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1.
It hadn’t taken long for Jotaro to realize that Kakyoin was one strange guy. He could blabber on and on about practically anything, not fazed in the slightest when Jotaro didn’t respond apart from the occasional grunt in acknowledgement.
Kakyoin would look so excited whenever he was talking, his face lighting up whenever their very one-sided conversation steered towards a subject he was interested in. Normally Jotaro didn’t like having to listen to others speak, preferring to sit in silence. But with Kakyoin, he didn’t really mind it. Kakyoin’s voice was quite soothing to listen to, and getting to hear his native tongue being spoken while on a trip to the other side of the earth was comforting, even though Jotaro would never admit it out loud.
Plus, Kakyoin had been brainwashed by Dio for several months, and this was probably the first time in a while that he had been able to express himself freely. So who was Jotaro to deny him that opportunity? He may be an asshole, but not even he was that much of an asshole.
Every now and then Kakyoin would glance over at him, shooting him a bright smile whenever he caught Jotaro looking, causing Jotaro to quickly avert his gaze. Whenever Kakyoin was looking directly at him with those bright, almost violet-looking eyes Jotaro started feeling strange. Kakyoin had some strange ability to make his stomach flutter just by looking at him, but not in a bad way. If anything it only made Jotaro want to get closer to him, to get to know him even better.
But he immediately shot those wants down. Because those feelings were weird and he didn’t understand them, didn’t even want to understand them. So he just let Kakyoin keep talking, risking the occasional glance over at him just to watch him, all while telling himself that there was nothing out of the ordinary going on.
2.
The next time the strange feeling arose, Jotaro was a lot more certain of what it was. Butterflies. He had heard it described in both books and movies countless times, but had never experienced it for himself. But when Kakyoin’s head was resting against his shoulder in the cramped backseat of the car, Jotaro knew that it couldn’t be anything but the beginning stages of a crush just starting to develop.
He wasn’t sure if Kakyoin was asleep or if he was just resting. Neither of them had gotten much sleep the night before, as they had to get back on the road as soon as dawn broke. But Jotaro decided to stay as still as he possibly could, just in case, so as not to accidentally jostle Kakyoin awake.
But unfortunately that didn’t stop Polnareff from thrashing around in his sleep and knocking Kakyoin awake in the process.
Kakyoin let out an abrupt noise that sounded more like a kicked puppy than anything else, burrowing his face in Jotaro’s shoulder for a moment before straightening up. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the snoring Polnareff next to him, before turning his attention back to Jotaro.
“Polnareff being an annoying fuck as usual?” he asked as if to confirm his suspicions as to why he had gotten woken up so abruptly. His eyes were still heavy with sleep, his gaze unfocused and glassy.
“Yeah,” was all Jotaro managed to get out. He wanted to say so much more. He wanted to tell Kakyoin how cute he looked with his hair all messed up and tousled as he barely managed to stifle a yawn, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. But the words died in his throat before he could gather the courage to voice any of them out loud. Again.
Jotaro made a silent promise to himself that he would one day make sure to let Kakyoin know just how beautiful and ridiculously irresistible he found him. But today just wasn’t that day.
3.
Although Jotaro had been scared more times than he would like to admit during their journey, it all paled in comparison to the absolute terror that filled him to the very core when he saw Kakyoin, looking so unnaturally pale and absolutely covered in his own blood. He couldn’t do anything, just standing frozen in his spot as foundation staff shuffled around him, doing whatever they could to save Kakyoin from what looked like certain death.
Somehow, they actually managed to do it. Jotaro had no idea just how they did it, given how grave his injuries had been. But he knew that he would be thankful for their hard work for the rest of his life.
As he stepped into the hospital room, careful to not make any more sound than absolutely necessary, Jotaro felt almost as scared as he had when Kakyoin had first gotten injured. He still looked so weak and fragile where he laid in the hospital bed that looked too big for him, none of his usual strength and pride anywhere to be seen. Jotaro hated it. It felt as if he was about to slip away at any moment, even though it had been weeks since the attack, and the foundation staff had assured Jotaro that he was going to make it time and time again.
Jotaro could barely believe his ears when he had gotten the call, that he had been waiting for so long, that very morning- Kakyoin had finally woken up.
