Josuke would've never imagined what would change between him and Okuyasu during their night together. He would've never seen it coming.
Okuyasu had asked to hang out at Josuke's house that night since it had been some time since they just hung out together like normal friends. Josuke had mentioned to Okuyasu and Koichi that his mom was gonna be out with some of her friends that night and he was going to be alone, and Okuyasu's face lit up.
"Dude, we should totally have a bro night," he exclaimed, his smile practically reaching ear to ear. "Like just a hangout! Just us three dudes chilling!"
Koichi looked down, scratching the back of his neck. "That sounds awesome, but unfortunately I'll have to decline. I kinda promised Yukako that I would hang out with her tonight. Sorry."
Okuyasu's smile turned into a frown. "Dude, that girlfriend of yours is seriously possessive, don't you guys always hang out?"
Koichi chuckled softly. "Actually, it's been a while since we really hung out together. We haven't had a solid date night in a few weeks, and we kinda had this planned for a while. But if you two just wanna hang, I really don't mind!"
Josuke looked down at his smaller friend, a little bit of concern in his eyes. "You sure, Ko? We can totally reschedule," Okuyasu nodded at the end of Josuke's statement, his eyes darting between the two of them. Koichi shook his head. "Nah, seriously guys, you have fun. Josuke and I have had our fair share of hangouts, you deserve some time with him, Okuyasu." Koichi eyed Josuke, and Josuke's breath hitched in his throat.
Yes, they did have some alone time together, but much of it was spent on Josuke ranting about his obvious crush on Okuyasu. It had started small, with a feeling that Josuke didn't quite understand at first. But then it grew, and the more they hung out, the more he thought about him. The way he smiled, the way his laugh rang in the air, a genuine ring, the cute way he looked when he was confused, his strong arms when they rested on his shoulder...
'Dude, it's so obvious you like him,' Koichi had told him many times. Josuke was starting to think that it was true. And he was realizing what Koichi was doing when he said he was busy that night.
Busy, he thought. Busy my ass.
"We will miss you, brave soldier," Okuyasu jokingly saluted at Koichi. The white haired boy chuckled as he shook his head, Okuyasu continuing his speech. "Good luck with the horrors that await your date night."
Koichi smiled and made a small salute at Okuyasu. Josuke looked away, covering his face with his hand to make it look like he was laughing with Okuyasu, when he was actually covering the blush creeping across his cheeks.
Well that's just great, he thought to himself, unsure how he'd have to face the fact that he and Okuyasu were going to hang out tonight. Just the two of them. Alone.
"Well then, hope you guys have fun tonight! I'll see you on Monday!" Koichi waved and turned around, not before sneaking Josuke a sly wink and a smirk, walking away from them. Josuke's slight anger turned into light excitement, not fully ready but also happy for the night to come.
On the walk home, Okuyasu made the decision to stop by the grocers to pick up some snacks and drinks. They bought bags of popcorn, chips, sour candy, and sodas. A teenage boy's dream meal. They carried their bags of junk food through Josuke's front door, passing by the kitchen heading for the living room.
"Hi Josuke!" The boys heard Tomoko's voice emerge from the kitchen. She peeked her head out of the door and took notice of the extra teenager standing in her hall, as well as the handfuls of bags they were both carrying. Josuke gave her an apologetic smile, and Tomoko sighed. "At least you won't be alone tonight," she groaned, walking back into the kitchen. "Jotaro won't be here tonight, he's out on some kind of business he won't tell me about. He's so shady, that man."
Josuke had forgotten about Jotaro. He had been staying with them for a few weeks now, but he was generally quiet enough that Josuke sometimes wouldn't even realize he was there. He sighed in relief, glad that he wouldn't have Jotaro breathing down his and Okuyasu's necks the whole night.
