[Key]: Was it any wonder that he snapped at the others? He was far from home. He missed his mother. He wanted to be back to school. He'd take going back to his somewhat mundane life over this hell any day. If he woke up one morning to discover that this was just a dream he had while napping in that cell, well he'd be /just fine/ with that. And the route they had taken was stupid. They could've gone along the coast but instead they shortcut through a whole continent. That wasn't even mentioning all the attacks the group of five had sustained up until that point. (Actually, no, come to think of it, maybe cutting through Europe was a good idea. Dio wouldn't be tracking those movements because he counted on them blipping along the coast.)
At least his jiji had recognized the specific kind of stress that he was under, the specific kind of input overload stress that caused him to shout at them all during dinner one night, after which he promptly stormed off to sit alone for a while. It helped some at the time. What helped even more was overhearing his jiji advise that they give him a few days alone to himself. Plus a break would be good for all of them. The others would have time to relax themselves and plan their next moves more carefully. And that was perfect, that was what he needed.
So there Jotaro Kujo stood, lingering outside some shop (a bakery by the look of it, he wasn't paying attention), the late afternoon peace and quiet doing wonders for him. Around him he felt Star Platinum's arms, keeping him secure, providing a comforting touch that wasn't human and overly-stimulating. He knew by now that the Stand was basically just an offcut of himself, but he couldn't find it in himself to give a damn.
[Key]: It helped, it soothed, it provided the right amount of stimulation. So if it was just him showing himself some love, so be it. There was just the right amount of weight keeping him grounded and calm, plus the ghostly aura that Star Platinum had was slightly cold and it aided to temporarily wash away the memories of dry sand and scorching sun. Good. /Good./
He pulled the lit cigarette from between his lips, tilted his head back, and let the smoke filter out into the air.
Good.
/Good./
[Bee]: It's just a little cold, that's all. Don't worry.
How many times has he found himself uttering this sentiment? Twice more just today at work with the rocket team. He had actually believed it himself the first few times he said it—but the cough attacks were getting worse. Longer, more painful, more fatiguing. Occasionally there was blood. And now, he was waiting on test results from his doctor, who instructed him to hold onto hope, but not too much. His chances weren't great, really, and depending on this outcome, could quickly become much worse. Alfons was still reeling from that appointment a few days prior.
These sorts of thoughts were weighing heavily on his mind today, as he walked through town to his favorite bakery (conveniently the one a certain broody Stand user stood in front of). Hands in his pockets, his eyes pointed down at the sidewalk but unfocused, not really paying attention to the world around him, his brow furrowed. Stress, worry, and a slow building fatigue were etched plainly on his face. He walked slowly, guided by autopilot on his typical shopping route. He had hopes that some good comfort food would help to quell the small but ever present anxiety settled in his gut, making him feel even sicker than he was.
He was, in fact, so preoccupied in his troubled thoughts that he hardly glanced up as he made to cross the street in front of the bakery. So even when he absently heard the sound of a car motor rapidly rushing towards him, he only finally whipped his head up at the jarring screech of braking tires no more than a few meters away, seeing the vehicle still hurdling towards him. He had only time enough to startle and gasp in sudden terror, none to think or get out of the way.
[Key]: It seems they're both stuck in their minds, huh? Jotaro's thoughts weren't centered on his lungs (it should be though, considering the cigarette he was so adamantly puffing on) but instead it was focused on the last Stand fight before they cut across Europe. Enyaba's Justice hadn't been kind to them, especially not Polnareff. He couldn't get the way those corpses moved out of his head, seeing them up and animated as if they were still alive even as they were rotting...eugh. Another mental scar to the growing list that he was racking up.
/Fuck./
He put the cigarette back between his lips and took another inhale. The burning of the smoke filling his lungs was good. It was a good that it burned. It was good that he wasn't used to it and probably wouldn't ever be. It hurt, he felt pain, it meant he was alive. In a way, smoking was reminding him he was alive. And the longer he was alive, the more he could look forward to taking down Dio. He couldn't defeat that evil, vampiric fuck if he was dead. And then after Dio was dead, he could return home to his mother and school and he and Kakyoin would finish their classes and graduate and that would be the end of it. Smoking was good. Pain was good. He hurt because he was alive and because he was al-
Star Platinum let go of him and interrupted his cynical hellstorm of thoughts. Jotaro didn't command his Stand to do that so this came as a surprise to him. He tried to look up to see what Star Platinum was doing but was too slow to follow the movements.
In the time it had taken for the User to look up, Star Platinum had moved across the street, snagged Alfons by the arm (/gently/), and yanked him back towards the sidewalk.
[Key]: And that was what fully brought Jotaro back to the present; the sensation of another, much smaller body slamming into his own. He dropped his cigarette out of shock. /Damnit./ He grabbed Alfons (kinda gently) by the shoulders and pulled him off whilst keeping a firm grip on his shoulders. "What the hell is your problem?"
[Bee]: Unfortunately, Alfons' mind, jolted back into focus by fear and adrenaline, processed the situation much faster than his body did. Frozen in place for a mere fraction of a second while he watched his vehicular demise approach, he suddenly felt himself yanked away by the arm, back towards the sidewalk, out of the way of danger. He struggled to catch his footing and stumbled and fell against a large man.
For another moment Alfons still couldn't move his body on his own. He simply huddled in place, trembling, eyes wide open in shock, breathing hard, until the man grabbed him and made him move. He looked up at the stranger, and began, "I-"
Oh. Big man.
Alfons blinked, and then felt his cheeks slowly burning redder as he stumbled out an apology, struggling to catch his breath at the same time. "I- I- I'm so sorry! I didn't mean t- Something, er, someone grabbed my arm, I don't- That car almost hit me, I th- I thought it- But then I-? I'm sorry, truly-" Unable to step back with the stranger's hands still tight on his shoulders, he looked away quickly and forced his breathing to calm some more.
[Key]: As soon as Alfons was safely on the side walk, Star Platinum let go and began rambling off in oras. Exactly what was being said was clear to only Jotaro. "Ora, ora, ora, ora. Ora, ora, ora. Ora! Ora, ora, ora, ora, ora. Ora, ora, ora. Ora. Ora. Oraaaa...ora, ora, or-"
Jotaro looked away from Alfons. He glared off to his right where Star Platinum hovered and ora'd. Or at least where /he/ could see the Stand, God knows that Alfons couldn't. "He can't see you." He muttered through grit teeth. His voice was rather deep and low, lower especially since he was addressing the Stand and trying to make it not look like he was talking to, well, nothing. "So he can't hear you either."
"Ora..." Star Platinum went quiet afterwards.
Jotaro turned his attention back to Alfons and gave him a once-over. Short, scrawny, pale, looked like he had just seen a ghost. Yep, that's an Alfons alright. The corner of his lips twitched into a slight sneer, almost like the sort one would see on an upset wolf. It wasn't one of disgust though, just one of annoyance. And even then, that annoyance was directed towards his Stand more than the boy (adjacent). He let go of Alfons and moved to fold his arms over his (rather broad) chest. Jotaro continued to stare down with icily green eyes from underneath the brim of his hat. He huffed out a sigh and moved a hand up to pull the brim down lower. "Good grief...just be glad you're alive." He muttered through his teeth. "Don't you have a family to get back to or something? You should go do that." Clearly he's underestimated how old Alfons is. Oh well.
[Bee]: Alfons blinked and looked back at Jotaro's face, his breath coming under control again, though the adrenaline buzz still coursed through him. His face hardened, and he huffed out a small breath. His voice was just a little shriller than usual with his heightened anxiety. "I don't have a family to get back to, thanks." Uh oh, Jotaro, that's a sensitive spot. "I'm not a little child anyway." (Well, legally you still are, Fons, but ok-) "I'm sorry for running into you, I'll be going now." He moved to step around Jotaro—had to move quite a bit, as the other was quite large—to head towards the bakery door (probably to go sit quietly inside for a few minutes before trying to order anything), hugging around himself and rubbing his arms to try and rid himself of the lingering shock of terror.
As he stepped away he looked left and right up the street—who was it that grabbed his arm? He didn't think it was the large man in dark clothes, he would have seen a figure like that in the corner of his eye. But no one else was close by. He was too freaked out to worry much about anything more than getting inside and sitting down right now, though.
[Key]: Jotaro watched the blonde boy leave, or turn and start walking anyway. The look in those vibrant blue eyes wasn't one that he had seen often, but just enough that he knew what it meant. It meant that he hit a nerve somewhere deep without meaning to. And that knowledge sent a pang of guilt skittering all through his veins. A feeling he was extremly familiar with but one he hated no less.
Star Platinum picked up on this and landed a quick, solid jab to Jotaro's shoulder. "Ora!" The Stand chided firmly before pointing at Alfons. "Ora, ora, ora! Ora."
