Chapter Text
"Hey, Five, what would you like for dinner?"
Said pistol jumped excitedly, leaving his spot on Giorno's hair rolls to float right in front of the blond's nose. The pistol started to mumble a list of options that he would like to try and things that his other tiny companions would want to eat. Giorno smiled fondly, used to the small Stand antics.
The two of them were walking downtown, going back to Passione's headquarters. It was a nice, chill day, Giorno decided that the best thing he could do to relax a bit was to take a walk through the lovely city of Naples. Mista was busy, being out in a mission, but as always that the gunslinger couldn't make him company, one of his tiny Stands would become Giorno's bodyguard instead. Today, Five was the one in charge of his security (Giorno was capable enough of taking care of himself, but he knew Mista won't relax if he goes out without any extra help).
"I can choose right?!" asked the pistol again, tiny eyes were shining brigthly. Adorable. He wanted to pinch Five's reddened cheeks. Would Mista also feel the same if he did?
"Of course, for being such a good bodyguard" Giorno said, offering Five a finger to sit on.
"Thanks Gio! Mmm, what can it be..."
"Watch where you are going, asshole" a strange man walked by his side, hitting him with a massive shoulder. The man was walking unsteady, as if his leg was broken. Giorno didn't said anything, shaking off the pain in his arm. The guy was more big and muscular than him, after all.
"Hey, uglyface! don't talk to Gio like that!"
"Don't worry Five" Giorno was holding something brown and rectangular in his pale hand, a smirk appearing on his lips. The pistol looked at the wallet with awe, giggling merrily "He is paying us for lunch anyway. He didn't even..."
Then, Giorno felt like something punched him right in the stomach, getting the air straight out of his lungs. The world stayed still as he faded away.
The last thing he heard before passing out was a tiny voice desperately calling out his name.
"Mista! Mista!"
Mista woke up from his improvised nap, small hands tugging at his arm. The mission wasn't long at all, but he had to run a lot, and his sore legs needed a well deserved rest.
It didn't take him long enough to notice that the screams came from his own Stand.
"What happened, Five?" Mista let out a yawn, looking at his tiny Stand with just one eye open. He opened his other eye immediately, as he notices the look of pure distress of the little guy.
"Gio is in trouble! You have to come to help him!"
All of the tiredness on his bones dessapeared at the moment he heard the words "Gio" and "trouble" on the same sentence. Mista got up in a second, grabbing his gun and his hat with the same speed.
"Lead the way, Five"
Of all of the scenarios that Mista had imagined on his way here, this didn't even cross his mind. A tiny, six year old kid was in front of him, sitting on the veranda of the street. He had short, dark hair and big blue eyes that were looking at his surroundings, buried under what he could painfully recognize as Giorno's clothes. Those ladybug pins were pretty unique.
"G-Gio?" Mista couldn't believe it. He reached to the child, trying to get him to look at him.
"Who are you?" the boy flinched, puting some distance between Mista's hand and himself. Big eyes stared at him with a mix of fear and resentment. His small body was trembling, and Mista wasn't sure if it was because of the cold breeze or fear.
"I-I'm Mista! Don't you remember me?" the gunslinger gulped, hoping with all of his heart that the answer would be a yes.
"Sorry sir, i don't know who you are"
Mista felt the air leaving his lungs. A kick in the ass would have hurt less.
"You have to be fucking kidding me" Five shaked his hands, getting him out of his stupor. He had to do something to fix this "I'm gonna find the asshole that did this and punch him to the sun"
"Sir, are you okay? I-i'm sorry but, i'm a bit lost, and if i don't go home early, my mom is going to be angry" the kid flinched, burying himself even more on the clothes "I don't like when she's angry"
"I-I'm fine" he wasn't, actually. Mista tried to focus, pushing away the panic that was creeping on his guts "Are you cold? I can find you new clothes" god, he didn't even knew what he was doing, that sounded so weird
In his defense, he really was at a lost here. It seemed that Giorno's memories were reversed as well, but Mista couldn't just call Gio's mom to help him deal with this, since he knew that they didn't have a good relationship (or a relationship at all. He never asked why it was that way, and Giorno never told him, either), so that was completely out of question. So, he couldn't let him go "home". His only solution was to make something up that would convince the little kid to go with him.
"I- um" this had to work out "Your mom sent me to... She sent me to pick you up! Yeah, she had to do an unexpected journey out of the city for some days and she asked me to take care of you"
Mista gave the kid one of his brightest smiles. Giorno's eyes never let his own, sending a chill though his spine. Was he seriously feeling intimidated by a six year old?
"Who were you, signore?"
