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It was a cold, dark night. The wind blew furiously all over the sea-side town of Morioh, and Rohan was unlucky enough to be caught outside wearing only a sleeveless crop top and his ripped pants. He knew he should just go back inside, spend time with all of his friends and have a few more drinks, but…
Unfortunately, it had gotten ridiculously overwhelming. The music was too loud, the flashing lights too bright. There were too many people at the bar for him to feel safe, for him to feel okay. Rohan wrapped his arms around himself, trying to make sense of where he was, exactly.
They’d all driven here in Koichi’s car… he hadn’t been paying any attention to the road. Was it too late to call a cab? Could he walk home in his current situation?
No. He would stay where he was until his friends got out of the party, or until he could get his senses under control. It would be fine. He wrapped his arms tighter around himself, rubbing his hands up and down his freezing arms as another breeze blew past him.
The door behind him opened up, making the obscenely loud music pour out into the street for a brief moment before it was closed again.
“Rohan?”
Rohan turned at the mention of his name, spotting none other than Higashikata Josuke staring at him with a concerned look on his face.
“I noticed you were gone, so I came out to check on you. Are you okay?” Josuke asked, taking a few hesitant steps towards him.
He huffed, turning his face away from the younger man. “What do you care, Higashikata?” He looked down at the floor, at his shoes, only now noticing he was trembling. Josuke started laughing at that, so Rohan glanced over at him, only to notice that he was taking off his coat.
“You never change, do ya?” Josuke asked, thought there was no bite to his words.
Before Rohan could ask what he was doing, Josuke draped his jacket over Rohan’s shoulders. Rohan hesitated, glancing up at Josuke’s smiling face before sliding his arms into the sleeves. The jacket was warm, ridiculously so, probably from being on Josuke all night. Not only that, but… It smelled just like Josuke.
The realization that he was not only able to recognize the younger man’s scent, but that he also felt a sense of comfort and relief at being surrounded in it made Rohan’s face heat up. He looked away from Josuke immediately, holding the jacket close to himself. He was sure to be blushing now; he only hoped that the dim lighting would be enough to mask it.
Josuke sighed. “Either way. Don’t just… run out into the cold, man,” he muttered, kicking at the ground absent-mindedly. “You could get sick.”
The fact that he sounded genuinely concerned made Rohan a little suspicious, but he decided not to comment on that. He took a deep breath, inhaling more of Josuke’s stupid cologne. It was more than just that, though. The scent on the jacket was a mix of his cologne, his hairspray and something else… It was a mix that smelled like Josuke.
“Are you going inside again?” Josuke asked, now standing right next to Rohan.
He shook his head. “Not yet. It just… It’s a lot. I’m not used to being in places like these, I guess.” That wasn’t the real reason why he’d gotten overwhelmed, but Josuke didn’t need to know that.
Josuke looked at him, his brows knit together as if he was confused, but he didn’t ask any questions about it, for which Rohan was eternally grateful. “Alright. D’ya want me to keep you some company? I was thinking of going out for a smoke either way.”
Rohan frowned, turning to face Josuke. “I didn’t know you smoked.”
“I don’t,” Josuke said with a chuckle, lightly punching Rohan’s arm. The small touch sent a weird spark through Rohan’s body. “I just wanted to see your face when I said that.”
When Rohan’s frown deepened, Josuke laughed again, shaking his head. “But, really. I get being overwhelmed sometimes, y’know? I don’t think it’s about getting used to it. Sometimes you just need a break.”
He raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest. “A break from what?” He couldn’t imagine what someone with a life as perfect as Josuke could possibly need to step back from.
“Everything,” Josuke answered too quickly, his lips curled down slightly. “Kinda makes me wish I could disappear sometimes.”
Rohan opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out. He wasn’t entirely sure how he was expected to respond to something like that. It wasn’t what he’d expected Josuke to answer with. Instead, he awkwardly reached over to pat the younger man’s shoulder.
Josuke turned towards him again, a smile spreading over his lips at the gesture. “Ya look good in that, by the way,” he paused, staring at Rohan for just a few seconds too long. “Really good.”
He could feel his whole face heat up at those words and he quickly looked down in order to avoid looking directly at Josuke. Rohan blamed the alcohol he’d had earlier for how easily flustered he was tonight.
“Of course I do, I look great in everything,” Rohan countered, glancing up at Josuke only when he was sure his blush had slightly faded.
“Yeah, you really do.”
The affection behind Josuke’s gaze as he replied made Rohan feel flustered again. He frowned, shoving his hands in the pockets of the jacket.
Josuke grinned. “You’re really cute, Rohan.”
“Oh, shut up, Josuke,” Rohan said, tearing his gaze away.
“You called me by my first name,” Josuke said, sounding way happier than he should have. It wasn’t like this was the first time Rohan had called him Josuke.
Suddenly, a pair of strong arms wrapped around his slender figure and Rohan buried his face in Josuke’s chest.
Rohan was no longer cold.