[Need a ride, handsome?]

Gorgeous brown eyes. Well-kept blonde hair that practically shines. Dashing smile across his face that reminds you of the princes from the fairy tale books you’d read as a kid. He was dressed in an outfit that could be classified as both formal and informal but handsome all the same.

“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting for too long.” He gives you a closed eyes smile that makes you practically swoon. This is off to a good start. 

“No, not at all! Please sit.” You gestures your hand to the seat in front of you. 

As if on cue, a waiter comes to take your orders. Café Deux Magots is a popular place to meet in Morioh. Usually it is packed with people so it can be hard to get a spot. Their prices are fair and the food here tastes quite delectable. Business must be booming.

The conversation between you and him flows like water. You learn his name was Leon, he is from America and came here to experience a new life in another country. Leon is mature and soft-spoken and his gentleness can be seen with the way he hasn’t touched his plate of food until yours come. He’s attentive to the things you’re rambling about, taking care to let his interest show by nodding his head along to your words.

You can only describe him as a perfect gentleman. 

You hope that your own outfit fits his standards of ‘ladylike’. It’s not like you are wearing anything too outrageous though. You wear a simple floral top with a light brown cardigan on top. For your pants, you wear a long flowy skirt. You style your hair in a simple effective bun where a few strands fall on one side of your shoulder. A red lipstick wouldn’t match your current style so you go with a peach lip gloss that’s noticeably sheer on your lips. You might have to reapply that after you eat. 

Everything is perfect. 

It was perfect.

“Oh? If it isn’t Miss Stuck-up?”

Until it isn’t anymore.

You pray to every god that exists that it isn’t the person you’re expecting. It’s impossible to mistake that voice that is usually dripping with arrogance for anyone else. Even without turning around, you can tell he’s amused and definitely on his way to ruin everything.

“Woah! You’re right, Rohan! Miss, what are you doing here?!” Okuyasu’s voice quite literally booms throughout the entire cafe, causing heads to turn towards them. 

While you love Okuyasu for his innocence and obliviousness, sometimes you wish he would have better reading skills of situations. Inevitably, you turn your head around expecting to tell Rohan and Okuyasu off. However, you aren’t expecting to see Josuke and Koichi as well. Don’t Rohan and the high schoolers hate each other? Why are they on the same table together? Koichi shoots you an apologetic glance. 

You feel bad for Leon. You can tell how confused he is with the way his eyes were burning into the back of your head, wordlessly demanding an explanation. 

“You guys…what are you doing here?” You inquire with masked annoyance. 

“Hey now, we’re just hanging out at this cafe. It’s not like you own it right?” 

Every time you’re around him, all you want to do is rip that smug right off Rohan’s face. You look down at his hands to see that he has a sketchbook and a pencil in his hands. He must have been working on his ’Pink Dark Boy’ manga.

“Guys, she’s meeting with someone. I don’t think we should be intruding…”

You couldn’t thank Koichi enough for trying to gently talk some common sense into their heads. Rohan just rolls his eyes while Josuke and Okuyasu tilt their heads in complete synchronization, almost comically. Koichi shoots her a glance that says ‘continue on with your date.’

You turn around to apologize to your handsome date. 

“I’m sorry, some of my acquaintances can be quite..rowdy sometimes. Don’t mind them.” Leon waves his hands. 

“I get that, haha. It’s good to have folks around that can brighten up our days huh?” He chuckles slightly.

Not always.

“Ah, I’ve wanted to ask, what type of books do you usually read?”

You perk up at this. He’s initiating a conversation! 

“Oh, I’m particularly into books that are about justice and crimes—”

A loud snort from behind interrupt your flow of sentence. You wouldn’t subject your worst enemy to that sound. 

“Well, aren’t you a little miss righteous? Careful now, wouldn’t wanna scare off your little date with the way you get so invested in those books that you don’t even watch where you go and keep bumping into me.”

How dare he try to embarrass you in front of your date?!

You whip your head around at the speed of light to shoot a deathly glare at Rohan who sends you back a smirk that just screams trouble. Koichi, Josuke and Okuyasu practically shudder with nervousness, sensing the tense atmosphere.

”O-Oi, Rohan, don’t be a dickhead!” Josuke tries to come to your defense. 

“Better than being beaten nearly to death by a freshman high schooler.”

