Work Text:
To say that Jotaro did not expect for his wife (now ex-wife) to kick him out of their home would be a lie. The only reason that had prevented her from doing it earlier was Jolyne. To be honest, the first few years after their daughter was born were almost happy.
They had to make a lot of compromises. Jotaro had to go to an important mission -this is what he called it, he wouldn’t even explain what his secret job was- in Morioh, and after a heated discussion with Susan he asked for both her and Jolyne to move there with him.
Still, it wasn’t an easy decision. The town was much different from what Susan was used to, but she figured it was the best for her family’s sake. The problem was that Jotaro was rarely at home and every time she wanted to go for a walk with little Jolyne, he would tell them not to go out, that it was dangerous. Only once he had finished his job, they could start living peacefully in Morioh.
Susan really tried to understand and, at first, she did exactly what her husband told her to do. Jolyne was still very young, so she was pretty busy at home looking after her.
After Jotaro completed his mission and told them that everything was fine, they lived a normal life for a few years.
But they simply were not fated to be happy together. Apparently, for Jotaro work was more important than his family. Susan thought that, but she was infinitely wrong. How could he explain it to her, though? He wanted for his wife and daughter to be safe, they had to be kept in the dark.
Maybe he shouldn’t have got married in the first place.
It was right after he came back from a long trip to Italy that he found all his belongings in the doorway.
“Get out, I can’t stand this situation anymore.”
And of course he left, it was much easier than telling the truth. And it was also the best thing to do to keep them safe. A family was not something he could afford to have, and he almost wished he had realised it sooner.
Susan kicked him out without feeling guilty. She was sure that the Speedwagon Foundation would help him find a new house or a hotel room, as they had done many times in the past.
Jotaro believed that as well, and he contacted the Foundation, hoping to find a place to sleep for at least the first few weeks. Luck didn’t seem to be on his side however. Every place was booked for the next two days, because it was the weekend.
He was about to go to the Aquarium. He worked there, and his studio had a sofa and a small bathroom. He was a bit reluctant because the last time he spent the night there he was pretty sure there was a cockroach on the ceiling.
At that moment an idea crossed his mind. He had a place to go. It would be a little awkward, but he was desperate. He just had to go to the opposite side of the town.
He called a taxi before he could regret his life decisions.
Kakyoin Noriaki was satisfied with his life. That didn’t mean he was always happy, but after an almost-fatal wound, he figured that he had been lucky to recover as well as he did.
The only thing that bothered him was the huge scar on his abdomen. It was like a huge crater, a big purplish circular scar with little veins surrounding it. But he was the only one who could see it. What people saw was a man who sometimes needed a cane to walk, but they didn’t know the reason. And they never would.
The other issue were his eyes. He couldn’t cover the scars across both of them, but luckily they became less visible with the years. Plus, he had his protective glasses to shield him when he felt more self-conscious.
His scars hadn’t prevented him from studying and pursuing a brilliant carreer. He received an offer to teach Art at Morioh University and he immediately accepted. He had been living there for five years before he discovered that Jotaro had moved to Morioh with his family.
They were still friends, but their lives were so different and busy that they rarely saw each other. Kakyoin had stopped working with the Foundation, his Hierophant Green was too weak to fight against new enemies. This was what hurt him the most after his recovery; his stand was a constant reminder that he could not live as he did before, that he was too vulnerable and useless.
That day, he was just coming back from work when he saw someone sitting on the grass right outside his door. At first he couldn’t tell who it was, as his sight was not that good anymore. But when he came nearer, he was even more shocked than before.
“Jotaro? What are you doing here? And why are you carrying a suitcase?” He had other questions to ask, but was too exhausted to say more.
“I think Susan wants a divorce. Do you mind if I use your couch while I’m homeless?”
Kakyoin really should have said no. He didn’t want to be involved in Jotaro’s family trouble. But then he thought that Jotaro had never asked for help. That meant he really had no other options. Moreover, if he really had a weakness apart from his scars and his now frail and weak body, that was the man in front of him. Not that he would ever admit something like that, not even to himself.