"I'm a friend of your mom! Guido Mista is my name, but you can call me Mista"
"Signore Mista" Giorno said, covering himself from the cold with his oversized suit. If he weren't feeling so on edge, Mista would have melted from the sheer cuteness of it all "I have never seen you before, so I'm not sure if what you are saying is the truth"
As sharp as always, it seemed. Mista gulped.
"But i would ..." the kid stared at his feet, covered by shoes too big for him. He seemed to be thinking about his choices "... i would like some clothes, if that's fine"
"Of course! I'll find you something nice" Giorno's eyes meet his, and the ghost of a smile appeared on the small kid's lips "Is it okay if i pick you up?"
The kid stared at him, alarm written down on each one of his features. His blue eyes were pierced at his face, reading him like an open book. He finally nodded, extending his arms at the gunslinger.
"There you go" Giorno's hand clunged to his sweater for dear life, hidding his face in the space between Mista's neck and shoulder. Mista smiled, thinking of what would the big Giorno said about all of this. He giggled at the thought of a very red and very embarrased Gio.
"Warm" Mista heard the kid mumble, his arms surrounding the older man's neck.
Mista tried his best to appear the most normal, considering the fact that he was walking with a six year old in oversized clothes. He ignored all the weird looks he was getting, making his way inside the children store with all the self confidence that he could found.
"Hey, buddy" Mista gave Giorno's arm a gentle touch, so the kid would look around "We are here already. Do you see something you like?"
"I-I can choose?" the look of confused amazement in the kid's eyes reminded him of his pistols when they got to choose the food for the day. Why wouldn't you? he wanted to ask, but he kept the question for himself. There were some signs here and there that were lighting up some red lights on Mista's head.
Giorno and him have been close friends, for several years now. But if there was something that Giorno was not very fond of talking about, was his childhood. So Mista knew very little, almost nothing, of his boss life before Passione.
"Of course!" Gio's face lighted up, and his eyes started looking at the different shelves like a dart.
The kid's chubby hands reached one of the shelves, to reach a piece of clothing. It was a green sweater, with a big ladybug on the center, very Giorno-like. Of course he would pick something like that.
"Comfy"
"It looks pretty comfy" the green sweater was made of a really soft yarn, special for the autumn in Naples "Do you want that one?"
The kid nodded shyly, his eyes locked on the ladybug drawing of the sweater. This all was too cute to Mista's poor heart.
"Okay! Now we should found a pair of pants and shoes, and we'll be all set!"
Giorno ended up choosing a pair of brown pants to go with his green sweater, and a nice pair of red sneakers. The lady at the cashier was kind enough to let him change all of his new clothes in the store.
They were in the line up to pay for their purchase, when Mista noticed that the kid's attention was somewhere else.
"What's the matter, buddy?"
"N-nothing" Giorno came back from his stupor, getting closer to Mista's legs, eyes fixed on the greyish floor of the store. Mista followed his past line of vision, only to find a basket full of dolphin plushies.
"Do you want one of those?"
"It's not necessary, i don't really need it" Giorno said, fast and trying to not look at anything but the floor. Mista's eyebrowns furrowed a bit. He wasn't liking what this all was implaining. Of what was this kid so afraid of?
"Well, bad for you, because we are getting one anyway" the kid's eyes opened like plates, looking as Mista got one of the plushies from the basket. The gunslinger gave him a big smile, placing the dolphin on Giorno's trembling hands "I think he likes you too"
"T-thank you, Signore Mista" Giorno said, holding the dolphin plushie as if it were his more precious possession. Mista hummed, ruffling the kid's black hair. He already had decided; he was going to make this day a good day to remember.
"It's nothing kid, and call me Mista"
"Okay, Mista"
They headed home, one of Giorno's hands holding his, and the other one holding his bright new dolphin plushie.
"Mista what happened?! Are you two okay?!" Fugo screamed from his current position. He was waiting for them at the door of Passione's headquarters, and Mista could see, even from a distance, the anxiety irradiating from him like waves. The younger man approached them, his hands fidgeting nervously.
"Hey, calm down man" Mista said, covering the ears of the kid he was holding in his arms. Giorno got tired on the way home (and eventually fell asleep), so Mista had to carry him "You're going to wake him up"
"I can't believe this" Fugo mumbled, trying to control his voice tone. His purple eyes were fixed on the little kid on Mista's arms "Is that really Giorno? Why is his hair black?"
