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“Attention Junes shoppers! The time is now 3:55 PM, and the store will be closing in just 5 minutes. At this time we ask that you collect your final purchases and make your way to the front of the store for checkout. Thank you for having a great day at your Junes, and have a merry Christmas Eve!”
The announcement rings out over the crowd of last-minute shoppers, whipping them into a frenzied rush for the check stand. Yosuke, on the other hand, feels nothing but instant relief.
It's finally over.
This holiday season isn't his first one working at Junes, but it had to have been the most difficult he'd endured so far. Yosuke had been plagued with a parade of problems all week, from angry customers, to flaky co-workers, and the unreasonable expectations of the corporate office. In his unique position as the 'prince of Junes', he found himself taking the brunt of the abuse from all parties.
He had worked shifts in nearly every department this week, but today Yosuke had been stuck in the trenches of the toy department for a full ten and a half hours. Junes had run out of this year's hot ticket item, a talking Featherman action figure, two days ago. But that hadn't stopped every last minute shopper from giving him a fresh verbal assault as he tried to explain the concept of supply chain problems in his best customer service voice to each one of them.
As if his work woes weren't sufficient enough to put a major damper on the season, Yu had moved back to the city in the spring of this year. Despite knowing it was coming, Yosuke keenly felt the absence of his partner every day.
In the beginning the phone calls helped, at least a little bit. They talked about daily life, made plans for the future, or just yapped about nothing in particular. Late night conversations were drawn out until the faintest glow of impending dawn crept up beyond the horizon. That is, if one or both of them hadn't fallen asleep mid-conversation. More than once, Yosuke had stayed on the line just to listen to Yu's calm even breathing.
But before long, Yosuke found himself wanting so much more. There was something about the distance that changed things between them. It was early September, during one of their longest calls yet that Yosuke's feelings finally bubbled to the surface and spilled over. I need you, partner. He had breathed out over the tinny phone connection. I— I'm in love with you…
If you'd asked Yosuke a year ago how he felt about being in a long distance relationship, he would have said he could never do it. Now it was just another entry on a running list of things he never thought would be possible until recently, right next to fighting monsters in another dimension, and falling in love with his male best friend. But, as with the rest of the items on the list, it was only possible because it was with Yu.
In the time since they began dating, Yu had only been able to visit Inaba for a few short weekends, and the next one won't be until he returns for New Year's Eve. It's only a week away, he reminds himself as he stuffs his apron in his locker. You can do this.
Yosuke trudges out of Junes and looks out over the parking lot as the angry sea of shoppers has finally begun to retreat. The late afternoon sun burnishes the snowbanks in rose gold as the Junes parking lot slowly empties of cars.
As he zips up his hoodie and prepares to start the long cold trek back home, a car pulls up alongside him and honks. Yosuke nearly jumps out of his skin and turns around to glare at the offending vehicle only to find himself face to face with—
It can't be.
"Hey partner, are you getting in or not?" Yu says in an affectionate lilt, "hurry up, or all the heat is gonna get out!"
"Yu!!", Yosuke cries out as recognition dawns on his face.
In his haste to get in the car, he slips a little on the icy asphalt and barely grabs the side of the door just in time to avoid landing face-first. Using it for leverage, he launches himself into the back seat and crashes into his partner. "I can't believe you're here," his voice comes out a little muffled as he crushes his face into Yu's shoulder.
"Yosuke…" Yu grips the fabric of Yosuke's hoodie and buries his face in caramel-colored hair, "it's so good to see you."
"Ahem."
Both boys startle apart and Yosuke looks up to see Dojima's deadpan expression pointed at him in the rear view mirror. "S- sorry Dojima-san," he averts his eyes and shuts the door.
"Good to see you too Hanamura, make sure you buckle up," Dojima puts the car back into drive and pulls out of the parking lot.
"Yosuke-nii!!" Nanako cranes her head over from the passenger seat with a beaming smile. "Did you miss me?"
"Of course I missed you Nanako, it been what... two days since you've stopped by Junes right? I'm always happy to see my number one customer!" Nanako giggles as Yosuke leans forward to ruffle her hair a little.
He turns his attention back to Yu. "So what are you doing here? I thought you weren't coming back until New Year's Eve," he reaches over to brush his partners hand discreetly, "not that I'm not happy to see you."
"I was able to convince my parents to let me leave a little earlier," Yu catches Yosuke's hand with a little squeeze, "and I just… really wanted to spend some quality time with you."
