Whumptober Day 17 - "Lost in these Memories" (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
More Fugo whump for today's @whumptober fic, (With Stand Hugs!)
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Prompts Used: Collar, Touch Aversion, 'Leave me alone'
Fandom: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 5
Character: Fugo
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Read on Ao3
Read on FF.net
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Bucciarati made up the tray of food, purposefully placing the bowl of soup, the spoon and napkin, and the glass of water as he mentally prepared to face his youngest team member again.
It had been five days now since Fugo had gone missing on a mission—three since he had been found, and he still hadn't left his room since they'd brought him home.
Bucciarati wasn't entirely sure what to do. Any attempt he had made to coax Fugo out had been met with firm denial, and while he could certainly understand such a reaction after a traumatic event, he knew Fugo was suffering and, worse, suffering alone. He had so far refused any comfort Bruno or Abbacchio tried to offer him, simply staying curled in bed, wrapped in blankets.
Bruno sighed and knocked on the teen's door before letting himself in, knowing he wouldn't get an answer.
"Fugo? I brought you some dinner," he said quietly as he entered the dim room.
Fugo briefly looked up at him from the book he was reading before flicking his eyes downward once more. "You can just put it there," he mumbled nodding to the side table.
Bucciarati did as asked and hesitated before he left. "Pannacotta, I'd like to check your injuries again if that's okay?"
Fugo's hands started to shake instantly and Bruno felt terrible for even bringing it up, but an infection wasn't going to do him any better either.
"No—n-no. I really can't stand anyone touching me right now. I—I can't. Please. I can do it myself. I promise I'll clean them well."
Bucciarati closed his eyes briefly, but nodded. "Alright. I'll leave the medical supplies in the bathroom for you. But if you need help with the ones on your back—"
"I don't! I'm fine!" Fugo snapped, then ducked his head, wrapping his arms around himself. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean…"
"It's all right," Bucciarati told him gently. "Please try to eat something. And let me know if you need anything else."
He slipped out of the room, and his fists clenched in fury the instant the door was closed, teeth grinding.
He and Abbacchio, along with the other soldati had already demolished the gang who had taken Fugo, but what good did it do when the damage had already been done? Fugo had been doing so well recently. He'd stopped jumping when Bruno and Abbacchio accidently brushed him, just generally doing better with human proximity. He'd even started to accept hugs when he was having bad nights, calming in Bruno's careful hold.
And now all of that had been erased instantly by the cruelty of his captors, using his aversion to touch against him. Mocking, hurting, using knives and fists to demolish the fond touches Bruno sought to provide when he was sure Fugo would be okay with it, taking that gained trust and tearing it to pieces.
The image of Fugo when they'd finally found him in that cargo container would forever haunt Bucciarati's nightmares. Shivering in a corner, bloody and bruised, bound hand and foot with a collar locked around his throat, keeping him upright so he could not pull away from his captors without choking himself.
Even the act of freeing Fugo had sent him into a panic attack and there was no comfort Bruno could offer aside from words, which was harder than he had thought it would be.
One look at the teen panicking and sobbing had sent Abbacchio back out to start delivering a justified beat-down of the bastards who had dared hurt Fugo.
And when they got him back, Bucciarati had only been able to do the bare minimum to tend to Fugo's injuries before he flat-out pushed him away and retreated to his room where he had stayed ever since.
Abbacchio met him in the kitchen, breaking Bucciarati out of his brooding thoughts.
"How is he?" the other man asked quietly.
Bucciarati shook his head, grabbing bowls to dish soup out for him and Abbacchio even though he wasn't hungry. "I honestly don't know what to do. There's no telling how long this will go on, especially if he refuses help—"
Abbacchio held up a hand. "First of all, hovering isn't going to help him," he said.
Bruno huffed. "I know that. And I'm trying not to, it's just…"
"I know," Abbacchio replied with a sigh. "I don't like seeing the kid like that either. But he needs space right now. He knows he's safe here and that's going to have to be enough for the moment."
Bucciarati pressed his lips together, knowing the other man was right.
Abbacchio's advice didn't help when he heard Fugo screaming in his sleep that night. He had to get up to see him even though he knew he would be rejected.
"Fugo?" he called as he tapped on the door, hearing the moaning and shifting of blankets. He opened the door and saw the boy wound up in his sheets, struggling, eyes and jaw clenched tight as he let out breathless sobs, chest heaving too quickly.
"Pannacotta," Bruno called firmly, standing beside the bed.
The blond only continued to struggle against the sheets, breaths becoming more and more panicked. Bruno finally had to reach out and help, unable to watch this anymore.
But Fugo flailed the instant Bruno touched the sheets. "Don't!" he shouted. "Leave me alone!"