"He is, and... i'm not sure how to answer that, honestly" Mista took a moment to aprecciate Giorno's flat black hair, so different from his actual hair, curly and blond "But, isn't he cute? I already send some pics to Trish, she's pissed because she can't pinch his chubby cheeks"
Fugo looked at him with complete and utter dissapointment
"He's going to murder you, and i'm not going to stop him"
"I know, i know, but look" the gunslinger showed him a photo on his cellphone, of Giorno holding a dolphin plushie, cheeks red and eyes shining "My death is going to be totally worth it"
"Okay, stop it" even when Fugo did find the picture cute, someone had to be the responsible one "We need to found out how to turn him back, he can't stay like that forever. I assume that we can't count with G.E.R's help on this"
"Uh, I don't think so. If i'm not wrong, Gio said that he got his Stand short before joining the gang" Mista said. It would be all more easy if they could use Giorno's Stand "But i got something that can be helpful. Five told me that they had an encounter with a guy earlier. This asshole knocked Gio, said some stuff and Gio took his wallet"
"So you think that all of this is that guy's fault? He probably is an Stand user"
"Exactly! Five remembers his face, so i was going to leave Gio here so i can go and find that bastard"
"I don't think he wants you to leave" Fugo said, pointing at the kid on his arms. Giorno was pouting in is sleep, one of his hands firmly grabbing Mista's sweater. The gunslinger smiled, patting Gio's back "I'll go, it would be faster anyway. I will need Five assistance, that is"
"Sure!" Mista let out his Stand. Five appeared, a look of absolute resolve on his face "Go help Fugo find the asshole, Five"
"Got it, Mista!"
"And don't forget to talk with Polnareff about this, he may have some ideas about how this Stand may work"
"Yeah, yeah don't worry" Mista said, as he watched his friend and part of his Stand walk away "And take care! Beat the shit out of him on my place"
Giorno woke up at the same time they entered the giant studio of Passione's boss. Since Polnareff wasn't so quick moving from one place of the mansion to another, he just stayed at Giorno's studio most of the day, so he probably was somewhere nearby (the balcony was his current favorite place, since the sun rays were getting warmer and warmer). Mista sat Giorno on the couch, as the child rubbed his eyes with laziness.
"Hi buddy! Seems like that was a nice nap" Giorno let out a yawn and Mista took it as a positive answer "Are you hungry?"
"Uh um, i'm a bit hungry" the kid said, his hands playing with the hem of his sweater. It was almost as he was afraid or embarrased to admit that. Mista sighed, feeling helpless won't fix anything.
"Well, so, what do you think about if i get you something to eat, and then we make a visit to a friend of mine? Is that okay?"
"Okay" Giorno stayed sitted at the couch, his dolphin plushie firmly attached to his chest. Now that he was awake, his blue eyes started looking excitedly at the new place he was in. Mista chuckled, picking up the phone to call the room service. He made sure to ask for a lot of chocolate flavored sweets.
"Do you like this place?" Mista asked, sitting beside Giorno. The kid nodded, pointing a pink vase full of flowers with one tiny finger. Flowers that, ironically, Giorno himself had picked the day before.
"Pretty"
"There are" Mista stood up to pick one flower "A good friend of mine knows a lot of stuff about flowers" he put the flower on the pocket of Giorno's sweater "For example, that yellow one is called Tulip and it means friendship, since is yellow. Or something like that haha, I'm not good at remembering things "
Giorno laughed, hiding a smile behind the palm of his hand. Mista smiled too, happy that the kid seemed to be warming up to him. It was weird, since the grown up version of the child sitting at his side was already his friend, but it was also heartwarming, in a way. Mista felt like he was getting the opportunity to know about a part of Giorno that he didn't show so much.
"I know a lot of things about frogs" Giorno said, tiny fingers caressing the yellow petals of the flower on his sweater "Do you- do you want to know about frogs?"
Mista couldn't say no even if he wanted to. That talk with Polnareff could wait for some more minutes.
"Of couse buddy! Tell me all about them, I'm all ears"
And Giorno's eyes shone as brightly as the sun.
They spent the afternoon sitting on the couch, eating sweets (Giorno's eyes went wide open at the sights of so many types of chocolate) and talking about nature, from flowers to the different kinds of animals that could be found in Italy. Giorno even draw him a picture, of frogs and ladybugs, and a person on the middle that was wearing something suspiciously similar to the gunslinger's sweater. Mista made him a promise to hang it on his room, where he would be able see it everyday.
They eventually had to make a break, to actually go and visit Polnareff, and Mista wasn't sure who was more surprised. Giorno, when he saw that the turtle could talk, or Polnareff at the sight of the little kid in front of him.
"Gio, are you tired?"
