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“I’m sorry.”
Holly paused in her tidying up of the kitchen.
“What was that, sweetheart?” She asked before putting a couple dishes in the sink. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her son fidget in the doorway. Jotaro removed his hat and ran a hand through his hair before settling the worn cap back on.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what, honey?” She kept her tone light so as to not dissuade her boy from continuing.
“Everything.” At the one word answer, Holly finally put down the rag she’d been using to wipe down the countertop and faced Jotaro. She smiled brightly at him and put her hands on her hips with a sigh.
“JoJo, sweetheart, you’ve gotta give me more than that!” The young man fidgeted with his hat again before taking a breath and continuing.
“Before I left… with the old man and the others… I was different.” Jotaro stared down at a spot on the hem of his mother’s apron, unable to look anywhere else.
“I never really gave any thought to anyone else. I… didn’t have too. But then your stand- you got sick and I was-” He stopped. Jotaro noticed his hands had closed into fists at his sides and he opened them to wipe his sweating palms on his pant legs. He seemed unsure of how to proceed and Holly took a small step towards her son.
“You were ‘what’, JoJo?” She supplied gently and at the sound of her voice, Jotaro finally looked up at her.
“I was scared.” He ignored the surprise on his mother’s face and pressed on. “For the first time, I realized that I might have to live without you. If you didn’t get better… if I couldn’t defeat Dio…” Jotaro’s throat threatened to close and he swallowed roughly. Frowning, he looked away from his mother’s concerned face.
“And I couldn’t stop thinking… that you deserved a better son that I was.” Hearing this, Holly marched right up to her hulking son and placed a hand to his cheek. She gently turned his face back to hers and cupped it with both her hands. Like this, he looked his age. Looking down at her, he looked every bit a teenager.
“Jotaro Joestar Kujo, you listen to me. I would have no other son than the one right here before me. Okay?” The young man closed his eyes.
“The way I treated you-”
“I don’t care.”
“The things I said to y-”
“I don’t care.”
“Mom, I-”
“I don’t care!” Jotaro’s eyes snapped open to stare down at Holly who smiled back. “Sweetheart, I will always love you and care about you no matter what. You are my son, rough edges and all.” She removed her hands from her son’s face and placed them on his shoulders as Jotaro sighed.
“That’s why I wanted to apologize. Despite the way I acted, you still-” Holly shushed him.
“Mom.”
“Okay, okay! If it makes you feel any better, I accept your apology.” Holly giggled and the young man in front of her rolled his eyes.
“Good grief…” Jotaro sighed, the hint of a smile crossing his face. “Guess you are great at calming people…” Holly smiled back and turned to continue her cleaning.
“I am?”
“Yeah. He-” Jotaro stopped, clearing his throat. “Kakyoin… he said it was easy to feel at ease around you…” Jotaro leaned against the entryway to the kitchen. At the sound of a lighter flicking, Holly turned around.
“Honey, you really shouldn’t do that ins-” At the sight of her son’s shaking hands, Holly walked back over to him. She took his hand not occupied with a cigarette and held it in her own.
“Sweetheart, I know you were going to go on your own… and I know you didn’t want me to know, but… do you want me to go with you to Kakyoin’s memorial tomorrow?” Jotaro let out a puff of smoke down and away from his mother.
“Yeah…” He pulled his cap low over his eyes. “I’d like that.”