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Yusuke never thought crumpled notes could be so vaguely threatening.
“GET OUT OF MY TOWN,” was what the first note said. Yusuke wasn’t one to immediately get anxious- no, of course not. He was logical and sensible and therefore the first course of action was to thoroughly evaluate the note.
He held the small, wrinkled scrap close to his face. He’d found it in the bottom of his bag and assumed it to be a receipt, which mildly confused him because he barely purchased anything with what little money he had. The large chicken-scratch handwriting revealed that it in fact was not a receipt. It wasn’t even his paper to begin with.
The words “GET OUT,” echoed in Yusuke’s head. Maybe he was starting to feel threatened. He didn’t have any enemies. Madarame was disgraced and in jail. No one- hopefully no one, knew about his identity as a Phantom Thief. So why did he receive this note? He resolved to show Akira tomorrow at Leblanc. Akira was the leader and Akira always had answers.
“Huh. Yeah. That’s really weird.”
Akira did not have answers. Yusuke sighed.
“Do you suppose someone is seeking to eliminate me? Surely you don’t recognize the handwriting...”
Akira scratched his chin. “Sorry. I wish I could, but if you notice the way it’s written in all capital letters, the writer must be purposefully trying to hide their writing quirks.”
Ah. So that made sense. “I see,” Yusuke nodded.
Akira held an empty mug in his hand, white and pristine with the care he takes in cleaning them. “Maybe it got into your bag by accident. Want some coffee and curry while you’re here?”
Yusuke supposed he was starting to feel hungry (but when wasn’t he hungry?). “That’d be wonderful, thank you,” he smiled, note already forgotten.
The second note turns up in his left shoe. How could I not notice? Yusuke stared at it in confusion.
This one was a little different, a little more threatening. It said, “I’M GOING TO TAKE YOU OUT.”
In what manner? was Yusuke’s immediate thought, but he realized that he shouldn’t be contemplating whether he’s soon to be stabbed, shot or both. He clutched his chest, which did little to contain the anxiety bubbling from within. If someone really wanted to kill him, then- well… they could easily be in his dorm room this very moment.
Frantic was the way Yusuke searched his room. Kosei wasn’t a cheap school. It had enough rooms and space for almost every student to live alone, and since Yusuke was a second-year, seniority meant it was easier for him to opt out of a roommate. He cautiously walked from corner to corner of his room, sure to keep his steps quiet and palette knife in hand- just in case . There weren’t necessarily many places to hide, but some of his canvases were big enough to conceal a singular person.
When he reached his closet, Yusuke had to take a deep breath. It was the easiest and last place for a killer to hide. He swung the door open with great force, and he nearly screamed in fear because there was absolutely no one in there. It appears I’m the only one in the closet here, Yusuke joked to himself bitterly. Poor, sad little Gaysuke.
Yusuke relaxed a bit and put the note with the first one. One time is possibly an accident, but two times is most certainly not. He wasn’t sure what to do at this point, other than to ignore the empty threats.
Yusuke decided to bring the notes up at the next meeting. To his dismay, everyone was just as confused as he was. Ryuji seemed to especially be frightened by the notes, the faux-blonde going pale as snow when Yusuke pulled them out.
“I can’t believe someone’s threatening you,” Ann held up a fist. “That makes me so mad. We’ll find them, I swear on it-”
“Wait!” Ryuji yelped. Everyone flinched at the outburst. “M-maybe they’re not threatening?”
Yusuke squinted. “How do you mean?”
“Uh, I dunno. They could be like- love notes or somethin’.”
Ann slapped a hand on the table and wheezed. “Ha! That’s hilarious coming from someone like you.”
“Excuse me?!”
“No way these can be love notes. ‘Get out of my town’ and ‘I’m going to take you out’? Get real, Ryuji. You don’t know the first thing about romance.”
“Akira-” Ryuji desperately called for help.
“Sorry,” Akira shrugged, “but she’s right.”