Jotaro must not have been as quiet as he had hoped, as Kakyoin’s eyes blinked open when he stepped closer to the bed. Jotaro stopped dead in his tracks, Kakyoin squinting at the brightness of the room. He seemed disoriented, looking at nothing in particular for a few moments before his eyes eventually fell on Jotaro standing by the side of his bed. His lips turned upward into a weak smile, one that Jotaro had believed he would never get to see again. He wanted to smile back to reassure him that everything would be alright, but he couldn’t, too afraid that he would start crying if he did.
“Hi,” Kakyoin said, his voice weak and rugged from not being used in so long.
“Hey,” Jotaro replied in a tone so gentle that he surprised even himself. “How are you holding up?”
He knew that it was probably a really dumb question, but he was desperate for any kind of confirmation that Kakyoin was okay, that everything was going to be alright.
“Tired,” his response was mumbled, eyes dropping shut for a few seconds before they were forced back open. “But alive.”
“Get some more sleep, we’ll talk more once you gather your strength,” Jotaro assured him, reaching out to give his hand a light squeeze. Kakyoin gave him another weak smile and a barely noticeable nod before letting his eyes drift shut again.
“Okay, see you later,” he mumbled before letting sleep claim him once more. Jotaro stood by for another few moments, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest to make sure he was still alive and breathing.
Kakyoin would be alright. If there was anyone who could get through something like this, it was him. Jotaro momentarily let his guard down, pressing a gentle kiss against his knuckles before carefully placing his hand back onto the blanket. He gave it one final squeeze before letting go, adjusting his hat to hide his growing blush from nobody in particular as he turned to leave the room.
4.
There were few things Jotaro loved as much as evenings like these- just him and Kakyoin, huddled together on his bed as they watched some random movie that Kakyoin had picked out for them. It always felt nice to have an excuse to be this close to him, Kakyoin’s arm brushing against his whenever he reached over to grab another handful of popcorn from the bowl in Jotaro’s lap, causing his heart to skip a beat.
Jotaro couldn’t help but hope that this all meant something. They didn’t have to sit this close to each other, after all, there was still lots of unoccupied space that Kakyoin could move over to if he wanted. But he didn’t. If he wanted to he could easily just turn his head and kiss him. He wondered how Kakyoin would react, if he would push him away or if he would perhaps kiss him back. Jotaro was too afraid of the answer to try and find out. For now he was just going to enjoy the closeness of Kakyoin’s warm body next to his.
“Hey Jojo.”
“Hm?”
“Do you have a crush on anyone?” Kakyoin asked with a smug grin, looking as if he had him all figured out. Jotaro did his best to keep his expression neutral, even though it felt like he was on the brink of having a heart attack.
“What?” Jotaro silently cursed himself out as he felt his face heat up. Reflexively he reached for his hat to hide behind it, realizing too late that he didn’t have it on. Kakyoin shot upright, eyes lighting up at this new information he had just uncovered.
“You do, don’t you?” he asked, moving in even closer than before, their knees now pressed together. “Who is it? Is she in our class? What’s she like?”
“I’m not answering any of that,” Jotaro muttered, trying his best to ignore Kakyoin and turn his attention back to the movie. But Kakyoin wasn’t having any of it.
“I’m not letting you off the hook that easy. Just tell me one fact about her and I’ll try and guess who it is,” Kakyoin practically pleaded with him. Even when Jotaro was looking anywhere but at him, it was hard to ignore the puppy eyes directed at him.
It would be so easy to confess right now, Kakyoin giving him the perfect opportunity practically gift wrapped. He could just say something cliché like ‘they have red hair’, or ‘they are in the room with me right now’, and it would be done. All he had to do was say a few words, and he would no longer have his secret crush plaguing his mind every waking hour of the day. Jotaro took a deep breath, readying himself for how this would play out.
“No.”
Jotaro mentally slapped himself as Kakyoin let out a disappointed sigh, flopping onto his back dramatically.
“I’ll make you tell me eventually, Jojo. Just you mark my words,” Kakyoin said with another grin.
Jotaro was terrified about the fact that he might be entirely right.
5.
Kakyoin had shown up unannounced at Jotaro’s house after classes, as he often did. Jotaro could hear him chatting with Holly out in the hallway for a few moments, before the familiar sound of his footsteps started moving towards Jotaro’s bedroom door.
“Someone’s home early,” Kakyoin announced as he stepped inside without knocking, dropping his bag onto the ground carelessly. “How many classes did you skip today?”
