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Pairing: Yu/Yosuke
Rating: G
Category: M/M
Summary: Yu invites Yosuke over for another sleepover, but it ends in a way neither of them planned for.
Author's notes: This is a crosspost from AO3 and ffnet.
Spoilers for November.
See this page for the series index.
"Yosuke~"
The brown-haired boy whirled in surprise to find Yu trotting up to him, and his stomach seemed to do a little flip. Damn, it hadn't been that long since he'd seen his boyfriend, but the catty way Yu had called his name and the obvious excitement in his step almost made Yosuke's knees go weak.
"Y-yeah, partner?" Oh boy, he was tripping over his tongue already.
Yu sidled up next to him and they began to walk towards school together. The silver-haired boy waved a hand at the sky. "The weather report indicates we're in for some snow, so..." he trailed off.
"So...?" Yosuke prompted.
Yu's cheeks turned a little bit pink, more than the cold warranted. "So... I was thinking maybe we could study at my place again...?"
Yosuke chuckled and then told him, "I'll think about it."
Yu clicked his tongue in disappointment. Yosuke snickered, then took his hand and they walked together like that until they got closer to school.
All throughout class, Yosuke daydreamed about, well, the after school activities in his immediate future. He noticed Yu glancing out of the classroom's windows every so often, wondering, maybe, if the weather was going to cooperate with them.
Maybe they'd kiss in Yu's room this time. Maybe Yu would take him up on his offer to touch him. Yosuke suppressed a shudder. He'd been so scared the last time he stayed the night at the Dojima residence, but now... He crossed his arms at his desk and imagined they weren't his own. Then he wondered if that was creepy...
When class was over Yosuke told Yu he'd be over soon because he had to stop by at his own house to get his books for tomorrow and a change of clothes. He wasn't being entirely truthful. The main reason was that he had a gift for Yu that he wanted to pick up.
It was something silly, almost not worth bothering with, but...
"Yosukeeeeee! Where are you going?"
Crap. He'd just been caught in the middle of packing by Teddie. The bear was in his costume, standing right in the doorway, and…
"Is that Sensei's clothes?" the bear observed, his already comically large eyes widening further. "You're going to Sensei's house? No fair! I want to come, too!" Teddie lunged forward and grabbed Yosuke's arm and wouldn't let go.
Crap times two. Teddie had noticed that Yosuke had packed the uniform he'd borrowed from Yu during the last sleepover.
"We're just going to study for a bit. And we can't study with you around, you dumb bear!" Yosuke pushed him off, but the bear bounced right back up.
"Don't lie to meeeee," Teddie whined. "I know you're going over there to score with Sensei!"
Yosuke's jaw dropped, but he recovered enough to stammer, "What are you talking about!"
The bear folded his hands behind his back and waggled his ears with a smug (and disturbingly knowing) smile. "Rise-chan told me you're scoring!"
Crap times three. He and Yu hadn't quite figured out how they were going to explain their relationship to Teddie. The bear was so excitable that he'd probably announce it to the world, including Yosuke's parents. Yosuke didn't know how his parents would react if they found out he was dating a boy, and he didn't want to find out.
He obviously have to get Yu to have a talk with Teddie soon. He always listened to Sensei.
"Your face is all red, Yosuke! What's wrong? Are you sick?" The bear leaned his face in uncomfortably close to his. Yosuke could see the stitching around his costume's eyes and it was kind of creepy.
"I'm fine!" Yosuke declared, backing away. "It's just... scoring? We're not... ugh!"
"Yosuke!" Teddie picked up the backpack in his claws and pressed it into Yosuke's hands. "Go to Sensei and score and come back and tell me all about it!"
Yosuke swore at him but took the backpack and went downstairs. He'd just have to hope the bear wouldn't say anything to his mom. His parents considered Teddie 'eccentric,' so even if he did, Yosuke could probably find some way to explain it away.
He stopped in the kitchen to pick up Yu's 'gift' from the freezer—it was a box about the size of a shoebox—then headed into the garage where he grabbed a screwdriver from the workbench and then affixed the detachable metal wire basket to the front of his yellow bike. Only after he'd gone to the trouble of screwing all the bolts in did he realize he hadn't even checked if the cardboard box would fit in it. He was in luck: it did, but fit so snugly that his finger got caught when putting it in. Dammit, maybe it wasn't worth it... Yu was just gonna make fun of him... but he'd already gone this far to bring it...
