Pucci hears a knock on his door. He kicks off the blanket on top of him and jumps off the couch, closing the Bible he was reading (again) and placing it gently on a lectern near his TV, across from the couch.
"Coming!" He opens the door. A familiar blond figure is standing there, but his expression is nearly unrecognizable.
"Hi Pucci! How've you been?" Dio says cheerfully. Pucci blinks a few times. Erm...is this a prank?
"Is something wrong?" Dio asks, and his voice holds clear, genuine concern. Pucci shakes his head to snap himself out of his thoughts.
"No, I'm okay," he lies, still really confused. Okay, what happened to him? He opens the door, and Dio walks in.
"So I wanted to tell you about this...situation that I was in earlier today. Um, would that be okay?" Dio asks, and fidgets with his sleeve, as if he's anxious. Pucci just stares at him.
Um...Dio never asks permission to do anything. Ever. Is he okay?
"Uh, sure. What happened?" Pucci asks, and sits down on his couch, all the way to the right. Dio sits on the left.
"So, y'know my next-door neighbor, Jotaro?" Dio asks. He looks down at the ground, and fidgets with his messy golden hair, for some reason.
"Yeah, I think I've seen him once or twice," Pucci answers, "isn't his Stand really good friends with yours?"
Dio nods.
"Yeah, so...I was arguing with him earlier today. I don't even remember what about. I slapped him in the face, but something happened. I felt...I felt..." Dio tries to explain, but he can't find the right word. He sighs.
"Um, could you try to describe how you felt?"
"I didn't want to look him in the face. I was shaking a bit, and I just felt...bad...I felt like I shouldn't have done that. I almost felt like crying, or apologizing, or..." Dio tries to explain again, but he can't finish his sentence. He shakes his head.
"You felt...ashamed? Guilty?" Pucci offers.
"Yeah, I think those would be the right words," Dio says with a shrug. Pucci stares at him in disbelief.
In all the time I've known him, Dio has never felt guilt or shame...not openly, anyway. Probably not at all.
"Uh, how do you feel right now?" Pucci asks.
"Happy? Content? I don't really know," Dio responds. He taps his fingers on his knee.
"I don't know a ton about emotions, you know," he mutters.
Pucci blinks a lot. Okay, what is even going on?
"I, uh, I meant physically. Do you feel sick? As in, a fever or something?"
"No, I feel perfectly fine. A bit tired, but fine,"
Pucci bites the inside of his mouth to keep silent. He thinks of something.
Well, I guess it's worth a shot.
"Could I...check? You seem...delirious," Pucci asks. He braces himself for a barrage of punches or insults. Instead, Dio just laughs. Not an 'I'm so much better than you' kind of laugh, but an 'awwwwwww, this is too pure' kind of laugh.
"That's sweet, but I'm fine," Dio says with a smile, "I appreciate the concern, though."
Pucci frowns. He stares forward and tries to figure this whole situation out.
"You can check if it would make you feel better, Pucci," Dio says quietly, as if he's embarrassed. Pucci's head snaps to the left.
Okay, what is going on?! I'm so going to get punched for this...
With a shaking hand, Pucci reaches over and touches the middle of Dio's forehead. Warm, but not abnormally so. He checks the left and right too, and again, nothing seems abnormal.
"You...you don't feel like you have a fever," Pucci notes quietly. As if a switch in his mind is flipped, he jerks his hand back and gets ready to defend himself. Dio stares at him for a few moments, confused.
"Why are you doing that?"
Pucci takes a deep breath.
"I was expecting you to punch me,' he mutters. Dio laughs, a 'this is such a ridiculous situation' kind of laugh.
"Why would I punch you?" Dio asks with a smile. Pucci just stares at him for a few seconds, before standing up, grabbing his wrist, and pulling him towards the door like he's a disobedient child.
"You're not well, Dio. You need to go see a doctor."
"H-Hey, I can walk, moron! Let me go!" Dio snaps, but it doesn't have the venom of his usual insults. His tone implies that he doesn't mean what he says. He pulls his hand away roughly, and accidentally makes Pucci stumble forward. Pucci catches himself and stands back up, an expression on Dio's face that he's never seen before.
"Hey, are you okay? I'm sorry," Dio says, concerned. Pucci freezes.
Dio...apologized?
"Um, are you okay, Pucci?" Dio asks again. Pucci shakes himself out of his thoughts and looks forward.
