Work Text:
Josuke Higashikata was missing three crucial things.
Things he was struggling with keeping on going without.
The first one was his comb.
He was really annoyed about that. Like, really, really annoyed about that the most . Someway, somehow, he had misplaced it, and was getting more than a little desperate to find it. He had tried everything ; from looking underneath his bed, to begging Okuyasu to buy a new one for him (he forgot), to legitimately crying tears of agony about it.
But nothing worked. So he was currently trying option four, which was waiting it out as Crazy Diamond scoured about the room for it. But as long as his hair sat undone on top of his head, he could be sure he was living in a nightmare.
The second thing he was missing, however,
He winced as he stretched out, sparing a single look to his shoulder. With the bandages off, the damage he'd received during that one fight he'd barely survived was making itself quite clear.
He had dealt with injuries before, even to the point of needing stitches; play fights with Okuyasu could get a little rough, and there was that one time he'd sprayed the wrong product directly into his own eyes, or when he'd pushed Koichi-kun a little too hard and had reaped the consequences of it. Hell, even the lip cut he'd gotten earlier in the year had taken its sweet time to heal. Bruises and marks happened.
But none really compared to the aftermath of the fight with…
That guy.
He didn’t like even thinking of his name. A part of him was scared that if he said it a few times too many… he’d end up crossing a street and meeting eyes with him again. And he’d look just like any other normal man in the world, with a nice, ironed suit and a fancy tie, and Josuke wouldn’t know of the evil that lurked within him.
He’d let him pass, one more time. Off to take even more lives Josuke wouldn't be able to save.
The many scars he now had were a reminder of that, but…
He huffed.
They were a reminder of something more, too!
He couldn’t keep his guard down, but…!
Crazy Diamond suddenly looked back up at him, from the corner of the room. It didn’t pull up a comb, but a hand sign with a clear meaning.
The nurse was coming.
The Stand wasn’t called back - instead, it pulled up a chair for itself and sat on it.
He had previously been advised to only bring it out in specific situations, but these days where he was stuck at the hospital were starting to get to him. Especially when it wasn’t visiting hours. So having Crazy Diamond around like that only worked to make it more bearable.
But also, having the Stand out was a constant test for others - no one else reacted to it, so Josuke was in the clear.
The nurse walked in, his Stand floating in circles around her, but as always, no reaction. Josuke only smiled at her, polite, and allowed her to do her checkups and change-ups and what-nots.
And while his own Stand stared at her as if trying to absorb all that medical knowledge, Josuke's mind was…
Elsewhere.
On the third thing he was missing.
He couldn’t hold back a sigh. He had received many, many visitors during his stay. Okuyasu and Koichi-kun were the most frequent, when not counting his mom. But there were also many others - Yukako had shown up on her own to wish him a speedy recovery, and to offer him help in catching up at school. Right as he'd started running out of excuses to jump out the deal, Yuuya waltzed in with his groupies, keeping the girl at bay. He was safe, for now.
At that point, even Tonio had stopped by - with some tasty, non-hospital meals for a change.
Another day, Rohan had walked in and had sat on a chair in the corner, saying he was writing about a medical drama this time, and needed the inspiration. And there were also the dozen of still-untouched copies of his manga that he just kept on sending him - the same ones that Josuke used to prop up his pillow and nothing else.
Visiting hours were always full.
But there was one person in particular that had yet to come. And he knew why.
His name was Mikitaka Hazekura, he was an alien, and he was allergic to sirens.
Josuke would laugh at the thought if he hadn’t seen it firsthand - the poor guy had had not one, but two reactions, right in front of him. And both had been nasty and awful, and honestly, he wouldn’t want his friend going through that once more just to visit him.
And again, sirens aside… maybe he just wasn't familiar with the concept of hospital visits. That would make sense.
… But at the same time, he would have seen all the people gathering up, wouldn't he? He would have gotten the hint - so?
Josuke pouted.
He couldn’t force it. Mikitaka was probably busy and/or frightened.
… But, regardless, it sure would be nice if he did show up.
And, no, obviously, Josuke wouldn’t just ask. It would only be weird, if he outright asked. Would it look like he was begging? Probably not, but he felt embarrassed even thinking about it. Because, whatever, he missed his friend, but he couldn’t just ask that, please, alien man, come visit me! I want you here specifically, because-
He pouted more, his cheeks getting pink. He looked away from the nurse as she checked his pressure.