Rohan brings out the worst in you but you can’t seem to care when one of his eyes twitch slightly at your provocation. Just when you think he’d stop, he turns to look your date in the eyes.

“I gotta say, I was expecting a lot more from your date. Is this really the best you could do? I guess, your standards for men are just as low as your standards in good mangas.”

He’s making a reference to the time when you insulted him by saying his work was boring. You didn’t think it would actually come to bite you in the ass.

By now, your date is fuming. You can tell by the way his eyebrows furrowed, ruining the smooth surface. This was bad. You can’t let your date face Rohan in a fight, it’d only result in injuries from his part. Rohan has the advantage of having a stand.

“W-Wait, please don’t mind him! He’s always saying things like that all the—”

Leon raises his hand, a motion to stop you. By the look of his face, he doesn’t seem like he wants to be here any longer. He stands up and bows down to you.

“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to have lunch with someone as lovely as you. Unfortunately, I have things that I need to attend to. You’re wonderful. I’m sure you will be able to find someone in no time.”

That’s what all your relationships told you before they left.

With that, he leaves not looking back.

You’re speechless, your mouth agape. 

“Damn it, Rohan! See what you did?! You totally ruined her date.” Okuyasu grabs Rohan by his collar who isn’t bothered by it at all.

“Y-Y/N, we’re so sorry for intruding—” Koichi genuinely tries to apologize, you can tell. You only shake your head.

“No, it’s none of your fault..”

Your gaze swiftly goes to Rohan Kishibe who seems to be leisurely drinking his drink despite Okuyasu and Josuke glaring at him.

“Rohan. With that attitude, no wonder you can’t seem to find yourself a girlfriend.”

“I’m not desperate like you.” He claps back.

It’s silent for a while before you eventually say something. You purse your lips.

“Would it have hurt you to let me have this for once?”

With a heavy heart, you turn around and leave some money on the table. You walk away, your eyes stinging a bit with tears. If only Rohan isn’t here, you might have gotten a second date with Leon. Now, it’s all ruined. You don’t turn around to look back at the trio calling your name. You also don’t turn around to look at Rohan who seems to be staring at your back with an indescribable expression.

A few weeks pass after the date incident and you couldn’t find the energy in yourself to go on another date. You apologize to your work friend explaining what happened. Thankfully, she was very understanding so she just told you to take it easy.

Right now, you’re hanging out with Kyouka and Kana at a shopping mall. The duo is always fun to be around, both bringing in new tactics and ideas that surely get them in trouble all the time. Sometimes, they’d bring you along with them just so they have some form of protection.

You daze out while the two high school girls chat around. Your mind is only focused on eating the strawberry ice cream cone in front of you.

Suddenly, there are fingers clicking in front of your vision.

”Hellooo? Are you listening, Big sis Y/N?”

“H-Huh? Oh yes.”

Kana pout. “You liar. What was I saying then?”

”Un…”

Kyouka just stares at you curiously.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing.” You reply too quickly. Both of them stare.

There’s no getting out of this. So you sigh and tell them.

“You kids are lucky, huh? There’s still years ahead of you, so many opportunities left. Many relationships to get into. If that chance comes, don’t let it go.” You were also a kid once. You were just like them but it was your studies and work before your own happiness. Just like how your family wanted it to be.

“…What’s with you getting all sentimental? Did your last date not go well?”

As dumb as kana appears to be, you’re often shocked by how perceptive she can be sometimes, contrary to the boy she hangs out with a lot. 

“No. Rohan ruined everything.” You say, gloomily. Any mentions of him immediately ruin your mood.

Rohan is younger than you by 4 years. And you’re already 27, venturing into an area of early 30s. He is already making more money than you when you were his age. Buying a large mansion at the age of 20 was not something you could achieve. Sure, you make a considerate amount of money where you have no problem going on a shopping spree every now and then. Speedwagon foundation treats their employees quite well after all. But before getting involved with Jotaro due to the Kira Yoshikage incident and him offering you a place, your financial situation could be described as average. He was successful in ways you feel like you weren’t. 

This brings your mood down to the lowest even more. Seriously, thinking of him has some negative effects on your quality of life. 

In the midst of your own musing, you fail to see the two girls sharing a glance. With you here, they can’t freely talk about their thoughts.

‘Kana, I’m trying to talk to you through mind contact since big sis Y/N is here so try to look at my facial expressions, okay?’