"Panna, I'm just…" Bucciarati tried, but he pulled away.
Fugo's eyes finally opened and he scrambled to sit against the head of the bed, eyes darting around frantically, not seeing anything.
"Panna," Bruno called again and his head whipped over toward him. "You're home. You're safe. It's just me here."
Fugo's face crumpled, and he curled into himself. "I hate this, I hate this," he cried.
Bruno pulled a chair over to the side of the bed and sat carefully, making sure he wasn't in any way crowding Fugo.
"It's okay, Pannacotta."
"No it's not!" Fugo snapped, scrubbing at his eyes as he hugged himself, fingers digging into his ribs. "I-I fucked up! I got captured, and I l-let them control me, and I c-couldn't do anything about it!"
Something rippled in the corner and Bucciarati looked over to see Purple Haze materializing. The Stand moaned forlornly as it hugged its knees and rocked back and forth. Fugo didn't even seem to realize his Stand was out, proving how much distress he was currently in. As long as Purple Haze didn't start punching things though, Bruno wasn't going to worry about him.
"You didn't let them control you, Fugo," Bruno told him firmly. "They tortured you."
Fugo shook his head. "But I'm the one who let them see how much it bothered me. I told them to stop, but they—they just made a sick game of it. And I forgot—I almost forgot how much it could hurt." His voice hitched on a sob again. "Because I didn't have to worry for so long but now every time I try to sleep, it's just…that in my head again. But worse, because it's that and my recent capture combined."
Purple Haze wailed again, echoing his user's distress, burying his head in his knees.
Bucciarati's heart ached to hear Fugo talk about it. To know that his mind was so cruel as to combine his recent trauma and that of his horrible past only hurt all the more. He could only imagine how much mental anguish Fugo was going through.
"I don't…know how to make it better," Fugo sobbed. "I didn't want to be like this anymore, but they fucked it all up and I don't know what to do to fix myself."
Bucciarati barely resisted the urge to reach out and offer some form of comforting touch to Fugo. The boy was shaking so hard, just barely keeping the panic under control.
"I am so sorry that this happened, Panna," Bruno told him sincerely. "But none of it was your fault. It was all those bastards back there, and they won't be hurting anyone ever again—I can assure you of that. And you don't have to 'fix' yourself. There's nothing to fix. You survived, Panna, and sometimes that's its own strength."
Fugo didn't say anything. He simply pulled his knees up, making himself small, arms wrapped around himself. Bruno didn't think it was possible for someone in a room with another person—and a Stand—to look so alone, but Fugo was suffering so much right now that his pain burrowed deep into Bucciarati's soul and curled up there.
Purple Haze wailed again and Bruno straightened up, knowing he had to ask at least, for his own sanity if nothing else.
"Do you… want a hug?" he asked softly, seeing the way Fugo kept hugging his arms to his chest. "It's okay if you don't but I wanted to offer."
Fugo let out a soft sob. "I-I do but…I don't think I can handle that much touch right now. I just…I just want it to be like it was before and I'm so fucking mad!"
Purple Haze moaned, rocking forlornly in the corner. That was when Bucciarati had an idea.
"Panna, do you mind if I try something?" he asked, holding up his hands, palms out. "I'm not going to touch you, but please let me know if any of this is too much."
He manifested Sticky Fingers and the Stand crossed the room to kneel in front of Purple Haze. Fugo's stand shifted and looked up at the other. Sticky Fingers slowly opened his arms, not making a move, but waiting.
Purple Haze hesitated, moaned, then suddenly lurched forward and practically tackled Sticky Fingers backwards, letting out a mournful sound.
Bruno watched, shocked as Purple Haze curled up against Sticky and his Stand held onto Haze tightly, rocking him back and forth. It was an odd sensation, both physically and mentally comforting, like being wrapped in a soft blanket and just the perfect temperature.
After a few moments, Purple Haze started to let out a gurgling, almost purring sound, drooling against Sticky Fingers' shoulder.
Bruno glanced over to Fugo to see how he was taking this, and saw a slight embarrassed flush on his cheeks, as he watched the Stands, but his breathing had calmed down a little and he wasn't quite so tense anymore.
"Is it okay? Like that?" Bruno asked him hesitantly.
Fugo nodded. "Actually, yes. It's not bad at all."
Bruno smiled, relief flooding him. "That's good."
Fugo clenched the sheets in his hands, staring down as his cheeks flushed again. "Could you…stay, until I fall asleep?" he mumbled.
"Of course, Panna," Bruno replied, settling into the chair. "I won't go anywhere."
Fugo let out a shuddering sigh and lay back down in the bed, allowing Bruno to help untangle the rest of the covers and tuck them back into the mattress. He then took up a book and stayed there reading until Fugo fell asleep. All the while, Sticky Fingers and Purple Haze stayed cuddled together on the other side of the room.
