Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The young man clad in black was covered in blood and grime, one arm dangling at his side, obviously broken. Nevertheless, he ran through the streets like a madman until he reached the building that had been described to him. Purple light flickered around him as he jumped impossibly high up to the roof. A body was laying there, in a puddle of water and blood, fading green light flickering around him. The young man in black squatted next to the lifeless boy and picked him up, disregarding the pain that shot through his own body. He was gone faster than a flash of lightning.

Seemingly in no time, he reached an ambulance that was heading in his direction.

“He is alive, I can hear his pulse. Do something!“ he hissed at the paramedics. They took the body from him, closed the doors of the ambulance and drove off, leaving him behind. He followed the car until he reached the hospital. There, he stormed through the hallway, grabbed the nearest person in scrubs and screamed his question at the seemingly terrified doctor.

“Where are they?“

A loud voice interrupted him, and he let go of the relieved man.

“Jotaro! I am here, they are still treating Polnareff. And Kakyoin… he is in surgery.“

“Jiji. How is he.“

“I don‘t know. We will have to wait. Let the doctors look at you, kid, while we wait, will you?“

The young man walked towards the elder, slightly wobbling. The older man gently wrapped an arm around his waist and led him down the hallway to be treated.

After that, they waited for what seemed an eternity. The young man, utterly exhausted, fell asleep in his chair after a while, leaning on his grandfather.

The glad tidings came shortly before the sun rose.

“He is stable now, but he will have to go through a lot more surgery. We induced a coma. He will need transplants as some of his organs are severely damaged. But as a lot of people died in the rampage tonight, there is a good possiblity to find fitting organ donors. Still, we cannot promise anything.“

The young man gritted his teeth. Than he spat, “He will make it. He is strong.“

Chapter Text

Hana was just finishing her shift and was heading for the staff room to change and go home after a 16 hour shift, when nurse Nakamura stopped her.

“I am very sorry, Koizumi-sensai, I know you are on your way home, but there is a new patient, and… well I think it is urgent. And his company is rather… impatient.“

Hana knew that Nakamura was very experienced, and when he said it was urgent, it was. And Hana had quickly earned a reputaion as the doctor who dealt best with people who were, mildly speaking, a challenge. She sighed and tried not very successfully to smile at her favourite nurse.

“On my way.“

She entered the small examination room, Nakamura in tow. When she walked through the door into the room, she felt a strange energy, like the small space was full of an odd kind of electricity, and Rainbow kind of stirred as if she wanted to come out for no reason. She also immediately saw what the nurse had meant when he had described the company as impatient. The tall man was leaning at the wall, arms crossed, glaring at her under the brim of his hat, emmitting an aura of menace.

After glaring back at him for a second, she decided to ignore him and turned to the patient on the gurney. The young man had flamboyant red hair, and considering his eyebrows and eyelashes, the colour was natural. He was pale, and he looked like he was in pain, although he seemed very composed compared to his companion.

“Good evening. I am Koizumi Hana and I am your doctor tonight. Nurse Nakamura here will assist.“

A deep voice coming from the man she still ignored filled the room. For some reason he spoke English - maybe he thought she would not understand.

“Good grief. She looks like she hasn‘t graduated High School. How can she be a doctor?“

The man on the gurney looked at her with his amber coloured eyes, saw in her eyes she understood, closed his eyes for a second, and answered.

“Jojo, just wait, okay?“ He sounded strained.

“Kakyoin! You need a real doctor, you…“

Hana interrupted, glaring at the man her patient had called Jojo, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“I assure you that I am a fully trained physician and, as nurse Nakamura can confirm, have successfully worked in the ER here for over a year. And if you don‘t mind Jojo-sama, I would really like to examine my patient now.“

She turned back to Kakyoin and started to ask him about his condition. What she heard was not good. He had had multiple organ transplants some years ago and what he was describing sounded like a rejection reaction for his kidney. He had only one. After confirming that the area in question (which was heavily scarred), was sensitive and hurt when she put pressure on it, and also his temperature was too high, she was pretty sure.

“Alright, Kakyoin-san, we will have to do some blood tests and an MRI before we can be sure, but I suspect a chronic rejection reaction, and you will have to stay here for now. I can‘t offer you any pain killers before we have tested everything, but I can offer you acupressure which can relieve some of the pain you are in. I could do it right now while nurse Nakamura takes some blood for the lab and while we are waiting for the MRI.“

“Sounds good.“ Kakyoin smiled at her, and from behind her, she heard Jojo-asshole mumble something like ‘bullshit’, which she ignored, even if the guy was really starting to annoy her.

Nakamura had already filled his tubes and left the room to get them to the lab and to inform the guys at the MRI, and so she took Kakyoins hand and started her little show - she had developed it to mask what she was really doing. She applied pressure to the right points and summoned Rainbow. She had just started to numb the pain, when she felt large hands grab her shoulders and heard big guy’s deep voice roaring at her.

“What the fuck are you doing?“

She hated being grabbed like that and her martial arts instincts kicked in. Letting go of Kakyoins hand, she moved her body, winding out of the grip and aiming at her attackers legs, when suddenly everything stopped. She was not breathing. Her heart was not beating. She could not move. But she could still perceive what was going on. Jojo-asshole moved and grabbed her arm, pulling her away from Kakyoin, and something else was holding her, or rather: A huge purple and only scantily dressed spirit was holding Rainbow at the throat, making her feel really uncomfortable. After about five seconds staring at the situation unblinking, she started to breathe again. And stretched out a hand and touched the tall man in front of her with the tip of her finger. Rainbow just send one order into his soul: ‘Let go and leave Hana and Rainbow alone.’ And he let her and Rainbow go immediately, his face looking utterly confused.

From the gurney, Kakyoin piped up.

“Stop it, Jojo, she was only trying to help!“

“How do you know? And why the bloody hell does she use a Stand for that?“

“Why don‘t we just ask?“ Kakyoin seemed to be a very sensible man. She liked that. But that Jojo-guy was really a pain. But what was a Stand? And what was that green thing winding around the purple giant’s arms? She followed it back to its origin with her eyes and saw another spirit hovering behind Kakyoin. It wasn’t as humanoid like the purple giant or her Rainbow, it looked a bit robotic, like something from a science fiction movie, all green and silver.

It slowly dawned on her that she had finally met people who were like her. Who had spirits similar to Rainbow.

This was confirmed when Nakamura opened the door, looked at her and her patient without seeing anything else in the room, and informed her that the MRI would be ready in about ten minutes. Hana thanked him, and Nakamura left again. The short distraction had helped her to be poised again.

“I have never met anyone else who had a spirit. I thought I was the only one.“

Kakyoin smiled at her. “I know the feeling. I thought that for the first seventeen years of my life, too. But there are quite a few of us out there.“ He waved at the spirit behind him. “This is my Hierophant Green. Jojo’s is called Star Platinum. Has yours got a name?“

“I call her Rainbow.“ Which was not very original, concerning the colours of her spirit’s hair. Rainbow was all white, dressed in shimmering, flowing robes, except for the hair which was striped like a pastel coloured rainbow, and the eyes that were of a clear sky blue. As a child, the name had seemed natural. And she had never had any reason to change it. Jojo-asshole made a sound that made her want to punch him hard. Again, Kakyoin saved the situation He was really nice.

“What does Rainbow do?“

“She can influence the soul or whatever you call it. Take pain away. Make people do things. Like I stopped your friend here from choking me when he froze time. That‘s what you did, right?“

Jojo-asshole stared at her instead of an answer. Supposedly to intimidate her. Which did not work.

Kakyoin snickered albeit his obvious physical discomfort. “She already found you out, Jojo. Took me much longer with Dio.“

Jojo groaned, “Don‘t. Kakyoin, please, don‘t.“

Hana took a deep breath.

“Okay. I’d really like to chat more with you guys, but that will have to wait. Kakyoin-san here has to go to the MRI, no matter what. This could be a life-threatening condition. If my suspicion is confirmed, you will get…“ She started to explain the possible treatment to Kakyoin, who seemed to be familiar with the basics. The moment she finished, Nakamura reappeared to get Kakyoin to the MRI.

“I’ll see you later when I have the results. You…“ She looked at Jojo-asshole. “You can have a seat in the waiting area. By the way, are you related? If not, I can’t give you any information concerning my patient.“

Kakyoin, already half out of the room, interfered. “Kujo is my half-brother. I give you full permission to keep him informed about my condition at all times.“

The way Kujo‘s eyebrows furrowed told her that Kakyoin had just told a blatant lie about their relation. So maybe boyfriends, she thought. Not that it mattered, Kakyoin’s permisssion was good enough.

“Alright. But still, waiting area it is.“ She held the door open, and the tall man marched out of the room behind Kakyoin and Nakamura, not without throwing her a look that would have killed her if it could. She smiled at him as sweetly as possible just to spite him. It worked. His face turned red with anger, but before he could say or do anything, she followed Kakyoin and Nakamura.

It was like she had suspected. A chronic rejection reaction. Kakyoin would have to stay in hospital for some weeks at best, heavily medicated, closely monitored. Hoping they could save the kidney. Which was bad, but gave her the opportunity to talk to him. Which she longed for. She wanted to know everything he knew about what he and the obnoxious Kujo called Stands.

Even if she was no longer his doctor after he had been given a room - a single room due to the high risk of an infection making everything worse - she visited almost every day before or after her shift. They talked. A lot. Not only about Stands - he tried to answer her inumerable questions with a lot of patience and as best as he could, although he never had a satisfying answer when she interrogated him about specific medical aspects. He excused his lack of knowledge in that field with just having finished a double master in history and computer science.

“Jotaro studies biology. He might know more. I am sorry I never had that much of an interest in genetics and DNA.“

He and Kujo, who was just finishing his studies, also worked part time for the Speedwagon Foundation, which, besides being renowned for their medical research, apparently entertained a branch that was dedicated to research the supernatural, or as Kakyoin phrased it, “Jojo and me work as a kind of Stand police. Hence his initial paranoia concerning you. We only rarely meet Stand users who are not our enemies.“

Besides satisfying her curiosity, they discovered they had a lot in common during their conversations.

They liked the same books. The same games (one of the first things Kujo had brought to the hospital was Kakyoin‘s Game Boy. And he was a gamer worthy of her attention, that much was sure). The same movies. The only thing their taste differed in was music. But they at least tolerated what the other liked. They talked about personal things. Their parents. What it had been like to be the only stand user, nobody believing that your invisible friend was real. Loneliness. She had the feeling of finally having found somebody who was like her. Who understood. Who could be a friend. Who very quickly became a friend.

Which was fantastic, as Kakyoin seemed to like her, too. At least he trusted her with very private information about himself and seemed to like spending time with her.

