#josuke x reader

Summary: After you spent a lot of time with Josuke, you start to fall in love with him. Only one problem. Your brother happens to be Rohan Kishibe. 

Pairing: Josuke Higashitaka x Non-binary reader

Words: 2.7K

Requested: No, just something I wrote in my free time. 

Warning: None

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You had known about Josuke ever since he came to the rescue of his friends Koichi and Okuyasu. After the whole ordeal was over, you wanted your brother to apologize to them all, but he, of course, refused to do so. You decided to take matters into your own hands.

After apologizing to Koichi and Okuyasu, you asked them for Josuke’s address, which they gave you after asking several questions.

You decided to go and buy some snacks. You looked at the piece of paper with Josuke’s address on it, thinking about if this was a good idea.

You finally spotted the house and walked up to the door, and rang the doorbell. You heard muffled shouting from the inside before the door opened. Now you stood face-to-face with Josuke Higashitaka.

“Are you Josuke Higashitaka?” You asked him.

“Eh, um. yes, Who are you?” He asked you.

“Oh, sorry, I’m y/n Kishibe, Rohan’s sister.” You introduced yourself.

“S-Sister! What are you doing here?” He seemed surprised.

“I came here to apologize for my brother since he’s too stuck-up to do it himself.” You explained. Josuke stared at you, shocked, still not believing what he just heard.

“Are you okay?” You asked him.

“Eh? Oh, yeah, I guess. I’m just shocked to know Rohan has a sister.” Josuke rubbed his neck and looked away.

“Yeah, he doesn’t talk about me a whole lot.” You told him.

“Josuke! Who’s at the door?” You heard a voice from inside the house. Then a dark-haired woman poked her head out to see.

“My, Josuke, why didn’t you tell me you had a friend come over. Come on. I’ll make some tea/coffee.” Before you could protest, she was already gone.

“That was my mother. She always gets excited when friends come over,” Josuke explained to you.

“Oh, I don’t want to intrude too much.” You said.

“You’re not intruding. Come on in.” Josuke smiled and stepped aside.

“Thanks for having me.” You said and took off your shoes. Josuke showed you to the kitchen, where his mother was.

“Oh yeah, I brought some snacks as an apology.” You said and gave the bag to Josuke.

“You shouldn’t have to apologize. Josuke, what did you do to this poor girl!” His mother piped up.

“Wha-” Clearly, Jsouke was taken aback.

“Josuke didn’t do anything. It was my brother. I just came to apologize on his behalf.” You explained to his mother.

“Oh, well, good to know Josuke didn’t do anything. He is an idiot sometimes.” She told you.

“Oi!” Josuke said.

You three sat down and started drinking some tea/coffee. Josuke’s mother seemed to like chatting with you. She told you stories about Josuke from when he was younger. You guys talked and ate the snacks you had brought with you.

At one point, the phone rang, and Tomoko got up to answer it. Josuke leaned back in his chair and let out a sigh.

“I swear, that woman.” He said under his breath. You giggled.

“She seems nice.” You said.

“That’s because you’re here.” He sat up.

“She usually orders me around, especially when I’m playing video games.”  He continued his rant.

“You play video games?” You asked.

“Yeah, I have a lot of them. Have you never played?” Josuke asked.

“I have, but it’s always at someone else’s house. My brother thinks it’s a waste of time.” You explained.

“I can show you some of my games. We can also play something if you want to.” Josuke told you.

“Really? Then, let’s do it.” You smiled at him. Josuke led you to the living room and showed you his game collection. You ended up choosing his favorite game and showed you how to play.

Eventually, Tomoko ended the call and walked back into the kitchen but found both of you gone. She heard a commotion coming from the living room and walked over to check it out. Tomoko just sighed and smiled at the two of you and left you alone.

You two lost track of time, and you ended up staying longer than you had intended.

“I better get home before my brother sends out a whole search team for me.” You said while putting on your shoes.