Over the next few days, whenever Fugo was having a hard time, Purple Haze would appear somewhere in the apartment and Bruno or Abbacchio would deploy their Stands for comfort and hugging. Abbacchio had been somewhat hesitant at first, but Moody Blues had had other ideas, going directly up to Purple Haze and pulling him into a firm embrace.
Another week passed and Fugo finally ventured out of his room for more than just the bathroom and water.
"Feeling better?" Bruno asked kindly as he set some breakfast in front of Fugo.
The blond nodded, and though he was still covered in bruises, showing up all too much on his pale skin, he did look a little better. He picked at his nails, then looked up at Bruno. "Could I…try a hug?" he asked.
Bruno didn't say anything, simply opened his arms to let Fugo come to him.
The boy hesitated, then got out of his chair and came forward, tentatively looping his arms around Bucciarati before he leaned fully into him with a long exhale.
Bruno lightly wrapped his arms around Fugo's shoulders. "How's that?" he asked.
"I think I'm getting there," Fugo said sincerely.
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Don’t Settle for Less- 6taro/Star Platinum and Jolyne/Stone Free
Wrote quick fic that takes place way later in my fanfic- Void Walker. This deals with 6taro and Jolyne re-bonding after surviving the events of Made in Heaven. Their Stands are fully sentient and Star Platinum goes by She/her due to my personal head-canon that Jotaro values the women in his life greatly (mom, ex-wife and daughter) therefore his Stand goes by feminine pronouns.
This deals with time shenanigans and everyone is alive sort of deal.
Small CW of bad boss who treats his employees bad, other than that, mostly just soft caring bonding time.
about 2.1k words.
It was two-thirty pm on a Thursday night. Jolyne had a few weeks off while Gloria's restaurant was being cleaned and refurbished from the fire Anasui started and that Weather put out. It was a rainy day, so Jolyne decided to hang around her father's house as he worked in his office, texting her mom that she'd see her tomorrow afternoon. Jotaro was neck-deep in his paperwork, having missed several months of research due to having Star and his memories removed. Apparently, his boss was on his ass due to how much time was lost from his absence. Not even the Speedwagon Foundation could smooth it over due to how big of a prick he was.
Jolyne and Stone Free were mildly impressed. Someone that wasn't afraid of her terrifying behemoth of a father and his unwavering stubbornness? Impressive, but less fun and kooky than Synth. Much Less. Stone Free mentioned that Star Platinum could have easily broken the man's bones like a toothpick. Star didn't like that suggestion but agreed that this man had been awful since Jotaro met him. They laughed at the time, remarking about how the world was full of dense morons who couldn't tell they were close to getting their knees kicked in by an invisible spirit.
Still, Jolyne felt irked watching her dad get hounded, especially after everything that happened. Stone Free felt the same, complaining to her till she finally confronted Jotaro the previous night. They argued, though argue was a strong word. Neither had raised their voice, and Jolyne didn't get into his face like she used to. They had both talked calmly and reasonably for once, though Jolyne did vent some of her frustrations to her dad. "It's not fair to you, dad." she had stated, folding her arms as Stone Free nodded beside her.
"Life isn't fair, Jolyne," Jotaro hummed sadly.
Star, Stone, and Jolyne wrinkled their noses at that, all agreeing that it was a poor excuse. They then threw what Synth had said at him like a live grenade, "And that is not a reason it should ever be accepted. We can choose to change our world, and this should be one of the things changed."
"Give me a break," Jotaro had murmured before saying, "Let me think on it for a bit."
Jolyne was playing 'Go Fish' with Stone Free and Star Platinum as her dad worked in the office room down the hallway. Star could finally move past her two-meter limit and maintain form for about an hour or two. She was vicious at this game, somehow able to guess what cards were what with just a glance-
"You're cheating, aren't you?" Jolyne suddenly muttered, tossing another five at Star Platinum, who was smiling a bit too wide.
"No!" she defended, "I would never cheat!"
Stone Free rolled her eyes and looked at Jolyne, "She's watching the textures to the cards. Probably memorized them since these are Polnareff's from when Jotaro went to Egypt." Star blushed several shades of fuchsia at that and suddenly started averting her eyes. "See, told you," Stone Free clicked her tongue twice before reaching over and snagging an ace from Star's hands. "Don't worry. Two can play at that game."
Harrumphing, Star stuck her tongue out and snatched a card from Stone Free's hands. Jolyne chuckled as they both began carefully fighting over the cards, tossing her hand down once they started to wrestle gently. She would have quickly joined in if she knew she wouldn't phase through Star and hit the ground like a sack of potatoes, given the nature of Stands and all. But the feeling of something large grabbing her while not physically being touched left her feeling awkward.
