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Chapter Text

Haruno couldn't sleep. 

As he stared at the rotted ceiling above him, he could hear loud music from the next room. He frowned a little; his parents must have drunk that horrible juice and left the radio on again. Shivering, he turned to look out the window, staring at the stars shining brightly outside the window. A tiny sigh escaped from his mouth as his eyes watered with tiny tears. How he wished that he could be a star in the night sky, shining so brightly. He often eavesdropped on the other kids whispering about shooting stars and how one makes a wish on them.

If one was lucky, their wish would come true. 

He looked at the doorway before sinking down into his covers, leaving a little peephole to watch the stars above him. Closing his eyes real tight, he folded his tiny hands and, in the softest voice imaginable, he wished to whoever was in the sky and stars up above to hear him. He wished he was taken away by a knight in shining armor or perhaps a hero, maybe a frog royal, so that he would never have to bother his momma and step poppa ever again. As he continued to wish, he felt tears slide down his cheeks and his heart just break in two. How he wished that he was not a burden to his family. 

'Interesting,' A sinister voice crackled in his ear. 'How very interesting.' 

He froze, a shiver crawling down his spine. He didn't make a single sound as the feeling of a sharp claw pierced his cheek. Slowly, slowly, slowly he turned around and was face-to-face with a horrible creature leering at him. It was smooth, shiny, with two glassy eyes staring into his soul. 

'My, my, my,' The creature chuckled, grabbing his face with its claws. 'Aren't you cute.' Its mouth was widened into a sharp grin filled with sharp teeth. 'I bet you're quite tasty, mi pupino.' 

"-away from him-" 

"-he's got Gio-" 

"-no-" 

Haruno could only watch in sheer terror as the creature turned towards the doorway. Those voices. They sounded scared, frantic, as if they were looking for someone. Were they people from downstairs? The ones where Momma and step-Poppa yelled and screamed at the top of their lungs about him? He shivered. Those days were never good days. They would be so mad and step-Poppa would have to get his belt and hit him again. He whimpered, shivering, shivering, shivering, as the creature clicked its tongue in disgust. 

'Tch, how rude,' The creature sneered. 'Oh well, I have already gotten what I wanted for now.' It slowly leaned in over to whisper in his ears, an eerie scent wafting from its grin and the feeling of horrible dread washing over him. 'Sweet dreams, little topo.' 

Haruno felt his eyes slowly close against his will. He fell back into the bed, a hypnotizing heaviness sinking him further into the thin mattress.

. 

..

...

He felt so heavy and tired. His eyelids were pressed into his eyeballs and his body was too heavy, pained, and tired to even move a muscle. For a few moments, he just lay there, soaking into the warm bliss of his bed. Then, he felt strange. His mattress was too thin to be this soft and warm. The room didn't smell like rotting wood and bad juice anymore. No, it smelt like flowers from the local flower shop and a small hint of orange. A slow smile crept to his face; he liked oranges. They were one of the only fruit Momma would get from the store. 

So, where was he? 

He slowly opened his eyes to bright light and a fancy light above him. He blinked in confusion for, as far as he knew, the only light he had was a tiny bedside lamp. As he slowly sat up, his eyes widened as he took the room before him. Instead of rotting wood, chipped walls, and a cracked, tiny window, everything was huge and fancy. The floor was red, soft, and with gold lining the walls. The bed was large and decorated in a pretty fancy way, complete with jewels on the ends. His eyes sparkled in wonder and awe. There was a closet and a large dresser that was decked in an extremely bright gold. 

'Did my wish come true,' He thought as he clutched the soft blanket. 'Was I rescued by a hero? ' 

He bit the inside of his cheek and looked down at the blanket. It was a dark purple color with lovely gold thread decorating the corners. He kept staring in awe, not believing his luck. Even if it was for a little while, he could tell the other kids that his wish came true. His wish came true and that was enough for him. However, his smile faded as he looked over to his hand. 

It was not his hand. 

It was too big and too long. He wiggled his fingers and was taken aback when the long, big fingers wiggled back. He didn't remember his hands being this big. He looked at his other hand and found that it was just like the other hand. Wait. He had seen these hands before. These were big hands, hands that he remembered a couple of friends that step Poppa would have sometimes. His eyes widened in fear. No. Did he turn into one of step-Poppa's friends? 

A mirror. 

A mirror. 

He had to get a mirror.

There was a mirror nestled in the corner of the room. He stood up and a wave of dizziness washed over him, making his legs wobble. His breath hitched as he looked down. His legs were too tall, too big, too long. There was also the manner in which he dressed. He was in a fancy black suit complete with green ladybug pins. His breathing slowed a little as he was taken in by the pins while wandering to the mirror aimlessly and slow. When he stopped in front of the mirror and looked up, he nearly fell over, his eyes widening. 

It couldn't be him.

It just couldn't be him. 

Looking back at him was a man, a pretty man. His hair was long, blonde, with three donuts on his head. His bright green eyes were shimmering, as if they were the green jewels on Momma's necklace. His face, his face, he didn't know this face. He reached to touch his face and the man did the same. He waved and the man did the same. Taking a glance around the room, he stuck out his tongue and the man did the same. 

"W...Who..." 

He coughed. His voice was deeper than he remembered. He touched his throat. Was it because of that creature last night? He remembered that a weird, weird creature was in his bedroom last night, stroking his cheek. It looked like a terrifying angel, an angel who wanted to eat him. He was so scared of that angel. It turned him into this person. He had a lot of questions. A flicker of fear coursed through his body as he remembered it and the chance that it was here. No, it appeared in a dream. So, was this a dream as well? He bit his lip as he tried to recall. 

What did you have to do when you wanted to wake up from a dream?

Haruno pinched his arm. Real hard. He winced as the wound smarted and waited for himself to wake up in his bedroom. Nothing happened. The man was still here, staring back at him. He was too long, too big still. He gulped. He didn't want to believe it. He just couldn't. 

Haruno screamed at the top of his lungs. 

Chapter Text

Haruno continued to scream as he put his hands on his face, looking back at the weird man in the mirror. The sound that came out of his mouth was deep and scary and it just couldn't be his voice. He then looked at his hands (his big, big hands) and felt his heart thump really, really, really fast. He slowly looked down again and patted his chest along with his waist. They felt really weird and hard, not soft and squishy. He frowned. In his head, the thought of going back to Momma and step-Poppa didn't look good. He looked like a different person now! 

He turned to the door as he heard the sound of footsteps coming closer and closer. Then, a loud bang on the door made him squeak in fright as he clung onto his braid, really wanting Mister Smoochy. A group of men came into the room. They looked scary, really scary. Yet, they didn't feel scary. Haruno watched quietly, though, as their voices began to fade away like butterflies. He would do this with the kids on his block because it wouldn't hurt as much. He closed his eyes and thought of ladybugs and butterflies and a lot of froggies.

Ladybugs, butterflies, and lots of froggies. 

Ladybugs, butterflies, and lots of froggies. 

Ladybugs, butterflies, and lots of froggies. 

He opened his eyes to see that everyone's eyes were all on him. He blinked in surprise, not knowing what to make of their faces. He'd never seen faces like these before. Haruno was used to seeing mad faces, faces that didn't like him, or faces that were very strange to him. It was a mixture, a strange mixture, of mad with fake sad. Those faces hurt him. But they were normal to see everyday. Haruno thought that people would look at him like that forever. 

These faces were not normal to see. They were not mad or even fake sad. They were really, really, really sad. And scared except for one person. 

"Hey, brat," The tallest man glared at him. "What the hell was that for, huh? You screamed like you were getting killed or something." 

Haruno looked at the man as he tried to think of something. The man was wearing a black suit with black pants and very nice purple shoes. He'd had long white hair with a light purple cap on top. Two purple-gold eyes gave him an angry look which made him really scared, even though the colors were really pretty like a sunset. Also, the tall man wore a lot of purple lipstick and a gold belt. Haruno was scared of the belt. 

"I, uh, I was, uh," Haruno stammered. "I had a bad dream." He softly mumbled, heat to his cheeks. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be loud." 

"Hey now, bud," A man wearing a very strange hat said, smiling. "It's okay. We've all got bad dreams that make us scream once in a while." 

Haruno blinked at the man, surprised at two things. One, he wasn't mad at Haruno for screaming and making noise. Two, he was smiling at him. Smiling at him. Without being a meanie at all. Haruno never did have people smile at him like that before. It made him feel warm and fuzzy. Was this what friendship was like? Friendship with the arrow hat man sounded nice, really nice. He wanted friends, real friends, and Mister Arrow Hat man seemed really nice and friendly. 

"But are you okay right now," Mister Arrow Hat Man frowned, soft brown eyes looking sad. "You'll be okay, right?" 

Haruno nodded, shyly taking in Mister Arrow Hat Man's look. The hat was red and white with the arrow being blue. His sweater was very strange with it being cut from the belly. It matched his hat, though, being all red, blue and white. His pants were really cool, too! Haruno had never seen red pants with black stripes before. He also did not see red and black boots either. They looked really nice to wear...

"Well then," Mister Arrow Hat Man laughed. "I guess there's nothing to worry about." 

