Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Do you enjoy the ocean?”

Jotaro was taken from the mesmerizing exhibit of coral by a voice at his left. He glanced toward the voice and was met by vibrant lavender eyes. They reminded him of some of the coral he’d studied on a dive during his previous semester.

He fought to respond but those eyes held him captive for long seconds and the only sound he could make was a slow, “Uhhh…”

The corners of the eyes crinkled in amusement and the man next to Jotaro chuckled softly.

The sound was enough to jumpstart Jotaro’s brain and he shook his head slightly before pulling his hat down to hide his embarrassment.

“Um. Yeah. I do. I’m studying to be a Marine Biologist .” he said a bit to quickly. He slowly peeked out from under his hat at the stranger, slightly more prepared for the piercing gaze he knew would be waiting.

The man tilted his head to the side and smiled brightly. He seemed…odd to Jotaro. Not in a bad way, not really. His eyes were alight with such curiosity and wonder.

Jotaro took a moment to look him over and his brain nearly short-circuit again. Aside from the unusual eye color, the mans hair was such a shocking shade of red, Jotaro couldn’t help but assume it was dyed. Though the color certainly suited the man as he was far past handsome, more beautiful than anything. He had pale skin with a slight dusting of freckles over his nose and cheeks. Despite his slender frame, Jotaro could see he was well muscled across his chest and arms. He had a tiny waist, Jotaro was sure he could completely encircle that waist with his hands, that led down to…

“Do you always stare at people like that?” The man asked curiously.

“I…umm. No. I’m not. I just…”

The man chuckled again and held out a hand.

“I’m Noriaki.”

Absently, Jotaro shook the offered hand, “Jotaro…”

“It’s nice to meet you, Jotaro…”

******

A sound crashed through Jotaro’s dreams, startling him awake. He reached over and slapped his alarm before wiping away the now common moisture from his eyes that he refused to call tears.

He took a deep breath, opened his eyes and looked to the other side of his king bed, a small bud of hope still struggling to grow in his chest.

Aside from himself, the bed remained empty. Just as it had for nearly a year now.

Just as it had since the day his Noriaki went missing.

Chapter Text

Jotaro went through his usual morning routine before heading off to the SPW lab he was interning at for extra credits towards his degree.

They had asked him to relocate to California for a year to work in the lab there but he’d refused that the moment it was mentioned. He couldn’t stand the thought of leaving the one place Noriaki could find him.

The work day was long but kept his mind occupied and on less emotional topics. During his lunch hour, he made his daily call to the SPW Special Forces unit that had been tasked with locating and possibly rescuing Noriaki. The news was no different, there was no sign of the redhead.

His family had tried to help him move on. Going so far as to try and set hum up on dates. Jotaro refused to give up. He knew Noriaki wouldn’t have just left him like this and until he had answers, he’d keep looking.

The only concession he had made was returning to his classes. His mother had finally talked him into it saying that it would be Noriaki’s wish that he continue his work for the ocean and all its various creatures.

It was a passion they shared. Noriaki’s expansive knowledge of all forms of oceanic life had fascinated Jotaro. Especially seeing as the man had never taken a single college class at the time they met.

It was one of the many reasons he had grown to love Noriaki.

*******

Jotaro wandered around the aquarium, doing his part of the nightly clean up. Only a few of the visitors still roamed around getting last minute pictures to remember their visit.

As he made his way to his favorite coral display, he noticed a familiar yet unique hair color. He slowed his approach and silently came up beside the redhead.

“You’re here a lot.”

Noriaki glanced up at him briefly before staring back into the tank, “So are you.”

“I work here. What’s your excuse?”

Noriaki chuckled, “I love the ocean. This.” He said waving a hand at the tank, “It reminds me of home.”

“Where are you from?”

“Ahh, Japan originally. My family traveled around a lot. Always by ocean. I miss it.”

“Well, this is Florida. You can go to the beach anytime you want.”

“No. I can’t go into the ocean right now.”

“Why not?”

Noriaki turned to him with a smile, “You ask a lot of questions, Jotaro.”

Jotaro blushed at the playful admonishment, “Sorry.”

Noriaki just chuckled again and turned back to watching the tank.

“Umm, we’re closing in 5 minutes. Would you…umm..”

“Throwing me out?”

“Ahh no. Just thought you…you know…might want some coffee?”

Noriaki looked up at him again, eyes bright with curiosity, “I’ve never had coffee before.”

“Really?”

Noriaki shook his head, “Never.”

“Would you like to try it? I know a great place just a few blocks away.”

“I’d love to.”

