Acid_Guzzler

the jojo brainrot has taken me, and you get to hear all about it

[acid-guzzler]

Masterlist

Consider this under construction while I figure out what I like T-T

also, I only write oc x canon

Writing

Obey Me!

Date Night From Hell (Heaven?)

Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure

White Day: one, two, three, four, five

Art

under construction while I dig through my blog

[imeaae]

Kakyoin Noriaki fanart

[zvarricopter]

unrestrained summer fun (aka screenshot redraw)

[acid-guzzler]

White Day

Featuring: Josuke Higashikata (4) x Fem!oc

Chapters: One, Two (here!), Three, Four, Five

Upon finding out the boy she likes wants to find out who left the sappy note in his locker, what does Rhys Baker do? Freak the fuck out, because she doesn't want to ruin their friendship over a crush, and the object of her affections finding out she left that letter would certainly do that!

CW: none, just awkward teens again

AO3 Link

AN: chapter 2 is out! finally! it'll take longer for chapter 3, finals are killing my hands. i hope y'all enjoy <3

Today is Valentine's Day, the single worst holiday ever created. The disgustingly happy couples, the hideous combination of the worst reds and pinks, and the tacky gifts you only buy last minute. 

But the worst part? Rhys actually found herself participating in it. She could grumble and lament in her head all she wanted, but she was still in the kitchen at midnight melting chocolate chips over a double boiler. 

Why was she doing this, you may ask? Well, it’s because of a boy. Kind of obvious, but still kind of embarrassing to think about as she stirs the melted chocolate. Normally she’d avoid this holiday altogether, at most getting little store bought favors for her friends. 

But alas, she had a crush. On who? Josuke Higashikata. The kindest, most confident, and probably the cutest boy she had ever met. 

As Rhys begins pouring liquid chocolate into the mold she had selected, (heart shaped. cliche, but it’s all she was able to find due to the time of year) she began to blush at the thought of him. 

They’d met on the first day of school, when she had made a fool of herself by dropping all her stuff in the middle of the hall. Josuke had stopped to help her, giving her a sunny smile the whole time while trying not to embarrass her more. She was starstruck, and couldn’t help but like the kind boy. 

Their friendship may not have started under the best circumstances, with misunderstandings and stand shenanigans, but they grew closer over the course of the school year. The more time Rhys spent around him, the more her romantic feelings for him grew. 

This… wasn’t ideal. She didn’t want to ruin their friendship, or on the off chance that he liked her back, start a relationship that would quickly have to end once she went back home to America. 

She scrapes the excess chocolate off the top of the mold, depositing it into the mixing bowl before setting the mold in the freezer to harden. Sitting down, she thinks back to her conversation a few days ago with the only girl-friend she had here, Yukako Yamagishi.

--

They had been studying together in the library when Rhys asked the question.

“So, what’re you getting for Koichi on Valentine’s?” she inquired, trying her best to keep a poker face.

Yukako raised one shapely brow at her, propping her cheek up on her hand.

“Hmm, why do you ask? You’re not the prying type, usually.” She muses.

Rhys cringed a little bit, knowing the other girl noticed through the slight cocking of her head. She tries to play it off though, softly tapping her pink nails on the table they were sitting at.

“What, is it a crime to be curious? Plus, I know the holiday is done differently here.” she chirps with an unconvincing smile.

The other girl sees through her immediately, sighing softly with a pitying look.

“Rhys, I know about your little crush. I’ve known for a while.”

She froze, barely containing the look of horror that threatened to overtake her features. Yukako knew? Rhys knew she was perceptive, but she thought she hid her feelings well! Before she can freak out, the other girl speaks again.

“I won’t tell, don’t worry. Do you want gift advice?” she asks with a little smile

She is so grateful for Yukako’s straightforwardness, she thinks. In Japan, it seems to her like everyone speaks in riddles, careful to never say what they actually mean. It was hard for her to adjust, especially since she’s unusually straightforward back home in Texas too. Heck, even among her friends here she still had to do some mind reading. But never with Yukako. Rhys smiles earnestly, nodding.

“Yes, please. Back home we just give something cute or vaguely romantic, but is it different here?”

--

The conversation had gone well, Yukako explained all the basics and even recommended good brands of chocolate. Rhys had gone panic shopping yesterday afternoon for the supplies she would need, and negotiated with Mrs. Hirose for rights to the kitchen this late at night. Perhaps persuaded by her puppy eyes (or more likely the time of year coupled with the blush on her cheeks), She had agreed. 