Because it was different . Mikitaka was a different kind of friend. At least, that was how Josuke saw it, because up until that point, he'd been content with just keeping that odd little feeling to himself - the one that led to him feeling a little happier, a little warmer, a little better when he was around that alien guy…
No one, and much less Mikitaka himself, knew about it.
Almost dying kind of made him a little sloppier with keeping it hidden. Maybe it was intentional.
What wasn’t intentional was for it to be that obvious.
Crazy Diamond was the first one to notice, which was only half a surprise. It had no voice to accuse him with, but it had given him enough side-eyes for Josuke to realise he had been caught.
But it got worse.
Okuyasu and Koichi-kun had, somehow , picked up on the fact that he was missing that weird alien man in a different way - whatever that meant. Koichi-kun had thought it was cute, and Okuyasu had started bawling.
And even Yukako had noticed it, and said he should be… honest about his feelings? And then Yuuya had noticed it, and started giving out advice that made Josuke want to suckerpunch the guy through a window one more time. And then, even Tonio had noticed it, and asked if he should make a meal for the two that was just… out of their world. Josuke had laughed so awkwardly he felt a part of his soul had wasted away with the sound.
Rohan, for his part, had told him to stop pining, and to go back to medically suffering, since his manga wasn't romance-focused.
Josuke let out a dramatic sigh. Oh well. He’d have to deal with it. His heart would just have to take it.
“Excuse me, could you turn so I can check your pulse?”
The nurse's request was only barely able to get his head out of the stars. He turned around, pulling his gown down just enough for the stethoscope to do its job.
He wondered if maybe all his thoughts were making his heart race.
So he found his eyes looking down at where metal touched skin.
At where two green eyes were looking back at him.
The scream Josuke let out must have been heard by even those who dwelled in the deepest pits of hell.
He found himself on the floor, with an IV line tied around his leg, and a nurse and a confused doctor trying to help him up, the whole bed flipped onto its side, manga pages flying all over.
Now his heart was definitely racing.
A few minutes and a lot of embarrassment later, the doctor and nurse had made sure he was laying back down with his pulse checked. And as they'd done so, he'd babbled excuses - about how he'd been surprised by the cold feeling, and about how he'd seen a huge cockroach in the corner of the room, and about how, actually, he might have had a heart attack.
None being true, of course.
Save for the last one.
Crazy Diamond dropped the cause of said heart attack onto his bed as soon as the door was closed and he was alone again. The Stand was ready, and so was Josuke.
He knew what he'd seen - it had to be a Stand attack! And he was ready.
And the stethoscope was ready, too, as before Josuke could even begin inspecting it, it burst.
Into stripes of bright blue.
And before him, the alien guy appeared.
“Hello, Josuke-kun.”
Josuke almost fell from the bed again. Almost. Instead, he only deflated like a popped balloon, folding in on himself. A sad little noise escaping him, coming from his very core.
And it got worse when he felt the tips of long hair touching his knees, when Mikitaka came closer. Curious and confused.
“Have I arrived at a bad time, Josuke-kun?”
Josuke tried to unfold himself to explain that no, there was no such thing as a bad time for him to arrive at, but like, in a best friends, bros kind of way. But, on his way up, the alien didn’t move, and so, Josuke simply rammed the top of his head right into Mikitaka's jaw, gifting himself an immediate headache. What was that alien made of!?
But said alien didn’t react to the collision. So, Josuke, in a cool guy move, didn’t react either, and instead…
“Great!” he exclaimed, putting up a peace sign against his forehead and smiling. “ Great timing for you to arrive, Miki-chan!”
Mikitaka closely observed the gesture and nodded, sitting back on his legs. Josuke only hugged his own further.
“Miki-chan,” he repeated, testing out the nickname in his own voice. His ears twitched a bit. Josuke had spent so long wondering if they were just really good prosthetics, or if maybe, it was a Stand effect. Alien was just a funny little title, after all.
Almost as if on cue, Crazy Diamond waltzed right up to Mikitaka's face. The bed was becoming more crowded by the second. But even as the Stand stood nose to cheek with the alien teen, there was no reaction.
So weird.
“... Josuke-kun, they will notice their stethoscope missing eventually,” he said, holding a hand up beside his mouth, voice low. “I have a mission to accomplish here, so we must be quick.”
Crazy Diamond turned to stare. Josuke's smile kept on… well, being there.
“Eh?”
He felt an odd sensation - one that was both freezing and burning - course through his body. The mission. Yes, the one he was totally aware of.
What mission!?
If there was something wrong outside, he’d be the first to know, right?
