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Yosuke first noticed it when summer started.
He was in the Dojima residence, hogging Yu all to himself because the other had been occupied with everyone else on the days leading onto summer. As the months passed, Yu just seemed to gain more and more friends, and he was pretty sure he knew the entire town at this point. Not to mention the thousands of jobs he had.
At the moment, he and Yu were having a sleepover and movie marathon in Yu's room. Nanako was with them earlier, until she grew tired after the second film and Yu put her to bed.
By the end of their fourth film, Yu stood up, turning on the light to head downstairs and cook more popcorn. As Yosuke waited, he looked around the room, noticing all the new things that decorated it, a stark contrast to the first time he came over. Despite Yosuke's inner jealousy, he was still proud of how far his partner had become, and the trinkets in his room, evidence of his friendships and personal growth, were evidence of that.
A glittering thing caught his attention when he turned his eyes to Yu's shelf.
Amongst the knick knacks, he spotted a small bottle, filled with liquid gold that he wasn't sure what was made of. It was decorated with a golden ribbon, and hanging on it was a tiny tag that had a very small stick figure of a boy and a girl holding hands. He picked it up, the bottle small enough to be wrapped by his hand, and lifted it, inspecting it under the light.
"I'm back– oh."
Yu returned with the bowl of freshly made popcorn, a bit surprised to see Yosuke standing up.
"What's this one, partner?" Yosuke asked, still looking at the bottle, the golden liquid shimmering under the light.
"Oh, that's one of Nanako's school activities, something about liquid luck and stuff. She told me to keep it, and taught me how to make one for my own."
"Really now? It's nice. If you look at it, it looks a bit like liquid sunshine, no?" Yosuke lifted it higher to the light. If it was day time, it might've looked even better.
Yu didn't respond, only watching him smile as he looked at the bottle even more. It wasn't anything special, really, if Yosuke was honest. But the shimmering effect of the glitter was mesmerising to look at, and if it was from Nanako, of course it was ten times more special.
"You know, at first I thought it was some sort of portion we could use in the TV World," Yosuke said, placing it back on the shelf and returning to his side of the couch.
Yu joined him, placing the bowl of popcorn between him, "Hm, I haven't brought it with me there yet. Maybe there'll be an effect if I do?"
"Yeah! Try it next time we go, dude."
There wasn't really an effect, to their disappointment, for when they went to the TV World to train three days later, Yu didn't feel anything different from it, and Yosuke didn't want him to drinking it, despite Yu already attempting to put it in his mouth.
(Seriously, what was it with his partner and his penchant for eating inedible and borderline weird shit?)
"Oh well, at least it looks pretty," Yosuke said, peering over Yu's shoulder with an arm around him as the latter rolled the bottle in his palm.
"I do think it still brings good luck though, I mean, look at this sweet new weapon we found!" Yosuke grinned and stepped back, "I mean, it's a wrench, but I definitely feel like it's stronger than the previous one I've been using. Heck, I feel stronger!"
Yosuke flipped his new weapon around, trying out his usual knife tricks on it.
He could feel Yu's gaze on him—rather, his hand movements—and he felt a bit of an ego boost on his partner's appreciation. He threw it one last time and did a blind catch from behind, throwing a wink on Yu's way.
His grin slowly disappeared when he saw Yu's face, crimson red.
"Hey, you okay? Are you sick or something?"
"F-fine. Must've been the heat."
"Are you sure?" Yosuke placed the back of his palm on Yu's forehead, which somehow made the flush spread to his neck, "wanna head back?"
"No, no. I'm good," Yu shook his head.
"Maybe a rest would do you good, senpai?" Rise offered, approaching them and wrapping an arm around Yu like she often did. Yosuke couldn't understand why he was the one uncomfortable about it instead of Yu.
Yosuke had almost forgotten about the whole thing until the next time he visited Yu's room a month later.
They were doing homework, Yosuke being diligent for once (Yu promised to play a video game with him if he finished early) when the math equations started swimming in his head and he looked away from his notebook to avoid losing his mind.
