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“Guess what I found!” Suzi Q said excitedly down the phone, not even greeting Caesar.
“Hello to you as well,” he replied, holding the phone slightly away from his ear. When Suzi was excited about something she had the tendency to forget volume control, much like someone else he could mention. Luckily it was a trait he found endearing, even though it must have caused hearing loss by now.
“Yes, yes, hello.” she said distractedly. “Now come on, guess! You’re going to like it!”
“I don’t know Suzi, can’t you just tell me?” he said with an affectionate sigh.
“Alright!” she replied, her excitement immediately getting the better of her. Caesar moved the phone another inch away. “I found a box of old videos from back when we were kids! Lisa Lisa and Erina must have filmed us a lot, there’s piles of them. I bet we were adorable!”
“You were, I remember,” Caesar said with a smile. “You and your little pigtails. And the flowers you always put in your hair were so sweet.” He paused. “Although you still do that. And you still look very sweet, of course.” Suzi giggled.
“Then it’s decided! Tell everyone to come over to you and Joseph’s house tonight and I’ll bring them!” With that, she hung up the phone. Caesar shook his head, thinking Suzi was very lucky that he was fond enough of her that he wouldn’t tell her off for inviting not only herself, but everyone else to his house on this short notice.
Although it does mean the living room really needs to be cleaned, he thought, not that he hadn’t done his best to get Joseph to tidy up after himself already, regardless of guests. Looking around from his place on the sofa he could immediately see 2 hoodies, countless comics, 3 plates, and bizarrely, a pair of trousers, strewn in various places across the room. He could have sworn it was tidy yesterday. It really astounded him how much mess Joseph managed to leave in his wake. It was almost as if he was trying to cause trouble for Caesar.
“Jojo!” he called, unsure if the other boy was home, but sure enough he heard the telltale rapid footsteps approaching, and then a shaggy brown haired head appeared through the door.
“What’s up?” Joseph said, and then noticed Caesar’s face, and the meaningful look at the plates on the table. “Oh, right. I meant to get to that.”
“Suzi has invited everyone round, and I am not having them see our house in disgrace.” He said, gesturing. “Why did you even leave your trousers in here?”
“I got something on them,” Joseph said simply, as if it was obvious, while beginning to collect the comics into a more manageable pile than littered across the floor.
“So you just took them off and...left them here?” Caesar groaned. “Mamma mia, Jojo, I will never understand how your head works.”
“I’m going to take that as a compliment,” Joseph said, hugging a pile of comics to his chest as he straightened up. Caesar noticed a few which looked as if they were threatening to slip out of his grip, but he refrained from saying anything. “Why’s everyone coming round anyway? Is it a special occasion?”
“Suzi found some old videos that Lisa Lisa took of us when we were younger. She must have had them lying around the house somewhere. Apparently there are a lot, so look forward to it,” he explained.
“Well, we have all known each other for a long time, I guess there has been a lot to film,” Joseph mused.
It was true, he, Joseph and Suzi had been friends for as long as any of them could remember. Even as kids they had been inseparable, spending every day running around outside causing mischief, mock fighting and playing games together. His childhood was full of fond memories of him and Suzi being dragged into trouble by Joseph, and no doubt finding a way to get him back later. They had been at Joseph’s so much they basically lived there, and the two felt as close to him as any of his blood relatives.
Even now they were adults, Joseph and Suzi at 21 and Caesar at 23, they were just as close, if not closer. As soon as Joseph had started at university he had moved in with Caesar, and it was not uncommon for Suzi to pop round to the flat when she wanted to see them, helping Caesar with the cooking or making herself at home around the flat. That was, anywhere in the house except Joseph’s room, which she had been banned from after he had returned home from class to find her going through his comics while he was absent. That had resulted in Joseph physically removing her through her protests, while Caesar had watched laughing from the doorway.
That boy never knows when to drop something, Caesar thought affectionately at the memory. No wonder he gets in so much trouble. He’s lucky I’m so soft on him, I let him away with too much, really, but there’s just something about his goofy smile… He looked up and realised Joseph was watching him, waiting for a response.
