#comphet

It started small.

Sometimes it was: “Hey, Whitaker, do you even know how to drink? No? What, you gonna chat them ladies up with sodas or something?” Jack chuckled at his own joke.

“A man’s gotta know how to handle his liquor, kid, basic stuff.” He waved at the bartender. “Come on, this one’s on us.”

Dennis ignored the tingles inside his belly and assumed that was from the alcohol and not from Robby’s calloused fingers covering his to tip the glass back when he tried to put it down, softly murmuring: “Keep at it, Whitaker, all in one, that’s it.”

He ignored the fuzziness that bloomed in his head from the alcohol hitting his system and how husky Robby’s laughter got when he managed to empty the glass.

“There you go, good boy.”

Dennis sputtered a bit when he heard that and Robby slapped his shoulder while laughing heartily.

“Don’t worry, Whitaker, we’ll make a man out of you yet.”

Dennis convinced himself the intense gazes from the men were pride from him ‘handling his liquor’.

Then at other times it was: “What do you mean you haven’t had weed before, Den? Don’t you kids all vape nowadays?” when they were lounging on the sofa and he hesitated at an offering of Robby’s blunt.

“Well, first of all, my extremely conservative-religious-helicopter parents would have killed me if they had found out, and they always do. But anyway, Trin- uh, Dr. Santos let me try one time, but after I coughed up the smoke, she just called me ‘a true and tried Nebraskan Huckleberry’ and forbade me from touching her stash, so it never really became a thing for me, ha ha…”

Robby shook his head, smiling exasperatedly. “That’s because you tried to inhale everything all at once, kid. The trick is to draw the smoke in your mouth first, then inhale air with the smoke into your lungs.” Robby mimed the breathings as he explained, and Dennis was enraptured.

Then he scooted closer to Dennis’ space with a grunt. “Here, you can try again.”

As Dennis reached for the blunt, Robby withdrew it quickly.

“Ah, ah!”

Robby placed the blunt into his mouth as he watched Dennis froze at the command. He didn’t even have to say intelligent words. “Here, I’ll shotgun it to you,” and expertly drew in a quick puff, holding it before moving closer to Dennis’ lips.

When Dennis flinched back in surprise at that, he felt Jack already palming the back of his head, keeping him still. He tried sputtering as he felt the warmth of Robby’s breath on him.

“Oh! Um… I don’t know, sir, uh, this seems kind of g- I mean, you know…” Dennis mentally patted himself on the back for avoiding being very offensive to the very married couple beside him.

“It’s alright, man, ain’t nothing gay about that, he’s just making sure you know how to do this trick in future to impress your woman,” Jack reassured him closely from behind.

Dennis felt the hand tighten slightly, thumb massaging the back of his head, sending a shock of pleasure down Dennis’ spine, which he resolutely ignored. But not before a gasp escaped his throat, and Robby took that opportunity to form an “O” matching Dennis’ mouth and exhaled.

Robby lazily watched as the man squinted his eyes shut, futilely moving back against Jack’s bear paw of a hand whenever their lips slightly brushed, carefully following Jack’s soft guiding words.

“Like Mikey said, slowly, Whit. You’re not trying to take him all at once here. That’s it. Thereee ya go, good boy.”

The shivers from Dennis at those two words again didn’t go unnoticed. Robby also saw Dennis’s posture relax, his squinted eyes now fluttering more as the smoke hit. Robby placed his hands on firm shoulders to steady the kid, and Dennis grabbed his forearms on instinct. Robby then gently opened and closed the boy’s lips rhythmically with his own.

All the voices in Dennis’ head shouting about how manipulative this situation felt were muffled by the time the first inhale hits, the inner pleas to use common sense became white noises when he felt warm skin moving against his lips, beard tickling and scratching around his mouth in a weirdly satisfying way, he didn’t notice how long he kept that going with Robby, nor the shaky breaths behind his ears.

Dennis only startled and jerked back when he felt the tip of Robby’s tongue dragging on top of his, no hand at the back of his head now. He gazed dazedly at the grinning man in front of him.

“That- that was…”

“It’s cool, man.” Jack’s voice appeared beside him again. “Natural reactions to being kissed and all, I bet you were imagining a real hotty making out with you after that kind of move, yeah?”

Jack’s right brow lifted to complete the shit-eating smug he always wore.

“Huh? Oh, yeah… totally man, that was… weirdly good,” he responded, his brows furrowed. He wasn’t even thinking of that, but the logic was starting to make sense to him, despite something in his head screaming back.

The couple really started to get comfortable around him after that.

It was jarring to see how professional they acted at work and how intimate they were while not working, holding-hands-and-kissing-to-greet-each-other type of comfortableness.

Oftentimes, he felt strangely upset at the sight, but then he mentally pinched himself because he was not his family, and he would rather let himself become homeless again than be a homophobe to Trinity.

Dennis guessed he had more to unlearn than he suspected.

He definitely felt the need to be more open-minded when he arrived at their house with Robby, who greeted Jack with a more-than-enthused kiss for a solid minute, tongues and all. Dennis just stood there, unable to look away, guilt hollowing his chest.

They were even more horribly handsy with one another when Dennis was the only one they were with. His face grew hotter as Jack’s hands roamed along Robby’s torso, while the other man grabbed hungrily at his husband’s ass.

Then, “Can you guys teach me how to kiss?” Dennis stupidly stammered out.

The men stilled, then turned their heads toward him with raised brows.

“You know, because I always see you guys do that around me and it looked pretty good.” What the fuck, Dennis? “And, um, ‘cause y’all also did it with other ladies before?”

