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Oh, dear. The final day before Polnareff and Avdol threatened to tell Kakyoin your feelings for him themselves, and you couldn’t bring yourself to even look him in the eyes. You were going to get train tickets with him, Jotaro, and Anne. Both you and Kakyoin were straggling behind the other two, which made it even harder to compile yourself.
Come on, you told yourself, you can do this! I know you can! Come on, do this! Oh, no, he’s looking this way.
“Is something bothering you, (Y/N)?” Kakyoin asked. “You seem stressed.”
“Oh, uh,” you cracked, “n-no, nothing! Um, can I, can I talk to you? Like, in private?”
“Of course,” Kakyoin said, still cool and collected. That made you even more nervous. He quickly went into an alleyway and looked you in the eyes.
“So, what’s the matter?”
“I... I...” nothing was making this any easier. You tried not making eye contact. Then tired making eye contact. “You see, I...”
Eventually, you heard a little squeak come from your voice. “I kinda like you. A lot.”
“Really?” Kakyoin’s eyes sparkled when he said that.
“Yeah, really,” you blushed and smiled at the ground.
“Oh, that’s so sweet!” Kakyoin laughed. “It’s a shame I’m not the real Kakyoin.”
Your face immediately went dark. “What?” Soon, though, he had covered up your mouth, and was dragging you to an unknown place. You kicked and thrashed about, but his grip stayed tight.
“Unfortunately, I need to keep my identity hidden, so I’ll have to hide you while still looking like Kakyoin. No hard feelings.”
Hide you? What exactly did he mean by that? You soon figured out, as the fake Kakyoin put a gag on your mouth, tied your hands and feet up, and threw you in the trunk of his car.
“And before you try and use Ace of Pentacles to duplicate yourself and call for help, just remember that you’re in an already tight space, with barely enough room and oxygen for one person. Also, I’ll be driving my car to a very hidden area, so it’ll be a while before someone finds you, if they find you at all. I’d keep that in mind, if I were you.” Then, fake Kakyoin closed the trunk and started up his engine. After a few twists and turns (and painful head bumps), the car stopped, and the man closed the car door behind him.
“Help! Help!” You were trying to scream, but the gag cancelled out any noise. You had never known true panic until just now, while the heat in the trunk grew ever hotter, and you didn’t know how much oxygen the trunk would hold. You tried to tell yourself to stay calm, and to conserve your breath, but that barely did anything.
Then, a lightbulb sparked. Ace of Pentacles! Stands could communicate with other Stands! Quickly, you summoned Ace, and she started furiously banging on the hood of the trunk.
“Help! Somebody, help me! Jotaro, the Kakyoin is a fake! He’s an enemy! Please, help!”
Since Ace didn’t consume any oxygen (or space, technically), it meant you could focus on remaining calm and not breathing too fast. After all, if what the imposter said was correct, you probably had only a few hours, or maybe even minutes, before you suffocated. So, as your Stand still cried for help, you decided to at least try and sleep. It would force you to not breathe as heavy or as often. But with the constantly rising heat, Ace of Pentacles’s panicked screams, and just the gravity of the situation, trying to sleep proved futile.
Guess you’ll just suffer.
***
How long had it been? Two hours? Three? A whole day? Maybe even thirty minutes? Time was nothing but a construct right now. The only thing you wanted was to get out of this trunk. Your head was throbbing, your arms and wrists screamed in pain every time they rubbed against the ropes binding you down, your stomach was churning, and your mouth begged for even a drip of water. It seemed like help would never come, and you’d die from the heat. All of that changed, though, when you heard a familiar voice.
“(Y/N)?” Joseph called out. “(Y/N), are you in there?”
Hallelujah! You were saved!
“Yes, Mr. Joestar, it’s me!” Ace of Pentacles cried. “Please, get me out of here!”
“I’m on it!” he responded. You heard the sound of glass breaking and doors unlocking, then squinted your eyes as the sunlight suddenly shone through, along with a silhouette of a familiar face.
“Goodness gracious,” Joseph said, looking at you with pity. “You look awful.”
When the gag was removed, and the ropes untied, you answered, “I feel awful, too. I feel like I’ll throw up any sec-“
You were cut short when your stomach emptied itself.
“Sorry about that,” you mumbled. You tried to step out of the trunk, but it felt like the world was collapsing on you, and you almost fell over. It’s a good thing Joseph was there, because he caught you just in time.
“It’s okay, really,” he consoled. “I’ll have to tell the others our search party is over. And we’ll probably have to stay another day.” He picked you up, and carried you in his arms the rest of the way.
“Everyone,” he spoke into a walkie-talkie that you didn’t even realize he had. “I found (Y/N), but she’s in horrible condition. Being locked in a hot trunk with no water or AC for four hours took a toll on her body. We’re going to have to postpone our train ride to tomorrow.”
Your heart sank from the guilt of making the others wait another day when the situation was already dire, but your stomach was still trying to shoot up out of your body. “Mr. Joestar,” you panted, “I’m gonna... I gotta...”
Vomit spewed everywhere before you finished your sentence, including all over Joseph.
“I’m sorry,” you squeaked, “I didn’t mean to.”
“Don’t worry,” Joseph reassured you. “I’ve got more clothes with me already. I’ll be fine. And I can shower to get it off of my skin.”
When the two of you finally arrived at the hotel room, Joseph carefully laid you in your bed, and explained the situation to the others in another room.