He spotted them when his eye turned towards the shelf, where six more small bottles of Yu's liquid gold lay next to a newly finished plastic model he'd seen him work on before (something about watching Yu's hands work skilfully made something stir in Yosuke's gut).
"Woah, since when did you get those new ones?" he asked, curiosity eating at him.
"Hm?" Yu looked up and turned to where Yosuke was looking, "ah, I made the newest yesterday."
"Really? What for, partner? What does it do?"
"Oh nothing, really."
"Doesn't look like it's nothing," Yosuke raised a brow. For some reason, Yu didn't want to spill.
"Wel… it's kinda like paper cranes, I guess. They're fun to make, but the purpose is mostly symbolic."
"Ohhh. What'cha wishing for then, partner?"
"If I tell you, it might not come true," Yu smirked. He was right, but Yosuke pouted, wanting in on the secret.
"Want me to help you with your wish-making, partner?" he asked instead, throwing in a grin and a wink.
"You're already helping enough," Yu smiled, much to his confusion.
Oh well, he'll find out eventually.
Over the next few months, Yosuke noticed that the bottles have multiplied. He tried to pry again a couple more times, but Yu was tight lipped about the whole thing.
Just when he thought Yu was going to finally crack, Nanako got kidnapped. Then Adachi turned out to be the culprit.
Since then, Yu had been out of it—well, all of them did, but Yu most of all. While it wasn't going to be much, as Yu's second-in-command, he resolved to doing something about it.
He knocked on the door of the Dojima Residence, his other hand holding bags of snacks and dinner cooked by his very understanding mother who more often than once had already offered Yu to come over and stay with them.
Yu opened the door, looking worse for wear that was unfortunately the standard for him these days.
"Yosuke? I didn't know you were coming today."
"Surprise. I know you're free today, so I'd like to hang out with you today," Yosuke smiled, lifting up the bags as Yu stepped aside to let him in.
"Thank you, Yosuke, but you didn't have to go that far for me."
"Are you kidding, partner? After everything you've done for us, it's the least I could do!" Yosuke replied, sitting cross-legged at the kotatsu and distributing the food on the table.
"So, what'cha wanna do? We could watch a movie, I brought some DVD's with me. Or play a video game? Just eat?"
Yu just stared at him from above, until he shook his head and smiled as he sat next to him, "thank you, Yosuke."
"Anytime, partner!" Yosuke smiled, and a small part of him was elated that Yu smiled even wider at that.
They ended up doing everything Yosuke suggested (in the reverse order of how he said it), but it wasn't until they finished watching a movie and Yosuke moved to play the next one did he notice the item Yu had been fidgeting in his hand.
It was one of the bottles, and judging by the current situation, it must've been the one Nanako gave him.
A thought into Yosuke's mind.
"Hey partner."
Yu turned to him, "yes?"
"Can you teach me how to make those gold bottles?"
Yu blinked.
"If it's not any trouble! Look, you've been through a lot lately, and I don't know what they still mean for you, but if they're anything like those paper crane stuff, maybe giving you a helping hand will help your wish get granted sooner?" Yosuke said, hoping that whatever he said didn't sound stupid.
Yu was silent, and for a while Yosuke was convinced he was going to say no, until he stood up and went to his room. Soon, he returned with the materials he used, laying them on the table.
Yu showed him how to make the gold liquid (which apparently had a lot of steps and different types of glitter than Yosuke expected) and that he could add other things he wanted inside. Afterwards, he said that according to Nanako one must hold it near their heart and then seal it.
It was all in all a simple activity, but Yu said that something about it felt calming.
Yosuke could agree, even though he only watched Yu's hands work and let himself be soothed by Yu's soft voice.
He made his own, and once he was done he placed it on the table next to the one Yu just made.
"There! Y'know, I wondered why you didn't just make a giant batch and place them in smaller bottles, but now that I made one myself, I can see why you like doing it," he grinned, watching the liquid shimmer and dance under the overhead light. He made a mental note to check it out next time he drops by on a sunny day to see how sparkly his could get.