"But man, was that loud or what," Another man yelled all of a sudden. "Never thought you had it in you, dude!" 

This man was just as cool-looking at Mister Arrow Hat Man. He had black hair that stuck up everywhere. It was like duck fluff. He wore a purple-black top and pants with a gold-orange skirt (was it a skirt or something else? ) and orange bands on his hands and head. And he had cool eyes, too! They were purple! Haruno never saw purple eyes, before! 

"Purple..." Haruno softly said. 

"Eh," Mister Headband Man blinked. "How's that?" 

"Ah," Haruno squeaked, covering his mouth. "Nothing! Sorry!" 

"If you say so," Mister Headband Man frowned, making Haruno scared. "But you don't look okay, y'know?" 

"Easy, everyone," A fourth man walked up. "He just woke up. He might be still a little out of it." His blue eyes were sharp like the ocean. "Please. Give him some room." 

Haruno gaped at this man. He had short black hair, just like Momma's, with little gold clips. His suit was all white with black dots and they had a lot of gold thingies, too! There's also a black web on his chest, which looked really chic as Momma would say. He had really nice blue eyes like a lake on a sunny day. For some reason, Haruno felt as if he'd seen this man before. But where? He didn't know. He didn't know at all. 

The last man, who was hiding behind the group and could only be seen if Haruno stood on his tippy-toes, was a little strange. He was blond just like him! Yet, his eyes were like Headband Man's. They were purple like the pretty jewels on Momma's bracelet. He had a green suit with holes. It looked so cold. Wasn't he cold? Oh, but Haruno liked the shoes and the tie! They were blue! And they had strawberries! He liked strawberries! 

"You've been awfully quiet for some time now," The strawberry man said, frowning. "Is everything okay, GioGio?"

"Ah, Giorno's always been the silent type," Mister Arrow Hat Man grinned. "You know that by now. Besides, he just woke up!" 

GioGio.

GioGio.

Giorno. 

Giorno. 

Haruno frowned. That name. It was the new name that Momma gave him as a birthday present. It was a nice name, but he didn't want to change it at all. Of course, step-Poppa's very good at telling him. His last name was changed to step-Poppa's last name and his first name was changed to Giorno. Momma said that it would be easier for them to "blend in with the Italian people if they had Italian names." 

But he knew the real reason. Oh boy, did he know the real reason. 

"Anyway, GioGio," Headband Man grinned, jumping in front of him. "Now that you're up, do you wanna hang out until dinner?" 

"Hang out," Haruno blinked. "You want to hang out...? With me...?" 

"Well, yeah," Headband Man nodded, still grinning. "We never get the chance to hang out! You're always doing some paperwork or we're on some mission or whatever! Come on! Let's get going!" 

"Y...Yeah..." 

Haruno never knew the meaning of hanging out with other children. But he knew that he wanted to have friends. So, he left with Headband Man, the biggest smile on his face. 

Chapter Text

As Haruno followed Mister Headband Man down some big and shiny steps, he held his breath in awe. This place wasn't just a place in his eyes. It was a palace! A beautiful, lovely palace! He only read about these palaces in the storybooks at the library, but never would he think to see one at all up close. He felt like he was the luckiest boy in the world now that he had seen this palace! He twirled around as happy as he could be. He sat down right next to Mister Headband Man, who was pulling out a box with two thingies. As Mister Headband Man put a thingy in the box, Haruno pulled his knees to his chest. His lips curled into a smile as he watched Mister Headband Man finish turning on the TV. There was a lot of noise. 

"Alright, GioGio," Mister Headband Man grinned at him. "This time, this time I'm going to finally win this game!" 

Haruno blinked as Mister Headband Man handed a thingy to him. It was grey and with colorful buttons. In his hands, it was cold and smooth. His thumb twirled a little stick that twirled and twirled. Haruno was never allowed to play games or even watch the TV back in the tiny home. The set was used either by Momma or step-Poppa all the time. He had once asked to watch TV in the most polite way he could think of. He was scolded, which is why he would watch a little when they were not in the home. But this time, he was not being scolded or yelled at. 

"Hey, GioGio," Mister Headband Man looked at him, a frown on his face. "You okay? You looked real spaced out." 

"Ah, no, no," Haruno waved his hands in a fear. "I'm fine! Really, I am! I was just thinking about how to win this game, too!" 

"Yeah, well," Mister Headband Man grinned again. "You better be prepared! I've been training this whole time while you were away on missions!" 

Haruno kept his mouth shut at that reply, but he didn't know what Mister Headband Man was talking about. He also didn't know how to play this game. But he knew that he just couldn't ask Mister Headband Man for help. Not that Mister Headband Man was mean or anything like that, but if he asked for help, then that was a sign that he was useless. He didn't want to be useless. He didn't want to be useless anymore. He would prove, not only to himself but to everyone here, that he was not useless! 

...

He still didn't know how to play the game, though. 

"Aw yeah," Mister Headband Man began to cheer, punching the air. "I won! I won! Yeah! Woo! Woohoo! Yeah! I'm da man!" 

"Don't get used to winning, Nara," Mister Arrow Hat Man came in, patting Mister Headband Man's hair. "Giorno's still recovering! There's no way you'd win normally!" 

"Aw c'mon," Mister Headband Man crossed his arms. "I could've have won normally, too." 

Haruno just blinked as the two began to talk. Mister Arrow Hat Man and Mister Headband Man- no, Nara was his name- were talking and talking and it sounded really nice. But a new feeling also wriggled in him like the earthworms on the ground in spring. Those head pats looked real nice and must feel real nice too. Just having a hand softly run through his hair, it was a nice thought to have. But if he asked for it, would they say no to him? Did grown-ups even ask for head pats or was he the only one? 

"Hey, GioGio," Mister Arrow Hat Man made him blink. "You alright? You look really off." He knelt and took Haruno's hand. "Geez, you're shaking a little." 

"Ah, no, no," Haruno gasped. "I...I'm fine! Really, I am!" He bit his lip again. "I...I just...I wanted..."

"What did you want, GioGio," Nara asked, tilting his head. "Tell us! Tell us!" 

"H...Head..." 

Haruno decided to pat his own head shyly, cheeks bright red. He did that. He asked for something. He shivered as he waited for them to yell and scream at him. Would they even call him a freak? He hated that word. He was not a freak. He was not a freak. He saw the two shadows come very close to him, nearly washing him in darkness. He felt a big hand press on his head to which he gasped. He felt the hand rub on his hair gently. A small squeak and then Haruno leaned into the touch. Soon, a second hand joined in, patting him on the head. 

This felt really, really, really nice! 

"Yeah, that feels good, right," Mister Arrow Hat Man smiled. "You like that, don't you, GioGio?" 

"Aw man, GioGio," Nara joined in. "Your hair's so fluffy and soft! We should pet your head more often." 

Haruno felt really good when they petted his hair like this. He wished that they would do this for a long time. It was nice and good. But then they stopped doing it all of a sudden and Haruno looked up. He froze. Mister Belt Man was staring down at them like a scary, scary golem. Mister Belt Man had a strange look in his eyes. It wasn't like step-Poppa but it was something scary. Mister Belt Man just gave a nasty curl of his lip before a deep and scary voice came out. 

"What's going on here," Mister Belt Man crossed his arms. "What's this now?" 

"Easy, Abba," Mister Arrow Hat Man put a hand on Haruno's head. "Gio just wanted some head pats." 

"Head pats," Mister Belt Man- Abba- repeated. "He asked you two for head pats." He glared at Haruno. "Are you a cat now?" 

"Knock it off, Abba," Nara glared at him, suddenly standing up. "You're being mean to him for no reason!" He shook his head. "Come on, cranky, let's cook some food. You need something." 

"Yeah, come on Gio," Mister Arrow Hat Man nodded at Haruno. "It's time for dinner!"

Wow. 

This was a feast!

Haruno sat down as the other men set down the nice-looking food. There was hot bread and lots of vegetables and lots of meat and lots of fruit too! He was so hungry! And yet, he didn't take a bite at all. He watched as the men talked to each other loudly and smile with each other. Was he allowed to eat such nice food? He remembered that even when a guest or two were over in the tiny home, he was not allowed to eat the food. As Momma and step-Poppa told the other guests that he just ate. Haruno watched to see if anyone, even Abba, were looking and took a bread roll. 

'It looks so good to eat.' 

Hiding among the plates, he took one bite and it took his breath away. It was so soft, so hot, and so fluffy. It was nothing like the bread before. It tasted so lovely. Haruno nearly choked on the bread but it was so good. Then, as he nearly finished the bread, he thought of the bread he ate before. That bread was cold, hard, and tasted funny. Sometimes a meal for him would be that bread and some water. For lunch, it was chips. 

And for dinner, it was some noodles and a bit of juice. 

... 

"Giorno," Haruno looked at Mister Golden Clip Man. "What's wrong? Is the food alright?" 

"Mhmm," Haruno nodded, eyes sparkling. "This tastes so good! This is the best!" 

"Well, don't you wanna eat more," Nara asked, tilting his head. "We have your favorite! Octopus salad!" 