"Yeah, uh, I'm okay. You, um, you should probably go back to your apartment. I...I need to talk to Jotaro."
Dio smiles.
"Okay!"
The two leave Pucci's house and walk towards the apartment building.
Pucci knocks on the door of apartment twenty-two. Jotaro opens it tiredly, looking with confusion at Dio's face.
"Um, hi? Pucci, right? What are you guys doing here?"
Pucci shakes his head at the ground.
"Yeah, that's me. Dio's not okay, and he won't listen to me when I say that he needs to see a doctor."
"I told you I'm alright!" Dio says, more out of concern than frustration. Jotaro blinks at him. Huh?
"Um...yare yare daze...Come on in, guys," Jotaro mutters with a shake of his head.
Pucci grabs Dio's wrist again and essentially throws him inside.
"Sit down. Imma get a first-aid kit and a thermometer. I'll be right back," Jotaro states. Pucci frowns.
"Why won't your Stand get it?"
"Uh...Suta, come in and introduce yourself, will you? You know one of these people."
"Ora ora...ora," it relents. It floats in, pulls out one of its earphones, and leans against the wall.
"Ora ora ora ora ora ora ora ora 'ora ora'..." it mocks. Pucci turns his head to Dio.
"This is his Stand?" He asks, confused.
"Yeah, it is. Hi Suta!" Dio says cheerfully. Star Platinum stares at him.
"Ora ora? Ora ora??" It asks, extremely confused. It shakes its head, puts its earphone back in, and floats away. Jotaro comes back and pulls out the thermometer. He turns it on.
"Hold still, Dio."
I'm so gonna get beaten up.
He holds the sensor over the center of Dio's forehead.
Beep
'98.7 degrees F'
He shakes his head and checks the left.
Beep
'98.4 degrees F'
He checks the right.
Beep
'98.5 degrees F'
Jotaro shakes his head again, frustrated.
"No fever," Jotaro mutters, "not flushed, he's as pale as ever...hm..."
He clears his throat.
"Uh, Dio, Pucci? I'm no doctor but...he seems perfectly healthy."
Jotaro sighs and sits down on his couch.
"I told you, Pucci! You idiot!" Dio says with a victorious smile. Pucci just scowls and rolls his eyes. Dio looks away and fidgets with his sleeve, his shoulders curled down, his head hung low. He looks...sad. He turns back.
"Hey, I'm...I'm sorry," he whispers. Pucci sighs.
"It's okay, Dio."
Dio smiles weakly and tucks into himself. His head is in his hands, and his body is tense. The two men can hear his breathing. It's slightly unstable.
"Hey, Dio?" Pucci asks. Dio jerks up.
"Y-Yeah?" He spits, clearly startled.
"You, um, are you okay? You seem...sad."
Dio looks down and tenses.
"I really hate causing you problems," he mutters. Pucci stares at him with a concerned expression. Jotaro looks between the two of them, confused as all hell.
"Dio?" Pucci asks.
"Yes?" Dio replies. He looks up.
"It's okay. I'm not mad at you."
Dio smiles weakly again and tenses up, trying to calm down. He takes a deep breath and opens his eyes.
"Thank you," he says with a small, genuine smile. Pucci half-smiles back.
"So, I need to ask you something."
Jotaro fidgets with his hat as he leans against the wall of Star Platinum's room.
I'm lucky it even let me in here. It's usually pretty protective of its room.
"Ora ora ora?" It asks, half-focusing on the video game it's playing.
"Since you're a Stand, I was wondering if you could tell if another Stand used its special ability."
Star Platinum pauses its game and thinks.
"Ora ora ora, ora ora. Ora ora ora ora, ora ora ora ora ora. Ora ora ora ora ora ora. Ora?"
"I have a feeling that Dio was affected by a Stand. Could you please try and find any markings of Stand powers?"
Star Platinum nods.
"Ora. Ora ora ora ora."
Jotaro smiles to himself. I figured it out.
"Yeah, of course. Come out when you're done."
"Hahaha! That's really creative, Pucci!"
Dio smiles as he playfully punches Pucci in the shoulder. His chocolate-red eyes are sparkling with happiness...and maybe something else. No one can really tell. Jotaro comes back and sits down on his couch, his movements loose and yet taut, like he's running on autopilot. He stares into space.
Dio and Pucci stare at him for a bit, expressions equally apologetic and concerned. Well, Dio's is. Pucci's expression is really more of a why am I here.
