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It wasn’t like Souji was a nature enthusiast or anything, it’s just that it had been a while since he was able to enjoy a rooftop lunch with his friends.
Of course, even during the fog and the rain, he never passed up an opportunity to share his (admittedly skillful) culinary skills. That said, the gymnasium was often crowded, and the scent definitely worsened his meal’s aroma. No matter how many times his friends praised him, he knew the truth.
…And if he was going to be completely honest, more than anything, he missed that one tabby that would often cuddle up beside him (after he had successfully bribed it with many an Inaba trout).
“Yo, Seta!” Kou’s voice calls from Souji’s left as he’s about to ascend the stairs, awakening him from his feline-related reverie. He straightens his back, giving the boy a fleeting grin in return. “You got a minute, man?”
He has an hour, in fact, so he nods, waiting for the other to speak. The hallway seems rather quiet – even after eleven months, Souji hasn’t completely gotten used to the silence which haunted Yasogami High. Or, maybe that was too morbid of a way to describe it. Souji likes the sleepy stillness of Inaba, or so he tells himself.
Kou’s arms are folded over his chest, and he’s looking up at the ceiling rather than at Souji. It could be misconstrued as rude if not for the friendly smile on his face paired with the gentle raise of his eyebrows. “So you know how you’re kind of a ladies’ man?”
Nearly cringing at his phrasing, Souji nods slowly, unsure of the conversation to follow. It really wasn’t intentional, this Lothario characteristic of his. He didn’t understand it at all. The only girl he thinks has shown interest in him is Rise, but even then he can’t be sure. Oh, and maybe Sayoko… but he’d rather forget about that. Of course, there was the time Ai asked him out, but that was an ephemeral period, so it didn’t count. His mind wanders to how Yukiko and Chie blush around him sometimes. Yumi and Ayane, too… maybe Kou had a point. But it wasn’t like he ever made any moves on them, he just said whatever was on his mind. Yukiko did look nice in a yukata, and Chie did have nice legs. No, Souji said nice things about all of his friends. Like Yosuke – if he ‘had to choose anyone to date’, of course it’d be his best friend.
He reddens at the memory.
“Okay, how would you go about confessing your love to a girl?” his friend’s eyes finally met his.
Kou, like many, seemed to be oblivious to Souji’s lack of interest in the opposite sex. He is suddenly reminded of the many times he’d tried to hint at it, only to be shot down by Yosuke not even seconds later.
Souji lowers his bento box, his eyebrows shooting up apprehensively. It takes him a second to reply. “I think I’d buy her some chocolates or something…” He furrows his brows, rubbing his chin in thought, hesitating before speaking again. “Or… give her some… balloons?”
“Balloons.” Kou repeats, incredulous.
Souji tilts his head slightly in genuine confusion. “Do girls not like balloons? Then I don’t know.”
The other grimaces, but nods nevertheless, a smile appearing on his face just a moment later. “All right. Thanks, man.”
“You’re welcome.”
Kou pats Souji’s shoulder amicably as he whizzes past him, dancing down the stairs to the first floor. Souji thinks maybe he’ll share this guidance with Daisuke. He didn’t think it was all that helpful, but if Kou was grateful, then it must have been, at the very least, decent advice.
He rolls his shoulders back before wearily climbing the stairs. He passes another empty hallway, which is a shame, because if Riddle Master was there, with his knowledge he could definitely take him on again. (His talk with Kou gave him a sudden boost in confidence). He sighs quietly, almost giving himself whiplash when he twists his head and springs up yet another flight of stairs. In his old school, they had elevators. He supposes there’s nothing he can do about it, and besides, this was nothing compared to the gruelling running around in the TV world.
He wonders, for a moment, if people think he’s weird for jogging around town everywhere. He’s always thought of it as normal, mostly because in the city, no one paid him any mind. There was no reason to walk slowly everywhere. He was a busy guy. He had lots of things to do. People to talk to, cats to pet… He shook his head to himself in hopes of dissipating this mindless stream of thoughts.
He opens the metal door in front of him, careful not to drop his lunchbox in the process. He marches forwards slowly, his footsteps drowned out by the cacophony of his friends arguing. No surprise there.
