Hey there, readers of ITWWE. Some of you may be currently reading this, and some of you may have finished this fanfic a while ago. Either way, I have a gift for you folks.

This is an AU of this fanfic--a happy ending, unlike the original one. This fic turned a year old on June 13th, 2021, and I did have a plan for an anniversary chapter made back in April, but I never wrote it out. I've been thinking about writing it since then, and now I finally have!

And so, without further ado, enjoy the happy ending of ITWWE.

(Side note: if some events/times are misplaced from the original, that's because I didn't look back on the original fic before writing. :))

- • -

[DECEMBER 24th, 1989]

[EVENING]

[?̵̦͓̠̩̿͛̈̂̆́̐͐̓̿̂̉̏͆̈́̈́͊̈́̕Ḑ̵̛̛͈͎̩̳̥̜̘̖̩͙̻̪̺̜̰͓͓̾͗̈́̏̅͐̍̈́̔͑͐̓̍͆͐̈́̈́̅̇͆̔̌̏̇̓͛̄̃́̾́͗͘̕͜͝͝͠͝ͅÁ̸̢̡̧̢̧̨̛̹̱̱̠͕͇̦̘̩͙̣̬̜̜̬̼̦̙̞̱́̽́͛̅̎̿͘ͅỲ̵̢̨̢̡͉͈̞͓̯͕̺̺̥̣̙̩̣̗̺̗̜̗̤͚̙̫̫̯̫͇͎̗͖̜͙̰̼̙̼̝͉̺̲̉͗̅̓̎̀͒̓̈́̈́̂̈̿̇̾͘͜͜͜͜͜͜͝͝͠S̵̡̛̱̱̭͍̟̮̻͈̥̤̬̲̥̣͑̊̂̾̏̈́̿̈́̃̋̓̇̅̎́̐͐͛̽̌̾̏̆̌̊̈́͛̿̍͊̂̈̚̚͝͝͝͝͝U̶N̶T̶I̶L̶E̶N̶D̶O̶F̶T̶H̶E̶W̶O̶R̶L̶D̶]

- • -

Jotaro sometimes wondered how things ended up the way they did. Kakyoin did too, all the time.

The things that happened in Cairo, Egypt, almost a year back.

It seemed a bit unrealistic, right? For all of them to make it out alive, even if they are as permanently scarred and battered as they were?

For them to even think about that night, it made them feel uneasy straight from their bones, all the way down to their soul. Anything that horrific would give life-long trauma to anyone, and it sure as hell did leave a mark on them-both mentally and physically.

But, to help them forget that trauma was there, they liked to focus on what they were fortunate enough to still have, having been on such a perilous quest not too long ago.

Kakyoin, Iggy and Avdol were rather lucky to have made it out, each just barely grasping onto their lives, each of them equipped with one or two prosthetics. Even Polnareff had received a few metal fingers and toes in the aftermath. Anything more than what injuries they'd already sustained would've proven fatal. And, although Joseph had technically died, as well as Jotaro when he stopped his own heart (as crazy stupid yet genius that turned out to be), they were fine in the end. Well, mostly anyways.

They all could have died that day, but something that ensured their close victory and survival clicked into space and time. Like something had overwritten their original fate and favored their side instead.

Which led them back to what they were doing today, all able-bodied and healthy, as they should be.

Oh, and some of them caught feelings along the way.

It's December of 1989 in New York City. Chilling air, light snowfall, and many tourists all came with this time of year. Both streets and roads were absolutely packed, tourists rushing to famously known NYC events they so desperately were trying to arrive on time for, locals rushing to get back to the warmth of their homes, and others looking to make money and change from selling art, food, or performing music or dancing.

The industrial glass windows of the Joestar mansion allowed everyone inside to have possibly one of the nicest views of the city (without the cost of going anywhere, that is). Jotaro didn't care too much about it, because he's been to the mansion more than a few times and new the scenery by heart. Kakyoin, however, enjoyed it everytime he passed by the windows, looking out at the scenery with a mug of hot cocoa and marshmallows in hand. He had savored every bit about the new country, as it was foreign to him. After all, he had lived in Japan his whole life, but that didn't stop him from picking up and few books about the English language and learning about America, as well as many other countries. His knowledge of the country was likely comparable to that of Jotaro's, and it was his very first time there, too.

