Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Well, it could be worse... I guess," Yosuke let his bag slip off his shoulder and hit the ground with an echoing thud.

He examined the beginning of his new apartment with a forced smile and pressed the light switch a few times when the light began to flicker. A good start.

"Not by much," Chie dropped a box next to the all too close kitchen counter and scooted back towards the door. "How did you find this place?"

Yosuke perked up. "Dad has a manager that owes him a favor and he knew a guy who has a relative that's a real estate agent that offered to waive her fees cause' she knows the landlady. Pretty sweet, right? No key money, advance rent, deposit, nothing!"

Chie blinked and surveyed the room. "Uh huh, and that doesn't sound suspicious to you?"

"Pfft, Dad just has some useful connections for once. Not gonna argue."

"Right but-"

"No, it's not much to look at, but I won't be in it much anyway. Between work and studying I'm not going to have a lot of time," He interrupted, staring at a weird stain at the corner of the tiny studio.

He'd been lucky to secure the place at all; it was towards the city center, rent was next to nothing, it was close to his work and (hopefully) his future college.

Chie frowned and shook her head. "Come on, let's get the rest of the boxes. I'll help you set some stuff up and take off. It'll pretty late when I get back to Inaba."

"Thanks, I mean it," Yosuke smiled and followed her out the door.

It had been an adventure driving Chie's dad's old car from Inaba to Yosuke's new place. He'd offered to drive up since she'd have to drive back, but it had been five hours of nothing but Chie yelling and threatening to knock Yosuke out and take the wheel. He didn't exactly have any room to argue since she was being gracious (or tolerant, he still wasn't sure) enough to help him out.

The two quickly moved the pitifully low number of boxes up the ancient looking stairs to Yosuke's creepy new home. Looking at the small stack made Yosuke realize just how crazy this whole idea had been; at least back in Inaba he had a safety net, but now he was all alone.

"Look, Yukiko and I will be here in a few weeks to get moved into our apartment. Try not to do anything stupid before then, okay? You really need to make sure you get into college next year so don't blow all your time playing around," Chie lectured as she pulled dishes out and unwrapped them. "Your parents forgave the failed exams this time, and they are giving you another chance to get it right. They're being too lenient if you ask me."

Yosuke glared at her from across the room. "Thanks, but you barely even passed. Yukiko spent way too many sleepless nights helping you. You sure it wasn't the two of you playing around too much?" He had a wicked grin even after Chie chucked a glass at him in response. Luckily it had been plastic.

"Geez, Yosuke! Don't even start! I swear I'll smash every plate you have!" Even from across the dimly lit room he could see her red face.

The two had a weird relationship, but Yosuke figured at least they could be completely honest with one another. Neither of them held any punches... sometimes literally in Chie's case.

"Sorry, sorry! Hey, you're lucky, ya know? At least you've got someone. I'm Mister Pathetic over here, doomed to be alone forever," He laughed awkwardly as he rolled out his futon.

Chie didn't enable it. "You don't have time for a relationship."

"Ouch. Harsh."

"Well, it's true."

They spent the next hour sorting out his kitchen and finally stopped to heat up some instant noodles when they found his singular pot. They had both leaned back when Yosuke turned the water on, neither knowing what might come out of the faucet.

"I wonder who had this place last... smells like it hasn't been aired out in ages," Chie tested the noodles and flinched at the heat.

Yosuke nodded in agreement, making the same mistake with his own. "Yeah, I guess I'll do that tomorrow."

"You're going to freeze."

"I have a heater."

"That thing couldn't heat the inside of a shoe box, and your apartment might as well be that small," She rolled her eyes and took a small bite.

"Now you're just trying to push my buttons."

"Sure, why not?"

They quietly bickered while they ate and then finished up the rest of the major unpacking. Yosuke made sure to sneak one of the boxes behind the few pieces of furniture he had. Chie didn't need to see the contents of that one.

"Hopefully all of the important stuff works and the bathroom seems like it's been updated at least. Well, sort of," Yosuke poked his head into the cramped space and tried to turn the light on. "Looks like I'm picking up some new light bulbs tomorrow."

"You're gonna need a lot of stuff for this place. Do you even have a closet?" Chie pulled the sleeve of her jacket up to protect her hand and felt along the walls. "Nope, just this... is that legal? Whatever, nothing seems right about this place anyway. Maybe the bathroom used to be a closet... the size seems right."

"It has a bath and a toilet. That's more than I expected for this place," Yosuke opened the door next to the room where the tub was located and found the toilet. "I might knock my knees against the door though."

Chie shook her head and swatted at him. "Gross. No need to provide me with a visual."

"Shut up, Chie."

After the two looked once more for some kind of storage space, and failed, Chie yawned and started for the door.

"Thanks again, and tell Yukiko I said hi," Yosuke spoke as he walked Chie back towards her car, noting how late it was. He'd have asked her to stay until morning, but he knew she'd answer with a slap.

"Will do. Try to not take on too much at once, okay? I know how you are," She had what Yosuke might consider a concerned face on anyone else, but Chie normally didn't look at him like that.

"Yeah, yeah I hear you," He decided to play along, but he had never been good with serious situations. "Text me when you get back so I know you didn't crash into a ditch or something."

"Seriously, I try to actually show genuine concern and this is how I'm treated? I hope you're in the ditch if I somehow crash. Jerk."

There was the Chie he knew.

"G'night Chie. See you in a few weeks!" He waved and stood on the sidewalk next to the tiny lot reserved for the nearby apartments until the car's lights meshed with the blur of the city.

He could do this. He'd wanted this. Inaba had been suffocating with its big open spaces and fresh air, and now he was back in his ideal environment of constant noise, buildings so tall he couldn't see even one street and never seeing the same person twice. He jogged back up the stairs, but stepped lighter towards the top feeling them shake.

"I'm home." He murmured to no one as he walked inside the still foreign apartment. Maybe if he said it enough he'd grow accustomed to it faster.

"Man, Chie wasn't kidding, this place is freezing," He pulled his hood up around his face and searched for an outlet for the heater.

Inaba had been boring. Beyond boring. The city was where he felt the most at home and, even if he wasn't in some fancier apartment like before, he was finally back. He'd managed to find a job at a restaurant that seemed more like a bar nearby, and the manager seemed decent. The pay was crap, but his rent was barely anything so it evened out. He might have to live off instant noodles and convenience store food, but the freedom was worth it. At least working in that Junes hellhole had prepared him for whatever might walk in the door at his new job. Then again, he'd only been there once and it was before they opened for business.

"Alright, don't fail me now..." He held his breath as he switched the heater on and after a few moments of strange noises the coils grew red. "Success!" He grinned and praised it by patting the top a few times. Practically everything he owned was Junes brand and he understood the phrase "you get what you pay for" better than most.

He looked at the floor and contemplated whether or not he trusted it enough to sleep on it, but he didn't have another option. He'd wanted to bring his bed with him, but it just wasn't feasible to try and cram that in a tiny car. His father certainly wasn't going to pay for a moving truck.

"Maybe I should just sleep in regular clothes... I might freeze to death otherwise," He dug around in his duffel bag, but found nothing that was heavy enough to keep him warm.

It was odd to him how the inside of the apartment seemed colder than the actual temperature outside, but had he even cared enough he didn't have a thermometer to test his theory.

"Alright, tomorrow I finish setting everything up and make sure all the bills are sent to me... then work," He swallowed and felt a knot form in his stomach.

He'd always had that comfort of knowing his dad was the boss and, even though he was harder on Yosuke than any other employee, he wasn't going to fire him. Junes had been his first and only job and as much as he had despised it there was a kind of security in that he knew the job. New people and new things to learn seemed scary.

"No! No, I have to be positive. No time like the present to start reinventing myself," He smacked both hands against his numb cheeks in some weird attempt to gain confidence. "I'll be fine. Cleaning and serving people. Easy. No problem."

He pulled the covers back on the futon and tucked them around himself. It felt awkward wearing more layers, but at least he was somewhat warm this way. The exhaustion of the busy day was finally catching up with him and it became harder to keep his eyes open.

"Light bulbs and food... bills and bank... call parents," He mumbled his list over and over again making sure he wouldn't forget anything crucial.

He rolled back towards the kitchen area in an attempt to get more comfortable and sighed seeing that the light was still on.

"Ugh, I just got settled... how badly do I need to turn that off?" He debated on whether or not getting up was worth it, but just as he finished the sentence the light shut off.

Moments later there was a slight rush of cold air, as if a door had opened and shut quickly, and Yosuke sat up to look around the now dark room. He felt uneasy, but both the window and door were locked and he hadn't heard any noises.

"I guess I should count how many bulbs I'm going to need," He sighed and concluded another light had blown. "And I really need to check how this cold air is getting in."

He complained, but still felt the annoyances were minor compared to his old life back in Inaba; three years had been enough to almost drive him crazy, but he was grateful he had met Chie and Yukiko. It would be easier when they moved close by and at least he wouldn't feel as lonely. They were his only friends, but he knew there was a line there and Yukiko seemed to only treat him well because she felt sorry for how Chie acted.

"Maybe I should look for a roommate... where would they even sleep?" He grumbled and pulled the covers over his head.

Being by himself was nice, but having someone to talk to after working all day wouldn't be a bad thing. If he was being completely honest the apartment did creep him out, but having someone else around might fix the lingering paranoia he already felt. Plus, he'd probably stop talking to himself.

"I've got to stop thinking about this stuff," He stretched out an arm to a nearby box and pulled his headphones and MP3 player out.

He tried to position himself in a way where wearing his hood and headphones wouldn't bother him while he slept. He'd often listened to music to quiet his thoughts when he was having a particularly difficult time falling asleep; he felt like tonight was going to be one of those difficult nights. The MP3 player's light didn't penetrate the thick blanket as Yosuke set the playlist to shuffle without looking.

"G'night," He whispered to the darkness, the soft beat of the music syncing with his heartbeat.

Maybe things would feel more normal tomorrow.

Chapter Text

It wasn't a great start.

Yosuke had forgotten that with his headphones in he wouldn't be able to hear his alarm and as such didn't wake up until late in the afternoon. Chie had messaged him when she arrived, but a few hours of Yosuke not responding had led to some pretty heated texts.

baaaaaaaaaack!

........

...srsly?

yosuke i spent an entire day helping ur sorry butt and this is how im repaid? THX FOR CARING JERK!!!!!!

and another thing dont even think about asking us for n e thing u selfish dick!!!!!

Yosuke drug a hand down his face and sighed. This would take more than a five minute phone conversation. A conversation he simply did not have time for.

"Shit!"

He pressed the unlock button on the side of his phone again and froze when he discovered the time. Was it really that late? He should have been at the station twenty minutes ago. As he started to tear through the boxes of clothing he had, he went over the route he had to take to get to his new job. There was one stop he kept struggling to remember the name of, but he was confident that'd he'd recognize it once he actually saw the board.

"Damn!"

The desperate young man barely had time to swish around some mouthwash and run a brush through his hair a couple times before he remembered that he also needed to find all the documents his manager had requested he bring. He had intended to set them out the night before, but in his complete and utter exhaustion, he'd forgotten. His unpacking was now taking the form of 'throw everything on the ground and sort later'. Yosuke didn't even want to think about what he was tossing everything onto, and he'd clean all his stuff once he disinfected the entire apartment, but right now he had to find those papers or he'd be without a job before he even started.

