Chapter Text
Jotaro hasn’t been home in days. Kakyoin limped back and forth in their bedroom. The man left straight from his trip back to Miami, determined to get to Jolyne without even coming home first. ‘I love you’ was the last thing Jotaro said over the phone before hanging up without giving Kakyoin the chance to say anything back. ‘Just like his damn teenage years.’ Jotaro’s absence and Jolyne's entire situation with prison- which she rambled to him on the brink of tears over a prisoner pay phone- was growing too much to handle. The whole situation was nauseating, and Kakyoin felt utterly useless, which only added to the stress. Hierophant Green hovered over him, its hand worriedly on its user’s back, rubbing its thumb against a metal spine. His legs throbbed and ached from the stress and pacing, screaming for rest, so his stand practically dragged him to a nearby couch. He reluctantly slumped against the cushions and pushed his glasses up with both hands, pinching the bridge of his nose.
The red-haired man didn’t know where to go or who to turn to, which only frustrated him more. Polnareff and Abdul were basically MIA - neither of them answered their house phone anymore - and the rest of his friends and family were in Japan. And now, his husband and daughter were gone, with Kakyoin receiving no calls or updates about either of them. He was far too old to be whimpering and weeping like a child, but he was damn near in tears just from exhaustion.
He was so absorbed in his thoughts that when the phone near the kitchen rang throughout the house, Kakyoin flinched harshly. A glowing tendril snaked towards the landline before retreating and handing it off to Kakyoin. Hierophant Green kept its arms around his shoulders as he held the phone to his ear.
“Hello?” He mumbled in Japanese, then tried again: “Hello?” this time in English.
“Good afternoon, is this Noriaki Kakyoin?” A foreign voice came through, totally butchering his name, but after years of living in the US, Kakyoin couldn’t bring himself to care anymore. Especially not now, when it felt like all the energy in his body had been drained away.
“Yes, this is him. Why?” he asked, rubbing his temple.
“Good. We’re with the Speedwagon Foundation, which you should be familiar with. We have a UUV located at a nearby beach in Miami. Your daughter told us to contact you - we have your husband, Jotaro Kujo,” the woman on the phone said.
The energy Kakyoin had lost came back like a flood, and he shot upright, Hierophant’s grip tightening. “Give me the address.”
Kakyoin tried endlessly to calm his nerves. But they were beyond shot by this point, and he didn’t exactly know what to expect when reuniting with Jotaro. Years of trips that sometimes lasted weeks or months, and Jotaro finally coming back home, only for something to happen again. He wasn’t exactly nervous to see Jotaro, but unspoken tension had grown between them for the last few years. It wasn’t that he hated Jotaro, of course he didn't, but the man had tested his nerves one too many times. And years of trying to reassure a little girl who was just as angry had become redundant and exhausting. As much as he was silently angry with the man, he still had unconditional love for Jotaro as well, which came with decades of being through unimaginable things with each other and growing and healing together.
Kakyoin wasn’t sure whether he planned to hug or slap the shit out of him.
He would get his answer quickly when he walked further into the UUV, after being politely greeted by the few workers, and spotted Jotaro’s slouched figure on a bed. The man was covered in wiring and tubes that Kakyoin didn’t understand. Jotaro didn’t stir at all, only taking deep breaths as if he was sleeping. He looked calm and at ease, a face Kakyoin hadn’t ever seen on him, and it deeply disturbed him.
“According to Miss Jolyne, Dr. Kujo was hit by a Stand attack. His memory was taken from him, that’s why he’s in this coma-like state,” one of the employees explained calmly, to Kakyoin’s stunned silence.
“Your daughter is trying to retrieve those memories as we speak,” the employee continued, walking past him to the employee on the other side of the UUV.
They started their own conversation, but Kakyoin didn’t care to listen. He was only focused on his still, quiet husband. Knowing the context of his state deeply hurt him, but he found little relief in the fact that the man wasn’t terribly injured or on the brink of death. Well…he wasn't dead, but the way he slouched over made him sure as hell look like it. His grip on his cane tightened until his knuckles turned white.
He walked closer to Jotaro, his cane clinking against the metal floor, instinctively reaching for his face.
“WAIT! WAIT! DON’T TOUCH HIM!” The employees yelled, flailing their arms in distress, with panic flooding their faces.
“Why?” Kakyoin asked, his eyebrow quirking upward. No one was gonna tell him what he could and could not do, especially when it came to his husband, but he was still incredibly curious about the reason for their panic.
“He got his stand back a few days ago. The thing is a damn beast! It won’t let anyone even get close to him. Two of our guys already have broken bones from just trying to fix the wiring,” one explained, sweat forming on the side of his forehead.
Kakyoin looked back at the unconscious Kujo, retracting his hand but keeping it elevated. He sighed deeply, glancing at Jotaro’s raised hand. Slowly, he moved his own towards it, Hierophant Green appearing behind him with its hands on his shoulders, its fingers flexing anxiously. The employees backed themselves into a corner, preparing to watch the crippled man get his face bashed in by a beast of a stand.
Kakyoin settled his hand into Jotaro’s palm as Star Platinum appeared immediately above him. The employees squeaked as the Stand’s angry, teal eyes bore into Kakyoin’s desperate, lavender ones. It stared back and forth between Kakyoin and Hierophant Green silently. Something in its eyes changed, and Star Platinum disappeared just as quickly as it had deployed. Kakyoin let out a somber sigh of relief, squeezing Jotaro’s still hand.
“Fascinating…” he heard an employee mumble.
A phone on one of the walls of the UUV vibrated, grabbing everybody’s attention. One of the employees grabbed it, mumbling words of acknowledgment before moving it away from her ear.
“It’s your daughter, Mr. Kakyoin,” she explained.
Kakyoin raised an eyebrow but immediately raised his hand for her to hand off the phone.
“Jolyne?” he asked.
“Otōchan! Holy shit, thank god you answered!” She cried through the phone. Her tone sounded tired but hopeful. Kakyoin could hear the relieved smile beaming on his daughter's face.
“Jolyne! Is everything okay? Where are you?” he asked, not attempting to hide the concern in his voice.
“We’re heading to Cape Canaveral, the space station! You hear me? Meet us there!” She answered. “Please, Dad. I need you,” she added quietly, desperate.
“I’ll be there,” he answered with no hesitation. “Luckily for you, I don’t think I’m that far. Just hang on, honey,” he added, handing off the phone.
He gave a parting squeeze to Jotaro’s hand before grabbing his cane and heading for the entrance to the UUV.
“Are you leaving, sir?” one of the employees asked.
“Of course. I’m sick and tired of twiddling my thumbs like a fool while my family is in danger,” he answered, straightening his coat.
“Then good luck,” he said, nodding.
“Just please do your job and help him,” Kakyoin pointed subtly to Jotaro, “please.”
“We’ll do all we can, sir,” He answered, the typical response you always get from doctors when your family is in critical danger. He looked over to Jotaro one last time before turning back and leaving.