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Although he agreed with the idea, Souji hadn't been the one to suggest having a sleepover. The idea came from Yosuke while the two of them, Teddie, and Kanji ate topsicles near the river. It was Golden Week and too early in the season for them but Souji was determined to get everything he could out of his time back in Inaba; a solitary topsicle by himself months from now in his parents' apartment was nothing compared to sharing the treat with his friends and watching Kanji and Teddie see who could put the most away.
"You guys are going to make yourselves sick," Yosuke said from where he was pressed hard against Souji's right side. He'd been there almost from the moment they'd met up, often with an arm around his shoulders. A year ago, when he'd first arrived in Inaba, Souji would have been uncomfortable with the contact, the sensation of someone touching him so casually unfamiliar and invasive, but months with the team had lessened his discomfort. Now, he leaned back, enjoying the warmth and familiar smell of Yosuke, things he'd missed more than he realized.
"Nah, I'm good." Kanji waved his last topsicle at Teddie, half of the stick exposed. "I'm going to beat you, dude."
"No way!" Not to be outdone, Teddie tackled his two at once, taking huge bites. He got three in before dropping them and clutching his head. "Ow, ow, ow!"
"Hey, man, take it easy."
Yosuke laughed. "Told you."
"How can you laugh at me when I'm in pain, Yosuke?"
"Calm down." Souji stroked his hair. "You just ate it too fast; it'll go away in a few seconds."
"At least Sensei cares." Teddie cuddled up on his other side and slipped a hand into his, fingers cold from his treats.
"Guess I win," Kanji said, tossing his stick into the nearby garbage can. "What should we do now?"
Yosuke shrugged. "Can it be something besides hanging out at Junes? I had to pull overtime there yesterday and I need a day away from it."
"We could go see Nana-chan," Teddie said.
"That's not a bad idea, but I was thinking something more with just us, you know?" Kanji scratched his head. "What do you think, Senpai?"
"I'm fine just standing here." Souji buried his nose in Yosuke's hair.
Yosuke made a halfhearted noise of displeasure that no one believed. "You're affectionate today."
"Missed you guys." The admission damped the mood some but Souji couldn't hold it in. The city wasn't anything like Inaba, where he could look down a street and recall the names of a dozen people without effort and where almost every location had a good memory attached to it. He'd missed being surrounded by friends and it wasn't until they were separated that he realized, more than simply being used to being touched, he'd come to expect and look forward to it – an arm around the shoulder from Yosuke, a slap on the back from Kanji, a hug from Teddie, or Rise grabbing his hand when she was excited about something. They'd spoiled him, really; his parents loved him but their displays of physical affection were few and far in between, approval dealt out more in envelopes stuffed with money and a few kind words. Now, when work took them away and he sat in the apartment by himself, his loneliness was sharper than usual as he remembered and longed for some kind of touch.
So he leaned against Yosuke and clutched Teddie's hand, felt the reassuring presence of Kanji next to him, and tried to etch the feeling of it all in his memory to recall when he was a hundred miles away and anxious.
"You should stay here," Yosuke said, voice quiet, and even without looking at him Souji was reminded of the looks on everyone's faces that day at the train station, of the sadness under their smiles. "Just move back like you want to."
Souji shook his head, straightening enough that he could speak properly. "School's already started."
"You could request a transfer, maybe?" Kanji asked. "I mean, if it's that big a deal, your parents would understand, right?"
"I tried that before I left," Souji said. Hours on the phone, a handful of arguments, the guilt that had overtaken him when his mother asked why he didn't want to see them… "I didn't mention it then because I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up if things didn't work out, but I asked to stay another year. They wouldn't let me."
"Ah," Kanji said. "Damn."
"It's not so bad," he said with forced levity, "I plan to come back after classes are done if Dojima lets me, spend some time here while I check out universities. Just a few more months, and I bet those will pass before we know it."
"Yeah, probably." None of them looked terribly reassured, and Yosuke made a motion like he was brushing the thought away. "Hey, what are you doing tonight?"
"I didn't have anything planned so I'll most likely end up spending time with Nanako."
"Think Dojima would mind if I stayed over?"
"What?" Teddie asked. "Staying over at Sensei's house without me, hanging out with Nana-chan, and eating delicious food while Papa-Dojima smokes a pipe on the couch… I won't allow it!"
"And the bear," Yosuke added, and Souji wondered if Dojima even owned a pipe. "We'll play video games, goof off – I can't cook dinner but I've been hiding a bag of candy from Teddie for weeks so I'll bring that."
"So that's what you've been doing when you lock your door at night," Teddie said.
Yosuke blushed. "Don't worry about what I'm doing then."
