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There were many things Joseph expected when he walked through the door of his apartment. His wife greeting him, or maybe some food. Possibly even a discussion about how his day went.
He certainly didn’t expect to see a bloodstained man beside Suzi as she hummed an upbeat tune in the kitchen.
She seemed to be completely unaware of his presence as she flitted about the kitchen, looking for this and that to cook dinner with. Occasionally, the somewhat-transparent bloody man would wait until she wasn’t looking before silently placing the thing she needed on the counter, where she would see it and then chide herself for not noticing it earlier.
Joseph was about ready to confront this figure, or question Suzi over how she hadn’t called emergency services yet. But more than that…it might’ve just been his faulty memory talking, but that man had an uncanny resemblance to-
The sound of a bird’s caw behind Joseph startled him, and he whirled around to see Magician’s Red, his friend Avdol’s power, summoned and ready for battle.
Avdol stepped to stand beside Joseph, his eyes focused on the figure in the kitchen. He’d received an invitation to dinner after a long day of helping the older man with the new power he’d suddenly acquired – his Stand, he believed it was called – but it was clear that the strange bloody man was out of place here too.
Suzi suddenly noticed their footsteps, turning to the pair at the door. “Oh, Joseph! And you brought Avdol too? How wonderful!” she chirped. “Dinner will be soon. I sent Roses to clean the upstairs, so you two can rest on the couch until it’s ready.
Evidently, she could not see the figure beside her.
“Hey, Suzi,” Joseph began. “Could you pour some drinks for us? Nothing alcoholic though, Avdol can’t have it.”
“Oh, sure! Let me see what we have…”
Suzi went to the fridge to see what kind of drinks they kept – moving her away from the bloody man as Joseph planned, effectively keeping her out of the crossfire of what might follow.
And what followed were rope-like flames slashing towards the bloody man, who realized the danger just in time to jump out of the way.
The man’s appearance, the way he jumped inhumanly high – there was no mistaking it. No, Joseph should have realized it the moment he’d seen the man. The blood threw him off, but that person had to be-!
The man retaliated by throwing a cluster of small, wisp-like discs towards the door. Joseph and Avdol ran to dodge them.
Suzi watched them all, quickly catching on that something was happening that she couldn’t see. “Why is it suddenly so hot in here?” she murmured, frowning at the two panicking men.
Avdol quickly took a fighting stance, Magician’s Red floating right behind him, and the fiery ropes of “Red Bind” shot towards the man again. The man dodged the first pair of flames, but didn’t notice a third creeping swiftly along the floor.
The man was quickly wrapped up in the rope, and was slammed to the ground. A guttural cry of pain came from the man, and Joseph’s heart felt like it was twisting in his chest.
Suzi continued watching Joseph and Avdol suspiciously, looking back and forth to figure out what was happening.
Avdol noticed her staring, and nodded to her in acknowledgement. “My apologies, Madam Joestar. There was simply a ‘pest’ in your home that I needed to catch. I will get rid of it in a moment.”
“Wha- WAIT! Wait!” Joseph suddenly shouted, startling the other two. “I recognize him! He’s not a threat, just let him go!”
“Mr. Joestar…are you quite sure?” Avdol warned, his eyes wide. “With all due respect, you can never be too cautious with spirits-”
Suzi’s gasp interrupted his words. The men looked at her, and then where she was looking. The bound spirit on the ground was slowly losing his transparency, almost appearing alive if it weren’t for his wounds.
“Is that-? It couldn’t be…” Suzi breathed. “Caesar…? Joseph, can you see him too?”
“It seems that he’s decided to reveal himself,” Avdol observed. “He must have bound himself to her. She would not have been able to see him otherwise.”
“Yeah, clear as day,” Joseph answered Suzi. He then looked at Avdol. “I promise, he’s not any kind of spy or anything. Let him go.”
“…Are you sure? He might be an imposter using your memory of him,” Avdol pointed out.
“No, that’s not possible. Neither of us saw the wounds he endured before he died. It would be impossible to fake those…especially when I imagined them to be much worse.”
