way, he could finally take a break from all of those heart-pounding and anxiety-inducing activities with Yu while they were out in public.
The boy seriously thought that his own heart might not make it long if his partner kept on doing risky stuff like that almost everyday. But it wasn’t like Yosuke hated everything that Yu was doing to him. In the contrary, he actually loves it. He loves it as much as Yu loves doing it.
Yosuke just felt a bit overwhelmed, that was all.
During the first few days, Yosuke liked how Yu didn’t jump on him whenever he had the chance to when they were left alone together. He actually admired how well his partner was holding back, it deeply amazed him because if he was in Yu’s shoes he’d probably break sooner rather than later. He already knew that Yu was something else.
That made Yosuke think that Yu could actually do it after all. Yu could actually hold himself back when needed. Although, Yosuke would be lying if he said he didn’t feel lonely without Yu trying to hug and kiss him behind everyone’s back every single time. He kind of missed it if he was being honest.
It was still a pleasant change of pace though. Yu didn’t treat him any differently either like holding a grudge or being blatantly upset from Yosuke’s sudden declaration of the no-touching rule. His partner was really trying to keep his end of the deal but in order to do that, Yu had to put some physical distance between the two of them.
Yosuke noticed it whenever they talked or just hung around with the rest of their friend group. It was as if Yu had erected a physical wall in between of them that made him stay at least three meters away as some sort of a safety measure. Again, Yosuke didn’t mind but he couldn’t help but feel a little hurt by that.
It was during the third day that Yu was beginning to act weird. Well, he was already kind of weird. Just weirder, maybe. It wasn’t supposed to be a huge deal until the others were starting to notice too besides just Yosuke. It occurred just right after school when Yosuke was taking a short break from his shift at Junes when he saw the second-years hanging about in the food court.
“Oh, hey guys. What’chu all doing here?” The oldest of the group asked as he untied his apron from his back and took a seat right next to Kanji who seemed to be busy crocheting. Naoto and Rise were sitting at the opposite side, eyes fixated on Kanji’s fast hands working around the strings of yarns in awe.
“Kanji said he wanted to make a doll version of everyone. So, Naoto-kun and I agreed to help him but we don’t exactly know how to do that though…” Rise seemed a little dejected, sighing as she hung her head low in shame.
“Oh, that sounds like a great idea.” Yosuke curled his lips upwards into a grin, he liked the idea of having a mini doll version of himself. After all, Kanji never misses when it comes to the handicrafts “What brought this on?”
“Naoto’s fancy mouth suddenly brought up about y’all graduating soon. 'N I just can’t accept that, dammit!” Kanji seemed a bit fired up, his sharp eyes looking directly at the brunette but his nimble fingers were still working wonders with the hook and yarn. Yosuke was beyond impressed with how he could do that.
“I believe I don’t hold responsibility over the fact that you got instantly upset when I just mentioned they’ll be having their college entrance exams soon.” Naoto closed their eyes as they crossed their arms across their chest, chin held up high as they tried to avoid taking the blame.
Yosuke nervously chuckled, “C’mon, now. It’s not like we’re graduating pretty soon. We still have time left and we could all go somewhere else again.”
The copper-haired boy attempted in comforting his underclassmen which worked much to his surprise, seeing how their faces immediately lit up from the mention of another upcoming trip. The second-years were suddenly immersed in the topic of where they will be going next.
“Look, Big Bro! Your friends are here too at Junes!” The high-pitched voice of Nanako was suddenly heard nearby and when they turned their heads to where the sound came from, Nanako and Yu were walking towards them as expected.
Nanako immediately ran towards to Rise and began talking about something, probably girl stuff. Yosuke locked eyes with Yu for a moment, the former witnessing how Yu immediately tensed up as he opened his mouth to say something. However, in the end he just decided to close it and look away.
Yosuke didn’t know why but he didn’t like that reaction. At all.
“Wow! You’re all going to make dolls of yourselves? Who are you making now, Kanji?” Nanako asked the blonde boy excitedly, her hands clutched against her chest as her gaze was fixed on the doll he was currently working on.
“’s your Big Bro.” Kanji replied, a warm and soft smile on his face as he showed her the unfinished head of the doll to the girl. It certainly looked like a small version of Yu. It had the same silky grey hair with bangs looming over the familiar slanted silver eyes. Yosuke commended Kanji’s work inside of his mind from how adorable and perfect it looked.
