Perspective
There are few truths to be found in the world. Ironically, this itself was one of those rare truths. What was another one of these truths?
Moving sucks.
At least, that was a truth from Yu Narukami's perspective. Another year, another town, this time while his parents left on their own ventures of business and pleasure. It wasn't anything new to him. This time seemed especially dull, what with him ending up in some no-name town.
Probably boring as hell...
Yu sighed and shifted in his seat, having failed to get comfortable for the duration of the long train ride. A voice spoke, telling him the train was nearing Yasogami station. Fantastic. Time to go meet my dead beat uncle.
His face changed as the train slowed down. His scowl shifted slightly, turning upwards at the ends and his face relaxed. He put on the mask of a polite young man, a mask he had been forging for many years. He grabbed his bags and looked at his window, seeing his reflection. He was smiling warmly, on the outside, but inside he was retching. He hated having to pretend to be some good boy, but his parents would have his ass if he made his uncle's life hell. So he'd wear this mask and tough it out for a year, probably swearing under his breath and rolling his eyes when the bum wasn't looking.
He walked out and found Ryotaro Dojima waiting for him, with a little girl standing behind him, trying to hide herself. Already worse than the last one. "Nice to meet you," he greeted, with a smile plastered onto his face.
Yu Narukami couldn't have expected any of this months before his arrival. He didn't expect murders, or disembodied voices, or monsters made of black slime. He didn't expect to suddenly be thrust into the role of leader for a ragtag bunch of misfits. He didn't expect any of it.
He walked with Chie and Yukiko cause he thought they were cute and was considering getting with one of them (or both). He didn't expect he had to save them or that they'd be fighting by his side.
He hung out with Yosuke cause he seemed desperate enough for Yu to manipulate into doing some favors for him. He didn't expect Yosuke to have any more depth to him than a puddle, but lo and behold, his Shadow proved him wrong.
He went with Yosuke into the TV world just to satisfy his curiosity of what it was. He promised himself that if things got bad enough, he'd abandon Yosuke. He didn't expect he'd actually stay by Yosuke's side, let alone gain superpowers (not that he was entirely complaining about that last one).
He found himself trapped in a role, locked as their leader and everyone expected something great out of him.
Honestly? He was playing the whole thing by ear, not that he'd ever tell the others that. Heaven forbid if they suddenly realized their leader, Mr. Perfect, wasn't as perfect as they all thought.
That's why the time spent with Naoto was so important to him. It gave him the freedom to be his real, selfish, snarky self, without having to worry about what he acted like. Naoto couldn't refuse the dates, because he was driven to solve the murders, meaning he didn't have to hold back.
On their first, real date, he'd say what was on his mind, he'd flirted with Naoto like he used to flirt with every pretty face.
He already loved seeing how flushed and pissed off the Detective Prince looked. It was just like the good ol' days.
The fact that Naoto looked cute as hell, even when he was calm, was just a bonus.
The first date was just what the doctor ordered. Yu Narukami felt like his old self. He was rude, he was flirtatious, he was Yu Narukami, delinquent, not the stoic leader he had to be when around the Investigation Team. It was liberating. Like he had been running with weights on, only to finally throw them off. His wit was sharper, his thoughts were dirtier, and his smugness was smuggier than it ever had been!
It was amazing, and he was practically skipping home after their first 'date.'
Yu loved seeing that blushing face Naoto wore when he spoke. A smile, a bit of smugness, a flirtatious wink, and it was all he needed to watch his cheeks heat up. He loved it. But messing with him had limits, and Yu was worried that a line had been crossed during their second, significantly shorter, date. He honestly didn't mean for him to see the drawing.
He didn't regret drawing it, of course. It was a damn good picture of their naked bodies pressed against one another.
He just regretted getting caught.
So that brought him here. He sat on the other side of the bench, watching with wide eyes as Naoto ate away. Wow. He's really digging in...Guess I should call this an achievement. He loved seeing him mad. It was fun. It was cute. It was even a little arousing, but this? Seeing him so happy? It was alright too. A nice, vanilla break from his life of spice and lies.
