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Long fingers danced across silky, heavy, and black fabrics.
Pale lips twisted up into a smug smirk, with the tiniest hint of teeth.
Outer coat cloth got pushed aside, to reveal a more form-fitting outfit.
Other hand rose to play with an edge of a white collar that seemed rather out of place, among everything. Golden eyes looked at it through the body length mirror with distaste. It was perhaps the ugliest part of the whole dress. No… that was a lie. That pathetic excuse of an abomination that the courts called a wig, was by far worse than this tasteless collar. The mere thought of it had a scowl replace his previous expression. If not for it being a requirement, he would have tossed it into the fire and watch with glee at its destruction. It still didn’t stop the blonde from turning his head to glare at it, as it sat oh-so-innocently on his massive bed.
If looks could kill…
“May I ask, what has the poor wig done to warrant your death-glare?”
A deep voice asked from behind, followed by a rumble of chuckles. One so familiar, that a pleasant shiver ran down the blonde’s spine. A mere turn of a head was enough to confirm who it was, Jonathan. Dressed comfortably now that they were finally left alone, after a lunch business meeting with some other lords. They only recently graduated, but with George’s sudden death overseas, the Joestar Heir now became Lord Joestar. As such, abruptly becoming quite busy, with these types of meetings happening almost every other day.
Jonathan’s deep blue eyes seemed to shine and twinkle with laughter and amusements. And yet, with a different type of warmth, it almost had Dio melt in the spot.
Most curious about the new Lord’s appearance, was the box he held out in the open. Wrapped up carefully with only a single, red bow. It wasn’t a big object. Small in size, barely bigger than the man’s palm. Its surface was decorative enough, with a basic beige surface and drawn on designs. It explained the lack of wrapped paper, for what obviously was a gift.
Dio gave a mere raise of an eyebrow. An unspoken question, which went ignored outside of an amused and mischievous smile.
Oh no… what did Jonathan get him?
Dio stared at it, cautious and perplexed. However, could one really blame him? People always seem to forget that one Jonathan Joestar was a bit of a prankster, whenever he felt like it. Things like gifts weren’t out of reach for this man, to be designed to pull one over an unexpected person. Of course, it was all in good nature. But surely this man wouldn’t do it for this occasion… right? Especially not when Dio wore his new uniform. It was the only one he had, until the others were to arrive in a week.
“Dio?” Jonathan’s voice broke through his thoughts. Thick eyebrows furrowed with worry. “Is something the matter?”
Pause.
“No” Dio decided. An answer given to more than one question. “Nothing is the matter.”
Blue eyes squinted at him, but whatever warped about in that mind never got said. If anything, whatever got decided or agreed upon, would forever be out of reach of his personal curiosity. At least, he could be confident now that whatever was in that box, was no prank. From logic alone, that was.
Dio watched as Jonathan moved about the room, drawing closer. Heavy footsteps echoed through the now quiet bedchamber. Bright light from the sunset hit the side of the figure, with such intensity, that it seemed like a halo could be seen surrounding the man. Usual dark hair brightened dramatically. So did those blue orbs, until they seemed to change colour altogether. Not that the bluenette noticed. Such details were only for Dio’s eyes to see, if he had any say in it. After he witnessed such a breathtaking and unearthly sight, he wanted nothing more than to touch his lover.
Who would have thought that love would turn Dio into an idiot?
If his past self saw him now, he would have likely done everything in his power to not allow himself to come to this moment.
Jonathan placed the clear-present onto the bed, right next to the abandoned wig. The box wasn’t let go at any point until it was secured onto the soft, but solid, surface. Once done, he turned back to Dio.
“Now, about that wig?”
“Hm?” Dio hummed with confusion, broken out of his thoughts. When the question registered in his mind, it quickly changed his expression into that of anger and fury. “It is disgusting! An abomination! I refuse to put that thing on my head. It deserves nothing less than a-”
“Of course, of course, you are always right, my love.” Jonathan chuckled. Not once did he blink or even flinched from that short seething speech. “However, you must remember it is part of your uniform. Surely, you do not have to wear it all the time. Only when you must. The rest of the time, you can ignore its existence and move on with your day. We can even find you a nice corner of the room or drawer, where you can stuff it and forever ignore it, until next time.”
The blonde’s only answer was a dissatisfied grumble. Heat from earlier seemed to wash away, now that a compromise (or pointing out the facts) was given. It still did not mean he had to like it, damn it!
Jonathan only shook his head at the man’s antics.
Once the young lord moved closer, he began to touch the uniform, much like Dio had done previously. Dio, in turn, simply stood there, and allowed for his lover to quench his curiosity. The tanned hands were rougher, but did their best to be careful with their actions. They didn’t travel below the waist. They remained respectful in terms of where they grabbed and ran their surface over. Well, perhaps not entirely polite, if one was honest. They did go over Dio’s chest, stomach, and sides. Quite accidently and innocently, of course! Again, the main focus was the outfit, not the body it clothed. It just so happened that this was where they traveled. However, there was a major problem with this. It left behind shivers and lingering heat, which Dio tried quite hard to not let it affect him.
It felt like ages, before one of them finally broke the silence.
“You are so handsome in this.”