"Finally!"

He snatched the folder out of one of the random boxes he'd failed to label (what a surprise), and he pulled a coat on, hoping that he didn't look too disheveled as he sprinted down the stairs and onto the sidewalk. There wasn't time to get his bike and find a place to lock it up. Maybe if he'd actually left on time he could have enjoyed the easier trip on a bike, but as it stood, he'd do well to get there only ten minutes late. Great first impression. He was really knocking this 'being independent' thing out of the park.

After dodging cars, bikes and pedestrians, he finally arrived at the station and felt around for his wallet, pulling out his pass for the train.

"Fuck," he muttered, realizing he'd never reloaded the card.

Did he have enough on him to pay for the trip? Surely he'd brought something . And what was that stop again?

"Fuuuck," he whispered, scanning the intimidating board above him.

Had there always been this many stops? He couldn't remember it being this overwhelming when he originally lived here. He pulled out his cell to try and search for the directions to the restaurant, but groaned when he saw he had zero reception. What good was having upgraded to a smartphone if he couldn't use the damn thing when he needed it?

An attendant. How stupid of him—he could ask a worker!

He maneuvered between the growing crowd of people until he found the queue for the manned line next to the ticket barriers. There was a foreign couple who were clearly lost, and although Yosuke felt like the world's biggest hypocrite, he couldn't help but curse under his breath. He tapped his foot impatiently and looked around nervously. He was gonna be so late. He was gonna be so fired.

"Sir?"

Yosuke's attention turned to the worker and he nearly ran to the counter.

"Can you tell me which line I need for this address?"

He held up the now crumpled paper and pointed at the messily written address. The attendant moved closer, no doubt to try and decipher his horrific handwriting, and finally drew back to answer with which line. Yosuke thanked him and he took off to the ticket machine, completely flustered that he was wasting even more time. After flying through all the options, and practically flinging his change at the thing, he grabbed his printed ticket and bolted for the train. He tried to apologize to every person he bumped into, and it was horribly rude, but he couldn't afford any more delays. The one thing he was thankful for was the promptness of Japan's trains—a trait he should definitely think about incorporating into his daily life.

Once the car arrived, he slipped inside and tried to position himself where it would be easiest to get off once he arrived at his stop. He hoped he hadn't looked like he was running from someone when he tore through the station, but he supposed it was too late now to wonder about his level of suspiciousness. His eyes were looking at, but not seeing, the buildings as they zoomed through the city, and he began to second guess himself again. Was he ever going to get his stuff together? Had he really changed at all from that awkward kid from Inaba?

...

From?

Strange how now he felt more like a country boy after three something years, than the city boy who'd spent most of his life in this overwhelming jungle.

What the hell was he doing?

 ===

It was really a shock that he'd made it on time. Surely the universe was cutting him some slack, and maybe all those awkward moments that it had delivered him had been in preparation for this move. He was fine with having been stuck in a few trashcans in Inaba if it meant this was going to be easier.

He stood in front of the small restaurant and took a deep breath, taking a split second to look at himself in the reflection of the darkened windows. He looked like shit, but he wasn't actually starting today—just paperwork and orientation. What would that entail anyway? Maybe he should have brought a brush with him after all.

"Hanamura, right?"

Yosuke's head snapped in the direction of the voice. "Ye-yessir. Yosuke Hanamura," his voice shook slightly as he bowed in the direction of who he could only guess was his new boss.

The man that stood at the door was probably the most intimidating guy Yosuke had ever seen. He stood well over six feet tall and was built like his previous profession had been tearing down buildings with his bare hands. However, gruff face and ominous demeanor aside, he looked less like the murderer he had sounded like over the phone.

The moment after Yosuke had introduced himself, the man's face shifted to one of pure amusement. "Ah, cut that bowing crap out. I'm Hiroki Ishikawa, the owner of this dump. Good to see you're here on time! Ya know, I actually fired our bouncer last night for being late every damn day. Hate tardiness. You'd do well to remember that. Speaking of, I need to call that guy back about that application. Seems a position opened up... Unless you wanted to change your original application?" Ishikawa's grin spread wide and he looked at Yosuke with the most serious of eyes.

Bouncer? What the hell kind of place was Yosuke going to be working in?

"With all due respect, I think I'll stick with my original one," Yosuke answered, hoping that it was the correct one.

His boss let out a bellowing laugh. "Of course, of course! I was only messin' with ya, kid. You're too scrawny to even intimidate some of these drunk business guys we get."

It stung, but it was fair.

"Anyway, let's get all this legal stuff out of the way so I can show you around. Lots to do today. Hope we have a uniform in your size... Eh, it's fine. Your first night is a slow one so it won't be too bad."

First night... Wait, was he being serious? He was actually gonna work the floor, day one!?

Yosuke moved to cover the folder he was holding. "Uh... Sir, I—"

His boss wasn't having it. "Come on, kid. Let's get going! Prep work ain't gonna do itself!"

 === 

He was probably dead. All his limbs were numb, and he was pretty sure he was both waterlogged from dishes and dehydrated from the constant running around. Slow night. What bull.

"I'm home," he quietly called to the still dark and creepy apartment.

Home was quite the stretch, but hey, what else was he gonna do?

At least he'd been able to take free food home and his coworkers seemed helpful. Sure, he'd never worked harder in his entire life, but everyone had some teamwork and sense of urgency—unlike Junes. Yosuke set the bag he'd grabbed on the counter and stopped, remembering his earlier promise to himself. Was he really up to cleaning tonight?

"Dammit," he cursed, seeing an inch of dust where he would have been eating.

That answered that.

He stuck his meal in the tiny fridge and grabbed the few cleaners he had (courtesy of his mother's nagging), along with some towels. He'd do the kitchen and bathroom. The rest would still be grungy and waiting in the morning.

Thankfully, nothing was set in too badly, and it was mostly just dust that covered the apartment. He'd been able to finish up in about an hour, but now he was too tired to even eat. And, now that he'd stopped moving, he realized just how cold the place was. Almost colder than outside. Then again, night did make things progressively more chilly.

Even though the poor guy just wanted to crawl, uniform and all, under the covers and pass out, he knew he wasn't ready to take his job to bed with him. Time to test the remodeled bathroom that was the only redeeming feature of his shit apartment. He unpacked the only two towels that he had and began to change out of his work uniform. It was kind of strange to not be able to open a linen closet and have two dozen towels to choose from, but he just kind of figured that was part of 'making his own way'. Pretty serious talk considering he was lamenting over  some laundry.

"Okay... Let's see how this water pressure—WHOA!"

It was clear that the faucet hadn't been turned on in ages and air sputtered out of the pipes, the walls seeming to creak at the sudden change in pressure.

"Dude... this fucking place," Yosuke groaned, checking the temperature as the water calmed down and poured out in a normal fashion. "The whole building is gonna fall down and crush me while I sleep, I swear."

After the half hour the young tenant allowed himself to soak, he begrudgingly left the bath and went to settle in for bed, only to notice that his heater was on.

"What the..."

He couldn't remember having turned it on, but he was also almost delirious at this point.

"I'm gonna burn this place to the ground if I don't get my act together..." His exhaustion was no excuse. Yosuke could hear his mom harping on him all the way from Inaba.

Still, it was nice (ignoring his forgetfulness) to have a warmed bed to wrap himself up in. Sleep would come much easier tonight.

===

He had to force himself out of bed that morning. Literally, force himself out.

But he had responsibilities to deal with.

He opened the tiny fridge, ready to use its emptiness as an excuse to get out and buy groceries on the way back from the post office. The leftovers stared back at him, a reminder that he also had other obligations later.

"And work... kill me," he whined.

It was day two (basically) and he was already searching for excuses to be lazy. Wouldn't it just be easier to starve and hide under the covers?

And then another problem came to mind.

"Nooooo, Chie," he scolded his forgetfulness.

She was going to kill him for ignoring her yesterday. He knew those messages meant she still expected a message coupled with a dozen apologies. It was the least he could do anyway.

hey dude i am so sorry. i passed out and then woke up late and was almost late day one. pathetic huh? then i went home and crashed and woke up a few minutes ago. thank you so much for the help, i mean it. sorry i was such a dick yesterday.

There, polite—or at least their version of politeness—message out of the way. Yosuke was sure it was far from over with her and simply went back to heating up his food. He had maybe... four hours? Yeah, four sounded right—until he had to be at work. He could get to the post office, buy some cheap (totally healthy) food, purchase those dumb light bulbs and hopefully look up some basic ways to insulate this damn place. As he stood there in the kitchen, he found himself start to gently shiver. How was it still this cold? Was this place held together with literal string and hope? Scratch that, it probably—TOTALLY—was.

His phone buzzed against the now much cleaner counter.

ya w/e i bet u got fired already

If he'd been a single minute later yesterday he totally would have been. Like that bouncer... Did his boss really need one? That guy was built like a mountain and seemed like the kind of person that you didn't want to be on receiving end of his anger. No thank you. Yosuke would just keep his head down and do the best job he could.

nope. and i actually worked day 1. so crazy. i feel like i died and got reborn this morning.

He was lucky the previous tenant had left their microwave behind, but knowing how this place was, the thing was probably haunted or something. However, the ding sounded and nothing frightening jumped out when he opened the door, so mission successful, or whatever.

Yosuke lazily chewed the (surprisingly) tasty reheated food and thought about when his next day off would be. Was it rude to ask? After all, he still had a lot to take care of and he was pretty wiped out from moving. Plus, didn't most people receive their schedule day one? Who was he kidding, day one had been unconventional from the get-go.

pffft u just suck w/ actual work mr. junes prince :p

Junes hadn't been the most physically demanding job, and he couldn't argue that he was pathetically out-of-shape—he couldn't picture himself working out or doing anything remotely close to that, but there was just a special kind of evil that had occurred last night. How could one tiny restaurant/bar/thing be that damn busy. You'd think that the place sold food and drinks that could double as cure-alls.

stfu i just gotta get my feet wet and i'll be good. my boss is scary but seems cool so eh. i'll pick my battles. got free food!!

Enough of that. Time to fake the adult he was still trying to become.

===

He'd done it. He'd actually set up his account and information with the post office, bought light bulbs,  a few other amenities  and he went and bought food—even a vegetable or two! Yosuke was practically on cloud nine as he jogged up the stairs to his apartment with a good two hours left before his shift started.

Then he opened the door.

Then he plummeted back to earth and got wedged between a couple of rocks.

"Ugh."

Even though the grimy window was blocking some of it, the sun was revealing all the dust and who-knew-what-else on the ground of his apartment. He saw the faint line of... something surrounding his bed and resigned himself to cleaning before the cleaning he'd be doing at work later.

So, Yosuke put his minimal groceries away, changed the light bulbs, hung the cheap curtains he'd bought, and finally started to clean the filth. Thankfully, just like last night, it was mostly dust that had evolved into dust bunnies that had taken on a life of their own. That being said, dust was surprisingly hard to clean.

"How can nothing get you up !?" the still teen whined and continued to wipe up the same stubborn spot he'd been dealing with for the past five minutes.

But, an hour later, he finally completed the living/dining/bedroom area. He'd touched up what was left in the kitchen and unpacked the final few things in there, but it was only after he opened the window that he could smell a difference. There was something about an aired out space that sent some relief through him. Plus, a clean window seemed to make a world of difference. With his final couple of minutes, he stood proudly in the corner and observed his victory—cause he was here to win the war, not every battle. The rest could wait, and would have to.