That explanation only added a grin to their faces, expressions like they couldn’t be more amused if they tried.

God, he hated how severely his accent reverted whenever he panicked due to his perpetual foot-in-mouth tendencies.

“I’m sorry, that came out of nowhere. Uh, please resume and ignore me-“

“What did you mean ‘teach you how to kiss’? Whit, you’ve never done it before?” Jack finally responded, his tone near incredulous.

“Yeah, and no offense, Den, I thought even back then in Nebraska they still let horny teens experiment or something. As long as they didn’t get caught, no?” Robby spoke before he could think of an answer.

“I mean,” Dennis huffed, offended. “I did experiment with girls back then, it’s just,” he brought both his hands up and then slapped them to his thighs.

“Every time I tried to kiss them, it felt like I was kissing my sister, and that ruined the mood, and we never talked about it, nor did anything like that again, and then looking back, I thought I really liked those girls, but I realized it’s more similar to how I like Trin now, you know?”

He took a deep breath after the tirade of words, then continued.

“And you’re, I mean, I’m supposed to at least have a nice woman by now to show… well, not my family but, to someone, I guess…”

Dennis didn’t register when Jack maneuvered him down to the sofa so he wouldn’t fall over during the rambling. Robby was rubbing soothing circles on his left shoulder.

“Hey, you know you don’t have to be with someone to appease anyone but yourself and your partner, right?” Robby spoke gently as he was calming down, “I once expected to be near retirement with my kids going to college by this age.”

At Dennis' disbelieving face, he put his hands up in surrender and went on.

“All truths, I’d have a lovely wife, preferably not a doctor, who’d complained about me being a workaholic, our family would have a house near a pond to live and play in during winter, white picket and everything.”

Denis watched as Robby smiled fondly, imagining it, and then pointed at Jack.

“Instead, now I’m here, no kids, no white picket fence, I guess the puddles in the yard whenever it rains count as a pond, with a lovely wife who is a doctor and complains about me being a workaholic while also being one himself.”

Dennis snickered a little when Jack flashed his middle finger with an ‘Aww, I love you too’ smile as a response.

Robby then tilted his chin up to look him in the eyes.

“Besides, that’s what we’re here for, teaching you so you can go out there and, you know, ‘rizz up’ whoever you fancy.”

Robby bobbed his head around a bit and wiggled his eyebrows like an uncle awkwardly trying to be cool with the kids with their lingo. They all giggled at that. The atmosphere became lighter immediately. Robby put a hand on Dennis’ shoulder again. Dennis turned to look at his kind smile.

“So, who do you want to have a go at first, kiddo?” Robby offered it like it was the most natural thing in the world. Dennis’ heart skipped a beat.

“Uh, I’m good, I think. I kind of meant it as like, you guys can, um, kiss each other and then I can watch and learn?” He looked at them both and smiled nervously, ignoring the way that phrasing made him sound like a goddamn voyeuristic pervert.

“Nuh uh, I don’t think so, young man.” Jack tutted and turned Dennis around to face him. “Real men don’t learn to give women a good kiss just by watching, Whit.” Jack’s face softened. “Come on, kiddo, you’ve got us here to guide you through it. Don’t you trust us?” He nudged Dennis's shoulder playfully.

The man didn’t realize how blown out his own pupils were, which made Jack press on.

“We can take it easy, yeah? You and I go first. Mikey here already had his turn with you for the weed shit.”

The blush on Dennis’ cheeks was rapidly spreading across his body at the bluntness, which only spurred the men on more, their thick thighs moving even closer to pin Dennis between them.

“O- okay then!” Dennis squeaked at the lack of space.

“I- this is only for, like, educational purposes, right? It doesn’t mean anything, ‘cause like, I’m still straight ah-” his last-ditch efforts to scurry off were stilled when Jack cupped around his face, and now he wanted to squirm instead from the sheer wanting in Jack’s eyes. He didn’t dare to imagine what Robby looked like right now, so he’d rather settle for a shaky exhale.

“Shh, shh, shh… It’s alright, Whit. I got you.”

Jack was whispering to him now, his mouth was so close that their lips brushed against each other with every word.

“We both got you.”

Dennis leaned into the kiss before he even realized it.

They started slow.

At first, all he could register was lips moving against his. Yes, this was a kiss, lips touching was more than expected, that wasn’t surprising to Dennis Whitaker.

No, what caught him off guard was the lack of dread, of slowly noticing that he wasn’t feeling anything other than the lips moving, then the fear of doing something wrong bubbling up, finally ruining the moment, and Dennis would have to deal with the awkwardness and silence the next time they see each other, like how he did with Mary Taylor in high school.

Instead, what he felt was a strange sense of calm settling in his stomach. Then that calmness started to simmer, then it burned, cleansing him of any hesitation and shame he was so desperate to hold in every time he was with Jack and Robby.

In the back of his mind, he knew he hadn’t felt this sensation since he was a boy under that tree near his home, gazing at mischievous hazels and sharing an innocent peck between friends, alright, a few quick innocent pecks. Dennis was always told by his Ma that “boys will be boys” whenever his brothers were up to trouble, maybe this excitement while being naughty was what she meant.

But Dennis was also mentally looking away from the other hazy memories associated with this sensation, his Pa’s shouts, his siblings’ sneering, his home’s long silence afterward, then he started liking girls, and everything went back to normal for a while, at least.

He looked away mainly because he couldn’t remember much of his childhood around that time, partly because he didn’t want to.

