Work Text:
"Mo-mommy...mommy..." Josuke rasped.
Tomoko woke up, eyes snapping open and disoriented – it's almost three in the morning. She immediately went to Josuke's side, and as she held her son's hand, fighting the tears threatening to fall, the beeping was the only sound in the room.
"I'm here, I'm here." She shushed. Josuke's condition only worsened since his fever started. No matter what she, or the doctors, did, nothing seemed to help his condition, and with each passing day, she noticed that everyone around her was losing fate in her son. She held his hand to her head, praying for what felt like the millionth time.
'He is just a kid, he doesn't deserve this, please let him recover.' She chanted, over and over again.
It was so unfair, wasn't it enough that he had to live with the fact he was a bastard child in a small town? Wasn't it enough that he had to be picked on by other kids thanks to his hafu status? Josuke's reality hit her chest at full force and Tomoko couldn't stop the tears anymore.
Was there only suffering awaiting for her boy?
As she let her heart bleed out, Tomoko felt Josuke's tiny hands lightly squeezing hers. That’s when she halted, eyes wide as she berated herself, tears won’t help anyone, right now Josuke needs her, more than ever.
"Mommy." He called again and she gave her full attention, skin burning and eyes glassy. He looked so fragile, she was afraid that if she let go of his hand he'll perish any second. "I see that man."
This caught her off guard.
"That man?" Was he dreaming about him again? "The blonde?" He nodded, at least tried to.
"He approached me... There's another man behind him.... I'm scared mommy."
"No, no, I'm here, Josuke, I'm here. He can't reach you while mommy is protecting you." Her reassuring seemed to have calmed Josuke down, if even a bit. She can do this, be there for him, make him feel safe. Tomoko smiled down at her son, gently caressing his hair as she lulled him back to sleep. "Now rest. Mommy's going to be always here for you." He nodded, a smile crept into his face as he slowly closed his eyes. Tomoko kissed his burning forehead good night.
----------------------
The streets were bustling, Josuke kept a firm grip on his mom’s hand as to not get lost in this vast sea of people. The cacophony of chatters made for background noise as food stalls assaulted his nose with all sorts of scents: the buttery sent of popcorn and roasted corn, the sweet cotton candies, and the more rich, umami-heavy scents on the more traditional japanese snacks.
The young boy couldn’t take his eyes off the colorful decorations adorning the buildings, from paper lanterns to paper ornaments, it painted the yellow sky in a lively canvas.
When mom and son crossed a Kingyo Sukui stand, Josuke’s eye widened. Suddenly he was alone, the frantic chatting but a whisper. Josuke looked ahead to a dark void, gasping, he darted his head backward to meet the same black nothingness. In the middle of the wide street, enshrouded by the night sky, a single star passed by in a blink of an eye.
Then the paper lamps illuminated one by one, their soft light was bright, their warms glows giving a relaxing aura to the lost boy.
A ripple, and Josuke turned to the sound, a high-schooler crouched by the Kingyo Sukui stand, he was in the midst of scooping a goldfish. Josuke’s curiosity took the best of him and he approached the teen, feeling his resolve crumble the closer he was to the towering figure ahead of him.
The stranger was calm and his movements precise, it didn’t take long for him to smoothly scoop a goldfish from the tiny pool. The child gawked at how effortless the student made the game seen, but as soon as the fish was confined to the tiny plastic bowl the delinquent let it gracefully return to the pool.
“Why did you let it go?” He whined. The taller boy finally glanced down a the petite boy at his side. Josuke felt the air catch in his throat when they came face to face, sea green eyes met deep purple, like the purest of seas touching the clearest of night skies.
“Because it was trapped.”
“All of them are trapped.”
“Then do you want to free them?” His expression was unreadable as they kept their gazes at each other. Josuke noticed the teen nudging so he looked down, his eyes finding his palm open, inviting him. Josuke took his hand.
“But there isn’t a pond nearby!” The delinquent shook his head.
“We’re going somewhere else.” He raised to his feet, at the same time the black void ahead turned into a starry sky. A purple man materialized from the teen’s side to hold the pool, which looked tiny in his huge hands. Taking Josuke with him, the teenager walked towards the stars forming a path to them, the purple giant trailing beside him. The moment Josuke stepped on a star his surroundings where engulfed by the dark sky. the only lights either far away or on their feet.