Nanako gasped as she hesitantly reached her small hands but Kanji only nodded that made the girl grin even wider, now carefully feeling the doll with her little fingers.
“This is Big Bro? He’s so cute!” Nanako giggled while everyone at the table shared her excitement and happiness. Yosuke chuckled at the sight, “Of course he’s cute. That’s my partner we’re–”
The brunette cut himself off as soon as he realized what he just blurted out, his face reddening in embarrassment when he saw how everyone’s eyes were at him now. It was a mixture of both shock and bewilderment. But Yu’s expression was what caught his attention the most, Yu had his mouth agape with a forming pink blush across his cheeks. It was… adorable.
There was a brief awkward silence before Kanji decided to break it, now gently taking the doll back from Nanako’s grasp. “Of course, he’s cute. I’m the one making ‘im after all.” The little girl simply giggled again.
“C’mon, Nanako. We shouldn’t bother them anymore. And we still have to get what your dad is asking us to buy.” Yu called his cousin over, the latter pouting first before aibiding. The two of them said their goodbyes before heading out to their way, the small group simply watching their backs disappear alongside with the crowd.
The air around them was quiet and somehow heavy until Rise suddenly shot up from her seat as she dramatically slammed her palms against the table that produced a crisp thud. “Alright! What was that all about?!”
Everyone was looking directly at Yosuke who was oblivious to the current happenings. “W-What?! Why are you all looking at me like that?”
“Did something happen between you and Yu-senpai?” It felt like Rise was interrogating Yosuke, she didn’t even break any eye contact as she slowly leaned her face towards Yosuke who was beginning to sweat. “W-What are you talking about? Nothing happened.”
“Oh. Nothing happened?” Rise was clearly unconvinced as she narrowed her eyes at her senior before putting her hands on her waist. “So, Yu-senpai looking all–” The idol made a cutesy expression as she cupped her own face while wiggling her whole body. “–red and blushy is nothing !?”
The brown-haired girl now deadpanned at the other as she dropped her hands against her sides. “Yeah, I’m not stupid, Yosuke-senpai.”
Yosuke could only frown as he couldn’t think of a retort for that one. Rise’s good.
“On the top of that,” Naoto chimed in, a hand against their chin as they stroked it. “Yu-senpai seems to be avoiding you as well.”
“H-He was?” Yosuke tried to act clueless, averting his eyes as he nervously scratched the back of his neck. But that was probably a bad idea doing it in front of an ace detective because Naoto just flagged that reaction as suspicious.
“Ya didn’t know?” It was Kanji’s turn to interject. “Man, ‘s so obvious senpai’s tryna avoid you. Are you dense?”
Yosuke felt irritation rising within him, “I don’t want to hear that from you!”
“So,” Rise elongated her vowels as she sat back down, her face resting on her palm as her free hand drew circles against the smooth surface of the table. “There is something between you and Yu-senpai?”
The brunette couldn’t help but immediately panic at that, his heart rate increasing as he felt all the heat in his body travel towards his face. “W-What?! I told you, there’s nothing.”
The second-years just looked unconvinced. After all, Yosuke was a bad liar. They knew this. It was obvious. Painstakingly obvious that it actually hurts to watch. Rise had a memory collection of witnessing bad actors perform in the industry, but Yosuke was by far the worst of the worst.
“Are you two fighting?” Naoto finally asked out of concern and then it struck Yosuke. It must’ve looked like that to the others since they really didn’t have any clue that they were in a romantic relationship. Well, maybe everyone except Rise who looked like she already caught on. Not a surprise, honestly.
“N-No.” Yosuke managed to croak but his tone sounded like he was about to break out into a sob. Perhaps he was. Maybe he was actually about to cry. “Anyways! Look at the time! My shift just ended. See you guys!” The copper-haired boy took that open opportunity to practically dash out of that situation. Yosuke had always been a fast runner so he was able to get out of there before anyone objected.
“I don’t think they are fighting, Naoto-kun.” Rise brought up as soon as she knew Yosuke was out of earshot.
“Really? Then you know something, Rise-chan. Do tell me.” Naoto sounded a bit excited, their tone had a hint of desperation. Just a hint though.
“No way! You have to find it out yourself. You’re a detective, aren’t you?”
“They’re fighting?” A sound of flesh hitting flesh suddenly broke around the food court.