"You like it here so far?" Jotaro came up from behind Kakyoin, looking down at the city below them. Kakyoin took a sip of his cocoa before answering, steadying himself with his walking cain he'd acquired after being released from physical therapy. The moonlight that was cast from the sky looked perfect on his skin. Perhaps made for him, even. "Yeah, it's exactly how i imagined it to be. It's certainly different from Japan." He paused for a moment, a small smirk forming on his lips. "Well, mostly everything was nice, except for that one Japanese place we went to."

Oh, that place. Jotaro would be lying if he said he didn't get a bit of glee from absolutely dissing their cook's baking skills. Although the rickety, run down restaurant was much worse for wear than the other stores and restaurants in that specific, shady neighborhood, that didn't mean the cook had to put literally no effort into making their food. Jotaro assumed he was very, very quickly fired after the incident.

Jotaro hummed in agreement. Shortly after their exchange, they went to sit back down with the rest of their group. They joined Polnareff and Avdol in their conversation and found out they had also been talking about the Japanese place.

"-Yeah, but you could've used Magicians Red to heat up the fish! Right?"

"I would never use my Stand for something as like that. Plus, wouldn't that look highly suspicious to the cook, if the sushi just magically caught on fire?"

"Polnareff, you know we all ate when we watched Cats, right?" Kakyoin cut in, gesturing to the other people quietly conversing around them. "It was concession food, but we ate anyways because we didn't want to go walking around in the cold to find somewhere to eat. But we still ate at the French place afterwards because you didn't eat."

Polnareff crossed his arms and turned away from him, clearly embarrassed from being put on the spot. Kakyoin never missed a chance to tease him about anything, and he did it well, too. The four of them settled back into talking about other topics related to their trip, with Iggy sleeping at the foot of the couch next to them.

After all the excitement from the entire trip, they'd spent a lot of time simply exploring the city, finding a variety of stores, restaurants, landmarks and other activities (like Christmas shopping), and with that came exhaustion after the day was done. Today was no different.

After about half an hour more of chatting, Suzie announced that everyone should each open one of their presents. They all agreed, Kakyoin offered to pass out a present for everyone.

Jotaro got a delicately wrapped shoe-box sized present. He noticed the wrapping paper had starfish and tropical fish, and he wondered for a moment how whoever gave him this present found it.

Oh. It was from Kakyoin. That explained the wrapping skills and design. Jotaro's cheeks gained an ever-so-slight blush, and the aforementioned man sat right next to him with his own small present. Jotaro immediately recognized it, as he was the one who bought it. Kakyoin noticed the name on the tag that it was from Jotaro, and they made eye contact for a only a second before they both unwrapped their presents. Jotaro removed the lid from his box, momentarily halted by what was inside.

And, wow, he wasn't prepared for how adorable it was.

It was a small dolphin plush, about twice the size of his fist. It was soft, with sky blue fur and white underfur for it's belly, and small beady black eyes. It looked like something you'd get from the claw machine, but with a few very obvious changes. On it's head sat a felt hat identical to Jotaro's, as well as a purple star on it's left shoulder. Jotaro didn't know what to think of it, but the craftsmanship of the added details was astounding. And, oddly enough, he really liked it.

"Oh. Kakyoin, did you make this yourself?"

"Yeah. Well, I actually was originally going to give you the plushy by itself because I saw randomly it in a crane game, then I made it better. What do you think?"

"It's... Really good, actually."

"You think? I'd knew you'd like it."

"When did you have time to make this with how busy we've been?"

"I worked on it for a few nights once I got the extra materials." Kakyoin grinned, cleary proud of his work. "My Mom taught me how to sew, but I never thought I'd use it for something like this."

It was Kakyoin's turn to look at his present. It was two cassete tapes; one was of Sting, because Sting was Kakyoin's favorite band and he had trouble finding their albums on physical mediums. The second one was of an artist he'd never heard of: Whitney Houston.

"I've had a lot of trouble looking for a Sting cassete, so I really appreciate this, Jotaro. I don't know the second artist though."

"I don't know either, actually. I asked the old man about which ones are good and this is one he really liked. Mom liked it too, so I thought I'd find one and give it to you."

Kakyoin smiled at the cassetes in his hands. He wouldn't have known where to start when thinking about what Jotaro would give him for Christmas, and this was probably one of the best things he could've gotten.