Josuke watched with awe as stardusts painted the black scenery in reds, silvers, purples and greens, his eyes roamed to the tiny speckles of stars dotting the dark mantle, forming all kinds of shapes from planes, to ships, to vines.
His amusing ride was stopped abruptly when the little kid started shaking, nasty shivers running through his body. His weak pantings brought the attention of the high-schooler, who crouched beside him. Through hazy eyes Josuke could see the worry in the other’s eyes, his large hands gently touching his burning forehead as if touching delicate china.
“That seems like a high fever. Here, I’ll carry you.” He offered his back which Josuke struggled to get on, he clung to the gakuran, trying to drag his body as he threw a leg on the student’s thigh. He was hurled up and clutched the teen’s wide shoulders as a lifeline, the delinquent held him by his legs before resuming walking. “We’re close, so hold on.”
Josuke meekly nodded before dozing off on the stranger’s warm back.
Maybe it was his ferverish state, but when Josuke’s half-lidded eyes stared far away he saw an ever lasting expanse of sand, his eyes were soggy as he looked up to the same colorful sky. The sands gradually made space for small buildings and finally, a city like he never saw before.
In the corner of his eyes he saw the cursed blonde hair that keeps following him in his dreams. As he tensed, the high-schooler looked back, his sea green eyes slowly calming him down. “Don’t worry, I won’t let him harm you.” His tone sounded almost like an order, but maybe because of his eyes, it sounded more like unyielding conviction. Josuke felt reassured. “We’re here.”
The delinquent let Josuke down, his feet met the floor with surprisingly no complication and he approached the milky-way like river. The taller boy kept crouched near the body of water while the younger kid sat on his knees, they stared as the purple giant poured the contents of the pool into the river, the two goldfish that were freed swimmed disoriented before going their own ways. Frowning, Josuke was the first to talk.
“There were only two?”
“I’m just as surprised. I thought there was only one.” This made Josuke stare at him confused. The teen met his gaze. “By the way, your fever is gone isn’t it?”
Josuke blinked then shook his arms, no tingling. His eyes widened when the delinquent got near, lips coming close to his forehead. The tiny boy froze, wide eyes glued on the teen. The latter smiled, tipping his hat down before standing up, a large hand coming down to ruffle the younger boy’s soft hair. “Yes, it seems like it.” With a satisfied huff, he drew his right index finger across the brim of his hat then turned his back, ready to leave with the purple giant who never left his side.
Something tugged in Josuke’s chest when the teenager turned to leave. Flustered, the kid scrambled to his feet, stumbling on his words before shouting. “Higashikata Josuke! My name is Josuke!” The stranger turned his head, an inquisitive hum leaving his lips before he faced ahead, Josuke could see a ghost of a smile. He raised his hand in goodbye.
“Kujo Jotaro.”
Josuke would forget the name once he woke up.
-------------------------------
“Mommy! Mommy!” Josuke beamed.
Tomoko woke up, eyes snapping open and disoriented – it's almost seven in the morning. She immediately went to Josuke's side, and as she held her son's hand, she noticed his fever had gone away. With wide eyes, disbelief written all over her face, the hopeful mother touched her son’s forehead. Just as she initially noticed, his fever was no more.
She took her time to look at Josuke, eyes sparking with the light of a thousand candles, rosy cheeks and a smile as warm as the sun. Her Josuke, her treasure, was back up and healthy. The woman couldn’t contain her smile, even as a lump appeared in her throat and the tears flowed freely through her beautiful face.
Later a doctor went to check Josuke, and after basic exams the boy was discharged. Tomoko was helping the boy on his clothes when a thought occurred to her.
“After that nightmare, did you dream of that man?” Josuke nodded.
“Yes. But there was another guy! He kept me company the whole time.”
“A guy? How was he?” Josuke averted his eyes. The boy pouted, undoubtedly having a hard time to remember.
“Tall, muscular, he had green eyes, sometimes it looked blue.” Tomoko looked at her son as if he had just grow another head, she didn’t want to sound hopeful, but the description, as vague as it was, it reminded her of her beloved Joseph.
It did sound desperate, to think that the boy’s father was there for him in his moment of need. But her heart spoke louder, and it was what she wanted to believe, to give her some peace of mind.
Fighting the tears threatening to fall, the chirping outside was the only sound in the room.