As if Kana could read telepathy, she nods. 

‘I know we told Rohan that he needs to be a bit more forward with his moves, but I didn’t think he would screw up her date too!’ Kana blinks at Kyouka.

‘Well, that shady old man is always flirting with her in the weirdest ways possible. I can’t help but think that we were the ones who actually ruined her date by giving advice to Rohan.’ Kyouka tilts her head.

‘Yeah, why can’t he just ask her out normally instead of sabotaging her dates?!’ Kana waves her hands around.

‘I asked him that and he said ‘Do you think, I, the great Rohan Kishibe would ask someone like her out?!’ And ran away. Can you believe that?!’ Kyouka shakes her head.

You look up to see the two girls still staring at each other. You swear you’ve seen them do this whenever they’re at some sort of event where they can’t freely communicate with each other. You can never tell how they do that since you’re sure they can’t do telepathy but you guess those two share one brain cell.

“..Hey, I know you’re trying to talk to each other without me noticing. Knock it off.”

“Ehe, oops, busted.” Kyouka just sticks out her tongue.

”Seriously, I don’t know how you guys can communicate without even voicing out your thoughts.”

“Oh! We—”

“Yeah, on second thought, I don’t want to know.”

Kana’s face deflates like a popped balloon, disappointed that she won’t be able to let you in on their secret technique. 

“Big sis Y/n, don’t you think you’re being too harsh on yourself? If you keep throwing yourself into dates with people you don’t even know, it feels like you’re forcing yourself.” Kyouka offers actual advice for the first time today. She’s right. Your desperation is forcing you to get along with anyone as long as they’re an option. You’re not even thinking whether you actually like them or not.

Kana nods vigorously. “Right, right. How about you try to meet someone naturally?”

Naturally? That’s what you’ve been trying to do all your life. There’s no accidentally bumping into someone, spilling coffee on them and offering to buy them something to replace their stained shirt. There’s no childhood sweetheart who always seems to be awkward and blushing around you. There was no senior who offered to show you around the university. 

“Naturally…how?”

“Oh, I know! How about Rohan—”

Silence.

All you could register is the horrified look on Kyouka’s face, shocked at her best friend’s suggestion. Kana truly belongs with Okuyasu.

That day, the three of you part ways with Kana shaking in her boots hiding behind her best friend. Good, you wrecked her head pretty good.

You’re somewhat grateful for Kyouka’s helpful advice. 

You decide to go to the aquarium today. You’re going by yourself this time. The last time you went, it was when Jotaro asked for directions to the aquarium and you told him you’d drive him there. You guys ended up in front of the large dolphin tank, fangirling over the way the dolphins swam around to the point the security guards had to push you both to make way for other comers. 

But now, it’s for a completely different purpose. You know there’s a cute guy who’s been working there for over more than a year. You’ve had your eyes on him for a while. While you’ve never made any moves, you can’t deny the natural charm he has when he gives food to the aquatic animals. His attractiveness is objective when there’s always a group of girls giggling and batting their eyelashes at him whenever he works. 

Everything is blue and the interior of the aquarium is huge. The ceiling is like a massive ball, curved protectively. All kinds of fishes swim around in the large tanks. There’s seahorses, stingrays, beluga whales and more. Some of the aquatic animals swimming to the glasses to peek curiously at people passing by.

It’s the perfect place for a first date.

Akira Tanaka. You learned that from his name tag. He’s of average height with fluffy brown hair and eyes that match his hair color. 

“You look like a creep with the way you’re stalking the poor boy.”

What was he doing here?

You let out a sigh and turn around to face Rohan. He’s dressed in casual clothing, you notice. You don’t want to admit how good he looks. His bag that contains his arts supplies is held against his side. Is he here to take references?

“You’re the actual creep when you’re here trying to talk to me.”

He scrunches his nose up. How arrogant, typical.

“Whatever, I’m here trying to draw some sketches for my work. Don’t bother me.” He brushes you off just like that. 

How dare he say that after he was the one who approached you and with an insult nonetheless?!

“Arg! You..” You quiet down after you feel some glances thrown your way. You just huff and walk away, reminding yourself he’s not worth it.

Now, back to the apple of your eyes.

Wait, where is he?! He was right there feeding the penguins! 

