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It was the same as any other morning in Morioh; the sun slowly rose, gently casting itself upon the town, tinting the land yellow with its golden rays. Every house, building, tree, or whatever smoothly blended into one and soon the day would start.
The people of Morioh, the small, quaint town, would soon come out and go on about their lives. Their (once again) quiet, peaceful lives now that Kira had been defeated.
And because it was spring in Morioh, mornings were always perfect. The sky was never too bright or dark and the weather was crisp. The sun slipped between Josuke’s sheer, white curtains, gently highlighting Okuyasu’s still sleeping face. Josuke sighed contentedly; mornings were now his favorite part of the day where he didn’t have to do anything but gaze at his boyfriend’s face.
Though he naturally woke up later than Okuyasu, Josuke made an effort to wake up earlier just so he could watch his sleeping face. His heart warmed at the thought of getting to sleep with him almost everyday now that they were officially dating. It would be the last thing he saw before he slept and the first he would get to see in the morning.
After staring at him for what felt like too long, he finally allowed himself to caress his face. Upon contact, Okuyasu flinched before immediately relaxing, subconsciously realizing where he was and with who. It took some warming up to, but Okuyasu had eased into allowing him to touch him while he was sleeping, when he was unconscious and most vulnerable. Josuke had of course assured him that he didn’t care and only wanted to do what he wanted, but he insisted that this is what he wanted too, he just needed time (and “training”, Oku liked to call it). He trusted him wholeheartedly and just needed time to suppress his instincts built over years of abuse.
The taller boy gently traced his thumb against his jaw, then trailed to his cheekbones and across his scars, before he was cupping his face fondly.
His heart squeezed again— he was a special kind of cute when sleeping, a pretty face so peaceful and content. He let out soft snores and tiny whimpers, his face scrunching as he fought whatever imaginary monster in his dreams that night (he reassured Josuke they weren’t nightmares; he didn’t get them around him anymore), and his eyelashes laid perfectly against his face.
If possible, his smile grew even wider thinking about how they managed to become even closer than before.
Josuke got to be the one he let his guard down around, the one he went to when he cried or when he was excited. And Josuke did the same.
Even though Okuyasu was the crybaby of the two, he proved to be more emotionally intelligent than he gave himself credit for. More often than not, he was the one to take notice first, offering comfort before Josuke even had the chance to ask. Josuke easily poured his heart out with Okuyasu who simply accepted him then comforted him, never letting him feel alone.
It was one of his traits he admired the most and the one he fell in love with. His sweet, caring Okuyasu.
He thought back to the time after the Kira incident where he stood by his side the entirety of his hospital stay. Being bound to a dingy hospital bed for half a month was hell. Physically, he never felt more uncomfortable— blinding lights, the smell of… hospital, a scratchy bed, and the straining physical therapy made him feel gross. The medicine pumped into him made him feel sick from time to time and he couldn’t shower properly, let alone do his hair.
However, all of that was nothing compared to what he’d gone through mentally. He’d witnessed way too many deaths for a 16 year old and had even nearly died himself. He developed vivid nightmares of the events of Kira, reliving it over and over again. But he envisioned Okuyasu dying the most during his night terrors, anxiety attacks, or mental breakdowns. He just couldn’t shake the memory and feeling of almost losing Okuyasu. Seeing his body like that, feeling the dead weight of his body and his blood seeping through his clothes as he dragged him for what had felt like forever.
The pain of being punctured and bleeding out was nothing compared to the grief he experienced when he thought he’d lost him. He still remembered the rollercoaster of emotions he went through from when he thought he died to his hospital stay. He cycled through guilt, fear, anger, and realization all too quickly, not able to process or regulate his emotions. But Okuyasu was there through it all, conveniently by his side through all the nightmares and panic attacks. With the help of therapy, his mental health greatly improved and he no longer needed Okuyasu by his side 24/7. Though he never explicitly told that to him, wanting to keep him by his side just for the sake of it.
He’d also heard from the nurses, his mom, Jotaro, and Koichi that Okuyasu refused to leave his side when he was unconscious, so much so that they ended up complaining to Josuke about his clinginess.
His loving, loyal Okuyasu.
It was only after he was released from the hospital and had gone through extensive therapy that he finally realized how attached he grew to Okuyasu. He’d gotten too used to him being by his side during the hospital and he wasn’t ready to go back; he never wanted to leave his side again, and it wasn’t the anxiety talking. He fell hard for Oku, so achingly hard that he lied about needing him by his side because of Kira for the next few weeks. Luckily, before he played out a game of chicken for the next year(s), Okuyasu confessed.