"Thanks again for all of this Yosuke, I really appreciate it" Yu smiled at him, and Yosuke felt something stir in his gut at the sight. He chalked it up to not having seen such smile in a while, so Yosuke grinned wider.
He picked up his bottle and clinked it to Yu's.
"Anytime, partner."
Yosuke realised his feelings a bit too late.
It's the day after Yu returned to the city, and Yosuke woke up feeling like he should've told Yu something, but he didn't know what.
When Yu stepped into the train, Yosuke surprised everyone by suddenly entering as well, giving him the biggest hug he could muster and placing a small bottle in his hand.
"For good luck, and to remember me by," Yosuke winked, stepping back out of the train only when the station signalled that it was going to close its doors.
Yu stared at him, stunned, while the rest of his friends were shouting at him saying that he scared them with his sudden stunt. Yosuke only grinned, waving goodbye at Yu, who eventually shook himself and waved back, clutching the bottle to his chest with his other hand.
As Yosuke went through his shift in Junes, he thought about yesterday's events and wondered what could've been missing.
He'd been feeling down on the days leading to his partner's departure, not really wanting Yu to leave but having no power to make him stay. Luckily, Yu had been inviting him to hang out more (more than most, making Yosuke feel very smug).
He couldn't decide on what he should give Yu for his farewell present, and Yu was adamant that he didn't need any of that. So instead, he decided to give Yu the one thing he could give.
Recalling Yu's instructions, he made his own bottle, adding a small touch of orange to make it recognisably Yosuke. As he made it, he wondered what Yu was wishing for, and why something as simple as this felt meaningful to his best friend.
But that was probably why Yu was so amazing. Everything felt better when he was around, and no matter how trivial it was that they were doing, Yosuke always enjoyed it. Even on the times when he'd join Yu fish and it got horribly boring, just being around Yu made things bearable.
Without Yu, he wasn't so sure how he'd spend those boring days. Sure, he had his other friends, but it just wasn't the same.
It hit him when he was restocking the milk section.
As he placed a carton on the shelf, he kept thinking about how he couldn't imagine a life without Yu by his side, and that he needed him around more than what would be considered normal.
He prided himself for not freaking out especially since he was in the middle of a Junes grocery aisle, but he was more surprised that he wasn't reacting about the whole "probably not as straight as he thought" thing.
So he loves his best friend.
His best friend who happened to return to the city just yesterday.
Great.
He comforted himself with the thought that he had time to think things through without worrying about Yu noticing.
Yu came back for Golden Week, and everything was alright again.
He had resorted to not telling Yu about it just yet, not knowing how the other would react and he didn't want to risk the best friendship he had ever had.
So he grinned wide as he placed an arm around Yu's shoulder, excitedly telling Yu all his plans to hang out together.
Yu spent his winter break in Inaba, and Yosuke pointedly decided to ignore the implications of being invited out to spend Christmas day together because Yu was single and obviously just missing his bro whom he didn't get to hang out with yet since coming back.
They were currently at the outlook, both looking at the view of the town they've both come to love. It was cold, but their shoulders were touching and if Yosuke was a braver man, he would've held Yu's hand.
At some point, their topic of conversation shifted, and Yu turned to face Yosuke.
"Say, partner…" Yu started, voice nervous for some reason. It made Yosuke stand straighter and face him as well.
"What are your plans for college?"
Yosuke was surprised at the question.
"Well… I'd like to move back to the city, y'know? I've been studying hard this year—well, harder than usual—because I do wanna get in somewhere."
"That's great. Wanna go to the same university together?" Yu offered.
"Dude, that's like telling me to fly right now. I'm not a study god like you, I'm pretty sure the places you have in mind won't accept me," Yosuke laughed.
"Believe in yourself, partner. You know I do."
Yosuke's heart skipped.
"W-well… since you say so, then I guess I have no choice but to work ten times harder!" he winked, crossing his arms, "why do you ask, by the way?"
Yu looked away, and his nervousness came back. Yosuke wondered what was making him so uneasy.
"Partner?"
Yu took a deep breath.
"Do you want to come live with me for college?"
Yosuke's eyes widened.
