Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

April 8th, 2001

Yu looked up from the workbook in front of him. School was going to be starting in about a week and his parents had wanted to make sure that he was prepared for it.

While other six year olds would probably have been playing outside or watching cartoons on a Sunday morning, Yu was sitting at his desk, diligently copying down Hiragana to practice his handwriting. He was trying to make it as perfect as possible - it made his parents happy to see the well-drawn characters.

He had, however, been distracted from his work by a sound downstairs - talking. That was odd. The majority of people who came over to the house were his parents’ business partners, but they always told him beforehand if someone was coming to make sure that he was on his absolute best behavior.

Who was it then?

He got out of his chair to go investigate.

He walked over to his bedroom door and opened it slowly, peering out into the hallway. It was empty, but the voices were more clear now. He could hear his parents speaking, but there was also another man and woman he didn’t recognize joining in on the conversation. Based on the tone, it was convivial and friendly.

He walked out of his room, keeping his footsteps light, and went down the hall to the stairs. He grasped onto the handrail and slowly crept down them. It wasn’t long before he could see who his parents were speaking to. He sat down, still hidden by the shadows of the house.

In the entranceway there was a couple. Yu wasn’t sure how old they were, but they didn’t seem too much younger than his own parents. The man had dark brown hair with a pair of wire-rimmed glasses and was wearing a grey suit - not too different from the business partners he had seen come by the house.

The woman, however, was dressed much more casually. She had on a brown sweater and high-waisted jeans. Her light brown hair was pulled up into a low ponytail. She was nodding and smiling politely at what was being said. She had her hand on the shoulders of a boy.

He looked to be about Yu’s age. He had the same shade of hair as the man, but it was slightly longer. He was wearing jeans and a striped, orange, short sleeved t-shirt layered on top of a solid blue long sleeved shirt. He was looking at Yu’s parents with half-interest.

Before long, his eyes started to wander around the house, his gaze eventually coming to the staircase. Yu held his breath as his eyes locked onto him. He wasn’t sure what to expect.

The boy smiled widely at him, then lifted his hand and started waving.

Yu’s breathing hitched as he lifted his hand up in a slight wave.

He was about to turn around and scurry back up the stairs, but then he heard his mother speak, “Ah, and this is our son, Yu.” Apparently the boy waving at him had drawn her attention, “Yu-kun,” she said, “Come here and say hello to our new neighbors.”

Yu took a deep breath, then nodded, making his way down the rest of the stairs and into the entranceway. The man and woman introduced themselves to him. They were the Hanamuras.

“And I’m Yosuke,” the boy said excitedly, bouncing up and down on his heels, “How old are you?”

Yu was slightly taken aback by his eagerness, but answered him, “I’m six.”

Yosuke’s eyes widened, “Me too! Are you gonna start school next week?”

Yu blinked at him, but nodded, “Yes.”

“Really?” Yosuke said, practically vibrating with excitement, “Then-”

He was cut off by his mom speaking, “Yosuke-kun,” she said, her voice filled with quiet amusement, “I’m sure you’ll have the opportunity to get to know Yu-kun soon, but we need to go introduce ourselves to the other neighbors.”

Yosuke pouted at her, then turned back to Yu, “Do you wanna play together later?”

Yu found himself realizing that yes, he did in fact want to play with Yosuke. He wasn’t entirely sure why, but his happy and bubbly demeanor was making him want to spend more time with him. It was entirely different from all of the people he had met up until then. He looked over to his mother, waiting for her approval.

“Have you finished your workbook pages for today?” she asked him.

Yu shook his head, “I’m almost finished.”

“Once you’ve done those, that's fine,” she said.

Yosuke’s mom smiled warmly at him, “You’re more than welcome to come over when you’re done. Our house is just one to the right.”

Yu nodded, fighting back the urge to run up the stairs right that second so that he could finish his work.

She turned back to Yu’s parents, bowing, “It was very nice to meet you, but we should be going now.”

“Of course,” Yu’s mother said, “We’ll see you around.”

With that, the family left, Yosuke smiling at Yu as he went out the door.

“They just moved in to the house next door yesterday,” Yu’s mother explained, “We expect you to be pleasant and behave yourself around them.”

Yu nodded, “I will.”

“Go finish your work now,” she said.

Yu didn’t say anything more as he turned to walk back up the stairs. He had to fight back the urge to run - his parents would yell at him for running in the house.

He quickly made it back upstairs and into his room. He walked over to the window and looked out. His window faced the extremely small yard that they had - really more just a strip of grass beside their house than a yard. Beyond that was another house. He had known that it had been empty for a few months - he had overheard his parents talking about the previous owners selling it, but someone else moving in had come as a surprise to him. And the fact that they had a son his age was also a surprise, albeit not an unwelcome one.

He had never had a friend his own age before. The closest he’d come to that was with the children of his parents’ business partners whom he had briefly interacted with. He felt hopeful that maybe Yosuke would become his friend.

He turned away from the window and went back to his workbook. He still had probably an hour’s worth of work left to do. If he did it poorly, he would have to go back and redo it, so he got to work, carefully copying the characters onto the lines, making them as neat as he could to make sure his mother didn’t change her mind.

About a half an hour into his work, there was movement and talking from downstairs. They were noises that he was fairly familiar with at that point - his father was leaving to go to work. It was Sunday, but he sometimes still went. He tried his best to ignore the sounds and the resigned disappointment in his chest and kept writing.

After about another thirty minutes, he was finally done. He checked his clock - it was about 12:45. He stood up, grabbed his workbook and headed downstairs.

His mother was sitting in the kitchen when he walked down, furiously scribbling on some papers. She looked up as he came in. He waited by the entrance to the kitchen until she gestured for him to come to her.

“I’m all done,” he said, presenting her the workbook.

She took it from him, then started flipping through the pages. She hummed, “Most of these look fine,” she said, “But you need to work on the lines for this one,” she continued, lowering the book down and pointing at a set of characters, “They aren’t curved enough.”

Yu looked at the symbols. He really didn’t see that much of a difference between what he had done and the example, but he nodded anyway.

She gave him back the workbook, then turned back to what she was doing. He continued standing there, unsure of what he should do.

After a while, she looked back up at him, sighing, “What is it? I’m very busy.”

Yu shifted uncomfortably, “Um, can I go to Yosuke-kun’s now?”

She waved her hand at him, “That’s fine. Just don’t be a bother to them.”

He nodded, “Thank you,” he said, darting out of the room before she could change her mind.

He went upstairs and placed the workbook back on his desk. He then grabbed a coat out of his closet and headed back downstairs, stopping by the front door to put on a pair of tennis shoes. He went outside, closing the front door as quietly as he could behind him. He had to stop himself from running to the other house, excitement making its way into his chest.

He stopped in front of the front door of the house, about to press the doorbell, but he stopped. He had never had a friend before. He didn’t know how he was supposed to act. What if Yosuke decided he didn’t like him?

He took a deep breath, the desire to have a friend overriding the fear, then rang the bell. As he waited, he had to fight the urge to run back to his bedroom. A few seconds passed before the door opened, revealing Yosuke’s mom.

She smiled brightly at him. It was the same smile that Yosuke had given him earlier.

“Yu-kun,” she said, stepping out of the way of the door, “Come in.”

He nodded, then slowly entered the house, looking around. There were a lot of cardboard boxes scattered around the place. That made sense seeing as they had only moved in the day before.

“Yosuke-kun,” she called, “Yu-kun is here.”

Almost immediately, he heard footsteps upstairs. They got closer until Yosuke appeared at the top of the stairs. He was smiling again as he raced down. Yu wasn’t prepared as he ran into him, effectively tackling him. He barely kept himself standing upright.

He blinked as he grabbed onto his shoulder and started talking to him, not fully registering what he was saying. He wasn’t really used to having close contact like that. It was kind of nice.

“Yosuke-kun,” his mom said, placing her hand onto his shoulder, “Calm down, you’re overwhelming him.”

Yosuke moved away from him, pouting, “Sorry,” he said.

His mom laughed, “He’s been so excited to see you again,” she said to Yu, “He wouldn’t stop talking about you.”

“Mom!” Yosuke whined, his face turning red.

She laughed at him, then turned to go into the kitchen, “You boys have fun,” she said, “You can go outside, but not past the yard, please.”

“Okay!” Yosuke said, grabbing onto Yu’s hand, “Come on, let’s go.”

He stopped in the doorway to put on his shoes, then they were walking outside. They stopped in the yard. It was pretty small, about the size of the one in Yu’s own house. The wall in between the houses was shared.

“I was excited to see you too,” Yu said, half mumbling.

Yosuke didn’t say anything to that, but the smile didn’t falter from his face, “So you’re gonna be in first grade, right?” he asked.

Yu nodded.

“Maybe we’re gonna be in the same class.”

The chances of that happening were slim. There were hundreds of kids going to that school, but Yu didn’t say that. Instead, he said, “I hope so.”

He really did. He didn’t really know Yosuke, but just being around him was making him happier than he had been in a while. His cheerful demeanor was contagious.

Yosuke turned to look at the house. He pointed up to a window on the second floor, “That’s my bedroom,” he said.

Yu looked at it, then looked back at his own house. He could see his own bedroom window from where they were standing. He pointed toward it, “That’s mine.”

“What? Really?” Yosuke asked, once again grabbing onto Yu’s arm, “We’ll be able to see each other!”

Yu smiled at him, “Do you want to see if we can tonight?”

“Yeah, of course!” Yosuke said, “We can send each other secret messages and stuff.”

At that, Yosuke started talking about an anime that he had seen where the main characters were spies and they had to send messages back and forth in weird ways. Yu didn’t know what he was talking about - he wasn’t allowed to watch very much TV - but he was enjoying listening to Yosuke talk.

After a few minutes, one of the windows on the first floor of Yosuke’s house was opened and his mom stuck her head out. They both turned toward the noise.

“I made cookies if you two want some,” she said.

Yosuke immediately perked up, “Yes, please!” he grabbed on to Yu’s hand and leading him back toward the door, “My mom makes the best cookies,” he told him.

Yu frowned slightly to himself. He wasn’t supposed to have food like cookies. His parents didn’t like him eating anything sugary. Even so, he followed Yosuke into the house, both of them pausing to take off their shoes before heading into the kitchen.

Both of Yosuke’s parents were in the kitchen when they got there. His dad was just kissing his mom’s cheek as he grabbed a cookie off a plate. She smiled at him fondly. Yu couldn’t help but think the scene in front of him was odd. He had never seen his own parents act like that before.

Yosuke apparently didn’t find it to be anything out of the ordinary because he just walked up to them, seemingly unbothered. Yu followed a few steps behind him.

When they got there, she offered them the plate. Yosuke took one eagerly, thanking her enthusiastically. Yu, on the other hand, hesitated.

“Do you not want one, Yu-kun?” she asked.

“Umm, my parents don’t let me have things with sugar.”

She opened her mouth to say something before Yosuke’s dad grabbed a cookie off of the plate, placing it into Yu’s hands.

Yu looked at the cookie, frowning in confusion before looking back at him.

He winked at him, smirking, “What they don’t know isn’t going to hurt them.”

Yosuke’s mom rolled her eyes at him, “It’s fine if you don’t want it, but one cookie every once in a while isn’t the end of the world.”

Yu looked back down at the cookie, “Um, thank you.”

She smiled at him, “It’s no problem.”

With that, Yosuke took hold of his arm, telling him to come on, and started dragging him to the living room. There were still boxes everywhere, but most of the furniture was already set up. They sat down together on the couch.

Yu hesitantly brought the cookie to his mouth and took a slow bite. It was really good. He honestly didn’t even remember if he’d ever had a cookie before.

When he looked up, Yosuke was looking at him expectantly, “So?”

Yu nodded, “It’s good.”

Yosuke smiled, leaning back against the couch, looking satisfied, “Right? Aren’t my mom’s cookies the best?”

Yu didn’t really have anything to compare them to, but he didn’t say that, instead, he just agreed with him, strangely giddy at this small act of rebellion against his parents.

They spent a few more hours together, eventually turning on the TV and watching an anime that Yosuke was currently enamored with. Yu didn’t entirely understand all of what was going on because he had never seen it before, but he was able to piece enough together to get to the point that he was enjoying it.

When he eventually had to go home for dinner, Yosuke seemed disappointed to see him leave.

“Let’s hang out again tomorrow, okay?” Yosuke said as he was pulling his shoes on.

Yu nodded, “I have to ask my parents first though.” He really did want to do this again.

Yosuke perked up at that, bouncing on the balls of his feet, “Okay!”

As he walked the short distance home, Yu was smiling to himself, excitement bubbling in his chest. It was a new experience to have made a friend. He liked the feeling.

- - -

That night, right before he was about to get changed into his pajamas to go to sleep, he heard his name lightly being called from outside. Frowning, he walked to the window and looked out.

He confusion turned to joy as he opened the window.

“Yu! We really can see each other!” Yosuke called.

The distance between them wasn’t that great, so it was easy to hear him.

“Yeah, we can,” Yu nodded, smiling widely.

They talked for a few minutes before Yu said that he needed to go to sleep. Yosuke seemed slightly disappointed, but let him go.

“Good night!” Yosuke said, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Good night,” Yu replied. He closed his window, returning the one last wave Yosuke was giving him.

As Yu was laying in bed, a thought came to mind - when he had been calling him, Yosuke had dropped the honorific after his name. That realization gave him butterflies in his stomach. He hummed to himself, closing his eyes.

Both his parents would be at work all day tomorrow. They would be none the wiser if he went over to Yosuke’s house.

Chapter Text

April 16th, 2001

Yosuke had woken up early, too excited to sleep. He was finally starting school today. It was still before dawn though and he had taken to staring at his ceiling, trying his hardest to contain his excitement.

While he had gone to preschool, being in first grade was so much cooler. There was also the fact that he would be able to see Yu there too. They had decided the previous day that they were going to walk there together today. He had been shown by his parents earlier in the week how to get there, so he was prepared.

He and Yu had been hanging out together every day since they had met. He was really quiet and didn’t know about a lot of the things that Yosuke liked, but he enjoyed his company. He tended to just listen when he talked to him, but was willing to try out new games and stuff that he had come up with.

Still about thirty minutes before he had to be up, Yosuke crawled out of bed and got dressed. He sat on his bed for a few minutes before getting bored. He thought for a second, then got back up and walked over to his window. It was already open, and he could see that the window across the way was opened as well.

“Yu!” he half yelled, half whispered, “Are you up?”

He waited for a minute, almost giving up, before a figure appeared in the other window. Yu stuck his head out. He was still wearing pajamas and his hair was sticking up in random directions. He narrowed his eyes at the light that was just starting to peak above the horizon.

“What?” he yawned.

“I’m excited to go to school.”

Yu leaned heavily onto the window sill, but smiled softly at him.

“What do you think it’s gonna be like? Do you think we’re gonna be in the same class? What do you think our classmates are gonna be like?” a stream of questions started falling from Yosuke’s lips - all of the things he had been thinking about before he had gotten out of bed.

“I don’t know,” Yu said, his voice soft and sleepy, “We’ll find out.”

Yosuke pouted, “I guess, but I want it to be now.”

“I’ll meet you outside soon,” Yu said, a smile tugging at his lips.

“All right,” Yosuke said, “I’ll see you.”

“See you,” Yu said, turning back into the darkness of his bedroom.

Yosuke let out a sigh, then walked back over to his bed and sat down on it. His parents wouldn’t be expecting him up for a little while yet, but maybe he could go start getting ready? He got off of the bed and walked to the bathroom where he started brushing his teeth. He wasn’t too big a fan of the taste of the toothpaste, but he did it anyway.

After that, he walked down the stairs and into the living room. His dad was already awake, sitting on the couch, and reading the newspaper with a cup of coffee in his hand. He looked up as Yosuke entered the room.

“You’re up early,” he folded down his newspaper.

Yosuke went over and sat next to him on the couch, “I couldn’t go back to sleep.”

He smiled, “Too excited about school?”

Yosuke nodded, “Yeah, I really hope that me and Yu are in the same class.”

“Well, you’ll find out soon enough,” he paused, “Oh, and your mom’s making you breakfast.”

“Ooh, what’s she making?” Yosuke asked, swinging his legs.

“I’m not sure,” he said, chuckling, “Maybe you should go see if she needs any help.”

Yosuke nodded, getting up off of the couch and walking over to the kitchen. His mom was there, standing next to the stove, humming as she cooked. She turned to face him as he entered the room.

“Good morning,” she smiled, “Are you excited for school?”

“Yeah. I couldn’t go back to sleep.”

“It is a really big day. I can’t believe you’re this grown up already.”

“Dad said to come see if you needed any help.”

“Did he now?” she laughed, “No, it’s all right, but you can keep me company if you want.”

Yosuke nodded, moving to go sit down at the kitchen table. They talked for a while as she cooked, Yosuke mainly talking about how excited he was and what he was hoping was going to happen at school.

A few minutes before she was finished cooking, his dad came into the kitchen, saying that it was about time for him to leave for work. He kissed his mom on the cheek, then walked over to where Yosuke was.

“Have fun today, okay?”

Yosuke nodded, “I will.”

“Good,” he ruffled Yosuke’s hair, “I’ll see you tonight.”

“Goodbye,” Yosuke said, grinning, watching as he left.

After that, he ate breakfast with his mom - she had made a lot of food; more than he could conceivably eat, but he ate as much as he could. Then, she had him come up to the bathroom with her and she brushed his hair for him, commenting on how he was almost due for a haircut. She then sent him downstairs while she finished getting ready, and, after several torturous minutes, it was finally time to go.

His mom walked with him out the door. They turned down the street, and there was Yu, standing there, waiting for him. As soon as he laid eyes on him, Yosuke started running toward him. Yu’s eyes went wide as he crashed into him, grabbing tightly on to his arm.

His mom was quick in walking over to them, “You two know how to get there, right?”

Yosuke nodded, “Yes!”

“Okay, then don’t be late,” she leaned down and pressed a kiss against the top of Yosuke’s head, “I love you.”

Yosuke’s face became warm. Why did she have to do that in front of Yu? “I love you too,” he answered, looking toward his feet.

“You have a good day too, Yu-kun,” she said.

He looked up to see Yu smile widely, his face slightly red. He nodded, “Thank you.”

Yosuke didn’t really understand why, but whenever his mom praised or was nice to him, it would make him really happy. Wasn’t all of that normal?

He shrugged it off, then grabbed hold of Yu’s hand. His mom waved to them as she walked back toward the house and got in her car. Yosuke waved back.

“Let’s go!” Yosuke said, tugging on Yu’s hand.

He nodded and then they were off together.

He didn’t let go of Yu’s hand the whole way there, constantly walking a few paces ahead, urging him to walk faster.

He chatted to him the whole time, just saying whatever things popped into his head. Yu wasn’t really talking back too much, but that didn’t really bother him. They had only known each other for about a week, but that was already pretty par for the course. Of course, he did talk, just not nearly as much as Yosuke did.

They eventually arrived at the school building and went inside. There were a lot of other students already there, although, in his excitement, they had arrived earlier than they really needed to.

They headed over to the board where there were classroom assignments. There was a teacher standing nearby, helping kids who didn’t know how to read yet to find their classrooms. Yosuke wasn’t the fastest at reading, but he could definitely recognize his own name.

He looked through the lists before eventually finding it. He was hopeful as he kept reading down the list, trying to figure out in his mind how Yu’s name would be spelled. Yu was right next to his shoulder as he reached over and pointed at a name a little bit further down the list.

“That’s me.”

“We’re in the same class?” Yosuke said, excitement bubbling in his chest.

Yu nodded, smiling at him, “I think so.”

“That’s so great! We’re gonna have so much fun!”

“I think we’re supposed to go over there,” Yu said, pointing.

Yosuke turned to look to see different classes lining up. This time, Yu grabbed onto his hand and started walking over. Yosuke followed without complaint.

After a few minutes of standing there, they were eventually taken into the gym where they had a welcoming assembly. After that, they were led to their classroom by their homeroom teacher. They were allowed to pick their own desks and Yosuke immediately found two next to each other and pulled Yu into one while he sat in the other.

All in all, the day went by very fast. They took the time to introduce themselves to their classmates before breaking for lunch. Yosuke was having a good time talking to everyone, but Yu seemed slightly more nervous, reserved as he spoke to people. He stuck to Yosuke’s side the whole day, and really, that didn’t bother him too much - in fact, he kind of liked that Yu was relying on him.

After lunch, they started going into actual lessons. A lot of it was just introductions to the things that they would be learning throughout the year. Most of the students already had some amount of knowledge of how to read and write, probably from going to preschool, but they spent much of the rest of the day going over Hiragana and how to write basic things like their names.

He kept trying to talk to Yu throughout the lesson, but he kept ignoring him in favor of listening to the teacher. It wasn’t ever anything bad - he just wanted to find out what they were going to do after school and he didn’t want to wait.

At the end of the day, they cleaned the classroom with the direction of their teacher, and then it was time to head home. As he was packing up his backpack, a small group of boys gathered around his desk. He was having trouble remembering their names at the moment.

“Hey, Hanamura,” one of them said, “Do you want to walk home with us?”

He spared a glance at Yu, who was just finishing packing up his bag and looking over at him.

He gave them a friendly smile, “Sure. Is it all right if Yu comes too?”

“Oh, yeah,” he said, nodding and smiling back.

With that, Yosuke stood up from his desk, Yu quickly following suit, walking around to go stand with them. They walked out of the classroom together, a cheerful conversation starting up between them.

As they started walking home, they began talking about the latest episode of Featherman and the way that the villain had lost during the final fight. He and Yu had watched it together a few days ago, but Yu wasn’t talking throughout the conversation, seemingly content to stay back and just listen. Yosuke wanted to include him, so he began asking him questions as they went - something the other boys started doing as well. He still wasn’t talking as much as the others, but he was being included, and that satisfied Yosuke enough.

After a while, they got to the point where he and Yu had to start heading a different way, so they said their goodbyes and started heading to their houses. Yu seemed to instantly relax as they got out of sight of them.

“Do you not like talking to people?” Yosuke asked.

Yu thought for a few seconds, “I don’t want to say something wrong.”

Yosuke was confused. What did that mean? He voiced his confusion, “Something wrong?”

Yu pursed his lips, “Something rude. My mother says that I shouldn’t speak out of turn.”

Yosuke tilted his head, “You’ve never said anything rude to me. I like you and I think other people will too if you talk more.”

Yu looked down at his feet before nodding.

“Anyway, do you wanna come over?” Yosuke asked. There was an anime he was trying to get Yu into because he didn’t seem to know a lot of shows, and there should have been reruns on that afternoon.

Yu shook his head, “Sorry, my parents said they’d be home early today, so I have to go home.”

Yosuke pouted, but he didn’t push it. He didn’t quite understand it himself, but Yu seemed to have rules that only he knew about when he could and couldn’t hang out.

They were coming up to their houses now, “All right. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Yosuke said.

“Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

They waved at each other as they separated. Yosuke walked into his house - his parents wouldn’t be home for another couple of hours.

They had been given a small amount of homework - tasked with writing whatever they already knew. He quickly finished it, then settled down to watch TV. He really did wish that Yu had come with him - they had been spending so much time together lately that it was weird to be without him.

That night, when his parents came home, they both told him that they were proud of him for getting through his first day of school. They had a big dinner and even celebrated by having cake.

When it was time for bed, he went up to his room and went over to the window. He could see that the light was on in Yu’s room. He opened up his window and called out to him. After a few seconds, the curtains parted and Yu appeared in the window. He looked at him quizzically.

“It’s time for bed,” Yosuke explained, “So good night!”

Yu’s puzzlement changed to a soft smile, “Yeah, good night.”

“See you in the morning!”

“See you.”

Yosuke waved as he closed the window, walking over to his bed. He got into it, pulling the covers up to his chin.

Today had been a fun day. He had started first grade, he was in the same class as Yu, and it seemed like there were plenty of people in his class that he would be able to get along with - although he really needed to figure out their names. He was excited to see what else this school year had in store.

Chapter Text

August 23rd, 2001

“Yu!”

Yu was startled awake by the sound of his name coming from outside. It took him a second to register that it had been Yosuke’s voice.

He yawned as he got out of bed, walking over to his window, peering out of it.

Yosuke seemed to light up as he saw him. He appeared to already be dressed and ready for the day. It was only six am, so he wasn’t sure why that was the case. It was summer break, so they could sleep in if they wanted to.

“You have to come look at this,” Yosuke said, holding up a piece of paper.

Yu squinted at it, trying to make out what was on it, but he really couldn’t from this distance. He quickly gave up.

“It’s too early.” It was in more ways than one. It was early in the day, yes, but his parents also hadn’t left for work yet and would definitely question him on why he was leaving the house.

“Come on, please? It’s not that bad.”

Yu shook his head, “I can come around eight.” That was when his parents usually left by.

Yosuke pouted, “All right. I’ll see you then, but you’d better not forget.”

“I won’t,” Yu said. He wasn’t sure that it would have been possible for him to forget, not with how excited Yosuke was and also with how intrigued he was now about what was on the paper.

He waved as he turned back into his room. He was pretty solidly awake now and he wasn’t entirely sure what to do with this time. He turned to his bookshelf and picked a book off of it. It was probably something a little bit above his reading level, but he was interested enough to try and get through it.

He climbed onto his bed, sitting with his legs crossed, and began reading.

It wasn’t too long before he began to hear the sounds of his parents moving around the house. However, he didn’t leave his room, content to just keep reading until they both left.

When his clock said 7:50, he stood up and started getting dressed. He waited until he heard the front door close before leaving his room and heading to the bathroom to get fully ready for the day.

At around 8:05, he left the house, walking the short distance over to Yosuke’s. His parents were also definitely gone by then, so he rang the doorbell.

His hand was barely off of it when the door swung open. Yosuke was standing there, a smile on his face.

“What did you want to show me?”

“Come here,” Yosuke said, grabbing hold of his arm and leading him into the house. They walked to the living room where they sat down on the couch.

Yosuke pulled a paper off of the coffee table, presenting it to him. Yu grabbed it. It looked like a page torn out from a magazine. It appeared to be instructions on how to use cups and string to make a sort of telephone.

“You want to do this?” Yu asked.

Yosuke nodded, “We can put it in between our rooms so we can talk.”

“We already talk through the window though.”

Yosuke pursed his lips, “Yeah, but this is cooler.”

Yu shrugged. It might be kind of fun to do, “Okay.”

Yosuke stood up from the couch, “We need to get some stuff first though.”

“Like what?”

“Well, I think that Dad has fishing line somewhere in the house and we can use that, but we need paper cups and paperclips.”

Yu thought that his parents would probably have paperclips in the house, but he didn’t want to take any without their permission.

“Do you wanna go to the store?” Yosuke asked, bouncing his leg.

Yu tilted his head, “Do you have money?” He certainly didn’t.

“Yeah,” Yosuke nodded, “Not much, but I have my allowance,” he paused, “I’ll buy everything. It’s my idea.”

Yu nodded. He didn’t get an allowance. Not because his parents couldn’t afford it, but because they used money as an incentive to do well at school.

“Okay, then let’s go,” Yu said, standing up.

With that, Yosuke ran upstairs, coming back a minute later with his wallet. He then grabbed on to his hand and started leading him out the door.

They had to walk a little ways to get to the closest store. It wasn’t too far, but it took about fifteen minutes of walking. Luckily, it was still early in the day, so it had yet to become too hot out.

The store was just a small convenience store that they would pass by on their way to school. They walked in, immediately going after the items that they needed. They had grabbed the cups that they needed as well as the paperclips, but as they were going to pay, Yosuke stopped, looking at something pensively.

Yu went to go see what he was looking at. It was the small animal product section that they had set up. Before he could say anything, Yosuke reached over and grabbed two cat collars. One of them was plain yellow, the other was a light blue with little pictures of sushi on it.

“What are those for?” Yu asked.

“You’ll see.”

With that, they headed toward the counter and paid for their things.

The entire walk back home, Yu couldn’t help but wonder what Yosuke was possibly planning on using the cat collars for. Had he seen a cat around that he wanted to befriend? He couldn’t see how they could be used in their current activity.

When they got back to Yosuke’s house, he immediately went to grab the fishing line and they got to work on the cup telephone.

He read the instructions out loud as Yosuke did most of the tasks. He used a pencil to make a hole in the bottom of one of the cups, then threaded the fishing line through. It took a few attempts and them working together to properly tie a paperclip to the end of the string so that it would stay attached. This was repeated with the other cup. They weren’t entirely sure how long the string needed to be in order to clear the distance between their windows, but they went longer than they thought it would need to be just in case.

After both sides were secured, Yu figured that that was it and they were going to test it, but instead, Yosuke grabbed one of the cat collars and began removing the bell that was attached to it. After it was off, he began affixing it to the paperclip inside the cup. He repeated that on the other side as well.

“What’s that for?”

Yosuke grinned, shaking the cup. The bell started ringing.

“Now it’s like a real phone. We can call each other.”

Yu blinked, “All right, let’s test it then.”

“Okay, I’ll go up to my room and you go to yours and I’ll throw one side to you.”

Yu nodded. He stood up and was about to head back over to his house when Yosuke stopped him.

“Wait.”

Yosuke unclipped one of the collars, the one with little pieces of sushi on it, and shortened it as much as he could. He grabbed on to Yu’s hand and pulled it toward him - Yu let him without any complaint - and wrapped the collar around his wrist, clicking it closed.

“There.”

“Why?”

Yosuke shrugged, “I don’t know. I thought you’d like it.”

He actually did kind of like it. It was pretty cute. He moved it around on his wrist. It was slightly too big, but it was tight enough that it wasn’t going to fall off.

“Okay, now go to your room so we can test it,” Yosuke said.

“Okay,” Yu said, heading toward the door. He very quickly made his way back to his house and walked up to his bedroom. By the time he got there, Yosuke was already at his own window, practically leaning out of it as he waited.

“Now you have to catch this,” Yosuke said.

Yu nodded, lifting his hands up.

Yosuke threw the cup at him. The distance between the two windows really wasn’t that far, so he made the throw easily and Yu was able to catch it. They now needed to pull the string taught. He walked back with it a significant amount. They had clearly made this way too long. He was about halfway to the door by the time it had no more slack.

“Now listen into the cup!” Yosuke yelled.

Yu smiled as he put his ear to the opening. He really wasn’t sure what the point of this was considering they could hear each other just fine through their open windows.

“Yu, can you hear me?” he heard through the cup. It was kind of hard to hear, but not impossible - definitely harder than just talking normally.

He smiled, then brought the cup to his mouth, talking into it, “Yeah.”

Yosuke gave an excited cheer, “Okay, we need to shorten the string though.”

Yu agreed, then they spent some time figuring out exactly where they had to cut it to. After that was done, he went back over to Yosuke’s with the promise that they would keep testing them out later that night. He was able to close the window with it there, the cup resting on the window sill, the fishing line small enough that it didn’t obstruct anything.

They played outside for a bit. They weren’t supposed to leave their neighborhood, but they were allowed to explore around the area. Before long, they were starting to get hungry, so they went back to Yosuke’s house for lunch. That had been their basic routine for the entirety of the summer.

Yosuke’s mother had started leaving food specifically for him when she realized that he was always there. If he went home, he would have had to make something for himself - they had done that a couple of times, but he vastly preferred being at Yosuke’s house.

The rest of the day passed by fairly quickly. Yu left to go back home at around five, not wanting his parents to get back before him. At around six though, he got a very quick call from his mother explaining that they wouldn’t be home for a few hours.

At that, he made himself dinner. He couldn’t do very much on his own, but he knew how to use the rice cooker. He made rice, then tried to cook an egg - one of the only other things he knew how to do - but the yolk broke as he was flipping it, so he decided to scramble it instead of frying it.

After a somewhat disappointing dinner, he went upstairs to take a bath. As he was getting ready, he noticed that the cat collar was still around his wrist. He had forgotten that it was there. His chest felt warm. He spun it on his wrist, playing with it for a few seconds before unclipping it and setting it down on the bathroom counter.

Once he was finished with his bath, he got dressed, placing the collar back onto his wrist. He would find a permanent spot for it somewhere in his room eventually, but for right then, he wanted to wear it.

Chapter Text

February 24th, 2002

Yu was startled by the sound of ringing, looking up from the book he was reading. He smiled slightly, putting the book down and climbing off of his bed, walking over to the window, the cup on the sill shaking, and opened it.

“Hey, come over,” Yosuke said.

“I have to ask my parents.”

“Well do that and then come over. I’m bored.”

“Okay, I’ll ask.”

With that, Yu stepped away from the window, walking toward the door. It was a Sunday and both his parents were home. That was actually unusual - they were both normally at work, even on the weekend. Because of that, he would usually just go to Yosuke’s house without asking anyone. They knew that they were friends, but he didn’t think they realized just how often they hung out.

He didn’t really want to ask them if he could go over, but he had no other option. He walked down the stairs and into the living room where they were both sitting on the couch, watching TV.

His father looked up as he came in, “What is it?”

He shifted nervously, “Can I go over to Yosuke’s house?”

“Have you finished your homework?” his mother asked.

Yu nodded, “Yes.” He always finished his homework as soon as he got home.

“Let me see.”

Yu nodded again, then quickly hurried up the stairs to his room, walking over to his bag on his desk and pulling out the folder that contained the weekend’s homework. He then walked back downstairs, presenting it to his mother.

She took it, opening it and looking through the worksheets. Yu started fidgeting with his hands, although leaving them out of sight so they couldn’t see them.

She hummed in approval, handing the folder back to him, “All right. You can go over, but be back by five.”

Yu had to fight back a sigh of relief. He bowed his head, “Thank you.”

Then, before she could change her mind, he turned back toward the stairs, going up to his room and putting the folder away.

He walked to the window, opening it, and started to shake the cup. Yosuke was at his own window in an instant.

“Can you come over?”

“Yeah, but I have to be home by five.”

“Five? It’s already almost three.”

Yu looked down, “That’s what they said.”

“Get here fast then.”

Yu looked back up, a smile pulling at his lips, “Okay. I’ll be right there.”

With that, he closed the window, grabbing a coat before he left, and walked to the front door.

The air outside was still cold, but not nearly as much as it had been for the past few months. He kind of missed the snow, having spent a lot of time playing with Yosuke in it, but it was starting to become spring.

He quickly made it to Yosuke’s house. Before he could ring the doorbell though, Yosuke was already opening it, grabbing on to him.

“Yu! I missed you.”

“We just talked.”

“That’s different.”

It was weird, but he agreed with that. Even though they had only been standing a few feet apart before, there was something intangibly different to standing right next to him

“What do you want to do?” Yu asked.

Yosuke pursed his lips before a look of excitement came over his face, “I learned how to ride my bike.”

Yosuke had gotten a bike that Christmas from his parents, but he had been disappointed because he couldn’t use it right away because of all the snow.

“When?”

“My dad showed me yesterday. I’ll show you, come on,” he pulled on Yu’s sleeve.

Yu followed him as they retrieved the bike and then walked over to the sidewalk. He started talking Yu through the process of riding it, demonstrating as he went. Before long, he was riding it down the sidewalk, laughing as he started speeding up. He got some distance away before turning back and toward him. Yu was smiling the whole time.

He reached Yu, coming to a stop. It wasn’t too graceful, lurching forward a little bit, but he didn’t seem too bothered as he put his foot down.

“Do you wanna try?”

Yu hesitated. He kind of did, but the idea made him nervous.

Yosuke looked at him for a few seconds before climbing off the bike, putting the kickstand down, then taking Yu’s hands and placing them on the handlebars.

“Come on.”

Yu nodded, moving to sit on the bike. Yosuke held on to the handlebars so he didn’t move. He wobbled a little as Yosuke put the kickstand back up.

“Now you just pedal.”

Yu brought his feet up to the pedals, hesitantly pushing down. His heart was pounding in his chest. Very slowly, he started moving forward. Yosuke was still holding on to the handlebars, making sure he didn’t fall over. He looked a little bit proud of himself. He was probably copying what his dad had done for him.

After a few seconds, his pedaling started becoming more confident. He could do this. When he started going faster, Yosuke let go, giving an excited cheer, but he found that he wasn’t about to fall over anymore.

He started pedaling a little bit faster, his heart racing in a good way. The brisk air was stinging his face. His hair was blowing back wildly. A laugh started to bubble up in his throat.

After some amount of time, he figured that he should probably turn around and go back to Yosuke. He wasn’t quite sure how to go about doing that, but he tried his best, slowing down his pedaling a little and turning the handlebars. It wasn’t long before he was facing back toward where he had come from.

Yosuke was laughing, running down the sidewalk toward him. Yu started pedaling faster.

As he reached him, he slowed down. He didn’t know how to stop.

“How do I stop?” Yu called, still several feet away.

“Um, you slow down and put your foot down.”

Yu nodded, slowing down significantly. The bike was starting to wobble now that he was going slow. He was still about two feet away from Yosuke when he put his foot down. He immediately regretted the decision.

His heart lurched as he moved forward - he had still been going too fast. He lost his balance, falling off the bike and onto the pavement. He put his hand down, softening the fall just a little bit, but it dragged across the concrete.

“Yu!” Yosuke called, voice full of panic.

He was still dazed as he ran over to him, kneeling down in front of him and laying his hand on his shoulder, “Are you okay?”

Yu blinked. His hand and his leg hurt. Very slowly, he moved, sitting up. There were tears in his eyes.

Yosuke grabbed hold of his hand, looking at it with wide eyes. Yu looked down. He was bleeding, the skin having gotten ripped up by the concrete. He started crying.

Yosuke looked up in alarm before standing, pulling Yu along with him.

“Let’s go inside.”

Yu nodded, wiping his face with his non-bloodied hand - it didn’t do anything to help though, he was still crying.

They walked back toward Yosuke’s house - they had ended up right outside of it, so it wasn’t very far. He found that his leg hurt to walk on, so he leaned slightly against Yosuke, but he didn’t seem to mind it.

They had just entered the house when Yosuke’s mom started to come toward them from the living room. Her eyes widened as she saw them.

“What happened?”

Yosuke sounded slightly panicked as he spoke, “I was showing him how to ride my bike and he fell.”

She walked closer, kneeling down in front of him, “Are you okay sweetheart?”

Yu sniffled, showing her his hand. She winced, gently reaching over and holding on to his wrist.

“Yosuke, can you go get me the first aid kit? It’s in the cupboard in the bathroom.”

Yosuke nodded, running off into the house.

“Come with me,” she said, standing up and placing her hand lightly on his shoulder, leading him into the kitchen.

She had him go over to the sink and wash his hand off with warm water. It hurt to do that, but it got most of the debris off of it. She had her hand gently on his shoulder the whole time. After it was rinsed, she lightly dried it off with a paper towel.

She had him sit down on one of the chairs at the table, “Are you hurt anywhere else?”

His voice was quiet, still laced with tears, “My leg hurts.”

“Can I look at it?”

He nodded and she reached down, rolling up his pant leg. His pants weren’t actually ripped or anything, but his knee was bloody. He looked away from it, whimpering as it was exposed to the air. It stung.

By that point, Yosuke was hurrying into the kitchen, holding the first aid kit in his hands. His mom took it from him, opening it up on the table. She went to the kitchen sink to go wash her hands.

Yosuke walked over to his uninjured side and knelt down next to him, holding on to his hand.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

Yu had mostly stopped crying by that point, and he swallowed hard, nodding.

Yosuke’s mom came back over. She grabbed a few things out of the first aid kit.

“This is going to hurt a lot at first, okay?”

Yu nodded as she put some rubbing alcohol on to a rag and started wiping his hand with it. He squeezed his eyes shut. It did hurt a lot.

Yosuke tightened his grip on his hand. Yu was very glad that he was there.

After what seemed like far too long a time, she stopped, dabbing his hand with some Neosporin before wrapping it up with a bandage. She did the same thing with his knee, but put a large bandaid on instead.

“There,” she said as she finished, rolling his pant leg back down, “You did a really good job.”

Yu nodded. The stinging was starting to subside.

“You can stay here if you want to, but please don’t do anything too rough, okay?”

Yu nodded again, “Thank you.”

She smiled warmly at him, “Of course.”

“Let’s go to my room,” Yosuke said, pulling on his hand.

“Okay,” he stood up from the chair, following Yosuke up the stairs and into his room.

When they got there, Yosuke sat him down on the bed.

“You were doing pretty good on the bike ‘til the end.”

“I think I was going too fast.”

“Stopping’s hard,” Yosuke nodded, “You can try again later if you want.”

“I want to.” It really had been fun and he had mostly gotten over the pain and shock from falling.

“Okay. When your hand’s better, we can,” he was quiet for a few seconds, “So what do you want to do now?”

The two of them played together in Yosuke’s room for a while until it was almost time for him to go home. He left around 4:55 with the promise that they would walk to school together in the morning.

He had almost forgotten about the wound on his hand until he walked in the door and his mother looked at him. She strode over and grabbed on to his wrist, looking at his bandaged hand.

“What did you do?”

Yu swallowed hard, “Yosuke let me try riding his bike and I fell.”

She tsk’d, “I don’t want you doing anything dangerous like that.”

“But it’s fun.”

Immediately, her expression filled with displeasure, “Don’t talk back to me.”

His heart was pounding in his chest, his stomach turning, tears pricking behind his eyes. He looked down at the floor, “I’m sorry.”

She sighed, “Just go up to your bedroom. Dinner will be ready soon.”

Yu nodded, then headed up the stairs to his room. He sat down on his bed, pulling his knees to his chest. He wasn’t sure how long he sat there before he heard a ringing coming from his window.

He smiled, anxiety disappearing as he stood up and walked over, opening the window.

Yosuke was standing there, holding a sheet of paper in his hand, “How do I do this worksheet?”

Yu’s heart was light as he pulled his folder out of his bag, “Which one?”

Chapter Text

November 3rd, 2002

It was a rainy Sunday morning in November. Both of Yu’s parents had gone to go do something at work, so he was all alone in the house. He had finished his homework and had switched over to reading quietly on his bed.

Suddenly, there was a knock from the front door. He frowned, setting his book down. Who could that be? He hadn’t been told to expect anyone.

He walked down the stairs, opening the front door. He broke out into a smile.

“Yu!” Yosuke ran into him, grabbing on to his arm.

Yosuke’s mom was standing there too, holding on to an umbrella as well as a grocery bag, “We were just coming back from the store and Yosuke wanted to drop by to see if you wanted to come over.”

“Can I?”

“Of course. As long as your parents say it’s okay.”

Yu shifted, “Oh, they’re not here.”

“Do you know when they’ll be back?”

Yu shook his head, “Probably not ‘til tonight.”

She frowned, “Are they at work?”

Yu nodded.

She hummed, “All right. Why don’t you come over then. You can have lunch with us at least.”

Yu hesitated, “Thank you.”

She smiled, “Of course. You’re welcome to come over anytime.”

Yosuke tugged on his arm, “Okay, let’s go.”

She laughed, “Let him put on his shoes first.”

Yosuke pouted, letting go of his arm.

Yu walked over to where his shoes were and quickly put them on, tying them with minimal struggle. His coat was nearby, so he grabbed it and slipped it on. He walked back, closer to the door.

“You ready?” Yosuke’s mom asked.

Yu nodded.

Yosuke immediately attached himself to Yu’s arm again, holding on tight, starting to talk about a show that he had watched the previous night.

They then all walked the short distance to Yosuke’s house.

As soon as they walked in the door and took off their shoes, Yosuke led him upstairs to his bedroom, walking over to his dresser and taking a DVD case off the top, showing it to him dramatically.

“Dad just bought me this movie yesterday and I was wondering if you want to watch it with me.”

“Sure. What’s it about?”

Yosuke smiled widely, “A superhero.”

Yosuke went on, talking animatedly about the movie. Yu didn’t really care too much about the plot, but he liked hearing Yosuke talk.

Suddenly, Yosuke’s eyes lit up, “We should make a pillow fort.”

“What’s that?”

“You’ve never made a pillow fort before?”

Yu shook his head.

Yosuke pursed his lips, “Then we have to make one.”

“What do we do?”

Yosuke walked over to his bed, taking off his comforter and a couple of throw blankets, pushing them into Yu’s hands, “Take these.”

Yu did as he was told, clutching them against his chest. They smelled a lot like Yosuke. He liked that smell.

Yosuke grabbed his pillows and the DVD, then led Yu back out of his room and down the stairs to the living room. Yosuke set his pillows down on the couch and Yu set the blankets there as well.

Yosuke then set the DVD next to the TV.

“I’ll be right back,” Yosuke said, running back up the stairs.

Yu waited patiently until he came back downstairs, holding more blankets.

“Okay, now we have to set everything up.”

“How?”

“We take the blankets and put them over things.”

“Like what?”

“Chairs and stuff.”

Yosuke grabbed his comforter, spreading it out over the floor.

At that moment, Yosuke’s mom came in the room, “What are the two of you up to?”

“We’re making a pillow fort,” Yosuke said excitedly.

She smiled warmly, “All right. You can take the chairs out of the kitchen if you need them, just put them back when you’re done.”

“Okay,” Yosuke said. He lightly grasped on to Yu’s hand, pulling him toward the kitchen.

They went in, Yosuke instructing him to drag a chair into the living room, grabbing one himself.

After that, Yosuke started draping the blankets over things, creating a sort of tent. Yu started to understand what they were doing, trying his best to help out.

By the time they were done, there was a ceiling of blankets in the middle of the living room. Because they were planning on watching a movie, they had included the TV inside the fort as well.

Yosuke crawled in first after throwing the pillows in, but Yu was close behind.

It was dark and very warm. There was a little bit of light getting in through small gaps in the blankets, but, it was significantly dimmer than the house itself. The space was only as big as the comforter laid out on the floor, but there was more than enough room for just the two of them.

Yosuke crawled over to one of the pillows, slightly repositioning it and then laying on it.

Yu followed suit, pulling a pillow to be right beside Yosuke and laying down next to him.

Yosuke smiled at him broadly, “Isn’t it cool?”

Yu smiled back, the smile infectious, “Yeah. I like it.”

“Do you wanna watch the movie now?”

“Yeah.”

Yosuke nodded then crawled toward where the TV was, grabbing the DVD, and setting everything up.

Yu watched as he did it, glad he had come over. It sure beat being home by himself - that wasn’t even a contest.

Yosuke grabbed the remote, then came back, laying down again. They were close together, their shoulders brushing, as he started the movie.

They were a little ways through it when the blanket covering the entrance to the fort was pulled back, getting their attention because of the light.

“Do you boys want lunch soon?” Yosuke’s mom asked.

“Ooh, yes please,” Yosuke said.

“All right. It’s kind of cold out so I made soup. I’ll go get you some,” with that, she left the tent.

Yosuke went right back to watching the movie, but Yu was a little shocked. They weren’t going to the kitchen to eat? It was odd enough that they were eating in the living room, but also on top of blankets? And blankets that went on Yosuke’s bed? That was like eating in his room.

It was still slightly weirding him out even as she brought them bowls of soup into the pillow fort.

“Thank you!” Yosuke said as he was handed his.

“Thank you,” Yu also said, biting his lip. Was this really okay?

She smiled, “Of course. There’s more in the kitchen if you want it.”

After that, she left and they went back to watching the movie. Yu was a little reluctant at first, but after seeing Yosuke start to casually eat his soup, he took a bite.