"I'll make sure I listen to these. Thanks, Jotaro."

Jotaro nodded. "Yeah. Thanks for mine as well."

Meanwhile, Avdol received a cook book on a variety of fried chicken recipes from Polnareff. Also, Polnareff got high-quality hair products for hair maintenance from Avdol that he insisted on using first thing tomorrow. When he did decide to use them and go outside immediately afterwards, his hair stiffened and froze due to it still being wet, which he complained about for the rest of the entire day.

- • -

[DECEMBER 31st, 1989]

[EVENING]

[?̵̦͓̠̩̿͛̈̂̆́̐͐̓̿̂̉̏͆̈́̈́͊̈́̕Ḑ̵̛̛͈͎̩̳̥̜̘̖̩͙̻̪̺̜̰͓͓̾͗̈́̏̅͐̍̈́̔͑͐̓̍͆͐̈́̈́̅̇͆̔̌̏̇̓͛̄̃́̾́͗͘̕͜͝͝͠͝ͅÁ̸̢̡̧̢̧̨̛̹̱̱̠͕͇̦̘̩͙̣̬̜̜̬̼̦̙̞̱́̽́͛̅̎̿͘ͅỲ̵̢̨̢̡͉͈̞͓̯͕̺̺̥̣̙̩̣̗̺̗̜̗̤͚̙̫̫̯̫͇͎̗͖̜͙̰̼̙̼̝͉̺̲̉͗̅̓̎̀͒̓̈́̈́̂̈̿̇̾͘͜͜͜͜͜͜͝͝͠S̵̡̛̱̱̭͍̟̮̻͈̥̤̬̲̥̣͑̊̂̾̏̈́̿̈́̃̋̓̇̅̎́̐͐͛̽̌̾̏̆̌̊̈́͛̿̍͊̂̈̚̚͝͝͝͝͝U̶N̶T̶I̶L̶E̶N̶D̶O̶F̶T̶H̶E̶W̶O̶R̶L̶D̶]

- • -

It's New Year's Eve. The air is more cool than it has been since they first arrived there, and they've been waiting outside since this morning, the weather outside giving no mercy. Sure, Joseph had prepared a whole entire kit consisting of a tent, fuzzy blankets and other necessities, but that didn't stop the dropping temperatures from coming back and biting them all in the ass.

Joseph didn't stop complaining about it, either, nor did Polnareff. At some point, Avdol used his Stand to make a small fireball inside the tent without trying to look suspicious.

The event they prepared for was for the New Year's Eve Ball Drop, an annual event to mark the end of a year and the start of a new one. Despite the cold, there were still so many people waiting outside for it like they were, cramping the enitre area. For an event as iconic as this, it was to be expected.

"This year has really been bizarre, hasn't it, JoJo?" Jotaro nodded, taking a sip of his hot latte they'd gotten fifteen minutes before, after Holly volunteered to get coffee for everyone. He couldn't agree more---this year had been more eventful than the rest of his entire life combined. DIO had ruined all of their lives in one way or another, and it nearly cost them their lives. And, along the way of the fifty day road trip, they'd each formed strong bonds with eachother, and, for some of them, even caught feelings as well.

There was so much hurt and pain from the beginning of the year, and Jotaro didn't know what he would've done with himself if Kakyoin didn't make it. After all, he'd somehow fallen for him within the few months he knew him. It would've made the potential loss so much harder.

Was he ever going to tell Kakyoin how he felt? Probably not. Not with his internalized homophobia he was trying to fight and not knowing if Kakyoin even liked men as well.

"I'm glad we all made it out from that battle," Kakyoin continued on, glancing around at the crowd around him, almost nervously. "even if the road to recovery was a hard one. We were so lucky to have the Speedwagon Foundation provide us with the tools to speed up our recoveries." Kakyoin gulped. He was trying to distract himself from how nervous he was. His hand clenched around the box of necklaces he had in his coat pocket. A drop of sweat rolled from his forehead, and maybe because of how warm he felt inside from feelings, he went unaffected from the cold, just for a moment.

Jotaro grunted in response. It was almost time, wasn't it?

Yes, it was.

At that very moment, the Ball started to lower from the top of One Times Square, and the voices of everyone in the crowd rose up in an instant. Beside them, Holly, Suzie and Joseph turned their eager gazes toward the Ball. On their other side was Polnareff and Avdol, with Iggy sitting on Polnareff's shoulder, chewing on a piece of coffee gum, wrapper and all.