Ideally this all would have been done days ago, but Rhys hadn’t been able to get away from her friends long enough to get what she wanted. She didn’t want them asking why she was buying suspiciously valentines related stuff, especially since she had been lamenting about the upcoming holiday. The embarrassment would be too much, especially if Josuke was the one who caught her. He could never know.

Rhys had tried once before to tell him how she felt, it took all of her willpower to not chicken out. Unfortunately, he’s as oblivious as he is sweet, and her words flew completely over his head. She took that as a sign from the universe that he would never like her that way, and she was too mortified to ever bring it up again. She hid in her room for days afterwards. 

Re-living that humiliation would not be ideal, and if she tried again only to be met with rejection? There would be no choice but to return to being a social recluse like she was at the beginning of the year, if only to hide her shame until she went back home. 

Shaking off her bad thoughts, she begins preparing to pipe lattice-like details onto the small treats. This was the hardest part, and she hoped this would be done before 1am. Whatever, anything for love, right?

--

The cold February air bites at Rhys as she speedwalks to school, grumbling heatedly at her situation. The chocolates weren’t done until 3 in the goddamn morning. Due to the godforsaken confections refusing to cooperate and her stressing about today for an extra hour, she had only managed to get 3 hours of sleep. Normally she would have woken up a little later, but no, she just had to make an anonymous gift for the boy she liked. 

To remain anonymous she would have to be the first person inside the school when it opens, quickly stuff the gifts into Josuke’s locker, then sneak back out to make it look like everything was normal. Why did she have to like that sweet, stupid boy? Moreso, why did she feel the need to leave a dramatic gift in his stupid locker, going through a stupid scheme so she would stay unknown? 

‘Anything for love, right?’ she mocks her thought from the night before, trying to ignore that she woke up absurdly early just to do a nice thing for the boy she liked. She just wants to get this over with so she can grab something from a nearby convenience store, she thinks she’s earned it.

--

After chugging a canned coffee (that she will never get again because it tasted like shit), Rhys makes her way back onto school grounds. The horrors of valentines day have already begun, she notes. There are already a bunch of happy couples around campus, giving each other heart eyes and little boxes undoubtedly full of chocolate confections. She rolls her eyes, feeling her already bad mood grow worse at the sight. 

Quickly squishing the small bloom of jealousy in her chest, she stalks into the school building hoping to go straight to class and then go straight home. A wrench is thrown into her plan when she locks eyes with the object of her affections. His smile is as bright and sunny as usual, so she can’t help but shoot one back with a small wave.

“Morning.” She squeaks out, cringing a little at how high pitched her voice sounds. No wonder Yukako found her out.

Josuke’s voice contains more energy than she houses in her entire body at the moment, dispelling some of her malaise.

“Morning! Say Rhys, can you do me a favor real quick?”

She cocks her head in confusion, wondering what he could need from her so early in the morning. Then, to her horror, she spots a letter in his hand. Her letter. The one she had stuffed into his locker 30 minutes ago, the stupid stationary she had picked was unmistakeable. She doesn’t know if she’s gone pale or as pink as her hair as she nods, shuffling reluctantly over to him before forcing normal speech from her lips.

“Uhh, sure, what is it?” she squeaks again, cringing again as her stupidly sappy letter is pushed into her hands. Re-reading this in the light of day is mortifying, what the hell was she thinking while writing this? Rhys barely registers what Josuke says next, only catching the tail end of his sentence.

“...Did you see anyone leave it there?”

Oh fuck. No, no, no, was he trying to find out who left this? She should have seen this coming, she thinks as she furrows her brows in frustration. Rhys needs to come up with a lie quickly. Thinking for a moment, she speaks again

“N- no, I'm sorry. I don’t recognize the handwriting either, so I’ve got nothing.” she says too loudly and too quickly. Stuttering, really Rhys? His pretty blue eyes seem inquisitive for a moment before he begins to pout, forcing her to hold back an affectionate smile. Ugh, why did Josuke have to be so cute?

“Don’t worry about it, thanks for trying anyway.” 

His sad murmur is like a cheesegrater to her ears, and now she feels bad. She tries to shoot him a smile, though it feels more like a grimace than anything.

“I’m sorry I couldn't help more, I hope you find them!”

Uh, what the fuck? Why would she say that, she does NOT want to be found. That is the absolute last thing she wants. Though… the hopeful little smile that he adopted was worth the mistake. The actual last thing Rhys wants is to make Josuke sad.

“I gotta go, so see you later!” she calls as she walks away, enjoying the sight of his smile coming back for a moment before trotting off to class. He somehow always made her feel better without even trying, she thinks.

