Hi.
I would like to apologize for the delays between chapters, it's just that I've been losing motivation to write. Insecurities and doubting myself, nothing really new, but I'm also pretty busy at the moment, so it's slightly worse.
I want to stress that I am fine, and this is only the stress of the situation, nothing more. I will continue to try and write a story that you all can enjoy, but I don't want it to feel like a job, another thing to add to my already busy schedule. I want to write simply because it's what I want.
With that out of the way, enjoy my attempt at writing romance!
"What the hell are you doing Icy Hot?" Katsuki Bakugo said as he approached said heterochromatic teen.
"Setting up an investigation." Came the simple response.
"What kind of fucking investigation involves all that speaker shit?!" There were several wires and devices littering the floor of the common room.
"I'm beginning to think that Sero's theory about the dorms being haunted may have some merit. I've been hearing things at night...muttering...footsteps...something about a napkin...so I used my dad's credit card to buy some ghost hunting equipment."
"All that stuff is bullshit, besides, I almost tripped over this fucking catastrophe. If there was a ghost, JoJo or Gold Teeth would have seen it. You need to get this shit out of my way, before I blow it to hell!"
"Aren't you the least bit curious Bakugo? Think of it this way: if we find something, you would've found a ghost before TWO stand users...there couldn't be a better way to resurrect your fragile ego."
Bakugo's red eyes narrowed in a death glare. "My ego isn't fragile..." However, he soon picked up an EMF reader. "How the hell do you work this thing?"
"Just turn it on."
Bakugo turned on the device and began viciously waving it around the room, while Todoroki turned back to the Spirit Box that he was examining and turned it on, causing the room to be filled with an obnoxious static noise.
"TURN THAT FUCKING THING OFF! YOU'RE LUCKY EARS ISN'T HERE OR YOU'D KILL HER!" Bakugo barked, and Todoroki reluctantly did as ordered. Then, an interesting thought popped into his head.
"Where IS Jiro? She isn't with the other girls."
"She probably went to hang out with the other two stooges." Bakugo muttered back. During his fight with Izuku, he had come to understand the true nature of his former victim's quirk. What bothered him the most was the fact that someone like Kyoka knew it before him.
Why HER? JoJo I'd understand, but HER? She's a fucking side character, an extra, and yet she knew about this before me...
He doesn't trust me. He would trust some random chick with his biggest secret, rather than his oldest...
Bakugo stopped that train of thought. Was I about to say friend? He's not my friend! He's still just a worthless Deku, and I'll surpass him even with One For All! Who cares about her?! About JoJo?! It's not like I'm jealous or anything!
"Bakugo, the EMF is detecting something." Todoroki interrupted. The explosive teen glanced down at the device in his hand.
It had gone up to level five.
"Holy shit..."
Unbeknownst to the two teens, Funny Valentine was casually observing them as they waved the devices towards him. Valentine walked towards Bakugo and simply phased through him, and Bakugo whipped around, having lost Valentine's signal.
This should be entertaining. The former president thought to himself.
"So uh...what is it you wanna do?" Kyoka asked. She already had something planned out, but she wanted to see if Johnny had any ideas first.
"Well, Uncle Josuke suggested Tonio's, but I don't think exploding would be good for a first date." Johnny replied.
"Well yes, I would prefer to stay intact." Kyoka said with a smirk.
"Heh, yeah. I was thinking we could go to the diner we went to when we were preparing for my fight with my dad...if that's okay."
"Of course! Uh...I might need to bring something to your attention first..."
Johnny raised an eyebrow, as Kyoka turned her head away bashfully. "So...you know how I kicked you out of the hospital room when I heard my dad coming?"
"Yeah, what abou...your mom has the same quirk."
"Y-yeah, and she...kind of heard all of it...I hope she didn't tell my dad, but if she did, we may or may not be getting a visit from him."
"Shit, he's the protective type, right?"
"Well...yes and no. Once he gets to know you, he should be fine. But...he has a bit of a dramatic side."
Johnny scratched his chin. "Well, I guess we'll have to see if he shows up or not. I'm not letting it get to me."
"Good."
Kyoka and Johnny took their seats at a table and ordered their food. The waiter looked...familiar.
Too familiar.
"I'll bring it right out, Nyo Ho!"
"What...are you two doing?" Mina asked.
"THERE'S A FUCKING GHOST! AND HE'S BEING A DICK!" Bakugo responded, swinging the EMF reader around in a fit of rage.
