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Yusuke sits alone in the booth of Leblanc. Sojiro cleans the plates from behind the counter. Futaba taps the tip of her finger on the wooden counter. No one has spoken a word since the others left.
"...can Yusuke sleep in the attic?" Futaba asks.
Yusuke and Sojiro turn to look at her.
"Futaba..."
"Well...I'm fine with it. But does Yusuke want to stay here for the night?"
Yusuke's gaze shifts to Sojiro.
"Y-you'll...let me...?"
"Geez...even your voice sounds exhausted and upset. Futaba, can you take him upstairs?"
"Aye aye captain."
Futaba leaps from the chair and walks over to the booth. "Come on Inari. Let's get you to bed." She says, holding out her hand to him.
Yusuke's gaze lags as it shifts from Sojiro to Futaba's hand. He stares at it for longer than he reasonably should. Futaba shakes here hand after a while which causes Yusuke to jump slightly and grab it. He pulls himself up before Futaba tugs him along to head upstairs.
After trotting up all the steps, Yusuke clutches his clothes.
"It's all...unchanged." He says, scanning the room. He lets go of Futaba's hand and wanders over to the shelf, staring at each little memoir that has gathered a light layer of dust. He then turns to the plant and beside it is.
"...the statue I gave him after we went to Ueno back in June...it's still here..." He comments, lips shaking.
"...yeah. Sojiro hasn't touched anything." Futaba explains. "It was displayed like this the day he left so it wouldn't be right to just pack it away." She adds.
"The day he left...Christmas..."
Yusuke walks over to the couch and sits on it, pondering his thoughts before speaking. "...he invited me over after we defeated the holy grail. I knew he was hiding something from me...I didn't think it was that he was going to turn himself in, though. I left in a bad mood because he was keeping secrets from me...he should have known how I feel about those by now."
"Yeah...you got bad blood with them huh? Since Madarame kept so many from you..." Futaba comments.
Yusuke nods in response. "But...in this case, I can see why he lied. If he told to the truth, I would have been pleading for him not to go, to stay here with us. I would have begged until my throat became sore, until my body forced me to the realm of slumber. And by the time I woke up, I would have found myself alone in the room..."
Yusuke's expression tightens as he grips tighter onto his clothes, he sucks in a shaky breath.
"...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have suggested you sleep here. It's only making you more upset." Futaba replies with a sad gaze, squatting down on the floor and staring down. "You can go home if you want. I can go tell Sojiro."
"F-futaba...n-no. Sorry..." Yusuke's eyes widen as he stands up and walks over to her side. "...I do want to stay here, really. I want to be as close as I can to him while he's gone."
"Then...why are you so upset here?" Futaba asks, perking her head up.
"...looking back at what we did here before he left...they all remind me of why it hurts to much for him to not be here." Yusuke explains. "At least...that's the best way I can describe it." He takes a deep breath. "I'll...get ready for bed. You can go home. Thank you..."
Futaba stands back up, sighing softly. "If you're sure you'll be okay, then...yeah. But if you can't sleep just text me, k?"
Yusuke laughs softly. "Of course, Futaba. I'll keep that in mind...oh, one more thing, did you or boss put the scarf anywhere?"
"Scarf...? What scarf?"
"Oh, I gave it to Akira on christmas eve...it should still be here." Yusuke sighs. "...well, his bed should be enough to comfort me on its own."
"In that case, I'm outta here." Futaba turns around to trot down the stairs, leaving Yusuke alone in the room.
He takes a deep breath in before pulling the top layers of his clothing off of himself. Without Pyjamas on hand, his casual pants and undershirt will have to do as his sleepware. He sits himself on the bed made of crates. The moonlight shines through the window right onto Yusuke as he wraps himself up in the thick quilt that Akira slept beneath every night. He holds out his hand to grasp some of the light before turning to the window to open it. A cold breeze comes through, some snow falling off the window. The warmth of the blanket begins to feel like a protective hug to defend against the winter air, the only thing missing is a whisper of assurance from Akira.
Yusuke stares at the bright moon intently, no clouds to obscure it...
"...We're still under the same moon....but can you see it from where you are?"
He clutches the quilt tighter...
A long, slim window. Cracks of moonlight seep through. Alone in the cell, curfew is in place.
"...I'm so sorry...I missed your birthday."
Akira clutches the scarf around his neck as he tries to hold back his tears. "...I can tell you're upset because I wasn't there. Your first birthday away from that place, and I'm not there to see it. I'm such a shitty boyfriend, huh?" He wipes his wet eyes with the back of his hand. He takes in a deep breath and lets out a sigh, and turns his head to the window....
He stands up to peek through, to get a glimpse of the sky. His grip on his scarf tightens as his gaze fixates on the moon, shining brightly, clearly.
"I can tell you're staring at it too..." Akira mutters. "Your longing gaze...it's really for me, isn't it? It's okay...I've got your warmth right here..."
Akira glances down at his scarf. Despite his forming tears, he smiles before staring back up at the moon. "No matter what happens...I'll still love you."