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The weather forecast for Morioh showed cloudy skies with light precipitation. So why all of a sudden—was it pouring buckets outside?!
The school day had just ended, and to many students' dismay—not many had brought their umbrellas to shield themselves from the rain.
Josuke Higashikata, 16 years old and a first-year attending Morioh High School. The young boy sat beside the window, watching as the rain poured down, dread swirling around his mind as he thought about how he was supposed to get home.
It was a given that he was going to get wet if he went outside, so he stalled. Higashikata would rather do anything else than wet his hair, an extremely well-maintained pompadour.
His hair was like a sacred god. Higashikata took pride in his hairstyle—after all, it was a tribute to the man who saved him when he was younger.
The boy stayed seated at his desk, resting his head on his palm while the other stayed bent on the desk—just staring out the window, stalling and hoping the rain would magically come to an end.
As Higashikata stared out the window, someone walked into the classroom—their footsteps silenced by the falling rain outside.
Though, whoever the mystery person was, clearly wasn’t stealthy enough to fly under Higashikata’s radar.
The boy at the desk turned around and faced the ‘stranger’. The individual in front of Higashikata was nobody other than his best friend, Okuyasu Nijimura.
Okuyasu Nijimura, 15 years old, also a first year attending Morioh High School. The boy sports a smaller pompadour and two symmetrical lines crossing his face. Without a doubt, lots would say he was a gangster. But to Josuke, he was his best friend.
Nijimura stopped dead where he stood the moment he was caught. He glanced away then back to his friend, crossing his arms and leaning in slightly close to the other, “You gonna keep me waiting?” He questioned, tilting his head like some dog waiting for a treat.
Higashikata let out a dramatic sigh and leaned back in his seat, letting his head roll back, “Haa….” He sighed, “Do you even have an umbrella?” He asked, turning his head just a bit to look at his friend, who was leaning against a desk with his arms crossed.
Nijimura pursed his lips and began cracking his knuckles before responding, “Err..” He mumbled, “No.. But-“ Higashikata interrupted the boy with another dramatic sigh.
The two boys were engulfed by silence, the only few sounds in the room being the rainfall outside and Nijimura’s obnoxious knuckle cracking.
“Quit that. It’s annoying.” Higashikata grumbled, crossing his arms and staring up at the classroom ceiling. Nijimura huffed and placed his hands behind him on the desk.
Nijimura and Higashikata sat in an awkward silence for what felt like an eternity before Higashikata pushed his chair back and stood up, slamming his hands on his desk—startling Nijimura.
“I'm sick of this!” He stated, turning to face Nijimura, who was shocked by this sudden outburst. “Who cares if we get our hair wet?! It’s just rain!” Higashikata called out.
The older boy then pushed his chair back into the desk and began walking towards the doors, “Come on, Okuyasu! To my house!” He demanded. Okuyasu stepped forward and turned around, “I wasn’t worried about my hair!” He called out, chasing his friend out of the classroom.
. . . . .
Higashikata’s determination immediately ran out the second he stood in front of the school entrance. The rain seemed to be pouring harder than before.
The boy was severely regretting leaving his umbrella at home for ‘convenience’.
A few seconds later, Nijimura caught up to the other boy, who seemed to be contemplating leaving the building. “Whatcha standing there for? Come on!” Nijimura spoke, placing a hand on Higashikata’s shoulder.
Higashikata turned his head to glance at his friend, “We’re going to be drenched..” He grumbled, turning his attention back to the storm brewing outside.
Nijimura glanced at the glass doors and rain falling just a few feet away from them, then back at his friend. He thought for a moment, about the decision he was about to make.
Higashikata was most definitely going to be pissed, but it was better than spending a night at the school because it was pouring outside and Higashikata cared more about his hair than getting home.
Nijimura grabbed Higashikata’s wrist and bolted for the doors, not giving Higashikata a second to process what was happening or about to happen.
The two boys ran straight into the rainfall, slowly getting drenched the longer they stayed outside.
“Okuyasu!” Josuke yelled, still worried about his hair. But what was done was done, they already ran out and the only option now was to run to Josuke’s place.
Okuyasu turned his head back just a bit to laugh at Josuke before turning around and continuing their way to his friend’s house.
Josuke didn’t waste a moment, catching up to Okuyasu and shoving him just a bit—a smile creeping onto his face.