“Just a couple.” Jotaro looked up momentarily as Kakyoin sat down onto the foot of his bed, letting out a low grunt and placing a hand over his stomach, something he often did when he momentarily forgot about the extent of his still-healing injuries. Frustration showed on his face for just a moment before quickly melting away as he noticed Jotaro looking at him.
“Whatcha doing there?” he asked, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed absently as Jotaro packed away a handful of books and stray papers into the nearest drawer before turning in his chair to face him.
“An essay I have due next week.”
“Don’t let me stop you, I can just sit here and watch if you need to work,” Kakyoin said.
“No need, I’m almost done anyway,” Jotaro shrugged. Kakyoin just nodded, averting his eyes to the ground. He seemed to be a bit on the edge, which was very out of character for him.
“So what did you wanna do?” Jotaro asked, trying his best to keep the conversation going.
“Just talk, mostly,” Kakyoin said, fidgeting with his hands in his lap. “You really shouldn’t have skipped English today, we got a lot of homework to do until tomorrow.”
Jotaro shrugged. “English is easy. I could help you with it if you want?”
“Thanks, but there’s no need for that.” Kakyoin tucked a strand of hair behind his ear, causing his long earring to dangle in the process. “Someone actually offered to help me after class, so we ended up doing it together. Although it was mostly he that needed help.” Kakyoin let out a little laugh.
“Oh?” was all Jotaro said. But his unresponsiveness didn’t seem to deter Kakyoin.
“Yeah, he was really nice actually. Apparently he travels a lot too, so we talked about Egypt for a while. Although I don’t think his trip was quite as eventful as ours.” Kakyoin let out another, only slightly nervous, laugh.
Jotaro furrowed his brows. He wasn’t sure where Kakyoin was going with this, or why he was babbling about this random guy he barely knew like he had hung all the stars in the sky. He wondered if Kakyoin ever spoke about him like that when he wasn’t around.
“I’ve never really had a friend apart from you before, and he isn't a stand user, so I’m a little nervous about it though. I honestly have no idea how to act around others,” Kakyoin confessed.
Jotaro immediately felt guilty. Here he was being jealous and only thinking about how he wanted Kakyoin for himself, when all Kakyoin wanted to do was make more friends.
“Just be yourself,” Jotaro reassured. “He will either like you for who you are or it will be his loss.” Jotaro paused for a moment before continuing. “You deserve to have more people who care about you.”
Kakyoin smiled at him, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “Don’t worry though, you’ll always be my best friend,” he reassured him, reaching out to poke Jotaro’s foot with his own playfully. Then his expression shifted to a more serious one as he straightened his back.
“Actually, there is one more thing I want to tell you. Just promise that you won’t be mad at me.” Kakyoin looked at him with such pleading eyes that Jotaro was quick to agree. He doubted that he could ever be angry at Kakyoin, no matter what he might have done.
“Of course,” Jotaro said, trying his best to ignore the fact that his heartbeat had sped up in anticipation. “You can tell me anything.”
Kakyoin was quiet for a moment before continuing.
“I think that I like boys instead of girls.”
Out of all the things Jotaro had expected Kakyoin to say, that was not one of them. He could practically feel his brain short-circuiting at learning this new piece of information. Once again he had the perfect opportunity to confess, to tell Kakyoin that he was having similar thoughts himself. A strange feeling of adrenaline mixed with pure anxiety filled him to the very core. He was going to do it.
“Oh.”
Of course he had once again failed to voice any of those feelings out loud. Jotaro dug his fingers into his thigh hard enough for it to be almost painful, angry at himself for being so bad at this, for fucking up at every single chance he was given.
It was only then that he noticed how nervous Kakyoin looked, his shoulders having dropped as if he was making himself look smaller as he carefully watched Jotaro’s reaction. Jotaro realized a bit too late that his brows had furrowed into a deeper scowl than usual. He knew that he needed to say something, that this was a big step for Kakyoin to take.
“I’m glad you told me. People won’t think any different of you, I promise.”
“I don’t care about other people’s opinions, I care about yours,” Kakyoin said softly.
“It doesn’t change anything, you’re still just the same Kakyoin to me,” Jotaro continued. Kakyoin looked relieved, the tension in his shoulders finally releasing.
“I’m glad. I was really scared that you’d want nothing to do with me after I told you.”
Jotaro shook his head. “I’d never do that to you.” He bit onto his bottom lip as he thought over his next words carefully. “Why did you choose to tell me now? Did something happen?”