"I can understand if you'd rather not, you'd probably want to go experience the city life again after all–" was Yu starting to ramble?
"Dude– partner! I'd love to! Living with you? That's like the best thing ever. Why the hell do you think I wouldn't want that?"
Yu's eyes widened as well, as if surprised that Yosuke agree. As if Yosuke would ever say no to such a thing.
Living with Yu… getting to see him everyday… waking up and having Yu as the first person he sees… Yosuke felt his mouth grinning wider and wider in excitement.
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. Even when the little devil on his shoulder was whispering things like having to suffer being with his crush everyday but unable to do something about it wasn't enough to deter him.
Seeing his grin, Yu couldn't help but smile himself. It was a beautiful smile, a rare one that not a lot of people got to see, and Yosuke felt even more elated that he was the reason for that. He greedily soaked it all in.
He placed an arm around Yu, starting to chatter about the things they'd do once they become roommates and getting to eat Yu's godlike cooking everyday, his wide grin never fading.
Unbeknownst to him, Yu watched him with a fond gaze, just as giddy and excited as Yosuke was.
The past four months of been living with Yu had undoubtedly been the best moments of his life.
He would might as well say that he was living his dream life. Living with his best friend, getting to do everything together, and the best one so far: not having to fight an entire town for Yu's time and attention. Being his roommate, Yosuke automatically gets 60% of it already.
However, there were days when the feeling gets too much, the ache in his chest unbearable. He now wanted Yu more than ever before, now that he was very much within reach.
There were far too many opportunities for him to make a move, like whenever he watched Yu cook their dinner, the burning desire to wrap his arms around him and place his chin on Yu's shoulder too much. Or whenever he sat next to Yosuke as they watched a movie, too close sometimes, he had to seriously fight the urge to place an arm around Yu and cuddle.
The amount of very gay, very un-heterosexual thoughts he was having was surely going to send his past self into a heart attack if he found out. But if he was honest, he was more surprised that he hadn't had a heart attack yet from all that suffering.
Despite all of it, he wouldn't trade living with Yu for anything in the world. Suffering a little bit was a small price to pay. Seeing Yu, freshly woken up, was more than worth it after all.
And with the months of living together, Yosuke noticed that Yu's collection of tiny golden bottles have also grown.
It was a shock at first. When he first saw them while Yu was unpacking, he didn't realise that the other was still collecting those little bottles. Even more surprising was the amount of them.
When he first saw them again, there were at least thirty. Now, there were well over forty bottles of Yu's sparkly golden liquid, now neatly stacked in a shelf inside Yu's room.
If you asked Yosuke, he'd say it looked a little silly with the amount, like Yu was selling them and keeping a stock. And knowing his partner, he might make more.
Was he planning to make a thousand like for the paper cranes? That would be too much at that point, and it wasn't like their apartment was large.
Because of that, Yosuke entered Yu's room as the other was in the middle of his school work.
"Yo partner."
Yu looked up, "yes?"
"When do you plan to stop with those bottles?" Yosuke gestured to the shelf full of golden liquid.
Yu set down his pen, taking a moment to think.
"Indefinitely, I think."
"Seriously, dude? Don't you think you're like, running out of space?" Yosuke asked, surprised.
"I do… I'll probably put them in a box somewhere instead once I run out of it."
"What about putting them all in a large jar? That way, you'll save up space. Or is that gonna ruin the magic?"
Yu blinked at him with wide eyes, as if the idea never crossed his mind.
Yosuke chuckled at the sight, "dude, seriously?"
Yu looked bashful, "I just… never considered it."
"Well… wanna try it?"
Yu nodded.
They ended up going out to buy a jar since they didn't have any large enough to fit what Yu had, which also led to them looking at new furniture to spruce up their living space. And if Yosuke was struck by the domesticity of it, he tried not to let it show.
As they went home, they dropped by one of the popular crepe stores in Tokyo for dessert, and Yosuke thought that even the sweetness of his biscoff flavoured crepes weren't as sweet as the smile that Yu gave him that day, and no amount of liquid gold could compare to the way the golden rays of sunlight reflected on his visage.