--

Upon getting home, Rhys feels the last of her energy flee her body the closer she gets to bed. Mrs. Hirose greets her warmly, yet she only has the energy to respond with a lopsided smile and a mutter that sounded vaguely like “hello”. Arriving at her room, she doesn’t even bother setting her bag in its normal spot. Rhys drops it like a hot potato before faceplanting into her bed, kicking her shoes off before curling up on her side to sleep. 

She’ll probably regret not shedding her uniform in the morning, but that’s for future Rhys to deal with. She begins to drift off almost immediately, replaying today’s events in her mind. Even though it was incredibly embarrassing, she was touched that Josuke wanted to find out who she was so badly. She wonders what he thought of her gifts, dragging that last thought down with her into a deep sleep.

--

[arizuume]

[kagaririn]

He's gonna grind your bones into dust

[devildom-resident]

❤️Whispers and Yawns ~~~~~~~~

During the night the House of Lamentation is quiet, aside from the gamer rage coming from Levi’s room that is. You are continuing to adjust to the time differences so you find it hard to get some sleep here in The Devildom. When the insomnia hits there is no better place to relax than the library. No rowdy brothers running in and out, no constant arguing, only you and the flicks of fire to keep you company.  Tonight was one of those nights.

Your day had been rough, sporting headaches and stress. There were assignments upon assignments you still haven't finished as well as some idiodic demons deciding they were going to “Show you whose boss” by attempting to duel you. There was not one moment of rest during the day and now, just when you tried to get some rest, your brain was running endlessly. It just couldn’t seem to slow down and relax, as if your homework would jump off your bed and attack at any given moment. So you get out of bed and put your slipper on. It was like clock work, almost methodic with how many times you’ve done this. Down the hallway you pad, approaching the familiar room.

Somethings different. 

Quickly you notice the crack in the door from which light twinkled. The fireplace was already going, something out of the ordinary. You approach the door and quietly creak it open. You’re surprised as ruby eyes meet yours. Lucifer sat on the couch, looking back at you from over his glasses. He seems just as surprised to see you there just as much as you were to see him. Usually he’d be locked away in his study, rarely seen unless there was business to be tended to.  “Lamb? What are you doing awake?” His voice calls out to you from across the room, making soft ripples through the air.

The usually harsh man seemed docile in this moment. Lucifer's usual attire had been forgotten and replaced with his more casual black pants and shirt. For once not everything about him was polished to the point of  shining. Right now, he just seemed like a regular man instead of the formidable force he truly was. You didn’t see him like this often but it was a very welcome surprise. 

“I just had some trouble sleeping.” You muttered as you stepped through the threshold of the door.

“I’m sorry to hear that, why don't you come sit with me?” 

Taking his invitation you walk over, sitting next to him on the plush couch. Now that you were close up you get a full view of the tiredness plaguing him as well. He had eyebags etched into his porcelain skin from long nights and endless stress.

“Looks like I’m not the only one who can’t sleep, hm?” You question as your eyes study his. 

He sighs, beginning to say something before pausing. Lucifer always kept up a front. He always pretended he was always in tip top shape, that he never needed help. The instinct to deny he was tired was strong, but you always could tell when he was lying.

“Yes,” He pushes the black strands of hair from his face, “It seems as if my amount of work has doubled over the last few days. My fingers feel like lead from writing all day. On top of that there has been problem after problem with my brothers. I just… need a moment of rest.”

A frown pulled at your lips. Seeing Lucifer like this made your heart ache in pity. You wanted to help as best you could, especially because he was willing to be vulnerable with you.

“Is there any way I could help? Maybe I could assist in doing your papers work? Oh! Or I could take over your brother duties. I’m sure I could handle whatever problems arise. Maybe-”

Before you could continue Lucifer reaches over and presses a finger to your lips.

“There’s no need for all that.” His voice was sincere but the want to ease his mind still ate at you.

“Are you sure? But-” “But nothing. These are my problems, not yours. I’m sure you have your own things to do and I refuse to add to your plate.” “I just wanna help…” You mumbled. With a sigh he removes his finger. “You sure are persistent.” Unexpectedly he pulls you flush against him, wrapping his arm around your waist. His warmth quickly seeps into your side, leaving you feeling relaxed. “The best thing you can do right now is stay in my company. Sit with me and enjoy the quiet, Lamb.”