********

Jotaro trudged into his apartment, dropping his bag by the door and took off his shoes. Heading to the kitchen, he set the kettle to boil water to make tea and grabbed his favorite cup with a sea star on it. It sat next to Noriaki’s favorite cherry printed cup.

It hadn’t taken long for the two men to begin dating. The coffee outing had turned into lunch dates, which then turned into dinner and movie dates.

Jotaro had nearly passed out before he finally asked Noriaki to be his boyfriend. Then they kissed and Jotaro thought life couldn’t possibly get any better.

The kettle began whistling and Jotaro removed it from the heat and poured the hot water into his cup. Taking the cup, he made his way into his office and sat behind his desk to review the latest reports on the search for Noriaki.

As with the reports before, there was no sign of his boyfriend. He sighed, took a sip of tea and began to work on his class assignments.

It was nearing midnight before he was finally ready to face the empty bed and try to sleep. He climbed in under the blankets and lay facing Noriaki’s side of the bed. He knew his Nori was out there, somewhere. He could feel it.

Taking Noriaki’s pillow, he hugged it close to his chest. The familiar scent had long since faded away but it still gave him some comfort and eventually, he fell into a fitful sleep.

********

Jotaro and Noriaki walked hand in hand toward Noriaki’s small apartment. It was nearing 11pm and they had spent all evening roaming around town, stopping at various tourist shops that Noriaki loved and ended up having dinner at a small restaurant that looked out over the ocean.

They lingered over their meal until the restaurant was just about to close before heading back. Jotaro always insisted on walking Noriaki home and Noriaki could never deny him.

Their 2 months together so far had been like something out of the fairytales Jotaro’s mom use to tell him about. He’d never been so happy.

Finally they reached Noriaki’s apartment building.

Jotaro turned to Noriaki, intending on a good night kiss but noticed his boyfriend looking up at the building nervously.

“Hey. What’s wrong?”

Noriaki turned to him and smiled shyly, “I was just thinking…”

Jotaro kissed his forehead, “What about?”

“Well, what…what do you…I mean.” Noriaki paused and shook his head, “Would you like to stay the night?”

“Are you sure?”

Noriaki stepped closer and lifted up enough to press a lingering kiss on Jotaro’s lips, “Yes. I’m sure.”

Jotaro smiled and kissed Noriaki, a long, sweet kiss before pulling away, “Then I’d love to stay.”

Chapter Text

Jotaro woke to the feeling of fingers slipping through his hair and smiled.

“Good morning.” he said softly as he opened his eyes. His beautiful boyfriend smiled back at him.

“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

“I always do when I’m with you.”

Noriaki blushed and kissed his forehead. “What would you like for breakfast?”

“I’m not picky.” Jotaro replied. As Noriaki moved to get up, Jotaro grabbed him, pulled him back down and held him tight.

Noriaki laughed and fought playfully to get away before settling back into the strong arms of his love, “Someone is clingy today.”

“Mm not.”

“You have classes soon. You need to eat.” Noriaki said as he rubbed his hands up and down Jotaro’s arms.

“Move in with me.”

Noriaki stilled for a moment, “ What?”

“Live with me. I want to be with you everyday. I love you, Nori.”

Noriaki turned over to face Jotaro with a bright smile on his face, “Really? You really want to live together?”

“Yes.”

Noriaki’s smile only grew and he started laughing, “Yes! Of course!” he said, kissing Jotaro deeply, “I love you so much!”

*********

*MONDAY*

Jotaro could do nothing but watch in absolute horror as the lab tech helping him slipped and fell, sending all of his carefully cultivated samples flying. The sound of shattering glass filled the room followed quickly by the sound of Jotaro’s perfect GPA plummeting into oblivion.

The research project had been assigned at the beginning of the semester and he’d worked and worked to study and manage his time so that he could finish with weeks to spare. He was days from being done and now it was destroyed. With 2 weeks left in the semester, there was nothing he could do but present his findings thus far and hope for the best.

He sighed as he grabbed the cleaning supplies and prayed to whoever might be listening that he would at least pass the class.

*TUESDAY*

“Jotaro, sweetie, something has come up. Mommy won’t be able to visit next week like we planned.” Holly said through the phone.

“But…I already bought your tickets.” He replied with a slight growl.

“I know baby. Maybe you can return them or exchange for another time?”

“What came up?”

“Oh…nothing bad, don’t you worry.”

“Woman….”

“Well, you see…your father…”

“Oh. Great. Ditch me for that deadbeat.”

“Oh Jotaro, you know its not like that. I just so rarely get to spend time with him. It was last minute. He just came home last night.”