Now, a regular-ish person, when confronted with deeply buried traumas being dug up like this would, in the best-case scenario, absolutely freak out and attempt to escape the triggering situation. But Dennis can only think of one thing.

God, it’s been so long. And he surged forward.

Then it escalated.

Dennis found himself moving in tandem with Jack’s mouth, the stubble scratched deliciously around his mouth, the back-and-forth motions of their mouths were so addicting. He moaned when Jack gently bit his lower lip and took his gasping mouth as an invitation to lick into his tongue.

Dennis tried to return the favor, suddenly remembering Robby’s attempt that one time, and relaxed his jaw, then eagerly licked against the intrusion in his mouth. That only made the man kissing him chuckle, the vibrations made his pants feel… crammed full and increasingly damped.

“Oh, you’re kissing him like a lovesick puppy, Den.” He felt Robby’s rumbling laugh so close behind him.

“I promise he didn’t put peanut butter in his mouth for you to find.” The man’s hand joined Jack’s on his nape to knead appeasing circles as Robby teased him.

Jack broke away from the kiss with a scoff.

“Leave the boy alone, brother, like you were any better when we first kissed, nearly rubbed my face off with that shrub on your face.”

Ignoring Robby’s indignant squawk, Jack guided Dennis to face him, soft lips brushing his again as he murmured.

“Though I admit that Mikey’s right. Unless your girl is into that kind of stuff, you’re gonna scare her off, Whit.”

Dennis’s face went blank. Oh, right, he was learning how to impress women with his kissing skills.

At his confused face, Jack’s grin only widened.

“Did that feel too good, kiddo? You want me to feel around a ‘lil bit too? Aww, it’s alright sweet thing, lucky you 'cause we both like it messy,” Jack cooed condescendingly before he pried Dennis’ mouth apart with the flat of his tongue and dipped in deeper.

Fuck, it was getting so uncomfortable to sit in this position since his pants felt so cramped and wet. God, and there was something wet dragging against his throat too.

But he couldn’t seem to focus because Jack’s tongue was not letting him up at all, lapping and curling expertly around every crevice of his mouth, he was already panting heavily when Jack started sucking on his tongue as well. And Robby was calling him a dog?

Speaking of the Devil, that was when he caught on to who was creating the sensation on his neck, making him pant.

At some point during Jack’s making-out-workshop, Robby managed to unbutton him enough so his bare chest was exposed to the air. The feelings of facial hair moving around his lips, mouthing alongside his neck, then sucking a spot on his clavicles were rapidly deteriorating Dennis’ mind.

To his credit, Dennis tried very hard to concentrate on the lesson.

Okay, this is how I would kiss her, but way less messy, I’m pretty sure.

Robby sucked on that spot on his clavicle again.

Oh yeah, god, uh, then- then I’ll do it like that on her neck, while I’m kissing her too. Wait, how would that work if it’s just me-

“Ah!” Dennis yelped as calloused fingers pinched his nipples. But he was forced into a groaning submission again by the flat of Jack’s tongue, still dutifully lapping on his.

Jack has also been straight up licking his face too now, down to his chin. He tried to mentally make a joke about how Jack kissed like an overeager mutt greeting his owner coming home from work, but the duo-treatment inside and outside of Dennis’ mouth didn’t help the intelligent part of his brain one bit. Robby pinched him again.

Shit! Yeah, and I’ll do it to her breasts like that, and she ah! She- She’ll scream because it’s so good, so good…

“So good… Fuck, right there, Robby!”

Dennis was fully not paying attention to how whiny he sounded now, desperately chasing that pleasure the man was giving him.

“There he is.”

“That’s our boy.”

The pair chuckled at the same time, huffing warm breaths onto Dennis’ skin after hearing his sweet pleadings.

“Don’t you worry, kid. We’ll take you there eventually. Have patience.”

Robby hooked his knees under Dennis’ and lifted the man’s leg up into his lap, his hand moved away from pink nipples to nestle on a supple thigh, pulling it further into his groin and kneading it to his pleasure.

Jack copied him, and now Dennis must be looking positively absurd, arms grappling the two men for balance while his legs were spread out on their laps, making him look like he was giving birth with two nurses coaxing him on either side.

Something about that and kids in college made the back of Robby’s mind feel fuzzy, and he squeezed on the thigh just a bit harder.

Robby was sure that he and Jack would have laughed at the sight if they weren’t so busy kissing, licking, and groping the poor man in between them until something in him broke. Robby wasn’t so sure that hadn’t happened already, with how Dennis was babbling into Jack’s mouth for more of everything from them.

The orgasm that ripped through Dennis wasn’t caused by a specific act.

It wasn’t the messy tonguing that Jack was deadset on giving him, or the ones on his throat by Robby, or bruising kisses near his chest, or the roaming hands only massaging on his thighs here, then pinching his nipples there.

No, it was from all of the acts combined, slowly alternating between each other for some, working in tandem for others.

But the most infuriating thing was that the men never, ever once touched him where those burning desires were escaping from.

So sure and confident, like they were handling a difficult case, but this time Robby and Jack knew the patient would pull through from previously unnoticed, careful, and diligent prep work. Reached inside him to find that foreign object of guilt and pleasure, then patiently pulled it out to save him. The orgasm was just a matter of time for them.

Expected, necessary, inevitable.

Jack gave a blissed-out Dennis one last searing wet kiss and held it before he and Robby finally drew away to settle the man on the sofa again.

When the stars cleared from his eyes, Dennis glanced around to see the contented smiles directed at him.