Rise’s voice is the clearest, and loudest, though only the last part of her utterance can be heard. “– not embarrassing! It’s a good idea to be direct!”
Souji notes her annoyed facial expression, lips in a slight pout. She seems to be angry at Yosuke, whose back turns towards them all in one swift move. One of his hands is placed on his shoulder, the other, on his waist. He rubs them back and forth on his body, overwhelmingly melodramatic. His voice rings out in a high tone: “Oh, Souji! You’re so perfect and hot and sexy!” Mock kissing sounds come out of his mouth. “Please be gentle, Souji, Souji, Souji –“
It doesn’t stop until Rise greets him – “Hiya, Senpai!”
Souji clears his throat, and suddenly, everyone is looking in his direction. Yosuke’s eyes are huge and fixed on him, yet to move from the position he was just in. Souji’s not entirely sure what to make of this, apart from Yosuke most likely wasn’t making fun of him. He was probably teasing Rise; she was pretty over-the-top, after all. He almost wants to smile in amusement. Instead, he decides to forget about it, even if he can feel himself blushing.
The Investigation Team did not have many quiet moments. It was safe to say this was a first.
It lasts for all of three seconds before Chie explodes with laughter, holding her stomach. Yukiko and Rise join shortly thereafter. Even Naoto holds up a hand to her mouth in obvious mirth, bowing her head to pretend she isn’t laughing. Kanji, the poor thing, simply looks away, as if trying to escape this utmost humiliating scene.
Yosuke grimaces. “Partner, I didn’t see you there, haha.” After a humourless laugh, he peers down at his shoes like they’re the most interesting thing in the world.
Souji nods dismissingly. Behind his friend, he spots the cat he was thinking about earlier, and makes a beeline for it. Plot armour – cat armour! It perks up, purring, especially when Souji rubs under its chin. He ends up sitting down, confused as to why no one else is saying anything. They’re just remaining still. Dumbfounded, maybe. It’s almost creepy.
“What were you guys talking about?” Souji asks, taking the lid off his bento and setting it aside.
Rise opens her mouth, but Yosuke interrupts her. “U-um, nothing important, you know how it is!” He bears his teeth in what Souji thinks is a grin – a truly uncomfortable-looking grin. “What’d you make today? Omurice? That’s cool. I can never get the eggs right personally…”
Master of segues he is, Yosuke trails off onto a random tangent, and everyone moves on.
&
Okay, so Yosuke’s more like a jack of all trades, but the master of none, or however the saying goes.
He definitely has some strengths. He likes to think he’s pretty agile, even if he doesn’t do any sports – or maybe he should give some credit to Takehaya Susano-o. What else, he has nice hair. Dyeing it takes up a lot of time, so obviously he’s pretty diligent. He gets decent grades. A lot of times Teddie mentions his benevolence – but really what choice did Yosuke have apart from let him sleep in his closet? Probably let him live in the TV World, hollow and scared and surrounded by fellow shadows.
…Nah. He needed the extra help at Junes.
Anyway, Yosuke’s greatest strength would have to be his taste in music. His headphones weren’t just a fashionable accessory, oh no, they were an essential part of his being, aiding him in getting through his everyday life. There was nothing better to cheer himself up with than a really upbeat song. Likewise, a slow song could help him focus or even fall asleep.
He didn’t particularly enjoy labelling himself as a hipster, but he was into all types of music, most of which had never made a name in Japan. He took pride in his Tullycraft, his Neutral Milk Hotel, even his Tom Waits. (Naturally, though, he tried not to listen to any musical soundtracks or early-two-thousands pop music around anyone else. Those guilty pleasures were saved for his breaks).
Perhaps it was because of his indiscriminate taste of music that he vowed to never judge anyone based on what they listened to. That said, Yukiko’s suggestion yesterday on the rooftop was pretty damn strange.
He – of course he knew what Van Halen was. He just hadn’t expected her to have ever listened to them. It was probably because of her parents that she knew of the band, now that he thinks about it.