“Tch! Whatever. Call me when he disappears again”

“Now Jota…”

*CLICK*

*WEDNESDAY*

His anger was a living thing crawling around inside him, desperate to be free.

He saw red. Literally saw red.

All down the passenger side of his white SUV where some jackass in a red whatever, had scraped their vehicle along the side of Jotaro’s car.

His hands clenched around the handles of the grocery bags he held as he fought to remain calm long enough to put them in the back. Once done with that, he pulled out his phone and called the police.

As he talked on the phone, he walked a circle around the SUV in search of more damage. When he got to the front, he found a small slip of paper under his wiper.

Thankful that the jerk had at least left their contact information, Jotaro grabbed the paper and unfolded it.

‘Hey dude. Sorry about your ride. Just putting this here incase someone saw me. Can’t afford another insurance claim right now you know how it is. Looks like you can afford it though, right? Good luck!’

Jotaro’s grip on his phone became so tight he heard the screen crack.

*THURSDAY*

After such a foul start to his week, Jotaro decided to visit the aquarium where he’d previously worked. More specifically, the coral tank where he’d met Noriaki.

It was his comfort place.

He could always come here and feel the very essence of the man he loved.

Jotaro strolled through the aquarium where he used to work. He had quit the summer after Noriaki went missing.

Still, most of the employees greeted him by name as he headed towards the exhibit where ne and Noriaki had met.

He rounded a corner and stopped in his tracks.

The coral tank was being emptied.

He all but ran to the tank and looked around desperately. All of the coral had been removed and the tank was over half empty.

He looked around until he found someone he knew and ran up to them.

“What happened to the coral exhibit?!”

The girl looked up at him in surprise, “Oh! Hey Jotaro! Umm, the coral? Uhh…well. Something got in the tank and it all died…”

“WHAT?!”

The girl stepped back, “I….i think they are doing tests to verify the cause but that’s all I know!”

Jotaro just stared at her for a full minute before his anger wilted, “I….thanks…” he said softly as he glanced back to the tank.

With a sad sigh, he walked to the exit.

*FRIDAY*

Jotaro half staggered into his kitchen. His sleep the night before had been nearly nonexistent.

The death of the coral exhibit had nearly pushed him over the edge. It was the one place where he always felt closer to Noriaki. It hurt so much to have lost that one place of peace.
Leaning against the counter, he reached for his favorite cup
.
His eyes were half closed and he was still mostly asleep.

His hand bumped against something and he absently smacked it aside.

Then he heard the crash on the floor. He groaned and leaned over the counter to see what had fallen.

It took long minutes for him to process what he was seeing.
A porcelain cup shattered on the floor.

Bits of red and green just big enough to recognize the large cluster of cherries that had been painted on each side.

Jotaro took a shaking breath and slowly fell to his knees as his tears started to fall.

Chapter Text

Jotaro parked his rental car in his assigned space at the docks and got out. Going to the trunk, he removed his hastily packed duffel bag and box of supplies he’d need for the weekend.

Once he’d picked himself, and the shards of Noriaki’s cup, off the floor, he’d quickly decided he needed to get away for a while.

So, within an hour, his bag was packed and supply box loaded into the car. He headed to the docks where the boat Joseph bought him for his 21st birthday was kept.

After storing everything below deck and releasing the dock ties, he headed out for the open ocean towards some of the small islands off the coast of Miami. He wanted to be away from land but not to far away from civilization just in case something happened.

He arrived to nowhere in particular at whatever time he got there. Completely uninterested in the where or when of his little journey. He knew how to find his way back when he was ready.
He dropped anchor and did a few checks before standing at the bow of the ship to just feel the ocean breeze. Taking a couple of deep breaths, he felt a bit more stable than he had in weeks.

He stripped off his shirt and kicked off his shoes then dove into the vast ocean. It felt like a warm blanket being wrapped around him. He swam a bit away from the boat and just float on his back for a while before heading back.

Jotaro made himself a quick snack then lay out on the deck with his hat pulled over his face and fell asleep to the sound of the ocean and rocking of the boat.

*****

Jotaro was pouting.

Noriaki turned from packing his suitcase and laughed at his boyfriend.

“I’ll only be gone a week, Jojo. I’ll be back before you even know I’m gone.”

“I don’t like it. It’s to long and to far.”

Noriaki sighed and sat in Jotaro’s lap, planting a smacking kiss on his lips, “I haven’t seen my family in over a year. I’ve put this off for long enough.”

“I should go with you.”

Noriaki froze, “Ahh. No. That…that wouldn’t be possible.”

Jotaro just looked at him with his ever stoic gaze, “Why not? You’ve met my family.”