Kakyoin shook himself, pulling the box from his pocket. He wouldn't hesitate. This was his grand gesture he had months in the planning of! No matter what, he would most absolutely tell Jotaro Kujo how he felt, even with how utterly apprehensive he was.

"So, Jotaro," Kakyoin yelled over the crowd, drawing his attention to him once again. He cleared his throat, his entire body tingling from the high of his emotions running wild. Jotaro turned to him once more. "I, ah, I have something to tell you!"

Jotaro blinked, lips slowly working. He didn't get to answer before Kakyoin continued on. The Ball ticked down lower and lower.

Kakyoin pulled the box from his pocket and delicately handled it, removing the lid. Inside were two golden chain necklaces, one with an oceanic blue tag, with the kanji for Jotaro's name printed on it. The other one had a lavender tag, with Kakyoin's name in kanji. Both tags were reminiscent of the color of their eyes, which was how Kakyoin chose the colors for them.

"I really like you," was all Kakyoin said as he took the necklace with Jotaro's name and placed it around his neck, letting it fall and settle on top of his scarf. "Sometime this year, I figured it out, and I didn't want to live with these feelings and not tell you. I'm truly sorry if this ruins our friendship, but---." He held out the other necklace---the one with his own name on the lavender tag. "I needed to say it."

Jotaro stood still for a short moment before taking the necklace, examining it, then dropping it around his own neck. He sighed, tilting his hat down a bit, and reddening for a reason that was very different than from the sharp chill.

"I like you too, Kakyoin."

And the sigh of absolute relief that escaped Kakyoin was ever so satisfying. They didn't need to say anything else. They understood eachother through and through, not requiring words to communicate feelings. They could stand there in a comfortable silence, mutually cozy and collected.

Oh. They'd both forgotten about the Ball that was about to announce the end of the bizarre year. Everyone shouted all at once:

10!

9!

8!

7!

6!

Kakyoin grinned at Jotaro with a sudden idea, and grabbed him by the arms. Jotaro already knew what was about to happen, and he gently brought his gloved hands to rest just above Kakyoin's hips.

5!

4!

3!

2!

1!

And it was amazing. Soft lips on softer lips, teeth lightly clanking together, noses touching side by side. Sure, they were both very inexperienced, but that added to the sweetness of it all. And there was nothing better than this, they thought. Passion powered by love. It was brilliant.

Their friends and family must've though so as well, because when they realized that they were certainly still in public, they heard everyone cheering them on, and they pulled apart quickly after. Jotaro couldn't be more embarrassed that this was how he outed himself, but Kakyoin didn't seem to mind.

Polnareff put a hand on Jotaro's shoulder, a huge shit-eating grin on his face. "Mon Dieu, finally! Do you know how long I've been waiting for one of you to bust a move? Seriously, it was so damn obvious you two liked eachother! Let me guess, Kakyoin made the first move?" Jotaro arched his brow at him. "Says the guy who has a crush on Avdol."

Polnareff blushed darkly red. "I-I still don't even know if I like men yet! I'm not really sure about anything yet." He shook his head. "But enough about me! I'm happy for you guys. Kakyoin will be good for you, Jotaro. He's just what you needed."

"I hope so," Jotaro said, glancing back at Kakyoin, who was now being hugged by Holly, Joseph and Suzie. They all insisted on already knowing about the feelings between the two boys, and now it was Kakyoin's turn to blush. They really were oblivious, weren't they? Jotaro sighed. What a year it had been indeed, and now it was the start of a new decade. He could only hope it would involve his friends and family. But, he had a good feeling it would, and that the next year and the many more that follow would be just as promising.

