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Jotaro is sitting on the beach, alone, when he sees Josuke.
The teen doesn't seem to notice him and proceeds to walk through the sands, occasionally casting glances around him, as if he were afraid of being followed. Confused, Jotaro stands. He walks towards his uncle because surely, one wouldn't be going on a casual stroll this late into the night, not to mention with a large duffel bag in one arm. He doesn't call out, though. He has the feeling that Josuke will try to run if he calls out to the teen. So he attempts to stay as silent as possible as he walks, trying to keep up with Josuke's quick pace at the same time.
He follows as Josuke turns the corner, going in the direction of the hotel where Jotaro is staying. Past that was the highway. Jotaro almost wonders why exactly Josuke is going there, before it all comes to him, realization rushing over him. Josuke had not planned on coming back. Josuke had planned on leaving on this very day.
Why? Jotaro doesn't know.
Suddenly, Josuke turns. Jotaro stops time instinctively, edging back around the corner so that when time does resume a few seconds later, the teen doesn’t see him, proceeding to break into a sprint.
This was too much for Jotaro. He stops time again, this time catching up to Josuke, and positions himself in front of his uncle. Time resumes, and Josuke starts, yelping when he sees Jotaro staring down at him.
“J-Jotaro-san! What on earth are you doing here?”
Jotaro pauses.
“I could ask you the same thing.”
“Me? Well I- I was just going for a nice walk on the beach!”
“I came from the beach.”
“B-But I mean I was—”
“You are walking away from the beach, towards the highway.”
“I was making a stop!”
“Where?”
“Um—”
“And why do you have that?” Jotaro gestures to the bag.
Josuke sighs. He straightens up, scratching the back of his neck. “It’s not important,” he murmurs. Obviously a lie. Even Jotaro could tell.
He looks up again to see Josuke begin to sidle out of his view.
"Oi. Stay here."
Josuke sighs again. "I'm trying to make this easier for the both of us," he mumbles, "It doesn't concern you. It isn't…"
“You’re trying to run away. That concerns me.”
Josuke jumps. “How- How did you—”
“It’s obvious.” The worst part? It had been obvious, even to Jotaro.
“You should just forget you ever saw me. This is—”
Jotaro grabs Josuke’s arm before he can escape again, a slightly more sinister expression on his face.
“Hey. You’re not running away. Your mother would—”
“But—this is—this is about her! I can’t just endanger-”
“Endanger?”
"Shit," Josuke mutters. He had clearly let something slip.
"Come. Sit."
He leads Josuke to a bench. He doesn't really know what to do, but he thinks it's a start. The teen complies, setting down his duffel bag, lowering himself onto the seat. Jotaro sits next to him.
"Jotaro-san—"
"Why do you want to leave?" Other than concerned, Jotaro is genuinely intrigued. Josuke has friends, a loving family, a life as normal as a life could get when being a stand user. Why would he have any reason to leave that all behind?
Somewhere, he feels that even though Josuke seems to have spent a while planning this, the teen hadn't put much genuine thought into it. He had made this decision on a whim.
"It's—it's just that… after we met Kira, Koichi nearly died, you nearly died… I don't want her to be in danger, y'know?"
Jotaro knows. He knows all too well. He doesn't say this, though. He doesn't say anything, in fact, because he realises just how much he relates to the teen. Instead, he stares ahead at the still, serene waters in front of him. There is silence, for a long while, before Josuke opens his mouth again, making a choked noise. Jotaro turns again to see that Josuke's eyes are watering. Josuke notices that Jotaro has acknowledged this, and he begins to turn away, before he realises that Jotaro's arm is still resting upon his.
"Josuke."
Josuke looks up, sniffling.
"I...I know. But…we didn't die. If you weren't there, we would-"
"Don't," Josuke says thickly.
"Your stand's power is kind. Your mother...she needs you. And you need her." Jotaro doesn't know where these words are coming from. It almost reminds him of when Josuke's grandfather died. But both then and now, he knows that this is the truth.
He doesn't notice that Josuke is hugging him until he feels the teen shake as he sobs into Jotaro's side. Jotaro awkwardly slides his arm around Josuke, his hand resting on the teens back, and they stay like that for a while.
He knows that Josuke is probably feeling overwhelmed. He had felt a similar way after he returned from Cairo, and Josuke is even younger now than he had been.
Eventually, Josuke straightens himself, wipes his eyes with his sleeve, but doesn't detach himself from Jotaro's half-embrace. It's warm, Jotaro decides. He likes it, although he would never admit that aloud.
"...Thanks, Jotaro-san."
Jotaro lets Josuke stay at his hotel room for the night, and takes the teen home in the morning, before Tomoko can realise he disappeared.
He cares about his nephew, he realises. More than anyone would think he did.