"Nori, what are you doing?" Jotaro asks, head tilted to the side and an eyebrow raised. Kakyoin was crouched in front of some of the plants outside on the way home from school, notebook in hand. "This is a plant I haven't seen around lately.. the Dianthus superbus, or the "Yamato Nadeshiko" around here. It's used in herbalism as a contraceptive, diuretic, and anti-infective. They can also be eaten when they're younger. I, uh, I chose to do my project for my Plant Science and Agriculture class on these. It's growing as a wild flower.. do you think I could take one?" The redhead looks up to the taller, smiling a little.
Jotaro just blinks. "I guess. It's no one's property, probably just came here by seed dispersal or something. There's plenty this way so I don't think people would miss one tiny flower." Jotaro shoves his hands into his pockets, shifting his weight to his right leg. Kakyoin nods and gently digs into the ground using his fingers, scooping the plant up with care and holding it in one hand, brushing the other off. "Care to help?" He chuckles, holding his hand out. Jotaro clicks his tongue, before grabbing and pulling him else. "Who else would help you, dumbass?" "I dunno, Hierophant Green?"
Jotaro pulls him up and Kakyoin stumbles a little, Star coming out on his own and handing him the crutch, a soft 'Ora?' coming from his lips. Kakyoin blinks but smiles. Jotaro hasn't seemed to notice yet, turned around and lighting a cigarette. It's when Kakyoin takes the crutch and raises a hand to simply pet his head that he notices. The action earns a jolt from the raven-haired, nearly dropping the cigarette between his fingers. Kakyoin jumps a little and pulls his hand away. "Ah—right, y-you can feel that. I'm sorry I didn't mean to spook you." Star wills away and leaves the two alone again. Jotaro stays silent before just walking again. His face is red.
—
"What do you mean? My boy—what?!" Ms. Kakyoin shouts this a bit louder than she initially intended to, tears flooding her bright green eyes. The news of her little cherry—her baby boy, being in the hospital and barely clinging to life.
Heart beats fast and she can feel herself getting dizzy. She couldn't lose her baby, her everything.
She couldn't.
—
"Do you want to stop and get some Ramen?" Kakyoin speaks up, head turns to look at the raven-haired. Jotaro blinks before shrugging. "Sure." Kakyoin beams at those words, bright smile able to bring the slightest shade of red to those tanned cheeks belonging to the Joestar boy. If anyone could make him flustered and soft inside, it was him.
—
"How's your mother..?" The raven-haired Kujo asks the redhead as they sat at the table; chopsticks in hand as ramen gets shoveled into their awaiting mouths. Kakyoin visibly tenses, but soon eases. One night—Cairo desert, Kakyoin opens up to Jotaro.
—
"Jotaro..." Voice calls soft; tears are brimming his violet-colored hues. Ocean ones peek up to meet eyes with said violets; widening at the tears. "What's wrong, Noriaki?"
It's only in certain situations where he feels comfortable that he calls him by his first name. Tears shed down his cheeks and he rubs at the skin with his pajama sleeve, letting a sad chuckle out. "You can keep a secret, no?"
"My mother is dying."
—
"She's.. okay. Can't say it's... better, but it's not as bad as she was a few days ago? A-At least, according to my dad." He chuckles. Jotaro nods and bows his head to stare into the bowl, silent once more. The silence is accepted though, with fully open arms from Kakyoin. He just enjoys his presence, despite his... own troubles, he's happy Jotaro is caring enough to stick around. Maybe one day he'll be more. Maybe...
It's moments later that Kakyoin realizes he's finished; he's a quick eater when he isn't thinking. Jotaro lets a stifled snicker out before looking to the side and chuckling. "You looked like you were starving with how fast you were eating." This causes embarrassment to overtake the boy's cheeks, scarred violets shutting before he let out his obnoxious yet adorable laugh. "I tend to scarf when I'm not paying attention, I'm sorry." Jotaro props his head up.
He is smiling, which slowly is becoming a more common thing.... but only around the redhead.
—
"Dad..." The redhead speaks quietly as he peeks into the dark filled room. He looks up, looking in the direction of his son.
"I can't sleep... Can I lay with Mom?" His tear-stained eyes glossed with wetness stare up towards the slowly towering figure.
"Sure, baby." He picks the small child up and carries him to the hospital bed and set him beside the asleep woman; hair just as vibrant as his own. He gets it from her. He crawls underneath the covers, the sound of the beeping heart rate monitors the only thing that echoes in the room.
—
"I have to go home tomorrow..." Kakyoin says—and looks down. He stops moving; its late past sunset. They had gone to the local arcade to cheer Kakyoin back up from overthinking about his mom. Jotaro glances back and pauses as he notices he's stopped moving, turning to look at him. "I don't want to. I don't want to go back home and be alone.." He feels tears brimming the bottom of his eyes and he blinks, the tears falling down his cheeks. "I don't want to watch my mom rot away—i-it makes me feel worse because I can't do anything."
Jotaro pauses before walking forward and pulling the male into a hug; the little piece of contact causing him to suddenly break down and start to cry, reaching up and gripping the back of his black coat. "I don't want to leave you—my nightmares scare the fuck out of me... It's like it's sucking the youth out of me... I-I—I don't... I don't want to do something like I did last time!" Those words nearly cut Jotaro deep, ocean eyes stern yet filled with worry. "You won't. You're strong—" "No I'm not! Have you seen me?! I can't even WALK on my own! I'm not STRONG or anything!" He looks up at him with eyes filled with despair, brows furrowed together furiously.
He was at his breaking point.