They don't have much time to catch up, because it's only a few minutes later that they arrive at the Hanamura household. The car comes to a stop and Yu hands him a small red envelope, "open this as soon as you get inside ok?" he whispers.
"Thanks partner, I'll make sure to give your your gift tomorrow," Yosuke tucks the envelope in the front pocket of his hoodie. "I... will see you tomorrow right?" He adds uncertainly.
"We'll be spending time together again before you know it," he responds cryptically.
Yosuke leans forward ever so slightly, but he falters and settles for brushing his thumb over the back of Yu's hand a few times while holding his gaze significantly. "Okay. See you soon then," he says in a slightly lower timbre.
He heads inside, and doesn't even wait to take his shoes off before opening the envelope. Inside is a single, folded piece of paper with a note.
Yosuke,
For our first Christmas together I've reserved us a room at a ryokan for tonight.
I hope you listened to me and read this the moment you got inside because we don't have much time before check in. You need to be back at the car in 15 minutes with your bag.
Surprise!
— Yu
P.S. Your parents already know, so stop reading this and start packing!
Yosuke stares at it for a moment in disbelief, then whips around to open the front door again. Sure enough, Dojima's car is still there. Before he can step out of the front door, Yu catches his eye from the backseat and makes an exaggerated shooing gesture.
Yosuke laughs and turns around to run back inside. Thankfully Teddie isn't in the room when he gets upstairs. He dumps the contents of his bookbag out and starts to throw clothes and toiletries haphazardly into it, but pauses before zipping it up and glances around the room to see if there's anything he missed. His eyes land on a small wrapped box sitting on his nightstand.
Right… Yu's Christmas present.
He picks the box up and looks at it thoughtfully for a moment, before nestling it in the center of his bag and zipping it closed. The gift inside is something he had put a lot of thought into, but—
His thoughts are interrupted by two short honks coming from Dojima's car, presumably signaling that his 15 minutes are up. Well, it's too late to dwell on it now, he figures, and throws the strap of the bag over his shoulder to run back downstairs.
Yosuke launches himself into the backseat of Dojima's car for the second time that afternoon. "I can't believe it!" he buckles in and turns to Yu with a huge smile on his face, "are you really taking me to a Ryokan?"
"Well if you want to be technical, Dojima is the one taking us." Yu chuckles.
As if on cue, Dojima puts the car in drive and elaborates, "I promised Nanako a vacation before the end of the year, and it never worked out over the summer. So we booked two rooms a few months ago. One for Nanako and I, and one for Yu and a friend of his choosing. Looks like you're the lucky winner, Hanamura."
The drive to the inn isn't particularly long, but Yosuke's exhaustion catches up with him and he dozes on Yu's shoulder for most of the way there. He is woken up as the car comes to a stop in front of the ryokan. It's snowing more heavily than it was an hour ago, and the sun has almost completely dipped below the horizon.
The warmth of the genkan feels like an embrace as Yosuke steps inside behind Yu. The lingering snowflakes sticking to their coats begin to melt and drip off while they remove their shoes and put on the plush indoor slippers provided by the ryokan.
"Irrashaimase," the hostess greets them immediately, "do you have a reservation?"
Dojima follows her to the reception desk to check in, and Nanako follows, leaving Yu and Yosuke to marvel at the cozy front lobby. Despite being a fairly traditional inn, there is a large Christmas tree at one corner of the room, covered in tinsel and lights. They don't have long to look around though, because the hostess returns quickly to usher them to their room, a few doors down from Dojima and Nanako's.
The hostess slides the door open and Yosuke barely stifles a surprised gasp. The room is huge. "Dinner will be served at 6 PM. Please enjoy your stay!" she states before closing the door behind them.
Yosuke places his bag on the ground and wanders in, taking stock of the amenities. There's a cozy-looking couch in front of an already-lit fireplace, and in the center of the room is a kotatsu, which appears to already be warmed up. "Hold up— is that…?" He peers out the back door. "We have a private onsen?!"
There's no reply, so Yosuke walks back into the main room. No Yu in sight. He flops on the couch, and it's just as plush and warm as it looks. After a few minutes he checks the time— 5:45. If Yu doesn't come back soon he's going to be late for dinn—
The door to the bedroom opens, revealing his partner dressed in a well-fitted silvery-blue yukata. Yosuke's higher thought processes come to a grinding halt as he takes in the sight of Yu's exposed collarbones. His gaze travels further down and catches on how the obi accentuates his slender waist.
