Work Text:
Yosuke Hanamura folded the last cardboard box flat with a satisfying snap.
Done.
Finally.
He stacked it neatly with the others, letting out a long sigh as he glanced toward the clock mounted on the stockroom wall.
Ten more minutes.
Ten minutes until he could go home, collapse face-first onto his couch, and spend the rest of the evening pretending tomorrow didn't exist.
Managing a Junes branch in the middle of the city had sounded exciting in theory.
In practice?
It mostly involved solving problems no one had warned him about.
Scheduling conflicts. Inventory shortages. Customers insisting expired coupons should still work.
Employees somehow forgetting that, yes, you do actually have to show up to the job you applied for.
Yosuke rubbed at the bridge of his nose.
Ten minutes. He could survive ten more minutes.
Then—
CRASH!
The sound echoed through the stockroom like a gunshot.
Yosuke froze, and slowly turned toward the source.
One of the newer part-time employees stood perfectly still in the doorway, face drained of color.
At their feet, shards of porcelain stretched across the floor like the aftermath of a natural disaster.
Several boxes lay overturned.
The words FRAGILE – DINNERWARE SET mocked Yosuke from the ruined packaging.
For a long moment, nobody moved.
"..."
"..."
"...I can explain?" the employee offered weakly.
Yosuke stared.
Twenty-four plates. Fourteen bowls. Several mugs that had been part of a limited promotion.
All gone into tiny pieces.
He closed his eyes, counted to three, then opened them again.
"Okay," he said in a voice that was entirely too calm.
The employee looked hopeful.
"We're going to do something really important right now."
"O-Okay."
"We're going to make sure you didn't cut yourself."
"...Oh."
"Then," Yosuke continued, smiling in a way that somehow made the employee even more nervous, "we're going to clean this up."
The employee nodded rapidly.
"And after that..." Yosuke inhaled slowly.
"We are going to have a very educational discussion about why we don't stack boxes taller than ourselves."
The employee's shoulders slumped.
"...Sorry, Manager Hanamura."
Yosuke glanced at the shattered remains of what had once been a perfectly acceptable profit margin.
Then he looked at the terrified teenager trying very hard not to cry.
He sighed.
"Hey."
The employee looked up.
"Nobody got hurt, right?"
"...Right."
"Then it's not the end of the world."
"...Even the limited-edition mugs?"
Yosuke paused.
His eye twitched.
"...We're choosing optimism today."
The employee let out a shaky laugh.
Yosuke rolled up his sleeves.
"Grab the broom."
"Right away!"
As the new hire hurried off, Yosuke glanced up at the ceiling where the security camera was.
"If you're watching this, I need a raise."
From somewhere out on the sales floor, another employee shouted:
"Manager Hanamura! The self-checkout machine is double-charging people's items again!"
Yosuke closed his eyes.
"...I should've stayed in Inaba."
After what felt like an entire lifetime spent putting out metaphorical fires, Yosuke finally escaped Junes.
By the time Yosuke dropped into the driver's seat of his car, he felt like his soul had detached from his body sometime around four o'clock.
He leaned back against the headrest with a groan.
"...I'm too young for this shit."
Still, a small smile tugged at his lips as he started the engine. Maybe Yu would already be home.
Or maybe he'd still be at the station, stubbornly overworking himself despite Yosuke repeatedly reminding him that the world wouldn't end if he took a lunch break.
Traffic was mercifully light, like a reward for whatever the universe had thrown at him today.
By the time he unlocked the apartment door, exhaustion had settled deep into his bones.
Then the smell of dinner drifted through the entryway.
Yosuke stopped short. His shoulders loosened almost immediately.
"...I'm home, partner," he called tiredly.
From the kitchen, Yu looked over his shoulder.
"You look exhausted," he said, setting the ladle down beside the stove.
Yosuke slipped off his shoes and crossed the distance between them without a word.
Yu barely had time to turn before Yosuke wrapped his arms around him, burying his face in the crook of his neck.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Yu's hands settled carefully against Yosuke's back.
"...Rough day?" he asked softly.
Yosuke let out a muffled groan against his shoulder.
"One of the new hires dropped an entire box of plates."
"...I see."
"The self-checkout machines developed sentience and start scamming people."
"...That sounds concerning."
"And someone tried to use a coupon that expired six years ago."
Yu was quiet for a beat.
