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Yu Narukami is the youngest soul in Inaba.
Younger than most of the residents by centuries. Sixteen measly years compared to their hundreds. He just thanks his lucky stars they find him cute.
Not every human would be so lucky.
“I can’t believe Saki got the weekend off again,” a fae girl mutters. She has no issues about complaining loudly in the Junes food court apparently.
“Of course she did,” her friend replies, equally annoyed. “She’s the favorite, after all.”
“She probably doesn’t even have to trick it out of him,” the first girl mutters with disdain. “She could just ask and he’d be tripping over himself to give her what she wants.”
Yu follows their line of sight, unsurprised at the subject of their ire.
Correction.
Yu Narukami is the second youngest soul in Inaba.
The youngest person in Inaba is Yosuke Hanamura.
Some might say it was asking for trouble, having a human family act as store managers in a town full of fae. Yu always wondered whose idea that was. Was it human hubris or a fae trap? And did pure stubbornness keep his family here, or did they simply have no other options? Either way, Yu feels a certain kinship with Yosuke.
Yosuke’s too busy talking with another employee to notice he’s being targeted. Maybe he’s just used to the constant stares, to the point he’s learned how to tune them out. The threat is clear.
“It’s in those berries,” the other says. “If we can get those away from him, then we’ve got our weekend back.”
“I think he owes us more than that for the trouble.”
Yu doesn’t have to look to know what they’re talking about. Elderberries. One of the only surefire protections against fae glamours. As part of the only human family in Inaba, it was a given Yosuke had a string of them somewhere.
“Fine. Watch this.”
When the other part-timer finishes his conversation with Yosuke and leaves, the first girl makes her move. She makes no attempt to be subtle, but she doesn’t have to be. All she needs is those berries off his person and he’ll be a goner. She yanks them right out of Yosuke’s pocket.
“Hey, what was—” But he makes the mistake of catching her eye, and then he’s doomed.
“Hey, Hana-chan.”
It’s a nickname only Saki’s allowed to use, but under the glamour, that doesn’t count for anything. He relaxes visibly at the familiar name, completely unaware of who’s talking to him.
The girls gleam with mischief, flashing twin smiles of sharp teeth. Like cats with a mouse trapped right under their paws.
“Do you think you could finalize the schedule?” the first girl asks. “You said you were giving us the day off.”
“And that you were covering our shifts,” the second one adds hastily. From the way her shoulders shake with barely contained laughter, this was a last-minute addition.
“Oh…” Yosuke’s voice is faraway, drifting. He can barely keep his eyes open. “Yeah, sure.”
His voice ticks a little higher, a little softer. There are times when he shrinks in on himself, reflecting just how young he is compared to the fae, and the fae always take advantage of that.
“We can still get paid, though, can’t we, Hana-chan?” the first girl presses.
“Mm. Yeah.” A hand creeps up to his mouth, his pinkie threatening to slip between his lips. Yu’s never seen the glamour hit someone so hard before. Is Yosuke just that susceptible? Or are fae’s powers stronger in large groups?
And with that, Yu’s seen enough.
“What’s going on here?” he asks, loudly and sharply enough to have both girls jumping. At least they have the good grace to look guilty.
“Oh, nothing,” the first girl says lightly. Her voice still hums with the power of a glamour, now aimed at Yu instead. “He was just giving us the weekend off.”
Yu, however, remains less than impressed. “He wasn’t.”
The simple statement of fact is enough to snap Yosuke from his trance. He blinks, checks his pockets, and silently panics when he realizes his only defense against fae glamours has gone missing. Yu’s best bet is to get him out of here as quickly as possible.
He grabs Yosuke’s sleeve, a physical tether that grounds him to the present. “We have to go. Excuse us.”
Yosuke stumbles but quickly falls into step. Yu doesn’t take him far. Just around the corner, out of sight. Some place he can get his bearings.
“Do you remember where you are?” Yu asks.
Yosuke blinks rapidly, trying to clear his vision. His arms are pinned firmly at his sides, but he sucks his bottom lip between his teeth, trying to emulate that same comfort he was grasping at while under the glamour.
“Yeah…” Yosuke says after a moment. His eyes are fixed on the ground. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
He shifts awkwardly, a child trying to fit into adult clothes. Even harder to do when he’s so embarrassed, when the trilling laughter of his bullies is still audible.