Yu interrupts Yosuke's shameless ogling, "U-um," he stammers out timidly, "are you going to get dressed too?"
"Huh?" His eyes snap back up to Yu's face.
"Yours is in the bedroom," Yu continues, "and we've only got a few minutes until dinner arrives."
"Oh… r-right," he hesitates for a moment before adding, "you… look really great in that, partner," and scurries into the room to hide the flush creeping up his face. He closes to the door to the room, stops to pat his cheeks with both hands and takes a deep breath to cool off.
How did I get so damn lucky?
He looks around and finds a muted orange yukata laid out for him. After an initial struggle remembering how to put it on correctly, he emerges to find his partner waiting for him at the kotatsu, which is now covered in a dizzying array of dishes.
Yu pats the cushion next to him. "Sit next to me?" he says.
Yosuke takes his seat and grabs the nearest plate of food, "This looks amazing! I haven't eaten anything since I had a handful of senbei crackers at 11 am."
Yu gives him a concerned look, "You can't be serious!"
"Mm— yeah," Yosuke responds through a mouthful of tempura, "The checkout lines were too long, I wouldn't have had time to eat anything if I could even make it to the register before my 30-minute break was over."
"I'm sorry Yosuke," Yu stares pensively into the bowl of noodles he's holding.
"Snrk— ha ha!" Yosuke laughs, "Why are you apologizing?"
"It's just…" Yu puts his bowl down but doesn't look up at Yosuke, "it makes me wish that I could have made lunch for you."
Yosuke reaches out to rest a hand on his shoulder, "you shouldn't have to worry about that. But I will admit that even one serving of your oden would have made my week."
"How about this then. I'll make a big pot of oden for you when we get back to Inaba," Yu brings an arm around Yosuke's waist to pull in him to his side, "enough for a few days of leftovers."
"I'd love that," Yosuke sighs and rests his head on Yu's chest. "But you don't need to spend all week spoiling me. Just being with you is enough… I couldn't have asked for a better gift."
Yu presses a soft kiss to the top of Yosuke's head, "I'm just glad I was able to make this work. So I want to make the most of it before I have to go back to the city."
"I wish you didn't have to," Yosuke brings his other arm around Yu's front, practically burrowing into him. "Can we stay like this? Just for a little bit…"
Yu returns the embrace. "Mhm," he sighs and lazily runs a hand through Yosuke's hair. They stay like that for a while, just enjoying being able to hold each other. Yosuke burrows a little deeper, now resting his head on Yu's chest to listen to the way his heart steadily beats, while Yu's hand drifts lower to massage Yosuke's back. But only a few minutes later the silence is broken by the sudden sound of Yosuke's stomach growling.
Yosuke groans, "as nice as this is— I think I'm going to pass out if I don't get some more of that tempura."
"Hey, save some for me too!" Yu releases him and reaches for the plate before Yosuke can finish it off.
Yosuke braces himself before opening the back door. Sure enough, he's hit with a wall of brisk air and a flurry of snowflakes as he makes an undignified little half-run to the bath and jumps in. The heat instantly relaxes his sore muscles, washing away the stress of the past week. It's not until Yosuke has sunk almost entirely under the water that Yu emerges from the back door, and climbs in next to him.
For a few minutes, neither of them speak. The just watch the way the snow falls in drifts and the steam rolls off the surface of the water in waves. Yu finally breaks the silence to mutter, "I almost forgot how quiet it could be."
"Yeah?"
"Mhmm…" he continues. "I didn't notice it until I left Inaba, but the city is so loud, even at night."
Yosuke turns to face Yu a little more, "When I first left the city I remember feeling like that too. I wonder if it will be too loud for me when I go back next year."
"Hmm… maybe," Yu muses, "But it also depends on where you live, so if we get an apartment on a side stree—"
"We?"
"O-oh, um," Yu realizes what he's implied and sinks a little lower in the bath, "I'm sorry, I guess I just assumed..."
"Don't apologize, I…" Yosuke smiles and looks up at the falling snowflakes, "I was hoping you wanted to, but I was a little too nervous to ask."
Yu lets out a relieved sigh. "Good, because I really can't picture myself living without you."
"Neither can I," Yosuke says in a dreamy voice, before his tone drops back down to earth, "It feels so far way though." He finally looks over to make eye contact.
