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Some words are unspoken until the very last moment. Rohan knew this by experience, given the fact of how many losses he had suffered in the past, and never really told anyone what he felt about them.
This was one of those moments of goodbye. Not a tragic one, but a new step in his life as an artist. The hallways were completely adorned by framed pages of his most famous work, and some special illustrations made for commemoration of dates or collaborations with famous brands. He walked that hallway once again, this time all by himself. During the evening, when the inauguration took place it was noisy and he could barely see what his editor planned to celebrate his tour in Europe.
While he walked in complete silence, enjoying the display, he heard some footsteps coming his way. Rohan sighed, thinking that it probably was another security guard, or his editor trying to take him back to the celebration. But when he turned to face them, instead he met a very familiar face.
“Josuke…” he said, as a greeting more than anything else.
“Yo, sensei!” Josuke replied, with a big smile on his face, as always. “I was looking for you”
“I don’t want to go back to the party just yet. I told my manager and my editor” he said defending himself “and I don’t really want to be disturbed anymore, so…”
“Oh, no, no! It is not about that… I mean that I was looking for you to chat a little” he calmly replied.
Sighing again, Rohan crossed his arms, and questioned if he should be brutally honest or just let him go with a warning. Staring at Josuke he finally noticed how he never saw him like this before. His tall figure was perfectly framed by his tuxedo, and apparently he was wearing lip gloss too, since his lips looked incredibly plump. Coming back from his thoughts, Rohan realized he left Josuke waiting.
"Ah… so? What is it?" He asked, trying hard not to glance at Josuke's lips again.
"Uhm, the flowers," Josuke said, rubbing the back of his neck. Suddenly he looked like a highschooler again, despite him being even taller than when they met. "Was it too much?"
The question took Rohan by surprise. He stared at him, wondering indeed if it was too much. "Maybe… friends don't usually send me flowers, so my editor was really surprised by it," he replied, confident in his answer. "Actually I don't think it's something friends do," Rohan said, softer this time.
"Well, we are not friends, are we?" Josuke replied way too fast, as he was expecting him to say that. "At least that's what you always tell me…"
Rohan couldn't help but laugh a little. Did Josuke really consider that true even after 5 years of knowing each other? After weekends of hanging out with the group, and even after spending evenings together talking and drinking coffee, just the two of them? "Guess you are right then. We are not friends'' he smirked and placed a hand in Josuke's chest.
"Then what are we?" He asked nervously "because you're really confusing sometimes…"
"I don't know," Rohan replied, turning around to watch the exhibition again, and starting walking slowly away, inviting Josuke to follow him.
They walked in silence in the hallway, just dim lights leading their way, to the place where the person in charge of decoration placed the numerous bouquets of flowers rohan received. All of them were placed one at the side of the other, and the centerpiece was Josuke's. It probably was because it was the only one sent by a single person instead of a company so they decided the person who sent them was important to Rohan. They were not wrong, he thought to himself when he saw it for the first time.
The mix of flowers included light colored carnations, green spider chrysanthemum, light lavender roses, a white lily in the middle, and small purple flower buttons. Together the flowers seemed so like them. They stared at it, Rohan slowly turning to watch Josuke's face.
"What do you want us to be, then?" Rohan asked in calm, as he glanced at him.
"I-I think is obvious, isn't it?" Josuke replied laughing nervously "I even asked the florist to make a super romantic kind of bouquet so I was hoping you would get my message."
"These flowers are actually pretty nice…" he said, gently touching the center of the bouquet.
"Yeah… I kinda wanted to say it with… flower language so…" Josuke was completely blushed.
"Oh, florists don't usually go with what the flower means, but more of an aesthetic point of view… If they were guided by that my editor would have been telling me that she hates me all these years" Rohan joked, pointing at the orange lilies on the next bouquet. "On the other hand maybe she did mean that" he shrugged.
"Shit! Please tell me I didn't give you the wrong message!!!" Josuke panicked blushing to the top of his ears.
"I don't know. What did you want to say?" He looked at him, pretending to be clueless about the obvious.