Still, he unlocked the front door and let Jotaro in, hoping that life wouldn’t be too cruel to him after everything he had passed through.
As soon as he spotted the armchair, Jotaro claimed it and the nearby table as his own. Then, he proceeded to lay down and fall asleep, to Kakyoin’s utter amazement.
He didn’t want to leave him alone, but he had to buy some groceries if he was going to live with someone else for the next few days. So he went out, leaving a small note to tell Jotaro he would come back for dinner.
Going out obviously turned out to be a disaster. As soon as he stepped into his living room, he saw clothes everywhere and various books on the floor. Apparently, Jotaro was emptying his suitcase and he thought that Kakyoin’s carpet was the best place to do it. There was also a little fish bowl, with two small red fish swimming in it.
He opened his mouth to scold the other man but, as soon as Jotaro noticed him, he took the bags from his hands and started to bring them to the kitchen. Jotaro was behaving like he had always lived in his house and that made his stomach ache.
“If you don’t clean up this mess, I will kick you out too.”
That night before going to sleep, Kakyoin noticed that some clothes and books had been put on the table. He smiled slightly at Jotaro, who was already fast asleep, hat over his face. He must have been really tired, but Kakyoin didn’t want to pry more into his private life. He just hoped that things would be okay for him.
The next day there was a typhoon, as the weather report had forecasted. It was strong and violent and people were forced to stay at home.
And that meant that Jotaro would probably stay at Kakyoin’s for more than he had expected.
At first things were almost tense between the two of them, they lived different lives and their habits were completely divergent.
Jotaro drank a lot of coffee, and most of the time he was with his nose buried in books. Kakyoin knew that he worked at the local Aquarium, but he didn’t know that Jotaro did constant researches and wrote pages of essays on marine life. It was almost worrying.
After sleeping for the whole first day, Jotaro didn’t seem to need more sleep in his life. Kakyoin understood that, as he was an hynsomniac as well, but he couldn’t bring himself to go to him and talk, even if he wanted to catch up with Jotaro with all his heart.
A little part of him hoped that the typhoon would last a little longer than usual.
On the third night Kakyoin heard a crashing sound coming from the living room. He immediately thought of Jotaro. Was he okay? Did something bad happen?
His heart was beating hard and fast, but when he went to check on him he was at a loss for words.
The scene in front of him was almost surreal. Sitting on the couch, hands buried in his hair, was Jotaro. And next to him there was Star Platinum, who was holding pieces of a broken vase. He was probably trying to fix it, showing the amount of distress that was surely felt by his user.
Jotaro’s breathing was ragged and uneven, almost as if he was in pain. He didn’t seem to notice Kakyoin, his eyes were covered by his hands but he wouldn’t have noticed him even if he had kept them open.
Was he having a panic attack? Did he have a nightmare?
Slowly, with unsure steps, Kakyoin stepped into the living room and sat on the couch, trying not to be too close to Jotaro. He was sure he would freak out if touched.
Instead, he chose to use Hierophant Green. He appeared in a soft green light and he encircled Jotaro’s hands with his tentacles, without holding too tight. It was just a faint touch, almost unnoticeable, but it was enough to calm him.
Jotaro’s breathing was now normal, but neither of them decided to speak for a while.
“I heard a strange noise. I thought it was-“ Jotaro almost chocked on his words. “Damn, sorry. I’m getting old and stupid.”
“It’s okay. I know you are stupid. But I’ve been pretty stupid as well. Probably my cat woke you up, he always comes back late at night. I didn’t tell you that.”
Jotaro was now quiet and back to his normal self. “I hope he won’t eat my fish. Or scare them to death.”
“Well, I wouldn’t feel guilty at all if he did. He is not the intruder here, after all.”
“Oh, you asshole.” He lightly punched Kakyoin’s shoulder, and the other laughed in response.
