"Alright, guys. Let's call it a day for now."
At their leader's words, every member of the Investigation Team let out a sigh of relief.
The group of teenage detectives were currently standing outside the entrance to the Secret Labratory. After they rescued Naoto late September and she recovered early October, Yu Narukami, their leader, led the team back into her dungeon in order for training purposes, and also for Naoto to get used to using her Persona as well.
As part of their ventures into completed dungeons, a new boss appeared at the last floor, which Yu was able defeat with Yosuke, Chie and Naoto in his party.
With their session complete, everyone on the team was pretty worn out, and Yu decided that him and his teammates had done enough training.
"Oh thank God!" Yosuke Hanamura exclaimed in relief, "Fighting that annoying ass Vessel really tuckered me the hell out."
"At least you have an element it was weak to!" Chie Satonaka stated as she stretched her shoulders, "Try having to stick to just physical attacks and a puny Bufula!"
"Phew! I just wanna lay dowm and be engulfed by the soft feeling of my mattress..." Rise Kujikawa wearily uttered.
"I hear ya there." Kanji Tatsumi agreed with crossed arms.
"At least it wasn't as tiring as when we fought Naoto-chan's shadow." Yukiko Amagi commented with a smile.
"... Could we please just hurry back to the real world?" Naoto Shirogane silently pleaded a bit uncomfortably.
Yu nodded knowingly, "Teddie, let Rise take a break and lead the way."
"Roger that, Sensei!" The bear enthusiastically saluted as he moved forward.
"Aww, you're so thoughtful, Senpai~!" Rise smiled as she hugged Yu's arm.
The team eventually reached their usual exit, and after coming back to the real world through the TV in Junes, Yosuke offered to buy everyone some food, much to everyone's thanks, especially Chie.
After finishing their meals, everyone was ready to go their separate ways.
"Sooo, Yu." Yosuke called out to his partner, "You free to hang around for a little while?"
"Sorry, bro." Yu apologized, "But I have to walk Rise home tonight."
"I know I'll feel extra safe with my trusty Senpai by my side!" Rise gushed with a blush as she latched onto Yu's arm once again, "Aren't I a lucky girl~?"
"More like a clingy-ass one..." Kanji deadpanned.
Yosuke let out a sigh of slight disappointment.
He should've expected it to be honest. Ever since Yu and Rise became a thing, it made hangouts with his partner a bit of a rare occurrence. Not that he wasn't happy for him, but it kinda sucked having nobody to hang out with.
It also didn't help that he was pretty dang jealous of their relationship. Not just because Yu was dating a girl that Yosuke had always drooled over before they rescued her, but also due to the fact that the latter had always hoped he'd be able to find a cute girl that liked him one day.
"I get it, man..." He replied, "Maybe tomorrow then?"
"If I'm free, then definitely." Yu assured him with a smile, "I'll see you all tomorrow."
"Bye, you guys!" Rise bid farewell, still clinging to her boyfriend as he escorted her home.
"Well, I'm outta here. Later, dudes." Kanji waved as he departed.
"I shall be taking my leave as well." Naoto declared, "Until tomorrow, senpais." She also left.
"I have to head back to the inn." Yukiko also sat up, "I'll see you three tomorrow at school!"
"Bye, Yukiko!" Chie bid her farewell.
"Later, Yukiko-san!" Yosuke did the same.
"See you, Yuki-chan!" Teddie, who was back in his human form, cheerfully said his goodbyes.
And that left Yosuke alone with Teddie and Chie.
"... So, I guess this is where the three of us split up now?" Yosuke uttered.
"Yeah, pretty much." Chie stated, "I'll catch you guys la-"
The short-haired girl was interrupted when she felt a sudden stiffness that made her roll her head in uncomfort.
"Ah, fuck...!" She silently cursed.
"Hey, are you okay?" Yosuke raised an eyebrow in slight concern.
"Huh? Oh, I'm fine..." Chie waved with her left hand, "Why do you a-?"
She cut herself off with another sound of annoyance as she rolled her left shoulder.
"Uhh, maybe it's because you're fidgeting all over like you've got ants in your pants?" Yosuke remarked, causing her to groan.
"Lay off, Yosuke!" She retorted, "What're you being so nosy for anyway?"