“Thank you for having me over.” You thanked Josuke and his mother.

“Please come back anytime,” Tomoko said and smiled at you.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to walk you home?” Josuke asked you one more time.

“Thank you, Josuke, but I’ll be fine. And I don’t think my brother would like to see me with his enemy.” You giggled a little. Josuke rubbed his neck and laughed with you.

“Well, thank you for today. I hope we can do it again.” You smiled at him and, you thought you saw him blush a little.

“Y-Yeah, I hope so too.” Josuke stuttered out.

“Bye-bye,” you said and waved goodbye. Josuke waved back and stared at you until you were out of sight.

“They seem nice you better not hurt her.” Josuke heard his mother say to him.

“I’m not going to hurt Them!” Josuke shouted at his mother while she just laughed.

You and Josuke kept hanging out, which was easy since you both went to the same school. You eventually met Koichi and Okuyasu officially after their fight with your brother.

They eventually also found out that you had a stand, which surprised them a bit but not too much since your brother had one.

Despite you guys hanging out a lot, you and Josuke always found time to hang out alone together. You weren’t shocked when you discovered you had a crush on Josuke. Everything about him just made your heart skip a beat.

More often than not, you found yourself drawing or writing about him. Rohan would burn your sketchbook and everything else if he ever saw it. But you weren’t the only one who felt like this.

Josuke had felt the same way about you. Even though you were Rohan’s sibling, but you were nothing like him. The more you two hung out, the more he felt himself falling more in love with you.

Josuke had invited you over to play more video games, not knowing what Josuke had planned. You bought some snacks with you before went over to Josuke’s.

You remember your brother asking you where you were going. You just told him you were hanging out with a friend from school, which wasn’t a lie. He just looked at you and nodded. You had to be careful, or else your brother would use his stand on you.

After you made sure you had everything, you began walking towards Josuke’s house.

You Rang the doorbell, and it didn’t take long for Josuke to answer the door.

“You’re here!” He smiled.

“And I brought snacks with me!” you said and walked inside. You greeted Tomoko before being dragged into the living room by an excited Josuke.

You let Josuke choose a game this time, and he took the time to show you how to play it. Once you got the hang of it, it was pretty fun. Josuke played while you watched and ate some snacks. You would sometimes grab a snack and give it to Josuke while he played.

You again grabbed a snack for Josuke and reached out and gave it to him. He ate it quickly and gently kissed your hand. His actions caught you by surprise and made you blush and smile a bit.

You two just sat in silence. You just watched Josuke play some more.  At one point, It got intense. Josuke was low on health, and you were sitting on the edge of your seat. Luckily, Josuke won. You cheered and hugged him tightly, but Josuke didn’t expect that, so when you hugged him, you toppled over.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.” You apologized and started to get off of him, but a hand on your waist stopped you.

“It’s okay. I kinda like this.” Josuke smiled at you.

“Josuke.” You looked into his gorgeous blue eyes. Josuke sat up while still holding on to you. He had both of his hands on your waist at this point. You two didn’t say anything, just staring straight into each other’s eyes.

Josuke began leaning in closer to which you did the same. You both closed your eyes, and soon you felt Josuke soft lips on your own.

You pulled back and felt your cheeks burning.

“You have soft lips.” You blurted out.

“O-Oh, thank you.” Josuke blushed when you told him.

“Aaahh! That’s so embarrassing. Why did I say that” You covered your already burning face with your hands?

“y/n.” You heard Josuke say your name. Just that could send shivers down your spine.

“Yes?” You peeked through your fingers.

“I like you. Dare I say I love you.” You stared at him, shocked. You couldn’t believe it your crush liked you back.

“I-I love you too, Josuke!” You stuttered out while looking down into your lap. You felt Josuke placed a finger under your chin and pushed it up so you would look into his eyes. He smiled at you and leaned in for another kiss. Which you gladly reciprocated.

