Yosuke's POV:
"And he definitely said he was coming?" I ask, my leg bouncing beneath the table.
"Yeah, I'm positive!" Teddie frowns at the idea of me doubting him.
"...Ted, I don't think he is."
"Trust me, okay!?"
"Ted-"
"Where even is everyone?" He looks around the deserted food court, pursing his lips.
I shrug. "How am I supposed to know!?"
There are hardly any customers, either. What, with this murky weather and all.
I bite my lip.
"...Ted, he doesn't wanna see me, okay? He just... he doesn't."
"Ooh! I can smell him!"
"You can... what?" I scoff.
"Mhm-hm..." He nods, his eyes squeezing shut. "He's coming, Yosuke! He's coming this way!"
"No way in hell are you-"
I stop mid-sentence as I see him walk into the court, tugging his jacket around his shoulders.
Shit...
"Told ya so!" Teddie grins.
"Y-Yu." I stand up suddenly, alerting him of my presence.
He looks at me for a moment. He looks up and down, and then he sighs.
Yeah... 'Cause he was expecting everyone else, wasn't he?
"Uh..." He begins, but I'm quick to cut him off.
"They're on their way."
"...Right." He nods one time before looking away again.
"S-sit down?" I offer with a slight smile.
He pauses for a second, looking at me like I've just said the most disgusting thing he's ever heard.
"Ha... Nevermind..." I mutter.
"Why are you being so weird, Yosuke?" Teddie cocks his head to the side like a kid. "It's only Sensei."
Yeah, and that's the issue, you stupid bear.
"...Kanji's definitely coming, right...?" Yu asks slowly.
"Huh?" I frown.
Of course... He's only here for Kanji, isn't he...?
Yu is gonna give him the wrong idea if he keeps hanging around someone like him too much.
"Why's it always Kanji?" I splutter, without thinking.
He furrows a brow. "What?"
"N-nothing..." I quickly shrink back.
"..Why are you still talking to me?" He sighs, pocketing his hands.
"What do you mean, dude? W-we're buds... right...?" I sound far more pathetic and uncertain than I had envisioned.
"I literally told the love of your life that you were a pervert."
"C-come on, man... I mean, 'love of my life'? Really? That's a bit much..."
"What're you talking about?" Teddie pipes up. "You watch every ad she stars in on repeat."
I grimance, trying to erase the bear from the conversation entirely.
"And... Well... I guess I am a perv, so you didn't really lie..." I chuckle lightly, trying to lighten the mood, but his face only darkens.
"I was an asshole. I treated you like shit."
"...So?" I shrug.
"...So, you should be pissed," he frowns.
"Dude, I'm not pissed."
"You were when I didn't come to that movie with you."
"Y-yeah, but..."
"But, what!?" He scoffs. "What's changed?"
Now I'm afraid of losing you for good.
I swallow hard, shaking my head. "We can put this behind us, surely?"
"I can..." He breathes in slowly. "Go see Rise... You know... Tell her that I didn't mean what I said. That you're actually a really nice guy who she'd be lucky to date."
I open my mouth to mention that I'm not all that interested anymore, but I quickly close it.
'Cause, I mean, every guy obsesses over some girl, right? Why not make it easy and let it be Risette?
Eh. It's not like it matters, really. Yu's only got eyes for his chica... Even though he refuses to talk about it...
I mean, I get it; really, I do. I know it's gonna be a sore subject for him. I mean, so was Saki-senpai.
Difference is, I could get over her. Yu... God... He just can't.
He's always seemed like that kind of guy, to be fair.
Looks as though nothing can faze him, but he suddenly gets fixated on one thing, and his life revolves around that. It becomes part of him. She became part of him.
...I guess I'm a little upset.
I mean, he's head over heels for her, and he can't see that I'm at his side. I'm his shoulder to cry on.
All he cares about is her. I don't mean anything if I'm not her.
"...Yosuke?" He says after a moment.
"H-huh?" I splutter.
"...Is something wrong?"
"N-no... No, nah... Aha..." I rub the back of my neck, pinching at my own skin at how dumb I sound right now.
"I'll go," he says.
"Hey, wait, no...!" I plead, unknowingly grabbing his hand.
He pauses for a moment, looking at my hand in a complete state of horror before pulling it away.
Awkkwarddd.
"S-sorry." I clear my throat, looking away.
"I- I, uhm... O-okay. It's okay. Fine. It's, uh, fine..."
"Ooh, here they come!" Teddie grins, pointing to several figures heading towards us.
"Kanji..." Yu breathes, immediately heading over to him.
I bite my tongue.
He hasn't shown any interest in me for the past ten minutes. And suddenly Kanji shows, and he's got all his attention...
Wait... Could... Kanji be...?
Nah. No way. First off, Kanji is a guy. Secondly, Yu's normal.