“We are ridiculous. How about you tell me about your life? And why do you wear snake print pants? They really are hideous.” He couldn’t stop himself, and Jotaro’s reaction was priceless. He doubled over in laughter after seeing his aghast face.
They talked all night. If things were awkward between them earlier, now it was like nothing had changed. They still were the two teenagers that had travelled to Egypt to save Jotaro’s mother and had shared small moments of peace between fights.
If Jotaro closed his eyes, he could still imagine a campfire in front of them and three other people (and a dog) asleep under the starry sky. Time had passed, but for a moment it seemed like it hadn’t passed at all.
He felt at ease for the first time in years.
When the weather got better, Jotaro didn’t go away. He didn’t say anything, and neither Kakyoin did. They should have probably talked about it, but they felt like they didn’t have to.
If Jotaro needed more time to find a new house and he wanted to stay with a friend for the moment, what was wrong with that? Friends helped each other all the time.
Still, Jotaro was a terrible roommate. His things were everywhere, there were tons of fish food in the cupboards and he consumed coffee at an alarming speed. He insisted on paying for it, but that didn’t make Kakyoin less concerned for his health.
And, most of all, he didn’t respect boundaries.
One morning, while Kakyoin was getting dressed in the bathroom, Jotaro opened the door.
“Don’t you know that you should knock before entering?” Kakyoin was almost furious. He didn’t have his shirt on, and that meant than the scar on his stomach was in full view. He didn’t want to show it to other people, especially to Jotaro.
“Oh, sorry. You usually lock the door.” This was the answer he received. However, Jotaro didn’t turn back. He briefly looked at Kakyoin’s face (not at his scar) and then proceeded to stand in front of the mirror, razor in hand. He started shaving and acted like he was alone in the room.
He noticed Kakyoin’s discomfort. “Uh? It’s not like I haven’t seen you naked before. We can share the bathroom if we are both in a rush.” He explained calmly, and it was enough to make Kakyoin stop being frozen on the spot.
Jotaro was right, they could share. He just wasn’t used to someone invading his space and not even sparing a glance at his ugly scar. He decided to wash his face next to him, both using the same sink, their faces close and reflected in the small mirror.
He didn’t even realise that he hadn’t put on a shirt yet. It was only when Jotaro finished shaving and gave him a fond smile before exiting the room, that Kakyoin started to feel an almost foreign ache in his stomach. It couldn’t be his scar. He didn’t know if he should feel happy or terrified.
A phone was ringing. When he recognised the familiar ringtone, he woke up. His neck was stiff, and his whole face hurt. The night before he had fallen asleep on the kitchen table, trying to write a research until his body felt exhausted and made him collapse on a stack of paper.
He didn’t even read who was calling him. “What is it?”
“Jotaro? Are you okay? I contacted the Foundation but they don’t know where you are staying at.” Susan’s voice was slightly worried. Not that she wanted him back with her, but she didn’t want him to wander in the streets like a homeless man.
“I’m fine. I’m at Kakyoin’s. His house is nice. I might stay here a little longer.” He said while rubbing at his tired eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. Damn, a headache was setting in. Had he been clenching his jaw too hard? Probably his body was too full of caffeine.
“Of course you are with him. I’m not surprised at all.” Neither of them spoke for a few seconds. “I want to bring you the divorce papers.”
“When?” His sigh was perfectly audible. He knew it was the right choice. Susan and Jolyne deserved better.
“Probably in a few weeks. I’ll bring Jolyne too. I think that she deserves to see her dad even if we are not together anymore.”
“Right. I’m sor-“ He was interrupted abruptly.
“Don’t say it. I know you care about us. But you don’t love me like I want and deserve to be loved. It’s okay, take care.” And then she hung up.
It was going to be a very long day.
He noticed that there was a blanket draped over his shoulders and a small note next to him.
I wanted to carry you to the couch but you are too heavy. I’m going to work, I have already fed the fish. See you later.
There was a little doodle of Aka (Kakyoin’s cat) with a tiny heart next to it.