"Okay, 1. There's a difference between being nosy and showing concern, in case you didn't know." Yosuke deadpanned with one finger up, "And 2. Why wouldn't I be? We're friends, aren't we? Obviously I'd be worried if I saw you struggling to stay still like that."
Sure, him and Chie bickered from time to time... Well, most of the time... But they still cared for each other as friends, so what's wrong with him being concerned?
"Yosuke is right, Chie-chan!" Teddie chimed in with a worried glance, "You look like you're in unbearable pain!"
Chie said nothing as she averted her gaze, almost as if she was embarrassed.
"*Groan* C'mon, Chie. Quit bein' stubborn and just tell me what's up with you!" Yosuke insisted in slight exasperation.
"Ugh, alright, fine!" She finally conceded with a huff, "... I'm just feeling kinda sore..."
"Really?" Yosuke asked, "Like, is it just in your shoulders or is it all over your body?"
"I wish it was in just my shoulders." She remarked as she rubbed said spots, "But right after we left Naoto's dungeon, it's like my muscles have been screaming at me!"
"Damn. That sucks." Yosuke stated sympathetically, "Maybe you might've been pushing yourself a bit too hard back there."
"Well it's not like I had a choice!" Chie defended, "Especially with that giant piece of wood that's the reason we even went back!"
"Yeah, fair point." Yosuke nodded, "But are you sure it was just after we fought the vessel? 'Cuz we've dealt with plenty of enemies like that before and none of them have ever left you looking this bad."
This caused Chie to sigh and rest her chin in her hands.
"To be frank, it kinda started when we were halfway through the dungeon..." She revealed.
"Wait, you mean you were just ignoring it the entire time??" Yosuke asked incredulously, "Dude, that's totally not safe at all!"
"Hey, it wasn't this bad until we left the TV!" Chie retorted, "It only felt like a little itch back inside so I just assumed it wasn't that serious!"
"... Well I guess I can't argue with that logic." Yosuke shrugged. He was well aware of how his and his teammates' physical abilities were boosted whenever they went into the TV, so her body probably wasn't registering the pain.
"Still though, leaving yourself in that kinda state can mess you up real bad." He commented in concern, "Shouldn't you find a way to fix yourself up?"
"Obviously." Chie deadpanned, "But I'm way too tired to think of anything right now..."
"Well..." Yosuke seemed to contemplate his next words carefully before speaking, "... Maybe you could use a good massage or somethin'..."
"Ohh, a massage at Yukiko's inn sounds like heaven...!" Chie dreamily sighed before sending an accusatory glare at Yosuke, "Hey... You better not be suggesting that as part of a pervy scheme or anything...!"
"Wha- H-Hell no!" Yosuke hastily denied, "I-I'm just saying that a massage is one of the best ways to relieve muscle soreness! It's not like I'm offering to give you one myself or anything!"
Sure, Yosuke himself knew that the question wasn't too out of line due to his occasional "lecherous" nature, but he was genuinely trying to be helpful when he said that!
"Hm? But why not, Yosuke?" Teddie suddenly asked in confusion, "I'm sure Chie-chan's pain would go away in no time if you used your bearmazing massage skills on her!"
The comment elicited a surprised look from Chie and a mixture of shock and outrage from Yosuke.
"You freaking moron!! What the hell did I say about mentioning that in public?!" Yosuke yelled in such a high tone that he almost sounded like a chipmunk.
"... Massage skills...?" Chie slowly repeated, as if she hadn't heard what Teddie just said.
"Oh, that's right! You don't know, Chie-chan!" Teddie realized,
"Teddie, don-!"
"Yosuke here has mastered the art of giving massages!" He declared proudly.
"W-Whaaa?!" Chie uttered in bewilderment.
"Teddie, you big-mouthed son of a bear!!" Yosuke "cursed" in exasperation.
"Yosuke... Gives... Massages...?" Chie silently asked, still in disbelief, "W-What does that...? Explain, right now!" She outright demanded.
"Why I'd be beary glad to-!"
Yosuke swiftly clamped his hand over Teddie's mouth before he could blurt out anything else.
"That's enough out of you, idiot!" He uttered angrily.
"Oh no. You can't just blurt out something like that and leave it there!" Chie commented seriously, "What have you been getting into Yosuke?! Tell me!"