Though I furrow my eyebrow as his face lights up when speaking to Kanji.
I guess they just have a better connection?
God, don't even say that... It hurts too much to freaking look at them; nevermind admit I'm the odd one out.
~~~
Yu's POV:
"Senpai?" He asks. "What's up?"
"...Can we leave?"
"...Huh?" He frowns.
I bite my lip, turning back to Yosuke.
For some weird reason, he's staring at us with a confused look on his face.
I quickly look away, feeling my body heat up.
"Oh, come on... Seriously?" Kanji scoffs. "You're actin' like a kid, Senpai."
"...I'm not," I say.
"You throwin' a hissy fit 'cause he ain't into you won't solve anything."
"Kanji--"
"Go apologize for what you said yesterday."
I turn back to look at Yosuke. Chie and Yukiko have joined his table, now. He seems engrossed in conversation with them.
I kinda wish he was still looking at us.
"...I have to go," I mutter, heading past Kanji.
But he grabs my arm, holding me back. "You can't be serious."
I feel my whole body stiffen at his grip. Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko and Teddie have all stopped to stare at us.
I feel my palms begin to sweat.
"K-Kanji," I splutter.
"You're bein' selfish, Yu."
"Hey, what the hell are you doing, man!?" Yosuke rushes up to us now, pulling Kanji off me.
"Yosuke..." I breathe. "It's... uh, fine... Really, it is..."
He turns to look at me for a moment with an unsure look before turning back to Kanji. "What's your deal, Kanji?"
Kanji scoffs. "Nothin'."
"Seriously, Yosuke," I say. "Nothing happened. I just... insulted his favorite band, is all."
"...Favorite band?" Yosuke repeats, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Mhm... Yeah..." Kanji nods slowly. "Senpai here said they were shit."
"...And, uh, Kanji gets really protective over this sort of stuff..."
Yosuke shakes his head, clearly buying this bullshit story. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. We get it, Kanji, you're a punk, okay? Just don't touch Yu, alright? You're making him uncomfortable."
"...Eh?" He scoffs.
Yosuke sighs. "Look, Kanji... You're just... being weird. I mean, it looked like you were holding his hand for a second there."
"N-no, just my arm," I splutter.
Yosuke shrugs. "People are gonna start giving Yu funny looks, so just back up, alright?"
Kanji's nostrils flare. "You don't give a shit that I get funny looks though, do you!?"
"W-well... They have a reason to give you funny looks, and-"
"Yosuke..." I breathe, cutting him off before he makes the situation worse.
"...Plus, I don't wanna have to break up you guys' fight... Dad would be pissed-"
"Quit your blabbin'," Kanji grimaces.
"R-right," Yosuke swallows hard, giving me a final look before returning to the table.
"...You still want me to make things right after that whole thing just now?" I mutter.
"It's for the team."
"Kanji, the team don't accept you. How do you think they'll react when they find out that I'm..."
"That you're gay, too?"
"...Yeah," I sigh.
"...So, you still imagine yourself bein' the leader?"
"...I don't know," I shrug. "I guess? I mean, Yosuke was the one who nominated me, and..."
"And everything Yosuke-senpai says, goes."
"...I couldn't say no to him."
"Even then?"
"It's just... I wanted someone to rely on me. It felt... really good when Yosuke was the first to do that."
"Put your own feelings aside."
"Yeah, yeah..."
"I mean it," he says. "The further you distance yourself, the more you'll think about him."
"No, the further I distance myself, the less I'll think about him."
He scoffs. "You've tried that, and you still love him. It doesn't work like that for you."
"...Maybe not."
"It's gonna be fine."
"...What about Rise?"
"Eh?"
"He... wants her in the team, doesn't he?"
"Doubt it. He'd rather have you back than her."
I feel a bit of relief after Kanji says that.
"...I was a dick to her, though."
"She'll get over it," he shrugs. "She's an idol; she's used to it."
"Still," I sigh. "It's not her fault, right?"
"Guess not."
I turn back to the table.
Chie's pretty close to him.
Dammit. They're friends, for god's sake.
"I hate the way it feels," I mutter.
"Huh?"
"Getting freaking jealous over anyone who so much as looks at him."
Kanji snickers.
"It's not funny," I say.
"You're absolutely hopeless, man."
"Don't rub it in."
"Hey, Narukami! You comin' over here, or what!?" Chie calls.
Kanji and I exchange looks.
"...Yeah, we're comin'," Kanji replies for me.
"I wanna go, Kanji... Can't we go to somewhere more private? Like, a backroom, or...?"
"You gotta face him."
"I..."
"If you don't stop being so damn obvious, he's gonna find out."
"H-he is...?"
"So... Go do guy stuff with him!"
"Kanji, I—"
Kanji walks ahead, dragging me along with him before I can finish.
Fuck.
~~~
thanks for reading:)
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