The two boys continued to run through the rain to get to Josuke’s house. Their hair falling out of their set shape due to the water, and their clothes changing into a darker color and sticking to their skin.
Finally, Okuyasu and Josuke stopped in front of the Higashikata residence. Josuke stepped forward and opened the front door, entering the house before Okuyasu.
The house was dark, all the lights were off and it didn’t seem like his mother was home yet. Okuyasu stepped inside and shut the door behind him.
The sound of water droplets hitting the floor and shoes squeaking filled the once empty house. Josuke sighed in relief, finally free from the wrath of the rain.
He threw his drenched book bag to the side and slid off his shoes before making his way to his room. Okuyasu followed, tossing his bag to the side and taking off his shoes before following Josuke to his room.
It wasn’t Okuyasu’s first time at the Higashikata residence, he’d been here multiple times before since the two became friends. It almost felt like a second home to him.
Not to mention, Josuke’s mom was a total hottie! Okuyasu was slightly jealous at the fact she was Josuke’s mom.
Okuyasu pushed away the thoughts as he entered his friend's room. The exact same as the last time he’d been there. Except now, the floor was coated in a wet trail from the two boys.
Josuke was busy digging in his closet for something to wear, meanwhile Okuyasu waited awkwardly by the bedroom door.
But his eyes began to wander. Okuyasu couldn’t help but stare at the boy a few feet away from him. He gazed at the way Josuke’s messy, wet hair clung to the nape of his neck and fell just a few centimeters past his shoulders.
He watched as small water droplets beaded together at the tips of his slick, wet hair and either fell onto his already damp uniform or slid down his neck.
Okuyasu was startled when Josuke began stripping off his uniform. His friends’ jacket dropped to the ground with a wet plop, leaving just his damp, yellow under-shirt.
Okuyasu felt his face heat up, he glanced away wanting to give Josuke some privacy, but his sight gravitated to the other boy.
Josuke stripped off his shirt and tossed it onto his drenched uniform on the floor. Okuyasu stared at Josuke’s naked other half, admiring the pale, smooth skin.
Josuke without his shirt wasn’t news to Okuyasu. He’d seen Josuke half-naked too many times to count, but recently something had changed about it.
Lately, Josuke had been making Okuyasu’s heart flutter. Okuyasu just couldn’t figure out why it just now began to affect him.
Josuke was slender but still had a considerable amount of muscle built up. It wasn’t like Okuyasu’s build was any different but there was something about Josuke that stuck out to the younger one.
“Okuyasu,” Josuke called out, snapping Okuyasu out of his perverted thoughts, “catch!” He ordered, tossing a large, black t-shirt to Okuyasu.
Okuyasu’s eyes widened, lunging forward to catch the shirt Josuke had just tossed to him. He clutched the shirt just as it touched the floor, immediately standing up and holding it awkwardly.
Josuke turned around, not caring to put a shirt on. He looked at Okuyasu and raised an eyebrow, “What are you doing?” He questioned, “You’re gonna get a cold standing there, put the shirt on.” Okuyasu stayed frozen for a moment before following the instructions Josuke had given him.
Josuke walked past Okuyasu and towards his dresser, digging inside for presumably pants to wear. Okuyasu slid off his drenched clothes, the surrounding air hitting his skin and making him shiver a bit.
Okuyasu pulled the black shirt over himself and turned to Josuke, who was still digging in the drawer. After a moment, Josuke pulled out two pairs of sweatpants, and a pair of blue boxers.
Josuke turned to Okuyasu and handed him a pair of sweatpants, patting him on the shoulder with a smile before disappearing out of the room to change.
Okuyasu stood still, processing what had just happened. He took a deep breath in and exhaled, he felt the heat in his face rise up once more. He crouched down, placing the sweatpants beside himself. God, did he feel absolutely starstruck.
Josuke reentered the room a few minutes later, wearing the sweatpants he’d taken with him earlier (and the boxers). He was holding two white towels and approached his friend, who had his back to the door, inspecting a poster on the wall behind Josuke’s bed.
Josuke quietly shuffled towards his unsuspecting friend, then without warning, wrapped the towel around Okuyasu’s head and began scruffing up his already-messy hair.