With all the boxes rearranged snugly in one corner of the already snug room, he got to at least appreciate some of the limited space and admired the bare floor that would no doubt remain that way for maybe twelve hours.

"Time to get ready," he groaned, also knowing he was going into another battle in less than an hour. But, he knew the route today, so... victory number two still felt pretty good.

===

Work was work. It was about the same as the night before, but he'd been determined to get that second wind this time. He knew more about what he was up against, and even his co-workers had commented on how well he was adapting after only one full shift.

"I'm home," he called, trying to make this a cathartic process he could cling to at the end of a shit day. Someone there or not wouldn't matter if he could trick his brain into thinking he wasn't all alone.

Yosuke tried get back onto a schedule of: food, shower and sleep. How hard could it be without distraction? He plopped down on his bed after his bath and allowed himself to finally take a deep breath and dispel some of the stress that still weighed down on his shoulders.

Because that day off was tomorrow.

And it was going to be AWESOME .

The tired young man glanced around the room and hummed in satisfaction... Until he noticed something weird.

"What the..."

He wasn't imagining it. There in the corner, next to his tiny pile of boxes, was a pair of glasses. He stood and crossed the room, picking them up and turning them over and over in his hand. Gray. Weird band of colors on the side. Definitely not his style and definitely not there earlier that day.

"How?"

Had something accidently been packed up in his stuff and fallen out when he was gone? Maybe Chie had left them.

are these yours?

He attached a picture he quickly took of the glasses to his message and waited for a couple minutes.

yuck no way!! those look like dude glasses n e ways

Yosuke couldn't argue that they did seemed more suited for a guy, but that didn't mean crap. The only thing that gave that away was more the size and less about the style. Girls didn't normally have a head this big.

He even tried to see if they, for some crazy reason, were his dad's.

No. Call your mother sometime.

Good. An answer and slight guilt trip. Parents were fantastic.

Then who the hell did they belong to? He could ask his absentee landlord, but he doubted someone so ancient even remembered what they had for breakfast. No way someone had actually wanted to break in to this crappy place... right?

Out of nowhere, the same chill he'd felt the past couple of days came back with undeniable force. This time, Yosuke felt his bangs brush against his cheeks, his clothes fold against his skin and the room drop at least ten degrees.

And this time he'd made damn sure the window and door were shut.

But, just as he started to turn, the brand new light bulbs started to flicker in the room and he froze.

The teen felt a sense of dread fill his limbs and he broke out into a cold sweat. Suddenly, he didn't want to turn around. Memories of cheesy horror movies he'd suffered through with Chie and Yukiko came to mind as temperature continued to drop. Was this shithole actually haunted? But he couldn't argue the feel of the glasses in his hand remained frigid despite his sweaty palms having been holding them for minutes now.

Or that now there was an undeniable presence behind him.

"Oh God..."

It slipped out before he could stop himself and he smacked a hand against his mouth like that would save him, somehow. The presence had a weight to it that he couldn't describe even if someone asked him to, and it was damn close to him as far as normal, respectful personal space went. The glasses in his hand seemed to grow that much colder as the 'being' grew nearer, and his blood froze while his muscles burned. His blood pressure had never bottomed out before, but he was pretty sure this is what that felt like. However, Yosuke knew he couldn't remain stuck and he mustered the most courage he could.

"Wh-who's there!?" he cried as he whipped around, trying to sound as fierce as a squeaky voice would allow.

But there was nothing.

Nothing but a now brightly lit room that remained the same temperature as the Arctic.

He let out a heavy sigh and tried to still the almost violent shaking he'd just now noticed. Pfft, ghosts. How insane. How nuts was he going already? There was a rational explanation if he'd just calm the hell down and think for two seconds. Temperature? Winter freeze warning that night. Draft? He still hadn't purchased anything for insulation so of course the wind was going to find a way though. Presence? His brain was trying to create something to give his stupid ghost theory some sane reason for existing. Besides, who actually believed in ghosts these days besides old people and paranoid weirdos? And Yukiko, but that was more for fun than anything.

He rolled his shoulder to release the last bit of tension. "Whew... Time for be—"

Click .

This time he couldn't deny it. He couldn't trick himself. His eyes widened to a painful degree as he watched the latch on the door lock and the heater kick on.

"No...No, no, no—nonononoNO!"

Yosuke scrambled back into the kitchen and threw the glasses towards the door in some half-baked attempt to protect himself.

"Wh-who the fuck is there!?"

There was NO WAY this was happening. Ghosts were just made up bullshit!

"Answer me!"

Impossibly, his eyes stretched further as his jaw practically unhinged at what he was seeing. At first, the form was just like paler static on a TV, then a more distinct outline came into focus with some features distinguishable and finally an easily recognizable form of a human was what was left. Although it appeared like Yosuke was looking at someone through a pair of lenses that blurred his vision of just that particular thing, he could definitively see a young man right by his front door. Sure, the guy looked like he was ready to phase out at any moment as parts of him would fade in and out every couple seconds, but he was there. He was there and staring right at the frightened teen.

"Wha... What are you?" Was all Yosuke could think to ask at that moment.

The young man remained silent.

He looked all grayed out—like the color just wouldn't load, or whatever ghosts did. Gray eyes, hair, clothes and even his skin was almost white. Still, he didn't look like any creepy ghost Yosuke had seen in those B movie horror films Yukiko had shown him. The guy looked plain and Yosuke found that he felt the slightest bit less frightened when he came into focus. No creepy girl with long hair that covered her face and some tattered dress.

His adrenaline plateaued and Yosuke tried a more polite question, forcing his voice to stabilize. "Who are you?"

This time, the ghostly figured parted his lips and spoke in a voice so low that Yosuke had to crane to hear it.

" Yu ."

"Yu?" Yosuke repeated, curiosity beginning to replace the terror.

'Yu' nodded.

"Um... Are you... a—uh, g-ghost?" Because how did you sound calm asking someone that ?

The spirit tilted his head slightly at that.

It was like watching a channel on an analog TV that refused to focus, only the screen was isolated to one thing and it made it seem creepy as hell. Even the guy's voice sounded like there was white noise just barely in the background.

It seemed to take less effort to answer simply so the teen decided to keep the questions to single word responses.

"Do you live here?"

Yu nodded.

"Do you know how long?"

A headshake this time.

Although he no longer felt like the ghost was a threat, he still asked the most important question.

"Are you... going to hurt me?"

" No ."

Yu pointed to the door and heater to indicate as such.

"... So, you turned on the heater last night."

A nod.

Yosuke paused to reassess the situation. The aura the ghost gave off was actually pretty calm, and even his voice through the static was calming. As they stood there, Yu seemed to stabilize and during the quiet he began to examine his limbs and the room around him.

"Yu, um..."

The young man turned and looked at him curiously.

"Are those your glasses?" Yosuke pointed down by the ghost's feet.

Yu looked down. "... Yes ."

"Ah, I see..." One mystery solved, ten more opened. "What year do you think it is?"

The young man looked like he was thinking for a moment. " 2011? "

Yosuke didn't say it, but did conclude that, that was more than likely when the guy had died. "Oh, well... it's 2013... now... yeah." He wasn't sure if correcting him was going to freak him out now that he thought about it.

" Oh. " Yu sounded disappointed, but seemed more confused than anything.

The teen tried to remember all the questions he'd heard people ask ghosts in movies. "Do you know where you are?"

" Yes ." At least Yu's voice was starting to have less crackle and pop to it.

"How old are you?"

" 17 ."

Damn. What the hell happened to this guy? Not like a family could manage to fit in a place like this, and if he died here, he had to be living alone.

Then Yosuke had a thought and slapped a hand to his face, seeming to startle the ghost momentarily. "S-sorry! I just realized I hadn't told you my name. I'm Yosuke Hanamura. It's—uh, nice to meet you."

Yu nodded. " Yu... Narukami ."

Two words. Progress.

"Are you here all the time?"

Yu gave another nod, but stopped midway. " I... think. "

"Do you ever leave this apartment?"

" No ."

Yosuke edged away from the corner of the kitchen he'd back himself into, and started to carefully walk towards the start of the of the living area. Yu eyed him with interest, but didn't seem frightened. Of course, why would he be?

The current tenant still wanted to verify. "Are you... scared of me?"

The previous (or maybe still present) tenant shook his head.

For whatever reason, that affirmation made Yosuke feel relieved. "Good."

But he'd run out of questions to politely ask, and now it felt really weird for him to have moved closer without more to say. "Um... Do you wanna ask me anything?"

" Age? "

"Oh! I'm 19. Just moved in, but you—er, probably knew that... already... heh." Still a social disaster even with a ghost. Wait... wouldn't that make more sense? Ugh, he had no clue about social anything.

Yu began to quietly laugh, the white noise behind his voice a little more prevalent, but not alarming. Actually, it sounded kind of nice, like a fan running while you tried to fall asleep.

" College ?"

Yosuke shook his head and looked away in embarrassment. "Nah, I actually failed the exams on my first go. I decided to move out here to study. Like that makes any sense, huh?"

His new companion only seemed amused.

" Work. " It wasn't a question this time.

"Yeah, started yesterday and it was hell... Thanks for turning the heater on... and off too now that I think about it," Yosuke replied, remembering his manners.

Yu nodded with a small smile.

Now the fear was basically gone and the teen wanted to test some stuff. "Can you... move things? Like, can you do more than turn a lock or press a button?"

The young man took his first step, causing Yosuke to jump a little, and Yu reached out for a banana Yosuke had left on the counter. Even though his arms looked like they were threatening to disappear, Yu still managed to slowly lift the fruit up and then set it back down.

"Huh, wow," Yosuke answered in almost disbelief.

Now the big one was here, and he was too damn interested in the outcome to think about the consequences. "Can you... do that with me? Like touch my arm, I mean."

This time Yu looked uncertain, but still walked cautiously up to the willing test subject. Up close, Yu looked less 2D and more tangible, but still like a character in an old black and white film. Yosuke could feel his heart racing in anticipation as he raised his arm up for the ghost to touch. Sure enough, Yu placed his fingertips against Yosuke's skin and it felt like ice was sliding over him without the melting sensation; in fact, it felt like painless static electricity was passing through him. It was still a little terrifying, but it was more amazing than anything.

"That's... incredible," Yosuke whispered to himself, but Yu laughed softly once more.

How many people could say they got to experience this kind of thing? Why wasn't he moving away in absolute shock at the very least? And even Yosuke didn't have a clue why he wasn't pissing himself right now, but it was like the thrill was too strong for him to really be bothered. Had he always adjusted this quickly?

Yu brought him back from his wonderment. " Are you... scared ?"

His deep voice had more crack to it up close, like an old record, but his concern was clear. Yosuke met the uneasy eyes of the spirit in front of him, and a dumb grin spread across his face.

"No."

Chapter Text

The two sat facing each other now, Yosuke on one end of his futon and Yu on the other. Yosuke had added several more layers to his outfit, including a scarf.

"Damn, another dead end," Yosuke commented, another question having failed. He'd been trying to quiz Yu for a couple hours and it'd been pretty fruitless  since Yu barely remembered anything besides random days and darkness. It wasn't until Yosuke had shown up that he'd been fully aware.