It was really good. What would it be like to eat food like this every day? Yosuke didn’t seem to think it was anything super special, so it must have been normal.

His parents didn’t cook very often, and while when they did, it was leagues better than his own cooking, there was something about Yosuke’s mom’s cooking that was different. Was it bad that he wanted to eat more of it? To come over and have meals with Yosuke and his family?

He frowned to himself, then turned his attention back to the movie, quickly forgetting his thoughts as he got absorbed in the plot.

When the movie was over, they crawled back out to bring their dishes to the kitchen before going back inside, sitting under the blankets this time.

“Do you usually eat in the living room?” Yu asked, unable to hold the question back any longer.

Yosuke shrugged, “Sometimes. Why?”

“I’m only allowed to eat in the kitchen.”

Yosuke furrowed his brow, “Huh. Why?”

“My parents said so.”

“You never like go and watch something while eating dinner?”

“No.”

“Weird. Mom doesn’t care so long as I don’t spill.”

Yu was quiet for a few seconds. Despite his hesitations, eating with Yosuke while watching the movie had been really nice. Would his parents even know if he went into the living room to eat while watching something? They weren’t home until way after dinner most of the time.

“So what do you wanna do now?” Yosuke asked, breaking the silence.

Yu shrugged, “I don’t know.”

Yosuke seemed to consider it for a moment before smiling broadly. Without warning, he moved toward him, running into him, and tackling him to the floor.

Yu stared up at him, blinking. He had pinned his arm down and was laying over him. What was he doing?

“Come on. Try to escape.”

Oh.

Yu forcibly moved his arm up, throwing Yosuke off balance. He was laughing as he fell back off of him.

Yu moved over him to try and pin him down this time, but Yosuke struggled against him, pushing him off and trying to climb back over.

They did that for a few minutes, both of them trying to be the one pinning the other down, until they were both laughing while struggling to get enough air.

“Okay, truce, truce,” Yosuke said.

With that, they both laid back on the ground, breathing.

Yu smiled to himself as he reached his arm over, laying it on top of Yosuke’s.

Yosuke quickly moved his arm, putting it on top of Yu’s.

Yu moved his arm back on top, Yosuke immediately moving his.

They did that for a little while before Yosuke eventually moved his arm beside Yu’s instead of trying to put it on top.

“Do you wanna watch another movie?”

“Like what?”

“Let’s go see.”

They wound up finding another movie and watching that before Yu decided that he should probably go home. It was a Sunday, after all, the time his parents would come home was a lot more up in the air.

He helped Yosuke clean up their fort and then headed back home with the promise of seeing him again in the morning.

After a few hours had passed, it became apparent that his parents wouldn’t be home anytime soon, but he still held out hope until he got a phone call at around 6 saying that they wouldn’t be back for another few hours.

He dug through the fridge to find something to eat, coming across leftovers from the previous night’s dinner. He heated them up then went to go sit at the kitchen table.

He had just sat down when he remembered his thought from earlier. How would they even know if he ate in the living room?

Hesitantly, he stood up, grabbing his bowl, and walking to the living room. He sat down on the couch, turning the TV on - he really wasn’t supposed to be watching TV either - he needed to remember to turn it back to the channel it had been on when he was done.

He scrolled through the channels until he found one with a show he had watched before with Yosuke.

He turned the volume way down so he could hear if there was a car in the driveway, then started eating. While it didn’t top eating soup in a pillow fort with Yosuke, it was the best meal he had had at home in a while.

Chapter Text

June 2, 2003

Yu adjusted the straps of his backpack as he walked, missing the usual constant chatter beside him from Yosuke. He had been sick that day, so he hadn’t come to school. He missed him a lot more than he thought he would that morning.

He had walked partway home with some classmates, but had to go a different way than them, so was now completely alone.

It wasn’t like things like that hadn’t happened before, but he did wish it wasn’t the case. It was going to be like that when he got home too - just silence.

He was just starting to think about what homework he was going to have to get done when he got home, when, suddenly, there was the sound of meowing by his feet. He glanced down to see a gray tabby cat staring up at him with wide eyes. She looked very young - a kitten more than a full grown cat. She opened her mouth and meowed loudly at him.

He blinked, “Uh, hello to you too.”

She meowed again, leaning against his ankle, walking in between his legs. He reached down, petting her, her fur extremely soft. She started purring against him at the touch.

He smiled, scratching her behind the ear. She didn’t appear to be wearing a collar and was covered in the grime of being outside. She was most likely a stray.

He knelt down, continuing to pet her. It wasn’t like anyone was going to notice if he got home late. He might as well stay out and pet the cat. She flopped down onto the ground in front of him, letting him run his hand over her side.

He continued to pet her for a few minutes. She was purring loudly and her eyes were closed in contentment. After a while though, he stood up - he should be getting back home.

As soon as he stopped petting her, she opened her eyes, staring up at him and meowing.

“It was very nice to meet you,” he told her, bowing slightly, “But I need to get going now.”

He started walking back toward home. He glanced briefly behind him - she had gotten up and was now following him. He shrugged it off. She would probably stop soon.

She did not stop.

He took a look behind him to check where she was as he turned on to his street. She was just a few feet away, padding along. He hesitated.

“I’m sorry, but you can’t come home with me.”

She stopped by his feet, looking up at him and meowing.

“My parents wouldn’t let you stay.”

Another meow.

“You can’t.”

She cried again, this time rubbing up against his leg. He bit his lip. A part of him really wanted to take her home, but that wasn’t a good idea.

“You have to stay out here.”

With that, he turned away from her, speed walking to his house. As soon as he reached the front door, there was a meow from right behind him.

“You can’t come in.”

She meowed again, flopping down on the ground. He knelt down and patted her a few times before turning back toward the door.

He took a breath - she would be okay out there. It would be fine. Then, he opened the door.

Before he knew what was happening, a dark shape was racing past his feet and into the house.

“No, you can’t go in there!”

He ran in after her, quickly kicking off his shoes at the entranceway before looking around, trying to figure out where she had gone. If one of his parents came home and saw a cat in the house, they would be furious with him.

Eventually, he noticed a flash of movement at the top of the stairs. He didn’t even think as he raced up to the top. How was he supposed to catch her though? She was so much faster than him and would be able to avoid him very easily. Maybe if he could trap her in a confined space?

He went over to his bedroom door and opened it. After just a few seconds, she ran past him, into the room. He quickly followed her, closing the door behind him.

She was sitting with her tail wrapped around her paws on the floor right in front of him, looking up with wide eyes.

“I’m sorry, but you can’t stay here,” he took a step forward, reaching down toward her to pick her up.

As if she had sensed his intentions, she stood up, immediately bolting underneath his bed. He stared in disdain, unsure of what to do.

He crouched down, looking underneath it. It took a few seconds before his eyes adjusted to the darkness - she was sitting way in the back, staring at him.

He pursed his lips, moving to reach his hand under the bed and toward her. She hissed at him and he immediately drew his hand back, not wanting to get scratched.

“Come on, you need to get out of there.”

She didn’t do anything, just continued staring at him. He looked at her for a little while longer, trying to figure out what to do. She couldn’t stay there - he didn’t even want to think of what his parents’ reactions would be if they saw her - but he also wasn’t sure how to get her out.

Maybe he could just wait for her to leave on her own? His parents wouldn’t be home for a while longer, so she would have ample time to go. That might be his only solution.

He had some homework that he needed to get done, so he could do that in the meantime. He walked over to his desk and pulled out his workbook, getting totally absorbed in the task at hand.

After he finished what he was doing, he pulled himself out of his homework daze. He looked up, glancing around the room, his gaze immediately locking on to the cat.

She was laying on his bed, curled up in a neat ball, asleep. She was really cute. He just wanted to go over and pet her for hours.

He slowly stood up, walking over to her, sitting down on his knees in front of his bed. He reached his arm out and languidly began stroking her down her back.

She blinked her eyes open, staring at him for a second before stretching out her front legs and rolling over onto her side. He began petting her in that position as well. She was purring so loudly that her entire small body was vibrating.

He should have been picking her up and taking her back outside, but he didn’t want to stop petting her. She looked so happy and content right there. Maybe he could just leave her? What if he could hide her from his parents? They didn’t necessarily have to know that she was there.

If they never found out that she was there, then really, she could stay. He would have to find a way to feed her and everything, but surely there was enough food in the house that he could cook for both of them.

She would just have to stay in his room and they would be never the wiser.

He was still a little bit uncertain, but he wanted to let her stay badly enough that he just pushed that uncertainty down.

He still had a tiny bit of homework left to do, so he stood back up and went over to his desk. As soon as she saw him move, she got up as well and went after him, jumping onto his lap.

She was small enough that she fit perfectly. He started lightly petting her, a strange sense of calmness overcoming him. He wanted to do homework like this every day.

Before long, he was done, but he just kept petting her.

Suddenly, he had an idea. He nudged her off of his lap, standing and walking over to his dresser. She looked at him curiously as he pulled open the top drawer and pulled something out.

He looked at it for a few seconds, warmth entering his chest. It was the cat collar that Yosuke had given him - blue and with small pictures of sushi on it. He had been keeping it in the drawer for a while, not wanting his mother to find it and get rid of it.

He quickly adjusted it to be a little smaller, then knelt down in front of the cat, clipping the collar around her neck.

She seemed unsure of it at first, moving her head down to sniff at it, but she apparently decided that it was all right, bumping her face against his hand.

He smiled as he pet her.

"Now you just need a name."

He thought for a minute, trying his best to come up with a name that he liked and would fit her. Finally, he thought of one.

"How about Aiko? I think it would suit you."

She started lightly purring, laying down on the ground in front of him. Aiko. 'Little Love'. It seemed right for how sweet and calm she was.

He was petting her one last time when, suddenly, there was a noise from downstairs - his parents were home. They were there pretty early.

Aiko flattened her ears against her head at the noise, getting up and retreating back underneath his bed. That was fine with him. He didn't need her to try and come out of his room while they were there.

Very slowly, he stood up, walking over to his bedroom door and opening it, stepping out into the hallway, closing it firmly behind him, and heading downstairs.

His mother was standing in the entryway, taking her shoes off. His father had probably already moved to the kitchen.

"Welcome home," he said, moving to stand at the bottom of the stairs.

She nodded at him, “We’re back. Have you finished all your homework yet?”

“Yes.”

“Show me.”

He nodded, running back up the stairs to go get his school stuff. To his disdain, she started following him. She would often ask to see his completed homework, but she would rarely actually come into his room with him. Was it because she was home so early?

When he opened the door, he was relieved to find that Aiko was nowhere to be seen - most likely still under the bed. He could only hope that she stayed there until his mother left.

They walked over to the desk together and he pulled out his workbook, handing it to her. She flipped through, humming as she read what he had written.

“All right, this looks fine. Dinner should be ready in about an hour, so be downstairs then.”

He nodded.

She walked back toward the door. She was leaving and she hadn’t noticed. The relief had barely kicked in when, suddenly, she stopped, glancing back inside the room.

He froze. Had Aiko come out from under the bed? He glanced toward it, but didn’t see her.

She narrowed her eyes in the direction of the bed, walking over to it. She leaned over, running her hand along the blankets, bringing it up closer to her face and looking at it.

“Yu?”

His heart was in his throat, “Yes?”

“Why is there cat fur on your bed?”

He didn’t know what to say. Tears were forming in his eyes. What was she going to do?

“Did you bring a cat home with you?”

He forced himself to meet her eyes as he talked. He didn’t want to, but she would get mad at him if he looked at his feet, “Not on purpose.”

She narrowed her eyes, “Where is it?”

He took a breath, his heart pounding, “She hid under the bed.”

She sighed before getting to her knees, looking under the bed. There was a loud hiss as Aiko apparently saw her.

She appeared to think for a few seconds before reaching up and grabbing the spare blanket off of his bed, throwing it partially underneath before reaching in after it.

Aiko let out a yowl as she was forcefully dragged out from under the bed, his mother wrapping her in the blanket to prevent her from scratching her.

She didn’t say anything as she lifted the bundle up, heading toward the door. Aiko let out a heartbreaking meow, falling silent.

Yu hesitated, panicking, “Can’t we keep her?”

She turned and glared at him, “You thought it was appropriate to bring an animal into our home and try to hide it from us. You clearly aren’t mature enough to handle taking care of it. Maybe if you had asked beforehand, but definitely not now. You’re in a lot of trouble for this.”

He had to fight to keep the tears from falling down his cheeks. Even if he had asked, he was absolutely certain that she would have told him ‘no’.

After that, she turned heel and started walking down the stairs. He hesitated for a few seconds before following her, needing to see where Aiko was going.

His father was standing at the bottom of the stairs, no doubt wondering what all the commotion was about.

“Yu decided to bring a cat home with him,” his mother explained, getting to the bottom and walking over to the front door, opening it.

His father said something, but he didn’t really hear it as she dropped Aiko out of the blanket, throwing her slightly to get her further away. She landed on the ground, then looked back inside the house at him, letting out a pitiful cry.

He didn’t even think as he raced down the rest of the stairs, running out the door after her. He was vaguely aware of both his parents calling his name, but he paid them no mind as he chased after the cat. She was running away, but at a pace that he could easily keep up with, turning down all kinds of streets - most that he didn’t recognize.

By the time she began to slow down, they had gone so far that he wasn’t even sure where he was anymore. He stopped walking.

She came toward him, walking between his legs, rubbing her head on his ankle.

What had he just done?

His parents were clearly mad at him - probably more so now - and he had responded by running away from them. Whatever punishment he was going to have to face wasn’t going to be good.

He knelt down, running his hands along Aiko’s back. She was purring, the sound strong and comforting. He wanted to keep her so bad.

He looked up, glancing around him. He really didn’t know where he was. It was dark out and he was on a completely unfamiliar residential street. He shivered in the cool night air. He hadn’t even put shoes back on before leaving his house. This wasn’t good. How was he supposed to get home? It wasn’t like he really wanted to go back there, but he also couldn’t go anywhere else.

Not knowing what else to do, he sat down on the sidewalk. Aiko immediately crawled on top of him, climbing into his lap. He just kept petting her, staring off into space. He was strangely calm, his fear being offset by her warm presence against his lap.

He had no idea how long he was sitting there before he heard a voice calling his name. Immediately, he tensed, panic rising like bile in his throat. Were his parents out looking for him?

He listened a bit more closely, after a few seconds, recognizing the voice. The tension all but drained out of him. It was Yosuke’s mom’s voice. Maybe his parents had gone over and asked for Yosuke’s family’s help to find him.

Her voice kept getting closer and closer before, eventually, a new voice joined in.

“Yu!” he looked up toward the voice. Yosuke. He still sounded slightly sick, his voice a tiny bit gravely, but it was definitely him. He let out a sigh of relief at the simple sound of his voice.

He came sprinting down the sidewalk at him, eyes filled with nothing but concern. Behind him, his mom was walking, also seeming worried, but relieved at the same time.

Yosuke stopped beside him, immediately dropping down to his knees and wrapping his arm around his shoulders, using the other one to cradle his head against his chest.

“Are you all right?”

While he had felt fine earlier, hearing the concern in his voice was enough for the emotions to swell within him. He shook his head, tears beginning to fall down his cheeks. He was well aware of Aiko purring up a storm on his lap, one of his hands resting on her side.

Yosuke held him tighter, waiting until he had finished crying.

“What happened?” he asked after a while.

Yu sniffled, pulling his head back a little, explaining to him how he had come across Aiko while he was walking home from school and how she had followed him home. How she had practically forced her way into the house and how his parents had found out that she was there. How he had chased after her without a second thought and how he had wound up there, sitting on the sidewalk with her in his lap.

After he was done talking, Yosuke reached out, letting Aiko sniff his hand before beginning to pet her. He stopped when he got to the collar, twisting it gently around her neck.

“You kept this?”

Yu nodded, “Yeah, I like it.”

Yosuke smiled at him, squeezing his shoulders, “You really want to keep her, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” he knew that he couldn’t though and his throat began to feel tight.

Yosuke thought for a moment before turning away from him, “Hey, Mom?”

Yu turned in that direction as well. Yosuke’s mom had been standing several feet away from them, letting them talk. She had no doubt heard at least the gist of all that had happened, but was waiting until they were done before saying anything.

“What is it?”

“Can we keep Aiko?”

She considered it for a few seconds, but there was a light smile on her face, “Taking care of an animal is a lot of responsibility.”

“I know.”

“You’d have to remember to feed her, play with her every day, and clean up after her.”

Yosuke nodded, “I can do that.”

“You’re not allowed to back out if you decide to do it.”

“I won’t.”

Yu looked in between the two of them. What was going on? Was Yosuke really suggesting that they take Aiko. If they did that, then he would be able to see her basically whenever he wanted. Would Yosuke’s mom really let them take her in? From the sounds of it, she seemed okay with the idea.

“I’ll have to talk to your father to be sure, but I don’t see any real reason why we couldn’t.”

Yu looked up at her, tears beginning to form in his eyes, “You’d really take her?”

She smiled at him warmly, “Of course,” her expression turned slightly more serious, “Now, are you ready to start heading home? Your parents were very worried about you.”

He looked down toward Aiko, lightly petting her. Right. He had to go home. The thought of that filled him with an intense sense of dread. There was no doubt that a severe punishment was waiting for him at home and he really didn’t want to face it.

Yosuke squeezed his arm around his shoulder before moving away, getting up and reaching his hand down. Yu repositioned Aiko so he was carrying her against his shoulder and took Yosuke’s hand, letting himself be helped up.

They started walking back to his house, Yosuke never letting go of his hand the whole way there.

When they got back, his parents were waiting for him outside the front door. Yosuke’s mother had called them saying that she had found him. Unease filled his stomach as he looked at them. If it hadn’t been for Yosuke’s presence beside him, he really might have turned and walked back away.

They stopped in front of the house, still on the sidewalk. Very slowly, he let go of Yosuke’s hand. He wouldn’t be able to come with him inside, no matter how much he wanted him to.

He handed Aiko to him. She cried, not wanting to let go of him. It made his heart wrench in his chest. He gave her one last pet as Yosuke held on to her.

Yosuke’s mom put her hand on Yosuke’s shoulder, “Well, it was good seeing you, Yu-kun. Have a good night, okay?”

He nodded, swallowing hard, wishing that it was going to be a good night.

Yosuke smiled widely at him, “I’ll see you later and Aiko-chan will too,” he lifted her up toward him in his arms.

Yu couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips, “Yeah.”

With that, the two of them left, heading next door to their own house.

Yu took a deep breath, then walked up the walkway to the front door, where his parents were still waiting for him.

- - -

Yu collapsed onto his bed, tears streaming down his cheeks.

He had just gotten yelled at for a long time, unable to do anything but sit there and apologize. No matter what he said though, it didn’t seem good enough for them and it had just kept going and going.

They had ended it saying that he was grounded for the foreseeable future and that he wasn’t allowed to go anywhere other than school and home (he wasn’t really allowed to go anywhere else anyway - most of the times he went to Yosuke’s house were times his parents didn’t know about). He wasn’t allowed to watch TV (He only did that when they weren’t home anyway). And, he was only to leave his room at meal times or to go to the bathroom (that’s where he usually stayed).

All in all, it wasn’t too terrible a punishment. They wouldn’t be there most of the time to make sure that he was sticking to what they told him to do. He supposed that was a benefit to them being gone all the time.

He was mostly just shaken from the amount they had yelled at him. He wanted to rub that experience out of his brain and not think about it ever again.

He was just about to get up and get ready for bed when suddenly, the cup on his windowsill started to move, the bell inside jingling.

He eagerly stood, walking over to the window. Yosuke was standing there, holding Aiko up to his window, as if presenting her to him. She appeared calm and content, even as he held her at a weird angle.

He smiled.

Maybe some good had come of all this after all.

Chapter Text

April 2, 2005

Yu took a deep breath, walking into the living room where both his parents were sitting watching TV. They had been in a good mood since they got home; a business deal of theirs had apparently gone very well.

Now was the time to ask them.

Yosuke had asked if he wanted to spend the night at his house the next day. Normally, whenever he asked to hang out, Yu almost never went to his parents for permission beforehand - they were never home long enough for them to notice that he was missing - but for something overnight, he needed to ask or else they would find out.

His mother looked up as he walked into the room, “What is it?”

He took a breath, not wanting to stutter as he spoke, “I was wondering if I could spend the night at Yosuke’s house tomorrow.”

She paused, “Are his parents okay with that?”

Yu nodded, “Yes,” he had been there when he had asked them.

She considered that, taking a long while to answer. Yu fought back the anxious fidgets that he wanted to start doing.

“I suppose that's fine. I don’t want you causing them any trouble though.”

“I won’t. Thank you,” he said, keeping his voice level despite the sense of relief and excitement welling in his chest.

As he walked back up to his room, he couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. She had said yes! There hadn’t even been a condition that he make sure all of his homework was finished - although that was likely just because they were in the break between school years. He had workbooks she had given him that he could potentially work on, but there was no actual school work for him to do.

As soon as he got to his room, he walked over to the window, shaking the cup on the sill. After a few seconds, Yosuke appeared in the window.

He smiled at him, giving him a thumbs up. He couldn’t help but start laughing as Yosuke let out an excited cheer that he could hear without opening the window. Tomorrow was going to be fun.

- - -

April 3, 2005

Yu grabbed his bag, filled with the essentials that he would need for spending the night - primarily his pajamas and his toothbrush, heading for the door. It was starting to get later into the afternoon and so it was about time to head over to Yosuke’s house.

He put his shoes on and then walked outside, locking the door behind him. He walked the short distance over to his house, knocking on the door.

He only had to wait for a few seconds before Yosuke opened the door, grinning at him. He reached over, grasping on to his arm, “You’re here!”

Yu smiled, “I am.”

“Come on then,” he said, tugging on his arm, pulling him into the house.

He stopped briefly to take off his shoes, exchanging brief greetings with his parents, and then they were climbing the stairs to go to his room.

He set his bag down as soon as he opened the door, immediately heading toward the bed where Aiko was curled up, asleep, sitting down next to her.

She looked up as he sat, letting out a soft meow as soon as she saw him, walking over and climbing into his lap. He smiled, starting to pet her.

“Oh, so that’s the real reason you wanted to come over.”

Yu let out a small laugh, “Yep.”

Yosuke came over and sat down next to him, reaching over and lightly scratching Aiko on the head. She began purring at the increased attention.

“So, what do you wanna do first?” Yosuke asked.

Yu shrugged, “Whatever you want to do.”

Yosuke considered that before making a noise of excitement, “I got a new game if you want to play it with me.”

“Oh, sure,” he really did enjoy playing video games with Yosuke - although a lot of the time, it was him watching Yosuke play the games. He really didn’t mind that though. He liked just being able to watch him do things and occasionally make comments to him about it.

“Okay,” Yosuke got up, walking to the other side of the room. His parents had fairly recently gotten him a TV to have in there - mostly so he could play games without always taking up the TV in the living room.

He set everything up before sitting down on the floor where he had some cushions set up.

Yu lightly nudged Aiko off his lap, apologizing to her, then walked over next to Yosuke and sat down.

Yosuke started explaining to him the story of the game so far as he booted it up. It was really simple and he was able to follow what was going on without any difficulty.

Yu leaned his head gently onto his shoulder, watching as he did a fight. Aiko came over again, climbing back into his lap and curling up. He started softly petting her, enjoying the sensation of her soft fur beneath his hand.

Yosuke kept playing the game, Yu occasionally giving him advice on what to do. They went on like that for a few hours before there was a knock on the door.

Yosuke paused the game, turning to face the door, “Yeah?”

Yu had to lean off his shoulder at that point. His neck had gotten kind of stiff and it popped as he moved.

Yosuke’s mom opened the door, “It’s time for dinner.”

“Ooh, okay,” Yosuke said, moving to stand, Yu quickly following suit.

They all started heading down the stairs toward the kitchen. Yu had eaten lunch there before, but never dinner. This was going to be a new experience for him.

As they stepped into the kitchen, Yosuke grabbed hold of his arm, leading him over to the table to the side where there were two plates set up, positioning him in one of the chairs.

He didn’t quite understand why, but all of them eating together at the table, a spot set for each of them, made his chest extremely warm.

As they began eating, there was a pleasant hum of conversation - something that never happened whenever he ate dinner with his parents at home. He really liked it. He was even able to join in on it at some points as they asked him a few questions. Listening to them talk was good, but talking with them was better.

Even when they were finished eating, he found that he didn’t want it to end, enjoying the time, but, despite that, Yosuke wound up pulling him upstairs again.

This time, he pulled him over to the bed and they sat down together.

"Do you wanna keep playing the game or do something else?"

Yu shrugged, "Whatever you want to do."

"No, what do you want to do?"

"I don't really care what it is."

"Come on. There has to be something."

Yu was never quite sure how to respond when he got like that. He really didn't care that much what they were doing as long as they were doing it together.

"What do you wanna do?" Yosuke dragged out the last vowel, leaning heavily on him.

"I don't know."

"Yes, you do."

"No."

"Yes."

This wasn't getting him anywhere. He stopped for a few seconds to think.

"Umm, maybe if you want to watch a movie?"

"Okay!" he leaned off of him, standing up, "Which one?"

"Which ones do you have?"

Yosuke grabbed his hand, pulling him up off of the bed and toward a shelf that had a line of movies and games on it.

He looked them over before picking one at random, not really caring what it was.

Yosuke took it from him, looking at it before nodding, "This one is good."

He was glad that he had picked one that he liked.

Yu sat down on the floor, where he had been sitting earlier, as Yosuke started setting everything up.

He came over and sat beside him, leaning his whole body on him. He was kind of heavy, but he didn't mind it. It was nice actually.

He pressed play on the remote and the movie started. He settled back a little further, laying his head on his shoulder. It was very warm and comfortable, something that made watching the movie even better than usual.

About halfway through, there was a knock on the door.

“Yeah?” Yosuke said, still laying on him.

His mom opened the door. As soon as her gaze landed on them, she smiled softly, “I was just coming to see if you wanted dessert.”

“Ooh, what kind?”

“We have ice cream in the freezer if you want that.”

“Yes, please,” Yosuke said, his tone enthusiastic.

“Do you want some too, Yu-kun?” she asked.

He hesitated before nodding, “Yes, thank you.”

“All right. You two stay here and I’ll bring it to you.”

It was only a few minutes later when she came back again, handing them both a bowl, both of them thanking her.

“Oh, and I do want you to start getting ready for bed at about 9, okay?”

“Okay,” Yosuke said, taking a bite of his ice cream.

“That’s in about an hour and a half.”

“All right.”

“Okay, have fun until then.”

“We will.”

With that, she left the room, a small smile on her face, and they kept watching the movie. It was even better with the ice cream.

When the movie was over, it was nearly 9, so they decided to start getting ready for bed, brushing their teeth and changing into pajamas. It was really starting to hit him that he wasn’t sleeping at home in his bed. For some reason, that thought was really exciting to him - that fact that it was with Yosuke was making it even better.

Yosuke’s mom came and said goodnight to them, making sure that they didn’t need anything before leaving.

At that point, Yosuke turned the light off, grabbing on to his arm and pulling him to the bed, flipping back the covers and climbing into it. Yu followed suit, getting in beside him. The idea of sleeping next to him was making his chest very warm and light. He was a little disappointed that the night was over, but it had been a lot of fun.

He settled down against the pillow, closing his eyes, ready to go to sleep, when Yosuke poked him in the side. The feeling made him curl in on himself, swatting his hand away.

“What was that for?”

“Why’re you going to sleep?”

“Cause that’s what you do in bed?” Yu was confused. What else were they supposed to be doing?

“I wanna talk about stuff.”

“Like what?”

Yosuke paused for a few seconds, “Um, like which girls at school do you think are pretty?”

Yu was thrown off at that. Girls that he thought were pretty? Was he supposed to think that girls were pretty? Girls were fine, but none of them stood out to him as particularly ‘pretty.’

“What do you mean?”

“Like if you had to choose a girl to marry, who would it be?”

Yu still didn’t know how to answer that question. You were supposed to get married to someone that you loved, right? There wasn’t a girl at school that he loved. The only person his age that he could say that he loved was Yosuke - he was his best friend in the world.

He hesitated, “Uh, you?”

Yosuke furrowed his brow, “We can’t get married. We’re both boys.”

“So? You’re supposed to marry someone that you love and I love you.”

He hesitated, “But boys are supposed to marry girls.”

Yu paused, biting his lip. He thought back to all the books he had read and all the movies that he had watched. Whenever anyone was married, it was always a boy to a girl. Did that mean that he was going to have to marry a girl when he got older? He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Surely, there must be exceptions to the rule. What was the problem if he wanted to marry Yosuke one day?

“I… I guess so,” he hesitated before speaking again, “Why?”

Yosuke shrugged, “Cause that’s how it is. You don’t think a single girl is pretty?”

“I don’t know. Who do you think is pretty?”

He was quiet for a few seconds, “Uh, Agawa-chan is really pretty, and, uh, Tachi-chan is cute too.”

Yu thought about those girls. Again, he thought that they were fine, but neither jumped out at him as being prettier than any of the other girls. Was something wrong with him that he didn’t think that?

“If there’s no one right now, I think that you’ll find someone you like later.”

Yu nodded, his mind stuck on the question asking what he would do if that didn’t happen.

With that, Yosuke changed the topic to be about the movie they had just watched. Yu welcomed the change in the conversation, but his mind kept wandering back. Why couldn’t he get married to Yosuke if he wanted to? What exactly was the problem there?

After talking for a little while longer, both of them were starting to hold back yawns and they decided that they were actually going to try and go to sleep.

He settled back into the pillow, reaching his hand up and grasping on to Yosuke’s wrist, taking comfort in the safety of sleeping so close to him. If it meant he was able to sleep next to him for the rest of his life, he would find some way of marrying him - no matter what.

Chapter Text

October 9th, 2006

Yosuke yawned, kneeling down and putting his shoes on, grabbing his school bag and heading out the door.

He walked next door to Yu's house and stopped on the sidewalk outside. They would always walk to school together, but it was strange - Yu was always already waiting for him by the time he got there. Was he running late? He knew that his parents were on a business trip, so maybe there was something that he had forgotten to do since they were gone?

He would just wait a bit for him to come.

As time ticked by, he started getting more and more concerned. What was going on?

He hesitated for a few seconds before heading toward the door, knocking on it. He waited about a minute, every second getting more uneasy. Had something happened?

He knocked again, shifting his weight back and forth between his legs.

Finally, just as he was about to knock a third time and call for him, the door opened.

Yu was standing there, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. His eyes were glassy and unfocused. His face was wet as if he had just washed it.

"Hey, are you okay?" Yosuke asked hesitantly, taking a step toward him.

He took a few seconds to answer, just shaking his head.

Yosuke frowned, reaching his hand out and touching his forehead. His skin was clammy and extremely warm to the touch. Warm enough that he didn't even need to compare it to his own temperature to tell that he definitely had a fever.

"What happened?"

He took a few seconds to respond, furrowing his brow as if thinking extremely hard, "My stomach hurts."

That didn't really sound good. He should probably call his mom and ask her what to do. In the meantime though, he needed to make sure that he was taken care of.

"Okay, come on. Let's sit down."

Yu nodded and Yosuke stepped inside the house, quickly taking his shoes off before grabbing on to his arm, pulling him over toward the living room and over to where the couch was. It was weird being inside. He very rarely ever came to Yu’s house. Most of the time they would hang out at his.

As soon as they sat down, Yu leaned forward, burying his face into his chest, groaning, grasping on to the front of his shirt. He was uncomfortably warm, but he didn’t care, beginning to slowly run his fingers through his hair, trying to comfort him in some way. He was definitely sick, but he didn’t know how bad it was.

They stayed like that for a few minutes before Yosuke stopped, pulling away slightly.

“I’m going to go call my mom.”

Yu nodded, hesitantly letting go of him.

Yosuke stood up, walking over to the nearby phone, picking it up, and dialing the familiar number. The phone rang a few times before she picked up.

“Hello?”

“Hi mom.”

“Yosuke?” her tone shifted to become more concerned, “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“Yeah. Yu is sick.”

She hesitated for a second, “Do you know what’s wrong with him?”

“Not really. He said that his stomach hurts and he also has a fever.”

She was quiet for a few seconds, “Has he thrown up at all?”

“I don’t know,” he walked back over toward the couch where Yu was now laying, curled up into a ball, “Yu, my mom wants to know if you threw up.”

He took a few seconds to answer, his voice a groan, “Yeah, a lot.”

He relayed the information to his mom.

She took a breath, “Do you know how long this has been going on?”

He asked the question to Yu.

“Since last night.”

He told his mom the answer.

“Okay. I want you to stay there with him. I’m going to call an ambulance to take him to the hospital.”

“The hospital?” Yosuke asked, anxiety rising in his stomach. Was he going to be okay?

“Yes. It sounds like appendicitis to me. He should be fine, but he needs to go in.”

That settled his nerves a little bit. As long as he was going to be all right.

“All right. I’m going to hang up now so I can call the ambulance, okay?”

“Okay.”

“I’ll meet you at the hospital.”

With that, she hung up. Yosuke put the phone back on the receiver and then sat back down next to Yu, laying his palm against the top of his head.

“My mom is calling an ambulance to take you to the hospital.”

Yu nodded, leaning more into his touch.

“We should probably go wait outside for when they come.”

“Okay.”

“Do you want me to get anything to bring with us?”

He shook his head.

“Okay, let’s go then.”

Yu nodded, but didn’t make any move to get up.

Yosuke took a breath, lifting him up and pulling him off the couch. He wished that he could carry him, but he would probably drop him if he did that.

He leaned heavily on him as they walked toward the front door. He set him down by the entranceway, slipping his shoes on and then helping Yu with his. He then helped him back up and walked him out the door, sitting down on the front steps.

He immediately wrapped his arm around his shoulders, pulling him against him, wanting to offer him some amount of comfort.

He groaned, burying his face against his side.

They only had to wait a few minutes before an ambulance pulled up, two paramedics getting out. They quickly came up to them, asking many of the same questions that his mom had.

One of them crouched down next to them, directing their question at Yu, “Can you walk.”

Yu nodded, “I want Yosuke to come with me.”

“Okay, he can come, but we do need to get you to the hospital.”

Yu nodded again, doing his best to try and stand up. Yosuke moved his arm down to be around his waist, helping him up. They made their way toward the ambulance. It was a little bit slow going, but they made it there before long.

The paramedics helped them into the back, and then they were off. They tried to get Yu to lay down, but he didn’t want to let go of Yosuke’s shirt, clinging to it tightly, as if it were a lifeline. He eventually convinced him to let go, holding on to his hand instead.

The paramedics started doing some tests on him while Yosuke sat up near his head, talking to him, trying to create some sense of normality and comfort.

It wasn't very long before they arrived at the hospital. At that point, he was told that he couldn't stay with him anymore, instead getting led to a waiting room. As much as he wanted to stay with him, he knew that it was pointless to complain about it.

He sat in a chair, kicking his legs against it. Was Yu going to be all right? It had to have been kind of scary being without anyone.

He wasn't waiting for very long when he looked up to see his mom walking into the room. He stood up, going to meet her.

"How's Yu-kun?" she asked.

He shook his head, "They took him as soon as we got here."

She nodded, "He's probably going into surgery then."

Surgery? That didn't sound good at all.

"It'll be okay," she laid her hand on his shoulder, "It's a pretty routine thing."

He nodded, his mind racing.

"I need to go call his parents and let them know what happened, okay?"

Yosuke nodded, "Yu said that they're on a business trip."

"All right. I'll be back in a few minutes. Just wait here please."

"Okay," he walked back over to the chair he had been sitting in.

Only a few minutes passed by before she came back. She was definitely trying to hide it, but she was scowling, walking faster than she usually did.

"Is everything okay?" Yosuke asked as soon as she sat down.

She let out a small sigh before smiling at him, "Yes. Yu-kun’s mother just frustrates me sometimes,” she paused for a few seconds, "Is it okay if Yu-kun stays with us for a few days?"

Yu staying with them for a few days? That sounded amazing.

"Yeah, but why?"

"His parents aren't coming back until next week and I don't want him to be alone all that time."

Yosuke nodded. That made sense. Why wouldn’t his parents be coming back early though? That seemed like something that they should do. If they weren’t coming though, then that meant it was his job to stay with him.

“I’ll keep him company,” he nodded with conviction.

She let out a small laugh, wrapping her arm around his shoulder and hugging him against her side, “That’s good of you.”

Yosuke smiled. It was a little bit embarrassing for her to hug him in public, but it was also kind of nice.

They sat there waiting for a while - Yosuke had no idea for how long. It was really boring, but he wanted to be there whenever he could go see Yu again. At one point, a nurse came and talked with his mom, but that was just about the only thing of note that happened.

Just as he decided that he was about to die of boredom, the same nurse who had come to talk to his mom before came back, walking over to them.

“I just wanted to let you know that he’s out of surgery now. Everything’s fine. He’s just resting.”

Relief coursed through his body. Yu was okay.

“Can I go see him?” Yosuke asked, moving out of his chair.

The nurse gave him a small smile, “As long as you’re quiet, that’s fine.”

Yosuke nodded. He could be quiet.

With that, the nurse led them into a hallway and down into what looked like patient rooms. She stopped in front of one, opening the door, and letting them inside.

Yosuke had to stop himself from running as he walked into the room. Yu was laying in the bed. He was awake, turning to face them as they came in.

Yosuke walked very quickly over to the bed, “Yu! You’re okay!”

Yu lightly smiled at him, making a small noise of agreement. He still didn’t look great, but significantly better than he had that morning.

Yosuke reached over, grabbing on to one of his hands and holding it tightly. His other arm had a tube attached to it that ran up to bag filled with clear liquid.

At the same time, his mom walked over, laying her hand gently onto Yu’s head, “How are you feeling, sweetheart.”

“Better than earlier,” he said, his voice gravelly.

“That’s good,” she smiled warmly at him, speaking gently, “I talked to your parents and you’re going to be staying with us for a little while until they get back from their trip.”

Yu looked away, biting his lip, before nodding, “Okay. Thank you.”

“Of course. You’re welcome over any time.”

He didn’t like how sad Yu seemed at that, so he decided to get the subject away from his parents, “It’s gonna be a lot of fun. You can have my bed and everything.”

Yu gave him a soft smile - the smile that he always loved trying to elicit from him, “Thank you.”

“Yeah, of course.”

They stayed in the room with him for a while until he fell asleep again. At that point, his mom suggested that they go out and get some lunch. He was starting to get kind of hungry so he agreed to it, even though he didn’t really want to leave Yu.

They went out to a nearby restaurant to eat before going back to the hospital. Yu slept for much of the time they were there, only waking up in the last about half hour of visiting hours.

A nurse came in and told them that they wanted to keep him overnight, but would probably be discharged in the morning. He didn’t like having to leave him all alone for the entire night, but Yu didn’t seem too bothered by that.

They parted with the promise of seeing each other the next day.

- - -

It was about 10 at night. Yosuke should have been asleep at that point, but his mind was filled with worries for Yu. He eventually decided to go downstairs and get something to drink to try and get his mind partially off of everything.

As he was walking down the stairs, he heard his parents talking in the kitchen.

His mom let out a sigh, “I just absolutely can’t stand that woman.”

Yosuke stopped, making his footsteps as light as possible, walking down and sitting on the bottom stair. He wanted to hear what they were talking about.

“I know. I get it.”

“It’s just… If I were in that position with Yosuke, I can’t imagine not coming home immediately.”

Yosuke furrowed his brow - they must have been talking about Yu’s parents. He had asked himself the same question - why would they not come home?

“You would. I would too.”

“I’m… I feel bad for Yu-kun too. Going through all this without them can’t be fun. He didn’t even call anyone for help. I don’t even want to think about what could have happened if Yosuke hadn’t been there,” she took a deep breath, “I just… I wish that things were different for him.”

Yosuke frowned. He had always known that Yu’s parents were strict, but he didn’t know that it was bad enough to make his mom worry about him. He hadn’t ever really thought about it too hard before, but what was his life like with his parents? They were gone a lot, so did that mean that they didn’t eat meals together or sit downstairs in the evenings and watch TV together? Did they ever spend Sunday mornings cooking breakfast together or going to the grocery store or going to restaurants to eat? He knew that Yu sometimes went with them to less formal business meetings at fancy restaurants, but that wasn’t really the same thing as going somewhere as a family.

There was also the fact that every time he was over and did some of those things with his family, he seemed to light up and get so extremely happy. He loved spending time with Yu, but he also loved spending time with his parents and Yu together.

With that, he made a decision.

If Yu’s parents weren’t going to do those things with him, then he would. His own parents liked Yu and liked having him around. They could all do those things together.

He was going to spend the rest of his life with Yu and make up for all of that lost time - that was a promise.

With that, he climbed back up the stairs, not wanting to be caught eavesdropping, going back into his bedroom and crawling back into bed. First things first, he needed to make sure he was well taken care of during the time he was there recovering.

- - -

October 10th, 2006

Yosuke shoved his notebook into his bag, wanting to get home from school as soon as possible. His mom had said that she was picking Yu up that morning from the hospital and that he should be there when he got home. He wanted to go see him so badly.

As he was walking down the hall, he was stopped.

“Hey, Hanamura.”

He turned to face the person who had called him. It was Ueno and Watanabe, two guys who had been in class with him and Yu until that year. They had all hung out together on occasion, but he wasn’t nearly as close to them as he was to Yu.

“Yeah?”

“Where were you and Narukami yesterday?” Ueno asked.

“He had appendicitis and I went with him to the hospital.”

Ueno furrowed his brow, “That doesn’t sound good. Is he okay?”

Yosuke nodded, “He should be, but I haven’t seen him since yesterday.”

“That’s good,” Watanabe said, smiling, “All the girls would be sad if something happened to him.”

Yosuke frowned. The girls would be sad?

“What do you mean?”

Ueno gave a short laugh, “So many girls have a crush on him. Don’t you know that?”

Did they? For some reason, that thought made his stomach twist. He didn’t want to think about that.

He shook his head, “Who?”

Watanabe laughed, “The better question is ‘who doesn’t?’. It’s like every girl in the whole sixth grade.”

Yosuke shrugged, “Yu doesn’t like any of them back.”

“Oh, did he tell you that?” Watanabe asked.

Yosuke paused. He had told him that once like a year ago, but had never mentioned anyone after. He wasn’t completely sure, but he would have told him if he liked someone, right?

“He would have told me if there was someone.”

“Or maybe he just doesn’t want to make you jealous,” Watanabe said.

Yosuke swallowed hard, looking down. He wasn’t jealous. Why would he be jealous? Girls could like Yu. That was fine. It would be fine if he liked someone back too.

“I… uh, I have to get home soon.”

“Oh, okay,” Ueno said, “See you later then.”

“Yeah, bye.”

Yosuke turned away from them, walking toward the door and leaving the school, heading home. That conversation was playing on repeat in his head. Yu would have told him though, right?

It wasn’t long before he made it home, opening the door and heading inside. Both his parents were at work and so Yu was probably up in his room. He took his shoes off before eagerly heading up the stairs.

As soon as he opened the door to his room, Yu looked over from where he was sitting on his bed, watching TV. Aiko was curled up in his lap, asleep. He had repositioned his TV the night before so that he would be able to watch it from his bed. He was glad that he was using it.

“You’re here!”

Yu smiled, “Welcome home.”

Yosuke grinned, going over to the bed and sitting beside him, “Are you feeling okay?”

Yu nodded, “Yeah.”

“Good. I was worried about you.”

“Sorry.”

Yosuke shook his head, hesitating before saying the next thing he wanted to say, “I’m sorry that your parents didn’t come home to see you.”

Yu looked away, biting his lip.

He didn’t hesitate as he wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him against him, “I’m gonna be with you every day though.”

Yu nodded, burying his face against his chest.

He wasn’t sure how long they sat there together, his breathing eventually becoming slow and rhythmical, like he had fallen asleep, but he wasn’t about to let go of him. He had made a promise to himself that he was going to be with Yu for the rest of his life, and that was starting now.

Chapter Text

July 16th, 2007

“Dude, I really need your help,” Yosuke was laying on his back, staring over at Yu.

Yu was sitting at his desk doing homework. His parents were gone for a few days and Yosuke had invited himself over, saying that he was going to do homework with him, but so far all he had done was lay on his bed, listening to music.

“I can proofread your essay in a bit.”

Yosuke hesitated, “Okay, that too, but I have something way more important than some dumb essay.”

Yu frowned, turning his attention over to him. What was he talking about?

“What?”

Yosuke grinned, moving to sit up, “There’s a girl I wanna ask out.”

Yu blinked at him, his chest twisting violently. He wanted to ask a girl out? Why? Was their friendship not enough for him anymore?

He hesitated, “Who?”

“Tachi-chan from our class.”

Yu swallowed hard. Miyoko Tachi. She had been in their class since elementary school. She was very kind and nice to be around, but, even still, a large part of him did not want her dating Yosuke.

“She’s nice.”

“Yeah, and really cute too, don’t you think?”

Yu nodded. He still didn’t really understand the sentiment, but he had learned to just agree with Yosuke on things like that. But even so, why did hearing Yosuke call a girl ‘cute’ make his stomach turn? What was wrong with him? Surely dating someone would make him happy and Yosuke being happy was one of his favorite things in the world.

He took a breath. He wanted to be supportive of him, “I think you would look good together.”

“You think so? Me too.”

“So why exactly do you need my help?”

“I don’t know how to do it.”

“Do what?”

“Ask her on a date.”

“Just ask her?”

“That’s weird though.”

“Why is that weird?”

“Cause I don’t really know her that well.”

“Then why do you want to date her?”

“Cause I like her.”

Yu was quiet for a few seconds, not sure what else to say.

“C’mon dude. You’re so smart. You have to have some idea of what I can do.”

Yu sighed, turning to fully face him, “I don’t know what you want me to say. I think just asking her is the best thing to do.”

Yosuke pursed his lips, “How do I get her alone to ask her though?”

“Write her a note or something asking her to meet you?”

“Oh! That’s a good idea. Help me write it.”

“After you finish your homework.”

“Yu,” he whined.

“I’ll help you once you’re done.”

“Fine,” he stood up, grabbing his school bag and pulling a notebook out.

Yu turned back to his own work, finding his focus kept slipping away to Yosuke and Tachi-chan. He was not a fan of this new development.

- - -

It was later that same night. Yosuke had left about an hour and a half ago, the letter he had written tucked safely into one of his notebooks. Right after he had gone, Yu had started getting ready for bed, feeling strangely exhausted.

Now, he was laying under the covers, his mind wandering to all sorts of places. What was he going to do if Tachi-chan liked Yosuke back? What was going to happen if she agreed to date him? Would all of his time go to hanging out with her instead?

He rubbed his eyes. If they started dating, he would just be supportive of them. That was it. Some of his time might get dedicated to her, but that wasn’t a bad thing. He deserved to have other people he was close to - but why did it have to be a girl he wanted to date? Why was it romantic? Why couldn’t he just get to be close friends with her?

He sighed, rolling over and staring at the wall. He just needed to do what was going to make Yosuke happy - and that was being supportive of him dating someone. He really didn’t fully understand why the thought was making him so distressed to begin with.

Even though he told himself he wasn’t going to think about all of it anymore, he didn’t sleep well the rest of the night, his mind constantly on the topic of the two of them and, more specifically, on Yosuke dating someone.