“Take these while you’re at it,” he said quickly, throwing the trousers at Joseph, where they landed perfectly over his face. Caesar couldn’t help but laugh, and it only increased as they slid off his face to reveal Joseph’s unamused pout. Annoying as he could be, Caesar had to admit he was cute when he was grumpy. Not that he would admit it out loud. “And change your shirt while you're at it, you’ve got sauce on it!” he added, still laughing as Joseph turned to leave. Apparently this was where his temper reached its limit. The comics cascaded to the ground as Joseph turned to Caesar, his expression shifting from pouty to irritated. “Is something the matter?” Caesar started to say, his tone playful, but he stopped as Joseph took a running leap toward the sofa. “Jojo, no- OW! Cazzo!”
* * *
Once Caesar had managed to wrestle Joseph off him and onto the floor, he had escaped to the kitchen to make dinner, threatening another beating if the living room wasn’t clean by the time the guests arrived. To Joseph’s credit, it was clean before they arrived. 5 minutes before, as Caesar had pointed out, but before nonetheless. The house was filled with friendly chatter and the mouth-watering smell of Caesar’s cooking. Everyone had been gathered in the still not spotless but now presentable living room, Lisa Lisa and Speedwagon talking to Erina, and Smokey sitting with Joseph on the sofa. They had even managed to get Suzi’s mother and two of Caesar’s younger sisters to join them at the short notice, and Caesar had pulled chairs through from their bedrooms to make room for everyone.
When the doorbell rang Joseph jumped up immediately, yelling “I’ll get it!” before bounding out the room to buzz the new guest up. Suzi Q appeared in the doorway after a few minutes, struggling to balance two large boxes in her arms. He quickly grabbed one before disaster struck.
“Sorry I’m late, these were harder to carry than I thought,” she said, smiling gratefully at him before making her way to the living room to deposit the remaining box, Joseph following.
“Not to worry, you’re right on time,” Caesar said cheerfully, coming out of the kitchen, balancing 3 plates of pizza in his hands. As he passed Joseph on his way to the table he skillfully dodged the hand which reached out to take a slice. “Wait your turn, stronzo, you’re going to make me drop them,” he scolded. “Make yourself useful and go get plates for everyone. I thought I told you to do that already.” Joseph left, grumbling under his breath, as Caesar pulled up a chair between Suzi and Lisa Lisa.
He didn’t stay there for long though, jumping up again when he saw Joseph return, a tower of plates in one hand, and his phone in the other.
“Be careful you idiot!” he exclaimed, grabbing the plates from him as they tilted slightly, and beginning to distribute them. “Tuck in everyone!” he said cheerily to their guests, before turning back to glare at Joseph, who hadn’t looked up from his phone.
“It’s fine~! I had it under control. Do you wanna pick a video for us to watch first?” Joseph said breezily, taking his seat next to Smokey and pointedly ignoring the scowl he was directing at him.
Caesar gave up and went to examine the hefty boxes Suzi had carried over. They were packed full of disks carefully labelled with their contents, but after rummaging through them he discovered that there were old papers and photo albums underneath.
“Suzi, if you’d sorted these boxes you wouldn’t have had to carry both of them you know,” he said, pulling some of the albums out carefully. “Look at these, they must have been heavy.” To his surprise, Suzi jumped up with an excited squeal.
“Are those photo albums?” she asked, not waiting for a response to sit next to him on the floor and flick through them. “I had no idea these were in there! Ooooh, look! It’s Lisa Lisa and Joseph!” She started passing some of the albums round while he looked through the disks, still trying to decide which video to watch first. Suzi hadn’t been exaggerating, there really were a great deal.
“Caesar, come here!” she called suddenly. Obediently, he got up to see what she had found, leaning over her to look at the photo. “It’s you and me!”
In the picture, they looked to be about 6, running around the Joestar estate. Both of them were wearing bright sweaters knitted by Erina, a common Christmas present when they were children.
