JJBA fluff/One-Shots

Avdol {Tarot}

A/N: This ones a bit long... also, you are very smol and very broke (as always).

You stalked the streets of Cairo in search of something cold when you turned into an old cafe. Thankfully, they had air conditioning. It was small, with only a few tables and a slightly cramped counter. On the far wall, there was a beaded curtain blocking a doorway. You approached the counter and pulled a small wallet out of your backpack.

"Hello! How can I help you?" A young girl greeted you from behind the counter. 

"Hi, can I get a coke?" You asked. She nodded and took one from a cooler behind her. It was ice cold when she handed it to you. You dug a few bills out of your coin purse and handed them to her, they were your last. 

"I'm sorry ma'am, but this isn't enough."

"I-it's not?" the girl nodded and handed you the bills. 

"I'll cover it." You heard a deep voice from behind you and saw a large hand pass over the currency. 

"N-no you don't have to, please," you stuttered as you turned around to see who your savior was. You nearly bumped into the large man behind you. You looked up at his face, which took quite some effort. He had a tall muscular build and smooth dark skin. His dark brown eyes looked down at you fondly as he finished paying and handed you the change. "Ah, you really don't ha-" you began. 

"No, keep it," he interrupted you and walked towards one of the small empty tables. You followed him and took a seat across from him. "Might  I know your name?" he asked as you sat down. 

"(Y/N)," you replied simply. You took a bottle opener out of your backpack and opened your coke. The cap came off with a satisfying 'pop'. 

"(Y/N)? That's beautiful. I'm Muhammad Avdol, call me Avdol." You took a sip of your drink and felt your face heat up a bit. It must have been the weather, right?

"Well, Avdol, what made you help me?" you asked.

"I'm not sure. Something about you," he pulled something out of his pocket and put it on the table, "intrigued me."
It was a deck of cards. Tarot cards to be exact.

"Tarot cards?" You picked up the card on top of the deck and were about to flip it over when Avdol stopped you. He placed his hand on top of yours and took the card from your grasp, placing it pack on top of the others.

"Not yet."

"You're giving me a tarot reading? Why?"

"To be honest, I wanted to see what was in your cards," he said quietly. You blushed a little more but blamed it on the heat. It was a good excuse. You took a sip of cola and crossed your arms.

"So, what are my cards?" You asked.

"Well, you have to pick them." He laid out the cards in a neat line and motioned for you to pick one. You took a card out of the stack and held it in your hand, not knowing wether or not you should look at it. Avdol smiled and took the card, placing it face down on the table. After repeating the step nine more times, the man before you picked up the small stack and looked through it once again, likely making sure the cards were in order. You saw a slight frown appear on his face as he checked the last card.

"What now?" You asked. You had never gotten a reading before and wondered what could be next. He showed you the card on the bottom of the stack and placed it on the table.

"This is you. Your current influences: The Star," he said confidently. You cocked your head and raised a brow. "This card's key meanings are hope, renewal, calm, serenity, and opportunity." You still didn't know exactly what it meant, but you went along with it. He pulled the next card.

"This card is your obstacles: The Four of Pentacles." You zoned out as he continued on about your card. He placed it sideways over your first. You sat and listened, not to what he was actually saying but his voice rather, as he went through your cards. You stared into his rich brown eyes. After a while you yawned, involuntarily of course.

"Ah, I'm sorry. Which card are we on now?" You asked, trying to mask the fact that, frankly, you really didn't care about the cards. All you cared about was Avdol's voice and your cola.

"Actually, I was just about to pull your 9th, Hopes, Fears, and Ideals."

"Oh." He had made it through 7 cards already? Wait no, 8. Whatever.

"This card represents, mainly your hopes, but also your fears: The Lovers. The key meanings of this card are that there are two paths you can take, and you soon will have to make a choice. It also means, in this position, that if you are alone, that will soon come to an end." He smirked ever so slightly at the end of his sentence before placing the card down on the table.

"O-oh." You thought about his words for a second. A choice? Your loneliness coming to an and? You brushed the thoughts away, tarot cards were total bs anyways. "Well, what's the last card?"

"Your last card, the Final Outcome. The card you chose in this position is the Ten of Swords." He had a grim expression as he flipped the card so you could see it. What did he say about it again? It was your final outcome? You didn't like the sound of that. "This card represents mortality, unavoidable failure, and the end, Rock Bottom. But, don't let that discourage you, because it also leads to new beginnings and new lessons." You liked the sound of new beginnings, but the rest? Not so much. You smiled weakly and drank some more of your coke.

"Thanks, Avdol," you said as you set your drink back down.

"My pleasure. I knew your cards would be interesting."

"Oh really. Find what you were looking for?"

"I wasn't looking for anything specifically, but they were definitely curious," He spoke in a low drawl, "especially one in particular."

"Really?"

"Your ninth position, Hopes and Fears: The Lovers." somehow, you knew he was going to say that.

"I thought that was pretty funny too." He gave you a curious look and urged you to elaborate. "Its been a while since I've seen my friends. I'm always traveling, I don't know anyone."

"The lovers claim to end loneliness includes people you don't know," he added quickly. He looked down at the table and avoided your gaze. 'What is happening?!' you thought to yourself.

"R-really?" He looked back up at you and net your eyes again. They were filled with a new steely confidence you didn't see before. 

"Yes," he confirmed. You took another sip of your drink to find that you had already finished it off. You stood abruptly and took the empty bottle with you.

"This was really nice, Avdol. Thanks for helping me out, but I should get going," you said awkwardly. His expression changed to one of disappointment as you began to walk away. Before you got very far, he reached out and grabbed your hand. His skin was somewhat rough but it felt nice against yours. He stood up and joined you.

"Before you go, just know I'll always be here, so you can come back anytime." He flashed you a quick smile and you blushed. This time you didn't blame it on the heat.

"A-alright." He let go of your hand and you left the small cafe, throwing away the empty soda bottle on your way out. Even as you walked the city streets, you couldn't get his image out of your head. You had to go back soon.

Fun fact: I did my own tarot reading for this and when I picked my last card I had a heart attack

~Jade