Jotaro flinched with the impact of it. The chain attached to his jacket rattled as well. "Damnit you." He grumbled. If he was smaller, that punch would've flatbacked him on the sidewalk. But he being he, and he being built like a brick shithouse, it only made him stumble slightly.
"Ora!"
"Listen, you're right. You're right, it was rude. But look, he's already on his way, I can't just-"
"/Ora!/"
"I could just go back to the hotel and forget this happened. It's just a blip on the radar."
"Oraaaa..." That one came as more of a growl.
He sighed. He knew how this must look, him talking to the air in hushed tones. And especially after reacting the way he did to a complete stranger. But alas, Star Platinum was right. Being his subconscious, Star Platinum was /usually/ right anyway. Jotaro peeled himself away from the side of the bakery and took a small step (or small for him anyway) in Alfons's direction. "Hey." He spoke up, voice just a tiny bit softer now. "Look, I...that was rude of me. I'm sorry." He sighed again and fidgeted with the brim of his hat. "Are you alright?"
[Bee]: Alfons halted and turned back hesitantly, still holding himself. The stranger's demeanor had shifted, was a bit softer now, and Alfons in turn softened as well. "..Ah, yeah," he replied after a moment's hesitation. He rubbed his arms some more, and didn't quite make eye contact. "Yeah, I'm okay, I think- I'm not hurt, it was..just a bit frightening." Ye. Just a bit. After overcoming his brief blush over Oh, Big Man, his face had returned to a shocked pale color, and he was shaking a little. The longer he stood the more he really wanted to go sit down, and really really regretted not having Aster with him at the moment. Or at least Ed, for a good ol' safe-feeling hug. The nervous arm-rubbing turned into light scratching. He continued, "I'll be alright, thanks, and sorry again-" as he took a tiny step backwards toward the bakery door.
[Key]: Jotaro felt Star Platinum jab two fingers into his ribs, possibly as a way of encouraging him to try to mend things. Fantastic. He dropped his hand from the brim of his hat to scratch at the back of his hand. "If you're going in there anyway-" He pointed with his thumb at the bakery. "I'll buy you something to make up for being a jackass. I've got nothing better to do anyway." He heard Star Platinum give an affirmative-sounding 'ora'. Weather it was directed at Alfons or at Jotaro had yet to be determined. He felt a little push from somewhere around his shoulder blades. (His Stand giving him a nudge closer maybe?) He turned his head and peered behind himself over his shoulder where said Stand was hovering. "What?" He huffed through gritted teeth. "I'm trying my best here."
"Ora. Ora, ora, ora, ora."
"No, I can't get attached. I'm going back to the hotel after this so there's no sense in-"
Another nudge, this one with more force. "/Ora./"
"Fine." Jotaro turned back to face Alfons and stuck out a hand. "Kujo Jotaro."
[Bee]: "Oh...alright then," Alfons responded, a hint of a smile lifting his face. So they didn't get off to the best start, but this stranger didn't seem so bad after all. Alfons' expression did still tinge with mild bewilderment and confusion at the other speaking, apparently to himself, over his shoulder, and then turning back like nothing happened. Was Alfons...not supposed to notice him doing that..? That was rather strange. His brain was still buzzing with lingering panic though, so he couldn't really make himself care all that much in the present moment. He extended a hand of his own, trembling, and much smaller than Jotaro's, and shook hands with him. His voice was soft. "Um, Alfons, Alfons Heiderich. Ah... I appreciate it. Thank you." And with that he turned to enter the bakery with Jotaro, explaining, "I thought I'd just come get something simple and warm after work—ah, as a comfort I guess- It's been a day-" He spoke these words to his shoes. He continued, "But I didn't expect this to happen too."
[Key]: The handshake was very, very brief. It seemed Jotaro wasn't a big fan of palm-on-palm contact. He hummed in acknowledgement of Alfons's words but said nothing otherwise as he turned to walk in as well. A swift blur of purple across his vision registered just a split-second too late and he couldn't stop his Stand even if he tried. "/Damnit!/" He hissed, voice just barely above a whisper.
Star Platinum darted out in front of them and opened the door to the bakery. Just trying to be polite is all. He looked over his shoulder at Jotaro and gave a grin, looking very satisfied with himself. He then hovered back to his place at his User's right. "Ora!~"
Jotaro glared at the Stand and grumbled something unintelligible. Possibly along the lines of asking him why the hell he did that or reminding him that they had to stop doing Weird Shit in public.
"Ora, ora." Star Platinum replied with a nonchalant look and a shrug. Damn him for being so very hard to argue with.
The teen just sighed and headed into the bakery. "Yeah, I'd certainly hope that almost getting hit by a car wasn't on your agenda." He muttered as he shot a look down at Alfons. "I'm not the best person to vent to, kid. Go off if it'll make you feel better. I couldn't really care less though." He didn't need Star Platinum elbowing him in the ribs to tell him that was rude. (Of course it happened anyway though.) Truth be told, he /knew/ that he sounded like an asshole. But when your head is still swimming with nicotine and the idea that an enemy Stand User could be on your ass at any second, you have bigger things to worry about than sounding nice.
[Bee]: Alfons stared and froze. Did the door just open on its own..? And again, Jotaro with the talking to himself thing. This was really very weird. Alfons wasn't sure what to make of this situation. Should he really be letting Jotaro buy him something? Well, it was too late at this point. He already agreed to it, and he was too polite to back out now. Alfons followed the much larger man inside with a small but growing reluctance. The soft lighting, pleasant warmth and aromas of fresh baked goods inside the bakery was a comfort at least, and he was looking forward to having something to eat.
At the other's response, Alfons blinked up at Jotaro. He then puffed out half of a tiny laugh and smiled awkwardly. "Ah- sorry- I don't mean to vent at a practical stranger. I only mean to say I'm grateful for the offer, sir." He looked away, at nothing in particular, and held his arms around himself again. This situation really did seem to only grow more uncomfortable.
[Key]: Jotaro relaxed once inside the bakery. The events of the past few weeks had instilled in him a disdain for wide open spaces and darkening cityscapes. His rational brain told him another User looking to start trouble under Dio's command could be in the bakery with him. (After all, a situation like that was how they met Polnareff.) But his rational brain could shut the fuck up for a few minutes as far as he was concerned. He was on his own, away from the others, for a reason. He was gonna make the most of these few days to himself.
'Sir'? He barely managed to bite back a chuckle. /Snk./ "Just how old do you think I am?" He asked with a glance down at Alfons. His look had softened just enough to allow for a flicker of a smirk at the corners of his lips. He hoped it was at least enough of a distraction from Star Platinum pulling the door closed behind them.
[Bee]: Alfons turned back. The tiniest hint of a smile on the large man's face gave some ease to his nerves, and he studied Jotaro's appearance. He didn't really know how old he thought the other was, he just kind of assumed anyone of this size certainly must be adult. From his response, maybe he was on the younger side though. "Oh, ah-" He hazarded a guess. "...Twenty five? Thirty?"
[Key]: Jotaro blinked a few times as if mildly stunned by the answer. He knew he looked mature for his age but /thirty/? /Fuck./ He raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, staying there a few seconds before using that hand to pull the brim of his hat down lower over his eyes. "Good grief..." He muttered, dropping his hand back down to his side. This conversation would be something he'd bring home to his mother. She'd certainly get a kick out of it. That's if he could get back to Japan alive but, hey, let's not think about the possibility of dying! "I'm seventeen." He said it so casually as he crossed over to the counter. "C'mon, what do you want?"
"Ora!" Star Platinum appeared at Jotaro's side, eyeing all the baked goods behind the glass. The Stand pointed to a tray of chocolate-filled croissants and gave his User puppy eyes over his shoulder. Pointed again, with the brightest smile he could manage. "Ora??"
Jotaro rolled his eyes. He didn't understand how his Stand, his /fighting spirit/, could be such a child outside of combat. He really should say 'no'. He should just buy the kid a damn cupcake or something and leave and go back to the hotel and try to sleep. But on other hand, he couldn't deny that they looked really good. He tilted his head in a way that could be taken as 'Fine.'
"Ora!!"
[Bee]: ".....You're seventeen???" Alfons' incredulous reply came after a solid 3 seconds of [insert Dial Up internet sound effect], lagging behind as he gawked with shocked eyes up at the taller...boy? Not man?? His mind struggled to connect Jotaro's appearance, both his height and his w i d t h, to his age. He caught up to Jotaro's side by the counter, still ignoring the various pastries and looking Jotaro over. "H-how- You're telling me we're the same age? I- You're like three times my size! ..Oh, Gott, pardon me, I don't mean that in any bad way-" He quickly looked away from Jotaro, embarrassed by his lack of tact. Remembering where they were, he glanced over the selection of food and mumbled, "Ah, I'll just have a cheddar croissant-"
[Key]: /Same age./ That one hit Jotaro way harder than it should've, even harder than Alfons telling him that he looked /thirty/. It certainly didn't help that this revelation had sent Star Platinum into a laughing fit. This in itself was unusual for the Stand but somehow that just made the gesture more insulting. /Even more so that only the User could hear it./ (Y'know, if there was an enemy Stand User in the bakery with them, that would've outed them. Thanks, Star.) Jotaro squinted down at Alfons, unsure of how exactly to respond to that. He opted to just tug on the brim of his hat once more and mumble out a "Good grief..." He shot a glare to his side where Star Platinum was kneeling, positively cry-laughing, and muttered a sharp "/アップ 君は 取得する 今。/" ("Up you get now.")