Not so fantastic was that she ran into Kujo regularily. She tried to ignore him, focusing on Kakyoin, but as Kakyoin clearly liked the stupid oaf a lot (she still wasn‘t sure if they were boyfriends, they seemed so close) and tried to talk to both of them, it was rather difficult. As Kujo seemed to detest her just as much as she detested him and Kakyoin being fully aware of their mutual dislike but obviously not willing to neglect one of them in favour of the other, their conversations resembled a bizarre dance.

Nevertheless, she was not leaving the friend she had just found because his other friend was kind of dumb.

At least Kujo did not attack her anymore. She had to count her blessings concerning that obnoxious man.

She also noticed that Kakyoin was a very experienced patient. He had quickly set up a makeshift office in his hospital room with Kujo bringing him his laptop and stacks of books in four different languages which he needed for the PhD thesis he was planning and used every good minute to work. But he also knew his limits and rested when he was too tired or exhausted. He told her that he had spend about a quarter of his time in the last seven years in a hospital. And that he would not let this ruin his life or scientific career.

She also noticed that Kujo was an experienced visitor - he knew his friend well, and was surprisingly sensitive for his condition, even if Kakyoin always remained calm and composed on the outside. Kujo seemed to get it when his friend was too tired to talk or needed anything. He also regularily brought little things from outside the hospital to brighten Kakyoin‘s mood - some cherries, an interesting magazine, another comfortable pillow. If he hadn‘t been so petulant and stroppy, she would have found that rather sweet.

Chapter Text

“Why do you hate her so much, Jojo?“

“Dunno.“ He did not hate her. He mistrusted her. Deeply.

“Are you jealous?“

“What? Hell, no!“

“Use your words, Jojo!“

“I said I don‘t know!“

“Come on, you can do better!“

“I don’t… Kakyoin, I don’t want you to be hurt again like with that Yuzuki girl.“ He really had not wanted to bring that up. He had hated seeing Kakyoin like that.

“That was six years ago! We were still at school and I was a hormon driven idiot falling for a pretty face and nice boobs and an image of a person I created in my head which had nothing to do with reality! I am twenty-five now and yes, I have grown up! Plus, when you mention Yuzuki-chan, you should know that Hana-chan is not my type at all!“

“Then why do you spend so much time with her?“ He knew why. He had watched them closely over the last two weeks, always on his guard. He could not deny that she was a nice person. A born stand user who shared so many experiences and interests with his best friend. Still, he was not willing to give in easily. A healthy dose of paranoia had saved their asses more than once.

“Why do I spend so much time with you?“

“Dunno. ‘Cause you like me?“

“Exactly, and I like her, too. And I understand how she feels about finally having found somebody who is like her. You should remember what that meant to me back in 1987!“ He did remember. Kakyoin had always said that it had changed his entire world. For the better, despite what had happened in Cairo and beyond.

“Still, she could be…“

“Jotaro! Will you just give her a chance?“

“…“ He did not want to admit that she had somehow already started to worm her way into his heart with the way she cared for his friend and her stubbornness on insisting that Jotaro was invisible. He kind of admired that, not many people were able to ignore him on his worst behaviour without ducking. But she had not budged or shown any signs of fear or discomfort. She had guts and was audacious - just like Kakyoin. And he liked Kakyoin for it. Very much.

“Talk to her, will you? She is really a great person. I am sure you would like her.“

“I could try.“ He would do almost anything for his friend, and he knew Kakyoin knew that. So no use in stalling any longer.

“Any idea how?“

“Goddamnit, you know I haven‘t.“

“Again, you can do better.“

“Shut the fuck up asshole!“ The best method of defence in the case of Kakyoin annoying him had always been attack. It worked at least sometimes.

“Don‘t do that, Jojo. You are better than this!“ Well, not this time.

“…“ His friend was relentless. One of the qualities he admired. Although being on the receiving end sucked big time. But he knew Kakyoin was right.

“I am waiting.“ Kakyoin sounded almost bored. Jotaro sighed inwardly.

“Sorry for yelling at you.“

“Apology accepted. Sorry for making you uncomfortable.“

“It’s fine. Can you help me?“

“Nope. You have to find your own way, my dear friend.“

“Fuck you, Noriaki.“ He knew how petty that sounded. His friend smiled.

“I love you too, Jojo.“

Chapter Text

When she left Kakyoins room to go home after a long day, hungry and tired, deploring that she had not had the energy to go grocery shopping the day before, leaving her fridge devoid of anything she could make a meal with, Kujo followed her. He fell in step and left the hospital with her. What the hell was that? She did not look at him. He was the one who had almost always successfully ignored her presence in Kakyoin‘s room for more than two weeks now. She had done and would do the same. Still, she was on her guard. He was a dangerous bastard after all.

When they were just outside the hospital, Kujo stopped and stared at her.

“Wait a second.“

“Why?“

“I am hungry.“

“And this is important to know for me because?“ she mocked. Kujo sighed. She avoided his gaze.

“Would you like to have dinner with me?“

She was barely able to surpress a very surprised exclamation. She took a slow breath and asked, “Why would you want me to have dinner with you, Kujo?“

He sighed again. His eyes were on her, and now she looked at him, too. As always, curiousity got the better of her. She realized for the first time that his eyes were of a very unusual colour. A very intense bluish green or greenish blue.

“Kakyoin likes you.“ He said it as if that explained everything.

“So?“

“He is my best friend. He is almost always right. So, we should at least try to get along?“

She had to admit that his reasoning was valid. She liked Kakyoin, too. And Kakyoin liked Kujo. He admired him. Talked about him like he was special and not just a grumpy oaf of a man. Maybe they should really try to get along. Plus she was really hungry.

“Okay.“

Kujo took an audible breath.

“Fine. There’s that Udon place. That okay with you?“

“Yeah.“

He led the way, and they walked in silence for a few minutes.

The restaurant was simple, but the food smelt amazing. The owner and only employee greeted Kujo enthusiastically.

They sat down, and in no time, tea and bowls with delicious food appeared before them without them having to order. Kujo thanked the man, who explained that this was his new special and he would like their opinion on it. Kujo was surprisingly polite.

After they had eaten in some more silence for a while, she suddenly remembered something.

“Kakyoin mentioned you study biology?“

“Yeah.“

“Are you specialised in anything? I have some questions concerning stands that Kakyoin could not answer.“

“I am just writing my master thesis in marine biology.“

“Don‘t tell me you swim with dolphins!“ Kujo snorted.

“Marine biology is so much more than dolphins. They aren‘t as nice as everybody thinks, by the way. There was a recent incident in Scotland were they found dead babies of the common porpoise. They had been killed by bottlenose dolphins who supposedly practiced on them how to best kill their rival’s offspring. Not so cute. But I am not that much into dolphins, really, I am more interested in ecosystems and the role of the oceans concerning climate change and other environmental issues. My master thesis will be about….“

She had never heard him talk that much. It was very interesting, and she asked him a lot of questions about how marine life in the port of Tokyo was affected by pollution and the interference of men and its effect on the oceans and global climate in general.

She started to understand why Kakyoin liked him. He was intelligent. Passionate. He wanted to make the world a better place. She knew she would have to reconsider her opinion about him. To be honest, she had already started to like him now that he wasn‘t only glaring at her menacingly from under the brim of his hat and otherwise ignoring her to the best of his abilities.

They only realized how late it had got when the owner of the place took away their tea pot without replacing it with a full one. She had had a good time, which surprised her, indeed.

Jotaro apologized to the guy. And then, he said, “Where do you live? I‘ll come home with you. It is already past eleven.“

“I don‘t need your protection, you know that.“

“This place is not safe at night. We ran into trouble here before. Two are better than one.“

Again, she appreciated his logic.

“Okay. It‘s a twenty minute walk from here.“

It turned out that he was not living too far away from her - he and Kakyoin were kind of housesitting his parent‘s house while his father, a jazz musician, toured the world accompanied by Kujo‘s mother.

On the way, she remembered what she had originally wanted to ask him before they got carried away with his thesis and environmental politics later on.

“Kujo-san. What I wanted to ask earlier. Has anyone ever done any research concerning the genetics of stand users? Kakyoin did not know, but said you might.“

“Huh. Not as far as I know. But that is an interesting idea. What are you expecting to find?“

“I am not sure, but wouldn‘t it be interesting to compare the DNA of people with or without stands and see if there is anything in the genes that is typicall or unique for stand users?“

“Absolutely. Although it might be a bit hard to get a large enough sample of stand user DNA…“

They talked about it all the way home, and Kujo promised to contact the SPW and find out if they would do a research project like that.

When they reached her condo, she looked at him.

“Kujo-san. Surprisingly, I enjoyed the evening. Thank you for that.“

“Me, too. I mean, I also enjoyed it. See you tomorrow, then?“

“Yes. Good night, Kujo-san.“

“Good night, Koizumi-san.“

Chapter Text

“I did as you told me.“

“Which of all the things I told you, Jojo?“

“Talked to Koizumi.“

“Oh? How did it go?“

“Why are you always right?“

“It‘s my super power.“

“Tsk.“

“Come on, tell me, will you? Details, please!“

“We went for dinner. Talked about biology. I walked her home because it was late. The end.“

“You are such a dork. Where did you go? What did you talk about - I want details! Why did she let you walk her home? Do you like her now? If so, what for exactly?“

“You are giving me a headache.“

“Jojoooo! Please! I am here all day with absolutely nothing to do!“

“Liar.“

“Yeah alright, I‘ve got my laptop, my work and books and games and wonderful medical treatment, but I am still bored. So please, indulge me.“

“You are insufferable. I don‘t know why I come here, really. And don‘t you look at me like that.“

“Jojo?“

“Fine! Fine! We went to that Udon place, you know, the nameless one where we beat up those thugs on your first day out of hospital in December 1988?“

“He, I do remember that! Does the owner still give you a discount?“

“Yeah. So, I don‘t know how, but we talked about my project. And she was… interested. She asked the right questions. I don‘t know, it was… kind of like with you?“

“Is that so.“ Kakyoin said flatly, with an unreadable expression. Was he offended?

“Oh, fuck off, really. You wanted to hear it!“

“I was joking, Jojo. Go on.“

“So, we talked, and I think I started havering a bit?“

“You gave her the Professor Kujo spiel about eco systems and environmental politics?“

“Hmm. Maybe a bit? But she did not seem to mind. So, when we finished dinner, it was already around eleven. And you know that place is not safe.“

“She almost brought you down. Do you really think she needs protection?“

“That‘s what she said, too. But two are better then one, right? So I walked her home and we had an interesting discussion about DNA and Stand users on the way. I think she could be onto something. We will look into that, get some samples to the SPW. Well, and then we were at her house and she went inside and I went home.“

“So you do like her.“ There was no denying it. But he would not give in without a tiny bit of resistance.