“Yes. And they are wonderful people. But my family is…unique. They…it…what I mean is…”

“You don’t want me to meet them?”

“No. It’s definitely not that. I’m sure if thing weren’t so…complicated…they would welcome you. It’s just…”

“You never really talk about them. Why?”

“Again. It’s complicated. Maybe one day I can but not now.”

“But…”

“Please, Jotaro. Let it go. No matter how much I wish to tell you, there are simply parts of my past that must remain…apart from the life I’ve chosen.”

“Are you in the yakuza?”

Noriaki’s face scrunched up in confusion, “What’s a yakuza?”

Jotaro’s eyes widened, “What’s a yakuza? You’re from Japan. Everyone knows about the yakuza.”

Noriaki sighed deeply, “I lived a very sheltered life before coming here, Jotaro. I don’t know what yakuza is.”

“It’s a Japanese crime syndicate…”

Noriaki laughed, “Well, in that case, certainly not!”

Jotaro smiled at hearing Noriaki laugh and he squeezed him in a playful hug, “Then what is it?”

Noriaki sighed again but this time, with less stress, “Oh my love, one day I will tell you. But now, I’m sorry. I can’t.”

“Will you be safe?”

“Of course. There is nothing to worry about. I’ll be back in no time and I’ll never leave you again. I promise.” Noriaki said as he slipped his fingers through Jotaro’s hair and pulled him in for a kiss so full of love, Jotaro felt as if he might burst.

******

A loud splash woke Jotaro several hours later. He reached up, knocking his hat away as he rubbed his eyes and sat up.

He blinked a few times before looking around.

The deck was wet. Very wet.

With a frown, he stood and looked around but saw no other boats nearby. He followed the trail of water to the side and looked over into the water, but all that greeted him was calm blue-green ocean.

With a grunt of slight annoyance, he headed below deck. It was nearing lunchtime and he thought an afternoon dive would be a great way to end his day.

Chapter Text

Jotaro paced his apartment the Saturday after Noriaki left for his trip, phone in hand, trying to decide when it would be appropriate to loose his shit and call in everyone.

Noriaki had planned to be back Friday night, though he had not been able to give an exact time.

Jotaro kept telling himself that there were many perfectly good reasons for his boyfriend to be late.

He could have missed a connecting flight, he could have had late flight, an unexpected layover…many harmless things could be making him late.

But Jotaro didn’t really believe that. His gut told him something was wrong. Something had been wrong before Noriaki ever left. It had gnawed at Jotaro the entire week.

And now Noriaki was late. He looked at the clock on the wall, seeing it was just after 9am. He’d give Noriaki another hour, after that, it would be time to call his grandfather.

The hour crawled by, seemingly taking days to pass.

Jotaro began dialing the number the moment the clock struck 10am.

“JOTARO!!! MY FAVORITE GRANDSON!!!” Joseph yelled into the phone.

Jotaro cut him off before he could get going though.

“Jiji! This isn’t a social call! Noriaki is missing!”

*********

Jotaro did a final quick check of his gear before falling backwards into the water. He allowed himself to sink for moment before orienting himself and diving farther down. The water wasn’t terribly deep here but there was plenty to see.

He made it to the bottom, approximately 30ft down, and looked around. He found all sorts of fish, urchin and even a few small sharks. Pulling out his dive camera, he took beautiful pictures of the most interesting and colorful creatures he found.

At about the 20 minute mark of his dive, he noticed it was getting more and more difficult to draw air. Then suddenly, bubbles exploded from somewhere on his equipment. He went through his training procedures, but the bubbles kept coming faster and faster. He tried to close off his tank, his hands fumbling around on the valve when the bubbles stopped just as suddenly as they began.

Jotaro quickly checked his air levels and felt his heart drop. He shot for the surface, fighting against his malfunctioning gear. He barely made it 10 feet before it failed completely. He tried to draw air but nothing came. Still, he fought to swim up but everything began to feel heavy and his vision blurred.

After a moment, his movement ceased. He looked up to see the sun shining down through the water and thought it was nice to see. A second later, he saw bright lavender eyes framed by vivid red hair.

Jotaro’s last thought before the darkness claimed him, was that Noriaki looked beautiful with a halo.

*******

With in hours of speaking the words ‘Noriaki is missing.’ Jotaro was picked up from his apartment and taken to the local SPW foundation headquarters.

He went through rounds of questions about Noriaki, his past, his travel plans and so much more. One of the men asking questions stated they were going to build a profile on Noriaki to better help them understand and find him.

It was nearing midnight when Jotaro was dropped off at home. He was dead on his feet tired but to sick with worry to sleep.
He didn’t sleep for days before he finally collapsed out of sheer exhaustion.