You quietly nod, melting against him.  The atmosphere was calm as you sat in silence. Since you got here this was the first time you feel as if you’re really and truly relaxed. You curl your legs up, allowing yourself to be further tucked into his side. Lucifer was a truly inviting pillow.  Slowly your eyes began to get drowsy. The sound of the fireplace and the continuous presence right beside you lulled your whole being. You glance up, hoping to see those ruby eyes but no. You find that Lucifer has fallen asleep. Surely, he must have been truly exhausted to allow himself to rest in such an open position. You’re glad he’s finally getting some shut eye, though. With a content sigh you resign to your fate of sleeping on the couch and wrap your arms around him. Now completely cuddled sleep continues to tug at you until you can no longer hold your eyes open.  … “What the hell?- MPHM?!” “Mammon shut up!” A low voice scolds in a whisper. Must be Satan “LOL! Lucifer is sleeping deeper than Belphie does.” “Aw~ They’re so cute! I’ve gotta get a pic!” Later on that day you found a picture of you and Lucifer asleep on the couch, intertwined in deep sleep on Devilgram. It was going viral.

[evilfuckingskeleton59]

brought him to cat island for his birthday :3 meow or whatever man

[m0rn1ngstar0664]

hiii i love your writing! your blog is such a comfort to me after a long day

humbly requesting an hc list of things MC does that the brothers think is cute…

hiccuping, yawning, stretching. mundane things demons would find adorable watching a human do.

Thanks! I'm really glad to hear that my writing is comforting to read ^^

☁︎⋅ Random/Human Things MC does that the Brothers Find Cute ☁︎⋅

──────────────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────────────────

Featuring: The Demon Bros x MC (separately)

CW: None

──────────────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────────────────

Lucifer:

❀ Lucifer finds a lot of the things that he forgets that humans need to worry about cute, which could range from you snacking late at night while studying to keep up energy or just simply drinking water. Demons naturally need less in order to function, but seeing you drink what he thought was a lot for a human was pretty cute to him.

❀ Asking him for help to touch up your appearance instead of trying yourself or using magic. It's such a simple request, buttoning up something you can't quite reach or wiping your chin clean from dirt. Lucifer really takes the time to admire you, often throwing a quiet compliment to elicit some sort of reaction out of you at the same time. Plus, the fact that you're going to him about your appearance and not anybody else feeds into his pride a little.

Mammon:

❀ Mammon loves watching you stretch and yawn, any clear signs showing that you're tired. That lets him be the one to offer himself as a pillow so he doesn't have to directly ask to cuddle you. Seeing you doze off against his shoulder makes him more protective than ever, seeing the vulnerable look on your face melting his heart.

❀ He enjoys watching you eat a favourite food of yours. He can tell that you're eating to enjoy it fully, not just to fuel yourself up. Of course, anybody regardless of the species can enjoy their favourite food. But Mammon knows you're truly relaxed, eating like a happy human and not one worried about being someone's next meal.

Leviathan:

❀ He likes to watch you sleep. Not in the creepy way he swears, but it always reminds him that humans genuinely need to sleep in order to stay alive and not become delirious. You look so safe around him too, which only makes Levi feel more responsible to keep you comfortable. He'll even mute his game or show to ensure you don't wake up.

❀ It sounds silly, but he likes it when you blink, especially multiple times like if you got dust in your eye or if you're trying to wake up. Levi thinks it's kinda cute. The idea that you have to do this so your sensitive eyes don't get damaged is pretty strange to him, especially since his demonic...ness doesn't require him to blink so much. That would explain why his eyes don't burn as much when staring at a computer screen, they aren't as sensitive compared to yours.

Satan:

❀ Satan likes watching you get spooked or afraid of something, whether it's by a horror movie, a bug, or even a haunted mansion exploration. He finds it ironic that even though you command seven of the strongest rulers to ever exist, you can still get a little jumpscared from well-timed moments.

❀ Seeing you try and grab things out of reach without the use of magic. It's not that Satan likes to see you struggle, but he does find it cute that this was what you had to do before learning any proper magic. He often waits to see if you can bend down far enough or jump high enough to reach what you wanted before grabbing it for you.

Asmodeus:

❀ Whenever you do little checks to see if your appearance still looks good and making sure you don't smell or anything like that. Since humans didn't have as strong sense of smell compared to other species, Asmodeus thinks it's adorable seeing you fret over your appearance when he thinks you look and smell just fine. Enough to gobble you up.

❀ It's not really something you do, but Asmo secretly loves when you're sick and displaying symptoms that are otherwise harmless to demons. This means that he can pamper you for as long as you he wants, showering you with attention the whole time you're out. He also takes the time to brew you tea, soup, or dress you up or do your skincare.