There’s a lot of people on the flood plain this afternoon, he notes. He guesses now that the fog is gone, and it’s even warm enough for him to ditch his long-sleeved shirt, families would rather go out than stay inside all day. Personally, he’d rather be at the beach or even Okina city, but hey, Inaba citizens are a different breed. He can’t blame them.
Yosuke whispers a soundless thank-you for the sunny weather, clutching the sheet music in his hands enough to crinkle them. Even if it isn’t windy, there’s always the possibility of tripping over a rock and sending the papers flying straight into the river, somehow. Being clumsy, he’d definitely consider that a weakness.
His grip on the sheet music tightens even more as a little girl runs past, nearly bumping into him. He winces at her shrilling.
“Mommy! That man had a bunch of fish, it was so gro-o-o-oss! I wanna go home!”
Yosuke raises an eyebrow in suspicion, turning around and continuing his journey back to school, but not before noticing that there is, in fact, a man crouching by the river’s edge. Next to him, a giant duffel bag, filled to the brim with…fish.
And how could he miss the man’s grey bowl cut?
He squints, quickly climbing down the steps to the riverbank. He hasn’t been here for a few months – and for a good reason. There’s so many bugs around him. Not to mention the disgusting smell. That kid was totally right. It is disgusting, and no matter how much he loves Souji, he keeps a three metre distance from him.
“Partner…?” he calls tenderly, carefully. He’s almost scared.
In front of him, Souji startles enough to fall back on his ass, causing the cat next to him to scurry between Yosuke’s legs and away from the river. Now Yosuke’s even more confused. He knew Souji liked cats, and he knew he went fishing from time to time when he had nothing better to do, but he wasn’t sure what to make of… all this. It’s like, this isn’t illegal, but it very well should be.
His friend whips his head around, bowl cut somehow remaining perfectly in place. Yosuke squints, grinning fondly, if not sardonically. Fishing, to him, was weird enough, and Souji was a weirdo indeed, but this was on a whole different level.
It was really funny, actually, what his classmates thought about his partner. They all put him on a pedestal, and sure, he deserved it sometimes, what with being the smartest guy Yosuke’s ever met. His sense of fashion, his courage, his kindness, Souji had a lot of positives. In spite of these things, if his classmates knew him like Yosuke knew him… they’d probably treat him a whole lot differently.
Souji closes his eyes and gives Yosuke a bright smile. “How’s it going?”
Loosening his hold on the papers, the brunet frowns. “I’m fine, running some errands. And… you?”
Souji stares at a patch of dry grass by Yosuke’s shoes. He pulls both of his legs up, wrapping his arms around them, resting his head on his knees. “It’s Midori-chan.” He sighs heavily. “She has really particular tastes, and I’ve exhausted all other options, so I had to give her the River Guardian, which is kind of upsetting, but I didn’t need it anymore, so I guess it’s fine.”
Yosuke relaxes to a degree, throwing his friend a puzzled look. With Souji, it was better to just not ask. He should’ve realised it sooner. Souji starts speaking again before Yosuke can think of a nice to tell him that one, he’s a freak and two, Yosuke really needs to get going now. His friend points to the sheet music, causing the other to tense. “What’s that?”
“Um, nothing interesting, just stuff.” Yosuke flushes, unable to meet Souji’s eyes.
“Hm,” he furrows his brows in faux thought. “Sounds suspicious.”
Yosuke raises a brow. “More suspicious than you and your bag full of fish?”
“You may have a point,” Souji flushes.
&
On Tuesday, Souji decides to spend his time after school trying to see how many people he can talk to.
…He’s been really, really bored recently now that there was no TV World and Margaret had mentioned how there was no more work to be done regarding his relationships. In any case, he’s only here for a few more months, so he might as well make the most of it.
He’s been trying not to think of it too much recently, how he’s going to go back to an incredibly boring life with no real friends and nobody to talk to. Nobody interesting, anyway. Could anyone blame him for getting used to Nanako’s adorable greeting when he came home? Maybe he could head to the RSPCA and adopt a cat to save him from his prospective lonely life. Only, he’s tried that before, and his parents got angry beyond belief, because what if its fur gets on the couch, Souji? What will we ever do?