Your lips met his again in a sweet kiss. You placed your hands on his neck and just relaxed into the kiss. You both pulled away this time, feeling the need for air filling you.

After Josuke got his breath back, he looked at you and smiled. You noticed Josuke smiling at you and smiled and began laughing a bit. Josuke was taken aback by this.

“Sorry. It’s just the thought of what my brother would do if he saw us like this. I mean, his sister together and kissing his worst enemy. You giggled. Once you explained yourself, Josuke began laughing too.
”*sigh* Yeah, I think that would piss him even more off.“ Josuke sighed and smiled.

"You know what would piss him even more off?” Josuke asked you, giving you his signature smirk.

“What?” You smiled at him.

“You being my significant other.” Josuke smiled at you.

“Hm, That doesn’t sound bad.” You placed your index finger and thumb on your chin and made it look like you were thinking.

“For real?” Josuke asked, and you nodded.

“Yes!” Josuke shouted, and it startled you, so you fell out of his lap.

“Oh, sorry, I guess I got a little too excited,” Josuke said and sat down beside you. You leaned your head on his shoulder, and you felt Josuke wrap his arm around your shoulders. You two sat there in silence, enjoying being with each other.

“We can’t let Rohan know about us just yet.” You said and looked at Josuke.

“Agreed, I don’t want him on my tail any more than already.” Josuke agreed with you.

“I saw how you beat the shit out of my brother before I think you’ll manage,” you told him.

“He was making fun of my hair!” Josuke told you, and you laughed.

“I know, I know, I saw it happen.” You laughed.

“Well, at least you have someone to protect you,” Josuke told you and squeezing your shoulders.

“Oh please, I can take care of myself.” You crossed your arms.

“I know, but it never hurts to have back up.” Josuke laughed.

“True, but the same thing goes for you. You got my back. I got yours.” You told him. Josuke smiled and kissed your temple.

After some time just sitting and talking, you two decided to play some more before you had to return home.

After hours of gaming, you decided it was time to go home, even though you didn’t want to.

“I wish you didn’t have to go.” You and Josuke stood outside saying your goodbyes.

“I wish I didn’t have to either.” You told him and look at him.

“I guess I’ll see you at school tomorrow,” Josuke said.

“Always, But remember to keep us a secret. I don’t want the others to know about us yet. I know how you are sometimes.” You smiled and took hold of his hand.

“I’ll try, but I finally have the person of my dream. I can’t promise I’ll hold it in for long.” He smiled and squeezed your hand.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, lover boy.” You leaned in and kissed his cheek. You began walking away but turned around and saw Josuke still standing there, but with the most love-sick smile, you’ve ever seen.

You giggled and began walking home.

TIME SKIP

You and Josuke were doing the best you could to hide your relationship from your brother and friends. There were times where you two were close to getting caught.

You had a feeling that your brother was getting suspicious of you because you, staying out late more and more. You just told him you got some cool friends to hang out with now.

Rohan never used Heavens Door on you because you were his sibling, and he respected you.

One day, you were sitting on the porch drawing. You weren’t drawing anything in particular, just doodling or making small details on some previous creations.

“Hey y/n!” You heard someone shout your name. You looked up and saw Josuke smiling at you.

“Josuke! What are you doing here?” You said and closed your sketchbook and laid it on the table beside you.

“What are you drawing? More attractive sketches of me?” Josuke gave you his signature smirk.

“No, not this time. I wasn’t drawing anything in particular, just doodling.” You told him.

“I bet even your doodles are masterpieces,” Josuke said and stepped closer.

“Oh, shush,” you said and stood in front of him.

“Hi.” Josuke smiled at you.

“Hi.” You replied and smiled back at him. Josuke leaned in, and you knew what he wanted. So you leaned in too.

“Stay away from my sibling!” You heard a very familiar and angry shout from the window.

