Naoto needs a roommate, and Yosuke, desperate to escape the stifling environment of Inaba, takes them up on the offer.
Unfortunately, it's a lot harder to keep secrets in close quarters.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Preview under the cut!
The granny's still waving at them as they exit, Yosuke holding two bags, Naoto with just one hugged to her chest, like it's a bit too heavy. When Yosuke asks to take it from her, she huffs again.
"If I can run around the TV World for several months, I can carry a bag of groceries," she insists.
"Alright." He backs off. "...Is that lady always like that?"
"Shibata-san? Yes, she is." Naoto adjusts her hold on the bag she's carrying so she can unlock the door to their apartment. "Don't take anything she says to heart. She doesn't see her grandchildren very often, so she dotes on everyone who comes in."
"And you talked to her about...me?"
"I mentioned I was getting a roommate, and accidentally let it slip that you were male. She now has the idea in her head that we are in some sort of...relationship, and refuses to listen to reason."
He pulls out the dessert the granny had slipped in. "Hence the cake?"
It's a chocolate monstrosity, layers of rich chocolate cake and frosting, topped with little heart-shaped sprinkles, and a drizzle of something that seems like it could be raspberry. It was probably meant for Valentine's day, now that he thinks about it.
Naoto grimaces at it. "You can toss that, if it bothers you."
"Nah, I think we should eat it!" Yosuke insisted, throwing an arm around Naoto's shoulders. "Let's make this "Not-A-Relationship-But-Roommates" thing official! We'll cut the cake, get matching rings, adopt a dog--"
She laughs, seemingly despite herself, but pushes him away. "Unfortunately I'm not much one for sweets, Senpai."
"Aw, are you sure?" He pulls out the case of cup ramen. "C'mon, let's do dinner. Get kidney stones together."
"Actually I...have plans tonight, Senpai."
Ah. Yosuke's balloon of happiness deflates. "You didn't mention that earlier."
"It was a last-minute thing," she explains, but she's not quite meeting his eyes and it puts him on edge. "It's for work."
"Oh."
"Mm-hm."
There's a beat of silence that Naoto breaks by readjusting her coat and checking her watch. "I really should get going..."
"Oh. Oh yeah, sure. Have a good night."
Naoto leaves immediately after, the sound of the door closing the only noise before Yosuke is enveloped by silence. He feels frozen for a minute or two after, not just unable to move, but cold. He presses his palms into the edge of the table, wood digging in hard enough to leave a noticeable indent, breaks himself out of his trance. Shakes his head, clears his mind, and throws on his headphones before any other thoughts can enter, cranking the volume.
When his groceries are put away, he cracks open the plastic to-go box the cake is packaged in and takes a bite, Naoto's not-being-here be damned.