Okuyasu looked back at Josuke, a look of confusion on his face as he placed the snacks he was carrying on the small table between the TV and the couch. "Jotaro's been finding some more stand users around here, so he's been searching for them," Josuke explained to the other boy in a whisper. "He keeps telling me not to get involved, even though Crazy Diamond is obviously strong enough to deal with it." Okuyasu snickered in that silly but cute way Josuke always liked, a snort rising out of his nose.
The two started the night with a few rounds of video games, and after about an hour, Tomoko shouted down the hall about not ruining the house while she was gone and that she loved Josuke and to have fun and many other mom things. Josuke responded with a simple "Bye ma, love ya" before hearing the front door close behind her. That just left him and Okuyasu, alone together, sitting a few inches apart on the couch.
They spent the night playing video games and talking. They talked about everything they could, from stand users, to the previous traumatic events from a few months ago that had become what felt like a distant memory, even to Koichi and Yukako's relationship. Which brought them onto the situation of relationships. Great, the one topic Josuke was afraid of talking about.
"Bro, I still can't believe Koichi scored a girlfriend before you and I could," Okuyasu complained, eyes still glued to the fighting game glowing on the screen. Josuke felt his heart lodge into his throat. He tried to focus on the game in front of him, but it was obvious he was getting distracted. He glanced over at Okuyasu, the light from the TV making him glow beautifully.
Whether Okuyasu saw it or not, Josuke truly thought that he was one of the prettiest human beings ever. Josuke had so many positive things to say about him, even Jotaro noticed how much he liked him. It was so embarrassing that everyone except Okuyasu noticed it. He stared at the boy, his best friend's silhouette causing the butterflies in his stomach to start acting up again, like they did every time he thought about him. He had taken off his jacket and was left with his purple tank top and pants, his strong arms on display in the light of the television. His concentrated face made him look so much more adorable in the light. He thought about wrapping his arms around his waist, snuggling into his neck...
The GAME OVER sound effect snapped Josuke back to reality. He felt his face getting hot as he broke his gaze from the other. Okuyasu cried out in triumph, raising his hands in the air in victory. He looked over at Josuke, his classic goofy smile plastered on his face. Josuke smiled back at him in congratulations, trying to hold back the urge to hug his oblivious friend right there and then.
After a few more rounds of fights, they both decided to relax and watch a movie. Okuyasu picked from Josuke's array of DVDs and decided on a rom com. Josuke laughed. "Dude, I know you, you don't like rom coms," he said. He knew Okuyasu hated cheesy romance movies. He thought they were stupid and over-the-top for no reason.
Okuyasu shrugged as he passed the movie case to Josuke. "Well, I know you like them, so I thought maybe I could survive through one for you, bro."
Josuke felt the butterflies again. His heart pounded in his chest as his friend smiled sweetly at him. It was a smile he rarely saw from Okuyasu, one he knew was genuine and sincere. One he knew he was the only one to ever see it. He swallowed the lump in his throat.
"Y-you don't have to do that for me, dude," he muttered out as he stood and grabbed the case from the other. He leaned down, opening the case and placing the DVD in the player. He returned to join the other on the couch. Okuyasu was sitting a few inches closer than he was earlier. Josuke tried hard not to think about it as he cracked open another soda. It was not working very well.
"Well, consider it a thank you for letting me hang out with you tonight," Okuyasu settled into the couch next to Josuke, still smiling at him. Josuke thought he could see a small blush creep across his cheeks, but he blamed it on eye strain from staring at the TV screen. Even though he spent most of the time staring at Okuyasu rather than the screen.
The two boys sat back and enjoyed the movie. Josuke was surprised to hear a few chuckles out of Okuyasu whenever the main character would do something silly to win the affection of the love interest. Josuke would look over and see Okuyasu watching intently, his eyes focused on the screen. Josuke let his mind wander and wondered what it would be like if they were in a rom com. Okuyasu, the dumb and clueless love interest, and Josuke, the pining main character. After a long time of trying to get Okuyasu to fall in love with him, he'd finally win him over in the most romantic gesture he could ever pull. They'd kiss under the setting sun, and they'd have a beautiful future together. Josuke dreamed of the day he'd get the courage to tell Okuyasu his feelings about him. He hugged himself and turned his attention back to the movie to distract himself. At one point, Okuyasu leaned back, and for some reason Josuke felt his eyes on him at one point, but he shook the feeling off.