Beelzebub:

❀ Beel thinks it's funny when you worry about small details, like a stain on a shirt or if you guys were staying up too late with RAD the next day. He's naturally carefree most of the time, but he can't deny the fact that he's relieved that you're worried about him and his wellbeing. His mindset is that there will be time the next day to worry about stuff, so he forgets humans often have a higher sense of urgency that comes with a shorter lifespan.

❀ This isn't too much of a surprise but Beelzebub absolutely adores it when you get cold. Seeing you shiver and slowly make your way towards him makes him so happy. He's honoured to be the one to warm you back up with his touch, which is one of the few times he's glad about how much more fragile humans are.

Belphegor:

❀ He secretly likes it when you hang around him if you've been alone for a while. Belphie often grumbles and pretends to be asleep if you're bugging him, but he doesn't want you to leave either. He especially knows what isolation can do to somebody, so he'd never kick you out. Humans are usually social creatures, and Belphie just finds it interesting that you chose a loner like him to spend time with.

❀ Belphie's definitely one of those people that wait for you to yawn so he can stick his finger in your mouth. Being around the Avatar of Sloth means that you are often sleepy and moving lethargically near him too, so you yawn often. Belphegor does find it cute, but he finds it even funnier seeing you get mad at him for doing that almost every time you yawn, which means you have to be quick covering your mouth.

──────────────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────────────────

[ephie-om]

Hi Ephie!

I dunno if this is still open but I saw you were looking for short requests? So Hmm, a silly little request? What about MC head bonking Satan like a cat would? Just like, when MC wants attention they just… head bonk

Tanks and toodles love!

YEAHH THANK YOU FOR THE REQ to anyone who sees this- drabble requests are open for the forseeable future!

The first time you bonked your forehead into Satan’s arm, he nearly jumped out of his chair. “Excuse me?” he half-shouted, indignant. You snorted and gave him a sheepish wave. “I- what- how dare you.” He finished, and sat himself sharply back down in his seat. You were too close now, not having moved from headbutting range, and your knee was touching his thigh. Well, if you were trying to oust him from his spot, you ought to know you picked the wrong demon.

You lost interest and wandered away eventually, leaving him to think over your unusual behavior. He’d seen videos of goats and sheep from the human world headbutting their opponents- did you consider him an enemy? That might coincide with your invasion of his personal space earlier… the thought was almost laughable. You, a human, trying to assert dominance over one of the most powerful demons in the realm? You, with your bipedal structure, your weak neck muscles, and your frankly soft forehead? Please.

You did it again, and again, until it was happening almost daily. He noticed you would wait until he was engrossed in something else, then mount your attack. It was usually against his upper arm, but if one of you was at an awkward angle, you would choose the next best spot. These included his shoulder, the top of his chest, and once, the back of his head. He hated that one. 

Occasionally, you would headbutt him multiple times in a row, for reasons unknown to him. You only seemed to stop when he was visibly annoyed, but his tolerance for your antics was growing day by day. His theory about asserting dominance was becoming less and less credible, since you never tried to increase your force or change to a different mode of attack.

He sighed, dropping his hand to stroke a stray cat on the outskirts of RAD grounds. He just couldn’t make sense of it. You had more than your fair share of strange human habits, but this one didn’t align with anything else he’d seen from you or any other humans. A squeak of a meow came from below his hand, and he idly felt around for the cat’s body. Thunk. A tiny head smacked into his knuckles, and several puzzle pieces fell into place.

You were trying to imitate a cat. You were behaving like his favorite animal so that he would show affection to you. Well- his brain struggled through that train of thought- that was ridiculous. You could always just ask for affection if you wanted it so bad. But even as he had the thought, he knew it wasn’t true. He would have scoffed at you, in his mind at least, if not to your face. So you had done the next best thing you thought of and acted like a cat.

The next time you did it, he was prepared. He had made himself a spot on the couch to read a book, leaving plenty of space at his side. True to form, you found him in only a few minutes. He tried not to smile as he realized you even stalked him like a cat, padding your way ever so slowly across the floor. You dropped into the cushions next to him and smacked your forehead into his arm.

He moved his hand behind your head and stroked your hair once. You froze. Satan kept his eyes on his book, but he could see you searching his face. You shifted to a more comfortable position, and Satan stroked your hair again. You sighed contentedly, leaning against his shoulder. He tried to fight the incredulous laughter bubbling up in his chest. All this time, this was what you’d been trying to get? Well, he considers… there were worse things than having a human at his side when he was reading. Much worse things.