The aforementioned teen facepalmed as he let out a sigh of annoyance.
"Fine... I guess since my secret's out because somebody couldn't keep their mouth shut..." He momentarily glared daggers at that someone, "... I might as well tell you."
He took a deep breath before explaining himself.
"I've been learning about massage therapy from my dad." He revealed.
"Massage therapy?" Chie repeated with a raised eyebrow.
"It's like a normal massage but it focuses more on applying pressure to a patient's muscles and soft-tissues to improve their overall health." Yosuke swiftly elaborated.
"Oh..." She replied in slight confusion, "... So, it's just a massage that people do to feel better instead of using it to relax?"
"Sorta." Yosuke confirmed with a snap, "It can also be used for relaxing, but its main purpose is relieving pain and tension in the muscles. Hell, it's one of the best methods patients with extreme soreness use and recommended to reduce their inflamed joints."
"... O-Okay. I think I get it..." Chie stated, slightly surprised by Yosuke's in-depth knowledge of the topic, "... So then, how did you learn about all of this stuff?"
"*Sigh* Well... It started a few weeks ago. I think it was about a week before we saw Naoto on the TV." Yosuke looked up in thought as he reminisced, "I was working at Junes like I always do, but I was feeling pretty down that day, to be honest..."
"How come?" Chie asked curiously.
"You know how Yu and Rise recently became a thing, right?" He threw a question back and received a nod before looking a bit glum, "... Well, you know I'm totally happy for him and I support them. But ever since they started dating, Yu and I almost never get time to hang out anymore. I mean I get that having a girlfriend has its priorities, but it gets pretty boring and lonely without him, honestly."
"Yosuke..." Chie looked at him with sympathy.
She and the rest of the team were well aware of how close Yosuke was with their leader. It was perfectly understandable that he missed hanging out with his best friend. After all, Chie herself would probably be pretty gloomy if Yukiko stopped hanging out with her just because she got a boyfriend.
"Anyway... When my shift was over, my dad was nearby and he noticed how sullen my attitude was." Yosuke got back on track, "When he asked what was up, I just decided to tell him the truth, and he suggested that I find a new hobby that could distract myself. It didn't seem like a bad idea but I had no idea where to start. And that's when he took me aside and told me about the strange art of massage therapy..."
"Okay... Then what?" Chie questioned, wanting to hear more.
"When we got back home, he elaborated on it further. Apparently, he was a pretty popular masseur back when he was younger, and my mom even chimed in to confirm he gave her some of the best massages when she was stressed, and apparently he still does sometimes wheneber they're alone... Which I definitely could've gone without knowing..." He comically grimaced.
"Sheesh, a bit TMI on their part, isn't it?" Chie understood his cringing.
"Tell me about it." Yosuke threw his arms in the air before getting back on track, "But moving on, my dad offered to teach me the basics of giving massages, and I didn't really see any reason not to, so I figured why not? My mom volunteered herself as my first "patient", and I got to work while dad stayed near me and watched to give pointers."
"I thought it'd take me a while for my skills to even be decent, but surprisingly, I ended up getting the hang of it pretty quickly." He revealed, "Mom even said my massage was already on par with dad's skills."
"Seriously? Just like that?" Chie asked in surprise.
"Yup. My parents said I've always been a bit of a fast learner." He commented before sighing, "I just wish I could apply that same skill to school..."
This got a chuckle out of his short-haired companion.
"Same old Yosuke." She remarked.
"Ooh, ooh! Tell her about how you gave me a massage too, Yosuke!" Teddie excitedly suggested.
"I was getting to that, dumbass!" Yosuke snappily retorted, "*Sigh* Anyway, I was actually kinda eager to do another massage, and Teddie, who just so happened to be home while the whole thing was going down, practically begged for me to do him next, even though there was literally nothing wrong with him..." He recalled in annoyance.
"I just couldn't help myself!" Teddie commented, "Mrs. Hanamura looked like she was in paradise by the time Yosuke was finished, and that made me one curious bear!"
"... Like I was saying. Teddie kept pestering me about giving him a massage too, and my parents saw no reason for me not to, seeing as how it could serve as more practice for me." He added, "So I just gave in and massaged him anyway."
