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Removing Rohan’s motorcycle from the hospital elevator had been an easier task than it seemed. All he had to do was beat the shit out of it even more, take a piece outside, and let Crazy Diamond do the work.
Now that the irritating Stand User has been taken care of, Josuke still had one thing left to fix. Ironically, he had to fix the person who got them into this mess.
Josuke’s eyes shimmered with focus, racing back to the tunnel with the restored motorcycle. Rohan was still there, and he needed to be healed. The wind whipped against Josuke’s face as he sped away, adding to the adrenaline pumping through his blood.
Almost there, almost there.
The words chanted in his head again and again. Seconds passed slowly as he closed the distance, eager to clean up the last of this whole situation. He toyed with the idea of not fixing Rohan.
I mean yeah, Rohan was an ass, but Josuke would never stoop to his level. Besides, the sassy mangaka had refused to throw Josuke under the bus when it came to Highway Star’s offer in the tunnel. So of course he would heal Rohan.
—He just hoped he made it in time. Josuke knew what it was like to have his nutrients absorbed, and it didn’t feel very nice. At all. It made him feel like complete shit—and he still does, to be honest. That IV fluid helped, but he had to rush things and couldn’t get the ideal amount of nutrients back.
Fungami even admitted that he couldn’t give back nutrients if his body already absorbed it.
Just his luck. If that worthless asshole could just return the stolen nutrients, Josuke wouldn’t be in this mess. He breathed heavily, adrenaline keeping him focused. Josuke was about to come up on the tunnel—he sped up even further.
In the distance, he could already see two figures. One was tall, with a long white jacket—Jotaro.
The marine biologist had arrived quickly, responding to Josuke’s call while the teenager had still been wrapping things up in the hospital. The Morioh Grand Hotel was closer to the tunnel than the hospital, so it made sense that Jotaro arrived first.
Jotaro sat with another figure sprawled on the ground. Limp green air lay on the street, along with dirty clothes and sagging skin. The sassy mangaka.
Rohan looked awful. His face was gaunt, his skin shriveled and sunken in. Horribly dark circles rested beneath his eyes, echoing the pure exhaustion that the manga writer had been enduring for the past hour.
Josuke quickly stopped the motorcycle, running over as Crazy Diamond propped up the kickstand behind him.
“Is he alright?” Josuke asked somewhat-frantically, moving closer.
Jotaro hummed. “Well he’s alive, but he’s not in great shape.” the marine biologist put simply.
Josuke gulped, kneeling down. “I—I guess I’ll get to it, t-then.”
The pink aura of Josuke's Stand enveloped his form, the towering figure appearing beside him. He extended his arm, the pink aura converting into gold as it traveled to Rohan’s body.
Slowly but surely, the young man instantly was almost effortlessly restored to a healthier state. Wrinkled skin tightened and fluffed up, the mangaka’s gaunt face transitioning back to normal. The eye bags faded away steadily, and before long, green eyes flickered open.
Josuke leaned back, breathing heavily. It was done.
“Josuke Higashikata…” Rohan let out an exhale, leaning forward with newly supplied strength. His green eyes flickered around briefly before piecing the story together.
Jotaro stood off to the side, silent and composed as always. The tall man must have driven here and removed him from the tunnel before Josuke arrived separately.
Speaking of Josuke, the boy sat besides him, staring at the ground awkwardly. He was breathing extremely heavily as Crazy Diamond faded away.
“U-Um, look, Rohan-sensei, a lot’s happened, but I, uh—”
“—Why did you heal me?” Rohan cut him off, annoyed.
“Huh?” Josuke’s eyes widened in genuine surprise. Almost like he forgot Rohan’s general opinion of him.
“You meddlesome brat.” Rohan spat distastefully. “I would rather die than be saved by you. Not to mention, you stepped into the enemies trap after I told you to run. How stupid can you be?”
Josuke stood there baffled, his eyes looking confused. “Wha—“
“Just so you know, I don’t consider this a favor I need to return.” Rohan continued to insult, looking away.
Josuke abruptly stood up, towering over Rohan.
“I—you—why are you such an ass?!” The boy yelled shakily, “—I didn’t have to heal you, you know! I could have left your sorry ass here!”
“Well why didn’t you? I would have much preferred it. Anything beats being in debt to a teenage brat.” Rohan shrugged, oblivious.
Josuke shook with rage, his breaths getting heavier.