Star Platinum complied with the same ease as taking battle commands, though with some difficulty and wiping tears from his eyes. "Ora...!"
Jotaro rolled his eyes and dug into his pocket. "We'll talk about it over food." He said in Alfons's direction. He pulled out his wallet and thumbed through the bills. He was silently thankful for all the money the Speedwagon Foundation provided for this trip, even more thankful that Avdol had it converted over to euros as soon as they got to Europe. He slid a few bills across the counter and nodded in the direction of the chocolate-filled croissants that his Stand was eyeing earlier. "And two of those for me, thanks."
[Bee]: The baker efficiently fetched and wrapped the two boys' orders, and took the money from Jotaro. Alfons grabbed his croissant, gave a small "thank you" and a flash of a smile, and immediately turned to go sit down at one of the small tables a few steps away; even the shock of Jotaro's age couldn't distract long from his whole body going You Nearly Died Just Now, Sit The Hell Down And Recover, You Anxious Bitch. So he listened, and sat the hell down. He gave himself a few moments to just breathe and work through his nerves, unconsciously making himself smaller in his chair, with his shoulders hunched a bit, and arms tucked in close to his body, right hand scratching at the back of his left, and legs crossed at the ankles under the seat. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. (Only a tiny bit shaky both ways.) Again, he found himself missing Aster.
...Or Ed. Either one. (he said ",,👀👉👈,,")
At last he took up his croissant, pulled back the wrapper, and bit into it. The warmth and the comforting flavor helped to ease his nerves a little more. He chewed slowly...and glanced up repeatedly at Jotaro, still trying to wrap his head around how someone who looks Like That could be the same age as him.
[Key]: Jotaro looked surprisingly casual sitting there, one leg crossed over the other, peeling back the paper from the pastries, even with as out of place as someone of his stature was. He even pushed the brim of his hat up slightly. The lights inside the bakery glinted off his eyes now that they were free of the shadow provided by his hat, revealing just how shockingly emerald green they were. Pulling one croissant out of the wrapper and sitting the other down on the table, he stole a look up at Alfons. The corner of his lips gave a barely noticeable twitch, followed by a mildly amused huff, and he looked away again, taking a bite of the croissant. It was nothing next to his mother's baking but, eh, good enough. He'd take it. "So what were you saying earlier?" He asked upon swallowing. His gaze languidly moved up to Alfons once more, slow and almost lethargic. "About my height?" Ah yes. That.
Meanwhile, Star Platinum crouched next to the table. His galaxy-like eyes were level with the remaining baked good still in its wrapper. He'd be drooling if he weren't making an effort to stop himself. "Oraaaa..." He looked up to Jotaro for approval, and received not even a cursory glance. "/Oraaaa.../" This time it was more insistent. Give him the croissant, damnit! He went as far as nudging his User's arm. Jotaro didn't budge. Well fuck it. If that's the game they were gonna play, he'd just take it himself. Being wary of Alfons and his ever-watchful gaze, he slowly picked it up and began moving it off the table. Steady now, steady...
[Bee]: Alfons looked up suddenly and choked slightly, coughing and swallowing before he spoke. "Ah- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude about it! Just- You are...very tall- And most seventeen-year-olds don't have the sort of muscle build that you do." An embarrassed blush spread over his face as he spoke. "You look like you could snap me in half-" he began to joke, before quickly frowning.
The croissant.
The croissant was floating. In midair. Completely on its own.
Alfons moved one hand, very slowly, to point, not taking his eyes off the flying food. "...Are you seeing this?" he half whispered.
[Key]: Jotaro looked down. For half a second, he almost looked surprised. Or he would've if it wasn't for the annoyed look in his eyes. Without even thinking about being subtle (though they were honestly /well/ passed subtlety), his free hand shot out and swatted at Star Platinum's. This caused the Stand to drop the chocolate-filled pastry back onto the table. "You stop that." The teen hissed through his teeth. "You can't keep doing weird shit in public."
Star Platinum made a face akin to that one cat meme, you know the one. "Ora!!" He protested, making a grab for the croissant once more. It was he who pointed them out so why couldn't he at least have one?
Jotaro slapped his hand once more. He no longer actually cared about being subtle. "Would you knock it off? You're being damn annoying." He huffed. "Behave and I'll /consider/ giving it to you once we're back at the hotel."
That made Star Platinum roll his eyes. Life as a Stand was so unfair sometimes. "/Ora.../"
Jotaro looked back up at a probably very horrified Alfons. "Sorry." He said with a shrug.
[Bee]: "A-" A 'very horrified Alfons' was correct. Alfons hadn't moved a muscle from the position of pointing with one hand, holding his half wrapped croissant in the other, but his eyes had gone wide, his mouth hanging open in shock. His voice came out in a quiet but squeaky pitch. "Wha- Y- You- It- You just-" He peeled his gaze away from the croissant back on the table to up at Jotaro's face, and pointed more forcefully, scooting far back in his chair. "H-?? Ahh?? W-?? You??" Use your words, pumpkin. "You just?? It was floating-? Were you doing that?? Did you- Did you just talk to it??" His eyes fervently flitted between Jotaro and the croissant. "Did you just levitate it? Was that a ghost!? Whaaat just happened???"
[Key]: "Oh good grief..." Jotaro pinched the bridge of his nose once more. He directed his gaze towards Star Platinum, still crouching next to the table and again reaching a hand for the croissant, and growled under his breath. "See, this is what happens when you do weird shit in public." His own hand darted out and slapped at the back of the Stand's. "Stop that, damnit-!"
Star Platinum grumbled and shimmied away from the table. With a final indignant "/O-ra/", he phased out of Jotaro's field of vision.
The Stand User heaved a sigh and ran his hand down over his face before tugging the brim of his hat down to cover his eyes. "God /damnit/." He huffed. He sat like that for a moment, trying to collect himself enough to speak without shouting. He wasn't upset with /Alfons/, just his /fucking Stand that acted without his word/. It came in useful sometimes, sure, but other times it was a real pain in the ass. He sat up straight again and pushed the brim up with his thumb. "Quit your stammering, kid. People are staring to stare."
[Bee]: "I'm-!" Alfons realized how his voice had risen anxiously, and stopped himself. Looking around the bakery, he collected himself a bit with a quick, heavy breath and retracted his pointing hand, scooting closer again. "Are you going to tell me what's going on here?" he rushed out, but in a half-whisper, his eyes still wide as he hunched over the table towards Jotaro. He continued glancing nervously between Jotaro and the otherwise rather unassuming croissant on the table. "Don't try to act like I didn't see that! It floated! What the hell did you just do? And who are you speaking to??"
[Key]: Jotaro barely, /barely/ stopped himself from rolling his eyes for the umpteenth time. He sighed, leaned back in his chair, and took another bite of the croissant with his gaze directed up at the ceiling. On the outside, he appeared to simply Not care About It. No fucks given from Mr. Kujo over here. Not one. But on the inside, he was trying to come up with ways to either avoid answering the question, only /technically/ answer the question, or actually answer the question in a way that wouldn't freak Alfons out more than he already was.
Before he could stop himself, what came out of his mouth was "It was my spirit." Fuck. /Fuck./ Well? No, that wasn't too far from the truth. But oh well, it was too late to take it back now. "He follows me everywhere I go. He's always with me. He was what saved you from getting hit by that car out there." Why had he suddenly become so talkative? Fuck! "His name is Star Platinum. And every once in a while, he's a little shit."
[Bee]: Alfons stared at Jotaro, his brow furrowing more and more as the other boy spoke, eyes slowly widening a tiny bit. "...Your spirit...?" he repeated quietly. Without lifting his eyes from Jotaro, Alfons estimated exactly how quickly he'd be able to exit the bakery from where he sat, both at a polite walking pace and a full speed break away if need be, making mental note of the other tables and chairs as potential obstacles. He swallowed. "Um. So. Are you... Do you mean to say you're...you have a spirit that has...attached itself to you?" Just say possessed hun, we're all thinking it.
