Chapter Text
Kakyoin’s pen only stopped when he had to check something from his notes. He knew exactly how long it would to take him to write the essay. He knew he’d get a good grade. It was all too easy.
But today he was being slower than usually. Just a little bit.
There was one distraction in the room with him.
Jotaro.
Actually the taller boy didn’t really make lots of noise for someone his size. He turned heads when entering a room, being especially tall, handsome and menacing. But when he was just relaxing, he was quiet and calm.
It was probably the aura, Kakyoin thought. Without speaking a word Kakyoin could feel his presence behind him. There was a special feeling when a stand user was near but with Jotaro, it felt like something more.
“Aren’t you going to write your essay? It’s due soon” Kakyoin asked. The other’s overly relaxed attitude towards schoolwork sometimes irked him greatly.
“No” He heard a grunt and fingers flipping the page of a magazine. “It’s not even due tomorrow”
Kakyoin sighed internally. So annoying. It wasn’t good to leave everything until the last moment. Kakyoin turned his attention back to the paper in front of him.
But soon enough he was sighing again, this time out loud.
A reek hovered through the air, and soon he saw twirls of smoke. Kakyoin quickly dropped his pen onto the table and got up from the floor where he was sitting by a low table. He walked to the nearest window and slid it open. He hated the smell of cigarettes and wanted some fresh air.
Kakyoin turned to stare hard at Jotaro, who was laying down on the tatami on his side, supporting his elbow against the floor. Magazine in one hand and cigarette in the other
Jotaro was looking at him from under the peak of his hat, challenging the sharp stare that was headed towards him.
Kakyoin just stood there, arms crossed. For a while they were silent.
“…Sorry?” Jotaro muttered, not really sounding apologetic in Kakyoin’s opinion. Kakyoin snorted and sat back down to return to his homework.
He was in Jotaro’s house, like always. Basically only Jotaro and his mother lived there, as Jotaro’s father was almost always away. It was a big house and Holly always seemed to be happy when Kakyoin was over, as Jotaro rarely befriended anyone.
One other reason for staying there was the fact that Kakyoin’s parents didn’t really approve their friendship, so Jotaro wasn’t exactly welcome to Kakyoin’s home.
But Kakyoin usually enjoyed staying at the Kujos’. It was a gorgeous estate in a nice location. Usually he did his homework in peace while Jotaro was idling. Usually the silence was nice and comforting and the beautiful household and décor pleased Kakyoin.
Not today, though. Somehow things had started to bother Kakyoin; how Jotaro was just lazing around instead of studying with him, how he smoked and drank beer instead of having proper meals with Kakyoin. Jotaro wasn’t the easiest to go somewhere with since he always got into some kind of trouble, and then for the first time, Kakyoin kind of understood why his parents didn’t really like their son hanging out with such a delinquent.
“You done soon?”
Even that casual – but demanding – voice that usually made Kakyoin’s heart race just irritated him as he tried to focus on his essay, not bothering to answer.
After a while of silence Kakyoin thought Jotaro had turned back to reading his magazine and forgotten he ever asked anything, but soon enough the boy spoke again.
“Care to answer?”
Kakyoin didn’t answer.
“You could finish that later”
Kakyoin knew his attention had switched completely away from the essay, he didn’t even remember the last sentence he had written.
“Good grief”
Suddenly Kakyoin started to pack away his pens and books. He was pissed off and honestly, wanted to just leave and go home. As he stood up and was about to walk past Jotaro and out the door, Jotaro spoke again.
“Where are you going? Come here.” Jotaro was pointing at the spot on the floor right next to him.
Kakyoin didn’t know why it always went like that, but after a while of thinking he lowered himself onto the tatami and rested his head onto Jotaro’s shoulder after the boy had turned to lay on his back.
Kakyoin sighed again. Jotaro had let go of his magazine, but was blowing the annoyingly stinky smoke right near Kakyoin's face. Luckily after a while Jotaro asked Star Platinum to discharge his cigarette.
Kakyoin hated how Jotaro used his stand for whatever, for example bring him stuff that he was too lazy to reach over and grab. Kakyoin had a much stronger connection with his stand, in his own opinion at least. He had spent almost all of his life with Hierophant Green and built a strong bond with it. Jotaro had basically just met Star Platinum and Kakyoin knew that. But Jotaro's attitude towards Star Platinum still annoyed him.
“It’s staring” Jotaro muttered. Kakyoin turned to look towards where Jotaro was watching, even though he knew what was there without checking.
Hierophant Green didn’t really have pupils, but he surely was staring at Jotaro while floating around the room. The stand looked as restless as Kakyoin felt.
Star Platinum was reaching over and trying to grab hold of the green creature, but Hierophant Green evaded him and floated further away, leaving Star Platinum with a confused looked on his face.
“Tsk” Jotaro snorted and turned to look at Kakyoin, who was lying so close that the red strands of hair tickled Jotaro’s face.
“What’s up with you?” Jotaro asked and blew the red curls away from his face.
Kakyoin shrugged and turned to his side, still resting his head onto Jotaro’s arm. It was nice when he didn’t pay any mind to the annoying thoughts that occasionally bubbled into his mind.
“Good grief” Jotaro muttered again and suddenly brushed his hand through Kakyoin’s hair. It was a rare gesture of affection. Kakyoin swallowed. He knew he easily settled for these kinds of small gestures since he wasn’t going to get anything greater from Jotaro.