Jotaro went to work at the Aquarium in the afternoon. Before going, he opened the fridge and saw a lunch box with his name on it, written in Kakyoin’s handwriting. “Don’t starve, please” was written right on top of the box.
He didn’t deserve to live there, but he still wanted to. He wouldn’t mess things up again.
Of course, life didn’t seem to agree with him. He still had his secret job to do. Well, it was no secret to Kakyoin. The latter even proposed to help him find Stand Users and investigated with him on the documents provided by the Foundation.
Most of the time, the enemies weren’t that dangerous and it took Jotaro only a few hours to get rid of them. Still, he had to travel or to suddenly go out, sometimes even in the middle of the night.
Kakyoin would never admit that he felt worried every time. He also felt powerless, even if Jotaro always thanked him for his help.
Jotaro was not stupid. He knew that Susan had felt worried and angry, because she couldn’t understand what he was up to. But now, looking at Kakyoin’s face and seeing not rage but pure pain, written clearly in his eyes and in the lines around his mouth, made him feel like he had to return to him, no matter what.
The first few times he didn’t even tell Kakyoin where he was going, he just took his hat and left the house. It was better than turning around and bidding him a proper goodbye. After all those years, he still didn’t know how to deal with feelings. Growing older made him less embarassed, but it still was hard to face certain situations. And all of them involved Kakyoin somehow. He felt even more stupid for that.
“Are you leaving already? Take an umbrella, it’s raining.”
When Kakyoin came nearer, Jotaro was almost forced to look at him in the eyes.
He remembered when he was still a teenager and his mom used to bid him goodbye at the door every morning. She always wanted a kiss on the cheek and he always complied, pretending to feel upset about it. The memory of her happy and cheerful face made him smile.
Feeling bolder than before, Jotaro took a step further and planted a small kiss on Kakyoin’s right cheek.
“See you later.” He almost bolted out the door, not noticing that Star Platinum was still behind him and was ruffling Kakyoin’s hair affectionately.
It was all too quick that Kakyoin almost thought he had been dreaming. His whole body was frozen and his mind was not cooperating with him at the moment.
Jotaro’s hair smelled of cherries. Had he used his shampoo? That’s why he couldn’t find it earlier.
“You better come back, idiot.” But probably the only idiot was him, talking to a closed door.
Jotaro came back after two weeks. And that was alright for the first few days, really.
After the first week, however, Kakyoin started to feel lonely and didn’t know what to do. He had dealt with loneliness for most of his life, since he was a child. He had never felt sad because of it, he isolated himself on purpose. There was nobody who could see his Stand, who could understand what it felt like. So why even bother? He was always focused on becoming a good student, on making his parents proud and he didn’t feel the need to make friends.
Jotaro had changed all of that. He showed him what it meant to care about people. And he learnt to open his heart, to make others see that he was vulnerable and in need of affection as well. He had almost died because he cared too much, his scars a solid proof of his change.
Deep down, he could never forgive Jotaro for letting him lower his guard, for making him understand how amazing it was to have friends.
He felt weak because he now despised to be alone, having learnt the beauty of talking with someone other than his reflection in the mirror.
And of course, now that he felt lonely and sad, it was Jotaro’s fault. It was better to blame him and be angry than trying to acknowledge the reason he felt like that.
Kakyoin was never the one to care properly for his health. And for this reason, he decided that drowning his sorrow in cheap beer was a good thing. It was still better than sitting alone and feeling Hierophant Green’s judging eyes on his body.
He didn’t even get drunk, but the beer was enough to make him dizzy and he felt a funny feeling in his chest. He almost wanted to scratch at his scar, like he had done too many times in the past, just to feel something. He would never admit that, but his scar was surrounded by little minor wounds and he was the only one to blame for them.
Every time he cried his eyes hurt a lot and got all red and puffy. He lied face down on the couch, but the fact that it smelled like Jotaro made him even more furious. He screamed into a pillow and he didn’t know how much time passed before he fell asleep.
He was so exhausted that he didn’t even hear someone unlocking the front door.