About an hour passed, and the movie was almost over. Josuke yawned as the glow of the television flickered in the darkness. The movie's ending scene played over the silence of the living room, the two lovers embracing each other as the whimsical music kicked in. Josuke smiled to himself and let his arms rest on the back of the couch after a stretch. He looked over at Okuyasu sitting a few inches next to him, who's head rested on his chest in a quiet sleep.
Okuyasu wasn't originally planning to stay the night, but Josuke figured that he wouldn't let his friend walk home in such a tired state. He didn't want to wake the poor kid up either, so he decided that he would try to quietly clean up and grab a pillow and blanket for Okuyasu and himself, and they'd spend the night in the living room.
Before he could stand up or do anything that he intended to do, everything went completely wrong, or maybe right, in seconds.
Josuke felt Okuyasu fall to his side as he leaned against his shoulder. Josuke looked down to see his friend's face lying on top of his shoulder, still fast asleep.
Josuke held his breath. He could feel the heat in his face rise up to extreme levels as he tried his best not to move. His best friend, also his crush, was leaning against him, sleeping as soundly as he could. Josuke needed to move. He needed to get out of this situation. Okuyasu was asleep, so he had to have been doing this unconsciously, right?
"Oku...?" Josuke quietly whispered out, an attempt that turned futile when he gained no response from the boy. "Okuyasu, dude..." he whispered out once again. His friend stirred slightly, hopefully trying to turn over off of Josuke.
To Josuke's horror, Okuyasu was not moving to sleep away from him. Instead, the boy snuggled closer to Josuke, wrapping both arms around his waist.
Josuke gulped, stiffening his body. He couldn't believe what was happening. His friend was cuddling into him. Josuke couldn't take his eyes off him, even as the end credits played over the somber ending music of the movie. He felt his face turn beet red as the other settled into him, also bringing his legs up to rest on his lap. Josuke kept his arms up, both to not touch Okuyasu and not to wake him up. He wasn't sure what to do in this situation. He didn't know whether he meant what he was doing or if it was just a work of his unconsciousness.
That's when he got his answer.
He heard a soft murmur emerge from Okuyasu's lips. His voice was small, quiet enough to be sleep talking, but Josuke took notice of what he was saying. It made Josuke's heart skip a beat.
Okuyasu was humming Josuke's name.
Josuke watched as his friend smiled lightly in his sleep, his heart pounding in his chest. Did this mean that Okuyasu liked him back? No, it couldn't. Josuke thought to himself. He's probably just having a dream with me in it, that's all. His arms were getting tired from sitting above his head, so he reluctantly brought them down on the top of the couch so as to not disturb the sleeping boy.
The TV had quietly moved on back to the play screen as the two boys huddled together on the couch. Josuke wanted to wake the other up, to make whatever was happening end before his heart exploded. The only problem he faced was that Okuyasu looked so peaceful. He looked so content snuggled up to him, and his warm, still body was such a beautiful sight against him. Josuke didn't want to bother him at all, so he knew what he was about to do next was a bad idea. But he went with it anyway.
Slowly, Josuke's arm rested around Okuyasu's shoulders. He hugged him close as he felt the butterflies in his stomach burst out. He waited for something to happen, but for a moment, they both sat perfectly still, glinting in the light of the television. Josuke reveled in the moment, knowing that this is the closest he'd probably ever get to Okuyasu. Since they were both in their tank tops, he could feel the other's skin against his own, a warm feeling filling his chest. He smiled to himself, looking down at his best friend cuddled under his arm.
The moment was broken when Okuyasu's eyes slowly fluttered open. He looked up to see Josuke, who's face had turned from happy to scared in a millisecond. Okuyasu smiled back up at him, which sent confusion through the other's mind.
