Telltale

Ever since it had been revealed that Naoto was Yua's boyfriend, Yosuke had kept an eye out for him at Junes. Though the detective came in infrequently, Naoto stood out from the crowd due to his signature dark blue look. Yosuke just so happened to catch sight of him at the end of his shift and happened to be taking a stroll through the store in the exact same direction as the detective. He wasn't following the detective. Not at all. Just observing—seeing what all the fuss was about.

After the investigation closed, Rise had gone on and on about how cute Naoto was and how lucky Yua was to have such an intelligent and thoughtful boyfriend. (Yosuke was the only person Rise could discuss their findings with, so she talked to him about everything.) Yosuke was still having trouble processing it. Sure, Naoto was cool—he guessed. The dude solved mysteries and had those pretty boy features, so maybe Yosuke could understand the attraction. There was such a height difference, though. He watched Naoto ask one of the shop assistants to help reach one of the higher shelves. If Naoto and Yua kissed, would he have to stand on a stool, or would she pick him up? He had to shake his head to remove the images.

And the class trip didn't help his. . . condition. Rise kept pushing Yua and Naoto together the entire trip to "expose the truth." The King's Game was a catastrophe, with Rise shouting out Naoto's number to let Yua know which number to pick. Surprisingly, neither of them seemed flustered during that obvious ploy. Yua's calm demeanor was a given, but Naoto's was even more of a surprise. Yosuke would have been flustered; did this guy lack a heart or something? He acted like he barely knew Yua! He seemed so cold and aloof; it must have been hard to talk to him about things. If Yosuke had been dating Yua, he would have—

Yosuke wasn't jealous.

Yua hadn't ever really felt that way about Yosuke, and that was ok—he told himself. He was ok with it. Totally. Nothing to see. Heart in one piece. A horrible thought went through his mind, and he considered for a moment that his shadow might emerge again if he continued to deny it—deny what? He wasn't denying anything… He sighed. Even if he couldn't admit it to others, he'd have to admit it to himself.

It sucked. It really sucked.

Yosuke never really meant to catch feelings this hard. It was meant to be like one of those teasing relationships he had with Yukiko. Always ready at the jump, but realizing it wasn't a reality. But, the more he had talked with her, the more she listened to him and offered her kind words, the harder he fell. It just felt natural, but he knew it wouldn't happen.

He didn't deserve it to happen.

The scene popped into his mind: the liquor store haunted by Saki's memories and his shadow with his bright yellow eyes, punch-able face, truth spilling from its mouth. Of all the horrible, true things his shadow had said, this one replayed itself in his mind the most often:

"…You never even really cared about Saki. Look how quickly you replaced her! Onto the next thing! The next girl. Anything to keep you entertained."

He couldn't stand that even a fraction of himself thought that way, so he denied it with all his might despite knowing the truth. Honestly, Yosuke wasn't sure he would have talked to, let alone trusted someone after hearing that, but Yua fought his shadow. She was pretty amazing, and after he came to terms with the shitty part of himself, he knew he had to apologize.

"Back there… it was kind of awkward. But, I—I don't. . . I don't just see you as a replacement. Y'know? You're a lot more than that."

She just smiled, "I know, Yosuke. You're a good friend."

Yua was such a good person that he didn't mind being just friends with her, even if that wasn't all he wanted. He knew he couldn't honestly confess until he sorted through the feelings. She wasn't just a replacement, and he wanted to ensure that was clear to her and himself. He couldn't start anything until he was sure that Yua was more than something "to entertain." (Even though part of him was cursing himself for taking so long.)

Still, that didn't mean he couldn't throw a couple flirtatious comments her way, which Yua deflected as well as a tank repelled a pellet gun. Of course, he was just joking around, but they had a weird tit-for-tat going on. Everything he did was only matched or surpassed by her. He tried to get his motorbike license to impress her and get her to cling onto him like he'd seen in the movies, but she went ahead and got her own license so they could ride around together. As independent as she was, he wished that he could do something for her without her outclassing him. At least he could make sure that the guy she was dating wasn't a total weirdo.

And he was alright with Yua dating other guys; he really was. He wasn't going to be stupid about it. He was going to be mature… thinking about it, stalking Yua's boyfriend wasn't exactly a hallmark of maturity. It was invading their privacy. He didn't need to mess with their relationship. Maybe he should stop.