“Oh shi-” You heard Josuke say, and he took a step back. You heard running and knew Rohan was coming.

“ let’s go!” You shouted and grabbed Josuke’s wrist, and you two began running.

“Y/N! Get back here!” You heard your brother after you two. You suddenly felt two muscular arms wrap around you and lift you. Before you knew it, Josuke had placed you over his shoulder and began running like hell away from your brother.

You looked at your brother as Josuke ran away from him.

“get back here, you two!” Your brother shouted after you.

After some time, you finally lost your brother. You and Josuke hid behind some bushes. Josuke was panting from running. You kind of felt bad.

“You know, You didn’t have to carry me like that.” You told him.

“But I had to save you from your insane brother,” Josuke told you, and you nearly laughed when he said that.

“You know I can take care of myself, especially against my brother.” You told him.

“I know, But I want to take care of you sometimes.” Josuke looked at you with his face all flushed.

“You’re an idiot, but I love you.” You smiled at him. Josuke looked at you, shocked but collected himself and smiled at you.

You both looked into each other’s eyes, but you couldn’t hold back your laughter anymore. Josuke looked at you but soon began laughing himself. You laid down on the grass, and Josuke laid down beside you. Josuke wrapped his arm around you and pulled you closer to him.

“So, can I get my kiss now?” You looked at Josuke.

“What?” Josuke said, confused as to what you meant.

“Weren’t you going to kiss me before my brother rudely interrupted us?” You asked, and Josuke laughed. He leaned down and kissed you right on the lips. You smiled into the kiss and wrapped your arms around his neck.

You felt Josuke pull away, and you looked into his gorgeous blue eyes.

“I don’t care what your brother thinks of me. I will still love you,” Josuke told you and smiled at you.

You looked at him and gave him the biggest smile before kissing him again.

“ I love you, Josuke Higashitaka.” You told him as you pulled away from the kiss.

“I love you more, y/n Kishibe,” Josuke told you before pulling you into yet another kiss.

Hi! how are you? I saw that your request are open so can i request part 1-7 jojos + dio with a s/o who is scarlet witch?

hiya sure! lets get it

i dont know much about the MCU or wanda but I did watch wandavision so I’m going off of what I know from that :)

Jonathan

• freaks the fuck out
• i mean he uses hamon so i genuinely don’t understand why he’s so scared but he thinks ur a witch (which you kinda are so???)
• he’s scared for like a week but you prove to him that you can control ur magic so he’s chill
• as long as you don’t use your powers on him, he’s ok!

Joseph (young)

• chaos magic????????? he literally thinks youre lying
• like you just have a weird type of hamon stfu
• but after a while he realizes that your magic most definitely is NOT hamon
• he wants you to use your powers on him
• like he begs you to throw him into the air and shit like that

Jotaro

• does not give a fuck. will not give a fuck. can not physically give a fuck.
• he’s like ok and?
• he knows he can beat you in a fight if you ever go crazy on him so he’s not too bothered by it

Josuke

• he thinks you’re like… god?
• i dont think he understands the fact that all powers have limits
• might pray to you? like he asks you to tell him the answers for the math test and offers rohan as a sacrifice
• it doesn’t go well but what did ya expect

Giorno

• doesnt care part 3
• meanwhile narancia and mista are losing their minds but giorno doesn’t get the big deal
• he still cares for you and this doesn’t change anything

Jolyne

• she tries to convince you to do the craziest shit
• tries to get you to give the guards nightmares and make them pee themselves
• she rlly brings the chaos out of your chaos magic

Jonny

• pretends to be calm but is losing his shit
• yall probably bully gyro with ur magic its cute
• he tells you to not use your magic to protect him but you do it anyways bc he’s just precious

sorry i dont know too much abt the scarlet witch so this might not be very good! hope you liked it tho

under an umbrella meant for one

[josuke higashikata x reader]

author’s note: i rewatched diu in spring and had a few ideas drafted at that time but i didn’t actually write anything until this one, which i came up w last weekend lmao. enjoy <3

word count: 3,408

Josuke’s still half asleep as he saunters into the kitchen at 7AM on Friday, and he’s only half listening when his mom tells him to bring an umbrella today.