“Your little boy toy went to get more fish for the penguins. Good grief, don’t be so distracted. How will you manage a relationship when you’re like that?”

You scowl. He’s contradicting himself, he tells you to leave him alone and yet he’s taunting you all the time.

“Weren’t you the one who told me not to bother you?” “You look so pitiful the way you’re trying to make him notice you. Personally, I wouldn't want to date a girl who stalks me at my workplace.” You two really can’t have a conversation without him insulting you in some kind of way. That’s it. No matter what it takes, you’re going to rip his manga papers apart. He wouldn’t ask Josuke to fix it with Crazy Diamond, you know he’s got too much pride for that. 

Fuming, you stomp towards him and try to grab his sketchbook. Quickly, he put it out of your reach. He has the advantage of being taller than you. This little game of chase continues. 

“Rohan Kishibe! I swear to god, you’re always–”

“Excuse me miss, could you quiet down? You’re bothering the other customers.”

It seems that you have been raising your voice more than you intended to. Your face only gets redder when you realize that you’ve caught more attention. What makes it worse is that the staff who told you to quiet down was the same guy you’ve been giving heart eyes to. How humiliating. 

“A-Ah, of course. I’m so sorry.”

This is it. You’re never coming back here again. Akira Tanaka be screwed. 

“Tsk, always making a scene, huh?”

Rohan makes a comment from behind you. It’s all too sudden before he places his arm weight on your head.

“Haha, I’m sorry about my girlfriend here. She gets quite excited sometimes.” He says it so casually, as if it is just another afternoon for him. You quickly shoot him a look that screams ‘What the fuck are you saying?!’

“Haha, of course. This is the only aquarium in Morioh town after all. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll go back to tend to the penguins. Feel free to come and enjoy the show!”  Just like that, he walks away.

As soon as he leaves, you quickly shake off his arm and dig your index finger into his fabrics. 

“What was that?!” You whisper this time, not wanting another crowd of outsiders.

“What was what?” He asks nonchalantly. “You called me your girlfriend and embarrassed me!”

He puts his pinky finger in his ear and yawns, as if indicating that he’s not interested in listening to you. 

“Listen to me! You’re always trying to sabotage my dates. Have you no shame?!–” Rohan’s sigh interrupts you. 

“Turn around.”

And so you did. 

Before your eyes is the guy you were insistent on courting, kissing another girl’s forehead. They look happy, in love. It was as if there were only the two of them in this small blue world, nothing else matters.

You could only push out a quiet ‘oh’ from your mouth.

Before you know it, a large hand shields your eyes and forces your head to turn around. For once, Rohan says nothing. His eyes widen when he realizes what’s happening. 

You’re crying. 

Droplets of tears invade your vision. Everything is blurry. You can’t even see Rohan who is right in front of you clearly. You don’t fully understand the reason you’re crying. Is it because you had to show such an embarrassing sight in front of Rohan? Or is it because of the boy, whom you’ve only uttered one sentence to already had a significant other, someone who isn’t you? You don’t know.

At another time, the sight of you in tears and a runny red nose would have been absolutely adorable. At another time, he would have made you sit down and sketch you over and over until his hands bleed. That’s how endearing you look. 

But not when the cause is some bastard who’s as good as a side character in your life.

People around you might think that he is the reason for your crying so Rohan does the next best thing, grab your wrist and drag you with him to a secluded area where he could sit you down. You don’t stop him and just quietly try to sniffle your noises. 

You don’t really remember how the rest of it went.

All you remembered was that Rohan stayed with you until your tears dried. He was there wiping your tears and snot covered face and grumbling about how ‘you’re such a mess’. But he was uncharacteristically quiet. You’re grateful that he was trying to comfort you, in his own ways. It was the first time Rohan Kishibe showed such a soft side in front of you. 

You somehow don’t mind that he called you his girlfriend anymore.

You don’t see Rohan for the next week after that. He was seemingly holed up in his house, working on his manga again. Josuke points out the little frown that creeps up on your face, a bit teasingly. 

You just deadpan at him.

“I’ll ask, Miss Y/N…why are you so hellbent on being with someone?” Koichi askes, the other two listening with curiosity. 

You think about it first before answering.

“My mom married my father at 22 but they didn’t meet naturally. I guess you could say it was more of an arranged marriage. But they were happy and they took care of me. My family is very conservative and they want me to have a child as quickly as possible. I guess I’ve always had the idea that I should be getting a child by at least 25. Well here I am, already 27 and still no one to come home to.”

