~Our Bond Is Unbreakable~

Chapter Five~ Think it Over

Josuke's POV
It's 3 am and for some god forsaken reason I am still awake.

After we got home and went to bed Okuyasu fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow, I wish I could say the same. At this point sleep feels like a distant memory from a time forgotten long ago, so might as well take this opportunity to do some thinkin'.
I let my mind wander freely, letting it take me to the dark forbidden corners of my brain I usually leave undisturbed, but every now and then it's good to visit it and dust the cobwebs off.
The first place it went was last summer, a summer I'd never forget even if sometimes I wish I could. Yep, much happened over the summer of '99, things that will haunt me till the very end. It all seemed to start out when grandpa was killed, not a great start. Then things gradually got worse, but not everything was bad. I mean, I made a bunch of new friends, met my nephew and my "dad" (still feel weird calling him that), and learned a lot of things.
Still with all that, it's hard not to dwell on the many tragedies that occurred. I remember sitting in that classroom with Okuyasu, unaware of Shigechi calling out to us just behind the door. Then walking in to Aya's boutique, seeing the horrors that laid in Kira's wake. I don't think I'll ever be able to shake the image of that faceless man.

I remember when Okuyasu "died."
One thing I don't remember is how long he was out, everything was a blur and the only thing I knew was that my best friend was dead and I couldn't do anything to save him.

"Ugh"
I quietly groaned as I got out of bed to grab a glass of water, deciding that was more than enough thinking for one night.
I managed to get out without waking Okuyasu and tip toed my way into the kitchen.
Grabbing a glass I tried to be as quiet and stealthy as possible, not wanting to get my ass beat again. But alas,
as if angry and vengeful god were looking down at me, I accidentally knocked the cup on the floor.
Y'know how regular every day things sound 2x as loud at night? Well this was that, but about 2000x louder.

Just as I began to mentally write out my will, the light flipped on and I was grabbed from behind by the collar of my shirt.
I slowly turned around, my face stuck in a silent scream of horror with sweat now profusely dripping down my forehead.

"Josuke..."
Shit!...
I could see her face now, and it was pissed.
"What. The hell. Are you doing. Up. So. Damn. LATE!"
She swung at my face and landed a solid blow to my cheek.
"Bastard! Do you have any idea how tired I am!?"
She kept swinging, not as hard but at the moment it seemed to be quantity over quality.
"Mom shh! You'll wake up Okuyasu..."
I whispered, hoping he wouldn't have to see me get decked by my own mother.
"Well if he can sleep through all the noise you're making I'm sure he's fine!"
She threw one final smack to the back of my head and sighed.
"Seriously Josuke, why are you still up? It's a school night too for god's sake."
I thought for a moment. I honestly wanted to talk to her, or anyone for that matter, about the thoughts that had been plaguing my mind. But I couldn't tell her, because she'll never truly know what happened last summer or how much it effected Morioh and the people living in it. Still, I don't have to go into specifics.

"I couldn't sleep so I just been thinkin' about some things... like uh my friends and just some stuff we went though..."
I nervously chewed at my lip, I wanted to spill everything but I held back.
"Oh? Stuff? Do you wanna talk about it?"
She had done a complete switch from angry psycho to caring mom in an instant, quite impressive really.
"Mmm not right now, I don't know what I'd talk about really."

"Well, just know you can always talk to me, that's what mom's are for."
She smiled and patted my shoulder, then pulled me in for a quick hug.
"I always be there for you, even when you are being a brat,"
She chuckled and pulled away.
Ruffling my hair she muttered a "goodnight" and went back to her room.

Water attempt #2 was much more successful, glass in hand I plopped down on the couch. After the whole deal I just had I wasn't going to risk even trying to take it back to my room. I suddenly had the mental image of me blindly fumbling around in the dark, then tripping and spilling the water all over a sleeping Okuyasu. It was a funny image too be sure, but I would feel exceptionally bad if I were to do that in real life.
I did an internal rewind on my water hypothetical and paused on a sleeping Okuyasu, my memory doing most of the work now.
At first glance Okuyasu just looks like a thug, tough worn and beaten. But first impressions can be deceiving, as he's actually one of the softest guys I know. Not like texture wise, just in his expressions and the way he holds himself. He always has this sort of gentle aura about him, especially when he was asleep. His eyes closed, his usual goofy grin gone, occasionally forming a small smile when he dreamt. Even his snores are calm and quiet, it's kinda cute...

My water was now long gone,
but I'm still thirsty as ever.
Whether it's for liquid or not is something I don't want to dwell on any longer. Nevertheless, I walk back over to the tap and quickly chug a second glass.

I head back to my room, quietly opening and closing the door behind me. And just as I expected, Okuyasu was still fast alseep and snoring softly. I smiled and hopped back into bed, taking a few shameless seconds to admire his peaceful expression.

A/N

1046 words, oh man it's been awhile. I'm sorry this chapter was so short and kinda filler-y, I wanted to get it out as fast as possible since it's been forever (I also just wanted to write some more Tomoko interaction because I love her so much <3). Anyway I'll try not to take as long on the next chapter, hope you're all staying safe and wearing your masks!! :^)