“It isn’t raining yet, but with how dark the clouds are, it definitely will be soon,” she remarks as she opens the refrigerator door and reaches in to grab her food. “I left the umbrella for you right by the front door so you don’t forget it.” Like I always do. But she keeps that last part to herself.

Josuke hums, taking one of the glasses sitting on the dryer rack from when he’d done the dishes last night and filling it with water from the tap. As he drinks, gulping audible and head tilted back, Tomoko glances over at him. The vague response is meant to be a confirmation that he heard her, but she doubts he actually processed it. He isn’t truly awake until at least 11:30AM. She follows his movements: sluggishly setting the glass in the sink; eyes sliding shut; swaying a little as he stands in the one spot. In such a state, he’d be hard pressed to repeat back what she said successfully had she asked him to, but at this point, he might have already fallen asleep again.

With a quiet sigh, Tomoko closes the short distance between them and rubs his back to bring him back to consciousness. Dozing off and potentially falling over on the cold kitchen floor is hardly an ideal wakeup call. (Though she won’t deny that maybe something so shocking to the system might be what he needs every now and then, with his tendency to stay up too late playing video games and paying for it in the morning.)

“Don’t forget.” She punctuates her parting words with a couple pats to his shoulder, and then she takes a seat at the dining table to eat.

“Yeah. Umbrella. Rain. Got it,” Josuke mutters and waves a hand dismissively.

The corner of Tomoko’s mouth lifts in a small grin, and she watches him amble back out of the kitchen, very much resembling a zombie. Ah. So he hadheard.

Unfortunately for Josuke, that doesn’t mean much. He’d taken too long to get ready, the fact it was still dark outside due to the clouds blanketing the sky making it even more difficult wake up. Upon finally getting his pompadour just right and throwing on his uniform, he’d glanced at the clock to learn he should’ve left almost ten minutes ago. And with how close he normally cuts it with getting to school, sliding into his seat in homeroom just as the bell goes off, it’s ten minutes he doesn’t have.

Shit. He grabs his books and dashes out of the house. Why hadn’t Okuyasu come by the house today? They always walked together. He thought he had more time than he did because it was his friend’s knock on the door every morning that signaled when he had to leave. Then he remembers: Okuyasu had a quiz to make up and he’d opted to do it in the morning rather than after school.  

Josuke remembers another thing too, but he remembers it too late: he left the umbrella by the front door. He groans and slaps his palm on his forehead. Not again. He can hear his mom now, brow raised with hands on her hips once he gets home later, soaked through and miserable—You can’t say I didn’t remind you! Cue the disappointed head shake. And be careful, don’t track water on the hardwood! He really is just a mess in the mornings, isn’t he?

Get it together, Josuke. The front gates of the school are in sight now, and he ends his mini pep talk to himself with two more slaps, this time to the cheek, to try to wake himself up a little more.

The hallways are mostly empty once he’s finally inside, and his classroom is right at the end, the door slid back. He spares a glance to the clock on the opposite wall, where the hour hand is at 8 and the minute hand is pointed at the notch just before 12. The third hand ticking away the seconds is incredibly close to completing its full revolution, and it does so in 3… 2… 1.

A shrill ringing fills the air that’s otherwise dead considering most students are now in class, and Josuke starts running, shoes clacking on the linoleum. He’ll be fine if he gets there before the bell stops!

He curls his hand around the edge of the door as if to stop himself from overshooting his target, and comes to stand in the frame, panting quietly. Yes, made it! The teacher stands close by, clearly on her way to shut the door, signaling the beginning of lecture and that anyone who were to come after was to be marked tardy. But Josuke wouldn’t be one of them today!