“You know,” Joseph said, suddenly appearing behind Caesar and placing a hand on his shoulder, making him jump, “when Suzi’s hair was that short, it’s hard to tell who’s who.”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Caesar said, shrugging Joseph’s hand off him. He noticed that even after his hand was gone, he didn’t stop standing so close, but he pushed this thought away. “You can easily see that’s me! I was taller than both of you, or have you forgotten?”
“True,” Joseph admitted, as he straightened up to his full height, smiling at Caesar, “but you’re certainly not now are you? You’re so small compared to me, I can hardly see you down there!”
“I am not small! I’m 6’1”!” he complained, straightening up as well, but this only highlighted the height difference between them more starkly. He looked at Joseph’s face, beaming down at him, and turned away, huffing. It pissed him off when he looked at him like that, so pleased with himself. Something about it made him feel weird, and he didn’t like it. “Let’s just look at the next one,” he said, trying to change the subject, and reached down to turn the page.
“Oh! How sweet!” Suzi exclaimed when she saw the picture. It showed Joseph and Caesar, probably about 9 years old, holding hands and smiling at the camera. Joseph, covered in dirt and mud, twigs in his hair and countless plasters across his body, was waving wildly, while Caesar, somehow looking surprisingly clean, excluding a patch of mud which Joseph was most likely to blame for, was holding a balloon in his other hand.
“Oh yes,” Lisa Lisa said, leaning over to look at the picture as well. “That was the day I took you both to the fair. I remember Joseph lost his balloon, he let go of it, silly boy, so when we got home later Caesar said he could have his.” Joseph turned to look at Caesar for confirmation, and found all he needed in the way he was frowning and looking away, his cheeks growing pink.
“Awwww, I forgot what a big softie you are!” Joseph said grinning, wrapping an arm around him to pull him closer and ruffling his hair.
“Get off, idiot,” Caesar said, pushing him away, his face now very pink indeed. “I’m going to go look at the videos again.” He went back to the box of disks, ignoring Joseph’s laughter as he returned to his place next to Smokey.
Trying to distract everyone from the photos which were bringing him nothing but embarrassment, he grabbed the first disk he saw. Not waiting to consult with anyone else for approval, he put the disk in their DVD player and took his seat, Suzi leaving the albums on the floor and sitting next to him again. Joseph leaned back on the sofa and took the remote, turning the TV on and pressing play.
The video started with the camera facing the ground, showing only paving stones, but after a few seconds it tilted upwards to show a slightly younger looking Erina and a much younger looking Joseph, around 7 or 8, dressed in shorts, a Ben 10 t-shirt and a cap. He seemed to be crying about something.
“Even I have to admit, you were pretty cute back then,” Caesar said, smiling at Joseph, enjoying the way his comment made the other man blush.
“Course I was! Just like I am now!” he said, trying to hide his reaction.
“Well-” Caesar began but he was shushed by both Lisa Lisa and Suzi, as Joseph on the screen was beginning to speak.
“I want my mummy!” He said, sniffling back tears. Erina knelt down next to him and lifted him onto her knee, pulling out a handkerchief for him, gently wiping his nose and dabbing his tears.
“Mummy will be back very soon,” she said to him, “but she’s away for a few days, seeing her friend Auntie Julia. You remember Julia, don’t you? She brought you all those fancy plane models from Italy?” Joseph was nodding now, his tears subsiding. It seemed the mention of his planes had cheered him up somewhat. “She’s having a wedding, so your mummy has to go so she can be one of her bridesmaids. You know what a wedding is, don’t you?” Joseph nodded again. “So you know how important it is. It’s a very big day, you know, everything has to be perfect. You’re marrying your special someone, after all.”
“Like you did with Grandad?” he asked, sniffing one more time before shoving the hankie into his pocket. Erina smiled fondly at the mention of Jonathan.
“Yes dear, like I did with your grandfather. It seems like so long ago now. I wore a big white dress, and he looked so fancy in his suit. He was a very handsome, very kind man, your grandfather. I do wish you could have met him.” She stopped for a second, lost in her memories, and the real Erina was dabbing at her eyes. Speedwagon reached across to her and squeezed her hand.
Back on the screen, she shook herself out of her reverie, and looked back at Joseph. “Do you think you’d like to have a wedding one day, dear?”
