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Josuke’s life gets more interesting after he leaves high school.
Save for that one summer, he lived day by day like everyone else. He turned sixteen, met a nephew he never knew he had, met new best friends after years of befriending everyone in class, met his real father after years of thinking his mom decided to raise him after a one night stand in college (partially true), and lost the only father figure he ever had since he was little.
And then thanks to him the town went back to normal. Thanks to Koichi and Jotaro and Okuyasu and Rohan.
Knowing you could destroy and fuck up one’s face and body within minutes, seconds even, really did something to him. Okuyasu and Koichi made it more fun to walk when the air’s still clean and cool. Nice and quiet except for Koichi and Okuyasu arguing what’s the next move the protagonist’s organisation will do in tonight’s Kamen Rider episode. It saved money too.
One morning Josuke wasn’t feeling so good so he woke up late and had to take the bus again. It happened so fast after that.
He saw a familiar face, though older and taller. The face that grimaced as hands threw dirt at Josuke, the mouth open yelling he’s a ‘nasty hafu’, that he was a dog, that he should go back to where he came from, and then there were more laughs and funny names as they found out he had no father. Dirt, stones, and kicks.
Budogaoka was still four stops away when the former bully stepped out and Josuke followed him behind. The closest high school was five minutes away on foot. Crazy Diamond manifested despite a tiny voice saying this was not a good idea. But the bushes by the sidewalk were tall and perfect to hide the bodies of two teenagers, especially since one of them couldn’t fight back as he was getting held down and beaten up by an invisible supernatural being Josuke should’ve used on him and his friends to stop the dirt, stones, and kicks rained on him. One was better than nothing. Everything that happened to you at eleven to twelve years of age often stuck with you until you grew up.
Rohan scribbles on his notebook. “And then?”
“He’s fused onto the ground. It was an accident. Felt like my mind went hundreds of kilometers per hour. But when I was passing the bushes the next day with Oku and Koichi thinking it wasn’t a bad idea after all.” The next week his missing person poster was stuck onto a telephone pole by Josuke’s house.
“Like you did with Angelo?”
“Yeah.” Josuke fiddles with the hem of his shirt. “Come to think of it I should’ve done it to Kira too.”
“Why?”
“Better than… killing him.”
“You were not the one delivering the final blow.”
“What? No.” Josuke’s lashes dip. He lowers his gaze, empty eyes looking at nothing really. “Death is too easy. I don’t like killing, I’m not Jotaro who had looked death in the eye when he was my age back then. He’s a good man, very kind to spare us from the horror that someone terrible is still alive out there somehow.”
“Somewhat alive.”
There has to be something I can do about this, Josuke thought as he fixed the tree back to its original shape. His knuckles were bloodied and his friends would definitely ask questions.
He graduated high school. The ceremony was over an hour ago. A classmate gave him a second button of her shirt. Okuyasu saw.
During their final year, Okuyasu couldn’t stop gushing about her and how kind and how pretty and how he wanted to score a date before the school’s over. He didn’t do that even though he promised. He was scared even with Josuke, Koichi, and even Yukako’s encouragement.
Okuyasu went home with Koichi and Yukako. Last weekend, during a sleepover, Josuke’s mom promised them a dinner to celebrate. Okuyasu said he would come later.
He did nothing wrong. He did nothing to make her do that. It’s not his fault. Okuyasu is the last person he ever wanted to harm. He was not a bad person. This rush of fury needs to be taken care of though.
Instead of the girl, Josuke punched a tree in the school’s backyard. Fucked it up until it looked nothing like a plant. Nothing like something with wood on it. Crazy Diamond can’t heal himself so he had to go see a nurse one last time to patch it up. The nurse asked where the boy Josuke always used to be with whenever he went to see her, what kind of trouble did he get into this time, and how the hell did he manage to fight someone one last time during his graduation day. She shook her head and smiled, seemingly unbothered by Josuke’s lack of response. “You’re always so shy,” she said.
The dinner was nice. It felt like nothing happened when Okuyasu beat him on Crash Team Racing and stole his piece of roasted fish. The tree did a good job getting rid of the tingle in his whole body.
