Warnings: None
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In the short time he had known Joseph Joestar, Caesar Zeppeli was able to form a definitive opinion about him.
He hated him.
From the way he had shot his pasta at him in the restaurant to the way shoved an entire damn bird in his mouth, there was no other conclusion to reach.
"You are the absolute worst, Jojo," Caesar complained, still coughing up feathers.
Joseph only laughed in reply. A disappointed Speedwagon shook his head several feet away and scanned the crowd, looking for someone.
"Admit it, Caesar, you love me," Joseph taunted, complete with an exaggerated flutter of his eyelashes.
As he recovered, Caesar spat, "If you had a sister and a dog, I would choose the dog."
"Good. I'd never let you anywhere near my sister, anyway," Joseph responded.
"You have a sister?"
"Yeah, he does. Me," you interrupted, turning the boys' attention from each other to you.
Mamma Mia, Caesar hadn't expected you to be so... gorgeous! The light color of your top complimented your skin tone, and he couldn't help but notice the way it brought out your eyes. Though, Caesar noted that you and Joseph didn't look all that alike.
"Are you sure you're related?" He asked in disbelief.
"She's my adopted sister," Joseph explained.
"His grandmother took me in when I was a baby," you finished.
Now it made sense. So, then, did his earlier statement still apply? Because, if given the choice, he most definitely would not pick a dog over you.
He watched intently as you gave Speedwagon a hug. The smile on your face was precious and he hoped to see you smile more often. You were considerably shorter than Speedwagon and Caesar noted the way you had to perch on your tip toes to reach the perfect heigh for a hug.
Through some simple deduction, Caesar realized you'd have to do the same thing if he ever wanted to hug you, too.
Joseph noticed Caesar staring, and, as all overprotective brothers do, immediately pulled Caesar in by the collar.
"Don't even think about it, Zeppeli," Joseph growled.
"Think about what?"
"About trying anything with my sister! She's off limits."
Caesar scoffed and rolled his eyes. Off limits. Who did he think he was?
"I believe the girl can think for herself," Caesar replied calmly, removing Joseph's hand from his collar while he spoke.
"I'm her brother and it's my job to protect her. When I say no, I mean no!"
"What are you two talking about?" You chimed in. Neither of them had noticed you approaching and they both made small noises of surprise when you spoke. You giggled and Caesar blushed.
"I was just going over some ground rules with Caesar," Joseph replied sweetly before pulling you into a hug.
It had been a little while since you had seen your brother, considering he ran off to Mexico to find Speedwagon alone. After learning about the Pillar Men, Speedwagon had flown you to Italy for backup.
"Word to the wise," he had said into the phone, "never leave things to the himbos."
You all arrived on the island where you would train your hamon skills and were immediately thrust into a ridiculous challenge. The Hell Climb Pillar took literal days to complete and by the end of it you were exhausted, and also incredibly hungry.
"Allow me to make you something to eat, signorina," Caesar flirted, take your hand gently in his.
You hadn't been able to get to know Caesar that well in the past few days, especially considering the intense focus that was required to complete the Hell Climb Pillar. Still, you couldn't deny that he was handsome and charming, and that Italian accent was sweeter than an apple pie.
Just as you were about to agree, Joseph stepped between you and pushed your hands apart. "I'll make her food, thank you very much," Joseph told Caesar, a glare in his eyes.
"Joseph, it's just lunch," you said with an eye roll.
"Not with him it isn't. Now, come on, we'll find the kitchen somehow," Joseph replied, dragging you behind him by your wrist.
You struggled to pull your arm free while giving Caesar an awkward wave goodbye. Once you were out of ear shot, Caesar mumbled a string of Italian curse words at his rival.
Things went on like this for a while. Caesar would make small advances, Joseph would notice and interrupt, and then Caesar would be back at square one. It was an exhausting loop and Caesar began to give up hope.
That is, until you knocked on his door in the middle of the night.
"What is it?" Caesar asked, worried you were hurt or in trouble to be coming to him so late.
You immediately shushed him by placing a finger over your lips and a hand over his. He was stunned by your actions, now quiet as a mouse.
"We don't wanna wake up Joseph," you explained, finally removing the hand you had used to muzzle him.
Caesar only nodded in reply. "So, why are you here, tesoro?" Caesar asked again, whispering this time.
The pet name caused you to blush, only made worse when you grabbed his hand in yours. "This way," you whispered, leading him outside.
Embraced in the cool, night air, Caesar finally asked again, "What are we doing?"
You placed a hand under his chin then tilted his head back so he was looking up. The sky was full of stars. On the secluded island, there was very little light around to obstruct your view of the night sky. You both looked up at the beautiful mosaic, simply taking it all in.