“Lady Ann is always right,” Morgana added unnecessarily. That earned him a pat on the head.
Makoto cleared her throat. “Considering who we are, and what we do… we should not take these notes lightly. Perhaps we can search for the sender in Mementos?”
“We could, ” Morgana said. “But we need more leads than this. We would have to have a name.”
“That’s true...”
“If anything comes up, I’ll alert the team as soon as possible,” Yusuke said. “I apologize for bringing these notes up. I don’t believe they should be the center of our concern."
“Hey, don’t give us that. We all watch out for each other,” Akira said.
Everyone spoke out in agreement, but Ryuji just slunk down further in his seat.
The team still decided to enter Mementos- not because they had leads on anyone, but because it was raining and thus a good day to collect treasure. It was easy driving around, slamming head-on into weaker shadows, and slaying the slightly stronger ones quickly and efficiently. Yusuke didn’t even feel tired, not the way he normally did when they exited and parted ways. It was just him and Ryuji left in Leblanc’s lobby.
Yusuke rummaged through his exceptionally light wallet for his train fare, only to find insufficient funds. He looked out a darkened window. “Curses. It’s still raining…”
Ryuji gave him a questioning gaze. “Everything good, man?”
“Exceptionally. I’ll just be walking home tonight, is all.”
“What? Hell no, in the rain?!”
“It appears to be that way.”
“You’ll get sick for sure. You don’t even eat!”
It was true, but Yusuke still took offense. It was probably apparent in the way he held his hand over his chest.
“Gah, I mean-” Ryuji stuttered, “I could ride with you home since I’ve got my subway card- no, wait. By then the trains would stop runnin’…”
“It’s quite alright, I’m used to this-”
“Here!” Ryuji shoved a navy umbrella towards Yusuke. “Just use this. I can run to the station, anyway.”
Yusuke held the umbrella limply in his hand, a sign of noncommitment. “I couldn’t possibly take this from you.”
“Dumbass,” Ryuji huffed. “You need it more than I do. You can give it back to me next time we meet up.”
Yusuke clutched the umbrella. “Ah, in that case, I’m deeply grateful.”
“Yeah yeah, don’t make it weird,” Ryuji grinned. “See ya,” he left out the door and started sprinting.
Yusuke looked at the umbrella and smiled. His head felt light. It couldn’t be from hunger, no, Akira made sure the mandatory ‘feed Yusuke’ requirements were met before everyone went to Mementos. He took a deep breath and the feeling was gone. He followed Ryuji’s footsteps and left Leblanc, opening the umbrella up when he finally outside.
Yusuke felt strangely good the whole walk back to Kosei. The rain was light, but his clothes still got slightly damp. Somehow he didn’t mind. He set the open umbrella on the floor upside down to allow it to dry, and then he discarded his wet shirt. That’s when he noticed a piece of paper, folded and taped to the inside of the umbrella.
“Excuse me?” Yusuke said to no one in particular. He extracted the paper, unfolded it and then read it.
“YOU MAKE MY STOMACH SICK.”
Another one. But something wasn’t right- the note couldn’t be directed towards him, since he’d found it in Ryuji’s umbrella. Yusuke immediately opened the group message on his phone.
[11:03 PM] Yusuke: I’m afraid I have an update on the notes.
[11:04 PM] Yusuke: This one was directed towards Ryuji, as I found it inside his umbrella.
[11:04PM] Yusuke: [attachment]
[11:05 PM] Ann: no! now they’re after ryuji??
[11:05 PM] Ann: he probably did something to deserve it, but still…
[11:05 PM] Makoto: Are you positive that’s for Ryuji? Although it’s his umbrella, the sender may have still left the note for you.
[11:06 PM] Yusuke: I’m quite positive. The umbrella hadn’t left my hand since Ryuji graciously lent it to me.
[11:06 PM] Futaba: OOF. ryuji seriously gave up his umbrella for inari
[11:06 PM] Yusuke: I’m sorry?