“The first time… it was nice.”
“Nice how?”
“I got to hit someone but there were rules I had to follow. I thought I was going to regret it since I signed up without thinking twice. It was great. I could let out the annoying tingles and heat, but I had to know how to and where I could inflict the pain. We had to control ourselves but the amount of power we let out in each punch was a free game. They got hurt. And then I got hurt. Better than trees or walls.”
Rohan frowns at him. “Plants can feel pain actually.”
“So are my opponents. I don’t care that they can. I think… rather than only me who got hurt or someone unwilling, it’s always nice to give pain to someone who expects... or wants it.” Rohan smirks at Josuke’s blush. “Shut up.”
Rohan was not interested but if Koichi insisted and that would get rid of these children out of his house…
In the end he was glad he went along with them to the cafe, much to his displeasure.
Josuke had a lot of stories to tell. He was no longer a wide eyed teenager worrying about being unable to have his hands on the most recent Jump issue or his crush dating someone else. His face had some nice angles and scars from the club he joined in college. His eyes were still a nice shade of lavender. His winks were cheeky and made Rohan feel funny. He was an adult Rohan would like to invite for tea.
Months passed and later Rohan discovered Josuke’s adult problems, worries, and coping mechanisms, sometimes revealed when he was drunk, sometimes with tears in his eyes. Took them three years until Josuke allowed Rohan to record it on his notebook.
“But these hands… these hands could kill. My stand fixes, mends, and warps but my mind could bend the power and destroy instead. Before every match I have to remind myself to never summon Crazy Diamond and alter my opponent’s face. Must not fuck up their faces. During this period… I detested having it. I hated having a stand and I hated the Joestar blood flowing inside me. A father I never knew gave me this curse in the worst way possible. I took back what I said to Jotaro during his funeral. It was not honorable being a bastard child of such a man. He fucked my mom during the peak of his career and according to Jotaro and Holly, he hated the Japanese back then. I hated him at the very first, then I admired, then I accepted, I loved, then I despised once he was gone.”
Despite what his stand, a manifestation of his soul could do, Rohan always perceived reality as it was. He didn’t like describing an event with adjectives and he abhors superlatives, truly the tumor of human language.
That being said, watching Josuke in a boxing ring was mesmerizing. He visited every single match. The fire in his eyes and the quick jabs and punches were so beautiful Rohan could never capture them right on his sketches. Then those bruises blooming on his skin and bleeding mouth Rohan helped tending reverted him back to the tender lover he always knew, giving him a gentle smile as a thank you once he was done.
But it still could not be compared to witnessing him ransacking Rohan’s living room after watching his mother crying and calling out Joseph’s name. He managed to hold back the fury as he made his way to Rohan’s house seeking for his help. He gave in to the anger despite what he promised himself and Rohan years ago.
That’s what a disfigured maple tree Rohan planted in the backyard for.
The room is fixed. Most of it, some objects like an antique Meiji era clock are too delicate to restore. It took Josuke two days to calm down and fix everything.
“I don’t care.”
“...give me some time to learn how a clock works, I’ll try.”
“I said I don’t care. It was there because I liked to hoard.”
After all Rohan had gathered enough notes to write an entire new series or Josuke’s biography or a novel. However Pink Dark Boy is still his pride and joy. It could always use a new villain... or hero for each new volume.
“...I like you Rohan. I like you so much.”
Josuke’s smile was sad as he said it. Still sad after Rohan said the feeling was mutual.
“Is it that bad to fall in love with me?”
“Can you write something on me?”
“Do I already need a safety lock on you?”
“Yes.” Under any circumstances, I will never be able to seriously injure Kishibe Rohan. Rohan scribbles that without batting an eye. Perhaps he already figured he was going to need it. “Actually, I’m glad it’s you who I’m in love with.”
“Just don’t make me go to your matches every time.”
“So am I an interesting protagonist yet?”
“You’re more interesting than the first time we met, I could say.”
“That’s not my question.”
“You would make a nice villain… maybe. Conflicted and sad one.”
“I’ll take that. Just make sure I look handsome.”