"I would like to shop in peace," Yosuke was shaken from his thoughts by Naoto's voice; the detective had stopped in the middle of an aisle and didn't even turn around to address Yosuke. "Are you here on store business or just to bother me?"

Yosuke figured that it would be more suspicious to just disappear and stepped out from behind the shelf, "Uh, no, no, just hanging around, not really following anyone. Just restocking—" he realized he didn't have anything that would show that he was restocking "—checking the stock out." He fidgeted with a can.

Naoto pivoted on his heels, "You've walked through three different departments of the store, and you sat behind that shelf for four minutes."

"No, no, it's a complete coincidence" Yosuke held his hands up but quickly got distracted by what was in Naoto's hand. "Uh, what is the candy for?"

"I don't see how it's of any concern," the boy snapped and then softened. "But, it's for my grandfather. His birthday is coming up, and he likes these kinds of sweets."

"Uh-huh," Yosuke's voice was unintentionally tinged with mistrust.

"You don't believe my completely plausible story? I really don't need to be harassed anymore."

"No harassment, I—uh just want to talk…" Yosuke could have slapped himself. Talk? Talk about what? About their thing?

"Then what?"

The words just tumbled out of his mouth, "I just wanted to say… I know," Yosuke wished Chie was there to kick him and stop the rambling.

"You…" Naoto looked at him with a concerned gaze. "You know? Know what exactly?"

Yosuke knew he was in it now, but he just couldn't stop, "I know the whole thing you've got going on. Your secret."

"Thing? Secret." Naoto looked at him blankly for a second, and then a bright blush crept up into his face. "Who? How did you—" he seemed to realize he was being loud and whispered. "How do you know? Who told you?"

"No one. Just did a little detective work," Yosuke shook his head. That sounded bad. "I'm not stalking you or anything." That sounded worse. "I just noticed. Ok?"

Naoto scowled, "What do you mean to do with this information? It's blackmail, is it?"

"Blackmail! No—no! I won't do anything? I guess."

A beat passed.

Naoto looked very confused, and his face was still flushed, "Then—then why bring it up? Why are you following me around?"

"I just thought you should know that I know and that I'm okay with it. It's—It's great, actually. I respect it, really," Yosuke cringed as the words tumbled from his mouth. God, he sounded like a moron.

"And why would I need your approval to continue with my life?" Naoto's voice went up in pitch.

"Well, you don't. I just…" Yosuke took a deep breath and tried to find some concluding thought. "I just want to say: You better take care of her, alright? I won't forgive you if you break her heart."

Naoto stood there for a moment. He blinked several times, and his shoulders dropped from the defense. His face was still red, but he seemed to regain his composure.

Naoto cleared his throat, "Is that all?"

"Yeah," Yosuke muttered. "Just treat her well, ok? She really likes you. And uh, sorry for following you. . . Don't let her know that I know, alright?"

Naoto nodded, spun, and strutted down the aisle.

"So defensive," Yosuke shook his head to alleviate the feelings of embarrassment, horror, misery, and pride that swirled in his heart.

"So strange," Naoto felt very drained from that entire encounter and swore to avoid the rest of the rookie investigation team whenever possible.

It was inevitable, but Yua didn't think it would happen this soon. This was such a big step in their relationship. She just wasn't ready and was afraid that she would show some level of inexperience. People usually saw her as calm and collected, but she was just really good at hiding her more wild emotions. Now, this was happening, and a whirlwind of thoughts claimed her mind as the event unfolded before her.

Adachi sitting across from her at the Dojima household table was tormenting. He had told her that their relationship began and ended at the door of his apartment, and she understood that. However, sitting across from her secret boyfriend and her uncle sent her blood pressure through the roof. It was only a matter of time before one of them slipped up and said or did something to draw suspicion. Dojima was a detective; he would sus out any suspicious behavior and know instantly. Then her friends would know! Then, Nanako would know!

"Yua."

"Yessir!" Yua called out into the room. She realized she was thoroughly dissecting her meal without eating it.

"I was asking how school was today," her uncle raised an eyebrow at her mangled food.

She took a moment to stow away her nerves, "Oh, fine! Not too much happened."

"Sounds like every day of my school," Adachi smiled and gave a pathetic laugh.

"That's because you never learned anything," Dojima griped.

"Ah, come on, sir… I was a part of a club."

"The go-home club?"

"Exactly!"

"You're hopeless."

Nanako perked up, "Dad, is the go-home club a fun club?"