“Dizziness, vomit, fever, dehydration, rope burns on her ankles and wrists...”
Hearing the symptoms aloud really made you realize how much four hours of enclosed heat could do to a human. Jotaro must've known something was off when you didn’t return with the group, and confirmed it when the fake Kakyoin revealed himself.
“I hope (Y/N) still wants to talk to me after I made her go through all of that,” Kakyoin thought out loud. “I mean, we both know it wasn’t really me, but surely part of her will always see the kidnapper who copied me.”
“No, Kakyoin,” you mumbled to yourself. “I still love you just as much.”
“What did you say?” Joseph appeared at the door.
“Oh! N-nothing!” you stuttered. “I was just talking to myself.”
Joseph nodded, then came over with a glass of water. “Drink,” he ordered. “Just a few sips. Too much and your body will get rid of it, just like it did with your breakfast.”
After two tiny sips of water, you set down the glass and hung your head. “Mr. Joestar, I’m really sor-“
“Good grief, this is the third time today you’ve apologized,” Joesph laughed. “Look, it couldn’t be avoided, and it wasn’t your fault. There’s nothing to be sorry for.”
“But it could’ve been avoided!” you protested. “This all happened because I was careless. I was too careless to notice Kakyoin’s weird behavior. If I hadn’t decided to confess my feelings to Kakyoin right then, none of this would’ve happened.”
“Confess your feelings to me?”
Your heart stopped. You only just realized Kakyoin was patiently waiting his turn to check in on you right outside your door, and heard the whole thing.
“I... well, um, I...” your already dry mouth dried up even more, and you found yourself at a loss for words. Your fever felt like it was rising higher, and your stomach felt even more uneasy. You wanted to hide underneath the bed covers until he forgot you said anything, or find a way to erase his memory, or just go back in time before anyone figured out about this so you could live your life in peace.
Joseph looked at you, then at Kakyoin. “I’ll leave you two alone,” he finally said, mouthing ‘good luck’, before he left.
“Is it true?” Kakyoin asked. He took a seat at the foot of your bed. “Do you really have feelings for me?”
You nodded, keeping your eyes fixed on your covers. “I’ve had them since the plane ride.”
Kakyoin chuckled. “And here I was, worried that telling you the same thing would make the whole fifty days way more awkward.”
Wait, was he serious?
“Plus, I was constantly seeing you talking to Polnareff, so I thought maybe you liked him, even set it off with him. I didn’t want him to feel weird around me.”
He was! He was serious!
“So, yes, (Y/N). I accept your confession.”
This was too good to be true. You finally looked up at Kakyoin’s face and saw him leaning in for a kiss. You went in as well, but started gagging. You shoved Kakyoin out of the way and got the vomit in the trash can by your bed in the nick of time.
“Maybe the lips aren’t the best place to kiss right now,” you giggled.
“I think you’re right,” Kakyoin laughed, then pecked you on the forehead. “Hopefully that’ll do until you get better.”
Both of you smiled at each other for a good while, until Kakyoin suddenly interjected. “Oh! I almost forgot! I have aloe vera for where the ropes were rubbing.” He rummaged through his pockets and got out a small canister. You sat up in the bed and held out your wrists.
“Oooooh,” a happy moan escaped your lips as the irritation faded away, then slapped a hand on your mouth.
Kakyoin only looked up and smiled. “It hurt that bad, huh?”
“Yeah,” you nervously laughed. “I was wiggling around a lot, so it rubbed against my skin just as much.”
“I’m guessing it did that to your ankles, too,” Kakyoin said.
“Mm-hmm,” you replied, lifting your feet out of the covers.
“Yikes,” Kakyoin accidentally let out. “These are worse than your wrists.”
“Well, I could move my legs more than my arms,” you explained, “so they’re going to be a little more damag- aaaaaaaah.”
Kakyoin chuckled a little as he put the aloe vera on your ankles.
“This is embarrassing,” you murmured, stuffing your head in your hands. “First I indirectly tell you how I feel, then I make weird noises when you give my burns some relief.”
“I think it’s cute,” he reassured you. “In fact, this whole situation has some striking resemblance to Jotaro’s mother’s situation. Except this time, it’s not the type of girl I’d fall in love with. It’s the girl I’ve fallen in love with. I was planning to confess to you before we left for India, but looks like I didn’t need to.”
After he was done with the aloe vera, he patted your head. “Get some rest, alright?” he said. “It’ll help you heal faster.”
“Okay,” you peeped, getting back under the covers. Kakyoin smiled at you, then turned off the light and closed the door.
Although you tried to sleep, you overheard a conversation that you just had to tune in to.
“So, who confessed to who?” Polnareff asked. You could almost hear that dumb smirk he gets when he talks like that.
“Well, it was really all an accident,” Kakyoin laughed. “(Y/N) was talking to Mr. Joestar about it, and I overheard them.”
“Really? What was her expression like?”
“She was so embarrassed that she let it slip. She looked like she wanted to disappear. You know what I mean?”
“I know exactly what you mean. D’awwwww, you two are just perfect for each other!”
“She can probably hear us, you know.”
“I don’t care! She deserves to know that I think you’re soulmates! You hear that, (Y/N)? You two are soulmates, and I’m sure of it!”
Kakyoin laughed lightly. “She’s trying to sleep, you know.”
You didn’t mind hearing them talk, though. You smiled as you drifted off to sleep, a weight being lifted off your shoulders.