“I just told you they’re not, Moronji! Are you even listening?”
“Don’t call me that, you punk!”
Two more days had passed after that Junes incident and Yosuke swore that Yu wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that he was indeed avoiding him like the plague. It wasn’t rocket science for Yosuke to notice and know that something was up because Yu had already made it very obvious with his avoidance.
Whenever they would accidentally make eye contact, it was always Yu who would quickly look away. Whenever Yosuke felt Yu’s presence nearby, Yu would always walk quickly out of the area. Whenever Yosuke wanted to talk to Yu about something relating to academics, Yu always excused himself saying that he was busy or that he needed to be somewhere else.
It was irritating to say the least but overall it just made Yosuke a tad bit upset. He didn’t like how Yu was just blatantly avoiding him just because of that stupid no-touching rule. But if he really thought about it, it was kind of his fault that things escalated like so. He simply felt helpless because he didn’t know what to do.
For the past few days, Yu would always excuse himself first by declaring that he needed to go home immediately because he had to help Nanako with her homework. The four of them had made it a habit to walk each other home hence the need to let the others know whenever they had plans right after school.
Naturally, no objections were made but the way Yu was acting so peculiar about it, especially around Yosuke, it couldn’t help but also catch Chie’s and Yukiko’s attention. It was so unnatural to them because Yu and Yosuke had always been together, this the whole group knew.
The silver-haired boy made such an extravagant effort in always steering clear of conversing with Yosuke, even just being in close proximity with Yosuke was no good either. That was how badly it had gotten.
As the bell rang that indicated the end of all classes, Yosuke was just putting his stuff away inside of his orange sling bag when suddenly he noticed a huge shadow looming all over him. There was a person right in front of him it seemed.
But when he looked up, his brown eyes widened up so fast he had to stop himself from physically flinching from mere surprise. Yosuke was looking straight into Yu but the latter still had his gaze somewhere else, brows knitted together as a troubled expression loomed over his handsome face.
“W-What is it, partner?” Yosuke mustered the courage to ask, his breath and finger shaking from anxiety. He didn’t know why he felt so nervous all of the sudden but perhaps it was because things had been very tense with Yu lately due to that no-touching rule he made on a whim.
Yu didn’t answer, he just stood there in front of Yosuke as he bit his lip and closed his hands until his knuckles turned white. Yosuke could now practically hear his own heartbeat in his ears, his mind being clouded by Yu even though he wasn’t even doing anything.
“Don’t… don’t make an expression like that, Yu.” Yosuke thought inside of his mind, his heart aching at the sight of Yu’s frown. “If you touch me now, I’ll hold off that stupid rule that I made. So please, touch me already.”
Yosuke was aware that breaking his own rule that he implemented to originally restrain Yu from his desires meant that him breaking it would imply that he was just the same as his partner. But so what?
Yosuke didn’t want this. He didn’t want any of it.
If only he knew that Yu would make such a hurt expression, he wouldn’t have thought of that ridiculous rule in the first place. If only he knew how much he felt lonely all by himself, he wouldn’t have forced Yu to go along with his shenanigans. If only he knew how much it made his heart ache, he would’ve just let Yu be his lover.
“Yosuke, I–”
“Hey, Yosuke! If you’re gonna take long, we’re going to have to leave your ass–” Chie cut herself off when she saw Yu and Yosuke together in the empty classroom. It seemed like their other classmates had already left, and not to mention Yu did say that he needed to be home as soon as possible.
“Oh, Yu-kun. You’re still here?” Chie asked as she tilted her head to the side in question, Yukiko just emerging from behind her to give the two boys the same look. That made them look like they share the same brain cell.
“I was just about to leave.” The previous expression Yosuke witnessed was instantly gone as it was soon replaced with the usual smile he always held. The brunette could only look away as he tensed his own jaw. “I’ll see you three tomorrow.”
And with that. Yu now proceeded to leave the room but not before hitting the wall right next to the door that produced quite a loud thud. The other three were flabbergasted but before they could even react or ask if he was alright, the silver-haired boy recovered rather quickly for their liking and finally walked out as if nothing happened.
“He’s been acting very weird lately.” Yukiko noticed, shifting her gaze from the door to her two other friends. “Surely you two have noticed as well?”