… But maybe they'd just preferred to try to solve things on their own, this time. But were things going so wrong that–
But why Mikitaka? Was it– Was the mission the exact opposite of what Josuke had thought? Did someone– Did Okuyasu let it slip?!?!?! Why–
“Okuyasu-kun told me,” Mikitaka began. He let a small smile part his lips. It was so pleasant to look at. Once Okuyasu was around, Josuke would get him–
“A-Aha, yes, he told you, yes? Well, Okuyasu-kun is completely wrong, yes? I mean–”
“So you don’t need a comb?”
His awkward smile broke in two.
“Eh?”
“Okuyasu-kun mentioned you were struggling with your hair. That you needed a comb. He said I should bring you one specifically. So I did!”
“Haaaaah?!” Josuke’s face was red, beet red from both shame and anger. “Okuyasu-kun, that- He shouldn’t just third-party his comb-getting job, y’know?!”
“I don’t know what that means,” Mikitaka said. “Should I leave?”
“ No- I mean, come on, Miki-chan, you just got here! Haha, and I… I need. My hair in shape again. I really need it,” he said. “I really need you right now.”
Mikitaka smiled, visibly flattered.
“Aw, stop.”
Talking with him meant knowing what he was thinking at all times, but it also meant not having a clue as to what was going on in his head.
He was an enigma.
One Josuke enjoyed solving.
In the end, the hair-help he received was given in the most Mikitaka-esque way imaginable : one of his hands transformed into a comb, and the other into a mirror that he held up. And Josuke didn’t even care.
He had his comb, and he had the little alien guy. That was all he could ask for.
But there was still something up. Two things. Two replacements, even.
Josuke was still pink in the face.
And Mikitaka kept on glancing at him with an odd expression.
“I had no idea how much work it took for your hair to be done in such a way,” Mikitaka said. “I was always under the impression that it was that way naturally.”
“Man, I wish, ” Josuke chuckled, giving said hair some finishing touches. Crazy Diamond pulled some strands down into place. Mikitaka's eyes moved, but not towards the Stand. “But I guess that means that’s how it goes for you then, huh? Your hair is just like that?”
“It is naturally long and blond.”
“No, yeah, but like…” Josuke chuckled, his cheeks daring to turn a bit more pink. Which was beyond annoying. He was just trying to be nice. “You could be a guitar-swinging rockstar with that mane, is what I mean!”
“I don’t know how to play any human instruments, but I am interested in that type of music.' And there, he paused, clearly searching for the right word before continuing, 'In Rock. It’s what you like too, right?”
“Yeah! I mean, as soon as I’m out of here, I’m hitting the records store.” With what money, he wasn’t sure, but he needed some new CDs at least.
“I see.” Mikitaka nodded. “Could I go with you, Josuke-kun? So we could look at some of those records together.”
“That’d be great!” Josuke exclaimed, snapping his fingers. “It’s a date!”
Check.
“What’s a date.”
And Mate.
Josuke immediately laughed – another laugh so awkward it earned him blank stares from both alien and Stand. He immediately waved his hands around, physically trying to bat away his little slip-up.
“Hey, uhh, a date is like- You know, you’ve seen one right? Like, in a calendar…???”
“A date is a specific day, right?”
“... Yeah! Exactly that. Nothing more!”
“Oh.”
Oh?! What was that supposed to mean?!
Not like Josuke would know. So he simply laughed again, patting his hair one last time to keep it in place.
“Josuke-kun?"
What was that 'Oh' supposed to mean????
“Y-Yeah, Miki-chan?”
He pointed.
To Josuke's heart.
No. Way.
He looked at Crazy Diamond . Crazy Diamond looked at him.
What did it all mean?
“... Miki-chan?”
“Are you not going to fix that?”
Josuke almost fell from the bed again.
Fix that??????????????
Fix his heart?! Was- What was even being implied? Was Mikitaka trying to insult him or joke around, or… or???? Or???? Was he trying to-
He would not.
Josuke smiled, throwing his hands behind his head.
“... Fix, like, ahahaaa, Mikitaka, that's… one of those jokes of yours I don’t get, I think. Fix, uh… What?”
“Like this.”
One fingertip was pressed over Josuke's heart, like a stethoscope about to conclude that his pulse was off the charts. Except it wasn’t as cold, nor as metallic, but coincidentally, it had been Mikitaka in both situations.
And it made him realize his gown was still pulled down from when the nurse had been with him. Beyond embarrassed, he pulled it back up, Mikitaka's finger retracting.
And going instead to one of his legs.
“How are you going to fix this one?”