Josuke quickly pushed Okuyasu off of him in a fit of angry confusion. He kicked himself to the other side of the couch, looking away from the other to hide the red covering his face. "S-Sorry, I-I... I didn't... You..." he tried to form words but could only make sounds. He didn't know what to say, his confusion and fear clouding his brain. He hugged his legs to his chest, trying to make sense of the situation.
"Josuke..." he heard the other's voice, followed by the movement of Okuyasu scooting closer to him. Josuke tightened his grip around himself, trying not to look at the boy across from him. Negative thoughts soared through his brain, screaming at him to get up and leave. He didn't want to be there. He hoped that it was all a dream, that it wasn't happening.
The touch he felt on his arm told him that he was, in fact, not dreaming. He made the mistake of looking up to see Okuyasu leaning over to him, his hand on his arm and a blush creeping on his own face. Their eyes locked for a single moment before Okuyasu looked down. "I, uh..." he spoke quietly, his eyes darting around to not make eye contact. "I should probably apologize for that. And explain myself."
Josuke swallowed the lump in his throat. He stared at the boy, his blushing face making the butterflies slowly return. "Um," he finally spoke up, making the other look back up at him. "I-I should be apologizing. I... I shouldn't have woken you up."
Okuyasu let out a small chuckle. It made Josuke's heart skip a beat. "It's... it's understandable, dude," he said, leaning back a bit and giving Josuke a bit more room. Josuke loosened his grip around his legs to allow himself to relax. Even though he still felt extremely tense whether he showed it or not.
The two sat in awkward silence for a minute, unsure of what should be said. Both boys avoided eye contact as much as possible, catching each other's staring at some moments.
Okuyasu was the first to break the silence.
"Listen, um," he began, catching Josuke slightly off guard. "I... I'm sorry that uh... happened. I... I didn't mean to, but yet... I don't know. I just... feel different about you? Like, not in a bro way. In... another way."
Josuke couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was this a confession? Of course Okuyasu would go about it in the awkward way he normally would when talking about his feelings. He kept his eyes on the other, who was awkwardly fidgeting with his hands.
"I think I... I think I like you, Josuke."
Josuke's heart leapt out of his chest at Okuyasu's words. He couldn't believe his ears. He stared in pure awe at the other as they both locked eyes. Okuyasu's face was trying to read Josuke's, a look of concern running over his eyes. "I don't... I don't want this to ruin our friendship, though, if you don't—"
"No, I..." Josuke's voice piped in, soft and still awe stricken. He still couldn't believe this was happening. He had a hard time forming his words, but he was able to get his point across. "I think I... I like you too, Oku. Yeah."
Okuyasu sat in his own quiet awe before his face lit up. He gave Josuke a goofy smile that made his heart flutter. "Really?" He whispered out, making Josuke smirk a little at his cute amazed face.
He nodded, finally keeping eye contact. "I was just... afraid that you didn't feel the same way," he said, relaxing more and loosening his nerves.
Okuyasu scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, me too," he chuckled. Another silence fell between the two boys, both not knowing what to do. Josuke had never done this before. He didn't know whether Okuyasu had ever done this before, and wondered what his romantic life was like before this. His thoughts were broken by Okuyasu's low voice from in front of him.
"So, do you... wanna, like... date, or something?" Okuyasu stumbled out his words. His expectant face made Josuke feel like he was flying on air. He suddenly hoped that this wasn't a dream.
Josuke smiled, allowing a chuckle to escape his throat. "Yeah," he nodded, seeing the other boy's face light up. He gave him a warm smile as the other relaxed back, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. Josuke felt like Okuyasu's smile that was plastered on his face lit up the whole room, despite the darkness. Josuke decided to scoot a little closer to the other, and reached out his hand to place it on top of Okuyasu's. Surprisingly, Okuyasu didn't flinch at the sudden touch like Josuke thought he would. Instead, he allowed his fingers to slowly intertwine with his, their warm touch sending chills through Josuke's body. They locked eyes and awkwardly chuckled together, enjoying this quiet moment with each other.