Still, Jolyne watched the entertainment as mother and daughter played together. A wide smile framed her face before she was pushed to the ground as Star Platinum pinned Stone Free effortlessly. Jolyne's Stand struggled for a minute, trying to get the upper hand, but Star was quicker and stronger than her, deflecting the attacks like they were nothing. 'Stone, you're not going to outpower her!' Jolyne shot across their mental link, 'You need to use your strengths against hers!'
'And what do you think I should do? Turn into string and net her-?' Stone Free fell silent before a soft 'Oh' rang out. Stone Free's body dispelled instantly, causing Star Platinum to crash into the ground. Stone Free maneuvered her string body within seconds into a tightly knitted trap, ensnaring Star Platinum. Looking around wildly, it took her a moment before realizing she couldn't move. Grunting, Star squirmed about on the floor like a caught fish.
Jolyne laughed and went to make a snarky remark when there came a loud crash from down the hallway. Everyone froze and slowly looked over to see Jotaro face fist on the ground, halfway out of the office doorway. "Jolyne...." came a muffled groan from the man, "Please let Star go. I'm on the phone in here...."
Gulping loudly, Jolyne reached over and tugged on the stunned Stone Free, who quickly unraveled and released the larger, more purple Stand before reforming into her more solid state. Jotaro grunted at the release of pressure and slowly clambered upward like a rising mountain. Ready for him to scold her as he usually did, Jolyne was shocked when all he did was turn around and go back into his office with sagging shoulders and tired lifeless-looking eyes.
"Jesus, that man really is taking the piss out of him," Jolyne murmured. Stone Free nodded in agreement before bending down to help Star up, who seemed suddenly melancholic. "Is it that bad?" she inquired to the great Stand.
Star refused to say anything, watching the door Jotaro closed with a haunting look, clearly in tune with her user. Jolyne harrumphed and folded her arms but said nothing. Though inside, she wanted to throttle the leech of a man and yank her dad free of his hold.
But this wasn't her fight. If her dad were so determined to keep this job, it would take an act of God himself to pry him from his chosen course. Still, she debated calling her ace up her sleeve to sway her father into being... less stressed. Especially after everything that happened
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Quietly pulling the door shut, Jotaro returned to his desk and took a deep breath before picking up the white phone again. "I'm back. My apologies for that." Sitting in the chair, he tried to relax into the leather but found himself sitting straight up and picking at a small nick in the wood of his desk. A bad nervous habit he was picking up after the Pucci incident.
"What was that all about?" his boss growled, seeming even more irritated than before.
"Just my daughter roughhousing in the next room-" Jotaro explained.
"Your daughter? What is she doing over there? Isn't your bond in the trash can?" Matthew grumbled, the sound of something tossed in a metal bin reverberating through the phone. Jotaro wrinkled his nose. Clearly his boss was day drinking again. Star's irritation matched his own, but he could feel her thoughts suggesting to explain further, hoping to make his boss understand the situation or somehow read the room better.
Jotaro obliged to his Stand's suggestion, "Yes, we've just been working on our....relationship a bit." Looking over at his fish tank, he watched the tropical angel fish dart to and fro in the aquarium. Perhaps reading his agitation, Jotaro suppressed a 'good grief.'
"Ain't you a bit late for that?" his boss laughed dryly, making Jotaro grit his teeth in anger. Star prickled like a rising mother bear on the other end of his subconscious, fury coursing through her mind and comingling with his own.
Jotaro had wanted this job ever since he was a teenager. It was the highest-paying job for his specialty, with many world-renowned marine biologists hailing from them. It was his dream to be here. Funny how dreams can become nightmares. Even though he had made a name for himself in his research on whales and sharks, his boss Matthew fought him every bit of the way. Mocking, bickering, belittling, sabotaging. The piece of shit had done it all. They butted heads so often that most people fled when either of them were in close proximity. It was only in recent years that Jotaro mellowed enough not to rise to the bait every time Matthew tried to crawl under his skin.
Or maybe it was just the depression kicking him into the dirt, as Synth explained.
But right now, his anger was flaring to life like he was seventeen again. It wasn't so much the jab at his poor parenting skills that was gutting him, but more so that indication of him trying to mend the rift he caused was a worthy enough reason to laugh. Jotaro tried to calm himself, repeatedly counting the fish in the tank till his blood began to cool off. That's when he heard Jolyne ask Star, "Is dad going to be okay?"
His anger boiled over, causing him to snap like a rope pulled too taut.
Suddenly standing up, causing his chair to tip over as he rose, Jotaro tutted loudly and glared at his wall full of awards and achievements. Once, they were a source of pride and accomplishment. Now, they mocked him for time wasted.
