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1.
It had been weeks since he gained this new… power. This whole Stand business. To be honest, Jotaro didn’t really care much about the intricacies of Stands—as long as he had the power to save his mother.
Speaking of his mother, it was this Stand thing that put her into this situation in the first place. Mystical powers, stone masks, and vampires be damned, Jotaro just wanted it all to be over. The fights just draining him, despite his grandfather and newfound friends encouraging him throughout.
I just need to reach Egypt now, Jotaro thought. I just need to beat the shit out of Dio, get Mom back up, and then go back to boring school.
He tried not to think about the near-death experiences he had till then, how he might die trying to save Holly. It was difficult shaking the fear the settled over his mind.
“Ora.”
A word snapped into Jotaro’s attention.
He sat up from his hotel bed, where he got the single room this time, and regarded Star Platinum silently. From what Jotaro could gather from the rest of his group, Stands don’t usually manifest without the user’s permission. But Star had been constantly appearing even without Jotaro’s consent.
Isn’t Star Platinum supposed to be part of my soul or whatever?
With a heavy sigh, Jotaro flopped back down to the bed.
“I don’t have time for you,” he told his Stand.
A soft shuffling sound, then Jotaro felt his right hand being encased in something warm. He glanced to his right, where Star was cradling his right hand in his own two big hands. Star brought his hand up and nearer to his face, and, before Jotaro could react, kissed his knuckles.
“What—” Jotaro pulled his hand away from Star as if he was burned.
Star merely stared back at Jotaro, face serious and eyes piercing into Jotaro’s eyes.
“Tch,” with the click of his tongue, Jotaro turned over to the left and shut his eyes, willing himself to go to sleep already. He could still feel Star’s gaze over him, watching over him and protecting him.
What a strange guy, Jotaro thought as he drifted to sleep.
2.
Dio was defeated.
Grandfather Joseph was alive.
Kakyoin, Iggy, and Avdol were dead.
Dio was defeated.
His mother was fine; walking around, doing laundry, preparing his lunch bentos… He never used to take them to school, but ever since Jotaro got back from Egypt, he accepted the bentos, to the surprised gasp of his mother and the curve of her smile.
A week into school and Jotaro found himself sitting at the back of the school building in isolation, munching on his bento. He knew Holly’s cooking skills were impeccable, and she even added his favourite spices and sauces, but it tasted bland in his mouth for some reason.
School was difficult. Jotaro found it hard to focus on anything for too long, mind drifting away to blankness. Writing, reading, and calculating anything made his brain hurt, made his mind numb.
With the last swallow of his lunch, Jotaro opted to looking up at the blue sky, framed by pretty trees growing nearby. The school bell rang, but Jotaro didn’t move. His heart squeezed and ached when he heard a dog barking from outside the school. Breathing seemed harder somehow, and everything was heavy.
He felt more than saw Star drawing out of his body.
It was something Jotaro expected. Star had been appearing every day since he got back home. Most of the time, Star would sit quietly next to Jotaro, shoulders close enough to brush, making Jotaro feel a little less alone.
This time, Jotaro felt Star’s arms go around him. He raised his head to find his chin resting on Star’s shoulder.
Star was hugging him. It was the first time he ever did that.
Jotaro opened his mouth to question it, but nothing came out. He ended up remaining quiet while basking in the warmness of his Stand.
Star pulled back after a minute, and instead of going by Jotaro’s side to sit, he craned his neck upward and removed Jotaro’s cap. At Jotaro’s confused frown, Star planted a kiss right on his forehead.
Then, he retreated to sitting beside Jotaro, looking up at the sky.
Jotaro didn’t say anything, and watched the clouds with Star, feeling lighter.
3.
It was fun being at the aquarium. Taking notes after notes about the different species of fishes, watching the fish swim quietly, enjoying the dark lighting of the aquarium and the neon glow of the tanks… Jotaro felt at ease. It was hypnotic, the way fishes swam and jellyfishes floated, all quiet and not demanding.
Breathing was easier now; now that he had the marine life to distract him from heavy thoughts. After the aquarium, Jotaro left for the nearby beach. He spent his entire summer holiday before his third high school year pouring over marine biology books, visiting the aquarium, and taking pictures of the ocean.