Your parents were strict with your grades and school activities. They want you to perform your best and not to be distracted by any boys at your school when you are too young. And yet, they expect you to be married by now. What a headache. 

“But…doesn’t it seem like you’re forcing yourself?” Okuyasu says. You wonder if Kana told him about it. You just let out a hearty chuckle. “Well, that may be true in a sense but I can’t say that the idea of having someone who’d adore me, make time for me, look out for me and love me isn’t exactly bad..” 

Returning late to someone who’d kiss your head and welcome you back after work. Making dinner for your significant other. Going out on romantic dates together. Maybe a child or two along the lines.

How romantic. 

Maybe your future husband would be a manga artist–wait what? 

A blush creeps up on your face as you fan yourself with your bare hands. What were you thinking?! Of that manchild? No way.

Josuke purses his lips before deciding on what he wants to say.

“You know..maybe what you’re looking for is already right in front of you.”

He’s seen the ways Rohan looks at you. Those were definitely not glances Rohan would give a person if he’s not interested in them. He’s seen the way Rohan tries to ensure your safety not so secretly during the search for Kira Yoshikage. It was apparent to everyone except you. To you, you just think that he’s mocking you and telling you to stay out of it even though you’re a renowned detective. But it was his way of asking you to just leave it to him and the others, to ensure you don’t get hurt.

Even though Rohan was a complete asshole at your date, it was his own way of telling you to pick him instead. Yes, what he did was wrong but Josuke can somewhat sympathize. He’s had his fair share of love problems with a certain girl.

None the wiser you are, you just tilt your head not understanding what Josuke is trying to say.

“Give it one more chance.”

Completely misreading his implications, you decide to give it one more chance.

Just one more time.

“Y/N! My baby!” Your mom comes out to greet you as soon as you get out of the car outside your parents’ house. 

“Hi, mom.” You hug her back with a little less enthusiasm than her.

“Come in. It’s steaks tonight, one of your favorites.” Her father smiles at her from inside the house. 

The atmosphere of your parent’s house is as warm as you remember. The decorations of the interiors are still the same, it seems like your parents couldn’t bear to replace any of the furniture. Nostalgia fills you as a soft smile creeps up on your face. You step into the living room and sit down on one of the comfortable sofas, your mom not far behind. 

“So, tell me all that’s been going on in your life, I haven’t seen you in a long time since you’re practically married to your life at this point.” Ah, she’s hinting if you’ve found anyone yet. It’s obvious because you can tell by looking at the curious glint in her eyes. You just give her a sheepish smile.

“Uhm, nothing that interesting..went on a few dates, those didn’t work out.” You don’t tell her why. Her brows furrow in worry as she stares.

“Dear, you’re getting older and you’re always working. I’m worried that you’ll be alone for the rest of your life.” You want to tell her to back off and that you’re trying, you really are. As you’re the only daughter, they were hoping for a kid or two to continue the bloodline. You force all your energy into a sigh.

“I know, mom.” like the polite daughter you are.

“Well, if it helps. We know a very well-mannered and successful young man who’s the son of a family who’s well-acquainted with us.” Your father pipes in to offer.

“Oh! Yes, he’s such a sweetheart and he’s also single, is he not? I believe he’s also around your age, you two would hit it well!”

Once your mom’s mind is set on something, there’s no distracting her from her goal. You suppose you got that stubbornness from her. You’re also a bit interested in this mysterious man. Your father nods along. 

“There’s a celebration party that’s going to be held by the company I work for in a few days. Your mom and I originally planned to go but seeing as it is not mandatory to go, you two should get to know each other instead. Here, let me go get his business card.”

A part of you is worried that it’d end up like the date with Leon who left you in the cafe to swallow in your self-hatred but a bigger part of you that is excited to meet this man dominates.

The establishment is beautiful. As soon as you walk in, the shine from the numerous decorated light bulbs hanging blinds your eyes. It takes you a while to get your eyes adjusted. Once you do, you’re met with the most gorgeous combination of gold shiny walls and red carpets everywhere. 

Everyone is dressed up like it’s the night of their lives and frankly, it might as well be.

