Work Text:
“What are you doing?”
Rohan could swear he saw his deceased grandfather waving at him, calling him to cross that river to stay with him at the other side, for a brief moment.
“What are YOU doing?!” he shouted back at Josuke, his hand clutching his chest to calm down his racing heart. “What are you doing at my window?!”
Josuke shrugged, oblivious to the fact he almost made Rohan cross the Sanzu river unintentionally.
“Well, your door is locked so it’s only natural to enter by the window, right?”
“It’s not natural, unless your mother raised you as a burglar! We’re on the second floor!” he couldn’t stop himself from being exasperate at that delinquent. “Did any of my neighbors see you doing this stunt?!”
Josuke looked at him for two long seconds before resuming his entrance, completely in silence.
“One day, Josuke, you’re going to get arrested and I will do whatever is possible in my power to visit you every single day of your stay in jail to laugh at your face.”
“Nah, I think you’ll get arrested first.”
“Based on what?”
“It’s just a hunch.” the younger replied, smiling. “So, what are you doing?”
Clicking his tongue, Rohan turned back to the big mirror in front of him, a buzzing electric razor on one hand.
“Cutting my hair.”
“By yourself?”
“The advantages of not having over complicated hairdos.” the older replied, parting his hair with his fingers to better shave his scalp.
“Heeeeh, Kishibe Rohan can even cut his own hair. What a resourceful guy. Is there something he can’t do?”
“I can’t make you shut up.”
For a moment, the buzz of the razor was the only sound heard in the room. Josuke stood back watching the little chunks of dark hair falling on the wooden floor.
“Why aren’t you doing this in the bathroom?”
“Because here is brighter. Also is none of your business.”
“It could be.”
Rohan’s hand slipped with that but fortunately he recovered from almost shaving what his headband couldn’t cover.
“Josuke, I have a tolerance limit for the daily bullshit I can take and I am this close.” he did a gesture pressing his thumb and forefinger together. “to reach the limit of today.”
“Your fingers are touching each other.”
“Exactly. Take a hint.”
“I’m just offering my friendship to you.”
“I don’t want anything that comes from you, thank you.”
“Still a sourpuss, sensei. You need to forge some interpersonal bonds, y’know.”
“It’s impressive to learn you can say these big words, Higashikata Josuke, though I doubt you are conscious of their meaning.” the older sneered at the boy through the mirror. “But so you know, I already forged enough interpersonal bonds in my life, which means I pass having them with you.”
“Man, I don’t even know why I try. Why the hell are you so grouchy with me? What did I do to you?”
Rohan stopped what he was doing to turn to Josuke. The two looked at each other for a while before Rohan turned back to the mirror and turned the razor on again.
“It’s been two years, Rohan, for god’s sake.” he mumbled, annoyed. “You talk even to Okuyasu and Yukako but I am the problem, huh?”
“None of them sent me to the hospital so I think it’s fair to be grouchy with you, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it’s fine if you tried to make Okuyasu die by immolation and almost killed Koichi by abusing your power but I guess punching your face to save my friends from danger is a big no-no, right?”
Rohan squinted at him through the mirror, looking fed up.
“Did you come here to try to make me have a moral crisis while I cut my hair?”
Josuke couldn’t help but groan loudly, covering his face with both hands, his hair almost releasing itself in frustration.
“No, man, I came here so we can start over again and be friends or something like that? I don’t know, as you said, take a hint?!”
Presumptuous of you to think we can be friends this easily was just a breath away from being said but Rohan held his tongue down.
He didn’t want to give any chances for Josuke to invade his life. It was enough to have him doing that to his house.
Josuke always did things his way, always got what he wanted. He didn’t know what was the younger’s goal with this sudden offering of friendship and he wished to stay ignorant to it.
Except…
Except he was Kishibe Rohan, the guy who accidentally killed a man and almost died in the process because of his curiosity.
Damned be his curiosity.
He needed to know what Josuke had in his mind.
“I’ll buy this suspicious interest you have in starting over and whatnot as genuine. But be warned that we’re not going to be buddy-buddy all of sudden.”
“I didn’t expect this from the beginning but I’m glad at least you are willing to give it a try.” Josuke replied, smiling a bright and full of aligned teeth smile. “Ah, you can totally ask me for any help you need.”
