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The early summer breeze was fresh and slightly warm. The grass was a bright yellowish green, stretching out endlessly. Hills and trees decorated the horizons.
There was a small river between the hills, rocks and flowers littered along its banks. Two horses sipped on the fresh water while their riders settled under the shade of a tall oak tree.
"Joekid, what do you think you're doing?"
The Joestar turned his head to answer, "Climbing this tree, duh," before facing the tree trunk and reaching his hand up to a branch. He pulled himself of the ground, his arms holding him up on a branch while his legs swayed around looking for a footing.
"You are going to break your neck trying." Diego stood up from the ground to observe Johnny's antics with an unimpressed expression.
"Pshh, since when did you care Dio?"
Johnny's legs found a foothold and he used it to push himself off the ground and pull himself up onto the branch he was holding on. He sat on the branch and looked down at his rival.
"Are you chicken? Never climbed a tree in your life?"
Diego's eyes narrowed at his rival and he took the challenge. He jumped and held onto a higher branch. He swung his body for momentum before hauling himself up. He stood on the branch and leaned on the trunk, face smug.
"I've climbed plenty of trees in my days, thank you very much. I'd like to think myself a seasoned expert on the activity." His voice went soft at the first sentence. He remembered when he was just a child, his mother would always scold him- He quickly recovered though, no need to reveal that part of him to Joestar.
Johnny stood on his branch, matching Diego's stance. "Oh yeah? Whoever gets the highest first wins everything."
"You're on, Joekid."
They began climbing the tree with enthusiastic determination to beat eachother. Diego was quick and nimble, almost jumping from branch to branch. Johnny's movements are less graceful but he possessed a stronger upper body, able to pull his body up with ease. In the end, Johnny was able to reach the highest stable branch before Diego. He proudly sat on it with a victorious grin plastered on his face.
"I win everything." The red head stuck his tongue out.
The blond huffed, his face reddening from exertion and irritation. "I call nonsense. You started closer to that branch. I demand a rematch!" He reached for the branch Johnny was sitting on.
"Really?"
"No, you cretin! Now move your arse, I want to sit."
Johnny scooted over. He still has an annoyingly endearing grin on his face. He put on an over the top posh english accent, "Oh, forgive me your majesty! I shall move my arse this instant."
The Brit sat beside him and slapped his arm playfully. "Oh shut up. Don't ever do that again you sound like a twat."
"Oh so you like my American accent better?"
"Better than you butchering the English accent. Which is the superior accent, by the way."
"Absolutely not. You all sound like pompous bastards."
The blond Brit rolled his eyes.
They sat on the branch in a somewhat comfortable silence. Both of them observing the vast grassland. Their rivalry seemed to die down during times like these. They still tried to be better than the other, but this time it was different. There was no one here to judge them. No one who asked pressing questions about their rivalry. No one to disappoint. It was like a breath of fresh air.
Diego observed their horses from high above and blinked idly, trying to not notice the other's eyes on him. He can feel it, Johnny's slightly laboured breaths, from being so close to him. Their knees knocked against eachother and it was starting to get hard to ignore the tension in the air.
Johnny stared at his rival (friend? lover? no, neither of those) for a moment longer. Admiring the contrast between his warm tan skin, his dirty blond hair, and his bright teal eyes. There was faint freckles peppering his cheeks, barely noticable even at a close distance, but they add so much softness to Diego's sharp features. He looks so docile with his freckles highlighted by the sunlight and his eyes cast down, pale lashes fanning his cheeks. Wisps of Diego's bangs fell on his face and Johnny resisted the urge to tuck it behind his ear.
Eventually the Joestar broke the silence.
"Have you ever had a girl, Dio?"
Diego turned to look at him, face warm from being stared at.
"Plenty. Why?"
Johnny shook his head, cheeks flushing. "No, ah- Not what I meant, sorry." He just blurted out nonsense because he was so close to Diego. What was wrong with him?
"What I was tryinna say was, have you ever felt feelings for a girl?"
Diego furrowed his brows and averted his gaze. Has he ever felt feelings for a girl? All of his previous romances started because the girl showed interest in him first. Fluttering their eyelashes, fanning themselves, acting clumsy around him. He thought their attempts at getting his attention was cute, a little pathetic but cute. He hardly felt anything towards them. Yes, they were nice girls but he was never head over heels for any of them.
He cast his gaze back at Johnny. "Why?"
Johnny's brows knitted. "You didn't answer my question."
"Why would you want to know?"
"Still deflecting, Dio."
Diego sighed, eyes skirting away from Johnny's gaze. "No, I've never felt ridiculous feelings for those girls. They would only distract me."
"Distract, huh?"
"Mhm..." Diego dared gazing back at Johnny. The red head had moved closer, his gaze unreadable. Diego scooted away, only for his back to hit the trunk of the tree.
"You wanna know what distracts me?"
The Brit stared back at the Joestar. His skin was slightly paler, his freckles way more visible than his own. They littered his entire face. His red hair curled from under his hat and framed his bright blue eyes. Diego couldn't look away.
"I might have an idea." He answered, his voice barely above a whisper.
They both leaned in and closed the gap between them, mashing their lips together with little finesse. They shifted a few times, angled their heads this way and that to find a good angle. Eventually they pressed their lips gently. The curves of their face fit each other's somewhat perfectly. It was soft, a slight fleeting pressure that leaves them both breathless.
They kissed again and again, couldn't get enough of the sensation. Diego had kissed plenty of girls before, they always tasted of flowers and pearls but Johnny was different. Johnny tasted like strawberries and freshly cut grass wet from dew. He was sweet but there was still a roughness to him. The faint scent of horses still stuck on his shirt, his calloused fingers caressing his face, the bump of his nose exhaling hot air against his cheek. Things neither of them could get from any pretty girl.
They stayed close for a while, just kissing and caressing eachother. (Johnny touched Diego's hair like he always wanted to, it was soft like he expected. He decided he liked the sound of Diego's gasp when he tugged on it. Diego kissing every freckle on Johnny's face and neck. He never noticed the boy had some on his eyelids, he kissed them too.) Whatever this was wouldn't last and they both knew. They knew they can't do this anywhere else. They knew they would have to part ways someday. They knew, from their beating hearts that someday in the future one of them would fall from grace and it would leave a sour taste in their mouths. But for now they were sweet. For now they were still rivals, (not friends nor lovers) but they both had something eachother wanted that they couldn't get anywhere else. And they wanted to savor it while it lasts.
So they stayed, strawberry sweet on their lips, and neither of them wanted to face the future where this would end.