“So, was the lesson informative, Dr. Whitaker?” Jack drawled, shit-eating grin already back on his face.

Dennis laughed out loud at this, his face couldn’t get any redder though, not from the recent release he was given.

“Yeah, that was-” he cleared his throat, raspy from the moanings and shoutings he had put it through.

“That was mind-blowing. Man, I think I’m getting all the girls in the future.”

Now it was the other two’s turn to cackle.

“Sheesh, kid. Leave some for the rest of us, would ya?

Jack said through tears, his giggles turned gruff when he added: “Yeah, slow down there, champ. You’re not gonna take a woman home with just kissing, kiddo.”

He leaned in, grinning conspiratorially.

“It’s the next base you need to get to, that’s the thing that seals the deal.”

“Oh, well, do- does that mean I still have more lessons from you both?” Dennis returned the grin, approaching the fine lines of new boundaries between him and the couple, testing out the water.

A hand landed on his thigh again, and he gasped slightly, turned to look at the adoring eyes of Robby, his moustache lifted upward to a tender smile at Dennis. Then it became more sleazy.

Dennis felt an increasing urge to submit himself to that expression every time the men directed it at him. God, why is he so messed up in the head?

“Aww, baby. Next time, we’ll teach you how to pleasure a woman so good, you’ll be having fucking triplets at the end of it.”

Dennis could feel himself twitch again at the thought. He wasn’t imagining any feminine figure, though. So Dennis said the first thought that came to his mind.

“Does that mean I would be learning that by, um, doing it to you guys, right?”

The pair just looked at each other, then at him and grinned. Like he was a patient high on painkillers saying something ridiculous.

It was very understandable.

Because Dennis wasn’t picturing himself as the one doing the pleasuring at all.

In P4, everyone's shadow was connected to their sexuality or gender role. Chie was a tomboy who was jealous of Yukiko's femininity. Yukiko was a "Yamato Nadeshiko" who was sick of being fetishized as the ideal girl, which in Japanese culture, is often overly meek. Kanji was bullied because of his feminine hobbies and adopted a hypermasculine thuggish persona. Rise felt disillusioned with her oversexualized idol persona and the performative aspects of show business. And Naoto dealt with internalized misogyny which manifested in her adopting a male persona.

Yosuke: And what's this about checking out this world for Saki-senpai's sake? Hah! I know the real reason you came snooping... You just came because you thought it sounded like a good time! What else is there to do in this shithole? A world inside the TV—now that's exciting! You didn't have a single other reason for coming here, did you!?

Yosuke was the odd one out, as his shadow mainly involved his repressed resentment at living out in the countryside and being very lonely. His shadow also had the least humiliating baggage to expose. He had feelings for Saki. But his shadow self's "dark secret" was that he was more excited about exploring the TV world than genuinely investigating her death. Shadow Yosuke accuses Yosuke of not being as sweet on Saki as he appeared to be. However, this idea didn't really go anywhere.

When the Magician card is reversed in a Tarot reading, it can suggest manipulation. In a relationship context, it means that someone may be presenting a false image or facade in order to manipulate the perceptions of others. And that idea certainly fit Yosuke. He pretended to be carefree. But what if he was also pretending to be heterosexual? What if the "horny straight bro" was just a mask? Is there any evidence of this? Actually, I think there was.

Shadow Yukiko: Tonight, Princess Yukiko has a big surprise—I'm gonna go score myself a hot stud! Welcome to "Not a Dream, Not a Hoax"—Princess Yukiko's hunt for her Prince Charming! And I came prepared: I've got my lacy unmentionables on, stacked from top to bottom! I'm out to catch a whole harem, and the best of the lot is gonna be all mine!

The Shadows in P4 are partly comprised of the suppressed thoughts and emotions of the actual person. There was a part of Yukiko's subconscious that felt like she needed a "Prince Charming" to save her. But the shadows who showed up on the Midnight Channel were also formed from the desires of what the general public wanted to see. Yukiko herself didn't really want to score with a harem of hot studs. It was the male students at Yasogami High who truly wanted to see that happen.

Yosuke was very nonchalant about failing the "Amagi Challenge". He took it in stride, almost as a badge of honor. And I found it very interesting how he showed absolutely NO reaction whatsoever to what Shadow Yukiko said. Nothing. If it were any other boy at school, I'm sure he would have had something to say about the most popular girl talking about how badly she wanted to lose her virginity to a bunch of hot studs. But Yosuke acted like he couldn't have cared less. He just said that the stuff she was saying sounded weird and that was it.

Yosuke: I haven't changed addresses since before we moved to Inaba. I mean, I might get a text from someone…It's hard to call, y'know? If I called people just to tell them my number changed, they'd get annoyed. And some of them never planned to text me anyway… Oh but hey, don't look at me like I don't have any friends!

According to Saki, "Hana-chan" didn't hang out with the other guys much. But in Rank 3 of his Social Link, it seemed like he desperately wanted to have closer relationships with male friends. And that may have been the true reason he happily took on the Amagi Challenge when he was a new transfer student. He probably just wanted to fit in with the other boys.