Haruno blinked as Nara pushed a plate of the octopus salad to him. He looked at it for a bit. It looked really odd and really weird, which is why a small bit was all that he took. At the bit of the salad, he looked at the other men. They were all looking at him. But why? He ate the little bite and chewed it. He blinked as he continued to chew. Before, he felt off about it, thinking that the men would want to trick him into eating yucky food, like the other kids, to make fun of him. 

But this tasted so yummy! He really wanted more! 

"This is so good," Haruno smiled at them. "Can I have some more?" 

"Why, of course," Mister Golden Clip Man blinked. "We made it for you after all!" 

"Thank you," Haruno continued to smile at them. "Thank you so much!" 

He ate the yummy food as much as he could, taking it all very, very, very slow. Was he still dreaming? Maybe, but he didn't care right now. All he knew right now were only two things. And those two things were really all that he cared about anyway. 

For now, he was happy and he was safe! 

Chapter Text

'It was a dream.' 

At least, that's what Haruno thought to himself when he woke up the next morning. It had to be, right? There would never be a way that Haruno, of all people, would turn into an elegant (he learned that word just last week!) prince and be taken into a lovely palace! But the smell was as nice and fresh and the bed under him was so soft and warm. Opening his eyes, he saw the same fancy light and the same fancy bedroom. He gasped and sat up. He felt his hair in between his long fingers. It was loose and free in his fingers and the hair softly bopped against his neck. 

'It's not a dream? ' 

Haruno stood up, legs not wobbly like yesterday, and went to the mirror slowly. The mirror showed that his hair was in large curls. The more his eyes looked into the mirror, the more Haruno felt that he looked like someone else. Pulling down his shirt, he saw the star mark on his neck too, eyes widening. He looked just like his poppa in Momma's photo when she showed him the first time. And, well, he didn't know poppa's name. At all. 

'I look like other Poppa. So, am I other Poppa? Is this other Poppa's body? '  

It did fit like pieces in a puzzle. The star mark on his neck. The long, blonde hair. He was long and he was tall. But did Poppa have green eyes? A slight hum came out. He always thought that Poppa had red eyes, but the photo was too dark for him to see closely. Haruno sighed. Thinking of these questions was making him very tired, very, very, very tired of it. A slight noise at the window made him jump and he turned to slowly open it. His eyes widened in happiness as he saw just what it was. 

"A birdie! You're a birdie!" 

The birdie, blue and white all over, chirped happily and landed on Haruno's finger. Haruno felt his smile grow wider as the birdie still chirped. As he watched the birdie chirp in a happy song, he saw the sun rise and paint the sky in lovely colors! It was yellow and blue and pink! So, so pretty to see! The wind flew in his hair and the smell of flowers outside made him the happiest prince on Earth! 

"Mr. Birdie, can I tell you a secret," Haruno whispered to the bird. The bird chirped happily. "I feel like a prince in a fairy tale! With knights, and a palace, and a flower garden!"  

The bird chirped before flying away. Haruno stood up and decided to get dressed. He wondered what the day would bring him in this fairy tale! 

'Ah, what to wear, what to wear! ' 

He giggled to himself as he looked at the wonderful clothes that was in the closet. There were lots of pretty, pretty suits here! A blue suit! And a pink one! And the black one too from yesterday! He took out the pink one and pressed it against his body! Was this the right one to wear for the day? He squealed happily as he jumped up and down! If this was what being a grown up was like, he was happy to be one right now! 

"Giorno," A knock was at the door. "Giorno, are you awake? Breakfast will be ready in 5 minutes!" 

"Ah, I'm coming soon," Haruno called back happily, then looked at himself in the mirror. The man smiled back. "I can do this!"

"Giorno," Mr. Gold Clip Man looked at him with sad eyes again. "Are you sure you're well enough to handle this? You can take another day off if you prefer..." 

"No, it's okay," Haruno jumped up and down happily. "I can do this! I know I can!" 

"Alright, alright," Mr. Gold Clip Man laughed before opening the door. "But if you need any help, then call me, alright?" 

"Mhmm!" 

Haruno nodded and Mr. Gold Clip Man left, leaving him alone with a large pile of paper. He took a deep breath and took the first paper from the pile. His eyes widened, this time from fear, as he tried to read the words on the page. They looked like words on a page that he didn't know. His heart was pounding as he tried to read the words again. Haruno's eyes began to water but he wiped his eyes and shook his head. 

"No," Haruno told himself. "I'm a grown up now! Grown ups don't cry! Grown ups don't cry!" 

He sniffed and rubbed his eyes before reading the words slowly and carefully. He could do this, he could do this, he could do this, he could...His hands shook as he tried to read what the paper was talking about. But his Italian wasn't good enough. Come to think, not even his Japanese was this good. Haruno squinted and turned the paper around. Maybe that would help him! But the paper just looked the same. He put it down. 

"It's okay," Haruno told himself. "It's okay. Maybe the next one I can read." 

But the next paper was just as hard as the first one if not harder. Haruno felt himself sweat as he tried to understand the words on the page. His teeth were biting his cheek real hard and he could feel himself getting tired. But no! He told Mr. Gold Clip Man that he could do this! He was big, tall, and grown now! He had to do this by himself without help! After all, if step-Poppa or Momma found out, they would be mad and yell at him really, really, really badly! So, Haruno decided to try and read the large pile. But it was of no use at all! 

'I can't read any of it. ' 

If Haruno was scared before, now he was scared times a gazillion! What was he gonna do? He couldn't just tell them, not after what he said! He'd be seen as a liar and then all of them would hate him and then he'd be alone again and then, and then, and then! Haruno whined in fear. Then, it was a small noise that made Haruno jump. He looked around a little before he spied a turtle sitting on the window. His fear turned into joy. 

He loved turtles! 

"Hello, hello, hello," Haruno gently whispered as he walked towards the turtle. "What's your name?" He gently put a hand for the turtle to sniff. 

The turtle rubbed its head into his hand and Haruno squealed in delight. He picked up the turtle and made cooing noises at it. Was it a him? Was it a her? He really wanted to ask but he knew that if he asked, then the nice men might get mad at him. Haruno decided to play more with the lil turtle, who looked happy to see him. He decided to play with the turtle some more. He nuzzled it before a knock on the door made him jump. A flood of fear went through him and Haruno put the turtle back on the windowsill before sitting at the desk. He picked up a paper when Mr. Gold Clip Man came in. 

"Hello, Giorno," Mr. Gold Clip Man smiled nicely. "You've been in here for quite a while. Don't you want to take a break?" 

"Um, I, uh," Haruno looked down, afraid to tell the truth. "I...I want to, but..." 

"But," Mr. Gold Clip Man raised an eyebrow. "But what, Giorno? Surely..." He looked down at the floor. "Giorno, what's wrong?" 

"N-Nothing...!" 

"If that's the case, then why is there grass growing on the floor?" 

Haruno blinked. Grass? Growing on the floor? He looked at the floor and his mouth hung open in shock. There was grass growing on the floor! A sound and Haruno looked down at his hand. The pen in his hand was not a pen, but a frog! A tiny dark green froggie! Haruno watched as Froggy bounced up and down all over the desk! It croaked and ribbitted and it was just so cute! Haruno carefully pet it on its itty-bitty little nose! 

"Giorno," Mr. Gold Clip Man said. "Please. If you need to talk to me about anything, then please tell me!" 

"...If I tell you," Haruno asked. "Will you promise that you won't get mad at me? Please?" 

"Yes, Giorno, I promise." 

"Pinky promise?" 

"Yes." 

"I...I couldn't do the papers," Haruno looked sadly. "I...I tried to...But I couldn't...and I'm sorry! I know that I said that I would do it, but I...I..." 

Haruno looked away, closing his eyes. There. He said it. He told the truth. And he knew that no matter how much they said that they promised it or said that they wouldn't be at all mad at him, the adults would be mad anyway. It's why he didn't say anything at all. Haruno gasped as a hand, rough and big feeling, nicely petted his hair. It didn't feel like it would turn into pulling his hair anytime soon. 

"Giorno," Mr. Gold Clip Man softly said. "You shouldn't feel so afraid to tell us what is bothering you. We're familia. And the familia of Passione is always here for each other." He looked at Haruno with such kindness that Haruno felt like he was dreaming again. "Okay?" 

Haruno nodded, but he had a feeling that the trouble wouldn't end there. And he was right.

Red.

Red. 

Red. 

It smelt so bad. 

Was this blood?

Why was there blood here?

Mr. Abba wasn't moving!

Mr. Nara wasn't moving too! 

Mr. Gold Clip Man wasn't moving! 

Mr. Strawberry Man was leaving! 

But why?

But why?

But why?

Then, two green eyes. 

Were they his own?

No. 

They were mean. 

They were nasty.

Help! Help! Help! Help!

And Haruno screamed that night. 

Chapter Text

A poke to his cheek woke Haruno up. 

He awoke to the same nice ceiling and the same soft bed. He rubbed his eyes as he looked around the room sleepily. Who poked him right now? It felt hard on his cheek. Then, a slight noise made him look down next to him. His eyes widened as he looked at the little thing next to him. His hands reached out to pet the creature and gasped at the touch. It was a tiny gold thing with purple eyes and a bowl hat. It held out its arms, like he did for Momma, and whined at him. He picked up the creature and it snuggled into his arms. A smile crossed his face. 