“Yeah!” Chie agreed, furrowing her brows a little. “He’s acting like an airhead. Like just now. There’s no way the fully opened door is that easy to miss by crashing to the wall next to it.”
Yosuke just remained quiet, feeling responsible for Yu’s current behavior. He knew it was because of him and it was indeed his fault. He just felt really guilty about it.
“Did you two fight?” The short-haired girl now turned her head towards Yosuke who was caught off guard from the sudden raise of question. “M-Me?!”
Chie yelled, a fist dangerously close to Yosuke’s face. “Who else, dumbass?!”
“The two of you are close. It’s no surprise for Yu to act in such a way after fighting with your best friend.” Yukiko said matter-of-factly. Yosuke just heavily sigh as he slouched his body downwards, “Why is everyone asking if we fought…?”
“Duh, have you seen how Yu-kun acts around you? He’s avoiding you! And you’re not even doing anything about it!” Chie seemed agitated now for some reason which confused Yosuke a lot because it felt like he was being blamed for something he didn’t do. “Wha–!? Are you this on blaming me?”
“Hell yeah, I’m blaming you!” The short-haired girl just sighed as she put a hand on Yosuke’s shoulder, making the other jump in his skin. He genuinely thought he was going to get hit. “I don’t know what happened between you guys but you two should definitely talk it out.”
“Yeah.” Yukiko simply agreed, looking a bit melancholic. “It’s painful seeing Yu-kun like this.”
“And it’s probably your fault anyway.” Chie added as she jabbed a finger on Yosuke’s chest that only made him protest. “Why is it automatically my fault?!”
Yosuke already knew it was his fault, he just didn’t want to admit that Chie was right.
The brunette was the first one to leave the room as he mumbled something under his breath. While he was busy doing so, Yukiko leaned closer to Chie and whispered with a hand delicately covering her mouth, “You think they like each other?”
“Huh? Who likes who?”
“Yosuke-kun and Yu-kun.”
Chie tried to process what Yukiko said for a few seconds, her eyes looking at nothing as an unreadable expression filled her face. But soon Chie blinked her eyes in realization, almost squealing in sudden excitement. “Oh my God! It makes sense now, Yukiko! Ohoho, you’re so smart.”
Yukiko giggled, “What does it have to do with being smart?”
“I don’t know,” Chie grumbled, pouting but she lightened up soon anyway. “We should totally set them up together.”
“Yeah, we totally should.”
Yosuke spent the remaining time pondering on how he would approach Yu just to say that he decided to call off whatever it was that they agreed on almost a week ago. Although, the deal was pretty much one-sided but that wasn’t the point.
However, he didn’t know it would be that difficult to pull off because in the first place, he was trying to discipline Yu but in the end it was Yosuke who eventually gave in. Technically, he hadn’t exactly given in yet but it was close to that. Maybe. The boy didn’t really know how to phrase it without sounding like a madman.
The ginger-haired boy was so busy and so anxious thinking about it that he didn’t realize that another two days had passed when Chie had told him to talk to Yu. He didn’t know why he couldn’t even approach Yu as if he hadn’t had his tongue inside of his mouth before. Yosuke found it very difficult and he couldn’t get the balls to do it either.
Yosuke just felt frustrated with himself. He sighed.
“Wow, Yosuke. That was your thirtieth sigh tonight. A whole new world record. Bear-y impressive.” Teddie, in his human form, gleefully announced as they were both just restacking the grocery section of Junes. Yosuke was yet working another evening shift, no surprise there to be frank.
“Stop doing stupid shit and focus on working.” Yosuke scolded the other who just yelled in fear before running off somewhere. He didn’t know where, or rather he didn’t care enough to know. It was fine as long as Teddie would be having some work done.
The boy just felt exhausted after the long week, it was both physically and emotionally taxing. He just wanted to rest. Preferably in Yu’s arms. Wait… in Yu’s arms?!
Yosuke immediately blushed from his sudden thought of his partner. Was that how much he missed him? To the point where he was daydreaming in falling asleep in Yu’s strong arms after a very tiring day at Junes? The brunette shook his head as a means of recollecting himself.
He stacked the now-empty boxes to bring them back to the storage room, just finishing stocking up the vegetable aisle of the frozen food section. Yosuke felt like his shoulders were very heavy despite only carrying a few folded boxes in his arms. Perhaps it was the exhaustion.