He sped down the road to Yu's place, his heart in his throat half from pumping the bike pedals and half from anticipation. He squinted into the weak winter sunlight beaming in his face. Dammit, where was that snow?
Sleepover sleepover sleepover...!
Wh... What would Yu want to do...?
He was in the middle of a daydream about just that when he realized he was already there. The way to the Dojima residence was now second-nature to him, like going to school or work. He could get there with his mind in the clouds.
He parked his bike and spent a long time cursing while prying the cardboard box out of the wire basket. He hefted it under his arm and immediately regretted it because damn it was still cold from being in the freezer. He felt it even through his uniform jacket.
He rang the doorbell with his free hand. "Hey, partner," he greeted when Yu opened the door.
"Hey," Yu said with a snow-melting smile. Damn, it was so great to see Yu's smile... But Yosuke couldn't take the time to appreciate it because the box was slipping under his arm. He awkwardly hopped his way inside and deposited it with an unceremonious slam onto the kitchen table and then rubbed his cold-numbed side with a small hiss.
"What's...?" Yu asked.
Yosuke turned the box around so the label was prominently displayed. He watched Yu's eyes brighten with delight.
It was a box of half and half berry flavored Topsicles.
Yosuke shrugged. "You said they were your favorite so—mmph!" Yu's mouth was suddenly on his.
Yu pulled away and rubbed his face against Yosuke's, humming contentedly.
"D-dude, it's just a box of Topsicles," Yosuke murmured. Damn, Yu was happier about this than the damned flowers he'd brought last time. "And it's already been opened because of Teddie."
Yosuke tried to return to the entryway to remove his shoes but found that Yu had snaked his arm around his waist. Yu pulled him in for another kiss. Yosuke didn't stop him and relaxed into the embrace. His friend's body was so warm after his trip through the cold, and if Yu was being this affectionate then probably no one was home...
"How long are you planning on keeping that door open?" Dojima's dry, smoke-coarsened voice came from the living room.
Yosuke yelped and pushed Yu away, though the detective probably couldn't see them. At least, Yosuke couldn't see him, at any rate.
Yu just smiled and patted his shoulder, then closed and locked the front door. Yosuke toed off one shoe before Nanako-chan came running out of nowhere and tackled his legs. "Yosuke-nii!"
He laughed and bent his knees to give the little girl a hug.
"Look what Yosuke brought," Yu said. He pointed to the Topsicle box and she did a little dance. "Oh~ Topsicles!"
This family is so easy to please, Yosuke thought, shaking his head in amusement.
Yu took the box and made room in the refrigerator for it while Yosuke listened to Nanako-chan tell him a story about an adventure her stuffed animals had gone on.
Yosuke wondered if they'd go to Yu's room next, but Yu said he had to start making dinner. Nanako-chan volunteered to help, but Yu told her to watch TV with her father. "You too, Yosuke."
"But watching you cook is..." Yosuke blushed instead of ending his sentence. Way more interesting than television...
Yu smiled at him but made a shooing motion with both of his hands and Yosuke had no choice but to join Nanako-chan at the kotatsu. It seemed like Dojima had turned the TV to a kids' show, some sort of cartoon. The little girl was quickly engrossed.
Yosuke tried to watch it with her, but he was aware that Dojima-san was watching him. The detective was only a few feet away, anyway, on the couch. Yosuke bit the inside of his cheek. Should he try to talk to him or something? He was pretty sure the detective didn't like him. Anything he could say would probably make it worse...
Dojima broke the silence himself. He nodded at the back porch. "Seems like we're in for some snow," he commented.
Yosuke looked out the window. Soft flakes were pouring down from the sky. Ah, so the weather was on their side! He smiled to himself.
"Was it your idea to come over, or his?" Dojima asked slowly. "If this keeps up, you might have to stay the night."
Yosuke quickly wiped away his smile as he recounted the excuse he'd come up with earlier. "W-well, we have a trigonometry quiz coming up, so..."
Dojima snorted and shook his head. "Make sure you get your studying done before you start goofing off. And make sure to stay quiet."
Dojima was looking at him with a stern and steady gaze. Wh-what exactly did Dojima-san suspect him of?