"It can't be helped," Yu replied more easily, those said couple of hours having helped his conversational skills immensely.

It was obvious to Yosuke that Yu didn't know anything about himself outside the bare minimum, so he took his questions in another direction.

"What's your last memory?"

The spirit looked down for a moment before answering, "The landlady... She came to open the window, but the lock was stuck... so she left. I don't remember saying anything to her... Actually she didn't seem aware of me in the least... Maybe that should have been the giveaway."

Yu's form had taken on a more solid...ish appearance now, with the flickering almost completely gone, but the static in his voice was just as prevalent. Maybe that was just how a ghost's voice sounded.

"Well, kinda sounds like you were—er, asleep? Like, not asleep, but in that limbo where you're kinda aware, kinda in a lull. Does that make sense? Anyway, am I the first person to see you? Have you seen any others like you?"

"I don't know how to properly explain... It's like being behind a two-way mirror, but you're paralyzed; however, you also have no desire to speak... Then you were here and it was like the mirror shattered when I locked the door... No one but you has ever noticed me, and I've never met another... ghost," Yu responded rather glumly.

It'd taken the first hour to just help Yu understand the concept of 'ghost', and it'd been a rocky conversation. At no time did Yosuke feel threatened, just concerned that Yu would fizzle out of existence, never to be seen again. They'd settled for changing the subject once Yu had a few minutes to try and process that the strange disconnect he'd been feeling was because he was a spirit. Yosuke knew he couldn't—and wouldn't—ask how he'd died. Then again, he doubted Yu would have remembered. Lots of 'I don't know' had occurred in just that first hour.

They also tried to do some harmless tests. Every now and then Yosuke would ask to try and touch Yu's arm, but every time he'd pass right through and it'd feel like he'd stuck his hand in a bucket of ice water that had no mass. It was weird that Yu could touch him, but not the other way around. Maybe it took a different kind of concentration? Yosuke wasn't sure (again), but it didn't stop him from trying for the umpteenth time.

"Do you sleep or anything? Or dream?"

"No."

"Huh. I guess you wouldn't need to... Can you walk through walls? How do you keep from going through the floor?" That last one was a question he was sure a lot of people would like the answer to.

"Why would I go through the floor?"

Yosuke stammered, "We-well, I mean... my hand goes through you, so..."

"Maybe it's because I do what I did while... alive. I don't know how to go through walls either... I don't know if I even can."

The new tenant's eyes lit up. "Dude, can you float? That would be badass!"

Yu carefully stood up and took a small jump. His feet came promptly back down, and although he was flush with the floorboards, the contact with the floor created no noise and the room didn't shake in the slightest. "Apparently not."

Yosuke pouted. "Damn. And I'm running out of cliché ghost things... Wait, are any of these offensive? I didn't even think about that."

The spirit sat back down and shook his head. "Not at all. I want to think about these things... It helps me try to remember."

And Yu didn't remember anything from his past, save his name and age, and certainly didn't even seem to understand all the ghost stuff he could and couldn't do. It was sad really; although, Yosuke was really happy he hadn't upset him.

"Welp, I'm out of questions, but I'll try to help you remember. I can try to look up your family name or something, or like a newspaper article. Maybe we'll even figure out some cool stuff only you can do," Yosuke reassured him, winking and nodding to reinforce it.

The spirit looked perplexed."You don't want me to leave?"

"What? No way," he almost snapped this time, but what right did he have to be offended by a question like that? "I mean... It'd be cool to have a roommate. You're free to stay if you want!"

Because that was normal. Ghost roommate. Whew, wait until Chie and Yukiko heard and then subsequently didn't believe this.

Yu smiled. "Thank you."

"No problem, dude. Not sure how you'd leave anyway. We're gonna have to work out the temperature thing though... Running that heater for what's left of winter in this place is going to kill my electric bill." Yosuke contemplated different clothing layers he could try, but he didn't have all that many to begin with. Those heating pads were cheap, but going through a dozen a day would add up. Even though he could open the windows during the warmer part of the day, night time was going to be the worst. At least his job was a night shift job, but he'd still have to come home and sleep. Then again, it'd be damn welcome in the summer, so maybe he'd just put the money he'd save there towards the winter months.

"I will try to control it. I can't feel the hot or cold... but maybe I can do something."

Yosuke nodded. "Sounds good. Guess that's your... homework? That sounds weird. I'm not all that great with conversation myself if you haven't noticed. I hope I don't piss you off, but I probably will one way or another. Maybe I should just apologize for myself in advance."

Yu laughed once more. "I don't remember what I was like when I was... alive, but I feel like I've never spoken this much... Maybe I was quiet. I think you're a good guy...  There's no need to apologize."

The teen could feel his ears start to burn at the compliment. "Wow, never been told that before. Sounds kind of nice..."

"I'm glad... However, do you need to sleep? It seems very late." Yu gestured to Yosuke's phone on the floor.

He pushed the lock button and groaned, "Damn, 3 AM. Well, glad I have today off."

"You should sleep. I'll think about the temperature control... I will turn off your heater after you fall asleep," Yu offered, now standing and stepping back from the bed.

Although his eyes were ready to shut now that he'd actually seen the time, Yosuke first had an idea.

"Hey, it's a crap model, but I have a TV you can watch while I'm sleeping... Feels kinda weird for you to have nothing to do now that I know you're here. Normally, I listen to music when I fall asleep, so the TV noise won't bother me. Here, I'll set that up real quick," he explained and started to look through the boxes next to him for the wires.

"That's fine... you can just sleep. I'll be okay," the spirit insisted, walking next to Yosuke now.

Yosuke felt the icy air tickle his cheek and he resisted a shiver. "Nah, I'm gonna feel too bad and not be able to sleep if you're not doing something. It's not totally selfless so don't worry. Come on, let's get a movie loaded so you can remember if you have bad taste like I do," he replied, setting his small TV on the top of a plastic storage container that bowed ever so slightly with the weight. "It's a flat screen, but it's definitely not the newest one. Hope my limited selection of Japanese movies is okay... Most of mine are in English."

"I'll watch one in English, if that's okay. You can choose," Yu requested, seeming more open to the idea now.

"You asked for it... Ah, here we go. It's a dumb cop movie, so get ready for some crazy stereotypes. The soundtrack is my third favorite, hands down," he explained in an excited voice.

"Can you speak English?"

"Hmm, I think I can understand a lot of it, but I don't think I've ever spoken besides singing along with a song. I would butcher pronunciation." He finished plugging everything in, switched the light off and booted the DVD up before continuing, "There. Now I'll feel a little better... Ah, I haven't seen this in forever... I kind of want to watch it now." He laughed and sat down on the bed, patting the space next to him.

Yu tentatively took a seat and focused his attention on the screen. Yosuke would look over at him every now and then, wondering if this was his speed or not, but Yu never said a word for the entire film. By the end Yosuke had resigned to laying on his back and had started to doze, but snapped to when he heard Yu's crackling voice.

"I understood what they were saying."

He shot up. "Awesome! Maybe you spoke English?"

The spirit looked down in contemplation, and now that Yosuke was paying attention, it was strange that he could only see Yu when the light from the TV caught his outline. He was somewhat surprised that the guy didn't glow or something... He was just like any other human. Well, if the light still didn't pass right though him.

"Detective... That word feels familiar."

That was slightly alarming. "Do you think you were ever, um... arrested?"

Yu shook his head. "No... I can't explain, but it feels... comforting when I think about that word."

Yosuke laid back down, looking up at the ceiling. "Maybe... you knew one? Or one helped you?"

His ghostly friend drew his knees up and scrunched his face. Maybe it was the way he was concentrating, but Yosuke jumped slightly as Yu's form flickered in and out momentarily. "I wish I knew... This is all so confusing."

A change of subject seemed appropriate now. Yosuke really didn't want Yu to phase out again. "Alright, well time for some more mindless garbage. I'm gonna put another movie in, but this time I'm going to sleep for real. I need at least four hours."

Yu nodded. "I'll wake you up in four hours."

The spirit started to move, but Yosuke thoughtlessly tried to grab his shoulder to stop him. It failed to catch, but Yu stopped all the same.

"S-sorry... That's gonna take some time... Anyway, this is a pretty big futon, so you can sit there. I'm just gonna lay the other way. Is it comfortable? Or..."

Yu looked at the covers beneath him."It feels... right. I don't think I feel comfort, but it feels normal... Perhaps I recognize that this should be a comfortable surface and that I'd sit on it if I were... alive."

Still the delay, but Yosuke was surprised he was coping as well as he was. Then again, Yosuke didn't know how the hell he wasn't a bumbling mess. Maybe it was because Yu was far from the kinds of ghosts he'd read about or seen in movies... He was a normal dude. Actually, it was almost spooky (ha, what a laugh) how easy he was to get along with.

Or maybe this was all a crazy dream and that's why he wasn't curled up in a corner rocking back and forth. Well, he was about to find out.

"Night," Yosuke politely said.

The spirit nodded. "Good night."

Yosuke pulled his scarf up and covered the lower half of his face to keep his nose warm. It was kind of fortunate that his exhaustion wasn't allowing his mind to race because this was probably the most his tiny brain had ever had to process. But his eyes were too damn heavy and the hum of the movie's opening song was just enough to send him off to sleep.

===

True to his word, Yu woke Yosuke up four hours later. It was just too bad that it had been with an icy hand to his cheek.

"I'm sorry. I tried to wake you up by talking, but you didn't budge."

Yosuke covered up his face with a pillow and groaned, "No, I needed to get—wait."

He threw the pillow to the side and shot up to stare at the spirit.

Oh. It hadn't been a dream after all.

Yu was there, sitting with his legs crossed and the same monochrome features as last night.

"Is something wrong?"

And the same static.

In the strangest way, Yosuke was relieved to see him. Sure, he was going to be alarmed the first dozen times he saw the ghost (probably), and he'd more than likely keep himself in denial for a little longer, but he hadn't imagined the whole thing.

"No... No, sorry I just didn't think last night was real," he answered with a laugh.

"I see," Yu responded hesitantly.

Yosuke yawned and gave the spirit a lazy smile. "Seriously, it's cool. Sorry if I scared you."

This time, Yu was the one to laugh. "Shouldn't I be the one to apologize?"

Yosuke was still taken aback with how well his new ghostly friend was handling things. How had the guy been when he was alive? Adaptable just wasn't a strong enough word here. Then again, wasn't he handling things pretty darn well?

"Did you need to do anything today?" the guy in question asked.

"Not really... Did most of it yesterday," the other tried to answer through a yawn.

He stretched his arms up and rolled his shoulders a few times before standing up. Sleeping with so many layers had made him feel stiff and awkward. Work probably hadn't helped. Yu stayed on the very edge of the futon and watched Yosuke cross the room to the kitchen, but kept quiet. He figured that Yu was going to just be a quiet person regardless of the progress they made.

He stood there for a few minutes and started to make toast and coffee, but found said quiet to be unnerving. "So... how do you feel?" he asked, still trying to be polite.

"I... I don't know."

His response sounded innocent, but it still made Yosuke pause and turn to check. A blank face stared back at him, but Yu didn't seem upset. "Oh... Are you... Hm." Yeah, that was probably a weird question to have asked a ghost who just discovered they were a ghost less than twelve hours ago.