The night is still young. People dressed in glamorous dresses and suits fill the room one by one or in pairs. Their outfits and styles look like they’re expensive and tailored to their own sizes, not like the sea of dressings you see on Morioh streets. You aren’t too far behind in that regard. You wear a white cocktail dress that shows off all your curves modestly, standing against the wall coyly waiting for your date to arrive. Your hair is done in braids that flow freely but also restricted by a thin hair tie at the end of your hair.

You think you look decent, gorgeous even. Men and women seem to agree as they stride up to you with confident and artificial smiles. Though, you make sure to turn them down as gently as possible.

Ah, here comes your date.

He’s as dashing as your parents describe him to be. Slick back black hair with a few strands resting in front of his foreheads. His eyes pierced through the crowds just for you. A smile creeps up on his face after landing his gaze on you. Your heart is thumping twice as fast now that he’s making his way towards you.

“You’re stunning.” How bold, you think.

“I’m assuming you’re my date for tonight?” You ask with a confident smile.

“The one and only.” He winks back. 

Suddenly, the lights turn off as someone walks up on the large stage. A round light follows him wherever he goes. He’s not someone you’ve seen before. By looking at his posture and well-crafted smile, he must be an important person as everyone below the stage is staring at him.

The words he says goes in one ear and leaves from another ear. You can’t seem to pay him any mind when your vision is occupied with your date. You only let out a slight giggle when your date leans into your ear to make a snide comment about the unknowing man on the stage. 

Everything afterwards is a blur until a familiar shade of green hair that’s styled in a slicked-sideways undercut. There’s no doubt about it, it’s Rohan Kishibe. 

You’re too stunned to pay your date any attention currently even though he’s looking at you curiously for looking so dazed. He shakes you gently, asking if you’re alright. You manage to stutter a small yes but keep looking at Rohan.

Your heart jumps when Rohan slides his gaze over to you. His gaze is intense as you feel eyes over your lower body, almost as if he’s checking you out. But it’s over as soon as it starts. He’s as handsome as ever, irritatingly so. You almost feel jealous at the way numerous women are ogling at him, despite not being an exception.

So many questions conquer your brain, begging for answers. You want to walk up to the stage and shake him. You want him to look at you and give you a direct answer.

Why, Why are you here to ruin my date again?

As soon as he’s off the stage and everyone goes back to their mingling, you excuse yourself from your date and rush towards Rohan Kishibe lazily nibbling on a croissant. Rohan excuses himself from the people he’s talking with, his assistant and editor you’re assuming.

“Why are you here?” The sentence was pushed out in gritted teeths, signaling to him that you’re not here for his bullshits. He only raises his eyebrows.

“Whatever do you mean?” “Are you here to ruin my date again?!” You clarify. He rolls his eyes.

“Well, genius, if you’ve been paying attention to what I’ve been saying. I told you and the others that there was some sort of celebration party that me and my editors have been invited to for the success of my manga entering Top 10. But, I guess you never listen, huh?” He says in a familiar mocking tone. 

You do remember him mentioning about some sort of party in a gathering a month ago but you were too focused on your papers to actually focus on him. So as much as you want to, you can’t really blame him for being here. Your best next alternative is a ‘tsk’.

“Whatever, don’t come near my date or me, understood?” You say in a low threatening tone. 

However, he doesn’t reply. Or rather, he seems to be distracted by something else. You look down to your dress to see if there’s any stain on your legs or chest, maybe that’s why he’s staring. That’s when you realize.

“Hey, my eyes are up here, pervert.” 

You swear he almost flinches. He quickly averts his eyes and clears his throat. Wait, is that a blush on his face—?

Well, it doesn’t matter anymore. You’ve kept your date waiting for too long, it's time to go back to him.

“Whatever, have fun with whoever is unfortunate enough to be your date this time.” With this, he walks away, hands in pockets. Your mind might have been playing tricks on you in the midst of your anger but you swear you almost saw a manifestation of something silver and gold trying to trace its way back to you.

With that out of the way, you go back to your date. Like the gentleman he is, he stands at the corner waiting for your arrival. You apologize for taking so long, an apology he waves off casually. 

The conversation goes like a breeze. You two have so much to talk about, or rather he couldn’t seem to stop talking about all his accomplishments. He seems to have taken so much pride in the way his business is booming and how ‘easy’ it was to eradicate all his competitors, not a fact that you expect him to admit in front of a first date.