"A sleepover sounds good," Kanji said. "Haven't had one of those in years, not since I was playmates with Yukiko-senpai."
"It's not a—that sounds stupid." Yosuke's cheeks darkened. "Girls and little kids have sleepovers, guys have overnighters. It's not the same."
"Whatever. You're sleeping over at guy's house – it's a sleepover."
"I just said—"
"Either way, count me in. Ma won't care as long as I tell her what I'm doing. Oh, she says hi, by the way."
"Think Dojima'll be okay with it?" Yosuke asked.
"I don’t see why he wouldn't be, it's just one night."
"Yes!" Teddie pumped his fist in the air and since Souji was still holding his hand, his went up as well. "We'll wash each other's backs and sing songs about Mount Fuji."
"We're not going to the hot springs," Yosuke said.
Teddie's shoulders slumped.
Souji nudged his shoulder. "We can still go before I leave and one song tonight won't hurt."
Teddie perked back up and Yosuke made a face at him.
Kanji frowned. "Don't think I know any."
They split up after that, going to ask permission and get what they needed for an overnight stay, and a few hours later when the doorbell to the Dojima residence rang slightly earlier than he expected, Souji answered it expecting to see Yosuke and Teddie. The girls gathered in front of him came as a complete surprise.
"Senpai!" Rise threw her arms around his neck and he stumbled back as the rest of the girls tossed him greetings and let themselves in. "We heard you were having a party and didn't invite us. What's up with that?"
Nanako's eyes widened. "A party?"
"A party?" Dojima echoed from the couch.
Souji returned Rise's hug, wrapping his arms around her waist. Her dress was short-sleeved and warm skin pressed against his neck. He was oddly comforted by the fact that she hadn't changed the perfume she wore, the one he said matched her so well. "Not a party, just a sleepover with the guys."
"An overnighter," Yosuke said from the door, "and I don't remember anyone saying girls were invited." Nanako wilted and he quickly corrected himself when he caught sight of her. "Except Nanako-chan, of course."
"Yay!"
"Oh, don't be like that, Yosuke-senpai." Rise came with to him with fluttering eyelashes and a pout, and he stumbled over his words. She poked him in the chest. "You boys can't have him all to yourself, after all."
"It's not like that! How'd you guys finds out anyway?"
"You let it slip when you called me and asked to borrow a movie," Chie said.
"I did not!"
Dojima took in the crowded entryway, the various bags everyone carried, and Nanako bright-eyed as she hung off of Teddie's arm and chattered away about what they were going to do while he was there. "Souji…"
"I promise we'll clean up afterwards," he said. "It's just one night."
Dojima couldn't withstand nine hopeful pairs of eyes and shook his head. "No loud music, no weird games or movies, and watch Nanako. I don't want to have to make an on-duty visit to my own house."
They saw him off a few minutes later, Nanako waving enthusiastically. His late nights hadn't been cut back, not while the department dealt with the loss of Adachi, but they appeared to be handling the situation better now. As far as Souji knew, this was his only assignment for the week; the next two days belonged to him and Nanako exclusively and Dojima was determined to keep it that way.
"So much for us guys just hanging out," Yosuke grumbled, tossing his bag to the floor.
"Sorry to ruin your little sleepover," Chie said, "but we wanted to see Souji too, and I'm not sure Dojima would be okay with an all girl sleepover."
Rise laughed. "That'd be fun."
"It's not a sleepover, it's an overnighter."
"I've never heard of an overnighter," Yukiko said.
"Well, they exist and guys have them."
Chie planted her hands on her hips. "Why can't you just call it what it is?"
"Because you're wrong."
Naoto coughed and drew attention to herself. "You're bothering Nanako-chan," she said, and the two immediately backed down. "And I believe I have a way to solve this."
Her solution was to fight it out in video games. The fact that Souji only had two with him wasn't a problem – Naoto had brought a dozen, Yosuke had five, and it looked like they were going to try and play them all.
"Be my partner," Yosuke called to him, waving a controller. They'd brought Souji's game system down from his room, which had been kept exactly as he'd left it.
"I thought I already was."
"Haha, very funny. Get over here and help me win."
Souji smiled apologetically, tying on an apron. "I can't, I have to cook something for us to eat."
"I could take care of that," Yukiko said and joined him. She picked up a spice bottle and reached for a measuring cup. "Everyone likes spicy food, right?"
Souji took the items from her and politely suggested she just watch.
Nanako helped, and Teddie, whose enthusiasm might have been a problem if he hadn't looked to Nanako for orders, who got them from Souji and passed them along with the upmost seriousness. Not to say there wasn't a mistake or two but Souji caught them in time to fix the results. At least he didn't try to sneak anything in.