Yu seemed to notice. "I mean, I don't know how to explain. I'm sorry."

Why was he apologizing again?

"No, that was my bad. Sorry about that," he replied, turning back to hide his embarrassment.

There was silence for the remainder of his pathetic meal prep, and it wasn't until he started eating that Yu, and the chills that followed, met him at the counter. "Just toast?"

Yosuke snorted a laugh before he could stop himself. "Yeah, I suck at cooking. Instant noodles are about as gourmet as it gets for me."

The spirit looked like he was thinking as he examined the nearly burnt toast in Yosuke's hand, but said nothing.

"I won't burn the place down, don't worry," the nervous teen explained.

Yu now watched the steam rising from Yosuke's cup. "I don't think I've made much progress with temperature."

Yosuke could tell that just based on how icy the room was even through all the layers. "Eh, it's only been a few hours. Don't worry so much. Plus, it'll only be like this for maybe another month, so I think I'll be fine, regardless."

The spirit didn't look like he agreed. "It must be uncomfortable."

What should be uncomfortable was having a ghost around. His whole life he hadn't believed in the things and now this impossible situation was standing across the counter from him. Was he in shock? Was that why he still didn't feel the least bit scared? Or was he just that apathetic? Was apathy the right term here?

"Yosuke?"

"Ah, sorry. It's really fine. I lived in the country for a few years and it got pretty cold there. I mean, winter is still cold here in Tokyo, but Inaba is more up north if only a little bit," he tried to reassure.

"Inaba?" Yu's face darkened and his form flickered like it had after the movie.

But before Yosuke could ask, his ringtone filled the cramped room. This time, Yu was the one to be startled and completely disappeared for a few seconds before popping back.

"Yu! What just happened?!" Yosuke's panicked response drowned out the ringer as he watched the spirit trying to maintain form.

"Yes—ust—by sur—" Yu's voice struggled through the harsh static and continuous fading before finally evening out. "Sorry, I guess being surprised triggers that."

After standing there for a few more moments to check Yu's condition, Yosuke reluctantly moved for his phone.

Work.

He took a quick breath to calm himself, his heart still pounding. "Hello?"

A gruff voice answered, "Yosuke, my favorite new employee, how ya doin' bud?"

Yosuke may have only worked for his father, but he'd been around enough managers to know that tone of voice.

"What time do you need me?" It slipped out before he could stop himself.

"Damn, perceptive kid. Had one of my full-timers call me close to death so I need another hand—new or not."

Yosuke pinched the bridge of his nose and scrunched his face up. "Yeah, I'm there. Same time?" His voice sounded pretty jovial despite the bitterness eating up his stomach.

"You got it. See ya soon!"

Click.

"Dammit," he cursed in a low voice before dropping his phone on the futon.

It was going to be his getting shit-together-day. Maybe set up the few collapsible pieces of furniture he'd brought, organize his clothes, clean what was left—

"No day off I take it?"

Maybe talk to the ghost he'd met last night. Maybe process that shit alone for five minutes.

"Nope, but I can't exactly say no right now."

Yu frowned. "Perhaps I should have let you sleep for a few more hours."

Yosuke laughed and shook his head. "Nah, I just need a few more cups of coffee. Caffeine got me through some pretty dark times in high school and at work, so this shouldn't be too different." He turned and let out a sigh at the sight of boxes and mess. "Just kinda wish I could have dealt with that a little more."

Among other things.

"I see." The spirit looked conflicted.

Awkward silence hung over the room for a couple of minutes as Yosuke went back to his pitiful meal and now lukewarm coffee. Even with the drop in temperature, the still barely there steam warmed Yosuke's frozen face. Yu basically drifted around the room and looked around at the different corners of it, no doubt trying to remember what he could. The teen really wanted to ask about Inaba, but he didn't want his new friend phasing out of existence again. It had nearly stopped his heart earlier. He'd never seen something so instantaneous in real life.

With his mind racing he decided to fill said silence. "Hey, you can watch whatever you want today and I think I have some manga and... some kinds of books in a random box. There's nothing sketchy in them, so feel free to snoop around." It felt weird to just leave him.

"I appreciate that. Thank you," Yu said softly with a smile.

Yosuke felt his heart flutter with happiness for a second at just how nice this guy was. He'd never had anyone be this genuinely appreciative or just... kind.

His felt his ears burning and he ran a hand through his hair, looking anywhere but the spirit across the room. "It's really not a big deal."

Yu knelt down and gingerly picked up Yosuke's phone, delicately setting it on the counter."Should you get ready?"

In contrast, Yosuke picked the phone up, clumsily dropped it on the counter again and finally managed to press the unlock button. "I have a few hours. It's only open for dinner so prep doesn't start until the afternoon for my what I do. Chefs have to be there crazy earlier. I think my boss goes to the fish market every morning. Pretty sure they don't sleep."

"Perhaps complaining about sleep around them wouldn't be wise," Yu tentatively suggested.

"I never, ever complain at work. I will bottle it up until I literally implode before I say anything," Yosuke confessed, running a hand down his face and grimacing. "I used to work for my dad, so I'm sure you can imagine."

The spirit's face grew serious and he looked like he was thinking again. "Hmm."

Maybe talking about family wasn't the right call. The teen stuffed another bite of now stale toast in his mouth to keep him from saying some other dumb thing. Instead, he now watched as Yu eyed the pair of glasses who had a new, safer home on the counter. The spirit picked them up and rolled them over and over again in his palm. Every time he seemed to touch something it was like it was the most fragile thing in existence. Yosuke figured that maybe it had to do with how easily it'd be for it to fall through his hand, but that might have just been a previous mannerism.

Yu's voice was full of static when he spoke this time. "I wish I had more answers than a name and that I used to live here."

If there was one character trait the Inaba teen couldn't deny, it was his way of spinning a situation into something optimistic—no matter how forced. "It hasn't even been a full day yet, dude." Yu didn't seem the slightest bit convinced when he met Yosuke's eyes. "Just let the stuff come to you naturally. Plus, you have me. Not saying I'm some genius, but I'm a pretty good ideas man. My lack of filter helps sometimes."

A small smile formed. "It seems very unfair to put that burden on you when you'll also be studying for your entrance exams while simultaneously working."

A warmth bloomed in Yosuke's chest and he couldn't stop his own grin from spreading. "No way. We'll figure this out together." And he felt like even though the two of them had so little power, if they stuck together, they'd find a way. "So, let's do this." This time, he extended his hand.

Yu took another moment, but soon he returned a muted version of Yosuke's expression. "Let's."

The feeling of chilled water surrounded Yosuke's hand and he gave one careful shake. "Alright then, it's a deal, partner."

Chapter Text

Oh what a whirlwind the train ride to work had been. Once he'd actually gotten away from the apartment and had a moment to stand still and not think that's when he really started thinking. The absence of another person talking and acting all normal forced him to think about how that person wasn't really a 'person' in the most literal use of the word.

Ghost.

Spirit.

'Incorporeal being'.

(According to what his phone said when he'd looked up the word 'ghost' in the first place anyway.)

But really, not a person? Yosuke thought that was harsh. Yu was definitely very human, just not a living, breathing one. He had a soul, which apparently could be seen a lot more clearly than Yosuke's, and that qualified him just like everyone else. No threatening aura surrounded him, or even an unsettling one—just a damn cold one. Literally, cold. Freezing. Good God the temperate outside had felt like a scorching summer day when Yosuke hit the door, and 'hit the door' was the correct phraseology here because even though he'd had ample time to prepare, it was going to be down to the wire getting to work on time. What about that punctuality he'd mulled over just a couple of days ago? Was that not happening? Knowing him it'd take some effort. Thankfully, Yu had consistently reminded him of the time towards the end and it was enough of a kick in the ass to get him going.

"Cup of coffee number four isn't doing crap," the teen mumbled as he opened the door to a place he definitely wasn't supposed to have seen that day.

"Hanamura! Welcome back, kid!" his boss called all too loudly from a distance not that far away.

His instinct was to bow, but he'd gotten a few dozen smacks over the past two days for it so that was a habit he was breaking first. "Hello Mr. Ishikawa." Politeness, however, was engrained.

"Just call me Boss. I don't wanna hear Mister come out of your mouth again," he half-joked, but had a very serious look as he said it.

Yosuke pulled out his work shirt from his bag and tugged it over his undershirt before joining his boss at the bar. Although it was more typical for employees to change into their uniforms at work, there was such limited space and so many employees that they were permitted to take them home. As such, Yosuke knew that today would be the last day he had a change of uniform before he was going to have to wash them and hang them up. Mental note for that night.

His boss was pouring over documents Yosuke couldn't even follow while he said, "Hanamura I've got a few things to teach you and then you're on your own. I don't know if it's the change in weather but we had another call-in so I need you to be new and two people at once. Think you can handle it?"

There was only one acceptable, albeit untrue, answer. "Yessi—Boss."

"That's what I like to hear."

All Yosuke wanted to do was think about helping Yu and not whatever his boss had planned. He was worried about leaving Yu alone, afraid that when he went home it'd be to an empty apartment. They'd only just gotten acquainted, but Yosuke felt his chest tighten at the thought of Yu disappearing so suddenly. They had a mystery to solve and it was the number one thing on Yosuke's mind. How often did people get to help someone figure out their past? Who had ever helped a ghost figure that out?

His shift was insane. Yosuke, try as he might, just couldn't be two veteran workers, and it was their busiest night. All of the staff and his boss were incredibly positive and thanked him even though he was more of everyone's bitch than in a set position, but he supposed it worked out. If they saw him as reliable then it'd make his life easier, sooner. Plus, free food was Yosuke's favorite thing right now.

"You deserve it. I don't forget this stuff so don't think I'm just gonna take advantage of you. We help each other out here," his boss reiterated for a twelfth time as Yosuke headed for the exit.

"It's no problem. I'll see everyone tomorrow," the exhausted teen managed as he opened the door and almost embraced the cold air.

The few remaining staff nodded and that was affirmation enough for Yosuke as he took off for the train station. Everyone knew he lived at least one stop away, and even though he could walk it'd add an unfair amount of time since the rest lived within walking distance. That being said, with how behind they were, Yosuke had waited until the last possible moment before his boss kicked him out.

Riding home had thankfully been much easier and he managed to find a seat. As he leaned his head against the nearby support pole, he thought about Yu and what he'd been up to all night, still hoping that he'd go home to a frozen, occupied apartment instead of a warmer, empty one. One chef had talked with him while he'd helped with the most basic of basic food prep (he was essentially taking stuff to the cooler because he was pretty sure if he even looked at the food they'd chop his hand off). The chef had been one that was actually talkative and asked Yosuke about Inaba and how he was doing coming back to the city. The teen didn't have too many exciting things to talk about, but one question had thrown him for a loop:

'Found a roommate yet?'

A teenager living in Tokyo on his own was probably unusual considering his line of work wasn't the most lucrative, but when he thought about how to best answer it he'd settled with:

'I think so.'

Yu might not have been able help with rent (not that there was much to begin with), but it wasn't like he ate or used water or anything. His impact on the electricity was out of his control, but it was more like Yosuke appreciated the company and he liked to think he was pretty reliant on social activity despite his limited pool of friends. A ghost friend. How had his life taken such a turn in less than a week?