Okuyasu yelped in surprise and stumbled onto the bed, the soft, plush mattress padding his fall. Okuyasu yanked the towel off his head and glared at Josuke, “The hell man?!” He grumbled, holding the damp towel in his hand as he sat on the bed.
Josuke didn’t respond though, he just stared down at Okuyasu. The younger boy felt awkward and embarrassed, glancing away from the older one.
As Josuke continued to observe Okuyasu, he noticed a faint blush overtaking his face, the tips of his ears turning a lit red.
“Hey…” Okuyasu muttered, his gaze flickering to Josuke and away once more, “Quit that. You’re making me feel awkward.” He mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.
Josuke listened, smiling to himself just a bit as he backed away from his friend. “Come on,” He said, “The rain stopped, let's go to the balcony.” The older boy stopped at his doorway, turning his head to face his friend.
Okuyasu looked up and over to where his friend stood, “Yeah, coming.” He stated, standing up and following Josuke out of the room.
. . . . .
After the rain had let up, a light fog covered the dark streets of Morioh and the temperature had dropped a bit, resulting in a chilly breeze outside.
The two boys would soon realize this the moment they stood outside for too long.
“Shit. It’s freezing..” Josuke grumbled as a particularly cold breeze hit him. It definitely wasn’t helping that he was shirtless.
“I’m gonna go grab a blanket, be right back.” Josuke stated, turning around and walking back inside through the open balcony door.
Okuyasu nodded and leaned against the balcony railing, watching as small beads of light passed in front of him, covered by the light fog that had accumulated.
He watched in silence, waiting patiently for his friend to return.
Josuke appeared right on cue, holding a large grey blanket in his arms, approaching his friend, “What’s with the stance? Trying to be nonchalant?” He grinned, unraveling the blanket and tossing over both Okuyasu and himself.
Josuke stood a bit closer to Okuyasu, in an attempt to keep warm. Okuyasu, though, was one moment away from grabbing Josuke’s waist to pull him closer. He was freaking out eternally.
Josuke on the other hand was busy conversing away about school, girls, and for some odd reason Koichi and Yukako. “You know,” Josuke started, he was in the same position as Okuyasu found him in earlier that day, but this time, he was just staring at Okuyasu.
The two boys just stared at one another in complete silence. Just staring into each other's eyes—lost in the moment. Okuyasu decided to make a move.
He reached over, running his hand across Josuke’s back—causing Josuke to shiver just a bit. Finally, his hand came to a rest on Josuke’s bare hip.
Okuyasu fully expected for the other to pull away, but surprisingly, Josuke leaned in closer. The older boy broke eye contact but instead rested his head against Okuyasu’s shoulder.
This simple action made Okuyasu’s internal thoughts go blank. Could this really be happening?
“Your hair is still sopping wet.” Josuke muttered under his breath, glancing at the boy beside him.
Okuyasu scoffed and turned to his friend, “And yours isn’t?” Josuke grinned and grabbed the towel wrapped around Okuyasu’s neck.
“Face me.” He ordered the younger boy. Okuyasu turned to face Josuke, his hand leaving the other’s waist solemnly. Josuke wrapped the now dry towel over his friend’s head and began to shake it around.
Okuyasu stayed completely still during the process, allowing his hair to be dried for himself. The repetitive motion felt strangely calming to the boy, he wished it’d last forever.
Unfortunately for Okuyasu, after a few minutes Josuke removed the towel from his friend’s head—revealing the messy, dry hair underneath.
Okuyasu stared at the boy in front of him before clearing his throat and turning away, “Thanks…” He mumbled. Okuyasu then looked back to Josuke, reaching out to grab a piece of Josuke’s semi-wet hair.
“What about your hair?” Okuyasu questioned, playing with the strand of hair he took in his hands earlier. Josuke felt embarrassed but also a hint of another emotion he couldn’t name, though the heat in his face was unimaginable.
“It’s fine,” He whispered, “I’ll dry it later.” The older boy attempted to turn away but felt too conflicted to avoid Okuyasu’s affection.
“Josuke, you uh-“ Okuyasu stuttered, glancing away then back to Josuke, gazing into his friend’s purple eyes, “You look good with your hair down.” He complimented, dropping the strand of hair he was fiddling with a moment ago.
