the haunting of josuke higashikata's lover [josuke x ghost!reader x rohan]

translucence

a/n: heyo! this'll probably be three parts. currently writing the second. i love this idea and i hope i do it justice!!

It was fate that brought you two together. It wasn't the deceased Yoshikage Kira's unhealthy obsession with beautiful hands, though that could certainly have played a part in all this. Only fate could bring two people so close, and rip them apart in an instant.

"Why the long face, Josuke?" Your comforting touch couldn't soothe him anymore. He flinched when your arms snaked around his neck, but he didn't back away or push you aside. He just didn't feel it. All he experienced was a cool breeze sinking into his skin when your translucent fingers intertwined with his living ones.

"[Name]...You know why." The look he wore was grim. You didn't want him to suffer like this. You wanted to move on to the greener pastures, but leaving him behind was crushing you. You'd stay for a while longer. Even if it killed him inside to see you in the alleyway, you'd do it. You wanted to hear his voice, hear him say your name, and watch his face when he did it.

"...But you still get to see me. Doesn't that make you happy?"

"I can't kiss you or hug you, or take you out on dates-" Josuke could've been on the brink of tears, you swore you saw it, but any chance of crying now he'd swallowed down. He still didn't want to seem immature or 'unmanly' in front of you. Even after everything the two of you went through before. Before death.

"The sight of me isn't enough?" You tried to contort his sad mug to make silly faces, but your ghostly hands were useless for such things. In the past, he might've laughed when your smaller hands smushed up against his face, but that wasn't the time you were living in anymore. It was long gone, and you were untouchable.

"We- we even talked about getting married after high school. And how can we do that now? We can't, [name]. I don't think I've done anything to deserve this, I mean, I haven't done anything that bad," Josuke left your see-through grasp and turned away to think. He'd have to get home soon. The sun was no longer beaming across Morioh, as it was time for the moon to take its place.

"You've gotten rid of Kira. You've done more than enough for those girls, Reimi, Shigechi... and me."

"Justice doesn't make the problem go away. Could I still use Crazy Diamond to-" He looked back at you again. There was inexplicable pain in his eyes, and you couldn't heal it with any words or any actions. Your existence was nothing now. No corpse.

"I'm dead. Long gone, Josuke. It's been, what, a month? Go enjoy your summer break... Talking to a dead girl must be exhausting for you." Your feet could touch the ground, but they were unfeeling. If there was anything you missed more than Josuke and his happiness, it was the tickling grass between your toes. Sinking your ankles into the sand at the beach. Running barefoot across hot concrete. Having feet to do those things with.

"I wanted to take you on a Christmas Eve date. You know, the ones you've talked about. In the movies." Josuke sighed. He didn't look back at you when he spoke, he instead kept his eyes forward. "I was gonna buy you that bracelet you were dropping hints about since... like, last Christmas."

"Josuke... Go home."

"We gave everything to each other, [name]. I don't think I can find that kind of intimacy anywhere else, y'know?"

"I said go home, Josuke! I can't do this anymore... I miss my family. I miss living. I don't want to hear about Christmas or bracelets or intimacy... because I'll never get to have those things again. You get a second chance. A third, probably fourth. I don't get any."

"I'm sorry, [name]. I was out of line, I-"

"Just go home. I want to be left alone."

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you too."