And Josuke scrambled for it, even more confused. He pulled up the thin strip of a blanket he had at hand to cover it, and Mikitaka immediately started scanning him again.
“... Oi, dude, what is this about?”
“Can you not heal yourself?”
Oh.
Crazy Diamond blinked, and looked at Josuke as if asking him the same question, but only rhetorically. Josuke huffed, deflating back into his spot. The alien was just curious, that was all.
“My Stand can only heal others, yeah. Bummer, but, oh well.”
“Your wounds from that battle are still quite apparent on your skin,” he remarked. “I was under the impression that… human medicine would take care of it, so you’d come out of it indemn.”
“Man, as if! My mom could barely afford all the treatment stuff I had to go through, and like… even with the help of Jotaro-san's big money, I’d still have… an ugly stitch or ten. But honestly, my biggest complaint is this outfit they put me in. Man… look at this,” he said, raising up his hands. “I look so bad, Miki-chan. Don’t you agree?”
Mikitaka didn't respond. He looked down at the gown, thoughtful, then back up at Josuke. Who began to expect an answer, but was met with more silence.
“... Do you like, actually agree or-”
“You still look beautiful.”
And up went Josuke in the sudden, endless rollercoaster of emotions that this day was proving to be. He barely had time to react before the drop that followed.
“But the scars are really, really ugly.”
And Josuke fell from the coaster car, right onto the cold, hard floor of reality. He felt embarrassed, both in his own Stands and his name.
“They’re not that bad! And dude, they could be much worse.”
“But could they not be better? You’re the only one of us who bears the consequences of what happened,” he said. “It… does not seem fair. Especially after you’ve done so much, Josuke-kun.”
“... Hey, man,” Josuke replied, “I know it doesn’t look like it, but everyone has scars - me, Okuyasu, Koichi-kun, especially that poor kid. And hell, even you too! You just can’t see it.”
“Why not?”
“'Cause it’s like, in your brain.”
Mikitaka's eyes immediately widened, and both his hands rose to hold his head tight.
“And in your heart, too.”
And one of his hands let go, and went to his heart instead. Panicked, he looked to Josuke again.
“Can you heal them?”
“They’re not actual scars, Miki-chan!” he explained, and the alien seemed skeptical. “They’re memories. Bad ones, and you fix them by making good ones instead. I, for example, plan on starting the fixing with our little visit to the record shop!”
“... Our date.”
“... Y-Yes, our date! Our guy-friends date. Like, the thing bros do. Do you know what a bro is?”
“No,” he said. “Josuke-kun, does it not feel lonely to be the only one whose scars are showing?”
“... I dunno. Do you feel lonely being the only alien man I know?”
“...” Mikitaka looked down. “Sometimes.”
Josuke, if he had to be honest, hadn’t expected that. He had expected an enthusiastic ' no'.
“... Well, I think it makes you special. Y'know? And not to mention,” he said, “... I’m proud of these scars - means I did my part. Anyone who sees them will know that, and also to not mess with me and my friends! Because if I can have these scars and still be walking around, then nothing can get me down! I’ll just get back up and start fighting again, wounds be damned!”
Mikitaka only stared at him, wide-eyed. Stars in those green eyes of his.
“... That makes sense, Josuke-kun,” he said. “... Thank you.”
Josuke smiled. Not embarrassed, not awkward, nor anything of the sort. Only a genuine, pleased smile.
Mikitaka gave him the same.
And there was that warm, comforting feeling again.
What he was missing the most.
And-
They heard footsteps in the hall. Rapid, belonging to more than one person.
“Oh, yes, they must be missing their stethoscope dearly. As in - me. I have heard many hearts today,” Mikitaka announced. “Sadly, I had to previously break into their workplace to see what one looked like. I may have violated a few laws, so I must go.”
Not a single part of what he'd said was normal, and as he stood and walked right to the window, it was clear the situation was even less so, but…
That was what made Josuke like Mikitaka so much.
“Miki-chan, wait, wait!” he called in a hush, the alien already halfway out. “Besides for our… thing we planned, are you… coming back sometime?”
“Yes, absolutely.”
Crazy Diamond shot its fist up in the air in celebration. Josuke reacted like a normal person, and did the exact same.
“ Great!!! But- Try to come up here next time with, like… the nurse with you? And not shapeshifted? At least? Please?” he pleaded, joining his hands together. “So I don't have a crazy heart-attack again?”
Mikitaka hummed in thought. Josuke kept his hands together.