Josuke didn’t respond, instead, he was freaking out in his head. Had Okuyasu really complimented his unstyled, natural hair?! Josuke didn’t wanna admit it, but he was truly over the moon.
He turned away from Okuyasu, feeling the unbearable heat overwhelm his face.
Okuyasu glanced at his friend, noticing how red the nape and tips of Josuke’s ears had become. He turned away, realizing how he’d made Josuke feel.
“We should head inside.” Josuke spoke out, breaking the awkward atmosphere between the two. Okuyasu turned his head towards his friend, and turned completely around as Josuke left the comfort of the warm blanket.
The older boy approached the balcony door and attempted to slide it open. Unfortunately, the door wouldn’t budge. Josuke attempted to slide it open a few more times before muttering under his breath.
“Dammit.” He grumbled, “I knew I shouldn’t have shut this damn door.” He cursed under his breath, leaning against the door out of breath.
Okuyasu watched as his friend struggled with the door and eventually gave up, finally speaking up, “What’s with the door?” He questioned, looking to Josuke for answers.
Josuke looked up, crossing his arms and answering Okuyasu’s question, “This door has a broken lock.” He revealed, “My granddad was supposed to come fix it a while back but he just kept forgetting about it.”
“So the door locked on us?” Okuyasu asked, leaning against the balcony railing. “Kinda, but it’s just broken, so no big deal. I’ll just have Shining Diamond fix it so we can go inside.” Josuke stated, taking a step forward and turning around to face the door.
Okuyasu watched as Shining Diamond appeared on Josuke’s command. All it took was a single hit to the door for the lock to be fixed, Okuyasu questioned why Josuke didn’t fix it himself in the first place, but decided not to dwell on it—following Josuke back inside the house.
. . . . .
The two boys sat in front of the tv screen in Josuke’s living room, laughing and arguing all at once while mindlessly clicking away on their controllers.
Currently, Okuyasu seemed to be losing to Josuke for the fifth time that afternoon, still determined to beat Josuke at least once.
“One more time! I’ll definitely win this time!” Okuyasu pleaded, eyeing the already-tired Josuke. Josuke sighed and set his controller down, spreading his legs out on the wooden floor, “Come on, my butt is going numb from sitting here. Let’s go to bed already.”
Josuke grumbled, letting his head fall back and rest on the couch behind himself. Okuyasu huffed, he wasn’t going to take Josuke’s response as a no.
The younger boy grabbed Josuke’s controller and clicked the play button once more, catching Josuke’s attention, “Hey! What the hell, bro?! You’re a dirty cheater!” Josuke called out, immediately sitting up and frantically glancing between his friend and the tv screen.
“Give me the controller!” Josuke demanded, reaching over for the second controller in Okuyasu’s hand. Okuyasu glanced at Josuke and leaned away from the older boy, “No way!” Okuyasu denied.
Josuke scoffed and crawled over to Okuyasu, wrestling with the boy for the second controller. Okuyasu stretched his arm above his head, trying to keep the controller out of reach from Josuke.
Josuke was not going to let this slide. He climbed atop of his friend and reached towards the controller in his friends’ raised hand.
Finally, Josuke grasped the controller and yanked it out of Okuyasu’s hand. Though, their current position was something Josuke hadn’t premeditated beforehand.
Josuke was now lying on top of Okuyasu, who was sprawled on the ground beneath Josuke. Their faces were mere inches from one another, the atmosphere changed almost instantly once the two realized their positions.
Though, neither of them pushed the other away, instead leaning in closer to one another.
Okuyasu had never thought a boy could be attractive, not once in his life. Josuke sometimes would never hear the end of Okuyasu begging god for a girlfriend after seeing Koichi and Yukako walking together.
But there was something about Josuke that changed everything Okuyasu once thought about himself. Of course, Okuyasu had no prejudice against queer individuals, it was more like—he could never imagine himself being queer.
He wasn’t sure when his feelings towards Josuke had changed, all he knew was that one moment he trusted the guy with his entire life, then the next, he was over analyzing every move the guy made.
Josuke attracted a considerable amount of ladies. Most times when he and Okuyasu would walk together either in or outside of school, women would accumulate around Josuke in the span of a few minutes.
Okuyasu, of course, was quite jealous of the attention his friend got, but was happy his friend was enjoying himself, or seemed to be grateful at the least.
