Work Text:
Joseph steadied his breathing as he struggled against Caesar, the blond starting to corner him against the marble walls of the castle on Air Supplena. Dammit! I can’t let him win again! He thought.
“Already tired, Jojo? I thought you would’ve been able to last longer than this,” Caesar teased as he pinned Joseph’s torso against the wall. However, his arms were free, allowing him to grab Caesar’s chest and neck and flip him to the ground.
“You sure about that, Caesarino?” Joseph huffed out as he pinned Caesar to the ground. “I’m getting stronger each day. It seems like you haven’t noticed!” Just as Joseph got the words out, Caesar regained control and pinned the taller one onto his stomach. He made the final blow by channeling Hamon into Joseph and repelling the brunet’s own. Joseph began to choke on his mask's restraint, tapping Caesar’s arm for him to release.
“Alright, that’s enough for right now.” Lisa Lisa looked at Joseph sternly underneath her sunglasses. “Jojo, you didn’t put in as much effort as last time. I want you to run fifteen more laps around the island after your break. Do you understand?”
Joseph rolled his eyes and whined, desperate for his coach to take it easy on him for once. “Fifteen!? But I just ran twenty earlier today! Come on, can’t I just, I don’t know, read a book or something? There’s gotta be something in that huge library to help!”
“Reading a book won’t do anything if you don’t put in the effort. Messina will be there to keep track and make sure you arrive on time. I expect to see your improvement promptly. For now, both of you may go to your rooms.”
“Grazie , Coach.” Caesar nodded before heading off to his room, with Joseph following behind. Before Joseph closed the door to his room, Caesar stopped it. “Are you alright, Jojo? Coach was right. You didn’t use your full strength.”
Joseph inhaled sharply, debating whether to be honest, or lie and not divulge. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just tired, and I’m really not looking forward to laps again.” The younger one began to close the door, indicating he wanted to be left alone.
“Ok, I’ll see you later then.” Caesar made a small wave goodbye before Joseph closed the door, leaving him alone in his room.
He laid down on his bed, staring at the stucco ceiling. He ran his hand over his chest, tracing over where the rings placed in his body were. His pocket calendar sat on his nightstand, flipped open to January. The day the rings were planted was circled, with each day afterward crossed out. It was another reminder of his limited time as if the counting in his head wasn’t enough. He flipped through the booklet, his birthday marked with a star. He had just made it to 18 and doubted he would make it much further than that. What am I supposed to do? I can’t tell Granny and Uncle Speedy. They’d have a heart attack if they knew what was happening! Joseph felt tears pricking at his eyes as he delved further into sorrow. Is there any point? Yeah, I have to save the world and everything, but will I be able to do it in time? I don’t know if I can. I don’t think I can.
After a few more moments, there was a knock on the door. “Jojo? It’s Caesar. I wanted to check on you before you had to run your laps.”
Joseph buried his face in his pillow the best he could and mumbled, “Go away.”
“Jojo, I’m only trying to help you. Please, let me in.”
Joseph groaned as he got up from the bed, wiping away his tears and making his way to the door. He unlocked the door and cracked it open, peering at Caesar. “What do you want?”
“Jojo, I can tell something’s not right with you. The world depends on you, and you have to be in top shape.”
“Yeah, like I haven’t heard that one before.” Joseph rolled his eyes and began to close the door again before Caesar stopped him.
“Jojo. Listen to me. It may not seem like this, but I care about you. So does your family, Suzi, and Coach, even if she doesn’t seem like it on the outside. So let me in, please.” Joseph opened the door fully and let Caesar in before flopping back onto the bed. “Now, tell me what’s wrong.”
Joseph opened his mouth and then closed it, unsure how to start. “I just… I don’t want to fail. I don’t want to do that to Granny and Uncle Speedy. I’m the only one they have left. Smokey, too. I bet he’s still waiting in New York for me.” He inhaled deeply, trying to keep his breathing steady. “And knowing the whole world is counting on me makes me feel like if I make one wrong step, everything will fall apart. I don’t want to let everyone down. I don’t want to die.” Joseph’s tears began to flow again, his emotions finally freed.
Caesar gently wiped the younger one’s tears away, looking at him fondly. “We can do this together . I won’t let you go on alone, I promise.” Caesar tilted Joseph’s face to face each other, holding his cheek tenderly. “Ti amo, Jojo. It means I love you.”
Joseph gulped and blushed, Caesar being so upfront with his affection. He held the same feelings but was so stressed and scared of the blond’s reaction that he didn’t even consider telling him the same. “I… love you too. C-can I kiss you?”
“Of course, Jojo. I’ll always be here for you.” Caesar leaned in for the kiss, chaste but caring. Caesar held Joseph close, running his hands through his messy hair. “Ti amo, forever and always.”