It was unbelievable that it took that long (for the both of them), but it didn’t matter now. He continued to stare at his face for a little longer before dipping down to lay gentle kisses everywhere. He started under his eye, then his cheek, the corner of his mouth, down to his jaw, then tracing it back up to his forehead. He mirrored his actions for the other half of his face before giving up and littering kisses everywhere with no sense of direction or routine.
Now his favorite part.
He laid his head down to his chest to listen to his steady heartbeat, feeling the rhythmic beat thump against his face.
This was one of the most crucial parts of his routine. It’d been almost a year since he (almost) lost him to Kira and he never wanted to feel him so cold and so completely still– breathless and pulseless.
At the time, amidst his denial and shock, Josuke convinced himself that his own pounding heartbeat was Okuyasu’s. Hayato’s pleas rang through his head, reminding him he was dead. Part of him knew he was right, knew that the hand gripping his wrist didn’t feel a pulse and that it was his own heart beating, beating so fast it might’ve killed him.
But he felt it now. Against the thin fabric, he felt his chest rise and fall, a breath brush his hair and a heart beat against his face. It was real. They were real and alive and together and alive.
He promptly fell asleep, holding Okuyasu close to him. He snaked his arm around his chest and tightened his grip, just for a moment, to make sure he was really there before relaxing into the crook of his neck. Due to his taller stature, Josuke had to curl his body in order to lay atop his chest or neck, wrapping his legs tightly around the sleeping boy.
A chaste kiss on his neck finalized his morning procedure, then letting his steady heartbeat lull him back to sleep.
Fully conscious now, Okuyasu rubbed his eyes open. Usually, he wakes up at the same time Josuke does, sensing the shift on the bed and the bedsheets pulling him forward, but feigns sleep to let Josuke touch and kiss him as he pleases.
Josuke was already fast asleep against his chest, arms locked around him and Okuyasu’s heart squeezed.
Sometimes he felt like the same lonely kid dreaming in an empty house, passed out while waiting for Keicho to come back. Their days felt so euphoric together, it was hard to believe it was real. And Josuke made it all feel so real; he trusted him with all his being, trusted that he cared and loved him as much as he did him.
He was his sun, his inspiration— his everything.
His kindness and thoughtfulness radiated so brightly it hurt to think about sometimes, to think about just how good and pure of a person he was. Unexpectedly, his eyes welled with tears, overcome with bliss.
Josuke often teased him for being so sensitive, not knowing he was the reason it was so easy to let his walls down.
Okuyasu often wondered why he let him stay, how he could love him so much even though he was completely out of his league in all aspects. But every time he looked into his gleaming ocean eyes, his mind went blank and he felt all his insecurities melt away. What was I thinking about again?
Those piercing eyes, porcelain clear skin, and perfect symmetrical face smiling back at him made him go stupid, even stupider than he normally felt. So, so stupid. Looking at his warm smile and tender gaze for too long could actually kill him.
Anyways, he didn’t have time to feel insecure; the universe had finally given him something right and who was he to let go?
With the same gentleness he received, he carded through his hair, somehow prettier let down (though he would never tell him that). Leaving his hair down and open to touch was the ultimate form of trust and he’d rather die than break it.
Okuyasu saw first hand how distressed his “death” made him, but a part of him didn’t regret it— he would sacrifice himself for Josuke in every life. A small part of him felt satisfied he got to do something for Josuke for once.
Josuke was just so beautiful and kind and perfect. Even his stand was perfect, as caring as he was. I mean, it could literally heal people! If that wasn’t the perfect representation of his soul he didn’t know what was. Not to mention pretty, all pink and shimmery… Kind of like how Josuke made him feel.
Sleep called him back as it was still pretty early so he shifted closer, as close as he could, and planted a soft kiss on his head.
Both teens stayed in bed, half asleep but mostly awake. Like in the middle of waking up but trying to stay asleep so they wouldn’t have to leave each other's hold yet. They stayed in bed taking turns snuggling, kissing, petting, and tracing each other's faces for another half hour until it was really time to get up.
They both reluctantly released from each other’s grip, with Okuyasu getting out first, repositioning the blanket on top of his lover.
They exchanged warm smiles at each other; no need to exchange pleasantries or good mornings, they’d done enough of that. And as always, to end their routine, he whispered as to not break the delicate balance they set up,
“Breakfast?”
With the loving gaze Okuyasu adored,
“Always, Oku.”
“I love you, Josuke.” He placed one last kiss on his forehead before walking off.
“I love you too, Okuyasu.”