[Key]: Jotaro peered down at him from under the shadow cast by the brim of his hat. If there was one thing that he was good at, it was watching people and mapping out their moves before they were made. Observance hidden behind an aloof mask with the only crack being his vibrant green eyes, far too mindful for the bored expression he had about him constantly. He swallowed down the remaining bit of his croissant and broke eye contact to wrap the remaining one back up for later. "He's always been there. Just out of sight until recently." He blinked slowly as he looked back up at Alfons still seated across from him. What caught his attention and made him arch a brow was a faint glimmer behind the boy just over his right shoulder.
/Ah fuck./
That was the same thing Jotaro saw in the mirror just a day prior to Star Platinum showing himself.
/Stand Users attract Stand Users./
"Honestly, I could give a rat's ass if you believe me or not. But you asked so I answered." He reached a hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone, sitting it down on the table. The screen turned on, showing notifications in Japanese (a few of which appeared to be missed texts from someone with a cherry emoji for their ID) and a background of a peaceful sea floor scene. He did a brief skim of his notifications and sighed. "It's getting late, isn't it." He met Alfons's eyes once more. "I guess you want me to walk you home or something, huh?"
[Bee]: At Jotaro's mention, Alfons took his own phone out and checked the time himself. The other boy was right about it getting late; Alfons had stayed a little while after work at the factory, and now had the delay of not only the impromptu bakery trip, but also of almost being vehicular manslaughter'd and spending time with Jotaro. Any while longer and Edward may begin to worry, knowing Alfons was typically one to follow routines and notify of any plan changes. It would be best to head home now.
That being said, he's not about to just put aside the whole Apparently This Guy Is Haunted thing. Did Alfons really want to bring a spirit home to their apartment? What if it decided to stay?
"Oh, um-" He tried to think of how to phrase it politely. Not that he thought Jotaro's feelings would be particularly hurt, he just preferred the softer method for most things. "That..would be nice of you, but it's not far; I can manage on my own, really-" Did he really want to walk alone after earlier? No, but it was better than accidentally haunting his apartment. "My roommate is expecting me anyway so I should hurry-" He began wrappjng up his partly eaten croissant as he spoke.
[Key]: That time he didn't try to stop himself from rolling his eyes. "I don't recall saying it like you have a choice in the matter. I almost watched you die outside and you're...well..." While one hand returned his phone to his pocket, his other made a pinching gesture. '/Small./' "Yeah." Jotaro was using this opportunity to figure out where Alfons lived. That glint in the air told him that another Stand would be awakening soon and God help this kid if he had to deal with it on his own. He stood up and pushed his chair in, grabbing the wrapped pastry off the table and pocketing that too. (It's his jacket, he'll do what he wants.) Tugging his cap up and off by the brim, he dragged a hand through his unkempt ravenette locks. Huh, so it seemed the back of his hat had just formed to the shape of his hair over time. Weird. Whatever. He pulled it back on and down to shadow his eyes.
"'Roommate', huh?" An alarm bell rang in the back of his head. He couldn't name why but he had an off feeling from the mention.
/Stand Users attract Stand Users./
/*Shit.*/
[Bee]: Alfons could only offer a tiny "ok" in response, resigning himself to being walked home. It was quite apparent he couldn't fight it, so he didn't try. He stood up and prepared to leave, watching Jotaro with apprehensive eyes. Hopefully nothing bad would come from this. Hopefully.
"Ah-" Shoot, Alfons thought, did his tone give something away? "Yeah! Roommate! Just roommates, that's all. He's- he's a really close friend, nothing more," Alfons began excusing quickly, waving a hand and keeping his tone as casual as he could force it. ...Which is the exact opposite of casual but oh well.
...Wait, he realized, Jotaro didn't even really ask anything. He's just making it more obvious for no reason. "Um- His name is Edward, by the way, in case he comes to the door-"
[Key]: The roommates Vine crossed Jotaro's mind for the briefest moment. "/アルフォンス、 それは ゲイ。/" ("Alfons, that's gay.") He pulled the collar of his jacket up to cover his neck, the gold chain attached to the fabric jangled quietly. "Come on, let's go." He started towards the door, shooting a passing glance at Alfons as he went. There was nothing inherently predatory about his gaze, just watchfulness covered with mildly irritated boredom. (Try not to take it too personally, Alfons, he's like this with everyone.)
Once outside and away from the door, he paused to pull his pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. He put one between his teeth with practiced motions and lit it. The cherry at the end flared to life and glowed bright red in the twilight. He took a drag while he pocketed the lighter and carton, pulled it from between his lips, and let the smoke filter out. "Lead the way, kid."
[Bee]: Alfons' eyebrows lifted at hearing the spoken Japanese. He didn't understand, of course, but it surprised him to hear. He didn't ask what Jotaro meant, letting the foreign words pass unanswered.
Outside, Alfons paused, and quietly watched Jotaro light his cigarette, with a sudden new pit of anxiety in his stomach. Brought quickly back to his earlier gloomy thoughts about the state of his health, the ones that distracted him enough to nearly get himself run over, he shrunk away from the smoke as much as he could without being rude. It wasn't safe for him to breath too much of it. His lungs itched just at the thought but he suppressed a cough as well as he could. He sighed nearly inaudibly, and began walking, leading Jotaro in the direction of his apartment. It wasn't far.
"I'll remind you you don't have to call me 'kid'," Alfons said. He spoke without any real bite, just stating it plainly, neutrally. "We're the same age...somehow. And it's not like I'm some immature child, either—I have a job, I live by myself with Ed, we get by. I handle myself just fine."
[Key]: Jotaro at least had the good grace to not blow smoke in Alfons's direction. He's rude and doesn't care what people think about him but he's not /that/ rude. He took another pull as he followed just slightly behind Alfons, turning his head and letting the smoke flow between his lips and back the direction they came from. "Shut up." He quipped back, returning the cigarette to its place. He was going to take another drag but he felt Star Platinum poke him in the side, so the inhale became a sharp cough. He glared in the direction of his recalcitrant Stand. "Would you knock it off?" Despite the German boy now having knowledge of the existence of Star Platinum, he still tried to keep his voice down, so it ended up coming out as a hiss.
Star Platinum crossed his arms and stared down the bridge of his nose at his User. "Ora."
He was sure that if he rolled his eyes any more that day, they'd end up stuck in the back of his skull. "No." He took his hit turned back to face Alfons. "I don't care how old you are, you look like a kid." (*points* Bitch.) He spoke through the smoke. "If you don't like it, suck it up."
[Bee]: Alfons shot a glance over toward Jotaro at the other's comment to...what Alfons now guessed was The Spirit that followed him. God, that was disturbing. He just talks to it all the time..? Could it talk back? (He said "👀💧")
He faintly wondered what Ed would make of this situation. Did Ed even believe in the paranormal? Would he just call Jotaro crazy and be done with him? Who knows, but he certainly wouldn't put up with Jotaro's attitude, particularly towards Alfons.
Alfons narrowed his eyes and huffed through his nose. Turning his head back forward, he then spoke without looking at Jotaro. "You know, for someone nice enough to buy me a croissant and walk me home, you're really rude. I don't know what to make of you at all." He sighed. "If you meet Ed, you'd better not say the same to him, he'd probably knee you in the gut. And that's not much of an exaggeration-"
[Key]: Jotaro eyed him for a moment, not really caring that Alfons was facing forward, and took a long pull off of his cancer stick. Once again talking through the smoke, he gave a monotone "He can try, hope he has fun while doing it." He took a final, short drag from the cigarette before dropping it onto the pavement and crushing it under the toe of his shoe.
Jotaro's behavior was definitely starting to irritate Star Platinum. The Stand moved ahead, putting himself in the distance between his User and the soon-to-be User, arms still crossed over his broad chest. "Ora!" It came out with a slight growl to it, a warning.
The Japanese teen stopped walking abruptly to avoid running into Star Platinum. He pushed the brim of his hat up and glared directly into his Stand's eyes level with his own. "You're starting to piss me off."
"Ora!" He put a hand firmly on Jotaro's shoulder, rattling the chain on his jacket in the process. "Ora, ora, ora, ora, oraaaa, ora-a! Ora, ora. Ora." He gestured to Alfons with a thumb. "/Ora./"
Jotaro huffed and pushed past Star Platinum to keep walking. "Fine but only if you shut the hell up about it for five minutes." He angsty.
[Bee]: Fun? Alfons chuckled and mumbled to himself. "Oh, he definitely would, trust me-" He really hoped it wouldn't get to that point, though. As fiery and strong and dexterous (and brave, and lithe, and smart, and funny, and attracti- Alfons focus you gay idiot) as his beloved roommate was, he had no idea how dangerous Jotaro could be. Not to mention Jotaro was probably almost a foot taller than Ed and w i d e as hell. He'd rather avoid a fight, so he hoped Jotaro would mind his manners to some degree.
