Battle Damage | A CaeJose Story

JoJo

Caesar took a step forward, into his space. Joseph held his ground. "So we're just supposed to sit here and wait? When we could finish this?"

"You think I don't want to rush in and get this over with?" He could hear his voice getting louder, but he didn't care. "You think the idea of sitting around appeals to me? I'll die in five days if we don't beat Wamuu! But if we run straight into her trap, I won't even make it that long, and neither will anyone else!"

Caesar stood at his full height, hands stiff at his side. If Joseph weren't so pissed off, he didn't think he would be able to hold the force of that piercing stare. "I know you just picked up the cause a month ago, but some of us have been waiting for this for a long time. Hiding out here and waiting when we could beat the pillarmen is an affront to my ancestors. The ones who died fighting this evil, Joestar!"

If he were thinking clearly, he might have filled in my mother where he said my ancestors. He might have thought back to the last time Caesar had called him Joestar like that and come up with an answer that stung a little. As it was, he barely noticed either.

"Why bring them into it?" He was definitely shouting now. "Who the hell cares? Don't drag the dead into your little drama!"

The words echoed off the stone balcony, suddenly quiet.

There was a faint flush to Caesar's face, and he was breathing hard. For a minute, Joseph was certain he was about to punch him - a real punch, with his whole weight behind it. A punch he would at least have known what to do with. But he didn't move.

"I don't know why I expected you to understand." His voice was cold, the venom frozen out. "This is a matter of honor."

He broke away abruptly, his shoulder clipping Joseph's as he brushed past him.

"Don't -" Lisa Lisa started, but he was already disappearing down the stairs from the balcony to the snowy forest spread out beneath. Joseph's feet stayed rooted to the spot, like his mind was still 30 seconds behind. Still trying to decode that look, to figure out where they had taken the detour from the Caesar he knew into whatever the hell this was.

He was going to fight Kars. By himself.

Joseph snapped out of the daze into a jog for the stairs. He thought Lisa Lisa might have shouted something after him, but he didn't stop. The icy steps were slick beneath his feet. The frigid air burned his throat. Everything felt like a blur.

The first glimpse of blue at the foot of the stairs sent a heady rush of relief through him. Caesar stood by the pale wall facing the forest, adjusting his gloves. Somewhere overhead the balcony jutted out over the snowy woods and the majesty of the hotel rose up from the hillside, but this corner felt cut off from all of that.

He dashed down the remaining steps at inadvisable speed. By the time Caesar glanced up, Joseph was swerving into his path at the bottom of the steps. Immediately he saw something go shuttered in Caesar's expression.

"Just - wait three seconds." A snowy plume of condensation drifted between them as Joseph tried to catch his breath. "Think it through."

Caesar let his hands fall back to his sides, his gaze resolute. "Get out of my way."

Joseph squared his shoulders. "Or what?"

The Italian's eyes flashed with a threat Joseph knew better than to make light of. He took a step forward, the fog of their breath intermingling now. "Or I'll make you get out of my way, JoJo."

The threat was there, in his eyes, glittering in the sunlight. At least, he thought it was a threat. The clear green of his eyes was wild, like something had come untethered somewhere behind them, and Joseph could see the flush of anger and cold on his cheeks up close now. Everything about it infuriated him. What an idiot, he thought, and then anger eclipsed the need to think and he lunged forward until his mouth met Caesar's.

He kissed him back roughly, like he was trying to prove something, like the press of his lips against Joseph's was just an extension of the argument. Well, damned if he was going to lose now. Caesar leaned into him, but he held his ground and pushed back.

The sliver of cold air was a shock when they pulled away. Joseph could feel the warmth of Caesar's breath across his face as they both struggled to get their breath back. He still had a vaguely belligerent look, but his eyes were on Joseph's mouth, and the latter caught only a few more breaths before they were leaning back in, closing the gap.

It was slower this time, like something else entirely. Something Joseph had wanted for too many weeks to remember. Caesar's fingers ran through his hair and settled at the back of his neck in a way that told Joseph he had thought about this before. Joseph's mind was completely, wonderfully blank, and the world consisted only of chill air, the heat of Caesar's mouth against his, and his hand tangling in the back of his hair.

The intrusion of the cold air was even less welcome this time, an invisible presence worming its way between them as they broke apart. Joseph fought the urge to reach out like that could keep him from slipping away again.

"Hey," he said softly. It already sounded like a plea, but Caesar was right there, holding his gaze, and he couldn't stop the words from slipping out. "Don't do this. Please."

Something went flat in Caesar's expression before he looked away, and Joseph knew he had lost. The Italian breathed out a frustrated sigh. "You don't understand –"

"No, I don't understand –"

"Just shut up for five minutes, JoJo!"

The words echoed out over the snowy ground, into the woods. Caesar's jaw was set, and for once the fierce green gaze that pinned Joseph in place kept him silent. "I have to do this. If you have even the smallest shred of respect for me, you won't try to stop me."

The words hung in the air for a long minute. Then Caesar turned and stepped into the snow, and Joseph stood and clenched his jaw and said nothing.

Damn we're actually getting within sight of the end, look at that. Thank y'all for all the reads and as always I hope you enjoy this week's chapter!

 - Wesley H.