"Don't settle for less," Synth had said once.
Matthew was still talking on the other side, blabbering on about how his kids were ungrateful little shits, utterly ignorant to Jotaro's wroth.
"I quit."
"What?" Matthew sputtered in shock. The sound of him dropping something, probably another can of booze, was loud and clear as day.
Jotaro stood there for a second, stunned at his own words, before they settled on him like a metal coat of armor. "I quit." he reaffirmed with more confidence.
"You can't-"
"I can, and I am." Jotaro eyed the Speedwagon Foundation's number with a hungry look. "Good grief, I've had enough of you. Finish the job yourself. I've got better things to do." Slamming the phone onto the receiver with a flourish before Matthew could say anything more. Jotaro put both his hands on his desk and breathed deeply. Star was buzzing on the other end of his mind, practically cheering at him.
He shook slightly for a second, letting the thrill of being free fill him up to the brim. Snatching the phone again, Jotaro dialed the number he knew by heart. It rang once before it was answered. "Dr.Kujo! What can we do for you?" Serenity answered. Her voice had never sounded so good before.
"I just quit my job and need a new one. Is that offer from before still available?" he calmly asked. The Speedwagon Foundation had wanted him for years, practically rolling over and begging him to join them. He knew they'd jumped at the opportunity to have the strongest Stand user fully employed under them. Hell, he was sure he could ask for a raise if he really wanted one.
Serenity gasped and fumbled with the phone, clearly astonished. "Y-yes! of course, Dr.Kujo! Shall I compile the applications- er- the jobs we have available for you?" She was floundering, clearly scrambling, but he didn't care.
"Yes, that would be great. Send them to my email, and I will respond by tonight." Jotaro reached down and grabbed his chair, hauling it back upward.
"Ye-yes, of course! I will send them immediately!" Serenity was practically abuzz.
"Thank you." and with that, he hung up. Sitting down in his chair, Jotaro pulled his hat off, ran a hand through his hair, and stared up at the ceiling as he reclined backward. "Shit, that felt good," he murmured before looking over at the door and the hushed whispers leaking down the hallway. "Mmmm."
Standing up, Jotaro readjusted his hat and exited his office. Jolyne and Stone Free were trying to pry information out of Star Platinum, who was practically dancing in place. His daughter looked up at him with worry and a bit of trepidation. "Do you remember the number for that Chinese takeout joint you like?" Jotaro asked. Jolyne nodded dumbly, clearly confused. "Good, I just quit my job, and I believe that requires a good meal in celebration."
The way her and Stone Free's eyes lit up in delight, both of them bolting upright and racing off to grab the phone in the kitchen, was something he'd never forget, a memory ingrained in the back of his eyelids to combat even the worst of days.
Okuyasu takes shelter from the rain at Josuke's house. He's just now noticing how soft everything about Josuke is.
"Come on Oku, run!" Josuke called out, fighting to keep his balance on the wet ground. "My house is closer, we'll hide out there." The two were being pursued, not by an enemy stand user for once, but by the oncoming rainstorm that had been threatening to break all day. They'd had the misfortune of getting caught out in it on their way home from school and were now in the process of getting thoroughly soaked. They both raised their schoolbags over their heads, hoping to shield themselves from the rain even a little bit as they ducked their heads and ran. Josuke had a brief thought about the homework that was surely getting soaked but decided ultimately that keeping the water out of his eyes was more important.
By the time they'd reached Josuke's doorstep, the rain was coming down in buckets. "Come on in," Josuke said, grabbing Okuyasu's wrist with one hand and fumbling for his keys with the other.
Okuyasu gave him a hesitant look and debated resisting but didn't even try hard enough to break free of Josuke's grip. "My house isn't that far from here," he said half-heartedly, "I should just go home."
"And get more soaked?" Josuke asked as the door swung open. "You're going to catch a cold or something in that creaky old house of yours. Just stay here for a bit until it clears." He moved to tug Okuyasu inside and this time he did not resist.
The two breathed twin sighs of relief as the door shut behind them. Effectively locking out the weather brewing on the other side. The howling of the wind and the drumming of the rain quieted dramatically in an instant. Josuke shook his head, flinging off droplets of rainwater before calling into the house. "Mom! I'm home! Okuyasu's here too, he's going to stay for a while until the rain stops." Without waiting for a reply, he slipped his shoes off, peeled off his wet socks and began to head upstairs to his room.
Okuyasu followed, feeling somewhat self conscious as Josuke's mom yelled back in response. "As long as you still get your homework done," she called from the kitchen. "Don't take this as an excuse to just play video games all afternoon." There was a pause as she seemed to consider her work at hand. "Will he be staying for dinner?"