Yukiko hovered and asked questions like why he wasn't using this or that, why he was adding certain things, and once he caught her muttering about the lack of salsa.
"Still practicing cooking at the Inn?" he asked.
"I'm getting better, although I'm not sure mother would agree. She went a little green after my last attempt. Too much mayonnaise, I think."
He didn't ask what she'd been trying to make.
He didn't have to watch to keep track of how the games were going; Yosuke and Chie were both louder than necessary and his sounds of victory became accusations of cheating as Chie switched with Naoto.
"Partner, I'm dying over here."
"Fine, fine." He made sure Teddie and Nanako had a plate before taking a spot between Rise and Yosuke. "Dinner's done so everyone can grab something."
Chie darted towards the kitchen and Souji faced off against Naoto, figuring out why Yosuke couldn't win soon enough. Naoto and Yosuke both thought while they fought, playing strategy against strategy, matching each other on a level that was impressive to witness, but he had the habit of falling into repeating moves and she read his tells easily.
Souji, on the other hand, had always been something of a button masher, and Naoto quickly became frustrated with his lack of predictability.
"You're not playing fair and this mindless offense doesn't suit you," she said when he beat her for the third time. "I don't see why your care in the TV wouldn't carry over to this."
"Because I'm no good at this if I try to think about it. Oh, that's neat." His character killed Naoto's in a flash of light. "How'd I do that?"
She refused to play against him any longer.
"Good job, Senpai," Rise said.
"That was hardly worth congratulations," Naoto muttered, fixing herself a plate.
"This is now officially an overnighter," Yosuke said. He switched the game off and turned the TV back on.
Chie looked up from where she'd been eating her second plate of food and listening to Yukiko describe how it had been made. "I'm not calling it that."
"Me neither, sorry," Rise said. "It just sounds off."
"Yeah, Yosuke-senpai, it's stupid."
Souji bumped shoulders with him. "Better luck next time."
"Eh, whatever. Let's see if Chie left us anything."
After everyone ate, they watched movies, martial arts films brought by Chie. Souji put Nanako on his lap and sat between Yosuke and Naoto – thighs and arms and shoulders; he tried not to lean into either of them too obviously – but after the first few punches were thrown, he wondered at letting her stay in the room.
"It's not real," Nanako said when he voiced his concern, "but if you're scared, you can hold my hand, Big Bro."
He laughed and did just that. "I feel safer already."
Yosuke and Chie's earlier argument was forgotten as they bonded over the fighting, though Chie was more interested in the moves and Yosuke in the way the main characters were admired by the supporting cast. Naoto wondered at the technical aspects of certain shots and Rise clung to Kanji's arm, dramatically hiding her face in his chest during high-action moments. He took it well enough, even when Teddie started doing the same.
Things started to wind down halfway through the third movie. Nanako was asleep on his lap and he left the room to tuck her in, coming back to find the lights back on and everyone stretching.
"Tired?"
Rise yawned. "Isn't it funny we used to stay up late watching the Midnight Channel all the time?"
"Yeah, you'd never believe it the way we're all beat." Chie looked around the room, her sleeping bag in one hand. "Okay, I just thought of this – where is everyone going to sleep?"
"I'm sleeping with Sensei, of course," Teddie said, hugging him.
Yosuke tossed a throw pillow at his head and missed. "You are not."
"I don't mind." Souji's face heated up when everyone looked at him and he adjusted his too eager tone. "It's fine, really."
Rise wiggled her fingers at him. "And if I wanted to share your futon too?"
"That's okay. Anyone who wants to can." He stared at the floor, the heat crawling up to his ears. "It's just sleeping."
Rise sounded surprised, not expecting the invitation. "Oh, well…"
"But there's the couch down here," he said, "and the table can be moved, and there's the couch in my room. Plenty of space so… I'll go upstairs now."
The awkwardness that Souji felt didn't affect Teddie, who tossed his own sleeping bag aside and climbed in Souji's futon, wrapping his arms around his chest. "This is much better than sleeping alone."
"Yeah." Teddie, Souji decided, smelled like candy, and he wondered if he'd gotten into the treats Yosuke had brought. It wasn't a distracting smell by any means, and he was slightly warmer than a person should have been, and after weeks of a cold futon in an often empty apartment the contact was relaxing.
"You cuddle like Yosuke."
Souji made a curious noise. "Yosuke lets you sleep with him?"
"Sometimes, when I have nightmares or he does or he's lonely." Teddie squirmed until he was comfortable. "Do you think Papa-Dojima will let me stay over with Nana-chan when you leave?"
"Do you call him that to his face?"
