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Knowing that Avdol was alive didn't make seeing him die any less harrowing. On this mission, every step they took was closer to death, and Joseph knew that. The next bullet could be fatal, for himself, or Kakyoin, or Polnareff, or even Iggy.
Even Jotaro.
He clenched his fists, and breathed in, the cold burning his lungs. Polnareff hadn't come back from his walk, so they sent Joseph to look for him. He had intended to find the Frenchman quickly, but he realised he hadn't looked at such a clear, starry sky since his last holiday in Italy.
Usually, he wasn't the type to stand around staring at the sky, yet...
"Aaaah, how brainless can you be, Jojo? You have to at least know what the Ursa Major is."
"Jeeeez, sorry I'm not a total geek like you!"
He shook his head and turned from the twinkling lights, and instead focused on the bushes to his left. Perhaps Polnareff had dissapeared into there, though Joseph couldn't imagine why.
"Oi! Polnareff!" He shouted, but no one answered. He huffed, and made his way into the grasses.
The blades of grass were so tall it felt almost like he was wading through them. There were probably snakes in there, or bugs. Big ones.
As he suspected, it wasn't long until his foot snagged on a root. He gave a shout as he fell flat onto his face, then groaned. Lifting himself up and spitting the dirt out his mouth, he was ready to continue his search for Polnareff until he saw something glinting a few feet from him.
Raising his eyebrow, he dusted off his pants and walked over to it. Looking at it, it seemed to be a lamp. Not any lamp, however; a genies lamp.
He leant down and picked it up, inspecting it. He never really understood why these were called 'lamps'. They looked more like teapots.
He bit his lip. There was no way there could actually be a genie in here, right? He looked over his shoulder, to see if Polnareff was trying to embarrass him, but there was still no sign of the man. He turned back to the lamp. Feeling a little childish, he rubbed it three times.
A loud bang sounded behind him, and he whipped around. His mouth opened in shock.
Apparently, it really was a genie's lamp.
"Hello, hello! I am Judgement, a genie. My existence is to serve anyone who picks up my lamp. And you, sir, have just accquired three wishes. Anything you want! Money, power, love, your deepest desires!"
It was big, that was for sure, and it had a strange helmet-looking thing on its head. It looked more like a robot than any genie he'd seen in books. It sat on a tree a few metres away, crossed its legs and rested its head on its hand, expectant. Joseph stared at him.
There was no way... this had to be an enemy stand, right? It couldn't be anything else. He should call Hermit Purple, should strangle him until he spilled Dio's whereabouts.
Then again, you didn't get three magical wishes every day.
"Anything I want?" He questioned, crossing his arms.
It nodded. "I can fufill anything you request."
"Prove it then! I wish... to have a new hat! Sturdy. And fashionable. And beige."
Judgement spoke in a voice that told him it would have its eyebrow raised if it had one. "Really? How mundane. HAIL 2U!:
It poofed from the air, falling into Josephs hands. He could feel the high quality of the material even through his gloves. He removed his current hat and put it on. It was an even better fit.
"Holy shit." He was beginning to believe that this was an actual genie. But material objects were one thing; he had to know if this was the real deal.
He lifted his left arm up, flexing his fingers. "I want my hand back. Flesh and blood. The sea has taken its toll on my old metal one."
"Ha! It's finally getting interesting!" Judgement sat up straighter now, as if concentrating. So it was harder to give him something alive.
"HAIL 2U!"
For a second, it was silent. Then the air tore open with Joseph's screams. He could feel the metal on his wrist tearing away, something pushing it off. Joseph keeled over, gritting his teeth, watching as his metal arm fell off, becoming replaced with just what he'd asked for. Muscle was forming, veins were wrapping around flesh before his eyes. It took a few seconds before finally completing, each one of them in agony, but there it was. His hand. His real, human hand was right in front of him. He tried to move it. It moved.
"Oh my god," He whispered to the air. "You're not a fraud."
"Why would you doubt me? I'm hurt." Judgement looked as delighted as a faceless being could look. "I get a feeling you were testing me, Joseph Joestar. You already know what your final wish is going to be, don't you?"
It was right. Joseph straightened up, flexing his new - or should he say, old- hand. This couldn't be a dream; the pain from before had been far too real.
He stared at his fingers, moving them slowly one by one. He was holding back, partly to get over the shock of his limb regrowing session, but mostly to think over his final wish.
