Work Text:
A knock on his door interrupted his otherwise quiet evening. Rohan would have said he was angry that someone had interrupted his work with their presence, but he had a nagging suspicion about who it could be. No one else ever swung by his house in the evening.
With a sigh, Rohan walked down the stairs toward the front door, not even bothering to ask the person who they were before opening up.
On the other side of the door, wearing his usual smile, was none other than Higashikata Josuke. "Hey, Rohan! I was just in the neighborhood so I decided to stop by and hang out for a while. I hope that's alright!" He was trying to sound casual, perhaps a little too much. Rohan frowned, stepping aside to let the younger man inside.
"I was working," he said as soon as the other man walked in, crossing his arms over his chest. "And I need to continue to work soon, so I can't entertain you for long."
Instead of looking upset at all, Josuke just smiled at him. "You've gone soft on me, Rohan. Back in the day you wouldn't even give me the time of day."
He felt his face heat up just slightly before turning towards the kitchen. "Shut up, Higashikata." Rohan didn't bother asking Josuke what he wanted. The pompadoured idiot had come over enough times for Rohan to memorize his preferences. Not by choice, because he couldn't care less about what Josuke liked, but because it was a recurring thing.
Josuke followed him into the kitchen, as he often did, and he sat down on one of the chairs on his dining table. Rohan served up two cups of Josuke's favorite soda—which he just happened to have, it wasn't like he'd gone out of his way to buy it for him or anything like that. Then he went into the fridge and found the chocolate chip cookies that he had bought when he and Josuke went grocery shopping just a few days prior. He placed it all on the table and took the chair next to Josuke.
"So… why did you come over today?" Rohan asked, wanting to get straight to the point. He took a sip of the terrible soda before wrinkling his face up in disgust at the flavor. It was too sweet for him. "Are you just here to annoy me again?" He hoped that was the case, and that his hunch was wrong.
Josuke mimicked his action, taking a sip of soda before reaching towards the cookies set on the table. "No… I actually… came here to tell you something today."
As soon as he heard those words, Rohan felt his heart skip a beat. He stared straight at Josuke, trying to appear normal even as an odd warmth spread through his whole body. He knew exactly where this was going, and he wasn't sure he was ready for this conversation. "Don't."
Josuke raised an eyebrow, probably confused about Rohan's sudden outburst. "What do you mean by that?"
He sighed, looking away from Josuke, but still feeling the intensity of the younger man's gaze on him. It was nerve wracking having Josuke's attention on him.
How could he tell Josuke that he didn't want to talk about things like feelings or relationships without making the boy upset? He didn't want to lead Josuke on, but he didn't want to hurt him either. Rohan had never been too good at dealing with confessions.
It wasn't that Rohan hated the idea of them being together… it was the complete opposite, that's what scared him the most. Rohan didn't want to talk about it because he was scared of where they would go from then on. He wasn't ready for any of that.
"Just… don't," Rohan said, staring down at his drink. He moved his hands over the cup, trying to keep himself distracted while still appearing casual. "I know what you're going to say. But I don't think this is the right time for that."
They sat together in silence for a few seconds. Rohan refused to meet Josuke's gaze at all, opting to keep his eyes focused on the cup he was holding instead.
"I have feelings for you," Josuke blurted out, even after Rohan had warned him not to. "I mean, I like you. A lot. As more than a friend."
Rohan finally turned to face him with a frown, even as he felt himself grow flustered at finally hearing those words out loud. "You idiot. I told you…" Rohan trailed off as soon as he saw Josuke's expression.
He could feel his heart beat faster at the sight of that sweet smile and those gorgeous violet eyes. For some reason, it felt like the very first time he had ever laid eyes on the other man. Rohan couldn't bring himself to look away from him, or to even finish his sentence. Josuke was nervous, Rohan could tell that much, but he also looked confident. It was a mesmerizing sight.
"And I know you like me too, Rohan," Josuke said, biting his lower lip. "Or at least, I think… no, I guess I really hope you do."
All of his worries started melting away as he saw Josuke crack under the lack of reciprocity to his words. This was Josuke. The brat who managed to save all of Morioh, who came over every day… the very same man who had somehow sneaked his way into Rohan's heart.
Without stopping to think about what he was doing, Rohan leaned forward to press their lips together. There was no way in hell he could tell Josuke he was right. He couldn't bring himself to say it out loud, so he hoped that this would be enough to convince Josuke of how he truly felt.
As soon as he felt Josuke's arms wrap around his body, Rohan completely forgot why he'd been scared of letting this all happen in the first place.