Not-So-Secret Santa

Every year up until this point, there had been nothing but swarms of last minute work hours, or staying at home alone waiting for his parents to return from work. There hadn't been many friends in the city who would be in town for the holidays either, and once they moved to Inaba there really wasn't much of anything there for him besides working Christmas Eve.

Of course, this wasn't just any year anymore. There was finally the difference of having a group of friends to surround himself with. There was also the difference of how unnecessarily complicated a game of Secret Santa could become.

"Okay, so everyone draw a piece of paper from the hat."

"No cheating!"

Yukiko and Rise were adamant about everyone gathering around in a circle on the floor in the living room. The Dojima residence was livelier than usual, everyone in high spirits over Yu returning home for a rather long, holiday visit. They were all taking turns to grab a tiny piece of paper from the hat. Soft gasps and sighs came from a few at the names they drew.

"All right, everyone has a name right? Everyone knows the spending cap!" Rise was standing upright again, pointing at everyone as she gave out a reminder that was almost like a command.

"The cookies are almost ready!" Nanako's voice came from the kitchen as she peered over the counter. She had grown a little taller in the past 6 months since her cousin had last visited.

"Geez, they make it seem like this is a mission or something."

The former-headphone wearing teen had leaned over and muttered lowly to his best friend. Though, he felt nervous in his own way with the name he had drawn. Yosuke clutched the piece of paper and shoved it into his pocket, the feeling almost burning on his skin as he couldn't stop thinking of the name.

"Nervous?" Yu looked over at him; they were peering closely at one another now.

"Not really, I've just never really done something like this before." He laughed nervously, rubbing at the back of his head as he felt like he was already doomed. Silver eyes gave him a smile that matched the one lingering on those lips, and it made him feel uneasy.

He'd never actually had to put much thought into a gift before. In the past, people would either tell him what they wanted or would just tell him they didn't want anything. But this, this was majorly different. He had to find something of value to give to his best friend. Of course, it would be his luck that he would draw the one name that should've been super easy for him but really it was probably the hardest one.

Not to mention, there was the horrible, internal, aching, crush that he had developed on their former leader. It had sequestered itself in his mind and heart as a realization the day he had left Inaba back in March. Ever since then, the late night calls, almost constant texting had made that sensation grow. The previous visit during Golden Week hadn't brought any time for him to even try to figure anything out then either, seeing as, more than half the time had been taken up fighting again.

"So…heh…who'd you get?"

Yosuke was picking at the cookie he had gotten from the plate as everyone was sitting around in various sections of the living room, having their own conversations amongst themselves.

Yu smiled, chuckling softly as he took a bite of the sugar cookie, savoring the taste before swallowing it. After he tilted his head to give Yosuke a look, he replied. "I'm not telling you."

"W-What why not? You know I won't say anything, and then maybe I could help you or something."

"Oh? Are you going to tell me who you got?"

Yosuke started forming half-words, sounding like a string of gibberish before he shut his mouth with a sigh. "Guess not." Now he realized how stupid the exchange would've been.

For an entire week after that, Yosuke had been at a complete loss in finding a suitable gift for his partner. Sure, it should've been easy since he had hung out with him for an entire year's time, he had been able to see just what the guy liked and disliked in every sort of thing. Even after he had left, they still had conversations about general things, letting him get to know the other even at a distance.

But still, it wasn't simple enough for him to just go to the department store and pick up a new DVD or sweater or something materialistic like that. He wanted the gift to have some sort of thought put into it, something…special. That sounded so fucking cheesy when he thought of it that way, but it was really how he wanted it to be. All he ever wanted to do was be important to their silver-eyed leader, and to feel that same amount of importance in return.

Even with all that going on in his mind, it still didn't stop his curiosity. After his small fumble at the party with that one question, Yosuke's curiosity still grew. His idiocy never really stopped him before, and there were some numerous times that he asked the same question at random.

"Soooo…who'd you get?"

Yu sighed. He brought a hand to his forehead to brush away some of his silver bangs before peering over at a very tentative Yosuke. So tentative that the brunette had even slid over on the bench they were sitting on, staring at him with that obvious interest that hadn't gone away all week now.

"I'll say the same thing as last time: if you tell me yours then I'll tell you mine."