Yosuke: Haha…I never thought I'd be talking about serious stuff like this. Before I moved here, it was all small talk…Stupid, trivial things. I thought that was fine. It's only with you guys that I talk seriously like this. I dunno why, but I feel like I don't have to lie… Especially with you. You've already seen the worst of me and all. But well…thinking about it now, if someone had to see that, I'm glad it was you. It's a bit late now, but… Thanks for going in with me that time. Yosuke is smiling sheepishly…

By Rank 4, Yosuke acts very different around Yu than he does around the rest of the Investigation Team. He never acts this serious or sincere around anyone else. The other members of the group also open up emotionally to Yu. But Yosuke especially acts like a totally different character. He takes off his mask around Yu and only Yu. He's probably the first friend—especially a male friend—that he ever had where he could just be himself instead of adopting a false persona to fit in.

Yosuke: I can't get my mind off certain things whenever I have a spare moment… (option 1) Yu: Certain things? Yosuke: Uh, you know…stuff. I mean, well… Argh! Let's not get into it! Why do I get the feeling this is going to turn into a depressing conversation!?

During an evening conversation that occurs around Golden Week, Yosuke hints at some unresolved baggage related to his Shadow.

(option 2) Yu: Like Saki-senpai? Yosuke: Oh, come on... Of all the things you could bring up, you pick that one? I mean, that's part of it, but... I dunno, how do I put it? Argh! Let's not get into it! I don't wanna have this conversation!

Saki was part of it, but not the only thing. And he was blushing, too. The implication was probably that he was developing feelings for someone other than her and he might have been feeling a bit guilty for that. Or at least, that was my own personal interpretation.

Yosuke: Y'know, Chie and Yukiko seem different lately. They're a lot closer. Oh yeah, I was just curious, but are you...Ehh, never mind. If we keep chatting, we're gonna be late.

But there is evidence for that interpretation. After Golden Week is over and the group is headed back to school, Yosuke attempts to ask Yu if he is interested in Chie or Yukiko. The fact that he was so hesitant about asking made it stand out a bit to me. He probably had feelings for someone within their friend group.

Yosuke: Oh, I almost forgot. It's kinda off-subject, but as long as you're on the line, mind if I ask something? It's something I've been meaning to ask for a while. So…what do you think about Yukiko and Chie? I mean, let's not mince words: Which one's your type?

Before the stakeout for Kanji, he finally asks Yu which girl is his type.

Yosuke: Huh? Seriously? So that's the kinda girl you go for, huh...? She is a great girl, though. Plenty of fun to be around, too.

If Yu answers that he's interested in Chie, Yosuke acts a bit surprised. Not in an insulting way. He just assumed it would be Yukiko because all the guys in school were crazy about her.

Yosuke: Ohhh, I had a feeling you'd say that. She's actually pretty interesting. I never knew she was like that. My image of her has changed completely, but I like her way better now. Hey, but don't worry. This is just between you and me. Okay, see you tomorrow.

If Yu says that he is interested in Yukiko, Yosuke says he suspected as much. He doesn't say anything about her looks or anything. Interestingly, he just says that his image of her has changed, but he likes Yukiko more now after seeing her true self. Almost as if he didn’t have a very great impression of her before.

Yosuke: That being said…Yukiko, can I have your cell number? Chie: Hey…Was this your plan all along? Yosuke: Uh, no? I got everybody's phone number except for hers. And the Y section of my address book needs some filling out.

During the stakeout, he asked Yukiko for her phone number. So, the player would probably assume that Yosuke wanted to go out with Yukiko. That is what Chie assumed, after all. But I think that was a red herring.

Chie: Hey, how do you think the others are doing? Yosuke: Beats me. For all we know, he's hitting on Yukiko as we speak. Chie: Yeaaaah, no. He's not like you. Yukiko doesn't seem to be interested in that stuff anyway. Wait—are you saying he's interested in her? Yosuke: Huh!? Uh…I…wouldn't know…We don't really talk about that kinda stuff…Hahahaha. Chie: Now I'm even more suspicious! You know something, don't you? Yosuke: I-I seriously don't know! It's not like we've been hanging out that long, haha…

But Yosuke actually seemed less interested in Yukiko herself and more interested in the possibility that Yu might be interested in her. Even if Yu tells him that he's not interested, Yosuke probably didn't believe him. So, it’s possible that he wanted to become closer friends with Yukiko so that he could know right away if she and Yu started dating.

Shadow Kanji: I think that you three…would make wonderful boyfriends. Yosuke: S-Stop it! Y-You got it all wrong!

Kanji's arc introduces the idea of homosexuality into the story. And Yosuke got worked up over Kanji's shadow FAR more than he did with Yukiko's. When he called Yu after Kanji's Midnight Channel program aired, he was "too flustered to get his point across". And Yosuke felt the need to deny Kanji's Shadow almost as much as Kanji himself did.

Shadow Kanji: Accept me for who I am! Yosuke: Wh-Whoa! I really don't swing that way!

It gave me the impression that themes of Kanji's dungeon were just as relevant to Yosuke's character arc as they were to Kanji's. Perhaps even more so in some ways.

Kanji: I, uh…I don't really get it myself. Girls are so loud and obnoxious, so, y'know…I really don't like dealing with 'em. Guys are a lot more laid-back. S-So, uh, I started thinking…What if I'm the type who never gets interested in girls…? And I couldn't accept that, so I kept spinning around and around in my head… Yosuke: Well, I can understand the part about feeling more relaxed around dudes.

Homosexuality is a societal taboo. It is often something that people suppress and do not accept within themselves. It is actually the perfect subject to explore for a game about the shadow self. I don't think Kanji was gay. But I do think that Yosuke was originally supposed to be. And a lot of what Shadow Kanji said hit a little too close to home for him.