"I've never seen this many stars before," you commented simply after a couple minutes of silence.
"Really?"
"In New York, it's too bright to see any."
"But, don't you see one every time you look in the mirror?"
His flirting was so cheesy, but so incredibly endearing. You couldn't help but blush, and, even in the dark, Caesar noticed.
"Is this all you wanted me for?" Caesar asked. The question was coupled with him tucking a strand of hair behind your ear and you felt your cheeks get even hotter.
"Well, I wanted to actually get to talk to you without my dumb brother interfering," you explained. Caesar chuckled when you called Joseph dumb, agreeing that he was quite a bother.
The two of you sat down in the grass and began to chat. The conversation was so natural that it was almost as if the two of you had known each other for years. Being around him was just... comforting. It was easy, and fun, and inspiring! The two of you spent hours outside, simply talking. It wasn't until the sun began to peak over the horizon that the two of you noticed time had passed at all.
"Oh geez, Lisa Lisa is going to kill me for having no energy during training today," you complained.
"Go get what rest you can, stellina," Caesar said, standing up and offering you his hand.
You took his hand and stood up. "That's a new name. What does it mean?"
"Star."
As soon as the word passed through his lips, he placed a gentle kiss on your cheek. You drew in a sharp breath when his lips made contact with your skin, though you made no move to stop him. You subconsciously squeezed his hand tighter, not realizing you'd never let it go.
"Come on. Let's get you back inside," Caesar said with a smile before leading you back to your bedroom.
You got barely any sleep that night, but it hardly mattered. Your night with Caesar had put you on cloud nine. You didn't even mind Joseph's teasing about how much better he was than you and Caesar. Whenever he would brag, you and Caesar would shoot each other a smile.
"Guess we know who has the better skills, Zeppeli," Joseph teased, clapping him on the shoulder.
Caesar jolted slightly but hardly reacted otherwise. His eyes were glued on you. You weren't doing anything special, just talking to Lisa Lisa, but he found you so entirely captivating.
That evening, Caesar came to your room to bring you outside again. He was much better prepared today than you had been, having spread out a blanket across the lawn. He would have lit candles, but he didn't want to distract your eyes from the stars.
Or his eyes from you.
The two of you sat on the blanket and talked for hours. A comfortable silence fell over the conversation as you looked up to admire the stars again. Caesar admired his star: you.
"Stellina," Caesar cooed, taking your chin in his hand to turn your head towards him, "may I kiss you?"
A quiet gasp escaped your lips. Of course the answer would be yes, but where's the fun in letting him get his way all the time?
"I don't know... I seem to recall you would have picked a dog over me," you teased, a direct jab at the insult he'd thrown your brothers way.
Caesar's face seemed to twist as he recalled the moment you were referring to. Ready to apologize profusely, the bright smile on your face told him you were joking. You both laughed quietly for a moment before you placed a hand on his cheek.
"Of course, you may," you whispered with a smile.
You leaned in and kissed his lips softly. There was an immediate response from Caesar as he wrapped his arms around your body and pulled you closer into his lap. He cradled you in his arms as you ran your hands through his hair. The kiss wasn't long, but it was meaningful. When you pulled apart, Caesar leaned his forehead against yours.
"Oh, Stellina, the things you do to me."
Your secret meetings became a common occurrence. The day never seemed to pass quickly enough for your tastes as you and Caesar made sure to keep your distance during the day to avoid your brother's wrath.
Joseph was by no means dumb, though, and he was easily able to catch onto how tired both of you were after several days of sluggish training. He snuck out of his room one night to follow you both outside. Hiding behind a pillar, he just barely leaned his head out so he could hear what was being said.
"Stellina, you're magnificent," Caesar purred as he played with your hair.
You rested your head in his lap, looking up at the stars while also looking up at him. "I haven't done anything," you told him with a chuckle.
"You've made me happier than I've ever been. I think that's really magnificent."
That shut you up quickly and spread a deep blush across your cheeks. "Y-you make me really happy, too."
Caesar leaned down and kissed your forehead gently. This was where you were meant to be. In his arms, under the stars, perfectly content.
A few feet away, Joseph scoffed and turned around to go back inside. "They're so cheesy," he complained, trudging back up the stairs to his room.
"But at least he makes her happy."
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Now Joseph and Caesar both have sister one shots. And they're both adorable and make my heart skip a beat!
Also, I know Speedwagon probably wouldn't say "himbo", but it's my story so I can do what I want. And why can't he say himbo? I believe he should. Tbh, Speedwagon could've just called the Pillar Men himbos and they would've crumbled to dust.
Lemme know what y'all think! Peace!