“Yeah!” Joseph said cheerfully, all signs of his tears now gone. “I’m gonna have a big wedding, and invite all my friends! And you and mummy can come too. We’ll have lots of food and dancing. I’m gonna marry Caesar when I grow up! He’s so smart and cool, I really want to marry him!”
Erina on the screen laughed, but no one was paying attention to the video anymore. Instead they all turned in unison to look at Joseph, who was sitting completely still staring straight ahead, face getting redder and redder, looking like he wished he was anywhere but there. No one said anything for a few seconds, just staring at him as he steadily turned the colour of a tomato. The moment Smokey opened his mouth he got up, turned around, vaulted over the back of the sofa in one smooth jump and ran out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
Following Joseph’s dramatic exit, Caesar found that everyone had now decided to turn and look at him instead. He could hear one of his sisters, Antonella, starting to snicker, but worse than that, he could feel both Suzi and Lisa Lisa’s stares boring into him from right beside him. He suddenly knew exactly how Joseph had felt 5 seconds ago, and really wished he could also vault over his chair and leave, but somehow he felt that they wouldn’t let both of them make an escape that easily.
He struggled for something to say, but he was too busy thinking about the way his heart had leapt out of his chest when he heard Joseph said he really wanted to marry him. Or more accurately, trying desperately to think of anything but the way his heart leapt out of his chest. He could feel his cheeks growing crimson, and everyone was still looking at him. Can’t someone say something already? Anything? he thought.
“So when’s the wedding, casanova?” Aurelia asked, no longer able to contain herself. Ok, not that. Beside him, Suzi was also starting to giggle, apparently set off by Aurelia and Antonella.
“I mean we all knew it was going to happen eventually, but I didn’t know Joseph had worked it out so early on!” she gasped out between her laughs. “I guess Caesar’s charm really does work!”
“Plenty of women find me charming, thank you!” He said angrily, turning on her. Something clicked in his head. “And what do you mean, eventually?” Suzi looked into his face, scowling and bright red with anger but mostly embarrassment, and started laughing harder.
“No no, I don’t want to spoil the surprise!” she managed to say before doubling over in her chair. He turned to Lisa Lisa, looking for some help, any help, but she was also smiling at him like there was some big joke that he wasn’t privy to. Across the room, he could see Smokey also laughing, and even Erina, Speedwagon, and Suzi’s mother were chuckling at each other. Meanwhile, his two younger sisters were in stitches, holding onto each other for support. He pouted and stood up.
“I don’t know why you’re laughing at me, I wasn’t even the one who said it! If no one’s going to explain the joke to me, I’m going to go talk to Jojo. This is his fault, not mine!” With that he left as well, not quite as dramatically as Joseph had done, but still managing an impressive flounce to the door before slamming it as well, albeit slightly more gently.
On the other side he put his head in his hands, still able to hear the laughter clearly from inside the room. Now where is Joseph? he thought. He doesn’t know what’s coming to him after the embarrassment he just caused me. The beating I’m going to give him...
He checked the kitchen and the bathroom first, but after finding neither of them occupied, he knew where Joseph was. Reluctantly, he approached his bedroom door, and knocked. After a minute’s silence, the voice he recognised as his best friend replied.
“You can come in.”
Opening the door, he found Joseph lying on his bed, an island in the chaos that was his room. He was holding a pillow over his face, and didn’t move in response to the door opening.
“I’ll admit, when I picked that video, I wasn’t expecting that,” Caesar joked, trying to lighten the mood. “Guess that’s what I get for not reading the title.” At the sound of his voice, Joseph pulled the pillow off his face and sat up suddenly.
“Oh. It’s you,” he said.
“You alright?” Caesar asked, leaning on the doorframe. All the fight had gone out of him upon seeing him looking this embarrassed, something Joseph Joestar very rarely looked. It made him feel strangely tender.
“Yeah, I just panicked,” Joseph said with a small smile, rubbing the back of his head. “You know, everyone was staring and everything.”
“Yes, I noticed,” Caesar said, exasperated. “Seeing as it was me they were staring at once you made that ridiculous exit.”