He watched the uptight Detective Prince let loose. It was kind of amazing, and he did his best to memorize every little detail. The way Naoto smiled, seeing him close those gorgeous, cobalt eyes. The way his chest gently lifted and fell. He watched him eat roll after roll, his eyes catching his tongue smacking against his lips, the way his jaw moved to take in every bite.
Yu picked up the water bottle and offered it to the bluette. He took it without even a thank you and happily drank from it, before returning to emptying out the box. He finally seemed to hesitate for a moment, in the middle of chewing another California roll.
Yu Narukami made his move.
He took a napkin and gently pressed against the younger boy's cheek. He cleaned it of bits of rice and sauce, before speaking. "I'm glad you liked it. I was afraid you wouldn't." It wasn't a total lie. It sucked he couldn't have eaten own food, but this was working out better than expected!
Naoto coughed, averting his eyes. He tipped his hat as he turned away from the food. "You can...have the rest."
God, so cute. Yu considered eating the last few remaining rolls, but instead he chose to eat something else up. "Please. If you really like it, and I'm guessing you do, have it."
"N-no. Really. Its fine. I've eaten more than my share."
He would not be deterred. Naoto was going to finish the box! He gently prodded him with it. "Naoto, I'm fine. I promise. A cook's greatest joy is watching other's enjoy the food he made for them. So please. I insist. If you won't eat the rest, I'll just give you the box. I'm not eating them."
That got him.
"Thank you, Narukami." The detective turned to him, and he finally gave him a smile. He gave it to him, and it pained Yu to admit, but he thought it looked amazing. Naoto looked stunning when he actually smiled...
He really is beautiful, Yu thought. Whoa there, Narukami. Eyes on the prize. You're a playboy. You don't fall for others; others fall for you. He felt his cheeks flush and he tried to rid his face of it by focusing on something else, anything else. Hello trees, hello golden shrine, uh- where's Mr. Fox? Not here today? That's cool! He continued to distract himself, and before he knew it, Naoto was just...sitting beside him, eyes closed.
He handed him a soda and he thanked him. Again!
He looks serene. Huh. Nothing like the bubble-headed bimbos I used to date. They'd be blathering up a storm by now...
Yu tried to do what Naoto was doing. Just sitting down, being quiet, enjoying nature. He got bored in less than a minute. His mind wandered, and it took his eyes with them. They landed on the water bottle and he swore he felt his cheeks flush as a thought occurred to him. Naoto drank from that bottle. His lips were on it.
All he could think about were his lips on the bottle, pressed against it. "Can you hand me the water bottle?" Naoto did, and Yu stared at the lid for what felt like an eternity. He didn't know why he was hesitating, or why he was blushing. He silently damned himself. He was Yu Narukami! He's touched boobs before! He's gotten to third base on the first date! WHY was he suddenly such a pansy ass?!
But another thought silenced those angry ones. He undid the lid and looked at the rim. Did he really forget he already drank from it? Would he notice if I drank from it too? Would he realize we would be sharing an indirect kiss? Yu glanced at Naoto, who was quietly enjoying the scenery. Huh...Eh. In for a penny.
He took off the lid and pressed the bottle against his mouth. He drank the water, but more importantly, he just enjoyed the knowledge that he and Naoto had just shared their first kiss...
Is this creepy? Its a little creepy. But also sweet, if looked at from a non-creepy point of view. Hm. Nah, its still kinda creepy. Oh well. Yu resealed the bottle and dropped it into the bag. He looked at Naoto and he smiled. Okay, playboy. Wooing time. Decrease snark and outright sexual flirtations. Keep it sweet, with a soft hand. Naoto probably loves that shit.