When the ginger-haired boy was walking, he thought he caught a glimpse of Yu from the corner of his eye which made him abruptly stop in his tracks as his pulse picked up. Yosuke convinced himself he was probably just seeing things. But he wanted Yu to be there but also not to be there at the same time.
He just groaned at himself for not making up his mind. But Yosuke still went to make sure. As soon as he turned his head to the direction where he thought he saw his partner, just as he initially thought, Yu was standing right there right in front of the fruit section holding a… what is that?
Yosuke looked around to find a good spot where he could hide while also watching Yu from afar. He didn’t know why he was hiding but he also wanted to know what his boyfriend would do. Yosuke was beginning to not understand himself because what did he mean by he wanted to know what Yu would do in a supermarket?
Obviously, buy groceries.
But this was Yu he was talking about. Yu, who was unpredictable and full of surprises in every possible way. Yu could suddenly do something like summon his persona to cut oranges– Yosuke shook his head. That didn’t sound right. The fatigue sure was doing wonders to his brain such as making it dumber.
But all Yosuke could do was to just watch Yu stand motionless as he stared at what looked like a tangerine in his palm. He didn’t know why the hell Yu was looking directly at the orange fruit as if it had murdered his entire family but it was certainly a sight to see. Yosuke decided to secretly take a picture.
Moments later, Nanako approached the unmoving Yu who looked like he was snapped out of the trance he was trapped in as soon as his cousin approached. “Dad is looking for you.”
“Oh. Sorry.” Yu simply replied, his head seemed like it was up in the clouds. Yosuke couldn’t help but frown at the display. “Wait, Nanako.”
“Yes, Big Bro?”
“Does this look like Yosuke to you?”
Yosuke visibly panic at the mention of his name. He didn’t know what to do. He wanted to run away, he wanted to hide, he wanted for the ground to swallow him whole. Anything. He wanted anything to happen just so he could disappear from that situation. The boy would have continued panicking if he didn’t realize that Yu actually didn’t see him… yet.
Yu looked down at Nanako as he showed her the tangerine he was just holding earlier. Yosuke blinked stupidly to why Yu was showing his cousin a fruit just to ask if that was a person. Nanako didn’t know how to react as her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion and worry.
“That’s… That’s an orange, Big Bro.”
“Y-Yeah, I know but,” Yu tried to say, now putting a hand against his nape in embarrassment. He was probably just realizing how stupid his question sounded to an elementary school girl. “I meant if this fruit looks like Yosuke. You know, the color.”
“Oh!” Nanako seemed to finally understand what Yu wanted to get across. It just made Yosuke more confused, unfortunately. It seemed like the two cousins were on their own wavelength. “You just mean the color. Yeah! It does look like Yosuke. It looks so orangey and bright, like his hair! Oh, and his smile too. Big Bro likes it when Yosuke smiles, right?”
Yu only brought the fruit close to his chest. Yosuke had to crane his neck just to see and wait what his partner would do next. Much to his surprise, Yu just smiled. But it wasn’t any of the simple and usual smiles he used to flash at other people.
It was the smile he used whenever he was with Yosuke. It was the smile that looked so gentle that it never failed to make Yosuke’s worries fade away. It was the smile that looked so warm it was enough to make the warmth spread across Yosuke’s chest. It was the smile that Yosuke came to love so much because he was the only one who could see it.
Yosuke could only smile sadly, a bittersweet feeling filling his entire system.
“Yeah, Nanako.” Yu said, his expression now looked happy. “I love it when Yosuke smiles.”
Yosuke hid his face in his hands, both his cheeks and ears heating up.
“What are you doing, Yosuke? Are we stalking sensei?” Teddie suddenly spoke up right beside Yosuke who almost yelped in shock. The blonde boy just striked up ridiculously poses while hovering his hands over his eyes to make a binoculars.
“I-I’m not!” A flustered Yosuke hit the back of Teddie’s head as the latter yelped in pain. “Why are you not working? Go back to work!”
“I could say the same to you! You were just here stalking– Mphf!” Yosuke basically slapped a hand against Teddie’s loud mouth as he dragged him away. He definitely didn’t want Yu to find them like this because he couldn’t think of a good excuse of why he was, in Teddie’s words, stalking his partner.
Yosuke should really talk to Yu soon.