"It sure is Nanako-chan!" Adachi grinned.

"Don't encourage her, please. You don't learn anything from the go-home club, Nanako."

"Oh, so that's why you need tutoring," Nanako muttered.

"Huh?"

"Nothing!"

Yua was trapped in her thoughts, her face stuck in a neutral expression. She was surprised how composed Adachi remained despite the circumstances. He acted like nothing was happening between the two of them. She was rather impressed. She started to feel out of her league when Adachi shot her a glance. Their eyes connected for a moment, and Adachi chanced a wink.

That's right, she wasn't alone in this. Reassurance flowed through her. If Adachi could do it, so could she. Perhaps the wink was a little challenge, a game only they could play together. If so, she would do her best. She took a breath, collecting herself. After a while, her shoulders relaxed, and the chaos that had flooded her mind morphed into a tranquil sea.

It kind of felt like bringing a boyfriend home for the first time. Adachi was undoubtedly trying to impress the relatives. He showed off a magic trick that made Nanako's eyes sparkle with wonder, and Dojima was grumpy but ultimately smiling at Adachi's attempts at humor. It seemed almost normal, and Yua was thankful for that.

Then, the booze came out.

What started as a casual drink at the beginning of the evening soon turned into a few more beers. By an hour into the meal, both adults were well over the line of tipsy. Adachi had a blush appear on his cheeks, and he was smiling and laughing at almost everything. It didn't look like he drank that much, but maybe Adachi wasn't great at holding his liquor.

Yua was worried that Adachi's imminent inebriation would lead to him making some sort of comment or move. Those once sparse glances had turned into full-on stares. Yua prayed that Dojima didn't notice, and her pleas seemed to reach the gods of alcohol. Dojima got up for a moment to go to the restroom.

Nanako sighed as the rowdy behavior had stifled her attempts at her assignments, "I'm not going to get any homework done tonight, am I."

"We can catch up tomorrow," Yua sighed.

"Homework? Jusask your friends for the answers," Adachi commented.

"Don't do that, Nanako-chan," Yua muttered. "Let's watch some TV."

Nanako grabbed the remote, flipped on the television, and turned her attention to it.

Yua felt something spider along her hand, and she glanced over to see Adachi run his fingers over hers. He smiled at their hands and laced their fingers together. As much as Yua felt warmth spread through her at his affectionate touch, Nanako was just a glimpse away from seeing her cousin in a romantic handhold. Yua gave him a reassuring squeeze before pulling her hand away.

However, that wasn't the end of Adachi's drunken affections. She felt Adachi scoot closer to her as she tried her best to keep her eyes trained on the TV. He bumped his knee as he came to sit on her side of the table. Yua didn't know whether to look at him and give him a signal to back off or if she should just stay there. As if to answer her question, his hand brushed her back and started to do circles. Again, she melted into his touch and felt the need to lean into his embrace as she had so many times before, but she knew better.

Yua turned to face him and vigorously shook her head. Adachi just grinned back and nodded. She was about to push his hand away when he pressed his face into her neck and nuzzled back and forth.

"Heyhey, you're realleepret-ty tonight," The words were rushed and slurred together.

Yua glanced over to where Nanako was transfixed by the TV. She didn't seem to notice, but that could change at any second and would be so much more difficult to explain than a simple hand hold. She tried to push him off her neck, but he kept himself there and muttered semi-coherent compliments.

She heard the restroom door click open and shot out of her seat, bumping his chin with her shoulder on the ascent.

"I'm going to do the dishes," Yua announced, covering up Adachi's pained hiss, and strode toward the kitchen.

"Wait," Adachi whispered and reached to catch her leg on the way out. Yua sidestepped, and he lost his balance and collapsed on his back to the floor. He let out an exaggerated groan, which drew Nanako's attention away from the TV program. Yua raced to the kitchen.

"Adachi?" Dojima stepped back into the room. "Are you alright?"

"I got shot down, Dojima-san," he made a crashing plane motion with his hand and an explosion.

The comment soared over Dojima's head, unlike Adachi's fictional plane. He stepped over his partner and ordered, "Adachi, get some more beer while down there."

"Sir!" Adachi stumbled to his feet, saluted Dojima with the wrong hand, and laughed.

As he struggled to the kitchen with his back turned to Dojima, he winked at Yua. She wasn't as comforted with this wink. He brushed past as he opened the refrigerator. She tried not to notice the amorous way he glanced at her through his periphery. She hoped he was sober enough to remember how to act in front of Doji—

A hand patted her on the butt.