[donniipao]

some part 5 pfps for a thingy with oomfs

[azulhamsandwich]

HAPPY INCREDIBLY LATE VALENTINES!! 💛💛💛

[azulhamsandwich]

YOOHOOOOOOO IM HELLA LATE BUT HERE HE IS, perfect for barbie✨

creds to Sadx3x for suggesting this!!

[acid-guzzler]

White Day

Featuring: Josuke Higashikata (4) x Fem!oc

Chapters: One (here!), Two, Three, Four, Five

Upon finding a sappy love note in his locker on Valentine’s day, what does Josuke Higashikata do? Try to find the author, of course! Its too bad they don't want to be found…

AO3 Link

CW: None, just awkward teenagers

AN: this was originally gonna be a comic, but drawing is hard. i may post the cover image i made if anyone's interested 👀

Today is Valentine's day. It’s not Josuke’s favorite holiday, but still a good contender. The decor is nice, the gifts are cute, and the sight of happy couples always makes him smile. Maybe he’ll be a part of one someday. The walk to school with Okuyasu is filled with holiday-related chitchat, both boys trying to predict if they’ll get any gifts.

“Wait and see Josuke, I’m gonna get gifts in the double digits!” Okuyasu said holding up both of his hands, palms out.

The other boy laughed brightly, raising an eyebrow at his friend.

“Dude, be realistic! I don’t even think I’m gonna get that much!” He teases, laughing again when a playful punch is landed on his shoulder.

The boys continue bickering up until they enter the school, splitting off to go to their lockers. Josuke pulls open the door and his eyes widen a little at the amount of gifts he found inside, 4 if he counted correctly. Truthfully, he wasn’t expecting this much, and it brought a little heat to his cheeks. Most of the sweets were housed in white boxes with little red bows or those see-through shiny gift bags, but there was one that stuck out to him. Technically ‘it’ was two gifts, but they were clearly from the same person. The little box was pink with black ribbon, and the envelope was black with a pink heart sticker sealing it. Josuke finds himself reaching for the unconventional packages first, taking a quick peek in the gift box. The chocolates were clearly handmade judging by the imperfect small details, so the gift was definitely given with romantic intentions. Blushing just a little more, his hand moves towards the envelope.

He opens it, being careful to not rip the sticker before taking out the letter inside. The stationary is pink with hearts, but the writer added their own personal touches in black pen. Unfolding the letter, Josuke’s eyes flit over its contents. The handwriting isn’t the best, but the actual content is articulate and surprisingly bittersweet.

To My Dearest, Josuke,

I write this letter to you with mixed feelings. My affection for you is great, too great to properly put into words. But, I cannot let you know who I am.

To be frank, I adore you. I love your kindness, your humor, your sunny smile, and of course your hair. I couldn’t help but fall for you, anyone would. You are… Incredible. You’re sweet, charming, and handsome to boot. I could list the qualities I love about you for days, but then I'd use up my entire notepad. 

I wish I was brave enough to give you my gifts in person, your smile would make my day even if you rejected me. Unfortunately, it is best that we never meet. I am happy admiring you from afar simply because of how incredible you are, so please don’t feel bad for me.

I just wanted you to know that someone out there loves you dearly, and probably always will. Never change, Josuke. You’re enchanting.

-Your Secret Admirer 

Despite the author’s request, he couldn't help but feel an awful sensation beginning to bloom beneath his ribs. It’s not like the letter wasn’t flattering, but Josuke couldn’t help but feel bad that the author felt like they couldn’t come up to him, or at least leave a name. Their feelings were clearly deep judging by the nature of the letter, they must have felt like this for a while. Honestly, it was incredibly touching to read this person’s thoughts of him. Curiosity began to overtake the awful feeling, and Josuke began to wonder. Who was the author? They may have preferred to remain anonymous, but what if he could like them back? The possibilities flit around in his mind as he grabs the other gifts in his locker, taking a look at the names left on them before stuffing them in his bag. He hears footsteps behind him and assumes it’s Okuyasu, but when he turns around he finds someone else. The exchange student, Rhys baker.

The girl looks tired today, her dark circles are worse than usual and she wears a sour expression. That may just be her face though, he never feels like he can get an accurate read on her. As her dark eyes dart over to him, a soft smile grows on her face and she waves.

“Morning.” She murmurs sleepily.

Josuke smiles back at her, pleased to see his friend.

“Morning! Say Rhys, can you do me a favor real quick?” He chirps.

She cocks her head at him with a raised brow before nodding, coming to stand next to him.

“Sure, what is it?”

He holds out the letter to her, watching her gingerly take it before explaining.

“So, I got this letter in my locker with a box of handmade chocolates. It’s super sweet, but whoever sent it didn’t put their name. Did you see anyone leave it there?”