It was so cute!

It was so cute!

It was so cute!

The little thing in his arms talked happily as he got up and opened the door. Walking downstairs, he saw Mr. Abba and Mr. Nara there, yelling at each other loudly. He pouted as they kept on yelling and yelling. He didn't like all the yelling. He looked at the fairy in his arms, who looked real mad, too. He wanted to tell them to stop yelling at each other. It was getting too loud and he didn't like it, he didn't like it, he didn't like it. Then Mr. Gold Clip Man came in and told them to stop. He liked Mr. Gold Clip Man. Mr. Gold Clip Man, what was his name, was really nice. 

"Ah," Haruno hugged the fairy in his arms. "Everyone, look! I caught a fairy!" 

He held out the little gold fairy in his arms, who smiled and waved at them. Mr. Nara, Mr. Abba, and Mr. Gold Clip Man just looked at the fairy in a strange way. Haruno tilted his head. Did they not see the fairy at all? Was Haruno the only one who could see the fairy? He held the tiny fairy to his chest. Was he going to get called a liar? He wasn't a liar! The fairy was real, the fairy was real, the fairy was real! 

"Yes, indeed," Mr. Gold Clip Man smiled. "It's a nice little fairy." He patted the little fairy on the head. 

"We all have fairies, GioGio," Mr. Nara jumped up and down. "Here's mine! Aerosmith! 

With a little magic, Mr. Nara showed Haruno his own fairy! Haruno gasped. It was a little airplane! It was red and silver and gold and so pretty! At the airplane showing, Haruno's heart gave a leap of joy and he cried out happily. The little fairy in his arms reached out for the airplane, smiling. The airplane got to the little fairy's hands and the fairy laughed and babbled happily. Haruno also reached out and petted the airplane fairy, too. 

"Wow," Haruno looked at Mr. Nara. "He's so smooth and shiny and really nice!" 

"Yeah," Mr. Nara nodded, grinning. "He can do a lot of cool tricks too! Wanna see?" 

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Haruno jumped up and down, the little fairy laughing too. "Lemme see! Lemme see! Lemme see!" 

"What's going on here?" 

They all turned to see Mr. Arrow Hat Man with (one, two, three ) lots of fairies too! And they were so small. And gold like his fairy. And cute! And they talked a lot! Haruno's eyes then looked at one who was crying very loudly. He frowned. The other fairies were being mean to him! That was, in his mind, not good at all! Both he and the fairy pouted as his feet marched to Mr. Arrow Hat Man with the other fairies. He looked at the fairy, who cried a little less this time. It had a number on its head. It was five! Like him!

"Ah," Mr. Arrow Hat Man blinked. "GioGio?"  

"What's wrong, Mr. Five," Haruno looked at the Five fairy. "Why are you so sad?" 

"Three was being mean to me again!" Mr. Five cried. 

"Oh no," Haruno and the fairy gasped. "That won't do! Mr. Three, apologize to Mr. Five right now!" 

"W-What," Mr. Three blinked. "Me? Apologize to him?" 

"Yep," Haruno pouted. "Do it right now, Mr. Three!" 

"W-Well," Mr. Three looked away, then he looked at Mr. Five. "I...I'm sorry, Five." 

Haruno smiled and showed Mr. Arrow Hat Man his fairy friend. Mr. Arrow Hat Man just blinked before patting the fairy on the head. Haruno gave a big smile before going back to Mr. Nara to see the cool tricks. He looked at the tiny plane doing circles in the air and doing loops! A lotta loop that the plane was doing! It spun and flew so high! It was so cool! He knew that the fairies were real! He always knew that the fairies were real! 

"So, are there any more fairies?" Haruno asked with a tilt of his head. 

"Ah, uh," Mr. Arrow Hat Man began. "Y-Yeah, there are. In fact, we all have them." 

Mr. Gold Clip Man, with a wave of his hand, showed a tall fairy that was blue and white and shiny. It had spiky things on its head and big golden things all over! It walked to both Haruno and the fairy and looked at the fairy. The fairy reached out and the blue fairy gave its hand nicely, very, very nicely. The fairy gave a nice happy cry and even the blue big fairy smiled. Haruno looked at Mr. Gold Clip Man, who moved and patted him, softly, on the head. 

"What's going on here," Mr. Strawberry Man walked in, raising an eyebrow before looking at Haruno's fairy. "Hang on. Is that...?"  

"Yes," Mr. Gold Clip Man nodded. "It is." 

"Ah, do you have one too," Haruno looked at Mr. Strawberry Man, smiling. He frowned when he saw his look. "A-Ah..." 

"I do," Mr. Strawberry Man glared. "But it's a dangerous beast. It can make you sick. Real sick. So, best not to get it involved." 

Haruno nodded and then looked to Mr. Abba. He clung to the fairy tighter because he was really scared of Mr. Abba. Mr. Abba glared at him, but he waved his hand and a purple creature with silver legs. It was so shiny, this fairy! Haruno's fairy reached out again for this fairy to pat him too, but the fairy never did. Haruno's fairy frowned and tried again. A whine came out of the fairy when he saw that the purple fairy wouldn't do so. It then turned to a happy sound as the purple fairy gently poked it on the cheek. 

"Hahaha," Mr. Arrow Hat Man laughed. "So, even Abba has a soft side!" 

"Shut up," Mr. Abba growled as he glared at his fairy. "Moody Blues, return!" 

"Moody Blues," Haruno looked at Mr. Abba. "That's such a nice name for a fairy!" 

"Ugh, kid," Mr. Abba glared again. "He's not a fairy!" He sighed before saying in a softer tone. "He's called a Stand." 

"Stand," Haruno frowned. "I like fairy better." 

That made Mr. Arrow Hat Man and Mr. Nara laugh. Even Mr. Gold Clip Man giggled a tiny bit. Mr. Strawberry Man coughed into his elbow and Mr. Abba rolled his eyes as he just folded his arms across his chest. Haruno frowned and tilted his head again. Did he say something funny? Odd. A thought then entered his mind. 

Oh. 

Oh. 

Grown-ups didn't believe in fairies. 

"It's okay, Giorno," Mr. Gold Clip Man smiled, a twinkle in his eye. "It's alright. There, there." He gave Haruno and Haruno's fairy a hug. 

"It is," Haruno tilted his head. "It really is? I'm not in trouble or anything?" 

"No, no," Mr. Gold Clip Man smiled still. "You're not in trouble. Here. Why don't you wait in the kitchen with your fairy? We'll catch up with you soon, alright?" 

"Alright!" 

And Haruno went into the kitchen, hugging his golden fairy. 

Chapter Text

In Abbacchio's personal opinion, it was Giorno's fault that he was in this mess. 

It started out as just a regular investigation at the warehouse which escalated into a well-drawn fight. They were doing well until the golden brat just had to slip up somehow. At some point, he locked eyes with the Stand and just stood there, slack-jawed. The Stand attached its feelers to a temple each and just began to glow. Abbacchio growled and just alerted Bruno and the others to what was happening. Whatever, the brat could, in all likelihood, just shake it off, right? After all, he was the perfect, perfect Don of Passione, too. There was no need for alarm or concern.

"Stay away from him!" 

Mista cried out as he aimed for the Stand. But the Stand just pushed Giorno in front of it, making Mista hesitate. Giorno still had that stupid look on his face, his eyes a pale blue and his mouth hung open. Abbacchio could almost laugh at that if the situation wasn't so serious. The Stand. A creepily wicked grin crossed its face as it stroked his face in that manner, almost like a parent for a child. Abbacchio grimaced in disgust. 

"He's got Giorno in his grasp," Fugo chimed in, quite unhelpful. "We need to aim for a weak point that doesn't compromise Giorno at all!" 

Abbacchio just rolled his eyes in annoyance as he tried to look for something that could distract the Stand long enough for it to release the brat. His annoyance only increased as he couldn't find anything that made for adequate distraction. But there was Bruno in for a surprise attack on the Stand through Sticky Fingers. He managed to land a hit on it and Giorno toppled, trying to find his footing. 

"GioGio," Narancia moved over to the brat, who was blinking. "GioGio, you aight?" 

"Yes," Giorno's lips pursed. "Yes. I'm fine. Whatever it is, it's gone now." 

"We might have to investigate later," Fugo said. "That Stand user is still out there and they might do more damage." 

Giorno nodded but put a hand to his head as he wobbled for balance. Whatever that Stand did, it rattled the golden brat enough that he needed, at least from someone else, a lil bit of help to walk over to the car. Narancia and Mista helped him into the car, the brat almost hitting his head. 

Whatever. 

It was his own fault, anyway.

Only once did Fugo hear Giorno scream. 

It was that time they defeated Illuso and Giorno had to create an anti-venom to counter Purple Haze. But he remembered that it was a scream of pain and not a scream of fright. His mind raced with lots of possibilities and none of them were good. However, when they got to Giorno's room and opened the door, he was just standing there clinging on his braid and with a fearful expression. Narancia scanned the area with Aerosmith.