Yu doesn’t say anything. Just stands nearby, offering some silent support. A barrier between Yosuke and anyone that might want to hurt him. He loves this town, and he trusts the people in it, but he can’t fault any fae for acting on easy prey. His mother was the same way.
“Hey…” Yosuke trails off, rubbing at his arm. The silence has stretched just long enough to make breaking the silence uncomfortable, but clearly Yu isn’t going anywhere. “Thanks for that.”
Yu nods. He won’t belabor the subject, not when Yosuke’s face is burning and his shoulders are slumped. One of the only humans in town… the target on his back is clear. “Anytime.”
Yosuke glances over his shoulder. The two fae girls are glaring daggers at them both. His mouth sours in a grimace. “We should probably get out of here.”
Yu nods. If that’s where Yosuke wants to go, then he’ll gladly follow.
“My dad won’t be too busted up about me ditching my shift… probably.”
“You can stay,” Yu offers. “I can stick close.”
But that makes Yosuke grimace too. “I don’t think I can face them.” Then, sounding much, much smaller, “Can we just go?”
Yu’s protective instincts surge at his tone. It’s like the whole interaction has scrubbed him raw, and those vulnerable shreds of the glamoured child still shine through.
“Yeah. Absolutely. My place?”
If it were anyone else, the offer would be out of the question. But Yu is Yu, a safe and trusted person. Even if the rest of his family is fae, he’ll always keep Yosuke safe. Strange how Yosuke never questions that last part.
Yu makes no attempt to push as they walk home. Yosuke pauses to send a text to his dad explaining everything, and if the reaction is negative, he doesn’t say anything. Again, Yu doesn’t push.
“Sorry you had to see that,” Yosuke says after a long moment. “It’s real embarrassing. They used to walk all over my dad too.”
Yu notices that last part. Past tense. “Used to?”
“He sewed special pockets into his clothes so he could hide stuff better.”
“And you don’t?”
“I do, but they always find them.” Yosuke folds his arms over his chest, focusing on some faraway object down the street. “How do you do it?”
Yu blinks, his stomach curdling with dread. “What do you mean?”
“Resist the glamour and stuff. Is it that easy? Am I just doing it wrong?”
“I just stop thinking,” Yu answers. Which is at least partially true. The fae can have some sway if he’s not careful, so it’s always best to keep his thoughts blank.
Yosuke laughs. “Sure, whatever. Maybe they just like you too much to glamour you or something.”
And if that’s the answer Yosuke wants to come to, Yu certainly won’t correct him. The truth is a lot less reassuring.
His mom went native, but fae blood is fae blood, and with it comes certain advantages. Human appearance, human lifespan… but a notable resistance to glamours. Something that never came in handy before he’d moved back to Inaba.
The Dojima residence is empty when they get home. Nanako usually doesn’t get back until later in the day, and Dojima hardly comes home at all. Maybe that’s for the best. Fae children have a unique cruelty to them, and even though Nanako’s the exception, Yosuke’s hardly comfortable around Yu’s family.
As soon as they’re in the safety of Yu’s room, Yosuke lies on the floor and curls up on his side. The way his neck is bent can’t be comfortable, but he doesn’t move.
Yu’s best guess is that the glamour is exhausting, producing a haze similar to a sedative. None of that, however, would explain his younger behaviors.
“You okay?” Yu asks.
His only answer is a tiny whimper. Yosuke doesn’t lift his head.
Yu knows that whine well enough by now. “Here.” He fumbles for his bed, the stuffed bunny his mom insisted he bring with him.
By her accounts, he’s still a baby and will be until he’s at least a hundred, but maybe for once, she had a point. Yosuke takes the plushie into his arms as soon as it’s offered, burying his face in the soft material. As far as he knows, Yosuke doesn’t have any stuffed animals of his own.
He's not sure how long they just sit there, letting the time crawl by them. Yosuke sniffles every now and then, but for the most part he’s quiet and reserved, trying desperately to shake off the embarrassment of the day’s events.
Under any other circumstances, Yosuke wouldn’t tolerate the casual affection, Yu’s hand mussing lazily through his hair, but today, he takes it. He takes it until he doesn’t need it anymore, until he can muster lifting his head from the floor. He has to roll the cricks out of his neck as he does so.