"Hey, Jotaro?" Dio asks, "Are you okay? It looks like something's bothering you."
Jotaro continues to stare off into space, as if he didn't hear Dio. The blond shakes his head.
"Jotaro?" He asks again, a bit louder.
"I'm good," Jotaro mumbles distractedly. He's staring at the framed picture of a dolphin on the wall, and runs his finger along the brim of his hat. Dio turns to Pucci, who shrugs.
Look, I don't know what's going on either.
"Ora ora ora, ora ora ora ora. Ora ora! Ora!" Star Platinum says into its phone. It hits the 'end call' button, and puts its phone down. Jotaro gets up.
"Are you sure this'll work?" He asks quietly. Star Platinum nods.
"Okay then. Dio, c'mere."
Dio turns to Pucci, who shrugs again. He turns back, stands up, and walks over to the Stand. Jotaro backs up a bit.
"Stay still," Jotaro orders.
"Uh...okay?" Dio responds, confused. Star Platinum snaps its fingers three times, and looks at Dio with an expression of extreme concentration. After about three seconds, it raises its eyebrows quizzically.
"Ora ora? Ora. Ora ora ora, ora?"
Jotaro nods.
"You can go sit down now, Dio."
Dio walks back to the couch and sits down again.
"What was that?"
"I honestly don't know," Pucci responds.
"What do you mean, 'his chest was turned into a book'?"
Jotaro pulls his hat down in frustration and confusion. Star Platinum looks at him apologetically.
"Ora ora, ora. Ora ora ora ora ora, ora ora ora. Ora ora ora ora ora. Ora ora?"
Jotaro lets go of his hat.
"You really think that'll solve it?"
Star Platinum nods affirmatively.
"Um, okay then. I'll call him."
"Rohan who?"
Jotaro can hear Josuke sigh in exasperation through his phone's speakers.
"Rohan Kishibe. Y'know, the manga artist? The famous one?"
"Yare yare daze. I don't read a ton of manga, Josuke. How do you know this guy personally? And how do you know he has a Stand?"
Josuke hesitates.
"First question, he started helping Koichi with stuff. I think Koichi wants to be a manga artist too, so Rohan started teaching him. Second question...it's a really long story. I'll give you his address. Careful though, his Stand is really powerful, and Rohan doesn't like a ton of attention."
Jotaro blinks.
"He's a famous manga artist and he doesn't like attention? What?"
Josuke sighs.
"He just wants to be left alone, kinda like me. Also, if he says something about using you as inspiration for his manga, just say 'maybe' and change the subject."
"Uh, okay."
"And do not look at his manga with him in the room, no matter what."
"Um...okay...?"
"I'll text him and tell him that a friend of mine is going to show up at his house. His address is 1758 Pencil Drive. Don't tell anyone that."
Jotaro nods hesitantly.
"Um, okay. Thank you, Josuke."
He hangs up and looks outside. It's raining quite hard. He grabs his raincoat and puts it on.
"I'll be back. Could you two please go to Dio's apartment?"
"Sure!" Dio agrees happily. He pulls Pucci up and they walk out the door, which shuts with a soft click. Jotaro turns to Star Platinum.
"I need you to come with me," he says. Star Platinum rolls its eyes.
"Ora ora, ora ora..." it mutters with a dismissive wave of its hand. Jotaro walks out the door, goes into the elevator, rides it to the ground floor, walks out, and gets into his car. Star Platinum rides shotgun. He inputs the address Josuke gave him into his phone's GPS, pulls out of the apartment building's parking lot, and drives away.
"Okay, red...brown...black...where's the green? Oh, there it is. What else should I do?"
Rohan mutters to himself as he sketches one of his new characters. Her chocolate-brown hair flows behind her, and her crimson eyes scan the rest of her area. For a manga character, she looks quite life-like. She's holding a sword with a flower decal, and she has a flower in her hair.
Bzzzzt
Rohan puts down his pens and checks his phone. It's a text from Josuke.
Hey Rohan. A friend of mine is coming over. Just wanted to tell you.
Rohan rolls his eyes.
How is he gonna show up? Did you tell him my address?
He hits 'send' and puts his phone down again. He makes a few final touches to his sketch, and then holds it up to the light, so he can see it better. It looks amazing, as usual. Rohan frowns.
Eh, I could do better.
Rohan shakes his head and puts down the sketch.