Holly flew in to stay with him and try to cheer him up. Nothing worked.

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months.

But there was no sign of Jotaro’s Noriaki.

*******

Jotaro’s first instinct when he came to was to cough.

Water sprayed out of his mouth like a fountain as he fought to breathe. Before he knew it, he was forced onto his side and felt several hard thumps on his back.

After what seemed like an hour of coughing, Jotaro finally took his first full deep breath. He lay on his side, gathering his thoughts for a moment before he realized someone was still touching him.

He started to lean back to see his rescuer, but a hand grabbed the back of his head and shoved his face into the sand.

Before he could recover from that unpleasantness, he heard a loud splash. Looking up, he caught the barest hints of a fin disappearing into the water.

Chapter Text

Jotaro wiped the rest of the sand off his face and looked around. He started to panic a bit because he found himself in an underwater cave. Light trickled in from an opening far above his head, it was dark in the cave but he could still see for the most part.

He found his diving gear a few feet away and pulled it over to inspect it. The straps and hoses were slashed beyond repair. He wouldn’t get out using that, even if he could get it to work.

With a sigh, he stood and explored the cave. It wasn’t huge but it also wasn’t so small that he felt ne needed to worry about high tide if he had to stay over night.

His biggest problem now was how to get out. He looked up at the opening but with the way the cave was domed, he wouldn’t even attempt to climb out that way.

That only left swimming to escape. But that had its own set of dangers. How deep was the exit? How long was the tunnel?

The bigger questions were, how did he get here? Who brought him here? And why?

He made an annoyed sound and decided there was no point in figuring that now right this moment.

With a sigh, Jotaro went back to his diving gear and found the small underwater flashlight. After checking to see that it worked, he carefully waded into the water, shining the light toward the back to judge how far it went.

As he moved his light from right to left, he caught the shine of eyes at the far end of the cave. Quickly moving his light back to that spot, all he found was a heavy rippling of the water.

He was just over waist deep at this point so he slowly moved back out of the water and onto the beach of the cave.

“Ooooookay. That was definitely something.” He said softly.

He kept his light moving back and forth for several minutes before settling down with his back against the wall farthest from the waterline. Every so often, he would scan the cave with the flashlight. He didn’t catch the eyes again, though.

He sat and thought for hours but could think of no other way out of the cave besides the tunnel. That would mean getting back in the water with whatever that thing was.

The light coming from the top of the cave started to dim. Jotaro decided he would test the tunnel in the morning. He moved around to get as comfortable as he could and did his best to get some sleep.

*******

After a fitful night’s sleep, Jotaro woke to the sky brighten through the hole in the cave above him. He yawned and wiped his eyes before picking up his flashlight and scanning the cave again. Nothing in the back of the cave.

But just back from the waterline was a small net bag. Next to the bag, the word ‘EAT’ was written in the sand.

Jotaro scanned the cave again before slowly moving to get the bag. Once he had it, he moved to the back wall again. He pulled the bag open and found about a dozed oysters and what looked like a knife carved out of some kind of dark colored rock.

“What the hell?” he asked aloud.

Looking around again, he noticed a faint shine in the back of the cave. Eyes watching him from the darkness.

“Hello?” he called out.

No response.

“Why did you bring me here?”

The eyes blinked but that was the only response.

“Who are you?”

The eyes went dark and he heard a splash.

“WAIT!” he cried, tossing the bag aside and standing.

He aimed his flashlight in the area he’d seen the shine, but there was nothing there but ripples in the water.

With a sigh, he sat down and started working the first oyster open. He’d had raw oysters before and they were far from his favorite.

It took a minute, but he finally managed to get the stubborn thing open. With a grimace, he ate the blob of flesh from the shell.

As he worked his way through his meal, he found that the knife was actually quite sharp. So of course, on his 6th oyster, his hand slipped. The dark stone knife bit into his left palm, leaving a deep gash from the base of his thumb to the base of his middle finger.

He cursed loudly and threw both oyster and knife to the side, using his uninjured hand to apply pressure to the wound.

“Fuck!!” he growled, looking toward his gear to see if he had anything to use as a bandage. There was nothing. With another curse, he opened his hand to see how bad the cut was.

Blood pooled in his palm and he tried to wipe it away to get a better look. The cut wasn’t as deep as he initially thought and would heal just fine with proper care.

There in lay the problem, though. He had no way to disinfectant or cover the wound. In his present situation, his hand would most certainly become infected rather quickly.

This also meant he couldn’t swim out of the cave as his bloody hand would attract sharks.

Jotaro kept pressure on his hand as he leaned back against the wall of the cave, feeling all the more defeated.