You don’t mind ambition and passion, in fact you think that’s one of the most attractive traits a person can have.

But with the way he can’t seem to stop with his jokes that he’s cracked twice and doesn’t leave you a chance to talk about your own interest, it’s easy to get lost in the cup of lemonade in your hand. 

“Oh, your legs must be tired just standing here. Come on, let’s go to the bar.” And so, you follow him.

He moves his fingers, a motion for the bartender to come take you guys orders. A man dressed in a formal outfit with simple colors of black and white comes immediately, nodding.

“I’ll just get a cocktail,” then he turns to you “You?”

You shake your head, “Oh, I’m not in the mood for drinking.” He lets out a soft chuckle at that. “Hey, it’s a celebration. One drink won’t hurt.” You furrow your eyebrows at his persistence.

“No really, I’m not in the mood for it. Ah, but don’t let me hold you back. Feel free to drink as much as you like.”  The most you could muster up is a closed eye smile. Your date still doesn’t give up.

“Are you sure? Drink’s on me.” 

“Y/n is a real stuck-up so no matter how much you convince her, she still won’t drink.”

Your date whips his head around to look at Rohan. At first, you think he’s annoyed that a random person interrupts your conversation but that quickly changes when he registers who it is. Of course, the great Rohan Kishibe. 

For the first time, you’re grateful Rohan interfered. 

“Ah, you must be Rohan Kishibe! Congratulations on your manga entering the top 10 this year once again. My niece is a huge fan of your work!” He leaves you alone to your thoughts to converse with Rohan, who only gives one of his fake business smiles.

This interaction only reminds you of how Rohan could easily take your spotlight. He’s handsome, his career never has a shortage of success and thousands of brands want to collaborate with his works. You try not to bite down on your red tinted lips, you wouldn’t want to ruin yourself on this lovely night.

You wonder if your parents would be happier if they had a son like him. Even if your standard of living is beyond average, you don’t think you can ever compare to the charisma and confidence he oozes. 

Once again, the night isn’t going like how you want it to be. Your cocktail dress feels restricting and tight as burning jealousy builds up in your chest. When your eyes flicker to the reflection in your painted red nails, all that stares back is a woman. She seems lost. She’s well dressed, her make up not too thick but it’s there suggesting that she’s made sure to put some effort into her looks. Her plump lips covered in an angdoo color sit still perfectly. Her smile is well-crafted, a person used to lies and dishonesty. It’s unfortunate her eyes don’t shine like they should. 

You think you have a headache. At least, that’s what you tell the two men when you retire for the night. The way your date is calling out your name, slightly panicked, doesn’t register in your head.

You don’t really know where you’re going, an aimless direction. But you walk away anyway, anything to get away from this god forsaken place. 

A hand tug you back from your storm of thoughts. You turn around.

“Are you really dipping after I came to your rescue?” It’s not Rohan without his self-righteousness.

“Are you going home? I’ll drive you back. This is the only time I’m doing you a favor so be grateful.” With that said, he drags you to his red fancy car that glimmers in the sea of every other car you can’t even correctly guess the price of. You mindlessly follow him, a complete contract from when you would usually bicker with him.

Your hand tightens around his, a movement that alarms him. His eyes silently gesture you to spit your words out.

“There’s somewhere I want to go.”

Unlike the party, this place is a lot less fancy. This restaurant doesn’t have as much budget as compared to a one night party hosted by a millionaire company. But it’s a lot more comfortable and homey regardless. You come here when you’re overwhelmed with deadlines and stress. 

Red ornaments hang in front of the sliding doors, varieties of Japanese characters written on them. Once you get through the door, you’re met with wooden tables and chairs laying neatly. The walls are decorated with traditional Japanese artworks. Even the workers here wear white kimonos.

Considering it is still Thursday, there are not many people tonight. Something you’re grateful for. You both look out of place with your over the top dresses and suits after all.

Shortly after, your orders arrive. Rohan ordered fish while you ordered tempura and two bottles of beer. In the corner of your eyes, you see Rohan scrunched his nose up.

“You don't have to be here, you know. You could have dropped me off.” You suggest. You’re surprised he had willingly come inside the restaurant with you. He scoffs at your suggestion.