[11:06 PM] Futaba: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
[11:06 PM] Yusuke: What is ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)?
[11:07 PM] Ann: don’t taint him
[11:07 PM] Makoto: At this point it’s logical to say that
[11:07 PM] Akira: YO LMFAO ANOTHER ONE???
[11:07 PM] Makoto: the sender knows our identity and is after the Phantom Thieves.
[11:08 PM] Makoto: These events are just too linear.
[11:10 PM] Akira: We still don’t have any leads though
[11:10 PM] Akira: Unfortunately, we might need to wait for more clues regarding this person’s identity
[11:11 PM] Makoto: That is very unfortunate. Where’s Ryuji?
[11:16 PM] Futaba: i just tried tapping in but his phones off :/
[11:16 PM] Yusuke: Talk about poor timing...
Yusuke waited for messages that never came. He’d expected Ryuji to be shocked, or angry, but it really did appear that Ryuji was absent. Yusuke deduced that he was either sleeping or busy gaming. He took pride in the fact that he could predict the blonde so well.
The next note took him a few days to find. It glided out gracefully from the pages of his sketchbook, and Yusuke wasn’t sure how long it’s been in there.
“I DON’T KNOW HOW TO FEEL AROUND YOU.”
Yusuke’s mouth gaped slightly at this one. The wording and tone was… different. The scrawl was angrier, like the writer was frustrated with something. Maybe it wasn’t even from the same person. The thought of showing this note to everyone made him feel embarrassed and his face heat up. Surely there was no harm in withholding what was harmless. Yusuke tensed when his phone went off.
[11:35 AM] Ryuji: hey man its been a while
[11:36 AM] Ryuji: any update on the notes??
It was strangely sweet of Ryuji to be concerned. Yusuke found himself unable to lie to him.
[11:37 AM] Yusuke: Indeed, I discovered a new one just earlier.
[11:37 AM] Ryuji: oh damnnn. what does it say???
[11:37 AM] Yusuke: The contents seem to be a tad more personal than previously, so I regret to say that I’d rather not share them with you. I’m only mentioning it because it’d be in poor taste to be dishonest about my reception of new notes…
Yusuke saw a bubble that indicated Ryuji was typing for an extended amount of time, and he worried that he might’ve said something weird in his last message.
[11:43 AM] Ryuji: oh
[11:43 AM] Ryuji: okay
[11:43 AM] Ryuji: but hey uh i was wondering if you wanted to do something today?
[11:44 AM] Yusuke: What do you have in mind?
[11:45 AM] Ryuji: this new beef bowl place opened up downtown. right next to the art store you like that smells really freakin bad
[11:45 AM] Yusuke: That smell is their impressive oil paint selection.
[11:45 AM] Ryuji: why would you ever paint with oil lmao
[11:46 AM] Yusuke: I don’t believe you understand the intricacies of oil painting, most popularly known for its use during the European renaissance and other pre-modern movements.
[11:46 AM] Ryuji: yea i rly dont understand. so is that a yes?? :)
[11:46 AM] Yusuke: I suppose. I’ll meet you in front of the shop in 20 minutes.
Ryuji was waiting for Yusuke at the shop, leaning against a beam that held up the awning. It actually took Yusuke 25 minutes to arrive, but he preferred to refer to his tardiness as being ‘fashionably late’. He didn’t want to admit that he’d been late in the first place because he couldn’t decide what to wear. Going out with Ryuji wasn’t special or anything, after all. It was just Ryuji. It’s just Ryuji, Yusuke repeated to himself the whole time.
“Yo,” Ryuji smiled and held up a hand.
“Hello,” Yusuke found himself smiling back. “Excuse my tardiness, but I miscalculated the time it’d take me to walk here. I’m feeling a bit sluggish today.”
“Hey man, don’t sweat a thing. I’d wait for you forever if I had to.” Ryuji’s smile turned into a grimace and he quickly shifted his eyes. “Uh, well, not forever, ‘cause that’s just weird. Haha.”