Giorno was sitting on the studio's carpet, his dolphin plushie in hand and surrounded with a bunch of pencils and white sheets of paper. He was currently working on a new drawing, of Mista, him and Polnareff (who he had given the name of Mr. Turtle, since the french's name was to difficult for him to pronounce). The kid nodded negatively, but the yawn that scaped his lips was enough for Mista to know that that wasn't the truth.
"You should sleep for a bit, it had been a long day, after all" Fugo had called him while Giorno was drawing, to tell him that they had dealed with the guy already, and that the effect of his Stand should vanish in a couple of hours. So, it was better for Giorno if he rested before turning back.
"C'mon buddy, i can stay with you if you like" Giorno perked up at that, climbing to the sofa. He settled at Mista's side, his head resting on one of his arms. It was really comfortable.
Mista started to relax, getting carried away by the warm. He was about to fall sleep, when he felt a tremor on his left side. The side where Giorno was laying against him.
"Giorno? Is something wrong?"
Mista felt like an stupid after that, because there was obviously something wrong. No kid would tremble like that if he was just fine. Giorno let go of his arm, head low.
"I-" the words struggled to get past the kid's tongue, his body still shaking "I don't want to go back. Can I- can i stay here, with you and Mr. Turtle?"
Mista gulped, feeling his throath sore. With that, all of his suspicions became a painful truth.
"Hey, Gio, look at me" he said, patting the kid's back to help him calm down "If you don't want to go back, you can stay here for all the time you like. We are going to protect you, and keep you safe. You'll always have a family here with us "
The kid stared at him, as if Mista had just told him that he could fly and reach the moon.
"Thank you" Giorno whispered against his chest, giving him a tight hug, thinking that maybe if he let Mista go, even just a bit, the man would dissapear. Giorno started to dozzen off, either from the emotional exhaustion or the lack of energy. Mista stroked his hair softly, covering the two of them with a fluffy blanket.
They fell sleep, dreaming with the hope of a brighter day.
"You're naked!" Mista let out a high pitched scream, as he woke up with a big (and very naked) man on top of him "I mean...You're back! t-that's great! Wonderful!"
Giorno looked at him with very confused eyes, his blond hair cascading in front of his face, free of his usual stylized form. The green sweater was long forgotten on the floor, as well as the pants and the socks (and the underwear, not that Mista was looking). Then, the realizating seemed to hit his boss right in the guts.
"Oh my god" Giorno said, trying his best to cover himself up and keep his composure at the same time "Umm, can you...can you lend me something to cover myself up, please?"
"Of course! Here..." Mista pickep up the blanket that fell on the floor the fastest he could. He lended it to Giorno looking to the other side, cheeks and ears on fire. What's wrong with me? It's was just Gio
That didn't calmed the weird feeling that had started growing on his stomach.
"Thank you"
"It's nothing" Mista said, clearing his throat and finally composing himself. It was more easy to look at his boss when he wasn't on top of him without clothes on "How do you feel? It's everything alright?"
"I'm feeling fine... Just a bit disoriented, don't worry about it" Giorno said, getting his hair out of his face "And sorry, for all the trouble"
"Hey, it's okay, it could have been any of us" Mista shugged, waving his hand "And also, you were a pretty cute kid! So it was my pleasure, actually"
"Oh my god..." Mista let out a laugh at Giorno's mortified face. He couldn't believe he was seeing an actual, flustered Giorno "Please tell me you didn't take any pictures"
"Of couse not, what do you think i am?"
"Right now, a pretty bad liar"
They both laughed, and Mista felt like all was okay again. Except that it actually wasn't, since now Mista knew things that he wasn't sure he should know about.
"So, um, do you remember something? Of the time you were a kid, i mean"
"Just a bit, but is all really blurry" Giorno said, a pensative look on his face. Mista knew, from the shine on his eyes, that there was something the blond wasn't telling him. It hurted him a bit, but he let it pass "The last thing i remember is Five calling out my name, and nothing more after that"
"Well, it doesn't matter. You're back and everything is fine" Mista smiled, trying to not let any of his conflicted emotions show on his face "You must be tired, so i will be going. Goodnight, Gio!"
The gunslinger gave him a last wave of the hand as a goodbye, walking to the door. Mista was half way outside when he heard Giorno calling out his name.
"Mista"
"Yep?"
They just stayed there, staring at each other. Giorno looked like he wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come out of his mouth.
"It's... nothing. Have a good night"
Giorno let out a sigh, resting his head on the back of the sofa, the tiredness of the day coming back at him. What a mess, and all for a stolen wallet. He stood up, to go to his room and sleep in a proper place, when his foot pushed something soft on the floor.
A dolphin plushie.