I've wanted to write a YasuGap fic for a long time so here is some fluff for today's whumptober ^_^

This is set post Jojolion, but aside from a couple vague illusions there's no spoilers.

Lost Voice

Day 25: Silence is Golden

(lost voice)

Yasuho sighed over her textbook. University and studying just seemed so much less exciting—so much less important—after everything that had happened the last few months. Maybe she was still just in recovery. It had all been…a lot, after all.

Still, she had promised herself she would go on like she had been and she was doing okay. It's just…sometimes there were nightmares, and sometimes it was hard to go back to a normal existence after fighting an enemy with almost incomprehensible powers.

Her phone buzzed and she glanced at the text alert, frowning when she saw it was from Paisley Park.

Front Door it read.

"What do you mean, front door?" she asked her Stand before there were several rapid knocks heard from the direction of said front door. Yasuho sighed, but was secretly glad of an excuse to take a break from studying, and went to open it.

She was a little surprised to see Josuke standing there—not because it was Josuke, he had been coming over more and more recently, but because he was looking around frantically with a worried expression.

"Josuke, what's going on?" Yasuho asked, now also on the alert for an enemy Stand user or bracing for some kind of bad news.

Instead of answering, Josuke simply pushed past her into the house, and hurried toward the desk she had previously been studying at, picking up her phone and handing it to her.

Yasuho stared at him. "Seriously? Josuke—"

He pulled out his own phone and started tapping out a text. Her phone pinged as his message went through.

Something's wrong. I can't talk. I think Soft & Wet somehow took my voice away.

"You…" Yasuho looked up with wide eyes as Josuke stared back at her, looking on the verge of panic. "Why on earth would he have done that?"

Josuke typed another message.

I don't know! And I can't figure out how to get him to give it back!

"Were there like, bubbles floating around or something?" Yasuho asked. "That's how he works, right? If you found the bubbles, couldn't you just swallow them again and get your voice back?"

Josuke shrugged helplessly and texted, Can't find anything! And when I manifest him, Soft & Wet just stares at me. What am I going to do?

Josuke sniffed and Yasuho thought for a minute he might be crying, but then she noticed his nose was red. Josuke reached up to rub it against his sleeve, sniffling again before he let out a hoarse-sounding cough.

"Josuke," she inquired. "Have you been sick?"

Josuke shrugged and texted. Felt a little weird since yesterday.

"You just coughed, shouldn't that mean Soft & Wet didn't completely take your voice? I mean, if he did, you probably wouldn't be able to make a sound at all." Yasuho stepped forward. Josuke watched her cautiously as she reached out and touched his forehead. His skin felt too warm under her fingers and she sighed, relieved.

"Josuke, I think you just lost your voice because of a cold."

He stared at her a second before he typed out, A cold?

He hurriedly turned away, covering his mouth as he sneezed and then sniffed again, eyes wet and irritated, looking miserable.

Yasuho instantly felt bad for him and hurried to grab a box of tissues before Josuke could wipe his nose on his sleeve again. "Here, take these. You sound pretty sick. Why don't you go sit down on the couch?"

Josuke nodded, looking like a lost puppy and Yasuho felt her heart melt a little. She might have seen Josuke at his scariest, fighting off enemies, but to her he was still just the sweet, awkward and, yes, rather strange, man she had pulled out of the mud under the Wall Eyes.

She grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch and laid it across Josuke's lap as he slumped down. "Here, you're probably a little chilled. How about I make you some tea for your throat?"

Josuke nodded eagerly and curled up under the blanket, pulling his knees up to his chin. Yasuho smiled to herself at how adorable he looked and then headed to the kitchen.

She put the water on to boil and then rummaged around until she found some fever reducer. Josuke didn't seem to have too bad of one, but she didn't want it to get worse either. Considering what had happened the last time they had been in a hospital, she wasn't exactly keen to go back to one any time soon.

The tea finished and she made sure to add a bunch of honey and lemon into it for his throat. It might still be a couple days before he could talk again, but she was pretty positive it had nothing to do with a malfunctioning Stand power.

Josuke was blowing his nose, looking more miserable by the second when she got back to the living room and Yasuho presented the mug to him.

"It's a little hot still, so just take small sips," she told him. "Also, take this medicine to help with the fever, okay?"

Josuke nodded dutifully and accepted the pills she handed him.

Yasuho sat down on the couch as well, watching as Josuke cradled the mug of tea in his hands, sipping it carefully.

"Does your throat feel any better?" she asked him after a while.

Josuke considered and then held up his thumb and forefinger close together. A little.

"It will probably be a couple days before you get your voice back," she warned him. "But it's normal, so don't freak out or anything. I've lost my voice before too."

Josuke offered a small, relieved smile, then set his mug down for a second to pick up his phone again.

Yasuho glanced at the text he sent. Miss talking to you tho.

Her heart fluttered slightly and she couldn't help the smile that spread across her face, or the blush that tinted her cheeks. "You can still text me; it's almost talking," she assured him.

Josuke smiled at her more softly this time and Yasuho had to look down. She still wasn't sure exactly what they were, didn't quite dare call them boyfriend and girlfriend, but…maybe getting closer to that.

"You want to watch some television?" Yasuho asked him, pretty much deciding to give up on her studying for the day. After all, she had a sick boyfri—sick friend to take care of.

Josuke nodded and Yasuho grabbed the remote, trying to find something good to watch.

Josuke finished his tea and curled up further on the couch, going through several more tissues as they watched TV together. He looked pretty exhausted, and started edging closer to Yasuho until finally he leaned over just a little bit and rested his head on her shoulder.

Yasuho's heart tripled its beat and she blushed at the contact, but Josuke was also so adorable she had to keep herself from letting out some kind of embarrassing sound.

She hadn't realized Josuke was on his phone until she heard her text notification.

Thank you for taking care of me

"Of course, Josuke," Yasuho said, shifting closer to him so he could rest more comfortably. "Any time."

Yasuho was probably going to get sick too at this rate, but, honestly, she didn't care all that much. Besides, then it would give Josuke the chance to return the favor.