He leaped off of the bench and looked at the radiant, blue haired angel. "Hey, beautiful." He held out an open hand to him and asked, "Care to go for a walk?" Naoto looked at him like he was a deer caught in headlights. Yu grinned behind his gentle mask. Gotcha.
The two enjoyed the rest of the day together. They talked and walked down a simple path, enjoying the nature around them. Well, Naoto enjoyed it. Yu got annoyed at a passing bug, but he controlled himself. He silently swore to talk to the Fox about getting some pesticides.
Naoto was loving him, it seemed, well, more like tolerated. It was a victory, all the same, even it did mean he had to bite his tongue a couple of times to avoid flirting with the beautiful boy.
"You're an unusual character," Naoto mumbled. He almost seem surprised that he said it at all. Regardless, he locked eyes with the silvertte and continued. "One minute you're-"
"Charming?" Yu hoped.
"Obnoxious," he stated, plainly, a glare shot at him.
Ouch...
"But another minute, you're calm, intelligent, even intuitive."
Wow. I think that's the first real compliment he's given me. I am wearing him down. "Awww. That's sweet," he smiled, smoothly.
"And then another minute, you're just...strange." Naoto sighed. He sounded really upset, actually. Like all the stress involving the murders were in that sigh. It didn't make him feel better, far as Yu could tell. "I know you're an excellent student, Narukami. Why bother acting like this with me?"
Wait, what? How does he know that? Yu was silent for a moment, his cheeks a bit warm. He hadn't expected Naoto to know anything about him. He underestimated the Detective Prince, it seemed. He quickly defended himself with a joke and a shrug. "What can I say? I'm a man of many personas." Ha! Double meaning.
The Detective Prince rolled his eyes before glaring at him again. Yu was quick to keep the topic off his academic self and on his present, Casanova self. He gave a quick wink, with a charming smile. "Besides, I said I'd try to cut back on the snark and entendres. Today, you're meeting the just and noble Dr. Jekyll! Tomorrow's date, its back to Mr. Hyde." For added effect, he gave a small monster impersonation and a- "Rawr."
"In actuality, Dr. Jekyll wasn't the saint he is often portrayed in adaptions of the book. In fact, his serum meant to create Mr. Hyde was created for a purely selfish purpose."
Yu blinked, surprised as Naoto quickly stopped himself and hid under his hat. "Apologies."
Seeing an opportunity to learn some fun facts and get the topic off of the nerd side of his life, Yu smiled. "No." He reached for Naoto's hand, silently asking for permission to hold it. His fingers barely touched it before the blue haired detective pulled away. Yu felt a mix of frustration and hurt, before the younger boy smiled. "Tell me more? I like hearing you talk about smart stuff..."
It wasn't a lie.
He soon returned home with an honest grin on his face. It was fun. It was nice to be dating again, and it was even nicer to know Naoto was opening up a bit more. True, it meant having to tone back the Narukami charm, but he'll bring it back in full force tomorrow.
"Welcome back, big bro," Nanako greeted. Yu waved back.
"Hey, shortstuff. You okay?"
"Yeah!" She ran over to hug him and he hugged her back, stroking her tiny head.
"Is uncle out late again?" Yu inquired, scoping out the kitchen and living room. Nanako nodded her head, but instead of the frown or pout he had come to expect, she smiled. "Guess I'll take care of dinner," the young man sighed. Damn it, Dojima. I'm supposed to be a guest! Guests don't work!
"Big bro? Can I help you make dinner?"
"Huh? Oh, sure. Why don't you take a minute to think of something? Big bro's kinda tired from walking, so he's gonna head to his room to rest for a bit. You gonna be okay?" Yu smiled.
"Okay! See you in a bit, big bro!" Nanako giggled, running back to watch her show on the TV.
He watched her go, and for a moment the honest smile on his face was for her. He then blinked and mentally kicked himself. Shit, I've been spending way too much time with this little munchkin. With a shake of his head and silent groan, Yu Narukami walked up the stairs to his room. He kicked the door shut behind him, and he fell onto the couch. He reached behind him without looking and plucked out his sketchbook and pencil. He flipped to the first blank page he could find and started drawing what was on his mind.