“Fear not. I understood the connotation the first time.” Yusuke stood there, just looking at Ryuji like a buffoon. He wasn’t sure whether he was supposed to make the first move to go into the shop, or whether he was suppose to wait for Ryuji to lead him in. The awkward tension did have purpose though, as it allowed Yusuke to notice that Ryuji seemed more dressed-up as well. The style was largely reminiscent of Akira. Yusuke made a pleased hum at the way Ryuji’s jeans and black v-neck fit.
“What?” Ryuji croaked.
“Hm? I didn’t say anything.”
“Sorry, thought I heard somethin’. Let’s go in.”
Finally. Yusuke was starving. He and Ryuji found seats next to each other, which was a surprise considering how packed the newly opened shop was. Their knees bumped against each other in the small space. The server handed them glasses of water, and Yusuke got to work looking through the menu. The selection was impressive as it was overwhelming.
“You should try the triple barbecue beef bowl,” Ryuji nudged Yusuke’s arm with his elbow.
“Oh, I’ll consider it.” Yusuke took a sip of his water.
“I heard it’s like a meaty explosion inside your mouth.”
Yusuke choked on his water. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and looked at Ryuji smiling so innocently, unable to believe the blonde was aware of his own words. “Actually, I believe I’ll order just that. I’d thoroughly enjoy… a meaty explosion inside my mouth,” Yusuke did his best to articulate smoothly.
“Sweet!” Ryuji grinned even wider. “I think I’m gonna order the spicy curry beef bowl.”
“Ah. But nothing will compare to Leblanc’s curry.”
“Nah, I guess not.” Ryuji motioned for the server and ordered for both Yusuke and himself.
Yusuke felt pangs of sympathy for the poor cooks. They’d obviously been busy all day, but their work ethic was still going strong. Yusuke would hate to think they didn’t receive the compensation they deserved, but sometimes the world was wrong like that. The shop was noisy with the chatter of the customers, yet the silence between Yusuke and Ryuji was even louder. “How are your studies coming along, Ryuji?” Yusuke suddenly asked.
“My huh? Oh, mm. Mhm. Yep. Hey, the decorations here are kinda nice, dontcha think?” Ryuji completely ignored Yusuke’s question.
Yusuke already knew Ryuji barely passed for a decent student, but he’d indulge him a bit. “Yes, they are quite well thought out. The earthy tones serve as a nice compliment for the foods offered here.”
“I don’t understand, but I totally agree with you.”
Ryuji not understanding a lot of things didn’t bother Yusuke as much as it would with anyone else. Yusuke smiled secretly to himself. “How is your mother?”
“She’s doin’ really good. Same as last time you saw her.” Ryuji laughed, “you know, she’s always asking ‘bout you. She goes, ‘is that Yusuke boy eating properly? He needs some meat on his bones! And some sleep, ‘cause he looks like a wet blanket when he passes out on the floor-’” Ryuji recited in a poor mimicry of his mother’s voice.
Yusuke snorted. “That was only once.” He was extremely fond of Ryuji’s mother, likely for reasons he’s yet to come to terms with.
“You can come over anytime, y’know,” Ryuji offered hopefully.
“Ah- I wouldn’t want to intrude.”
“So?” Ryuji grinned. “Then I can just intrude on you in your dorms, and we’ll make it even.”
“Hm. It sounds as if you plan on barging in on me midway through changing.”
“What? You not into that?” Ryuji waggled his eyebrows.
Yusuke made an offended noise at the back of his throat. “Please. Don’t ever do that again.”
“Sorry. My eyebrows are too powerful,” Ryuji said in a tone that wasn’t sorry at all.
“Yes, with what you have left of them, I suppose.”
Ryuji gasped and Yusuke could see his offended look in his periphery, but he ignored it in favor of the food that was just set in front of him.
“Oh,” Yusuke said. “This is… quite large…” He should’ve known that the ‘triple’ part of the name was in reference to the size.