A jolt of panic shot through her. She was so surprised by the sudden motion that she slammed her knee into the counter and dropped the plate into the sink with a loud clatter. This brought the attention of the entire household. She ducked her head so that no one could see her flushed cheeks. Adachi emerged from the fridge with two beers in his hand and feigned a look of concern.

"You alright?" Dojima called from across the room. He wasn't yelling, and Adachi wasn't pinned to the ground: Yua assumed her uncle didn't see that.

"I'm fine," Yua spluttered. "The water was hotter than I expected."

"Be careful," he sighed and turned away.

Yua looked between her hair at Adachi. He grinned at her like a fox before winking and heading back to the table, only to trip over the pillow and land on his face.

"Adachi, the beer!"

Adachi ended up staying the night. Dojima was worried he'd fall into a ditch if he tried to walk home, so the older man insisted that his partner sleep on the couch. In the ideal situation, Yua would have offered her futon for him to stay on—their couch had a bit of a dip and a couple of lumps in some areas. It couldn't be too comfortable to sleep on; Dojima didn't think so:

"He'll be fine," her uncle grumbled as he made his way to his bedroom. "He'll have a hangover, but he'll be fine."

Fine wasn't enough on her watch. Adachi was sleeping under a thin blanket. She gathered an extra blanket from her bedroom and took it downstairs. Adachi was passed out with his face planted into the pillow. His jacket and tie were thrown over the arm. Yua cast the cover over him and started to tuck it in.

Adachi grumbled something and rolled over to face Yua. She couldn't help the smile that crossed her face. He looked so peaceful. After tucking him in, she extended her hand slowly before hesitating. She glanced back at the door to Dojima's room to make sure it was closed. Assuring her security, she combed through his hair with her fingers.

Adachi stirred from his sleep. He said something that she couldn't comprehend, and she continued to comb through it. Her fingers came upon a knot in the unruly hair, and she accidentally tugged it harder than she meant.

"Stop it," a hand shot out and seized hers, pushing it away from him. Yua had to curb a surprised yelp. She fell back on her knees and nursed her hand.

It wasn't bruised and only hurt for a moment, but it didn't stop her from reeling away from him. Adachi's hand lay limply over the edge. He was clearly still asleep, so Yua felt silly about being hurt by his unconscious actions… he was drunk, after all.

Yua paused for a moment. She'd tried to chalk up the embarrassing parts of the night to his drunkenness, but she didn't know whether or not she accepted it. Dojima drank, but he never leered at her like Adachi had that evening. And he never touched her in anger.

Yua felt disappointed that she was reminded of her parents. They weren't alcoholics, but social events sometimes left them coming home late. Yua was usually asleep during those times, but she had seen them once or twice stumble back to the apartment. They were loud and said things to each other that they didn't mean. Nights like that usually left her father on the couch—just like Adachi was now. Yua didn't want that.

"Yua," the teen looked up from her hand and glanced to Adachi. He studied her through half-hooded eyes and smiled. Then he looked down at her hand. Yua felt his hand clumsily grab the one that he had rejected moments ago.

Awkward yet gentle, he brought the hand closer to him. Yua was surprised when he rubbed her hand on his cheek while he smiled. Then, very tenderly, he kissed her palm. Electricity ran up her arm. She decided very quickly that her parents didn't have what they had.

He tugged her closer: "Come on in, the water's fine." He snickered into his pillow.

Yua thought about it but knew there was a chance she'd fall asleep, so she chose something else instead. She glanced back at the door to Dojima's bedroom just to make sure the coast was clear.

She kissed him on the forehead, "Goodnight."

"Mhfph," he responded and drifted off.

Yua had to fight the overwhelming urge to slip under the covers and snuggle with him as he slept. She spared a minute or two to provide a few more affectionate pets before pulling the covers up and retreating upstairs.

Adachi left with Dojima in the early morning before Yua was awake. Pretending to have been mortified at the previous night's action, Adachi had written several apology texts to Yua. She, of course, downplayed the entire event and insisted that he was not thinking straight. Despite the potential problems that cropped up from the night, he felt the experiment was successful.

When he wanted to push her out of her comfort zone, he would just have to look for an excuse to get drunk. If anything inexcusable happened, he could just chalk it up to drinking and be forgiven. She was so nice, so simple. So stupid.