Yosuke couldn’t talk to Yu. It was already the seventh day of their one-sided deal. If they could hold out just for one more day, it could be finally and officially called off. But Yosuke didn’t think he could hold off for long anymore. He wanted to be able to talk to Yu again, he wanted to touch his partner again.
And it looked like Yu was the same as whenever he was around Yosuke, it looked like his brain would start malfunctioning that made him stutter his words a lot and shift his pupils everywhere. He was spacing out more than usual as well and the rest of the friend group were beginning to worry.
During their lunchtime, Yosuke skipped his lunch to take a nap right on his desk as he spent the night overthinking on how he should approach Yu. He didn’t get any strategies or plans how to actually talk to Yu besides obtaining a stomach-churning anxiety and sleep deprivation.
According to Chie’s accounts, she saw Yu lingering over a napping Yosuke with a dangerous look in his eyes as his hands hovered right on the brunette’s head while wiggling his fingers like how Teddie would. The short-haired girl was then heard screaming right after.
“What the hell are you doing?! Why are you wiggling your fingers like some old pervert?! Eugh!”
Since Yosuke and Yu had no intentions of actually communicating besides just yearning for the other party to make the first move, Chie decided to do it herself. Once all of their classes had ended, she approached the two with a displeased look on her face and hands on her hips.
“We’re going to Aiya.” She declared which only earned questioning looks from them. She added, “And you two are coming with me and Yukiko!”
“Oh, me too?” Yukiko asked as she pointed a finger at herself. Chie sighed as she deadpanned, “Of course, you too. Anyways! If you two don’t come, I will crush your nuts.”
Yosuke felt a chill run down his spine as he remembered the last time he was hit in his most private area. He immediately placed his hands over his crotch as a protective measure, “Man, I don’t need my nuts crushed the third time!”
“Then you’re coming. You too, Yu-kun.”
The four of them made their way to the noodle restaurant somewhere in the town district. The girls were walking in front of the two with Chie occasionally giving them a dead stare that clearly translated to, “Run away and you’re dead.”
Yu and Yosuke had no choice but to walk behind and also beside one another. Yosuke felt unnaturally nervous as he could feel his own heart thumping hard against his chest to the point it was starting to hurt. The tips of his fingers also felt like they were freezing, only stiffening more whenever he tried to move them.
Yosuke exhaled shakily as he gulped, feeling how tense his shoulders had gotten. He stole a glance at Yu who looked the same like he always did, Yu was just wearing the same neutral expression.
But despite the non-chalancy, Yosuke could notice that something was off about Yu but he couldn’t exactly pinpoint what exactly. So he stared more at him as an attempt to find something that was at least the slightest bit off.
But unfortunately, he couldn’t find anything that was remotely wrong. Yosuke knew something was wrong but he just couldn’t find it, feeling more agitated in himself.
The brunette wrapped his own arms around himself as he scowled, now deeply regretting for bringing up something so unreasonable such as a rule of not making physical contact for a week. He just figured out now that he should have just talked to Yu about his boundaries rather than doing something so reckless and absurd.
Yosuke gets it now. With the how Yu was acting around him, that was Yu’s way of showing his love and affection for him. The hand-holding, the hugs, and even the kisses. All of those were just Yu’s way of making his love language known and how he wanted to receive the love he was giving.
Now, Yosuke just felt stupid. He felt like crying, his eyes tearing up as it slowly blurred his vision.
“Are you cold?” Yu’s familiar voice made the hair on Yosuke’s skin rise. It felt like a long time since he heard that calm voice and that phrase. That was always Yu’s starting question whenever he wanted to touch Yosuke. It felt kind of nostalgic.
Yosuke only looked up, a bit dumbfounded as he shook his head slowly. “N-No.”
The next part is where Yu would smile at him before offering something ridiculous like “Do you want to hold hands?” or “Do you want a hug?” as he claimed that it would help with the cold. And it indeed helped with the cold.
But nothing of that happened. Instead, Yu simply smiled that didn’t quite reach his eyes as he nodded once. “Okay.”
Yu proceeded to turn his back on him again, walking forward as if he was leaving Yosuke behind. Yosuke didn’t want that. He didn’t want Yu to go. He didn’t want his partner to go. He didn’t want the other half of himself to go.
Yosuke just wanted Yu. Just Yu. And no one else and nothing else.
Before Yosuke could think, he felt his feet sprint forward as he went to grab one of Yu’s hands. It felt cold and Yu didn’t curl his fingers around his hand either like he always did whenever they held hands.
