Chapter Text
The tension throughout dinner was so thick that it hurt to think about. Erina constantly glanced between the two boys as they ate their dinner. Joseph was eating as quickly as possible so he could get some alone time while Caesar was busy cutting his meatloaf into the tiniest pieces he could manage, as he'd been doing all night.
"Wait, Jojo, don't you want dessert?" Granny asked with a look of concern on her face. It wasn't like him to even think of skipping out on dessert. "I made pudding". Could old people pout with what little lip they had? If so, she was definitely pouting. He hated seeing her upset so he reluctantly sat back in his seat.
"Can I ask something, Mrs. Joestar?" said Caesar inquisitively, speaking for the first time that night. She gave him permission and he continued, "Where does 'Jojo' come from? Does it refer to 'Joseph'? Rather, is it short for just that? I've been wondering all night." He froze as if shocked by the fact that, out of everything to start a conversation about, it was something so mundane.
"I don't know, Caesar," she smiled (as he did the same at the mere mention of his own name -- that conceited asshole). "Isn't there somebody else you should be directing that question to?" The question took a second to simmer in the air before Caesar understood just what she was insinuating.
Joseph cut him off before he could speak. Caesar had yet to speak to him directly and Joseph wanted to keep it that way. "Joseph Joestar. Jojo. Get it?" Caesar's face lit up once he finally understood. Then he wordlessly went back to cutting his food into miniscule pieces and consuming them one by one.
"Well, I'm going to get dessert ready," chimed Erina, standing from her seat. "Why don't you two try a few icebreakers to get to know each other better?" Joseph flushed just a bitt at the brashness of her words. However, that didn't mean that he was going to obey them. In fact, he was half-tempted to leave at that exact moment. The only thing keeping Josseph within a twenty-foot radius of Caesar was pudding.
"So, Jojo, uh... hobbies. What do you do as a hobby?" Joseph ignored the fact that Caesar had called him a nickname that he didn't have the right to and proceeded to tell Caesar about just how much he loved video games, rock, rap, an television. He nodded attentively, as if he genuinely cared. Knowing how things have been so far, he was probably just trying to make a good impression in case Erina was watching. He accused Caesar of such aloud.
"Absolutely not!" he gasped, as if he were offended that anybody would ever accuse him of wrongdoing. "Is it really such a problem for me to be asking about the person I will be with for the semester?" His voice cracked at the end of that sentence, causing him to curse under his breath. Joseph stared at him like he was seeing such an odd display for the first time. Caesar snapped, "Do you know anything about manners!?" then made do with glaring down at the table. Then he mumbled an apology, which Joseph ignored.
"After a minute of dead silence, Erina came in with two bowls which contained their dessert. They ate in the aforementioned silence.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Thank God it was time to shower, and to brush teeth, and to wear pajamas. It had been a long and exhausting day and sleep was most definitely needed. When Joseph returned from his shower he'd discovered that his bedroom door was locked. He banged on the wood loudly with his fist, demanding that Caesar open the door this instant or else he'd start screaming. He was told to wait because, oh no, poor little Caesar was getting changed. Heaven forbid Joseph walk in on another guy, right? What if he saw something scandalous like a stomach or a bare leg or a shoulder?
When Caesar finally opened the door, he wass dressed down in a way that you didn't think a pretty boy like him could be. He was wearing a hoodie and sweatpants, both of which were at least two sizes too big on him. He gave Joseph a mean look that screamed "how dare you rush me, I am a king," before mumbling incoherent (and probably in Italian) as he stormed off to the bathroom to brush his teeth.
Once he returned from his hygienic routine, he stood in Joseph's doorway and stared at him as he lay in his bed with his legs propped on the wall, playing his DS. "So would you like to tell me where I will be sleeping for the duration of my stay?" Without looking up, Joseph patted the spot next to him on the bed. "Humorous. Where am I really sleeping?" Joseph met his question b patting the same spot on the bed. "No. I can sleep in the bathtub if need be," Caesar grumbled, partially to himself as he scrambled for a spare pillow and blanket.
"You need to sleep in here," scowled Joseph, putting down his DS (not without pausing and shutting it off, of course). Caesar tried to counter him with more argument, but Joseph slammed his palm on the wall to make a loud noise that ought to shut Caesar up. "Granny said you have to." More banter. "My bed is cozy...?" he tried. Caesar sighed and put down his gathered blanket with an agitated, "Fine". Why was he so angry over this? He didn't want Caesar in his bed either. If it were up to Joseph, he'd be sleeping in the landfill on the outskirts of the city. However, this was not up to Joseph, so in his bed was where Caesar would sleep.
It was going to be a long, long night.