Did he really want to do it? It had never been a good idea in storybooks, but Joseph knew he was willing to take the risk. He'd thought it over many times before. If you could have anything you want, what would it be? He knew the answer. He'd had the same answer ever since he was 20 years old.
He put his hand down, swallowed, his heart thumping so hard he could almost hear it. A deep breath, a stare into Judgements eyes.
"Bring Caesar Zeppeli back to life."
"HAIL 2 U!"
And there he was.
He was unmistakeable; blond, muscular, pink scarf and feather in his hair. Caesar was standing in the middle of the field, back to Joseph, looking up at the sky.
"Caesar!" Joseph cried out. He ran to him, the other man turning around just before he enveloped him in a tight embrace. He was warm, and he was real, and he was alive. Joseph was always bad at keeping his tears hidden, but Caesar deserved them right now.
"You're real. Oh my god. You're here. It worked. It worked." He was having trouble breathing. He felt hands on his shoulders, pushing him slightly back, and he saw Caesars face, his beautiful, beautiful face, for the first time in near fifty years.
"Tu... tu chi sei?" His voice, his voice. It washed over Joseph, nostalgia already pulling at his heart. Caesars eyes widened. "Theres... theres no way. You're not Joseph, right? You can't be." He grinned wide, looking the other man up and down. The same crinkles near his eyes, the same crooked tooth Joseph always made fun of. Everything was there, everything was perfect. "You're so old!"
Joseph couldn't help himself. His heart, his soul, whatever metaphorical container that held his emotions, was overflowing. He grabbed Caesar, one arm around him, his new-old hand in his hair, and kissed him, finally feeling young again.
He felt Caesar step back, but he didn't resist. Any other time, Joseph would have found that suspicious. But not now, not when everything was so incredible, so right.
They pulled away for air, breathless, Joseph staring into Caesars eyes. They were emerald, the prettiest word Joseph could think of for green right now. And they were, beautiful and glinting in the starlight.
"Joseph, you..." He stared at the older (though, was he really?) man and started laughing. Joseph felt more tears run down his face. Hearing him be happy again... this couldn't be real.
"Did being engaged to two men turn you or something? Not to say I'm unhappy about it, but..." He ran a hand through his hair, still smiling. Joseph didn't realise how tense he'd been, but hearing Caesar say he didn't mind kissing him...
"Always told you you were a pretty boy." And it was true. It had been only a few years after Caesars death that Joseph realised he'd been in love with him. He loved Suzie Q, yes, but Caesar had given him something that Suzie Q never could, and he didn't figure that out until he'd lost any chance of getting it back.
"Ah, and you're as ugly as always. Look at all your hair!" He reached out and touched Josephs beard, chuckling. "You're all grey, Grandpa."
Joseph stepped back from him, still unable to control his smile. "That reminds me, Caesar, I have to introduce you to my Grandson! Jotaro, such a sweet boy. You'll love him, let's go." He started to turn, ready to head back to Avdols house, but he felt a hand on his wrist.
"No, Joseph. Not yet." Joseph turned around. Caesar bit his lip. "Let's stay here, just a little longer."
He blinked at Caesar, but he could understand. Being brought back from the dead probably wasn't an easy task. "Sure." He walked back to Caesar, and the other man fell into him, head resting on Josephs shoulder.
"Why did you bring me back?" Ceasar whispered into the crook of his neck. Joseph laughed.
"Because you're my best friend. Why else?"
"You brought me back... for yourself?"
Joseph frowned. "No... other people miss you too. Suzie Q and Smokey and Lisa Lisa... Caesar, are you okay?"
"I was dead, Joseph. Crushed under that rock, for fifty years." Caesar pulled back, head down. "Do you think I'm okay?"
"Caesar..." Joseph swallowed. "It'll be alright. Just come with me, we can make it just like old times."
Something was dripping off Caesars face, collecting on his nose and falling onto the ground. He lifted his head slowly, and Joseph's eyes widened as he saw blood trailing down Caesars face, his arms, staining his scarf and gloves. Joseph stepped back, about to be sick. Theres no way. He's fucking with me. "Cae.... Caesar?"
Blood spilled out of his mouth as he spoke, some of his teeth smashed to pieces. "Why did you bring me back, Jojo?" No. No, no, no no no "You were always so selfish. The least you can do... is pay me back."