“Yeah?” Ryuji spoke with his mouth already full. “Take some home.”
“Of course,” Yusuke mumbled. He was thoroughly intimidated by the meat. His face hovered over the bowl and the steam from the hot, thick, red beef clouded his vision. Tentatively, he grabbed a piece from the top with his chopsticks and stuck it into his mouth. The flavor was good. Probably one of the best things he’s eaten in his short and miserable teenage life. “This tastes fantastic,” Yusuke told Ryuji.
“For real?” Ryuji grinned all the way up to his eyes. “Lemme try some,” he grabbed a piece from Yusuke’s bowl and ate it in one bite, moaning around the piece of meat. “You’re right! Taste some of mine-“
“That’s quite alright-“ but Yusuke wasn’t allowed to finish his sentence because Ryuji was stuffing meat into his mouth. Somehow Yusuke successfully didn’t choke around the meat’s surprise intrusion. “Ah. Your beef is remarkable as well.”
“I know, right?” Ryuji continued to eat peacefully.
No matter how much Yusuke ate, he couldn’t seem to make a dent in his bowl. It wasn’t his style to shovel food into his face; rather he took small, deliberate bites. Yusuke felt Ryuji’s knee knock against his own, and in a fit of childish judgement Yusuke knocked his knee back.
Ryuji made no visible acknowledgement of their knees touching not once, but twice. He just swung his leg right back into Yusuke’s. It was like a secret. If they weren’t making a big deal out of it and if it wasn’t visible under the counter, no one would know. Back and forth- their timing was coordinated, slowly falling into a beat. On accident perhaps, a forceful bump from Yusuke caused Ryuji to lose balance from his seat.
Yusuke received the meanest side-eye in his life before Ryuji tightly hooked his ankle around Yusuke’s. The pressure was a level of intimacy that Yusuke couldn’t say he’s experienced. Neither of them said anything about it.
They kept their ankles hooked together because obviously whoever pulled away first was the loser in this irrational game of footsies. Yusuke wasn’t like this. Why was he doing this?
Yusuke had to shakily exhale in order not to yell when Ryuji pushed his pants’ leg up with his foot. Fine, then . What if it wasn’t even Ryuji’s foot? It could be the gentleman sitting right next to Ryuji, but Yusuke couldn’t check because he’d be breaking an unspoken rule. A shoe dragged itself up and down Yusuke’s skin and he wanted to die right then and there. No longer was he eating his food, instead hanging his head over the bowl, close to nearly face-planting in the meat.
“Heh, full already?” Ryuji asked.
Yusuke lifted his head to look at Ryuji. “A-ah, yes, I am. I’m thankful for you inviting me here.”
“You don’t gotta be so formal,” Ryuji said, pouting slightly. “Uh, so where do I pay for this?..”
Yusuke stood up abruptly, bowls and utensils clattering when he accidentally bumped the counter’s edge. “Preposterous! The least I could do is assist you with the tab-”
“Sorry, what was that?” Ryuji was already handing his cash to the cashier. He’d obtained a to-go container as well, and he started packing Yusuke’s unfinished food for him. It was as if Yusuke wasn’t allowed to do anything today.
“Hmph…” Yusuke watched Ryuji disapprovingly. He took hold of his own leftovers because he’d perish before he let Ryuji carry his belongings like a servant.
“What’s next?” Ryuji asked once they were out the shop.
Yusuke wasn’t aware there were plans for doing more than simply getting lunch, but he already had an answer the moment Ryuji finished his sentence. He stared down the neighboring art store with fierce determination, hoping Ryuji was receiving his thoughts telepathically.
“Yusuke- oh, ‘course you wanna go in there.” Ryuji sighed like he wasn’t expecting this outcome one bit. “I guess I can put up with the smell.”
“I give you my deepest gratitude,” Yusuke said sarcastically. Although it probably didn’t come out as sarcastic, since Yusuke only knew how to speak in one tone of voice.
