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There is an intimacy to fighting someone that can’t be explained unless one has felt it before. To know someone in a way that very few others ever have is as tender as it is violent. There is a deeper understanding in a fight in which both sides are constantly analyzing each other and the way they move. A fight—a real fight—is more than just that done in the streets or after school. It involves two people pushing each other past their limit to become stronger. It’s a cause for respect and admiration.
Jotaro and Kakyoin came back from Egypt with a hunger. Eventually all the action and the stress from their journey ended and they were back to going to school and doing the things everyone else was. This didn’t change the fact that they had gone halfway across the world and killed DIO. In short, they were bored. They were bonded by their journey in a way that cemented their friendship. They had seen death and destructuon and had come out together, but now they sat in history class like the rest of the student body
“Do you ever miss it?” Jotaro asked one day with a wistful look in his eye.
They had skipped class so Jotaro could smoke on the roof and though Kakyoin didn’t smoke he followed him anyway. It was odd for them to be apart these days, and whether that was a product of Egypt or a testament to their friendship was unclear. Jotaro always seemed softer in these moments through cigarette smoke and Kakyoin found himself drawn to him.
Kakyoin took a moment to respond. “I’m glad it’s over, but I miss the rush. Everything is so predictable now.”
“I know what you mean,” Jotaro agreed, and it was clear he had brought it up because he was going through the same withdrawals.
“We could always spar sometime,” Kakyoin suggested. Maybe it was because he didn’t know what to say, or maybe he just wanted Jotaro on him, but he would normally never challenge Jotaro like this. He might have been more pent-up than he realized.
Jotaro considered it for a moment. “I think I’d crush you.”
Kakyoin scoffed. “I’m saying no stands, just a regular fight.”
“I’m still stronger than you,” Jotaro maintained, putting out his cigarette.
“Prove it then,” Kakyoin challenged, getting up from his place on the ground to get in Jotaro’s space.
Jotaro let the suggestion of a smirk play on his face. “Not here, we’ll go somewhere after school.”
It turned out that the weight room at school was completely empty around the time they went. They laid out mats to break their falls as well as some ground rules. Jotaro won the first time around and Kakyoin demanded a rematch. After that, Kakyoin won and before they knew it they were planning another round until it became a casual habit of theirs as they both went back and forth winning their matches. Whenever either one got the urge to feel the rush of battle again, they’d ask to spar. It quickly grew more intense than simple sparring. They were well-matched and constantly pushed each other to get better.
Jotaro fought differently when he was fighting Kakyoin. He was used to fighting the overconfident stand users sent by DIO or the typical high school jackass who was picking a fight with him to look tough. Kakyoin was different. Jotaro usually waited until his opponent showed weakness and then went in with a flurry of punches. His raw strength was enough to send people running. Kakyoin didn’t make sloppy, stupid moves though. Everything he did was calculated and he was always two steps ahead. This mean Jotaro couldn’t just hang back and wait for an opening. He was on guard the moment their sparring matches began. This was why he loved fighting Kakyoin, it pushed him to fight in a way he previously hadn’t needed to.
Kakyoin would be lying if he said he wasn’t intimidated by Jotaro. He normally would have used Hierophant Green to restrain such a large opponent, relying on his strategy and quick thinking rather than his own strength. Kakyoin was strong, that was undeniable, but Jotaro was an entirely different breed in terms of physical capabilities. He was taller and more muscular and Kakyoin wasn’t stupid so he could recognize this. He looked for a weak spot but Jotaro didn’t seem to have one. Every single kick he took from Kakyoin didn’t seem to phase him. This was an intimidation tactic, of course, but it was still working on Kakyoin. He knew intuitively that Jotaro had to be in pain from the blows he’d taken, but not seeing that psyched him out.
Kakyoin prepared to send a right hook, leaving his side open. That’s when Jotaro took the chance to charge and slam him to the ground. From there it was a struggle between the two as Jotaro mustered up every iota of strength in his body to keep Kakyoin pinned. Kakyoin was stubborn, though, and refused to admit defeat. He writhed around trying to free himself from Jotaro’s impossibly strong grip, but he couldn’t break free. He sent a few punches backwards in an attempt to get Jotaro to loosen up, but it wasn’t happening.
Kakyoin barely managed to twist his body around so they were face to face and that’s when the mood shifted. Jotaro’s usually stoic face was flushed with fever and there was a wild look in his eyes. The only time he really showed his emotions on his face was when he was fighting Kakyoin. As he lay pinned under Jotaro staring up at his perspiring face, Kakyoin felt the need to regain some element of control. That’s when he surged forward and kissed Jotaro right in the mouth. Jotaro flinched in surprise, expecting teeth even though biting was against the rules. This hesitation allowed Kakyoin to break free and suddenly they were fighting again. Jotaro found himself being knocked upside the head, which caused him to stumble down to the ground himself. Kakyoin leaned over him victoriously.
“Is that a knockout?” Kakyoin chided, staring straight into Jotaro’s stunned face.
“You cheated,” Jotaro argued, not bothering to sit back up at the moment. He was entranced by seeing Kakyoin’s smiling face above him.
Kakyoin shook his head. “That wasn’t against the rules though.”
“It’s playing dirty,” Jotaro countered. Kissing surely hadn’t come up in their negotiations of the rules. Biting, scratching, and groin shots had been quickly eliminated, but kissing wasn’t even a consideration.
“Still not breaking the rules,” Kakyoin argued back. He was beginning to look awfully proud of himself.
Jotaro grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him down to connect their lips again. This time it was more than a tactic used to gain an advantage in a fight. It grew heated and desperate and went past the appropriate boundaries of being just a point to prove. It raised the question of whether they had been fighting at all or if it was all just some intricate flirting ritual. Jotaro’s grip on Kakyoin’s shirt never loosened and Kakyoin gained purchase on Jotaro’s hair. When he pulled too tightly and Jotaro grunted, Kakyoin couldn’t contain a smile. They separated as he began to laugh.
“What the hell are we doing?” Kakyoin asked, nearly in hysterics.
Jotaro felt himself smile a little too. The situation did seem a little ridiculous, but his heart was also beating the hardest it had been since he got back to Japan. Maybe that meant something.
Kakyoin wiped his mouth quickly, still not moving from his position atop the other. “I’m not complaining though…” he admitted.
That was enough for Jotaro to initiate again. Some of the heat was gone as he placed his hands at Kakyoin’s sides. Kakyoin looped his arms behind Jotaro’s neck as they made out on the weight room floor. It was pure luck that the room remained empty as Jotaro moved his hand to the small of Kakyoin’s back and they pushed impossibly closer together. They seemed to fit together perfectly.