"Yessir," Yosuke squeaked.
Dojima's eyes softened, and then he sighed and scratched his head. Then his eyes roamed to the TV and Yosuke relaxed a little.
When the cartoon was over, Dojima switched it to the news, and Nanako-chan asked Yosuke to play with her in her room.
To his embarrassment, he found the little brown Yosuke bunny that Yu had knitted a while ago sitting prominently next to Chan-chan, Nanako's favorite, a large purple rabbit.
"Umm," he said when she picked it up and showed it to him. He absently touched his headphones around his neck because the Yosuke bunny had a set of miniature headphones too... Yu had done a great job with it, he had to admit.
"I want big bro to make a big bro bunny!" Nanako-chan declared. "Then we could have a lot of fun!"
Wh-what, was she going to make them play house or something?
As if to demonstrate, she put the Yosuke bunny on the back of a plush pony and had it ride across the rug until she had it stop in front of 'Princess Maimai,' which was a doll with a surprisingly intricate lace dress.
They were enacting a scene from a fairy tale she'd learned in class recently when she suddenly put down the little black dog she was holding. "Hey, Yosuke-nii... U-umm..."
Still holding Chan-chan, he glanced at her quizzically. "Yeah, Nanako-chan?"
"Are you going to make chocolates for big bro for Valentine's Day?"
Yosuke clutched the plush rabbit to his chest reflexively in surprise and blushed furiously. "I, uh, I don't—"
"Shh!" she said, holding a finger to her lips. She motioned him to move closer. He leaned in, curious, and her tiny hands turned his head so that she could whisper in his ear. "Big bro doesn't really like chocolate."
"Huh," said Yosuke, pulling away to look at her. "What does he like?"
She didn't answer, but her intense brown eyes bored unblinking into his face… like he should know already.
He chuckled nervously. "A-all right. Thanks for the, uh, tip."
She smiled impishly at him and then picked up the dog and began to play again.
Later that evening the two boys were finally alone in Yu's room. Yosuke was sitting at the desk, and Yu was on the couch reading a book.
It wasn't a surprise that Yu had actually made him work on his math homework. What was possibly surprising was how much Yosuke could focus when he knew he'd be rewarded after. Yu promised him a kiss for every problem he got right...
"Ah, Yosuke, you were so close," Yu said, leaning over his shoulder and checking his work on the very last problem in the set.
"Aww, man... Where was I wrong?"
Yu's finger pointed out that he hadn't distributed a number properly, which had thrown off the rest of his answer.
"Can't I get partial credit?" Yosuke asked, looking up at his partner hopefully.
Yu shook his head and stepped away. "You know we won't get any on the real test."
Yosuke looked as disappointed as he could to get Yu to relent, but his partner could be really stubborn sometimes. "Come on..." Yosuke whined when it was obvious he wasn't going to budge.
"I'll tell you what," Yu said. "If you do well on the actual test, then..."
"Then… what? And how well?" Better than Chie was probably doable, but better than Yukiko, not so much.
"Then I'll..." Yu trailed off. Whatever he was going to say apparently embarrassed him greatly, because he stopped and turned his head, shielding his face with his shoulder.
Damn, Yosuke thought. Now he really had to study!
Done with their homework, they decided to relax with a video game since Yu hadn't yet obtained a new model kit. Yosuke had chosen a racing game because that seemed more likely to keep them excited for... whatever their late-night activities were going to be. A fighting game might be better for that, but Yu was a button-masher on a worse level than Teddie. It was quite annoying.
Yu moved his futon out a bit from the corner of the room so that he could see the TV while sitting on it. Yosuke was on the spare futon placed directly in front of the TV.
Before they started, though, Yu said he was going to get changed. "You brought pajamas this time, right?"
Yosuke glanced at his duffel bag wedged between the spare futon and the model kit shelf. "Uh, yeah." He turned back to the game, controller in his hands, trying to set up the grand prix with the maps he wanted.
"Take them out?" Yu suggested.
"I'll get changed later," Yosuke replied, his eyes still glued to the TV.
"Please take them out."
Scowling at the interruption, Yosuke bent down and rummaged through his duffel bag with his left hand, holding his controller in the other, glad that he'd left it unzipped earlier when he'd taken out his math notebook. He tossed his pajamas behind him on the futon and returned to the game.
