Sweet Cherry | Kakyoin X !Fem¡Reader

Chapter 47: Better

Artist is daisanfar on VK.
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A soft knock at your hotel room door broke you from the fog glazed street below. You peeled your eyes away from the window and walked over to the door, bringing your hands up to rub your temples. You need to pull it together. There's no one out there.

Twisting the handle, you tugged on the door. A smile crossed your lips as you looked up to the red-haired boy standing outside.

He leaned against the doorframe, strong arms crossed, and returned a sweet smile. His red tendril fell in front of his tired purple eyes. Faint bags hung under his lids, and his posture was slightly slouched. You were sure you looked the same. You certainly felt it.

"I could've been an enemy, y'know," Noriaki teased, his voice low with weariness.

"I don't believe the enemy would care to knock," You replied snarkily before gesturing for him to enter the room.

Noriaki grinned and pushed off the doorframe, stepping into the small room. Before you had time to close the door, you were enveloped in an embrace. You chuckled as Noriaki's arms tightened across your waist, still being cautious of your wound, and pulled you close against him. You wrapped your arms around his neck as you kicked the door closed with your foot. When you met his eyes again, they were different. Not bad different, just... different. Worried? Is he worried about the stand user?

"Is your room as nice as this one?" You remarked as you glanced around at the peeling paint and water-damaged ceiling.

"Seems most of the budget went into the common area," Noriaki laughed when he followed your gaze.

"I'll take that as a no." You smiled at the sweet sound of his voice. "Where are the others?"

"I think Polnareff went down to the bar, but Jojo and Joestar-san are still in their rooms." He answered. "Joestar-san is still trying to find a television."

"A TV?" You asked, tilting your head in confusion.

"Yeah. His stand's psychic ability is able to manipulate the channels to form coherent sentences. It's what he and Avdol used to... Avdol!" A smile graced his lips as he gasped, and his eyes filled with joy.

Your heart panged at the exclamation of your deceased friend, but you were more confused at Noriaki's reaction to the name.

"What about him, Nori?" You asked, voice somber.

"You don't know," he muttered, pulling his hands back to rest on your hips. Joy continued to bounce around in his deep purples. "Avdol, he- How do I... Screw it. He's alive! Avdol is alive!"

You felt your heart leap. No. No, that's not possible. I saw him die. That bullet went through his skull.

"What?" You breathed. "That... That can't be right. I saw him die, we saw him die."

"He wasn't actually dead! The round only scraped his skull. It didn't pierce it. He was knocked unconscious, and you stopped the bleeding for the knife wound. Jojo and Joestar-san cared for him back in India."

"Really?" Your voice came out as a whisper. Noriaki nodded hastily.

"I wanted to tell you earlier, but we didn't want to tell Polnareff just yet. You know how big of a mouth he has. We wanted Avdol to have time to recover in peace."

A smile slowly spread across your lips, and bubbling laughter rose in your throat and tumbled out of your mouth.

"Yes. Yes! Oh my god, yes!" You cried breathlessly, tightening your grip around Noriaki's neck and tugging him into another embrace.