For his own part, Alfons tried very, very hard to not let Jotaro's strange behavior psych him out, but Jotaro wasn't exactly making it easy on him. He was just openly speaking to the freaking ghost or whatever it was that followed him everywhere, invisible, able to make croissants float and who knows what else. It was extremely unnerving to hear and watch. Alfons scratched at the back of his left hand as he walked, wondering, does Jotaro really just talk to the thin air around him all day? ...Does he not know how weird that looks?
"Auh...so, your spirit can...speak?" Alfons ventured quietly, turning his head halfway towards Jotaro. "And you hear it? You can actually have a conversation with it?"
[Key]: Trust me, Jotaro is aware of how fucking /bizarre/ it looks to a non-Stand User, he just can't really be fucked to care. Not with being tired and stressed and far from home and having to face a fucking hundred-year-old vampire soon anyway. He yanked the brim of his hat down with a grumble in the direction of his Stand as he faded. "Yeah." He huffed. He just barely bit his tongue to keep from saying 'You'll be able to hear it soon too'. Not out of politeness but out of not wanting Alfons to just up and fuck off the rest of the walk because he's too freaked out to be around Jotaro. "Don't think too hard about it." He fell quiet afterwards. All he wanted was to get this over with so that he could go back to the hotel and go to bed.
"I'm sorry." He spoke up after a time. Despite his aloof monotone. he sounded genuine, if for no reason other than he wanted his Stand to stop being irritated with him. (Out of sight or not, he could /feel/ that shit.) "It's...it's not been a great last..." He paused to think. How long had they been on this journey? "Few weeks."
[Bee]: Alfons, taking the hint and also very okay with not talking, fell silent as well. He focused his attention on the rhythm of his feet moving below him, a grounding habit, and mostly allowed muscle memory to lead them home, hoping the short walk would pass quickly.
Alfons almost flinched when Jotaro spoke up again, zoned out as he had become. He lifted his gaze from the ground and looked over (and up) at Jotaro, taking a moment to study the other's face. Looking closer, the stress was quite evident through the hard mask of indifference. Alfons relented to give the benefit of the doubt. "Ah...oh, no, it's alright- I can understand that." He looked away, wondering awkwardly if he should say more—ask what's wrong? Offer sympathy? He only just met the guy. "...I guess I can say the same. I've been a bit...distracted; I guess that's why I wasn't watching the street earlier," he said with a jokey but humorless tone.
[Key]: The thing about him is that he was never outright ignoring what was happening around him, but damn if he wasn't great at making it seem that way. Jotaro gave a hum of acknowledgement but held his tongue for a moment longer. The only noise between them during those few ticks was the sounds of shoes on pavement (Jotaro's somehow way quieter than that of his smaller counterpart), the occasional light breeze, and the quiet /clink/ing of the chain attached to his jacket.
Something about Alfons pried at the walls that he kept up and God damnit did it pry /hard/. Whatever it was made a crack split in the foundation and it slowly traveled upwards. (Damnit, damnit, damnit, damnit!)
Jotaro kept his hand occupied with the brim of his hat. Fingers dug lightly into the material like he was trying to keep it from being blown away in a sudden gust of wind, even if there wasn't one. He gave a dry chuckle. "I'm not even really supposed to be here..." His voice had a slight strained quality undercutting the usual monotone. "I'm supposed to be finishing school in Tokyo." He sighed. "Fucking hilarious how fate works, isn't it?" Someone's bitter.
[Bee]: (Don't worry about it, Jotaro, he has that effect on everyone.) Surprised that Jotaro was actually making conversation, Alfons tried to relax a little more, with the barest hint of a friendly smile in Jotaro's direction. Sure, Jotaro was big and spooky and haunted, but if he's stuck with him for the next few minutes and apparently willing to open up a little now, may as well make the best of it.
Briefly turning his gaze forward and down again, Alfons allowed himself his own little bitter smile, his attention wandering down to his lungs, beginning to ache a little even from the gentle exertion of their walk (At least you're leading, Alfons, imagine having to walk behind 6'5" Long-Legs McGee over there). "...Yeah. It's a real cruel joke sometimes, huh?" Alfons glanced at his companion again. "So...you're from Japan, then? What are you doing in Munich?"
[Key]: He finally dropped his hand and moved it to his jeans pocket. Looking ahead, he tried to make out the rest of the street through the darkness and dim light provided by the streetlamps. Not that he saw or heard anything but the previous ambushes certainly made behavior like this second nature. A special, awful kind of paranoia. He hoped to a God he stopped believing in long ago that it'd fade away after he went home.
"I'm here with my jiji- Grandfather- I'm here with my grandfather and a few other people. We..." He trailed off in trying to find the right words. Alfons was definitely a budding Stand User but that absolutely did not mean that he wanted him to get wrapped up in all the dangerous bullshit with Dio. Random bystander or not, it's not blood that he wanted on his hands if something were to happen. "...we were on our way to Egypt. To...to see someone. We tried going along the coast but it was...it sucked shit."
[Bee]: Did he say his 'jiji'?! Alfons barely managed to stifle a snort—it was unexpectedly adorable, and way too funny coming from someone who looks Like That—and bit hard on his inner bottom lip to maintain a straight face. Jotaro was being serious, dammit! And Alfons would take him seriously! ...But that word, god-
"I see..." Alfons said quietly when he had his internal giggles under control enough to speak. He didn't really 'see', of course, since Jotaro was clearly being purposefully vague, but it seemed polite to just go with it. They were almost home anyway, no point going too in-depth with nosy questions. Alfons was rather hoping to not see Jotaro again after this, anyway. "Well, um...I hope it'll go better for you now, then- Are you staying in town long?" Please go away soon?
[Key]: "I'm hoping not." Jotaro was being completely honest with his reply. "We're-We're on a bit of a time limit here. The plan was to stay here for a few days longer and then cut straight down to Cairo." Hopefully without getting this doe-eyed Stand User-to-be twink getting swept up in the adventure. Well, him and his roommate. Preferably neither of them. He really didn't want more damage done than was necessary to take down Dio. He gave a grave-sounding huff of a laugh. "Really all I want is to go home to my m- Home. I want to go home." He swallowed hard and contemplated another cigarette to keep his mouth occupied. (Calm down, calm down. Can't let yourself spill too much and get the poor fucker involved in all of this- Well, more involved than he already was.)
He was quiet again. Not so much choosing his words but avoiding saying any altogether. He felt Star Platinum's phantom embrace around him, squeezing lightly, keeping him grounded. (Calm down. Calm down. Calm. Down. Calm. Calm. Good.)
Clearing his throat after another bout of more than a little awkward silence, Jotaro piped up with "Your English is very good, y'know."
[Bee]: Alfons blinked at the unexpected compliment, turning his head to eye Jotaro briefly, before allowing a small smile. "Thank you- It's my roommate's first language." He looked forward again and continued absently counting the house numbers they passed as he spoke—they were nearly there. "He hardly knew any German when I first met him, and I knew a little English, so I learned a lot from communicating with him firsthand." The thought of Edward again, his calming presence of strength and warmth, really made Alfons want to hurry home, after such a stressful day. He decided he'd wait for Jotaro to leave before hugging him, though.
Arriving at the correct apartment at last, Alfons stepped up to the front door leading to the stairway, waving to the landlady Frau Gracia in the open flower shop next door. Opening the door and heading into the stairway, he returned Jotaro's compliment, "I'm guessing your first language is Japanese, is that right? If so, your English is very good as well-"
[Key]: Jotaro stayed where he was while Alfons made his way to the front of the apartment. He hummed and pulled his hat back down to shadow his eyes. The kid was going his own way now so there was no sense in lingering around and accidentally getting attached. (Though he was seriously doubtful that he would, what with the steely walls he put up around himself at all times, but the pulling feeling that came with being around Alfons too long made him question that.) Yet still something told him not to just walk off yet.
/Click./
"Hey, kid, before you fuck off, probably never to be seen again." He thought for only a split second on how to word it so it wouldn't sound weird. (Well, it would sound weird regardless, but the least What The Fuck Sir option was the one he'd rather go with.) "Let me give you my number. I've got this nagging feeling you're gonna need it."
[Bee]: Alfons paused a step and a half into the building and looked over his shoulder, only then realizing Jotaro wasn't following him. ...Reflecting, he actually wasn't sure why he had assumed Jotaro would be coming in the apartment, this was plenty far enough—both for the concept of being walked home, and for Alfons hoping to distance himself from this man as soon as possible while still being polite.
"...Huh?" Alfons was very taken aback by this offer. That was completely unexpected. His mind suddenly raced to connect a few dots—he bought me a croissant. He walked me home. He wants to give me his number. ...Am I being flirted with?!?!
