Chapter Text
There are a lot of things Joseph likes about being outdoors.
In the summer, he likes the sun and the feeling of its warmth on his skin. He likes watching the clouds in the bright blue sky, and he likes hearing the birds chirp their cheery tunes. In the fall, he likes going outside every day to see the leaves begin to change colors or feeling the dried leaves crunch beneath his shoes. In winter, he likes the cold, catching the snow in his hands, gliding across the ice and having snowball fights.
In spring, he likes having picnics. He remembers going out for picnics with Granny Erina when he was little, eating her fantastic fried chicken recipe (he still can’t figure out what ingredients she uses for the sauce; she’s adamant on keeping it a secret) as he rambles on about his day. Though with how busy he has been lately with Hamon training, he barely gets to have days off. Today is one of those rare days that he gets to have a break, and of course, he decided to take this as an opportunity to ask you to have a picnic with him. You said “yes,” much to his delight.
So the first half of the day was spent in the kitchen, helping each other cook what to bring to the picnic. Fried chicken, sandwiches, salads, whatever you could make with the ingredients in Lisa Lisa’s kitchen. He even got Caesar to help make dessert (panna-something-something, he doesn’t really remember) which turned out to be a lot of fun. After the dessert was done, it was time to leave. Joseph decided to lead you to a grassy hill where one could clearly see the large expanse of the cloudy sky. You sat together on the checkered blanket and talked about your training progress, funny childhood stories, or even whatever random fact you learned.
Shortly after you finished eating, you both decided to lay down and watch the clouds drift by. To be quite honest, Joseph would’ve preferred to continue chatting with you or maybe even play a game of tag, but you were both too full to move. So, you lied down side-by-side, with you shyly draping your arm across his abdomen…
… And eventually falling asleep.
He’s been staring at you lovingly for the past few minutes. Does that make him a creep? Probably. But he can’t really help it, not when you look so peaceful asleep with your head on his chest. Soft snores leave your lips as you sleepily snuggle closer to him, nuzzling your cheek into the fabric of his shirt. He gently caresses your arm with his hand as if to soothe you even more as he looks up at the sky with a smile he could barely hold back.
His attention is brought back to you once he notices that you’ve stopped snoring. You’re blinking blearily, bringing a hand up to rub away the sleepiness in your eyes. So, with a teasing smile, he greets you, “well, hello, sleeping beauty. You fell asleep on me.”
You huff out a quiet laugh, softly swatting his chest. “You said it was okay.”
“Of course it’s okay.” He pinches your cheek affectionately. “Did you sleep well?”
You hum affirmatively as a response and are about to get up until he pulls you down on top of him again. You freeze but eventually relax in his arms, your lips quirking up into a small smile when he starts to tenderly stroke your hair.
Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to stay here a little longer.