Though he had hoped that his next patient could be a cute girl instead of that annoying bear, he definitely wasn't going to tell Chie that. He'd like to keep his nuts in tact, thank you.
"Yikes. I can only imagine how irritating it must've been to listen to him while you were doing it." Chie visibly cringed.
"You have no idea." Yosuke sighed as he remembered the annoying incident, "But regardless, it seemed I like I had done it well enough."
"It was beary great!" Teddie cheerfully exclaimed, "Even though I wasn't sore myself, I still felt like a newborn cub after Yosuke's heavenly massage!"
"Could you make it sound any weirder...?!" Yosuke facepalmed.
Chie said nothing as she took in the information from Yosuke and Teddie.
"Anyway, after all of that was over with, it was safe to say I officially found a new hobby I enjoy." Yosuke stated, this time smiling, "I was surpised myself at how much I liked it, but I realized that not only was it a good way to keep myself occupied, but it felt like I could help people without needing a Persona or the TV World, and it made me feel good."
Chie couldn't help but smile a little after hearing that.
As much as Yosuke got on her nerves a lot of the time, underneath his teenage hormonal nature, he was a genuinely nice and caring guy who'd always be there to help people out, and it was one of the major things she respected about him.
"That actually didn't sound as bad as I thought it would." Chie commented, which made Yosuke sigh in relief, "I know I don't say it too often but you're not a bad guy, Yosuke."
"You really think so...?" Yosuke asked in slight surprise before grinning, "Huh. Well thanks, Chie. You're pretty cool, too."
For some reason, hearing Chie say that to him made him feel warm inside.
"Now that you've told her about your skills, when are you gonna give her a massage, Yosuke?" Teddie curiously asked.
"Don't be freaking stupid, moron!" Yosuke retorted, "I can't just offer something like that out of the blue!" He pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation.
"And you know damn well there's no way she'd let rub my hands all over her body even if it was for health reasons..."
"It still wouldn't hurt to try!"
"Hell yes it would!"
As him and Teddie continued to go back and forth, the bear's words had caused a thought to enter Chie's head, one that made her eyes grow wide and a blush grow on her face.
'... Wait no, w-what the hell am I thinking?! I can't actually be entertaining that idea! I mean he's... He's... Him!!' She squeezed her eyes shut as she mentally berated herself, '... But... He did seem pretty genuine about not having a secret motive behind it... A-And maybe it'd be a good chance to...'
"Jeez, just lay off, will ya, Ted? For the last time, it's not happeni-!"
"Would tomorrow be a good time...?"
The sudden question put a pause to Yosuke and Teddie's bickering, and they both turned to look at her.
"Huh...? What do you mean?" Yosuke asked in confusion.
"Y-You know..." Chie firmly kept her gaze on the floor to hide her sheepish expression, "... For the massage..."
It took a good few seconds for Yosuke to register what she had just said, and when he did, his eyebrows were raised so high that they almost flew off.
"W-Wait what?!" He exclaimed in befuddlement, "Y-You don't mean...?!"
"*Groan* Yes! I want you to give me a massage, dammit!" Chie blurted out with a bright red face.
Her outburst mixed with her confirmation took Yosuke aback while Teddie looked on in intrigue.
"A-Are you for real right now...?" Yosuke stammered in utter disbelief.
"Yes you dummy..." She huffed, trying to fight her blush, "Is it that hard to believe?"
"... Uh, yeah?" Yosuke raised an eyebrow incredulous, "Especially when you're the president of the "I hate pervy pervs like Yosuke" association." He deadpanned, which made her groan in exasperation.
"I'm only agreeing to this because you're my friend and I trust you." She stated, "And it's the quickest way for me to whipe my muscles back into shape."
"But... Shouldn't you go to a professional place for that instead?" He silently asked, "I-I mean I am still a newbie..."
"If I wanted to do that then I'd have to tell my parents before they could take me to a spa, and they'd just ask me a bunch of questions about how I got so sore all of a sudden." Chie stated in a tone that indicated it was obvious.
"Ah, right... We can't have them knowing about what we do in the TV World..." Yosuke awkwardly realized.
"Duh." Chie uttered before smirking a little, "Besides, if you really are as good as your mom and Teddie say, then you should be able to cure my soreness in no time, shouldn't you?"