“I’m good,” he says. He means it as a dismissal, but Yu doesn’t stop and Yosuke doesn’t push him away. “Sorry, it’s just… coming off of a glamour always makes me feel… I don’t know, small? I know it’s weird.”
“Not that weird,” Yu replies. He has the sneaking suspicion that Yosuke regresses too, but he doesn’t know how to broach the subject. A lot to put on a person.
Vulnerability is dangerous around fae. They’re more than willing to help, but their help always comes at a price. And with regression comes a vulnerability that doesn’t let you think fast. Not to mention that from what little he’s heard about Yosuke’s parents, he doubts they’d be all that supportive either. That’s a lot of pressure to put on one person.
Another reason he has to keep his parentage to himself. Surely it would shatter whatever trust Yosuke has in him. How would Yosuke even manage if he didn’t have anyone his own age to depend on? Really, it’s best for them both to keep quiet.
He keeps carding his fingers through Yosuke’s hair, noting how Yosuke curls into every touch. Normally, he pulls away. But normally, he hasn’t had such a close encounter with the fae. Yu can only imagine how raw and cut open he feels after something like that, and thanks his lucky stars he’s never had the chance to.
“Still…” Yosuke doesn’t have much of an argument beyond that, but he tries. Just for the sake of saying he did.
It’s hard, Yu knows, when you’re fighting against this active feeling of safety. If he had what Yosuke had, he’d be reluctant to pull away too.
“It just sucks, you know?” Yosuke says quietly. “I feel like I’m drowning all the time, and no matter what I do, it’s wrong. I can’t even ask a classmate for a pencil without worrying they’re gonna, like, take ten years off my life in exchange or something.”
School especially is harrowing. While Yu is the new kid, the fae regard him with a quiet interest. Sometimes, he wonders if his mom made a deal with the townspeople, his safety as part of the exchange. Whatever it is, most people leave him alone, but the same can’t be said for Yosuke.
They treat him like a toy at best and a baby at worst, the young little human a supply of endless entertainment. He’s younger than even the youngest of their families. Even Nanako’s almost seventy. He’s the youngest person in Inaba—by all accounts, a baby. And any attempts to prove himself otherwise are nothing but a joke.
He doesn’t even have the same safety net Yu does. Where grandmothers find Yu cute, they find Yosuke a nuisance. After all, he’s not one of theirs. Just an outsider.
“No safe spots at school or at work. Hell, I don’t even know if I have that at home anymore.” He moves closer, so the top of his head is pressing against Yu’s thigh. “I’m so tired.”
Yu presses his lips tight, unsure of what to say. There’s no solution, nothing he can do except be present. You need to be small. You need to relax. The words sit on the tip of his tongue, tantalizing with their impossibility. Regressor or no, Yosuke wouldn’t take too kindly to being even more of a baby than everyone first thought.
“Dad’s pissed that I bailed,” Yosuke continues. So that’s what became of their text conversation. “I’m gonna get the mother of all lectures when I get home.”
“You can stay here for the night,” Yu offers. His mouth moves faster than his brain, and only after does he realize why that might be a dumb idea.
Sure, he’s alright, but there are two other fae that live in this house that Yosuke wouldn’t be comfortable around.
Yosuke peeks up at him with one very hopeful eye. “That’d be okay?”
Does he trust Yu that much or is he not thinking this through either? Either way, he feels a surge of protectiveness he can’t quite dispel. He’s more like his mom than he’d like to admit. Always a soft spot for humans.
“You can take the futon. And Usa.”
Yosuke smiles at the mention of the stuffed bunny. He’ll never call it by its name, but he likes it when Yu does. If anything, it’s the signs of happy regression finally peeking through.
“Thanks, partner. You really are the best person in this town.”
Would he say that if he knew what Yu really was? Would he be mad? Yu has his guesses, but at the end of the day, he doesn’t really want to know.
Yosuke’s eyes slip shut, and he dozes. Yu can’t sleep, not so early, not with everything on his mind, so he keeps running his fingers through Yosuke’s hair.
He’ll hold onto his secret, just for a little longer.
Let Yosuke have his safety.