Yu was frozen in place, his wide eyes shifting in between Yosuke’s panting face and their now joined hands. Yosuke had his mouth open but he couldn’t seem to get the words out, it was as if it was all stuck inside of his throat.
“C’mon, Yosuke. Just say it.” Yosuke said inside of his mind, he could now feel the adrenaline course through his veins. “Just say it, you dumbass!”
“I…”
Yosuke managed to croak out as Yu simply watched him patiently. The silver-haired boy also didn’t dare to move as he was afraid the spell would be broken if he did. Yosuke’s frown just deepened as both his brows and lips quivered tremendously.
The brunette jumped slightly from the contact when he felt a hand cupping one of his cheeks. It belonged to Yu with him smiling so gently and lovingly at him like he always did. Yosuke just felt the fuzziness flood throughout his entire body starting from his chest. He didn’t even notice that a tear was already rolling down his face.
“I need you…” Yosuke murmured, his voice breaking but he didn’t care. Yu was finally looking at him again. Nothing else mattered but Yu. “I need you, Yu.”
Yu suddenly leaned his face to close the distance between him and Yosuke, capturing the other’s lips in the process. Both of them sighed contentedly into the kiss but Yu had to move away quickly, just realizing they were right in the middle of the road in broad daylight.
“S-Sorry. I forgot where we are.” Yu apologized, worry and guilt drawn across his face. Yosuke just shook his head as he turned away bashfully. “There’s… There’s no one around.”
Yu felt a thin string that connected him to his self-restraint was suddenly cut off. He wanted to pounce on Yosuke right there and then so badly.
“Chie! Yukiko!” Yu called out to the girls instead who turned to them with a questioning look on their faces. “I have to buy something from Junes and I’m bringing Yosuke with me. See you!”
Yu then proceeded to grab Yosuke’s hand as they both ran away, pulling the latter right behind him who was complaining for suddenly getting pulled like that. On top of that, they were actually running to the opposite direction where Junes was located.
“I think they finally made up.” Chie observed, now feeling relieved as if she was the root cause of that. Yukiko mirrored the smile on her lips, “That’s good. That means we don’t have to go to Aiya anymore, right?”
“Whaaat? Of course, we’re still going. We’re having meat, Yukiko. Meat!”
Yukiko sighed as she slumped her shoulders, “Alright… As long as it’s not too oily.”
Yu had brought Yosuke with him to his house. At first, Yosuke was full of retorts and complaints but in the end he just let his boyfriend bring him whenever he wanted. Yosuke didn’t have any other choice anyway.
Once they entered the house, the two boys disregarded both of the shoes and that was the only time that Yu had to let go of Yosuke. But right after that, their hands were joined once again as Yu practically dragged his lover up to his room.
“Wait, partner!” Yosuke tried to calm the other down but his words went unheard. Yu unlocked the door and gently threw Yosuke on the couch of his room, the latter landed with an “Oof!”. The soft impact against the cushion made the brunette bounce a little on his seat.
“Yu, I’m not going anywhere so–” Yu suddenly grabbed Yosuke’s face as he clashed their lips together, cutting the other off. Yosuke wasn’t restraining but Yu was being a bit aggressive as he hungrily devoured Yosuke’s pinkish lips, lightly sucking and nibbling on it.
Yu pushed Yosuke down until his boyfriend was finally laying on his back, the taller of the two sat on top of Yosuke as he strangled his hips around his lower body. And he did all of that without breaking off the kiss, now shoving his tongue inside of Yosuke’s mouth that earned him a surprised yelp.
Yosuke put a hand against Yu’s chest, lightly hitting it hoping that his partner would get the message. Lucky for him, Yu understood and immediately pulled away. Both of them were panting heavily as both of their eyes were hooded with desire.
“Wait… just a sec. Geez,” Yosuke said as he tried to catch his breath. Yu looked a bit guilty for causing that. “Can you let me talk? I promise, I’m not going anywhere but listen to me first.”
It looked like the grey-eyed boy had calmed down a bit as he got off of Yosuke, now the two boys sitting on the couch with their thighs touching one another. The brunette took one of Yu’s hands into his, interlocking their long fingers together as Yosuke cupped the hand in between.