It was very late and Jotaro was walking slowly, thinking that Kakyoin was sleeping in his room. When he saw him on the sofa, with messy hair and without his shirt on, he came next to him and gently touched his shoulder.
“Wake up, you can’t be comfortable like this. Your couch is the worst thing I have ever slept on.”
He sighed, ready to pick up his body and carry him to the bedroom, when Kakyoin opened his eyes. They were all swollen and red. Had he been crying?
“Leave me alone. I’m trying to sleep and hopefully die in the process.”
“You are acting like a child. Jolyne is way more mature than you.” He would have felt amused if he hadn’t been worried for his friend. Had he been like that before he moved to his house?
Not getting an answer, he picked him up. He noticed how little he weighed and his heart ached.
“You can’t keep going out of my life and then coming back. I can’t stand it anymore. And, if you really want to live here, sleep next to me in my bed. Don’t hold me, though. I don’t know how I’d react.” Kakyoin’s words were rushed and spoken into Jotaro’s shoulder, cold lips making his skin burn through his clothes.
The walk to the bedroom was silent, only the sound of light snores could be heard.
Having tucked him to bed, Jotaro didn’t leave. He didn’t lay down either. He just took Kakyoin’s hand and held it, until he was sure the other got enough sleep. He then changed his clothes and went out the room, attempting to cook something for breakfast.
The next morning, Kakyoin felt like his head was going to explode. It took him a few minutes to realise he was in his bed. And then remembered that Jotaro had come back.
He put on a shirt he didn’t even remember was his and went to the kitchen. A nice smell was coming from it.
Jotaro was cooking, or to be more specific, Star Platinum was doing all the work and was preventing him from burning down the whole house. The whole scene was funny and Kakyoin sat at the table, looking at that impossible man with a small smile on his face.
“Oh, you’re up.” He didn’t even notice that Jotaro had turned in his direction. He stared at Kakyoin’s chest for a while, eyes widening a little. What was wrong? Was there a stain on his shirt?
Having been silent for too long, Kakyoin finally decided to open his mouth.
“How did your mission go?”
Jotaro answered after a while, and he still seemed to be distracted by whatever was on Kakyoin’s chest. Before things got too awkward, he managed to say something. “It went well. Actually, we have a new lead. It seems that a Stand User is causing some problems in Florida. He claims to be Dio’s most loyal follower or some bullshit like that. From the information we’ve gathered so far, we believe he is a priest. We still don’t know his name.”
“So, are you leaving again soon?” He wished he hadn’t sounded too pathetic.
Jotaro didn’t seem to notice the silent plead in his question. “Yeah, in a few days.”
After a while, Kakyoin spoke again. “I have a bad feeling about this.” He was looking down, eyes on the table. He didn’t want to meet Jotaro’s gaze.
“Please, he is a priest. What could he do against me? I may have got older, but I still know how to fight.” He was almost offended. Jotaro had tried to find some reassuring words but, as usual, he ended up sounding like a total asshole. He internally screamed at his inability to communicate properly like people normally did.
He tried again. “Look. I know I’m not good with words. But I promise I’ll be back. Do you believe in me? I know what I’m doing. And”, he reached for Kakyoin’s hand over the table. “After everything is over, I might sleep in your bed with you, like you asked me last night.” He wanted to sound smug, but one of his eyes was actually twitching nervously and he was pretty sure he was sweating. Good grief, he was too old for this shit.
Kakyoin laughed softly, squeezing Jotaro’s hand. “You’re ridiculous.”
“It’s your fault.” His mouth turned downwards, trying to hide his smile.
The moment was interrupted by someone knocking at the door.
“I’ll go.” Kakyoin got up, fixing his hair before opening the door. If he had known who was waiting for him, he probably would have put an effort to look more presentable. He was met by Susan’s clever eyes and knowing smile.
“Jolyne will be with you for the week. I’m sure Jotaro forgot to tell you, right?” A small hand was tugging at her shirt. “Sweetie, say hi to uncle Kakyoin!”
