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Not so long ago, four men and a dog travelled halfway across the world to find and vanquish an evil vampire. Their journey took nearly 50 days and, in that time, they fought countless stand users and strange creatures. Their journey came to an end after they destroyed the vampire and watched his body crumble to dust during an Egyptian sunrise. All four of the men had been willing to sacrifice everything for the success of this trip. Even though they emerged from their journey broken and bruised, they were alive. And, somehow, they had succeeded against all odds.
After the events in Egypt, the group split up and went their separate ways. Polnareff returned to France immediately, although this time with Avdol and Iggy in tow. Avdol had insisted that he just wanted to experience more of the world, but it was clear to the other crusaders that he and Polnareff had some sort of “thing” going on. Joseph had joked that the two would be “married in no time,” and took great pleasure in Polnareff’s beat red face at the remark. Iggy didn’t really have a reason to go to France, but he had become quite attached to Avdol and went wherever the Egyptian did.
Joseph, Jotaro, and Kakyoin all returned to Japan and, thanks to Holly’s less-than-gentle persuasion, both the redhead and the older Joestar stayed at the Kujo household as life began to settle back to normal. It didn’t take long for routine to pick back up again, both Kakyoin and Jotaro returning school by the following week.
But things weren’t the same between the two boys after their trip across the desert. Neither of them could place their finger on what it was at first. Jotaro felt that Kakyoin was someone he could be silent around without feeling awkward about it. He actually enjoyed listening to Kakyoin talk about art and random facts, and he couldn’t deny that he felt relaxed in the smaller man’s presence. Kakyoin, too, felt a huge comfort around Jotaro, and the two of them were practically inseparable for the rest of high school. Neither of them told the other about their feelings, which continued to grow stronger as the months ticked by.
One warm summer’s evening, not long after graduation, the two boys were holed away in Jotaro’s room playing video games. Kakyoin had commandeered the controller and was immersed in the new-release that Jotaro had presented to him earlier that day. To be honest, Jotaro didn’t care about video games at all — he had only bought this because he knew Kakyoin would be excited. Jotaro studied Kakyoin’s face as the redhead played. His eyebrows were furrowed in deep concentration, and the tip of his tongue stuck out between his full lips.
His lips.
Jotaro couldn’t look away from them, even after Kakyoin’s tongue had retreated back inside. He swallowed heavily, fist clenching as he realized the extent of his feelings for the man sitting beside him. He had the overwhelming desire to grab Kakyoin and kiss him, but instead he reached over and snatched the controller out of the redhead’s sweaty palms.
“Hey!’ Kakyoin yelped, clearly irritated by Jotaro’s actions. “What was that for? I was just about to -”
“Go out with me,” Jotaro said flatly.
“W-what…?” Kakyoin blinked, the video game completely forgotten. Jotaro reached for his signature cap and pulled it down, shielding his eyes so he didn’t have to see Kakyoin’s expression. He always did fear the worst, and hiding behind his hat helped him feel secure.
“We should go out to eat, or something.” Jotaro fiddled with the controller, rolling it around in his large hands. He heard Kakyoin swallow hard, and looked up to see that the man’s cheeks were as red as his hair.
“I-I’d like that.”
And that’s how the two found themselves downtown the following weekend, holding hands inside one of the deep pockets of Jotaro’s gakuran-inspired jacket.
“Well,” Kakyoin began, breaking the silence that had settled over the couple. “Dinner was delicious, but I don’t really want the night to end just yet,” he smiled, his slender hand squeezing Jotaro’s larger, calloused one. “Do you want to stay out a little longer?” A return smile graced the brunet’s face, and he reached up with his free hand to adjust his hat.
“Yeah, I’d like that.” Kakyoin grinned at the answer, and gave Jotaro a small bump in the arm with his shoulder.
“Maybe we could go get a drink or something? There’s a pub I go to sometimes that’s pretty close by.” Jotaro nodded, and the redhead beamed up at him. To be honest, the brunet would go anywhere that Kakyoin wanted, as long as he was able to spend time with the smaller man.
The rest of the walk passed in comfortable silence. Kakyoin would occasionally rub his thumb along Jotaro’s fingers, which caused the brunet’s heart to jump into his throat. When did it become so difficult to swallow?
It wasn’t long before Kakyoin pulled them to a stop in front of a small, charming building. A sign with a small cat playing a fiddle hung above the doorway.
“Well, here we are,” the redhead chirped, flashing another smile at Jotaro. Loud music could be heard coming from the other side of the door and… was that singing? Drunken, awful singing. Jotaro raised an eyebrow and glanced at Kakyoin, who was looking pretty sheepish.
“I totally forgot that today’s Saturday, which means tonight is karaoke night,” he said, scratching at the bridge of his nose. “I mean, we don’t have to go in if you don’t want to…”
Jotaro cut him off by reaching out with his free hand and pushing the solid, wooden door wide open. The drunken singer was now in plain view, nearly in tears as he wrapped up his heartfelt rendition of Total Eclipse of the Heart.
“I’ve fought countless stand users and defeated an immortal vampire. Karaoke is nothing.”