Just thinking about it, he wants to roll his eyes. He doesn’t hate his parents – after all, they allowed him to live a comfortable life and attend decent schools. And, weren’t they to thank for his meeting Yosuke and everyone else? On the one hand, he was frustrated with the whole abandonment thing, but on the other, he wouldn’t give up this past year for the world. Besides, moving to Inaba, no matter how small it was, was a much safer option than moving to – Italy, was it? Is that where they were? He hadn’t talked to them in a while.
Maybe he could convince them that he should stay. He would, but he can’t keep on relying on Dojima’s altruism forever. But he had lots of part-time jobs, not to mention he made bank from the TV World.
A true conflict.
Souji exits the 2-2 classroom swiftly, sighing to recollect himself. Chie and Yukiko stayed behind to gossip, as per usual. This time, however, they made a note to be extra quiet, as if Souji wasn’t allowed to listen to them. He had never really tried. He enjoyed respecting people’s privacy. Though now he was kind of curious…
He shrugs it off, inhaling deeply.
He’s not sure where Yosuke ran off to, which is disappointing. Glancing around the hallway, he spots Yumi in her usual place, in front of the stairway. He jogs to her shamelessly.
“Oh, hi, Seta,” she smiles with kind eyes, her bob falling into place effortlessly as she looks up at him.
“How’s it going?” She avoids his gaze after he asks, strangely enough. She was one of the greatest performers in the drama club – definitely the most confident, so why was she acting so anxious?
“U-um, well, actually…” She reaches behind her, into her bag, which causes Souji to raise a curious eyebrow. “I was hoping I’d run into you! Here.”
She extends her hand which holds a neatly wrapped box of chocolates. Chocolates? Not that Souji minds – of course he doesn’t – but why chocolates?
His lips turn upwards politely, “Thank you.”
Yumi lets out a puff of air she was obviously holding in. “It’s no problem. I was actually kind of nervous, because you rejected me and all a while ago, so I thought you might’ve… I don’t know, refused them or something. It’s just a thank-you gift, really. You’re really nice, Seta.”
Eyes wide, Souji can’t help but frown down at the chocolates. Rejection, hm. He still feels guilty, months later, but it wouldn’t have been better to accept her confession when in reality he felt nothing but amity towards her. They were friends. Did friends often give each other chocolates? Maybe in Inaba. It wasn’t his birthday yet…
“I didn’t get you anything,” he mumbles remorsefully. He was an awful friend.
Yumi giggles, shaking her head slowly. “I mean, I wouldn’t have minded, but that’s not really the tradition so –“ she stops mid-sentence, looking over Souji’s shoulder, presumably to someone else. “Sorry, Seta, I’ll see you later, okay?” She grins happily, scurrying off, leaving a very confused Souji behind.
So now he has chocolates. He’ll have to share them with Nanako when he gets home.
He continues staring at them as he scratches a spot behind his ear, turning around. He almost walks into Ai. A very peeved Ai, that is. Then again, this was her usual facial expression.
“Souji.” She states more than greets, pushing another (and more expensive looking) box of chocolates into his arms. He fumbles as she turns her head away, seemingly disinterested in this non-conversation. “I know we’re not dating or anything so this is more like a thanks for being there for me this past year. Don’t take it out of context,” she instructs, pointing a manicured finger at him.
He does have a soft spot for her. He’s proud of her, and he hopes his faint smile conveys it. “Thank you very much.”
She glances down at the chocolates he got from Yumi, then back up. “Huh. Well look at that, playboy.” She half-scoffs, half-laughs, winking. Before he has the chance to ask what’s going on, she turns around, her long, blonde hair flying behind her.
It’s not until Chie, Yukiko, Naoto, and Rise come up to him – together – to give him chocolates that he remembers what day it is.
He had expected Yosuke at the very least to remind him. It was weird how Souji had never made this connection before, but his best friend was a hopeless romantic. In a way, that was kind of cute.
As he walks towards the music room, Ayane’s voice snaps him back to reality. “Oh, hi, Senpai! Practice isn’t on today…”
They make small talk, and as if it was a surprise, Ayane hands him chocolates, too. His bag is suddenly extremely heavy. He hopes Nanako won’t get a cavity or a stomach-ache if he gives them all to her. Maybe he could give some to Yosuke. Would that be weird, on Valentine’s Day?
