𝑏𝑦 𝑚𝑦 𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 || 𝙹𝚘𝚝𝚊𝙺𝚊𝚔

𝑣𝑖𝑖: I'm Not Afraid Of The Dark

Jotaro suddenly woke up, his eyes and cheeks wet and his fists clenched. He sat up and felt his pillow; it was damp with tears.

Was I crying?

He ran a hand through silky black hair, his dream (or, more appropriately, nightmare) still fresh in his mind. He looked to his left. Relief flooded him when he saw Noriaki a few inches away, sleeping soundly. He let out a few deep breaths, flipping his pillow and laying back down.

After a moment he turned onto his side, his face level with Noriaki's. Once again, his heart sped up just like it did a few hours ago. He reached a hand out, pushing the boy's cherry-colored hair out of his face. He stirred slightly and Jotaro quickly closed his eyes, pretending he was asleep.

"Jojo, I know you're awake."

The black-haired male opened his eyes again. The freckled boy had come closer to him, his hands held to his chest. He shivered, huddling close. "Are you cold?"

"A little, yes."

"I'll go turn the heat up."

"Be quick. I can see my breath."

Jotaro knew he was exaggerating, but nevertheless speedwalked through the house to the thermostat in the living room. As he passed Holly's room, he noticed her door was slightly ajar. This wasn't out of the ordinary, yet he let his curiosity get the better of him and leaned against the door.

"I just don't know how to break it to him," he overheard. "He's so happy here, I can't tell him he's leaving."

Who's she on the phone with?

Another voice, faint, could be heard. It sounded gruff and experienced. "It's what he needs." Gramps? "If he wants to become a marine biologist, he should study over here."

She inhaled sharply. "But Papa, what about Noriaki? You can't force those boys apart."

"I might have to. Unless they go to the same school. The only issue is, Jotaro's application will be the last one that is accepted."

Holly sighed. She still hadn't noticed Jotaro standing behind the door. "How should I tell them? I can't bear to see the hurt looks on their faces."

"I'll be in town Thursday; we can tell them then."

She continued to talk with Joseph, a sad look on her face. Jotaro slowly moved from the door and felt a tear running down the length of his cheek, quickly rubbing it away. He stood there for a few minutes before remembering Noriaki and going to the thermostat, turning it up a few degrees.

As he walked back to his room, he thought about how he should tell this to the smaller boy. He could be blunt and possibly make the redhead angry, he could let him down easy and make him sad, or he could act like it was a shock to him when Joseph announces the news. He decided to go with option one, seeing as he could handle Noriaki if he was angry. He couldn't bear to see him sad.

Jotaro slid open the door to his room. Noriaki lay there, shivering and huddling underneath the blankets. "What took so long?" he asked as Jotaro joined him, moving his body close to the larger male's.

"I got distracted," he said simply.

"By what?"

"Mom was on the phone with Gramps."

Noriaki's eyebrows furrowed. "Why?"

Jotaro took a deep breath. It's just like ripping a bandage off. "Apparently, I'm going to this fancy university in America."

The redhead's perplexed look immediately turned to one of joy. "That's great, Jojo!" he praised in a hushed voice. "You'll be able to pursue your career and hopefully—" He stopped in his tracks, realizing the full situation. "Wait. Did you say . . ."

He nodded, bracing himself for the redhead's wrath. But it never came. Instead, he slumped into Jotaro, burying his face in his neck. "I guess that means my hunch was confirmed, huh?"

It was Jotaro's turn to be confused. "Hunch about what?"

"When I went to get more cherries, I saw Miss Holly with an envelope hidden behind her back. I tried asking her about it, but she just brushed me off. Then you came in a little while after and I knew I couldn't tell you my suspicions then, so I made a mental note to ask if you knew anything later. It appears that later is now."

The Kujo's voice had a hint of anger in it. "You knew about this and you didn't tell me?"

He shook his head. "I wouldn't say I knew about it. I just guessed what was going on."

"Well, you couldn't have said anything?"

"It wasn't my place; I didn't want to be the one to tell you. Besides, you found out anyway."

He sighed, running a hand through inky black hair. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't get mad at you over something like this. It's out of your control."

The furnace kicked on; Noriaki sighed as well. "It's okay, Jojo. I just . . ." He searched for words. "It feels so sudden, like a bomb being dropped on us. I don't want to lose this. Whatever this is," he added quietly.

"You won't," the ravenette reassured him. "I'll make sure of it."

·～•✯•～·

A/N: NO I MISSED JONATHAN'S BIRTHDAY

Word Count: 875