"What is your name?" Todoroki asked the incredibly noisy spirit box.
" Toby... "
"Toby WHO?"
" Toby ...or...not...Toby...question. "
"God dammit, quit toying with us!"
"Wow! A real ghost?! I want in, I want in!" Mina said, jumping up and down.
"Sure, maybe you'll annoy them into giving us some fucking answers." Bakugo responded.
Mina ran up to the Spirit Box and leaned over. "Hey! What's your favorite color?"
"Pink..."
Mina smirked. "Are you flirting with me? Silly ghost."
" ...no... "
"Ashido, be serious."
"So we both agree that waiter was just Gyro in disguise, right?" Johnny asked.
"Yep." Kyoka responded. "I guess it would be pointless to bring it up."
"I say we just let him have his fun. He's trying to help us make this work...we should let him."
"We don't deserve Gyro Zeppeli."
"Agreed."
Johnny and Kyoka ate in silence for a while, neither of them really knowing what to say next. This was new territory for the both of them after all. They finally looked each other in the eye, and immediately burst into laughter.
"We're terrible at this!"
"Yeah...it's just, I never really thought I would get this far. I mean, a date with YOU of all people? I always just considered myself lucky that we were even friends." Kyoka said, twirling an earphone jack. "When you said that you...well that you felt the same way, it was like you just picked up my life expectations and chucked them out a ten-story window. It still hasn't hit me that this is REAL, you know?"
"I get it. I always thought that I would just avoid love altogether. With all the fangirls hounding my father and I, I never thought I would get something genuine...but then you came along and attacked me in a bathroom, and next thing I knew...well..."
Johnny took Kyoka's hand from across the table. "Look...I can't deny it, I fell hard and fast. What I feel for you...it's unlike anything I've ever felt before. I just can't imagine my life without you in it, I'd feel like it fell apart. I know it's cheesy but...you are my rock, you keep me grounded, and I am forever thankful for that."
Kyoka blinked, before a soft smile came onto her face. "You say you're terrible at this, but you're wrong. That's one of the reasons why I feel the way I do...you always know what to say to make me feel like I'm not useless. I had the worst self image in the world, I thought my quirk was shit, and even now I still don't think I'm all that attractive...but you believed in me. You helped me so much, during my first stand battle, I used YOUR advice, and I took down a serial killer by myself! You helped me realize that I'm just as capable as everyone else in our class, that I can stand beside you rather than in your shadow...how could I not love you after all that?"
"I'm glad...and you were never in my shadow." Johnny said, grinning. "And...as I said before, I think you're beautiful, inside and out."
Kyoka leaned in, and an earphone jack slid around the back of Johnny's neck, ready to pull him into a kiss. "And I think you're amazing JoJo..."
Suddenly she gasped and pulled back. "DAD!"
Yare yare...
Johnny slowly turned around to find a middle-aged man, close to his father's age, glaring daggers at him. The man had long blonde hair, and despite the glare he had smile lines along his cheeks.
Johnny simply stared back at him while Kyoka sat there frozen, sweat dripping down her face.
"Now...what's going on here?" Kyotoku Jiro finally said, narrowing his eyes.
"I am currently taking your daughter on an outing, one that is designed to express my feelings towards her, romantic ones, which is typically called a 'date'. You see, she makes me happy, and I wanted her to know that."
Kyotoku's mouth twitched upwards, clearly Johnny had said something he had wanted to hear. "And...what are your intentions with her? Is this really a date, or are you just leading her on?"
"Is this really an interrogation, or are you just trying to embarrass Kyoka?" Johnny countered.
"Both."
"Then you should know that I would never."
Kyotoku leaned over until he and Johnny were nose-to-nose, staring into the young Joestar's eyes with the intention of making him crack, but Johnny simply smirked.
"Uh Dad...? Can you please leave? This is kind of a breach of privacy." Kyoka interjected.
"No, it is my duty as your father to completely terrify any potential romantic partners! My daughter talks about you all the time Johnny Kujo, which is pretty odd, since I've never seen her so excited when talking about someone else. You make her happy, probably the happiest she's ever been, so if you even THINK about breaking her heart..."
Suddenly, Kyotoku felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to find himself staring at the biggest man he had ever seen.