“I have to get home now. Bye, Senpai!” Ayane bids her farewell, and Souji watches her leave with a fond smile on his face. He can’t believe how much chocolate he got today. It seemed almost unfair. He begins to count them, but is halted by a loud crash coming from the music room to his right, followed by an unmistakeable Ow! and a set of unrepeatable curse words.
That voice could only belong to Yosuke.
When he walks in, he notices his best friend hunched over, nursing his foot. Next to him lies a large amp on its side, which could very well have been the reason behind the crash. Without pause, Souji rushes forward, pulling a chair out for Yosuke to sit on.
“What happened?” he asks, worry in his voice. Yosuke winces in what Souji presumes is pain. He kneels down next to his chair.
“I – goddamnit, what do you think happened, partner?”
Souji scans the room, humming in deep thought. Yosuke rolls his eyes and scoffs. Strangely, he looks away from him, an exasperated look on his face.
“Please just leave me alone. This is… mortifying.”
After some consideration, and much hesitation, Souji adheres to his partner’s request. Yosuke seems busy, anyway.
&
Yosuke’s really glad he has the afternoon off the following day.
During his free time, like many other teenaged boys, he enjoys lazing around his room. Today, though, he had errands to run in Okina City. The atmosphere was nice, much nicer than the empty, pollen-infested fields of Inaba. There were so many people around him that he managed to sneak into the bookstore and buy a magazine completely unnoticed. What a success. Now he just needs to remember to hide it away somewhere Teddie won’t look…
His lips turn upward at the plastic bag in his hand as he walks towards where he parked. He’s about to get his keys out of his pocket before he is interrupted.
Okina City is much noisier than Inaba, but the loud clank! does not go unnoticed. He jerks his head towards the direction of the sound, to find Souji. More specifically, Souji with his arm stuck inside the crane machine right outside 30 Frame.
Yosuke scurries over, a worried expression on his face. Souji notices him almost immediately, sending him an amused look.
“Partner!” He calls, “We have got to stop meeting like this.”
Meanwhile, Yosuke’s not in the mood for jokes. He crouches to Souji’s level, furrowing his brows. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“King Frost got stuck,” replies his friend, straight-faced.
“Are you crazy?” Yosuke gives him a look of disbelief before examining the situation further. It’s… actually kind of impressive that Souji got his arm so far up in there. Still, this was no excuse. “Isn’t this a crime?”
Souji frowns next to him, unmoving as Yosuke begins to tug on his arm. “It’s mine. I won it.”
He pauses his action for a second, looking his friend straight in the eye. He knows he has to help him, most certainly before a police officer decides to stroll by. Still, something’s bothering him. “Souji, how much money did you spend on this stupid machine?”
Yosuke never uses Souji’s name. He hopes that he realises the severity of the situation.
Souji remains silent, guiltily, so Yosuke gets back to work on his rescue mission. He manages to keep the flap on the opening up so that with some difficulties, Souji pulls his arm back. With it flies out a plush doll which looks just like the ones Souji keeps on the stack of shelves in his room.
His friend is obviously elated with this, staring at it, holding it up to his chest in a strange sort of protective hug.
Exhausted, Yosuke bows his head and closes his eyes.
“Thank you, Yosuke,” his friend says, now looking at him. “If you hadn’t shown up, I could have died.”
Yosuke rolls his eyes, giving Souji a light shove. “Shut up.”
“No, I’m serious. Did you know that more people die of vending-machine related incidents than shark attacks? You are my Prince Charming.”
“You’re joking.” Yosuke feels his face get warm. “And embarrassing me.”
Sure, Okina was a big place, but there was always the possibility of someone walking by and wondering just what they’re getting up to, sitting on the ground in front of the movie theatre talking. Then again, no one ever gossiped about Souji, not in a negative way. So maybe Yosuke should just let it go, enjoy the moment or whatever.