Josuke looked at Okuyasu who seemed torn between politely declining and enthusiastically accepting the implied offer of food. So Josuke took it upon himself to answer for him. "Yeah, if you don't mind making some extra for him tonight. That would be great, thanks mom."
"Thank you Mrs. Higashikata," Okuyasu said as well before following Josuke upstairs.
Once the two had reached his room, Josuke opened his bag and started tossing things onto the ground so that they would dry easier. He cringed at the sorry state of his papers and frowned. "Man, this sucks. Do you think Koichi got home okay? He wanted to go somewhere with Yukako today but maybe his stuff isn't as ruined and we can copy off some stuff tomorrow."
"I sure hope so," Okuyasu said, digging around in his bag and revealing that this things were no better off. He looked up to see Josuke shrugging off the jacket of his school uniform and followed suite.
"Just hang that on the back of a chair or something to dry," Josuke told him, barely paying him any mind as he moved over to the full length mirror in his room and pouted at the state of his hair. "Well, that's ruined for the rest of the day," he grumbled. Josuke then turned to Okuyasu still sitting on the edge of the bed and tugging uncomfortably at his wet shirt. "I'm going to go take a shower," he said with a soft smile, "You can too if you'd like."
Okuyasu let his gaze dip down for just a moment at that before flashing a cheeky smile, "Better not."
Josuke let that process for a moment before his eyes widened and he spluttered slightly with a prominent blush on his face. "I didn't mean like that," he stammered, "You can just, I mean, if you want to after I'm done."
Okuyasu laughed, pleased at himself for being able to get his boyfriend so flustered. "I know, I know. It's just fun to tease you. But seriously, I'm fine. If I really need to I can shower when I get home." Josuke nodded and turned to leave but before he could exit the room, Okuyasu called out again. "But I would like to change into something dry. I don't have any clothes here though. Obviously."
"Oh for sure dude," Josuke stifled a laugh at the awkward way Okuyasu had worded that and slid open his closet door on his way out. "Just borrow my clothes for now," he said as he grabbed a towel and headed for the bathroom. "I'll try to be quick. Wear whatever you want." He closed the door behind him and Okuyasu stood at last to move towards the closet.
With some difficulty, he peeled his wet clothes off until he was stripped down to his boxers and surveyed his options. He looked for a moment at the chest of drawers but quickly decided that actually rummaging through Josuke's clothes felt too intimate, even if they were dating now. He'd just take something off the hangers. His eyes landed on a plain blue hoodie shoved to the back that he'd never seen Josuke wear before. With only a moment's hesitation he grabbed it and pulled it over his head. Okuyasu sighed quietly at the warmth of the hoodie as well as its scent. A small part of his mind wondered if that was a weird thing to notice. Though it did smelled nice, mostly like laundry detergent but also like Josuke. He subconsciously wrapped his arms around himself, hugging the soft fabric closer to his body. So soft...
Now for pants. But yet again, the closed drawers sent him into a spiral of overthinking until he decided it was easier if he just skipped on that part for now. He decided to retreat to Josuke's bed and stay there until Josuke returned. With little thought to the matter, he snuggled down under the blankets to warm up further. He tried his best not to think of what Josuke was doing just one room over. Tried to let the sound of the shower just blend into the rain outside and avoid picturing Josuke naked and so close to him yet still so far. It wasn't easy.
At last, the door clicked open once more and Josuke came back into the room. A towel wrapped around his waist and another in his hand as he dried his hair off.
Okuyasu sat up eagerly at Josuke's return. It wasn't the first time he'd seen Josuke with his hair down, nor was it the first time seeing Josuke shirtless. After all, they'd had plenty of sleepovers in the past. But still, it was such a rare occurrence that the sight punched the air from his lungs every time. "Welcome back," he said a little breathlessly.
Josuke looked up and grinned at him though his smile wavered just a little seeing the hoodie that Okuyasu had chosen. "Oh it's that hoodie," he said lightly as he approached the bed
"Yeah, I'd never seen you wear it before so I figured you'd mind less if I wore it?" Okuyasu said, questioning his own logic even as he spoke. "Is there something wrong with this hoodie?"
"Oh no," Josuke shook his head, "Not really. It's just that, it was a birthday gift from my grandpa one year. I haven't worn it since..." he trailed off, "Well, you know. And that was before we met."
Okuyasu gave Josuke a look full of naked concern, "I'm sorry Josuke, I had no idea. If you want I can wear something else."
Josuke cracked a smile and tossed the towel he'd been using to dry his hair at Okuyasu playfully. "Nah, it's fine. It's been long enough anyway and I'm sure he wouldn't want me to be wasting clothing over something like that anyway. Besides, you look nice in it."
"It's just a plain hoodie," Okuyasu blushed.