"Of course. He has to get used to it if I'm going to marry Nana-chan."
"Sorry," Souji said, closing his eyes, "I think she wants to marry me."
"We'll figure something out."
The door cracked open and Souji opened his eyes to find Rise peeking in. "Did you mean that, Senpai? About sleeping with you?"
He lifted up the edge of the blanket and she settled against his back.
"I can't believe you'll be gone again in a few days." Rise settled her arms around his waist and sighed. "You should tell your parents a big idol wants you to stay. Will that work? Are they fans?"
"I don't think they know who you are, sorry." He fixed her arms a little tighter around him and relaxed again, only to sit up when Chie and Yukiko appeared at the door.
Chie rubbed the back of her head. "We were thinking—I mean, you'll be gone soon so maybe we could…"
"We'd like to be close to you tonight, Souji-kun."
"Yukiko, don't sound so forward!"
They had to get up and move the work table so the futon could go in the middle of the room. There wasn't enough space in it for all of them but Chie and Yukiko arranged their sleeping bags close to him and seemed happy enough about that.
Naoto wandered in before everyone could get settled. "It's chilly," she said as an excuse, "and… We might not see Souji-kun for a while after this. I'd like to spend as much time with him as possible."
Not a minute later, Kanji strolled in with a, "Move it over, Chie-senpai, I'm staying too."
Souji wasn't sure how everyone was going to fit – his room wasn't what he'd call big – but he enjoyed the confusion as they all sorted themselves out. He couldn't help but notice someone was missing. "Where's Yosuke?"
"Standing outside your room," Kanji said.
"I was thinking!" Yosuke walked in, saw them all on the floor, and tossed his stuff on the couch. "I'm sleeping up here."
Chie rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Yosuke."
"What?"
"We all know you want to be over here," Rise said.
Kanji looked up from figuring out how to get comfortable to add, "It's kind of a team thing at this point."
"No." Yosuke's face was red, but Souji knew it was from embarrassment rather than anger. "I'm close enough. I'm good."
"If you say so…" Souji said, and the others let it drop.
Twenty minutes later the others had dozed off, the sounds of their sleepy murmurs and movements filling Souji's usually quiet room. There was enough light coming in through the window that he could see Yosuke lying stiff on the couch, head occasionally looking in their direction before jerking away.
"Yosuke," Souji said, careful not to wake anyone, "why are you still over there?"
"It's crowded," he said, voice carrying the stubborn tone Souji was more than familiar with, "and it's probably uncomfortable, and…"
It was tempting to simply close his eyes and let Yosuke stay where he was; Rise was pressed softly against his back, Teddie curled up at his front, someone lay heavy across his legs, and the others were similarly pressed close, a hand here and an arm there, each reassuring and warming him. It would have been easy to drift off, but he couldn't, not with Yosuke by himself on the other side of the room.
"And what?" he prompted when the silence seemed destined to stretch on.
The answer came in an embarrassed mumble he almost missed. "…and all the good spots are taken."
Souji smiled into Teddie's hair. "So if I made you some room?"
"I don't know." But Yosuke sat up on the couch, clutching his blanket around him. "Maybe. If you really wanted me over there."
"What if I said I can't sleep if you're not over here with everyone else?"
"…Since you're going to sound all desperate about it, guess I don’t have a choice."
It only took a light shake and a quick whisper to get Teddie to scoot back. Yosuke picked his way across the room, nearly tripping over a random limb, and hesitated above Souji. "There's no space."
"Sure there is. Now get down here, I'm tired."
It was a tight squeeze but Souji was determined to make it work. After a minute or two of maneuvering where woke Chie up and hit at their legs with an order to settle down, they ended up as comfortable as possible, Yosuke tight against Souji, and Teddie reaching over him to grab at Souji's shirt.
"Dude, your knee," Yosuke whispered.
"Sorry." Souji pressed his face against Yosuke's throat and took a deep breath. Rise's arms were still around his waist, and that was Yukiko's slim hand on his calf, Naoto's fingers barely brushing his thigh, Kanji's hand encircling his ankle…
"You always been this clingy?" But one of Yosuke's arms was behind his head, fingers in his hair, the other rested on Teddie's wrist, and when Chie moved in her sleep and rested her arm across his leg, he didn't say anything.
"I've missed you guys so much."
"One year." Yosuke's voice cracked and he tried to lighten it. "Not even that, really, you said it yourself. You can handle it, partner."
Surrounded by his friends, it seemed impossible he'd been able to go back to his apartment and handle the loneliness for months on end.
"Now, let's go to sleep, and I'm serious, move your knee—oh god, not like that."
If it meant coming back to this closeness, though, Souji was sure he could bear it.