Since when he was the uncle? “Hi!!” Jolyne, being the little angel she was, hugged Kakyoin and then went into the house, running to his father and almost tripping on her steps for the excitement.
“Can we have a little talk before I leave?” By Susan’s tone, that hadn’t really sounded like a question. He actually dreaded the whole upcoming conversation. Still, he nodded, closing the door behind him.
Susan’s serious face turned into a smile. He couldn’t tell if it was happy or sad. “So, how is he behaving?”
“Excuse me?” He hadn’t expected a question like that.
“You know what I mean. He isn’t really the best person in the world. I still care about him a lot though, and I wonder if he is more gentle with you than he was with me.”
“We aren’t together like that-“
“Hush. Let me tell you something. Since the first time Jotaro and I met, I knew he had a past he was trying so hard to hide. And I also knew that he probably would have never told me about it. Still, I tried. I wanted to be important to him, and I know he cares about me and Jolyne. But we couldn’t be happy together because he was still running away. We can’t be happy together because I’m not the one he needs to heal his soul. He has never wanted to share his pain with me because he thinks he can do it all by himself.” She took a deep breath, and then continued. “If you leave the doors behind you open, you can’t really escape from your past. It will always come back and reach you. And I’m glad that you chose to chase him and never gave up.”
Was she giving him her blessing? He didn’t know what to say, he just blurted the first thing that came out of his mouth. “I have always been jealous of you.” Great way to ruin the atmosphere.
“Oh, trust me, I know. But now he is all yours. By the way, nice shirt. I’m sure I’ve seen it on someone else, but it suits you better. Bye, I have to go. Take care of my daughter.” She waved and walked away, her heels making a clear sound on the pavement outside his house.
Kakyoin looked down. Oh. He was wearing one of Jotaro’s shirts. How come he hadn’t noticed it sooner?
He wasn’t sure if his heart was bursting with happiness or if he was actually dying. He hoped for a quick and painless death.
A week with Jolyne turned out to be pretty tiring. The girl ran everywhere, breaking all the things she came across. Kakyoin made a mental list of all the new furniture he would have to buy.
“Uncle, I have something for you!! Mama always says to give presents to people you care about!!” She put a plushie in front of him. It was a strange bunny, with a white body and pink ears. There was a flower right under its right ear. It was kind of cute.
“Thank you, Jolyne, I’ll take care of it.”
“Yeah, sleep with it!! Daddy says that you get lonely at night, he suggested to give you something to hold when he can’t be here with you.” And then she smiled, showing some of her still missing teeth.
She was adorable. Kakyoin would have killed Jotaro if there hadn’t been an angel in front of him.
Jotaro’s scheduled departure was right after Jolyne went away.
This time, Kakyoin tried not to feel worried, and he helped Jotaro pack his suitcase. Flying to Florida would be a long and exhausting trip, he figured. He decided to put some of his favourite books in one of the bags.
“Please, keep me updated on this mission.” He asked when he found enough strenght to talk.
“You sound like my mother. It will only take a few days, I’ve already told you. Try not to be in miserable conditions by the time I come back.”
Silence settled between them.
The first one to break it was Kakyoin. “If you don’t come back soon, you’ll sleep on the floor for a month.”
“Wow, I’m very scared.” A small laugh came out his mouth. “Take care.” And for a few seconds everything stopped. Kakyoin was sure he had felt something against his lips, but Jotaro was nowhere to be seen already. Had he stopped time? That was the only possible explanation.
Kakyoin spent the whole day thinking about it, and he swore he could still feel the gentle pressure of a kiss. Jotaro was really driving him insane.
A week passed. And then a week turned into a month. And a month turned into five long months. Kakyoin was completely worried and terrified. Something must have happened. Was Jotaro still alive? He didn’t work for the Foundation anymore, so he had nobody to contact.
Well, actually, there was someone he could call. Someone he hadn’t talked to for what felt like ages.
He found some courage and decided to dial the number.