- - -

July 17th, 2007

Yu got out of bed a full thirty minutes before his alarm was set to go off, his mind still twisting around everything.

He went downstairs, deciding to make something for lunch that day instead of just buying it. He could make extra and then he and Yosuke could share - that was, they could share so long as he wasn’t busy confessing to Tachi-chan.

He took a deep breath, a lump in his throat, opening the fridge and pulling out some ingredients. He could make a pretty good omelet with all that he had. That was simple and fast to do.

He had actually gotten fairly good at cooking over the years - being forced to learn how to do it in order to feed himself at least had some practical benefit to it.

It wasn’t long before he was finished cooking, packing the food away for later. By the time that was done, it was the time he normally got up to get ready for school so he started going about his normal daily routines.

When it was time to go, he packed the lunch he had made into his bag and headed out the door. He only had to wait a few minutes before Yosuke came out of his own house, yawning as he walked up to him.

“Good morning,” Yosuke said, stopping next to him.

Yu smiled, “Good morning,” there was a piece of cat hair stuck to the side of his face, so he reached over, brushing it off of him.

Yosuke blinked, his face turning slightly red, “What was that for?”

“You had cat hair on your face.”

He laughed nervously, “Oh, thanks.”

“Yeah, no problem.”

Why was he acting weird about that? They touched each other a lot - they always had. It wasn’t like that had been the first time he had ever touched his face.

As they started walking to school, a thought entered his mind, making his heart drop. What if he was acting weird because he had decided that he didn’t want to be friends with him anymore? Was that why he wanted to get a girlfriend? Because he didn’t want to be friends anymore and wanted to find someone to take that place?

All of a sudden, Yosuke laid his hand on his shoulder, “Hey, are you okay?”

Yu jumped before nodding, “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Yosuke furrowed his brow, “Are you sure? You’re not sick or something, are you?”

He really didn’t want to tell Yosuke about what he had been thinking about. He wasn’t sure he would be able to take it if he confirmed that he really didn’t want to be friends anymore.

“I just couldn’t sleep last night. That’s all.”

Yosuke frowned, “Okay, just go to bed early tonight then.”

Yu nodded, turning away. The rest of the walk was fairly quiet, neither one of them talking very much.

They quickly reached the school building, heading inside and sitting down at their desks. They talked casually for a while until class started. Nothing was super weird or out of place during that time. It almost felt totally like normal. Like Yosuke wasn’t about to ask a girl to go out with him.

It wasn’t until lunchtime that things started to feel abnormal again. They would usually go outside to the courtyard to eat, but before they left the classroom, Yosuke pulled the letter out of his bag, holding it up and winking at him.

“I’ll be right back,” he said before leaving the room.

Yu stared down at his desk, a hard lump forming in his throat. He should be wishing him good luck, not feeling like he wanted to start crying.

He wasn’t waiting long before Yosuke came back in the room, smiling nervously.

He blinked. That had been fast. Then again, the plan was to ask her to meet him after school, so he had most likely just given her the letter and walked away.

“Let’s go have lunch,” Yosuke said, stopping by his desk.

Yu nodded, standing up, “I brought an omelet today if you want to share it.”

Yosuke’s face seemed to light up, “Of course I do.”

With that, they walked to their usual spot in the courtyard, sitting down and eating lunch. It was nice, Yosuke complimenting his cooking. He was glad to have made something that he liked. Yu really couldn’t relax though, not with the constant uncertainty of what was going to happen with their friendship hanging over his head.

The rest of the day passed by uneventfully, if not with a little anxiety. He just couldn’t stop thinking about what was going to happen after school. Was she going to agree to go out with him or not?

As soon as their teacher dismissed their class for the day, Yosuke stood up, mumbling something about needing to go to the bathroom. Yu started slowly packing his things up. Should he stay until the confession was over with or should he just walk home alone? On one hand, it would be really awkward if she agreed to it, but on the other hand, if she didn’t, he wanted to be there for him.

He was just standing up when suddenly, Tachi-chan came up to him, looking extremely nervous, “Um, Narukami-kun, can I talk to you?”

She had long black hair that was tied into a set of braids running down her shoulders. The hair ties that she used were glittery and pink. She was very neat and tidy, nothing out of place on her uniform.

He blinked. She wanted to talk to him? What about Yosuke?

He hesitated, “Uh, yeah, sure.”

She let out a breath, grabbing hold of his arm. He tensed. Usually Yosuke was the only one who would grab on to him.

“Let’s go somewhere with less people.”

“Oh, okay.”

He followed her as she led him through the school, to a corner where most people didn’t come. What did she want to talk to him about?

“I, um, sorry to just grab you out of the blue like that, but, Hanamura-kun gave me this letter earlier,” she pulled the paper out of her pocket, showing it to him, “And… well, it sounds like he wants to confess to me or something,” her whole face was red.

Yu nodded, “He does,” his voice was very quiet.

She looked down at her feet, “I just… I know we’ve been in class together for a really long time, but I’ve never really gotten to know him that well and so… well, you’re best friends with him, and I was just wondering… what is he really like?”

Yu hesitated. She was asking him because she wanted to know more things about him before coming to her conclusion. That meant that she was seriously considering agreeing. That made his heart twist violently. This was really happening then.

He did have an opportunity here though. He loved Yosuke dearly, but, even still, he definitely had his flaws. If he highlighted those for her, then maybe she wouldn’t want to date him. Maybe everything would stay as it was and Yosuke wouldn’t end up dating someone or stop being friends with him.

He took a deep breath. No. He couldn’t do that. He couldn’t sabotage him. That wasn’t fair.

"Yosuke is the kindest person that I know. He's always there for me whenever I need him. He always checks in on me to make sure that I'm okay. He doesn't always get the best grades, but he is genuinely really smart. He always cheers me up whenever I'm around him and I love hanging out with him. He's just so smart, and kind, and funny and I'm proud that he's my best friend."

He stopped. Had he said too much? He looked up at Tachi-chan.

She had a small smile on her face as she looked at him, "I think that's the most I've ever heard you talk at one time."

His face felt hot as he looked toward the ground. He had said too much.

"I think…" she took a deep breath, "I think that I'm going to say yes to going out with him."

Yu's breath hitched. That was a good thing. Nothing but a good thing. He had managed to talk him up enough that she was interested in him now. That's what he had wanted - right?

He nodded, "I'm glad. He's really an amazing person."

“Thanks for talking with me.”

“Of course. It was nice talking with you, Tachi-chan.”

She laughed, “You can call me Miyoko. I think we’ve known each other long enough.”

He looked down at the ground, his face hot, “I… uh, you can call me Yu too.”

“Right. I’ll see you tomorrow, Yu-kun.”

Yu nodded, “See you tomorrow.”

With that, he walked back to his classroom, quickly collecting his things before leaving school alone. He already knew the outcome of the confession and he didn’t want to stick around for it.

Chapter Text

May 10th, 2008

Yu was startled awake by his bedroom door being forcibly opened. He sat up quickly, confused, blinking in the darkness before a shape slammed into him. He barely managed to keep sitting upright.

"Yu!"

That was Yosuke’s voice. What was going on?

"Yosuke? What are you doing?"

"Dude, I just saw a ghost!"

Yu blinked, "You what?"

"I saw a ghost!"

"What?"

He groaned, "I went downstairs to go get a drink and I saw a ghost."

Yu was still half asleep, barely comprehending what he was saying, "So you came all the way here?"

Yosuke nodded, "I needed to tell you," his arm was still wrapped around his waist from when he had come crashing onto his bed, his knee awkwardly in between his calves.

"It couldn't have waited until tomorrow? It's," he glanced over at his clock, "1:30 in the morning."

Yosuke shrugged, "It was right by the stairs and I didn't want to go past it."

Yu yawned, "You can sleep here if you want."

"Really?"

He nodded. Both his parents were gone. They wouldn't know if he stayed over. He would just wake Yosuke up early to make sure he went home before he was usually up so his parents wouldn't worry about where he was.

"Thanks."

He just nodded again, laying back against his pillow and closing his eyes.

Yosuke crawled over him, pulling back the covers and getting under them. He just had the one pillow, so he got very close, curling up against his side, his breath warm on his cheek.

As he fell back asleep, he was so unbelievably cozy and comfortable. He wished it could be like that every night.

- - -

There were warm arms encircling him, holding him tight. It was so safe there.

He buried his face against his chest - Yosuke’s chest - he could tell by his scent - sighing contentedly.

Yosuke began pressing gentle kisses against the top of his head before reaching over, laying his hand on his cheek and guiding his face up toward him.

His eyes were full of tender adoration as he began rubbing his thumb across his cheekbone.

He leaned down, pressing his lips against his forehead. They were so soft.

After that, he pulled away slightly, moving further down, his mouth hanging just slightly open. He tilted his head barely to the side before leaning in, pressing their lips together.

Yu closed his eyes, getting lost in the sweet and tender sensation of their lips. He moved his arms up, one hand going to clutch at the fabric of his shirt, the other going up in between his neck and collar bone, softly rubbing his skin.

Yosuke moved his hands, letting them go under the fabric of his shirt, running them along the skin of his hips and stomach.

He sighed happily into the kiss, wanting to experience that sensation forever.

He slowly moved his hands down, beginning to move them over the outside of his bare thigh. At the same time, he parted his lips, lightly nudging at Yu's with his tongue.

He took a breath through his nose, opening his mouth. He pressed his tongue inside, gently moving it.

It was a foreign sensation - not something they had ever done before.

He paused.

Had they ever done any of this before?

He frowned. How had they even gotten into this situation to begin with? He couldn't remember. Was this…?

All of a sudden, he blinked his eyes open. He was breathing hard, his heart pounding in his chest.

He tried to settle his breathing, rubbing his eyes.

A dream.

All that had been a dream.

Yosuke was still sleeping beside him, grasping lightly on to his shirt.

His face was warm. He couldn't look at him right then. Why had he had a dream where he was kissing Yosuke? Yosuke was his best friend. He shouldn't be having dreams about kissing him. If he found out, he would definitely be upset with him. He didn't want that.

Still… he looked over at where he was sleeping. His mouth was open - most likely drooling on his pillow. He couldn't help but smile. At the same time though, his lips looked so soft - maybe even softer than they had been in the dream.

He reached his hand over, hesitating before lightly touching his thumb to his bottom lip.

He took a sharp breath. It was really soft.

He ran the pad of his thumb gently across his lip for just a second, watching intently as it moved, before pulling away, his face burning.

He should not have done that.

He turned and faced the other way, laying away from him, trying desperately to not let his mind wander back to that point.

Yosuke was his friend. He was another boy. And he had a girlfriend.

He couldn't think about him like that.

- - -

"I really did see one," Yosuke said.

Miyoko laughed, "I'm sure you did."

"I did. Yu, back me up."

"You certainly jumped into my bed at 1am."

The three of them were sitting together out in the courtyard eating lunch. Miyoko had become a fairly constant fixture at lunchtime. She sometimes ate with her own friends, but a lot of the time, she was with them.

He didn't really mind it. He liked her well enough. It was just the thought that she was Yosuke’s girlfriend that consistently bothered him. He didn’t let that show through in any of his interactions with her though, always making sure to act friendly toward her.

She raised her eyebrows, “Into your bed?”

Yosuke groaned, “Dude, why’d you say it like that?”

Yu furrowed his brow, “Because that’s what happened? It’s not like we’ve never shared a bed before.”

Miyoko laughed, “I think it’s sweet.”

Yosuke’s face turned red as he looked down at the ground.

Yu hesitated. There were certain implications that came with sharing a bed - a lot of them romantic - but with them, it was totally friendly. Despite that, the dream he had had the previous night kept popping into his head. He was trying desperately to forget about it, but it kept coming back.

Miyoko was quiet for a second, looking at the two of them consideringly before speaking, "Okay, so what did it look like?"

"The ghost?" Yosuke asked, looking back up at her.

"Yeah."

"Uh, well, it was a woman. She was wearing a black dress and she was covering her face."

"Are you sure it wasn't just your mom?" Miyoko asked, smiling.

"I know what my mom looks like."

"Oh yeah, sure."

"I do!" Yosuke reached over, wrapping his arm around Yu's shoulders, "Come over tonight dude and we can find it again so you can vouch for me."

Yu's heart was pounding. He was so close. Why was it making him so nervous to have him be so close? It had never been an issue before.

"Oh no," Miyoko said, "I'm only going to believe it if I see it myself."

"All right," Yosuke said, "Then both of you come over."

"Sounds good to me," she said, "I have to ask my parents first."

They took the rest of the lunch period coming up with plans for that evening. It sounded like all three of them were going to be having a sleepover together. It was the weekend, so it should be all right. He had never had a sleepover with anyone other than Yosuke. How was having her there going to change things? He wouldn't just be getting in the way, would he? It sounded like Yosuke wanted him there, but still.

The rest of the day passed by quickly, Yu constantly worrying about that night.

They had both gotten the go-ahead from their parents to spend the night, so they walked to Miyoko's house first, stopping by to let her get the things she'd need.

After that, they walked to Yosuke’s house. He could grab his things later - it was a very quick walk over to his house.

Yosuke started showing her around. As soon as they got to the living room, she cooed.

"You have a cat?"

Aiko was asleep on the couch, curled up into a little ball. She looked up at the commotion, her gaze focusing on Yu. She let out a soft mew, stretching out her front legs.

Yu smiled, walking over and kneeling in front of her. He reached his arm out and started petting her head. She narrowed her eyes, leaning back against his palm.

"Hello. How was your day? Did you have a nice nap?" Yu asked, scratching lightly behind her ear.

She started purring, closing her eyes.

He did that for a few seconds before he looked up to see Miyoko kneeling down beside him.

"What's her name?"

"Aiko."

She smiled widely, "That's so cute! Can I pet her?”

"Oh, yeah."

He moved his hand back, prompting a meow. She looked over at Miyoko curiously. She let her sniff her hand before gently petting her head.

Aiko seemed happy enough, not too picky about who was petting her as long as she got attention.

“Dang,” Yosuke said, “Both of you like my cat more than me.”

Yu smiled at him, “Of course.”

“I do have to say that she is cuter than you,” she said it in a teasing tone.

Yu hummed, “I don’t think so.”

Both of them were quiet after that. He looked up. Had he said something weird?

Miyoko was looking at him with raised eyebrows while Yosuke was staring at the ground, the tips of his ears bright red.

“What?”

“I’ll show you around the rest of the house,” Yosuke said, walking a few steps out of the room.

“Oh, okay,” Miyoko said, standing and following him.

Yu frowned. What was wrong with that statement? Yosuke was cute. Was that a weird thing for him to think? Apparently it must have been based on their reactions.

He gave Aiko one last pet before standing and following after them. They showed Miyoko around the house before deciding to all hang out for a while and come up with what they were going to do that night - they couldn’t exactly go ghost hunting before nightfall.

In the meantime though, Yu decided to walk over to his house and grab a few things that he’d need to spend the night. He quickly gathered his pajamas and toothbrush before heading back over. They had been in the living room, so that was where he headed when he came back.

He stopped in the archway, staring at the scene in front of him.

They were sitting together on the couch - sitting together and kissing.

His heart jumped into his throat. He was stunned, not quite knowing what to do. He knew that they had kissed before - Yosuke had told him right after they had their first kiss - but he had never actually seen them do it before.

It took them a few seconds to notice him. Miyoko immediately looked down, her face red. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Yosuke’s expression.

He hesitated, “Sorry.” He didn’t quite know where to go, but he wanted to leave them alone, his chest hurting. After a split second of decision, he opted to turn around and walk back out the front door.

He took a few steps outside before stopping. Should he stay there or should he go back home? Maybe it would be better if he just left completely.

He took a shaky breath, starting the short walk back to his house. He was just about to open his door when he heard his name.

“Yu. Hey, wait!” Yosuke called, hastily closing the door and running toward him. His face was red still too, but there was clear concern in the way he was walking toward him. He stopped in front of him.

He swallowed hard, “Sorry,” he repeated.

Yosuke shook his head, “No, I’m sorry. I… I wasn’t thinking. I still want you to spend the night and everything.”

Yu looked down at his feet, not wanting to meet his eye, “I can go home.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I just… I don’t want to get in the way.”

Yosuke laid his hand on his shoulder, “Dude, you’re not in the way.”

Yu still didn’t want to meet his eye. He said that, but was it really true? There were so many things going on in his head - none of them good.

“I…” he shook his head, “I think I’m just going to go home.”

Yosuke’s grip tightened on his arm, “You really don’t have to.”

He swallowed hard, “I’m not really feeling that good anyway.”

Yosuke was quiet for a few seconds before he took a shaky breath, “All right. I… I hope you feel better.”

Yu nodded robotically, pulling out of his grasp and turning toward the door, opening it and going inside.

As soon as he was in, he ran up the stairs to his bedroom, sitting down on the bed, pulling his knees up to his chest, desperately trying to hold back tears.

Why was this making him so upset? It didn’t make sense. As long as Yosuke was happy, that’s what mattered, right?

He kept trying to tell himself that it was just because he wasn’t getting to hang out quite as much with him alone anymore, but there was an insistent pull in his mind, a pull saying that it was something else. A part of him that wanted to imagine himself there instead, feeling just how soft and warm his lips were. A part of him that wanted to be held by him, to have him wrap his arms tightly around his waist and bask in that comfort and warmth. A part of him that wanted to be-

He forced himself to stop thinking. That was enough.

He definitely did not want to kiss Yosuke. He definitely did not want to lay against his chest. He definitely did not want to run his fingers through his hair. He definitely did not want to date him.

He thought back to the dream he had had the previous night. How warm and comfortable the whole thing had felt. What would it be like to do all that for real? He could only guess that it would be so much better.

He took a deep breath, thinking about something he had asked a few years ago: Why couldn’t they get married? He understood now that it was illegal for two men to get married. He understood that a lot of people didn’t even like two men dating each other. He understood all that, but he still didn’t understand it. Why was it so wrong?

He remembered in that same conversation talking about girls. Yosuke had assured him that he would find a girl that he liked one day. That still hadn’t happened. Was there something wrong with him that he still didn’t feel like that? Was there something wrong with him that he felt that way about Yosuke? Was there something wrong with him that all he wanted to do was kiss him and wrap his arms around him and bury his face against his chest?

What was he supposed to do about all the feelings inside of him? The one person he told about everything was Yosuke, but he couldn’t tell him about this. He couldn’t. He didn't know exactly how he would react, but it wouldn't be good.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there, but when he finally let himself look up, it was dark out.

He took a breath, standing up and walking to the door. He wasn't really hungry, but he figured that he should probably make dinner.

He went downstairs, forcing himself to focus fully on the food, not wanting to let his mind wander.

After he had cooked and eaten, he went back upstairs, sitting down at his desk, and pulling out his homework, just needing to do something to get his mind away from everything.

What were they doing right now?

If he glanced out his window, he could see that the light was off in Yosuke’s room. That meant that they were probably hanging out downstairs. It was almost 9:30, so maybe they were watching a movie or TV. That sounded so much better than what he was doing.

All of a sudden, his phone started ringing. He frowned, pulling it out of his pocket. Who could that be?

His confusion only grew deeper as he saw it was Miyoko. What could she need to tell him? He wasn't even entirely sure if he wanted to talk to her.

Hesitantly, he answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Hey," she hesitated, "I wanted to say sorry about earlier."

He swallowed hard, not wanting to think about that any more than he had, "It's okay."

"I… I think that you should come back."

"Huh?" she wanted him to come back?

"It's just that… Yosuke-kun has been really upset since you left."

Yosuke was upset that he had gone home? He missed him? Why did that thought make his heart start to pound?

"I understand if you don't want to come back. I mean… he's your best friend and it probably doesn't feel good to see him spending so much time with me. I'm sorry about that. I get it if you don't like me."

Yu blinked. Not like her? He wasn't super close to her, but he definitely didn't dislike her.

"I don't. Not like you, I mean."

She took a sharp breath, "Really?"

"You didn't do anything."

"Then… will you come back? It'll make Yosuke-kun really happy."

"I…" he wasn't sure he really wanted to, but if it would make Yosuke happy… "I'll come."

She let out a quiet sigh of relief, "Thank you. I'll see you soon then."

"Yeah, see you."

He hung up the phone, holding it in his hand for a few seconds, just looking at it. He took a deep breath, getting up, and walking toward the door to his room.

He slowly walked to the front door where he stopped and put on his shoes. Anxiety was curling in his stomach. Miyoko had told him that Yosuke had been upset since he had left, but even so, he kept obsessing over the question of what to do if he didn't actually want him there.

He walked over to the house, knocking on the door. A few seconds passed before Yosuke's mom opened the door.

She seemed somewhat surprised, but smiled warmly at him, "Oh, Yu-kun. How are you?"

"I, uh," he didn't quite get to finish his sentence before there was the sound of frantic footsteps. A few seconds later, Yosuke appeared, looking at him with wide, almost hopeful eyes.

“Do you want to actually spend the night?”

Yu shifted his weight, still very anxious, “If that’s okay.”

A look of relief crossed his face, “Yeah, of course.”

“Have you eaten dinner yet?” Yosuke’s mom asked.

Yu nodded, “Yes.”

“Okay, good. We were just about to go to bed, but have fun, okay?”

“We will,” Yosuke said, grabbing on to Yu’s arm and pulling him inside, “Good night.”

“Good night,” she said, heading up the stairs.

Yosuke let him take his shoes off before laying an arm across his shoulders, giving him a side hug, “I… uh, I’m glad that you’re here.”

Yu leaned his head onto his shoulder. He was, in fact, happy that he had come back. That was a big relief. He actually wanted him there then.

“Yeah, sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize.”

They were quiet for a few seconds before Yosuke removed his arm, “We were gonna watch a movie.”

Yu nodded and followed Yosuke into the living room.

Miyoko was sitting on the couch. As soon as she saw him, she smiled and they exchanged greetings. When Yosuke’s back was turned to start the movie, she mouthed to him, “Thank you.”

He smiled. He genuinely did like her. She seemed to want to make sure that Yosuke was happy - and that was all he could really ask of her.

They started the movie, Yosuke sitting in between them on the couch. As it went on, he leaned his head onto his shoulder. He was so warm against his side.

Almost without realizing it, Yu reached up, laying his hand against his head.

It was such a warm and comfortable position. They had done that many times before, just calm and content laying against one another.

It wasn’t long before his breathing started to get very slow and quiet - he had fallen asleep.

He glanced over at Miyoko. She was looking at them with a small smile on her face - a smile that almost seemed sad. Why was looking at them making her sad?

She caught him looking at her, meeting his gaze, her smile shifting to one that was less sad and more knowing.

“You really love him, don’t you?” she asked.

Yu gently ran his fingers through his hair, his chest extremely warm, “I do.”

Chapter Text

May 24th, 2008

Yosuke let out a quiet sigh, rolling his pencil in between his fingers. It was the last period of the day, but it seemed to be stretching on for an eternity. Miyoko had asked to see him after school and he just wanted to get to that part of the day. She had sounded kind of serious and he wanted to know what was up with her.

Because of that, the day was dragging on. He wasn’t even really paying attention to what was going on in class. Although, he wasn’t too worried - Yu would help him study for exams and everything. He always did.

He just let himself stay distracted, the rest of the day slowly passing by.

He was up and out of his seat the second the bell rang. Yu had been there when Miyoko had asked to meet him, so he didn’t need to tell him to go on without him. Instead, he knocked on his desk, getting his attention from his notebook where he was finishing up some last minute notes.

“Hey, I’ll see you later.”

He gave him a soft smile, “Yeah, see you.”

With that, he gave him a small wave, walking over to Miyoko’s desk, where she was just standing up.

“Okay, so what are we doing?”

She shifted her weight, “I need to talk to you about something, but let’s go somewhere less crowded.”

He nodded, anxiety rising in his stomach. She seemed kind of nervous, and ‘needing to talk’ was usually never a good thing.

They started walking together, eventually leaving the school building, not heading the usual way home, but instead to a spot that he vaguely recognized. It was to a small park that was never very populated. They had gone there a few times in the past, but now, there were much different implications to going there.

They stopped next to a tree just off the path. Miyoko was looking down at the ground, biting her lip.

He hesitated. He wasn’t sure that he really wanted to hear what she had to say to him, “So, uh, what did you want to talk about?”

She took a deep breath, “I… um. I’m not entirely sure how to really say this. But… Yosuke-kun, you really are an amazing person. You’re funny and caring and you make me happy to be around, but… I…” she closed her eyes as if steeling herself before looking up and meeting his gaze, “What I’m trying to say is that I think that we should break up.”

Yosuke took a sharp breath. That was what he had been afraid of. His stomach feeling like a pit, his chest aching.

“I…” he turned his gaze down, his voice coming out shakily, “Why?”

“It’s not that I don’t still like you,” her breathing hitched, “I do. It’s just that… Yu-kun…”

He furrowed his brow, looking back up at her. Yu? What did he have to do with this?

“Yu? Did he do something to you or something?” he couldn’t imagine Yu doing something bad to her, but he didn’t understand what else it could possibly be.

“I… Oh, no!” she shook her head, “He’s been nothing but kind to me. It’s just that… even though I like you, it’s just starting to get painful knowing that you’ll never like me as much as you like him. He’s your best friend and I would never ask you to stop being so close to him, but… I don’t think I can be in this relationship anymore.”

Yosuke’s mind was going a mile a minute. What did she mean? He liked them in different ways. He liked Yu a lot platonically, but not romantically. He bit his lip. Definitely not romantically.

“I don’t like him more than you.”

She gave him a sad smile, “We both know that’s not true.”

“It is.”

She shook her head, pausing for a few seconds, “Why did you ask me out to begin with?”

He frowned. Why was she bringing that up? It was such an odd question right now, “I… Because I liked you.”

“We hardly even knew each other.”

“But I wanted to know you.”

She smiled, “And I’m glad that you did. I think though, that there was another reason.”

“Like what?”

“Like trying to distract yourself from the person you really wanted to be with.”

He didn’t like where this was going, “Who?”

She gave him another sad smile, reaching up and laying her palm against his cheek.

He moved his hand on top of hers, holding it there, his voice shaking, “We don’t have to break up.”

She leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss against his other cheek before pulling away, “Yu-kun is really lucky to have you.”

With that, she left, turning down the path and walking away.

He just stood there for a while until the lingering warmth of her kiss faded. There was a lump in his throat and tears were prickling behind his eyes. His chest hurt. He did really like her, so why was she saying that he didn’t? What could he have done differently to make her see that he did?

He also didn’t like what she was implying about Yu. He didn’t want to date Yu. Why would he want to date Yu? Yes, he wanted to spend the rest of his life with him. He wanted to hold him close and fall asleep with him every night. He wanted to experience everything with him. He wanted him to be happy. He wanted him to feel loved. He wanted him to have only good things happen to him for the rest of his life.

Dating him though? He couldn’t. That was weird. They were both boys. Boys couldn’t date boys. That wasn’t how things were supposed to go.

He swallowed hard. He had, at times, wondered what it would be like to kiss him. To gently press their lips together, wrapping his arms around his waist. To lay in his lap and have him run his fingers through his hair. To know that there was no one else he would be that close to - to be able to see him in a way that no one else was able to.

He took a shaky breath, rubbing his eyes with his palms, the strength in his legs giving out as he lowered himself to the ground, leaning against the tree.

Miyoko had said that he had been trying to distract himself by dating her. That… that was definitely true. As soon as he had realized what he was feeling, he had decided to ask her out. He couldn’t deny that. She was right to break up with him. He was such an asshole - trying to use her to run from his feelings.

Even still. He couldn’t date Yu. He absolutely could not.

He was finding it too hard to fight back the tears, letting them begin to drip down his cheeks. If one of them had been a girl, everything would have been so easy. He would be able to kiss him and hold him without anyone ever batting an eye. He was so good and perfect and smart and amazing. He loved him so much that it made his heart ache.

He sat there for a while, his whole body shaking with sobs.

When he finally made himself stand up and look around, the sun was just starting to set.

He wiped his eyes. His throat hurt and his mouth was dry. He had the start of a headache.

He took a breath. There was only one person that he wanted to see right then. But he couldn’t… Not with all the confusing feelings bubbling in his chest.

He started walking toward home.

Before he knew it, he was turning on to the familiar street. He hadn’t even realized just how close he was to home, his brain on auto-pilot. He hadn’t even realized that he wasn’t walking up to his own house until he was knocking on the door.

He took a sharp breath. He couldn’t see Yu right then. Even so, that was the only thing that he wanted.

He had to fight against himself to keep standing in front of the door. He could just run back over to his house and pretend like this hadn’t happened.

The door opened.

He took a breath. It wasn’t Yu who had opened the door, but his mother. She was looking at him with her eyebrows knitted together. He never really understood how to talk to her.

He forced himself not to hesitate or stutter as he spoke, “Hi, sorry to bother you, but is Yu home?”

She frowned at him, “He is, but it’s late and he’s doing homework. He can speak with you tomorrow.”

The thought of not being able to see him until tomorrow made his chest tight, his throat constricting. Even so, he nodded.

“All right. Have a good night.”

With that, he turned and started heading back toward his house, desperately fighting back tears.

He stopped on the sidewalk, looking up toward Yu’s bedroom window. The light was on. He was so close. He stared up at it for a few long seconds before an idea popped into his head.

He quickly made his way back to his house. His parents weren’t home yet. They were going out for dinner that night. He was almost glad that they weren’t there. He didn’t really want to talk about what had happened. He just wanted to see Yu.

He climbed up the stairs to his room, immediately going over to the window and shaking the cup on the sill. They rarely ever used that anymore, but they had kept it, having to replace it a few times over the years - but, it was the most surefire way to quickly get his attention.

He pulled open his window, watching as Yu moved, slowly opening his own.

Yosuke’s breath caught in his throat. He was so unbelievably handsome, his features all so familiar and comforting. He couldn’t date him, but he wanted to so badly.

Yu’s eyes widened as he saw him, “Are you okay? What happened?”

“I…” Yosuke looked down at the window sill. He wanted to be beside him.

He took a deep breath, getting on to the sill and climbing out the window. He was up pretty high - a fall from that height would injure him for sure, but he wanted to see Yu.

“Yosuke? What are you doing? Go back inside. That’s dangerous,” Yu was looking at him with wide eyes, panic rising in his voice.

Yosuke just shook his head, looking at the gap in between their windows. It really wasn’t far at all - not quite close enough that he would be able to touch the other house if he reached out, but definitely close enough to jump over.

He took a deep breath, steeling himself as he jumped.

Yu let out a panicked noise, reaching out the window toward him.

It really wasn’t needed though as he made the jump easily.

“Yosuke! Why did you do that?”

Yosuke pursed his lips. He could easily climb inside Yu’s window now, but he wasn’t sure if that was a good idea seeing as his parents would likely hear the sound of the conversation. He looked up. There was a small overhang above the window.

He reached up, grabbing on to the edge and pulling himself up. There was actually a decent amount of space right there. Enough that they could both sit comfortably. The incline wasn’t too bad either. It would be a good place to be for a while.

He looked down. Yu was halfway out the window, staring up at him.

“What are you doing?”

His voice was hoarse as he spoke, “Come up.”

Yu furrowed his brow, but slowly moved all the way out of the window, standing up, holding tightly onto it.

Yosuke reached down, offering his hand to help him up. He immediately grabbed on to him, pulling him up with him.

As soon as they were both on the roof, Yosuke wrapped his arms around his waist, burying his face against his chest. He was so warm, his familiar smell so pleasant and comforting.

Yu cradled his head against his chest, threading his fingers through his hair, not talking, just being there for him.

It was so easy to let himself go, tears beginning to stream down his face. Yu started whispering gentle, reassuring words into his ear. The simple sound of his voice created such a sense of safety, like nothing bad was ever going to happen to him again.

He wasn’t sure how long they sat there like that, but eventually, he pulled away, looking over at Yu.

His eyes were filled with concern as he reached over and wiped some of the tears from his cheeks. It took so much willpower to not just lean heavily into his touch.

“What happened?” his voice was so gentle.

Yosuke sniffled, “Miyoko broke up with me.”

An expression flashed across his face that he couldn’t quite place before his face softened, once again placing his palm against his cheek.

“I’m sorry.”

Yosuke nodded.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

He shook his head. He really didn’t. It was so much to think about and he didn’t want to voice any of it out loud.

“All right. We can just sit here then.”

Yosuke looked up at him, his gaze focusing on his lips. What would it be like to kiss him? He had kissed Miyoko many times, but he could only imagine it was different to kiss a guy. Were his lips as soft and warm? Was it possible that they could be even softer?

His body started acting without his full consent, leaning up toward him. He had almost fully cleared the distance between them when his brain caught up to everything, panic rising in his chest. He couldn’t kiss him - especially not right then.

He quickly changed course, going to press his face against his neck instead. This was still closer than they usually got, but it was nice.

Yu hummed, beginning to gently stroke his head. This was a good moment, one that he never wanted to forget.

It was always so good being with Yu. Two guys didn’t typically date each other, but what was really the problem there? Surely something that felt this good couldn’t be bad.

Chapter Text

July 20th, 2008

Yu took a breath, putting his jacket on. A few classmates had invited him and Yosuke to hang out that night. He hadn't been too sure about it, but his parents wouldn't be home until the next morning, so there was no real reason why he couldn't go.

He walked to the door and put on his shoes before leaving the house, walking the short distance over to Yosuke’s, knocking on the door. It was already getting to be dusk, the sun about to go down.

He only had to wait a few seconds before Yosuke opened the door, smiling broadly at him.

"You ready to go?"

"Yeah."

"I'm so excited," Yosuke said, stepping outside.

Yu nodded, "Yeah."

At that, they started walking, Yosuke chattering cheerfully about what they were going to be doing. It wasn't long before they reached the place they were meeting them. It was a group of several guys from their class. The only people he had ever hung out with before were Ueno and Watanabe - they had gone to elementary school together.

"So what are we doing?" Yosuke asked as they walked up.

"There's an abandoned house nearby and we want to go explore it," Watanabe said.

That at least sounded like something that would be interesting to do.

There was a little more talking and then they were off. Yosuke was talking and laughing with the other guys, but Yu decided to hang back and just listen. A lot of the time, Yosuke would stay back with him, but ever since he and Miyoko had broken up, he seemed a lot more distant than usual. He kept wondering if he had done something, but he couldn't think of what it could be.

They walked for quite a while before getting to a neighborhood. There was a house on the outskirts that looked clearly abandoned. The roof was caving in on one side, some of the siding was ripped off, and the small yard in front was overgrown and filled with weeds.

They headed up to the house, everyone carefully going inside. Yu was afraid that the floor was going to break when he stepped on it, but it managed to hold his weight just fine.

He looked around. It seemed just as decrepit inside as it did on the outside. There were cobwebs hanging from the ceiling, dust coating the floor, old furniture scattered about, placed at odd intervals.

Everyone began to fan out, looking at different parts of the house. Yosuke was talking to someone, so Yu started wandering around. He climbed up the stairs, opening doors and looking into rooms. It was kind of sad. Someone had lived there once, but now the only things left were dust and pieces of furniture that had been left behind.

There was a closet up there, a brass key sitting in the lock. He turned it experimentally and the door swung open. There was more dust, a few articles of clothing littered with moth holes were hanging from hangers. He closed the door, leaving the key in the lock.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash from downstairs, making him jump. He walked downstairs to investigate. There was the sound of raucous laughter coming from the kitchen area. He walked into the room, pausing.

There was a dish on the floor, shattered into pieces. Sitting on the counter though was a glass bottle with what he assumed was alcohol in it, right next to a case of beer. Where had that come from?

They were opening the case of beer, handing cans around. Someone handed one to him. He took it on instinct, but he didn’t really want it. He really didn’t want to find out what he would be like drunk. What he might say or do. There were things that he was afraid he might say to Yosuke that would make him hate him. Things about how he really felt about him.

As if he had known he was thinking about him, Yosuke caught his eye, walking over.

“How are you feeling?”

Yu shrugged, “Fine.”

He smiled, then gestured to the can of beer in his hand, “You’re not gonna drink that?”

“I don’t know.”

“You can if you want,” he wrapped his arm around his shoulder, “I’ll make sure you get home if you get too messed up.”

Yu rolled his eyes, “My hero.”

He laughed, squeezing his arm around him before letting go, “I am pretty heroic.”

A smile tugged at his lips, “You are.”

“Seriously though. It’s fine if you want to have it.”

Yu pursed his lips, nodding. He still wasn’t sure, but part of him was definitely very curious about what it tasted like. He hesitated briefly before opening the can, bringing it up to his lips and taking an experimental sip. It was carbonated like a soda, but the taste was not great. It was very bitter and almost dry. He pulled it away from his mouth, holding it away. He was definitely not going to finish it.

Yosuke started laughing, “Oh my god, dude. You should see your face.”

“It’s not very good.”

“I see that,” he reached over, taking the can out of his hand. He looked at it for a second before bringing it up to his mouth and taking a drink.

He pulled it away, wrinkling his nose, “Not great.”

“That’s what I said.”

Yosuke hummed, briefly touching his shoulder before walking away, going to go talk to someone else. He was still holding the can in his hand - that was fine. Yu wasn’t going to drink any more of it anyway.

He looked around the room. He really didn’t want to talk to anyone without Yosuke there. It wasn’t that he disliked anyone, it was just that he was better at listening than speaking and starting a conversation - that was always Yosuke’s job.

He slowly wandered out into the living room, looking for something to do. Suddenly, he heard his name.

“Oh hey, Narukami,” Ueno said from across the room. There was a small group of people around him, including Watanabe.

“Yeah?” Yu asked, walking over.

“You’ve never had a girlfriend, right?”

Yu shook his head, “No.”

“How come?”

Yu paused. How did he answer that?

“I’m not interested in any of the girls at school.”

Ueno raised his eyebrows, “A girl at another school then?”

Before he had a chance to answer, one of the other guys pushed his shoulder, “C’mon, everyone knows that Narukami and Hanamura are a couple,” his voice was teasing, but it made his heart pound, his blood rushing in his ears.

There was laughter at that, exclamations about how weird that would be. He did his best to laugh along, but his chest was aching. Why was it such a bad thing for the two of them to be together?

At that moment, Yosuke walked up to them, “What’s up?”

Everyone was still laughing, harder now that he was there.

“Well if it isn’t Narukami’s boyfriend,” Watanabe said.

Yosuke stopped, his eyes wide, face going pale, “Boyfriend?” he stuttered.

“Yeah, boyfriend,” Watanabe said, laughing harder.

Yu’s stomach felt like a black hole. Even at the teasing implication that they were more than friends, Yosuke seemed totally freaked out. That just confirmed to him that he had to keep his true feelings under wraps. He could, under no circumstances, tell Yosuke the truth. He didn’t want him to hate him and never talk to him again.

“What are you talking about?” Yosuke asked.

“The two of you are kind of attached at the hip,” Ueno said.

“Yeah, cause we’re best friends. We hang out a lot.”

Watanabe smirked, “Yeah, whatever you say.”

“We’re not dating!” Yosuke’s voice was almost frantic.

Yu’s heart dropped. Apparently the idea of dating him was worse than he had thought.

“Mhmm,” Watanabe said, “Narukami, you’ve been awfully quiet, have anything you want to admit?”

Yu blinked at him, hesitating, “No.”

“What was with that hesitation?” Watanabe laughed, “Are you sure there’s nothing?”

He was at a loss. What did he want from him?

“Uh, no?”

Watanabe reached out, grabbing on to his arm and pulling him toward the stairs, “Hanamura, you come too.”

“Where?” Yu asked, lost as to what was going on.

“Just come on,” he said, leading him up the stairs.

Behind him, the group was pushing Yosuke up as well. He looked very uncomfortable, but was going along with it.

When they reached the top of the stairs, he led him over to the closet, unlocking it and pulling the door open. He moved Yu in front of him, then pushed him into the small room. He stumbled, nearly falling over, only keeping himself upright by placing his hand on the wall.

Yosuke made a noise, running into him, before there was the sound of the door swinging swiftly closed, the key turning.

Yosuke immediately turned toward the door, trying the handle, but he wasn’t able to open it.

“Hey! What was that for?” Yosuke yelled, his voice indignant.

There was the sound of laughter.

“I’d’ve thought you would like being locked up with your boyfriend,” Watanabe answered.

“Just let us out.”

“Lots of privacy to do whatever you want.”

“That’s not-”

“Don’t worry. I’ll let you out in a while.”

There was then the sound of receding footsteps. Yosuke yelled after them, pounding on the door.

Yu watched him for a few seconds before sighing, sitting down on the floor. It was dusty, but who knew how long they were going to be in there?

After a few seconds, Yosuke turned and walked back over, sitting down next to him.

“Sorry,” he sighed.

Yu shrugged, “It’s not your fault.”

Yosuke looked away, the tips of his ears turning red, “I don’t know where they would get the idea that we’re dating from.”

Yu swallowed hard, “Yeah.”

It got very quiet, the only sound being the loud laughter from downstairs. He had no idea what to say to that. It only served to make his chest twinge and his stomach begin to hurt.

He hesitated for a few seconds before speaking, “I… Would it really be such a bad thing if we really were dating?”

Yosuke took a sharp breath, turning toward him, “What do you mean?”

“I… well… what’s really the problem with us dating?”

Yosuke pursed his lips, “Because we’re both guys.”

“So?”

“Guys aren’t supposed to date each other.”

Yu took a deep breath, looking down at the floor. That was still something that he didn’t get. He had never liked a girl before - that was something that had never happened and he doubted ever would. If anything, dating a girl, kissing a girl, getting married to a girl filled him with such a sense of wrongness that the idea of doing all that with a guy never did.

He wanted to tell Yosuke. He already knew everything else about him and he hated hiding this from him. How would he react if he told him? Would it destroy their friendship? Would it mess everything up? Yosuke was the constant good in his life. He didn't want that to go away. Then again, he wanted him to know this about him. To accept him for this. He didn't have to say that he liked him specifically, but he wanted him to know everything else.

He squeezed his eyes shut, digging his fingernails into his palm, dropping his voice down to just above a whisper, “I think that…” he took a shaky breath. Why was this so hard to say?

“I think that I’m… I’m… gay,” he breathed the last word so quietly, like it was something he wasn’t allowed to say.

Yosuke took a sharp breath, but didn’t say anything. Time seemed to drag out, the seconds turning into millennia.

What was going on? Did he hate him? Was he mad at him? Disgusted?

He wanted to know so badly, but he couldn’t bring himself to open his eyes.

Finally, he spoke, his voice quavering, “What makes you say that?”

He took a shaky breath in, “I… I remember you telling me that I would find a girl that I liked some day. That… that hasn’t happened yet. I don’t get it when people say that girls are pretty or attractive or anything like that. It… it just doesn’t make sense to me,” he hesitated before continuing, “Guys though… I get. Whenever I overhear girls talking about the guys they like, I understand that. I…” he clenched his hand, bringing his knees up to his chest, fighting back tears, “It just feels like there’s something wrong with me.”

Yosuke still didn’t say anything. That was fine. He probably hated him now, but at least he had been honest with him. Despite that though, he wasn’t able to keep the tears back anymore, warm wetness dripping down his cheeks.

“I’m sorry,” his voice cracked.

Suddenly, Yosuke wrapped his arms around him, tightening his grip until it was hard to breathe, holding him against his chest.

“It’s okay,” he whispered, “Don’t apologize.”

“But-”

“You’re still my best friend no matter what, okay?”

Yu nodded against his chest. He didn’t know for sure if he was being sincere with that or not, but just hearing those words created such a strong sense of relief.

He wasn’t sure exactly how long they sat there, safe and content in Yosuke’s arms, the only sounds their quiet breathing, a few escaped sobs, and the slightly muffled laughter from downstairs. Finally though, Yosuke pulled away, loosening his grip.

He lifted his hand up, using his thumb to wipe some of the tears off of his cheeks.

“I… you’re not mad at me?”

He shook his head, “Of course not.”

“You’re not weirded out or disgusted or upset?”

“No… I,” he looked away, “Yu, I-”

He was cut off by the sound of knocking coming from the front door, the happy noises of all the people there pittering out, getting replaced by panic. There was some yelling - words that Yu wasn’t able to fully make out, the only thing he understood was the word ‘Police’.

His blood ran cold. The police were there. They were trespassing and they had alcohol. This was not good. What would his parents do if he got arrested?

He didn’t even realize that he was breathing heavily until Yosuke laid his hand on his chest, “Hey, it’s okay. We just need to be quiet and wait for them to leave.”

Yu closed his eyes, nodding, trying to take back control of his breathing.

There was more yelling and loud footsteps. They sat there, waiting until all the commotion stopped. Eventually, the yelling ceased. Before long though, there were footsteps coming up the stairs.

There were the noises of doors opening and some talking back and forth. Then, they stopped in front of the closet door.

The doorknob jiggled, but the door didn’t open, still locked without the key that Watanabe still presumably had. Yu stared at it with wide eyes, his heart pounding. Yosuke reached over, grasping his hand, squeezing it.

After what seemed like an eternity, the footsteps started again, retreating back down the stairs. They kept going until there was the sound of the front door closing.

Only then did he let himself relax, letting out a long breath, leaning his head against Yosuke’s shoulder.

“Oh my god,” Yosuke said, letting out a small laugh, “I was for sure we were gonna get caught.”

Yu nodded, the adrenaline slowly draining from his body.

They stayed like that for a few seconds before a realization came over him and he pulled away from Yosuke.

“Wait, how are we going to get out of here now?” Presumably everyone they had come with had left - that meant no key.

Yosuke’s eyes widened. He readjusted himself, pulling his phone out of his pocket, beginning to text someone. Yu watched him with rapt attention. He waited a few seconds after finishing typing, staring at the screen. Before long, he frowned, letting out a small groan.

“I texted Watanabe. He said that he’ll come back in a few hours.”

“A few hours?”

Yosuke nodded, furrowing his brow and typing. He stopped after a few seconds, taking a deep breath, “Now he says in the morning.”

Panic was starting to rise in his chest, “I can’t wait until the morning. I need to be home when my parents get back.”

Yosuke bit his lip, “What time are they gonna be back?”

Yu shook his head, “I don’t know. Early.”

He nodded, “I’ll make sure you’re back in time.”

Even though he said that, there was still so much anxiety roiling around in his gut.

They just sat there for a while, Yosuke’s arm laying around his shoulders. He was just trying to calm himself down enough to think - to try and come up with some way out of this. He suddenly remembered that Yosuke was going to say something when all the commotion earlier had happened. Hearing that might take his mind off of things.

“Hey, what were you going to say earlier?”

He furrowed his brow as if thinking, before a look of realization crossed his face. His cheeks flushed red and he looked down at his lap. He took a long while before speaking.

“I… uh. I’m not weirded out by you liking guys because… um, well, there’s one guy that I also think that I like like that. Like, one guy that I wonder what it would be like to kiss and do all of that kind of stuff with.”

Yu blinked. A guy that he liked? What did that mean? Who could that be?

“And who’s that?”

Yosuke took a deep breath before looking up, meeting his gaze, “You.”

Yu’s breath caught in his throat. Yosuke wanted to kiss him? He liked him as more than just friends? Did he want to date him? Did he want to be with him? Did he want to do everything that Yu wanted to do with him?

“Yosuke,” his name was the only thing that he was able to get out.