“Leave it. You’re gonna drink yourself to death if I’m not here.” You suppose he’s not wrong. It’s silent after that, safe for the occasional noises of heels clunking when waiters walk by. Neither of you start a conversation, content with the warm atmosphere. He’s the one to break the ice.

“Why do you want to be with someone so bad?” You’re taken back by his question as you prepare an answer.

“..Work can only do so much for me–” 

You gulp down your beer.

“ –I’m ashamed of myself.”

“Ashamed? What’s there to be ashamed of? Y/N, there’s no one that’s berating you for not being in a relationship. Just like the brats say, you can’t keep forcing yourself into a loveless relationships–”

“Of course, you wouldn’t understand–” Just like water gushing out of an oppressing tank, you couldn’t stop the bitterness from showing up in your tone. “ –You wouldn’t understand, Rohan. You’re only 23, you’re able to achieve things that I couldn’t. There’s no shortage of women waiting in line to be with you. I’m a 27 years old speedwagon agent, single and alone, with no life. I don’t have a relationship built, no children, no boyfriend. All I have is my work and even then, it can only distract me for a while before I’m feeling like a failure to my family again–” You can’t contain your self-loathing and your sobs anymore. This is the second time you’ve cried in front of him, no doubt he’s gonna bring that up to torment you later.

You look like a mess with tears filled eyes and cheeks red from both crying and the after effects of your beer. You can only choke out your sentences in a low whine. 

“ –Who would ever look at me?”

“Let’s get married.” You whip your head up to look at him at lightning speed that’d put Star Platinum to shame. You’re sure your dropped jaw is reaching the floor by now.

“Let’s get married. We’ll go sign the papers, right here, right now.” Rohan Kishibe said the most atrocious sentence with the straightest fact you’ve yet seen on him. 

“..What?”

Annoyed that he’s already repeated his words two times by now, he groans.

“I said–”

“No, I heard! You–Are you out of your mind?! T-There’s no way you and I could ever work out. I mean..just someone like you–”

“What?” Even in a time like this, he still manages to laugh. “You’re telling me we can’t work out but you think that date of yours will? Does he even care about your hobbies and interests?” 

“Even so…”

You avert your gaze somewhere else, hoping he’d buy the excuse that the blush on your gaze is from the consumption of beer.

“What’s stopping you?”

“Huh?”

He leans closer to your face, your noses inches apart. If you move just a bit closer, you could kiss him. “It can’t be that you’re not ready for marriage, either. Or are you shy? What are you afraid of? You think I wouldn’t want kids? Hey, if you want, I wouldn’t mind raising a brat or two–”

You tug at his tie and bring him down to smash your lips against his. His eyes widened, his heart surely threatening to jump out of his chest. 

His lips are soft, well taken care of and addictive. They fit perfectly against yours and you don’t want to let him go and it seems like he doesn’t want to either.

You understand now.

How could you have been so blind?

In the midst of your teeths clashing battle, you finally remember what Josuke said.

“You know..maybe what you’re looking for is already right in front of you.”

You know your actions are probably fueled by the affects of your beers, they make you more bold, more wild. But you don’t care. In fact, you feel like you need those drinks.

Although even without any third parties, you still would have said yes a million times.

“WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?!” 

The scream echoes through the city of Morioh cafe causing all heads to turn towards your table and glare at your group. You can’t blame them, you’re pretty sure the entire town has heard the loud shout.

“Yep! He proposed to me yesterday so we’re getting started on all the documents!” You exclaim cheerfully.

Josuke, Kyouka, Okuyasu, Kana, Koichi and Yukako all couldn’t believe their eyes. Just a few days ago, you both were bickering like cats and dogs. It’s all too unbelievable, too fast. 

“T-That’s wonderful! Mister Rohan, you finally took our advice huh?” Kana says to Rohan, eyes unblinking.

“Your love advice is practically useless, Kana. I’ll never ask you again.” Rohan deadpanned at her. 

“So much for trying to help..”

“So, when’s the wedding?” Josuke asks eagerly.

“Brat, who says you guys are invited?” Rohan snaps, pointing an accusing finger at him.

“Next year! You guys are getting the front row seats!” 

Hearing that, all of the high school students cheer. Rohan only sighs and leans back, there’s no point in arguing with what you want. In the midst of chaos, he catches the amused glint in your eyes. Fighting back a blush, he intertwines your hands together and squeezes it tightly under the tables.

Perhaps he can start thinking of baby names.