"...Did it work?"
Yosuke pulled back just enough to stare at him.
"Whose side are you on, partner?"
The corners of Yu's mouth lifted.
Yosuke sighed dramatically before resting his forehead against Yu's shoulder again.
"...I missed you."
Yu's expression softened immediately.
"You saw me this morning."
"Doesn't count." Yosuke tightened his hold slightly. "You were wearing your serious detective face."
"I wasn't aware I had one."
"You absolutely do." Yosuke tilted his head up enough to look at him. "It's all furrowed brows and mysterious silence. Super intimidating. You look like your uncle Dojima."
Yu considered this.
"...His genes must be strong."
Yosuke snorted.
The apartment fell quiet again, aside from the gentle simmering of dinner on the stove.
After a long moment, Yu pressed a kiss into Yosuke's hair.
"You should go change," he murmured. "Dinner's almost ready."
Yosuke made no move to let go.
"...Five more minutes."
Yu glanced at the pot on the stove.
"...Three."
"Four."
"...Three and a half."
Yosuke smiled against his neck, tightening his grip on his partner.
"Deal."
Yu's arms tightened around him almost imperceptibly.
"Welcome home," he said quietly.
The tension Yosuke had carried all day finally began to melt away.
Eventually, Yosuke pulled back just enough to press a brief kiss against the side of Yu's neck.
Yu's hand lingered at the small of Yosuke's back.
"You should rest," he said.
Yosuke groaned dramatically.
"You don't have to tell me twice."
"...Take a shower," Yu said. "By then, dinner should be ready."
"Then we can cuddle?" he asked innocently.
"Yes, Yosuke"
The shower had helped.
By the time Yosuke emerged from the bathroom, hair damp and dressed in an oversized T-shirt and sweatpants, he looked significantly more human.
"...I can feel my consciousness returning," he announced.
Yu set another dish on the table.
"Welcome back."
Yosuke shuffled into the kitchen, stopping just long enough to drape himself over Yu from behind.
Yu didn't even startle anymore.
"You smell nice," Yosuke mumbled against his shoulder.
"...It's that shampoo you bought."
"Best purchase I've ever made."
Yu turned his head slightly.
"Dinner's ready."
Yosuke reluctantly untangled himself long enough for them to eat.
It was quiet. Comfortable.
The kind of silence built over years spent learning that not every moment needed to be filled with words.
After the dishes had been washed and the apartment settled into its usual evening calm, Yosuke flopped dramatically onto the couch.
"...Partner."
Yu looked up from the book he'd been pretending to read.
"Yes?"
Yosuke held his arms out.
"I have officially run out of energy."
"...I see."
"I require emergency cuddles."
Yu closed the book.
A small smile crossed his face.
"Of course," he said, moving toward the couch. "We can cuddle as much as you want."
Yosuke's expression softened immediately.
"...Seriously?"
Yu sat down beside him.
"You've had a difficult day."
Yosuke leaned against him almost instantly, resting his head on Yu's shoulder.
"You're gonna spoil me."
Yu adjusted the blanket over them both.
"You work hard."
Yosuke felt Yu's fingers brush through his still-damp hair.
Slow.
Gentle.
Comforting.
He melted.
"Okay," Yosuke muttered sleepily. "Maybe I deserve to be spoiled a little."
Yu's quiet laughter rumbled beneath his cheek.
"I think so."
The television played softly in the background.
Yosuke's breathing gradually evened out.
"...Partner?"
"Hm?"
"If I fall asleep here..."
"I'll carry you to bed."
Yosuke smiled without opening his eyes.
"You always do."
Yu pressed a kiss against the top of his head.
"You take care of everyone else all day," he murmured. "Let me take care of you when you come home."
Warmth settled heavily in Yosuke's chest.
"...Okay."
Yu tightened his arm around him just slightly.
"Get some rest."
Within minutes, Yosuke had drifted off completely, curled against Yu's side.
Yu glanced down at him.
The stubborn manager who gave everything he had to other people.
Who still came home and worried about everyone else before himself.
Carefully, Yu brushed a strand of amber hair away from Yosuke's face.
"...Good work today," he whispered.
Then he settled back against the couch, one hand absentmindedly stroking through Yosuke's hair.
The dishes were done.
The apartment was quiet.
Yosuke was safe in his arms.
Yu could think of nowhere else he'd rather be.