“I… I, uh, understand if you don’t feel the same way,” he looked away, “But I just wanted to tell you.”

He was moving before he even had time to think, laying his palm on his cheek, guiding his head to look back toward him, leaning in and pressing their lips together.

Yosuke made a small, surprised noise before wrapping his arms around his neck, pulling himself closer.

His lips were so amazing. So soft. So warm. So pleasant. So tender. It was indescribable, the sensation so much more intense than anything his imagination had been able to come up with.

A pleasant tingling sensation radiated out over his skin, making him lightheaded, his whole body so warm.

He started languidly moving his thumb across his cheekbone, the skin so smooth and nice to touch. With his other hand, he reached out, putting it on his hip, as if holding him there.

It was so nice and comfortable - like something that he had been waiting to do for far too long. There was absolutely no way that this was bad.

He wanted the moment to stretch on forever, but, before long, he pulled away, the need for air too strong, pressing their foreheads together. They were both breathing hard, panting. Even just the small contact of their foreheads was amazing.

Very slowly, he opened his eyes. Yosuke immediately met his gaze, his eyes full of nothing but warmth and adoration. It made his chest light, his stomach fluttery.

“I… I’ve also been wondering what it would be like to kiss you," Yu said.

“Really?”

“For a long time.”

“Was it good?”

“It was amazing.”

He was quiet for a few seconds, “Yu… I love you. I love you so much that my chest hurts every time I look at you,” he grabbed hold of his hand, bringing it up against his chest. Beneath his fingertips was the constant, steady thrum of his heart.

There were tears in his eyes. This all felt like some kind of wonderful dream. He could hardly believe that it was real, “I love you too.”

Yosuke pulled away a little bit before leaning back in, pressing a series of kisses onto his forehead, trailing them over his temple and down onto his cheek. He started laughing, the sensation tickling.

“So I guess they weren’t totally wrong when they said you were my boyfriend.”

Yosuke groaned, “I was just starting to forget about that.”

“How? It happened like thirty minutes ago.”

Yosuke shrugged, “I blocked it out already.”

Yu laughed, “Impressive.”

Yosuke looked away, “But… does that mean that you… that you want to actually go out?”

Yu’s face felt hot as he nodded, “If… if that’s all right with you.”

“I would like that - a lot,” he pursed his lips, “We can’t tell anyone though.”

Yu nodded, “Yeah. I don’t even want to think about how my parents would react.”

Yosuke winced, “They’re the last people I would want to find out.”

They sat there for a few more minutes, basking in each other’s company. There were a lot of things to consider about what they were doing, but those things could come later. For the time being, he just wanted to live in the knowledge that Yosuke liked him back and actually wanted him to kiss him. Wanted him to date him. Wanted him to love him.

After a while though, he pulled away, an idea slowly forming in his head, “This is an old house, right?”

Yosuke seemed thrown at the change in subject, “Uh, yeah?”

“Do you think that we could like break the door down to get out?”

Yosuke blinked at him, “I… I guess so.”

He smiled at him, pulling away and getting to his feet, moving to the back of the closet.

Yosuke stared at him, “Hold on, why am I the one doing it?”

“You said earlier that you were going to make sure I got home.”

Yosuke pursed his lips, standing up, and facing toward the door, “Where do I kick it?”

“Probably next to the doorknob,” that seemed like the place that would be the weakest.

Yosuke nodded, taking a deep breath before lifting his leg, kicking toward the door. As soon as his foot made contact, there was the sound of splintering wood. He pulled back before doing it again, his foot making its way through the door.

He moved back, reaching forward and trying the door. It swung open without any difficulty.

Yu had been used to keeping some thoughts entirely to himself, but with the conversation they had just had, he was now free to voice them. He hummed, “You do have really nice legs. That was pretty hot.”

Yosuke let out a choking noise, turning to face him, “Yu!”

“What?”

“You can’t just say things like that.”

“Why not?”

“Cause… it’s…” he waved his arms as if demonstrating something.

“It’s what?”

“I…”

“I’m not allowed to compliment my boyfriend?” his heart started pounding as he said that word, his whole body light.

Yosuke’s face turned red as he looked down at the ground, “C’mon, let’s go.”

Yu smiled, “Okay,” he walked over, grasping on to his hand, twining their fingers together. His hand felt so right in his, almost as if they were meant to go together.

It was dark out, so they were able to keep holding hands the whole way home, never having to worry about what other people would think if they happened to see them.

When they finally arrived at Yu’s house, he was extremely reluctant to let go of his hand, already knowing that he was going to miss his warmth.

They stopped by the front door.

“So,” Yosuke said.

“So.”

“I… uh… Is it weird if I kiss you goodnight?”

Yu’s heart sped up. He shook his head, “No. I’d like that.”

Yosuke smiled at him, leaning forward and once again pressing their lips together. He didn’t let it linger, pulling away, squeezing his hand before letting go.

Yu felt lightheaded, staring at him, “This isn’t a dream, is it?”

Yosuke laughed, “No, it’s definitely real.”

He nodded, “Good.”

He looked into his eyes for a few seconds more, “Well, uh, goodnight then. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Yu leaned forward, gently pressing his lips against his cheek, “Goodnight.”

With that, he turned, walking inside. He wanted to stay out longer, but he knew that if he allowed himself to stay for as long as he wanted, he would never make it home.

He very quickly got ready for bed. Everything that he did had an almost dreamlike quality to it. He couldn’t believe all that had just happened. Yosuke was his boyfriend. His boyfriend.

As he crawled into bed, his phone went off. He grabbed it, smiling to himself as he saw it was a message from Yosuke.

Yosuke
Goodnight <3

Yu responded, his chest extremely warm.

Yu
I love you. Goodnight.

The nature of their relationship had forever shifted, turning away from being just friends to being something more. He didn’t think that they could ever go back to the way things had been before, but he didn’t mind it. Kissing Yosuke, being with Yosuke. If that’s what he could have for the rest of his life, he would be happy.

He clutched his phone up against his chest, warm and content as he fell asleep, wants and hopes for the future extremely bright.

Chapter Text

August 8th, 2008

Yu eagerly folded the last shirt, placing it into his bag. He was leaving in about an hour - leaving to go on a camping trip with Yosuke and his family. They went on some sort of trip most summers, almost always inviting Yu along with them - but his parents had always said no. However, for some reason, when he had asked this time, they had finally agreed to let him go. He didn’t really understand why, but he wasn’t about to question it.

He looked around his room, checking to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything, before zipping his bag up, grabbing it, and heading over to Yosuke’s.

Yosuke’s parents were both standing in the driveway next to the car, looking like they were loading things into it. He walked over to them.

His mom looked over as he approached, breaking out into a wide smile. They all exchanged greetings.

She reached over, laying her hand on his shoulder, “I’m really glad you’re able to come with us.”

Yu smiled, “Me too.”

“Do you have everything you need packed?” she asked, gesturing at the bag in his hand.

“Oh, yeah, I do.”

“Then why don’t you leave your stuff here and go make sure Yosuke’s up.”

“Is he not awake yet?” he furrowed his brow. They were leaving soon enough that he would have to rush to get ready if he wasn’t up.

She let out a small sigh, “I woke him up, but I don’t know if he actually got up or not.”

“I’ll go check on him,” Yu said, setting his bag down before walking over to and into the house. He climbed up the stairs, knocking lightly on his bedroom door before opening it.

He sighed.

He was still asleep.

Despite himself though, he couldn’t be mad at him. He was curled up in the fetal position, facing toward the door, grasping on to his blanket, hair falling across his forehead, mouth open ever so slightly. He looked so calm and content that he honestly felt a little bad that he was going to have to wake him up.

He walked over to the bed, crouching down next to it, reaching his hand over, and placing his palm against the side of his face.

“Yosuke,” he said gently, “It’s time to get up.”

His brow furrowed slightly as he let out a small groan. Despite that, he didn’t actually wake up.

He frowned, an idea forming in his head.

He leaned toward him, gently pressing their lips together. He didn’t stay for very long, keeping it very chaste as he slowly pulled away.

Yosuke let out a light breath, his eyes blinking open.

“Good morning,” Yu said, smiling as he looked up at him.

“Goo’ morning,” he yawned, "What're you doing here?"

"We're leaving soon."

He sat up, stretching his arms over his head, "Oh, right."

"Get ready to go. What do you need to pack still?"

Yosuke flashed him a smile, "I packed everything last night."

"Oh really? So there was a plan to not getting up on time?"

"Don't I always have a plan?"

Yu opened his mouth to answer, but before he could say anything, Yosuke leaned forward, pressing their lips together once again. He sighed happily into the kiss, closing his eyes. He didn't think he would ever get over the feeling. He wanted to keep doing that for the rest of his life.

After a few seconds, he pulled away.

"Okay, I'll get ready now," he moved off the bed, standing, and pulling some clothes out of his dresser.

Yu looked away as he got changed. They had changed in front of each other many times in the past, but it felt different now that they were dating, like something he shouldn't really be looking at.

He instead started making his bed - an excuse not to watch him.

Before long though, he was done changing, leaving the room to go to the bathroom.

Yu leaned back onto the bed, waiting for him to come back. It was still warm from where he had been sleeping on it. He turned over, letting his head rest on the pillow, closing his eyes. It smelled like him. It was nice.

A few minutes later, the door slowly creaked open. There was a small pause before Yosuke spoke.

"And you were mad at me for sleeping in."

Yu cracked his eyes open, "I wasn't mad."

Yosuke hummed, walking over to him. He was expecting him to sit down on the bed with him or try to pull him up, but instead, he threw himself down, tackling him.

He made a noise of alarm, Yosuke wrapping his arms and legs tightly around him, pinning them together.

"Yosuke!"

He laughed before burying his face into his neck. It was kind of nice, but he also didn't like to be pinned down.

At that moment, the door opened. Yu looked up in alarm.

Yosuke's mom was standing there, her eyebrows raised, "I was just coming to check on you."

"I'm almost ready," Yosuke said, letting go of him.

Yu was mortified. Did she suspect that they were dating? How would she react to that? He didn’t want her to hate him.

"Okay, be down as soon as you can,” she turned and walked away.

“Okay,” Yosuke called after her, sitting up.

He didn’t say anything about what had just happened. Was he not phased at all?

He didn’t even really notice he was talking to him until he put his hand on his shoulder, “Yu? What’s up?”

He blinked, looking toward him, “I…” he frowned, “Do you think your mom thinks something’s going on between us?”

His expression shifted to understanding. He shrugged, “I dunno. She hasn’t said anything to me about it. And what just happened - it’s not like I haven’t touched you like that before.”

Yu considered that. It was true that Yosuke had never been shy about touching him, but even still, he was worried about her suspecting something.

“You’re worrying too much,” Yosuke said.

Yu pursed his lips, but didn’t say anything more. He just didn’t want her to find out. It had gone well confessing it to Yosuke, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to push his luck again.

Yosuke pushed his shoulder, “Come on, you ready to go?”

Yu nodded, standing up. They walked back outside to the car together before getting into the backseat. Yu was so extremely excited, his mind filled with the possibilities of what they would be doing.

It was a fairly long car ride - about two and a half hours. There was a pleasant buzz of conversation throughout the car, mixing with the sound of the radio. Yosuke had brought a game with him and he leaned his head on his shoulder, watching him as he played. It was comfortable like that - comfortable enough that after a while he almost fell asleep. The only reason why he didn't was the fact that they had just pulled up to the campground.

That immediately perked him up, looking around at everything outside. The whole area was filled with tall pine trees. There were a few people around, but very few and far between.

It wasn’t long before they got to their campsite. Yu got out of the car and stretched, his joints popping. The first thing he really noticed was how different the air there was as compared to the city. It smelled a lot cleaner. Although, he supposed that made sense with the lack of cars and people all the way out there.

The first thing that they did was put up the tents. Yosuke’s parents had their own, so that meant he was sharing one with Yosuke. He had never put up a tent before, but it wasn’t too horrible to do. It took them about a half an hour, but, before he knew it, they were inside, setting their things down.

He was on his knees, moving their sleeping bags over to the side when Yosuke came in, zipping the door up behind him. Why had he closed it?

He didn’t have to ponder that for too long before he got down next to him, kissing him lightly on the lips.

“Do you want to go swimming?”

“Where?” he had told him to bring a swimsuit, but he had no idea where they would be swimming around there.

“There’s a little lake just a little ways through the forest.”

Yu nodded, “Okay. That sounds fun.”

“Get changed then,” he lightly pushed his shoulder.

Yu went over to his bag, pulling out the swimsuit he had brought. Yosuke was doing the same thing, digging through his own bag.

He started changing, pulling off his shirt. He had just taken his pants off when he looked up to see Yosuke staring at him, grinning.

“What?”

“Nothing. You’re just really hot.”

His face felt hot, his heart pounding as he looked down at his feet, “I… uh, thanks.”

Yosuke laughed, going back to changing himself.

He very quickly changed the rest of the way, putting his swimsuit on.

Once they were both ready, they left the tent. Yosuke’s parents were both walking around, finishing setting up their tent and the rest of the campsite.

“We’re going swimming,” Yosuke called to them.

“Did you put on sunscreen?” his mom asked.

“Oh, not yet,” Yosuke said.

His dad opened up a bag, pulling out a bottle of sunscreen and throwing it over to Yosuke. He caught it easily.

“Have fun.”

“We will,” Yosuke said, grabbing hold of Yu’s arm and pulling him toward a trail.

As soon as they got out of sight, Yu pulled his arm away, instead reaching down and grabbing hold of his hand. Yosuke smiled as he looked down, squeezing his fingers.

They kept walking, Yosuke chattering cheerfully beside him, until they got to the lake. It genuinely was very tiny. There was no one else there though, so they headed down to the small dock jutting out on one side.

“Do you want me to put sunscreen on you?” Yosuke asked, holding up the bottle.

“Oh, yes please.”

Yosuke grinned, squeezing some out into his hand. He dabbed some out onto his finger tip, reaching up and spreading it over his face. He did like it a lot when he touched his face, and this was no different.

Once he was done with his face, he started spreading it over his chest, “You know, maybe I’m just using this as an excuse to feel you up.”

Yu rolled his eyes, “You say that as if you don’t touch me every time you get the chance.”

Yosuke hummed, “Maybe.”

He let out a small laugh, “Not ‘maybe’. You do it all the time.”

“I don’t hear you complaining.”

“I’m not. I like it.”

Yosuke’s face turned red as he looked away. He kept putting the sunscreen on him, eventually moving on to his back. Yu did the same for him. He also liked putting it on him. It was nice running his palm across his smooth skin.

It wasn’t long before they had both put the sunscreen on, also making sure to get their arms and legs.

“Okay, you ready to actually go swimming now?”

Yu nodded, “Yeah.”

Yosuke smiled, grabbing on to his hand and pulling him over toward the edge of the dock. He let go, not hesitating as he jumped into the water.

Yu watched him, crouching down. He wasn’t sure if he really wanted to go in after all. He only had a vague idea of how to swim to begin with, only ever going to the pool a handful of times.

Yosuke turned to face him, “Come on.”

“I don’t know.”

Yosuke groaned, “What do you mean you ‘don’t know’?”

He hesitated, “I don’t really know how to swim and I’ve never gone in a lake before.”

He pursed his lips, “I’ll teach you, come on.”

Yu still didn’t move.

Yosuke let out a small sigh, bracing his hands on the dock and pulling himself up out of the water. He reached over, wrapping his arms around him.

He let out a small yelp - he was cold and wet. Suddenly, he picked him up, lifting him off of the dock. He didn’t like where this was heading.

“Yosuke!”

“You’re going in the water.”

Yu wrapped his legs as tightly as he could around his waist, burying his face against his neck.

Yosuke paused for a few seconds before walking forward, “If you don’t let go, I’m just going to make you go in with me.”

He didn’t say anything, still just clinging to him.

He waited a few more seconds before walking forward. There was a small sensation of weightlessness before they hit the water. It was extremely cold, making him let out a yelp. It was a nice contrast to the heat of the day though.

He didn’t let go of Yosuke even as he released his arms from around him. They were floating in the water, but he wasn’t sure if he would be able to do that by himself.

Yosuke laughed, “See? You’re fine.”

Yu nodded, still not letting go.

"C'mon, you'll still float even if you let go," he pried his arm off of his neck.

He kept holding on to him with his legs, but let his arms fall into the water by his sides. Slowly, he pulled his head back.

"Legs too."

Yu pursed his lips, taking his time as he released his legs. To his relief, he stayed afloat. He had swum before in the past, but it had been a long time. Luckily, his body still remembered what to do.

"Look, you're doing great."

He nodded, looking down. He had definitely overreacted about that, "Sorry."

Yosuke laughed, "Why are you apologizing? Besides, it was kind of cute."

Yu's face felt like it was on fire, his heart racing in his chest.

Yosuke let out a small sigh, reaching over and pushing his wet bangs out of his face, "And cute when you're embarrassed too."

He wanted to move his head down, but Yosuke's hand was still on his face.

Yosuke let out a small laugh, leaning forward and kissing his nose.

He pulled back, looking as if he was considering something before grabbing on to his hand, swimming underneath the dock.

"What are we doing?"

Yosuke turned toward him, grinning, "You'll see."

He wasn't sure he liked how he said that, but he followed him anyway.

Yosuke moved Yu's arms so that they were wrapped around his neck.

"What happened to letting go of you?"

"That was before. I want you to do it now."

He didn’t entirely understand what he was going for, but he just let him maneuver him. He positioned him so that his back was pressed up against the wooden post of the dock.

Yosuke grasped on to his waist before leaning closer in and pressing their lips together. The water was still cold - even more so underneath the dock - but his mouth was so warm. He tightened his grip, squeezing his arms around his neck. Yosuke reached down, grabbing on to the back of one of his thighs and pulling his leg up to rest it against his side.

Yu opened his mouth, his whole body tingly, pressing his tongue against his lips. He quickly opened his mouth as well, letting him move his tongue inside. He let out a short moan into the kiss, the sensation of their tongues against one another so good. This was one of the more intimate times that they had kissed, usually just leaving things simple and chaste.

Yu slid one of his hands up to the back of his neck, tangling his fingers into the short strands of hair there. It was damp from the water.

Yosuke slowly pulled away, both of them breathing hard, before leaning back in and trailing his lips down his jaw and onto his neck. He tilted his head back, giving him full access as he started focusing his attention onto one spot, lightly sucking at the skin. Pleasant tingles radiated out from that spot, making his whole body light.

After a few seconds though, a realization dawned on him. He pushed his shoulder, “Don’t leave a mark.”

Yosuke groaned, stopping for just a second before starting again.

“Yosuke.”

He stopped, moving his lips away, instead burying his face into the crook of his neck, “I like doing it though.”

Yu smiled, “You can do it when I can put a shirt on to hide it.”

Yosuke hummed, “Okay. But remember that you said that.”

With that, he leaned back up, pressing their lips together again, reaching his hand down and beginning to rub it against his bare chest and stomach. That made him lightheaded, the sensation the only thing that existed in that moment.

All of a sudden, there was the sound of creaking wood above them, then Yosuke’s mom’s voice, “Yu-kun, Yosuke-kun, are you two here?”

The two of them immediately pulled away from each other. Yu was out of breath, and it seemed like Yosuke was as well. His mouth was dry and his stomach was turning with nervous anxiety.

Yosuke took a deep breath before calling, “Yeah, we’re here.”

With that, he started swimming out from under the dock, letting go of Yu. He immediately missed how he had felt pressed up against him, but didn’t let himself linger on it for too long, swimming after him. By the time he had reached the dock, Yosuke had already gotten out of the water.

“You forgot to bring towels, so I brought some to you,” she was explaining.

Yu hoisted himself out of the water, going to stand beside Yosuke.

“Oh, thanks,” Yosuke said.

She smiled, handing him the folded towels, “And lunch will be ready in just a little bit, so come back soon.”

“Okay, we will.”

At that, she turned and left, heading back toward the campsite. Yosuke put the towels down on the dock.

Yosuke turned to Yu, “Do you wanna keep swimming?”

He raised his eyebrows, “Swimming or ‘swimming’?”

“I mean, we could continue where we left off.”

A small smile tugged at his lips, an idea forming in his head. He reached out, grabbing on to his hand and tugging him in the direction of the water. He went without any resistance, stopping right in front of the water.

He raised his hand up, placing it gently on Yosuke’s cheek, leaning in and lightly pressing their lips together. He didn’t let them linger for very long, instead bringing his hand up and placing his palm against his chest.

He wasted no time in moving his arm forward, pushing him into the water.

Yosuke yelped, falling backwards, hitting the water with a loud splash. After a few seconds, he resurfaced, glaring at him, his hair in his eyes.

Yu started laughing, the look on his face absolutely ridiculous.

“I can’t believe you. Using your body to trick me.”

Yu smiled at him, crouching down, “You’re the one who fell for it.”

Yosuke pursed his lips. Then, something like determination flashed through his eyes as he reached out of the water, locking his hand around his ankle.

He had barely enough to register what was happening before he was being pulled into the lake. He held his breath as he hit the water, immediately resurfacing for air.

Yosuke was smiling at him, “Okay, that was kinda fun.”

Yu glared at him, moving his arm in a wide arc in front of him, splashing him with water. Yosuke was immediately on the offensive, splashing him back.

Yu brought his hands up defensively in front of his face, not being able to hold back a laugh. He quickly splashed him back.

They went on like that for a little while, moving around in the water, doing their best to dodge out of the way, until they were both entirely out of breath.

"Okay," Yosuke laughed, "Truce."

Yu couldn't resist splashing the water one last time, not quite reaching him, but enough that a small wave moved against his chest.

"Wow, I see how it is. Trying to get me even after I've stopped fighting," he shook his head in mock disappointment.

Yu laughed, "Maybe I like playing dirty."

"Oh yeah, you do that all the time," his tone was sarcastic, "It's probably about time for lunch though if you want to go."

Yu nodded, "Okay."

They quickly got out of the water, drying off, and heading back toward the campsite.

Everything was set up when they got back. They both got changed out of their swimsuits and then all had lunch together. It was a little bit later than normal - about 3pm, but it was good after all the swimming.

When they were finished with that and had cleaned everything up, Yosuke suggested that they go for a walk out in the forest. Yu agreed and they started walking.

It was very pretty out there. Tall pine trees surrounded them, the branches creating a dappling of sunlight on the pine needle covered forest floor.

They walked close together, their arms brushing. He would have really liked to hold his hand, but they occasionally came across other people and they didn't want to be doing that in front of others.

The whole time, Yosuke was talking to him, pointing out little things around the forest that he thought were interesting.

It was kind of nice to just be walking with him for a while, not concerned about going anywhere, just taking the time to hang out and wander around.

After a while, the path they were on started angling up until they got to more of a hill. They decided to walk up it.

It ended up being a larger hill than they realized as they kept walking for longer than they had intended. The views were nice though, the trees trailing down the side of the hill.

By the time they reached the top, the sun was starting to get low in the sky. He would have guessed that it was about 5 or 6.

There was a tall tree there and Yosuke grabbed on to his hand, leading him over to it.

"Do you want to climb it with me?"

"Why?"

"Cause it'll be fun."

Yu shrugged, "Okay."

He watched as Yosuke reached up, grabbing hold of a branch and pulling himself up onto it. Once he was up, he reached down, offering his hand to Yu. He took it, letting him pull him up as well.

They repeated that on two more branches, getting fairly high into the tree. It was a tall tree so that meant that the branches were still strong enough to easily hold them, even as high as they were.

They were both sitting on the same branch, feet dangling over the side.

Yosuke turned to face him, giving him a smirk, "So?"

"So what?"

"We're up high enough that no one can see us."

Yu looked down, the ground far below them. It would definitely be hard for anyone to see them from where they were in the tree.

"And?" he knew full well what he was trying to imply, but he found it fun to make him spell it out for him.

"Dude."

"What?"

Yosuke groaned, "Do you really not get it or are you just messing with me?"

Yu laughed, "I'm messing with you. I don't want to do anything in a tree though."

"Why not?"

"I don't want to fall."

Yosuke pursed his lips, "All right. That makes sense."

Yosuke looked at him for a few seconds, as if considering something, then scooted toward him on the branch so they were sitting closer together.

He leaned his head onto his shoulder, grabbing on to his hand, pressing their palms against each other.

Yu hummed. That was nice. He began to gently move their fingers together, just enjoying the feeling of closeness.

The view from up there was actually very pretty - they could see the entire way down the hill, the entire thing covered in green trees. A river snaked its way through the landscape, eventually ending in a blue lake. It was a different lake than they had swum in - that one was too small to really see from where they were.

They sat there for a long while, not talking at all, just being together.

He could have done it for longer, but Yosuke lifted his head up, pulling away slightly as he stretched his arms over his head.

"Ready to go back?" Yu asked.

Yosuke nodded, "Yeah, we probably should."

They descended back down the tree. When they got to the bottom branch, Yosuke jumped down onto the ground. Yu sat down on the branch, not wanting to jump all the way from standing.

Yosuke reached up, offering him his hand. He took it, letting him guide him down. Yosuke touched him all the time - they had also started holding hands extremely often, but, for some reason, doing it in that context made his heart start beating faster in his chest.

Instead of letting go, Yu pulled himself toward him, leaning in and pressing his lips gently against his cheek. He didn’t let them linger, immediately pulling back.

Yosuke’s face flushed red as he brought his hand up to his cheek, “What was that for?”

“Thanks, for helping me down.”

“I, uh,” he stammered, “Yeah, no problem.”

Yu smiled warmly at him before beginning to walk in the direction they had come from. It took a second for Yosuke to start moving, having to run a little to catch up.

They slowly made their way back to the campsite.

When they got there, Yosuke’s mom was just starting to work on dinner. Yu immediately went to go help her, cutting up vegetables while she cooked. They had done something like that on occasion - she had actually shown him a lot of recipes that he would cook for himself when his parents weren’t home.

Yu found that he really enjoyed cooking with her. There was something so nice and comfortable about cooking with someone else. Something that he never got when he was at home.

By the time they were finished, the sun was just beginning to set. They had a pleasant dinner together, then, after they had eaten and cleaned everything up, they started working on a campfire.

It was fun getting kindling and slowly building up the fire. What was even more fun though, was sitting around it as it got totally dark, listening to and occasionally participating in the conversation that was going on. Yosuke’s dad was telling a story about a time when he was younger and had gotten lost in the woods with some friends. Yu was listening with rapt attention, wanting to catch every detail.

He always loved those moments the most, just feeling like he was involved with and welcome within Yosuke’s family.

Yu was sitting in a chair, but Yosuke had grabbed a blanket, spread it out on the ground in front of him, and sat on it, leaning back against his legs. He was worried at first that his parents would think it was weird, but neither of them batted an eye. He did suppose that it wasn't too out of the ordinary for their friendship to do something like that.

He was beginning to realize that there were a lot of things like that - he was just noticing them more because he was so anxious about getting caught. They had probably always been a little too physically intimate for two best friends though. At least that was working in their favor.

Before he knew it, he was yawning. It must have gotten pretty late. They had also done a lot of physical exertion that day, so he was sufficiently exhausted.

"I think it's time for bed," Yosuke's mom said after a while, stretching her arms over her head.

There were a few murmurs of agreement and they all started getting up, heading toward their respective tents, saying good night as they went inside.

They changed quickly into pajamas before heading to their sleeping bags. Yu unzipped his, getting inside. He was just about to zip it up again when Yosuke flipped it back, crawling in with him.

"What're you doing?"

"Going to bed."

"You have your own sleeping bag."

"I wanna cuddle with you."

"It's gonna get too hot."

"So? We can leave it unzipped."

"Yosuke."

"Yu."

They looked at each other for a few seconds. Yosuke was smiling at him.

He sighed, "Fine."

Yosuke didn’t waste any time as he wrapped his arm around his waist, pulling him down with him as he laid back, nuzzling his face against his neck. Yu didn't put up any resistance, instead moving his arms around his back as well, pulling him against his chest.

It was kind of warm, but he did have to admit that it was quite nice. He closed his eyes, ready to fall asleep, when, suddenly, a realization popped into his head.

"Isn't this the first time we've slept together since we started going out?"

Yosuke let out a small laugh, "Oh, I didn't realize that's what we were doing."

Yu frowned, taking a second to understand what he was implying. He let out a quiet sigh, "You know what I meant."

Yosuke hummed, "Yeah,” he paused, “You're right though. This is the first time."

Yu pressed a soft kiss to the top of his head, then buried his face into his hair. He smelled so nice.

He would honestly be happy to stay like that forever, a little too warm, but in the best way possible.

He slowly drifted off to sleep, happy and content, excited to see what they would be doing tomorrow, ready to spend the next few days with Yosuke and his family, feeling totally like he belonged with them.

Chapter Text

December 19th, 2008

Yu was laying on his bed, holding a book above him, reading. He was starting to get tired, having to reread passages because he hadn’t actually processed what the words were saying. That meant that it was probably about time for him to go to sleep.

He was just sitting up to go get ready for bed, when his phone started ringing. He grabbed for it, answering the call, and pressing it against his ear - it really could only have been one person.

“Hello?”

“Yu! Come outside,” Yosuke’s excited voice sounded from the phone.

“Why? It’s late.”

“Go look out the window.”

Yu furrowed his brow, but complied, walking over to his window, blinking in surprise.

It had started snowing.

There was already a little bit sticking on the ground, covering everything in a blanket of white.

“How long has it been snowing?”

“You really didn’t notice?”

“No.”

“What were you doing?”

“Reading.”

“Sounds about right.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. It’s just a very you activity,” there was a pause, “Come outside with me.”

“It’s like 10 though.”

“So? Your parents aren’t home, are they?”

Yu hesitated. They weren’t. They wouldn’t be back until the next week. It might actually be fun to do something with Yosuke.

“What do you want to do?”

“I don’t know. Just like hang out and wander around.”

He paused, “All right. I’ll be down in just a minute.”

“You better be.”

He let out a small laugh, “See you.”

He hung up the call, going around his room and getting dressed in more winter appropriate clothing. He had a pair of boots in his closet that he grabbed down before heading toward the front door. He put on his heavy coat, the boots, and a pair of gloves, then walked outside.

Yosuke was waiting for him on the sidewalk, grinning as he came out, “How’s it going?”

He walked up to him, smiling as he wiped snowflakes from his hair, “It’s cold.”

“It’s the price to pay for snow,” Yosuke grabbed his hand, “Come on.”

Normally, he would have chastised him for holding his hand while they were outside, but it was dark and no one was around due to the snow. Besides, his hand was so warm against his.

They walked for a little while, Yosuke chattering about whatever came to mind. He honestly could just listen to him talk for hours on end without getting bored.

After a while, they got to a more populated part of town, having to let go of each other’s hands. He was disappointed, but they still walked close together, their shoulders brushing, snow crunching underneath their boots.

He was surprised to find that there were several stores still open this late - not nearly as many as there would be during the day, but he was honestly surprised to find that there were any at all outside of the red light district.

A few people gave them odd looks as they passed by - they were probably wondering why two middle schoolers were out this late - but they paid them no mind, instead just continuing to walk.

The streets were actually really pretty. They were all coated with a thick coat of snow, even more softly falling from the sky. There were lights strung up around trees and buildings, making the whole area have an almost other-worldly feel to it.

He could walk through this place for hours with Yosuke - the only thing that would make it better would be if they could hold hands. He decided to not linger on that thought for too long though, instead focusing on the pretty lights and the warmth of Yosuke walking beside him.

After a while, they decided to head into a late night diner to go get something warm to drink. If anyone asked any questions, they could just say that they were in high school - they were both 14, it was close enough.

They sat down in a booth, facing each other. Yosuke ordered a hot chocolate while Yu settled for some mint tea.

“So, is there anything specific that you want to do?” Yosuke asked.

Yu shrugged, “I don’t know. You’re the one who wanted to come out.”

“Yeah, but you must have something you want to do in the snow.”

“Just walking around is kind of nice.”

“You just want to walk around?”

Yu shrugged, “Is there something you want to do?”

Yosuke considered that for a few seconds, “Do you want to like build a snowman or something?”

Yu smiled, “That sounds like fun.”

“Okay, so let’s find someplace to do that after this.”

He nodded, taking a sip of his tea.

When they were finished, they paid for their drinks - Yosuke insisted on paying for both of them - a sentiment that made his heart flutter - and then they headed out in search of a place to build a snowman.

They wound up circling around to almost the street their house was on. There was a small park nearby where they could build it along the path.

They found a spot, then started working together to begin rolling the snowballs that they needed.

While Yu began stacking the snowballs together, Yosuke walked off, coming back a little while later holding a handful of rocks.

“We can make the face and stuff with these,” he explained.

Yu nodded, grabbing two out of his hands, and placing them where the eyes would go. Yosuke took over from there, placing the mouth on, as well as a nose.

After that, they pulled back, admiring their handiwork.

It wasn’t the best looking snowman ever, but he still liked it a lot - he had built it with Yosuke, after all.

Yosuke hummed, “I like it.”

Yu nodded before leaning his head onto his shoulder, “I do too.”

Yosuke lifted his hand up, laying his palm against the side of his head. They stayed like that for a few seconds before Yosuke pulled away.

Yosuke got a wide smile on his face before grabbing on to his hand, sitting down in the snow, pulling him down with him.

Yu let out a yelp - the snow was really cold.

“Yosuke!”

He laughed, “What?”

“Why did you do that?”

Yosuke laughed, still holding his hand, he laid back, once again, pulling him with him until they were both laying on their backs in the snow.

Yu immediately shifted over, laying his head on Yosuke’s chest. He really didn’t want to get his hair wet.

Yosuke began softly running his fingers through his hair.

He closed his eyes, leaning in to the touch. It was still really cold, but it was also really nice. It had stopped snowing, so there was only the fridgedness of the snow beneath them.

There was no one else there and it felt like they were the only two people left in the world. Really, if he had to pick only one person to spend the rest of his life with, it would be Yosuke - there was no question about it.

Yosuke let out a quiet sigh, “You know, I really wish we could see the stars better from here.”

Yu opened his eyes, staring up at the sky. The moon was visible, but the rest of the sky was an inky black void. Even though they were in a park, they were still inside of the city, light pollution making it nearly impossible to see the stars above them.

“Maybe we can go on a trip sometime to the country to see them.”

Yosuke moved his arm down around his shoulders, squeezing him closer against him, “That sounds fun.”

“Let’s figure out where to go when we get back.”

Yosuke made a sound of agreement.

Yu wasn’t sure how long they stayed there like that, staring up at the sky, enjoying being so close to one another. Eventually though, he started getting sleepy, his consciousness beginning to fade. It probably wasn’t the best idea ever to fall asleep out in the snow, but being with Yosuke, he just felt so safe, like nothing bad could ever happen to him.

Before long, he was falling asleep, so unbelievably content.

When he woke up, he was pressed up against something warm, swaying a little. It took him a second to figure out what was going on. Yosuke was carrying him - his arms wrapped around his neck, legs around his torso, being held tightly.

He nuzzled his face into the side of his neck. It was so much warmer there than it was facing the outside air.

Yosuke let out a small laugh, “You awake?”

He groaned - he wanted to go back to sleep.

“You fell asleep, but I figured that it was about time to start heading home. I… you’re really cute when you’re sleeping and I didn’t want to wake you up.”

His face was hot as he pressed it further into his neck. He thought he was cute? They had been dating for a while, but it still always made his heart pound when he said things like that.

“What? Are you embarrassed?”

“No.”

“Yeah, you totally are. You’re super cute, Yu. You’re adorable and pretty and attractive and-”

“Stop it.”

Yosuke laughed, “And I love you.”

“I love you too,” his heart was racing, his whole body light. He didn’t think he would ever admit to him that he liked it when he said things like that - but he really really did. He wanted to be the only one that he ever thought about like that. He didn’t know if that was selfish, but it was a want that he desperately had.

It was quiet between them for a few minutes. He probably could have walked by himself now, but he was enjoying being carried - and Yosuke wasn’t complaining about it at all.

“So, do you want to go back home or do you want to come spend the night with me?”

Yu hummed. It was barely even a consideration. Spend the rest of the night totally alone, or spend it in Yosuke’s bed, cuddled up, warm and content, against his side.

“If you don’t mind me coming over.”

“Of course not. I like it when you do.”

Yu smiled against his neck, “Can I borrow some clothes? Otherwise we’re going to have to stop by my house first.”

“Luckily, you’re also really cute when you’re wearing my clothes.”

Yu let out a sigh, “Is everything that I do cute?”

Yosuke seemed to consider that, “Almost everything.”

“What isn’t cute?”

“Oh? Getting defensive now? I thought you didn’t want me to call you cute.”

“Yosuke.”

He laughed, “I’m not gonna tell you.”

“Why not?”

“Keeping you on your toes.”

“What does that even mean?”

“Just don’t worry about it. You’re cute basically all the time.”

Yu rolled his eyes. If he didn’t want to say whatever it was, he wouldn’t push him on it.

“Yeah? Well, you’re pretty cute yourself.”

“No.”

“No?”

“I’m not cute. I’m hot.”

Yu groaned, but a smile tugged at his lips, “All right. You’re hot.”

“Thank you.”

He let out a quiet laugh.

“Okay, we’re almost there.”

Yu looked up. They were, in fact, turning down the street that they lived on. It wasn’t long before they were walking up to the house.

He set him down before they walked in the door. His legs were weak from being suspended, so he stumbled a little, but managed not to fall by holding on to Yosuke’s arm.

They walked into the house, heading up the stairs, and into Yosuke’s room. Aiko was laying on his bed, meowing at them as they walked in.

Yu immediately went over to her, stroking her head, and scratching behind her ear. She started purring at the attention, narrowing her eyes.

Yosuke placed some pajamas down on the bed beside him, “I’m pretty sure you love the cat more than you love me.”

Yu shrugged, “Maybe.”

“Oh, wow. That was supposed to be your moment to reassure me,” he changed the pitch of his voice a little, “No, Yosuke, I don’t love Aiko-chan more than you.”

He couldn’t help but smile, “Is that what you think I sound like?”

“My impressions are spot on.”

“Oh yeah, they totally are.”

“Is that sarcasm?”

“No, of course not.”

Yosuke knocked him on the shoulder, “Get ready for bed.”

Yu nodded, giving Aiko one last pet before standing up and grabbing the clothes Yosuke had given him. He quickly changed into them - the pajama pants were just a little bit too long, bunching at his feet - otherwise, they were a similar enough size that everything fit well.

They went and got fully ready for bed, taking turns in the bathroom. By the time he was done, Yosuke was already laying in bed, watching him as he entered the room.

Yosuke hummed, “I was right. You are really cute wearing my clothes.”

Yu turned the lights off, sitting down on the bed, “Maybe you should dress me up sometime.”

Yosuke hummed before a wide, almost suggestive grin overtook his face, “Or I could dress you down.”

Yu’s face felt like it was on fire. He grabbed one of the pillows on his bed, throwing it at him. Why did he have to say things like that?

Yosuke laughed, “I didn’t hear a no.”

Yu pulled the covers back, laying down next to him, “Maybe someday.”

He hummed, “Okay, that works.”

Yu scooted closer to him, nuzzling his face against his chest, breathing in his scent. Yosuke wrapped his arms around him, holding him against his side.

He really wished that every night could be like this.

Chapter Text

October 11th, 2009

Yu sighed, rolling his pen in between his fingers. He really needed to get this essay done before tomorrow. After he finished this, there was also a decent amount of math homework that he still had to get done. It wasn’t his ideal way to spend his Sunday, but it could have been worse.

All of a sudden, his phone started ringing. He frowned, picking it up from where it was sitting beside him on his desk, and checking the caller ID - it was Yosuke. He answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Yuuu.”

“What?”

“I’m bored.”

“Have you finished your essay yet?”

There were a few moments of silence before he answered, “No.”

“Then work on that.”

“That’s so boring though.”

“Yeah, but it’s due tomorrow.”

He let out a groan.

Yu couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips, “If you come over, we can work on them together.”

“You mean that?”

“Yeah. You just have to promise to actually work.”

“I will.”

"Okay, then come over."

"Be right there."

With that, he hung up the phone.

Yu smiled, setting his phone down on his desk. He took a few seconds to write down one more sentence in his essay before standing up - Yosuke was probably going to be there in just another minute.

Just as he reached the bottom of the stairs, there was a knock on the front door. He walked over, opening it.

"Hey," Yosuke said, walking inside, and taking off his shoes.

"Ready to do homework?"

Yosuke groaned, "Yeah."

Yu smiled, "It's not that hard."

"Easy for you to say."

Yu rolled his eyes, "You're more than smart enough that it's not hard. You just don't want to do it."

There was a slight tinge of pink on his cheeks, "So, it's hard."

"Whatever you say. Come on."

He grabbed on to Yosuke's arm, leading him up the stairs and into his room.

Yu went back over to his desk, sitting down again. Yosuke walked over to his bed, opening his bag, and pulling out a couple of notebooks.

"So, do you want to do anything tonight?" Yosuke asked.

Yu shook his head, "I can't. My parents are supposed to be home."

Yosuke pursed his lips, "That sucks. What time are they getting back?"

"They said around 6, but I don't know for sure."

Yosuke nodded, "Okay, but we have all the time until then."

A small smile tugged at his lips, "Yeah, to do homework."

"You're no fun."

"I don't think homework is supposed to be fun."

Yosuke groaned.

"Work on your essay."

"Fine."

It was quiet for a few minutes, during which time, Yu was able to write another few sentences. Yosuke quickly started up speaking again.

"We should go see a movie tomorrow."

"Maybe."

"Cause there's this new one that just came out that-"

"Are you working on your essay?"

Yosuke pouted, looking down.

It was quiet for another few minutes. Enough time that he was able to finish the paragraph he was working on and move on to the next one.

"We really should go though. We saw the first one together like two years ago."

Yu suppressed a groan. He liked hearing Yosuke talk, but he needed quiet in order to write.

"Tell you what. If you're quiet and you finish your essay, we can go tomorrow."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

With that, it was quiet for a while longer - longer than it had been before. He was able to write several paragraphs, getting into the conclusion.

"What time do you want to go?"

"We'll figure it out later."

Yosuke hummed, "We should really look up the times."

"After you finish."

“But what if-”

Yu sighed, “If you don’t finish your essay, then we’re not going to go at all.”

“But-”

“You promised to actually work when you came over.”

“It’s boring though.”

“So?”

“It’s more fun to hang out with you.”

Yu closed his eyes, “Well, the faster you get it done, the more time we’ll have to hang out.”

Yosuke seemed to consider that, “All right. That’s a pretty compelling point.”

Yu let out a small laugh, “So work on it now.”

After that, it was quiet for a long time. Yu managed to finish his essay fairly quickly.

When he looked over to Yosuke, he was diligently writing, splayed out on his bed. He really was smart, and when he put his mind to something, he could get it done - it was just that if it was something that he didn’t want to do, he oftentimes lacked the motivation to actually do it. He hoped that he would be able to successfully encourage him to do his work all throughout the rest of school.

Yu was about halfway through his math homework, when Yosuke let out a loud sigh, “Done.”

Yu turned to face him. He was still sitting on his bed, stretching his arms into the air.

“Good job.”

“I’m pretty amazing, I know.”

“Now math homework.”

“Yu,” Yosuke whined.

“What? That needs to get done too.”

“But I just did so much.”

“And this is all that’s left.”

Yosuke groaned, “You should reward me first.”

Yu blinked, “Reward you?”

“Yeah.”

“How?”

Yosuke raised his eyebrows at him, grinning, “Come here.”

Yu furrowed his brow, “Why?”

“Just come here.”

Yu slowly stood up from his chair, watching as Yosuke moved all of his things off the bed.

As soon as he reached him, Yosuke grabbed on to his arm, pulling him down beside him. He moved his hand up, laying his palm against his cheek, before leaning in, and gently pressing their lips together.

Yu sighed happily into the kiss - math homework forgotten for the time being - reaching out and grasping on to one of his hands, intertwining their fingers. Pleasant tingles radiated out from all the spots where they were touching. He never wanted it to stop.

They slowly moved their lips against each other - chaste, but still good.

Yosuke took his hand off of his cheek, placing it down again onto his waist - as if he was holding him there. He really liked it when he would hold on to him. It made him feel safe - secure.

After a while, Yosuke pulled away, pressing their foreheads together, breathing hard. His own lungs were burning, but he wanted to keep kissing him.

Yosuke moved his hand from his waist, slipping it under the hem of his shirt, running like fire across the bare skin of his hip.

He let out a small gasp at the sensation. He didn’t understand how such a small touch could feel so good.

After a little while of that, Yosuke grabbed on to the edge of his shirt, pulling away for a few seconds to lift it up and off of him.

His heart was pounding. The last, and only, time they had kissed when he hadn’t had a shirt on was when they had been swimming together. There was something so different about being shirtless wearing a swimsuit and being shirtless while in otherwise normal clothes. He didn’t hate it, but it was also a little bit scary.

Yosuke kissed him again, laying his hand against his bare chest, repositioning him, pushing him down onto the bed.

With his head against his pillow, he opened his eyes, staring up at Yosuke, who was laying above him, breathing heavily. His face was flushed, his eyes filled with so much affection.

This was nice in its own right - Yosuke laying above him, their bodies pressed together. It was so pleasant and warm; a place that he loved being. It really felt like nothing could possibly go wrong in those moments.

Yosuke moved his hand, laying it against his cheek, “Is this okay?”

Yu nodded, leaning in to the touch, “It’s better than homework.”

Yosuke laughed, “Good.”

Yu reached his arm up, laying his hand against the back of his head, tangling his fingers into the short strands of hair there. It was so soft and silky to the touch.

He leaned up, closing his eyes as he pressed their lips together once again.

Yosuke began running his hand across his stomach before sliding it up against his chest. He could probably feel just how fast his heart was racing.

He sighed happily into the kiss, just totally enjoying the close contact. If there was a world where they could do this every single day, that was the world he wanted to live in.

He wasn’t sure how long they did that, when, suddenly, there was the sound of hinges squeaking.

He didn’t quite register at first what that meant for a few seconds, his mind totally lost within the kisses and touches. As soon as it did register though, his mind instantly began to devolve into panic.

Yosuke seemed to realize at the same time as him, sitting up and off of him. Yu immediately sat up as well, forcing himself to look in the direction of the door.

His mother was standing there, her slightly dumbfounded expression quickly being replaced by something like anger as she looked on at them.

“What exactly are the two of you doing?” her voice was harsh and intense.

Yu winced, casting his gaze down at his legs.

This couldn’t be happening. This was all just a bad dream. There was no way that she had just found out about them. There was no way that she knew. She couldn’t know. What was going to happen? How had they not even heard her come in? How had they not been able to react until it was too late?

There were tears in his eyes and his breathing was starting to get hard to control.

He was vaguely aware of Yosuke moving a little bit further back away from him, squeezing his arm. Then he was reaching over, handing him his shirt that had gotten discarded earlier.

Yu swallowed hard, pulling the shirt on over his head. That did make him feel a little bit better, but not by very much.

His mother narrowed her eyes at them before striding over to the bed and grabbing on to his arm. His breathing hitched as she pulled him up off of the bed, holding him close to her side.

She turned her gaze toward Yosuke, “I don’t want you coming anywhere near my son.”

Yosuke took a sharp breath, “I-”

“I don’t want you manipulating him into doing things like that,” her voice was pure vitriol.