“Yu, I’m sorry.” Yosuke said first, now looking straight at his partner who was surprised to be receiving an apology. “I shouldn’t have one-handedly decided on that stupid rule. I only did it because I felt so overwhelmed by you trying to get all touchy with me once we’re alone.”
Yu only nodded, listening intently to every one of Yosuke’s words without interrupting him.
“I don’t hate. I never hated it. To be honest, I did like it a bit.” he admitted as he chuckled nervously, caressing his thumb across the smooth skin of Yu’s hand. “It’s just… I think I was scared. I was scared that if we got caught, people were going to be against it. Against us. And I was scared of what people would think of… me.”
Yosuke gulped, trying to swallow down the huge lump that had formed inside of his throat. He tried his best to continue despite how anxiously fast his heart was beating inside of his chest. “I was scared that I might disappoint more people than I should have. But I know now that feeling that way is wrong. Because it just seems like I’m embarrassed to be seen with you.”
The copper-haired boy was now looking straight into Yu’s silver eyes, a determined look in his face. “I… love you, Yu. It doesn’t matter to me now what other people will think. Let them think what they think, dammit! It doesn’t concern me anymore. I just want you to know that you’re very special to me and nothing in the world is going to change that.”
Yu smiled warmly at Yosuke, so warmly that it felt like it could rival even the brightest star in the universe. Yu cupped his free hand against Yosuke’s face as they pressed their foreheads together, “I love you too, Yosuke. And I’m sorry too that I stepped over your boundaries.”
Yosuke shook his head and chuckled, “Stupid, it’s fine. I like you touching me anyway.”
It was Yosuke’s turn to lean forward to press a kiss against Yu’s thin lips. Their kiss this time was gentle and soft, their lips moving as their hot breaths mingled with one another. They both held hands as they intertwined their slender fingers together, Yosuke moaning a little in their sweet kiss.
Yu pulled away and the next thing Yosuke felt was his partner’s lips landing right on his forehead. It was soft and so full of affection that it made the latter completely hypnotized, his expression was too relaxed and his eyes were glazed with intimacy. Yosuke wanted more.
Fortunately, Yu didn’t stop there. He kept on raining Yosuke’s face with even more kisses, making his lips trail on every line and corner of his facial features. Yu kissed one of Yosuke’s eyelids that made the other hum in satisfaction.
Next, Yu kissed one of Yosuke’s warm tan cheeks that only made the other blush even redder and brighter. The ginger-haired boy could feel his heart going berserk inside of his chest, beating so loudly that he could hear it beat against his ears.
Yu now kissed the tip of Yosuke’s thin nose that earned a soft giggle from the latter simply because that kiss felt a little ticklish. The silver-haired boy pulled away for a brief moment to admire his work, he seemed to have taken a liking to the flushed expression his partner was currently making.
The brunette weakly reached a hand towards Yu, grabbing the latter’s face who shuddered from the sudden skin contact but gradually eased up as he took in the slight warmth it emitted. Yu just sighed contentedly as he closed his eyes and nuzzled his face more against the other’s hand.
Yu placed a long kiss against Yosuke’s palm, his free hand now holding onto it with his eyes still closed as he inhaled sharply. The grey-eyed boy smiled into his partner’s hand, making Yosuke’s heart squeeze at such an adorable sight.
Yu proceeded to wrap his arms around his boyfriend as he pulled him into a tight and warm embrace, one hand guiding Yosuke’s nape and the other around his thin waist. Yosuke buried his face on Yu’s neck, taking a whiff of the strong scent from his pale skin.
“Fucking hell, I missed you so much.” Yosuke admitted as he nuzzled his cheek more against Yu, both enjoying the warmth and his smell. He placed a hand over Yu’s chest, specifically the spot where his heart lay. Yosuke could feel how fast his boyfriend’s heartbeat was against his fingertips. It made him smile stupidly to himself.
Yu kissed Yosuke’s fluffy brown hair as he cradled his boyfriend in his arms. “I missed you too. Can we not do something like that ever again? It felt like I was going crazy, in a bad way.”
“Yeah, we’re not doing that shit again.” Yosuke agreed. “I saw you talking to a tangerine the other day while thinking that fruit is me. That felt like a fever dream.”
“You saw that?” Yu asked in disbelief, his ears heating up in shame. “God, that’s so embarrassing…”
“It’s cute, though. I even took a pic.”
“You took a pic?! Delete that, Yosuke!”
“Never!”