Work Text:
It was late at night, and Jonathan rubbed his elbow on his eyes for the umpteenth time in a few minutes, forcing them to focus on the letters on the book he was reading lit by a single candlelight, which was about to run out. In the last few weeks he spent a lot of time in the library working on the Mask, taking notes and testing its reactions, but after hours of reading books and testimonies the only thing he understood was that it could be activated with blood. What it could generate exactly he neither knew nor intended to find out about, at least not with him as the test victim. Curiosity, however, was devouring him day after day. And he wasn't the only one interested.
"JoJo? What are you still doing here?" With light footsteps Dio approached the only light in that huge library that revealed his stepbrother in a crawled position. "You have been sleeping very little at night to study the Stone Mask for weeks already, you never lose sight of it..." And he involuntarily assumed an intonation that seemed anything but without double intentions. Jonathan turned to him with a suspicious look but he was too tired to try to argue and pretended nothing weird happened, even if he recently started to suspect him. Not that he had ever stopped since he started to live in their house, but lately Dio was acting weird, more than usual. Dio had been in their house for years and their relationship after that fight caused by Dio's kiss with Erina had improved markedly year after year, even though Jojo had never heard of Erina again. Dio had become a good friend and a good brother, almost too much. Jonathan never missed an opportunity to pass time with Dio and show him as much affection as possible but underneath he was convinced he was still hiding something, and he wasn't wrong.
With a thud Jonathan closed the book, holding one hand over it to remind Dio that he wasn't allowed to open and read it, covering the Mask with his other arm. Pretending that he didn't understand the stepbrother's intentions, Dio innocently asked "So? Discovered something new?" and Jonathan looked at him with a 'we have already talked about this' expression. Dio sat down on the table half a meter from Jonathan slightly facing him, pointing out without speaking that he wasn't interested in taking the book or the Mask from his hands. With a disinterested expression he began to look around voluntarily avoiding the gaze of the other, who began to feel uncomfortable, with the closed book in one hand and the Mask in the other with nothing to do to distract himself.
"Can I borrow the Mask?" After a few seconds Dio asked with indifference. The request seemed so simple that he expected yes. "What, again!? Absolutely not! How many times do I have to tell you, Dio? I don't want this mask to get into the wrong hands." and Jonathan turned to look at the candle on the table. "Are you saying mine are the... 'wrong hands'!?" and Dio slammed his hand hard on the table, sending a shiver down Jonathan's spine. He sighed and blurted out "I don't trust anyone, least of all you! After what happened years ago I don't know if I can forgive you. Neither now, nor ever!" Dio put a hand on his chest pretending to be offended, with the expression of a beaten dog. "You don't trust your brother after years together!? Pathetic, skeptical! You're not a real man!" He was clearly teasing. Jonathan stood up with clenched fists ready to throw a punch, but noticing Dio's strange impassiveness he stopped, lowered his arms and stared at him. "Is... Is there something wrong, Dio?" and he slowly sat down again, with the Mask on the table and his hand on it. Not tightening the grip, simply resting it.
He shouldn't have asked.
A loud sigh, and then Dio's voice echoed through the room even though he was speaking less loudly than usual "JoJo," he began, immediately gaining again Joathan's interest "do you have a girlfriend?". It didn't seem like a malicious question, it was just curiosity... maybe. "W-Why do you want to know?" Dio turned to him making his fake-offended expression a mischievous smirk. "Because you are my brother, what a dumb question! Brothers help each other, right?" He slowly got up from the table and approaching -too close- Jonathan ran his hand on the wooden surface, stopping a few inches from his face, which tilted up still trying to avoid the other's gaze. "You don't, do you?" Jonathan suddenly recovered from that pseudo-hypnotization. "W-what are you talking about, Dio!?" Dio could only laugh out loud. He grabbed his chin between his thumb and forefinger, forcing his eyes to look to his face.
He narrowed his eyes without ever losing sight of the face of the other who by then had assumed an indescribable expression between confusion and discomfort. "I bet you sometimes imagine what your first kiss might be like... and with whom." Dio smiled with a look that seemed to wait Jonathan for an answer, while the other hearing the word 'kiss' jumped on the spot understanding the possible and crazy ideas of Dio, but without generating resistance.
Not that he wanted to, he just didn't know what to do.
"Dio, I-!" Dio moved forward, pressing his chest on Jonathan's half turned one, with an arm behind his back that "immobilized" him -even if Jonathan could easily escape- and well... he kissed him. Dio's hand resting on the table slowly slipped onto the back of the other's hand on the Mask and tried to cross their fingers in a teasingly way. Jonathan grabbed the edge of the table so tightly with his free hand that they heard a loud crack and Dio opened his eyes and then broke away shortly after, without taking his gaze away from the other. "Now would you give me the Mask, sweet JoJo?" Jonathan didn't think he could blush any more than he was doing then. Forcefully inserting his arm between the two, he pushed Dio away almost making him fall to the ground and took some books and the Mask, leaving some volumes on the table and some sheets fluttering in the air. "G-get off me! This won't work, Dio!" and ran away avoiding making too much noise.
Dio watched him slowly disappearing in the hallway. Apparently the seduction wasn't enough. Dio had no choice left but to use violence again after years, and this time without allowing him to escape.