Rohan felt a muscle under his eye twitch. Proactive Josuke never was a good omen in Rohan’s life.
“Fine. You want to make yourself useful then I’ll make you useful.” the man sighed, begrudgingly. “I won’t pay you though.”
The smile became stiff.
“I don’t want any money from you, sensei.” his words were practically whistled from behind his white teeth, which looked more clenched than they should in a natural smile, contributing to make the teen look much less honest than he wanted. “I genuinely want to help you.”
“Hmmm.” Rohan looked every bit not convinced by those gritted teeth but decided to give the other the chance. “Take the razor and shave whatever irregular patch of hair I didn’t get.”
“How about you add a ‘please?’ in this sentence of yours?”
Rohan contemplated to take the razor and shave that stupid pompadour for a moment.
He took a deep breath to not give into temptation. Another stay at the hospital wasn’t worth the trouble.
“Pleeeeeeeeaseeeeee…?” he hissed, sounding like a very angry snake. That seemed to appease Josuke though, who accepted the razor with a more natural smile.
“See? We already off to a great start.”
Rohan grumbled something Josuke wasn’t able to grasp but the teen didn’t care about it. His plan was working, their reconciliation was happening, it was only a matter of time until Rohan accepted him as a true friend…
…and soon he would be able to take advantage of being close of that guy! He couldn’t believe how lucky he was getting close to Rohan! Josuke-kun was going enjoy everything that friendship had to offer! He was totally going to laze over that big couch Rohan had downstairs while playing games at that huge ass TV in the living room, he was going to eat luxurious meals at the best restaurants when they hang out together without having to pay, he was going to get the best outfits as gifts from his new friend as well as mooch him off cash a little because, well, why would he not share a little bit he had with Josuke who was such a great guy? And then-!
“Can you stop grinning at my back? It’s creeping me out.”
He looked at the mirror and saw Rohan looking back at him, a displeased expression on his face. He himself was wearing a very maniacal one, proving Rohan had the right to be ticked off.
“Ah, er, sorry...” he replied while his face became neutral again.
“I don’t know what kind of weird fantasy you’re having but I really need you to stop it and focus on my hair, okay? I don’t have all day and would be grateful if you stop wasting the batteries of my razor.”
Josuke twisted his lips but got down to business as he was told. To be fair, he didn’t have much to do. Rohan’s work was almost clean, just needed a little adjustment here and there but in general it was pretty much done. He already trimmed the long part of his hair before Josuke’s arrival and the shaved part of his undercut was practically down to his scalp.
It was a kind of funny sensation when he accidentally touched it, prickly and fuzzy but also smooth. It was different from the sensation he had when his late grandpa rubbed his shaved but rough chin against his face when he was little.
Rohan’s shaved scalp was soft and grayish, different from the dark longer hair he grew on top of his head. Maybe it was because his skin was so white and could be seen under the short hair.
That white that went down in the form of the long column that was his neck.
He never realized Rohan had a long neck. It was kind of elegant, all things considered. He had a good posture for a guy who spent most of the time bent over a desk drawing. It was impressive he didn’t have a crooked back.
Impressive was also how soft the nape of that neck looked. He didn’t realize until that moment the muscles Rohan possessed. The man had a build more solid than he remembered. They didn’t look imposing or overly rigid like Josuke’s or Okuyasu’s did but were there. Trapezius, right? Trapezius were the name of these muscles if he wasn’t wrong. Rohan had them quite evident, who could’ve thought? But still they felt soft under the pressure of his fingers and vibrated with Rohan’s quick pulse.
How would it feel if he sunk his teeth on it…?
… that was quite the weird thought.
He couldn’t be thinking about-
He noticed he had open his mouth without realizing.
No.
Nononononono!
No way in hell!
Not with Kishibe Rohan of all people!
No matter how white, how soft looking, how good smelling that neck was-
Wait.
Good smelling?
Was it really?
He had to confirm it.
“What are you doing?!” Rohan sounded startled. Not only sounded, he looked startled when he turned back to Josuke, his eyes wide while his hand covered the back of his neck with a sound slap.
“… what?” Josuke, however, sounded dumbfounded, like he was in some kind of trance.
“Were you sniffing me?!” Rohan’s alarmed voice and accusation seemed to finally wake the younger back to reality.