“Perfect timing, Higashikata,” the teacher remarks.

Josuke chuckles quietly, closing the door behind him. “Heh, yeah…” By now she is accustomed to his very last second arrivals, and he’s certain he’s closed the door for her more often than not this trimester. Maybe one day he’d actually be late, but he’s not keen to let that happen anytime soon.

While the teacher returns to her spot at the head of the classroom, he walks over to his desk, the second column from the far side and three rows back. He sets his books down before plopping into his seat, and as he does, he catches your gaze from where you’re sat to his right.

When your eyes meet, you smile brightly and the corners of your own crinkle slightly. He smiles back but it’s not nearly as energetic. Even after you’ve turned your attention back to the teacher, he lingers on you, your hair pulled back into a neat ponytail, white ribbon holding it in place; your knee high socks and pristine Mary-Jane’s with a small heel; your cheeks dusted in soft pink to complement the translucent sheen of gloss on your lips. He already feels frazzled in the mornings and is sure he looks the part too (the one exception being his hair, of course; he’d cut no corners with that) but the sentiment is magnified as he studies you.

You’re always so put together, so neat. You have good grades and everyone likes you, students and faculty alike. If someone needs help you’re happy to offer assistance, and it’s almost shocking how well you can remember everyone’s names. It makes you personable and inviting, and not to mention your smile: warm and amiable, you’d always have one to share with whoever looked your way. Josuke won’t lie that he’s a bit more awake now that you’ve graced him with one. And truly, considering all these things, is it really a such a surprise that his crush is as big as it is?

He’s inclined to think no. Though he’s also inclined to think he is far from the only person to feel this way about you. Hell, he knowshe’s not because Okuyasu had mentioned the other day how cute you’d looked when he passed you in the hallway and Josuke had asked what you were doing and Okuyasu shrugged and said Nothing, she was just talking with a friend. Then he went on to say well, you look cute every day but there was just something about that moment you looked cuter than normal and to anyone else this wouldn’t make any sense but Josuke, a boy with butterflies in his stomach that seem to rouse to wakefulness at the sight of you and at the sound of your voice, even when you aren’t doing anything special, understood perfectly.

Beneath your seat he spots an umbrella, folded up and covered with a slip: a pink one with strawberries dotted on it. Well, at least you’d prepared for the rain today, but that’s to be expected. He wonders what that’d be like, to not be forgetful and to be even half as composed as you are. He bets it’d be nice.

It’s your turn to catch him as you glance at him and his eyes slide from your umbrella up to your face. Briefly you look down at his desk where his books are still sitting the way he left them, and you mouth the words Page 217. That’s when Josuke notices your textbook is open, and he observes the students around you who also have theirs out. Quickly he moves to catch up, grabbing his copy and flipping through.

He does it just in time, too, as the teacher calls his name to ask him a question.

“What page are we on?”

Though he’s been taken by surprise in the past, you’ve spared him of that today and he answers correctly. Satisfied (though slightly suspicious of whether he really had been paying attention), the teacher returns to writing on the board. Once her back is turned, Josuke mouths Thanksand you flash that perfect smile at him again and his stomach feels a bit funny.

The rain begins to fall halfway through the day. It starts as a drizzle, silent and feeling more like a mist than anything, until it comes down a little harder, with enough force that the raindrops darken the cement. Students are quick to flee to the safety of the indoors during lunch, hiding beneath their umbrellas (or in the case of the less prepared, beneath their textbooks).

When classes resume, the rain is descending in a steady downpour, beating against the windows with muffled patters. It’s nice background noise for lazing around at home, but while at school, not so much. The dark sky makes Josuke sleepy (though he hadn’t been fully awake to begin with) and he rests his head on his propped up hand as he looks outside. He’s sitting right by the window, and he follows the path of a raindrop sliding down the window. It goes straight for a short while, then at a diagonal towards the right; it picks up a few other raindrops along its way, growing in size, and down it goes, until it reaches the windowsill…

Josuke’s eyelids begin to droop. Could this day go by anyslower?