"Okay," said Yu. "I'm gonna get changed!"
Yosuke hunched his shoulders and tried to focus on setting up the game and definitely not trying to see his partner's reflection in the TV screen. He heard the soft rustle of fabric behind him, and when he heard a zipper he bit his lower lip hard and tried rather unsuccessfully to keep his mind blank instead of imagining what was happening.
A grunt and a sigh later, Yu shuffled past him and took a seat at the edge of his futon and picked up his controller. "Okay, so I'm, what, the red racer?"
"Yu, what the hell!" Yosuke squeaked.
His partner was wearing his pajamas.
Yosuke didn't wear pajamas normally, but when it was cold, boxers and an undershirt just weren't enough. The top was just a plain orange pajama top with long sleeves, and the bottoms were tiger-patterned, orange and black. He had matching slippers at home.
The pajamas didn't quite fit Yu—they didn't quite fit Yosuke, either, and with Yu being just a little bigger in size, the tightness was even more pronounced, and a few inches of his leg could be seen above the ankles.
"You can close your mouth," Yu teased.
"Partner, you, wha..." Yosuke's mental train was derailed and it took just a little longer for it to get back on track. "Wh-what am I going to wear, then?" he demanded.
Yu stretched his legs out in front of his futon and ran his fingers across the stripes. Then he looked up at Yosuke. "Well, you can wear mine again. You did last time." He had that smile on his face, the weird one he used when he thought he was being funny but was worried that he wasn't.
"Only if it's a set you actually wore this time!" Yosuke declared. He then immediately covered his mouth in surprise at his own words.
"Yep," said Yu, ignoring his embarrassment and tossing his set from his futon and onto Yosuke's. "Enjoy."
Yosuke stared at the pajamas in the messy pile right next to him as if mesmerized. He was going to wear Yu's pajamas. Yu's used pajamas. Well, unless Nanako-chan had done the laundry today...
He tentatively touched the top of the pile with his hand as if to test that, but drew back at the sound of Yu's sultry voice. "Don't be shy."
"Dammit, partner, don't say stuff like that!" Yosuke crossed his arms, aggravated.
Yu's shoulders were rolling with suppressed laughter.
Yosuke grabbed the pajamas and headed to the bathroom to get changed. There he discovered that... Yu's pajamas hadn't been washed recently. They smelled distinctly like Yu—a combination of sweat and cat dander and some brand of deodorant that Yosuke wasn't familiar with but wanted to become familiar with—and Yosuke almost decided to use the pajama top as a pillow instead of wearing it so that he could smell it while he slept.
The pajamas were well-worn, too. The top's collar was starting to wear and the material had been stretched out. They felt very loose on his body.
He returned to the room and Yu told him he was looking good. Yosuke ignored the compliment and threw himself onto the spare futon and grabbed the controller. "Are we gonna race or what?" he grumbled. Out of the corner of his eye, though, he could see Yu watching him with that stupid grin...
They'd passed the first two stages when Yosuke noticed the second player driver was no longer moving. He glanced at Yu and found him leaning back with his eyes closed, mouth hanging open, snoring lightly. The controller was resting on his chest.
"Come on, partner, it's barely 10 o'clock!" Yosuke hoped his voice would wake him up. When it didn't, he decided to stop trying to win the race and instead drive his car right into Yu's and crash it over a barricade. It made him feel a little better.
Then he sighed and turned off the console. He took the controller from Yu—his partner still didn't wake up. He thought of nudging him, but... if he'd fallen asleep he probably needed it. Besides, the team's fearless leader looked so... vulnerable.
Yosuke watched the rise and fall of his partner's breathing for a long moment before trying to resettle him so that he was more comfortable on the futon. He needed to be a little more centered at least so that he wouldn't fall off at some point during the night. Then he pulled the blanket over Yu until he was tucked in nice and tight and sure to stay warm... though he knew from experience that his tiger pajamas would do the trick.
Yosuke looked at his partner's calm, sleeping face. Should he steal a kiss?
What kind of question was that? He kissed Yu lightly on the cheek. "Good night, partner," he whispered.
Yu seemed to rouse. "Love..." he mumbled.
Yosuke froze. "Dude, don't say things like..."