Caesar wasn't human anymore. His skin was grey, his eyes were red, and his teeth were sinking into Josephs shoulder.
Josephs own blood splattered onto his face, shocked frozen. He tried to push Caesar off, but he couldn't control his left hand. He shouted for help, but he had walked too far from the house for anyone to hear.
He struggled, but Caesar held his wrists down. He screamed out as his old friend ripped his shoulder apart, swallowing blood and flesh, all the while whispering into his ear.
"You're so strong, Jojo. When I finish," Crunch "You off, perhaps I'll become a real human again." He was going to reach bone any second now. "I died for you, so you don't mind if you return the favour, right?"
Joseph was starting to hate that he could withstand so much pain. He pushed against fake Caesar's chest with his one hand, but he seemed to be getting stronger by the second.
His sight was fading... from black to red to white, every time the fake Caesar ripped another strip of his shoulder out.
And then he stopped.
The zombie, the bastard who dared to take Caesars image, the thing that kissed him and called him Jojo, stopped. It was as if he was frozen, staring at what little there was of Josephs shoulder.
The remaining flesh in the zombies mouth fell to the ground, causing a wet sound that made Joseph sick.
"Goodbye, Jojo," It whispered, and for one second, one measly, idiotic second that Joseph wished would stay, he believed that it was actually Caesar again.
A waterfall of dirt started pouring onto him as the zombie crumbled into dust. Its face wobbled in and out of Joseph's vision, until it disappeared, leaving only the stars to look at through a layer of water that he would never admit were his own tears.
--
He didn't know how long he lay there. Long enough to stop thinking about fake Caesars fake lips on his own, and instead wonder if he was going to die if he didn't do something about his shoulder soon.
And maybe that would be just fine.
Jotaro was far more competent than an old man like him. He could defeat Dio by himself. Holly was a grown woman, she didn't need her father anymore. Polnareff, Avdol, Kakyoin. All of them would do just fine without him.
He breathed in deep, wanting to feel the last slivers of life before it was gone forever. He closed his eyes, ready to drift off and maybe, just maybe, find the real Caesar.
"Is that... who I think it is?" His voice could be heard from a mile away, the loud French bastard. "Mr. Joestar? Mr. Joestar! You won't fuckin' believe who I- Oi, oi oi oi! Why are you wounded so bad? Shit, he's bleeding out! Avdol, help!"
"Is this the work of the stand we just defeated?" Came Avdols paniced voice, his face following soon after.
Ah, at least they found each other. It was his last thought before blacking out.
----
Jotaro was the last person Joseph expected to be sitting by his bed, but there he was, eyes closed, arms crossed, smoke floating from his mouth to the ceiling. The soft swaying of the room told Joseph that they were back in the submarine.
"Don't get excited," His grandson said. "I'm only here because I lost drawing lots."
Joseph smirked. Of course.
He looked to his hand, or where it should have been. The metal hadn't been reattached yet, but the stump was red, black and scabbed, as if it had been burnt. Along with a throbbing pain in his shoulder, he could conclude that that evening's events weren't a dream.
With that in mind, he could only think of one thing to say.
"Jotaro, go confess to Kakyoin."
Jotaro didn't move, and kept his eyes closed, but he tensed. The action was so small, Joseph would have missed it if he hadn't spent the past year with him. "Confess to what."
"That you're in love with him." Jotaro didn't answer. "I know it. Avdol knows it. Kakyoin probably does himself. Polnareff doesn't, but he's an insensitive dunce." Joseph groaned as he pulled himself up. It was a chore with half a shoulder, but he managed to sit up and look at Jotaro. He still hadn't moved.
"Don't know what you're talking about, old man. Not a faggot."
"When somebodys as stoic as you, its easy to see when your expression changes. Around Kakyoin, you always look happier. You need to confess to him. Now."
"I have nothing to confess," He was scowling now. "You can go fuck all the ass you like, I'm-"
"Jotaro! I'm being serious!" He grabbed Jotaros shoulder and shook him, looking him in the eyes. Jotaro stood up, looking menacing. Like that was going to deter him. "If you don't do it now, you never know when you'll get another chance! And when it's too late, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. Do you understand me?"
He started feeling the sting of tears in his eyes. Don't cry, don't cry in front of him. He failed his own orders, and Jotaro stared at him, eyes flicking from his face, to his shoulder, to his hand.
"The hell happened to you?"