The bell to signal the end of the school day is truly a blessed sound indeed. It seems the weather has decided to have some mercy for the students who had failed to bring an umbrella, for the rain ceases and the sky, while still cloudy, isn’t as dreary as it had been earlier. Because of this, Josuke is able to wait for Okuyasu and Koichi at the usual spot, right outside the front gates. All three of them have a different final period and Josuke is the first to arrive this time.

He watches the crowd of students leaving campus, large groups of them taking up most of the space on the sidewalks and the crosswalk. The air is filled with energetic chatter and the whoosh of passing cars. As the minutes wear on, the hustle and bustle gradually diminishes, and only a few students here and there trickle through the gates. However, thus far none of them have been Okuyasu or Koichi, and Josuke’s brows furrow. He peaks around the corner to look past the opened gates but they’re nowhere to be seen. What gives? Where the hell are they?

Normally they don’t take this long to show up. Did they get distracted or something? Josuke huffs and turns back around, looking down the sidewalk. The plan had been to get food at St. Gentleman’s, and while any other day he might try to wait it out or even return inside to search for them, he’s getting hungry and considering going ahead. They wouldn’t be annoyed, and they’d all meet up eventually, just now at the bakery and not outside the school building.

Not that it takes much convincing on his part, Josuke makes up his mind, and with a decisive nod, stuffs his hands into his pants pockets and begins walking. He wonders what to buy once he’s there, and envisioning the different choices makes the rumbling of his stomach only grow louder. But he doesn’t make it more than ten steps before he feels a solitary raindrop land on his head.

At first he thinks it’s his imagination, but then he feels another, and he glares up at the sky. Is it really— A few more hit his face, one narrowly missing his eye, and he groans. There was no more denying it now. It was beginning to rain again.

A light drizzle would’ve been the most ideal, and he wouldn’t have minded walking through it, but he’s not quite so lucky. The most he could hope for is that it doesn’t come down any harder than it is now; the torrents of earlier this afternoon would be difficult to trek in. Possible, but he’d look like a wet dog by the time he arrived at St. Gentleman’s (and halfway to shaking the excess water off his body like one too). He considers what he might do if it did rain that hard, if it would be worth the walk, and he sighs. He’d be soaked whether he chose to go to the bakery or reroute to his house. At least a trip to St. Gentleman’s got him some warm food at the end.

Josuke’s once perfectly done pompadour is being messed up by the rain, and he pushes some of the stray strands back from his forehead. Man, this sucks! Did Okuyasu or Koichi bring an umbrella? If they had, it would’ve been left in their lockers for the day since they ate lunch indoors, so Josuke wouldn’t have seen. Okuyasu he was a bit unsure of, but Koichi stayed prepared, and Josuke doesn’t put it past him to have brought one just in case.

Maybe he should turn around then? He could go back inside, find his friends because really, if he hadn’t seen them while standing by the front gates for fifteen minutes then where the hellwere they, and just take the walk to St. Gentleman’s with them, while, fingers crossed, sheltered beneath an umbrella.

As if on cue, Josuke no longer feels the rain falling, and he looks up to see he is now beneath an umbrella: it’s colored pink and has a strawberry pattern.

His eyes trace the length of the handle and find you at the end, smiling at him. Your arm is lifted slightly to be able to keep him covered as well as your much shorter self.

“You’ll catch a cold if you just stand there,” you remark.

Ah. It occurs to him he had stopped walking when it started raining. Deep in thought about how to proceed, he had neglected to actually move out of the way so that he might continue his thinking without getting wetter by the second. Just staying in one spot was even worse than just continuing with his walk! First not bringing an umbrella to begin with, and now this, he truly was screwing himself over at every turn.