Eventually the bleeding stopped and Jotaro dozed lightly against the cave wall. He was beyond exhausted with the small amount of sleep the night before and the trauma of the cut.
Occasionally he’d open his eyes and scan the cave for who or whatever had been watching him. At some point, he fell into a deeper sleep, unaware of the eyes watching his every move.

*******

Jotaro was jolted awake by something hitting his forehead. He shot up and looked around then scrabbled back into the cave wall as far as he could and just stared at the figure sitting just on the edge of the water line.

It was definitely a person but Jotaro could only see their hands. Their body was completely covered by a dense woven cloak that looked to be made of some kind of seaweed. The hood was drawn far over their face, completely obscuring it from view. The hands…were a pale greenish blue color with long sharp looking nails.

When the person made no move aside from tilting their head to study him, Jotaro eased into a more comfortable position.

“Who are you?” Jotaro asked, putting on his usual stoic expression.

The hood turned slightly and a hand came up to point at the diving gear.

“You brought me here? Why?”

The hand dropped. The person threw both hands in the air as if annoyed then gestured angrily at the diving gear.

Jotaro put his hands up in surrender, “Ok, ok! Thank you, I guess.”

Jotaro couldn’t help but think of how Noriaki did the same thing when Jotaro frustrated him.

A loud, slightly annoyed sigh came from under the large hood.

“Umm, who are you?”

The hooded person waved a hand dismissively and pointed to Jotaro’s own hand. Then they took a small bundle from somewhere in their robes and tossed it just in front of Jotaro.

“What’s this?” he asked

They held up their left hand and traced a line down their palm then motioned towards Jotaro’s injured hand.

Looking confused, Jotaro carefully opened the bundle and found some kind of green paste. He looked up at the person and they made a motion like they were putting something on their palm.

“You’re not going to poison me, are you?”

The person threw their hands up again then picked up a small pebble and threw it at Jotaro’s head.

Jotaro ducked just in time, “Hey! Hey! Sorry! Good grief.”

They held out one hand and poked their palm repeatedly before pointing again at the paste.

“Fine! I’ll put the goop on my hand. Shit.” He grumbled. “But if I die, I’m going to haunt you forever.”

The person gave an amused snort and shook their head.

Jotaro took a bit of the paste and spread it gently over the cut. After a moment, his hand started to tingle as if he’d put a numbing agent on the cut. He looked up at his visitor and asked, “Is it supposed to go numb?”

They nodded.

“Is that all it does?”

Head shake.

“This would be a lot easier if you’d speak to me.” Jotaro said, the paused and asked, “Can you speak?”

A hesitation, then a slight nod.

“Why won’t you speak then? Tell me who you are? How to get out of here? Something?”

A sigh came from the hood and they shook their head slowly.

“Can I at least have your name?”

They raised their hands to the hood and grasped the sides as if to pull it back then paused.

Long seconds passed as Jotaro watched them struggle with the decision. Finally they let their hands fall and their entire being seemed to wilt away. Jotaro could almost taste the anguish coming from them.

“Are you alright?” he asked softly.

They reached out a shaking hand and started writing in the sand. When they finished, they slid back farther into the water.
Jotaro stood slowly and moved closer to read.

“It’s best you not know me.” It read.

“Why?” he asked.

They shook their head and looked out at the water.

“Well, my name is Jotaro. It’s nice to meet you, I guess.”

They gave a huff of laughter and nodded.

“I’d still like to know your name.”

They shook their head and pointed to their chest then to the back of the cave.

“I don’t understand.”

They slid further into the water.

“You’re leaving? Wait. You have to help me get out of here!”

They pointed at his hand and shook their head again.

“Will you come back?”

A small hesitation then they nodded.

Before Jotaro could say anything else, they disappeared under the water.

Chapter Text

Jotaro sighed and sat back down, taking a moment to wrap the remaining paste up in case he needed to reapply more later.

Now that he knew he might be here for possibly days, he was a bit worried about necessities such as , well, water. He was awfully thirsty and already feeling the beginning of dehydration. It wouldn’t take long for that to become a major problem.

Hopefully his mysterious rescuer would return soon and they could help.

Thinking of them, he began to ponder how they were able to drag him in here fast enough to save him. The last thing he remembered before waking in the cave was a vision of Noriaki. Did that mean Noriaki was dead? Jotaro’s heart ached just at the thought.

He shook his head, trying to remove the thoughts but they were incessant. They bore into his soul and made him want to give up then and there. After all, what point would there be if Noriaki was truly gone?