Yusuke didn’t necessarily understand why Ryuji fussed over the smell. The rough and tough boy must have a sensitive nose, or maybe Yusuke was light years beyond desensitization. There’s a part of culture that depicts artists as spontaneous and untamed, but Yusuke thoroughly appreciated how orderly the art store was. He knew the different sections like the back of his hand.
“I'm just gathering intel… not purchasing anything…” Yusuke said more to himself than Ryuji.
“Gotcha. Same here, really. ‘Cept I'm not buying anything ‘cause I know jack shit.”
That got Yusuke to involuntarily chuckle. He could see Ryuji turning away and clutching his chest, but Yusuke chose against questioning him. It was true that Ryuji was extremely and sadly inept.
Observation of the products revealed that… there really wasn’t anything new. It still took maximum restraint for Yusuke to not pick anything up. He was beginning to worry that Ryuji would get bored inside the shop which bore little similarity to his interests. When Yusuke looked back to check on Ryuji, the blonde wasn’t in sight.
Yusuke walked around and found Ryuji examining professional grade spray cans. “You escaped from me quite silently.”
Ryuji jumped at Yusuke’s voice. “Oh yeah, sorry, shoulda told you where I was goin’ first.”
“Don’t be sorry- it’s hardly an issue.” Yusuke was intrigued by the cans in Ryuji’s hands. “Are you perhaps interested in spray painting?”
Ryuji hummed. “Maybe. I kinda like graffiti ‘n shit. Looks fun.”
“The illegal defacement of public property looks fun?”
“Ugh, when you put it like that it sounds bad. There are worse things I could do,” Ryuji said defensively.
“And I’m sure you’ve already done them all,” Yusuke teased. Although unspoken, both he and Ryuji knew that there weren’t many crimes left to commit after being part of the Phantom Thieves. Cannibalism, perhaps. “I have some spray paints back at my dorm. If you’d like, I could show you how to use them on butcher paper. Unless that’s not illegal enough for your tastes.”
“Oh man, for real?” Ryuji grinned. “I wouldn’t want you wastin’ your paint on me, though.”
“Since it’s you, I don’t mind too terribly.” Wow, that sounded a little gay. Spectacular job, Yusuke. He’d hate for Ryuji to get the wrong idea, it was just- Ryuji was his friend so it was reasonable for their bond to be stronger than average.
Ryuji’s mouth was open, but no words were coming out. He shut his mouth and visibly swallowed. “Cool! We doin’ it today?”
“I don’t see why not.”
“Heh, guess I’m not buyin’ anything then,” Ryuji said as he put everything back in place.
Yusuke was in his room. Ryuji was also in his room. Yusuke was in his room with Ryuji, preparing himself to make a poor decision.
“Dude, you sleep here,” Ryuji said. “Isn’t the spray paint gonna…”
“I’ll open the window.”
Ryuji still didn’t look convinced that Yusuke knew what he was doing, and his concern was actually kind of endearing.
Disregarding that Ryuji followed Yusuke on his own will, to have Ryuji in his room made Yusuke feel like he was cheating at… something. He wasn’t sure why he felt anxious all of a sudden. To think getting a boy in his room was this easy. Then again, it was Ryuji- Yusuke would be a fool to feel any sort of hopeful.
Multiple sheets of butcher paper were strewn about on the floor in order to catch all the paint. Now that he could see it visually, Yusuke was starting to realize that spray painting in his dorm room probably wasn’t the best idea. Sure, there were splotches of paint everywhere already, but the damage was small.
He’d just have to spray with tight control- and make sure Ryuji did the same as well.
Yusuke shook a can of blue spray paint. “Many believe that graffiti can be done by anyone,” he told Ryuji, “but aesthetically pleasing graffiti requires focus and skill.”
“Skill…” Ryuji mumbled.
“You must also put the distance of the can into consideration, as varying distances produce varying results.” Yusuke crouched to the floor and Ryuji followed suit. “For example, a farther distance would allow for you to spray with a larger radius and lighter opacity-”
Yusuke pressed the nozzle to demonstrate- but something wasn’t right, because instead of spraying down, the paint sprayed directly at Ryuji.