The train announcement signaled for his stop and he found himself already walking mindlessly towards the door and up the stairs. He hoped he could turn on autopilot sooner rather than later like he had back in his younger teenage years. Living in the chaos could still be made methodical.

It was the weekend, there were tons of people flooding the streets, but Yosuke couldn't be bothered with them. He maneuvered through the crowds effortlessly before stopping in a nearby convenience store to grab a few things. He regretted having only picked up a box of tea and coffee the previous day, and his boss had thrown a little extra his way for coming in so... time to treat himself. The water coming out of his faucet tasted like copper and he knew it'd take more than a week or so to work that out, so he grabbed a couple liters of water. His coffee had tasted like crap and he attributed that to the water, but as he remembered that fact, a stray thought crossed his mind of what Yu would want. He found himself smiling sadly as he realized sharing a meal together wasn't really going to happen.

Drinks, chips and other random garbage food filled his arms by the time he made it to the cashier and he welcomed the larger bag he was offered. His plan hadn't been to get more than he had cabinet space for. He also grabbed a handful of heating pads during his checkout, ready to weather the night. As he returned outside with what probably looked like enough food to feed a family of four, he made a beeline for the apartment. Home. Bath. Bed. That sounded so fantastic right now.

However, there was work to be done. They had a case to start: his roommate's past.

===

"I'm home."

"Welcome back."

The freezing air enveloping him and the sound of a staticky voice soothed his nerves instantly. He wasn't alone.

Yu was sitting in the middle of the room, movie paused on the screen and—

"Holy shit, did you do all this!?" Yosuke cried a little too loudly as he noticed the broken down boxes and organized room.

The futon was neatly rolled up in the corner, the two chairs he'd brought were unpacked, the singular table was put together, the bookshelf was together and lined with DVDs and books, the storage containers and clothes were...

"Wait, my clothes."

Yu stood and walked towards the empty wall that followed into the bathroom, pressing in on it carefully. "I hung them up, if that's okay. You're free to move things however you'd like." Part of the door popped open and Yosuke's jaw dropped. He did have storage! Miniscule, but better than the literal nothing he'd thought he had.

"Dude, this is amazing! You're amazing!" Yosuke set the mountain of groceries on the tiny counter and walked in circles around the room to take everything in. He was so floored and grateful and amazed. "How did you manage all this?"

The spirit smiled. "Very slowly. Very carefully."

The living boy next to him wasn't even sure he could have managed in that amount of time. "I cannot—just wow, Yu, thank you so much!" He had very few possessions in comparison to many, but for a ghost to do all this when he was trying to master the basics... It might have been the most impressed Yosuke had ever been. He didn't have anything for factual reference, but he felt like this should not have been able to happen so quickly.

"You are very welcome," Yu replied with a touch of embarrassment in his voice. Maybe he took compliments as well as Yosuke did.

There was just something about coming home to an organized space that sapped some of the day's stress and it made Yosuke afraid to touch or move anything. Yu must have been damn meticulous to have things look this orderly. He'd freeze if it meant he could have this easy of a time at home.

"I hope work wasn't too stressful."

He knew he probably looked like an overworked mess, but it really hadn't been that bad. It'd felt horrible earlier, but after a brief review it had still been better than an average day at Junes. "It was busy as hell, but everyone there is really awesome so it evens out." He rummaged through the bags to get what needed to be stored cold, cold, and what needed to be kept out, out.

He didn't have to turn to know Yu was behind him with the sudden intensity of frigid air. "You purchased quite a bit... It all looks very unhealthy."

The teen's stomach did a flip at being caught. "I have a couple fruits and vegetables to eat. I've survived off much worse."

The spirit chuckled. "Did you not eat meals at home before?"

Family. Was that going to make him phase out? He had to be completely worn out in ghost terms after all he'd done. Probably. Still, he'd asked. "My mom can't cook for crap and my dad lives at his job. We ate takeout nearly every day. I don't know how I'm so scrawny. Maybe malnourishment?"

Another laugh. "You could just avoid buying chips."

"Nope."

Yu flashed a playful smile. "Careful, you'll end up like me all too soon."

It was a funny joke, Yosuke wanted to laugh, but he instead froze and searched Yu's face for the right reaction.

The smile formed an uncertain 'o'. "Maybe I shouldn't joke about those things?"

Dark sense of humor. Yosuke could work with that. What were the limits of that humor?

"No, no, I just—well, remember I'm crap with these situations. I don't wanna offend you," Yosuke answered, trying to keep them from backsliding. He wanted Yu to be open and honest; somehow reserved seemed wrong and his chest stung at the thought. The teen knew he had a bad habit of wanting a person to trust him more quickly than he probably deserved.

His roommate nodded. "I understand. I'll try to ease into those."

Maybe they'd get comfortable with the other soon enough to easily joke, but for now Yosuke was still scared of losing him in a literal meaning. "Be honest, I'll just try to keep myself in check."

Yu shook his head in silent protest one final time before asking for Yosuke's phone and plugging the charger in. Of course there was a designated spot now. So awesome. No more losing chargers. Yosuke finished putting everything away and took a seat at the table next to Yu. He started eating the leftovers he'd brought home, looking  on in awe at the room between bites. After a few minutes Yu finally caught it.

"It's not some great feat."

He really had no idea. "Dude. I've never even had my own room this organized. I still can't believe you did this."

A sheepish smile flashed across the spirit's face as he turned back to some documentary he had playing. Yosuke was pretty sure it'd been a random DVD he'd been given, but he could already tell despite his limited knowledge that it'd be right up Yu's alley.

Yosuke finished up his food and after setting his dish in the sink, turned to his water heater's control panel in the kitchen to start to fill the tub with water. "I still don't know why a shithole like this has a bath, but I am not complaining. What made her do this upgrade and not others?"

"Perhaps she's making small upgrades? I suppose Tokyo housing is competitive."

"Still, the other apartments seem nicer even on the outside. I haven't looked in one, but my front door looks shabby as hell compared to their doors."

"One upgrade at a time?"

The teen shrugged. "Who knows. It doesn't matter, I guess. I bet my rent is way lower than their rent so I'll take it." He thought for a moment about the lady he'd only heard through a phone and the key that had been given to him by the long chain people who stemmed from an owed favor. She'd sounded ancient on the phone, and more than a little gloomy. Another thought occurred. "Hey, Yu. What does the landlady look like?"

The spirit paused the documentary and stared off in space for a moment. "She's an elderly woman... Rather petite... I don't remember a great deal else. I don't believe she had a husband... I think I can remember having conversations with her about it, but I don't remember any other details."

He knew more about this woman than his own past.

"Huh, well, I guess we'll both be surprised. Did the place look like this when you first moved in?"

Yu nodded with a small smile. "It did.. I think."

And he seemed to remember most details of the apartment... probably.

"I guess I can't complain. It's in a convenient location and there's even a place to do laundry right next to us too... Shit. I have to do that." Question time over. Bleh, hopefully his clothes would be mostly dry before work tomorrow.

"Since it's part of the complex I imagine you can leave the clothes and return when they finish."

That would be nice. "That's the plan then. Do you want—" Then a thought occurred to the teen. "Hey, how far can you go? Outside the apartment, I mean."

The spirit looked just as interested in the idea as Yosuke. "I haven't tried."

"Alright, new test," Yosuke proclaimed, meeting his roommate at the door and slipping his shoes on. "It's really late and no one was wandering around when I came home so I doubt there will be any people."

Yu nodded and stood there motionless as Yosuke opened the door and stepped outside. The teen watched as Yu made hesitant steps out and towards the old stairs that were right next to the apartment. At first everything was fine, Yu's form was steady until the midway point of the steps and then the flickering began. Yosuke froze and stopped their test there.

"That answers that. Let's go back."

His friend looked disappointed as he began his careful return to the room. Yosuke found himself trembling when he closed the door behind him and took a few discreet breaths to calm down. What if they'd messed up by not thinking that through? What if Yu had disappeared for good?

"So I'm tethered to this room. That's... disheartening," Yu stated, the static stronger despite his outline remaining constant.

Yosuke was ready to spin things again. It'd been his idea in the first place. "Right now. Maybe we can figure something out. You can already do incredible things ghosts aren't supposed to be able to do."

The spirit took a seat, but didn't look at Yosuke this time. "Perhaps." The weariness in his voice answered what expression he held on his face.

Yosuke gathered the clothes he needed washed and smiled weakly at Yu as he was leaving. "I'll be right back."

A quick nod and Yu was focused again on the TV. As Yosuke went to the washing machines and loaded everything, he thought about Yu being stuck in that apartment all day every day. It wasn't like Yosuke could stay and another person was out of the question, so what could he do for the guy? Figuring out how to get Yu out of the place was probably going to be difficult, if at all possible, so short-term solutions would be ways to occupy his time. What things did Yu like? He seemed more serious and well-educated so maybe books? He like the documentary... Maybe he could find a bunch of those, or rent stuff Yu requested. Best way to figure it out was to see if Yu remembered what he liked in the past.

"Hey, do you want me to get you anything?" he questioned as soon as he opened the door. "Like books or something? There are a lot of used book stores around here and I think some of them have DVDs and stuff. I have video game systems, but not a lot of games and my DVD collection is going to run dry sooner rather than later. I'm sure you noticed how many books I actually have."

Yu seemed to have cheered up and shook his head. "That's not necessary. I do appreciate it."

He was going to have to be more pushy. "Look, you tell me what you like or I'm just going to get random stuff you may or may not hate."

The spirit grinned mischievously. "I look forward to your selections."

Damn.

Yosuke glared for a moment before sighing. "Well if you think of something just tell me. I'm gonna take a bath now." He'd try to fight that battle later.

He soaked in the bath for longer than he needed and thoroughly dried his hair before he finally rejoined his roommate. Although he was already dressed in pajamas he added more layers. Getting sick because of the temperature might prove to be an issue.

 There was a new documentary playing. "How do I have any of these?"

"You have several."

"I guess you'd know better than me," Yosuke commented as he scanned the bookshelf to see everything separated by genre and alphabetized.

Everything after that was pretty typical, Yosuke retrieved his now clean clothes and (despite the brilliant lack of sun outside) went ahead and hung them up.

"That may not be the wisest choice," Yu advised.

Yosuke shrugged. "Eh, I won't wake up in the morning so they can just dry for a longer time. I set an extra spin cycle so it seemed to help."

"It will be humid in the morning and the longer your clothes are outside the more the pollution will seep into them."

He hadn't really thought about all that. His old home in the city had a drying feature in the bathroom and Inaba didn't have pollution to worry about. Plus, his mom typically didn't trust him even with his own laundry. He never saw people with laundry outside at night, but surely people did that... right?

"In any other circumstance it would be a terrible idea, but since I don't need to sleep I can keep an eye on them if they're placed over the heater. Your heater is so small that they won't get near the top," he offered, motioning over to the heater tucked neatly in the corner.

The idea made him nervous, but Yu seemed to have a better handle on everything than Yosuke did. The guy might not have been about to remember his own birthday but he could remember all this. "Yeah, I guess I'll do that. Sorry I didn't think about it earlier." He'd buy him a few books tomorrow to make up for it.

After Yosuke situated everything, he decided to focus on Yu's past once more. It'd been all he could think about besides the fear that any question might cause a chain reaction and his friend would disappear altogether. Pretty conflicting stuff there.

"Hey Yu, did you want to talk about anything? Like, did you think of anything today?" He eased into the conversation while he began unrolling his futon next to the table.