“…“

“Jotaro!“

“I already said so. Dumbass.“

“Oaf.“

“Ninny.“

“Turdball.“

“Maggot.“

“I just decided I am too old for this, Jojo.“

“Feeble excuse. You just ran out of ideas.“

“Hah! Not true! Fuzznut!“

“Gump.“

“Dullard.“

“Nimrod.“

“Plonker.“

“Excuse me, Kakyoin-san? Did you hear me knocking? Are you alright? It is time for your injection.“

“I am fine. Sorry, Nurse Tanezaki.“

Chapter Text

Due to a some collegues falling ill, making her work double shifts once more, she did not visit Kakyoin for two days. When she finally made it, Kujo was there, too. There was still some tension between them, but nothing compared to the amount of ill feelings they had for each other before they had dinner and talked.

Kakyoin seemed to be relieved now that they were not only glaring at each other but were actually able to have a conversation with him. It was rather pleasant. They talked about a new science fiction movie Kakyoin wanted to see but couldn‘t as it was much too risky for him to leave the hospital. He was still not stable, and it was not sure yet if he wouldn’t need another transplant.

Hana was also interested in the movie and was a bit sad they could not watch it together. Kakyoin suggested that she and Jotaro go and if it was any good, he would watch it on video later. She normally went to the cinema alone, as she did most things outside work alone. She felt very insecure at Kakyoin‘s suggestion, and when she looked at Kujo, she could see that he wasn‘t comfortable with it either. But Kakyoin looked at them so expectantly. Shit. Before she could say anything, Kujo rumbled, “Not today. Maybe Saturday?“ He now looked at her, for once not hiding his eyes. She was not sure, but he looked insecure? Sunday was her next day off. So why not? They would only be sitting next to each other.

“Okay.“

She stayed for a while longer before she started to feel really hungry and tired. Her stomach grumbled audibly.

Kujo once more looked at her. She was still not sure what to think of him. When he was not talking about biology, his face was so impassive.

“There is a nice restaurant not too far from here if you like a Japanese interpretation of Italian food.“

What did he want? She was heading home, there was a lot of food in her fridge that would spoil if she did not use it.

“Not today. I have everything at home for Oyakodon and I don‘t want it to go bad.“

Now it was Kujo‘s stomach that grumbled. Kakyoin laughed.

“You two should go and eat. My dinner will be here shortly, and I am not going to share my fantastic special diet food with you. So off you sod!“

Hana said her good byes. Then, almost against her will, she turned to Kujo.

“You can come to my place. I have got enough for two. You‘ll help, though.“

He thought about it for a moment.

“Okay.“

They decided to walk as it was a cold but clear day. She let him into her apartment and wondered for a moment how it would look to an outsider. It was rather simple. Mostly books, a comfortable sofa with pillows and blankets, the little shrine for her granny, TV and SNES. The kitchen small, functional and thankfully spotless today. Kujo took of his shoes, but made no move to get rid of his hat and coat. She glared at him and pointed at the coat rack.

“You can put your hat and coat there.“ He stared back, but she did not back up. How rude was that guy? After a minute or so of staring at each other, he sighed and shrugged of his black coat, took off his hat and put it where she pointed. He ran a hand through his hair and looked a bit uncomfortable. But he did not say anything. Well, her house, her rules.

When they were in the kitchen, he surprised her once more. He was a more than decent and apt cook. They worked mostly in silence, but it was kind of comfortable. Dinner turned out great, and they wolfed it down quite speedily.

“Thank you, Koizumi-san. That was really good.“

“You did as much as I did.“

“You did the seasoning. Just as good as my mom‘s.“

“Thank you.“ It was quite sweet how he liked his mom‘s food. The more she discovered about him, the more she liked him.

“What is your favourite food, Kujo-san?“

“Everything my mom makes. And my grandma‘s lasagna. She’s Italian.“

“Kakyoin said your mom is American?“

“Which means my grandpa is British and grandma is Italian and they have lived in New York since 1939. Hence, my mom is American. And not.“

“I see. My grandma was Scottish.“

“Oh. I was wondering… That explains your eyes.“

“Anything wrong with my eyes?“ She was annoyed. Who was he to talk and give her racist shit.

“No. It‘s just… They are blue. You are like me.“

“I do hope not!“ she snapped at him, as she was still offended, even if she realized he had not wanted to insult her. But she had had too much of that in the past and was still touchy.

Something very strange happened. Kujo snickered for just a second.

She had never seen him smile, let alone heard him laugh. His face changed, and he looked different in a good way. She realized for the first time that he was a handsome guy.

“Why are you laughing?“

“Because of course you are not like me. But we are still both hāfus. Did you get a lot of shit because of it?“

“Technically, I am a kwōta. And yes. You, too?“

They exchanged memories of being bullied while they washed the dishes and he told her how he had reacted by creating a bad boy image when he entered high school.

“Believe it or not, before high school, I was an honour student and got messed up for it, because a hāfu just wasn‘t allowed to be better than the pure blooded Japanese students. One day, I just had enough. Good thing I was taller than most of the asshats. Bit of training also helped. They never stopped, really, but it got a lot less and I won most of the time.“

“Girls are different. It is mostly words. And your things vanish or you find things in your locker that definitely don‘t belong there. My favourite was dog shit in my Japanese textbook. Somehow, it was fitting.“

For a moment, he just stared at her.

“Are you serious?“

“Yep. Also, I got whatever they found in a trashcan and dared to touch. Once, they emptied an ashtray on my shoes. It did not help that I was two years younger than anybody else and was top of the class gradewise. And I always talked back. Plus, I dressed kind of… edgy. Too many reasons to hate me.“

She had never talked about it, not even with Kakyoin. He still looked at her, his eyes wide in his serious face.

“I am so sorry, Koizumi-san. That sounds really awful.“

His voice sounded a lot softer than usual. Nobody had ever felt sorry for her. A lump formed in her throat. She had not cried since her grandma died, had never been as close to crying like right now. She swallowed hard, took a breath and forced her face into a smile. Like she had always done.

“Well, it‘s over. No use in crying over spilt milk, right?“

“I am not so sure about that. Talking about my experiences helped a lot, you know. Whatever happened, you still at least partly believe deep inside what they said was wrong with you. And talking about it, and also crying about it… Let‘s say it set things right for me.“

She failed miserably to imagine Kujo crying. But she had to admit he was right: She surely believed that at least half of what they said was true. Not that she was stupid, but there where other things. They still sometimes echoed through her mind, fragments of what her parents and classmates had said.

You are ugly… No one will ever want you… Don‘t be such a smart ass, that‘s so unattractive… Girls should not behave like that… Eating so much only shows you‘re greedy… If you don‘t change your attitude, no man will ever like you…

It had been true, nobody had ever liked her or fallen in love with her. She had been prepared to spend her life alone, she did not need anybody. And then, like a miracle, she had met people who were like her. Who understood. Who seemed to like her just like she was. But did they really like her? Wasn‘t she too weird?

Kujo was still looking at her with his intense eyes, clenching the dishcloth. She noticed she had not said anything and had not continued cleaning the pot she had still in her hand for a while. She cleared her throat - somehow the lump was back - and put a smile on.

“It‘s fine, Kujo. Sorry for dumping that on you, I usually don‘t do that.“

“It‘s okay. Really. I… I think I understand.“ He dropped the dishcloth and patted her shoulder, rested his hand there for a moment. She froze. Nobody had touched her in at least fifteen years except her dentist and a doctor when she went for a check up. The lump in her throat got bigger, and she felt tears in her eyes. He was being so damn nice. He realized that she had gone stiff under his touch and dropped his hand.

“Sorry. I did not want to make you uncomfortable.“

“No. No. That‘s not it. Sorry.“ She turned and fled to the bathroom. There, she took a few deep breaths, pushing back the tears with all her might. Splashed cold water in her face. Actually used the toilet. When she washed her hands, she felt stable enough to face Kujo again. He, or rather their topic, had really got under her skin.

When she returned to the kitchen, everything was clean and he had even started to make some more tea. He looked at her again, and she almost wished she had left him his hat to hide his face. His eyes seemed to see right through her.

“Do you want me to leave?“

She thought about it for a moment.

“No. Please, stay. Up for a game?“ She waved at the SNES. He groaned.

“I am shit at that. You should do that with Kakyoin. He‘s the expert.“

“And he hasn‘t rubbed off on you only a little bit?“

“He says no.“

“Please?“

“Okay. The Donkey thing in team mode. I can do that without embarassing myself too much.“

He was not completely wrong about his abilities. Still, it was fun and stopped her effectively from brooding about what had just happened.

He left quite late. In the door, he turned around, looked at her from under the brim of his hat.

“Will you be alright?“

She wasn‘t sure, but hoped for the best.

“Yes, I think so. Thank you, Kujo-san. You were very friendly. Sorry for thinking that you are an arrogant asshole. You are not.“

“Sorry for thinking you are a conceited idiot. You are not.“

She saw the ghost of a smile curl the corners of his mouth and smiled back.

“See you tomorrow, Koizumi-san.“

“Yeah, tomorrow.“

After that, the last of the tension between them was gone. Which was good, as it was Saturday the next day. That meant cinema. As always, they met in Kakyoin’s room. He had a bad day, the side effects of the meds were getting to him. But he was as composed as ever, smiling at his friends, joking about himself. She knew him well enough by now to see that his pride would not let him admit that he was really too tired for visitors. She glanced at Kujo, who answered with a short nod and got up.

“You look tired, Noriaki. Rest. We‘ll be back tomorrow. Anything I can get you?“

“No, Jojo, I am fine. You‘re right, I am tired today. Have fun at the cinema. Hana-chan, I want to hear everything about it tomorrow, okay?“

“Sure thing, Kakyoin-kun. See you tomorrow.“

They left, but it was still too early to go to the cinema. So they decided to walk most of the way, they both agreed that the fresh air and the exercise would do them good. She was looking forward to the movie, and she had started to enjoy Kujo‘s company. He was rather taciturn, except when he had really something to say. As she herself was not very fond of useless chatter, it was nice to walk with him in comfortable silence.

Chapter Text

Going to the cinema with Hana was… interesting. He had only been with his mother and Kakyoin so far. With his mother, it had been mainly to please her, not because he was overly interested in the movies she picked. She had a passion for romantic comedies and complicated French movies. The latter were kind of interesting, but he could never shake the feeling that he understood half of it at best. The romantic comedies were… well he did not dislike them. He could see what his mom liked about them, and he sometimes wished it as that easy in reality. But he knew for sure it wasn‘t. But maybe that was because he had never even had a crush on anybody. His grandfather had once said to him that this was something running in the family.

“We Joestars fall in love only once. But that hits us hard.“ Maybe his grandfather was right. But that was a problem in the future. Or maybe never.