"...Oh- Um-" Alfons was an absolute deer in the headlights, if a deer could blush bright red. What should he say?? He'd never had this happen with a boy before! Could Jotaro tell he was gay?? (Like it isn't flamingly obvious, Alfons?) And not to mention his own interest was already fixed...elsewhere (behind him, up the stairs, and through the apartment door, to be exact). He fumbled for a response. "Ahhh... Sorry, I um- I'm flattered, but I'm... I mean, I've already... I'm taken!!" Oh no.
[Key]: It took a few seconds to process exactly what had been said to him. A few seconds where the air buzzed with an awkward sort of silent tension. But when it clicked, Jotaro visibly recoiled with his lip curling. He promptly buried his face in both of his hands and gave an exasperated sort of sigh, dragging them down his cheeks with one lingering to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Good fucking grief- I'm not hitting on you, dumbass!" His voice had a bit more bite to it than he would've liked but it's not like he was about to apologize. Dropping his hand with another heavy sigh, he made eye contact with Alfons once more. "I'm not flirting. I a-" He cleared his throat and adjusted his posture. "It's an intuition thing. I've got a feeling you're gonna need to contact me within the next few days." It's not as if he can exactly tell him what the fuck was to come anyway.
[Bee]: "...Oh-! ...Oh." First a huge wave of relief, and then one of supreme horrified embarrassment, washed over him like a stray cat being sprayed by a car driving through a puddle. It was then his turn to also hide his face in his hands, groaning miserably. "I'm so sorry!" came his muffled cry. "Gott, Alfons, du bist ein Dummkopf." (God, Alfons, you're an idiot.) "I'm- Aghhh- Sorry. Um." Shamefully, he revealed his burning face again and fished his phone from his back pocket, quickly opening it and starting a new text message, and finally stepping forward to hand the phone to Jotaro while firmly avoiding eye contact. "Yeah. Sure. Of course." After that disaster, Alfons wasn't going to argue. He didn't really understand, but he was more than willing to go along with it if it meant getting away from this awkward-as-all-hell situation.
[Key]: Alfons's phone in hand, Jotaro eyed him for another moment with a kind of half-squint. He blinked several times before huffing, relaxing his face (though still looking thoroughly annoyed, but that's just him), and typing in his number. He also took a few seconds to send a sample text to himself, one that read 'Jesus fuck sir'. He handed the phone back with a short mutter of "/Blöd hündin./" ("Stupid bitch.") His fuse would've been slightly longer but this time around, and especially after /that/, not so much. Truly he was just trying to get this part done and over with so that he could walk back to the hotel, shower, and then go to bed. The Japanese teen leaned back, pulling his hat brim securely over his eyes and made a move like he was about to walk off.
That was when the sound of footsteps behind Alfons caught his attention and he glanced up irritably.
[Bee]: Alfons stared at Jotaro in shock. So he does know German! And he uses it only now just to insult me! Alfons' brow furrowed with irritation and he scoffed. "Hey-"
"Alfons?" The uneven footsteps (thump, clunk, thump, clunk) behind Alfons reached the bottom of the stairs and crossed the hallway to the door. Alfons looked over his shoulder, and slightly unbristled, his expression lightening, at the sight of his roommate, Edward.
Ed was wearing a red flannel with the sleeves rolled up over a black shirt and distressed black jeans, a ponytail, and a questioning slight frown. "Hey, wo warst du? ...Wer ist dieser Kerl?" (Hey, where've you been? ...Who's this guy?) He met Alfons' eyes, and then squinted slightly looking past him at Jotaro.
Alfons smiled softly in greeting. "Die Geschichte erzähle ich dir gleich." (I'll tell you the story in a bit.") He stepped a few inches to the side to make room for Edward, as the shorter blond walked up to stand beside him, lifting his left hand to rest on Alfons' mid-back. Alfons' stomach did a tiny twirl at the affection. Switching back to English, he explained briefly, "Um- This is Jotaro. He walked me home."
Edward blinked and looked Jotaro over, noting the use of English but choosing to ignore it. "Jesus fuck, ist diese Hündin etwa sieben Fuß groß?" (Is this bitch like seven feet tall?)
Alfons shot Edward a gently annoyed look. "Seien Sie nicht unhöflich!" (Don't be rude!)
[Key]: Jotaro pushed the brim right back up again and looked the newcomer over. One could safely assume that he was sizing Edward up. Emerald green eyes closely watched the space between he and Alfons, particularly focusing on a glimmer that did not belong to the German boy. God damnit, looks like his feeling earlier in the bakery turned out to be right. After listening to them go back and forth in German for a bit, he interrupted. "/やれやれだぜ- Ich kann begreifen ihr beide, wissen sie!/" ("Good grief- I can understand both of you, you know!") It was definitely more than a little jarring to hear the sudden switch in languages, even more jarring was the calm that came over his features after speaking. Besides his typical irritated look, that is.
He straightened up, eyeing Edward down the brim of his nose, and cleared his throat. "Now carry on what you were saying about me, shrimp." His voice went more monotone than usual as he crossed his arms over the broadest part of his chest.
In case you were wondering, yes, Star Platinum is angrily and frantically telling his User to cool his fucking jets. And yes, Jotaro is ignoring it.
[Bee]: Edward really couldn't be arsed to care that Jotaro understood him. He'd be happy to call him a bitch in any language Jotaro might prefer. He met Jotaro's gaze, glaring firmly. Alfons glanced between them worriedly, and sighed. He had joked there could be tension if they met but didn't expect it to actually happen, nor did he want it.
Edward tensed suddenly.
Oh no, Alfons thought.
Anger flashed over Edward's face, his lips immediately pulling back in a snarl. Before Alfons even registered the gentle hand on his back was gone, it was balled in a tight fist as Edward was already three steps out the door. "WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU CALLING A SHRIMP, DIPSHIT?! CAN A SHRIMP DO THIS?!" A furious prosthetic punch flew through the air toward Jotaro's jaw...
...And froze two inches before landing its hit. An invisible force had caught Edward's hand in midair. Edward was startled out of his rage enough to blink in confusion. "What the...?"
Alfons had winced away from the sight, but opened his eyes again and reassessed the scene. He didn't...hit him? What happened?
[Key]: If Jotaro was in any sort of mood for it, he would've pulled a smirk the instant he saw Edward coming his way. But he kept a straight if frustrated expression about him, squaring his shoulders and and tilting his head back slightly. Not a cocky look, however a challenging one, a bet placed without words. Daring the short blonde to do it, no balls, he wouldn't.
The bitch even closed his eyes right before it happened.
Star Platinum, rather fortunately, was always three steps ahead of things. Irritated at his User as he was, he still maintained his purpose of protecting Jotaro. He appeared at his side and, right as Edward was about to connect with Jotaro's lower jaw, his hand shot out and grabbed it with a loud "ORA!" Full stop, deescalated from one-hundred to zero in a matter of milliseconds. Star Platinum, still holding Edward's prosthetic hand firmly in his, turned to glare at Jotaro with a rather human look of pure annoyance. "Ora, ora, ora!"
Jotaro slowly opened his eyes to stare down the length of his nose at Ed. Blinked once, twice, expression entirely unchanging. His gaze slid to the left to eye his Stand. "Star Platinum." He muttered, tones low, and watched Star Platinum disappear with a nod (the gripping sensation no doubt went with him). He then looked back to Edward. "Are you done?" He asked flatly.
[Bee]: Edward growled and jerked his fist in the hold, but found himself unable to move it very much. When the invisible pressure released his hand, Edward pulled away quickly and caught his right wrist in his left, flexing the metal fingers, inspecting the hand. Was there something wrong with his prosthetic? No, that didn't make sense, his full body momentum was halted. Something caught his fist. He was not above believing in what should be the impossible, considering the world he came from had alchemy and chimeras and homunculi and Truth knows what else. But that stuff wasn't supposed to happen here. "What the fuck just happened?" he questioned quietly, turning a wide-eyed gaze back up to Jotaro.
Noting it was safe to, Alfons quickly stepped forward and gently grabbed Edward's left shoulder and upper arm with both hands. "Christ, Edward, please don't start a fight right here-"
Edward turned his head and complained at Alfons, "He called me a shrimp, Fons! Do y'expect me t' just take that?"
"I'm not expecting, I'm asking."
"Well, ask your friend's spooky ass how the hell he stopped my fist mid-air!"
"He's not my friend, I've only known him for- Wait, he did that? Not you?"
Edward nodded. Alfons stared back at him, equally confused, and then looked over at Jotaro. Oh. It clicked. "Uh... Spirit...?"