"I'm sure we'll make it." Yu's voice wavers a little, but he still holds Yosuke's gaze.
The conversation trails off and suddenly Yosuke's nerves return for the first time in months as his eyes flick down to Yu's lips. It's not the first time he's found himself stuck here. It wasn't until the last time Yu had visited Inaba that they'd finally kissed for the first time. It was embarrassing, and awkward, and perfect. But Yosuke hadn't been the one to initiate it.
"Partner?" Yu whispers, tilting his head a little and letting his eyelids flutter half-closed.
The raw need that this single word inspires in him is enough to help him overcome any lingering self-doubt. Yosuke brings a hand out of the warm water to rest on Yu's cheek, watching as a few drops roll down his face. He closes his eyes and presses forward until his mouth finally meets his partner's. At first that's all it is, just a chaste kiss. But as he starts to pull away, Yu reaches out to grasp his shoulder, pull their chests flush, and deepen the kiss. A wave of sensation washes over Yosuke and has him opening his mouth to lick tentatively at Yu's lips; a gesture that is quickly reciprocated.
"Mmph… Yu—" Yosuke gasps when they part. But before he can continue that line of thought, the wind picks up, bringing with it a rush of snowflakes. The chill is enough to outweigh the remaining warmth of the onsen.
"Yosuke…" Yu breathes out, "let's head inside."
Now dried off and dressed in pajamas, they cozy up together on the couch. The fire is still going strong, chasing away the lingering chill from outside. During their time in the onsen, a slice of Christmas cake had been delivered to the room, just big enough to share.
"This was the best present ever, ten out of ten." Yosuke scoops up another bite of cake, pushing the fork towards his partner's face.
Yu maintains eye contact as he takes the bite, and licks his lips with a smile, "Mmm… yeah, I didn't know they would be giving us cake either."
"O-oh, yeah that too," Yosuke watches the way Yu's tongue slides over his lips and he pictures leaning back in to keep going where they had left off. But he has to get this out of the way first, "what I meant though was this entire trip. I mean, I guess I didn't expect such a grand gesture and my gift to you is…"
Yu looks at him encouragingly, "You know I'll be happy with anything you get me."
"I know that but, what I got you is," Yosuke looks down and trails off, "it's a little embarrassing…"
"Even better! I love it when you're embarrassing," Yu banters. "I think it's cute."
Yosuke doesn't so much respond as he does sputter uselessly and hide his flushed face behind both hands.
"Well I guess either way I won't know until tomorrow," Yu continues.
At that, Yosuke stands up wordlessly and walks into the bedroom. When he returns, he presses a small wrapped box into Yu's hands. "Actually, you should open it tonight," Yosuke says, "it's only fair, since I got my present early."
Yu lifts the box up and admires the silver wrapping paper with white snowflakes on it. It's messily tied up with a red bow, clearly Yosuke's best attempt. "Hmm… If you're sure, " he gives it an experimental shake as Yosuke watches him apprehensively. He reverently undoes his partner's handiwork to find himself looking at what appears to be a pile of orange fur that is crammed into too small of a package. He pulls it out and it instantly fluffs up into an orange kitten plush with a little silver collar and bell.
Yosuke butts in before Yu can say anything, "Okay so, it's a little weird y'know but—"
"It's not weird!" Yu interjects, already hugging the plush tightly, "I love it!!"
"You do?"
"Of course, how could I not? It's adorable!" He smiles brightly.
Yosuke rubs the back of his head, "I-I'm glad! And… there is another part to it actually." He reaches behind his back to produce a similarly-sized gray puppy plush with an orange collar. "You see, this one's mine. I just…" he hugs the puppy and buries his face in its fur. "I thought, you know, being so far apart is hard. I know it's temporary, but I miss being able to hold you."
Yu's expression softens.
"And I thought, if that's how I feel… then maybe you feel like that sometimes too. So, if you do, I want you to be able to hug this little guy and think of me. Just like I've been doing with mine for two weeks now."
"Yosuke," Yu's voice comes out deep and a little choked, "thank you. This means so much to me. So much more than you know."
"I'm really glad you like it," Yosuke mutters, blushing profusely. "Can I…?"
Yu doesn't need any further prompting, and they fall into each other, trading lazy kisses. As the night draws to a close, the excitement of the day leaves them falling asleep in each other's arms.
Together they dream of warm summer days.