"Mr. Jiro, I don't believe we've met. I'm Dr. Jotaro Kujo, Johnny's father and your daughter's Paranormal Studies teacher." Jotaro held out a hand for Kyotoku to shake, radiating malice. His hat cast a menacing shadow over his eyes, and he wore a deep frown. The elder Jiro went pale upon seeing said frown.
"K-Kyotoku Jiro...I think I peed a little." Kyoka's father said, shakily taking Jotaro's hand and smiling sheepishly, all of his earlier bravado vanishing in an instant.
Jotaro glanced at the two, tipped his hat, and proceeded to drag Kyotoku off.
"Well...it seems like my dad wasn't the only parent trying to spy on us..." Kyoka said, rubbing the back of her neck. "You don't think Dr. Kujo is actually mad at him, right? My dad was just putting on an act, he's actually kind of chill, so..."
"Don't worry, my dad can read a room. I'm sure they're probably just getting to know each othe-"
"I'm sorry about that Kyoka, you know how your father is." A tall woman who resembled Kyoka walked up and put a hand on her daughter's shoulder.
"..." Kyoka could only offer her mother a steely glare, pissed that both of her parents chose to interrupt the moment. Mika Jiro chuckled. "Ooooh scary. Is this the young man we've been hearing so much about?"
"...Mom..."
Mika smiled at Johnny and playfully nudged her daughter. "Well...it seems like my daughter really knows how to pick them. Take good care of her, alright?"
"He doesn't need to take care of me!"
"He will when you're married."
"MOM!"
Mika laughed. "Okay, I'll get out of your hair. Have fun!"
After Mika left the restaurant, Kyoka slid down her seat until only her eyes were visible. "Ugh! I'm so sorry about that JoJo...they're the worst!"
It was only then that she realized he had a somber expression on his face, and he was staring in the direction her mother departed. "JoJo?"
"It must be nice...having your mother tease you like that...I think I'm jealous."
Kyoka smacked Johnny in the forehead.
"OW! What th-"
"You aren't allowed to think about that bitch. I'm going to give you the best night of your life, and she isn't allowed to ruin it. It's just you and me, and the waiter that definitely isn't our best friend in disguise."
"Most definitely not." Said "waiter" replied, before spilling water all over an old woman. The old woman got up and brandished her cane, and the next thing they knew Gyro was being chased out of the restaurant.
Kyoka chuckled, before turning her attention back to Johnny. "That monster that called herself your mother, she's gone. So just focus on me, okay? This is our night."
"You're right...sorry."
"Don't be, just enjoy yourself."
Unbeknownst to the two of them, an earphone jack was plugged into the wall outside. Mika withdrew the jack with a frown. He never had a real mother...that poor boy.
Well, if things work out between those two...he has one.
"SPIRITS BE GONE!" Tokoyami bellowed, waving incense around. "LEAVE OUR ABODE AT ONCE!"
"Are you sure there's even a ghost? You guys aren't really getting anything good. *ribbit*" Tsuyu stated, a finger resting on her chin.
"Yes, I can sense it's dark presence." Tokoyami replied.
"Are you sure it isn't Bakugo?"
"SHUT UP TOAD!" Bakugo barked. "We know it's a guy, so we're making progress!"
Momo was sitting on the couch, ignoring the situation with a book. Suddenly, her hair began to move on it's own.
"YAOMOMO! IT'S TOUCHING YOUR HAIR!" Mina screamed. Momo sighed and closed her novel.
"You're making me uncomfortable, Mr. President." She muttered quietly, and her hair promptly fell back down. Ever since she got to know Gyro, he had been putting more trust in her. She knew the truth about the Steel Ball Run.
And to think that she was honored to meet such a despicable man back on I-Island. Had she known his true nature...
"The Spirit Box is making a funny noise..."
" ...sorry... "
"You should be..." Momo said as she went back to her room, earning a few weird looks from her classmates.
"What's with her?"
"Maybe she doesn't like ghosts."
"That's Jiro. Yaomomo looked as if she was insulted."
"Weird."
"Can I open my eyes yet?" Johnny asked. Kyoka's jacks were wrapped around his head.
"Not yet."
"I don't even know where we are right now...the ground feels loose, are we on the beach?"
"We are. This is where our friendship really began, when we trained together for the Sports Festival. I opened up to you here, told you how I used to be bullied...and you encouraged me. You told me that my quirk is amazing, that I could be a hero...and you were right. Now...now that we know how we feel about each other, it seems only fitting that we ended up here."
"You've really thought this through."