Yosuke turned his gaze away, staring down at the floor.

Yu wrenched himself out of her grasp, anger and frustration rising up in his chest, his voice coming out louder than he intended, “He didn’t manipulate me into doing anything.”

At that moment, there were footsteps from out in the hallway, his father stepping into the room. He looked over all of them, frowning, “What’s going on?”

His mother started talking, explaining to him what had happened.

While she was talking, Yu looked over at Yosuke, easily catching his eye. He looked anxious and panicked.

Yosuke took a deep breath, giving him a small smile, then mouthing the words, ”It’ll be okay.”

Yu didn’t really believe that, but he nodded back. Even so, he really hoped that it would be fine. That nothing bad would come of this situation. That was an extremely far off hope though that only got further and further away with his mother’s angry tone as she spoke.

It really did feel like the world was ending. What was she going to do? He didn’t think that he would be able to live without Yosuke. The simple thought of that made him start to panic, tears forming in his eyes.

“In any case,” his mother was saying, “I’m not allowing this to continue. This is ending. Now.”

The panic was rising higher into his throat. He shook his head, fighting to keep the tears from falling, “No. It can’t.”

She raised her eyebrows at him, “There’s no room for discussion here. I won’t have you doing - whatever this is - with another boy.”

“Why not?” his voice cracked, “Why can’t I do what makes me happy? I love Yosuke and I can’t-”

“Love?” she scoffed, “You’re fifteen.”

“So?”

She paused for a moment before letting out a long sigh, “Obviously, you’re being difficult just for the sake of being difficult. If you’re not going to behave, I’m going to find a relative for you to stay with for the foreseeable future.”

Yu’s eyes widened. Find a relative for him to stay with? She was trying to separate them?

Bringing up the reality of being separated from Yosuke, instead of just a thought in his head, made him want to start crying, intense dread creeping in from the corners of his mind.

“Wait,” Yosuke said, standing up from the bed. He took a deep breath, “If… If we break up, will you let him stay?”

He turned and stared at him, his breathing starting to get way too fast. Break up with him? They couldn’t break up. They couldn’t…

He was just saying that, right? Saying that they would break up when everything was going to actually just stay like it was? Saying it just to trick his parents. He couldn’t be suggesting it happen for real.

His mother seemed to consider that. It was a few long seconds before she answered, “I suppose that would be fine. But - if I get even even an inkling that anything else like this is going on, there will be no more deals.”

Yosuke nodded, his movements stiff, “I understand. Thank you.”

“Good. Now please leave.”

Yu took a sharp breath, taking a step toward him, but his mother reached out, grabbing on to his arm, her grip so strong to the point that it hurt.

Yosuke grabbed his school stuff from where he had left it before turning and heading toward the door, not looking back. His hands were clenched tightly around the strap of his bag, his knuckles turning white.

Yu stared after him. He wanted to talk to him. He wanted to know what he had been thinking. What his plan was.

His parents were talking to him, but he wasn’t paying attention. He didn’t care what they had to say anymore.

There was the sound of the front door closing from downstairs.

Something snapped inside of him.

He tugged his arm violently out of his mother’s firm grip, immediately going for the door.

“Yu! Get back here right this instant.”

He barely even registered her words, instead running down the stairs and toward the door, stopping very briefly to tug on his shoes before going outside.

He looked over toward Yosuke’s house. He hadn’t quite reached his front door yet.

“Yosuke!” he called, sprinting as fast as he could down the sidewalk.

Yosuke turned with a start, watching him as he ran toward him. He stopped in front of him.

“Yu, I…” he bit his lip, turning his head down.

Yu was panting a little bit as he laid his hand on the side of his arm.

“I… Please tell me that you weren’t being serious when you said we were breaking up. I… I don’t want to break up with you. Please tell me that it’s not real.”

Yosuke took a deep breath.

He moved his head, training his steady gaze on his face, looking him right in the eye.

“Yu, I’m sorry, but I really was being serious. I’m breaking up with you.”

Chapter Text

October 11, 2009

“No, no, no, no, no,” Yu said, pulling away from Yosuke, tears beginning to drip down his cheeks, “You can’t. I…”

Yosuke winced, looking down, “I’m sorry.”

Yu shook his head. He couldn’t breathe.

He couldn’t stay there anymore. He needed to go somewhere else. Somewhere away.

He turned around, not hesitating as he started running down the sidewalk. He didn’t know where he was going, just that it needed to be anywhere but there.

“Yu! Wait!” Yosuke called after him.

He didn’t stop, just continuing to go, his voice slowly fading into the distance.

What was happening? Why was he breaking up with him for real? Was it that he had been wanting to break up this whole time and this was a convenient reason to do it? What if he actually hated him? What if he didn’t want anything to do with him anymore?

There was nothing but the sound of his shoes against the pavement, his breaths ragged, sobs occasionally breaking through.

After a while though, he stopped, needing to catch his breath.

He looked around him, instantly recognizing where he was. This was the park where he and Yosuke had built a snowman together the previous winter. They had come there pretty often on walks after that too.

He walked a little ways though the park before getting to a bench. It was overlooking a small creek that ran through the entirety of the park. He hesitated briefly before walking over and sitting down on it.

He immediately brought his legs up, hugging them to his chest, pressing his face against his knees, trying desperately to get control of his breathing back.

He couldn’t believe this was happening. It all felt like a horrible nightmare. What was he supposed to do now?

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, tears falling down his cheeks, when, suddenly, he heard his name.

His heart stopped.

Yosuke.

Yosuke was calling for him.

He had come after him.

Why had he come after him?

He didn’t call back, just listened as his voice started getting closer and closer. He wasn’t sure that he wanted him to find him. Then again, he was always the one he went to when he needed to be comforted about something. Although, was this really something he wanted to get comfort from him about?

He didn’t have time to ponder that question very hard before there was the sound of footsteps coming up behind him.

“Yu. You can’t just run off like that.”

He just shook his head.

There was a pause, then some more movement as he came over, sitting down beside him, immediately wrapping his arm around his shoulders, pulling him against him.

Yu didn’t hesitate as he buried his face against his neck, the sobs only growing louder and harder.

Yosuke began running gentle fingers through his hair, whispering soft words of reassurance.

“I’m so sorry,” there were tears in his voice as well.

Yu forced himself to take a deep breath, “Why? Why do we have to break up?”

Yosuke was quiet for a few seconds, “I… I don’t know how to put into words just how much you mean to me… It’s not that I want to break up, but… the idea of losing you…” he squeezed him closer against him, “I can’t stand that. I’m not willing to risk losing our friendship over us dating. I’m sorry, but I’m just not. If… If they find out… I would rather have you by my side every day as just your friend than not be able to see you ever. I…”

Yu brought his hand up, grasping on to the fabric of his shirt, listening as he started crying in earnest, his whole body shaking.

That did make some amount of sense to him - the idea of not being able to see Yosuke was so horrible - but still, why did that have to mean they stop dating? Why couldn’t his parents just let him be happy? Why did they have to do this?

“I don’t want to lose you either.”

“You know,” Yosuke said through his tears, “I actually made a promise to myself a long time ago that I would always stay with you, but I never imagined having to do this. I… I don’t know what I would do without you though.”

Yu bit his lip, “I told myself that I was going to marry you when we were kids.”

Yosuke tightened his grip around his shoulders, “Maybe we still can. Sometime in the future, when we don’t have to deal with your parents and we can be together without having to worry.”

“I would like that.”

Yosuke took a deep breath, “Okay, when we’re adults. For the time being though…”

Yu nodded, “I know.”

They couldn’t be together right then.

That was the condition.

What if something happened between now and then though? What if Yosuke found someone that he actually could date? Someone who didn’t have a condition to be with him. Would he really stick around to wait for him?

He didn’t want to wait for then. He wanted to be with him now. He wanted to kiss him, and cuddle with him, and hold his hand.

He loved being friends with him and wouldn’t trade that for the world, but he also loved the romance between them. He didn’t want either of them to end.

He wasn’t sure how long they sat there, pressed up against each other, listening to their own quiet sobs as well as the creek flowing by in the background, but, after a while, Yosuke took a deep breath, pulling away from him.

Yu let out a soft noise - he didn’t want him to go. He didn’t want this moment to ever end.

Yosuke reached his hand up, laying it gently against his cheek. His palm was so warm. He leaned heavily into the touch, closing his eyes.

After a few seconds, his warm breath brushed against his face before he gently pressed their lips together.

It was so extremely warm, his lips so soft and tender against his. But - it was also tinged with something else. Something sad. This wasn’t just a normal kiss. This was a goodbye. A goodbye to what their relationship had been and how they had been living for the past while.

After what was far too short a time, Yosuke pulled back. Yu made a noise of discontentment - he didn’t want him to go. He wanted this one last kiss to last for the rest of forever.

Despite his wishes though, he pulled away, letting his hand drop to his side.

“We should get going back home.”

Yu hesitated before nodding. He didn’t want to go home. He didn’t want to face his parents.

Yosuke stood up, Yu pausing for several seconds before following suit.

Yosuke looked at him for a few seconds, furrowing his brow, “Are you cold?”

Yu blinked. Was he cold? Now that he had mentioned it, he actually very much was. It was extremely chilly out and he was just wearing a short sleeved shirt.

“A little bit.”

“Here,” Yosuke pulled the sweatshirt that he had been wearing over his head, handing it to him.

“You don’t have to-”

“Just wear it, okay?”

Yu nodded, slipping it on over his head. It was so much warmer with it on. It smelled like him too.

Yosuke stared at him for a second before looking away, “Come on, let’s go.”

Yu bit his lip, following after him as he started walking. He really wanted to reach out and hold his hand - but he couldn’t. Not anymore. That realization made his heart ache and his throat constrict.

They walked back in almost total silence. It wasn’t awkward or bad per se, but it was far from the usual easy feeling he usually got whenever they were together. Was this how it was going to be from then on? He didn’t want it to feel this way around him.

After a while, they reached his house, stopping in front of it.

Yosuke hesitated, “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Yu took a deep breath, nodding, “Yeah.”

“Good night.”

“Good night.”

With that, Yosuke turned, walking the rest of the way over to his own house.

Yu closed his eyes, turning toward the door, steeling himself. He had to go face his parents no matter how much he didn’t want to. He reached toward the door handle, forcing himself to push through his hesitation.

He stepped inside, managing to get his shoes off before there was the sound of footsteps, his mother appearing in the archway between the living room and the entranceway.

She let out a sigh, “You can’t just run out like that. That was extremely irresponsible of you.”

Yu just nodded, clenching his hands, his fingernails digging in to the flesh of his palms. He was trying so hard to keep from crying.

“I assume you formally broke things off then? I don’t want you ever doing anything else like that ever again. Do you understand?”

Yu nodded again, not able to hold back the tears any longer. Why did he have to break up with him? Why couldn’t they just be together? What real stake did she have in his relationships? Why couldn’t she just let him be happy?

He couldn’t keep from letting out a loud sob, immediately bringing his sleeve up over his face, doing his best to try and stifle it.

Suddenly, his mother was right next to him, wrapping her arms around him, pressing his face against her shoulder. He let out a noise of alarm. What was she doing?

She began running her hand against his hair, hugging him. He was so shocked that the sobs all but stopped. He couldn’t even remember the last time she had done something like this.

“It’s okay,” she whispered, “I really do love you. I only want what’s best for you.”

The initial shock of the situation was starting to wear off, the sobs starting up again. He did suppose that in some way, she was right - she did love him in this distorted, twisted way in which the only thing that mattered was his success for the future. Dating another boy was not something he should be doing socially, hence, to her, he shouldn’t be doing it. She genuinely thought that this was the best thing for him. That being said, he very much did not agree with that assessment.

After a few more seconds, he pulled away from her, wiping under his eyes with his sleeve, “I’m going to go to bed now.”

“We’ll talk more about this tomorrow.”

He nodded, walking past her, and up the stairs. He didn’t want to talk about this anymore. It was already way too much.

He bypassed his bedroom, heading into the bathroom. Everything that he did to get ready for bed was completely done on autopilot as he forced himself to not think about what was going on.

After he was done in the bathroom, he headed back to his room, putting on pajamas.

He looked around the room, his breath catching as he looked out the window. The blinds were about halfway open and he could see the light from Yosuke’s own bedroom window. He walked over to them, closing them completely, shutting himself off from outside.

He sat down on his bed, taking a deep breath, running his fingers over the blankets. Just a little bit ago, they had been kissing right there. Now, he had no idea when they would be able to do anything like that again - or even if they would be able to do it.

He had been able to hold back tears while he was getting ready for bed, but they were slowly forming in his eyes once again. He sniffled, standing up.

He looked toward his desk, eyes locking onto the sweatshirt that Yosuke had just given him. He had set it down on the back of his chair after he had come back from the bathroom.

He hesitated for just a second before walking over and pulling it on.

It smelled so much like him.

He turned off the lights, walking back over to the bed, flipping the hood up over his head. He got into bed, curling up with his knees against his chest, closing his eyes, willing sleep to come. He so desperately wanted to be away from reality for a little while - to be away from all of the pain and uncertainty inside his mind.

After some time, his exhaustion slowly kicked in, his consciousness slowly slipping away.

October 12, 2009

He didn’t sleep well for the rest of the night, constantly waking up, every time having just a tiny moment where he didn’t quite remember yet what had happened - a moment of calm and peacefulness before everything hit him once again. He wished that he could just stay asleep - that way he wouldn’t have to go through that every time.

Finally, at about 4am, he decided he wasn’t going to go to sleep anymore, instead, just staring blankly up at the ceiling.

After a while, there was movement in the house as his parents got up and got ready for work. He just listened to the noises, numb to anything else. Finally though, the front door closed.

He sighed, rolling over, and staring at the wall. If they were gone, that meant it was around 7am. Class started at 8:30 and he and Yosuke usually met up at 8 to walk there. He should really be getting up now to get ready.

He did not get up.

He just kept staring at the wall. He didn’t want to do anything. He just wanted to lay there.

He was laying there for a while, when, his phone started ringing. He let out a deep sigh, finding it.

It was no surprise who was calling - Yosuke.

His heart wrenched as he saw his name on the contact. He had thought he was done crying, but tears began to prick behind his eyes once again. He looked over to his clock - it was 8:05 - he was probably waiting for him to show up so they could walk to school.

He swallowed hard, not answering the call, standing up, his legs unsteady as he walked over to the window.

He pulled the blinds back, having to look out at a weird angle in order to see the street down below.

Yosuke was standing there, phone pressed up against his ear as he stared up at the house. His expression was distraught - he wanted so desperately to go down and see him - but, at the same time, that was the last place he wanted to be.

Why did it feel so weird to want to be next to him? He was always the most safe and constant person in his life. He didn’t want it to feel weird or strange or awkward to be near him. Why was this happening?

A few seconds later, his phone stopped ringing. He watched as Yosuke slowly pulled his phone away from his ear, frowning as he began typing on it.

His phone buzzed with a text.

Yosuke
Hey are you coming to school today?

He looked at the message for a few seconds before taking a deep breath, typing back a reply.

Yu
Sorry. I’m not feeling very good. You can go without me.

Outside, Yosuke was staring down at his phone, biting his lip. He reached up, wiping at his eyes, before beginning to type again.

Yosuke
Ok. I hope you feel better

Yosuke paused for a few seconds before turning, and heading down the street in the direction of the school.

Yu moved back from the window, tears beginning to drip down his cheeks. He threw his phone onto the bed before sitting down on the floor, burying his face in his hands. He hated this so much. Why was this happening?

He sat there for a little while before standing up, taking a deep breath. He needed to find something to distract him - that would help, wouldn’t it?

He walked out of his room and down the stairs. He briefly thought about getting something to eat - he hadn’t eaten since lunchtime the previous day - but decided against it. He wasn’t really hungry.

Instead, he walked into the living room, sitting down on the couch. Watching TV seemed like a good distraction. There wasn’t a ton of effort that went into doing that, so it would be pretty easy to do.

He turned the TV on, the channel defaulting to the news. He stopped for a second to listen to what they were saying.

“-Island, the number of people afflicted with Apathy Syndrome appear to be on the rise once again. People afflicted with this condition, otherwise known as The Lost, among several other symptoms, lose the ability to care for themselves. It’s a very concerning situation that-”

Yu frowned. That didn’t sound very good. He hoped that those people ended up being all right.

He flicked through some channels, but, everytime he stopped on one, it made his chest tighten. Any sort of TV show that he had watched, he had first started watching it with Yosuke. It brought back memories of sitting together, sometimes leaning on each other, or laying together - things that he desperately wanted to do.

He wanted to sit on Yosuke’s bed as he laid with his head in his lap, gently running his fingers through his hair. He wanted to listen to his voice as he gave a commentary on the show they were watching, coming up with inane theories or hopes for what was going to happen. After the show was over, he wanted to lean over him, peppering his face with kisses until he started laughing, pushing him away because it tickled too much.

He took a deep breath, leaning back against the couch, turning the TV off. He really didn’t want to keep crying.

He kind of wanted to go see Aiko. Being in her company would do him wonders. She would probably climb into his lap and start purring. That sounded really nice.

The only thing was that she was at Yosuke’s house. He definitely didn’t want to go over there - especially not while Yosuke was home. That idea was too much for him.

He stood up, walking over to the window, looking over toward the other house.

He blinked. Through the window, he could see that there was a light on as well as some movement. Was someone home? Could it have been one of his parents? If it was one of them and Yosuke wasn’t there yet, they could let him in so he could go see Aiko, meaning that he wouldn’t have to face him.

He hesitated briefly before walking over to the front door, kneeling down, and putting on his shoes.

He walked the familiar way to Yosuke’s house, pausing in front of the door. He took a deep breath as he lifted his hand up, knocking.

He only had to wait a few seconds before there was the sound of footsteps, the door opening a second later to reveal Yosuke’s mom.

She furrowed her brow, “Oh, Yu-kun.”

He bit his lip, “Hi. Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if I could come see Aiko-chan.”

Her expression softened, “Yes, of course.”

She stepped aside and he headed inside, taking his shoes off.

He hadn’t entirely expected it, but being inside there was making his gut wrench. He could only think of everything that he had ever done with Yosuke in this house.

He clenched his fists, trying his absolute best to keep from crying in front of Yosuke’s mom.

She had yet to move away, staying in the entranceway with him.

She took a deep breath, “Yu-kun, I… Yosuke told me about what happened. I just want to let you know that I’m here for you if you ever need anything, okay?”

Yu’s breath hitched. She knew. If she knew, why was she saying that? He didn’t want to look at her. Tears were building up insistently in his eyes, threatening to fall at any moment.

“I just want to see the both of you be happy. I’m really sorry that this happened the way that it did - but, I just need you to know that I care about you a lot. You’re like another son to me.”

With that, the tears started flowing down his cheeks. He tried to wipe at them with his sleeves, but there were far too many. Did she really think of him like that?

All of a sudden, she was wrapping her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug.

He immediately buried his face against the side of her neck, shaking as loud sobs wracked through his whole body. He brought one hand up, clutching on to the front of her shirt.

She pressed a light kiss against the top of his head, starting to rub his back.

“Hey, it’s okay. Everything’s going to be all right,” her voice was so calm and gentle, soothing.

Before he knew it, the tears were stopping. He didn’t want to let go of her though.

She didn’t complain for however long they stood there, not pulling away at all or seeming annoyed, just continuing to say calm things, letting him cling to her like a child.

Finally though, he pulled back, feeling guilty for forcing her to stand there for so long.

“Sorry,” he said, wiping the wetness from his cheeks.

She gave him a soft smile, “It’s perfectly fine. I’m sorry that everything had to turn out like this.”

He didn’t know what to say to that, just nodding as he continued to wipe under his eyes.

“Have you eaten anything today?”

“No.”

“All right. Come here.”

She led him into the living room, sitting him down on the couch. She grabbed a blanket that was laying over the back of the couch, draping it around his shoulders.

“Do you want to watch anything? A movie? A TV show?”

He hesitated. That sounded kind of nice, but everything from before had just reminded him of Yosuke.

“Too much, huh?”

He nodded.

“Okay, you don’t have to watch anything. I’ll be right back.”

He nodded again and she disappeared, noises coming from the kitchen.

He closed his eyes, trying to focus on his breathing. She thought of him as her son? That’s what she had said. That thought made him want to cry again - not in the same way that he had been crying, but in a completely different way - a way that was happy. A way that was filled entirely with joy.

A few minutes later, she came back, handing him a mug. It smelled like mint tea.

He took it, taking a small sip. It was hot, but it was good.

He hesitated, “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Yosuke told you that… that we were dating, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then… you’re okay with that?”

She reached her hand out, adjusting his bangs, “I am. To be completely honest, I’ve wondered about the two of you for a while. I can tell that you’ve loved each other for a very long time. Like I said, I just want you to be happy, and if that’s what does that for you - that’s what I want you to do.”

He closed his eyes, nodding.

“Whenever you feel comfortable enough to be in a relationship again, just know that you don’t have to hide it from me. I’m supporting you entirely on that,” she paused, smiling, “And besides, it would be kind of fun if you actually became my son-in-law.”

Despite himself, he laughed, his cheeks warm, “I would like that too.”

“Great. Then it’s a deal.”

“All right.”

“Now, is there anything in particular that you want to eat?”

He shook his head - he didn’t want to make her do anything extra.

She pursed her lips, “All right. Stay here then. I’ll be back in a little bit.”

With that, she disappeared into the kitchen once again.

He smiled down at his cup. He had gotten permission to marry Yosuke - in kind of an abstract, future way, but it was still permission. At least one of their parents didn’t mind them being together. That was the best news that he had heard all day.

Although, it also served to make him a little bit more frustrated - why couldn’t his own parents accept it like she had? Why…?

After a while of waiting, she came back into the room, holding a plate. She stopped in front of him, handing it to him. It was curry.

“This is the best thing to eat when you’re upset,” she explained, “It’ll make you feel at least a little bit better.”

“Thank you.”

She smiled, “It’s the least I can do."

Yu took a bite of the curry. It was really good - not too spicy with just enough sweetness to it. He had eaten her curry before, but, for whatever reason, this time, it tasted so much better than it ever had.

She was right though - it did make him feel better.

She pulled a book off of the bookshelf, walking over, and sitting down next to him. She started reading through it, not saying anything, just being there beside him. That was also really nice.

After a while, he finished his food, moving to stand up. As soon as she noticed him though, she stopped him, grabbing the plate from his hands.

"I'll take care of this."

He hesitated - he didn’t want her to have to do any more work. Then again, he didn’t want to argue with her, "Thank you."

She gave him a soft smile.

He paused, continuing to stand, "I'm going to go find Aiko-chan now."

"All right. She's probably in Yosuke’s room."

Yu nodded, heading up the familiar stairs, taking a deep breath before pushing the door open.

The room itself was exactly how he expected it to be. Despite his apprehension, it was surprisingly comfortable to be in there.

There were so many good memories associated with this room - memories that he held dear. Memories that he never wanted to forget.

The bed wasn't made and Aiko was sleeping amongst the pile of blankets, curled up, her face extremely calm.

She blinked her eyes open, looking over toward him. She let out an almost surprised sounding meow, standing up, and stretching, walking over to the edge of the bed, staring at him expectantly.

He smiled, walking over to her, sitting down on the bed. She immediately climbed into his lap, meowing, only stopping when he began to gently stroke her head.

"How are you? It's good to see you."

This was surprisingly comfortable - for the first time since the previous night, he didn't feel at all like crying. There was just something about being in Yosuke's bed, petting Aiko that put him at ease.

He took a breath, laying back on the bed, picking Aiko up with him, curling around her. She just laid there, purring loudly as he ran his hand down the length of her back.

This was really nice. He was still upset about everything, but, somehow, laying in Yosuke's bed, his comforting scent all around him, made everything seem like it was going to turn out okay.

He began to feel sleepy, his eyelids starting to get heavy. He didn't try to fight it, closing his eyes, letting himself drift off to sleep.

October 12, 2009 - Yosuke

Yosuke tapped his fingers on his desk, willing for class to finally be over.

It had been so weird all of that day, Yu not sitting there beside him.

Yu…

He hoped that he was going to be all right. He didn't want to break up with him. He would never want that, but he really had no other choice. He couldn't risk losing him. That was not an option. He valued their friendship too much to let that happen.

After what felt like an eternity, class was out for the day. He went as fast as he could, throwing everything into his bag.

He quickly made his way out of the school building, heading towards home.

He wanted to see him.

He wanted to make sure that he was okay.

He wanted to stay with him for a while just to be near him.

He paused.

What if Yu didn't want to see him?

That was why he hadn't come to school that morning, right? Because he didn't want to see him.

He had, in fact, broken his heart. It made sense that he didn't want to see him.

He started walking significantly slower, swallowing hard. He would just go home. He could see Yu later.

He forced himself not to look at Yu's house as he walked past it, heading to his front door. He opened it, walking inside.

He was just taking off his shoes when he noticed some movement coming from the kitchen. He frowned. Was someone else home?

Suddenly, his mom popped her head out from behind the archway, “Welcome home.”

“Why’re you back so early?”

“I just had a few errands I had to take care of today, so I took the rest of the day off,” she paused, “How are you feeling.”

He hesitated. After he had come home the previous night, he had sat there and cried for a while. He had told her about everything that had happened, not wanting to hide it from her. He didn’t want to make her worry anymore though.

“I’m better than I was.”

She gave him a small smile, “Good. Oh, and Yu-kun came by to see Aiko-chan. He’s up in your room.”

His breath hitched. Yu was there? He was in his room? Did that mean that he wanted to see him?

“I’m gonna go check on him.”

“All right. Just give him space if he needs it.”

“I will.”

He turned toward the stairs, heading up to his room, hesitating briefly as he pushed the door open.

Yu was asleep, curled up on his bed, Aiko pressed up against him. His mouth was slightly open, his bangs falling across his forehead.

His chest ached.

He wanted to go over and wake him up. Lightly press their lips together. Give him an extremely soft and gentle awakening.

But he couldn’t.

He was the one who had made them break up for real. He was the one who had said their friendship meant more to him than their romantic relationship. He was the one who had kissed him goodbye. He was the one who had walked him home.

He had brought these horrible and uncertain feelings upon himself.

He took a deep breath, walking over, and sitting down beside him on the bed.

He reached out, gently brushing his hair out of his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, “I’m never going to stop loving you.”

Chapter Text

April 6th, 2010

“So why exactly are we doing this again?” Yu asked.

“Cause I think it’ll look cool,” Yosuke answered.

The two of them were standing in the bathroom at Yosuke’s house. Yosuke had his shirt off, an old towel draped over his shoulders.

He had called him over a few minutes ago, asking for his help. He had shown him the bleach and hair dye that he had bought, saying that he wanted to dye his hair.

“I like how your hair looks though.”

He shrugged, “It’s fine, but I think this’ll look better. Besides, if I do it now, none of the teachers at school are gonna know that it’s not my natural hair color.”

“If you keep up with dyeing it.”

“I will.”

Yu sighed, he really did like how he looked, but he supposed that it wasn’t his decision to make, “All right. What do you need me to do?”

Yosuke flashed him a smile - a smile that made his chest ache. It was still really weird to be around him, although the constant urges to reach out and kiss him were beginning to get a lot more manageable.

“If I try to do it myself, I’m gonna miss spots, so I was wondering if you could do it for me.”

“How are you going to keep up with it if you can’t do it yourself?”

“I’ll figure it out. Or maybe, I can just always ask you to come do it for me.”

Yu rolled his eyes, reaching over, and grabbing the box of bleach. He opened it, pulling out a sheet with instructions on it, taking his time to read it over. It had also come with gloves, so he put those on, following the instructions to mix the bleach.

Before long, he had everything ready to go.

“Come sit down,” Yu said, gesturing at the edge of the bathtub.

Yosuke nodded, sitting.

He grabbed the bottle of bleach, standing next to him. The instructions had said to work from the tip of the hair into the root. He squeezed some bleach into his hand, taking the ends of one section of his hair, and beginning to massage it in.

He took his time, slowly moving around his entire head, covering everything but the roots.

He had missed touching his hair.

Even then, it wasn’t the same. There was a glove, acting as a barrier to keep him from actually touching it, the bleach making it feel squishy between his fingertips. He really wished that he could actually touch it again some day - but, for now, he couldn’t - and he had a task to focus on.

Once everything was coated, he finally covered the whole strand until his whole head was saturated in the bleach. It had come with a plastic cap to put over it, so he grabbed that out of the box, laying it over Yosuke’s head.

“Okay, ten minutes now,” Yu said.

Yosuke nodded, “Can you set a timer?”

“This isn’t even ‘helping’ at this point. It’s just me doing everything,” he was already setting the timer on his watch.

Yosuke smiled at him, “Just one of the things you’re willing to do for your best friend, right?”

“Willing or forced?” he couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips.

“Wow, I didn’t know you hated me that much.”

“Oh yeah, so much.”

Yosuke laughed, “If you want to dye your hair too, I’ll do it for you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind."

"I do like your hair now though."

"That's what I said about yours."

Yosuke just shrugged, "Yours is better."

"Whatever you say," Yu sat down beside him on the edge of the bathtub.

"Do you think it'll look weird?"

"Oh, now you're asking me that?"

"I'm just nervous it might look weird on me."

Yu hummed, reaching over and grabbing the hair dye that he had gotten, looking closely at the color on the box, "I think it'll be fine. It's almost the same color as your mom's."

"You think?"

"Yeah, it'll look fine on you."

They sat there for a few more minutes, not really talking about anything, until the timer went off.

Yu stood up, "Okay, go wash your hair. I'll wait in your room."

"Okay," he said, also standing.

Yu walked out of the bathroom and into Yosuke's room.

There was still a sort of weird feeling that he got whenever he was in there. It was still extremely comfortable, filled with friendly and homely connotations, but at the same time, if he thought too hard, it made his throat feel constricted.

He went over and sat down on his bed. Aiko was asleep on the pillow, looking up at him as he sat beside her.

She let out a small meow as he reached over and started petting her. She began loudly purring.

He started cooing at her, scratching behind her ears and petting her head. He smiled as she narrowed her eyes, leaning back against his hand.

After a while, she got up, crawling into his lap. He kept gently petting her, enjoying the sensation of her soft and silky fur beneath his hands.

A little bit later, the door to the room opened, Yosuke stepping inside.

His hair was still damp. The roots were a pale yellow, the ends, though, were bright orange. He definitely didn't like how he looked with bleached hair.

"It's orange," Yu said, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"Not for long."

"Doesn't look very good."

"Well, it's not gonna be like this for very long."

"Good."

"Will you help me do the color too?"

"I guess so," Yu nudged Aiko off of his lap. She complained, but got up.

Yu stood, walking over to Yosuke, "Are we doing it now?"

He brought his hand up, touching his hair, "It should probably be dry first."

"Okay, what do you want to do until then?"

"Wanna play a game?"

“Oh, yeah, sure.”

Yosuke walked over to where his TV was, sitting down on the floor in front of it. Yu followed suit, sitting down right next to him.

“What do you wanna play?” Yosuke asked.

“Whatever you want to.”

He pursed his lips before grabbing controllers, turning on the console, and picking up a racing game that they had played together from time to time.

As they were playing, Yu leaned toward him, laying his head on his shoulder. It might have been a little iffy to do that, but it wasn’t like they hadn’t been doing things like that for basically their whole lives. Yosuke didn’t say anything either, so he figured that it was okay. He was a little disappointed by how strongly it smelled of bleach still. Nothing like the normal scent he associated with him.

After a while, he pulled back away from him, “Your hair is probably dry by now.”

Yosuke reached up, touching his hair, “Oh, yeah, it is.”

“Ready to do the color then?”

“Yep, let’s go.”

They got up, heading into the bathroom.

It was much the same process as before, only this time, he mixed the dye into a plastic container and used a brush to put it on.

Once that was done, they went back into Yosuke’s room to keep playing the game. He was slightly disappointed that he couldn’t lay his head on his shoulder anymore.

They got pretty wrapped up in the game, only getting distracted by the timer going off that they had set to go rinse out the dye.

Yosuke stood up, “Okay, I’ll be right back.”

Yu nodded, watching as he left the room.

As soon as he was gone, he let out a sigh, laying back onto the floor. He couldn’t help but wonder how things might be right then had they still been dating. He had thought about offering to help him wash his hair, but he didn’t suppose that was something that two friends typically did. Even so, he was having such an intense desire to touch his hair - run his fingers through it. Maybe even to touch his scalp, rubbing his fingertips against it as he laid against him.

He hated that things were like this now.

He still loved him so unbelievably much and he was pretty confident in the fact that Yosuke loved him back still, but, even though they knew that, neither of them could act on it.

If he was being honest, part of him just wanted to just go back to having their romantic relationship, consequences be damned, but he knew that living with Yosuke like this was far better than living entirely without him.

Living without him…

That sounded so unbelievably lonely and horrible. That was the last thing that he wanted.

So, for now, he just had to grin and bear it. He wanted to know when they would be able to be together again. To have some date set for when they would be back together. But, he didn’t think that that was possible. There were too many factors involved in that.

He was so inside his own head that he barely even heard the door to the room open.

He blinked in surprise, sitting up, and looking in the direction of the door.

Yosuke was standing there. It looked like he had blow dried his hair. It was now a lighter, more caramel color. It looked really good on him. He hated to admit it, but he almost liked it better like this.

“So? What do you think?”

Yu stood, walking over to him. He stopped in front of him, reaching out and gently grabbing a handful of his hair, letting it fall through his fingers. It was a little bit rougher than he remembered - although that was probably just because it had gotten damaged while bleaching it.

“It looks good. You do look kind of like your mom now though.”

“Do you actually like it or are you just saying that?”

“I like it. It’s a nice color on you.”

His cheeks turned pink, “I’m just happy it doesn’t look weird.”

“It looked weird when it was just bleached.”

“You said that already.”

Yu smiled, touching his hair one more time before forcing himself to move his hand away.

"Do you wanna keep playing?" Yosuke asked.

"Yeah."

They sat down in much the same position as before, starting up the game again. As they played, he kept glancing over toward him - he really did look good like that.

After a while, Yosuke turned toward him, "What?"

"What?"

"You keep looking at me."

"Oh. You just look really nice."

Yosuke's face flushed, "Thanks."

He really wanted to reach over and touch it again, but he forced himself not to, "I wasn't expecting it to look that good."

Yosuke beamed at him, "I know how to pick out a good color, don't I?"

Yu laughed, "Yeah, you do."

Just then, there was the sound of the front door opening from downstairs.

A question popped into his head, "Did you tell your parents you were dyeing your hair?"

"Oh, no," he shook his head.

"You'd better do that."

"Yeah, probably."

He didn't seem too concerned about it. Then again, his parents probably wouldn't care very much if he did - that didn't seem like something they would throw a fuss over.

If Yu dyed his hair though, he could only imagine how his parents would react. He didn't even want to try and find out.

Another minute passed before there was a knock on the door.

"Yeah?" Yosuke called.

The door opened, Yosuke's mom walking in. She had her mouth open as if she had been about to say something, but instead, she frowned, walking over to Yosuke.

She took a section of his hair, holding it in between her fingers, looking at it consideringly. She hummed, letting it fall back down, "All right. I was just letting you know that we're back. Dinner will probably be ready in about an hour or so."

"All right. Sounds good," Yosuke said.

Yu looked between the two of them. Their hair color now was so extremely similar.

"Are you staying for dinner, Yu-kun?" she asked.

His parents wouldn't be home until late that night, "If that's all right."

She smiled, "Of course."

At that, she turned, heading back toward the hallway. She paused in the doorway, "Oh, and Yosuke-kun. Next time, just ask first, please."

"Oh, uh, yeah, sorry."

"It's all right. It doesn't look bad,” with that, she left the room.

Yosuke let out a sigh of what sounded like relief.

“Were you worried?”

“A little bit, I guess. Not that she’d be mad at me, just that she might be like disappointed or something.”

Yu nodded. He definitely wouldn’t want to make her disappointed in him. That sounded horrible.

“So, anyway,” Yosuke said, “How late do you wanna stay tonight?”

Yu thought for a second, “Probably until around 8.”

“You can’t spend the night?”

“No,” he shook his head. It wasn’t that he wouldn’t want to spend the night if he could - it was just that his parents would be home.

They hadn’t properly spent the night with each other since they had broken up. He had fallen asleep a few times on the couch with him, but there hadn’t been a time when he had purposefully spent the night.

How would that change now that they were no longer dating? Would they still sleep in the same bed? They had done that before they had started dating, but would it be weird now? He wasn’t sure if he really wanted to find out what might happen if they did that again.

“That sucks. Maybe next time then.”

He swallowed hard, nodding, “Yeah.”

Maybe everything still wasn’t totally back to normal - but for the time being, that was okay. As long as they could stay together, everything would be fine. He just had to keep telling himself that.

Chapter Text

May 9th, 2010

Yu took one of the bright pink flowers from the front of the bouquet, moving it around to the side.

That looked better.

He wasn't trying to make it flawless by any means, but he wanted to make it seem presentable. He had gotten these flowers more out of a feeling of obligation than anything else - he had a more important plan for today.

It was Mother's Day.

He had gotten flowers for his own mother, but he also wanted to do something for Yosuke's mom as well.

He took out his phone, quickly calling Yosuke.

He took several seconds to pick up.

"Hello?" His voice was tired and full of sleep.

"Did you just wake up?"

He groaned, "No."

"It's already 10."

"So?"

"Why aren't you up yet?"

"I was tired."

Yu laughed, "Are you doing anything for your mom today?"

Yosuke was quiet for a few seconds, "Oh, yeah. It's Mother's Day today, isn't it?"

"It is."

Yosuke was quiet again.

"Did you really forget?"

"I still have time."

Yu laughed, "That actually kind of works out because I was wondering if I could come over to make dinner for her."

"You want to do that?"

"Yeah, I want to do something for her."

"All right. I want to help though."

Yu smiled, "Okay, get ready to go and we can go to the store to get ingredients."

"I'll just come over when I'm ready."

"Sounds good. I'll see you in a bit."

"Yeah, see you."

With that, he hung up the call.

Yu had to wait for just a little bit before there was a knock on the door. He walked over, opening it.

"Okay, I'm ready," Yosuke said.

Yu nodded, "Let's go."

They started walking down the street in the direction of the store.

"So, what are you gonna make?"

"I was thinking maybe oden." She had been the one to teach him how to make that, so it seemed like a good thing to do for her.

"Ooh, oden is good."

The two of them continued on toward the store, chatting about everything they were planning on doing that day. It had finally started feeling good again being with him. Of course, he still wished that things were different, but, all things considered, this was fine.

As they got to the store, Yu took the lead, walking around to different sections and picking out what they needed.

Yosuke had never been very interested in cooking, so he didn't know most of what they needed to get. That was fine though. If he could, he liked the idea of being able to cook for him into the future, seeing his face light up as he tried the dishes that he made.

That was what he really wanted. He wanted to wake up beside him for the rest of his life. He wanted to cook for him. He wanted to come home and spend time together with him. He wanted to fall asleep next to him and then repeat that for the rest of his life.

It sounded so nice, but the thought of it made his chest start to ache. He really hoped that it would be possible someday to actually experience all that, but, for the time being, it seemed like something that was so unbelievably far away and out of reach.

Once he had gathered everything, they bought it all, then headed back to Yosuke’s house. Once they got there, they headed to the kitchen, putting all of their ingredients into the fridge.

“My parents aren’t gonna be home for a little while,” Yosuke said.

Yu nodded. It would probably be best to wait to start cooking until a little bit later then.

“Is there anything you want to do in the meantime then?”

Yosuke considered that, “Since we have time, I was thinking that maybe I should go buy some flowers for her too.”

“Okay, let’s go do that then.”

With that, the two of them left the house once again, heading down the street toward where there was a flower store. The closest one that he knew about was in the Underground Mall in Shibuya, but that wasn’t too far. It was kind of nice to just walk with him for a while. He had always liked going on walks together, so it was enjoyable to just take their time and walk.

After a while, they got to the flower shop. There were a few people there, walking around, looking at the flowers. There were several bouquets that were already made. Yosuke walked up to one and started looking at it.

They looked around at the flowers for a bit before Yosuke settled on the one that he wanted to get. It was filled with lots of bright and colorful flowers - his mom would like it.

He paid for the flowers and then started heading back, in no real hurry to get to the house.

When they finally arrived, Yosuke put the flowers into a vase.

“There. I think she’ll like them.”

Yu nodded, “I think so too.”

Yosuke hummed, adjusting the flowers before pulling a yellow rose out of the bouquet, turning to Yu.

He furrowed his brow as he reached up with it, placing it up behind his ear. The thorns had been cut off of it, but it was very long and a little weird to have right there.

“Yellow looks good on you.”

Yu’s face felt hot. Why did he insist on doing things like that? They weren’t dating, so why was he giving him flowers?

Then again, a yellow rose. If he remembered correctly, they symbolized friendship.

Friends.

That was all they were.

“Does it?”

Yosuke gave a small laugh, “Yeah. More color would be nice.”

“I wear colors.”

“Dark blue doesn’t count.”

“Why not?”

“It’s just black with an extra step.”

“What is that even supposed to mean?”

Yosuke laughed, “It means you should wear other colors.”

“What do you suggest?”

Yosuke looked at him consideringly, “Come here.”

He grabbed on to his hand, leading him toward the stairs and up to his room. As soon as they got there, Yosuke walked over to his dresser, beginning to rummage through it.

“What are you doing?” Yu asked.

As he watched him, he grabbed the flower out from behind his ear, slowly beginning to rotate the stem in between his fingers. Even though there wasn’t any real meaning behind it, Yu couldn’t stop the fluttery sensation in his stomach.

“I’m finding you a color to try on.”

Another few seconds passed before Yosuke turned back around, holding a light blue t-shirt in his hands. It was pretty plain, but he vaguely remembered Yosuke wearing it a few times.

“What’s the difference between light blue and dark blue?”

Yosuke raised his eyebrows, “A lot.”

“How?”

“Sometimes I feel like you argue with me just for fun.”

Yu shrugged.

“I thought it would be good to try on since it’s not too different from what you usually wear.”

At this rate, he was probably going to have to try on the shirt. He might as well just do it.

“All right,” he said, taking a few steps forward to clear the small distance between them before grabbing the shirt.

He set the flower down on the dresser before glancing back at Yosuke. He was looking at him expectantly.

Right.

It wasn’t weird to be changing in the same room. They were both guys. He could change in front of him and it wasn’t weird at all. He had changed in front of him so many times before.

Why was it making him so nervous then?

They weren’t even dating anymore. It shouldn’t be weird.

He steeled himself, pushing past his feelings, and pulling off the shirt he had been wearing. He tried not to focus too much on what Yosuke was doing, but he thought he could see him staring at him out of the corner of his eye.

He wasn’t going to say something about it though. If anything, it made him relieved. He still wanted to get back together with him at some point, so the idea that he was still interested in him in that way was extremely welcome. He just hoped that interest didn’t fade and he wound up dating someone else.

He pulled the light blue shirt on over his head. They were a similar enough size, so it fit without any issue. It smelled vaguely like Yosuke as well as the laundry detergent his family used. That made him instantly comfortable and at home wearing this shirt.

“It does look good on you.”

Yu looked over to Yosuke to see him watching him with a small smile on his face.

He walked over to the door where there was a full length mirror hanging, examining himself. He wasn’t going to say it out loud, but Yosuke was right in the fact that he didn’t wear a lot of color, sticking mostly to blacks, grays, and dark blues. He didn’t think there was anything wrong about that in particular - they looked good on him - but, he did like how he looked in the lighter blue. Some of that might have had to do with the fact that he was wearing Yosuke’s clothes, but even still, he didn’t think it looked bad.

“You can have that shirt if you want.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, you look good in it and I don’t wear it too much.”

Yu hesitated, “Thank you.”

He flashed him a warm smile - a smile that made his heart pound, “Of course. We should start cooking soon though, right?”

Oh, right. They were making dinner for his mom, “Yeah, let’s go get started.”

They walked back downstairs, heading into the kitchen. Yu took most of the lead cooking, directing Yosuke to do simple tasks. Before long though, he was adding the last of the ingredients to the pot - now it just had to simmer for a little while before it was ready.

Just as they were starting to clean up their mess from cooking, the front door opened.

“We’re back,” came Yosuke’s mom’s voice.

“Welcome home,” Yosuke called, Yu echoing the sentiment.

“What smells so good in here?” she asked, walking into the kitchen.

“We wanted to make dinner for you,” Yosuke said. He walked over to the counter where the vase of flowers was sitting and picked them up, handing them to her, “Happy Mother’s Day.”

She broke out into a wide smile as she took them from him, “Thank you.”

She set the flowers down on the counter before reaching over and hugging him tightly, pressing a kiss to his forehead. Yosuke’s face was bright red, but he was smiling.

After a few seconds, she released him, walking over to Yu, pulling him into another hug, “And thank you too.”

He nodded, finding easy comfort in the hug. He really did like it when she did that. It was just so warm, and pleasant, and safe. It was a different feeling than came with hugging Yosuke - more familial than anything - but he still liked it nonetheless.

She gave him one last small squeeze before pulling away, “So, what did you make?”

“Oden.”

She nodded, “It smells really good. I’m sure it’s going to be delicious.”

The next few hours were spent all together, eating dinner before sitting together in the living room, watching a TV show.

Nights like that were always his favorite. He had so many fond memories of just being with Yosuke and his family - memories that he held near and dear to his heart. He didn’t know what he would do without them there.

Really, he wanted so many more nights like this. He wanted to feel like he was a part of this family for the rest of his life. He could only hope that that would be the case.

He was disappointed when he had to go home, but there was school in the morning and his parents wouldn’t be very happy with him if he wound up sleeping over.

The first thing that he did once he walked in the door was to grab a cup no one ever really used down from the cabinet, filling it up with water. After that, he carried it upstairs with him, setting it down on his desk, where he put the yellow rose into it.

It looked nice sitting there, offering him a constant reminder of Yosuke, filling his chest with warmth.

He just had to hope that his parents wouldn’t question it if they saw it there - if he was being honest, he doubted that they would even come into his room to see it to begin with.

He took a deep breath before turning away, pulling his pajamas out of his dresser so he could start getting ready for bed.

Things would get better eventually. For the time being though, he just had to keep pushing through until he could be with Yosuke again.

Chapter Text

November 16th, 2010

Yu was sitting at his desk, his history textbook open in front of him, as he read through information on the Feudal Era. It wasn't the most interesting thing to read, but it was supposed to be on the midterm exams, so he needed to get through it.

All of a sudden, there was the sound of a bell ringing. It confused him for a few seconds before he turned to the window. They hardly ever used the cups anymore - it was far easier to just use their phones - but they kept them out of a sense of nostalgia.

He stood up and walked over to the window, opening it.

"Yu, I need to talk to you," Yosuke said, his voice serious.

He hesitated. Whatever this was, there was no way that it was a good thing, right?

"Uh, okay. Do you want to come over?"

He nodded, putting his foot up on the window sill.

"Not like that. Come around." It felt like his heart had jumped up into his throat.

The last time he had come over like that, it had been when Miyoko had broken up with him. It had put him on edge then and it was putting him on edge now.

"Are your parents home?"

"Yeah."

"They're just going to tell me to come back tomorrow."

He hesitated. That was true.