Yusuke was almost too afraid to look. Warily, he turned his head to assess the mess. Blue spray paint ran down the length of Ryuji’s bare arm, and Ryuji was just staring at it like he wasn’t sure what just happened.
“Ah- my apologies, I- the nozzle must’ve been bent and-“ Yusuke sputtered.
“Yusuke,” Ryuji stopped him with a hand on his arm. “It’s cool, really- I can clean it off at home.”
Yusuke was going to say something, but he was distracted by how warm and calloused and nice Ryuji’s hand was. Yusuke stood before Ryuji could object, before he unthinkingly said something dumb about Ryuji’s hand. “Nonsense, I’ll fetch you a wet cloth. Stay right where you are.”
“Ugh, aight…” Ryuji was left with his arm hanging limply at his side while Yusuke went to the dormitory bathroom. Although shared by all the boys on his floor, it was rare for Yusuke to run into anyone.
Midway there he realized he’d forgotten to even bring a rag, so he doubled back to his room. Swinging his door open, he was gifted with a sight he could’ve never anticipated: Ryuji on his knees, arm shoved in Yusuke’s underwear drawer.
Ryuji whipped his head towards the door at the sound of it opening. His eyes bulged like those of a deer in a car’s headlights. “Hey, uh, what’s up?” he laughed awkwardly.
Yusuke looked Ryuji up and down to confirm that he was seeing correctly. “I thought I told you to stay where you were,” he drew out slowly.
“Haha, did you?” Yusuke could see Ryuji’s arm muscles nervously twitch. “Well see, the paint was starting to um… burn… my skin! And I just went for the nearest thing. Sorry.”
“So you believed that wiping paint on my underwear was the best course of action…”
“Yes?”
“Ryuji, I can clearly see your tainted arm isn’t the one you’ve stuck in my underwear.” The situation was just so bizarre that Yusuke couldn’t figure out if he was angry or not. “Don’t lie to me. What are you really doing?”
Ryuji’s eyes flickered back and forth, desperately searching for an answer. “I was, um… stealin’ your underwear.”
Yusuke took a step forward. “If that were the case, how do you suppose you would’ve successfully hid it on yourself?” He took another step. “You have no bag, and your pockets are too small.”
Ryuji laughed again. “Did I say stealin’? I meant I was lookin’ for my phone. That I lost. And I can’t find it.”
“Your phone is on the floor. Ryuji-” another step- “I have a hard time believing that-” and another step- “you’re telling me any truth.” Yusuke now stood right next to Ryuji, slightly hovering over him.
“Man, you’re totally right. I was actually uhh-”
“Ryuji.” Yusuke searched the drawer for Ryuji’s wrist, grabbing it and eliciting a ‘ shit’ from the other boy. He pulled the arm out and saw Ryuji’s hand was balled into a fist. “What are you holding?”
“Nothin’...” Ryuji looked away and mumbled.
He tightly grasped Ryuji’s wrist so that he didn’t have a chance to pull away. Yusuke felt like an exasperated mother holding on to a fussy child. “Then open your hand.”
With a pout, Ryuji unfurled his fingers, and in his palm sat an all-too-familiar piece of crumpled paper. “It’s a gum wrapper. You should just throw it away-”
“All those notes. They were from you,” Yusuke said, not asked, because he already knew what the answer was.
Ryuji looked like a trapped animal desperate for escape, so Yusuke took the paper to put him out of his misery. Admittedly, his hands were quite shaky. The amount of control he was demonstrating was all for show- he’d never done anything like this in his life.
“YOU’RE STUPID AND I LIKE YOU.”
Ryuji had his free hand covering his face, but it did nothing to hide the violent red spreading from underneath his skin.
“You-” Yusuke started, but wasn’t completely sure where he wanted to end.