If he wasn’t going to find the courage to confess to Kakyoin, maybe he could simply try to figure out if Kakyoin had feelings for him as well.
“That guy I told you about actually asked me out on a date, if you can believe it,” Kakyoin gave a forced laugh. “And it made me realize how much I hate having to hide that part of myself from you.”
Jotaro could feel his stomach drop. He had been too late, some other guy had already taken a liking to Kakyoin, and had asked him out before Jotaro had a chance to.
“What did you say?” Jotaro eventually asked, hoping that his inner turmoil didn’t show on his face.
“I told him no,” Kakyoin said, shrugging. “He wasn’t really my type.”
Maybe today really was Jotaro’s lucky day after all. Maybe he still stood a chance at sweeping Kakyoin off his feet before anyone else made a move on him. But only if he played his cards right.
“So what is your type then?” Jotaro asked, surprised that he managed to get the words out given how dry his mouth felt.
Kakyoin looked a bit taken aback, not meeting Jotaro’s eyes as he shrugged. “I don’t really know. I could just feel that he wasn't the one, you know?”
Jotaro felt a bit disappointed when he deflected his answer, but didn’t push the subject any further. There would be other days- now that he knew that Kakyoin liked men, a flicker of hope had reignited in his gut.
...Was Kakyoin blushing or was it just his imagination?
Before he had enough time to figure out the answer, Kakyoin had changed the subject, quickly returning to his normal, carefree self.
+1
Spring had finally arrived, making Kakyoin suggest that they take a stroll outside during recess. Jotaro could of course not say no to him, which is how he found himself slowly making his way down one of the paths outside the school. Kakyoin’s hair was practically floating in the wind, as if it was completely weightless. His eyes closed for a moment as he took a deep breath.
“The cherry blossoms should begin blooming any day now,” he said. “It’s my favorite time of the year, everything looks so beautiful then.”
“I would have guessed that your favorite time would be when the cherries are ripe so that you can actually eat them,” Jotaro commented. Kakyoin smacked him playfully on the shoulder.
“Waiting for something good is always the best part,” he said, poking his tongue out at Jotaro. “Let’s head down to the creek, I haven’t been there in ages.”
Jotaro hesitated for a moment. The creek was quite a far walk away, and Kakyoin still couldn’t walk very long in his current state, at least not if he wanted to avoid being in pain for the rest of the day.
“I’ll be fine, let’s just go,” Kakyoin said as if he had read Jotaro’s mind, tugging on his sleeve impatiently. Jotaro allowed himself to be dragged along, not having the heart to tell Kakyoin no when he looked so excited to be walking around in the warm weather again. He even felt a bit disappointed once Kakyoin released the grip on his sleeve.
“Do you think there will be any ducks there yet?”
“Probably not. It’s still a little early, so they are probably down in the south still.”
“Nerd.” Kakyoin grinned up at him, always delighted when he got the chance to tease Jotaro.
“You’re the one who wanted to know, I think that makes you the nerd,” Jotaro countered. Kakyoin just let out a loud snort in response, practically skipping down the pathway towards the creek.
“Sounds exactly like something a nerd would-” Kakyoin cut off, coming to an abrupt stop. Jotaro didn’t miss the small wince that he didn’t quite manage to bite back.
“You okay?” Jotaro was quickly by his side, not liking the way Kakyoin’s brows had knitted together in a pained frown. He recognized that look all too well from the times when Kakyoin had pushed himself too far.
“I’m fine, sorry to worry you,” Kakyoin dismissed him, taking a few more steps down the path, but missing all his previous vigor. His hand had come to rest on his stomach, as if he was hoping that would magically make him feel better.
“You’re not, let’s go sit down and rest,” Jotaro said, following Kakyoin closely behind.
“I don’t need to sit down, just give me a moment to catch my breath,” Kakyoin sounded more annoyed than anything now, and even as he clenched his teeth tightly from the pain he insisted on moving forward. Jotaro eyed a nearby bench, which Kakyoin seemed hellbent on getting as far away from as humanly possible.
In a split second he grabbed a hold of Kakyoin’s elbow, carefully yet sternly pulling him along. It didn’t come as a surprise when Kakyoin pulled free from his grip.
“I don’t need help. Stop treating me like I’m weak,” he hissed. “Let’s just keep going, I promise I’ll rest once we get down to the creek.”
“I’m not letting you do that,” Jotaro said, summoning Star Platinum in front of him to block off his path and show that he was dead serious. “I’m not letting you hurt yourself.”