Cinema with Kakyoin was better in the way that they both picked movies that interested them and went together. Kakyoin was always highly concentrated, and afterwards, he reviewed the movie like a professional, but with much more sass. Which Jotaro enjoyed immensely. Like he enjoyed talking to Kakyoin immensely in general. He remembered a talk they had when Kakyoin was recovering at the hospital after Egypt. He had a bad day painwise, but like every day, Jotaro was next to him, trying to be helpful. Kakyoin, in a sour mood, had asked, “Why do you even bother to come here? It must be boring for you.“

He had thought a minute about the question. His friend deserved an honest answer.

“Because I like you. It‘s fun to talk to you.“

Kakyoin had looked at him increduously, his eyes large in his pale face.

“Is that so.“

“Yeah. You are cool.“

“That‘s what you think about me?“ Kakyoin‘s voice was almost a whisper, and it irritated Jotaro for a second. Of course he thought his friend was cool.

“Sure. Smart. Badass fighter. Sassy. Determined. Mean. I like that.“

“You like that I am sassy and mean.“

“Yeah. If you weren‘t, you would be much too nice to be my friend, right?“

Kakyoin stared at him for a second.

“You are not joking, are you?“

“Why would I? You asked me, I answered. You know that I like you. Why would I hang out with you if I didn‘t?“

Kakyoin closed his eyes and did not say anything for some time.

“You okay? Need more meds?“ Jotaro was always worried. He knew Kakyoin hated that, but still.

“No. No meds. And yes, I am okay. You know, you are maybe the sweetest delinquent on the planet, Jojo?“ His eyes were still closed.

“What do you mean by that?“

“Just that I like you, too. Your honesty. You are brave. Clever. Strong. Straightforward. And maybe a bit mean, too.“ He had then opened his eyes and smiled at him, and Jotaro had seen tears in his friend‘s eyes. Kakyoin‘s words had made him feel all soft inside, too. He was glad he had a friend who valued him and vice versa. Still, the emotions were a bit too much. He started to feel uncomfortable, and the way Kakyoin looked, he felt the same.

“Ah, Kakyoin?“

“What?“

“Can we talk about something else?“

“Absolutely.“

Even if he had felt akward at that moment, he remembered it fondly. They both knew how much they esteemed each other now. Which was a good thing.

Cinema with Hana was notably different. She totally immersed herself in the movie and completely forgot about her surroundings including him. He could see all the different emotions the movie made her feel reflecting on her usually calm face. Amusement. Tension. Anger. He ended up watching her face more than the movie. It seemed so much more interesting at the moment. Only when the movie ended, he realised that he would not be able to talk to Kayoin about it a lot as he had missed a good part of it. Also, he had a strange feeling in his guts, somehow warm and fuzzy. Maybe something he had eaten.

Hana started talking about the movie which she had enjoyed, and he was at least able to hold up a conversation on it. His stomach reminded him that he hadn‘t eaten anything since lunch, and it was now way past nine.

“Are you hungry?“

“Always.“ She grinned.

“Do you like American food? There is a place nearby that has good burgers. But if you‘d rather…“ Her eyes sparkled and she beamed at him. The strange feeling in his guts that had calmed down flared up again. Maybe a burger wasn‘t such a good idea after all?

“I haven‘t eaten a good burger in years! Didn‘t know they had a place like that here. Is it like the real thing?“ Well, he would not get out of this now.

“Yeah. The owner is American, married to a Japanese woman, I guess. Hence the burger restaurant in Tokyo.“

“Let’s go already.“ She tugged at his sleeve, and he realized he had stopped walking. But her happy face had distracted him. Maybe he was tired, getting distracted so easily. He had finished a lot of work and spent a lot of time at the hospital lately. He started walking again, and she fell in step with him, still smiling.

“You know, I am not that much into American culture, but when I studied in Scotland, there was this burger place, we went there all the time, the guys from the D&D club and me. I really do like a good burger.“

“What‘s a D&D club?“

“How do you not know?“

“I live under a rock,“ he deadpanned. She laughed.

“Sorry, forgot this. You ever heard of role playing games?“

It took him a moment to understand the concept, and he knew immediately that Kakyoin would be intrigued by the idea.

They arrived at the restaurant, she told him some weird and funny stories about her D&D adventures while they waited for their food. The feeling in his guts was still there, but it wasn‘t painful or anything. Just weird. And he was still hungry, so he decided to ignore it. The burgers arrived - they had both chosen the same thing, and he saw Hana‘s face light up at the sight.

She beamed at him over their food.

“If this is only half as good as it looks, I am forever indebted to you, Kujo-san!“ He couldn‘t help it, her smile was infectious, and smiled back. Her eyes became large.

“This is the first time I have really seen you smile at me!“ she exclaimed. He felt his face get warm. What was wrong with him today?

“You never smile, you just sometimes smirk at your boyfriend.“

He was dumbfounded. What was she talking about?

“My what?“

“Your boyfriend. Kakyoin.“

He had just taken a sip of his drink and almost spit it out again. It took him a moment.

“Kakyoin is not my boyfriend.“

“Oh? I thought because you two are exceptionally close, you live together, and you are so protective…“

“We are not. Just friends. Also, he likes girls.“

“And you?“

He did not like where this was going. He knew by now she was a curious person. It reflected in her stand, he thought.

“Wouldn‘t you like to know.“

“Honestly? I don‘t really care. I only hope that you are not unhappily in love. I heard that this is not amusing,“ she deadpanned.

“I don‘t know much about that.“

“Me neither. Good for us, I think.“

“Yeah.“ She smiled at him again, and took a large bite of her burger.

“This is fantastic!“ Her mouth was full, and he had a hard time understanding her. But her happy face made clear what she meant. He realised that he had not seen her so relaxed before. He liked her like that. A lot. He felt another smile forming on his face, but took a bite of his burger instead. Maybe the strange feeling in his gut was just his appetite. He sure was hungry.

They focused on their meal, and when he had just finished his burger, his mobile phone rang. He looked at it, looked at Hana. He was really pissed by the interuption. He wanted to spend time with his friend, for god‘s sake. But it was Jiji‘s number. It could be anything.

“Sorry, I have to answer this.“

She waved a ‘go ahead’ at him, and he unhappily answered the phone.

Chapter Text

Cinema with Kujo was fun. He was quiet and let her enjoy the movie, which she liked. After it, he suggested a burger restaurant, which she also really liked, as she hadn‘t eaten a decent burger in what felt like forever. At the restaurant, he smiled at her when she got excited about her meal. She had never seen a full smile like that on him before, only smirks and once, he had laughed if only for a second. It changed his whole face, and he really looked beautiful. But she was truly surprised when she found out that he and Kakyoin weren‘t dating. She had been quite sure. And now he told her they weren’t a couple. They sure behaved like an old married couple sometimes - she did not say that out loud now, of course.

He had just finished his burger when his mobile phone rang. She had already noticed that he and Kakyoin had matching phones - fancy new and expensive ones, just like Kakyoin‘s laptop. They seemed to have quite a lot of money. He did not leave the table, so she could not help but hear his side of the conversation. He spoke English, although he called the person at the other end Jiji - which wasn‘t very respectful but it sounded… affectionate the way he said it.

“Jiji! What is it.“

“…“

“When?“

“…“

“Text me the arrival time, will you?“

“…“

“Where do you want to stay?“

“…“

“Fine with me. It‘s too big for us anyway, and Kakyoin won‘t be home.“

“…“

“Tell her to text me a list and I‘ll get everything.“

“…“

“Nothing, really. I don‘t need presents.“

“…“

“Yeah, okay. See you soon.“

“…“

“Jiji! I am not five, I am twenty-five!“

“…“

“Yeah, fine. Tell grandma hi.“

“…“

“You know I do. I am just busy at the moment.“

“…“

“No, another friend.“

“…“

“You are a curious bastard, Jiji.“

“…“

“Whatever. Good night or morning or whatever time it is at your place.“

“…“

He put the phone away and sighed. She looked at him, still chewing, and did not ask the questions she had right now. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

“My family is coming over for Christmas. Great. Now I have to get the house spotless because of mom and buy some presents.“ He sounded absolutely pissed.

She felt pity and a wave of affection for Kujo. And spontaneously offered to help him clean and get presents.

“You‘d really do that? The house is fucking large and you don‘t know anyone of my family.“

“Well, you‘ll have to tell me about them, and we‘ll figure it out together.“

“Good grief. I do accept, but I have one condition: You spend Christmas with us. Which is selfish of me, because honestly, I don‘t want to spend so much time with my crazy family without Kakyoin. He is usually the one to keep me sane. So, deal?“

“God, you make them sound horrible. But as I am a curious person,“ he snorted at that and she ignored it, “I say deal.“ She stretched out her hand and they shook hands, both with an absolutely serious expression. They had nineteen days to accomplish their mission. She would work on seventeen of them, so it would be a tight schedule.

Chapter Text

“So. How was cinema with Hana?“

“Nice. She liked the movie. She‘ll probably talk your ear off about it.“

“What do you think about it?“

Jotaro sighed.

“To be honest, I missed a good part of it.“

“Why that? Did you fall asleep?“

“No.“

“Then what?“

“…“ He hoped Kakyoin would drop it. But he knew better. There it was.

“Jojo!“

“I got distracted.“

“By what. Come on. Jotaro!“

Jotaro felt his face get warm. However he would phrase it, it would sound creepy as hell. He wondered what Kakyoin would think about him.

“I looked at Hana‘s face,“ he mumbled. Kakyoin stared at him for a solid minute. He felt his face heat up even more. What the dickens was wrong with him. He had even used her given name - somehow he had started thinking about her like that, of course he still called her Koizumi-san.

“Why did you do that, Jojo?“

“Dunno, really, she was just so into the movie and her face was so… full of emotion.“

“I see. Anything else?“

“We had a burger after that. She loved it. Jiji called. They will all be here for christmas. Hana offered to help me clean and get presents.“

“Which you declined.“

Jotaro shuffled his feet.

“Actually, I accepted. But I invited her to come over and celebrate with us.“

“I see. That’s good to know, but that‘s not exactly what I meant. Anything else you thought or felt about Hana-chan?“

“Why are you asking?“

“Because you are a dunce. Tell me already.“

“I had that feeling in my guts.“

“Elaborate.“

“Warm. Fuzzy. Weird. But I was maybe just hungry.“

“Jojo. Do you like her?“

“Yeah, sure, already told you so.“ Kakyoin dramatically rolled his eyes.

“I mean romantically, you oaf.“ Something clicked into place in his brain. He stared at his friend. The way her smile made him feel all warm and soft. How he liked watching her. How he liked spending time with her and was pissed when somebody disturbed them.

“Fuck.“

“What is that supposed to mean, my dear friend?“

“I think I maybe do.“

Kakyoin smiled at him widely and happily.

“Great! Really, I don‘t think you could find anyone better. You’ll be a fantastic team!“

“I don‘t know, Kakyoin. I don‘t think she is interested in me.“

Kakyoin hummed. “Maybe you should put some effort in it, then?“

Jotaro sighed.

