Work Text:
Nijimura House, March 14th, 2005 - Bluin’ the Blues
'I can’t believe that Aiko died this morning, I mean, I know that she was a plant, but she was still a cat first. Now wha’ do I do?' Okuyasu thought as he sat next to the fresh patch of dirt in his front yard and beside him was an empty flower pot. When he had woken up that morning, he heard his dad sobbing downstairs and when he walked in the kitchen to investigate, he saw that the plant formerly known as Stray Cat had passed away. Knowing that he would have to lay her to rest, he gently moved her from the sunny windowsill that she had loved to make breakfast for his dad and while his father ate, he went outside to bury her. Now, as he sat by the grave, he decided to call Josuke and talk to him, only to get his voice mail. As he left a message, he then hung up the phone and headed back to the porch to sit down. That afternoon, he got a text from Josuke.
JH: Hey man, I just got your message and I’m sorry to hear about Aiko, do you want me to come by with movies and snacks and hang out with you tonight?
ON: Nah, I’ll be okay, besides, it’s White Day, you should be with Rohan since you two just got back together.
JH: Actually I just texted him and he said that he’s not in the mood for anything romantic since we just got back from Aomori yesterday. Plus he’s got some movies that he’s bringing and I’ll get the snacks from the Owson on the way to your place. You home today?
ON: Yeah, Tonio gave me the day off to grieve for her and Koichi and Yukako are coming by also.
JH: Cool, I’ll do as many of my charts as I can and then I’ll come over. See ya! Read the last text from Josuke and as Okuyasu got up from the porch, he saw Koichi and Yukako show up along with Rohan.
“Here, Koichi told me what happened and I thought I’d bring something for her grave.” Rohan said as he handed Okuyasu a small catnip plant.
“Thanks, I’ll plant it on her grave tomorrow.” Okuyasu replied as he and his friends headed inside to hang out before Josuke showed up. Once inside, the group talked about what had happened recently and Rohan gave them their gifts for the consolation money that they had sent for his grandmother’s funeral. Soon, Josuke texted them to let them know he was on his way and thirty minutes later, he showed up with some snacks from the Owson along with dinner sent by Tonio.
“Hey, I stopped by Tonio’s and he gave me some food to bring over for everyone.” Josuke said as Yukako and Koichi took the food into the kitchen and as everyone helped themselves, Okuyasu made up a plate for his dad and then he made up his dinner and joined the others to talk and watch the movies that Rohan had brought.
'This is great, my friends are here, we got an update on Rohan and Josuke and we’re finally hanging out again.' Okuyasu thought as they watched the movies and soon, the group began to disperse starting with Koichi and Yukako heading home first.
“You guys gonna head straight home?” Okuyasu asked, curious about what Rohan and Josuke’s plans were.
“Nah, we’re gonna go see my mom first and then I’m gonna take him home before I go back to my place.” Josuke replied as he and Rohan headed to Josuke’s car. “Hey, let me know if you need to talk to someone about this, I know some good therapists at the hospital.” He added as they left, with Okuyasu promising to call him if he did. As the couple reached Tomoko’s house, they headed inside to visit with her.
Higashikata residence - Moten Swing
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear about Aiko passing, she was a pretty flower, but every time I saw her, it almost felt like she was watching me.” Tomoko said as she brought over some coffee for the couple.
'She would absolutely flip if she knew.' Josuke thought as he glanced over at Rohan and shook his head. “Yeah, he found her on the day of the explosion and took her home to keep from getting demolished by the debris.” Josuke replied, easily moving the conversation away from the cat-plant to something else. “So I assume that you got the gift we set aside for you?” He then asked.
“Yes! Rohan brought it by today and Rohan, remember what I said would happen if you break Josuke’s heart again.” Tomoko replied as she glared at the mangaka as she sat down with her coffee.
“Don’t worry, I’ve learned my lesson about jumping to conclusions with Josuke and it’s better not to do it.” Rohan replied and as they continued their conversation, Josuke left out the more sordid details of their reunion, including them breaking the bed by having sex. Afterwards, the couple headed back to Rohan’s house.
Kishibe Residence - Blue Skies
“Hey, do you want to go out tomorrow? Oku’ll be back at the restaurant and I want to check up on him.” Josuke asked as they headed inside to chill out for a bit before he headed back to his apartment.
“That’d be nice, this way we can let everyone else in Morioh know that we’re back together.” Rohan replied as he and Josuke cuddled on the couch and later, Josuke headed back to his place, leaving Rohan alone but happy that they were back together and yet he was unaware of what Josuke was planning for him.
End.