Chie: Well, the night's kinda fun. We cook our own meals with mess kits and sleep in tents. Yukiko: The four of us are in the same group. Yosuke: The same group, huh…? Does that mean we sleep together at night, too!? Chie: You wish! Guys and girls sleep in different tents! I'm warning ya…If you leave your tent at night, you'll be expelled on the spot.

When Yosuke found out that they were all in the same group, he actually stood up out of his chair. You're meant to think he reacted this way because he was thinking about sharing a tent with girls. Typical straight teenage boy. But I'm sure he knew they weren't sleeping with the girls on a school trip. His reaction probably had nothing to do with the girls. He probably got worked up about sleeping in the same tent as someone he had been developing feelings for.

Yosuke: This is as good a time as any, so…I-I want you to be honest with us. Kanji: Uh…okay? Yosuke: A-Are you really…you know…? Kanji: Am I really what…? Yosuke: What I mean is, uh…Are we gonna be safe with you? Kanji: Wha—!? Wh-Wh-What the hell's that supposed to mean? I-I already told you guys I'm not like that!

According to Jung, psychological projection is a major aspect of the shadow. When individuals project, they unconsciously attribute qualities that belong to their own shadow onto others. This allows them to avoid confronting these aspects within themselves. If they had stuck with that original idea, I don’t this scene would have been so controversial and offensive to people. By taking Yosuke's same-sex attraction out of the narrative, the game felt a lot more juvenile as a result. Yosuke's homophobia could have been used to explore his shadow self. But instead, it was just used to take cheap shots at Kanji for no reason other than comedy.

Yosuke: W-Well then why are you all hot and bothered about it!? That's just more suspicious!

The irony of this line certainly wasn't lost on me. And I don't think the writers were so lacking in self-awareness that they didn't realize how Yosuke was the one getting all hot and bothered by anything related to homosexuality after Kanji's dungeon. I think it was supposed to raise some suspicions in the player about Yosuke's sexual orientation.

Yosuke: And c'mon, you guys gotta admit I chose some good suits. Those girls might be childish on the inside, but I bet they're gonna turn into some fine-looking women before too long! Don't you think so, Yu?

If Yosuke was always intended to be written as a straight guy or even a bisexual guy, this part would come across as misogynistic and kinda creepy. Even Stupei wouldn't buy swimsuits for his female friends. But if Yosuke was actually meant to be a gay boy, this is more of a sad attempt at imitating a straight boy to appear "normal". And if that were the case, his behavior with girls is a lot more forgivable.

Yosuke: So…? You keep the goods under the futon? (option 1) Yu: Huh? Yosuke: C'mon…No need to play dumb. Don't worry. I'll still be your friend even if you're into the freaky stuff. Yosuke looks like he's having fun.

Yosuke wasn't truly interested in Yu's dirty magazines. He was only interested to learn more about what kind of girls he was into. I know they added a scene in Golden where Teddie finds Yosuke's porn stash and he shows it to his parents. It's played straight as pure comic relief. "Haha, Yosuke never stops thinking about girls". But in his Rank 5 SL, this felt like it was meant to be a more serious topic.

(option 2) Yu: Of course. Yosuke: Hahaha! Why are you acting so dignified about it? Alright, I'll check 'em out when you go take a piss or something. I'll expose your embarrassing tastes!! Yosuke looks like he's having fun.

The "embarrassing tastes" comment was interesting.

(option 3) Yu: What, don't you? Yosuke: Haha! Like I'd hide mine in such an obvious spot! One time, my mom found it and read the title out loud to the whole family… Yosuke is reflecting on his past…

It actually sounds like Yosuke was the one with "embarrassing tastes". If his mom felt the need to shame him in front of the family like that, it leads you to wonder what he was looking at exactly. Sure, it could have been some typical straight boy stuff. But what if it was a men’s magazine or something? Depending on how traditional his family was, he could have received disapproval for that.

Yosuke: So, you ever invited a girl in here? (option 1) Yu: I haven't. Yosuke: Haha, maybe you're more of a man's man than I thought. Yosuke seems happy…

Yosuke seems happy if Yu is not planning to bring a girl over.

(option 2) Yu: I will soon. Yosuke: Seriously!? That mean you're working on someone!? Yosuke is keyed up…

And he gets keyed up if he is.

(option 3) Yu: I have. Yosuke: Seriously!? Who'd you… I'll stop there. I think it's better I don't know. Yosuke is smiling wryly…

He probably assumed it was Yukiko and he didn't wanna know any more details than that. Again, due to comphet, most people would probably assume that he was just jealous because he wanted to date her himself.

Yosuke: Because she likes him…? M-Man, kids sure are mature these days…Well, my first love was in first grade, too! I've always been ahead of my time. But, well…I don't really need that in my life right now. It's just not the time…I have something I need to do before that can happen…

But he actually didn't. His true feelings are quite different than his public persona where he's obsessed with getting a girlfriend. Especially in Golden, like with the motorcycle scene. Yosuke said he was ahead of his time. And I think he was. His character arc seemed to be about being closeted and coming to terms with it. But that was a trickier subject during the time period which the game first came out.

Rise: And the bustline… Yosuke: Huh? Rise: Mine aren't that big. Yosuke: Oh yeah, I see what you mean now… I-I mean…What am I saying!? U-Um, I'm sorry…!

Similar to Yukiko's Shadow, Yosuke had no real interest in the sexual aspects of Rise's Shadow. The Midnight Channel zoomed in to emphasize her chest and waist area, which was due to the general public's interest in her sex appeal. Yosuke told Yu he could tell it was Rise by the hairstyle. However, in front of the others, he said he knew it was her because of her figure. It's a minor detail, but it suggests that his reaction was completely performative. He didn't even recognize her figure in person that well anyways.

