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“You know, I never really got to see the stars before moving to Inaba.”
“Really?” Yosuke asked, receiving a nod from Yu. “Well, I guess that makes sense. Kinda hard to see them back in the city…”
Yosuke had to assume that was why his partner had dragged him out here this late. Well, it wasn't that late - Teddie hadn't even been asleep yet, and he always went to sleep early, because “a bear needs his bear-uty rest, Yosu-nii!!” But it was later than the two of them usually hung out.
And it was a really weird time to come all the way out here to the riverbank. To stargaze, of all things. Usually Yosuke would've dismissed something like that as something that was just for girls, alongside a boyfriend or something, but... well. Yu had seemed eager, and Yosuke was bad at saying no to his partner.
“Yeah... it's nice being able to see them, I think,” Yosuke could see a slight twinkle in his partner's eye as he looked up at the sky, “it's... probably one of the best parts of being here in Inaba, I think…” He looked at Yosuke, a small smile on his face as he added, “Aside from spending time with you, of course, partner.”
Yosuke chose to ignore the way his heart fluttered at those words, instead teasing, “Pff. Good, I was almost worried you liked them more than me.” He lightly elbowed his partner, eliciting a small chuckle from Yu. “… they are pretty looking. But, I mean… wouldn’t say they’re that special or anything. They don’t stop this place from kinda sucking, y’know?”
“... I guess, maybe.” Yu said, still looking up at the stars. He looked... Yosuke looked back up at the stars too. “But... well, I said how I could never really see them back in the city. But they've always been really interesting to me.”
“Really?”
“Like... constellations and stuff,” Yu nodded, "something about people looking at the stars and making pictures out of them, and stories out of that…” He reached out a hand towards the sky, before turning back to Yosuke and softly smiling. “It's just nice to think about.”
“I guess that makes sense,” Yosuke mused, chuckling a little, “I've actually read about stars a lot recently, too.”
“Huh. Wouldn't have expected that from you, partner.”
“Ted wouldn't stop asking about them,” Yosuke said, a small fond smile coming to his face, “he got so goddamn excited when I told him about Ursa Minor and Ursa Major…”
“Of course he did.” Yu smiled fondly, staring back at the stars. “… you know, I know a lot about the stars, but…” There was a wistful expression on Yu's face as he looked up at the sky, and Yosuke found it hard to take his gaze off his partner - starlight flitted across his face, his dark eyes almost just like the night sky, glistening from the moonlight, looking up at the stars with the same fondness as he looked at the Investigation Team when they were goofing off at the food court or something. He just looked so… Yosuke's face felt hot. “I mostly just think they're really pretty.”
“Yeah, the stars are pretty... but, uh, I think that... they're not as pretty as…” Yosuke trailed off, feeling his face heat up to almost the same temperature as an Agidyne in the TV World as he forced himself to look away from Yu. He could hear a small chuckle from his partner, who continued to stare up at the starry sky.
“The moon's beautiful tonight, isn't it?”
“… huh?” Yosuke turned to face Yu again, seeing his partner still looking up at the sky, though he looked towards Yosuke slightly as he spoke. Yosuke had... definitely heard that phrase before. It was familiar to him for some reason he couldn't place his finger on. He found himself staring at Yu for a while longer. Yosuke was… starstruck, fittingly. His partner looked so... beautiful, with the moonbeams and starlight lighting up his skin, and reflecting in his dark gray eyes, which shone just like the stars. Or, well, the moon.
… they'd learned that in English class, Yosuke remembered suddenly - it was some non-literal translation of... “I love you.” If he remembered right (which, well, he was shit at paying attention in school, but…). His face heated up further as he remembered that. At the time, he'd thought it was kind of just… overly corny and sappy, and hadn't really taken note of it. Why would he ever need to know something like that, after all?
But… hearing his partner say that, and knowing what he meant by it…
“... yeah. It is.” Yosuke agreed, finally forcing himself to fully face his partner again. “... hey, uh, Yu?”
Yosuke could see Yu sit up a bit straighter at that. “What is it?”
“… what I was saying before… uh…” Yosuke paused. Usually, there were too many words he wanted to say and they all just spilled out before he could think it through, but somehow, Yu always managed to render him speechless, even when he knew what he was trying to communicate. “ … I think that... you're even prettier than the stars are, partner." The expression on Yu's face would look as neutral as ever to most outside of the Investigation Team, but Yosuke knew his partner as well as he knew the back of his hand, and the corners of Yu's mouth turned up at that, his eyes crinkling slightly, shining with something other than just the starlight. It was a smile even brighter than the usual already fairly elusive Yu Narukami smile. Though Yosuke couldn't look long before he had to pry his gaze away again as embarrassment hit and his face flushed. “God, don't make me say stuff like that, dude…”
“‘Dude,’ huh? You're friendzoning me already?”
“Shut up,” Yosuke said, though he couldn't even pretend to be mad, pure affection leaking through the words. Which Yu seemed to notice, given the small laugh that escaped him, hesitating before he timidly scooted ever so slightly closer to Yosuke, slowly inching his hand closer to Yosuke's own.
Even Yosuke was surprised that he was the one to muster the courage to link their hands together first.
… but in that moment, all his usual anxieties and insecurities all felt so, so far away. It was just him, Yu, and the starry sky.
And he wouldn't want it any other way.