“Really, I should repay you,” Souji places a finger on his chin, feigning deep contemplation. He glances up at Yosuke a second later with a nefarious grin. “How about a kiss?”
He doesn’t even wait for an answer as he starts leaning in, closing the distance to Yosuke’s face.
“Dude!” Yosuke springs up almost comically, the bag in his arms swinging back and forth. “You’re too shameless for your own good.”
Souji pouts, looking up at him. “I see your foot is better. What were you doing in the music room yesterday, anyway?”
“Um,” he gulps intelligently. “I was just… working on something.”
“Music?” the silver-haired boy asks as he stands up and brushes some dirt off of his leg.
“…I guess.”
Yosuke really doesn’t want to go into the details. He’s not that great at playing music, even if he likes listening to it. Although, if that Junes concert was anything to go by, he was better than most of his friends. Maybe not Rise, but definitely better than Yukiko and Chie.
His eyes widen at his friend’s next question. “Can I hear it someday?”
Never having been great with words, Yosuke starts stuttering, caught off guard – ambushed – trying to make up an excuse.
Perfect being he is, Souji says, “It’s okay if you don’t want to.” Even if he’s smiling politely, Yosuke notices a hint of sadness in his eyes. Quick, change the topic! Mayday! Mayday!
“Hey, um, why don’t you come to my place tomorrow after school?” he suggests. “I can get some snacks and we can watch a movie or listen to music or something.”
“Sure.” Souji smiles, really smiles this time. A moment later, he grimaces. “As long as there’s no chocolate.”
Yosuke raises an eyebrow curiously.
“I mean, I’m really thankful for all the ones I got yesterday, but…” Souji shakes his head. “I don’t know. I feel like I need a year-long break from it.”
Yosuke gulps, and suddenly the bag in his hands feels a thousand times heavier.
&
When Souji arrives at Yosuke’s house the following day, it’s Teddie who opens the door.
His mouth is full when he greets him. “Hi Sensei~!”
Stepping in and removing his shoes, Souji raises an eyebrow. “What are you eating?”
Teddie gives him a huge smile, stepping back to allow him room. The house is quiet. He assumes Yosuke’s parents aren’t home, probably working, which he doesn’t mind at all. It’s always slightly uncomfortable seeing how embarrassed his friend gets around them. Souji finds it amusing. He wonders if that’s how all families acted. He wouldn’t know.
“I’m eating chocolate!” the bear exclaims, swinging his body left and right. Yeah, that explains a lot. Then again, Teddie was always hyper. “Yosuke gave a bunch to me yesterday.”
“That’s nice,” Souji ruffles his blonde hair, turning when he hears his friend whirl down the stairs. Unlike Souji, who is wearing his winter uniform, Yosuke is dressed in comfortable yet fashionable looking clothes. His hair is slightly damp. He was probably just in the shower, Souji guesses. Is that why they didn’t walk over here together? Strange.
“’Sup?” asks Yosuke on a step above him, eloquently as ever. Souji follows him up the stairs, Yosuke banishing Teddie to the living room.
-
As Souji stands in front of Yosuke’s door, ten minutes after he originally left, he hears arguing. He supposes it’s normal. If he was forced to live with Teddie, he’s sure that he’d get annoyed, too.
He knocks, and all noise ceases. After a moment, Yosuke pops his head out through a small opening.
“I left my scarf here,” explains Souji. He can’t help but look behind his friend, at Teddie, holding a grey balloon. “Um. Before I left,” he elaborates, eyes still on the strange sight.
Yosuke sighs. “Of course you did.” He shuts the door for a second before reappearing, Souji’s scarf in his hand. “Here,” he shoves more than hands it to him before hesitating. “Goodnight, partner.”
“Goodnight,” Souji replies, mostly to a shut door.
Somehow, he’s reminded of that conversation he had with Kou a week ago. Could it be…? No… there was no way. That was just wishful thinking.
Souji wraps his scarf tightly around his neck and begins his journey home once more.
&
Both Souji and Yosuke are anxious the next day; for different reasons, but both relating to the other.