“You’re not in debt! Why can’t you wrap your head around that? Can’t you just be thankful that I healed you— without having your obnoxious ego taking control? I’m not asking for a fucking thank-you card, just don’t be such a dick!” Josuke continued to yell.
Off to the side, Jotaro’s eyebrow raised. He’s never seen Josuke get this verbally heated before, and it seemed odd for the situation. Usually, Josuke would just shrug off Rohan’s remarks, deciding them not worth the time. But now, they really seemed to irritate him. Not to mention, Josuke didn’t look too good. Blood caked his face, dripping down his neck and chin. His eyes looked a bit foggy, his gaze glassy with the uncharacteristic rage unfolding in front of him.
“—Don’t tell me what to do, you stupid brat! I don’t tell you what to do, do I? I certainly didn’t ask you to heal me, so don’t go around asking me not to be a dick! I don’t need your entitled nature, and I don’t ever need you to heal me!”
Josuke shook with unbelievable rage, Crazy Diamond appearing and disappearing rapidly, overlapping the boy’s enraged form.
“You’re just— ughhh! I don’t even know how—“ Josuke heaved large breaths through his rage, appearing more and more dazed, “—You’re just—I can't ...I…”
Rohan’s eyebrow raised at the sudden change in atmosphere. Josuke struggled to find the words to fit his emotions, even more-so the breath to express it. Sweat dropped from the boy's cheek as he teetered on his shaking feet.
“Josuke?” Jotaro cut in, taking a cautious step forward.
The boy didn’t acknowledge him, his glassy gaze pointed at the ground instead. Josuke continued to look at Rohan, but the mangaka noticed that the gaze was growing weaker. Almost like the boy was staring through him, not at him.
“—I….I c-can’t…” Josuke gulped, all the tension gone from his face with the exception of his scrunched eyes. He scrunched them tight, as if trying to clear his vision of something.
Jotaro stepped closer, calling out his name again. “...Josuke?”
Rohan watched in silence, his previous rage replaced with something he couldn’t describe.
Meanwhile, Josuke felt stuck. Everything was blurring in and out of focus, gray static creeping inward in his vision. He felt loose and floaty, dizziness suddenly crashing through his brain in powerful waves. His throat felt dry, prompting him to swallow.
What was he saying again?
His thoughts felt slow, and his body felt terribly unsteady. The words on the tip of his tongue continued to spill from his mouth in broken syllables.
“...I…Jotaro?...I—I don’t...feel...“ He completely stilled.
“Josuke!” Jotaro bellowed, running over.
The teenager suddenly crumbled, his eyes going dull. His knees collapsed forward, bringing him crashing down into Jotaro’s hold.
Rohan stared in shock as Jotaro shook his young uncle.
“Josuke? Josuke!” The older man called, receiving no answer other than the boy’s dull irises vanishing behind heavy lids.
“—What the hell just happened? Is he all right?” Rohan asked, the words spewing from his mouth without permission.
Jotaro didn’t immediately answer, his eyes narrowing to analyze Josuke instead. Now that Rohan looked closer, that strange feeling in his gut grew even heavier.
The boy's breath was shallow, small huffs coming from his mouth intermittently. Fresh blood gradually traced the path of dried blood, dripping down the sides of his gaunt face. Dark circles of exhaustion coiled underneath Josuke’s eyes as well.
He looked...awful. It was like dehydration, starvation, and exhaustion all mixed into one. Jotaro continued to study the boy closely, taking his pulse and watching his breaths.
“He’ll be alright, but he definitely needs to go to the hospital. Whatever that Stand did to you, it looks like it got him, too. Josuke is horribly malnourished. He’ll need an IV drip.” Jotaro summarized, “He passed out because the adrenaline wore off.”
Rohan stood up carefully, processing the words.
Josuke was affected by the Stand. He healed Rohan, but was unable to heal himself.
Their brief argument before the teenager collapsed also echoed in Rohan’s heavy mind. Josuke didn’t heal him for any reason other than to help. Even though the boy had been going through the exact same thing, the same pain. And Rohan treated him like shit.
Jotaro adjusted Josuke in his hold, deaf to the mangaka’s thoughts. The man wordlessly began to walk to the car, summoning Star Platinum to open the door.
“Wait.” Rohan cut in, biting his lip.
Jotaro stood silently, looking over.
“Let me help you—help you take him to the hospital, I mean.” Rohan forced himself to say.