"That… that I, uhm…" Josuke's voice cracked "Come on Rohan, you know what I mean…"
Smirking Rohan pointed to the roses in Josuke's bouquet "White lilies stand for pure love. Usually used in weddings as symbol of faithfulness; Pale carnations, representation of forbidden love between men; the lavender roses symbolize fascination and adoration; purple lavender buttons are for devotion or…” Rohan chuckled “...maybe it's just because you love purple," He said smiling at the fact that Josuke was covering his face in embarrassment "and last but not least, the chrysanthemums. You are telling me to elope with you… did you mean any of that?"
"N-not exactly but…"
"That's what I am trying to say here" Rohan stepped closer to Josuke "Flowers might have had a hidden message, but the intention is what is really important."
Josuke was pretty surprised about how maturely Rohan was taking all of this. Of course he mocked him but in a really kind way, it seemed almost flirtatious.
"I am asking you again" Rohan said, "What do you want us to be, Josuke? Or do you want to leave this as some sort of unspoken words between us?"
This time Josuke was the one smiling, as he placed his hand softly on Rohan's cheek. "I want to be your everything Rohan…" he said softly.
"God, I want to kiss you so bad right now…" Rohan blushed at his own words. How did that even escape the security of his mind?
As the invitation was clear, Josuke gently brushed Rohan's cheek, and placed a chast kiss on his lips, leaving Rohan perplexed at the gesture.
"I will be waiting for you when you come back. Promise me you will go out with me then" Josuke said softly, slowly grabbing Rohan's hand.
"No such promise" He replied, turning around. He started walking away, just for adding suspense at his next words "You are coming with me."
"What?! To Italy?" Josuke stood in his place in shock. "Are you sure?" He stared at Rohan with visible confusion on his expression.
"Yes. And to Germany, France and Spain. You have your passport right?"
"Yes, but I mean…" Josuke started chasing after Rohan, who was apparently going back to the party "This is crazy! I know you are over the top but… What if we end up fighting?"
"Josuke" Rohan stopped and turned around to face him "it's us. We are definitely going to fight. And then we will apologize and we will start bickering again. That's us" he said. Josuke was even more confused by now. "But I also know we are going to enjoy every minute of it… and have a lot of fun together. I have known you for years so it is not as crazy as you think."
"Yeah but…" He smiled at him, a little shy "this is not something I expected from you…"
"You mean you didn't expect this from the man who has bought 7 mountains and has had random flights out of curiosity in any given moment?" Rohan joked and placed a kiss on Josuke's cheek "You can say no but… I waited for like two or three years for you to finally come to me and say that you liked me for letting you off the hook that easy" he added with a small pout.
"Wait… you knew it?!" Josuke blushed again "And you were waiting for me to do something about it? Why didn't you?"
"Wouldn't be in character… and it was fun watching you pinning for me. I actually liked it" he admitted smiling softly, as he caressed Josuke's face. "So now I am saying all I ever wanted to tell you, before you decide to stay and this becomes just something that can remind you of me while I am away."
Placing his arms around Rohan and holding him tight, Josuke spoke softly "I am going with you…"
A shiver was sent round Rohan's spine at that reply. Even if he actually wanted Josuke to go, he expected him to give him a no for an answer. "Are you? Really?" he asked, holding Josuke back.
"Yeah. I am the one who asked you to elope with me via flowers, right?" Josuke smiled at him "I lov…"
Rohan pressed a finger on Josuke's soft lips. "Enough for today. Wait until we are in Paris or something…"
"Sure. But you have to say it back" Josuke teased him.
"Don't get so cocky, Higashikata" he said rolling his eyes "Now let's go back to that party before someone else comes around".
As they walked through the hall, Josuke took Rohan's hand, holding him dearly. It made Rohan feel like finally things were making sense. As he said, it was a lot of waiting and indesition. A few dates that ended up in nothing, messy drunken kisses that were denied the next day, fighting daily and making up after that, failed tries to tell the other about their feelings, and various times looking at each other across that very party. He knew he could have gone touring around the world without saying a word to Josuke and that probably things would stay the same. But this time he was happy to resolve things before it was too late.
"Hey, are we sleeping in the same room? Or is it too much to ask for?" Josuke asked, teasing him before entering the reception.
"We have shared a bed before so it is not a big deal. I have literally changed clothes in front of you at Koichi's place after his birthday… and we are dating now so…" he smiled and placed a fast kiss on his lips "maybe I won't make you sleep on the bathtub this time".