But there was nothing in the room. 

Fugo looked over to Giorno, who closed his eyes for some reason and was breathing funny. This was worrying. What could have possibly caused him to act this way? Apparently, it was a bad dream that caused him to scream like that, to which he was bit baffled but also understanding too, as Narancia had the occasional bad dream that left him yelling. A closer look made him think, though. Giorno was looking at them quite oddly. It was as if he didn't recognize them at all. 

Perhaps he should take a closer look at what that Stand was.

Giorno was acting strange, that was what Mista was sure of. 

But it wasn't a bad type of strange. It wasn't a strange that left his teeth on edge and made his gut churn. Rather, it was a strange that made him want to hug the Don and give a lot of kisses on his head. It was only reinforced when Giorno asked for fricking head pats, to which he was all so happy to do. Giorno's hair was real soft, which made Mista think about the hair products that the Don used. 

It only escalated with both dinner and the morning after. 

Dinner was especially weird because the usual Giorno was very silent and composed over his food, having that mask over his face. This time? It's as if there was someone else in Giorno's spot. He took everything so carefully with a sparkle in his eyes that made the food seem magnificent. A look of worry crossed Mista's face as he looked closer. The very last time he saw that was when one of the kids he knew in his neighborhood did not have enough food to eat. 

The morning after, he overheard Giorno talking to a bird about how he was a prince or something like that. Well, technically, it was true, right? It was kind of like royalty except a lot more guns and underground stuff and wait. The last time he checked, Giorno wasn't really into fairy tales. At least, he never talked about fairy tales as far as he knew. No, his mind was going haywire, something was up. 

He needed to talk to Bucciarati about this.

"Bucciarati," Polnareff said in all seriousness when Giorno was out of the office. "Giorno just nuzzled me and asked me for my name. Are we sure he's okay?" 

"Honestly," Bruno sighed. "We're still working that little detail out." 

Giorno was practically a mess when he came into the office, blubbering as if he was going to get in heavy trouble for not doing the paperwork. It was just one of the many flags that got the older man's attention. Giorno, by all accounts, was a workaholic. Leaving papers behind was just not, in his humble opinion, like the Don to do so. Then again, that was the thing, wasn't it? Ever since that day, Giorno was not acting like himself. In any way, shape or form. 

"Bucciarati, what happened that day?" 

"Stand Attack. That's the only explanation for it. There seems to be nothing else. The question is, what does this Stand do?"

"If it was something for an attack, then the Stand could have done so at any moment," Polnareff quipped. "However, the fact that Giorno is acting the way he is seems to be more of a defense rather than offense. It doesn't seem like he wants to attack us. It seems that he just wants to live." 

"Fugo is already researching this Stand," Bucciarati answered, eyes narrowing. "Until we know what this Stand does, I'm afraid we might have to walk on eggshells around Giorno, for the time being."

Fairies. 

GioGio called them fairies. 

Narancia personally liked the name, even though he himself was too old for fairies. He showed GioGio Aerosmith and GioGio was completely and utterly amazed! It was as if he'd never seen him before! Narancia liked the attention! It was nice that someone was wowed by Aerosmith for once as he showed GioGio some tricks! Then, he had a good laugh at Mista and his Stands when GioGio and his tiny baby Stand was pouting! It was a real cute thing to see! He'd never seen GioGio pout, not even once! It was cool, but everyone had to pout sometime! 

But that little tiny gold stand!

Was that baby Gold Experience? 

If so, it was real adorable! He wanted to pinch his chubby little cheeks!

Soon, everyone except for Fugo had their stands out. Moody Blues even gave GioGio a nice little hug! Aw, Abbacchio did have a soft side under a heavy amount of emo clothing after all! The hugs didn't stop there! Even Bruno got in on the hugs, too! Aw, c'mon! That's no fair! Narancia felt it was unfair! He wanted to hug GioGio, too! Suddenly, he had a slight realization of being led into another room. Everyone except GioGio was here in this room, but why?

"So, Fugo," Bruno's voice was serious. "Have you found anything?"

"Almost done," Fugo mumbled. "And got it!" 

His reaction was that of going slack-jawed before mumbling to himself again. Narancia frowned. C'mon, what was going on here? And was Fugo smiling? Huh? Now he was really confused! Narancia looked to everyone else, who was just as lost as he was. Abbacchio went to take a look and had the same reaction. No, he was laughing about it as if it was a real funny joke! Except Narancia missed the punchline, somehow. 

"Fugo, Abbacchio, this is a serious matter," Bruno glared. "If Giorno is possessed by something..." 

"No, no, he's not possessed by anything," Fugo waved a hand. "By all accounts, he's the same person. But the thing is his mind is reverted back. Back into a more innocent time." 

Wait. 

More innocent time? 

"Basically, it's that one movie where the one kid turns into an adult overnight," Abbacchio managed to explain. "The brat is actually acting like a brat!" 

"Wait," Bruno's eyes lit in understanding. "So, Giorno is still Giorno, but..."

"Holy crap," Mista blinked in realization, too. "His mind is that of a little kid's!" 

"Specifically," Fugo finished. "His mind is that of a five year old's." 

Wait. 

Really?

Narancia wanted to squeal. Yes, it was technically a serious situation, but when was it not half of the time? Besides, GioGio never acted like a kid at all! He was all serious and all, what with him being the Don, but now he was a little kid! Okay, a little kid in a grown-up body, but still! Plus, it did explain tiny Gold Experience! Oh my gosh! That was adorable in every single word! 

"Oh...Oh my..." Bruno bit his lip. "So that meant that when he was trying to do paperwork the other day..."

"Or wanted head pats." Mista continued. 

"And don't forget calling Stands fairies." Fugo furthered explain. 

"He did the things he did because he's mentally five years old." Abbacchio finished. 

"Who's mentally five years old?" 

They turned to see Trish standing at the door, wearing a confused expression on her face. 

Chapter Text

Haruno was still playing with the little fairy in his arms when he heard someone coming into the kitchen. He looked up and his jaw dropped. The person who came in was really, really, really pretty! She had nice pink hair in an ice cream swirl and nice green eyes. She had a smile on her face and he looked away, blushing. She sat down next to him and he could feel a nice aura. He timidly looked back at her and she was still smiling at him. He shyly smiled back, tucking a strand of gold hair behind his ear. The little fairy grinned in a flash and squealed happily. 

"Hi there." The girl began gently, holding out her hand. 

"Um, hi." Haruno replied, taking the hand gently and shaking it softly, the little fairy still squealing in delight.  

"Oh, how cute," The girl cooed at the little fairy, who looked happy for the attention. "Who's a cutie! You are! Yes, you are!" Then, she looked up. "Ah, sorry about that. I believe it is the first time we're meeting, right? What's your name?"  

He bit his lip. What should he tell her? It would be best if he could actually tell her his name. But everyone else here knew him as Giorno. So, who was he, really? He looked at the girl, who kept looking at him. Her eyes were soft, nice, patient. She was nicer than Momma, that he knew well. It was a few moments of him looking at the fairy, the girl and then back at the fairy again. He sighed before he met her eyes. They were really nice to look at. Hugging the fairy close to his chest, he scooted closer to the girl, who leaned in closer too. 

"W-Well," He stammered, feeling heat rise to his cheeks. "M-My name is Giorno. Giorno Giovanna." He paused shyly. "Um, what's your name?"

"My name is Trish," The girl replied. "Trish Una. And what is this little guy's name?" She nodded to the little golden fairy, who smiled sweetly. 

A name for the fairy? Haruno blinked. Gosh, he didn't really know about that. He looked down at the golden child, feeling very bad. Miss Trish is right. This child needed a name and a very, very good name at that. He looked down at the fairy, who was nibbling on his fingers gently. Hm, he was golden in color. So, maybe Goldie? Gold Gold? Gold sounds good! Yeah, now he knew what he should name this little fairy! Haruno's fairy, a shine was seen in his eyes as he chewed on a biscuit hungrily. Trish laughed as she gave a little pat to the fairy. 

"Gold," Haruno smiled proudly. "His name is Gold." 

"Oh," Trish clapped in delight. "What a nice name! Mine is called Spice Girl." 

So saying, a beautiful pink fairy suddenly appeared. Gold reached out for Miss Spice Girl and Miss Spice Girl carried him in her arms, giving a bit of a soft smile on her face. They seemed to be laughing and talking in their own way, which left Haruno with Miss Trish. Haruno bit his lip as the golden hair tried to hide his blushing face. Gosh, he's never even talked to a girl before except for Momma. What should he say to her, if at all?

"Um, Miss Trish," Haruno asked. "Miss Spice Girl...is a Stand, right? That's what they're called..." 

"Mhmm," Trish nodded, tilting her head in confusion. "Why? What do you call them as, Giorno?" 

"I...I, uh," Haruno squeaked, hiding into his curls further. "I...I call them...call them..." He trailed off as his cheeks burned hot with shame.

"Giorno, what's wrong," Trish asked in concern, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Is everything okay?" When he didn't answer, she smiled. "Giorno, we're friends, right?" He nodded. "So, there's no reason to be scared or embarrassed. You follow, right?" 