“T-that was awful,” Kakyoin wheezed, reaching out to squeeze Jotaro’s arm as the larger man sat down at their table with a thump. The brunet huffed in response and instinctively lowered his hat over his eyes, trying to hide the blush that was quickly spreading across his cheeks.
“Don’t forget that It was your idea to come to this stupid place,” Jotaro grumped, leaning back on his chair and placing one broad hand on the table for balance. Kakyoin withdrew his arm to wipe at a tear that threatened to fall down his cheek.
“I know, Jojo. Don’t think that I’m going to be any better.” He smiled then, Jotaro’s eyes meeting his own from underneath his hat. “I appreciate that you even went up there at all.” The larger man snorted and drummed his fingers on the cheap plastic surface of the table. Kakyoin snickered and grabbed his beer, swallowing the last of it in a single gulp.
“My turn’s next. Don’t worry, you can laugh at me all you want once I come back.” The redhead winked at Jotaro as he got up and sauntered through throngs of drunk people to the front of the bar. Jotaro watched him go - his eyes lingering a little too long on Kakyoin’s backside - and sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. The smaller man was probably the only person in the entire universe who could get him to sing in public. Although, he had kind of brought it upon himself with the whole bragging about being able to take on anything speech.
Kakyoin had the mic now and turned to wave happily at Jotaro, who gave a two-fingered salute in return. And, as he watched Kakyoin roll his head from side to side in preparation for the song, he realized just how deep his feelings for this man went. They had literally been to Hell and back together.
Jotaro hoped that they’d be able to take on their future together, too.
Several years later, Kakyoin awakened to a dark room. He blinked once, twice, and then yawned as he stretched out on his bed until the tips of his toes were touching the edge of the mattress. It was obviously still the wee hours of the morning, so the redhead wasn’t quite sure why he had already woken up. Rubbing at an eye with one hand, he threw the other across the bed with the expectation that it would land on his boyfriend’s sleeping chest. Instead, he was met with emptiness. Kakyoin curled his slender fingers into the blankets; the sheets were still warm under his touch.
“Jotaro must have gone to take a piss or something,” the redhead figured as he snuggled deeper into his fluffy pillow. He was just about to drift off again when he heard something faint through the stillness. It sounded like a voice, but it was too soft for Kakyoin to be sure. He rose to a sitting position, brows furrowed as he strained to figure out what that noise was. It was definitely coming from somewhere down the hallway. Tucking his long bang behind his ear, Kakyoin stood and padded to the bedroom door, which had been left ajar. He slipped out into the hall, the moonlight from his room illuminating the way in front of him. The redhead paused again — there was definitely a voice, and it was coming from the room next to the one he shared with his boyfriend. Kakyoin smiled and curled his toes into the carpet.
Less than a year ago, Jotaro had been blessed with a daughter. Unfortunately for the Joestar, his relationship with the baby’s mother was strained, and they had soon separated. It wasn’t long after that Kakyoin had gotten back in touch with the brunet, and their old relationship had been rekindled with an intense, burning flame. The two had lost touch after Jotaro had moved to America to go to university, but neither could quite shake the feelings that they had shared so many years ago. When Jotaro had asked whether Kakyoin wanted to give their relationship another chance, the redhead didn’t even hesitate. He was deeply in love with the larger man, and he cherished the little girl, Jolyne, as if she were his own.
The room Kakyoin had stopped in front of was Jolyne’s nursery.
The redhead crept the remaining few steps between the two rooms. The door to the baby’s room wasn’t closed all the way, which explained why he could hear the mystery noise even from bed. He raised one hand up and placed it gently on the door, listening to what was clearly Jotaro’s voice drifting from the other side.
“If you'll be my star I'll be your sky. You can hide underneath me and come out at night.”
Kakyoin withdrew his hand and placed it against his chest instead, moving a little so he could peek into Jolyne’s nursery. Jotaro was in the corner of the room by the baby’s crib, sitting on a wooden rocking chair that was much too small for his bulky frame. He didn’t seem to mind though, as he slowly rocked back and forth with Jolyne tucked into the crook of his arm. Kakyoin could see that her small hands were wound tightly into two small fists that rested near her chubby cheeks. One of Jotaro’s thick fingers was caught inside the baby’s grasp.
“When I turn jet black, and you show off your light,” he continued, gazing fondly at Jolyne’s sleepy face. There was enough moonlight in the room that Kakyoin could tell Jotaro was smiling. His voice was full of such love and emotion — the redhead had never heard his boyfriend sing like that. Warmth filled his chest as he watched the sweet scene unfold in front of him. Jotaro may seem stoic and unemotional, but he cared deeply about his friends and family. Kakyoin felt privileged to be able to see Jotaro as he really was: a caring partner, doting father, and wonderful person. A prickling at his eyes signaled that Kakyoin had begun to tear up. He ran a palm over his scarred eyelids, making sure to collect any tears before they could actually fall. Jotaro may be terrible at karaoke, but hearing him sing to their daughter was the most beautiful thing in the world.
Taking a step back, Kakyoin decided that he had been spying for long enough. He turned around and began heading back to their room, the gentle melody trailing after him.
“I live to let you shine.”