Avdol nodded and snapped his fingers. The flames around Caesar disappeared, and the tension went out of the spirit as he groaned. Avdol took a step back, looking at Joseph and giving him a nod.
Joseph took a deep breath and took a few steps forward. He knelt down beside Caesar, who was struggling to push himself up on his arms.
“Caesar? Is that really you?” he hesitantly asked. His heart was starting to pound faster. “I…I probably shouldn’t bother asking. I should have known you’d be watching over me and Suzi. I just thought you’d be doing it from Heaven.”
With some effort (and a bit of quiet grumbling), Caesar finally looked up at him. The breath was knocked out of Joseph as his eyes met the bright green he’d long since forgotten. Without thinking, he offered Caesar his hand.
Caesar took his hand, and put a hand on Joseph’s shoulder as he helped him to his feet again. When Joseph next looked at Caesar, he was smiling at him.
“I guess it’s been a while, Jojo. For you, that is,” Caesar said. Despite being covered in blood and dishevelled from head to toe, as well as those condescending words, his eyes and smile held nothing but warmth for him.
A second later, Joseph flung himself forward and wrapped Caesar in his arms. It had been so long since the day he watched Caesar storm off to the hotel, never to return. He’d forgotten his face, his voice, all the little details that made him love Caesar in the first place.
He buried his face in Caesar’s shoulder, practically squeezing the life out of him (if he were alive, that is). He heard a small chuckle before a pair of arms embraced him, one arm wrapping around his back and the other playing with his hair.
A clatter of footsteps hurried closer. “Caesar, you jerk! Don’t leave me out!” Suzi protested with a hoarse voice.
With a snort of amusement, Caesar opened his arms and let her in. She squeezed between the two men, happily letting herself be pressed up against Caesar. Her smaller arms hugged Caesar’s midsection. Joseph moved his head a bit, her hair was tickling his neck.
Avdol watched them with a smile. “I suppose you attached yourself to them as your anchor to the world of the living? Besides Stand users, only monks and those spirits bind themselves to can see them. When they want to be seen, that is.”
Caesar glared at Avdol from the side of his eye. He was certainly not happy about being suddenly attached and having his cover blown to the idiots he loved. The only thing keeping Caesar from retaliating was Joseph, who seemed to be friends with that man.
He looked down at the pair sobbing on his arms. This was exactly why he didn’t want to reveal himself. Just seeing him again would only re-open old wounds, or so he believed.
He could always just solve the problem by detaching himself and letting himself pass on to whatever came next. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He loved them too much to think of leaving them. Just watching them live as a happy family, something he couldn’t do in life, made him fulfilled.
“Well, I’ll leave you be. This seems more important than our dinner,” Avdol decided, either having got the hint from Caesar’s glaring or just out of politeness. “Please give me a call later, and we can sort things out then.”
The fortune teller left, and Caesar’s attention turned back to Joseph and Suzi. The sensation of his very soul burning didn’t hurt as much right now, even when the pair held him so tightly.
“Caesar! Hey, Caesar!”
Caesar hurried along the boardwalks of the outdoor hallway, trying to follow Joseph’s voice. He’d been taken along to Japan under the excuse of Joseph properly introducing Caesar to their daughter and grandson. Thankfully, Suzi had bought that excuse.
But not only did Caesar end up wrapped up in a strange situation, but he had to watch as Joseph and Suzi’s daughter (and technically his own, he supposed) fell sick under her own Stand’s power. Avdol had hypothesized that she had only fifty days to live and was researching a picture of a fly, and Joseph and Jotaro had been in and out of Holly’s bedroom all day. This was the first time Caesar had been spoken to since this morning.
Caesar quickly found where Joseph was, hurrying over to him. “What is it? Did it get worse?!”
“No, thank heavens,” Joseph sighed. “Listen, I need you to do me a favour.”
“A favour?”
“I need you to go home and protect Suzi.”
Caesar’s eyes widened. “What?!”
