Chapter Text
Diego was having a hard time adjusting. Dying and coming back was difficult enough, but joining Johnny and his “relatives” and a huge assortment of bizarre people made everything so much worse. His status as a “Dio” got him a lot of dirty looks and distrust. He didn’t blame them though, that one “Dio” he fought alongside with was one ugly ass.
But Diego chose to go along with these people who likely hated him, because at least with them he had the option to choose. That didn't mean being so hated didn't get to him. And unfortunately for Johnny, picking on him was how Diego relieved that stress.
“Hello, Johnny,” Diego greeted.
“What do you want?” Johnny responded.
“I was just wondering what it’s like from on top of your high horse,” Diego smirks. He’s rarely seen Johnny off his horse since this whole thing started.
“If you’ve got something to say, just say it. Otherwise don’t waste my time.”
“With how much time you’ve spent up there, don’t you think you’d finally have gotten good at riding?”
“What the heck is that supposed to mean?” As if on cue, Gyro walked out of a building called a “convenience store” by the guy with the obnoxious hair.
“Oh, nothing, I was only wondering if Johnny would actually be able to stand a chance against me,” Diego looked away, trying to keep his tone light and casual. Gyro always made this such a drag.
“Fuck that, Johnny can take you anyday! Isn’t that right, Johnny?”
“Yeah! That’s right!”
“In fact, Johnny could beat you right now!”
“Yea- what?”
“Come on, Johnny, show this jerk how it's done!”
Neither Johnny or Diego wanted to race, but they didn’t want to give anyone an excuse to mock them.
Diego smirked, “Sounds good to me, under one condition: Gyro doesn’t referee.”
“Excuse me?” Gyro looked almost offended.
“Well, if it’s close, not that it will be, how do I know you won’t cheat and say Johnny won? You two are awfully close, it would be a surprise if you didn’t lie for him.”
Gyro started to advance on Diego, muttering something about kicking his butt, but Johnny stopped him.
“Alright then, who do you want to ref?”
“How about... “ Diego noticed another man coming out of the convenience store, “him.”
“Him?” Gyro asked, shocked.
Diego ignored him and approached the blue jump-suited man. He doesn’t blame Gyro for being shocked, a lot of people find Weather Report to be a bit creepy. Between him being relatively silent and everyone knowing that he spent most of his life in prison, most people found a reason to avoid him.
Actually being close to him, Diego noticed how blue his eyes are.
“We need an impartial referee for a race. Mind helping us out?” Diego asked.
Weather took a step forward, and Diego expected him to just walk passed him, but instead the taller man lowered his head till he was near Diego’s ear, and said barely above a whisper, “Sure.”
“Alright, thanks a lot!” Diego said, stepping back to regain his personal space.
After checking that Diego and Johnny were lined up on their horses, Weather made his way to the finish line, a hose running across the road quite a distance down the street.
“Time to show this dino-man who’s boss!” Gyro said, trying to encourage Johnny.
“Just shut up you stupid breadstick,” Diego muttered under his breath, his eyes still on the referee. He could still feel the other man’s breath on his ear as he spoke with a low, rough voice.
“What was that?”
“Nothing,” Diego put his hands up.
When Weather reached the finish line, he began to summon storm clouds over their heads. Diego couldn’t understand how anyone could kill someone with the literal forces of nature at their fingertips.
The clouds rumbled as the skies darkened. Even at this distance, Diego could still make out the cute horns on the broader man’s hat.
Wait, cute?
The roar of the clouds got louder, and both Johnny and Diego took it as a sign to ready themselves, positioning themselves in their saddles. Gyro backed into the sidelines and started walking to the finish line.
When the skies over them reached their darkest, lightning struck behind Weather. The sight of him being silhouetted by the flash left an afterimage in Diego’s mind. The image stunned him, and he got a late start.
He quickly caught up to Johnny’s lead, trying to focus on the race and not the clearing skies. The race was short enough that he wasn’t worried about using Slow Dancer’s habits to beat Johnny. He nudged Silver Bullet with his spur, encouraging the horse to accelerate further, and they picked up speed.
Diego was only a neck ahead of Johnny when he got distracted. Weather’s entire ensemble made him stand out from the street scenery. Diego couldn’t stop himself from questioning the purpose of the hat or how Weather could think a codpiece was a good idea.
Johnny picked up on Diego’s distraction and jumped ahead. Diego tried to catch up, but he couldn’t get the speed up fast enough. Slow Dancer trampled the hose half a horse length ahead of Silver Bullet. Diego brought his horse to a stop with a grimace on his face and mentally swearing at himself.
Even though it was just a small, meaningless race, Johnny had a grin on his face.
“Great job, Johnny!” Gyro said as he came up to him.
“Aw, it was nothing,” Johnny replied.
“Oh wow,” Diego said, getting down from his horse, “one victory! I’m sure Daddy will love you now!”
“Hey! Don’t be an ass!” Gyro shouted at him.
“Whatever,” Diego called back as he began leading his horse away, glancing back to look at Weather. The fuzzy-hatted man had likely decided that he wasn’t needed anymore and had walked to the yellow-glowing crack in the ground, disappearing as he stepped into it.
Of course he runs, it’s his fault I lost, Diego thought. He had to have been doing it on purpose. Everyone here would much rather see Johnny win.
I’ll make sure to get him back for it.