“Hello? Who is it?”
“Polnareff, it’s me, Kakyoin. Sorry for-“
He didn’t even have time to finish the sentence. “Kakyoin! It’s so good to hear you again! I hope you are fine, my friend!”
Polnareff still considered him his friend. He didn’t know if he should feel happy or sick.
“Sorry, I’d like to catch up with you. But I want to ask you about Jotaro.”
“Jotaro? Don’t you two live in the same town?”
“Yes, actually… we live together now. Sort of.”
“You what??” Polnareff almost screamed. And then called someone next to him (probably Avdol), still screaming like a child.
“Polnareff, stop it!” Kakyoin sighed, already regretting making the phone call. “He went on a mission five months ago.”
There was silence for a while, and given who he was talking to, it was strange.
“Really? He didn’t tell me anything. He usually does. Well, he used to. You know, I almost died when I went to Italy with him. Since then, he never tells me when he has to fight enemies he thinks are dangerous. Tipical Jotaro, right? Always wanting to protect others and not thinking he could get killed as well.”
Kakyoin was starting to panic. Jotaro had told him that there was nothing to worry about. Had he been lying? It couldn’t be. He could tell when Jotaro was not telling the truth.
The hand holding the phone was trembling uncontrollably. Sensing his distress, Polnareff quickly added. “I’ll contact the Foundation for you! But don’t worry, it’s Jotaro we are talking about. He is probably too distracted looking at fish in the Ocean to come back.” He tried to lighten up the mood. Kakyoin would have appreciated it if his ears hadn’t gone completely deaf.
He didn’t know who hung up first. He found himself on the floor, hands hugging his shaking body and tears threatening to fall from his eyes.
After a few minutes -or maybe hours, he couldn’t really tell- Kakyoin grabbed the plushie Jolyne had gifted him and cried on the tiny stuffed head. Hierophant Green suddenly appeared in front of him, with the same sad expression he used to have when Kakyoin was a child, with no other friends but his own Stand.
He felt so sick and drained that he fell asleep on the floor.
During a hot summer evening, someone knocked at Kakyoin’s door. He gathered what little strength he had left and went to greet his unexpected guest.
He used his cane to move, as he had been feeling so weak that his legs always failed him, but he dropped it as soon as he opened the door.
Jotaro was standing in front of him, with big bandages all over the right side of his face. He seemed as tired as Kakyoin was, with deep dark circle under his visible eye.
“It took a while. I’m sorry.” His voice failed to hide the fact that he was in deep pain. Upon closer inspection, Kakyoin noticed that Jotaro’s legs were wobbling and he was using the door to support his weight. Otherwise, he would have already collapsed.
Kakyoin didn’t say anything, it all felt too surreal and good to be true. He was probably hallucinating. But he still indulged his mind, and took Jotaro’s hand, leading him and making him sit on the nearest chair.
“Wait here, I’ll bring the first-aid kit.” He was impressed by how calm and composed he had sounded.
When he came back from the bathroom, he examined Jotaro’s face. The bandages he was wearing were sweaty and they probably needed to be changed.
“Can I…? Or does it hurt too much?”
Jotaro only nodded, and Kakyoin took it as a permission to remove the gauze.
What he saw knocked the breath out of him. A long, deep and partly still fresh gash went from Jotaro’s forehead, crossing his right eye -now completely void of colour-, to the lower part of his face. It was big and almost scary to look at. But Jotaro seemed almost unfazed by it. The only hint that unvealed his pain was Star Platinum, who was behind his user and was wearing a devastated expression on his face. Kakyoin noticed that the Stand had been affected by the wound as well, showing a blind eye and scarred cheek with the same pattern that was on Jotaro’s face.
He couldn’t help but think that he was incredibly handsome, even with half of his face ruined. He was still keeping his composure and his features were even more prominent than usual. He looked like sculpted marble.
Realising that he had been staring for too long, he averted his eyes, looking for fresh bandages.