Her brows furrow in thought as she reads the letter, pursing her lips for a moment before speaking.

“No, I'm sorry. I don’t recognize the handwriting either, so I’ve got nothing.” she says, handing the letter back to him with an apologetic smile.

Josuke frowns, huffing softly.

“Don’t worry about it, thanks for trying anyway.” he says morosely

Rhys shoots him a little smile, somehow bright despite her clear lack of energy.

“I’m sorry I couldn't help more, I hope you find them! I gotta go, so see you later!” she says, walking off with a little wave. 

Even though she wasn’t able to help, Josuke was glad she even tried. He knows Rhys isn’t the biggest fan of anything to do with valentine’s day, especially sappy stuff like this. Placing the letter back into its envelope, he puts it in his uniform pocket before going over to Okuyasu. The boys walk to class together, chatting about and thinking up theories as to who the author of the letter was. No one comes to mind, even when Koichi joins in. Soon enough, class starts and the boys are forced to quiet down and focus.

Except Josuke isn’t able to, too focused on trying to figure out who could have left those anonymous gifts in his locker. His whole day is spent in speculation, leading to his notes being worse than normal and his responses to be delayed. He can’t help it though, the call of the unknown is too great to ignore. The content of the letter was somehow in depth and vague at the same time, making it hard to tell if a stranger or a friend had written it. Whoever had left it really didn’t want to be found.

--

Class dragged on for what felt like forever to Josuke, and the bell was a welcome reprieve when it finally rang. The boys all gathered their stuff to leave, chatting happily with each other. Yukako joined them after a few minutes as they walked to the school gates, as her and Koichi have a date planned once they leave. Sensing his opportunity to gain more insight from his friends is waning, Josuke pulled the conversation toward the letter. He takes it out of his pocket for the first time since this morning, not wanting to include too many strangers on this sensitive issue.

“Look, whoever left this must be really nice! I just wanna find out who it was, so at least take a look.”

He pleads with his friends, who had all previously been unable to come up with anything. Except for Yukako of course, she wasn’t in his class. Okuyasu reads over the letter first.

“Bro, how did you manage to get a secret admirer like this? I bet it’s a super hot girl, like a model or something!” he exclaimed, making Josuke smile and roll his eyes.

“Dude, I appreciate the enthusiasm, but I don't think that’ll be the case.” 

He snatches the letter back from Okuyasu, sticking his tongue out teasingly at him before turning to Koichi and Yukako.

“Can you guys take a look?” He pleads playfully, giving the pair puppy eyes.

Koichi sighs fondly, taking the letter from him to look over. Yukako doesn’t even bother, to Josuke’s chagrin. As the short boy’s eyes flit over the handwriting, they widen for just a moment before he fixes his expression. Narrowing his eyes, Josuke grows suspicious.

“What was that?”

Koichi looks up at him, and for a moment he looks panicked.

“Uh, nothing, it’s just-”

“You know who it is!” Josuke exclaims, pointing at the short boy for emphasis.

He flounders for a moment under his friend’s scrutiny, especially when Okuyasu gets equally excited.

“Dude, you totally know who it is! Is she super hot?”

Koichi waves his hands in front of him to try and diffuse the situation to no avail.

“Guys, please, I was sworn to secrecy!” he cries. Yukako sighs softly behind him, and her eye twitches.

“Koichi, please tell me! I need to know!” Josuke pleads, clasping his hands together.

His pleading doesn’t move his friend, who keeps denying to reveal who the author is. His girlfriend however quickly loses patience, turning to the boys with an exasperated glare.

“I’m so tired of you idiots!” she yells, causing Koichi to go rather pale at the implications of her words.

“You two are morons, that’s the only reason you haven't figured it out! She’s been so ridiculously obvious!” she continues, pointing a dainty finger at the two boys. Koichi just puts his head in his hands.

Josuke is confused, what did she mean about a girl being ‘ridiculously obvious?’ He doesn’t remember anyone around him acting like they had a crush on him. Yukako’s eye twitches again at the boy’s blank expression, and she groans.

“Rhys! It’s Rhys, she wrote that letter! She’s liked you for months, but you're too stupid to see it!” She yells again, crossing her arms over her chest and raising a brow at him.

