Lighter | Noriaki Kakyoin

5| Arm and shoot

It felt unfamiliar to have lunch with those two. Kujo and Kakyoin behaved somewhat differently when together, this serene atmosphere of trust and respect created by the way they talk to each other. I'm curious to know what they were doing to lose classes, but something tells me it's too soon to ask.

"You can't smoke there, Jotaro." Kakyoin noted as he finished what I could only assume was the English assignment we received today.

"Wasn't planning to." He was short as always, but that appeared to cause little to no discomfort on his friend. He had his back to us and was standing next to the edge of the roof.

"I'll pretend I believe it." His eyes darted from the notebook to me, eating quietly and thankful for being ignored so far. "Have you ever been there before, Yubi-chan?"

"Just once, with my-" I was interrupted by a whining Kakyoin, whose sitting innocently was disrupted by cigarette's ashes.

"Careful with where you throw that, I'm right here." He looked up with clear discontent.

"Didn't see you there, loli." He moved his feet to lightly bump Kakyoin but had his shoelaces undone instead. "How dare you..."

And they were fighting before I could even understand what was going on. Even then, what surprised me the most was to see the rarest sight to behold. Kujo was... smiling? I didn't even know his face muscles could perform such a movement.

"Jotaro, you're embarrassing us in front of Yubi!" That made him retreat back to his original position by the edge, as if he had forgotten I was here until now. "I swear we're not like this all the time." He fixed his uniform and picked up the pen from the floor, hair all messy.

"Oh, please. Don't mind me." I giggled at their behavior. "How did you two get so close?"

Did I say something wrong? Their postures grew tense and the gazes they exchanged were outlined with worry. Kakyoin's hand busied themselves with clicking the pen anxiously, and he was the first to speak.

"It is a long story. We went on... a trip together." He only realized how much his hands were fumbling when he dropped the pen. He cleared his throat and retrieved it. "I am afraid it is nothing too interesting, though."

I took the hint and changed the subject to the first useless thing that came to my mind. We chatted calmly, mostly just us two but Kujo would also comment a few words here and then. It became clear that this is the type of day I'll have hanging out with them, and I didn't hate it at all.

...

"It looks like it is going to rain tonight." Kakyoin pointed out as we made our way from school. Dark clouds were starting to gather, but they were still far away. "Well, here we are."

I was so absorbed in watching the sky that I bumped my head straight into a wall. Wait, no. This isn't it. A wall wouldn't stare me down with such an icy glare. My fight or fly instincts told me to run, but I laughed nervously and mumbled an apology instead. Kujo simply averted his gaze without a word, his towering presence still as threatening even while he was looking away.

"Let's go, I promise it'll be fun." Before I could even get a good glance at the entrance, Kakyoin grabbed my hand and led me inside. It took me less than a second to forget all about what had just happened, as my cheeks flushed with heat. Was he doing this on purpose?

I blinked a few times after he closed the door. The main source of light came from the arcades themselves, neon colors blinking and spinning. Otherwise, the place was in a nightly atmosphere, the fluorescent planets and stars on the carpet glowing softly. I looked around in awe, and as my gaze dropped to the pink boy next to me I noticed he had a very contempt look as he observed my dumbfounded face.