"I... I-I guess?" He replied as he was caught off guard.
Why the heck was Chie being so pushy about this all of a sudden?
"C'mon, Yosuke! There's no need to be humble! Your massages are superb!" Teddie encouraged, "Just go for it!"
Feeling overwhelmed by the two voices of encouragement that were his comrades, Yosuke finally gave in.
"*Groan* Fine, I'll do it!" He threw his hands up in exasperation before sighing. If Chie was so okay with this now then maybe he had nothing to worried about after all.
"If you can wait for me at the food court, then I'll end my shift early and we can head to my house from there." He stated, "Does that sound good?"
"But what about your parents...?" Chie asked. After all, it would be awkward as hell if his folks walked in on them while they were having a "session".
"Oh, my parents are actually gonna be out all night tomorrow. Something about longing for some alone time..." He revealed with a slight shiver at the last phrase, "So we should be totally alone."
Alone, huh...?
"... W-Wow, that sure is convenient, isn't it?" She commented as she tried not to blush at the implication of them being totally alone.
"Heh, I know right?" He chuckled, "So is that time okay for you or not?"
"... Yeah, I think it should be fine..." She agreed.
"Alright then." He nodded before sheepishly averting his gaze, "I-I guess I'll... See you tomorrow after school?"
"Y-Yeah, exactly!" She quickly nodded before hopping out of her seat, "Seeya!"
"Woah woah, hold on!" Yosuke called out, "Can you even get home safely the way you are?"
"I should be good-!"
She was cut off as she buckled and almost fell to her knees.
"Hey!"
"Chie-chan!"
Her friends immediately rushed over to her in worry.
"Dammit! Even my legs too??" She uttered in frustration.
"Well they are the only weapons you use when we're fighting shadows. I guess it's no surprise that they're affected too." Yosuke noted.
"Being sore really bugs..." She groaned.
"*Sigh* Here, give me your arm." Yosuke instructed, "I'll walk you home."
"Huh? But what abo-?"
"This isn't the first time I've gone home late. I'll be fine." Yosuke cut her off as he already knew what she was about to ask, "Now c'mon."
He already knew where she lived thanks to an incident some time ago before Yu came to Inaba where Yukiko was unable to walk home with Chie and so she made him accompany her for some reason.
"... A-Alright then..." She complied and gave him her arm, which allowed him to support her.
"C'mon, Ted. Let's go." Yosuke beckoned him over as him and Chie began to leave the food court.
"Wow, helping her walk home before even giving her the massage itself?" Teddie began with a grin, "I had no idea you were capable of being such a gentlebear, Yosuke!"
"I'm seriously gonna throw you outta my bedroom window one of these days, you little shit...!" The aforementioned teen barked with a tick-mark.
Chie couldn't help but laugh as she watched their interaction. At least this beat her usual uneventful nights of walking home by herself.
You'd think that she would've immediately objected to the idea of leaning on Yosuke for support, but for some reason, she didn't mind at all or even shoot his attempt to help down.
As they journeyed to her house, both her and Yosuke's mind kept wandering to the massage he'd give her tomorrow, and how it would go down.
Any weird thought threatening to creep in was immediately snuffed out by the two teenagers. They shouldn't think like that, it was just gonna be a normal massage that would get rid of Chie's soreness and then they'd go on with their lives. It was as simple as that.
However, they both had no idea that it would in fact not be as simple as that...
But much greater...
Yeahhhh I bet you weren't expecting me to write about these two, were ya? Haha!
But anyway, this idea came to me sometime last month, and it was just sitting around in my ideas folder for a while until I saw it recently and decided I want to expand upon it NOW!
Also because Yosuke X Chie is one of my all-time favorite ships for Persona 4 and I really felt like writing a lemon between them :)
Lol, I dunno why or how I came up with the idea of Yosuke being a masseur, but it just happened, and I thought it'd be a nice set-up, so I did it anyway.
I know you're probably itching to read the lemon part like the perverted bastard you are(guilty as charged) and if you wanna read it, you can quickly head on over to the next and last chapter of this two-shot. I hope you're able to enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
But with that being said, I will see all of you dudes, later!
RinOta, out!