“Yare yare….” Jotaro sighed, “Get in the back of the car. I can hold him steady in the passenger seat with Star Platinum, but I’ll need you to carry him into the ER. Can’t exactly have a Stand carry him in public.”
Rohan nodded in understanding, moving into the car. Jotaro walked around to the passenger side, assembling the limp teenager into the seat. It was uncomfortable to watch.
After Star Platinum clicked Josuke’s seatbelt, they drove off.
————
“We're here.” Jotaro huffed. “Take him inside while I park.”
Rohan nodded, undoing his seatbelt before getting out of the car. He opened the passenger side door. Josuke laid there, limply.
Rohan fought the urge to look away. He already agreed to help, so now here he was. He needed to do it, it was too late to back out.
Gently, he slipped his arms underneath Josuke’s own arms, as well as the boy’s knees. Adjusting him, the teenager’s head lolled against Rohan’s shoulder. He suppressed a shutter. Seeing Josuke so vulnerable made his stomach feel off.
“—When a receptionist talks to you, tell them that Jotaro Kujo sent you. They’ll take things from there.” The marine biologist finished. Rohan nodded again, closing the door before the car moved away.
Josuke was in his arms. The same teenage brat that he hated, that he argued with constantly. The same brat that he agreed to take to the hospital, for some unknown reason.
He could feel Josuke breathe against his chest. It was too close, and Rohan didn’t know how to feel about it. But it wasn't his choice anymore. Besides, he only needed to carry the boy until the medical staff took him. He could do that, right?
Huffing, Rohan walked through the hospital doors. A female staff member immediately took note of the pale figure in his arms, rushing over.
“How can I help you—?”
“—Jotaro Kujo sent me.” He interrupted.
She nodded, like she was expecting to be cut off. “Right this way.”
The staff member led him to a hallway where several more staff members suddenly gathered around him, their arms open. He quickly handed over the limp boy, watching as they took him into a nearby room.
The door closed in front of him before the lady reluctantly spoke.
“You’ll have to remain in the waiting area until they finish patching him up, I’m afraid.”
Rohan exhaled through his nose, turning around without a word.
Step by step, he walked to the waiting room. The sterile leather creaked under his weight as he sank into one of the numerous seats. As he sat, his mind continued to wander about the past hour’s events.
“I didn’t have to heal you, you know! I could have left your sorry ass here!”
Josuke’s confused, rage-filled expression took over his mind’s eye. The boy never really did have to heal him, but what would’ve happened if he didn’t?
Rohan gulped, knowing the answer.
“Can’t you just be thankful that I healed you—without having your obnoxious ego taking control? I’m not asking for a fucking thank-you card, just don’t be such a dick!” His memory continued, the heaviness in his gut multiplying.
He really was an asshole.
————
After a few minutes, Jotaro walked into the waiting room and sat next to Rohan. A few more minutes passed, before the same girl from earlier called Jotaro’s name.
Silently, they walked into the new room.
Josuke laid asleep in the hospital bed, his uniform removed. A simple tank top remained on his chest instead. Small cuts littered his face and arms, the latter previously hidden by clothing—that, or Rohan was simply too much of an ass to notice. Once again, it was the latter.
The blood previously running down Josuke’s face was now cleaned up, and some bandages were placed against the skin. The prized pompadour was frizzy and partly-undone, and the boy’s dark eyebags had yet to recede.
An IV ran down into Josuke’s arm.
Another breathy “yare yare” tore Rohan out of his analysis, his attention now focused on Jotaro. The marine biologists walked over to one of the chairs in the corner before promptly sitting down, adjusting the brim of his hat.
Feeling too awkward to just leave, Rohan took the other seat. The room was silent, the only sound being Josuke’s soft breathing.
…
“Rohan.” Jotaro’s voice startled him.
The mangaka looked over. Jotaro’s eyes scanned him up and down, before his stoic face settled into something softer. Gratitude?
“...It's respectable that you helped me transport him here. You didn’t have to, but you did. So thank you.”
“...Yes.” Rohan answered simply. It was a lousy answer, and he deserved to say more, but Jotaro seemed to understand. The man huffed, changing the subject.
“He should wake up in a few hours, by then the IV should be done. I’ll take him home from there.” Jotaro explained.
The mangaka sat, thinking. Jotaro was clearly giving him the que to exit if he desired, but did he want to? Did he seriously wanna leave? The thought of leaving now only tightened the weight in his gut.