"Y...Yeah," Haruno nodded. "Um, I...I call them f...airies..." 

"Fairies," Trish tilted her head, then nodded. "Yeah. I can understand that. They sure are magical in their own way..."

Trish, at first, wanted to believe that it was a prank that the guys wanted to pull on her. 

But the more she interacted with Giorno and saw Gold Experience as a small little stand, the more she was convinced of what they said. And now that she was alone with Giorno, sipping her coffee, she realized that little kid Giorno was a lot different than the Giorno she knew. He was a soft, shy, meek boy with the softest voice imaginable. It was honestly all kinds of adorable! And that little Gold Experience was all manners of cute as well! 

She then frowned. As cute as this whole thing was, he needed to get back to normal soon. Five-year-old Giorno couldn't run Passione like this at all. His life would be in danger! He couldn't control his stand. Heck, he couldn't read the Italian on the paperwork if Bruno was to be believed. It's a puzzling thing, this whole affair. Who would want to turn the Don to a little kid again if only mentally? Trish frowned. Something was wrong.

Something was very wrong. 

"Um, Miss Trish," Oh yeah. She'd almost forgotten. "I...uh...I..." 

"It's okay, GioGio," She smiled. Poor thing, he was really scared. "It's okay. I'm here." 

"Hey, come on Trish," Narancia's voice suddenly startled them out of their wits. "You're taking too slow! Get to the juicy bits!" 

Suddenly, Narancia bounded in like a wild tiger, smiling from ear to ear. He was followed by the others, who were in various stages of smiling. It would have been nice, but Trish definitely knew that something was up. She groaned softly. Were they really going to interrogate Giorno like this when he was in this state? Giorno hugged the tiny golden stand. There was fear in his eyes. He was probably wondering what was going on. 

"The jig is up, little man," Abbacchio smirked. "We know your secret." 

"M-My secret," Giorno jumped. "What secret? I...I don't understand..." 

"Nope, sorry," Mista shook his head. "We know exactly what's going on here, buddy. No use in hiding it." 

"I...I...I..." 

"I mean," Narancia stretched. "It was getting kind of obvious. You're not exactly the best actor, little dude." 

"W...What..." 

"You've left the paperwork unattended, which is something Giorno would never do," Fugo pointed out. "Not to mention the asking for head pats earlier." 

"Um..." 

"But it was the fairy thing that sealed the deal." Bruno finished. "So, what exactly do you want to say to us.

"I...I...I...I'M SORRY!" 

Suddenly, Giorno burst into tears. Noisy, noisy tears. He was shaking and hugging tiny Golden Experience close to him. Everyone gaped in shock before turning to each other. 

Well. 

This wasn't good. 

Chapter Text

Haruno didn't mean to keep secrets or lie. 

But he was just so scared and confused and he wanted to stay here a little more. Now, they knew. And they were gonna kick him out and, and, it was scary! He was sorry for just crying right there, as he knew that grown-ups didn't cry, but he didn't know what to do. He sniffled as he buried his face in his hands, trying his hardest to stop crying. But tears just kept coming. The fairy hugged him, shivering a lot. They were scared too! A second sob escaped as Haruno hugged the gold fairy, looking up at them. He couldn't see them, they were just fuzzy colors. Scary fuzzy colors. 

Haruno felt really awful. Really, really, really awful. He shook like a leaf, slightly whining as his chest got painful. He felt cold and hot and it felt a lot more painful than the scars. He shut his eyes and he could hear the voices scream and cry and swirl in his ears and his head and it hurt. Then he felt his eyes close and his head felt really light. Haruno liked this darkness. It wasn't lonely, like with Momma before, and it wasn't scary like a night with Step-Poppa. It was a nice kind of dark. 

"Giorno!" 

Giorno. Giorno. His name wasn't Giorno. His name was Haruno. He sighed as he felt himself sink into the ground and into a nice, nice warm. The warmth was really nice. Haruno heard Gold squeak a little and he hugged Gold tighter. Haruno felt two hands on his shoulders and he flinched a little. He slowly looked up to see Mr. Gold Clip Man look at him, his face worried. But why was Mr. Gold Clip Man worried about him like this? His eyes looked so sad. Haruno gave him a confused head tilt. Haruno was in trouble, right? So then why were they not getting angry at him at all? It doesn't feel normal even though it felt nice. He leaned into Mr. Gold Clip Man, who hugged him. Haruno closed his eyes again as his head ached.

"I'm sorry," Haruno choked out. "I didn't mean...I'm sorry..." His fingers tightly clung onto Mr. Gold Clip Man's shirt. "I'm sorry..." 

"Shh, shh, shh," Mr. Gold Clip Man rubbed circles onto Haruno's back. "It's okay. We're not mad, I promise." He held Haruno's face. "Oh dear. You don't look so good." Haruno felt himself get really tired and sleepy. "Here. Why don't you take a nap and then we can talk, okay?"

Haruno nodded, curling in on Mr. Gold Clip Man and still clutching his fairy. He could hear Gold babbling tiredly, too. He was getting s l e e p y...

He felt better when he woke up. 

Haruno rubbed his eyes again before looking around him. He was back in his fancy room with Mr. Nara and Mr. Strawberry Man looking at him a little bit sadly. Haruno felt badly about their sadness and gave Mr. Nara, who was the nearest to him, a gentle pat on the hand. Mr. Nara gasped, eyes sparkling, before giving him a tight hug. Haruno smiled. He liked hugs, even though he didn't earn them at all. After all, he kept a secret. A huge secret. And yet, they were here, hugging him. He held out his arms and hugged Mr. Nara as tightly as he could.

"Are you feeling better now," Mr. Strawberry Man asked. When Haruno nodded, he sighed. "I apologize if we came off too strong about this. It's a good thing that you don't seem too worse for wear." He moved forward and sat on the edge of the bed. "I believe that you don't know our names as of today. Is that correct?" Haruno nodded again. "Well, I shall begin. My name is Pannacotta Fugo, but you can call me Fugo." 

"Okay, Mister Fugo." Haruno replied, still hugging Mr. Nara. 

Fugo blinked a little, pink on his cheeks, before continuing. "Ah, yes, whatever you like." He nodded towards Mr. Nara. "This here is Narancia." It was like a roll-call at school. "So over there," He nodded towards Mr. Arrow Hat Man, "That over there is Mista." 

"Hey, buddy," Mr. Mista slowly moved over. "Sorry for scaring you earlier. We didn't mean to scare you like that." 

"You're...You're not mad at me?" Haruno tilted his head. 

"Mad at you," Mr. Narancia let go of him, looking surprised. "Why would we be mad at you, little man?" 

"I...I kept a secret," Haruno twiddled his fingers. "And I'm always told to tell the truth all the time, so..."

The truth. Step-Poppa always talked about telling the truth. After all, he was a man who was a part of the church at the corner of the street. But, but every time Haruno told true things, he would be punished for it. The truth would always make Step-Poppa or Momma mad. But why? Why? It just didn't make sense at all. He blinked when a rough yet sweet hand was on his shoulder. He looked up to see Mr. Mista give a pat on his head and he leaned in, taking it in very happily. 

"Hey, is he awake," Miss Trish popped in. "Giorno!" She ran over and hugged him tightly. "I'm so glad you're awake! Are you okay? Are you alright or do you still need some time? Here." She gave a nice smooch on Haruno's forehead. "There you go!" Haruno bashfully blushed in reply. 

"Hey, no fair," Mr. Narancia pouted. "I want a kiss too!" 

"Oh, Narancia," Ms. Trish laughed, shaking her head. "Okay then." 

Haruno beamed happily as he watched everyone get their kisses before looking at Mr. Gold Clip Man coming into the room. He reached out for a hug and Mr. Gold Clip Man was happy to give him a hug. Hugs were Haruno's new favorite thing! He would ask them for hugs from now on.

"Hey, Bruno," Mr. Mista waved. "Giorno's up and running. He doesn't know your name yet." 

"Oh, is that so," Bruno turned to Haruno. "Well, if that's the case, my name is Bruno. It's wonderful to meet you again." 

"It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Bruno."

"Dammit, there's nothing good on right now." 

Abbacchio was waiting downstairs, watching some TV and waiting for Bruno to come down the stairs. Lo and behold, there was Bruno arriving. It was then followed by Narancia, giving the golden br-er-kid a piggyback ride. Abbacchio blinked in shock. What. And the golden kid was smiling like it was Christmas. He didn't even think the kid could smile. 

"Abbacchio," He turned to see Bruno. "We need someone to look after Giorno while we track down the Stand User. Since he doesn't know you yet and he still needs some time to get used to things around here, would it be okay if you look after him for the time being?" 

Chapter Text

Abbacchio was not a happy camper. 

It may have been five minutes since the others had left, but he was still not equipped to take care of a kid. Much less Giorno who was acting like a shyer version of Narancia. The golden kid was currently sitting on the floor, watching TV while holding his stand like a teddy bear. Giorno was, for lack of a better term, giddy over watching some cartoons. His face was lit up as he watched Ash Ketchum and Pikachu joyfully run around. At the seven-minute mark, Abbacchio couldn't help but think of how different Giorno looked now. 