The boy remains confused as Yukako glares at him, waiting for him to get it. Rhys likes him? No, no, that couldn’t be it. She just sees him as a friend, right? In the middle of his thoughts, he sees the girl herself in the distance. She’s speedwalking, obviously disgruntled by the valentines day shenanigans going on. Perhaps feeling watched, she turns her head in his direction with a frown. Once she spots him, Josuke notices that her expression softens considerably, and she gives him a quick smile before speeding off. Without the context Yukako had provided, he would never have noticed the affection in her dark eyes or the slight blush on her cheeks, nor the way she seemed happier afterwards.

“Oh.” he says flatly.

Rhys likes him. Has for months, apparently. He thinks back to times they hung out, remembering things differently with this new information. She always laughs at his jokes, even when they’re bad. She tends to gravitate to him in group settings, though keeping a measured distance. There’s been so many times he accidentally brushed against her in some way and she grew pink in the face, but he always believed her when she said she was just hot. 

“Oh.”

She was incredibly obvious, wasn’t she? How did he not notice before? Josuke’s thoughts delve deeper, landing on one specific day. 

--

They had been talking by the cliffside, specifically so he could apologize for something insensitive he said to her. Her back was to the setting sun, making it seem like she had a halo. At the time, he thought the pink on her cheeks was a trick of the light, but now not so much. 

He had apologized by this point, waiting for her response. Rhys was fiddling with her nails, gnawing at her lower lip anxiously before she finally spoke.

“I… look, I forgive you. I know you didn’t mean anything by it. I just…”

She sighs, looking down at her lap for a moment. Her gaze quickly returns to his, and Josuke now realizes her eyes were brimming with affection and hope.

“I really like you, so it just hurt to hear, y’know?”

--

At the time, the true meaning of her words had flown right over his head. He simply thought she had made a mistake with the way she said it. She was still learning Japanese and oftentimes asked for advice and corrections, so Josuke had thought nothing of it. But now he realized she said exactly what she meant to say. She liked him.

Coming back to the present, he crouches down and brings his hands to his face, staring blankly into the void.

“Oh my god.” he groans.

Yukako smiles softly.

“Finally, took you long enough”

Josuke looks up at his friends with a mortified expression, murmuring into his hands.

“No, you don’t understand. She told me months ago.”

All 3 of his friends look down at him in disbelief. 

“Like… was she not clear, or-” Okuyasu said sheepishly before getting interrupted by his friend.

“No, she… she literally said ‘I really like you’ to my face.” he murmured timidly.

Yukako groans into her hands, sputtering in disbelief for a moment before snatching Koichi’s wrist. She stalks off with him in tow, calling back behind her to the two remaining boys.

“I’m not spending valentines day explaining to you why you’re stupid, figure it out yourself!”

Josuke and Okuyasu are silent for a while, lingering near the school gates for what feels like an eternity. Eventually, a hand extends into Josuke’s vision, and he takes it. The other boy gives him a sheepish smile.

“So… what’re you gonna do?” Okuyasu asks.

Josuke groans, dragging his hands down his face.

“I- I don’t even know, man. I’ll have to think about it when I get home.” 

The other boy gives him an awkward smile, patting him on the shoulder before they walk off together. The walk home is quiet for the most part, each attempt to break it is… lackluster to say the least. Josuke shoots his friend a quick goodbye before heading into his home, greeting his mother before slipping into his room. 

He flops onto his bed with a grunt, staring blankly up at the ceiling for a while. The events of the day replay in his mind, bringing an embarrassed flush back to his cheeks. If there was one thing he could think positively about, it had to be Rhys’s poker face that morning. She was good, he had to admit, she didn’t let a single thing slip from behind her act. Even when she read her own love letter she didn’t crack, props to her.

Now that she was on his mind, what does Josuke feel for her? Don’t get him wrong, it’s not like Rhys is ugly or anything, not at all. She’s had her cute moments too, and she can be surprisingly charming when she actually interacts with people. But does he like her like that? Weirdly… Josuke isn’t sure. It could just be the events of today throwing him off and causing him to second guess his feelings, but he can’t seem to put a name to what he’s experiencing currently. Sure, he definitely has affection for her, but before today he was sure it was purely platonic. 

Josuke shakes off his thoughts. If he can’t decide what his feelings are, then he should probably think about letting her down gently. The last thing he wants to do is hurt her feelings, but that’s probably what’s best. Judging by her blunt and nervous nature, she’s probably itching for an answer despite her efforts to stay unknown.

Josuke gets up from his bed to grab a snack, sighing deeply. This is for the best.

[vaythecreator]

Everyone loves Mammon

[lacklustertranslations]

大人気ない人達 by ﾋﾟｰﾅｯﾂ on Pixiv

Please support the original artist! This is just a freelance translation

[haliaz]

Based off that one tumblr meme from like 10+ years ago