A circle here, a square there. Some lines. Yu sighed and dropped the book off the side of the couch. Boring. Time for the special sketchbook! The silverette stepped off of his sofa to lift up one of the cushions. Under it was a small, blue sketchbook. He took it out and dropped the cushion, before laying back down on the couch. With a thoughtful look on his face, he began to draw, careful of every stroke.
Hm. Petite. Small. Hard, edgy eyes.. Nice ass. Where are my colored pencils? I need more blue...
Yu's thoughtful look was slowly traded for a perverted grin- an excited, ear to ear grin. He drew the detective's beautiful face. His flushed cheeks. His angry glare. Skin like moonlight, glimmering, radiant, even in the dark. Eyes of blue steel, sharp as a knife to the heart one moment, then as soothing as a shimmering lake. That hat, THAT hat. How he hides behind it like a barrier between his heart and the passion it wants to feel, but passion seeps through the cracks, falling on the heart like tiny embers...
Yu blinked. He stopped drawing and blinked again. Where the fuck did that come from? He dropped the book and pencil and shook his head. Yeesh. I gotta be...tired or horny or something. Yeah. Deciding he was done drawing for the night, he looked at the time with his phone. Ah, shit. Batteries must have died during the date.
He grabbed his charger and plugged his phone in. While waiting for his phone to boot up, he looked at the discarded, blue sketchbook. His lips twitched slightly as he thought about where his mind had wandered. The hell was that? I'm the wooer, not the wooee. Come on, Narukami. This ain't your first ride on the yaoi train. I've been with guys before! Guys cuter than Naoto!
Yu frowned at the thought and his hand twitched. His lip quivered as well, then his eye followed suit, as if trying to make an expression out of his motionless face. Hm. Whatever... He looked at his charged phone and his eyes widened. Shit.
Whoa! Eight missed calls?! And a shit ton of messages. Aw crap, what happened now?! Rather than listen to the phone calls, Yu decided to simply call back the last number. That caller just so happen to be his self-proclaimed 'partner,' Yosuke Hanamura. He took a moment to compose himself, before calling him.
"Hanamura-kun. Is something the matter?"
"Dude, what the hell?! Where were you?!" Yosuke raged.
Shit! What happened to him? Yu thought. "I told you that I had to take care of Nanako today. My phone ran out of battery. Why? What happened?" He took a moment to remember what he and the others were doing today. "Did something happen at Rise's?"
"She's gone, dude! We think she was kidnapped!"
...Shit.
END
Whoa there, partner. I'd like to have a word with you, if possible. No, don't worry. you're not in trouble. Just take a seat on my lap and let's talk, man to man, man to woman, or just me to you. If you're over a certain age, sitting on my lap must be pretty weird...Well, too bad. Sit down and listen.
This chapter was difficult for a lot of reasons. It started with me wanting to explore Yu's perspective. When I started this story, it was important to me that Yu wasn't too similar to his canon self. That he was snarky, rude, and more of a, well, delinquent. This chapter, I wanted to show the good and the bad. Yu isn't an awful human being, but he is a complex person. He's a liar at his core, but that is because he believes that's who he is. As the story goes, you'll see more sides and masks he wears. After all, Personas are the 'masks we present to others,' and Yu has many Personas. Thus, he has many masks. Being a delinquent is just another.
Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter and the many more that follow. When I started this story, it was just going to be a small love story between Naoto and Yu. Now? Now I have plans for over 15 chapters of their experiences, from them falling in love, their first fight, and even including them solving the murders together. Neither of them are going to be the exact same person by the end of this story. I hope you all sit with me for the romantic epic this story has become, after all, all of you are the ones who help inspire and drive me.
Big thanks to my beautiful girlfriend for helping me proofread and edit this story. Couldn't have done it without her.