“Sorry,” he replied sheepishly. He really did look sorry as well, another thing which was unusual for Joseph. Usually it was clear by the twinkle in his eye that he didn’t regret whatever insult or mishap he was supposedly apologising for in the slightest, but this time Caesar saw genuine guilt in his eyes for leaving him while he made a run for it.
He sighed and entered the room, closing the door behind him gently and picking his way through the mess on the floor to sit on the end of the bed, Joseph sliding down to join him. They sat in silence for a minute, Caesar staring at the floor while Joseph fidgeted with his blanket.
“So, you wanted to marry me, huh?” Caesar said finally with a small teasing smile, deciding it was best to just address the elephant in the room. The flush immediately returned to Joseph’s cheeks, making his smile grow. “I mean, I can’t blame you. I am absolutely charming.” He laughed as a pillow hit his face, glad Joseph was still messing around with him like this. Seeing him this subdued had managed to make Caesar worry.
Then again, even though it was a relief he seemed to have some of his spirit back, he still wasn’t meeting Caesar's eyes properly. This is really bothering him, huh? he thought, catching the unsure look on his friend’s face. They had known each other long enough for him to recognise Joseph when something was stressing him out, but it was a side of him he was a lot less familiar with. It took a lot to make Joseph show when something was upsetting him. “Did you like me or something?”
“C’mon, I have better taste than that!” Joseph replied with an uneasy smile. Caesar raised his eyebrow. His smile dropped when he realised Caesar was going to wait for a serious response. There was a few seconds pause before he spoke again.
“I don’t know. Maybe? I don’t think it really meant anything though, it was just that we spent so much time together and you were always there for me and you know, you were my best friend. Well, you still are. I don’t think I really knew what marrying was, I’m sure I just meant I wanted to keep being friends with you, which I do, and you’re a bit older than me, so of course you seemed kind of cool to me back then, but I’ve learnt better than that now,” he rambled, almost entirely in one breath, laughing nervously at his own joke. “I don’t want to get hung up on it though, it’s just something I said when I was a silly kid after all-”
Joseph’s outburst was cut off in the middle, however, due to the fact that Caesar’s mouth was suddenly on his. As shocked as Joseph was, Caesar was much more surprised by this development, his hands were moving of their own accord, one gently cupping Joseph’s cheek, the other holding his waist, pulling him close. His heart was about to pound out his chest, mind flailing, trying to catch up on what his body had done without his consultation, but there was no time for that now. He was too busy focusing on how much softer than expected Joseph’s lips were, how he could smell his comfortingly familiar scent, how close his body was. The experience was overwhelming his senses, leaving no space for rational thought.
After a few seconds they pulled back with a gasp and his eyes met Joseph’s. He searched them for his reaction, suddenly worried he had done something terribly wrong.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking. It’s fine if you don’t-” he started, before Joseph interrupted him.
“Nah, s’fine. Just caught me by surprise,” he said, sounding slightly dazed, his cheeks flushed. His lips twitched into a smile. “Can we, uh...can we do that again?”
This was all the encouragement Caesar needed to lean back in hungrily, his hand moving from his cheek to the back of his head, entwining his fingers in his hair. His body was distinctly aware of Joseph’s hands on him, one arm wrapping around his shoulders and the other hand sliding up his thigh, gripping it carefully yet firmly, urging him on.
Caesar was no stranger to kissing people, having been on countless dates with the women he had flirted with over the years, but none of them had ever felt close to this. They were pleasant, sure, but soon forgotten, never leaving him wanting more. It was as if this was the first time he was truly kissing someone, feeling his body tingling with electricity. Something he had been aching for his entire life without knowing had finally been granted to him, and he wanted to grab it with both hands and never let go. It felt natural, and right, and if time stopped now, in this moment, he would have been happy.
“Mamma mia!”
The two men flew apart, Caesar almost throwing himself off the end of the bed in his haste. In the doorway, Suzi was standing with her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide as saucers. The absence of Joseph’s warmth struck him, and he found himself missing it greatly.