“Don’t say shit,” Ryuji said, muffled by his palm. “Jus’shuddap. Please.”
Yusuke chuckled because everything was hilarious: both he and Ryuji were equally fools. “And they say that I can’t take a hint.”
“Huh?” Ryuji’s hand drooped.
Yusuke rested his hand on Ryuji’s knee and leaned in, gaging the blondes reaction. Ryuji stared back unblinking- stuck not in a flight or fight response- but a freeze response. That’s when Yusuke finally closed the distance, lightly pressing his lips against Ryuji’s.
“Oh. Fuck,” Ryuji laughed, and Yusuke couldn’t help but laugh as well.
“You should know that I’m a very straight-forward person, by now.”
“Yeah, well I’m not. Straight-forward. Or straight, I guess...”
“That seems to be correct,” Yusuke agreed. He never actually took his hand off Ryuji’s knee, but keeping it there seemed appropriate for the situation. “Those notes were poorly executed, you know. I sincerely thought they were threats.”
“I know,” Ryuji groaned.
“What were you trying to imply with ‘get out of my town’?”
“Gah! Don’t ask, I- I just didn’t know how to deal at the time-”
“‘I’m going to take you out’? ‘You make my stomach sick’? Would you care to elaborate on those?”
“Haha,” Ryuji laughed out of nerves more than anything. “I meant take you out as in like, a date. Not inna ‘assassinate you’ way...” Ryuji sighed and scratched the back of his head. “And y’do make my stomach sick... I get butterflies and shit, whenever I’m around you… but that just sounds too cheesy, y’know?”
“Ah, indeed.” Yusuke understood. “And perhaps I feel the same way.”
Ryuji flushed. “How do you just say shit like that?!”
“Without thinking, usually."
“God, you’re smooth even when you’re not tryin’. What the hell.” Ryuji licked his lips. “Listen, I’m really sorry about uh, touchin’ your underwear. It took you awhile to find that last note, so I just… was gonna put this next one somewhere easier.”
“Very clever. Though at this point I think it’s fair to say that you may touch my underwear all you wish.”
If Ryuji groaned anymore, his voice would go hoarse. The poor boy seemed to be having trouble making eye contact. “So um, what did it mean earlier? When you, uhhh…”
“I believe my intentions were quite clear.” Ryuji really is hopeless, Yusuke thought. Maybe he needed a refresher. So Yusuke leaned in again, cupping the blonde’s jaw. This time the kiss was slower, more pressure and feeling put into it. Ryuji actually pushed back this time.
When they broke apart, Ryuji exhaled heavily from his nose. “Oh, okay.”
“Excellent,” Yusuke smiled. “Though I was wondering one more thing. Why the notes in the first place?”
“Hah, it was mostly ‘cause I was scared. Um, I’m actually still scared as hell, honestly.” Ryuji looked more constipated the more he talked about his emotions. “At first I didn’t know what the feeling was, then I was afraid that I had no hope with you... Damn, it sounds so simple now that I say it out loud, huh…”
“I suppose, but nothing in life is meant to be simple.”
“Wow. Deep shit, man.”
“You knew the notes were mine?! This whole time?!” Ryuji’s voice cracked on the last syllable.
“Of course,” Akira shrugged. “‘Sorry, I just really like feet’, isn’t an excuse for why you were putting paper into Yusuke’s shoe.”
Yusuke held his chin in his hand. “Intriguing. I’ve never met someone with a foot fetish, before.”
“Damnit! I don’t have a- don’t tease me!”
“We would’ve been much more concerned if one of our teammates were receiving legitimate threats,” Makoto explained.
Futaba sat crouched, not looking up from the laptop which she rhythmically typed on. “Yeah, duh. I thought you’d pick up on that for sure.”
“You shouldn’t underestimate his obliviousness. Just look at him!” Morgana exclaimed.
“Stay young and naive, Ryuji,” Ann sighed. “Oh, and congrats on overcoming your no-homo-syndrome. Now go make gross clueless children."