During lunchtime, Yosuke asks Ayane to ask Souji to accompany her to the music room, where is he waiting next to the hostile amp from earlier that week. It was a bitch having to carry his guitar all the way to school, but it was a much better alternative than having to drag heavy equipment back home – or anywhere else, for that matter. Maybe he could’ve asked some guys at Junes to help set things up, but that was a bit uncomfortable, considering this was a private matter.
He’s fidgety and sweaty and embarrassed, even if no one is in the room with him yet.
During lunchtime, Ayane asks Souji to accompany her to the music room. He gladly follows her down the hallway and into the practice building, joking that if it’s another trombone solo he doesn’t want to hear it. She giggles uncomfortably before leaving him in front of the wooden doors. He wonders if there’s an awful surprise party waiting for him. What a mystery – possibly a bigger mystery than the whole Midnight Channel thing.
With an unsure look upon his face (what if a bucket of water was to fall over him, like some stupid slapstick comedy?), he enters the room to find his best friend with his guitar strapped around his shoulder.
“Uh… hi.” Yosuke’s obviously red – dammit, there is no reason to get shy now, get it together, man!, he thinks to himself. Souji thinks it’s cute. “Please take a seat,” instructs Yosuke, formally, turning a knob on the amp. A horrible sound comes out of it as Souji grabs a chair, following his guidance.
This is so fucking stupid, Yosuke thinks to himself. Then, he begins playing – and to Souji’s surprise, singing. He can’t really understand the lyrics – he’s good at English but not that good, but he does understand, he thinks, the most important part of the song: I’m hot for partner.
Souji can’t help but smile for the entire two minutes that Yosuke effortlessly strums his guitar. He looks good like that. Like a real musician.
When he’s finished, he’s even redder than he was when he entered the room. He discards his guitar (Souji sort of kind of wanted to see him smash it like a true rockstar) and awkwardly rubs a spot behind his neck. He gesticulates to the desk next to Souji.
“Um, those are for you.”
On its surface, he spots a knitted red panda (unmistakeably the work of Kanji) and a pack of meat gum (which screams Chie).
“Dude, this is so awkward. Please say something,” Yosuke pleads, unable to meet his eyes.
“Should I clap?” Souji begins. “I loved it. You’re really good.”
“Aren’t I though?” After a humourless laugh, Yosuke stares at his shoes. “Uh, anyway. I don’t really know how to go about this, but Rise did say I should just be direct, so, here goes nothing. I like you, partner.”
When he looks back up, he thinks something like realisation dawns on Souji’s face – eyes widening, mouth gaping. Suddenly, it all made sense. That day on the rooftop, the talk with Kou, the papers Yosuke was holding on the riverbank. Hell, even the bag he was holding in Okina must’ve been filled with chocolates.
In front of him, Yosuke can’t help but close his eyes in shame. He hears Souji’s chair scoot back and footsteps getting closer and closer, and suddenly, he feels a familiar, yet tight embrace. Souji’s hugging him.
The heat around him, the weight of Souji’s head against his shoulder is almost too much. He’s never felt this elated in life, never.
Meanwhile Souji, he’s never felt this relieved. Exhaling, he says, “I like you too, Yosuke.”
They pull apart – neither of them sure what to do next.
&
One week later, they’re on the rooftop again with everyone else. It’s Rise who spots it first, naturally.
“They’re holding hands!” she all but screeches, pointing in their direction. Souji and Yosuke are, in fact, holding hands. At least they were, before Yosuke pulls it away like it’s an open flame. He turns from Souji, even though their hips are still touching, and folds his arms across his chest, disgruntled.
“Wait, so whose plan did you go with?” asks Chie, eyebrows shooting up in curiosity. “Was it the meat that won him over?”
The meat? Souji remembers one of the presents given to him. He’s not sure if he should tell her that he threw it away immediately.
Kanji jumps in, “You liked the panda, right?” he asks, gruff.
“No way he went for those showy gimmicks,” Rise furrows her brows. “Did Yosuke admit –“
“Stop it!” Yosuke finally decides he’s had enough, running a hand over his face. “You guys are unbelievable.”
Souji looks down at his boyfriend with a fond grin. One day, he’ll have to go back home, but for now, he’ll enjoy the moment.