“Yeah. Me. Great. What could possibly go wrong?“

Kakyoin laughed straight in his face.

Chapter Text

Kujo had suggested spending the evening together going through the papers the SPW had sent concerning their plan for a little side project on stand user genetics. Somehow, over the last weeks, they had spent almost all of her time outside work together, cooking at her house or having meals together at a restaurant, playing games on her SNES and mostly talking about a lot of things. It was nice.

Today, they had made a quick dinner and were now comfortably seated on her sofa, both crosslegged and facing each other, the papers between them. They were reading and from time to time talking to each other, when the phone rang. She was surprised as nobody ever called her, the hospital used a pager to contact her. Only her mom called her. Twice a year.

“Kujo-san, what date is today?“ she asked, already getting up.

“December 16th?“ He looked at her, irritated. Well, yes, her question was maybe a bit weird. But now she knew for sure it was her mother. She had forgotten her own birthday. Again.

“Mochi mochi?“

“Hana-chan. Congratulations.“

“Thank you, mother.“

“Have you met somebody.“

“No, mother. As I have told you before, I did not become a doctor to get married.“

“You are twenty-five now. It is almost too late.“

“Mother. I am not looking for a husband.“

“You should. Your attitude is annoying, if not worse.“

“Yes mother. I have got to go, a friend is here visiting.“

“Who is she.“

“He is…mother, it is not very polite to talk about people who are in the room.“

“Don‘t talk to me like that. Answer.“

Jotaro, who had watched her, his face not conveying what he thought about the conversation, suddenly stood next to her and took the receiver from her hand.

“My name is Kujo-Joestar Jotaro. I am a friend of your daughter.“

Hana could no longer hear what her mother said. Why did he use a different name?

“…“

“Marine biologist. Just finishing my master thesis.“

“….“

“I would not need to wait because of money. My grandfather is Joseph Joestar.“

Hana squinted. What was he up to?

“…“

“No. But I will eventually.“

“…“

“No. Neither of us would like that.“

“…“

“That is Hana‘s decision. I will accept whatever she wants.“

“…“

“We have got plans for tonight, so I have got to go. Good bye.“ He put down the receiver. Looked at her intensely.

“Is she always like that?“

“Yep. What did she say to you?“

“Nothing important. Made sure I was… fit company for you.“

“And what is my decision?“

“If you want me to meet your parents.“

“Why should I want that?“

“…“

“Kujo-san?“

“She might have got the impression that… well, never mind.“

She looked at him critically.

“Whatever you say, Kujo. Thanks for saving me from that conversation.“

“Always welcome.“ He actually smiled at her.

Something strange happened. In a moment of clarity, she knew that he was the one. It was not a rush of emotions or anything, just a calm certainty. A small thing nestled in her heart. What the bloody hell was happening to her? She decided to let it slide, maybe her mother‘s call had made her a bit crazy. She got back to the sofa and sat down again, Jotaro following.

“Why did she call in the first place? To make you uncomfortable?“

“Nah. It‘s my birthday today. She calls on my birthday and on New Year.“

He stared at her.

“Why didn‘t you say anything?“

“I forgot about it.“

He stared some more.

“You are really weird sometimes,“ he stated.

“Yep. Proud of it, too.“

He shook his head and smiled at her again. So many smiles in just five minutes. Two in total. She had to tell Kakyoin about it. Must be a new record. It was definitely worth her mother‘s call.

The evening went on pleasantly, and she almost managed to forget the strange moment and the thing in her heart. Almost.

When he had left and she had lain down on her futon, she was not able to go to sleep. Although her day had started early and she was dead beat - the morning shift started at six - and she had been at the hospital until eight in the evening, including her visit to Kakyoin, and after that she had talked to Kujo almost until midnight - she could not go to sleep. The thing in her heart kept calling for her attention. She tried to be reasonable: She had started to like Kujo. Even if he was a grumpy and taciturn oaf, he was intelligent, strong, loyal and cared deeply for the ones he loved. And he had a wicked sense of humour. She really liked that. And, she admitted it to herself, she thought he was attractive. Especially when he smiled at her. Hana had never experienced it, but she knew the symptoms - reading was quite educational. Fuck. She was already in too deep. Nothing would come of having a crush on Kujo Jotaro. No man in his right mind would ever like her like that - she was twenty-five and no one had ever been interested. Her mother was right when she told her that her tomboyish attitude chased away every guy on the planet. Plus he had said that he thought she was weird. So she would be best of if she forgot about it as soon as possible. Maybe she could find something about how to get over a stupid crush in the bookstore next time she went. Most important was that she valued his friendship and she would not let get anything in between them as friends. With that resolution, she felt better. And finally managed to go to sleep.

Chapter Text

They had a good time looking at the outline of the study on stand user genetics, which was especially interesting as the SPW also partly funded the Human Genome Project and therefore could use all their data. It would take years, though, but they both did not mind.

He had managed to spend almost all of her free time together with her, and she did not seem to mind. They talked about a lot of things, ate together, watched a movie and he didn‘t mind to play a game on her SNES from time to time. Jotaro enjoyed every minute of their time together, and working on their joint project was especially nice. The phone rang, and he was almost angry that anybody dared to disturb their pleasant evening. The conversation he witnessed did nothing against his annoyance. Hana sounded stressed and unhappy, her mother seemed to grill her about her love life. Which, at least he thought so, was none of her business. His mom asked him, too, from time to time, but gently and not with the pressure Hana‘s mother seemed to put on her. Hana tried to escape the conversation by mentioning his presence, and he had enough. Acting on impulse, he stepped up to her and took the receiver from her hand.

“My name is Kujo-Joestar Jotaro. I am a friend of your daughter.“

He used his mother‘s name to sound more important - he had the feeling that Hana‘s mother was rather uppity.

“Oh. Good evening. So you are Hana‘s friend? What are you doing for a living?“

“Marine biologist. Just finishing my master thesis.“

“So you would have to wait a bit before marrying her, as you haven‘t an established carrier yet.“ The audacity of the woman was infuriating. He had not even said that they were in a relationship. Still, he decided to play along - maybe that would give Hana some peace. And he really liked the thought of being her… whatever.

“I would not need to wait because of money. My grandfather is Joseph Joestar.“

“Oh. I have heard of him. He is big in real estate and does a lot for charity. Have you already proposed to my daughter?“ She sounded very eager. It pissed him off. Poor Hana.

“No. But I will eventually.“ If he would ever be brave enough to tell her about his feelings in the first place.

“So I can already plan a wedding? I would love to give Hana a big reception.“ Did that woman know her daughter at all?

“No. Neither of us would like that.“

“Then, when will I get to know you?“

“That is Hana‘s decision. I will accept whatever she wants.“

“Can I talk to her again?“ He had to end this. Now. He had no idea how he would explain that to Hana.

“We have got plans for tonight, so I have got to go. Good bye.“ He just put down the receiver. How did Hana turn out to be such a nice person with a mother like that? How could she be such a warm and caring person after seemingly everybody in her life had treated her like shit?

He managed not to tell her anything about what her mother now thought. According to Hana, he still had two weeks before she would call her daughter again, he would find a way to solve the problem he had created until then.

The rest of the evening was pleasant, they finished looking throught the SPW papers, discussed their own ideas, talked about his master thesis. He felt relaxed and comfortable, even if his conversation with Kakyoin still made him uneasy. And thinking about the conversation he had had with Hana‘s mother, he realized that he would have loved it to be true. Everytime she smiled at him made it worse. Kakyoin had been right. As always. He was completely smitten.

Chapter Text

They had decided to use her first day off to get the presents, and clean the house and get the groceries from the list Jotaro‘s mom had sent him on the second day. Jotaro‘s family would arrive on the 24th - his parents and maternal grandparents.

She had asked Jotaro some questions about his family, and had grilled Kakyoin about it, too. And had come up with some ideas for presents. They were sitting on the train to her selected shopping area and she filled him in on the things she had come up with, looking at her notebook rather than at him.

“Your grandpa is easy. As he collects comics, we could get him ‘Cobra‘, there is a decent English translation.“

“Sounds good.“

Hana took a note.

“For your grandma, I thought she might like a kanzashi, not one with flowers, maybe something antique, depending on how much you are able to spend on it. And for your mom, we could get a video, Kakyoin and me thought she might like that French movie, ‘La Séparation’. Your dad is hardest, but I saw a book with a collection of biographies of famous Jazz musicians and thought he might like that. And of course, Yōkan from that little wagashi shop in Chūō Ward for everybody. What do you say?“

She looked up from her notebook and found Kujo staring at her with an unreadable expression.

“Something on my face?“

“Huh? No. Your ideas are great. You don‘t even know them!“

“I asked you and Kakyoin about what they like, so I think I got a pretty good idea about that.“

She also knew what Jotaro would get from her - Kakyoin had helped a bit, but she had already bought the newest CD of The Blue Hearts, one of her favourite bands which Jotaro also liked. For teasing him, she had also bought the newest crime Toshinobu Kubota called music - Kakyoin, her partner in crime, had dropped that teenage Jotaro had liked him back in the day, and she just wanted to see his face. Also, she had found a lovely book about the Great Barrier Reef. On the spur of the moment she had written a dedication into it, what she almost regretted by now, but well, the deed was done.

“Thank you so much, Hana-san.“ She realized that she had been spacing out a bit and that he suddenly called her by her given name. Which sounded nice. It gave her a warm feeling, and she smiled and tried something.

„Always a pleasure, Jotaro-san.“ To use his name felt good, and his smile was small, but undeniably there. Unwelcomed emotions flared up, and she took a deep breath and pushed them as far away as possible.

Shopping was hard, as most of the items on their list were quite specific. It took them four exhausting hours to get everything, plus she got sidetracked and bought something for Kakyoin, too - a new game for his Game Boy and a book on mythical places which he would enjoy.

She suddenly realized that she had no presents for Jotaro‘s family.

“What should I get for your family?“

“Why should you get anything? I‘ll tell them this is from both of us.“

“If that is really okay with you…“

“Sure. You did all the thinking, anyway.“

“Kakyoin helped, too.“

“Yeah, and I’ll get him this new game for his SNES he so desperately wants. The donkey thing part 2.“

“Cool. He‘ll like that.“

“What about you? What would you like?“

“No idea. I never got any good presents after my Nana, my grandmother, died. So I get what I want myself most of the time. I am sure glad that my mom stopped giving me make up and nail polish for my birthday.“ She chuckled

She felt his gaze on her. She looked at him but was not sure what was in his eyes. Maybe sadness.

When they left the train station next to his house where they wanted to stop by to store the presents and plan their cleaning spree, they decided not to take the bus but walk, even if it was already getting dark. It was always nice to walk with him, relaxing. They were passing through a small park in comfortable silence, when somebody addressed them.

“Kujo Jotaro?“ She felt Jotaro next to her tense up. She only now realized that they had been walking very close to each other, almost touching. His deep voice sounded pissed as he answered.