Chie: Let's hurry and rescue her! Yosuke! You better not slack off, hoping she'll "bare it all" if we take our sweet time! Yosuke: I-I wouldn't pull a stunt like that! Yukiko: …… Yosuke: Wh-What's with the silent treatment!? I won't do that, I swear! Believe me, I know! We'll rescue Rise before the fog sets in!

The female members of the team assume that Yosuke would want to take as long as possible to save Rise so he could see her strip.

Shadow Rise: Eee, how embarrassing! Is this too hot for TV!? Well, if a thing is worth doing, it's worth doing all the way! I'm gonna bare it all for you! Heehee! Stay tuned! Yosuke: I-Is she serious about baring it all!? Is it me, or are these shows getting crazier and crazier!? Yosuke sounds excited. Yu: We're in no rush. Yosuke: Huh? But if we don't recue her, isn't Risette gonna...s-strip...? *gulp* Dude, we can't let her go through with that!

However, if Yu actually suggests that they take their time, Yosuke doesn't even get why. He doesn't want to see her strip and never even jokes about it, like Junpei no doubt would have.

Snooty student: So it's Kazumi now that Saki's dead!? Don't even bother, she has a boyfriend. Didn't you get it!? Saki didn't like you! We heard so from her! She may have acted that way, but… They started to badmouth Saki-senpai… Yu: Shut up! Yosuke: Yu… Snooty student: Wha—Who are you!? You shut up! Yosuke: You're the ones who should shut up!! What do you know about Saki-senpai!? She didn't do things half-assed like you! She looked lazy, but she worked hard! She talked bad, but she was good inside! So she hated me? I knew that! She's not here anymore! I'm left behind! …Just leave me alone.

In Rank 6, Yosuke didn't become angry when he listened to the girls gossiping about Saki. He only lost his temper when they insulted Yu.

Yu: You were just upset. Yosuke: N-No, I was just… Yosuke is smiling pathetically… Yosuke: Damn…Another pathetic display from Yosuke, huh? Thanks, though. Hearing you say that stuff to them…It made me happy.

Saying "You were just upset" in Rank 7 is a flag that unlocks the option to hug Yosuke in Rank 8. And the Rank 8 hug was probably a potential romance flag, just like when Rise was crying, and the game warns you that this is an important moment and there's no going back. The fact that these flags were still left in the game suggests the romance route was taken out relatively late in development.

Yukiko: The people at the inn keep asking me questions every day, like "What kind of guy is he?" and "Is he handsome?" *chuckle* I'm sorry I got you involved. Yosuke: …… Oh, uh, I'm going to go take a little walk. Yukiko: Huh? No, it’s not what you think!

When Yukiko is at Rank 6, this is the dungeon dialogue between them. There was definitely a love triangle going on between Yu, Yukiko, and Yosuke. Yosuke was clearly jealous.

Kanji and Teddie were conveniently removed from the equation. But Yosuke was a King's Game option. Kanji wanted Naoto to enter the beauty pageant to prove to himself that he was into girls. And Yosuke signed up all the girls. Was he also trying to prove himself straight?

Yu: What kind of girl do you like? Yosuke: W-well, for me, um... I guess a girl that's kind and sorta fragile, you know? Someone I'd want to protect...

Yosuke actually had a hard time with this question. He gets one on those blank scribbly symbols over his head. He was actually describing a Yamato Nadeshiko, which is the idealized woman in Japanese culture. A very safe and generic answer for someone who is "totes into girls" but has no specific type. Kanji's answer to this question was more detailed because he had a specific girl he liked in mind.

Male class rep: Okay…your turn. Who would you want to date? Yu: Yosuke. Yosuke: Okay, we get it! You're good at role-playing! Now quit it! You're creeping me out… Kanji: There are many forms of love…Didn't you tell me something like that? Yosuke: No! Not at all! Well, I admit, I'm pretty dependable…and decent lookin', right?

If Yu sits on girl side, Kanji is also an option. However, Yosuke is the one who gets hot and bothered by homosexuality. At least in public. Privately, he apparently told Kanji off-screen that he had nothing against other forms of love.

Yosuke: Your turn. What type of girls do you like? Yu: A kind girl. Yosuke: Ooh, me too! You get this urge to care for and protect them...

If Yu sits on the boy side, Yosuke is the one who will be forced to sit on the girl side. And he will single out Yu with his question, to learn what type of girl he likes. He can respond that he likes a girl like Chie, a girl like Yukiko, or a kind girl. Yosuke is very happy if Yu says he likes someone he has the urge to care for and protect.

Yu: Any of us you like, Yosuke? Yosuke: Well, you guys are all wonderful... But I think you'd be the most reliable. I-I mean—You idiot! Don't make me play along!

Yosuke would choose Yu to date because he's "reliable". It begs the question. Did he want a kind girl to care for and protect? Or did he truly want to be the kind fragile girl being cared for and protected by a reliable guy?

Yosuke: …I found this. It's a Print Club sticker I took with Saki-senpai… When I first got here, she insisted on taking it… Back then…somewhere inside me, I thought I was above this place… A lot of people saw me as the enemy because Junes was going to ruin the shopping district. But…when I met her, she told me, "Parents are parents. You're you…" Even if she didn't really mean it…it made me happy. Because of her…I started to think maybe this town wasn't all that bad. But then… Yu: She dumped you? Yosuke: No… that didn't matter. As long as she was still alive…

Yosuke was still mourning Saki's loss in Rank 8. But his relationship with her was not particularly close. They were coworkers for less than a year and he knew she didn't even like him. However, she accepted him. That's why he latched onto her. He probably thought he liked her romantically. Maybe he even wanted to like her, since he was so lonely. But I think as he spent time with Yu, he slowly realized that he never really did. But he did have those feelings for Yu.