They lay there in silence for a while. Kakyoin didn’t really want to be the one to bring up issues, since he feared Jotaro would see it as Kakyoin just nagging.
But another while passed of them just laying there and Kakyoin glanced up to see that Jotaro had shut his eyes. Star Platinum was fading and Kakyoin knew Jotaro was completely relaxed.
It annoyed him.
Jotaro never paid much attention to him. Why did Jotaro ask Kakyoin to stop his studies to just lay there and do nothing?
“Are you sleeping?” Kakyoin had tried to keep the annoyance from poisoning his voice, but he knew it was present in his words. He felt Jotaro awkwardly shifting, and Star Platinum cleared up and turned his face towards Kakyoin.
“No” Jotaro said and took off his cap, placing it next to him on the floor.
“I can leave if you’re tired” Kakyoin muttered and sat up. He heard Jotaro sighing tiredly and turned to look at the boy.
It wasn’t too often that Jotaro took his hat off, so the stern stare in his eyes was more visible than usually.
But Kakyoin didn’t waver. He stared back and for the longest moment neither of them spoke.
“What’s with you?” Jotaro asked again and the frown on his face deepened.
Kakyoin was slightly surprised that Jotaro even asked that; he looked bothered.
For a moment Kakyoin felt a little happy. Jotaro seemed like maybe he really wanted to know.
“Jotaro…” Kakyoin started and searched for the words for a while. “Don’t you think… We’re really different?”
He wasn’t sure if he was choosing his words accordingly, so for a moment he waited to see what impact he had on Jotaro.
“What do you mean? Of course we’re different” Jotaro stated matter-of-factly.
Kakyoin stared back at Jotaro. Why did the other always have to speak as if he didn’t even want to understand? Or as if he already knew everything?
“I mean, that…” Kakyoin started talking again “Doesn’t it bother you, that we’re so different? You get annoyed that I’m trying to study, and you just lazing around don’t exactly lift my mood.”
Jotaro looked almost thoughtful for a moment, but Kakyoin could see a hint of annoyance in his expression. Star Platinum’s intensive stare was bothering Kakyoin, so he waved his hand in attempt to hush the stand away, but it did little to help.
“I’m not planning to change for you.” Jotaro’s sudden words sounded harsh and Kakyoin almost snapped right there and then and stormed off, but Jotaro continued before he could do so. “But I’m also not asking you to change anything”
Kakyoin stared down at Jotaro’s indecipherable expression. On a good day he would have interpret his words as something cheesy as ‘you’re perfect just the way you are’, but now he only heard that Jotaro wasn’t really willing to make much effort for their relationship.
Why did the boy have to be so difficult to understand?
“I just want to ask you one thing” Kakyoin continued as if Jotaro hadn’t said anything. “If we didn’t have our stands, would’ve we even be together? Or even be friends?”
Kakyoin thought Jotaro’s frown couldn't get any deeper, but it did. Somehow Kakyoin felt like Jotaro was looking at him as if Kakyoin was crazy.
“Would’ve you even talked to me if you hadn’t seen Hierophant Green?” Kakyoin turned to look away from Jotaro “Maybe it was the damn stand you fell for”
“Kakyoin…” He heard the feeble words but was already getting up.
But a hand grabbed him, Star Platinum’s, but soon Jotaro instead took a grip of him.
“Calm down, I don’t understand what’s wrong with yo-“
“Don’t tell me what to do!” From the beginning Kakyoin had guessed the conversation would end up with him yelling at Jotaro. He swat Jotaro’s hand away and grabbed his bag.
“Kakyoin…”
“Why do you always call me by my last name, huh!? Is that what I am to you, a random schoolmate among others!?” Kakyoin knew he was getting unreasonable, but that didn’t calm his anger. He had to just get out and away, as quickly as possible.
“Noriaki, wait…”
Kakyoin stopped by the door and took a deep breathe, clenching his fists.
“It’s fucking Tenmei! Tenmei! Not Noriaki!” Kakyoin yelled and started walking down the hallway. Usually he didn’t feel like correcting if someone read or said his name wrong; nobody really called him by his first name. But Jotaro making that mistake…
Kakyoin hurried down the hallway, heading for the main entrance. He wanted to go quickly and before Jotaro could come after him, if he even would.
“Oh, Kakyoin!” Kakyoin froze when he heard a perky voice calling him from the kitchen. “How nice that you’re over! Are you straying for dinner? I’m making curry!”
Kakyoin quickly bowed, wishing that Holly hadn’t heard his yelling.
“My apologies, Holly, I have to leave now” Kakyoin managed to say before continuing down the hallway to grab his shoes and go. Holly soon followed him.
“Oh, that’s too bad.” She placed one hand on her hip. “I hope that dummy Jotaro didn’t say anything silly to you. You know he says stuff he doesn't really mean, right? And he is a good boy, isn’t he?”
Kakyoin grunted something for a response and wanted to just hurry up and go before it got more awkward.
“Jotaro!” Kakyoin cringed as he heard Holly calling his son. “You weren’t a dummy and said something mean to Kakyoin, right?”
“Shut up”
Kakyoin didn’t want to turn to look since he knew Jotaro was behind him. He didn’t want to see the boy who sounded plain annoyed. Kakyoin didn’t want to yell anymore.
Luckily Kakyoin was quickly on his way out while Holly asked him to visit them soon again. Kakyoin only briefly saw Jotaro’s face and the harsh expression made him wonder if the boy ever felt anything for him.