“I know you’re as eager to kill DIO as the rest of us. But DIO wants to eliminate the Joestar family – all of us. Suzi and Roses…they don’t have Stands. They can’t protect themselves from whatever DIO might send after them.”
Caesar grit his teeth. He knew that Joseph’s logic was sound, but he certainly didn’t like it.
“So, where do I come in? I can’t fight Stands either.”
“But you can see them. And we haven’t confirmed that you can’t fight them. You always stayed away from Magician’s Red after that first fiasco,” Joseph chuckled.
Caesar rolled his eyes. “Get to the point.”
Joseph cleared his throat. “What I’m trying to say… Well, you’re our last line of defence. If this goes south, then Holly, Jotaro, and I are dead. My daughter’s useless husband is off who-knows-where, he probably won’t be hurt if he isn’t found. But Suzi and Roses will at least have you to spot any threats, and in a worst-case scenario, defend them.”
“I…I see,” Caesar muttered. His fists were clenched at his sides. “You better not die yet, you bastard.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t. I’ll come back home, and our family will be safe,” Joseph promised. “Just don’t tell Suzi about this.”
“What…?!”
“She already worries too much about things, you know how she is. If she knew that we were risking our lives again, she’d be inconsolable. She might even put herself in danger. Please, please, you can’t tell her.”
Caesar stared at him with a mixture of incredulity and reluctance. Even if Joseph had good ideas when it came to emergency situations, he was basically asking Caesar to risk breaking Suzi’s trust by keeping his secret. Not to mention, the Ripple warriors on Air Supplena had agreed to keep Suzi out of the loop about the Pillar Men back then, and look where it got them.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be back before she gets the chance to fret about me missing the charity concert,” Joseph joked, putting a hand on Caesar’s shoulder.
Finally, Caesar sighed. “Alright. I won’t tell her.”
“Thank you.” Joseph stepped forward and gave Caesar a hug. “I’ll trust that you’ll be able to keep the trains running on time in Manhattan.”
“Tch. Do you really think so little of me? It should go without saying that I can,” Caesar teased back, albeit with a voice devoid of mirth.
“Right, right. But really, thank you, Caesar. I know you can protect them. I wouldn’t trust anyone else for this job.”
“…Really?”
“Of course.”
When Joseph moved back a bit, Caesar could see his bright eyes and trusting smile so clearly. It made something inside him writhe in pain, despite his spiritual body.
He knew that Joseph and Suzi still loved him, trusting him and treating him as an equal despite all the years the pair had with each other…but he was sure that he didn’t deserve it. He condemned himself to an excruciating death by not protecting them properly, and by not listening to his comrades’ warnings. Even after death, his spirit was marred with grisly wounds for his failure.
In his current state, even just moving around was exhausting. He was jealous of the ghosts who couldn’t or chose not to recall their own deaths, the lucky ones with minimal or no wounds. But for Caesar, who had lived and died with pride, his wounds would never go away. At least, not until the day he passed on.
But Joseph moved back to hug him despite his appearance, squeezing him and burying his face in his neck like he never wanted to let go. Caesar put his arms around him and held him close in return. He knew that as soon as he was sent away, Joseph would be going into danger again. This time, Caesar wouldn’t be able to watch over him.
He tries putting up some last-minute protests, despite the promises he made, but Joseph quelled them with some neck kisses and more promises to return safely. Soon afterwards, DIO’s location was found, and they parted at the airport.
Caesar hid in the cargo hold until the plane touched down, then quickly left before the workers could come. In no time, he was back at the Joestar loft in Manhattan. Suzi and Roses were there, though only she could see him.
“Oh, Caesar! Welcome home!” She ran up and hugged him.
Ushing down his rising guilt, Caesar braced himself against the (relatively small) impact as he laughed. “I missed you too, bella.”
“So tell me, how did the trip go? And…where’s Joseph? Is he not with you?”
Caesar shrugged. “He saw that I was getting bored and sent me home early,” he lied. “He was probably tired of having to find a way to talk to me without people getting suspicious.”
In the corner of the room, Roses gave them an odd look but said nothing. The family butler couldn’t see Caesar, but he did know that he was there. Caesar gave him a hand with chores when he wasn’t giving attention to Joseph and Suzi.