"It's funny," Josuke thought out loud, keeping the other's attention. "You were, like, the only one who didn't notice I had a crush on you. Even Jotaro knew it." Okuyasu's eyes widened. "No way," he spoke softly, "you were the only one who didn't notice my own crush on you. I think even Mikitaka and Rohan noticed it." They both laughed loudly, both blushing together at their oblivious stupidity.
"I guess we're both a little stupid, huh?" Josuke questioned, planning his words carefully. "We can both be stupid together now, right?"
A large blush covered most of Okuyasu's already blushing face. He threw his head into his free hand, giggling to himself. "That was the most corniest shit you could have ever said Josuke," his voice came out muffled under his hand, "but that was still adorable."
Josuke's heart fluttered when Okuyasu called him adorable. He couldn't believe this was really happening. It was truly a dream come true. He smiled sweetly at Okuyasu, who had just dropped his hand from his face to look at the other again.
Josuke's words flew out of his mouth before he could think about what he was going to say. "Can I... kiss you?" He stuttered out, seeing the other's face turn to slight shock. He put his free hand up in protest. "I... U-Unless you don't want to go that fast, which I completely understand—"
His protest was quickly shut down by a pair of lips crashing into his own. Josuke didn't even reel back, immediately leaning into the kiss. They were both obviously inexperienced, their teeth crashing into each other and their breathing irregular, but to Josuke, it was a pure and wild moment to revel in. He placed his hand behind Okuyasu's neck, still not removing his laced fingers with the boy's other hand. The kiss felt wonderful, and he felt like time had stopped, the two of them being the only things that existed in this world.
After a few moments of lip smacking, the two pulled apart, breathing heavy and smiling from ear to ear. They both giggled, pressing their foreheads against each other. "It looks a lot easier in the movies, huh?" Okuyasu chimed in, connecting his eyes with Josuke's. "We'll have to work on it."
Josuke smiled and placed a small peck onto Okuyasu's nose. "That was still the best thing I've ever experienced," Josuke breathed as Okuyasu returned his smile. "I um... I love you, Oku."
Okuyasu's eyes shined in the light of the television screen next to them. "I love you too, Josuke."
They both leaned in for another kiss, this one softer and more gentle. Josuke cupped Okuyasu's cheek with his still free hand and brushed his rugged cheek gently. Sparks flew through Josuke's entire body, and he felt like his heart was about to explode out of his chest. This was the perfect moment for him. He finally got his dream boy. Their oblivious nature truly felt like they could have been in a rom com, but this was no movie, this was real.
Josuke pulled back to smile again at Okuyasu. "I hate to keep asking questions," he began, Okuyasu's full attention on him, "but do you wanna cuddle again?"
Okuyasu smiled wide. "You don't even have to ask."
Josuke leaned back on the couch and settled in as Okuyasu placed himself in Josuke's arms. Their legs tangled together as Okuyasu laid his head against Josuke's chest. Okuyasu snuggled into Josuke, and Josuke placed one more kiss onto Okuyasu's forehead and smiled.
"Some bro's night, huh?" He heard Okuyasu's voice emerge from against him, feeling his warm body finally settle into a comfortable position with him.
"Yeah," he chuckled as his eyes fluttered closed, his heart content and arms full of his best friend's cuddled body. "Really was something."
The two drifted off to sleep, not taking much notice of the front door being unlocked and quickly opened and closed. Large footsteps dragged down the hall, getting closer and stopping once they got to the living room. A low voice spoke out a short "Good grief, finally," as the footsteps made their way upstairs. A few moments later, the footsteps returned and the feeling of a blanket enveloped the two teenagers. They didn't stir, both happily content where they were.
Josuke really never imagined the event that would befall he and his best friend, but it was something he wouldn't change for the world. He was in love with his best friend, and that was something he would finally be proud to say.