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"Get ready in an hour. I'll be taking you out."
That was what Rohan told Josuke before hanging up. The pomp-haired teenager stupidly stared at the phone for a moment before the message finally hit him: Rohan Kishibe will be coming over to his house to beat him up.
Whhhyyy?! Josuke thought, now panicking. What did I do this time to earn his wrath?! Wait… it couldn't because he SAW me doing that thing…
Earlier this afternoon, Josuke and his friends Okuyasu and Koichi were squatting and hanging out together in front of Owson Convenience Store, right next to where the Ghost Alley would be. Koichi had bought the latest Weekly Shonen Jump magazine and there was a page that featured Rohan doing an interview about the future of his Pink Dark Boy manga. Josuke, deciding to be a little shit, used a pen to draw a curly mustache and devil horns on the picture of Rohan. He felt so proud of his little work until the real Rohan suddenly appeared behind him and demanded what Josuke was laughing about. Josuke thought he fixed the picture with Crazy Diamond before Rohan could see it.
He can't be that mad at me for something so stupid and trivial, Josuke thought as a huge sweatdrop rolled down his face. Then again, Rohan is also the type to stab his fingers so he could prove a point that I was cheating in a game… Well, if he wants to kick my ass, I'll teach him a lesson.
Josuke sat and waited in the living room in a tense anticipation. He was so nervous that he couldn't bring himself to watch the TV or play his favorite video games. He kept glancing at the clock. Rohan should be here exactly at 7 PM. His mother won't be home until late this evening since she'll be attending a meeting. At exactly 7 PM, there is a knock. Josuke ran to the front door and opened it wide.
"So!!" he yelled, holding up a fist. "You want a piece of me, huh, Rohan?!"
"What are you talking about?" Rohan frowned. "I'm taking you out to dinner."
Josuke's jaw dropped. Rohan is dressed in a dark green blazer jacket over a turtleneck crop top decorated with pen nibs. His pants are pretty tight with corset seams on the sides. He had to admit, Rohan can have a sexy taste in fashion.
"Well?" Rohan demanded, crossing his arms. "Aren't you ready?"
"Uh… y-yeah, I am," Josuke blinked. He rubbed his neck awkwardly. "I didn't expect you of all people to ask me out on a date…"
"It's not a date. I'm personally inviting you to have dinner with me. Is that all you're going to wear?"
Josuke looked down at himself, he was only dressed in his school uniform.
"What? It's comfortable," Josuke defended himself. "I don't even know where we're going."
"I'm in the mood for Italian tonight. I hope you haven't eaten yet."
"Of course, I haven't!" Josuke said, feeling excited. "Let's go eat then!"
Josuke locked his door and followed Rohan to his motorbike. He awkwardly climbed on the bike, sitting very close behind Rohan. He was about to put his hands on Rohan's waist but the manga artist slapped them away which prompted Josuke to place his hands on Rohan's shoulders instead.
Rohan drove to Tonio's restaurant near the cemetery without speaking to Josuke along the way. The two young men were greeted by Tonio when they stepped inside before being led to their table. They were given no menu. Instead, Tonio brought out a new seafood-based spaghetti made with mussels, prawns, chopped cilantro, and chili powder. Josuke never ate this kind of dish before and his taste buds are singing after swallowing a few bites. Rohan said nothing but he was silently enjoying his meal. Josuke found himself staring at Rohan, couldn't help but gaze at the older guy's outfit and his soft features. His heart is beating against his chest but he feels a sudden tight uncomfortable knot in his stomach, believing Rohan is luring him to a false sense of security.
"Okay! What's going on here?" he blurted. "What's your plan, Rohan?!"
"Plan?" Rohan raised an eyebrow, looking mildly offended.
"Yeah! You're pulling some kind of trick on me, right?! You always had it out for me, even when I'm trying to be nicer around you!"
"This is no trick, Higashikata ," Rohan emphasized the last word with mild irritation. "I invited you to a simple dinner with just the two of us."
"Why? And why me?" Josuke began to have wild assumptions. Please tell me you're suddenly falling in love with me...
"Do you really want me to say it? This is my way… of thanking you for stopping Yoshikage Kira last summer."
"... Oh."
Josuke felt like a deflated balloon. He was expecting something outrageous, but he could finally see Rohan has no ulterior motives.
"While Jotaro and I did most of the work tracking Kira's whereabouts, you were able to defeat him for good."
"Well, I had some help…" Josuke smiled shyly. "But you're the one who found him and got us together in the first place. I say we make a pretty good team."
"I was going to give you a gift card, but Koichi suggested I take you out to dinner and… get to know you better," Rohan said sarcastically. "Be grateful I found some free time out of my new busy schedule. Don't worry about paying, I doubt you have enough money to pay for everything."
Josuke chuckled dryly, but he couldn't help but feel touched by Rohan's generosity. "So… does that mean we're finally good friends?"
"I'm thinking about it," Rohan muttered, looking away.
"Aww, Rohan, you took me out to a fancy meal and even put on a sexy outfit just for me!"
"Keep this to yourself, Josuke! You're not to tell anyone we ate together! After tonight, I will continue to ignore you…"
Josuke still kept on smirking, much to Rohan's further annoyance. The manga artist wished he ignored Koichi's suggestion and just gave Josuke a gift card. To Rohan's astonishment, Josuke placed his hand on top of his own… then lifted his hand, interlocking their fingers together.
"You know… you're kinda so cute when you make that pouty expression," Josuke said.
Then he leaned forward and kissed Rohan's fingers. What happened next is Rohan flipped the entire table, throwing all the plates, glasses, utensils, and food to the ground along with Josuke. Tonio came out from his kitchen to see what the loud crash noises were. Josuke's Crazy Diamond quickly restored everything back to normal.
"Is everything okay?" Tonio asked, bewildered.
"Nothing, I think we're ready for some dessert and coffee," Josuke said, with the biggest shit-eating grin on his face.
Meanwhile, Rohan is just sitting and glaring down at his lap. His entire face is bright red with embarrassment.
"Just… coffee for me…" he uttered.
Rohan and Josuke left the restaurant together but the manga artist denied Josuke from climbing on the motorbike.
"You're going back to your house on foot," he told the teenager.
"Eh, I don't mind," Josuke smiled, with his arms folded behind his back. "I could use the time to think about your reaction to that little kiss. Thanks for the date~"
Rohan frowned. "How dare you… is this some kind of game to you, Josuke?!"
"You gotta lighten up, Rohan! It's just harmless fun!" Josuke wrapped his arm around Rohan's shoulder. He then whispered softly in Rohan's ear, "Is it okay if I call you 'babe', too?"
Rohan blushed again and refused to answer him. He released himself from Josuke's arm and he sped away in seconds. Josuke noticed something had fallen off from Rohan's jacket and he picked it up from the ground. It was his wallet.
"Uh oh, he might return and get this back," Josuke said to himself. The thought of seeing Rohan's flustered face made Josuke excited, so he pocketed Rohan's wallet inside his uniform. "Great! I can't wait to see him again."