Jotaro shot to his feet, intent on doing something, anything to banish those thoughts. He paced the length of the cave until he’d walked a well worn path into the sand and he was weak from exertion.

In hindsight, it probably wasn’t a good idea to walk for hours when you were dehydrated.

With a grunt of annoyance, he plopped back down near the back of the cave and lay down so that he could look out of the opening.

********

Jotaro felt a cool hand trace gently down his jaw. Before he realized he was moving, he grabbed the hand and flipped over on top of the owner of said hand.

A surprised yelp helped clear his sleep addled mind and he looked down at the person he’d captured. He saw the same robes from earlier. Except this time, the hood had fallen back enough to reveal a familiar and unique shade of red hair.

Jotaro’s eyes widened and he grabbed the hood, yanking it away from the still hidden face. A pair of to large lavender eyes met his and Jotaro scrabbled back away from the person.

They sat up and didn’t bother to replace the hood but didn’t look directly at Jotaro. Then, with a deep, fortifying breath, they looked at him.

Jotaro studied the face, so familiar yet so…alien. Instead of pale skin and freckles, there was a pale blueish green tone to the skin. The beautiful lavender eyes were larger than the last time he looked into them and the ears were now odd looking fins.

Jotaro, on the edge of panic, didn’t know if he should attack or embrace the person in front of him.

With a shaking voice he whispered, “N…Noriaki?”

“Yes. It’s me, Jotaro.” Noriaki said softly as they looked away from Jotaro in shame.

“What…what happen…where did you…what?!”

“It’s difficult to explain.”

“What…?” Jotaro asked again, gesturing at Noriaki.

“Well. I, ummm. You see…I am…not exactly….what you would technically call…human?”

“I’m hallucinating. I’m dehydrated and I’m hallucinating.” Jotaro said, nodding his head, “That’s what this is.”

Noriaki rolled their eyes, “You’re not hallucinating, Jotaro. But you are dehydrated.” He said, reaching into their robes and producing a bottle of water, “ Here. I may have snuck onto your boat.”

Jotaro just stared in wide-eyed disbelief.

“Well, come on. You need this. You may be here for a few more days before I can get you out of here safely.” Noriaki said shaking the bottle.

Jotaro inched forward slowly until the tips of his fingers could grab the bottle. He examined it, it was solid. Glancing back up, he slowly drank some then set it aside.

“Ok. Assuming this is real, what the fuck are you and why do you look like Noriaki?”

Noriaki sighed, “It really is me, Jojo. I’m just…more me than you’ve ever seen.”

“Bullshit.”

Noriaki threw their hands up, “What’s it going to take, Jotaro? Knowing we met at the coral exhibit at the aquarium or that you have a large freckle on your right ass cheek?”

Jotaro’s eyes went wide and he blushed up to his ears.

A smug smile came to Noriaki’s face, “I told you. It’s me. I’m right here…ack!!” he cried as Jotaro tackled him in a hug.

“NORI! MY NORI! You’re alive!” Jotaro cried as he peppered kisses over Noriaki’s cool skin.

Noriaki laughed and held Jotaro with all his strength.

“Oof! Nori! To tight!!”

Noriaki loosened his hold and kissed Jotaro’s cheek, “I have missed you so much!”

“What happened Nori? Where did you go?”

Noriaki sighed, “I went home, Jotaro. And I wasn’t allowed to return. “

“What do you mean?”

Noriaki pulled away from Jotaro and fully removed his robes.

Jotaro stared in disbelief. Noriaki had a fish tail.

“What the hell?!” Jotaro cried.

“This is who I really am, Jotaro. This is who I’ve always been.” He said sadly.

“A fish?”

“More commonly known as a merman. Or merfolk. Whatever.” Noriaki replied with a shrug.

Jotaro took several deep breaths, “Why did you never tell me?”

Noriaki scoffed, “It’s the most well guarded secret among my people, Jotaro. I COULDN’T tell you. I was bound by an oath not to.”

“Why now?”

Noriaki looked deep into his eyes, “I couldn’t watch you drown. I couldn’t watch you die! It….you mean to much to me. I love you to much!”

“Good grief, Nori. I thought you’d been kidnapped or even killed. Jiji has had people searching around the globe for you!”

Noriaki’s eyes widened, “I’m so sorry, Jojo. I tried to come back. I swear to you but I wasn’t allowed. I thought for sure they’d let me.”

Jotaro just shook his head and pulled Noriaki back into his arms, “I never gave up on you. I missed you so much.”

Noriaki laughed, “Doesn’t this bother you? That I’m….this?”

“I don’t care. You’re alive and well and back with me. Nothing else matters.” Jotaro replied, taking Noriaki’s face in his hands and kissing him deeply.