But Okuyasu could always tell Josuke wasn’t grateful for the attention. Because anytime his friend was surrounded by women, he’d look around for Okuyasu and make a run for it—away from the ladies.
No matter when Okuyasu began developing these strange feelings for his best friend, there was still this moment, the present, what was about to happen was far out of either of the boys’ grasp.
Josuke didn’t waste a second more on staring at his best friend. He took initiative and grabbed Okuyasu’s face, pressing a warm, soft kiss to the other boy’s lips.
Okuyasu was shocked, though he didn’t dwell on the sudden action, instead reciprocating the affection in return.
Okuyasu wrapped his hands around Josuke’s waist, kissing the other boy back gently.
Neither boy pulled away, just pressing inexperienced lips to one another’s. The room’s silence faded away and filled with the sound of lip smacking against one another.
Though, the tender moment was short-lived. The front door began to rattle, as if someone was unlocking the door.
Josuke sat up on top of Okuyasu, he only had a few seconds to react before his mother walked inside and saw the scene Josuke and Okuyasu had created.
“Shit!” Josuke frantically whispered as he scrambled to get off of Okuyasu and onto the couch, attempting to put distance between the two. Okuyasu, on the other hand, was kicked by Josuke in the stomach by accident during the panic to split up.
Tomoko Higashikata, Josuke’s mother, finally unlocked the door and stepped inside, noticing the two boys in the living room as she walked through the hallway, “Oh, hey boys.” She smiled as she continued walking past the room.
Josuke waved at his mom while Okuyasu laid on the floor, clutching his stomach, and grumbling in pain.
After Tomoko was out of sight, Josuke glanced at his hurt friend on the floor. He climbed off the couch and tended to Okuyasu, “You okay? Sorry for kicking you so hard..” Josuke mumbled, placing a hand on Okuyasu’s side.
Okuyasu turned his head to face Josuke, small tears running down his face. The sight made Josuke immediately feel a whole lot worse.
Josuke leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to Okuyasu’s forehead. Okuyasu blinked a few times before glancing back up at Josuke, who was smiling softly, “It’s getting late, come on.”
Josuke helped Okuyasu up and led him back to his room, where they had much more privacy than the amount they had in the living room.
Josuke sat down on his bed, falling backwards onto the mattress and comforter underneath himself. Okuyasu followed suit, taking a seat next to Josuke on his bed.
Josuke turned to look at Okuyasu. The boy smiled and motioned for Okuyasu to come closer. Okuyasu obliged and leaned down towards Josuke.
Josuke wrapped his hands around Okuyasu’s head and kissed him once more before smiling again. Okuyasu just stared down at his best friend, noticing a stray strand of hair sticking up near the front of Josuke’s bangs.
Okuyasu brushed the strand back with his fingers. Josuke leaned into the touch, gazing back up at Okuyasu.
Josuke then sat up and moved to one side of his bed, directly afterwards—motioning for Okuyasu to lay down beside him.
Okuyasu crawled over and laid down beside his friend. Josuke rested his head against the pillow and faced Okuyasu, staring into his dark brown eyes.
Okuyasu leaned in close, until he was mere inches from Josuke’s face once more. Josuke leaned his head against Okuyasu’s chest, listening to the beating of his best friend’s heart—wrapping his arms around Okuyasu.
Okuyasu pressed a soft kiss to Josuke’s forehead before wrapping his arms around Josuke like Josuke had for him.
Josuke liked girls, but one thing he’d never told anyone—was the fact that he’d harbored the same feelings for men as he did women.
Josuke didn’t find it disgusting, it was just another way to live life.
When Josuke and Okuyasu had first become friends, Josuke felt a deep connection between him and this boy. Whether the feeling was romantic or platonic was a mystery to Josuke; all he knew was that he and this boy would be together for a long time.
Josuke began developing his feelings with Okuyasu within the past few weeks. Often finding how others around himself really seemed to annoy him—while Okuyasu could never seem to drain Josuke.
The two stayed glued together in a close proximity as the silence in the room grew louder by the moment. Though, there was a sense of comfort between the two boys. Although they hadn’t expressed their feelings for one another, they still shared the affection and care that two partners would have for one another.
Both boys were grateful for what they shared. As friends, as partners, or even as soulmates. They knew they had to be there for one another.