And Mikitaka smiled, making a peace sign that he proudly held up over his forehead.
“I know just what to do.”
“Great! So what is it?”
Mikitaka's smile grew, and he undid the peace sign. A metaphor of what was to come.
And one hand held his chin up, as he seemed satisfied with his plan.
"I will not tell you. But you will learn it soon."
Soon meant a couple of days later.
Okuyasu and Koichi-kun came to visit him - Okuyasu kept on switching between crying and laughing, and Koichi-kun had a funny look on his face. Josuke didn’t get it.
Yukako visited as well, and stared at him with a knowing expression that more than freaked him out. Yuuya remained clueless.
Tonio brought him a meal too big for one person, which he shared with Crazy Diamond, before suffering the consequences of thinking that doing so wouldn't count as the food having been eaten only by him.
Rohan told him that he refused to add romance to the plot of his manga. Josuke didn’t ask why.
Mikitaka, the alien man still afraid of sirens, waltzed into his room soon enough.
Josuke felt his jaw drop. The bed didn’t flip over, but his whole world felt like it did.
“I may have committed another type of crime,” Mikitaka said, closing the door and locking it, “but a visit to you was necessary . I have another mission to accomplish.”
“ Why are you wearing a nurses outfit, dude?! ”
“I have infiltrated,” he announced, adjusting the cheaper than life costume. The price tag was still hanging from it. He had his uniform pants underneath. “They are onto me, however. I must be quick yet again.”
He walked up to him and sat at the end of his bed, ears twitching in preparation. Josuke was having a hard time processing what was right in front of him, and so much so that it took him a second to notice the puncture marks on Mikitaka's arm.
“ Mikitaka, when did you get hurt?!” Josuke half-yelled, his Stand immediately appearing as he pulled the alien's arm close to himself, holding him by the wrist and hand. “Who did this to you?! Th- It’s already scarred, how- How long ago was this?! Mi-”
“Toyohiro Kanedaichi-kun. The man stuck in the telephone tower. Josuke-kun, this was not recent.”
Josuke was almost jumping out the window himself . Crazy Diamond was aching to punch , and he tightly squeezed the alien's hand before speaking again.
“But he hurt you, Miki-chan! And after we beat his ass the first time, he has the audacity to-”
“This is the same wound as when we first fought. When I was pinned to the tower by metal rods. Remember?”
“... But- Man, I healed you.”
“You did. And I didn’t get hurt again,” he confirmed. “But… as I was taking my human form to come, I simply remembered those events. And I couldn’t help but to feel proud of still being here.”
Josuke felt his shoulders fall - but with relief, and nothing else.
And something more.
“... And to feel thankful for your help as well, Josuke-kun.”
“... Man , if it wasn’t for you there as well, it would have gone so poorly! It was a team effort! Me, you and Okuyasu!” he explained. “But… But I get it. I get it, Miki-chan. You made it. Was your mission showing me that?”
“No, not really,” Mikitaka said. “I do appreciate the recognition. I have made it, just like you. And I am happy that we are not alone in this.”
And he suddenly grasped Josuke's hand - the one that had been holding onto his own wrist so tightly. His eyes shone.
“I have done research on what a date actually means.”
“ Hah????? ”
Josuke tried to pull back, to try and make up an excuse, or to make a cool little pose, or anything , but Mikitaka had him trapped in that double hand-hold. The alien was stronger than he looked, and he-
He was looking down. His ears low.
The alien's cheeks were flushed.
Josuke didn’t even know they could do that.
“A… A date is… something between… bros…” Josuke stammered out, and Mikitaka pouted.
“If you consider a date as such, then I do not wish to go,” he said. “I wish to go with you on a date, as not-friends. Whichever word for it is the correct one.”
Josuke needed a second.
Or as many as it took for the door to burst open, interrupting them again. Letting in a pair of nurses that were beyond confused as they began trying to escort Mikitaka out.
But Josuke didn’t let it end, their time together. Not before he finally spoke up.
“G-… Great! Great!!!” he exclaimed. “That’s– Haha! Okay! Alright, man, alright!! Great!!!!! It’s- It’s a Date!!!!!! ”
“As not-friends…” Mikitaka added, suddenly deep in thought. “... As enemies .”
“... No, Miki-chan! As… Well, we’ll figure it out!” he settled on saying, Mikitaka still being dragged away for his medical crimes. “Doesn’t matter- as long as it's you and me, we can be anything! ”
Josuke hadn't realized it, but he'd been missing something else all this time.
He'd been missing the moments he'd soon share with Mikitaka.