How did he get that wound? What happened? There were too many questions he wanted to ask, but Jotaro didn’t seem able to answer any of them. He was looking in front of him, and there were no emotions on his face. He looked drained.
Kakyoin knew that, no matter what he said, he would never get a clear answer. At least for the moment. He patiently waited for Jotaro to break the silence. And when he did, it was heartbreaking.
“He knew my name.” It sounded more like a whisper than something he wanted him to hear.
“Well, isn’t that normal? You defeated Dio. His followers must know who you are.”
“You don’t understand.” His voice was trembling. “He was actually waiting for me. The mission before this was a trap to lure me in. He wanted my memories. He wanted to take Star Platinum. Who am I without my Stand?” He was talking too quickly for Kakyoin to follow everything he said. His eye was now unfocused, his breathing fast and it looked like he wanted to cry.
Probably crying would have hurt him, his face muscles were burning so hard that he couldn’t feel nothing else but pain.
“If I had been two steps too late, he would have killed me. I would have been dead. I’m not immortal. I can die. I don’t want to die. I’m tired. I’M TIRED!” He screamed, his face contracting spasmodically and a single tear running down his left cheek.
Kakyoin was completely stunned. He had never seen Jotaro so vulnerable. But what could he do? He wanted to say that he would always be there for him, but he knew too well that some enemies and ghosts in his mind would never go away.
He opened his mouth, but Jotaro interrupted him. “I’m sorry, I almost didn’t come back to you. I guess I overestimated my abilities.” He looked calmer than before, which was a good sign.
Kakyoin kneeled in front of the still sitting Jotaro and took both of his hands. “When I was seventeen, I met a guy. He was the most irritating person I had ever met. So sure of himself, so cool and handsome. We were completely different but also extremely similar. He became my first and best friend. Now, he has turned into an even stronger man. Sometimes he acts like an idiot and he still doesn’t know how to express his feelings. But I don’t care, I learnt to read his face a very long time ago.” He smiled, looking up and noticing that Jotaro’s mouth was slightly open.
He kept telling his story. “When he got married, I only wanted to disappear from this world. It may sound selfish, but I didn’t want to see his wife’s face. I still went to the wedding though, I wanted to see him in a nice suit. And I wanted to see him smile. That was enough for me. But when I came back home, I felt sick for months. I couldn’t even eat, I thought there were problems with the scar on my stomach. I didn’t want to acknowledge what was going on in my mind.” Jotaro’s eye looked really sad and his hold on Kakyoin’s hands became tight.
“Now I think I get why he did it. He wanted to try to live a new life and forget his past. I know he has nightmares every night. And, with every inch of my heart, I think that he deserves to start again, to have a chance at being a normal person. Because he is human. He is ridiculous, grumpy, sometimes clumsy and apparently cold. But he has a big heart, one that has been broken for too long.”
Jotaro tried his best to keep his usual stoic face, failing miserably. His teeth were gnawing at his bottom lip, probably an attempt not to make strange noises and embarass himself.
“I’m glad he has shown me his vulnerable side. He looks like his daughter. She makes the same funny faces whenever she is grounded.”
“You’re such an asshole.” Jotaro finally managed to speak in a breathy voice, still holding Kakyoin’s hands. “I’m not a child, I don’t need to be comforted. And I didn’t ask you to do it, either.”
Finally he is back to his normal self. “Oh my God, I can’t believe I’m in love with you.”
He hadn’t wanted to say it out loud, but the words had left his mouth before he could have even processed them.
Still, it was worth it. The expression on Jotaro’s face was the picture of happiness. He was looking at Kakyoin in awe, eye shining like he was on the verge of tears. At least they were happy tears now.
He leaned in, deciding to kiss Kakyoin’s eyes first. Then he moved to his nose, his cheeks and finally to his lips. He didn’t stop time, but it still felt like everything had frozen at that specific moment, and there were only the two of them in the world.
When he parted, their foreheads were touching and he murmured, in a soft voice.
“And I can’t believe that, after all this time, I finally found my home.”