- • -

[JANUARY 17th, 1990]

[NOON]

[?̵̦͓̠̩̿͛̈̂̆́̐͐̓̿̂̉̏͆̈́̈́͊̈́̕Ḑ̵̛̛͈͎̩̳̥̜̘̖̩͙̻̪̺̜̰͓͓̾͗̈́̏̅͐̍̈́̔͑͐̓̍͆͐̈́̈́̅̇͆̔̌̏̇̓͛̄̃́̾́͗͘̕͜͝͝͠͝ͅÁ̸̢̡̧̢̧̨̛̹̱̱̠͕͇̦̘̩͙̣̬̜̜̬̼̦̙̞̱́̽́͛̅̎̿͘ͅỲ̵̢̨̢̡͉͈̞͓̯͕̺̺̥̣̙̩̣̗̺̗̜̗̤͚̙̫̫̯̫͇͎̗͖̜͙̰̼̙̼̝͉̺̲̉͗̅̓̎̀͒̓̈́̈́̂̈̿̇̾͘͜͜͜͜͜͜͝͝͠S̵̡̛̱̱̭͍̟̮̻͈̥̤̬̲̥̣͑̊̂̾̏̈́̿̈́̃̋̓̇̅̎́̐͐͛̽̌̾̏̆̌̊̈́͛̿̍͊̂̈̚̚͝͝͝͝͝U̶N̶T̶I̶L̶E̶N̶D̶O̶F̶T̶H̶E̶W̶O̶R̶L̶D̶]

- • -

It was the anniversary of DIO's defeat. The new year had proved stressful, as almost everyone with the circle of family and friends were moving across entire countries.

Polnareff had talked to Avdol about his feelings, not knowing if they were romantic, platonic or both. Avdol understood, saying he returned similar feelings. They had an unspecified relationship, and after everything that happened the past year, Avdol decided he wanted to live somewhere other than Egypt. Seeing as Polnareff would never leave France, and with their undefined relationship, Avdol moved in with Polnareff to his homeland. Iggy remained with them, and Polnareff still had quite the time dealing with his antics of messing with his hair.

Meanwhile, Jotaro and Kakyoin had grown even closer than they already had been. Now knowing that they shared mutual feelings, they began dating, and the feedback they received was more than positive. Holly couldn't be more happy that her son found someone he liked. She also decided she would move from Japan and in with her parents (Joseph and Suzie were thrilled at the fact), as her only son would no longer be living with her. Joseph teased them both, but he was glad as well. Even Kakyoin's parents, once Kakyoin gathered the courage to tell them, unknowing of their reactions, were supportive. They then announced that they would begin attending college in America---Florida, to be exact. It required them to move everything they owned, as well as moving out of their home country, but America provided better education for them. Plus, they wanted the change of scenery anyway, now that Kakyoin absolutely loved New York the first time he went. They would start actually going to college in a few days, providing a small period of relaxation after unpacking everything. Jotaro would study marine life and the sciences related to it, while Kakyoin would study and make art and sell some of his own works as well. He had already gotten a few commissions for paintings as well (one of which was from Joseph, another from Polnareff and Avdol).

Jotaro and Kakyoin didn't know how to feel about the anniversary of their battle. Unsettled? Yes, definitely. But, they had proved victorious in the end, hadn't they? They were so paranoid, and there was still a high possibility that they would still encounter a Stand-using follower or two of DIO's along the way. It would be no matter, as they were now both very experienced Stand users.

They finally had gotten done unpacking their belongings, and really settled down in their new apartment in Miami. It had a studio for Kakyoin and an office for Jotaro, and they shared the same room. It even had a great view of the city they both appreciated.

They quickly got accustomed to the city, and with the large variety of activities and places to go, they could always have something to do. Plus, there was a very close by ocean that they loved visiting. Kakyoin planned on painting the scenery of it.

Kakyoin was already sitting on their couch, playing one of his gaming consoles. Jotaro sat next to him, reading a book on marine biology his mom had gotten him last Christmas.

"Oi, Kakyoin?"

"Hm?"

"I'm glad we got to move in together."

Even though he was focused on his game, Kakyoin smiled and glanced over at Jotaro. "Me too, JoJo." In the background, they played the Whitney Houston cassete on their boombox.

Later, they played bubble hockey at the local arcade.

- • -

[ITWWE - GOOD ENDING]

[END]

- • -

And that's all for the AU ending! It's up to the reader which ending is canon in this universe, and Avpol's final relationship is also up to reader interpretation as well.

Anyways, I had a ton of fun writing this, and I'm glad I even finished writing this. You'll probably notice if you read the original that a lot of stuff is different from the original fic (hence the happy/good ending). This is just my little treat for those who've read the fanfic before and fell off the edges of their seats because of the angsty ending. ☝

I didn't re-read this before posting, so I apologize for any grammar errors. Feel free to tell me if there's any. :)

Thank you for reading If The World Was Ending. <3