At the end of their first year of living together, Yosuke was surprised to find that not only had Yu already filled up the jar they bought together, but he also bought a new one that was already almost halfway full.
He wondered what prompted Yu to make more, and it wasn't until the night of Yosuke's birthday did he connect the dots.
He began to notice that it wasn't just about wishing anymore, but rather Yu collecting somewhat of a tally. It happened every time Yu was hanging out with his friends, but Yosuke wondered why would it be the case for one of the instances where there were times when he'd notice Yu making new golden liquid when he wasn't with the investigation team.
It only fell into place after the events of Yosuke's birthday.
He was adamant on celebrating his birthday with just Yu on the day of, and with the rest of the investigation team the week after, when everybody's schedules aligned.
He loved his friends, of course, but he wanted to celebrate his first birthday living with Yu with just the two of them.
It wasn't anything extravagant, they went out for lunch on a nice restaurant they'd normally never step foot on due to the price point, then went to the arcade where Yu got him a frog plush and returned home, where Yu cooked him dinner and made him a cake that Yosuke still wasn't sure how he managed to hide. Finally, Yu gave him the latest CD of the band he liked as a present.
But overall, Yosuke had a great time, unable to hide his joy and smiling from ear to ear the entire day. To spend time with his partner was always special, and made even more so with the romance and shoujo filters he'd slapped on.
It wasn't like he could help it, he defended in his heart, Yu was just that amazing (and handsome, and sweet, and nice, and—) that Yosuke couldn't help but fall.
When Yosuke finished his bath, he saw Yu in his room, tinkering on his desk. As he drew closer, he discovered that Yu was making another batch of the liquid he'd put on the second jar.
"You're making one at this hour, partner? Why the rush?"
"Ah, I didn't want to wait. The moment was too good to not let it pass," Yu scratched the back of his neck, caught off guard that Yosuke was around.
Yosuke stared at Yu's sheepish look, and the liquid gold, and back again.
"Pause."
Yu looked away, cheeks reddening.
"Is– is all this–" Yosuke gestured towards the jars and Yu's work desk, "about me?"
Yu turned away even more, but all it did was expose his ears that were now as red as Yukiko's sweater back in high school.
"It totally is!" Yosuke clapped a hand on his thigh, "it's about me!!! What does that mean, partner?"
Yu busied himself with putting the golden liquid he just made to the large jar. Yosuke watched as the liquid fell, the glitter and sparkles dancing at the movement.
"Partner, Yu, come on, tell me?"
Yu only twisted the lid closed.
"It's still my birthday, y'know. Care to share?" it was a little low of him, but he really wanted to know why.
"It's a little embarrassing, now that I have to say it out loud…"
"Partner, you're the weirdest person I know. Nothing would faze me anymore."
As expected, Yu froze, biting his lip and eventually sighing in defeat.
"It's… for when you smile," Yu siad, voice growing smaller.
"When I… smile?" Yosuke gaped.
"You smile like the sun," Yu said, "and I don't know if you remember, but you once said that the bottles were like liquid sunshine."
Yosuke felt his cheeks heating up.
"And you just… started collecting them because… they reminded you of me?" Yosuke gaped as Yu nodded, still not looking his way.
If Yosuke wasn't already in love with Yu at this point, he would've now.
Feeling bold, he started, "hey, partner. Can I ask for another birthday present?"
This made Yu turn to him, head tilting in question.
"Can I get a kiss?"
It was Yu's turn to gape, staring at Yosuke frozen in shock.
Did Yosuke get the wrong hint?
Finally, after what felt like hours, Yu stood up and approached Yosuke, hand reaching out to cup his cheek. He was sure that Yu could feel how hot his cheeks were at that moment, and the only thing saving him from the embarrassment of it was the feeling of Yu's own hand that was trembling, as if he couldn't believe that this was real. Hell, he couldn't believe it was real either.
They both pulled in close, and when their lips touched, Yosuke could understand what Yu meant now, because Yu's smile as Yosuke pulled him closer and wrapped his arms around him felt just like sunshine on his skin, perhaps even better.