“Who wants to know?“

She could see nobody around, but felt a strange energy. She tugged at Jotaro‘s sleeve and whispered, “I think it‘s a stand user.“ He nodded and kind of got into a fighting position, gently placing the bags with the presents on the ground. Oh. She loosened her muscles and got ready, too. Just in case.

Instead of an answer, somebody screamed “Black Blade!“ and a lot of black knives appeared out of nowhere about ten metres ahead of them and came rushing towards them. Jotaro kind of froze and just stared at them. She acted in the split second before the knives hit. She kicked at Jotaro‘s legs so he would fall - which was the lesser evil - and threw herself into the opposite direction so it would be harder for their still invisible opponent to target them both at the same time. She heard one knife hit something. Before she hit ground, she heard Jotaro‘s strained voice, “Star Platinum: The World!“ and everything froze. Except Jotaro. He caught himself, got up, rushed to were the knives had appeared, pulled a person out of the bushes and got them in a headlock, Star Platinum mirroring his actions with the person‘s very tall and gangly black Stand, fists at the ready to punch their heads. Time resumed, and she managed to roll over with her practised martial arts move and rush over to Jotaro, who was talking to the person he held. A knife was embedded in his upper arm. Shit. She had been a tad to slow. Their attacker was a woman, maybe in her thirties, tall, blonde, a gaunt face that had already turned bright red in Jotaro‘s merciless hold.

“What do you want, shithead?“ Jotaro sounded unbelievably angry. The woman tried to spit at him, but did not quite make it. Hana offered, “I can make her talk. And stop her from doing anything we don‘t like.“

“Go ahead.“ Jotaro looked utterly pissed, too.

She summoned Rainbow and touched the woman, made her drop her very apparent wish to kill Jotaro and evoked the impregnable intention to be peaceful and answer all the questions Jotaro would ask. The woman stopped struggeling, her stand disappeared, and Hana told Joaro that he could let go. He frowned, but complied.

“You should ask your questions. She will answer as long as Rainbow is out.“

He did not have any questions after she answered the first one - why she had attacked them - and her answer was a rather mysterious “To revenge my Lord Dio!“, but sighed and got out his phone. The conversation was short.

“…“

“Kujo Jotaro.“

“…“

“We got a situation in a park next to my house.“

“…“

“No. We need somebody to pick up an enemy stand user.“

“…“

“Alive. No mess to clean up.“

“…“

“Yeah. We will be waiting. But hurry, I‘ve got other things to do.“

“…“

“Okay.“

He ended the call and sighed. Turned to her, the knife still sticking out of his arm, and said, “They will be here in about twenty minutes, depending on the traffic. Can you keep her still so long?“

“Of course.“ She touched the woman again and put her to sleep. Felt better that way. Jotaro stared at her.

“What?“

“You are scary. But thank you. If you hadn‘t made me fall, I would look like a dartboard right now.“

“You still got a knife in your arm. Sorry for being a bit too slow.“ He turned his face to his arm and realized he was bleeding pretty badly.

“Oh. Shit.“

“Let me have a look.“ He hesitated.

“I am a professional, Jotaro-san. Let me have a look.“ She knew she sounded stern, and she felt her brows knit together. He gave in, and she carefully took his arm. He had been lucky, it had almost missed him and mainly cut through his skin. She would have to sew the wound, but it was not a big deal. She told him so and wrapped his arm with her scarf for now. The knife had disappeared the moment she had made the woman unconscious.

“We can do that at my house, I got everything you might need,“ he said. She wondered at this, most people did not keep that kind of equipment in their first aid kits. But she did not ask. Yet. They would have to talk about the situation. But as this would take some time, she was willing to bide her time.

Chapter Text

He was angrier than he had thought he could possibly be. After all these years, Dio’s shadow still loomed over him. Worse, something could have happened to Hana. His stomach churned at the thought. How could he drag an innocent person into his trouble? The moment the knives were flying towards him had really got to him, triggering memories he wished he could forget. He had almost messed up, and Hana had saved him. He admired how calm she was. How she did the necessary things. And her stand was amazing. He really looked at it for the first time. It was delicate, somehow airy, clad in a flowing robe, all shimmering white except for the skyblue eyes and the rainbow coloured hair. Rainbow was beautiful. And it scared the shit out of him. Nevertheless, he had a hard time from keeping Star Platinum from reappearing and floating over to do… whatever.

When the SPW clean up team arrived after almost twenty-five minutes, he had calmed down a bit but he knew his voice was harsh and he had a hard time not to be too rude. Hana had not left his side while they waited, after wrapping up his arm, she had just stood there with him, without asking or saying anything, and that had somehow calmed him down. After they had dealt with the SPW people, the user was properly sedated and Hana had released Rainbow‘s hold, he went to pick up the bags with the presents. He was lucky the floor was dry. Hana took the bag he was holding with his injured arm from him, and before he could say anything, she just looked at him with her stern ‘doctor‘ face. “I don‘t want to hear it, Jotaro-san.“

Minutes later, they arrived at his house, and he showed her to his room with the adjacent bathroom where he kept everything to patch him up. Now that the adrenaline had worn out, the wound hurt like a bitch. She made him sit down.

“Take your jacket and your shirt off.“ She already looked through the contents of his well stacked first aid kit with a satisfied smile. He took of her now ruined scarf, his hat and his jacket and realized that if he took off his shirt he would be practically naked in front of his crush. So he tried to roll up the sleeve of his turtleneck instead. Which did not work. Damn those muscles. She looked at him.

“No need to be shy. Just take it off already, I‘ve seen all shapes and sizes.“

He felt himself blush, but as it was still bleeding and hurt, he did as he was told. She stepped up to him and took his arm. She was so close now, he could smell her. She was not wearing perfume or anything, but he smelt something like lavender and vanilla, maybe her soap. He liked it. A lot. Her gentle touch gave him goosebumps.

“Sorry, you‘re cold. I‘ll be quick.“ He wasn’t cold. On the contrary. Not that he could have told her. She turned away to the supplies she had laid out. He thought that her cheeks had turned rosy, but wasn‘t sure. Maybe just wishful thinking.

She cleaned and disinfected the gash and started sewing. He bit his lip. The feeling was really unpleasant, although he had been through worse. She was quick, he had to admit. She must have realized him tensing up.

“Rainbow can numb the pain, if you want.“

“‘M fine,“ he muttered through clenched teeth.

“Your choice, big guy.“ She smiled at him, and he started to feel a bit dizzy. He had not lost that much blood, had he? She dressed the wound.

“There. All done. You should do yourself a favour and take some painkillers. I will check on it tomorrow.“ She picked up his turtleneck.

“I don‘t think we can save this. Your coat, maybe. But this…“ She shook her head and also picked up her once light blue scarf that was all bloody now.

“Ugh, well, I think this also isn‘t salvageable. Too much blood.“ She bundled the items up and put them in the trash. Well, at least he had an idea for a christmas present now. He had only seen her with that one scarf. He realized he had just watched her when he should have maybe said something. He managed a short sentence.

“Sorry about that.“ She just shrugged her shoulders.

He decided to get up and find something to wear. He went to his bedroom and quickly put on a clean shirt. He heard her wash her hands and then she was in his bedroom. He felt a bit embarassed. It was so plain. Mainly books. On the walls, pictures of his favourite sea life, courtesy of Kakyoin‘s experimental photography. When he thought about it, maybe close-ups of starfish limbs, jellyfish and different kinds of algae were a bit weird. She looked at him, pondering. She clearly had something on her mind.

“What is it?“ She looked at him for another second, making her mind up.

“Why did you stall when we were attacked? You are usually so fast.“

He thought about what to say. And made a decision. He wanted her to know everything important about him.

“I‘ll tell you. But that… will take some time. We should have a cup of tea.“

When they were settled with a large pot of tea on his mother‘s comfortable sofa, next to each other as if they were sitting on her so much smaller one, he took a deep breath and told her about Egypt. He had never told the whole story to anybody, not even to his mother, who had gotten a very abridged gore-free version. Although he kept it short, it took over an hour. She just listened, attentive, her keen eyes never leaving him, but without her usual questions. He was thankful for that. When he came to his fight with Dio and he told about the knives, he heard her inhale audibly. He closed his eyes for a second and finished the story, also telling her that there were still some of Dio‘s followers out there, trying to get their revenge.

They were both silent for a while. He looked at his cup, the tea left in it was cold. Then he felt her hand on his good arm. She squeezed it a bit, and it felt… grounding.

“Thank you for telling me. I really appreciate it.“

He felt empty and so fucking tired. She took the cup from his hands, and he regretted that her hand was gone from his arm.

“Can I do anything, Jotaro-san?“

He wanted a hug. But how would that look. He shook his head and just looked at the floor. He felt her get up. And then, she was standing in front of him and her arms were around him, and he exhaled and clung to her like a drowning man, burying his face in her shoulder. His hat had been left behind in the bathroom, and he could feel her cheek rest on his hair for some blissful moments. It felt like he‘d never want to let go. What the fuck was wrong with him. He had a hard time to stop holding her within what he considered a still appropriate time for a hug among friends. This was bad. He had not planned any of this. And she would think he was whiny and weak.

When he let go, she sat down next to him and spoke again.

“You were amazing. You were only seventeen and saved the world. And as it seems, you never stopped and are still protecting everybody. You are an exceptional man, Jotaro-san. It‘s an honour to be your friend.“ He looked at her - was she serious? Her eyes were still on him, he could tell she was not joking, but there was something else… He had no clue. She cleared her throat and looked at him, with a lopsided smile and a sparkle in her eyes.

“Okay, enough of being sentimental. We have to plan cleaning this monster of a house.“ She smiled at him and he smiled back. Somehow, she seemed to know what he needed. Mundane life. They got up, walked through the house and made a list with what to do first. And then, she dragged him out to get food, talking about the last Shonen Jump! which they had both read, joking, making him smile, and he realized he had not felt that unburdened in a very long time. If only she requited his feelings - he cut off that thought. This would lead to nothing. She was just a friend.

Chapter Text

Jotaro‘s story about his trip to Egypt to fight an almost immortal vampire who was planning to rule the world and made his mother fatally ill was wild. She had expected as much after she had seen the scars on his torso and having had a good look at the scars on Kakyoin‘s body when she first examined him, too. There were so many marks on his body. The one he had got today would fit in well. She could see that he had encountered knives before. He told the story in precise words, matter-of-factly, without much emotion, except when he talked about a man called Abdul and a dog called Iggy dying in the fight and when he mentioned how Kakyoin was injured and saved.

No wonder the attack earlier had made him hesitate. She knew enough about trauma to see what was going on. He and Kakyoin were doing well considering what they had been through. It also explained them being so close. They were not only friends. They were wartime comrades. Veterans.