Yosuke huffed defeated, crossing his arms as he leaned back against the bench, not really moving from the close proximity though. It was strange because it wasn't something insanely private as 'you show me mine and I'll show you yours', though Yosuke wouldn't have complained with that idea either. Nope, he wasn't going to be thinking those things in the middle of the day with the object of his thoughts right next to him. Nope, no way. Not gonna happen.

Shit.

"Going to work soon?"

"Yeah, I was about to head over now. Just have to…get up."

Yosuke felt himself thinking that phrase in the wrongest way and he quickly stood up, pretending to brush himself off in a way to push his jacket down over the front of himself even more. He grabbed his back, shuffling over towards the rooftop door just as he heard footsteps trailing after him.

"I was going to see if you needed an extra hand today."

The statement made Yosuke noticeably stiffen, prickles running down his body as he stiffly went to reach for the rooftop door. "Uh well, sure if you want I mean it's not like I can stop you or anything, just like you know do whatever."

Yu raised an eyebrow at the oddest of replies, not really giving it too much thought since he usually wrote things like that off as Yosuke being Yosuke.

The entire walk to Junes was unbelievably hard for Yosuke.

Why was it that everything that was said or thought now was being taken out of context?

Trying to calm his strange wave of hormones, he managed to upset the balance a little as soon as he grabbed his apron and began getting into work-mode. Moving new shipment to the floor from the stockroom was an even better distraction. It gave him a method of hiding any more problems that might have somehow appeared, but being so caught up in working he hardly had time to think.

"So who did you get?"

The question made Yosuke tip in his hold on a box. As he set it down in the appropriate spot to be unloaded later, he turned and started heading back to the stockroom nearby.

"Uh…we're still playing that game?"

"Well you've been asking me non-stop all week, so I just thought I would ask you instead."

Yu was leaning back against the doorway of the stockroom as Yosuke had stopped near the shelves. He could see how the brunette was shifting almost uncomfortably.

"I-It's not important. You'll find out soon anyways right?" Yosuke was almost fidgeting now as he rubbed at the back of his neck, avoiding looking back at the gaze that he felt on his back. The word soon brought a dread to him since he still had found nothing to give the other.

"I'd rather know now though."

"But doesn't that take away the surprise?"

"Surprise? It's just a gift, nothing that important."

"But it's not just a gift."

"It's a Christmas gift?"

"Well yeah but-"

"Did you get Rise?"

"Wh-no!"

"Kanji, Chie, Yukiko?"

"I'm not playing this game with you."

"That's not very fair that you can ask me all the time then."

"I never thought that you would actually tell me anyways."

Yosuke grumbled as he felt his throat going a little dry from how rapidly he had been responding in their mini-banter. Crossing his arms, he finally turned enough to look back at grey eyes that were set on him.

"My gift isn't something simple."

The minor slip of information made Yosuke peek up a bit more, meeting the gaze more evenly now as he turned a little bit more. "Did you get someone and you don't know what to get them."

"No. I know what I want to give them." Yu broke the gaze as he looked away.

"Well what is it; maybe I can help you find it?"

"It's not anything I can go out and buy."

"Can you make it?"

"I already have it."

"Can I see it?"

There was a pause. Yu seemed to be thinking over the idea silently before he finally returned his grey eyes to looking at a shade of brown. "Sure. But you have to close your eyes."

"What-why?"

"Because it has to have a certain effect, and you can't be looking for that to happen."

"Ugh-you'resoweird-okay fine." Yosuke gradually closed his eyes, having them still slightly open in the smallest of slits. He thought he was being clever, having done this so many times when he was younger to convince his parents he was still asleep.

Apparently Yu had done the same thing, or he just had that good of instincts because before Yosuke knew it, there was a hand that slipped over his eyes to shield any possible amount of sight.

"I said no peeking."

"Aw c'mon man-"

A rush of warmth was felt on Yosuke's lips. He felt his words become muffled, disappearing as quick as they had been thought. The hand that was on his eyes remained for a few seconds more just as he could feel himself faltering back a few steps from the layer of shock and jolt to his senses that had him responding back to the kiss now.

The hand finally slipped away, his eyes remained closed even then though as he felt a hand trace down on his hip, their bodies colliding together against the shelves nearby. Yosuke made a soft noise that should've been a moan of pain, but instead was one of the completely opposite end of the spectrum. Their hips had managed to push together in that instant, mouths opening more to let out muffled noises before their lips interlocked again, tongues licking and exploring in the heat of the moment.