He took a deep breath, "All right. Just be careful."

Yosuke nodded, climbing the rest of the way out the window, not hesitating as he cleared the small gap.

As soon as he was over, Yu grasped onto his ankle, trying to make sure that he wouldn't fall.

Instead of coming inside, he lifted himself up onto the roof. He had done that the last time too. Apparently this was at least as serious as the breakup had been.

As soon as he was on the roof, Yu climbed up onto the window sill, standing up, and grabbing onto the edge of the roof. Yosuke grasped hold of his hand, helping to lift him up.

The roof wasn't the most comfortable place to sit, but it was fine for what it was. Even though they were right next to the street, it felt very secluded and cut off from everything else. A good place to have a serious talk.

"So, what did you need to talk to me about?" Yu asked once they were both settled.

Yosuke hesitated, looking down, "I… well. My dad just got a promotion at work."

Yu nodded. His dad worked at Junes, although he wasn't totally sure what that had to do with them.

"And… they're opening up a new store and they want him to be the manager."

Yu didn't like where this was heading.

"The new store is in this tiny town - it's called Inaba - it's a couple hours away. So…” he took a deep breath, closing his eyes, “We have to move there."

Yu took a sharp breath. That had been what he was afraid of.

He didn’t even quite know how to react. What was he supposed to say to that? It wasn’t like Yosuke had any control over it - it was his parents. He already knew that he would stay if he was able to. Still, why did he have to go? Why would he leave him? He didn’t want him to leave him. He wanted to stay by his side for the rest of his life.

“Yu?” Yosuke laid his hand on his shoulder, “I’m sorry.”

A sudden thought flashed through his mind, tears forming in his eyes.

“Then what was the point?”

“Huh?”

“What was the point in breaking up so we could stay together if you’re just moving away now?” His voice was bubbly as he spoke, fighting to keep the tears from beginning to fall.

“I’m sorry,” he said again, his voice strained.

With that, Yosuke wrapped his arm around his shoulders, pulling him tightly against him. Yu buried his face against his side, strongly clutching the fabric of his shirt. He was shaking as tears began dripping down his cheeks, getting Yosuke’s shirt wet.

What was he supposed to do without Yosuke there? He didn’t want to be without him.

"I don't want you to go."

Yosuke clutched him closer, "I don't want to either."

He wasn't sure how long they sat there together on the rooftop, away from everyone else, but he wanted to just stay there with him for a while longer.

He wanted to pretend that everything was still all right. He wanted to pretend that they weren’t about to be separated. He wanted to pretend that they were still going to be going to the same school. He wanted to pretend that he was still going to be able to look out his window to see the light on in his room, reminding him that he was there.

He wanted to pretend that nothing was going to change.

After a while, once the tears had completely subsided, Yu pulled himself away, Yosuke still keeping a hand on his arm. He was grateful for that - a reminder that he was still there.

“Do you know when you’re leaving?” His voice was rough and scratchy.

“Uh, like the very beginning of October. We’d be leaving on the third.”

Yu closed his eyes. That was half a month away. Only about two weeks. Two weeks before his whole world was shifted. Two weeks before everything changed.

Those were two weeks where maybe it wouldn’t matter if they were dating. Would it be wrong of him to suggest that? He was already leaving, so what did it matter?

Then again, he wasn’t sure he would be able to bear the inevitable breakup that would happen again at the end of those two weeks. No. It was better like it was.

He nodded, taking a breath, “Can we stay out here for a little while longer?”

“Yeah.”

Yosuke leaned back, pulling him with him until they were both laying on the roof, staring up at the darkness of the sky. It was totally black except for the moon, the light pollution from the city making it impossible to see the stars.

Yosuke reached his hand up, beginning to gently run his fingers through his hair. That was nice - something familiar and comforting amidst everything else.

Maybe they could pretend for just a bit more.

- - -

October 3rd, 2010

When Yu woke up, he didn't want to get out of bed. Luckily, there wasn’t any school today, so he didn’t have to worry about that, but there was a more pressing issue at hand.

After another minute of laying there, staring up at the ceiling, he finally forced himself to get up. He needed to at least go see Yosuke before he left.

He got ready as fast as he could before heading outside and over to the other house. The door was open and Yosuke's mom was carrying a box out to the car. He had been helping them pack for the entire week, but there were probably some last minute things still left.

"Oh, Yu-kun. Good morning. Yosuke’s up in his room. I think he's trying to get Aiko-chan in the carrier if you want to go help him."

"Okay." Yu nodded.

"And Yu-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry that we're leaving. Just know that you're welcome to come visit anytime."

Yu nodded, swallowing hard.

She smiled, "Now go see Yosuke. I know he's going to want to say goodbye."

He nodded again, turning, and making his way into the house. It was so weird to be in that space without all of the familiar furniture and people. It was empty - barren. He didn't like it.

He was just heading up the stairs when there was a loud yowl and then the sound of Yosuke yelling.

He quickened his pace, entering the bedroom.

Yosuke was kneeling on the floor, holding his hand as he glared at Aiko, who was pressed back into the corner, her ears flat against her head, her mouth open as she let out a hiss. The cat carrier was open on the ground nearby.

"What did you do to her?"

Yosuke looked up, his voice accusatory, "I'm just trying to get her into her carrier and she scratched me."

Yu hummed, walking over, and kneeling beside him. He reached his hand out. Aiko hissed at him, but he kept his hand out toward her.

After a few seconds, she sniffed him before bumping her head against his hand.

He smiled as he started petting her.

"Of course she's nice with you."

"She's just scared. She doesn't understand what's going on."

Yu reached over, grabbing her, and picking her up, continuing to scratch behind her ear as he stood up. He walked over to the cat carrier, gently pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“You be a good kitty now, Aiko-chan. I’m going to miss you.”

She let out a meow, protesting as he put her into the carrier, but still allowing him to do it. He closed the metal door, then turned to Yosuke.

He walked over, grabbing his hand, and inspecting it. There were two gashes running down the side of it from where Aiko had scratched him. They didn’t look very deep, but they were bleeding quite a bit. It probably wasn’t that bad of a wound, but it still made his chest hurt to see him injured at all.

“She really got me, huh?”

“Do you have a first aid kit still out anywhere?”

He shook his head, “No.”

“Come over for a minute so I can clean it for you.”

“It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Yosuke.” He stared at him as if daring him to challenge him.

“All right, fine.”

Yu turned toward the door, picking up the carrier, before heading out and back down the stairs. He walked over to the car and opened the back door, setting Aiko inside.

That done, he made sure that Yosuke was still following him before heading over to his house.

“Go wash your hands,” Yu said once they were inside.

Yosuke nodded, heading toward the kitchen while Yu went to the bathroom and grabbed the first aid kit.

When he got back, Yosuke was sitting at the kitchen table, holding a paper towel to the wound, keeping it from bleeding any further.

He sat down next to him, putting the first aid kit on the table, and opening it, pulling out the things that he needed.

Neither of them said anything as he dressed his wound. He really hoped that this wouldn’t be the last time he would ever do this - to be there for him when he got hurt. Who was going to be that person for him while they were apart? Would he find someone like that?

When he was done taking care of the wound, he patted his arm, “All done.”

Yosuke smiled, “Thank you.”

Yu just nodded, looking down at the table. There was only one thing left to do now - to say goodbye. He had pushed it off for as long as he could, but there was no way to do that anymore.

Yosuke reached over, laying his hand under his chin, “Anytime you want to talk, you can call me, okay?”

Yu nodded.

“And I mean that - anytime. I’m probably gonna call you all the time too.”

“Please do.”

Yosuke smiled, “And we’re really not that far apart. I should be able to come visit you at some point - or you can come visit me - whatever you want to do.”

Yu just nodded. Would his parents even allow him to go visit him?

Yosuke took a deep breath before wrapping his arms around his back, pulling him against him.

They just sat there for a couple of minutes. Yu wanted to stretch out this last moment for as long as possible.

"I'm really gonna miss you," Yosuke finally said.

Yu nodded, "Me too."

With that, Yosuke pulled away, leaning down before pressing his lips gently against his cheek.

Yu closed his eyes, his heart starting to pound in his chest.

He lingered for a few seconds before pulling away and taking a deep breath, standing up, "I should probably go now. I'll call you tonight though."

Yu nodded, also standing. This was it. The last day that they would be neighbors. The last day that they would be able to see each other just by looking out their windows. The last day they would be able to be together.

"I'll see you later," Yosuke said.

Yu smiled at him even as his chest ached, "Yeah, I'll see you."

At that, Yosuke turned and started heading toward the door. Yu followed closely behind him.

When they got outside, he exchanged goodbyes with Yosuke's parents. It didn't feel as bad as with Yosuke, but it still hurt.

After that, they got into the car.

He waved at them as they left, fighting back tears. Yosuke waved back, neither of them stopping until the car was out of view.

Yu took a deep breath. He wasn't going to cry.

He took a few seconds, then turned in the direction of his house, heading inside.

He almost wished that he had school. It would be at least something to try and get his mind off of everything. But then again, that would just present a different problem - the weirdness of not sitting next to Yosuke. To not just have his constant presence there. To not have to act as subtle as possible as he passed him notes asking him what he wanted to do after school.

He didn’t want to get used to the fact that this was going to become his new normal.

He spent several hours up in his room, going from book to book, trying to find something to hold his attention, but it was too hard. It kind of reminded him of the day after they had broken up. He hated feeling like that.

Eventually, he decided to go for a walk. The fresh air might do him well.

It was cold out, but he found that he didn’t mind it. The physical uncomfortableness was enough to ease his mind for a bit. It made him almost able to forget what had happened that morning. That Yosuke was gone.

He spent about an hour on his walk before heading home.

As he walked in the front door, his phone went off with a text. He pulled it out of his pocket, immediately opening it when he saw it was from Yosuke.

Yosuke
Dude theres literally nothing here
Its so quiet

Yu
Sounds peaceful.

Yosuke
Yeah and boring

Yu
I'm sure you'll find things to do.
How did Aiko-chan do on the drive?

Yosuke
Maybe
And she slept almost the whole way. Shes hiding somewhere in my room now

Yu
She's probably scared to be in a new place.

Yosuke
Shell probably come out when I feed her
Hows your day so far?

Yu
Weird without you here.

Yosuke
Sorry

Yu
I'll get used to it.

It took him a while longer to respond.

Yosuke
Sorry i have to go help unpack the kitchen

Yu
Okay. I'll talk to you later.

At that, Yu walked upstairs to his room, deciding to distract himself by doing his homework for that weekend. Midterms were coming up pretty soon too, so he needed to start studying for those as well.

He sat down at his desk, pulling out his school books.

Just as he reached the end of the math worksheet he was working on, he glanced up, his gaze going out the window, going over to the other house and the darkened window across from his.

He immediately looked away, a flash of pain going through his chest. He took a deep breath, then stood up, pulling the blinds down. If he couldn’t see it, then maybe he’d be able to forget about it - at least for a little while.

He forced himself not to think about it as he continued doing his homework.

It was only about 4pm when he finished everything.

What was he supposed to do now? He would normally be spending time with Yosuke on a Sunday afternoon, but that wasn't an option anymore.

His parents were on a week long business trip, so he had the house completely to himself - that was pretty par for the course though.

He got up from his desk and walked downstairs. Really, nothing had changed, but the whole place felt so much bigger and emptier than it had ever been.

He walked to the kitchen, looking in the fridge. He probably needed to go grocery shopping to get things to make dinner. That would be a decent distraction.

He made sure that he had his wallet and keys before heading to the door, leaving the house, and going in the direction of the grocery store.

By the time he had bought everything and had come back, it was only around 5. It was going to be a long night.

He might as well get started on dinner then.

When he finished cooking, he wasn't really hungry, but he figured that he should probably eat anyway.

He grabbed his plate and walked into the living room, sitting down on the couch, and turning on the TV. He really wasn't supposed to eat in there, but it wasn't like his parents were around to catch him.

The distraction of the TV was a welcome one. It really kept his mind from wandering too far and going places he didn't want to go.

That held his attention for a couple of hours before he decided to go back up to his room. It was a little early, but he figured that he'd get changed into pajamas for the night - he didn’t have anywhere that he needed to go anyway.

Once he was changed, he grabbed a book from his bookshelf, sat down on his bed, and started reading it. It was a book that he had read many times before, but there was something comforting about going back to old characters and watching them go on a journey where he already knew the outcome.

He got engrossed in the story, only coming out of his trance a few hours later to his phone going off.

He marked his place, then grabbed it, opening the message quickly when he saw that it was from Yosuke.

It was just a picture. A picture of Aiko curled up, asleep on a bed - Yosuke's bed - he recognized the blankets. She looked happy and content, but that contentment caused pain to flash through his chest.

He wanted to be there too.

He wanted to be in that room, next to Aiko and Yosuke.

He wanted to be with him again.

He took a deep breath, leaning back against his pillows.

How was he supposed to get through this?

Chapter Text

February 14th, 2011

Yosuke finished tying his shoes, standing fully, before opening the front door, heading outside into the cold winter air.

It had been snowing off and on for the past few days, so he wasn’t surprised to find the fresh, untrodden snow beneath his feet. One thing that he had quickly realized about living in the country was that snow was allowed to build up a lot more out here than in the city. While he didn’t mind the snow on a fundamental level, it was still annoying to have to walk through it to get to school.

He really wished he could go back to the city.

It was far from the first time that he had wished that. Ever since he had gotten the news from his parents about the fact that they were moving, he had wished that it hadn’t been the case. There was nothing to do out here. It was just full of fields and people who hated him because his dad was the manager at Junes.

He just wanted to go back home where he was just another person in class, not getting stared at or treated as if he was an enemy sent to their town to destroy their local shopping district.

But, more importantly, he wanted to go back home so that he could see Yu again.

He missed him so much. They talked on the phone a lot, but hearing his voice only got him so far.

They had tried to meet up in person over winter break, but Yu’s parents had decided to take him on an impromptu trip to the other side of the country to go visit family. He knew that they had gone on trips like that in the past, but never for that long. It was almost like they were trying to keep them from seeing each other - and really, they probably were.

They had probably been relieved to hear that he was moving so that he could no longer “be a bad influence on their son”.

He didn’t understand why they were so against them being friends now. He supposed that it had to do with the fact that they had been dating, although, they had agreed to stop so that they could continue being friends, so he didn’t get why they were still iffy about everything.

Dating… He still did miss the days when they were a couple. He missed how easy it had been, how much he looked forward to seeing him every day, how sad he would be when he had to go home and spend the night without him. He missed hugging him. He missed kissing him. He missed holding his hand.

But he couldn’t do any of those things anymore.

He hadn’t been allowed to for a while now.

He wanted to so badly.

It made his chest ache to think about.

To make matters worse, today was Valentine’s Day. It was a day specially suited for romance. A day that you were supposed to spend with the person you were dating. A day that he really wanted to be spending with Yu. But he couldn’t. He was miles and miles away from Yu. There was no way to spend any time with him now.

He pulled out his phone as he walked, scrolling to Yu’s contact, staring at the screen.

He hesitated before starting to type.

Maybe i should skip school today and come to see you

He re-read what he had written before deleting the message. He shouldn’t say that. As much as he wanted to go see him, he couldn’t imagine anyone would be happy about him skipping school - Yu included.

He started typing again.

I love you

He stopped, deleting it again. That was too much. He did love him, but it probably wouldn’t help either of them if he said it.

He sighed. Why was he being like this today? Sentimental? Nostalgic? He was the one who had broken up with him. He shouldn’t be saying things like that. That wasn’t fair. There was just such a strong part of him that wanted to tell him how he was feeling.

He took a deep breath before beginning to type again.

Yosuke
Man im not looking forward to today

There was a bit of a pause before there was a reply.

Yu
Why not?

Yosuke
Its valentines day

Yu
Oh, yeah, right.

Yosuke
Dude did you forget??

Yu
I don’t really care that much about it. It’s not like I’m dating anyone or looking to date someone here.

There was a few second pause before another message came through.

Yu
Are you?

As soon as he said that, a face flitted through his mind. He took a sharp breath, pushing the image away. Of course he didn’t want to date anyone. The only person that he wanted to date was Yu. There was no one else. He couldn’t even entertain that thought.

Yeah, they were broken up for the foreseeable future and he had no idea when they were going to be able to get back together. Would it really be that big of a deal if he dated someone in the meantime?

He just had such a strong urge to be able to hug someone. To be able to hold their hand. To be able to kiss them. To be able to go out on dates. His first choice for that would have been Yu, but it wasn’t possible for the time being.

He took a deep breath, shaking his head. No. It wouldn’t be right to do that to him. He would just have to deal with those wants for the time being.

He sent a text back.

Yosuke
No of course not

There was a long pause.

Yu had always been surprisingly perceptive about his feelings. Was it possible that he knew what he had been thinking about?

Finally, there was a reply.

Yu
I miss you, you know.

His chest ached as he looked down at the message. What would he give if he could just have him next to him again?

He was just about to write something back, when, all of a sudden, his name was called.

“Hey! Hanamura!”

He blinked, turning toward the familiar voice.

“Oh, hey Satonaka-san.”

Walking toward him, being careful in the snow was Chie Satonaka. They were classmates and she was honestly one of the only people who didn’t treat him differently because of Junes. They were friendly, but he wouldn’t go so far as to say that they were quite friends.

“Whoa, why do you look so bummed out?”

He blinked. He looked sad?

“Oh, it’s nothing really. I was just talking to my best friend. He lives in the city, so I don’t get to see him very often anymore.”

Chie gave him a sympathetic look. “That sucks. I can’t imagine living away from Yukiko.”

“Yeah…” He didn’t know what else to say. It wasn’t like he could tell her that he was sad because he was also his ex-boyfriend and he missed him.

“I thought maybe a girl had turned you down for a date.”

“No, not that.”

She let out a small laugh. “Now that I think about it, I don’t know what I was thinking. I can’t imagine you actually asking a girl out.”

He rolled his eyes. He knew that she was just playing around and that she didn’t mean any actual harm from it. “I’ve dated people before.”

“Oh? People? Plural?”

“Yes, two people actually.”

She whistled. “Wow.”

“Why is that so surprising?”

“I just can’t see it.”

They kept walking the rest of the way to school together. It was kind of nice to feel like he had someone around him that he could be friends with. He liked Chie. She was fun to hang around with.

The whole day at school, part of him was really hoping that somebody would come and give him chocolates - if not to have someone he could consider dating, to just have the confidence and ego boost that came along with something like that. But, as the day came to close, nobody had given him anything. That was really to be expected.

As soon as school was out, he had to get going to work. He was honestly kind of glad that his dad had made him work at Junes. If anything, it gave him something to do in this boring little town. It was also kind of nice to have his own money that he could do whatever he wanted with. He had started saving some of it. He wanted to live with Yu once they graduated high school, so having that money saved up for an apartment would be crucial.

Living with Yu. He thought about what that would be like sometimes - even before he had moved out to Inaba. To just be in a place with only the two of them with no one to tell them what they could and couldn’t do - it sounded amazing. Of course, they’d have to live in a place where they could have a cat - he didn’t think that Yu would be too happy if they left Aiko behind.

It wasn’t long before he got to Junes, getting absorbed into the work that he was doing. None of it was particularly exciting, but it kept him occupied for a while.

He was just about to start heading to the staff room to take his break when his name got called.

“Hey, Hana-chan.”

He looked toward the voice, his heart starting to beat faster in his chest.

Saki-senpai. She was a grade ahead of him at their high school. Her family owned a liquor store in the shopping district, but she worked part-time at Junes. She was someone who had never been judgemental of the fact that his dad was the manager here. She was kind to him. She was someone who he felt he could talk to and rely on. She was also so unbelievably gorgeous.

If he was going to date anyone in this town, he would want it to be her.

“Oh, hey, how’s it going?”

She gave him a small smile. “I’m glad I caught you before my shift was over. I wanted to give you this.”

She reached into her apron pocket, taking out a small wrapped box, and handing it to him.

“They’re chocolates,” she said. “I made them myself.”

“Oh, uh, thank you.”

She had made him chocolates? That was something you did for your crush on Valentine’s Day, right? Then again, a lot of girls would give chocolate to their friends too. It didn’t necessarily mean anything, but it made butterflies start to form in his stomach.

“Of course. You’ve been a great friend to me for these past few months.”

Friend. Of course that was all it was. Despite himself, he was actually a little bit disappointed at that.

What was he thinking? He should be glad that it didn’t actually mean anything. He had already promised Yu that they would get back together whenever they could. It wouldn’t be fair to anyone if he got into another relationship. It just wouldn’t be right. He couldn’t do that.

He smiled at her. “Thanks for being my friend too.”

They hung out for a little while during his break before she got off work. Even after she left, his mind was still reeling. He couldn’t act on any romantic interest though. He just couldn’t.

He was still thinking about it even as he got home that night. Even as he put the box of chocolates on top of his dresser. Especially as he ate dinner with his parents and his mom asked him if he had gotten any chocolates from anyone. Even as he took a shower. Even as he started to work on homework.

Part of him wished that he could ask Yu how he felt about all of this, but he really couldn’t ask him. He could only imagine the heartbreak in his voice if he even brought up the idea of dating someone else. He would probably tell him that it was okay too. He would tell him that he didn’t mind as long as he was happy.

He wished that he could just keep dating Yu, but that wasn’t an option either. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t date anyone right then. He just couldn’t.

All of a sudden, his phone started ringing.

He pulled it off his desk, checking the caller ID - it was Yu. A sudden thought went through his mind that he had never actually responded to Yu’s last text to him. He had just completely forgotten about it. He would probably understand though - he always did.

He answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Yosuke.” His voice was so excited. “I have great news.”

Chapter Text

February 14th, 2011

Yu put the last of the lunch that he had made into his bag, heading toward the front door. It was so gloomy out that day, like it was about to snow. He doubted that it actually would though - rain maybe, but not snow. It just wasn’t quite cold enough there.

Yosuke had already been gone for four months now, and it was still weird to walk to school without him. All he had as he was walking was his thoughts. That wasn’t the worst thing in the world, but more often than not, his thoughts consisted of him wishing that Yosuke was walking with him and wondering what he was doing.

All of a sudden, his phone went off. He smiled to himself as he saw who it was.

Yosuke
Man im not looking forward to today

He furrowed his brow. What did that mean? Had he mentioned he was doing something today that he didn’t want to? He couldn’t remember what that might be though.

Yu
Why not?

Yosuke
Its valentines day

He stopped. How had he forgotten that it was Valentine’s Day? It was a holiday that he never quite looked forward to. He always hated it when girls would give him chocolate. It just made him feel awkward since he wasn’t going to reciprocate any of their feelings.

Yu
Oh, yeah, right.

Yosuke
Dude did you forget??

Yu
I don’t really care that much about it. It’s not like I’m dating anyone or looking to date someone here.

He bit his lip, a thought going through his mind.

Yu
Are you?

There was a long pause. Why was he taking so long to answer? Was he actually looking to date someone? Someone that wasn’t him? Someone nearby to him. Someone who he could actually see and go on dates with. Someone whose parents wouldn’t have a problem with them being together?

Finally, there was a reply.

Yosuke
No of course not

Part of him was relieved at that, but another part wondered if he was only saying that to make him feel better. He was so amazing; there must have been people that he could date. Why on Earth would he want to wait for him?

He kind of wanted to tell him to go for it. To tell him that it was okay if he wanted to date someone else. He deserved that. He deserved to be happy. At the same time, a selfish part of his mind said to not do that. The only person he wanted Yosuke to date was him. No one else.

He just wished that he was here so that he could tell him that in person.

He took a breath, typing out the next message.

Yu
I miss you, you know.

He waited for a reply, but it didn’t come. Had that been too forward? It was true that he missed him though. He was sure that Yosuke missed him as well. Was it because of whatever person he was thinking about dating?

After another minute of no reply, he put his phone in his pocket. He was almost to school anyway.

Logically, he knew that Yosuke had probably just gotten distracted with something, but there was a little nagging thought in the back of his mind saying that he was ignoring him.

He pushed the thought aside and entered the school building.

He held back a sigh as he opened his shoe locker. There were already a few wrapped boxes in there. Chocolate from girls. It wasn't anything like what happened in anime where it was overflowing, but, even still, it was too much.

He genuinely didn't understand why there were so many girls that had crushes on him. It wasn't like he was rude to anyone, but he also didn't typically go out of his way to talk to the girls in his class.

He had asked Yosuke about it once and he had told him it was probably because he didn't talk to the girls that they had crushes on him. Something about how it made him seem 'mysterious'. He really didn't get it.

He didn't understand how there were more girls with crushes on him than on Yosuke. Yosuke was so handsome, not to mention outgoing, and confident, and kind. He was so much more worthy of having a crush on.

He left the boxes in his locker - he would just take them after school - then headed up to his classroom.

The rest of the day passed by extremely slowly.

When it got to lunchtime, he left the classroom as quickly as he could, wanting to find a place to go hide. He really didn’t want anyone to try and give him chocolates face to face. He wasn’t sure that he would be able to handle that - the rejection that he’d have to give.

Sometimes he wished that he could just tell everyone that he wasn’t interested in girls. It would make situations like this so much easier. Then again, it would probably make the rest of his life so much more difficult.

He headed down to the courtyard, going toward a bench that was way off to the side. There was a large bush right beside it, so he would be hard to see if he sat there.

He sat down, taking out his lunch. Hopefully he would be safe there.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket - still no text back from Yosuke. With the amount of time that had passed, he had probably just gotten distracted. He didn’t think he would just outright ignore him on purpose.

He considered texting him again before he slid the phone back into his pocket. He would text him back when he remembered - he always did.

He was just taking a bite of his lunch when he heard his name.

“Oh, Yu-kun.”

He looked up, slightly alarmed. He didn’t want to deal with it if it was a girl trying to confess to him.

As soon as he saw who it was though, he relaxed.

“Miyoko-san.”

They had wound up going to the same high school, although were in different classes. They didn’t interact a whole lot, but they were still friendly with each other. They had spent a lot of time hanging out in the past, so she was definitely a nice person to have around. And, based on her past with Yosuke, she wasn’t going to be confessing to him.

She smiled. “Are you hiding?”

“Oh, uh…”

She laughed. “There were a couple of girls in my class that were looking for you.”

He suppressed a groan. Apparently he had been right to try and get to someplace not a lot of people were.

“Not too happy about being popular, huh?”

“It’s just… I already know whatever feelings aren’t reciprocated, so I don’t want to have to turn anyone down.”

“Can I sit?” She gestured at the bench.

“Oh, yeah, of course.”

She sat down next to him. “If I’m here, then maybe nobody else will try and come up to you.”

He nodded. That was probably true. If anything, they would assume that they were interrupting something.

“So, you said that you know you wouldn’t reciprocate the feelings of any of the girls here, right?”

“Yes.”

“Is - and I’m sorry if this is a wrong assumption - is that because of Yosuke-kun?”

He took a sharp breath, looking away. Did she know about them? For some reason, that thought didn’t freak him out very much.

She nodded. “That’s what I figured. It always felt like the two of you were meant to be together.”

“I… maybe, but we can’t.”

She bit her lip. “You know, the reason why I broke up with Yosuke-kun was because of you. Not because of anything that you did, but because he always seemed so much happier with you around. There’s just something between the two of you that I’m not sure how to describe, but I can tell that there’s no one else that either of you loves more. I… What I’m saying is is that you shouldn’t be dissuaded by what other people say. I just… I think that the two of you should be together no matter what anyone else thinks. You both deserve to be happy.”

He stared down at the ground, fighting back the tears that were forming in his eyes.

“I… uh… thank you.”

She laid her hand on his shoulder. “Of course. I do have to ask though - were you actually dating at one point?”

He let out a small laugh. “Yeah, we were.”

“Oh? I want to hear the story.”

He nodded. She seemed totally supportive of their relationship and part of him really did want to tell someone else about it.

He told her how they had gone out with some guys from their middle school one night to an abandoned house. He told her how they had gotten locked in a closet together. How the police had shown up. How they had been trapped inside for an unknowable amount of time. How he had eventually confessed his feelings to him. How, for some stupid, amazing, wonderful reason, he had accepted the confession.

How they had gone camping together. How they had spent time together, going on ‘dates’ that weren’t quite dates because they didn’t want to be looked at differently. How they had gone out together in the snow and built a snowman.

How everything had changed when his mother had found out about them. How they had had to break up less risk their whole friendship. How things had been awkward between them for a while. How they had finally started getting back into a comfortable rhythm when some time had passed. But how Yosuke had had to move away a few months ago.

About how much he missed him now.

By the time he was finished, lunch was almost over. It actually felt really good to be able to get all of that off his chest. Someone else knew about them now. He didn’t have to hide it from her.

“Wow. I… I didn’t know any of that. Yu-kun, I’m really sorry all of that happened. I know I can’t really say anything to make it better, but I do hope that you can get back together at some point.”

He gave her a small smile. “Thank you.”

Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch period.

“Oh, we should probably be heading back to class now,” she said.

He nodded, standing up. “And Miyoko-san?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for listening and for not judging.”

She smiled. “Of course. Just let me know if you ever need anyone to talk to.”

“Thanks. I will.”

With that, the two of them headed back to class. Talking to her had been very cathartic and had also made sure he didn’t have to deal with anyone trying to confess to him the whole lunch. Maybe he should spend more time with her.

Afternoon classes were less than interesting, dragging on and on. Finally though, the last bell rang.

He put everything in his bag as fast as possible, walking quickly down to his shoe locker - if he could have run without getting into trouble, he would have. He just wanted to get out of the school.

He got to his shoe locker, hesitating briefly before putting the wrapped boxes into his bag - there were several more in there now - then booking it out of the building.

He didn’t fully relax until he was several blocks away. He lived close enough that he didn’t have to take the train, so he could take side streets to get back home.

He got back quickly, heading inside. He took his shoes off at the entrance, then went upstairs. He took the boxes out of his bag, setting them down on top of his dresser - he’d at least look through them later - then sat down at his desk.

He took his phone out - still no text back from Yosuke - and set it on his desk. He was probably headed to work about now, so he wouldn’t answer back until afterward, providing that he remembered.

He pulled out his math book, flipping it open to the homework page. There were a lot of things that he wanted to get done tonight so he didn’t have to worry about them later. He got to work on his homework, quickly getting absorbed by it.

A few hours later, the front door opened downstairs, pulling him out of his homework daze. It was still pretty early, but apparently his parents were home.

There was the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs, then his bedroom door opened, his mother stepping into the room. “Yu-kun, your father and I need to talk to you.”

“Okay.” He stood up from his desk, following her down the stairs and into the kitchen. It always made him very uncertain when they asked to talk to him. It usually meant something big was about to happen - whether it be good or bad had yet to be determined.

His father was already seated at the table, his mother sitting down next to him. The only other place to sit was across from them. He walked over to the chair, sitting. This was weird. They never sat together like this.

“So,” his mother said. “Something came up and your father and I will both need to go on a business trip overseas.”

He nodded. They went on trips a lot, but they never sat down like this to announce it.

“This is going to be a longer than usual trip - a full year - and we didn’t want to leave you all alone for that long.”

A full year? That really was a long trip. He wasn’t sure he liked where this was going.

“And so, I got into contact with my brother and he’s agreed to let you stay with him and your cousin while we’re gone.”

He blinked. He was actually going to be staying with someone. They weren’t just having him be alone that whole time? And he was staying with his uncle? Had he even ever met his uncle?

“His name is Ryotaro Dojima and his daughter’s name is Nanako. His wife passed away a few years ago, so it’s just the two of them there. I expect you to be on your best behavior and not cause any trouble for them.”

He nodded. “I won’t.”

He very much wasn’t sure about this. Living for a full year with people he didn’t really know. At least they were a part of his family, but even still, he didn’t actually know them. He supposed that the alternative was living completely by himself for a year and he wasn’t sure that was any better.

“Good. He lives in a very small town - I would have rathered you stay someplace with a more prestigious school, but he was the only one who could take you in on such short notice. It’s called Inaba. It’s about two hours away from here.”

He had to fight to keep from making a noise or showing any sort of major emotion on his face.

Inaba.

That was where Yosuke had moved to. What were the chances of that? He was moving to the same town as Yosuke? There was no way that they knew that that was where Yosuke was, was there?

He needed to tell him. He needed to tell him as soon as this conversation was over with.

They talked to him for a little while longer, explaining more about the trip and what was expected from him. He wasn’t pushing back or asking any questions, just wanting this talk to end as soon as possible so that he could go call Yosuke.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he was dismissed from the kitchen to go back up and finish his homework.

As soon as he got into his room, he closed the door, going back over to his desk where his phone was, scrolling to Yosuke’s contact, and pressing the call button.

It rang a few times before he picked up.

“Hello?” He sounded mildly exhausted, although, that was to be expected, considering he had gone to school and worked.

“Yosuke. I have great news.”

“Really? What is it?” The exhaustion was mostly gone, replaced with curiosity.

He couldn’t keep the smile off of his face. “I’m moving to Inaba next year.”

Chapter Text

April 10th, 2011

Yu took a deep breath, stepping off of the platform and onto the train that would take him to the town of Inaba. He was only carrying one bag with him - everything else he had sent ahead of him - it had only been two boxes of stuff that he needed, but it had practically been his whole life.

Despite the fear and uncertainty of moving to a new place and living with family that, to his recollection, he had never even met before, he was excited. He was about to be able to see Yosuke again. A whole year of seeing him without his parents knowing. He didn’t even think that they realized that Inaba was the town that Yosuke and his parents lived in - and he wasn't about to tell them. If they knew, he had little doubt that they wouldn't let him stay there anymore - or at least tell his uncle that he wasn't allowed to see Yosuke.

He was even going to the same high school as him. Yasogami High. It wasn't as prestigious as the high school that he had gotten into in the city, but it would be fine. He was going to it with Yosuke.

School was supposed to start in two days. Really, he didn't need to get to town until tomorrow, but he had said he wanted to get there early under the guise of getting settled in a little bit. In reality, it was just so he would have a full day to hang out with Yosuke and catch up with him.

He found a spot on the train, sitting down, practically buzzing with excitement. The trip was just a little over two hours.

He pulled out his phone, seeing a text from his uncle, saying that he would meet him at the train station that afternoon to pick him up. He sent a quick text back before navigating to the thread he had with Yosuke.

Yu
Are we still on for today?

He had to wait a few seconds for a response, the train pulling out of the station.

Yosuke
Yep i get off work at 5

Yu
I’m excited to see you.

Yosuke
Me too. It’s been way too long

He leaned back in the seat, smiling to himself. Today was going to be a good day.

- - -

It was almost two hours later. Yu was sitting in his spot on the train, watching as the scenery whizzed by outside. He rarely ever got out of the city, so seeing the completely rural area was a novelty to him.

All of a sudden, a wave of dizziness washed over him, images flashing through his mind. A man and a woman sitting in a car, the whole thing tinged a deep shade of blue.

As suddenly as it had started, it dissipated, the images quickly fading.

What had that been about? Why was he imagining something weird like that? And why was it unnerving him so much?

He pushed the feelings aside as the announcement sounded through the train that they were arriving in Yasoinaba.

He took a deep breath, standing, and grabbing his things from overhead, walking to the train door. He only had to wait a minute before they slowed to a stop, the doors opening. He stepped out onto the platform.

This seemed to be a very small station, so it was easy to find the way outside. He adjusted the strap of his bag over his shoulder before heading outside the main station.

As soon as he stepped outside, his name was called.

“Hey, Yu, over here.”

He turned toward the voice. He had been shown a picture of his uncle before leaving and this was definitely him. There was a certain amount of family resemblance to his mother, but the smile on his face was something he rarely saw with her.

Trailing a little bit behind him was a young girl - that was Nanako if he was remembering her name correctly. She was his younger cousin and would be the other person he was living with for the year.

They stopped in front of him. “You’re a lot more handsome in person than you are in your picture.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“I’m Ryotaro Dojima. I’ll be taking care of you for the next year. And this is my daughter, Nanako.” He laid his hand on her shoulder.

She stepped forward, looking down at her feet. “Hello.” Her voice was quiet enough that he had to strain his ears to hear it.

“It’s very nice to meet both of you.”

Dojima laughed at that. “No need to be so formal. Besides, I’ve met you before, but you might have been too young to remember.”

He had met him before? That was news to him. He very rarely ever met any of his relatives.

“All right, let’s start heading back to the house.”

Yu nodded, following after them to a nearby car. He sat in the backseat, next to Nanako. She seemed very shy, but that was probably just because he was practically a stranger who was going to be living with them for a year. He needed to do something to put her more at ease.

While he was thinking about what to do, he looked out the car window, watching as the countryside rolled by outside. It was a little weird to be out in the country - the last time he remembered really being away from the city was when he had gone camping with Yosuke’s family. That had been a fun trip. Thinking about it for too long did make his chest ache though. They had gone on that trip not very long after they had started dating. He missed those days.

Now that he was spending a year in this town with Yosuke and away from his parents, would they start dating again? They theoretically could, but they hadn’t had any conversations about it. What if Yosuke didn’t want to date him anymore? What if he had found someone else?

He was drawn out of his thoughts by Nanako speaking. “Dad, I have to go to the bathroom.”

“Can you hold it until we get back to the house?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“All right. I guess I needed to stop and get gas anyway.”

After a minute, they pulled into a gas station, immediately being greeted by a happy sounding attendant.

When they stopped, Nanako got out of the car, heading toward where the bathrooms presumably were. Dojima got out as well, so Yu followed suit.

“So, are you going on a trip?” the attendant asked.

“Oh, no, just coming back from picking him up at the station,” Dojima said.

At that, Dojima pulled out a cigarette, walking off to the side, leaving him alone with the attendant.

“Are you moving out here then?”

“Oh, yeah, just for the year.”

“Sounds like bad luck, getting stuck all the way out here. There’s really nothing to do aside from hanging out with friends or working a part-time job. That being said, we’re actually looking for help here, so if you’re interested, feel free to stop by.”

Yu blinked. “Oh, okay.”

The attendant held out their hand. On instinct, Yu reached forward, shaking it.

Almost as soon as they let go, an intense wave of dizziness washed over him. He held his hand up to his head, closing his eyes, letting himself lean against the car. He took a deep breath, trying to feel at all back to normal.

“Hey, are you okay?” That was Nanako’s voice.

He opened his eyes. The attendant had gone and Nanako was looking up at him, her brow furrowed in concern.

He forced himself to stand up straight. “I’m okay.”

At that moment, Dojima walked back over. “What’s wrong?”

“I just felt a little lightheaded, that’s all.”

He hummed. “It was a pretty long trip. We should probably get going so you can rest.”

He nodded and they all got back in the car. He wasn’t really paying attention for the rest of the trip, too focused on the dizziness.

Before long, they pulled up to a house. By that point, it had worn off to the point where he only felt it if he started thinking about it, but it was still there.

He grabbed his bag, following them up to the door. It seemed like a pretty standard country house - nothing too fancy, but still good. This was the place he was spending the next year.

He was given a brief tour of the house - the whole place seemed old, but at the same time, there was a sense of homeiness to it. It felt more like Yosuke’s house always did than the way his own always felt back in the city.

The most important part of getting shown around the house was getting shown to his bedroom. It was on the second floor - maybe a little bit smaller than his room back home, but it would work. This was the room he was going to be spending most of his time.

Dojima told him to rest up in his room for a bit and that he would call him when it was time for dinner.

Yu set his bag down on the ground, then headed over to the couch, the cardboard boxes he had sent with all of his stuff from home beside it, sitting down, leaning his head back. Why was he so tired? All things considered, it hadn’t been that long of a trip, so it really shouldn’t be affecting him this much. He still wanted to go see Yosuke, but with how he was feeling, he wasn’t sure if that was going to be an option.

He let out a sigh, pulling his phone out. It was already 4:45. He was supposed to meet him a little after 5. He really didn’t want to, but he might need to cancel. They would get to see each other the entirety of tomorrow, so it wasn’t that big of a deal, but he had been so excited to see him tonight.

He closed his eyes. Yosuke was going to be so disappointed too.

He must have nodded off because he was startled awake by his phone ringing.

He flipped it open - it was Yosuke. According to his phone, it was a few minutes past 5. He answered the phone.

“Hello?”

“Damn dude. Did you just wake up?”

“Huh?”

“You sound sleepy.”

He sat up, rubbing his eyes. “I fell asleep.”

“Do you still want to meet up then?”

“I want to. I’m just exhausted for some reason.”

“That sucks, but you should sleep if you need to. I don’t want you getting sick.”

“I was really looking forward to seeing you.”

“Yeah, me too. How bout we meet up first thing tomorrow morning then?”

A small smile tugged at his lips. “That sounds nice.”

“Right? And then we’ll have the whole day. I can show you around and stuff.”

“I’d like that.”

“Okay, just send me the address of where you’re staying and I’ll stop by at like 9.”

“I’ll see you then.”

“Yep. Just get some rest, okay?”

“I will.”

“All right. Then, I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night.”

“Good night.”

With that, he hung up the phone. Talking with him had only made his desire to see him grow that much stronger, but he just had to hold out for a few more hours.

He stood up, starting to move a few clothes from his bag into the dresser that was in the room. He didn’t feel like fully unpacking right then, but he could get a start on it.

He was just opening the first cardboard box when there was a knock on his door.

"Um, it's time for dinner." That was Nanako's voice.

"All right. I'll be right there."

He closed the box, then headed down the stairs and to the living room where dinner was set up on the low table.

Dinner wasn't awkward per se, but he also wasn't entirely sure how he should be acting around them. This was his mom's brother, after all. It wouldn't surprise him if they had a similar view on everything.

Still, it was nice to eat dinner with someone again. It had been so long since he had - really since Yosuke had moved.

They talked for a little bit about school and his parents, but nothing very heavy.

Nothing very exciting happened the whole time and before long, dinner was over and he was heading back upstairs to be in his room for a while.

He spent a little more time organizing before deciding to go to bed. He took a quick shower before setting up his futon for the night.

Just as he was getting under the covers, his phone went off.

He grabbed it, flipping it open. It was a text from Yosuke.

There was a picture of Aiko, curled up, asleep on his bed. She had her paws covering her face as she laid on her back.

Yosuke
Shes excited to see you

He smiled to himself.

Yu
I'm excited to see her too.

Yosuke
See you tomorrow?

Yu
Yeah, see you tomorrow.

With that, he flipped his phone shut, settling back against his pillow, closing his eyes. Even though he was so exhausted, excitement was pulling at his chest. He couldn't wait for it to be morning.

- - -

April 11th, 2011

When he woke up, dawn was just beginning to break. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had had a nightmare.

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, sitting up, checking the time. It was just after 6am. He supposed that it made sense that he was up so early considering it had been barely 8pm when he had gone to bed the previous night.

He stretched his arms over his head, then stood up, starting to get ready for the day. In just a few hours, he would be seeing Yosuke again.

When he walked downstairs, his uncle was sitting at the kitchen table, a mug of coffee in his hand. He looked up as he came down.

“Good morning,” Yu said.

“Morning. Are you feeling better today?”

He nodded. “A lot better.”

“Good to hear. Do you have any plans for today?”

He hesitated. He didn’t know if it was a good idea to tell him about Yosuke. What if he told his mom and she got mad? Then again, he was already here. He doubted that she would make him transfer schools again after classes had already started.

“Oh, well, one of my friends actually moved here a few months ago, so I was planning on meeting up with him.”

He hummed. “That’s one hell of a coincidence, but it’s good that you already have a friend here.”

“Yeah, I’m excited to see him again.”

They talked for a few more minutes before he got up, explaining that it was about time to leave for work. He had been told previously that he worked as a detective.

After he had gone, Yu started looking through the fridge to see what there was for him to make breakfast. He figured that he should probably make something for Nanako too. It was a little odd to be cooking for someone else, but it was nice too.

There wasn’t a whole lot in the fridge, but there was enough as to where he was able to make a meal.

He got to work cooking, only getting distracted when he was almost finished when Nanako walked into the room. She still seemed shy around him, so he wanted to be as friendly as possible so as to not make her uncomfortable.

“Hey, good morning.”

“Good morning,” she said, stopping by the table.

“Your dad left for work already, but I’m making breakfast if you want some.”

She blinked at him. “You know how to cook?”

He let out a small laugh. She seemed so shocked. “I do. I’ve been cooking for myself for a long time.”

“Dad can’t cook at all and I can only make eggs.”

“Well, maybe I can teach you a little bit while I’m here.”

“Really?”

“If you want to.”

At that, she walked a little bit closer to him, standing up on her tiptoes to look into the pan.

He started explaining to her what he was doing. He didn’t know exactly what went into being a detective, but he could only imagine her father worked long hours - he knew from experience that it wasn’t fun to be left alone for that long. She probably had to cook for herself or buy food. He had been lucky in the fact that he had had Yosuke’s mom to show him a few recipes - he would do the same for her if he could.

After a while, he finished cooking, serving breakfast. They ate together, talking and getting to know each other a little bit.

By the time they were finished eating and doing dishes, it was already almost 8:30. That meant Yosuke would be there soon. He should probably let Nanako know that he was going to be leaving.

“Just to let you know, my best friend actually moved to this town a few months ago, so I’m going to be leaving soon to go see him.”

A look of disappointment quickly flashed across her face. “Oh, okay.”

His heart clenched at that. He didn’t want her to have to be alone all day. He thought for a second.

“If it’s all right with you, I might have him come over for a bit. Maybe we can all have lunch together.”

She seemed to light up at that, nodding enthusiastically. “Okay.”

“Great, then it’s a plan.”

With that, he excused himself back upstairs to finish getting ready, coming back down about ten minutes before 9.

As he was walking down the stairs, he got a text from Yosuke saying that he was on his way. He was practically buzzing with excitement as he said goodbye to Nanako, then walked outside, leaning against the side of the house to wait.

It was kind of peaceful out there - nothing like the normal hustle and bustle that he was used to. There were a few people around, but not very many. It was quiet.

After a few minutes, there was the sound of footsteps approaching. He immediately looked in that direction, his heart pounding.

A few seconds later, he saw him, walking down the street toward the house. He looked practically identical to the way he had looked when he had last seen him.

Before he could stop himself, he was moving toward him, practically running to get to him. He just barely registered him saying his name before he slammed into him, wrapping his arms around him, hugging him tightly.

He quickly returned the gesture, squeezing him tightly. “I missed you too.”

He was so warm and comfortable and familiar. Even just hearing his voice, undistorted by the phone speaker, filled him with such a sense of relief. Like everything was back to how it should be.

After a few seconds, he pulled back. While he really wanted to keep hugging him for longer, he figured that they shouldn’t do that out in public.

He was smiling broadly as he looked at him. He had missed that smile.

Yosuke lifted his hand up, humming as he laid his palm against the top of his head.

“What?”

“You got taller.”

He blinked. “Did I?”

“We used to be the same height but now you’re taller than me.” He pursed his lips. “I don’t like it.”

Yu let out a small laugh. “I guess you’ll just have to get used to it.”

He hummed. “Okay, I have things planned for today.”

“Oh, before anything though, I promised my cousin that we’d come have lunch with her. Her dad left for work already, so she’s there all alone.”

Understanding flashed across his face. “All right. Sounds good to me. My mom did want you to come over for dinner though."

"That sounds nice."

He let Yosuke take the lead as they walked through the streets. It was nice to just be next to him again. He had missed walking with him, even though they were in a place that was unfamiliar.