He...
He did it.
“… yeah, I sniffed you. You smell good.”
Wait.
What the hell did he say?
Did he just admit-?
Did he just admit out loud he freaking SNIFFED Rohan to his face?!
The HELL was he doing?!
Rohan seemed to be in complete disbelief too. His mismatched eyes were wide, watching Josuke warily, as if it was the first time he saw him properly.
And it made him look so different, so much more open and younger that his usual stern expression let him look.
It made Josuke want to reach him.
But soon the bewilderment gave place to murderous intent and it showed.
He needed to save that big ass of his or Rohan was going to kick it til it was flat.
“Y-Y-Your clothes smell good! T-They were newly washed, right?! There’s nothing better than that fresh smell of clean fabric, am I right?! What fabric softener do you use, sensei?!”
Rohan looked at him like he was a cockroach. The type he would step on, not lick.
Congratulations, Josuke, hope you enjoyed having balls because Rohan is probably going to rip them out and play with them like clackers, you weakass liar!
“Why the hell you thought it was a good idea to do it?!”
Better to tell the man the truth instead of digging his own grave with some lame ass lie he was incapable to tell convincingly.
“Dunno, I just thought it looked like you smelled good so I had to confirm.”
He shouldn’t be allowed of talking at all.
At least his beyond dead brain left the I also considered to bite your neck part out.
He watched Rohan cover his face with one hand and his shoulders go up and down with each long breath he drew and released. He seemed to calm down a bit after some moments of breathing although he looked like he was having the headache of the century when he revealed his face again.
“Let’s end this for today, okay? I don’t think I can handle much more of you for the time being.”
“W-Wait, Rohan! What I meant was-!”
“Stop, Josuke, if you want to go back home with your eyebrows intact. I’m tired. All this interaction with you left me tired. I don’t think I’ll be able to work today anymore so kudos to you for messing up all my schedule. Come here tomorrow and I will give to you the fabric softener brand I use or whatever you want. But for now, please, just leave.”
Josuke nodded, turning around, ready to leave.
“And use the front door like a civilized member of society, you goddamned monkey.”
He nodded again, retreating the leg he lifted to jump out the window, turning around again to leave the room.
“The hell am I doing?” he heard the mangaka mumble before leaving him behind.
Once outside the house, he drew a long breath.
He dodged a narrow one.
He didn’t know what just happened there. Was it normal to go sniffing people around? And biting? He never felt the need of doing something so intimate with anyone before. Was it hormones? Maybe it was situational attraction? He’d been thinking so much about making amends with Rohan that maybe he developed some kind of interest in the man. Not a crush, no. That was out of question. But considering doing that to Rohan of all people, he sure was out of his goddamned mind. Hopefully that interest was going away as soon as possible.
It was also fortunate that Rohan only threatened him to shave his eyebrows. If it was some time before he would not be satisfied with less than chopping off both of the younger’s little fingers. Maybe he was finally getting soft. Maybe he was getting fond of the teen. Josuke was charming afterall, it was just a matter of time until the mangaka was captivated by him too.
Anyway, crisis averted. At least Rohan didn’t notice-
Hm?
Wait a minute.
There was a mirror in front of him.
A big ass mirror.
There was no way Rohan didn’t notice him fixated on that white neck of his.
There was no way Rohan didn’t notice him baring out his teeth to bite him.
There was no way Rohan’s pulse quickened under his touch for absolute no reason.
Unless…
Oh.
Oh no.
Unless Rohan let him do what he did.
The embarrassment hit him so hard it hurt him physically and made him to hyperventilate, forcing the teen to crouch in the middle of sidewalk to calm down his racing heart, attracting the eyes of the passersby to his meltdown.
Rohan let him do what he did.
Only that explained why he was alive and in one piece out of that house and not minced and encased in cement at the man’s basement.
But what could that mean?!
Why would Rohan let him do whatever he wanted?!
Come here tomorrow and I will give you the fabric softener brand I use or whatever you want .
Whatever he wanted.
What did he want?!
Definitely wasn’t to know what fabric softener Rohan used.
Nor the money and gifts he planned to mooch off of him.
All he could think was that fuzzy scalp and that white neck.
He needed to visit him the next day.