But it would seem the world is taking just a little pity on him, for not only has his need for an umbrella been answered, it had been you that answered it. The weather is cold but he hardly notices due to his rapidly warming cheeks. He is suddenly acutely aware of how close the two of you are standing, and you have to, given your umbrella isn’t that big and he has a broad form. He detects the faint smell of your perfume: powdery and floral, a vibrant freshness that matches the bright expression on your face. You’re like a ball of sunshine competing with the cloudy afternoon, but he already knows who he’d declare the winner.

“Uh, yeah…” Josuke finally forces out awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. On the inside, he cringes. “Just… got distracted deciding what to do since I didn’t bring an umbrella.”

You tilt your head. “Where were you going? I could walk you there!”

Your offer catches him off guard, quick as it had been. Clearly it isn’t something you said just to be nice. If he wasn’t mistaken, your suggestion had an eager undertone to it, as if hoping he’d agree and grant you the opportunity to help someone. Once more he’s in awe of your willingness to lend a hand where needed, and maybe this was the intention of the powers that be all along—where Josuke was unprepared, you were, as always, put together, and it was his lucky day that you had set your sights on him.

His brief silence you interpret as hesitation to agree, so you continue: “And don’t feel bad about accepting! I’d hate for you to walk under the rain.”

You wear your heart on your sleeve and Josuke can’t help smiling. It’s a good look on you. “I was going to get food,” he states.

“Oh, me too! Where were you thinking?”

The longer this conversation goes, the more it becomes apparent this may turn into more than a simple walk. The prospect of eating a meal together and spending time with you outside of class makes Josuke’s stomach do a flip—there’s that queasy feeling again. His anticipation was such that it made him feel sick. Was that typical? Was this sensation written about in romance novels? He wouldn’t know since he’s never read stories like those. And yet, ironically, he finds himself to be right in the center of one.

The name St. Gentleman’s is on the tip of his tongue before it dies out and he reconsiders. If both of you went there, you would inevitably run into Okuyasu and Koichi, and as much as Josuke enjoys being around them, right now, he just wants to be with you. They’d be a distraction, and he has no qualms in admitting he wants you to himself because with the way you watch him right now, he wants to remain the center of your attention. You make it simple to forget the cold weather. Besides, the others wouldn’t mind his absence, especially not after he tells them his reason for not meeting them.

“Cafe Rengatei,” he says instead.

You nod once, resolute. “Let’s go there then!”

The optimistic part of him seems to spring to life—this is a date! But Josuke tries to push that down quickly, not wanting to make this out to be more than it is. Because it isn’t much, really. Just two classmates getting a bite to eat after school. That’s it. As friends.

“Here, you’ll need to hold the umbrella though since you’re taller.”

You hand him the umbrella and he takes it, and to ensure you’re also properly covered, you step even closer, shoulder pressed against his. You’re touching him and you’re so warm and smell like flowers and even if on the outside he appears perfectly fine, on the inside he’s freaking out and he might not call it a date but it sure as hell is playing out like one.

He’s still in shock at the events that are transpiring, and doesn’t immediately fall into step with you. You blink and glance up at him, and the gloomy weather and umbrella cast a shadow over his face that, thankfully, hides his blush. It deepens when you take hold of his arm, the one between you holding the umbrella, as though to pull him along.

“Come on, let’s go before it starts raining harder!”

Josuke didn’t think he could like the rain as much as he does now. Talking with you becomes increasingly easier with every step, and it feels like his heart stops when you grin softly. The walk is unhurried, even for the rain falling all around you, and it’s hard to say who is dictating the pace, who has decided to prolong this time spent so close together.

The depths of your eyes are crystal clear at this distance and he knows one thing for sure: if it had, in fact, been you at the start setting this slow pace, it’s him who would keep it that way. He’ll keep his steps slow to extend this moment with you, all the while wishing it would last forever.