"I probably won't make it past night two, b-because my nightmares are just.. that bad....." He reaches up and wipes his eyes, sniffling. "But I'm scared that if I don't I'll l-lose my chance—" Suddenly he stops; violets eyes and the tears start to stop. He didn't mean to say that. "Your chance? A chance for what." Jotaro looked at him before Kakyoin swallowed hard and shook his head, looking down. "N-Nothing it's stupid, never mind... let's go home—" With that, he adjusts himself in his crutches and pulls away from his hold.
He can't believe he just said that; his heart is racing and he can't think straight. There's a tug on his jacket before he's suddenly turned around. "Tell me what you mean." Jotaro's voice is stern; demanding. Kakyoin looks to the side. "It's no-" "Now." That causes Kakyoin's eyes to widen more and he blinks. He's never this emotional—he was the calmer, more collected one of the two... but he's a mess at the moment. His mind is everywhere, heart-pounding—skin clammy and drenched in a cold sweat.
"I-I–.. I like you."
—
"Jotaro! Are you okay?" Kakyoin's voice rings through the area; from what Kakyoin can see, he's cut up and covered in blood. Jotaro lets a grunt out, struggling to stand. The redhead uses himself to prop him up.
"Don't worry I'll help—we should go to the local emergency care. You're limping." Kakyoin spoke with sincere concern as he helped the bigger along.
He would do anything for Jotaro.
Jotaro... he was his first friend. The first person who could see Hierophant. The first person he could trust.
The first person he could love.
—
"I knew that."
Those words catch him by surprise, violet hues widened. "It was obvious. You clung to me, you never leave my side besides for school, you are constantly flustered around me." Kakyoin's heart starts to sink as he goes on. "The way you look at me. The way you crawl into my bed when you have a nightmare, how you ease up when I hold you."
'He hates you. You're disgusting. Worthless, useless. You'll never find someone.'
"How you curled up to sleep in my jacket."
'You're a disgusting freak. You need to die. Disappear.'
"......." This information causes tears to flood his violet eyes; thin fingers curled around the handles of his comfort gripped crutches, knuckles turning white. Paper pale skin red from embarrassment and fear before he looked down. "...You hate me don't you?" He laughs out—letting the tears suddenly fall after blinking his eyes roughly. "Think I'm some.. freak. Some weirdo who likes guys.." Hands start to tremble just a little and he reaches up to rub his eyes.
'Just accept it—you're all alone. No one likes you.'
"Just get it over with—" "I don't hate you, you fucking idiot. Let me finish." He goes silent and nods, staring at the ground.
"I like you too." Kakyoin pauses and looks at him suddenly, blinking. "I like it when you come to me for comfort; when you crawl into my bed... when you need my help to calm down." You can tell the brute teen is having more than enough trouble admitting this—face getting redder the more he goes on. "I've heard you talking to Hierophant about it. What you wish you could do with me, I..." The sound of clanking is heard and a pair of arms wrap around the embarrassed teen with the quickness. He takes time to process it before flustering up and looking to the side, carefully wrapping his large arms around him in return. "..."
"I love you."
Those words make Kakyoin's heart jump; thumping harshly in his chest as it does. He rests, before leaning into him further with a shaky sigh. "Me too.."
—
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine," Kakyoin's mother sings softly; she had woken up during the late night while Kakyoin was curled up at her side, asleep. "You make me happy when skies are grey..."
Outside the window, she notices it's starting to get brighter outside. It's sunrise. She can see her husband in the chair—though she does not recognize him. Not right now.
Her son though—she could never forget him. "You'll never know dear, how much I love you.."
Eyes close in content. "Please don't take my sunshine away.."
—
"I love you. I love you so much... I immediately regret what I did months ago because I knew that if I did I would have lost you—" He's silenced; a kiss is placed on his lips to shut the redhead up. Sure enough, it does as intended, and he's frozen in place—but doesn't object. No, he sinks into the kiss and reaches up to wrap his arms around the teen's neck; propping his body up against his and returns it with full intent to show what love he could in the small moment.
The silence encloses around their forms, chilly fall air blowing and rustling their clothes some; causing the redhead to shiver just a bit before pulling away. A blush is already flushed over his pale cheeks, reaching up to the tips of his scarred eyes and the edges of his ears.
"...love you too.." Raven-haired male adjusts his hat; Kakyoin smiles a grin so love-filled and snug-eyed he looked like he was gonna pass out from love. His eyes were lidded and soft looking. "Let's go home, Noriaki." He placed his hand near his face and pushed him playfully, using Star Platinum to bring his crutches to him. "Y-Yeah.."
—
"Hiiii!" Holly pulls the boys close to hug them, squeezing them tight. Jotaro grunts and pushes her off a bit but Kakyoin happily returns it. "You boys are out late! I guess you've eaten already, hm? That's fine, you can have it for lunch tomorrow!~ Go get rested up it may be Friday but it's late out." She ushers them along; Jotaro uttering a quiet 'shut up' but going anyways. Kakyoin chuckles and pushes past her, walking slowly towards their room after ridding his shoes.
Jotaro yanks him into the room nearly, eyes stern as he shuts the door and sets him down on the bed, forcefully sitting himself down beside him. He's flustered; eyes adverting his gaze before he mumbles.
"What was that?" Kakyoin leans over and tries to see his face but Jotaro just leans back on his hands. "I asked do you want to sleep with me tonight—in the same bed.." This makes Kakyoin blush again but he nods; smiling gently.
"Yeah. That sounds good."
—
"Who are you?" Her voice rings sharp in the teens' ears.
"...I'm your son.."
—