Giorno, from the moment he joined, was someone that he disliked if only for one thing: that stupid idealism. It reminded him of his own old self and that time where he was just too stupid and naïve to think that he could change the world. And that golden kid carried those ideals with such a stupid amount of pride that it made him want to puke. So that, that was the story of Abbacchio having a frosty relationship with the golden kid even with the Previous Boss defeated. Not even Bruno could make him soft towards the blond kid that acted as the Don. Still, this was highly and adorably amusing, even if Abbacchio was loathe to admit it. 

"Hey, kid," Abbacchio said. Giorno froze and turned to look at Abbacchio shyly, hiding behind Tiny Gold Experience. "You hungry?" 

"Mhmm." Giorno nodded as a reply, holding Tiny Gold Experience as if he was a teddy bear. 

"Come on then," Abbacchio motioned to the kitchen. "I think Bruno has some leftover potato salad from yesterday. And some octopus salad." He hid a chuckle as Giorno jumped up and down in glee. "Hold your horses, kid. You're going to have to be patient, okay?" Giorno nodded again. At that, Abbacchio took out the food items and heated them up. "It takes some time so, in the meantime..." He turned to Giorno. "Let's talk, alright. So that we can get to know each other a bit better." 

He sat down next to Giorno, who froze and looked at them with those big eyes. Observing Giorno's behavior, there were some signs that he was slightly alarmed about. For one, Giorno always flinched whenever someone raised their voice or made a threatening motion. It was seen with the hot-tempered duo known as Fugo and Narancia, but that motion was mostly with him. He didn't understand why at first and even now he still is trying to figure it out. And even still, Giorno just looked at him with those eyes that just stared. At seeing Abbacchio's face, Giorno looked away. 

"So," Abbacchio started. "Let me start with my own self. My name is Abbacchio." 

"Hello, Mister Abbacchio." Giorno murmured, playing with his fingers. 

"Mister Abbacchio, huh," Abbacchio raised an eyebrow. "Huh. That's new." He knew that Giorno was polite in his speech, but this was a new level and Abbacchio wasn't sure how to feel about that. "Okay then, Giorno. I know for sure that you're a good kid, so you won't bring any trouble." At that, he raised an eyebrow to punctuate that sentence, to which Giorno nodded frantically. "Alright, alright. Don't do that." He grimaced. Oh boy, this wasn't going so well. 

"I'll be good, Mister Abbacchio," Giorno mumbled, still playing with his fingers. "I promise." 

Before they knew it, the food was finished heating. The delicious scent was definitely appetizing and Abbacchio brought out the food quickly. At the look of the food, the golden kid smiled happily. Abbacchio never mentioned it before, but the way that this kid took food was very alarming. Before, the kid ate normally if a bit formally. But now, he ate like a tiny bird, taking little bites of the food. Abbacchio had to wonder about what, if anything else, led to Giorno eating like that. And the scenarios in his head did not paint a good picture in his eyes.

"Ah!" 

Abbacchio was startled by a clink on the floor. He looked and saw that Giorno's fork was on the floor. That wasn't the part that got his attention, oh no. That was something that Narancia did occasionally and unapologetically. But Giorno's reaction was something else entirely. That reaction, it was as if Giorno saw something incredibly frightening. Giorno looked at Abbacchio and then at the fork, trembling. The older man frowned. At a glance, this wasn't natural. Abbacchio just picked up the fork and threw it in the sink, showing Giorno that it was no big deal. It didn't work. 

"Giorno," Abbacchio moved towards the boy, who flinched. "Giorno, it's just a fork. It's no big deal." Giorno mumbled something. "Huh?"

"M-Made floor messy," Giorno mumbled, eyes watering. "I made floor messy. I...I didn't mean...I just...I'm sorry...I'm sorry..."

Okay. That set off way too many alarm bells in Abbacchio's mind. He had his suspicions, which is why he didn't meet with Giorno as much as the others. But this was just. He bit his lip. He had to get Giorno to calm down, but how? He wasn't the comforting type at all. Abbacchio took a very deep breath and looked at Giorno, who looked like a deer in the headlights. He gently put his hands on Giorno's shoulders and pulled the kid as close as he could without scaring him. He petted Giorno's hair gently to calm the kid down.

"A-Ah," Giorno gasped. "W-Why...?"

"Listen, Giorno," Abbacchio replied, voice low and gentle. "I won't hurt you. At all. Ever. No matter what happens. Especially if it's for a little thing like this." Wow. Giorno's hair is soft. What did this kid use for conditioner? "Besides, the fork can be cleaned and replaced. You can't." Wow. That, uh, that was sappy. But it worked for Giorno slowly looked up.

"I...I'm not in trouble?" 

"No, of course not," Abbacchio continued to pet his hair. "Narancia, Mista and even Fugo pull this sh-uh-stunt all the time. So, you're good." 

"Th-thank you, Mister Abbacchio," Giorno slowly smiled. "Sorry about the fork." 

"Like I said, it's no problem," Abbacchio gave a hint of a smile. "I'll get you a new fork. And then, you can continue eating, okay?" 

Giorno nodded, beaming as he was given another fork. He happily dug into the food and Abbacchio was both relieved and concerned. Relieved a little that Giorno could be easily pacified but concerned at just how jumpy he was. He would have to talk to Bruno about this and make whoever, be they his parents or otherwise, pay. No kid should have to deal with that kind of heartache, not even Giorno.  

'I promise you, Giorno,' Abbacchio looked at the kid happily eating and giving some to Tiny Gold Experience. 'Nobody will hurt you again.'

Chapter Text

"Abbacchio," Bruno called out. "Abbacchio, can I borrow some of your time?" 

"Shh," Abbacchio hissed, pressing a finger to his lips. "Don't shout like that. You'll wake him." 

Bruno was confused at first until he peeked into the room. His confusion turned into that of awe as he found Giorno sleeping on his bed with his braid undone and cuddling with a plush ladybug. He had to soften his laugh when he remembered the first time that Giorno was given the toy, a gift from Narancia. The older boy explained that it was a tiny toy to be used just in case. Giorno appreciated it but felt that he was too old for it. Of course, that didn't stop Giorno from snuggling up with it after a bad nightmare or two, but the maturity angle was still there. Narancia, Bruno mused, would be extremely happy about this new development. 

"Anyway," Abbacchio whispered, grabbing the other man's attention. "What do you need me for?" 

"Yes," Bruno's smile faltered. "Come with me to the living room. I have some bad news unfortunately. It's about the meeting with Capo Suppli." 

"You're telling me that she's not willing to reschedule the meeting," Abbacchio replied, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. When Bruno nodded, that made the man's jaw drop. "Who does she think she is?! She's a Capo, not a Don! But more to the point, we can't do it while Giorno's like this! His mind's compromised, right now! He's gonna freak out and place a bigger target on himself! Not to mention that I'm not willing to put a little kid in danger like this!"

"I know," Bruno massaged his forehead. "I don't like this, either! But no matter how many times I've tried, she doesn't want to listen. It's almost... It's almost as if she knows." 

"Don't lose your head," Abbacchio gently scolded, placing two hands on Bruno's shoulders. "Let's keep calm and figure out what we should do."

"Well, it sucks either way," Mista piped up sullenly. "I mean, that poor kid is gonna freak out with all those guards and those horrible Capos!" His hand rested on his forehead as he sighed. "I mean, if I were him, I'd be quaking in my shoes! Or boots. Whichever one fits better..." 

"Even still, that doesn't erase the fact that his presence is required," Fugo grumbled. "So as much as we want to grouse about it, we can't do a lot about this..." 

"Yeah we can," Narancia piped up. "Of course, we can!" When everyone turned to him, he continued. "He has us, doesn't he? Can't we help him to act like a Don and stuff? I mean, he doesn't even have to say anything! We can make up an excuse or whatever so that he doesn't have to talk!" It definitely looked like he wanted to say more. "All he has to do is to look cool and stuff!" 

"And what excuse could you possibly think of that would make Giorno exempt from talking, Narancia?" Fugo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Easy," Narancia answered. "The one where your voice gets all raspy and stuff!" 

"Laryngitis?" Trish asked. 

"Yeah, that's it!" 

"...Um..." 

Everyone turned to see Giorno, who was rubbing his eyes sleepily. His hair was mussed up and yet tumbled down to his shoulders gracefully like a roll of silken thread. Chewing absentmindedly on his index finger, he looked so worried and small. Narancia immediately bounced towards the boy and gave him a big brother cuddle of sorts. Fugo followed, frowning, before gently taking the finger out of Giorno's mouth and giving him a gentle scolding. Giorno blinked in reply before looking at Bruno and Abbacchio, head tilted just a little. 

"I...I wanna help..." Giorno mumbled shyly. 

"Giorno," Abbacchio began in a worried tone. "I don't know whether this is a good idea..." 

"Please," Giorno looked up at Abbacchio with pleading eyes. "You helped me! So, I wanna help you!" 