"I didn't recall anything, but these documentaries are showing places I find to be familiar. There are no memories with them, but familiarity is good, I suppose. However, it might just be that way because it's Japan," he answered, still following along with the video.

Once Yosuke sat down on the futon he noticed a notebook in front of his friend. "What's that?"

Yu looked at the object in question and then to Yosuke. "I found a blank notebook in one of the boxes. Do you mind if I use it? I made sure there were several—"

"It's yours. Anything you find in this place is yours, you don't need to ask," Yosuke reassured, just glad he could help the guy out.

The most gentle and caring smile Yosuke had ever seen appeared on the spirit's face and his heart twisted up for a split second. "Thank you very much."

"No problem, partner. It's the least I can do."

Yu had a curious look on his face. "Partner." It wasn't a question, but it made Yosuke pause for a moment. He hadn't even noticed the nickname slip out when he'd said it.

He ran a hand through his hair and laughed nervously. "Sorry, I guess I picked it up last night."

The smile was now appreciative. "No, I like it."

It made Yosuke happy to hear since he'd never been close enough to anyone to ever even give them a nickname. Judging by Yu's reaction, neither had he.

"Heh, I'm glad. I didn't want to weird you out or anything." Not that he'd even planned it.

"'Weird me out', says the guy who rooms with a ghost," Yu repeated with added commentary. "You should give yourself more credit. I think you're too thoughtful of a person to offend anyone, Yosuke."

Yosuke drew his knees up against his ever tightening chest, feeling like he had a genuine friend for the first time in his life. That being said, he was going to have to get used to Yu being this nice or his poor heart was going to fall to pieces.

Chapter Text

How long had he been standing here?

Yosuke flipped the book over a few times in his hand after having read the synopsis about a dozen times now. He'd been in the tiny store going on two hours now and was still as clueless as he had been from minute one.

"Young man, would you like any help?"

He jumped at the sound of a sweet voice coming from behind him. When he turned, he saw an adorable elderly couple smiling up at him. "Oh! I'm sorry, am I taking a long time?" His panicked words stumbled out, feeling as though an apology was clearly in order, but the pair simply giggled.

The older man waved his hand in dismissal. "Not at all. It's nice to see a fresh face in our little corner of the world."

The grandmotherly woman extended her arm and motioned to let her see the book he'd been mulling over. Of course, Yosuke could hardly deny her, so he placed it—gingerly—in her hand. "Hmm," she started, sifting through a few pages. "This is quite a specific book. Are you interested in metaphysics?"

Meta-huh? He'd just thought the description was something his newly made friend would be interested in. "I—uh, actually I'm... I'm buying these for a friend of mine."

"Oh?" they both said in unison.

"Um, yeah... It's a gift, so I'm not really sure what I'm doing," he admitted, gesturing towards the half dozen books in his other arm.

It'd been a few days since he'd asked Yu what he might want to read, and yesterday had been the day he'd given up trying to get anything out of his roommate. He'd sworn he'd make his patience last longer than two days, but he could tell Yu's patience knew no bounds after only a couple of hours. How the guy managed to keep a passive tone of voice that also showed no signs of bowing out, baffled Yosuke.

"If you'd like, we'd be happy to help," the man said, beginning to walk to a section of the cramped store.

The teen followed closely as the woman returned to the counter, but he didn't miss her pleased smile. Maybe they were just happy to see someone from his generation still holding paper books.

The shop owner stopped at an aisle that branched into several other rows. "Why don't you tell me about your friend. What might they like?"

Yosuke's mouth opened and closed a few times in momentary confusion. What could he say about Yu? 'Yeah, see, he's a ghost. Super serious, seems really smart and—oh yeah! Has zero clue who the hell he really is.'

Actually...

"Do you have any books about amnesia or ghosts?" Maybe the old man had a way better guess.

"Interesting subjects. Rather different, but I suppose one could find correlation. Come with me," he answered in an amused tone. There was no telling what was going on in his mind about Yosuke.

It did kind of sound superstitious, but it wasn't like the older generation wasn't interested in all that spiritual stuff. Or maybe Yosuke had just spent too long around those that still believed.

Well, now he couldn't really question who was right and who was crazy.

"There are different types of ghosts, but perhaps they might like these." With that, the man handed Yosuke three different books. "They cover a broad range, but there are more specific chapters."

Yosuke was disappointed that he hadn't asked for assistance the moment he'd walked in. "Th-thank you."

"As for amnesia..." They walked two rows over. "Here are two books your friend will mostly likely enjoy. They're not necessarily cheerful, but they cover quite a bit of material."

Cheerful, huh? The majority of Yu's situation was anything but that.

All this did leave one question that slipped out before Yosuke could stop himself. "Have you read all of these books?"

The old man laughed, "My wife and I have read most of what is in our store. It's our lifetime collection, so to speak."

The much younger man looked at the books in his hands, trying to imagine the history they carried. "I see... Well, if you recommend them, then these are what I'll choose," he said with some excitement. It'd be nice to get something to help Yu with his predicament. Yosuke was going to try his damndest, but he was hardly an expert in… well, anything.

"I believe you should also consider the others. It'll be a nice tie in to these five," the man suggested, glancing at the titles. "Oh, how interesting."

"Wh-what?" Yosuke asked nervously, holding his choices up to offer a better look.

The man took one book from the middle and had a curious look on his face. "Dualism... consciousness... What made you choose this one?"

The teen swallowed nervously. The truth was a little pathetic. "I'm not sure. I just saw some words on the back he may like." He hadn't even seen—what was it? Dualism?

A mischievous smile spread across the man's withered cheeks. "I see."

What? What did he see? What had Yosuke done? He wanted to ask, but he was frozen in place. He was really out of his element here, and it was making it nearly impossible to act normal. He couldn't remember even being this awkward on his first day at his new job.

"Come on, young man. Let's get you home before the storm."

There was something about the sound of the man's voice that could switch between soothing and unnerving a little too easily. The teen followed him once again and arrived at the counter in just a few steps. The man's wife was making quiet noises of approval with every title she read, but she didn't make any comment past that. Maybe it was just in their nature.

"If you return, you should let us know what your friend thought of your choices," the owner said after Yosuke was finished purchasing the stack of books.

They'd hardly been his choices, but that wasn't to say he wasn't much happier with this turn of events. "I will. Thank you again for all your help. I'll probably need it again in the future." He needed to develop some kind of relationship with the couple, because this store was just around the corner and it was nice to interact with those who knew far more than he did. For Yu's case, he'd need all the help he could get, even if it meant relying on others who had no clue what the true meaning was behind his questions.

They bowed as Yosuke exited and, sure enough, the skies began to rumble and the air was thick with the smell of rain. Spring. Turbulent spring. He really needed to learn how to check the weather, but knew he never would. He adjusted his bag, careful to protect the books, and popped his umbrella open. He stared down the street, watching the rain approaching all too quickly, and started to feel the mist that came with it. What a dreary day off.

As he started back for his apartment, the pattering of the rain substituting for his usual music, he thought about Yu. So far, it'd been relatively easy to coexist with the guy. They hadn't made a bit of progress with his past, but they learned a few new things about him accidently.

The first thing was that he liked cooking. Yosuke's mother had, for whatever reason, included a cookbook in with a few of Yosuke's things. Perhaps she hoped her son could master what she could not, but regardless, Yu had already read the thing five times over. He remembered recipes and meals he'd cooked, but the actual details surrounding location and company were still lost.

Secondly, and the least surprising, was that Yu was basically a damn genius; at least in terms of what should be normal for someone their age. He found textbooks and test preparation books that Yosuke packed away and mentioned them the day after his mass organization of the entire apartment. They had been meant for college, but Yu answered them as though they were for children. Even with math questions, he did advanced calculations in his head in mere moments. Yosuke had checked every single one, but at the end he'd just accepted that Yu was right. It should have made him feel somewhat insignificant, but Yu was too considerate of a person to allow Yosuke to feel that way.

Lastly, he loved cats. Like, the guy seemed to love them more than himself. Yosuke had broken out into full blown laughter the first time he saw Yu gawk at one on TV. If a sudden burst of love could give a person whiplash, then that's what had happened to Yosuke. After that, Yu had tried to be more guarded about it, but he couldn't fight the smile he'd get. Yosuke was pretty indifferent to cats, so he didn't really get it, but it was nice to see Yu so happy about something.

All in all, they fell into a pretty simple routine: Yosuke went to work, Yu stayed at home and kept things in order and then during Yosuke's free time they tried to work out the mystery that surrounded the spirit. Except today. Today was the first day Yosuke had gotten a full day's worth of freedom from work and he'd promised himself he'd buy Yu some damn books. Since the guy couldn't sleep, he'd already blown through most of Yosuke's limited collection. Plus, he needed something challenging and Yosuke didn't have that to offer with his books.

It was a short trip, and just as Yosuke stepped into the cover of his stairwell, the sky opened up. "Huh, the old man wasn't kidding," he mused before turning his key and opening the door. He shivered as the chilly, dry air of their apartment mixed with the warm, humid air that surrounded him.

"Welcome back," Yu said in a calm voice, looking up at him from the same cookbook.

"Thanks," the other teen answered, making a mental note that his next purchase would be some cookbooks.

The spirit eyed Yosuke's bag suspiciously. "What did you buy?"

Yosuke grinned and swung the bag off his shoulder and placed it next to Yu. "Remember, I warned you."

His friend hesitantly lifted the front of the bag open and his eyes widened at the sight. "There's so many. This must have cost you a fortune."

"Nah, it's from the used bookstore near us. It wasn't bad at all," he corrected, sitting in the floor next to Yu. "I'll go ahead and make a disclaimer that I had help choosing half of them. You'll probably be able to tell which ones are mine."

But Yu was already absorbed in reading the backs of each and was basically mute for, what was looking like, the next half hour. Yosuke decided to leave him be and added some more layers of clothing before texting Chie to figure out what she and Yukiko were planning for their move.

yo! just seeing when you and yukiko were gonna need help. lemme know the date and i'll come by.

Chie hadn't delayed any of her messages.

next week so u better b ready

yup will do! just send me the address and i'll be there.

how goes the creepy apartment from hell??

His eyes narrowed.

great. all unpacked and settled in.

Cause he'd pressed pause on telling Chie about Yu. Sure, in the beginning it sounded like a good (and funny) idea, but now he was more concerned with protecting his friend. What if they freaked out and told someone? What if they tried to do something to Yu to 'save' Yosuke? Maybe it'd go about as well as it had with Yosuke, but if they found out, it'd be up to Yu.

suuuuuuure. u unpacked already?? ill believe it wen i see it!

Now he rolled his eyes.

anywaaay send me the address. i'm gonna go enjoy my organized apartment that is totally unpacked and clean and awesome.

But he couldn't argue with her logic. Without Yu, it'd be none of those things. Chie never responded so Yosuke switched to laying back against his still rolled up futon and put his headphones on. Yu was breezing through the pages of some book Yosuke had picked, and it felt rude to interrupt.

So, music. Yosuke hated the quiet.