[Key]: Star Platinum came out of hiding for just a moment to watch Alfons and Edward talk back and forth. His head appeared to rest on Jotaro's shoulder from the position and he gave his User a look. "Ora." He started flatly. "Ora, ora, ora, ora. Oraaaa." He waited expectantly for Jotaro to say something back. Upon getting no response, he tried again. "Ora! Ora, ora! Ora. /Ora./"
Jotaro's glare flicked to the side, emerald fixated on amethyst. "Shut up." He huffed with his voice taking on a growling sort of quality that reflected his annoyance. "I'm not apologizing. You're literally me and you should know th-" He was cut off by a sharp poke in the ribs, like many times before. Deep breath, calm down, soon this'll be over and you can go back to your room at the hotel. Being addressed by Alfons was what made him remember, oh yeah, there are people around. Slow blink. "Yeah, spirit." He said with a shallow nod.
Star Platinum rolled his eyes and retreated.
Jotaro blinked several more times, eyes sliding from Alfons to Edward. "Your hand ok?"
[Bee]: "Spirit...?" Edward repeated, before he let his arms fall to his sides and glared at Jotaro. "My hand's fine, thanks. It can take a lot more than that, trust me." He turned his head back to Alfons. "Now whaddya mea-" Then he realized how close Alfons was, close enough to feel the faint heat of his body. "Uh-"
Alfons, who was still gently clutching Edward and had huddled rather close to his side, blinked and quickly released him, stepping away without a word. His cheeks dusted pink and he avoided Ed's eyes.
Edward mentally shook himself to recover, swallowing and turning back to point the question at Jotaro instead. "Whaddya mean 'spirit'? The hell are you talking about?"
[Key]: The corner of Jotaro's lips quirked upwards into the slightest trace of a smirk. Before he could really truly stop himself, he heard himself utter the words "I'm possessed."
"ORA-!"
[Bee]: Edward just stared blankly at Jotaro for a few seconds, a small bit of color draining from his face. Once again, with his knowledge of souls and their ability to persist beyond death, inside the Gate and outside, even strong enough to possess and live as movable objects, Edward didn't have to question the validity of Jotaro's statement. "You're...possessed..? Is that so..?" he asked weakly. "Auh..."
He covered his mouth with his right hand and whispered urgently to Alfons, "Fons, what the fuck kind of weirdos are you bringing home?"
Alfons whispered back, "I didn't 'bring him home', he walked me home! I didn't have a choice in the matter."
Edward blinked. "Did you go on a date with a possessed guy??"
"Absolutely not!" Alfons defended very quickly—remembering the embarrassment from earlier—and then sighed. "I told you, I'll tell you the story in a bit, I promise." He looked back over at Jotaro, and cleared his throat before he spoke, a little awkwardly. "Oh, ah- I'm sorry, don't let us keep you- Thanks for...walking me here, and for the croissant and stuff."
[Key]: Tactfully ignoring his Stand jabbering at him, loud as it was, Jotaro simply nodded and turned to leave with a wave of the hand in lieu of a goodbye. In his mind, there was no point in actually trying to make an impression, both Alfons and Edward were going to have more pressing matters at hand shortly. (Pressing matters that he'd get involved in, no doubt, but that seemed like a problem for Future Jotaro.)
Taking a step back the way that he'd walked with Alfons, Jotaro suddenly collapsed like he'd been struck very hard in the face. With one hand, he braced himself up against the ground and the other held his cheek where a bruise was very quickly forming. He turned his head and spat out a mouthful of blood, poor bastard probably bit the inside of his cheek. "What the hell is your problem??" He hissed to his right, looking up at nothing (something?) well above eye-level for him.
Hovering above him, Star Platinum crossed his arms and glared down at Jotaro with irritation evident in his eyes. Maybe he shouldn't have punched his User but, hey, no critical damage was done /and/ he deserved it! "Ora, ora, ora!"
Rising to his feet, nevermind that his hat (was the back ripped? or simply shaped to his hair??) was laying on the pavement. "What the fuck did I do, huh!?" As he spoke, he brought a hand up to wipe the blood from his lip. That same hand went to poke Star Platinum in the middle of the chest. "And don't give me any of that 'you know what you did' shit either!"
Star Platinum backed up an inch, just out of reach of Jotaro. He pointed towards Edward and Alfons, still making eye contact with Jotaro, and gave one solitary "/Ora./"
[Bee]: If ever there was a time when "hhahaaa what the shit" was an emotion, never was it more than this moment right now for Edward and Alfons. Alfons had lifted a hand waving goodbye to Jotaro, and Edward had mumbled a "c'mon, Fons" to Alfons as he began turning back with his eyes still warily on Jotaro—and then That happened, and left them staring in complete dumbfounded bewilderment.
Edward shot Alfons a disturbed, questioning look along with a finger pointing at Jotaro, and Alfons responded with an equally confused look and a shrug. When Jotaro rose to his feet, Edward took an instinctive step forward and a little in front of Alfons, his left arm reaching out to the side a tiny bit as if to shield the other blond. He then backed up a few small steps, herding Alfons back with him.
Edward spoke up after a few seconds, hazarding a reasonable guess as to what just happened, "..Hey, would ya mind pissing off your ghost somewhere besides right in front of our place, man? I really don't wanna get fucking haunted."
[Key]: Jotaro looked in the direction of Edward and narrowed his eyes. "Shut the fuck u-" He was cut off by his head jerking in the opposite direction like he had been slapped hard across the face. A red hand print faded into appearance against his lightly tanned cheek. Slowly he turned his head back to face Star Platinum, pure anger burning in his eyes. "Bastard."
New approach. Star Platinum grabbed a handful of the back of Jotaro's jacket and lifted upward, pulling the teen off his feet about a foot into the air to be eye to eye with his Stand. With force, while still being mindful of his own strength and what it could do to a person, he pressed his forehead to Jotaro's, making his head jerk back slightly. (/Bonk./) With his free hand, he pointed towards Alfons and Edward. "Ora. Ora."
He stayed like that for several seconds, hanging in the air by the back of his coat. All quiet except for the beating of his heart in his ears, his ragged breathing (damn those cigarettes), and the occasional quiet /clink/ of the chain attached to his jacket collar. He knew how stubborn and unrelenting Star Platinum could be, because /he/ was stubborn and unrelenting. Jotaro exhaled slowly and looked away, suddenly finding the pavement interesting as fuck. "Ok." He spoke at last, voice shockingly even despite the yelling earlier.
Star Platinum nodded and settled him back down on the ground with a satisfied "Ora." He pointed in the direction of the two blondes once with more emphasis and spoke with a slightly gentler tone. "Ora, ora, ora-a-a."
Jotaro dusted himself off and adjusted his jacket before walking back over to the two who witnessed to his own Stand reprimanding him. He really looked for all the world like a kicked puppy. A very large kicked puppy.
[Bee]: As Jotaro turned to the two of them again, Alfons was wide-eyed and white as a sheet, and Edward looked like if [Dial-Up Internet sounds] could be a facial expression, his mouth hanging open, mouthing half-formed words as he tried to process and react to what he just saw. From their point of view, they just witnessed one of the largest men they'd ever met get beat up by fucking nothing and then hover ominously in midair, before approaching them looking miserable. 'Unsettled' was an understatement.
"...Sir, what the fuck," Edward finally said as plainly as he could muster.
"Did it- Y-you just- How-?!" Alfons stammered in a shriller, tense voice.
Alfons was really starting to regret letting this weirdo know where he lived. Edward maintained his position of partially shielding Alfons with his own body, prepared in case of...whatever might happen.
[Key]: Jotaro stopped at a respectable distance. He knew just how fucking weird that had to look, or at least had a pretty good idea. Head bowed slightly, gaze directed at the ground, he gave a noise between a huff and a sigh. "Good grief-..." He reached up to pull the brim of his hat down to shadow his eyes, and hopefully hide the embarrassment that settled deep in his pupils, only to grab at thin air. Oh that's right, his hat was on the pavement over there. Looking over his shoulder to where his Stand still hovered with his arms crossed, he nodded his head in the direction of the worn black and gold cap on the ground. "Star Platinum." He was no longer trying to hide the fact that he was talking to the Stand. Not like there was any fucking point in even attempting to. The hand that would've grabbed at his brim instead went down to scrub at the cheek that had taken the first blow. If he didn't have as much self-control as he did, he would've flinched and hissed. Yep, that was definitely going to bruise. Even with Star Platinum being aware of the damage he could cause and going easy on his User, that shit still hurted.
Taking the hint, Star Platinum nodded and floated over to the hat on the road, picked it up, and brought it back to Jotaro. He once again gestured to Edward and Alfons, noting but not really caring about their obvious state of shock. "/Ora./"
Jotaro sighed and slipped the hat back on. His thick black locks poked through the jagged and worn holes at the back, making it appear fused with his head as it was before. A sharp poke to the cheek made him swallow down the bloody saliva in his mouth, and his pride. And he bowed, back straight, head down. He could feel Star Platinum's satisfaction with that. "I'm...I'm sorry for that...all of it..."