When he had finished the story, he looked dead beat, sitting hunched over on the sofa, staring at his feet, the cup with cold tea still in his hands. She squeezed his uninjured arm a bit.

“Thank you for telling me. I really appreciate it.“ She gently took the cup from his hands and put it on the table.

“Can I do anything, Jotaro-san?“ He shook his head, not changing his position. Damn his pride. Anybody would need some human warmth after remembering so much trauma. So she got up and did the reasonable thing: She hugged him. He exhaled audibly and kind of clung to her. As he was sitting down and she was standing in front of him, he could bury his face on her shoulder. She held him. It felt good. Right. She allowed herself a moment and rested her cheek on his hair for a second. It was over much too soon. She sat down again. She had always believed in telling people good things, so she went ahead.

“You were amazing. You were only seventeen and saved the world. And as it seems, you never stopped and are still protecting everybody. You are an exceptional man, Jotaro-san. It‘s an honour to be your friend.“ He looked at her and she had no idea what he was thinking. For a moment, they just looked in each other‘s eyes.

She cleared her throat. Well, she needed a distraction now.

“Okay, enough of being sentimental. We have to plan cleaning this monster of a house.“

Which they did. They scheduled the cleaning and grocery shopping spree for the 23rd, her next free day, made a list with what to do first. Had a look at the shopping list Jotaro‘s mother had sent him - she had no idea who would eat that much and how they would carry it home, went out for some food, talked about nothing important - and then he seemed well enough to be left alone. Of course he offered to take her home. She raised an eyebrow.

“You should rest. It has been a long day and you are injured. I don‘t think that lightning strikes twice in the same place.“ He did not insist. Which showed clearer than anything that he was really worn out.

“Thank you for today, Hana-san. See you tomorrow?“

“Yeah. Tomorrow.“

Until the 23rd, they only met in Kakyoin‘s room at the hospital. Kakyoin was not well, mostly very tired, but his doctors were carefully optimistic. And he still appreciated their company, even if he talked less than usual and rather joined in whatever conversation Jotaro and herself were having. As she had a lot of work, the visits were brief. She checked Jotaro‘s wound - thankfully, he was wearing a sleeveless top so he did not have to take it off. All of that - the short time they saw each other, the focus on the medical aspect - helped to keep the unwelcomed emotions she had concerning Jotaro in the background. It seemed to her as if she was able to bury them a little bit more every day.

On the 23rd, they met early in the morning for a short visit to Kakyoin and then started cleaning and preparing the house. They worked well together, played rock, paper, scissors about who would vacuum the carpets and sofas as they both hated the noise - Jotaro lost - and finished the whole thing just in time for a late lunch which consisted of instant ramen, as there was still the shopping to do.

The length of the list Jotaro produced was breathtaking. Since she had seen it almost a week ago, more things had been added.

“How would you have carried that alone?“ she asked as they trudged back to the house after two hours at the supermarket, both of them carrying several bags each.

“Gone twice? At least the food will be absolutely fantastic.“ From what they had bought, she heartfully agreed.

After they had stored everything, they were exhausted. It had been a long day, and even if she was used to being on her feet all day long, she was tired. Even more so as her last days at work had been very long and she was worn out. They both sat on the sofa, and she closed her eyes. Just one minute. That was her last thought.

She woke up disorientated, it was dark and she was not on her futon. It took her a moment to realize where she was: Still on the sofa at Kujo‘s house. Somebody, well, most likely Jotaro, had put a blanket on her. She looked at the time. Five a.m. She had to get up to go to the hospital, she had two days of work from six to six and then two days of. She would join the Joestar-Kujo‘s christmas celebration on the 25th after her shift ended. She tried to be very quiet to not wake Jotaro up. Clothes and hair were a disaster, but she had everything she needed at the hospital and decided to get ready there. She left a note for Jotaro in the kitchen that she would see him on the 25th, helped herself to some leftover rice and left quietly. She did not see Jotaro on the next day and only briefly visited Kakyoin in the evening and her much too short lunch break.

After she had finished her shift on the 25th, she rushed home to shower quickly and, well, dress up a bit. She had one nice blouse - black, of course, but she wore her Nana‘s black silk shawl with the embroidered flowers to add some colour. She quickly brushed her hair and tried a neat french braid for once and managed to be at Jotaro‘s house not much after seven.

He opened the door and he looked… very handsome in a shirt almost the colour of his eyes. She pushed the feeling that was flaring up back down where it had come from. She managed to be a bit cheeky, at least she hoped so.

“Wow, Jotaro-san. Posh shirt.“ As he wasn’t wearing his hat, she could see him blush. Which was… unexpected.

“Your shawl is nice, too.“ His compliment did not sound sarcastic, but honest. She felt the need to explain.

“It was my Nana‘s.“ He just kept looking at her for half a minute and it did not look like he would stop anytime soon. So she asked, “Can I come in or will we be just standing here?“

“Sure. Sorry.“ He moved out of the way, and she came inside, took her shoes off and followed him to the living room where he kind of announced her.

“This is Kakyoin‘s and my friend Koizumi Hana.“

His mother and grandmother immediately came over to her, while Jotaro kind of drifted away from her. She was about to panic for a second, but than she took a deep breath and decided to treat this like she would treat a critical situation in the ER. She calmed down immediately and was able to understand questions in two languages. Jotaro‘s grandma gushed in quick, slightly accented English:

“My, Jojo didn‘t tell us his new friend was a woman! He is so…“ While his mother, in Japanese, cooed, “Welcome to our house, Hana-chan. It has been a long time that Jotaro brought a friend home. Please call me Holly, will you.“

Jotaro‘s mom showed a dazzling smile and patted her arm. Then the two women exchanged some words in quick Italian from which she only understood ‘Noriaki‘ and ‘Jojo‘.

“So tell us something about yourself, dear.“ The grandma again. Holly nodded enthusiastically.

“Umh. Nice to meet you too, Holly-san, Mrs Joestar…“

“Suzie! I‘m Suzie!“

“Thank you, Suzie-san, you are very kind. What do you want to know?“

Holly chimed in again.

“Are you a historian like Noriaki or a biologist like our Jojo?“

“Neither. I am a doctor.“

“Really? You look too young to be a doctor.“ She smiled and thought about Jotaro‘s first reaction to her.

“I am 25 and have been working at the hospital for three years. I finished school early, I think they were glad to get rid of me, so they sped up my graduation.“ She was only half joking. Jotaro‘s grandfather joined their little group.

“Did you just say you‘re a doctor?“

“Yes, Mr. Joestar.“

“Joseph, please, I feel much older than I am if such a beautiful young lady Mr Joestar’s me.“

She had known them for five minutes, but they seemed really nice people and so unlike Jotaro that she would have doubted them being related hadn‘t it been for the similarities - he had his mother‘s eyes, his grandfather‘s imposing stature, and definitely his grandma’s long eyelashes. She tried to find Jotaro, as she was feeling a bit lost among only strangers and saw him sitting next to a very handsome man in his fifties dressed completely in black - a kindred spirit concerning clothes and obviously Jotaro‘s father as he had the same hair only with graying temples.

She almost lost track of the ongoing questions. Distracted by looking out for Jotaro like a stupid school girl. She pulled herself together and answered Joseph‘s questions about her training and the Japanese health care system, which Holly interrupted.

“Then how did you meet Noriaki and Jotaro?“

Great. But Joseph saved her. With kind of a malicious grin, he said, “Let‘s have Jotaro tell that, too.“

Holly immediately called him. Before answering Joseph‘s question, they exchanged a quick glance and it was clear that they would tell an abridged version of how they met. They made her show Rainbow, which was a bit embarassing, but she could understand their curiousity. When they had finished, Holly dragged her parents and Jotaro to the kitchen to finish dinner.

Suddenly, she was almost alone in the room - it was only Jotaro‘s dad and her. They looked at each other for a second, and then Kujo-san smiled at her.

“It seems we share a similar taste in clothing,“ he remarked coyly. She smiled back, and before she knew it, they were in an interesting conversation about contemporary Japanese music.

She realized after a while that Jotaro had come back and stood close, quietly listening to their analysis of Ska Punk. She smiled at him, and he smiled back, one of his rare, full, beautiful smiles she loved so much. She immediately focused on her conversation again. His smile was just too much, it left her with a rather unpleasant feeling of yearning. Luckily, Holly-san called them for dinner. Which was absolutely amazing. She felt relaxed, but everytime she looked at Jotaro, he met her gaze as if he had waited for her to look his way, which made her feel uneasy. So she avoided looking at him until they exchanged presents. She got the reaction from him she expected about her presents. He gave her an absolutely beautiful new scarf, and she was delighted. But when he smiled at her again, she had to push back her unwanted feelings really hard. She really hoped that she would get over that soon.

After exchanging presents, they sat down with some hot punch, and she chatted with Holly. She knew she was avoiding Jotaro - it was so hard to surpress her feelings today.

Chapter Text

He opened the door for her. He felt a bit uncomfortable, as his mother and grandmother had insisted - as every Christmas - that he wore something ‘nice‘. He had grumpily conceaded and was now wearing the cerulean blue button down his mom had forced on him with his usual black trousers.

“Wow, Jotaro-san. Posh shirt.“ Hana greeted him with a smirk. He felt his face get warm.

“Your shawl is nice, too.“ It was black silk, fringed and embroidered with flowers, and looked like something from a period drama. Not much like her, although it was fancy. And somehow, it suited her.

“It was my Nana‘s.“ Which explained the air of period drama the thing had. Instead of her usual Punk Rock band T-shirt she was wearing a black blouse. So she had dressed up, too. She looked even prettier than usual, he thought.

“Can I come in or will we be just standing here?“ Oh. He had been staring, he realized.

“Sure. Sorry.“ He led her to the living room which was now decorated with the artificial tree his mom kept for the rare Christmasses she nowadays spent in Japan.

He introduced her, “This is Kakyoin‘s and my friend Koizumi Hana.“

His mother and grandmother were immediately at her, asking her a million questions. Hana smiled and answered and he did not envy her. He took some steps away from the women. After two minutes, his grandfather joined them, and he retreated to the sofa were his father was sitting. He sat down next to him, and the two men quietly watched the Joestar clan inspecting the second friend Jotaro had ever brought home in the last ten years. After some minutes, his father said,

“Do you like her, Jotaro?“

“Huh?“

“The way you look at her? You seem enraptured.“

“Dad…“

“It‘s okay, son. We don‘t need to talk about it. But Holly… well, you know she‘ll notice. And who knows what will happen then?“

“I haven‘t told Hana. I don‘t think she likes me.“

“You could find out.“ Jotaro sighed. His dad patted his shoulder, and they sat next to each other for another minute in wordless understanding until his mother called, “Jojo, sweetie, come here!“

And because it was Christmas he obliged without any further ado.