"Yeah," Josuke agreed, "But it's my hoodie." He leaned in to give Okuyasu a quick kiss before backing off to the closet. "Now let me put on some clothes and I'll join you." He grabbed some pajama pants before letting his remaining towel drop to the floor. Instinctively, Okuyasu looked away, not daring to turn his head back until he felt Josuke's weight dip the bed. "Move over," said Josuke as he climbed up next to Okuyasu. "It's cold out here." Josuke had opted not to put on a shirt and Okuyasu's eyes trailed appreciatively over his boyfriend's well toned abs before throwing the blanket aside to invite Josuke closer to himself. Josuke raised an eyebrow, "No pants?"
Okuyasu blushed, having momentarily forgotten that decision he'd made. "Oh yeah," he stammered, "I felt weird digging through your drawers but you didn't have any pants outside," he tried to explain.
"So you thought not wearing pants at all was better?" Josuke asked, a teasing tone in his voice.
"I may not have thought it through very well," Okuyasu admitted.
Josuke laughed and shifted the two of them on the bed until the blanket was curled around them both in a way that still allowed him to rest his head in Okuyasu's lap. The blanket keeping his still damp hair from making direct contact with Okuyau's bare thighs. "It's fine," he sighed as he relaxed into Okuyasu's warmth and his eyes began to flutter shut. "This is just fine."
Okuyasu looked down at his boyfriend and felt something warm inside his chest. A feeling of happiness and peace. Things he couldn't quite remember feeling until he'd met Josuke, as well as his other friends now like Koichi and Yukako. His hands absentmindedly drifted to rest first by his side and on Josuke's chest. Then drifting closer to Josuke's face, one hand trailing fingers over Josuke's cheek. Okuyasu hesitated for a moment as he stared at Josuke's expression of content. "Hey Josuke..."
"You can play with my hair if you want," Josuke said without opening his eyes.
Okuyasu flinched, his fist clenching on empty air, "Really? You never let anyone touch your hair."
Josuke smiled and looked up at Okuyasu at that. His eyes full of such love that Okuyasu momentarily forgot how to breathe. "It's not styled right now anyway," he said by way of explanation. "Besides, you're my boyfriend. I trust you."
Slowly, like approaching a cat who could unsheathe claws at any moment, Okuyasu let his fingers tangle through Josuke's hair. His breath hitched in his throat as he felt how soft Josuke's hair was after it had just been washed. Soft like his hoodie, soft like his blanket, soft like his smile. "Woah," he breathed.
"Having fun?" Josuke chuckled.
"Don't laugh at me," Okuyasu whined, somewhat embarrassed. "Your hair is just really nice. You should wear it down more." When Josuke only grimaced and didn't answer, Okuyasu hummed and allowed himself to put more pressure into the touch, massaging Josuke's scalp as he did so. "Hey, is it true that you wear your hair like that because of the man who helped you when you were sick? Because you think he's a hero or whatever?"
There was a long moment of silence, the only sound their gentle breathing, before Josuke responded. "More or less yeah," he said, his eyes falling shut once more. "But I don't do it because I think I'm a hero too, or that I want to be a hero. I don't do it to honor him or anything like that. But rather, he was willing to help us out during one of the worst snowstorms I can remember even though he was a complete stranger. I don't know what his motive was exactly but he wanted to help other people for one reason or another. And that's all I really want to do too. Help people in need."
He let out an appreciative hum as Okuyasu continued to play with his hair and paused before continuing his story. "Even when my fever was at its worst. I never thought about the fact that I could have died. All I could think was that I was worrying my mom so much by being sick. Having to raise me on her own couldn't have been easy for her and so I wanted so badly to get better, if only just to make her happy again. I never wanted the people I cared about to be hurting if I could help it."
Okuyasu looked up as Crazy Diamond materialized in front of him. He sat up in bed next to Okuyasu, his ghostly legs intersecting with Okuyasu's to rest under Josuke's head as well. And though his boyfriend's eyes were still closed, Okuyasu could guess that the tears shining in Crazy Diamond's eyes were mirrored in Josuke's. Wordlessly, he allowed The Hand to take form as well, reaching over and patting Crazy Diamond comfortingly on the back. The two stands shared a look, silent but saying more than either of their users could ever guess.
"I think that's why Crazy Diamond manifested the way he did," Josuke spoke up again and Okuyasu wasn't sure if he was even aware that his stand had been summoned. "All my life I'd only ever wanted to protect and heal other people," Josuke admitted. "Looking up to my grandpa, seeing how hard my mom worked. My own needs have always been secondary. So along came Crazy Diamond. Able to fix anything other than his own user." He grunted slightly in discomfort and Okuyasu loosened his grip on Josuke's hair with a bit of a jolt.