Bzzzzt
Rohan checks his phone again.
Yeah, I did, but don't worry. He's really good at keeping secrets.
Rohan hesitates.
Okay.
Rohan turns his phone off and picks up his pens again. He lightly redraws his character on a new sheet of paper. Her hair is in a braid now, and her sword is in a sheath on her belt. He holds this new sketch up to the light and smiles.
Much better!
DING-DONG!
Rohan freezes for a moment.
"Heaven's Door, could you please get the door? I'm a bit busy right now!"
"Yeah, sure!"
"Thanks!"
The humanoid Stand floats towards the door and opens it. Jotaro is standing there, looking really weird in his black raincoat and white hat. He glances over the Stand in the doorway.
"Uh, hi. You must be Rohan's Stand."
The Stand nods distractedly. It turns around and calls into another room in the house.
"Rohan! Your friend's here! Put down your damn pens and come interact with other humans for once!"
"Okay, coming!"
Rohan walks to the door, his hands covered in pen ink, his messy green hair falling into his face, like he just woke up. He looks at Jotaro distractedly, and sketches something quickly. He puts it away and turns back.
"Um, hi. Awful weather, isn't it? Come on in."
Jotaro nods and walks in, Star Platinum following behind. He unzips his raincoat and fidgets with his hat. The door swings shut behind him.
"Hello," Jotaro mutters, his mind clearly somewhere else.
"You must be Josuke's friend. What's your name?"
"Jotaro. This is my Stand, Suta Parachina," Jotaro states with a wave of his hand.
"Nice to meet you."
Jotaro sighs.
"Yare yare daze...it's nice to meet you too, but that's not why I'm here. Your Stand, well...how do I explain this..."
Jotaro walks over to one of the simple armchairs in Rohan's living room and sits down. Star Platinum leans against the wall behind him. Rohan and Heaven's Door sit on his couch.
"Do you know a man named Dio? Dio Brando?"
Rohan shakes his head. Heaven's Door fidgets with a pen, spinning it around.
"No, I don't know anyone named that. Why?"
Jotaro pulls his hat down and sighs.
"He's my next-door neighbor. He's been acting...weird. Overly friendly, awkward, very emotional and open about it. Not like him at all. I couldn't figure out what happened, so I had Suta Parachina look at him and try to find any signs of Stand powers. Suta, could you please explain what you saw?"
Star Platinum nods and comes forward. Heaven's Door tenses up.
"Ora ora ora ora ora. Ora ora, ora. Ora ora ora ora."
"Could you please translate that, Heaven's Door?" Rohan asks.
Heaven's Door nods, and translates in a shaky voice. As it finishes, Rohan glares at it. Jotaro does too.
"Heaven's Door, what did you do?" Rohan asks it.
The Stand shrugs sheepishly.
"Oh come on, Rohan! I was just having a bit of fun! Besides, that Dio's a bastard anyway! I did him a favor!"
Rohan rolls his eyes.
"We've talked about this...messing with people's minds isn't okay. I want you to go find this Dio and undo whatever it is you did to his book. Then you're grounded."
"For how long?!"
"I don't know. I'll decide once you get back."
"Okay, fine..."
Jotaro nods at Star Platinum.
"Ora ora ora. Ora ora."
The two Stands float out. Rohan turns to Jotaro.
"Sorry about that."
Jotaro stares into space.
"Don't apologize. Your Stand made that choice itself."
"Hmm," Rohan mutters. He grabs his pens and a new sheet of paper. Jotaro stands up.
"I should leave now."
Rohan is too focused on his sketch to hear him.
"Goodbye, Rohan."
Rohan nods at him distractedly, and gets back to his art.
Weird guy.
He gets into his car and drives away.
"You bastard!"
Jotaro hears Dio's muffled insult through his door. He knocks on it. Pucci opens it, a black-blue circle around his left eye. Jotaro pulls his hat down and shakes his head.
"Yare yare daze...I see he's back to normal."
Pucci nods his head in a sad 'yes'. He walks out of Dio's apartment without saying a word. Jotaro looks back at him.
Something's wrong.
He shakes his head.
It's probably just that he got punched in the face. Now, I need to go to sleep.
He walks into his apartment and shuts the door with a click.
(Okay, I'm FINALLY done! This chapter/part/whatever you want to call it took FOREVER! I hope you like it! The next parts will be shorter, don't worry!)