But karma for not listening to his mother returned to him very quickly. His tire hit a rock and he was flung forward over the handlebars, scraping his knees and arm on the ashy gray gravel.

Josuke’s eyes welled up with tears because it hurt but he didn’t start crying, opting instead to sniffle else his mother find out he disobeyed her. Before he could get up however, his Stand – a new friend that followed him everywhere he went, whom he called Crazy Diamond – tapped his shoulder and looked him in the eye. The Stand had a large smile and hopeful eyes. Crazy Diamond held his hand over Josuke’s forearm where it began to bleed, emitting a warm light over it. Josuke watched on in wonder, but when Crazy D removed his hand the scrapes were still there.

Crazy Diamond frowned, looking back up at Josuke. He merely shrugged, unsure of what his Stand was trying to do. Crazy Diamond tried again, this time with the bigger scrapes on his knees. Some skin was peeling off where he fell straight onto the concrete. But the results were the same: scrapes unhealed, bleeding and dry.

When Josuke looked up again, tears were spilling from his Stand’s eyes. He scrunched his brows and opened his mouth to say, “Hey, don’t cry! I’m okay!”

But his gentle words didn’t reach his Stand’s ears. Crazy Diamond covered his eyes as the tears fell, big droplets spilling on the ground with an audible splash. Josuke knew his mother couldn’t hear Crazy Diamond’s crying but it hurt him and made him sad too.

“Please don’t cry! It doesn’t hurt. I’m sorry for not listening to mama,” Josuke said, trying his best to keep his voice quiet and soothing. He wrapped his arms around Crazy D and gave him a big hug, letting his Stand cry into his shoulder. Josuke felt awful. He always scraped his knees and stuff from playing outside and at school, but this was the first time Crazy Diamond had tried to heal him. He didn’t have to fully understand his powers to know what that failure meant.

He patted Crazy Diamond’s back and hugged him tightly again before he got an idea and pulled away. “Hey, Crazy D, let me see your hand!”

His Stand obeyed and held out one hand, wiping his eyes with the other. A few more tears strayed down Crazy D’s cheeks until Josuke put the hand over his own beating heart. Crazy Diamond blinked and tilted his head, looking curiously at his Stand user. When Josuke’s heart thumped under his palm, Crazy Diamond flinched and tried to pull away, but Josuke’s stubbornness won out. It only took another moment for Crazy Diamond to understand. He stepped closer to Josuke, letting the beating of his user’s heart calm his shaking shoulders and teary eyes. As if in a trance, he became completely at ease.

“Crazy Diamond,” Josuke said, “I’m not hurt. I promise you I’m okay! See? My heart is beating because I’m okay.”

Their eyes met again and Josuke smiled. Crazy D returned it with one even brighter. Josuke sat down on the curb, his Stand following suit, and they held hands waiting for Tomoko to call him in for dinner. Crazy Diamond squeezed Josuke’s hand and moved carefully to place the other back on his chest. Josuke giggled. His Stand was so sweet and caring…

“Josuke!” Tomoko called. “Dinner’s ready!”

Crazy Diamond disappeared behind him, leaving Josuke to walk alone to his front door. Tomoko immediately saw the scrapes and blood on Josuke’s knees and arm, half-scolding him and half-worrying about him. Crazy D popped up again above his shoulder, watching over them as Tomoko cleaned out the cuts and applied Band-Aids to each injury. Crazy Diamond’s concern completely dissipated, knowing that his Stand user was now in the good hands of his mother.