"I'm not holding back anymore. I want to show you just how much all that meant to me, how much YOU mean to me. You can open your eyes."
"You need to take your jacks off my head first."
"O-oh, right."
Johnny felt Kyoka's jacks retract from around his head, and he opened his eyes.
"Holy...Jesus of Nazareth."
Hanging from a piece of junk was a replica of his jockey outfit. The horseshoe he had received from Diego was already attached to the new beanie. The only difference was that the color scheme had changed from light blue to white, and it had a hood that could go over the hat.
"You...got me a new outfit?!"
"Well Overhaul kind of trashed your old hero costume, so I had Mr. Josuke help me design a new one. It...it has a utility belt, that way you can pull out things you could use for Hamon or the Spin. The hood also protects you from harsh weather...sorry if you don't like the white, but they didn't have the same fabric in blue-"
"I love it!" Johnny slipped on the new white and blue beanie. "How do I look?"
"Handsome as always."
"Oh, flirting are we? This is...I really don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything, the look on your face is enough."
"I think I know what to do though..."
Johnny walked up to Kyoka and threw his arms around her waist, crushing her in a hug. Kyoka was briefly startled, but soon returned it with equal ferocity. They just stood there like that, entwined in each other's arms, until they lifted their heads.
"I'm going to kiss you now."
"Dork."
And then they kissed. It was a long, passionate kiss that was months in the making. Kyoka leaned forward, deepening the kiss, but Johnny fell backwards, taking her with him.
The two landed on the ground with a thud, and Kyoka found herself laying on Johnny's chest.
"Well...that was..."
"Amazing."
"Yeah...so...are we-?"
"Yes, we are."
"Good." Kyoka said. "Because you're comfy."
"Yare yare daze..."
On the hill above them, Jotaro was observing with the biggest smile you could ever see on the man. Gyro stood next to him, still in his waiter getup, icing his head where the old lady had whacked him.
"So, now what?"
"We make sure they STAY happy. Susan's gone, Santana is licking his wounds, and as far as we know, Shigaraki is still on the run, and All For One is still in prison. DIO's just a ghost...we have some down time on our hands, but we can't let down our guard. Any of them, minus Susan, could suddenly get a second wind...and I don't want them to ruin this. Those two...all of us, deserve a bit of happiness."
"I agree...you know, you really are a good father Dr. Kujo. My father just kind of...forced his way of life onto me, but you let Johnny think for himself. You aren't overbearing, you're more of a guide...I kind of wish my father was like you."
Jotaro blinked and tipped his hat. "Yare yare daze..."
Johnny sighed as the newly formed couple approached the doors of the Heights Alliance.
"What's wrong?" Kyoka asked.
"I know it's for the best to keep this a secret, but it's going to be hard now. I have to pretend that I don't love you...do you know how hard that's going to be for me?"
"It's going to suck balls JoJo...but we can tell them when we're ready. Besides, three of our friends already know, so it's not like we have to pretend around everybody. What matters is that WE know, even when we're apart."
"Yeah, you're right."
Kyoka gave him a quick peck on the lips. "One last time. I really wanted to do that again."
"I'm not complaining."
The two of them proceeded to open the door into chaos.
"OUT OF THIS HOUSE! OUT OF THIS HOUSE!" Sero was screaming while holding a crucifix made from pencils and his tape.
Todoroki was sitting in the middle of a circle of salt, while Bakugo was screaming into a spirit box.
Tokoyami appeared to be drawing some sort of pentagram on the floor, while Tsuyu looked on in concern. Uraraka was sitting in the corner, and Izuku was giving the two of them a worried look.
Johnny slowly walked towards his dorm room, passing by the ghost that had caused all of this nonsense. Johnny gave Valentine a look, and then proceeded to vanish from sight.
Valentine smirked.
Okay! So Johnny and Kyoka are finally a thing!
I'm going to try and focus on the relationship between Johnny and Eri next, because I want him to become this mentor/big brother to her. As for the Cultural Festival, Kyoka is still going to sing "Hero Too", but I have absolutely no idea what Johnny or Gyro would do.
After the Cultural Festival however...that's when things might start to get a bit ugly. Santana and Shigaraki are going to come head-to-head in a Villain War, and the victor will decide the fate of the entire MHA half of this universe.
There might also be a death or two, and they WON'T BE FAKEOUTS.
The grim reaper is sharpening his scythe, and this time he won't be denied...
Until next time!