"Top... sic..."
Yosuke almost shoved Yu. There was no way he was asleep!
But Yu was snoring again. Yosuke watched him a closely to make sure he wasn't faking it, but it was soon clear that he was down for the count.
Yosuke sighed. He guessed Yu was really happy about his gift. Was his boyfriend weird or what?
The situation had made Yosuke a little nervous and now he needed to make a trip to the bathroom. He left the room, opening the door as quietly as possible so as not to disturb Yu, though it probably wouldn't wake him even if he slammed it open. Still, they weren't alone in the house. He suspected Dojima didn't stay up too late and had retired already.
He'd just finished using the bathroom when he heard something that sounded suspiciously like a sob coming from downstairs. In the quiet of the house, the sound seemed magnified. With a puzzled frown he stepped downstairs, wincing when one of the steps creaked loudly.
It was coming from Nanako-chan's room. Her door had been left partly open. He paused by the door and peeked inside, but it was too dark to make out anything except the little girl's silhouette in her child-sized futon.
"Big bro..." There were sniffles. "H-help me...!"
Without hesitation Yosuke rushed to her side. "N-Nanako-chan?" He put a hand on her shoulder, wondering if he should shake her awake.
Nanako-chan's eyes fluttered open at the contact. They reflected the faint light coming from the night light in her room. She turned her head to peer up at him. "Big bro?"
She probably couldn't recognize him in the dark. "Ah, umm, it's me, umm... but I'll go get him!" he declared.
He tried to move away, but the girl's hand clutched his arm with surprising strength for a seven-year-old. "Yosuke-nii! Don't go!" She tugged on his arm and he allowed himself to be pulled close to her. He could feel the wetness of tears on her face.
He put his arms around her and then tried to pat her on the head to calm her down. "Nanako-chan... Did you have a nightmare?" he asked.
She nodded against his chest. "Y-yeah... I was scared."
"Well... It's all right. I'm here!" he declared.
She snuggled up against him, much like he'd seen her do with Yu by the kotatsu before. "Yosuke-nii... I dreamed I couldn't breathe. And it was really bright, but everyone was there, and they were worried... And big bro was angry and scared and... And I couldn't breathe, it hurt."
She was either remembering her stay in the hospital, or when they'd rescued her from the TV World... Damn that Namatame!
Yosuke continued to hold her. "It's all right. You're home and safe, Nanako-chan. Big bro is upstairs. Your dad's probably in his room. And I'm... here."
"Mm," she mumbled. "Don't go... Please stay..."
"All right. I'll stay," he promised her.
"Mm, you smell like big bro..."
He felt her body relax, and slowly her breathing became softer until she fell asleep. He tried to pull away, but her arms were around his waist, and she stirred when he tried to pry them off. Well, he'd promised he'd stay with her, so... He tried to make himself comfortable, and her quiet breathing and her heartbeat on his chest soon lulled him into sleep, too.
The next morning, Yu and Dojima stood next to each other in the doorway to Nanako's room. They both stared in silence for some time.
Dojima glanced at Yu for a second before turning back to the sight of his daughter in Yosuke's arms. "Are you sure I don't have anything to worry about?"
Yu brushed away some of his hair. "She has nightmares, sometimes," he said softly.
There was a significant pause. "I know."
Yu looked at him in surprise.
"You and your friend aren't the only ones who've heard her crying out in the night," Dojima said. His hands clenched and then unclenched. "I found her last week. My back killed me the next day, but... Damn it."
Dojima... had stayed all night in Nanako's room to comfort her? Yu looked at his uncle with new respect.
"You wake them up. Rather not have Hanamura break anything." Dojima turned away to head towards the kitchen, but paused after a single step. "By the way, Yu."
"Yes, uncle?"
"What are you wearing?"
Startled, Yu looked down and realized he still had Yosuke's tiger-patterned pajamas on. "Oh, uh," he said, but Dojima had already walked away. Soon the smell of coffee filtered in from the kitchen.
Alone now, Yu watched his cousin and boyfriend sleep for a long moment. Then he took out his cell phone and snapped a photo of the two. He'd need it soon, when he left Inaba...
[End Notes: I wish the "Nanako nightmare comfort" scene was my own idea but it was definitely inspired by a scene in No Beginning, No End by strangestquiet.]
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