"So, where are we going?"

"I thought I would just show you around. There's the shopping district not far from here."

Yu nodded.

"How was the trip out here? You're feeling better today, right?"

"It was fine. And yeah, I was just really tired for some reason."

He frowned. "You're not getting sick, are you?"

"I don't think so. I feel better today."

"All right. Good."

They kept talking, catching up a little bit. They talked on the phone a lot, but it was different to be together like this.

Before long, they reached the shopping district. He recognized the gas station in it as the place they had stopped yesterday.

Yosuke showed him a few of the shops as they walked down the street. There were quite a few of them that were closed though.

As they were getting toward the end of the street, the door to one of the shops opened and a girl stepped out. She had wavy brown hair that fell halfway down her back. She was wearing a white long sleeved shirt and a skirt.

Yosuke immediately perked up when he saw her.

"Saki-senpai," he called, walking toward her.

She looked over, smiling. "Oh, Hana-chan. How are you?"

"I'm good." He paused before laying a hand on Yu's shoulder. "This is my best friend, Yu Narukami. He's gonna be transferring here for the year."

She gave him a friendly smile. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Saki Konishi. It's good to see Hana-chan with a friend. I don't see him hanging out with the other boys much."

"It's nice to meet you too."

She seemed very friendly and nice, but at the same time, he didn't like how Yosuke was looking at her. It reminded him of how he had looked at Miyoko when they had been dating. It made his chest ache.

They talked for a few more minutes before she excused herself, saying that she needed to go meet someone.

Once she had gone, he and Yosuke kept walking. He didn't know if he should say anything to him. He didn't want to make him uncomfortable, but at the same time, he wanted to know what he thought about her. Did he have a crush on her? He didn't want him to have a crush on her.

Then again, it wasn't like they were actually dating and he hadn't asked if he wanted to again, so it wasn't like he had any ground to stand on in terms of not wanting him to like her or wanting to date her or anything like that. It was just him being selfish.

Maybe he would be better off if he was dating her. If he was dating a girl, he wouldn't have to hide his relationship like he would with him. He would be able to go on dates with her and hold her hand and not have to worry about what anyone else thought.

Yes, he loved him, but it might be better if he didn't date him. Still, the thought of that made his chest cold.

"Do you want to walk down to the river?" Yosuke asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

He nodded. "Sure."

They started walking, Yosuke cheerfully chattering to him the whole way. Yeah, he deserved to be happy and maybe it would be better if it wasn't with him.

They spent a couple of hours exploring the town before they stopped.

"All right, so we're having lunch with your cousin?" Yosuke asked.

Yu nodded. "We should probably buy some ingredients to cook something though."

He flashed him a smile. "Do you wanna see where I work?"

"Sure. Sounds good." A small smile was tugging at his lips.

They didn't have to walk very far before they arrived at Junes. He had been to one before in the city, so it wasn't anything new.

Yosuke led him through the store and into the grocery department.

"So, what do you want to make?"

He hummed, thinking. "It's still pretty cold out, so maybe some soup."

"That sounds good."

They started walking through the aisles, picking the ingredients they needed. They were about halfway through getting everything when an employee walked over to them.

"Oh, Hanamura-san, there was something I needed to ask you."

Yu started comparing two kinds of bouillon, while they started talking. It wasn't a conversation that he really needed to be a part of.

After a few seconds, he turned to him. "Yu, can you go on ahead? There's something I need to take care of."

He nodded. "Oh yeah, sure."

"Thanks. I'll be right back."

He finished grabbing what he needed, but Yosuke still wasn't back yet. He decided to just go ahead and check out. He bought all the ingredients, then took his bags over toward the entranceway, leaning against the wall to wait for him.

He had to wait for a little while before eventually, Yosuke turned the corner, walking toward him.

"Sorry, people kept asking me for things."

"You're fine. Must be nice to be that popular." His tone was teasing.

A light blush tinged his cheeks. "Oh, yeah so nice. You ready to go?"

"Yep."

Yosuke grabbed one of the bags out of his hand. "I'll carry these. I did make you wait."

His heart was pounding in his chest as he let him take the bag. He wasn't sure why that small action flustered him so much, but he liked it when he would do things like that.

They started walking back toward the Dojima Residence. The streets were still very unfamiliar, but he put focus into learning the way - he'd need to walk this route if he went to go visit Yosuke at work, so it was important that he remembered it.

Before long, they made it back to the house. It felt a little weird just opening the door without knocking, but he did live there now, he supposed.

They took their shoes off in the entryway, then headed inside. As soon as they walked through the arch into the living room, Nanako looked toward them from where she was sitting and watching TV.

She stood up. "Oh, welcome back."

Yu greeted her in return, introducing her and Yosuke.

She seemed slightly uncomfortable, but that made sense, seeing as both of them were basically strangers.

That didn't seem to bother Yosuke that much though as he smiled broadly, walking toward her. "It's nice to meet you, Nanako-chan. What're you watching?"

She glanced toward the TV. "Just Featherman."

"Really? That was one of my favorite shows growing up."

They started having a conversation about Featherman.

Yu smiled at that. It was good that she was more relaxed now. Yosuke was just good at putting people at ease. Part of him wished that he had that ability as well.

He walked into the kitchen, pulling out the ingredients he had bought, starting to prepare them.

He began the familiar process of cooking, letting the two of them keep talking in the background. It was honestly really nice. He liked cooking for more than just himself. Their voices just made everything much more homely and comfortable.

Before long, he had everything prepped and cooking. He just had to let it simmer on the stove for a little while longer.

While he was waiting for that, he walked over to the living room, where Yosuke and Nanako were having an animated discussion about a show that he didn’t really know about. He was glad they were getting along.

He joined in on the conversation whenever he could, but both of them had a lot to say. He was actually enjoying sitting there and listening to them. It made his chest feel warm.

After a while, the food was ready, so he found bowls in the kitchen and served it for everyone, bringing it over to the table.

Yosuke smiled warmly at him as he set the bowl down in front of him. “Thank you.” He turned to Nanako. “Nanako-chan, you’re in for a huge treat. Yu’s cooking is the absolute best.”

His face felt hot. “It’s not that good.”

“Don’t downplay yourself.”

Nanako grabbed hold of the spoon, taking a small taste of the soup. Immediately, her face lit up. “This is really good.”

He smiled at her. “I’m glad you like it.” With how often her dad seemed to be away, she deserved food that she enjoyed.

They ate lunch, a pleasant atmosphere in the room, but before long, they were finished and everyone was helping to clean up and put the leftovers away.

Once they were done with that, Yosuke turned to him. “Do you need any help unpacking while I’m here?”

“If you want to help, I’m not exactly going to tell you no.”

“All right. Which way to your room?”

He pointed him in the direction of the stairs, then turned to Nanako. “We’re going to be upstairs for a little while, but we’ll come back down in a bit.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

He did feel bad about leaving her alone again, but she seemed to be in higher spirits than she had been earlier and he really wanted more alone time with Yosuke.

They went up the stairs and into his room.

Yosuke looked around consideringly. “This is a little bigger than your old room, isn’t it?”

He shrugged. “Maybe. I’m not sure.”

He nodded, walking over to one of the boxes off to the side, pulling it open. That one was mostly just clothes.

“All right. How do you want everything organized?”

They started discussing where to put everything, then began taking things out of boxes. This was going to go significantly faster with Yosuke there to help.

He started putting school stuff away on his desk while Yosuke started pulling clothes out of the box and into the dresser.

There was a comfortable silence between them for a few minutes until Yosuke spoke.

"Hey, isn't this mine?"

Yu turned to see him holding a blue sweatshirt in his hands. His chest hurt a little just seeing it.

"Oh, yeah, it is. You lent it to me the night…" He trailed off. The night they had broken up. "I just forgot to give it back to you. You can take it now though."

Yosuke looked away before shaking his head, beginning to fold the sweatshirt. "No, it's all right. I honestly forgot that you had it."

The air in between them was more tense after that, the easy atmosphere turning into something else. Part of him wanted to ask if he wanted to maybe start dating again, but at the same time, fear nagged at him, telling him that he wanted to date someone else.

After a minute, Yosuke started speaking. "Hey, Yu?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you maybe…" He trailed off, shaking his head. "Nevermind."

He swallowed hard. What had he been about to ask him? He wanted him to finish that sentence, but at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder if it was something that he wouldn't like hearing. What if he was going to suggest that they completely give up on ever getting back together? What would he do then? He didn't think that he could stand that.

It was still slightly tense for a few minutes until Yosuke made a joke about one of the books he had brought with him and things fell back into a more comfortable territory.

After a while, they finished everything and Yosuke suggested that they go over to his house so that he could see Aiko. He agreed and they left the house, saying goodbye to Nanako.

He tried his best to memorize the way to Yosuke's house, knowing that he would be walking there often, and, before long, they reached the building.

Both of his parents were gone at work, so it was just them in the house. It was a little bit bigger than where they had lived in the city, but it still felt familiar. There was a lot of the same furniture, the same artwork on the walls - the same comfortable feeling in the air. He already really liked it there.

Yosuke started showing him around, heading into the living room. There was a large cat tree sitting in the corner of the room.

He looked up to the top perch, smiling as he saw the familiar gray shape curled up.

"Aiko-chan!"

She immediately stirred, standing up, and letting out a surprised sounding meow. She turned toward them, bounding down the tree, eyes locked on him, crying noisily as she reached him, weaving in between his legs.

He reached down, picking her up. She started purring in his arms. "It's good to see you again."

Yosuke reached over, patting her on the head. "See, you definitely like her more than me."

Yu smiled to himself. "Yep."

Yosuke glared at him. "You're not supposed to agree."

He just hummed, scratching Aiko behind the ear. He was really glad to see her again. He hadn’t realized just how much he had missed her in the past few months.

Yosuke looked at him for a few seconds, a small smile tugging at his lips, before tugging on his arm. “Come on, I want to show you my room.”

Yu nodded, adjusting Aiko in his arms so that she was resting on his shoulder, holding her almost like a baby, following Yosuke as he led him through the house.

His bedroom was bigger than it had been in the city, unmade bed pushed in the corner, desk opposite it. His dresser had a TV on it with a game console beside it. He even had a large closet off to the side. There were a few posters up on the walls, mainly for idol groups that he listened to that Yu had never quite been able to get into.

“It’s cleaner than I would have thought.”

“I just cleaned up yesterday.”

“Oh wow, cleaning up for me? I’m honored.”

Yosuke shrugged. “I just wanted it to be nice for you."

Yu walked over, sitting down on the bed, placing Aiko in his lap. She immediately stood, starting to knead his legs.

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom. Be right back,” Yosuke said.

“Okay.”

When he left the room, Yu laid back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. He had wholly missed Yosuke, but being with him was still enough to make his chest ache. He so desperately wanted to hug him and kiss him and hold his hand, but he didn’t know if that was what he wanted anymore.

What was he supposed to do about that?

Aiko climbed off his legs, walking around beside him, where she laid down, curling up into a little ball. He rolled over onto his side, looking at her. At least her feelings toward him were clear.

He started petting her head, stroking his hand down her back, fighting back a yawn. He hadn’t slept very well last night and now, being in Yosuke’s bed, his familiar scent all around him, Aiko laying in front of him, he was so unbelievably comfortable. He could easily fall asleep right there.

He considered that for a few seconds before closing his eyes. Yosuke would probably just tell him to get up when he came back, so he doubted it would even matter if he did that.

Yosuke did not, in fact, tell him to get up. He realized that fact some amount of time later when he blinked his eyes open, sitting up, orange sunlight streaming in through the windows.

Yosuke was sitting in his desk chair, playing a video game.

"What time is it?" Yu asked, his voice rough from sleep.

Yosuke turned to face him. "Oh, you're up. It's like 5:30."

He blinked. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

He just shrugged. "It seemed like you needed it if you fell asleep so fast."

"But today was supposed to be spending time with you."

"Dude, we have the whole year to spend time with each other."

He supposed that was true. Still, he had been asleep for about three hours. They could have been doing something in that time.

All of a sudden, there was the sound of the front door opening downstairs.

Yosuke stood up. "That's probably my mom. She was really excited to see you."

Yu stood up as well. He was actually pretty excited to see her too. It had been too long.

The two of them headed downstairs and into the kitchen.

Yosuke's mom looked up as they walked in, her face breaking out into a wide smile. "Yu-kun, it's good to see you."

"Yeah, you too."

She walked over to him, hugging him tightly, before pulling away. "How have you been? Have you been eating enough?" She paused, looking up at his face. "Did you get taller?"

He couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips. "I'm doing good. And, yeah, Yosuke was saying that I got taller."

She looked between them, humming. "You're taller than him now, huh?"

Yosuke pouted, looking down at the ground. "You don't have to rub it in."

Yu laughed. "It's the truth now though."

"That doesn't mean that I have to like it."

Yosuke's mom was looking at them with a soft smile on her face. "All right, I'm going to get started on dinner."

"I'll help," Yu said.

"Oh, no, it's fine."

"It's been so long since I cooked with you though."

She seemed to consider that for a few seconds. "All right. Then you're helping too, Yosuke-kun."

Yosuke didn't put up any objections to that and they started cooking dinner. A while into cooking, Yosuke's dad came home too, giving him a warm greeting as well.

He was really happy to be back with all of them. He had missed this feeling of family that he got with all of them. He wanted every day to be like this.

He spent the evening with Yosuke and his family, eating dinner, then spending about an hour catching up with them before saying that he needed to be heading back.

He parted with Yosuke on the promise that he would come by in the morning and they could walk to school together. He was strangely giddy as he walked back to the Dojima residence - he was glad to be able to be with him again.

He managed to find his way back with minimal effort, remembering the way for the most part. He opened the door, taking off his shoes as he came inside.

"I'm back," he called into the house.

"Welcome back," Nanako answered from the living room.

He walked further inside, frowning when he saw that she was sitting there alone, watching TV. "Where's your dad?"

"Oh, he had to go to work."

“This late?”

She nodded.

Something tugged at his chest. He hated to see this happening. He could relate to all of that to an uncomfortable level.

“Have you had dinner yet?”

“We ate when he came home.”

“Okay, good.”

He sat down opposite her at the low table. He wanted to at least be able to offer her some company as much as he could. She didn’t deserve to grow up alone.

“So, you’re going into first grade, right?”

She nodded.

“Are you excited for school tomorrow?”

With that, the two of them started talking. He was determined to get to know her better.

They spent a while chatting and watching TV together until it was about time for her to go to bed. He told her good night and then headed up to his room, taking a shower before heading to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a good day.

April 12th, 2011

That morning, he only briefly saw his uncle - a quick greeting exchanged before he was out the door. It made him wonder how often he was really going to be seeing him.

He made breakfast with Nanako, then ate with her. He was already really starting to enjoy all the meals with other people - she also seemed to be warming up to him a lot more - a fact he was grateful for.

They were just cleaning up when there was a knock at the door. That had to be Yosuke.

He finished washing the last plate, then went and answered the door.

“Hey,” Yosuke yawned. “Are you just about ready to go?”

He was a little bit early, but he figured it might be good to be a little early on his first day at this school.

“Just about."

Yosuke waited inside while he went upstairs and grabbed his school bag. When he came back down, he was having a conversation with Nanako.

Yosuke looked up as he walked over. "Ready?"

"Yep."

"Your school's on the way, right, Nanako-chan?" Yosuke asked.

"Yes."

"Do you want to walk with us part way then?"

She smiled. "Yes, please."

When they opened the door, it had just started to rain - sprinkling more than anything, but still rain.

Yu grabbed the umbrella he had brought downstairs the night before, also taking the pink one that he assumed was Nanako's, handing it to her.

"Did you bring an umbrella with you?" Yu asked Yosuke.

He looked sheepish. "No, I kind of left as soon as I got up."

He couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips. "I guess you can share mine."

"Thanks. You're the best."

With that, the three of them headed outside, walking in the direction of their schools. The umbrella was fairly small, so they had to walk pretty close together, their shoulders brushing. They had shared an umbrella in the past, but being this close to him only served to make his heart pound.

They said goodbye to Nanako when she had to go the other way to get to her school, and then it was just the two of them.

Part of him really wanted to reach over and grab onto his hand, but he really couldn't. There was no way that would go over well - besides, they were in public; anyone could see them.

As they went, Yosuke started chatting to him about the school and telling him about the teachers.

"I wonder if we're gonna be in the same class," Yosuke said.

"I would like that, but even if we aren't, at least we're at the same school again."

"Yeah, it really hasn't been the same without you, you know."

Yu let out a small laugh. "You can say that again."

It really hadn't been the same without him. He had begun to get used to the emptiness of not having him around with him, but having him there now was just so wonderful - everything felt like it had finally fallen back into place. Everything was right again.

Before long, they reached the school - an older, more run down building than he was used to - and they headed inside.

He showed him where the faculty office was before leaving to go find out which class he was in.

Yu stood in front of the door, a little bit nervous now that he was alone, before pulling it open, walking inside.

A teacher greeted him as he went in. "Hi, is there something I can help you with?"

"I'm a second year transfer student, Yu Narukami."

"Oh! Right. I heard there was a transfer student this year. I'm a first year teacher, but let me just find out whose class you're in."

"Thank you."

She grabbed a stack of papers, beginning to flip through them, eventually stopping. "All right. It looks like you're in Mr. Morooka's class."

Yosuke had mentioned him when he was talking about the teachers earlier. He couldn't quite remember what he had said about him though.

The teacher that he was talking to called over another teacher - Mr. Morooka, he assumed.

He wasn't sure that he liked the way he was looking at him - almost like he was sizing him up.

"So, you're that transfer student from the big city, huh?"

Yu nodded. "Yes."

"I hope you know that things are different around here - all of the shit that you were allowed to get away with there isn't going to fly here."

Yu blinked. What did he mean by that? He vaguely remembered what Yosuke was saying about him now. He had been talking about how everyone hated him and how he would go off on long lectures about morals and how he thought people should behave.

He kept talking and Yu just nodded along, not really listening, but not wanting to fight him.

After a few minutes, he took him on a small tour of the school, showing him where things were, before leading him to the classroom.

Now was the moment of truth - was he in the same class as Yosuke? It would be so nice if he was. While he was happy to even just be at the same school, being in the same class would also be absolutely amazing.

He followed him into the classroom, aware of everyone's eyes on him.

He scanned hopefully over the faces in the room, not able to stop the smile tugging at his lips as he saw him, sitting a few rows up from the back of the room, smiling broadly - Yosuke.

There was even an empty desk in front of him - that was going to be his spot.

Mr. Morooka introduced him as the new transfer student, then asked him to introduce himself.

"I'm Yu Narukami. It's nice to meet you all."

After that, Morooka started going on again about his thoughts on the differences in the city versus in the countryside. He wasn't paying too much attention to that, letting his gaze wander around the room, trying his best to familiarize himself with who all was in his class.

All of a sudden, Morooka's attention turned specifically to him again. "Don't think I don't see the look you're giving that girl by the window."

He blinked. What look? He was just looking around like normal. He obviously thought that he was thinking about coming on to one of the girls in the class, but that was never going to be the case. He briefly wondered what his reaction would be if he told him that he wasn’t interested in women at all, but, while it might be fun in the moment, saying anything like that would destroy any semblance of a social life that he might be able to have at this school.

He kept talking for a while before a girl wearing a green sweater over her uniform raised her hand, gesturing to the desk beside her - the one right in front of Yosuke. “Is it all right if the transfer student sits here?”

Morooka looked confused for a second before nodding. “You hear that? That’s your seat.”

Yu nodded before walking toward it, smiling at Yosuke before sitting down in front of him.

The girl leaned over toward him. "He's the worst, isn't he?"

Yu nodded. He was still talking and showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.

All of a sudden, there was a kick to the back of his calf. He blinked, turning slightly to look at Yosuke.

He was sitting with his head in his hands, grinning at him. "Dude, we're in the same class."

"You didn't have to kick me over it."

"You weren't looking at me."

"So, you kicked me?"

The girl sitting next to him looked in between the two of them. "You guys know each other?"

"Oh, yeah, Yu's been my best friend since we were kids."

Understanding flickered across her face. "Ah, the person you were getting all mopey about that one time."

"I wasn't mopey."

She made a noise like she wasn't convinced, then turned back around to face the front. It sounded like Morooka was finally winding down on his lecture, so Yu also turned around, getting ready to start paying attention.

He was just pulling out his pencil case when there was another kick to the back of his leg. He couldn't help the small smile that tugged at his lips. This was going to be a good year.

- - -

During lunch, Yosuke immediately grabbed him, starting to show him around the school. It was a lot more fun with him doing it rather than Mr. Morooka.

Several classmates came up to him and introduced themselves. It was definitely going to be a struggle to remember everyone’s names, but he would get it in time.

Everything was going normally until the last bell rang.

While he was packing up his stuff, he turned to Yosuke. “Do you want to walk home together?”

“I wish that I could, but I have work today.”

Disappointment flashed through his chest. He really wanted to spend more time with him that afternoon.

Yosuke laughed. “Come on, dude, don’t pout. We have plenty of time to hang out.”

He had been pouting? He didn’t think that he had been pouting.

All of a sudden, an announcement played over the loudspeaker saying that all students were to stay in their classrooms until further notice.

Yosuke sighed, leaning back in his chair. “I guess I might be late today then.”

“Hey, Narukami,” the girl from beside him said, “Do you wanna walk home with us then?”

He hadn’t entirely been expecting that. “Oh, sure.”

“Oh, I haven’t introduced myself yet, have I? I’m Chie Satonaka, and this is my best friend, Yukiko Amagi.” She gestured at a girl wearing red who was sitting in front of her, finishing packing up her school bag.

“It’s very nice to meet you,” Yu said.

“You’d better not pick on him,” Yosuke said.

“I’m just curious is all.”

“‘Curious’, huh? About what?”

“Maybe I’m trying to get blackmail on you.”

“Yu would never betray me like that.”

Yu bit his lip to keep from smiling. “Hey, Yosuke, remember that time you thought you saw a ghost so you ran over to my house at one in the morning and-”

Yosuke cut him off by letting out a noise. “Yu!”

“What?”

“And what?” Chie asked. “Tell me.”

"Do not."

“I’ll tell you later,” Yu said.

Yosuke looked like he was about to say something else when an announcement began playing over the intercom.

“Attention students. There has been an incident in the school zone. Police officers are requesting that everyone head straight home and not take any detours.”

Yu frowned. An incident? What could have happened? If there were police officers involved, would his uncle be there? Was it serious enough that he wouldn’t be home again that night?

Now that it was clear for them to leave, they started heading for the entrance to the school. It wasn’t long before they got outside to the gate. Just as they were about to leave the school grounds though, they were stopped - more specifically, Yukiko was stopped by someone saying her name.

It was a guy, wearing a uniform of a school that he wasn’t familiar with. He wasn’t a fan of his eyes - they unnerved him.

“You’re Yuki, right? You want to go hang out somewhere?”

Yukiko furrowed her brow. “What…? Who are you?”

Yu shifted his weight a little bit more toward this guy. He didn’t like the way this conversation was going. She clearly didn’t know him and he was using nicknames for her. Beside him, Yosuke tensed as well.

A few other students were gathering around, all looking to see what was going on.

The guy shifted nervously, hesitating before speaking. “So… Are you coming or not?”

Yukiko looked down at the ground. “I’m not going.”

At that, his whole demeanor changed to something more angry. “Fine!” He then turned, almost running away from the school gate.

Yukiko looked toward Chie. “What did he want from me?”

Chie blinked at her. “‘What did he want?’ Obviously, he was asking you out on a date.”

“Really?”

“You really didn’t realize? But then again, that was way over the top. It was creepy how he called you ‘Yuki’ all of a sudden.”

From beside him, Yosuke nodded. “Yeah, let someone know if he tries that again.”

She blinked. “Oh, okay.”

At that, they started heading away from the school.

Yosuke walked with them for a little while before breaking off in order to head for work. He was sad to see him go, but at least he knew that it would only be a short while until he could see him again.

As soon as he was gone, Chie turned to him. "So, I'm curious. Why exactly did you move out here?"

He shrugged. "My parents are going on an overseas business trip for the next year, so they sent me to live with my uncle."

"Huh, I thought it was gonna be something more dramatic, but that's pretty normal. I bet you're excited to be around Yosuke again though."

He smiled. "Yeah, I am. I'm happy that we ended up in the same place again."

"I bet. I can't even imagine being away from Yukiko for that long. Speaking of which, Yukiko, you've barely said anything this whole time. This is our chance to talk to someone from the big city."

"Sorry."

Chie turned back toward him. "Yukiko is actually really popular, but she's never had a boyfriend. Kinda weird, huh?"

Yukiko flushed. "Chie! It's not true that I'm popular or that I've never had a boyfriend." She paused. "Wait, no, what I meant to say is that I don't need a boyfriend."

"I don't think that that's weird," Yu said. He had never had a girlfriend and he never wanted to have one. He vaguely wondered if Yukiko felt the same way.

Chie pursed her lips. "Speaking of dating, is it true that Yosuke’s dated two people? He said that on Valentine's Day."

His chest ached. "Yeah, he has."

"Huh, I wouldn't have thought. He doesn't seem like the type to be able to get one girlfriend even."

Well, he had only ever had one girlfriend, but he wasn't about to tell her that.

"Hey, what's going on up there?" Chie suddenly asked.

He looked up the street where there appeared to be a small crowd gathered. Was this maybe the incident that had been mentioned at school? They walked over to the crowd, stopping.

There were several housewives gossiping with each other.

“I still can’t believe that was hanging on the roof.”

“I know. I kind of wish that I had seen it.”

“They just took it down. You were just a little bit too late.”

What was hanging on the roof? What was going on?

“Well, I think it’s terrifying. I can’t believe a dead body showed up around here.”

A dead body? What had happened? Uneasiness started working its way into his gut. Had someone simply died of natural causes, or was something more sinister going on?

All of a sudden, a man who he assumed was a detective, ran from behind the yellow crime scene tape they had set up, a hand over his mouth. He looked away as he started throwing up on the side of the road.

“Adachi! How long are you going to keep acting like a rookie?”

He looked toward the familiar voice, only mildly surprised to see his uncle standing there.

He watched as he looked over toward them, his gaze locking onto him. He frowned, walking toward them.

“Yu, what are you doing here?”

“We were just passing by.”

He sighed. “We told the school not to let any students through here. You should hurry home.”

Chie leaned toward him. “You know this guy?”

Dojima answered before he could. “I’m Detective Dojima, his guardian. And… how should I say this…? I hope you get along well with him. Now though, you should all head straight home.”

With that, he turned, walking back in the direction he had come from.

Chie hesitated. “Hey, maybe we should all hang out some other time.”

Yu nodded. “That’s fine with me.” He really did want to start heading home - especially if something bad had happened.

With that, they all said their goodbyes, and Yu started the walk back to the Dojima Residence. He was already starting to recognize the streets to get back there.

When he got back, Nanako was already sitting at the table in front of the TV, watching a show.

She looked up as he came in. “Oh, welcome back.”

He smiled at her. “Hey, how was your day?”

She shrugged. “It was good.”

“That’s good.” He came and sat across from her. He should probably tell her about her dad. “I just wanted to tell you that I ran into your dad on the way home. It looked like something happened though, so I’m not sure if he’ll be coming back tonight.”

“Oh.” She looked down at the table, her face falling.

“I’ll be here though. We can cook dinner together if you want.”

She looked back up at him. “Okay.”

He didn’t like that she was upset, but he did understand how that felt. He knew he wasn’t her dad, but he wanted to be able to help her in some way.

They watched the show together for a little while before starting on dinner. He was really enjoying having someone there to cook with every day. It was such a pleasant change from the way he had grown up.

When they went to go eat, Nanako changed the channel to the news, the announcer just beginning to speak.

“Our top story this evening concerns a bizarre case in a quiet suburb. Around noon today, a woman was found dead near the Samegawa River in Inaba.”

Was that the incident that he had walked past on the way home?

The announcer continued. “The deceased has been identified as Ms. Mayumi Yamano, a 27-year-old announcer at the local television station.”

He continued talking, but Yu turned his attention away. He had heard about Mayumi Yamano before on gossip sections. Apparently she had been having an affair with a local councilman. He didn’t really care too much about that kind of stuff, but people had been talking about it for a few days. He was more concerned about Nanako though. She was six. She didn’t need to be hearing about dead bodies.

“Hey, let’s watch something else, okay?”

Nanako hesitated before nodding, changing the channel to a quiz show. That was better. She didn’t need something else to be concerned about.

They spent the rest of the night watching TV together, trying to figure out the answers on the quiz show. She seemed substantially distracted from her father’s absence. That was good.

April 13th, 2011

Yosuke met him on the way to school again, appearing just as he split off from Nanako.

“Yu!”

He looked up to see him running toward him, falling into step beside him.

“Hey, good morning.”

“Yeah, good morning. Did you hear about what happened yesterday? About that announcer lady?”

Yu nodded. “Yeah.”

“It’s really weird, right? There’s no way something like that could have been an accident.”

Yu shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t like it though.”

“The whole thing is pretty messed up. I can’t even begin to imagine how you could even go through with killing someone to begin with.”

Yu shook his head. “Yeah, me neither.”

The conversation shifted to slightly more pleasant topics as they made their way to school.

Throughout the day, everyone was talking about Mayumi Yamano and the thought that she was murdered. Plenty of people still came up to him to talk to him and introduce themselves, but it was fewer than he had been prepared for, everyone distracted by the topic at hand.

After school, Yosuke came up to his desk. “Hey, let’s hang out.”

“Okay. What do you want to do?”

“Yeah, what do you want to do?” Chie asked, walking up to them.

Yosuke turned to her, blinking. “What? You wanna come too?”

She shrugged. “Yukiko had to go help out at the inn.”

“Oh, so we’re your second choice.”

Yu couldn’t help but smile at the two of them. “Maybe we could go get something to eat.”

“Ooh, I like the way you think,” Chie said. “Let’s go to Junes.”

They all agreed and then headed toward the store, going up to the food court, each getting something before sitting down at a round table, and starting to eat.

“You know, it’s only been like half a year since Junes opened up, but I don’t think I’ve been to the local shopping district much since then. A lot of stores there started closing, and…” Chie trailed off.

Yosuke looked down at the table. “You can’t blame it all on Junes, can you?”

Yu frowned. He seemed a little upset at that assertion. What was going on there? He hadn’t mentioned anything about that to him, but was that a common sentiment from people here? Was he getting blamed because his dad was the manager? He needed to talk to him about that.

Yosuke’s gaze wandered over to the other tables, his eyes lighting up. “Oh, hey, it’s Saki-senpai.”

Yu looked over to see the girl from the other day sitting down at a table. There were dark circles under her eyes and she was leaning on her hand. Even through the twinge of jealousy and uncertainty that went through him just from seeing her, he was still concerned. Was everything all right? It probably wasn’t his place to ask though.

Yosuke stood up from the table. “I’ll be right back.”

He watched for a few seconds as he walked over to her before tearing his gaze away. He didn’t want to watch their exchange.

Chie was also watching them before she looked back toward him. “Has he ever been subtle about his crushes?”

Yu blinked. “Huh?”

“He has a crush on her, right?”

He swallowed hard. “Yeah, I think so.”

She leaned back in her chair.

Yu looked down at the table, clenching his hand into a tight fist, nails digging into his palm. What was he supposed to do about this? He couldn’t deny that Yosuke had a crush on her. He looked at her in the same way that he had looked at Miyoko when they had been dating - a look that made his chest ache painfully.

He had had the opportunity to ask him if he wanted to get back together since they were here and without his parents, but he hadn’t. Was it because he didn’t want to anymore? He could hardly blame him. Being with him just meant that he could never really have a normal life. They were two guys. They could never get married or have children or go on explicit dates in public. Maybe it would be better if he dated a girl. At least if he did that, he wouldn’t feel like he was holding him back from being happy.

The two of them talked for a few minutes before she stood up, walking back toward the elevators. Yosuke came back over, sitting down.

“So, did you ask her out on a date or something?” Chie asked.

Yosuke’s face flushed, his gaze flickering toward Yu. “It’s not like that.”

“Sure, it’s not.”

“It’s not.”

She hummed. “Well, luckily, I know just the thing to cheer up that lovesick heart. Have you ever heard of the Midnight Channel? You’re supposed to look into a TV that’s switched off, while you’re alone, exactly at midnight on a rainy night. While you’re staring at your reflection, another person will appear on the screen. They say that person’s your soulmate.”

Was that some kind of urban legend in Inaba? Yu had never heard anything like it before.

Yosuke furrowed his brow. “What? For a second, I thought you were actually gonna say something useful. How can you get so excited about such a childish urban legend?”

“Childish? You don’t believe it, do you?”

“Of course not.”

“Well, it’s supposed to rain tonight, so let’s all try it out so you can see for yourself.”

Yu hummed. He wasn’t sure that he believed it either, but it might be a nice distraction from his feelings about Yosuke. “All right.”

“Dude, you don’t have to do it just cause she said to.”

He shrugged. “It might be fun.”

Yosuke sighed. “Well, I guess if you’re gonna do it…”

They talked for a little while longer before finishing eating and starting to head home. Chie went off on her own, but Yosuke walked with him for a while.

Yu hesitated before speaking. “Hey, Yosuke?”

“What’s up?”

He wanted to bring up Saki Konishi. To tell him that it was okay if he wanted to date her, but, when he opened his mouth to speak, he wasn’t quite able to find the right words to say.

“I…” He bit his lip. “Sorry. Never mind.”

Yosuke looked at him for a few seconds, seeming like he wanted to say something. He hesitated. “Ah, okay.”

Why was this so awkward? He hated that it felt like this.

It was relatively quiet between them until Yosuke had to go a different direction to get to his house. He needed to talk to him about this - and soon.

That night, while watching the news with Nanako and his uncle, there was an interview on TV with the person who found Mayumi Yamano’s body. They blurred her face and distorted her voice, but he couldn’t help but think that she looked an awful lot like Saki Konishi.

After that, he went up to his room, working on homework for a while before getting ready for bed, then reading on the couch for a while. By the time he was finished with his book, it was only a few minutes until midnight. It was raining, so it was prime time to see if the urban legend Chie had been talking about was true.

He stood up, walking over to the TV on top of the dresser, staring into the turned off screen.

Despite himself, he hoped that this would work. He hoped that he would see Yosuke. If he saw him, then that would mean that they belonged together. That he could ask him if he wanted to start going out again.

He was just about to turn away from the screen when, all of a sudden, it flickered to life.

He immediately poured all his attention to it. Was the legend real? Who was going to show up on the screen?

It was flickering and hard to make out, but he thought that he saw a girl - that didn’t make sense though.

Before he could think too hard about it, a voice suddenly rang out in his head, an intense pain flashing through his skull. “I am thou… Thou art I… Thou art the one… who opens the door…”

He stumbled a little, the pain subsiding, breathing hard as he looked toward the now blank TV screen. What had that meant? What was going on?

He took a deep breath, then walked toward the TV, having the intense compulsion to touch the screen. Instead of stopping on the hard surface, his fingertips instead slipped through the screen. He watched as his whole hand went in, something almost tugging at his arm, pulling him toward the screen.

He fought to pull himself back, eventually pulling himself out, falling down onto the ground, smacking his head on the coffee table behind him.

He rubbed the back of his head, staring with wide eyes at the screen. What had just happened? That hadn’t been real, had it? There was no way that something like that was possible. It had to have just been a dream.

All of a sudden, there was a knock on his door.

“Hey, are you okay?” That was Nanako’s voice.

He silently cursed. He had apparently woken her up. “Sorry. I’m okay. Go back to bed.”

There was hesitation in her voice. “Okay. Good night.”

“Good night.”

He waited until he couldn’t hear her footsteps anymore before letting out a sigh, standing up, and walking to the already prepared futon, laying down on it.

He didn’t know what just had happened, but he wanted to talk to Yosuke about it. That would be something for him to do tomorrow though. For now, he just wanted to go to bed.

April 14th, 2011

It was raining as he headed to school that morning, a gray drizzle over the entire town.

Had all of that really happened last night or had it been a dream?

He turned as he heard footsteps racing toward him, seeing Chie holding her bag over her head to keep the rain off of her.

"Hey, sorry, move over," she said, forcing herself under his umbrella.

He took a step to the side, giving her space. "Do you not have an umbrella?"

She gave a nervous sounding laugh. "I used to, but then I kinda broke it."

"How?"

"Oh, well, I was watching a movie where they did a really cool move with an umbrella and I was trying to copy the movie and then…"

He had to fight back a laugh.

"Anyway," she said, "Did you see it last night?"

He hesitated. "Something definitely happened."

"Oh? Wait, we probably shouldn't talk about it until Yosuke's here."

He nodded. "Yeah, let's wait."

There were a few seconds of silence between them before Chie looked around, almost refusing to look at him.

"Actually, this is kind of awkward, isn't it? If I run, I won't get too wet."

He frowned. She thought it was awkward to be under the umbrella with him? Because they had to walk close together?

"I don't mind. Don't make yourself sick."

She hesitated. "Well, if you're sure."

"It's fine."

The two of them continued the walk toward school, a pleasant conversation between them. He didn't often walk anywhere with anyone aside from Yosuke. It was kind of nice to be walking with her now.

Currently, she was just his classmate and friendly acquaintance, but really, he wouldn't mind becoming friends with her.

- - -

Yosuke was late getting to school that morning, sliding into his seat just as the bell rang, so they weren't able to talk about the Midnight Channel stuff then. During lunch, Yukiko pulled Chie away to go talk about something, so they couldn't do it then either.

It wasn't until after school that they were all able to talk about it.

"So, you guys both tried out the Midnight Channel last night, right?"

Both of them nodded.

"Me too. I seriously saw a girl. She had shoulder length brown hair, but it was really blurry." She trailed off. "My soulmate's a girl though…? What's that supposed to mean?"

Yu looked down at his desk. He wasn't going to say what he was thinking out loud, especially because he had also seen a girl, but it did raise a flag in his head.

"I saw someone too," Yosuke said. "She also kind of looked like that."

He looked toward him, trying to read his expression.

Chie furrowed her brow. "Did we see the same person then? Does that mean we have the same soulmate?"

Yosuke turned to face him. "What about you, Yu? Did you see anything?"

Now was his time to tell them what had happened last night. He still wasn't even entirely sure it hadn't just been a dream.

"Yes, but something else happened too."

"Ooh, what?" Chie asked, scooting closer.

He was suddenly embarrassed to tell them. "Well, I… uh heard a voice and then I touched the TV screen and… my hand went through it."

"Huh?" Chie said.

Yosuke furrowed his brow before reaching over, laying his palm against his forehead. "You're not sick, are you?"

His face felt like it was on fire as he swatted Yosuke's hand away. "I'm fine. That's really what happened."

"It sounds to me like you fell asleep and dreamt all that," Yosuke said.

Chie laughed. "Still, that's a fun story. I wonder if you could've gone all the way through to the other side."

He looked down at his desk. Yosuke saying that was just reiterating what he had already been thinking. Still… it had felt so real when it had happened.

He got so lost in thought that he missed part of the conversation.

"Let's go to Junes and check," Chie was saying.

He didn't want to ask what was going on, just following them out of the school and in the direction of Junes. He was already embarrassed about what he had said earlier and he didn’t want to add to that by admitting that he had spaced out.

They made it to Junes, heading down to the electronics department, where he finally figured out that the reason they were there was because Chie’s family was thinking about buying a new TV soon.

He was only half listening as they were talking. The TV in his room was pretty small, but the TVs here were big enough that he probably would be able to fit entirely inside assuming that everything had actually happened last night.

Yosuke and Chie were standing in front of one of the TVs before exchanging a look with each other, both of them simultaneously pressing their palms against the screen. Nothing happened, of course. They didn’t slip inside like he had the previous night.

He winced. It hadn’t just been a dream, had it?

Yosuke smiled at him. “That confirms it. You were just tired.”

“But-”

Yosuke cut him off by wrapping his arm around his shoulder - it was a friendly gesture, but it still made his heart pound. “I’m surprised you were able to make something like that up.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. You’re usually just not one for supernatural stuff.”

He unwrapped his arm, going with Chie to look at other TVs.

He took a deep breath, staring at the TV in front of him. Maybe it was only something that worked for him?

He stepped forward, hesitating before pressing his fingertips against the screen. He took a sharp breath as ripples formed, radiating out from where he was touching. Slowly, he pushed his whole hand in, through the screen.

“Hey, Yu, what do you…” Yosuke’s voice trailed off. “Wait, dude, how are you doing that?”

He looked over to see Yosuke and Chie staring at him with wide eyes.

“I told you this is what happened.”

The two of them hurriedly walked over to him, crowding around him.

He bit his lip. If he could put his hand through, could he put the rest of him through too? He wanted to know what was on the other side of this screen.

He leaned forward, closing his eyes as he moved his head through the screen.

“Wait, Yu. What’re you doing?” Yosuke wrapped his arm tightly around his waist as if trying to hold him there.

He opened his eyes. It was just full of empty space. There was a slight yellowish tinge to everything, but it didn’t seem inherently bad. Was there more here or did that empty space go on forever? He kind of wanted to find out.

“It’s just empty space.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Yosuke asked.

Yu pursed his lips. It might just be easier to show him. If he was already through, would other people be able to come in as well?

“Here.” He tugged on his arm, pulling him closer to the screen.

Yosuke let out a small yelp, scrambling to hold tighter onto him - he did, in fact, come through the screen though.

"See, it's just empty space."

Yosuke was looking at him with wide eyes. "Dude, how are you doing this?"

He shrugged. "I don't know."

"Hey, uh, sorry to interrupt," Chie said, "There are people coming."

Yosuke looked around wildly. "What do we do?"

"Whatever it is, hurry it up," Chie said.

They both sounded mildly panicked. He didn't really see what the big deal was - he wasn't stuck or anything, they could just go back out. It did make him a little stressed out by how anxious they seemed though.

He was just about to back out of the TV when, all of a sudden, Yosuke let out a yelp, tumbling forward, pulling him through with him.

He held on tight as they fell. Yosuke was screaming, Chie - he didn't know when she had gotten in too - was screaming. It was loud.

After a while, the ground came rushing up toward them. He tried to right himself as best as possible, but the fall was still hard.

He laid on the ground for a few seconds before sitting up, looking around. Chie and Yosuke both seemed to be all right.

Yosuke looked over at Chie accusingly. "Why'd you push me in?"

She winced. "Sorry. I didn't mean to."

"How do you not mean to push someone?"

"I panicked."

Yosuke let out a quiet sigh. "Anyway, where are we now?"

"Inside the TV?" Yu questioned.

The whole area around them was covered in some sort of yellow fog. It was so thick and soupy that it was impossible to see beyond it. The floor beneath them was made out of metal, and if he squinted, he thought that he could make out a metal railing in the distance. There was also just an atmosphere about the place. Something so oppressive. Just sitting there, he was starting to get the beginnings of a headache.

“What are we supposed to do now?” Chie asked.

“We should probably try to find an exit,” Yu said, standing. He was curious about this place, but it seemed like a good idea to know the way out before they did anything else.

Chie nodded, looking around. “Which way did we come in from?”

“Up?” Yosuke said.

They all looked upward, the fog being the only thing up there.

“How are we supposed to get back up there?” Chie asked.

They weren’t was the silent answer to that question. There was no way that they would be able to get all the way back up there, especially if there was no solid path for them to walk on.

Yu took a breath. “Why don’t we look around a little and see if we can’t find another way out.”

No one had any objections to that - it wasn’t like they had another choice anyway - and they started walking in a random direction, following a pathway lined by railing.

They walked for a while, nothing but silence between them. Yu wouldn’t even know where to begin talking. This didn’t seem like a place for casual conversation.

After what seemed like forever, they made it to a walkway that seemed like it was attached to an apartment building. They followed it down and toward an open door, stopping outside of it.

“Should we go inside?” Yosuke asked tentatively.

Yu just shrugged, pushing the door open.

“Dude! You can’t just go into someone’s room.”

“We’re inside of the TV. Who could this room possibly belong to?”

Yosuke hesitated before following him inside, Chie not far behind.

At first glance, it was a pretty ordinary room - it was a dead end though, so definitely not an exit - but, as he looked around, things started getting far more ominous. There were posters on the walls that had the faces ripped off, there was something red splattered everywhere, and, most concerningly of all, there was a red scarf, tied into a noose, hanging above a chair.

He moved to go stand a little closer to Yosuke. He didn't like this room.

"Hey, uh, can we get out of here?" Chie asked.

"Yeah, let's try somewhere else," Yosuke said.

Yosuke grabbed hold of his arm, pulling him toward the door of the room, his grip tight.

As they were walking back down the walkway, Chie started speaking, "Is anyone else starting to feel sick in here or is it just me?"

Yu nodded. "Yeah."

"Me too," Yosuke said.

Yu took a deep breath. It sounded like they needed to find an exit fast. Just being there was making all of them sick. They really shouldn't be in there.

They kept walking, eventually making their way back to where they had first started.

Yosuke stopped next to him, squinting into the fog. "Hey, what is that?"

Yu looked in the same direction. It was hard to make out, but there was a shadow moving toward them.

Without thinking, he moved to stand in front of Yosuke, not even daring to breathe, as he stared at whatever this figure was. He was the one who had led them in here - he wasn't about to let Yosuke get hurt because of that.

The figure started coming toward them, slowly appearing through the fog.

He blinked at it. It was some sort of weird… mascot thing. He really wasn’t entirely sure what it was supposed to be. It was mostly red with some blue here and there. It didn’t seem very intimidating, all things considered.

“What is this thing?” Chie asked out loud. “Some kinda monkey? Maybe a bear?”

Suddenly, it started speaking. “Who are you guys? What are you doing here?”

Chie let out a surprised sounding noise. “It talked! What are you? Are you looking for a fight?”

The bear - yeah, he was going with bear - cowered back at that. “Please don’t yell at me like that.”

Yu hesitated. It seemed freaked out. It almost reminded him of a cat trapped in a corner. It didn’t seem like it was trying to hurt them. Maybe it would be worth it to try and ask it some questions - try to get it to calm down.

He tried to make his voice as calm as possible - the same tone he would talk to Aiko in whenever she got scared by something. “What is this place?”

It looked up toward him. “It doesn’t really have a name. It’s where I live.”

Yosuke, who had been fairly quiet up until then, spoke. “You live here?”

“If I were you, I’d hurry back to the other side. Someone’s been throwing people in here.”

“Throwing people in?” Yosuke asked. “What do you mean?”

Yu was also confused at that. Was it saying that someone was throwing people in there to trap them? What was the purpose of that? They hadn’t seen anyone else around at all though.

The bear seemed upset at that, raising its voice. “I don’t know who’s doing it! I just want them to think before doing things like that because it’s a huge headache for me!”

Chie was immediately yelling right back. “What’s your problem? What gives you the right to yell at us? What is even going on right now?”

As soon as she raised her voice, the bear started cowering again, slightly hesitating before running in his direction, going to stand behind him, looking at Chie fearfully. He didn’t know why it had decided that he was safe, but it seemed to know something about what was going on, so he hoped that he could get something from it if it liked him.

“I already told you. Anyway, you guys should get out of here.”

He once again tried to keep his voice as calm as possible. “Can you tell us where the exit is then?”

“Oh! I can let you out.”