He set a random playlist, lowered the volume to where he could still hear Yu if need be, and closed his eyes, the gentle drumming of the bass almost massaging his ears. His mind drifted again to Yu's past, as it always did these days, and he tried to think of other things he could do to help. Buying books or whatever to help occupy his time wouldn't necessarily get them anywhere, but neither would simply brainstorming without a clue. The old man at the bookstore seemed to know a lot, so maybe Yosuke could visit the following week and ask more specific questions. If he rehearsed what he needed to say beforehand it'd be much easier.

But who was Yu? Where did he come from? Yosuke had searched 'Yu Narukami' online and came up empty. Yosuke had even tried looking up the brand of Yu's glasses, but they must have been custom made because he couldn't find even a similar design. The only thing that came up was something called SMPTE color bars, or whatever those colored lines were on a TV, but that hadn't made any sense. Another dead end. The closest they'd even come with literally anything was when Yu had recognized something on TV that day. And the mention of Inaba. What did Yosuke's brief home have to do with his ghostly friend?

On the topic of ghost stuff, Yu had improved at maintaining his form and hardly flickered anymore. Even when he'd realized the few things about himself, nothing changed. Yosuke knew it wasn't serious stuff like before, but it put him on edge. He still didn't leave the apartment—not that they'd even tried after the terror from the other day. Yu was getting better with his stamina while performing basic tasks and almost never required rest to recharge. He still couldn't float or walk through walls, but that'd been more wishful thinking on Yosuke's part. The soft static was still ever-present in his voice, but Yosuke found that he liked the sound of it. It was a nice, relaxing white noise.

"Yosuke."

His eyes opened to the sound of the voice he'd been thinking about and he looked over at Yu with a smile. "What's up?"

Yu looked embarrassed. "I never said thank you."

Yosuke chuckled and shook his head. "It's fine, partner." The nickname still rolled off his tongue easily.

And it always seemed to put a smile on Yu's face. "Still, thank you very much for these. They all look interesting."

The other teen shrugged. "I tried to get what might help us with the case. I’d go through them with you, but I don’t even understand half the words in the descriptions. Oh, and full disclosure, the old man who runs the place picked out the books on ghosts and memory loss."

They'd also gotten more used to using the word 'ghost'. Before there'd be the slightest unease in Yu's voice when it was mentioned, but after only a few days, they'd adjusted. Hell, his friend was amping up the dark jokes. It was weird, but Yosuke felt like he'd known the guy his entire life. Maybe Yu just had an easygoing personality that clicked with his own, but whatever the reason, he was thankful.

"Perhaps it will help me remember... something. In any case..." The spirit marked the page he was on with a makeshift bookmark he'd made and closed the book. "Shall we watch something?"

A grumbling noise that came from Yosuke's stomach made the decision. "Actually, I should probably make lunch... Ugh. I wish I didn't have to eat. Like, if they make a pill that will give you the nutrients you need and make you feel full, sign me up." Because the process of eating was just annoying.

He rolled up to a sitting position and paused his music, moving his headphones to naturally loop around his neck. He had ingredients, he always planned to try to make something, but every time he found an excuse to be lazy about it. Today was his day off, nothing was on the agenda, and he still felt too bleh to do it. So, he dragged his feet into the kitchen and opened the cabinet doors to find an instant noodle package. Moments later, icy air brushed against his cheek.

The spirit stood there, no doubt silently judging his decision, and watched Yosuke turn the kettle on to boil the water.

“Noodles?”

“Yup.”

“…Again?”

“Always.”

Yu tilted his head back and forth thoughtfully before practically floating to the living room. Even though they’d established that Yu couldn’t float or walk through walls, the guy was so graceful that it threw Yosuke off to watch him move around. It was like Yu had etiquette training, but then he’d slouch as he sat, so it contradicted Yosuke’s hunch every time. The teen eyed his roommate suspiciously from the kitchen, waiting for him to say something about his diet, but Yu was as silent as ever.

Yeah, he was totally planning something.

But Yosuke kept his mouth equally as shut and took his cup of noodles back to the table. While waiting, he laid the side of his face against the fake wood grain and fixed his gaze on the corner of the room. There’s a lot to do. He should call his mom. He should text his boss about his schedule. He should get one of those college prep books out. He should clean that corner.

Instead, he started to doze.

===

He’s in a classroom. It’s way nicer than he remembers Yasogami’s rooms to be. He looks down.

He’s in the wrong uniform.

“Hanamura!”

And that’s the wrong teacher.

But he jolts up all the same, waiting for the question or accusation.

“Who said this: ‘Man is but a reed, the most feeble thing in nature; but he is a thinking reed’?”

The question’s familiar, but it’s still not right. It’s like it’s in the wrong place or time.

And he just can’t quite place the answer.

Did this happen before?

He looks to the guy next to him, and it’s one of his friends from his first year of high school.

Instead of looking helpful, the boy looks like he’s delighting in the idea of having a story to tell the others later. ‘Yosuke is such an idiot. He missed, like, the easiest question.’

Because that’s a conversation that’s already happened—or, it’s gonna happen.

“Just sit back down, Hanamura,” the teacher says dismissively, but not with disappointment. His teacher is used to this by now. The teen expects snickers or cackles from his classmates, but there’s nothing.

No one expects anything from Yosuke anymore.

===

“Yosuke.”

Yosuke jumped at the sound of Yu’s smooth yet crackly voice. The room came back into focus and it wasn’t the sterile classroom from his nightmare.

After a deep breath, Yosuke sat back up. “Sorry, did I pass out?” he asked, knowing the answer.

“The noodles are ready,” Yu simply replied, smiling unnecessarily. Yosuke was probably fidgeting in his sleep. Telltale signs of a nightmare.

“Ah, thanks.” He wasn’t going to ask.

His friend nodded in acknowledgment and went back to his book, already a third of the way done with the thing. Yosuke peeled the lid off the cup and breathed in the salty steam, hoping it would drench his spiraling thoughts. He hadn’t thought about that part of his past in a long while; he’d hoped to never think about it again.

He ate in silence, trying to be as noiseless as he could manage with his food. Noodles didn’t make for an easy meal to do that with, but he managed. Maybe it should have felt off to always eat while Yu just sat there, but it hadn’t so far. Besides the occasional glace from the spirit, they never even spoke. However, thanks to that stupid dream, Yosuke was in dire need of a distraction. After throwing away a cup still half full of noodles (anxiety was the murderous bitch of appetite), he settled back down on the too hard floor. He slipped the headphones back up and over his ears, leaned against the rolled futon and tucked his hands into his sleeves to combat the cold.

Music could fix all this. He just needed to increase the volume.

He thought about his new job and new place, but mostly his new friend. His new friend that was more than content with just Yosuke’s presence and didn’t ramble on and on like Yosuke did. Even the fidgety, restless teen had to admit it was nice to just sit there, doing absolutely nothing, in the company of someone else. Before he'd had to sit in his room with nothing else to do because there wasn't another option. Inaba wasn't exactly filled with a whole lot of acceptance while he was there, and it definitely didn't get better as more and more businesses shut down.

Junes. What a joke. How could he have been responsible for some big corporation swooping in? It wasn't like he liked them, and it wasn't even his dad's fault; he just ran the thing.

No.

NO.

Don't you fucking dare go there, his mind hissed at him as he ventured into a dark corner that was more cluttered than he would have liked. One dream was not going to do this to him. He had a lot better stuff going for him right now, and he wasn't going to roll around in a big pile of self-loathing for no reason.

New playlist time. He didn't even have to look at his player to find the playlist menu, and he quickly picked a random one. The songs played one after another. Upbeat, upbeat, loud, upbeat, angry, angry, angry, melancholy, sad, sad, sad... sad... sad, again. He hit next and—SAD? AGAIN?

He lifted his MP3 player up and glanced through the remainder of the list.

...

Out of every playlist he could have picked…

Really?

He recognized this one as something he'd made right before he moved to Inaba. Actually, this had been what he was making the night he found out they were moving. He'd just wanted to make an upbeat playlist for the train ride to school, and then in the middle of the list, he'd been called to the living room by his parents.

He closed his eyes and turned on his side.

His thoughts needed to pump the brakes.

He really didn't want to remember those years. All the loneliness. All the disappointment.

Why was he so determined to remember the past?

"Yosuke."

And then he smiled reflexively hearing Yu's crackling voice. Even with the loud violin and piano pushing his headphones to their limits, the spirit’s voice cut through it. He gladly pressed pause.

"What's up?" he asked in a cheerful voice, turning back towards his friend. He had to hide this. No sense in worrying Yu over what didn't matter anymore. Or shouldn’t, anyway.

"I'll read when you go to sleep. Do you want to watch something?" Yu placed his book on the table in front of him. "It's your turn to pick."

Yosuke laughed, "It's seriously fine, dude. You can read. Don't feel like you're making me feel awkward or anything."

Yu shook his head. "No, I didn't get that impression. I would just rather watch a movie right now."

That sounded great, and way better than whatever the hell Yosuke was doing.

"Fine by me," he answered with a shrug. "You asked for it."

Because he'd been dying to watch this terrible action movie a coworker had let him borrow. 'Guaranteed secondhand embarrassment', the cook had promised. One of his favorite tropes. After turning off his MP3 player, he fished the DVD out of his bag.

"The Last Rampage 4?"

Chill bumps flooded Yosuke's arms and the back of his neck as Yu crept up on him. The cold wasn't getting any better. Thank the heavens for heating pads.

"Yeah. Apparently, it's awful," he replied with barely masked joy.

"4 implies it certainly wasn't the last one," Yu observed, amused for a different reason.

"Well, let's find out if it warrants a fifth installment." And with that, the DVD was loaded.

Yosuke took a seat next to Yu, hugging a blanket around himself. Even if it felt like he was living in the freezer at work, he liked being by his friend.

"Thirty seconds in and there's already an explosion," Yu said through muted laughter.

"It's a rampage, dude."

"Have you seen the others?"

"Nah, but these don't really need you following some complicated backstory."

He already felt loads better than five minutes ago. Then again, Yu seemed to be able to figure Yosuke out. Still, Yosuke was surprised this time, because he complained about dumb stuff, but kept the majority of his problems quiet. And Yosuke might have been crap at a lot of things, but he was good at hiding the truth about what was really going on in that messed up head of his.

"Thanks, by the way."

He could feel Yu's eyes on him. "For what?"

"Cheering me up." Wasn't like it was a secret or anything.

"I didn't do anything. It must be all this destruction and gore."

When he turned, Yu had an uncharacteristic smirk on his face, and Yosuke just shook his head. His battle against Yu's modest nature was going to be drawn out. Good thing he siphoned his friend's patience when able.

"Whatever you say," he said, dropping it.

Because he didn't have time to think about it. Yosuke was too busy cringing alongside Yu at all the horrible acting on the screen and pausing the movie just so he could clutch his stomach and roll around on the floor laughing and reevaluating his original opinion of the movie when both their jaws dropped at the ending, mesmerized by how damn brilliant it all turned out to be.

"I'm going to have to buy this monstrosity," Yosuke concluded after the credits finished.

Yu grabbed for the remote. "Again?"

Yosuke grinned. "Oh, hell yeah."

The spirit laughed as he hit play on the menu. "Excellent."

So, they watched it again, now freely chatting during the second go-round. They argued about their favorite characters, tried to give the story some complex meaning both knew wasn't there and still laughed just as hard at the same parts.

He forgot the past couple hours of dread.

Past or future—none of it really mattered if he understood them or not.

Because the present was pretty damn great.

And tonight was going to make for a much better dream.