One Shots Collection - JJBA (requests open)

Tiramisu

"Wow, Josuke! Are you all right?"
The young man looked up at his friend, meeting his concerned face. They grew the habit of walking to school together since they lived close to each other.
"-Yes, why would you ask that with such a tone?
-Well you don't look that good, your face is different! Have you slept? These aren't bags under your eyes they're luggages!" Okuyasu laughed at his own joke, before putting a hand on Josuke's shoulder.
"-I did, but I guess I should've gone to bed earlier, " he lied," But don't worry about me, I'm allright! How about you?
-Well, I fell asleep as soon as I got home! I'm exhausted, but Jotaro said I would be!" As a brilliant idea struck him, Okuyasu gasped in wonder. "We should eat at Tonio's today! He'll make us feel better with his amazing cooking!"
Josuke forced some chuckles out of his tight throat. He wasn't hungry at all, in fact, he had skipped dinner and breakfast. His stomach was? with anxiety, eating had been impossible. He could feel his eyes stinging from the lack of sleep as well, his face was numb. Once home the day before, he went strait to his room, to his bed. He wanted to sleep, trying to escape his thoughts. But once there, he found himself unable to get some rest. He turned around many times, his guts entertained from the stress that wouldn't leave him, his mind twirling out of his control.
He sighted, rubbing his sore eye with his fist. He had clenched them so hard during the night that his nails had digged deep in his palms.
They arrived before the gates, where Koichi joined them. The day went on as usual, as if nothing had happened. But Josuke felt the memories flooding his mind, he couldn't focus at all. His notes were incomplete, he hardly remembered the classes he attended. By the end of the day, he was exhausted, and his only thought was to get back to his bed and forget everything.
"-Hey, where are you going?"
Josuke turned around lazily and stared blankly at his friend.
"-Well, that's the way home, isn't it?" He felt a rush of anguish wash over him as he tried to remember if he really was walking on the right way. He didn't want to worry anyone with his flooding thoughts, he didn't need therapy. "I mean, we live over there, don't we?
-Josuke! We said we were going at Tonio's today," Okuyasu protested.
"-Right... Well I'm not really hungry right now, maybe another time!
-What? Out of the question," Okuyasu replied, "I'm already too eager to go there!" He crossed his arms on his chest, his figure stiffening as his traits twisted into an angry scold. "And you haven't eaten much at lunch either. I'm not letting you return to your mother half-starved! Don't you dare telling me you're not hungry or anything like that, you know Tonio will fix it!"
The determination of his friend pulled a smile from Josule's lips. He chuckled softly, amused by the authority of Okuyasu. He sounded like a mother scolding her child.
" - Fine, let's go there then! "
Okuyasu smiled and followed his friend. Since he had seen how tired Josuke looked in the morning, he had kept an eye on him. Many small signs betrayed his anguish. His red, tired eyes clouded with torments. The way he would drag his feet on the floor while walking, indolent. How he would clench his teeth while forcing a smile, trying to act natural. He had been avoiding eye contact with anyone throughout the day. His body being either limp from exhaustion, or tensed up when having interactions. Okuyasu processed these informations and concluded that Josuke wasn't doing good at all. Probably because of the latest events in Morio. After all, he had been fighting against a serial killer, and been really badly injured. This was just the backlash of it all. But did his friend really take time to digest all of it? He was hoping that a meal at Toni's would help him get through it.
As always, they drank a large glass of water. The fresh beverage cleared their minds, it felt amazing. Josuke felt the burning from his eyes fade, all the exhaustion from his sleepless night left. He was awake, his mind was clear. So we're his thoughts, and his memories were precise. He could remember Kira's face, every details of it. His voice rang loudly around him, his cursed name dropping from his smirk of victory. The young man felt his stomach tighten, he wanted to go home and curl up in his bed. He shut his eyes, shaking, trying to focus on anything else then his mind.
"-Josuke?"
He didn't answer. He didn't have the strength to argue with Okuyasu, he knew how stubborn he could be. But he couldn't eat a thing, he felt nauseous as his head started to spin. His breath became difficult, he could feel his heartbeat thumping loudly in his ears. His body suddenly heated up and yet, he was cold. He tried to fight all of it, he couldn't look weak when his friend had a death experience some days ago!
"-I think I'm sick... I'll just head home..."
As his words left his mouth, a soft clinging sound caught his attention. Tonio left their table, leaving the dish in front of him.
Surprisingly, he had bought dessert to him. Nothing else. Was this all he needed? Or maybe it was a priority...
It looked like a cake, but Josuke had never seen it before. Okuyasu crossed his arms and laid back in his chair, waiting. There were thick biscuits that seemed to have been soaked in a liquid. Above, a cold, soft cream had been laid, and cocoa had been powdered on top. The dish looked fresh, maybe it could ease his dizziness. Josuke grabbed a spoon, obtaining a satisfied grunt from his friend.
The taste surprised him. It was very subtle, not too sweet and very fresh. A hint of citrus, from the cream, and coffee in which the squishy biscuits had been soaked it. A slight chocolate note as well. It tasted good. No, it tasted amazing. The knot in his stomach grew tighter but he took another spoonful anyway. The cake would ease him, right? But the more he ate, the worst he felt, the growing wave of emotions threatening to break down the barrage he had tried to build in his mind. His vision began to blur, his lower lip trembling as he took in a deep, shaking breath. A tear escaped his eye, sliding down his cheek. He dropped the spoon, and finally broke down. A soft moan slipped from his mouth that started to distort itself, as he tried to keep his composure, but the tears were already out of his control. He felt his friend's hand on his back, patting him slowly.
"-Let it all out, Josuke. It's fine."
And he did. He stopped containing it. He cried, finally. He cried because Shigeshi had died. He cried because he had been scared. He cried because he almost lost his friend Okuyasu. He cried because his injuries had been painful. He cried because the sound of Killer Queen's explosions had scared him. He cried because he thought he would die. He cried because the sight of limp body next to the ambulance was horrid. He cried for all of what he had been going through, he let himself be a 16 year old teen that had seen terrible things. For a moment, he finally allowed himself to be a simple human.
After some time, the flooding emotions came to an end. His tears ran dry. Okuyasu was still next to him, patting his back with compassion. His sobs came to an end. He wiped the remaining traces of his breakdown from his face, and straightened up. The tight knot from his stomach was gone. He felt better. At last.
"-Told you, Tonio would help! He got me this after everything, I thought you might be needing a piece as well!"
The young male smiled, proud of himself. He had seen right, and gave the help Josuke needed. He wasn't smart, but when he ate this Italian cake, he thought that everyone would probably need a piece.
" - Now, let's have a full meal Josuke! I'm starving here!
-I bet you are," he laughed, his eyes sparkling again, "I am as well!"
Tonio came to them and picked up the emptied plate after taking their orders. Before he headed back to the kitchen, Josuke stopped him to ask what the cake was.
Tonio smiled, his gentle face turned toward the window from which the sunset could be seen. His soft voice, filled with his native, Italian accent, responded, full of melancholy :

"-Tiramisu."

Tiramisu (from the Italian language, spelled tiramisù, [ˌtiramiˈsu], meaning "pick me up" or "cheer me up") is a coffee-flavoured Italian dessert. It is made of ladyfingers (savoiardi) dipped in coffee, layered with a whipped mixture of eggs, sugar and mascarpone cheese, flavoured with cocoa.
Source : Wikipedia