Jonathan murmured, clear with pride. With only two witnesses to acknowledge its existence, there was no point in trying to be careful with what they said and meant. A large hand rose to brush off invisible dust from a shoulder, before they moved to cope a pale cheek. Thumb rubbed against the smooth surface. For once in what felt like forever, both men finally looked into each other’s eyes. Really looked, and not mere glances before contact quickly broke. The other hand slithered its way around the blonde’s waist, pulling him forward until their bodies almost flushed against each other.
“After everything you went through, you have finally done it. I am so proud of you.”
Dio’s throat tightened at those words. Ones that he rarely cared for or heard from others, now were so sweet like honey and heavy with reality.
That was right. After this long journey. More than a decade in the making since he made his declaration at his “father’s” grave, he has finally reached this point. No, he wasn’t the richest man out there. And while he was rich with the help of the Joestars, he would soon be wealthy and have power in his own right. With the use of his cleverness and intelligence, he navigated this harsh new world. The nobility, which was not kind, and known for backstabbing. School and university, which were filled with these people, and in some cases, far worse. A well-respected career off the bat, in a famous and highly respected firm, more than proved the point. In the end, he showed everyone by surviving and thriving.
Yes… after all that, he was finally here, at the finish line. And the first thing that was said to him, was “I am proud of you”. By someone that he cared for. By someone that he highly respected. By a man that he truly loved with all his being, and never wished to disappoint. Not that he would tell or admit it to anyone, ever.
Eyes blinked a few times, in hopes to get rid of the burning sensation.
With practice ease, Dio repositioned his hands. One rested on Jonathan’s right shoulder, with the other taking the hand off his face, in favour of holding it. In turn, making them take position of dancers.
It just… happened. That they did just that.
They swayed from side to side. Barely have moved from their spot near the mirror. No musical instruments played in the background. It wasn’t dark with the moon out and a romantic sight, where they hid away from others at some ball. Neither were dressed for such activity, especially Dio who felt how ill-fitted these clothes were, from the way they moved. His arms couldn’t rise after a certain point. The robes were ridiculously long. They even clung in all the wrong places.
Still, none of it mattered.
Jonathan hummed lowly in the back of his throat. It matched to that of some unheard song or music. At some point, neither were sure when, their foreheads rested against each other. Hands tightened from where they were, with no wish to let go. Lips brushed against each other, barely pecks, but were in no rush. Dio closed his eyes, and just let the warmth and movement lull him into what could only be described as safety and security.
This… was perfect.
But as they say, good things must come to an end.
In the form of Jonathan opening his mouth, that is. As usual. Why was this even a surprise? For someone that was a bit of a romantic, he wasn’t exactly known for his tact or perfect timing. Not when he had something on his mind.
“I wish you to open my present.”
The younger man whispered.
Dio exhaled through his nose. Not even bothering to hide his disappointment, for them having to end this for something so mundane. Opening his eyes with barely a crack, the two men pulled away. Jonathan grabbed the small container, before turning to present it to his lover.
At this point, the new lawyer really could care less for it. However, he took it with silent acceptance and somewhat good grace. One wouldn’t turn down a gift from their lover, now would they? At least, not him. So, without another moment to waste, the ribbon gave way, and he took the lid off.
What he saw inside, made him blink. Face void of emotions. Mind swirled with chaos of confusion.
Inside rested a silver pocket watch. A brand new one, but one, nevertheless. An everyday object that both men have and always carried around. So, it left some great puzzlement as to why this would be considered an appropriate gift. Dio looked at Jonathan with a raised eyebrow, to which earned him an impatient waved hand, to continue with his exploration. Now, it made him wonder if this really was a prank, like he thought before. But that thought got thrown right out the window, when he pulled it out, and allowed for Jonathan to take the now empty box.
The front was smooth, shiny, and reflective. Much like a mirror. It was the back that caught some of his attention. It felt rough and different against his palm, so he turned it over to study it. It was then that he did a double take. There was a detailed, engraved picture. It wasn’t exactly colourful. Only two colours were there, in fact. Black and deep red. The background contained the former. So dark was it that barely any light bounced off the hue. At the front was a bright, red bird. With its wings spread out, beak open to let out a cry, and black jeweled eyes stared back into his golden pair. Underneath it was flames, dancing about. Dio took a little too long to recognize what creature this was.
A phoenix.
Oh… oh… Dio gulped, unsure of what he felt at the moment. Its representation didn’t escape him. Not one bit.
Death. Rebirth. Strength.
“Open it.”
Jonathan probed, and so Dio did. With a press to the crown at the top, its front case opened without an issue. The dial inside got ignored. It appeared as ordinary as what you would expect. White background. Black numbers. Black arrows that twitched or moved accordingly to their original design and purpose. No, it wasn’t that which caught his attention. It was the back of the front case, which held another set of engravings. This time, mere letters put together to create words and sentences. Elegant handwriting, but easily read from years of practice.
For the strongest man I have ever known. - Forever yours, JJ
This… this was just…
Dio let out a shuttering breath. One that was so strong, so deep, that it shook his body to the core. Hands tightened around the object, but with much care and gentleness that wasn’t there before. This time, when he looked up, he did so with a rare smile. One that Jonathan matched with that of relief. Instead of saying anything to this, Dio leaned in, and kissed Jonathan. After a moment of shock, the man returned it, with equal passion and love. Arms found themselves back around the new lawyer’s waist, drawing him close once more.
At long last, the sun disappeared in the distance. In its place, it left the lovers in the comforts and privacy of the night.