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"...Dude, it's way too late to be calling me."
His voice was heavy with sleep, one hand scrubbing his eyes as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. It was like, almost midnight! Jeez, he thought they were done with these late nights when the Midnight Channel ended. Okay, maybe he stayed up sometimes, but that was totally normal for a teenage boy. Still, he had expected a good night's sleep today, not a call from his partner at an ungodly hour.
"Sorry. Should I just go to the Dojima's instead?"
It took a few seconds for it to process in Yosuke's head, but he was already scrambling to get his bedroom door open before the words fully processed. Shit, pants, he needed pants first- It was all he could do to stop him from tripping over his own feet in his hurry, phone held tightly to his ear with his shoulder.
"Partner, are you-"
"Yeah. I'm waiting outside."
He could just hear the smile in Yu's voice, and he knew full well as soon as he opened the door he'd be wearing that soft little expression, where the corners of his mouth tilted only slightly – but he had spent more than enough time with his partner to read him like a book.
He bolted out his room as soon as he was dressed enough, using the doorframe as support so he didn't slip. Honestly, if he tripped now, he'd probably wake everyone up- and while he could probably handle his parents, Teddie would lose it if he saw Yu. And that certainly wasn't something he wanted to deal with when it was this late. Fumbling to unlock the front door, he threw it open as soon as the latch clicked.
"Hey, partner."
The voice was tinny through the phone speakers, but it was far clearer from right in front of him. He really was there. He probably should've hung up at this point, saved the minutes on his phone, but he was a little more preoccupied at the moment. His partner was here. In the flesh. Standing in front of him. A part of him had almost expected it to still be a dream, like he'd open the door and wake up in his own bed, but no. Yu was there, real as could be.
"Why- why didn't you tell me you were coming down?!"
Yu placed his bags on the ground, head tilted to the side ever-so-slightly in that way only he did. If he didn't know any better, Yosuke might've said he was one of those cats he loved so much. Especially with how much he loved fishing sometimes – no, Yosuke, focus. Now was not the time to be distracted thinking about Yu's weird hobbies.
"I thought it'd be a nice surprise. Besides, I didn't want to wake up Nanako at this hour," he said, but his eyes were glittering in a way that said Yosuke had been his first choice anyways. He held his arms open, and for the first time in his life, Yosuke didn't hesitate to throw himself forwards and hug him. It had been months, damnit! He had missed him. Like, really missed him.
Yu felt secure, and as much as he loathed to admit it, he was a really good hugger. And maybe he had grown in the time they were apart, because he could swear he didn't feel this short last time they hugged. Then again, that was practically a lifetime ago. They were really different back then…
"I thought this was supposed to be for girls."
Yosuke could feel the way Yu's chuckle reverberated through his chest, and he was going to blame the reddening of his cheeks on pure embarrassment and nothing else. He sprung back, almost as if he had been burned, and Yu hummed softly in response, the sound bordering on dissatisfaction.
"Dude, that was like- forever ago! Stop bringing that up, I swear!"
Yu's smile widened, and Yosuke could tell that he was trying to stifle a laugh. Damnit, he really loved reminding him of that… It had been, like, a whole year since then! Maybe more! Still, he was pretty sure he was never going to live that down. Without giving him a response, Yu bent down to pick up his bags again, his smile turning slightly apologetic.
"I can head to the Dojima's tomorrow. Sorry, I don't mean to intrude," he apologized, voice quiet, but Yosuke replied with a quick shake of his head. He held his hand out in a silent invitation, and Yu passed a bag over to him without a word.
"You're not intruding, partner. I bet Teddie will be excited when he wakes up," he said with a half-laugh, half-snort, though the look on Yu's face was as though he had been struck by lightning. Or a particularly nasty Garu spell, perhaps.
"Partner? Earth to Narukami?"
He waved his hand in front of Yu's face, which apparently served to snap him out of… whatever trance he was in. That was weird, but his partner was a little weird anyways. He had to be used to it by now. Yu inclined his head in a little nod, and they continued on in silence for a little while, at least until all the bags were brought into Yosuke's room.
"...I don't think I've ever heard you laugh like that before."
If he wasn't careful, he might've missed the quiet words. He almost wished he did, because once again, he felt his face heating up. He looked away just a little too quickly to be casual, instead choosing to take great interest in where to put Yu's things away.
"...Dunno. Not really nice, is it?"
His voice was a little resentful, head ducked to avoid his partner's eyes. It was embarrassing, after all. He couldn't fidget with Yu's bags forever though, and when he did look up, their eyes met unwillingly.
There wasn't a trace of judgment in Yu’s expression. Instead, he looked understanding, and there was something else in his eyes that he didn't dare put a name to. It was best not for him to dwell on it. He didn't want to think about that look, or what it meant, or why Yu was looking at him like that. No, it was best to box that all up, shove it to a corner of his brain, and forget about it.