His father smiled at him, “Go get your girl, son.“

Hana and his family got along swimmingly. She did not seem to mind his mom and grandma getting into her personal space and asking half a million questions. Mainly about herself, her job, how she met Kakyoin and Jotaro - they wanted to know every detail. And asked him, too, of course. It was rather embarassing. He had just told them he would bring a friend. Which had them already excited. And he could clearly see that bringing home a woman made his mother and grandparents very… hopeful. He tried his best not to get grumpy. Hana helped him tell an adjusted version of how they met which made everyone who could want to see her stand. She obliged, and he felt Star Platinum stirring, wanting to come out when Rainbow was out, and it took some effort to keep him in. His mother decided that she needed to talk to him without Hana and dragged him to the kitchen under the pretense that she needed his help with dinner, his grandparents in tow. They left Hana with his dad, and there was nothing he could do about it.

“Sweetie, is she Noriaki‘s girlfriend?“ Of course this was the first question his mother asked.

“No.“ He knew what was coming and tried to keep a very neutral expression. His mother squealed with delight.

“So she is your girlfriend!“

“No. Just a friend.“ His mother and both his grandparents looked at him. He tried to stare back in his most initmidating manner. There was absolutely nothing he had to say to them about this topic. Slowly, a wide smile appeared on his mother‘s face. She gently cupped his cheek and cooed, “But I can see that you are so in love! You should do something about it.“

He snorted. “I have nothing to say about that.“

His grandfather barged in. “You do remember what I told you about love? If she is the one, you can‘t wait!“

“Jiji…“

“Listen to me, son, you know I am right!“

“I am not listening anymore. I told you I have nothing to say about that.“ With that, he left the kitchen and went back to the living room where he found his father and Hana in an animated discussion about modern Japanese music. Hana seemed to know a lot about it, and his dad seemed very pleased to talk to her. After some moments, she realized his presence and acknowledged it with one of her warm and brilliant smiles that always made him feel like something was alive in his stomach - not exactly butterflies, but something. He smiled back. She looked away. But it was wonderful to see how well she got along with his rather bizarre family. Maybe Kakyoin, his parents and grandfather were right. Maybe he should do something about it. What would he gain from waiting?

The thought stayed with him through dinner, which was absolutely lovely as he had expected. The more he watched her with his family, the more he wanted her to be part of it. At the beginning, she had been tense and a bit uncomfortable, but by now, she was relaxed, chatting with Jiji about British landed gentry, comparing family trees.

After dinner, it was time for the presents. His parents and grandparents were delighted by what Hana and he had got them. His parents gave him a very interesting scientific book on starfish, Grandma Suzie, who had been to Italy lately, had got him a very nice new wallet and Jiji handed him as every year since he had started university a sealed envelope which he was supposed to open when they were back in America.

Hana had something for him, too. She gave him the first one with a smug grin, saying, “This is from Kakyoin and me,“ and he groaned when he saw the newest CD of Toshinobu Kubota. He would listen to it even if he knew what his friends thought about it and he really wasn‘t into it anymore - it made him feel nostalgic. The other CD was much more to his taste and he really looked forward to listen to it. Maybe, hopefully together with Hana. She had also got him a book about the Great Barrier Reef with absolutely amazing pictures. She had also written a dedication in it: ‘Maybe we can go there one day - Hana‘. Which he really wanted. He looked up from the book to her face and said seriously, “I‘d like that.“ She smiled at him.

“Anytime, Kujo, anytime.“

Hana was delighted by the silk scarf in pastel rainbow colours he had found as a substitute for the scarf she had used to bandage his knife wound. It was hand made and had been quite expensive, but when he had seen it, he just knew it was for her. She looked happy, he thought.

“Thank you, this is the best present I ever got since my Nana gave me a book about the history of medicine when I was eight!“ she beamed. He smiled back, and again - like he had noticed before - she quickly looked away. He wondered why.

The longer the evening went on, the more he had the feeling she avoided talking to him. Which made him uneasy. Almost angry. She did not really ignore him. But she did not talk to him like she did when it was just the two of them. After about twenty minutes of that, he had enough. And had made a decision. Whatever the consequences, he would tell her now.

He got up.

“I need some air. Are you coming, Hana-san?“

Chapter Text

Jotaro got up.

“I need some air. Are you coming, Hana-san?“

She was a bit bewildered, but followed him outside. The night was cold and clear. They stood on the engawa and looked up to the stars for a minute. She had no idea why he had wanted her to come. She did not have the impression that his family was driving him crazy. After another minute, he cleared his throat.

“I wanted to talk to you.“

“What about?“ She still had no idea what he wanted. The evening had been pleasant so far, was something wrong? He took a deep breath.

“This has been on my mind for a while. If you… Well… If what I am going to say… Fuck. Can you promise we will still be friends, whatever I tell you?“

This was surely mysterious.

“I don‘t know. Depends. You being a serial killer or such would be rather unpleasant,“ she said, half joking. He sighed.

“Nothing like that.“

“I can‘t give you a hundred percent, but a solid ninety. Is that good enough?“

He sighed again.

“I like you.“

“That‘s nice, Jotaro-san. I like you, too. So what did you want to talk about?“ Why was he telling her that? He groaned, seemingly frustrated.

“What I am saying. I like you.“

“What.“ That was impossible. He could not mean what she thought now, could he.

“Goddammnit, Hana. This is maybe the most fucked up confession ever!“ Jotaro sounded angry.

“What?“ Had he said ‘confession‘? He grabbed her shoulders and brought his face close. His brows were furrowed, and he looked pretty pissed.

“I mean I like you like in do you want to be my girlfriend?“

“Are you pulling my leg?“ He would not do that, but she had to be sure. He just looked at her, still exhasperated, but there was something else in his eyes.

“You are not joking.“

“No.“ Jotaro sounded a bit exhausted.

“Oh.“ She felt dizzy, overwhelmed. All her surpressed emotions flared up, and it felt like her mind was caught in a whirlwind. Everything she had forbidden herself to feel was there, and it was like a dream she could not fully comprehend yet. The possibility of being loved was literally breathtaking and inconcievable at the same time. He was still holding her, but his face had changed, he looked worried now.

“Are you okay? You look…“ As she had no words, she did what was left and threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. His arms left her shoulders and held her, gently. She started crying, violently, her whole body was shaking.

“Hana, what‘s wrong?“ She still could not speak. Rainbow came out on her own, and almost involuntarily, she did what she hadn’t done with anybody since her Nana had died. She let Rainbow show him what she felt. Love, mainly. But also all her doubts about herself being not worthy, about being all wrong. She heard him gasp, and his hold around her tightened.

“Don‘t. Don‘t think that. You are wonderful. Strong, caring, beautiful. Anyway, it doesn‘t matter, I like you just like you are. Just let Rainbow look at me if you can‘t believe it.“ Before she could really think about it, Rainbow, always so curious, did just that. Briefly only, just looking at what he showed her. So much love. Admiration. Longing. A mirror of what she felt for him. Nevertheless, it took her some minutes to stop crying. He held her all the time.

“I am sorry,“ she managed after a while.

“What for?“

“For thoroughly fucking up your confession. And your shirt.“ He snorted.

“Nevermind. I am more than content with the result.“

“Me, too.“

They finally looked at each other. He gently wiped a last tear from her face. His eyes, unguarded now, showed so much love.

“I need to blow my nose.“

“So?“

“You need to let go for that.“

“Oh.“ He let go, and she did what had to be done. When she was finished, he pulled her back into his arms.

“What are we doing now?“ She really had no idea. He hummed.

“I can think about something.“ And then, his lips were on hers, and everything else became insignificant for quite a while.

She had never thought that it would feel so good. When they stopped kissing after what seemed a long and at the same time a much too short while because the door behind them opened and Jotaro‘s grandfather came looking for them, she felt like she had to return from another world. But it seemed like they would have to face the music, because Joseph called back inside, “Sadao, you fucking son of a bitch, you won!“ He went back inside, still talking to the invisible Sadao, “Not only do you steal my wonderful daughter, no, but also my money, how do I know you did not cheat…“

The door shut behind him, so they could not hear him anymore, and Jotaro groaned.

“What?“

“My family. They are insufferable.“

“I think they are lovely.“

“You don‘t mind that my dad and Jiji just placed a bet whether or not I would confess to you tonight?“

Hana shrugged. “At least your dad believed in you.“

Jotaro sighed, half a smile on his face. “True. Still, I think it is… inappropriate.“

They still held each other, and she rested her head against his chest.

“They love you so much. Whatever they do, it‘s fine with me because they are so loving. You are a lucky man.“

His embrace tightened. “I know. I truly am.“

They went back inside after another long and too short while and were welcomed by smiles and cheering. Which made them both blush. Sadao kind of prevented everybody from teasing them too much because he dragged his wife to bed as it had gotten very late. Which made Suzie do the same with her husband, leaving Jotaro and Hana to themselves. They started cleaning up a bit, as Hana did not really want to leave. But as it was well past midnight, she knew it was time.

“I should go home now.“ She felt empty at the thought of leaving. Maybe the wonderful dream was just that and she would wake up when she left. Jotaro got close, gently touching her arm, and looked down at her.

“Stay. Please.“ His voice was soft and deep, almost a whisper, “If you want to.“

“If you‘ll have me?“

“Always.“

Of course she stayed.

Chapter Text

The tall man and the much smaller woman walked up to the mailbox. The man was about to put the letter he had taken out of his coat pocket into it, when the woman put her hand on his and stopped him.

“Are you sure about this?“ Her voice was a bit shaky, as if she was afraid of the answer.

“Absolutely.“

“We have known each other for only half a year. You don‘t need to do this.“

“I know. But I really want to. You said you‘d let me.“ Now he sounded insecure, but with a hint of anger.

“I just want to make sure…“

“Stop it. It is as much my responsibility as yours. We’re in this together.“

“If we had just used our brains…“

“Are you regretting what happened at Christmas?“

“No!“ She almost shouted now.

“So. Let me send the letter.“

She let go of his hand.

“Okay. Go ahead.“

He put the letter in the box and pulled her into an embrace and a passionate kiss.

“Done. Hello Mrs Kujo!“

“Shut up, dad!“

They both grinned at each other.

“Romantic as ever, my love,“ he stated, “Your mom would be so proud.“ She groaned.

“At least she got what she always wanted. But I don‘t think I am going to tell her soon. I just want to see her face when she thinks that I am a single mother.“

“I‘d never thought that you were one for petty revenge.“

“You know I am mean.“

“Hmm. And I do love it. What does that say about me?“

“I think it‘s better if I don‘t answer that,“ she chuckled.

He slung an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.

“Let‘s go home. Kakyoin said something about a movie night.“

“Yep. We should definitely enjoy it as long as we still can!“

The man put his free hand on her slightly rounded belly, bent down and put a kiss on it.

“Still, I can‘t wait to meet him. Or her.“

“You are sweet. I really love you, you big oaf.“

“I love you, too.“