Yu had a tight grip on the skinny frame underneath of his palms, his fingers digging underneath of the apron to touch at skin. He could feel the heat growing between them, the desire almost too intense, and the need for air become dire yet he still couldn't force himself to pull away. He'd rather take his last breath breathing all that was this person.

Feeling dizzy now from far too many combinations of things, Yosuke pulled back just slightly, his lips still lingering a fraction of an inch from the one's that had been bruising on his own. Opening his eyes, he met a gaze of grey that was looking at him in a way that he had secretly always wanted. His heart clenched in that moment, his words slowly finding a way to create themselves again.

"S-So…who'd you get?"

With a smile, he pressed his hand more at the skin that was under his fingertips. "I thought that had been pretty obvious now."

"Was that my gift?"

"Part of it."

"When do I get the rest?"

"Later on.." Yu's smile transformed into a little bit of a smirk. "Unless you want it now."

Yosuke felt his mind trailing down that path of things being out-of-context again and he shook his head. "N-Not here, partner just give it to me later."

"After work?"

"Yeah, I'll come over?"

"You mean you'll stay over."

Yosuke blushed darkly at the insinuation, though deep down, he wanted just that.

Even a week later, he was still stuck blushing darkly at another party the group was having.

Naoto was trying to act as innocent as possible as she sipped her tea. "So Yu, did you give your gift yet?"

"I did."

The rest of the group was practically in a giggling fit or sniggering under their breath.

Yosuke was sitting on the couch, as dumbfounded and embarrassed as ever.

"It was all his idea!"

"Yeah, he set this up from the start!"

"You didn't…" Yosuke was almost cringing as tried to avoid that gazes of everyone else in the group.

"He made us only put his name and your name in the hat."

"Because he wanted to give you something special." Teddie exclaimed in that never-ending cheerful voice of his.

Yukiko was being restrained from giggling too much, her snorts still being heard in the background as Chie was trying to keep her quiet.

Yosuke was visibly twitching now as he looked over at their leader who was all smiles.

"It worked too."

Rise and Chie were only egged on by Yu's noted statement. "What'd you get him Yosuke-sempai?"

"Yeah-what'd you get him?!"

Burying his face in his hands, Yosuke was completely silenced from sheer embarrassment.

"Cookies are almost ready!"

Bless Nanako-chan. The embarrassment was quickly cut off as the onlookers got up and headed to the kitchen to aid the girl. Finally looking up from his hands completely, he met grey eyes as Yu stood near him.

"You did this on purpose?"

"Yeah I did." He smiled at him, with that genuine smile of his. It always made his heart melt. Dammit.

"Ugh, I should totally hate you for this." Yosuke stood up from the couch, trying not to blush even then.

"Do you?"

"No…" He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, dropping his arm back at his side before looking back up at him again. He should've hated him for making him feel so embarrassed in front of everyone, but in the end he couldn't help but find the gesture kind of sweet, in a Yu-sort-of-way. "I actually…I-uh…"

"You what?"

"I kind of…Ikindoflove you."

"You do?"

"Yeah, I-I do love you." Yosuke was trying not to mumble as he felt his stomach fill with a thousand butterflies.

"I love you too."

The butterflies increased ten-fold, making Yosuke feel his throat dry up a little as he tried not to forget how to speak again. "I didn't know what to get you so I hope that's good enough cause you're special to me you know."

"I don't think there is a better Christmas gift than this." Yu leaned down, capturing the boy's lips in the gentlest of kisses before he breathed out truthful words in return. "You're special to me too Yosuke, in every way imaginable."

"Oi-no making out, there ain't even mistletoe there!"

"Shush Kanji-kun; let them make-out wherever they want!" Rise was leaning against the counter, sighing contenly as she watched the two still lingering closely.

"Guess we should go find some mistletoe then." Yosuke managed to feel a little of his playful streak in him even with the butterflies still present.

"I think there's one in the hallway closet."

"Of all places? Your bedroom is right upstairs!"

"Yeah but, we can't just leave the party." Yu had that blank look on his face as if to state fact.

"You're so weird partner."

"You love it." Just as he chuckled softly, they had barely managed to move from where they had been standing, only to end up stopping at the edge of the kitchen.

"Yeah, I do." Yosuke blushed as he leaned in again in that instance, already feeling lips meeting his own in that moment.

Later on, they ended up in the hallway closet, somehow.

~ fin.