“Ah, what a pity. Personally, those meetings of his are rather boring,” Suzi replied, thankfully buying his story. “But you’re home now, so we get to spend a little more time together!”
“Indeed we do. Did you have anything in mind?” He playfully booped her nose. “Don’t lie. I know you’re thinking up something.”
Suzi giggled. “Well, I was thinking of looking through some of our old movies. We still need to catch you up!”
Suzi had ignored the fact that Caesar had technically seen it with them when they first watched those movies, but she’d argued back that it was a different experience when you watch the movies with somebody. He didn’t have the heart to complain.
“At least we won’t have to endure Jojo’s snoring halfway through,” Caesar joked, remembering their previous viewing of Lawrence of Arabia.
“Well, how about we watch Blues Brothers? I know Joseph’s been dying to show you how music’s changed from back then, so this’ll be a good starting point!”
With the secret he was forced to keep, seeing Suzi so enthusiastic was near-maddening. If something happened to Joseph, then Caesar would be hurt doubly – from the death itself, and from Suzi’s despair. He’s had a happy afterlife so far, but if anything happened to his partners, he was sure he’d lose his mind.
Caesar smiled, letting go of Suzi. “Let’s go find the VHS tapes, then.”
Suzi found out eventually. Caesar wasn’t too surprised in the end.
Despite his, Roses’s, Joseph’s, and Holly’s combined efforts, Suzi got suspicious and went to Japan to see her daughter. It was there when she found out the truth…no, she’d already guessed it a while ago.
As Holly slept on her futon, hooked up to a dozen different machines, Caesar sat beside Suzi at her bedside.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized yet again. Suzi didn’t turn her eyes from Holly, saying nothing. “Joseph told me to say nothing. He promised he’d return.”
Suzi slowly nodded. “I’m sure he will. I have faith in him and Jotaro,” she replied.
The room went quiet again. Caesar looked down at his lap. God, why was this happening?
“I’m not surprised he told you not to say anything. But I don’t think my husband and daughter were working together. They just didn’t want me to worry.”
Suzi’s sudden words made Caesar raise his head. “That’s just like them, huh?”
“It’s just like you, too,” she replied. “Don’t play dumb. You didn’t just agree to keep the secret just for the sake of keeping a secret. You did the same thing back then, too.”
Caesar narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”
“Before you left for Switzerland. You made all those empty promises, and so did Joseph. But only he was able to keep them. It wasn’t your fault, but…well, you left me waiting for a while.”
Caesar nodded, looking down again. “It’s not fair,” he murmured. “I embraced my destiny, but Joseph and Jotaro shouldn’t have to. Why are the cruellest fates given to people who don’t deserve it?”
“That’s just the way it is, mio caro. All we can do is pray for their safety.” Suzi reached over and placed her hand on top of Caesar’s, giving it a squeeze for reassurance.
Eight painful days of waiting passed, with Caesar dreading that every moment would be the end, until Holly suddenly woke up. Her excitement made Caesar scared that she was undergoing terminal lucidity, but the Speedwagon Foundation doctors thankfully declared her completely cured.
Caesar and Suzi had cried tears of relief together, and even harder when the Joestar men came back from their adventure. There was grief in their eyes that Caesar didn’t miss, and the absence of the other men that had been at the airport was noted as well. But that didn’t stop Joseph from sweeping everyone into his arms in a big group hug.
Later, Jotaro stole away Holly for more comfort in private, giving Suzi and Caesar some time to scold the daylights out of Joseph for his recklessness. He took it in stride and kissed them, which did not make their scolding lighten any.
After that incident, Joseph and Suzi quickly managed their finances and properly retired. After an exciting life full of equal joy and misery, they were just grateful to be alive. With their families avenged, the three of them could settle into a peaceful daily life together.
As much as Caesar loved spending time with his partners, the hardest part was to watch them wither away. Time was a merciless captor, and Caesar was already forced to watch them grow older without him.