[Key]: His voice was like a whisper at a funeral, hushed and his usual controlled monotone burning with an edge of shame. Straightening back up, he glanced to the left to catch a stern expression from the Stand. His gaze returned to the two buffering witnesses. "I have been incredibly rude and I apologize for it." He bowed again, the chain on his jacket rattled. "And I apologize for what my Stand had to do to set me straight." /Stand./
[Bee]: Jotaro's bowed apology did little to help their shocked state; if anything it only added further to the whiplash of the last minute or so of events, though this surprise was definitely a softer and more welcome one. Ed and Alfons exchanged looks, both somewhat at a loss for what to say. (And did he call the spirit his "stand"..? What did that mean?)
A gently awkward moment passing, Edward cleared his throat and gave his own attempt at mending the situation, at the very least enough to make Jotaro leave sooner. "Uh- H-hey, no sweat- Um. I can be an asshole too, old man, don't worry about it-"
Alfons whispered, "He's seventeen."
"...What?! I'm older than h-"
"Shh." Alfons briefly held a finger to Edward's startled lips to silence him, quickly dropping his hand and looking back over at Jotaro again. A slight shake hid in his voice. "Ah- I...know you said you've had a bad few weeks, so...I don't, um... I don't hold it against you. But, um-" What did he say his spirit's name was again? Alfons' gaze wandered in the air around Jotaro. Bold move incoming. "Star...Platinum? Is that right..? Please don't hurt Jotaro anymore."
[Key]: When Jotaro leaned back into an upright position, he tugged his hat so far down that it almost covered his eyes completely. This entire series of events was not a good look for him and he was painfully aware of it. He watched quietly as they exchanged words about him right in front of him but opted to stay quiet this time around. (Motherfucker cringed when Edward referred to him as 'old man' though.)
Star Platinum was about to phase away when he was addressed directly by Alfons. He cast a sideways look at Jotaro, one that was returned. "Ora?"
Jotaro looked Alfons up and down and then back at his Stand. "I don't /think/ he can see you, no." He had to bite his tongue to keep back a 'yet'.
"Ora, ora, ora..." Star Platinum nodded and rested his chin in his palm. "Ora, ora, ora, ora. Ora-ora. Oraa."
Jotaro's emerald eyes directed themselves to the underside of his hat brim. "I'm not telling him that."
"Ora, ora."
"I'm not telling him that either."
"Ora-a?"
"Word-for-word?"
"Ora."
"No."
"Ora. Ora, ora. Ora."
Jotaro finally looked back at Alfons properly. "He said he couldn't help it but he'll try to avoid doing so in the future. His words, not mine."
[Bee]: When Alfons had the nerve to speak directly to the ghost and even gently command it, Edward stared at his roommate in utter disbelief—partly because he thought it was a gutsier move than Alfons was capable of, and partly because he looked absolutely insane doing it. He was also still mildly (a bit more than mildly, really) flustered from Alfons touching his lips suddenly. Altogether, he was speechless for the moment.
Alfons, for his part, was still quite pale and stiff; he really didn't like ghosts, and he certainly didn't like violent, physically harmful ghosts—so his choice to speak to it was a surprise even to himself. He was proud of his voice not shaking though.
He watched and waited, uncomfortably, his right hand gently scratching at the back of his left, as Jotaro spoke to the air, but lightened up when he received his response. A relieved sigh fell from his lips. "Thank you, spirit," he said with a dip of his head and shoulders, a tiny bow. "I do appreciate it." Deeply unsettling as it was to talk to a ghost, at least it responded kindly. His nerve was running out though. "Um- Well, Jotaro, it was nice to meet you I guess. Again, I don't mean to keep you, if you...have places to be or whatever."
[Key]: "Ora!" Star Platinum said brightly. He reached out a hand as if to pat Alfons on the head for being so polite about it.
Jotaro stopped that shit real quick. His own hand shot out and slapped at the back of his Stand's. (There was even a sound like he had hit something physical.) "Stop it." He said firmly. Returning his attention to Alfons, he sighed lightly and dug in his pocket for his pack of cigarettes. Might as well smoke his last one on the walk back to the hotel. "You're right." He put the cigarette between his lips and crushed the empty carton in his hand (force of habit) before shoving it in his jacket pocket. "Chances are I've got eight-fucking-hundred messages from my j- grandfather- that need checked out." He turned to leave, digging his lighter out of his pocket and setting the end of the cigarette alight, the red cherry flaring brightly with his first inhale.
"Oh. By the way." He glanced over his shoulder. Those emerald eyes of his seemed to almost glow in the dwindling light. "You'll come to understand." With no further elaboration, he started walking.
Checked in with the other crusaders, got dinner in the form of cheap pizza, showered, brushed his teeth, and laid in bed with some sea life documentary playing on his laptop. That's where he was now, dressed down to just his boxers and only half paying attention to the narrator's ramble about the mating habits of cuttlefish, his mind occupied by Edward and Alfons. He sighed and closed his laptop, not bothering to get up and plug it in. "Star Platinum, the lights."
His Stand, showing how tired he really was, appeared and floated across the room. With one sleepy ora, he flicked the lights off.
"Thanks." Jotaro checked his phone one last time before laying it on the nightstand and rolling over onto his stomach. No doubt his phone would soon be spammed with calls and texts about a freshly-awakened Stand. "Fuck me sideways..."
Sleep didn't come easy to him. It never did. But especially not that night.
[Bee]: Alfons was so taken aback by Jotaro's final words to him, he didn't remember to wave goodbye until Jotaro had already turned away. "Ah- ...Bye-?" he uttered quietly, the mild shock still on his face. What did he mean by that? Come to understand what..?
Edward stared after the tall boy as well, but finally returned to his senses, shaking himself and then gently tugging on Alfons' arm. "Let's head inside, c'mon."
Finally upstairs and back safely in their apartment, Alfons stood with his hands against the just-closed door and sucked in a slow, deep breath...and as he released it, heavily, the full anxiety of the day that he'd been suppressing finally started returning to hit him full force, his expression growing tense and shoulders cringing upwards. As soon as they were out of their shoes, Alfons took hold of Edward's flesh hand (receiving a small "wh-" from Ed) and pulled him slowly over to the couch in the living room. He sat down stiffly, his body language tight and inexpressive as he worked to keep a grip on his anxiety, releasing Edward's hand.
Ed got the hint and took a seat beside his roommate. Golden eyes searched ocean blue for an answer as he asked, "Alfons, what...?"
Alfons hesitated one anxious moment longer, meeting and glancing away from Ed's eyes, before scooting closer and leaning solidly into Edward with a distressed exhale. His arms folded against Edward's chest, and he pressed his cheek to Edward's shoulder. His fingers slowly flexed and clung to Ed's shirt, and his eyes shut and clenched tight.
"...Fons? Hey, hey, whoa," Edward cooed softly, enveloping Alfons' tense form in an embrace when he realized the younger blond's sudden upset. His brow furrowed. "Ich habe dich, Alfons, du bist in Ordnung. Sprich mit mir, was ist los?" (I've got you, Alfons, you're okay. Talk to me, what's the matter?)
[Bee]: Alfons hid his face and just breathed deeply for a few seconds, letting Edward's comforting scent and warmth work down his barriers. "...Heute ist viel passiert," he mumbled to Edward's collarbone. (...A lot happened today.) Ed held him close as Alfons unraveled his nerves and told him about the events of the day.
If Alfons only knew what tomorrow had in store for him.
[Key]: It wasn't the golden sunlight spilling through the gap in the curtains that woke him, nor was it the hum of the minifridge in the corner kicking on. It wasn't other people in the hallway outside his room either. It definitely wasn't the buzz of his phone vibrating on the bedside table either (thought it really should have been). What woke Jotaro Kujo from his heavy, dreamless sleep was his own Stand shaking him awake by the shoulder.
"What...the ffffuck...?" Jotaro rasped as he lifted his head from his pillow to look at Star Platinum with bleary eyes. His hair was all a mess and sticking down to the side of his face where he'd slept on it and a thin string of drool connected his lower lip to his pillow. "It's...it's too early for this...shhhhit..." He flopped back down in an attempt to return to his slumber. Sleep was a rarity for him, prior to this trip but especially during it, and he definitely wasn't about to let his stupid fucking /punch ghost/ take that small luxury from him. "Fuuuuck ooooff..."
"Ora!" Star Platinum shook him more roughly and pointed towards the continuously buzzing phone on the nightstand. "Ora, ora, ora, ora!" Letting go of Jotaro, he snatched the phone up and put it directly next to his head. "/ORA!/"
Already pissed off, Jotaro relented with an extreme amount of reluctance and pushed himself up onto his side and grabbed his phone. Squinting at the brightness in the still relative dim of the room, he couldn't help the scowl that too precedence over his features. Fifty-two fucking texts from that Alfons kid. Wait, no. Fifty-three. Wait. Fifty-four. Hold on, fifty-five. "Jesus fucking Christ..."