Chapter Text
Yosuke walks together with Yu to the Junes food court, hands interlaced. The sun shining above them, perfect afternoon weather. The rest of the investigation team chattering away by the circular white outdoor furniture. Kanji looks up to greet his two Senpai's, but immediately notices the blush running rampant on Yosuke’s freckled face.
“WHAT?” Kanji exclaims with the vigour of someone stealing his bike. “YOU TWO ARE DATING??? I THOUGHT YOU WAS STRAIGHT???” pointing at Yosuke with determination.
“Yeah, me too… until this morning” he shyly mentions. “I honestly wouldn’t be able to tell you how I got here”
“That makes a lot of things make sense” Naoto admits, listing off a whole bunch of things the renowned detective prince noticed about the awkward teen.
“Jeez, no need to rub salt in the wound. I just needed a life-or-death scenario to see what you saw in what, five minutes?” he loudly sighs, exasperation present in his whinging.
Teddie had indeed told everyone before the two got there how Yosuke was sick and how he was “BEARY BEARY STUPID FOR NOT SEEKING HELP SOONER” and how he “LET IT FESTER FOR WEEKS WITHOUT TELLING ANYONE”
Rise agreed that it was really stupid of Yosuke to do that, the rest chiming in with some variation of the phrase.
The bear had figured out, with Yukiko and Naoto’s help, what was wrong with Yosuke.
“We deduced that the illness inflicted upon our second in command was from the TV world, the result of the spell that supposedly did nothing in battle” Naoto stated, as factual as ever. Yukiko continued. “The result ended up being Hanahaki disease, the fictional disease about unrequited love. It supposedly functioned by slowly killing the person afflicted with flowers, whatever blooms symbolising the root feelings towards the other person”. Teddie went on about what he saw in Yosuke’s room, the bloodied flowers and all.
“We were all so lucky that Yu was there, otherwise I can’t BEAR to think of the outcome.”
Yu squeezed Yosuke’s hand, he knew he was indeed so lucky to have his partner with him, alive, not constricted by flowers growing in his lungs.
The rest of the Investigation team chatter about nothing of note after such a serious topic, mentioning a possible beach day and plans for the next school year.
Yu feels his phone go off in his pocket, who would be calling him right now? He sees his mother’s number flash across the screen, heart and face falling in response.
He steps aside, hearing what she has to say.
“Hello. I do not have much time so I’ll be making this quick” he can hear train noises in the background, indistinct chatter in a language that’s not Japanese.
She’s definitely still overseas.
“Your father and I will not be back for the remainder of this year or next. You will be staying with Dojima for Christmas and your final school year. We will call to check up on you halfway through the year as standard.”
For once he’s not upset at this news. He tells his mother thank you and hangs up before her.
He returns to the group, to Yosuke,
The boy he never wanted to leave behind.
“I’m here another year”
A shocked silence ripples through the group, ending with Yosuke standing to embrace him. He hears cheers from the rest, but his focus remains on his partner, his boyfriend as of today.
“I don’t want you to ever leave me” he mutters through sniffles, muffled by his chest.
“Me neither, this year we should work as hard as we can to get to the same University. We could even live together if you’d like” Yu softly suggests.
“I’d love that” Yosuke says, his hair gently blowing in the breeze.
“And I love you”