Nowadays, he could take solace in the fact that he was a proper part of the family again. When Joseph’s memory started failing, Caesar was the one Jotaro came to when he needed to discuss business regarding Stands and the Ripple. Caesar could practice making recipes on the Joestars’ unlimited budget, and took over all the chores and caretaking when Roses finally retired. Every day was just more proof of his devotion, and his insecurities of not deserving their love diminished little by little.
Helping Joseph sort through his will was a bleak affair – even if it meant he’d soon get to spend the rest of his afterlife with Joseph, he didn’t want to watch the man he loved pass away – so he enlisted Jotaro to help him.
And it was Jotaro who broke the news to everyone about Joseph’s infidelity.
As Suzi raged against her cheating husband, Caesar could only stand to the side and watch disapprovingly. He sided with Suzi, of course, and hated what Joseph had done to his family. But he couldn’t say anything.
Caesar had known about the affair for a long time, remembering it even when Joseph forgot. But Avdol had blown his cover only a year before the Egypt incident, and that year was wrought with tension. Not only were they adapting to have Caesar around to house, but Joseph was still investigating DIO. He didn’t want to disrupt a crucial time for action, nor did he want to ruin Suzi’s worry and relief before and after the incident. In the happy decade they spent together, Caesar still remained silent, pretending to himself that he didn’t acknowledge it. This time, it was his guilt at the idea of ruining his lovers’ hard-earned peace. Truly, Jotaro was a much stronger man than Caesar could ever be.
Joseph eventually went to Morioh after Jotaro sent news about the Stand-creating bow and arrow there. Suzi asked Caesar to go with him; even if she was infuriated, she didn’t want the man dead. And so, accompanying his senile somewhat-husband, Caesar went to Morioh.
Josuke had been added to the inheritance rather quickly, but Caesar had been undeniably curious to see the boy. After a fiasco involving an invisible baby, he could see that Josuke was a kind-hearted boy with a golden spirit (and a strange hairdo).
When Josuke had seen him for the first time though, he had nearly ran up a tree to hide.
“What the- Oh shit, are you hurt?! Here, let me-!” Josuke quickly called out his Stand and touched Caesar, but nothing happened. “Huh? Why’s it not working? My Stand can repair almost anything…”
“Anything corporeal, I presume?” Caesar asked.
“Anything- Wait, huh?”
It took Josuke a few seconds before it clicked for him. He immediately backed up a few steps. “A GHOST?! I-I’m sorry, please don’t put a curse on me!”
“Now, now,” Joseph laughed, holding the baby in his arms. “There’s no need to be scared of him. I guess I need to give you a proper introduction: Josuke, this is Caesar Zeppeli!”
Josuke relaxed a bit, but only by a small margin. “You know him, old man?”
“Yep! He’s my lover!”
As Josuke made a face like he didn’t know whether his father was joking or not, Caesar dragged a hand down his face in exasperation. Stupid Jojo, he was making things more awkward than they needed to be.
Thankfully, Josuke had calmed down after that. In fact, prolonged exposure to the mutilated ghost that was Caesar (and a meeting with yet another restless spirit) helped him overcome his fear of ghosts entirely.
“Hey, Caesar,” Josuke asked one day. “Ghosts usually stick around because they have unfinished business, right? But, uh, you don’t seem like Reimi at all.”
“Hm?” Caesar raised an eyebrow.
“I-I mean, uh… I was just curious! Why have you stuck around this long? Is it for my old man or something?”
A small chuckle came out of him as Caesar looked to the sky. “For him, and for Suzi too,” he confessed. “Even when I’m dead, I can’t leave those idiots alone for one second.”
Josuke nodded in agreement. “I getcha, man. I’ve only known Dad for a couple weeks, and he’s already a whole bunch of trouble.”
With that point, Caesar could agree. But he didn’t mean it in that way.
Truthfully, he couldn’t bear to pull himself away from them. True friendship and a bond with alike people had changed his heart, and that same traitorous heart compelled him to only love them. He would never be able to leave, and he didn’t want to.
But, of course, he would never reveal that truth.