Yosuke: Yu…I get it now. I wanted to forget about Saki-senpai. How she's not here anymore. I wanted to forget that…I was living a boring life in the middle of nowhere. When the murders started, I got excited…I thought there was finally a point to me being in Inaba…I thought I could forget Senpai was gone…and the fact that I was such a loser…I jumped at the murders and never once thought about what I was doing… I… didn't even take the first step…

I believe Yosuke liked Saki as a person, but he wasn't in love with her or anything. She was a crutch to help him forget his loneliness. And when she died, he latched onto the excitement and mystery of TV world as a distraction. And he felt very guilty over that.

Yosuke: But I think I'm awake now… I need to get over the fact that Saki-senpai isn't coming back… That when this case ends… I'll have nowhere to run… And I won't have changed… …… …You made me realize that. It seems you were able to act as Yosuke's crutch… You feel a bond between you and Yosuke.

The reason Yosuke was crying was probably not because of his deep grief over losing Saki. It was likely because he had found a new emotional crutch. And he was a lot closer to Yu than he was to Saki and even more afraid of losing him. He was afraid of what would happen when the case was over, Yu went back home, and he was all alone again.

(option 1) Yu hugs him Yosuke: You dumbass…That's for girls…

Yukiko's character arc was about moving away from stereotypical femininity and the whole ideal of Yamato Nadeshiko. She became more independent and assertive. But I think Yosuke's character arc was probably meant to mirror hers in many ways. He wanted to be the "girl" in a relationship, but he learned to view that desire as something shameful and he was unable to acknowledge it within himself.

(option 2) Yu pats his head Yosuke: Haha... Quit treating me like a kid...

Amusingly, the kanji for nadeshiko (撫子) also literally means "child being petted".

Yu: Be a man. Stand up straight. Yosuke: Haha… You're right. I wonder what'd be going through my mind if I was man's man like you. Yosuke is smiling weakly…

Yosuke was not a man's man like Yu. He had an obnoxious dudebro persona he adopted in a social setting, but it was not his true self.

Yosuke: This town I hated so much? Now, I love it. There's still nothing here, but I have family and friends...and you. The important things are never far off...They're all around you. Yosuke seems a bit embarrassed... Yosuke: I always wanted to be "special." I thought my life'd finally have meaning if I was "special" to someone. That's why I was really excited when I got my Persona. But I really didn't need it…It's not what you have or what you can do…Just being born, living your life…Before you know it, you're already special to someone. Yu: You're right. Yosuke: Yeah…Like you…You're special to me, you know?

Comphet can cause people to pursue romantic relationships even when they are not sexually attracted to the person. They often don't feel like someone of the same sex is even an option. I don't think Saki was truly "special" to Yosuke. But he wanted to be special to someone else so badly, and he thought that a girl was his only option. So, he latched onto the first girl to show him a tiny bit of acceptance.

Yosuke: There's something I wanted to tell you. Somewhere deep down… I didn't trust you. No, it's more like…I was jealous of you. I thought you were like me. Coming from the city to the countryside, I thought you'd be bored out of your mind here. But as soon as you got here, you called your Persona…Became our leader, gathered people…You're a hero. I like you for that, and I'm proud of you…But I guess I was jealous at the same time. Yu: I didn't know. Yosuke: I didn't know it either…When I called you "special," I thought some more about it. I think out of everyone, I wanted to be acknowledged by you the most…

Yosuke had an unused confession where he would tell Yu that he liked him. And based on the Japanese wording, there's almost no chance it was meant in a platonic way. It's how people express romantic liking. He was jealous of how Yu was special. But I don't think it's because Yosuke wanted to be the hero, the way Junpei did. Yosuke wanted to be special to Yu. But he didn't feel like he was good enough because Yu was more objectively cool and special. He wanted to be an equal partner.

Yosuke: So… I want you to hit me! Give me a good one. Knock out all this crap inside me. I want to be equal to you. I want us to stand shoulder-to-shoulder. So c'mon… Will hitting Yosuke make you and him equal…?

In Rank 10, the game asks whether fighting will make them equal. I couldn't help but laugh. No, I didn’t think it would. It made no sense to me whatsoever.

Yosuke: Phew…The sky's so high up. Is Saki-senpai watching us…? Is she smiling at us? Senpai…I'm going to live. Without lying to myself, without deceiving myself… Days like today, days like before when I did nothing… They're all important days… They're all days you didn't live to see… I'm going to live them here.

As the culmination of his character arc, Yosuke said he would not deceive himself anymore. I was left wondering... When did that happen exactly? I could understand if this dialogue happened after Yosuke confessed his feelings for Yu and finally came out of the closet. Whether Yu reciprocated or not, it would have been an amazing conclusion to his arc and made him a much more interesting character. But sadly, it never happened.

I have no idea why they needed to have a fistfight for Yosuke's Persona to evolve. I think that when the romance confession part of the SL was taken out, the "dude brawl" scene was probably added in its place. They needed some emotionally cathartic moment, but didn’t really know what. I know this wasn’t the intention, but it almost felt like the game was telling me I had to beat the gay out of Yosuke. I didn’t like that.