“Please do.”

The bear nodded before stomping its foot once on the ground. Immediately, there was a cloud of smoke and then a stack of TVs appeared in front of them.

They had come in through a TV screen, so maybe they could get out with the same means. He supposed that that made some amount of sense.

“All right, just go through there,” the bear said, pushing on his back.

“Wait, I still have questions,” Yosuke said.

Yu looked over to him, meeting his eye. It would probably be better to do what it was saying for right then. What if it decided that it wasn’t going to let them out anymore?

Yosuke pursed his lips at him before nodding. “Fine, let’s go.”

Yu laid his hand on the screen of the TV in front of him - it was still shocking to see it slip inside - before crouching down a little to fit, walking through it. There was a small sensation of weightlessness - much the same as when they had first fallen in - and then, he was on the floor in front of the TV in the electronics department in Junes.

The only thing indicating that it hadn’t all been a dream was the fact that Yosuke and Chie were both sitting next to him, staring up at the TV they had all just come from.

Chie looked over at them. "So… that all just happened, right?"

Yu nodded. "Yeah."

"How long were we in there?"

Yu checked his watch, blinking in surprise. They had gotten to Junes at around 4, and it was now almost 7. "About 3 hours."

Chie stood up from the floor, Yu and Yosuke following suit.

"I should probably be getting home then," Chie said. "I'm really tired after all that too."

Yu nodded. The exhaustion was creeping in for him too. Just being in there had completely drained him. "All right. See you tomorrow then."

She nodded. "Yeah, bye."

He turned to Yosuke as she left. He had been weirdly quiet. "Yosuke? Are you okay?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, sorry. I'm just tired." He flashed him a smile. There was something off about it though. There was definitely something else going on.

He was just about to ask him about it when he started speaking again. "You're good though, right? Not hurt or anything?"

He shook his head. "I'm fine."

He nodded. "Okay, good. Are you ready to head home then?"

"Yeah, let's go."

It was weirdly quiet as they started walking out of the store and down the street. Something was very clearly off, but how was he supposed to ask him about it? He had already given him an answer when he had asked, so it was weird to ask again.

He didn't like it without Yosuke talking as they walked. Maybe it would be a good idea to initiate a conversation himself.

"So, what do you think that place was?"

Yosuke hesitated. "I don't know. It was weird though."

"Definitely weird. I'm glad we got out."

"Yeah."

This was usually the point where Yosuke would start talking more, steering the conversation in a different direction, but instead, he just got really quiet again. Apparently, he just wasn't up for talking for now.

They walked to the point where they had to go different directions, stopping.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow," Yu said.

"Yeah, see you." Yosuke hesitated, biting his lip. "And Yu?"

"Yeah?" Was he about to tell him what was wrong?

He took a deep breath. "Actually, never mind. Sorry. Go home and get some sleep."

"Okay, yeah, you too."

He watched him for a few seconds more as he turned and started heading down the street before continuing back to the Dojima Residence. What had he been about to tell him?

When he got back, Dojima was actually home. It was interesting to actually be able to spend a little bit of time with him for once. He had been living there for a few days at that point, but most of his interactions had been with Nanako.

As he sat down at the low table next to them, Dojima started talking to him.

“I doubt that you’d know, but have you heard anything about a student named Saki Konishi?”

Saki Konishi? That was the girl who he had met on his first day there - the one that he was absolutely certain that Yosuke had a crush on.

He shook his head. “I haven’t heard anything.”

Dojima hummed, then let out a sigh. “I see. To be perfectly honest, she’s gone missing. We have people out looking for her, but she hasn’t been found yet.”

She was missing? A pit started forming in his stomach. A woman had already turned up dead here. What if something happened to her too? As much as he was jealous about how close Yosuke was to her, he still didn’t want anything bad happening to her. Yosuke would be devastated too.

Speaking of Yosuke - should he call him and let him know? It was information that he would probably want to hear. Then again, with the way that he had been acting before they had parted ways earlier, he wasn’t too sure that he wanted to call him.

Their conversation pittered out and he had dinner with them, but excused himself early to go upstairs. Being inside whatever world that was inside of the TV had genuinely made him exhausted and he was struggling to stay awake just sitting there.

He finished what little homework that he had, then started getting ready for bed.

As he was setting up the futon, he looked over at his phone, sitting near the edge of his desk. Should he call Yosuke? He kind of wanted to talk to him about what had happened. It was all so surreal - something that felt so much like a dream. And why was he the only one able to go through the screen? That part didn't make sense to him. He didn't like that that was the case. He always talked to Yosuke when he wasn't sure about things, but it felt weird to do it right now. He hated that it felt like that. He didn't want it to feel like that. There was also what his uncle had said about Saki Konishi. He wanted to let him know about that too.

Why was he acting so weird to begin with? Had he done something to make him uncomfortable? He really hoped not.

He sighed, setting his alarm, and climbing into bed. He could worry about figuring that out when he wasn't so tired.

He closed his eyes, drifting into unconsciousness, falling into a dreamless sleep.

Chapter Text

April 15th, 2011

Yu woke up the next morning to his alarm going off. He sat up in bed, turning it off, then reaching for his phone, blinking when he saw that he had a missed call from Yosuke. He had called just a little bit after midnight. If he had called that late, it must have been important, right?

He didn’t even hesitate as he called him back.

It took a few rings before he picked up, his voice heavy from sleep. “Hello?”

“Is everything okay?”

“What?”

“You called me pretty late last night.”

“Oh, uh, well… It’s probably nothing. I’ll tell you about it at school later.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I don’t think it’s actually anything. I just freaked out a little.” He gave a nervous laugh.

He hesitated. “All right. I’ll see you at school then.”

“Yeah, see you.”

He hung up the phone, rubbing his eyes. What was going on?

He stood up and started getting ready for the day.

When he walked downstairs, Dojima was just leaving. Apparently something important had happened if that was the case.

He had breakfast with Nanako, then started heading for school. On the walk, there were police sirens in the distance. That probably had something to do with whatever his uncle had gone off to do so early in the morning.

He was uneasy. Bad things kept happening. He didn’t even want to think about what could be next.

Yosuke was late getting to school again that morning, so they didn’t get to talk then. As soon as lunch rolled around, a school wide assembly was called as well.

Yosuke was still very quiet as they headed into the gym. They stood together near the back of the room, waiting for it to start.

He brushed their shoulders together. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

He bit his lip. “I don’t know… I…”

At that moment, the assembly began, the principal speaking to them, his tone serious and somber. “I… regret to say that I have a terrible announcement for all of you. One of our third-year students, Saki Konishi of Class 3… has passed away.”

Passed away? She was dead? How was she dead? His uncle had said she was missing, but dead?

He looked over to Yosuke, who had his gaze turned to the floor, his expression as neutral as he could make it. Even so, he could see the cracks in it. He wasn’t sure exactly what he was feeling - just that, whatever it was, it was bad.

There was no one standing behind them, so he reached over, grabbing softly onto his hand, squeezing it.

Yosuke immediately grasped it back, his grip so tight to the point where it almost hurt.

The principal kept speaking, but he mostly ignored it, focusing instead on Yosuke. He was going to need to be there for him.

As soon as the assembly ended, Yosuke was walking out the door. He followed close behind him, wanting to just be with him. They were supposed to be heading back to class, but he doubted that was where he was heading.

He followed him up onto the rooftop, sitting down beside him on one of the vents. He was sitting there with his face buried into his hands.

Yu wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him tightly against him.

What was he supposed to say to him? There was nothing that he could do to make it better. He was rarely the one comforting Yosuke. It was normally the other way around. What did Yosuke normally say to him?

“I’m here for you, you know?”

Yosuke just nodded, taking a shaky breath. “I… when I first moved here, everyone hated me because they blamed Junes for the shopping district not doing as well.” He gave a short laugh. “They still do hate me. Saki-senpai was the only person who didn’t. I…”

“You really cared about her.”

“I wanted to keep spending time with her. I wanted to get to know her better, but now I…” He shook his head.

He squeezed him tightly, holding him as he fought back tears. He wasn’t sure how long they were like that before Yosuke pulled away a little bit.

“I think that her death might have something to do with that place we were at yesterday.”

The place inside the TV? How would that work? “What makes you say that?”

“Well… I sort of watched the Midnight Channel again last night and I saw her on it. She… she looked like she was in pain… and…” He took a deep breath. “That bear thing said that someone was throwing people in there. What if that’s what happened? What if someone threw her in there and she died because she couldn't get out?”

He frowned. It was a little bit of a leap in logic, but there was some amount of sense there.

“I… I think that you’re the only one who can go into that other world. Please, can we go in to see? I need to know what happened.”

Yu took a deep breath. He didn’t want to put him into any danger, but he also seemed extremely serious about this. He nodded. “All right. We can go.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, if that’s what you think you need to do, then we’ll do it.”

He gave him a soft smile. “Thank you.”

“Of course. When do you want to go?”

“Today?” He gave him an almost pleading look.

Today… that was so soon.

He took a deep breath. “All right.”

They didn’t go back to class that day, instead just hanging out on the rooftop until the bell rang at the end of the day, finally leaving and climbing down to go grab their things.

They were just getting to the shoe lockers when Chie came up to them. “There you guys are. Where were you?”

“Sorry, we sort of skipped afternoon classes,” Yosuke said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

Her expression softened. “Are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Where are you going now?”

Yosuke shot him a look, as if asking if it was a good idea if they tell her where they were going. If he was being honest, it would make him feel better to at least have her know where they had gone in case anything happened to them.

“Back to that other world.”

She blinked at him. “What? Why? Why would you ever want to go back there?”

Yosuke jumped in at that. “I think that whatever happened to Saki-senpai is tied to that place and I need to find out what happened to her.”

“But…” She trailed off, looking between the two of them. “Are you really being serious right now? It’s dangerous in there. What if something happens?”

“I can’t just let this go.”

“I get that, but…”

“We’ll be okay,” Yu said, “But, we’re telling you to make sure that someone knows where we are in case something does happen.”

“I…” she hesitated. “All right, but I’m going to wait for you right outside, so you’d better come back.”

He nodded. “Okay.”

With that, they all got their things and headed out of the school.

They made a detour at Yosuke’s house and when he came back out, he was holding a golf club in his hands.

“What is that for?” Yu asked.

“Well, I figured that we should have a weapon in case anything tries to attack us.”

He probably had a point. He supposed that a golf club was better than nothing. “All right.”

They continued the walk to Junes. Luckily, no one stopped them even though Yosuke was holding the golf club out in the open.

They headed up to the electronics department, stopping in front of the TV they had gone into before.

Yosuke looked at him. “All right, are you ready to do this?”

Yu took a deep breath, nodding. “Yeah.”

“You guys had better come back out of there. I’m not gonna forgive you if you don’t,” Chie said.

Yosuke smiled at her. “Don’t worry. We will.”

With that, Yu took a step toward the TV, extending his hand, pushing it in through the screen, taking one last look back before stepping inside, Yosuke right beside him.

The sensation of falling was much the same as the previous time they had come in, but he was more ready now when he hit the ground, managing not to fall over. Yosuke, however, landed on the ground, so he helped him up, not missing how he refused to meet his eye as he took his hand. Now probably wasn’t the right time to bring that up though.

“All right, so what do we do now?” Yu asked, looking around at all the fog.

Yosuke took a breath. “If Saki-senpai was here, then we need to figure out where exactly. I just… I don’t know how to do that with all this fog.”

“We really can’t see anything.”

All of a sudden, there was the sound of footsteps coming toward them. Yu immediately moved to stand in front of Yosuke, relaxing when he saw the source of the noise. It was that bear thing again.

It narrowed its eyes at them as it saw them. “It’s you again. I get it. You must be the ones throwing people in here!”

Yosuke immediately jumped in, his voice angry. “What? What are you talking about? If someone was thrown in here and they couldn’t get out, they might die. Who would do something like that?”

“If you’re not the ones doing it, then why would you be here again?”

“Because someone that I cared about was killed and I’m going to get to the bottom of it. Besides, if you ask me, you’re the most suspicious one here.”

Its tone shifted from accusing to confused. “Huh? Me? Suspicious? I’m not suspicious. I’m Teddie. I just live here and someone throwing people in has really been a pain in the neck.”

“How does that make you not suspicious?”

He really didn’t want this to devolve into an argument, so he stepped in. “Teddie, I can promise you that we’re not the ones throwing people in here. We’re trying to figure out who really has been doing it though so we can stop them.”

Teddie hummed. “You’re still suspicious. Prove to me that you’re not the culprit.”

He furrowed his brow. “You’re accusing us. It’s your job to provide the proof.”

“But-”

Yu took a deep breath. “You’re trying to figure out who’s throwing people in here, right?”

Teddie nodded.

“Then, the way I see it, we’re on the same side.”

He seemed to consider that for a moment. “All right, then promise me that you’ll help me find the culprit, otherwise I’m not letting you out.”

Yu exchanged a look with Yosuke. The threat hardly seemed necessary, but it seemed like a good idea to get him fully on their side to be sure that he would, in fact, let them out when the time came.

“All right, I promise.”

Yosuke pursed his lips. “Yeah, me too.”

“Then you’ll really help me find them?”

“Yes.”

Yosuke stepped in. “Since you were here, did a girl come in last night?”

“A girl? I think there was someone here, but I don’t know if it was a girl. If she was here last night though, then that wouldn’t have been good. When it’s foggy on your side, the fog here clears and that’s when the shadows start acting up.”

“Shadows?” Yosuke repeated.

“When that happens, I always have to hide. It’s scary.”

Yosuke looked down at the ground, biting his lip. “Can you tell us where she was then?”

“Of course, my nose is the best. I can take you there.”

“That would be great. Thank you, Teddie,” Yu said. He didn’t really understand most of what he was talking about, but he was just going to roll with it for the time being. Questions could come later.

“Oh, you guys probably can’t see very good through all the fog. I have something to help with that though.”

They watched him as he produced two pairs of glasses, handing them to them. “Here, put these on.”

Yu hesitantly complied, putting them on. Almost immediately, the fog around them disappeared, the small headache that he had had since coming in also dissipating. The area around them looked like some sort of TV studio, metal beams and catwalks disappearing farther away than he could see.

“Whoa. How does that work?” Yosuke said.

“Pretty impressive, right? I made them myself.” He paused for a few seconds. “Come on, let’s go.”

He exchanged one last look with Yosuke before starting to follow Teddie.

The whole time, Teddie didn’t seem too interested in talking, instead sniffing the air as they walked. Yosuke was also focused, his gaze set forward. He wasn’t going to interrupt the mood by talking, even though there was part of him that wanted to break the silence and ask about what was going on.

They eventually wound up in a place that was very familiar - it was the shopping district in Inaba. He hadn’t very thoroughly explored it, but he recognized it from when he and Yosuke had gone there on his first day there. That was when he had met Saki for the first time too. Didn’t her family own a store here?

“This place looks just like the shopping district, but it’s all… twisted,” Yosuke said.

“This is the reality of the person who was here,” Teddie said.

He wasn’t sure what that was supposed to mean and Yosuke seemed lost in thought.

“Let’s head to the liquor store,” Yosuke finally said.

They walked down the street toward it, getting right outside before Teddie started cowering back. “They’re coming.”

“What’s coming?” Yosuke asked.

Yu looked around, trying to figure out what he was talking about. Where the door to the liquor store should have been, there was a red and black vortex. Right there was where black shapes began forming out of the building, morphing into strange creatures, pink spherical things with no face, only a giant mouth.

His heart was pounding in his chest, fear forming in the pit of his stomach. What were they? Why were they there? What were they going to do to them?

“Wh- What are those?” Yosuke said, his voice shaking.

All of a sudden, they started rushing toward Yosuke. Something snapped inside of him. He didn’t really care what happened to himself, but he wasn’t about to let anything bad happen to Yosuke. That was absolutely not happening.

Suddenly, his head started pounding, a voice echoing through his mind. He brought his hand up to his head, closing his eyes, such an intense pain directly in the center of his forehead.

I am thou. Thou art I. The time has come. Open thine eyes to what is within.

His eyes snapped open, the headache all but fading. He looked down at his hand where he was now clutching onto a card. Where had that come from?

He flipped it over, a blue light radiating up from it.

For whatever reason, this felt right, like something that was always meant to happen. This light instantly filled him with confidence. He felt powerful, like he could do anything in that moment.

Acting totally on instinct, he crushed the card in his hand, one word on his lips. “Persona.”

All of that power rushed through him, concentrating into a solid form behind him. Electricity crackled through the air, making the hair on his arms stand up.

There was a full figure behind him now. He somehow knew what it was called - Izanagi. He willed it to go forward - to destroy these monsters before they could do anything to hurt Yosuke.

Izanagi rushed past him, toward the monsters, slicing down at one of them with its naginata. It knocked it to the ground, at the same time, lifting its arm up, hitting it with a shock of electricity. It immediately began dissolving into a puddle of black goo.

Izanagi turned to face the other one, dodging out of the way, shooting it with more electricity, slashing at it as soon as it was stunned, this one also dissolving.

With the threat gone, Yu took a breath, letting the control that he had had fade away. Izanagi disappeared into a blue light.

Exhaustion immediately washed over him and he stumbled, his knees weak.

He didn’t hit the ground though, Yosuke catching him at the last second, holding him up.

“Thanks.”

His voice was filled with concern. “Are you okay? What was that?”

“I… Persona?”

“Persona?”

“Wow, Sensei, that was so cool. You took those shadows down like they were nothing!”

“Sensei?” He repeated. What was he going on about?

“Anyway, you’re okay, right?” Yosuke asked.

“Yeah, just tired.”

All of a sudden, voices started echoing from seemingly nowhere.

“I wish Junes would go under…”

“It’s all because of that store…”

“I heard that Konishi-san’s daughter is working there.”

“How could she? With her family’s business suffering like it is?”

“I heard their sales have gone downhill because of Junes.”

Yosuke was looking down at the ground, biting his lip. He reached over, laying his hand on his shoulder, wanting to offer him some amount of comfort.

The voices continued.

“That poor father… to have his own daughter working for the enemy.”

“What a troublesome child.”

Yosuke started speaking as the voices started fading. “Teddie, you said that this place is reality for whoever came here, right?”

Teddie nodded.

“So… does that mean that this was Saki-senpai’s reality when she was here?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t know about that stuff.”

Yosuke let out a sigh, “Fine then. Whatever’s going on, we’re gonna find out ourselves. Come on, let’s go.”

“All right.”

He walked after Yosuke toward the entrance. After a few seconds though, he stopped, turning toward Teddie. “You should probably stay out here. It might be dangerous inside.” Teddie was their way out and if anything happened to him, they would be stuck there. He was confident enough going in with just Yosuke.

Teddie hesitated before nodding. “All right. If you say so, Sensei.”

“Right. We’ll see you in a bit.”

With that, he followed Yosuke the rest of the way inside.

He had never been in a liquor store before, but he imagined that they normally weren't this dark and filled with an uncomfortable air. He really didn't like it in here.

As soon as they stepped inside, the voices started up again.

“Saki, how many times do I have to tell you?”

It sounded like an older man - maybe Saki’s father?

“You know what the neighbors say about you, right? Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? You’re the eldest daughter of a family who’s owned this store for generations. Is it the money? Or did you meet some guy there? Just tell me why you have to work there of all places.”

Yosuke was looking up in the direction of the voice. “She never said anything like this to me. Are you telling me that this is how she really saw things? I…”

Yosuke was on the move, walking up to the counter, pausing as he picked up a piece of a photograph, cut up into a few different pieces, leaning the golf club that he had brought against it. Yu walked up behind him, looking at it. There was a whole group of people in it, but the only two that he recognized were Yosuke and Saki. They were standing next to each other, smiling at the camera.

"It's a photo we took with all the other part-timers at Junes. Why's it all cut up though?"

Another voice sounded, one that was actually familiar to him - Saki Konishi.

“I never had the chance to say it…”

Yosuke looked up, surprise evident on his face. “Huh?”

“I always wanted to tell Hana-chan…”

“Me?”

“...that he was a real pain in the ass. I was nice to him just cause he was the store manager’s son. That’s all. But he takes it completely the wrong way and gets all enthusiastic. What a dip.”

Yu winced at that. There was no way that that hadn’t hurt. It also made it abundantly clear to him that he was right about Yosuke having a crush on her. He hadn’t wanted it to be true, but if even she had noticed it, it definitely was. Still, her thoughts were too harsh. Yeah, he did some annoying things sometimes, but he was still such a good and caring person.

Her voice continued.

“Who cares about Junes anyway? Because of that store, our business is going under and everyone hates me. I wish everything would just disappear.”

Yosuke was clenching his fist. “I… this isn’t true, is it? That’s not what she really thought. It can’t be…”

Yu walked right next to him, reaching out and grabbing hold of his hand, squeezing his fingers. He really didn’t know what to say - he was still processing all of this - but he could be there for him. Yosuke was always there for him, so it was only right that he return the favor.

Yosuke didn’t squeeze his hand back, just limply let him hold it.

Suddenly, from behind them, there was a voice that sounded nearly identical to Yosuke’s, just distorted in a subtle way.

“It’s so annoying, isn’t it? Him acting all strong now?”

“Huh?” Yosuke pulled out of his grip, turning to face the voice.

Yu did the same, blinking in surprise.

It was Yosuke. Another Yosuke.

He looked almost identical - his hair down to his school uniform. The only things that were different were the yellow eyes and the uncharacteristic smirk plastered across his face.

He started talking again. “You know, how he’s the one taking the lead on everything. How he’s acting like you’re too weak to look out for yourself.”

Yu’s mind was going a mile a minute. By ‘he’, did he mean him? He was annoyed that he was trying to comfort him? But why would that be the case?

“What… What are you talking about? Who even are you?”

“You know who I am. I know all of your true thoughts and feelings.” His eyes locked onto Yu, making a shiver go down his spine. “You really hate him, don’t you? It’s always been your job to protect him, but now, all of a sudden, he’s acting like you’re the one who needs protecting. You’ve always just been using the kid with the shitty family to fulfill your own hero complex. He’s completely ruining it now though, isn’t he? Hell, he’s even taller than you. What the hell do you even have going for you?”

Yosuke shrunk back. “None of that’s true.” He turned toward him, an almost desperate expression on his face. “Yu, it’s not true. I don’t think of you like that.”

He looked down toward the ground, biting the inside of his cheek. Even though Yosuke was saying it wasn’t the case, he could sense some amount of truth from those words. He had been acting weird ever since he had done his best to try and protect him. Was that why?

He couldn’t deny that his home life wasn’t the best, or that he had been leaning on Yosuke for basically his whole life. All of that was true. But, to go so far as to say that Yosuke had been using him? He couldn’t quite believe that. Yosuke wasn’t like that. Yosuke cared about him.

Right?

His parents were also supposed to care about him. But, did they really? Were they not just using him to further their own agenda? Yosuke wasn’t like that too, right?

He didn’t like thinking about that.

The other Yosuke took a step forward, humming. “Yu, huh? It’s kind of funny actually. I broke his heart, but he keeps coming back to me like a little stray kitten. What would he even do without me? He doesn’t even know how to function if I’m not there.” He laughed. “Even now, you can tell that he wants to get back together with you, but it’s kind of fun to just leave him hanging, isn’t it?”

“That… that’s not it… I…” His voice cracked.

“Oh, right, I forgot. It’s because you’re a guy who likes another guy. It’s just unnatural, right? And that’s why you were trying to use Saki. You didn’t even really care about her. You just wanted to date a girl. To be normal. Well, too bad. She’s dead, and even if she was alive, she still wouldn’t want you. You have no choice but to go back to him now. To get off on another guy like some kind of freak.”

His chest ached. The idea of him using him was something that, while it still hurt, didn’t bother him as much as he would have thought. He still cared about him - that was something that he would never even question. This though, the fact that he thought of their relationship as being ‘unnatural’, stung, hitting him painfully in the deepest part of himself.

“I’ve never thought that. That’s not true… I…”

The other Yosuke smirked. “You know that it is. I know exactly what you’re thinking because I’m you.”

He shook his head. “No… that’s not…” He took a deep breath. “None of that’s true because there’s no way in hell that you’re me.”

At those words, dark energy began swirling around the other Yosuke, engulfing him. He started laughing, his face morphing into a sick grin that looked so out of place on his face. “Yes, that’s right, because I’m me now.”

Yosuke let out a small whimper, stumbling backwards, landing on the ground, staring up at the other version of himself that was changing into some sort of monster.

Yu faced toward it, taking a breath as he picked up the golf club that was beside them.

Is that what had happened with Saki too? She had faced another version of herself like Yosuke had? Had that been what killed her?

Whatever was going on. Whatever Yosuke’s true thoughts and feelings were. They could figure out later. Right now, even if he hated it, he needed to make sure that Yosuke was safe. He wasn’t going to let anything happen to him. No matter what, he was still his best friend.

At the end of the day, did it even matter if what that other version of him was saying was true? Surely everyone had thoughts and feelings like that. There was probably a part of him that would have nasty things to say about Yosuke too. That was just a part of being human.

If he could still love and care about Yosuke even while being jealous of his family and his ease at making friends or the way he always seemed to know the right things to do and say, then Yosuke could love and care about him back.

Those feelings might have been true, but there was surely more to it than that. He was sure of it.

He was going to protect him and then make him realize that. That was a promise.

He narrowed his eyes at the creature in front of him. It kind of reminded him of a frog - a mess of limbs with something almost human at the top. He was going to stop it so that it couldn’t hurt the person he cared about most in the world.

It leaped up into the air with a surprising amount of agility for something so big, facing toward him, like it was about to try and crush him.

He managed to roll out of the way before it crashed back into the ground, mere inches from where he was, right where he had been before. It was definitely trying to kill him. He ran a little bit away from it, trying to put some distance between the two of them.

He closed his eyes, reaching for the same power that he had used outside, summoning a card in front of him. He took a deep breath, crushing it, energy surging through him as Izanagi appeared once again.

Already, wind was whipping through his hair, knocking things off of shelves, making it hard to stay upright. It didn’t seem like Izanagi itself was too affected by the wind, but it was certainly affecting him, and he had to be the one to direct it where to go.

He narrowed his eyes into the gusts, willing Izanagi to hit it with electricity. The energy combined with the wind, swirling around, flickering, covering the whole area in a sort of glow. It made its way toward the monster, making a loud booming sound as it made contact.

As soon as that happened, it fell to the ground, crashing against the displays.

Yu took a sharp breath, running toward it. Now was his chance. The wind had significantly died down now too.

He brought the golf club up as he reached it, swinging down with as much force as possible, hitting it with a solid thwunk. It didn’t feel like it did very much to it - it was far too big to really be that effective.

It started to groan and move, slowly getting back up. As soon as he realized, he jumped back, getting farther away from it. If it hit him, it could probably do unspeakable damage. He was going to avoid that if at all possible.

It got back up, facing him. It didn’t really have a face, but he could only imagine that it was glaring at him.

The wind began picking up again, swirling around him. He jumped, as beside him, a bottle shattered, the pieces flying up, smacking hard against a wall. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw another one flying toward him, unbroken this time. He managed to duck just in time as the heavy glass flew over his head.

There was so much debris in here for it to use like that. That wasn’t good.

He summoned Izanagi again, electricity crackling from it, forming into a sort of tornado with the wind. It was kind of mesmerizing to look at, but he forced himself to look away, trying to figure out what he should be doing. This thing was big, but, all things considered, it wasn’t very agile, mostly staying in the same spot for the entire time. It made up for that though with its control over the wind.

He really wasn’t sure that he would be able to win this.

Maybe there was another way to end it?

This thing had come from Yosuke, right? Maybe he could do something to calm it down? That might be worth a shot.

He looked over to where Yosuke was, sitting on the floor, staring with wide eyes at everything that was going on.

He took a breath, running toward him, kneeling down in front of him. “Yosuke. I don’t know if I can do anything on my own, but this thing is attached to you somehow. You might be able to do something to stop it.”

He looked at him, almost like he wasn’t entirely comprehending what he was saying.

“Listen, this thing was at least partially right with what it was saying, right?”

Yosuke looked away from him, not meeting his gaze.

“That’s… It’s not-”

Yosuke was cut off as a piece of glass whizzed by Yu, cutting his cheek.

He took a sharp breath, bringing his hand up to the already bleeding wound, involuntary tears forming in his eyes from the pain.

He took his hand away, staring at the red on his fingers, his vision swimming. That was his blood. Everything hadn’t necessarily felt real before this, but seeing that really solidified everything. They were genuinely in danger. If this went on, they could die.

He wasn’t sure that Yosuke was going to be too much help like he was now. He didn’t seem like he was fully processing what was going on.

He turned back toward the creature. Izanagi was still near it, electricity crackling around both of them. It wasn’t quite hitting it though, the wind blowing it away.

The electricity had seemed to work the best out of the two attacks that he had done. He should try and do that again. In order for that to work though, he needed to distract it.

He ran forward, ducking behind a shelf, trying to come up with something that would be helpful.

He looked around him. The creature was standing mostly in the middle of the room. Maybe he could get up behind it. He would have to be sneaky for that to work though.

He grabbed a heavy looking bottle off of the shelf, taking a deep breath before hoisting it over his head, throwing it as far as he could. It hit the ground with a loud clank. Immediately, the wind started picking up in that direction.

Yu didn’t let himself wait for very long, instead ducking out from behind the shelf while it was distracted, managing to make it halfway around it before crouching behind a second shelf. He watched it as it looked around, only stopping as it turned in the direction that Yosuke was.

That was right. Yosuke. If this was what had happened to Saki too - if a similar thing had killed her - then it was probably going to try to go after Yosuke. He couldn’t let that happen.

As soon as it started heading in his direction, Yu ran out from behind the shelf, letting out a loud yell. At least if it was facing him, it wouldn’t be able to do anything to Yosuke.

He kept running forward, ducking underneath its legs. It could probably crush him easily if it wanted to, but he pushed that thought aside, reaching up and touching his palm to the underside of it, summoning the power like before, trying to channel it through himself instead this time.

His hand seemed to spark against it. It didn’t seem like it did very much, but it was a distraction at least.

He willed Izanagi to give it a proper lightning strike, rolling out of the way just in time as it fell behind him, crashing into the ground. If he had been even a second slower, he would have been crushed.

He ran, stopping in between it and Yosuke, raising the golf club into the air like a sword. He didn’t really know what else he was supposed to do.

Slowly, it got back up on its feet, looking in his direction. The wind seemed to pick up to a whole new degree around it, filling the whole room with a loud roaring.

He tensed, trying to get ready for whatever it was about to throw at him.

What he was not expecting though was for the wind to start swirling around him, making a sort of vortex. What was it doing? Was it trying to get him out of the way so that it could get to Yosuke?

He tried to take a breath, but quickly found the air getting thinner and thinner. Was it trying to force all the air out of this spot and asphyxiate him? If it had control over the air, that might be possible.

He needed to get away from this spot - now. He reached his hand forward, touching the vortex, immediately pulling back, yelping in pain. The wind was blowing so fast that it was almost like a wall running into his fingers.

Panic was starting to rise in his chest. He was starting to find it more and more difficult to breathe.

He wasn’t going to die like this, was he?

All of a sudden, he heard his name, barely audible over the roaring of the wind - Yosuke.

It was hard to see through the vortex, but he was standing now, facing toward the creature. “Hey! Leave him alone. You want me, right?”

He picked a discarded bottle off the ground, raising it up, and throwing it at it. It didn’t even hit it, but it did distract it, the wind around him dying down.

His lungs were burning as he closed his eyes, pushing through the gale. It stung against his skin like a barrage of tiny needles pricking him, but he managed to step through it, taking in a large breath of air.

Yosuke was at his side in a second, wrapping an arm around him, holding him up. “You okay?”

He just nodded. “Yosuke, what I was trying to say is that what that thing was saying is only partially the truth, right? Part of you might feel that way, but I can’t believe that’s all there is to it. You’re my best friend. I know that you care about me. Everyone has parts of themselves like that. Things that they wouldn’t ever want to admit or even act on. No matter what though, I love you, okay?”

Yosuke was looking at him, his eyes wide.

“That thing got mad when you denied it, right? Maybe if you try admitting to it, it’ll calm it down.”

Yosuke looked down before taking a deep breath, nodding.

He still had his arm around him as he turned toward it, briefly hesitating before beginning to speak. “Yeah, you’re right. I like Yu looking up to me. I’m kind of glad that his parents suck so that he always relies on me. I like him seeing me as a hero. And yeah, I was putting off asking him if he wanted to get back together because I was scared of never being able to have a normal life. Part of me wishes that one of us was a girl so we wouldn’t be two guys dating. I… I was thinking of dating Saki-senpai in order to be normal. I…” he trailed off.

All while he was talking, the wind died down more and more until it was nonexistent. The same black energy appeared once again, focusing around the creature until it looked like Yosuke again, standing there, staring at him as he spoke.

“What I’m trying to say, is, you’re not wrong. A part of me does definitely feel like that. It’s something that I never wanted to acknowledge, but it’s true. I… You’re me and I’m you.”

He let go of Yu, walking over to it, laying his hand down on its shoulder. It didn’t speak, instead nodding at him, seeming to almost fade out of existence before something else took its place. It had a certain resemblance to the monster that it had turned into, but this one seemed more human. There was something about it that reminded him of Yosuke.

As it disappeared, leaving behind a card, he realized what it was. It was what Izanagi was to him. His Persona.

That meant that the two of them had the same power now. That was good.

Yosuke turned back toward him, offering him a small smile. “Thank you.”

He nodded. “It was the least that I could do.”

Yosuke walked back over to him, once again holding him up. He leaned on him gratefully. He was really exhausted after all that.

“Are you okay?” Yosuke asked, voice filled with concern.

“I’ll be fine, but what about you?”

“I’m okay. It’s weird, but I actually feel a lot better saying all of that out loud.”

“I’m glad.”

“Let’s get going now, okay?”

Yu nodded. He just wanted to go take a shower and then maybe go to bed.

Yosuke let him keep leaning on him a little as they walked out of the store, stopping on the street.

Teddie was waiting right outside, immediately walking over to them. “Are you guys okay? I heard some beary loud noises coming from inside.”

“We’re fine, but thank you,” Yu said. “But can you show us the way out now?”

Teddie nodded. “Of course, Sensei. We need to go back to where you came in though, otherwise who knows where you’ll end up.”

Yu didn’t feel like thinking too hard about the implications of that, beginning to walk with Yosuke, following Teddie back the way they had come. It wasn’t long before they arrived back there and Teddie summoned the same stack of TVs as yesterday.

He didn’t move away though, hesitating in front of them. “We made a promise, right? That you would help find the culprit? That means you’re coming back?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. We’re coming back. We still have a lot of questions that need answering,” Yosuke said.

Teddie nodded. “All right. Come back soon.”

With that, the two of them went through the TVs that he had summoned, going through a brief period of weightlessness before ending up in the electronics department in Junes.

As soon as they got through, Chie was right in front of them. “You’re back! Are you okay?”

“We’re fine,” Yosuke said.

Yu nodded. “Yeah, thanks for waiting for us.”

She looked at him, gaze landing on his cheek. “Why’re you hurt? Did you fight something?”

Oh, right. He had gotten cut by a bottle during that fight. He had completely forgotten about that. He reached up, touching his face. “Right. We got into a fight, but it should be okay now.”

Her gaze lingered on him for a few seconds before she nodded. “Okay, if you’re sure.”

He wasn’t expecting Yosuke to lay his hand on his face, guiding his head to look at him. He was frowning.

“We should probably go get that patched up though.”

Yu nodded, his heart pounding. “Okay.”

Yosuke turned to Chie. “I think we’re gonna get going now, but really, thank you for looking out for us.”

She nodded. “I wasn’t about to just abandon you guys. But yeah, go get some rest.”

They exchanged goodbyes and then Yosuke was grabbing hold of his arm, leading him out of the store.

“Hey, Yu?” he asked once they were in the parking lot.

“Yeah?”

“Can you come over to my house tonight? I do want to get that cut taken care of, but… I also want to talk about what happened.”

Yu also wanted to talk about all of that, but Yosuke seemed pretty exhausted too. “Are you sure that you’re up for that tonight?”

He took a deep breath before nodding. “These things have already waited far too long to be said; I don’t want to put it off any more. Besides.” He let out a small laugh. “I think I might be too much of a coward to say what I need to say if I don’t do it now.”

Yu frowned, reaching out, and grabbing hold of his hand, squeezing it.

Yosuke hesitated before squeezing it back, letting his hand be held.

“All right, then let’s go talk now.”

They walked the rest of the way to Yosuke’s house, hand in hand. It was quiet between them, but it wasn’t as awkward as he would have thought. There was the weight of the conversation that they needed to have hanging above them, but, he wasn’t really that scared of it.

They got to the house and they went inside, saying hi to Aiko before going up to Yosuke’s bedroom. Neither one of Yosuke’s parents were home yet, so they had the whole place to themselves.

“I might go take a shower before we do this,” Yosuke said. “These clothes kinda smell like alcohol.”

Yu frowned, lifting his sleeve to his nose. He was right, although he supposed that, with how many broken liquor bottles there had been in there, that it made sense.

“Oh, and you can borrow some clothes if you want to take one too.”

He nodded. “All right. Thank you.”

“Of course.” Yosuke walked over to his dresser, pulling out some clothes, handing a stack of them to Yu.

“Okay, be right back and then you can go.”

Yu nodded, watching as he left the room. He let out a sigh. He really was tired too, but, Yosuke was right. This talk was important. That other version of him had said some things that, while harsh, had had some weight to them. He wanted to parse out exactly how much of it was the truth.

He only had to wait a few minutes before Yosuke came back in the room, dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, his hair still wet.

“Okay, your turn.”

He nodded, holding the clothes with him as he walked down the hall to the bathroom.

He took his clothes off, carefully folding them to bring home and wash later, then got in the shower. It wasn’t the first time that he had used Yosuke’s shampoo and soap, but he still took the time to savor the smell of them. It was something that was just so nice and familiar.

When he washed his face, he used a light touch around the wound, using the water to clean it as best he could before getting out, drying off, and putting on the clothes Yosuke had leant him.

It was a pair of sweatpants, too short on him, ending about an inch above his ankle, as well as a long sleeved shirt. Once again, they smelled like him - or more precisely the laundry soap that his family used. He liked this - being surrounded by things that smelled like him.

He walked back to Yosuke’s room where he was sitting on the bed, a first-aid kit opened in front of him. Yu sat down beside him.

“Here,” Yosuke said, pulling out an alcohol wipe from the kit.

He let him tend to the wound, wincing as it stung with the alcohol. He then dabbed some antibacterial cream on it before putting a bandaid over it.

“Thank you,” Yu said as he was closing the first-aid kit.

Yosuke just nodded, looking down, and biting his lip.

“I… I don’t even know where to start with all of this. There’s so much to say.”

Yu frowned. The entire tone of the room had gotten a little darker at that. “I guess just tell me what you’re actually feeling. I know that there was some truth to everything, but I also know that it’s not as black and white as it was made out to seem.”

Yosuke took a deep breath, nodding. “I… I mean, I guess that I’ve always just seen myself as someone for you to lean on - I really like it when you rely on me, actually. It makes me feel like I’m doing something worthwhile, like I have a reason to keep going because I know that you need me. I know that you were just trying to do the same thing for me, but I guess that I got annoyed because I wanted to be the one protecting you.” He rubbed his face, groaning. “God, I must seem so pathetic.”

Yu shook his head. “I don’t think it’s pathetic. I do need you. I can’t imagine living life without you. That’s why I want to protect you too - to make sure that you’re always here.”

Yosuke swallowed hard, looking away. “Then… I guess maybe we should just be protecting each other then?”

“Maybe we should be.”

He nodded. “I can live with that, but, then there’s all the other stuff. I… about us getting back together... I think that even before we started dating, there was a part of me that was so terrified that I was in love with another guy… I… It does scare that I might never be able to have a normal life. I don’t really want to have to hide our relationship forever. I just…”

Yu bit his lip. “That does scare me too. Although, I don’t think that I have any other choice. I can’t imagine myself ever falling in love with or marrying a woman. But.” He took a deep breath. “If you want that normal life - if you want to find a girl and fall in love with her and get married and have kids, then I’m not going to stop you. You deserve to be happy, no matter what. If that’s what you want, then I’ll be happy to just stay by you as your friend.”

Yosuke didn’t speak for a few seconds, his gaze turned down at his lap. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, then started speaking, his voice intense. “Don’t you dare say that to me.”

“Say what?”

Yosuke met his gaze, tears in his eyes. “Tell me that I deserve to be happy and then try to tell me that you don’t. You’re always like this. Be selfish for once. Don’t just go along with what I say to make me happy. Tell me what you want. You deserve to be happy too.”

“I…” He hesitated, turning his gaze away. What he wanted…? He knew what he wanted, but on that list was Yosuke being happy too, and if that was with someone other than him, that would be fine, wouldn’t it?

“Yu, tell me what you want.” His voice was harsh, commanding, leaving no room for argument.

He hesitated before taking a deep breath. Yosuke had said so much to him. It was only right that he say things back. “I… I want to be with you forever. I love you so much. I honestly don’t think that I could stand it if you started dating someone else, but I would make myself, just to stay with you. I… I don’t want you to leave me. I…” Tears started forming in his eyes, beginning to drip down his cheeks. He hadn’t realized how much emotion he had been holding back, his fears finally bubbling to the surface.

Suddenly, Yosuke was moving, getting partially in front of him, sitting up on his knees, then wrapping his arms around him in an almost too tight hug.

Yosuke brought his hand up, cradling the back of his head as he hugged him. “I don’t want you to leave me either. I want to stay with you forever too. I promised you that we would get back together and I’m not gonna break that promise. I was just scared.”

Yu buried his face against his collar bone, trying to fight back the tears. “I love you.”

Yosuke pressed a kiss against the top of his head. “I love you too. I’m not going to leave you. I’m going to be here for you forever.”

He wasn’t sure how long they sat there like that, but he was sure that Yosuke would keep hugging him for however long it took for him to feel better. He really was good at protecting him. Finally though, Yu pulled away, sniffling, wiping the tears out of his eyes.

“You okay?” Yosuke asked, his voice gentle.

He nodded. “Yeah. Thank you.”

He gave him a warm smile. “So, I’m guessing that this means that you want to start dating again?”

“If you’re okay with it?”

He rolled his eyes. “Of course I’m okay with it. I just told you that I was, didn’t I?”

He couldn’t help the small smile that was tugging at his lips. “Yeah, sorry.”

Yosuke hummed, laying his palm against his cheek. It was so warm and familiar. He slowly leaned in, clearing the small distance between them. Yu closed his eyes as his warm breath brushed against his lips, letting out a small noise of contentment as he tenderly pressed their lips together.

It had been so long since they had last done this. It had been so long since they had been allowed to do anything like this. But, it was still so familiar and comfortable, something so nice and wonderful.

Yu wrapped his arms around his waist, holding him tightly against him. He didn't want to ever let him go.

Pleasant tingles radiated out from where they were touching, playing over his skin. Yosuke began to gingerly run his fingers through his hair, eventually stopping and grasping hold of it, letting them stay entangled by the strands.

After what felt like far too short a time, Yosuke pulled back, pressing another soft kiss against his cheek, smiling at him.

"I missed you," Yu said.

Yosuke nodded. "I missed you too."

He could hardly believe that this was happening. That they were going to be together again. That he could kiss him and hold his hand and hug him as much as he wanted. That he could be around him without the constant want of something more.

A small laugh bubbled up in his chest until he couldn't stop it any more. Yosuke soon joined him, moving his arms to wrap around his neck, holding him close.

He didn't think that he had ever smiled this broadly before.

After a little while, Yosuke tugged on him, pulling him down so they were both laying down on the bed.

Yosuke yawned, burying his face against the crook of his neck, humming. "I'm tired."

Yu pressed a soft kiss against the top of his head. This was one of those moments that he wanted to last till forever.

He closed his eyes, pressing his face into his hair, just enjoying the closeness. This was all so nice and familiar and comfortable.

Very slowly, he fell asleep, pressed up against Yosuke - more content than he had been in a long while.

- - -

He woke up some amount of time later to a knock on the door.

Yosuke shifted against him, groaning. His voice was heavy and laced with sleep. “Yeah?”

The door opened, Yosuke’s mom stepping into the room. Her gaze lingered on the two of them for a few seconds, a small smile on her face. “I just wanted to know if Yu-kun was staying for dinner.”

He hesitated. On one hand, he did want to stay there with them, but, on the other, there was no way that his uncle was going to be coming home tonight - that meant that Nanako was going to be home alone. He didn’t want to make her go through that if he could help it.

“My little cousin is probably home by herself, so I should probably go back.”

Understanding crossed her face. “All right. Dinner will be done in about an hour. Why don’t you stay until it’s done and I can give you some to take home with you.”

“You don’t have to.”

She smiled. “I want to. Besides, I have to make sure that my future son-in-law is well taken care of.” She winked at him, closing the door behind her.

Yosuke made a loud noise, burying his face against him. “Why’d she have to say that?”

Yu shrugged. “She already gave me her blessing to marry you.”

“She did what? When?”

He reached over, brushing a piece of hair out of his face. “The day after we broke up. She told me that she wouldn’t mind me as her official son-in-law in the future.”

He groaned, his face red. “That’s so embarrassing.”

He paused for a few seconds. “It makes me happy though. It means that she’s fine with us being together, not like…”

Yosuke reached over, grabbing hold of his hand. “Yeah, I guess it is something to be happy about.”

He stared down at their hands, giddiness rising in his chest. He still couldn’t quite believe that they were together now.

“So,” Yosuke said. “We have an hour before you go.”

“We do.”

Yosuke moved, climbing out from underneath his arm, practically climbing on top of him, sitting in his lap as he faced him.

He hummed, running his fingertips gently against the bandaid on his cheek. “I wonder if it’s gonna leave a scar.”

“I hope not.”

“Why not? I think it’d be pretty badass.”

“I don’t want to have to explain to anyone how I got it.”

He hummed. “Just say that Aiko scratched you.”

“She would never.”

“She’s scratched me before.”

“That sounds like it was your own fault.”

“See, this is how I know that you like her more than me. You always take her side.”

“She’s never done anything wrong in her life.”

Yosuke rolled his eyes. “Sure, she hasn’t.”

“I’m glad we agree.”

There was a small smile tugging at his lips as he laid his hand against his chest, once again leaning forward and pressing their lips together, pushing him back down on the bed, leaning over him, starting to tenderly rub his hand against him.

He sighed into the kiss, holding him tight. He wanted to spend every waking moment like this.

Everything still wasn’t completely perfect - there was the issue of the murderer, presumably using that other world to kill people. There was the issue of his parents not wanting them to be together. There was the issue of not being able to do everything that normal couples did because they were two guys.

But, together with Yosuke, he knew that they would get through it all. They were best friends, after all. They cared about each other and treasured being together. He wanted to be friends with him for the rest of his life. That being said, he also loved him deeply and wanted to kiss him and go on dates and maybe, if the future allowed, get married to him someday. He was the one person in his life that he couldn’t imagine living without.

They only had a year before he would have to move back to the city and back to his parents. They only had a year before they would have to lose this more physical aspect of their relationship.

But, that was fine. They had this year and they were going to make the most of it.

For now, he was ready to spend a long time alone with Yosuke.