Noriaki melted into Jotaro’s kiss, finally finding that sense of completion he’d been missing.

Chapter Text

*2 YEARS LATER*

Jotaro opened the door to his beachfront home, quickly kicking off his shoes and dropping his briefcase on the nearest available surface.

“I’m home!” he called into the house.

“Back here, Jojo!”

Jotaro followed the sound of that beautiful voice through to the back of the house.

The house looked exactly like one would imagine the house of a man studying to be a Marine Biologist. There were aquariums everywhere with all sorts of various sea creatures.

Jotaro paused just outside his destination and hid one hand behind his back as he looked into the room.

To anyone outside Jotaro’s immediate family, the room would look…odd. There was a large pool, about 4ft high, in the room on the right side. The other side of the room looked like any other bedroom in any other house.

What captured Jotaro’s attention immediately was the person arranging an odd assortment of seashells on a shelf along the wall just above the pool.

Jotaro couldn’t help but smile, “Hello beautiful.”

The person spun around and crossed the distance of the pool in a flash, causing a good bit of water to splash over the side.

Jotaro’s smile only grew, “Did you miss me?” he asked as he stepped up to the wall of the pool.

Noriaki smiled brightly, cupping Jotaro’s face in his wet hands and kissed him, “Of course I missed you.” He paused and sniffed several times. Narrowing his large lavender eyes at the hand Jotaro was hiding, “What are you hiding?” he asked, trying to look around behind Jotaro.

Jotaro grinned and pulled a box from behind his back, “Oh this?”

Noriaki’s eyes widened, “CHERRIES!!” he cried, reaching for his favorite brand of chocolate covered cherries.

Jotaro held them just out of reach, “Nope. It’s gonna cost you.” He said, laughing as Noriaki pouted.

“No fair, Jotaro. What do you want?”

Jotaro gave him a quick kiss, “Come to the outside pool and I’ll show you”

With a suspicious glare, Noriaki huffed and dove down and into one of the many tunnels that ran throughout the house.

Jotaro still marveled at the feat of construction that was their home.

Once Noriaki had finally been able to get him out of that underwater cave, Jotaro hadn’t known what would become of them. They were still madly in love but so different, it should have been impossible.

Then came Joseph Joestar and the Speedwagon Foundation.

Jotaro, with Noriaki’s permission, had explained everything to his grandfather and Joseph, not wanting to see his only grandson fall into the misery he’d been in after Noriaki’s disappearance, came up with a plan.

For six months, Jotaro visited Noriaki twice a week at a specified place as they tried to make their relationship work.

Just when it all seemed to be to much, Joseph called Jotaro to meet him and gave him an address.

That call changed everything.

With the help of the Speedwagon Foundation, Joseph had a house designed and built specifically for Jotaro and Noriaki. Each major room was half land and half ocean in a way that allowed both to have what they needed and still be together. Large tunnels connected each room and an outside pool. There was even a tunnel that lead out to the open ocean so that Noriaki could come and go as he pleased.

When the house had been presented to the merman, he’d hugged Joseph so tight, he actually cracked a couple of the old mans ribs.

Jotaro smiled as he thought back to that day. He and Noriaki had been discussing whether it was worth it to continue their relationship as it was. The house had saved them from that path.

Before heading out to the pool, Jotaro quickly changed into a pair of swim shorts. When he finally made it outside, he found Noriaki sitting up on the side of the pool. He sat down next to his boyfriend and kissed his cheek.

They sat silently for a bit before Noriaki spoke, “Can I have a cherry now?”

Jotaro took a deep breath and turned to Noriaki, “Nori…”

When Jotaro didn’t continue, Noriaki became worried, “Is everything alright?”

Jotaro gave him a small smile, “Everything is perfect. I love you so much, Nori. I…” he stopped and held up the box, “Umm…here.”

With a questioning look, Noriaki took the box and opened it. He gasped and looked quickly between the box and Jotaro several times, “Jotaro…is this…?”

“Yeah. I mean…if you want.”

Noriaki reached into the box of what should have been 9 chocolate covered cherries and picked up the item in the center, a perfectly round pearl about the size of one of the cherries in the box.

“It’s….it’s beautiful.” He whispered.

“Is it the right kind? I’ve been searching for a while and wasn’t sure how big it should be or what color or…”

Noriaki pressed a finger to Jotaro’s lips to stop his rambling, “It’s absolutely perfect. I love you, Jotaro and I accept.”

Jotaro’s face light up brighter than the sun upon hearing those words. He pulled Noriaki into his arms, nearly crushing the box between them as he kissed the merman who was now, officially, his mate.