Then Yu spoke again, and all hopes of forgetting it vanished.
"I think it's nice."
Oh, now Yosuke knew his face was red. He couldn't help but wish he hadn't turned the lights on – if it was dark, maybe he could've pretended he didn't have such a gobsmacked look on his face. It was stupid. He shouldn't be so surprised by something so simple, from his partner no less. He was pretty sure Yu was one of the least judgemental guys he had ever met. Maybe it was just something about how he was so easy to talk to. Still, it was hard to wrap his head around.
"Shit, partner, don't say things like that," he mumbled, making the effort to look anywhere except at him. Thankfully, some god must've been taking pity on him just then, because Yu seemed happy to change the subject. Then again, maybe he'd bring it up later, at the most inopportune time. As long as he didn't go telling everyone else, he was fine with it.
"I'll go get you the spare futon."
Then, he realized something.
…The spare futon was in the closet.
Teddie's closet.
The closet they couldn't open without waking Teddie.
And if they woke him, there was no way they'd be getting to sleep with an overexcited bear in the room.
"Uh. We may have a problem."
Yu looked back at him, already halfway through unzipping his bag in search of his pajamas. Then realization dawned on his face, a look of surprise dawning on his face.. He looked at Yosuke, then at the closet, then back at Yosuke.
"...I see what you mean."
He went back to rummaging through his bag for a moment, throwing his pajama pants over his shoulder, before turning to face Yosuke again.
"I don't mind sleeping on the couch, partner-"
"We could share."
"Wait, what?"
Yu had to be messing with him now. There was no way that futon would fit both of them! But the couch was in the living room, and it'd take a bit of explaining if his parents woke up and saw him there. Or if they saw Yu there. And they could probably fit in if they both tried…
"Yeah, fine, whatever. Let's share. Worth a shot, right?"
He was being quite deliberately casual, making quite the effort to stop his face from reddening again. He had just calmed down, dammit! Besides, sharing a futon with Yu was like, totally a bro thing. Totally normal. Nothing for him to get all weird about. Plus, there were enough blankets for both of them. It wasn't a particularly cold night, so it'd be tolerable… and while he was thinking so intensely, apparently Yu had gotten changed without him noticing. He must've been really out of it.
Yu got into the bed like it was nothing, as though sharing it with his best friend was just an everyday occurrence for him. Well, Yosuke would probably be more weirded out if he was treating it like a big deal. It was Yu. The guy was never bothered by anything. He even shuffled over to give Yosuke as much space as he could, even if it left him precariously close to the floor.
"...Dude, there's no point if you're just going to be on the floor anyways. Don't be weird about it," he mumbled, but despite his words, he couldn't help but hold his breath as he felt Yu's weight shift closer to him. Yeah, he was totally right when he thought this futon was too small. He could feel Yu’s breath on his neck, and any closer and they'd be touching. This was dangerous territory. It felt like Yosuke was walking a line that couldn't be crossed, and if he did, there would be no going back.
The silence was almost deafening, and he let himself slowly relax bit by bit. This was fine. It was just Yu, his partner, sharing his bed. Nothing weird about it at all. He let out his held breath all at once, but his quiet sigh didn't sound so quiet when it was the only sound in the room.
"...Goodnight, partner," he whispered, and Yu just made a small noise in response. He seemed way too comfortable with this situation, but somehow, his casual attitude made Yosuke a little less worried. Apparently he wasn't even fazed by their close proximity. He really was cool in every sense of the word.
Yosuke closed his eyes, and even with his initial hesitation, he soon felt himself drifting off to sleep. Yu was so close, and he was warm… it was really comfortable. He was barely awake when he felt a gentle weight drape across his side, and a soft press against the back of his neck. But it felt right, somehow.
He wasn't sure how long it took for him to fall asleep fully, only that it felt like it was the quickest sleep he'd had in his life.
Then Yosuke woke to the sun in his eyes, a body pressed against his back, and some of the most high-pitched squealing he had ever heard. Teddie was awake, and Yosuke was pretty sure he was either really happy, or somehow dying.
"Five more minutes, Ted."
He could feel Yu's voice against his neck, and at once he was very, very aware of the way that they had gotten tangled together. Yu's face was pressed right into his neck, his arms wrapped around Yosuke's waist in a way that he couldn't escape if he tried. It was more comfortable than he ever would've expected, that was for sure.
So he closed his eyes again, letting his head fall back to the pillow and trying his best to pretend the light wasn't far too bright on the inside of his eyelids. He could feel Yu's arms pull him closer, just a little, but his small pleased hum couldn't be missed. Mainly because it really, really tickled.
"...Yeah, Ted, five more minutes."