“Suzi!” Joseph was yelling, holding his blankets up over himself in panic even though he was fully dressed. “I’ve told you so many times not to come in here unless I say you can! Can’t you knock?”
“I’m sorry, Joseph I just-” she started, looking between the two men, who were blushing furiously and determinedly staring at the ground. Caesar was convinced she would be able to feel the heat from his cheeks from across the room. “I wanted to check you were both ok, you left in such a hurry! But I see you’re doing just fine! Don’t let me interrupt!” She waved cheerfully to the two of them, no doubt taking joy in how much she was embarrassing them, before closing the door behind her. Slowly, Joseph and Caesar raised their heads to look at each other.
“So. Within 10 seconds everyone in the other room is going to know about this,” Caesar said, not filled with joy at the prospect.
“Most definitely,” Joseph agreed. “Listen.”
The two of them sat in silence. As anticipated, a few seconds later there was a loud cry. “You will not believe what just happened!” They groaned in unison.
“...I think I owe Aurelia a fiver,” Joseph muttered after a moment.
“What? Why?” Caesar asked, turning to look at him.
“Well, a couple years back she told me that I would end up with you at some point, and I said that wouldn’t happen in a million years, don’t be ridiculous, so she told me to bet on it if I was so sure, so what choice did I have but to agree? It was a while ago, but I know your sisters, she’ll definitely remember.”
“You bet...on your own love life? And you still lost?” Caesar sighed, shaking his head. “You never fail to astound me, Jojo.”
“Aw, thanks,” he replied, moving to sit next to him and wrapping his arm around his shoulders. Caesar decided not to bother explaining to him that it hadn’t been intended as a compliment, too busy relishing the embrace. “Ah well, on the plus side, you’re a pretty good kisser. I guess I can see what the ladies see in you there, if nothing else.” Caesar smirked at the praise, despite the insult Joseph had snuck in at the end.
“You’re not so bad yourself, Jojo. I was shocked.”
“Hey!” Joseph gasped in mock hurt. “I know you don’t mean that really. Of course I’d be good at kissing, just like I’m good at everything else.” Caesar opened his mouth to tease him back, but Joseph continued before he got the chance. “I guess we better head back in there before Suzi says anything too bad.”
“Mmm. Good point. Who knows what she’s said already,” Caesar agreed, reluctantly standing, wincing slightly at the thought of what damage she might have done.
“Good luck to us. We’ll need it,” Joseph joked, standing himself. Without warning, he lent down slightly and kissed Caesar on the cheek, taking the Italian by surprise. He pouted huffily, his cheeks growing pink. Joseph chuckled.
“Come on, polpetto,” Caesar sighed, trying to ignore Joseph’s cute little smirk, and failing. He didn’t think Joseph knew what exactly he had said, but he seemed to sense it wasn’t as insulting as his usual Italian names for him, and was looking smug about this fact. “Enough fooling around. Let’s go face the music.”
He made for the door, but Joseph grabbed his arm.
“Hey, Caesarino?”
“....Yes?” he replied, restraining himself from getting annoyed about Joseph’s use of his stupid nickname.
“Do you want to continue this later?” he asked, looking at the ground.
In that moment, looking at the man before him, Caesar felt more foolish than he’d ever felt in his entire life. How had he not realised it before? It had always been Joseph. For all of the girls he had made swoon, all the dates he had been on, all the cheesy pickup lines he had uttered, none of it had meant anything. Joseph was the one who had been by his side all this time, the one who knew him inside and out. He could always tell exactly how to make him sigh in annoyance, but also always knew exactly how to make him smile.
And despite how much they bickered and wound each other up, or maybe partially because of it, Joseph was the most important person in his life, his best friend. How then, knowing this, had it taken him 23 years to realise he was in love with him? The fact surprised him, but somehow now that he had realised it, it felt like the most obvious thing in the world, like a missing puzzle piece sliding into place.
Joseph looked up at him, waiting for his answer, and he felt a smile growing on his face, wide and full of affection. He offered an arm out, and Joseph took it with a grin, his eyes twinkling. Caesar couldn’t believe how lucky he was.
“I’d love to.”