“Why?”
“Because I care about you, of course,” Jotaro said without missing a beat.
Kakyoin looked almost confused for a moment, like the fact that Jotaro cared about him was somehow news to him. Jotaro made a mental note to start telling him how much he appreciated him more often, so that he would never be able to doubt it again.
Kakyoin nodded, not saying anything as he allowed Jotaro to lead him over to the nearest bench. He didn’t even protest as Jotaro helped him sit down, only letting out a pained groan as he did so, his fingers grabbing onto Jotaro’s wrist and squeezing until it was near painful. His other hand moved to rest on his stomach as he closed his eyes, focusing all his attention on steadying his breathing.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, barely loud enough for Jotaro to make it out. “For being so stubborn, for not being able to do anything . I just wanted to go down there so that I could prove to you that I’m not completely broken and useless.”
“You’re neither of those things,” Jotaro said, crouching down in front of him. “It’ll just take some time until you get your strength back, that’s all. And I’ll always be here to help you in any way that I can.”
Kakyoin nodded, his eyes still clenched tightly shut. His breathing still sounded forced and ragged, as if he was struggling to get enough air in.
“Is there anything I can do?” Jotaro asked. Kakyoin looked as if he was going to say no, to lie and tell him that he was fine yet again, but just a short moment later he nodded. Sweat had begun collecting on his temples, making his hair stick to his face. It didn’t seem like the pain was getting any better.
“I have water and some pills in my bag,” Kakyoin said, finally opening his eyes to look at Jotaro. They were glassy and unfocused, as if tears were going to start forming at any moment now. It was evident that he had pushed himself too far this time.
Jotaro quickly rummaged through the bag in search of the requested items. His hands were only shaking slightly as he fished out the bottle of pills, shaking one onto the palm of his hand and giving it to Kakyoin, who swallowed it down without any extra fuss. Jotaro uncapped the bottle of water, gently holding Kakyoin’s chin in place as he brought it to his lips.
He hadn’t even noticed how rugged Kakyoin’s breathing truly was until he had gotten this close. Kakyoin’s eyes clenched shut once more, as he waited for the effects of the medicine to finally bring him some relief.
Jotaro stroked his thumb across his cheek, anxious and unsure of what else he could do. He hated seeing Kakyoin like this, a mere shell of his usually bubbly and strong self. Before he even realized he rested his own forehead against Kakyoin’s. Luckily Kakyoin didn’t seem to mind it, his body pressing even closer as if he was subconsciously looking for comfort.
They stayed like that until Kakyoin slowly began to relax again, coming back to his senses. He soon pulled away, refusing to meet Jotaro’s eyes. Jotaro was not entirely sure if he was just imagining the flush on his cheeks or not. His hand was still resting against it, the skin soft and warm under his touch. He found himself not wanting to pull away. It was now or never, he could feel it.
“Kakyoin.” he hated how uncertain his voice came across, but it was enough to make Kakyoin finally look at him again.
“Yes?”
“Can I kiss you?”
Kakyoin looked at him in disbelief for a second, as if he was waiting for Jotaro to break into laughter and tell him that it was just a joke. But that never happened.
“Do you want to kiss me?” he asked, still looking doubtful.
“I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t, now would I?” Jotaro said, growing bolder by the second. Kakyoin let out a weak snort in amusement, not quite able to hide his smile.
“Then kiss me, Jojo. No need to ask next time.”
Jotaro leaned in closer, finally closing the distance between them. The kiss was gentle, Kakyoin still slightly out of breath. His lips were just as soft and warm as Jotaro had imagined, and they felt even better pressed up against his than he had thought possible. The warm feeling in his chest that could only be described as butterflies had returned, although it was many times stronger now than it had ever been before.
Even as they broke apart, the good feelings didn’t stop. One of Kakyoin’s hands grabbed onto the collar of Jotaro’s jacket, preventing him from pulling away. Not that Jotaro was planning on it, he could stay like this forever, close enough that he could feel the warmth radiating off Kakyoin’s body.
“So- uh,” Jotaro began surprising both of them by being the one to break the silence. “I kinda have a crush on you.”
“You don’t say,” Kakyoin said with a wide grin. He reached up with his hand to mirror Jotaro, resting his palm against the side of his face as his expression softened. “Good thing that I kinda have a crush on you as well then.”
At that, Jotaro couldn’t help but bring their lips together for a second kiss.