He hadn't even noticed how much his fists were clenching. "What do you think my stand represents then?" He asked.
Josuke rolled over to lay on his side so that his face was mere inches away from Okuyasu's stomach and he curled up closer to his boyfriend. "I dunno," he said, his voice slightly muffled- No, just softer. "That's up to you to decide I guess."
Okuyasu thought about it for a long time, "I think at the time, when I was manifesting The Hand, my biggest wish was that I could make all my problems disappear. Get rid of everything bad in my life and just not think about it again. So that's probably what my stand means. The ability to erase anything I wanted, and even I don't know where it goes after that."
"What about now?" Josuke asked, "Do you still want to run away?"
Okuyasu smiled, "Not with you by my side. Now I want to bring everything good in my life closer to me and fight off whatever tries to hurt them."
"You tried that trick with me when we first met," Josuke pointed out, "Bringing me closer. But that was more to punch me than to protect me I guess."
"Maybe The Hand just already knew what was in store for us, better than I knew myself," Okuyasu joked and Josuke laughed. A bright, happy sound that sent butterflies fluttering in Okuyasu's stomach.
"Yeah, maybe," Josuke agreed. For a moment he seemed tempted to say more but before he could, he was interrupted by Tomoko's voice shouting up from downstairs.
"Dinner's ready!" She yelled. "Come help set the table, Josuke."
Josuke sat up with a sigh and Okuyasu untangled his hand from Josuke's hair. Josuke in turn slid off the bed while Crazy Diamond went into the closet to retrieve a shirt for Josuke and a pair of pants for Okuyasu. "Come on," said Josuke, "Let's go eat." He looked out his bedroom window, "The rain's stopped too. So you can go home after dinner." Though the statement wasn't a question, the tone of Josuke's voice made it almost sound like one. As if he was silently asking Okuyasu to stay instead.
As tempting as it was, Okuyasu shook his head and recalled The Hand who disappeared but only after giving its user a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. "Sounds good, Josuke," Okuyasu said as he put on the pants that he'd been handed. "Let's go."
New Hearts of Gold fic! This is my Bruno/OC romance series (also with Abba/OC romance) and it’s time for Bruno and Maria to have their second baby. (If you haven’t read the rest of the series, you can find it all HERE!)
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(Hearts of Gold Verse) Maria and Bruno are pregnant with their second child, but it's a little different this time around. Maria wakes up one morning to find that she can now see Stands and is also exhibiting several other strange abilities. The parenting books didn't exactly mention this.
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Read on Ao3
Read on FF.net
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Maria woke slowly, content and comfortable. She had finally seemed to get past the morning sickness phase so waking up in the mornings was becoming a lot less dreadful. Not that Bruno hadn't been the most doting husband in the world to hold her hair back and bring her whatever she needed while she lay in bed, and Fugo and Giorno had tried literally everything they could think of as a remedy. It had still been a lot worse this time around than it had been with Paolo. Carmen told her she thought it would be a girl since she'd gone through the same thing with Rose.
Still, it was all worth it, and every day brought Maria closer to bringing their new baby into the world.
Maria snuggled back into the figure who currently had his arms wrapped around her.
"Actually staying in bed this morning, mi caro?" she asked sleepily, bringing her hands up to place over Bruno's where they rested gently above her growing belly.
But when she looked down she didn't see her husband's hands. Shock and brief terror jolted through her as she sat up, whipping around to see a bizarre figure lying in the bed next to her, looking just as surprised as she was. Despite the fact that his eyes were covered by some sort of spiky helmet.
And then she recognized the figure from the drawings Narancia had done when she had first come to stay with them so he could show her what the Stands looks like.
"Oh," Maria said. "Sticky Fingers?"
The Stand nodded, still sitting there as if he too were not sure what to do.
The door to their ensuite bathroom opened and Bruno came out with a towel around his bare shoulders smiling at Maria. "Can I get you some breakfast in bed this morning, bella?" he asked.
Maria was distracted by Sticky Fingers fading away and turned to look at the spot. Bruno stopped, watching her with an odd expression. "Is something wrong, Maria?"
"I…" she said, still looking at the spot. "Was…your Stand just out?"
Bruno stopped mid-way through toweling his hair. "Wait…could you see Sticky Fingers just now?"
Maria nodded. "I…I think so."
The air around Bruno rippled and Sticky Fingers appeared again, smiling slightly at Maria. "Can you see him right now?"
Maria nodded, eyes wide.
Bruno stood there, looking completely perplexed. "Well, that's…odd," was all he was able to say.
ok i really like the dynamic between koichi & echoes act 3 as well as trish & spice girl. they are both in opposition of their own stands, which is ironic in itself because their stands are basically them. but at the same time their stands still function to accomplish whatever goal they were trying to do.
