Chapter Text
“Are you nervous, Rohan-sensei?”
The mangaka huffed, straightening pointedly. “Of course I’m not, Koichi. Why ought I be?”
“Because Jotaro and his daughter are flying in?”
Leave it to Koichi to bring up EXACTLY why he was wound so tight. He picked at one of the buttons on his coat, mumbling something about needing to fix the stitches holding it in place.
There was a soft, amused chuckle from his side. “I won’t tell, don’t worry.”
Rohan frowned down at Koichi a moment before sighing and crossing his arms (why was the AIR on? It was the dead of winter!). “You better not, or I’ll make it so you can’t remember how to speak entirely.”
It was a hollow threat, but Koichi’s squeak of fright was worth it for the small wave of relaxation it brought. Immediately after, the renewed wave of arriving passengers dragged his attention away from the teasing. When was their flight due in again?
“Oh! I think I see Mr. Jotaro!”
If Rohan was tense before, one wrong move could probably snap him in half. He spotted the overly tall man approaching at the same moment the teen spoke.
He seemed to be both scanning the airport and speaking with someone the artist couldn’t see. As soon as those (gorgeous and unforgettable) green eyes found Rohan’s, the man forced his way over (with that bulk it wasn’t hard to make a path). Upon emerging into the more open space, Rohan spotted the fact that Jotaro wasn’t leading the way through the crowd.
He was being towed along by who he could only assume was Jolyne.
The little girl was just as adorable as the photos in Jotaro’s wallet had made her seem, though they must have been a couple years old by now. Her hair was pulled up into the cute buns that she seemed to favor if his memory of the pictures was correct, but her hair was longer, the back pulled into a braid that bounced as she tugged her father along. She was bundled up in a warm parka, a stark contrast to Jotaro whose outfit seemed only to have a scarf included to account for the chill weather.
Rohan stood perfectly still as he watched Jotaro point at him and say something he couldn’t quite hear to the child before letting her hand go and passing a small, butterfly-shaped backpack to her. She nodded at whatever the man had said and ran in the artist’s direction, holding the bag close as Jotaro started in the opposite direction.
No, Rohan did NOT huff at the sight, no matter what Koichi told Jotaro later.
Jolyne stopped some distance from the waiting pair, suddenly no longer looking excited and now looking very nervous. Rohan could certainly relate to the sentiment. He knelt very stiffly and worked his face into something resembling a smile before speaking in his unpracticed and heavily accented English. “Hello. You must be miss Jolyne.”
She nodded, though he could tell she was less than comforted by his attempt at being friendly. “Dad said he has to get our bags before he can say hi…”
Rohan hummed. He could accept that. “Did you like the picture I drew of you?”
She fidgeted a bit. “It was very nice. Thank you…” She pulled a face and dug into her bag a moment before holding out a small, hand-made envelope made of construction paper and held closed with butterfly stickers. “I made this...to thank you…”
The artist tilted his head and took the folded paper, noting the sound of something sliding inside as he tilted it up to carefully peel the stickers up. Inside was a carefully braided bracelet made of brightly colored cord, decorated with a trio of butterfly beads. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.” He smiled genuinely and held it close “As soon as I get home I’ll put it on so I won’t lose it.”
She smiled back, excitedly bouncing a bit. Rohan felt better about being with her, the fact that she was smiling openly around him easing his mind.
“Jolyne.”
Both the girl and Rohan looked up to see Jotaro approaching, pulling along two bags behind him, one far smaller than the other.
“Hi dad! Rohan likes the bracelet I made him!”
“That’s good.” Jotaro turned his attention to Rohan, who was standing slowly and carefully tucking the bracelet into his pocket and fishing something out of the other.
The envelope he’d been left with.
“Time to hand this over, then?” The artist held it out to him.
“Ooooooh~! What’s that?”
Both Jolyne and Koichi got close to the pair once the mystery envelope was revealed.
“I don’t know! I didn’t open it!” Rohan reeled away from the sudden crowding.
“You didn’t?”
Confused, the mangaka looked up at Jotaro. “No? You said you were coming back for it so I didn’t think to.”
Jotaro shook his head and took the envelope, popping the seal open with a sigh of “Good grief…”
Emptied from the paper into his hand was a small locket.
Rohan tilted his head in confusion as the man handed the locket to him. He pulled a face and flipped it open.
Inside was a tiny photograph of Jolyne, clinging to a much too large stuffed dolphin. He blinked in surprise and looked up at Jotaro.
The confusion must have been clear on his face because Jotaro tugged his hat down and took the locket back. He turned away and fiddled with it, the trio pressing together as they watched. When the item was passed back, it now contained a new photograph, part of a Polaroid of the father and daughter together in the airport.
“To...keep us close…”
Rohan colored faintly, staring at the locket in his hand. “I...thank you…”
Jotaro coughed and looked away.
“Aww, dad!! You’re blushing!!” Jolyne giggled and punched his leg. It wasn’t a strong thing, but the man wavered a bit.
Cute.
Rohan smiled a bit. “You’ve both given me such nice gifts. Thank you very much.”
“Of course! Dad likes you, so you must be a good person!”
Jotaro choked. “Jolyne!”
“What?! That’s what you said when we were getting on the plane!” The girl pouted cutely.
Rohan shook his head and motioned to the entrance of the airport. “We ought to head out. Shall we get you both some lunch?”
“Yes please!”
Koichi coughed pointedly, having been forgotten in all the excitement, and smiled politely. “I think I’ll go see if Yukako is done with her shopping. Have fun, Rohan-sensei.” And like that he was gone.
Rohan flushed in embarrassment as Jotaro passed his daughter her luggage before nudging the artist towards the entrance.
“Lunch?”
“Y-yeah...ok…”
As the trio made their way out, Rohan hummed, holding the locket tight as it rested in his pocket.
Maybe...this was the start of a new and interesting story.