On this last day of his holiday, Jotaro sat by the empty beach at night, having brought his own portable lamp to shine light on his notebook, as he sketched out several marine creatures from his camera. The idea of going back to school wasn’t daunting anymore. If anything, Jotaro now had a clear path in his mind—he was going to university and majoring in marine biology.
Star was by his side, as was the usual these days. He never seemed to retreat into Jotaro anymore. Jotaro didn’t mind; Star was quiet and kept out of Jotaro’s way. Sometimes, he would even fetch Jotaro things that were just two metres away. And Jotaro would talk to Star.
“School tomorrow, huh?” Jotaro said, looking out at the ocean. The cool ocean breeze blew past him, a comfort to his skin.
“Ora.”
Jotaro turned to look into Star’s eyes as his Stand leaned closer to place a kiss on Jotaro’s cheek.
4.
‘Unhealthy’, ‘psychological damage’, ‘dangerous’, ‘troubled’.
Jotaro kept those words in his head on the morning of his wedding.
Star’s eyes never looked as sparkling as they did then. Jotaro stayed deathly still as Star leaned in to kiss his nose, like a simple farewell, then faded away for the first time after four years.
5.
Morioh was becoming much more complicated than Jotaro had anticipated. He supposed that he shouldn’t be surprised—anything Stand-related was bound to be more than a simple trip.
Having to call Star out after all those years was… a little awkward. Was it weird to feel awkward with your Stand? Jotaro thought it should be considered weird.
Star was aloof—like he hadn’t known Jotaro for a long time, hadn’t known Jotaro’s fears and weaknesses and likes and dislikes for years. He only came out when summoned, to throw a few punches and even stop time (something that unnerved Jotaro to no end when he used it).
However, after today’s rat-hunting with Josuke, Star appeared right in his hotel suite as Jotaro shut the door. Star went for Jotaro’s hands, cradling it like he did before so many years ago. Jotaro bit his tongue and kept his mouth shut, lest he said something stupid like “I missed you”.
Star looked over Jotaro’s hands over and over, then at his face, concern written all over furrowed brow and down-turned mouth. Jotaro could feel the thoughts running off Star’s body.
You almost died.
You almost died, again. Ten years later and you almost died again.
It was overwhelming, and Jotaro collapsed into Star’s embrace.
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” he mumbled over and over into Star’s chest. The grip on Jotaro’s back was tight.
When Star pulled Jotaro back to kiss him fully on the lips, Jotaro could feel wetness against his cheek. He wasn’t sure if it was his or Star’s.
+1
The Christmas party at the Higashikatas had one simple rule imposed by Josuke: Do not mention Joseph. That, and the unspoken rule of “never diss Josuke’s hairstyle”.
The party went surprisingly smoothly; with so many Stand users gathered in one place, Jotaro couldn’t help but feel a little on edge. He left the Higashikata’s place early. He was sure that Josuke would’ve appreciated it too, with the way him and that Okuyasu kid had been exchanging adoring glances at each other. They had been that way ever since Kira Yoshikage’s death.
Jotaro kept his eyes on the ground as he left for the Morioh beach.
When he reached a nearby bench by the sea, Star materialised beside him. They sat in silence for a while, watching the ocean waves go back and forth.
“I’m still married,” Jotaro said, his eyes still fixed on the waves. He could feel Star’s movement on his right. A warm hand enveloped his, squeezing gently.
I know.
“I’ll… figure something out,” Jotaro assured. “I’ll—” He finally turned to face Star, his words dying in his throat.
Star looked so serene; the soft glow of his body, the glitter in his eyes, and the small, patient smile on his face. He had always been Jotaro’s anchor, his silent protector, the one who was there to nudge Jotaro back to school—back to life. With a surge of emotion, Jotaro pulled Star closer by his scarf and kissed him.
Star stiffened only for a moment before relaxing against Jotaro, his hand going to rest against Jotaro’s neck. It felt right, for Star to hold him so close and precious.
As Jotaro pulled away, he whispered, “Just stay by my side.”
The curl of the fingers against his neck and the tightening hold over his hand was enough.