"Yeah, let him help," Narancia nodded, still hugging Giorno. "We'll be here for Giorno every step of the way! And don't worry, Gio," He smiled. "I'll teach you everything that you'd need to become a super cool Don!" 

"I'll be the judge of that, Narancia." Fugo muttered, rolling his eyes. 

"I'll be good, I promise!" Giorno begged. 

"We know that, Giorno," Bruno smiled gently. "It's just that, we don't know if the other person will be on their best behavior... Our hand has been forced. So, we have to respond. Fugo, Abbacchio, you will go with Giorno to meet Capo Suppli tomorrow! We will follow behind if things go awry tomorrow!"

Haruno looked out the window. 

He was once on a plane, but it was only that one time. Other than that, he just walked. So, being in a car-a van, even- made him shake a little. A sharp stop made him squeak in surprise and he looked up to see a very mad Mister Abbacchio. But he knew that Mister Abbacchio wasn't mad at him. And neither was Mister Fugo. He knew that whoever Capo Suppli was, she wouldn't be very nice at all. He looked at Mr. Smoochy in his shirt pocket. Mister Narancia gave him that for good luck! While Misters Fugo and Abbacchio got it ready, he hid in the bathroom and pulled him out. 

"I'm scared, Mister Smoochy." He whispered. 

"Don't be, Haruno," Mister Smoochy said. "Misters Fugo and Abba are with you!" 

"But what if I mess up," Haruno asked, nearing tears. "I don't want to make them mad at me. I wanna do my best!" 

"And you will do your best," Mister Smoochy replied. "I'm sure of it! All you gotta do is just remember what they told you!"

"What they told me," Haruno frowned, then nodded. "Right! I just have to look like I'm mad and serious and stuff! And not to say anything unless I have to! And if I have to, I have to say that I need to think about it or say no even if she gets mean and nasty!" 

"You did it, Haruno," Mister Smoochy cheerily said. "Well done!" Haruno smiled happily and kissed Mister Smoochy on the head.

He can do it!

He can do it!

He can do it!

Haruno walked to the big place where there was a red carpet and a fancy, long red couch. He sat down in a chair that looked like a throne and it made him feel like he was really a prince! He tucked in Mister Smoochy to where nobody could see and folded his hands like he did at school. A slow scariness was there with him, but he wouldn't be afraid! His friends were here. Haruno smiled to himself. Yeah. That's right! He had friends, now! And he would do his best for them! The doors opened and he sat up straight. 

I can do this...! 

Chapter Text

Giorno sat as calmly as he could within the Don's seat, a stoic scowl on his face. 

Fugo sighed as he pursed his lips in a straight line, partly in anticipation for Capo Suppli's arrival and partly so that he wouldn't laugh at how his boss looked currently. Giorno is sitting quite regally, but considering what Fugo knew now, the Don looked more like a kitten trying to act like a lion. Hopefully, the truth about Giorno's current situation did not leak to Capo Suppli or anyone close to her, otherwise they were in for the long haul. The doors opened and all three held their breath at the woman who entered quite gracefully.

Capo Suppli was admittedly quite the looker. Her long blue hair hung down just below her shoulders in waves, her icy purple eyes scanned all of their faces one by one like a tiny shark, and a smile elegantly graced her face. She came alone, it seemed. Either that or her men were waiting in the hallway just outside. Either way, this stand-off was a three vs. one type of deal. Of course, Fugo knew more than anyone that only a fool was the one who underestimate their opponents. For a few minutes, nobody spoke. Then, Capo Suppli, moving towards the couch, folded her hands.

"Hello there, men," She smiled. "Shall we have a pleasant chat?" Eyeing at Giorno, her smile widened. "There's no need for tension, my dear Don."

"I am not tense, dear Capo Suppli," Giorno smiled back pleasantly. "Welcome. To what do we owe the pleasure?" 

Fugo snuck a surprised glance to Abbacchio, who gave a surprised glance of his own. They knew that Giorno could pick up things quickly in real high-tense situations normally, but to see a compromised version of him pick up things just as quickly was quite the sight to see. Capo Suppli's eyebrow raised suspiciously but said nothing as she sipped her tea. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes, the tension thick in the air. That was until Giorno gave a pleasant smile and set down some papers in front of her gently. 

"I take it that these papers concerning the trade are what you wanted to talk about." 

"No, my dear Don," Capo Suppli's shoulders slumped in resignation. "Rather, it's about a rouge member of mine." 

"Oh," Giorno's eyebrows raised. "A rogue member, you say?" 

"Yes," Capo Suppli answered. "It seems that this rogue member of mine has been creating quite a dangerous ruckus lately." 

"Well, what kind of ruckus, Capo Suppli?" Giorno rubbed his chin thoughtfully. 

"Well, it seems that he's been terrorizing the locals in the port area of Napoli through some dangerous means." 

"That sounds awful." He leaned in a bit closer. "What does he look like and where can we find him?" 

"Before we talk about him, we need to get some things out of the way," Capo Suppli straightened her back, looking at all three of them in a very, very, very piercing stare. "I'm of the awareness that he compromised you with a stand, Don Giovanna." She clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "It was quite a stir when I found out about what happened to you." She sighed in frustration. "I'm sorry, kiddo. I didn't think you would be involved, especially like this." 

"What," Giorno's brows furrowed in worry. "What exactly do you mean, Capo Suppli?" 

"...The person I am speaking to is not Giorno Giovanna," Capo Suppli replied, staring directly at Giorno. "But Haruno Shiobana, correct?"

Haruno froze in his seat.

He looked to both Mister Abbacchio and Mister Fugo in fear as they glared at Miss Capo Suppli before turning to her. He tried to make his face a doll mask like he saw in the toy shops when he walked to school, but his heart was pounding in his head and drumming right into his ears. They all held their breath as they watched Capo Suppli stare at them, as if she was a cat and they were mice. It set Haruno's teeth on edge and he just couldn't help but shrink in the large seat he was in. Luckily for him, Misters Fugo and Abbacchio stood in front of him. 

"You're quite foolish, Capo Suppli," Mister Fugo growled, hand holding Haruno's. "You've just told us something that could put your whole life in danger." 

"That is precisely why I would tell you this, Signore Fugo," Capo Suppli replied. "Make no mistake, I have boys at home. I know how Stands work. And I know that the one who did this not only escaped, but also was working with someone else. The trouble is we don't know who he works for 

Haruno bit the inside of his cheek, trying not to tremble in front of everyone. He had to be strong, he had to be strong, he had to be strong. The whole room was quiet, cold, and scary, but he wouldn't be scared. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked at Mr. Abbacchio gratefully. 

"How do we know if we can trust you," Mr. Abbacchio growled. "For all we know, you could be pulling some kind of trick on us." 

"That's a fair point to make," Capo Suppli sighed, running a hand through her hair. "But considering that I'm the only one here who knows of this situation, I don't think you have much of a choice." 

"You-!" Mr. Fugo and Mr. Abbacchio growled, standing in front of Haruno. But Capo Suppli didn't care. 

"Haruno," Her voice was soft and gentle now. "I understand that this is all too much right now. I don't want to rush you into anything that you're not willing to do. Why don't you talk it over and we'll meet in a week's time? Does that sound fair?" 

"I," Haruno hesitated as his heart pounded in his ears still. "I..." He clutched at his knees. "I..." 

He shook like a leaf, biting his lip. What was he to do? What could he do? Did he mess up? He tried his best to play along, but it all went wrong. 

... 

It was very quiet in the car. Haruno continued to look down sadly at his feet while Mr. Abbacchio and Mr. Fugo were yelling and growling at each other. He felt his cheeks burn in hot shame as tears nearly pricked at his eyes. How could he have messed up? He should've done this perfectly! 

"We'll have to tell Bruno about this," Mr. Fugo was saying. "Not to mention up the security!" 

"Even still, I still think Capo Suppli is behind all this," Mr. Abbacchio said, frowning. "She's hiding something for sure..."

"..." 

"Hey, kid," Mr. Abbacchio turned to Haruno, who looked up at him sadly. "Look, you did fine. None of us saw this coming." 

"Yeah," Mr. Fugo chimed in. "And we'd have to tell Bruno about the meeting anyway, so don't worry. You're not in trouble." 

"But still..." Haruno trailed off as he played with the end of his braid. 

"Look, kid," Mr. Abbacchio softly placed a hand on Haruno's shoulder. "I know that this didn't go as planned, but you did the best you could here and that," He waved his hand. "Is all we could ever ask." 

Haruno wasn't sure if they were saying it because it was true or because they were being nice, but just for a moment he wanted to believe it.

Fugo sighed. 

That certainly could have gone better but sometimes even an ugly draw was a draw. Now it was back to the villa with the news in tow. Fugo gave a sigh. Bruno was not going to be a happy camper with this. As he continued to drive, he caught something out of the corner of his eye. 

'Hm?'

Giorno and Abbacchio were both asleep, with Abbacchio leaning against the window. Giorno, meanwhile, took to lying down on the long seat as his head rested on Abbacchio's lap. Abbacchio's hand was gently resting on Giorno's head. 

Fugo hummed as he continued to drive, debating on whether he should tell the others about this as well.