“I think I’ll stay.” He said after a few moments.
Jotaro’s eyebrow raised, not expecting his particular answer choice.
Rohan reached for his bag, removing the sketchpad and pencils he always kept on hand.
“It's not often I get to see the inside of a hospital room. Sure, there's pictures, but I require the atmosphere in order to depict it properly. Might as well do some sketching and notes now, while I’m here. I’m sure the hospital would prefer it if I didn’t choose to break inside at a later time.” He explained. It felt like an excuse. (It was).
Jotaro didn’t pry, huffing instead. The man instead chose to pull out documents of some kind from his own bag, reading over them.
For several hours, there was nothing but the sound of Josuke’s breathing, pencil strokes, and the occasional page flip.
————
A groan came from Josuke’s hospital bed.
Rohan and Jotaro immediately looked over.
The boy looked better, but definitely not back to peak performance. Faint rings were still present beneath his eyes, although they were much lighter than before. His face didn’t look as pale, nor as gaunt. His pompadour was still a mess though.
“...Wha’ th’ hell?” He slurred, rubbing his eyes gently. He blinked a few more times before the bright amethyst irises scanned the room , and its occupants.
“Jotaro... Rohan?”
“...”
Rohan said nothing, and Jotaro cut in before it got awkward.
“What’s the last thing you remember?”
Josuke thought for a moment, his exhausted slur disappearing slightly more with each word. “I remember getting to the tunnel and healing Rohan, I think? Then, I can remember everything starting to feel loose, and my vision kinda grayed out...and it also kinda went sideways? It was really weird, like—”
“I understand, Josuke.” Jotaro stopped him, before the boy could exhaust himself again.
Rohan felt slightly shocked. Josuke didn’t remember the argument? The mangaka didn’t know whether to feel sad, or relieved. Perhaps it was for the best. They were both partially incapacitated at that point, so perhaps Josuke forgetting about it was a good thing.
“—and you passed out after the adrenaline wore off. The IV is almost finished, I’ll drive you home when it's done.” Rohan heard Jotaro’s voice say.
“Um, okay. Sounds good.” The teenager said sheepishly.
————
After about ten more minutes, Josuke was cleared to go, and they walked to the car. The teenager tripped numerous times, still not used to the current heaviness in his legs. Star Platinum effortlessly balanced him each time, gently planting his shaky feet back onto the ground.
“Damn, I feel like my muscles weigh a thousand pounds—I could really use some food from Tonio’s right about now. His stuff is the best. Great, now I feel hungry. Maybe I should go there for lunch tomorrow, now that I’m thinking about it. Am I talking too much? I’m talking too much. And I still feel like garbage.”
“Your body is still exhausted. You won't feel back to normal until your body processes the nutrients, and redistributes it. You’re probably mentally exhausted too, considering the doctor told us this before we left.” Jotaro said while walking.
“Oh.” Josuke replied dumbly. His nephew was right, he didn’t remember.
————
The sun burned lowly in the sky, it was almost sunset.
They rode in the car silently, Josuke trying not to let his eyes drift shut. Rohan sat in the passenger seat this time, while Josuke sat in the back, behind the driver’s seat.
When they finally made it back to the tunnel, Rohan unclicked his seatbelt, opening his door. As he did, he heard Josuke shuffle in his seat.
“—Oh yeah, I forgot to mention...I fixed your bike too, Rohan. ‘Even got you some gas....you can thank me later.” Josuke said with sass, his sleepy slur creeping back into his voice.
Even when exhausted, the brat never knew when to quit, did he?
When Rohan turned around to respond, the teen was out cold against the window. His breath was even, each small puff fogging up the window’s glass. His young face looked peaceful.
“I’ll just tell his mom that he fell asleep at the hotel.” Jotaro sighed, “She’ll understand.”
Rohan nodded, about to shut the door. Before he did, Jotaro’s eyes met his with genuine gratitude.
“Thanks, Rohan. You’re not a complete asshole.”
With that, the door shut and Jotaro drove off.
Rohan chuckled to himself, pulling out his sketchbook.
Sure, he might not completely hate the boy after today, but he definitely didn’t like him enough to not take advantage of today’s events.
In his hands, he held a perfect drawing of Josuke, his pompadour horribly malformed and fallen apart. The depiction was a treasure, one he could keep as blackmail for ages.
“Hmmm. Maybe not a complete asshole, but definitely still an asshole.”