I need this, and this, and this, and this, and this...done.
Jotaro chucks a ton of food and stuff in his shopping cart. He roughly pivots the cart around and heads in the direction of the check-out. The cart's wheels give a weak squeal of disapproval, but comply. Jotaro's lost in his thoughts. He somehow manages to not bump into anyone or anything on his way to the tills. Out of nowhere, he stops. He doesn't know why, he just does. His head clears, the thoughts just snapping out of existence. He looks around.
Huh, that's strange. I stopped in front of the flower section. I never go here. What am I doing here?
His gaze falls on a bouquet of ruby-red roses. He just looks at it for a while, his mind a mess.
You should get this for him! He'll love it! Just add some-
Jotaro growls.
"No," he orders himself in a quiet but firm voice. His hands starts twitching on the handle of his cart. He clenches the handle, his knuckles turning white from the pressure.
C'mon! He'll love it!
"N-No..." he orders again, his voice shakier, less certain.
Get it for him!
Jotaro grits his teeth.
"No. Shut the hell up, me," he whispers, his voice trembling. His mind start flooding with memories of him, thoughts of him, feelings for him. Jotaro bites the inside of his cheek to force himself back into the here-and-now.
"C'mon, me. Let's go," he orders quietly. He looks at the ground and keeps walking towards the tills. When he gets there, and with as little direct communication as possible (read: ignoring small talk), he checks out and leaves.
Kakyoin's laying on his bed, eyes closed. He isn't sleeping, but he's still dreaming. His mouth curves up in a sad smile.
Ha...haha...it's not like he'll return it...return my feelings. I need to stop being such a hopeless romantic. Haha..what am I...thinking...? This is...really one-sided. But...I can't help it. He's just so...perfect...
Kakyoin sighs. He grabs his phone.
Hm...any new updates?
As he's about to check, his phone rings. He sees who it is, and immediately drops the phone. His mind goes panic mode, the kind of panic mode that only happens when this kind of situation happens.
Oh god oh god oh god...what do I do, what do I do, what do I do?!?! Uhhh...c'mon, Noriaki, choose something! Um...I-I'll pick up! But I...no! I'll pick up!
He hits the 'accept' button with shaky hands.
"...h-hey." Kakyoin says, trying to imitate his usual tone.
"Um...Noriaki? Are you okay?"
...I've never heard him call me by my first name...
"Noriaki?"
His voice is so...hypnotic...
"Noriaki? Did something happen?"
Kakyoin jerks back to reality and facepalms.
"Gah?! Y-Yeah, I'm, um, I'm fine! Uh, what'd you say? I was...uh...thinking..."
You idiot. It's obvious now! He'll know!
"Um...Noriaki? Are you sure you're fine? You seem...off."
"Y-Yep! Perfectly good here!" Kakyoin forces. He hears a sigh through his phone.
"...fine."
Kakyoin fidgets with his hair.
"So, uh...what's up?"
Kakyoin can hear him stammering, trying to say something.
W-What?
"Well, I, uh...I, um...I just wanted to, um, say, uh, say hi," he states awkwardly. Kakyoin blinks.
"Hi...?" Kakyoin says, confused.
"I, uh, I need to go," he spits quickly. Then he hangs up. Kakyoin just stares at his phone for a little bit.
What...the hell...was that? Why was he acting like that? He never acts like that...he's always so confident...and strong...and caring...and...
The confusion drops from his mind as Kakyoin falls back into pleasant, sleepless dreams once again.
*Time Skip*
Polnareff, Star Platinum, Hierophant Green, and Silver Chariot are just chilling at Polnareff's house, talking about nothing. Well, something. Actually, something BIG. A plan. A BIG plan.
"Ora? Ora ora ora ora ora...ora ora ora? Ora ora?"
"Splash! Splash splash? Splash splash splash splash..."
"Tag? Tag tag tag...tag? Tag tag tag! Tag tag!"
"Yeah, we totally should! Merci, guys! I'll call 'em up right now!"
*Time Skip*
Yare yare daze...what does he want?
DING-DONG
"Oh, Jotaro! You're here! C'mon in!"
Jotaro stands on the porch, his hat pulled low.
"What do you want, Polnareff?"
Polnareff doesn't respond. He pivots around on his heel and walks in.
"C'mon!"
Yare yare daze...are you ever not overly dramatic?
Jotaro shakes his head at the ground and walks in. He looks around and takes none of it in. His mind is racing behind his icy mask, and he doesn't know why.
Whatever.
He meanders over to the couch and sits down. He doesn't notice the light footsteps approaching him, nor does he notice the strangely heavy breathing in front of him.
"P-Polnareff...why is he here?" Kakyoin whispers anxiously, "you...you know how I feel about him..."
"Yes, I know," Polnareff whispers back, "just trust me."
Kakyoin swallows nervously.
"O-Okay...GAH?!"
Polnareff shoves Kakyoin on top of Jotaro and dashes off, an almost-insane smile on his face. Kakyoin freezes. Jotaro jerks back to reality.
W-What...? H-Huh...? W-What?! Oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god...act natural, act natural!
"N-Nor-Noriaki!?!?!?" Jotaro sputters. Kakyoin completely clams up, his face as red as his hair, unable to move or speak.
"J-J-J-Jo-J-JoJo?!?!"
He panics.
Oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god...
"Uh...Noriaki? Are you okay?"
Kakyoin slaps Jotaro in the face.
"D-Don't touch me!"
Jotaro puts a hand to his face. Kakyoin gets up and backs away, his hands in a surrender position.
"I...I mean...I'm sorry, Jotaro. I...I..."
Oh god...he's gonna get mad...
"No, don't apologize. It's cool. You just panicked."
Uh...uh...w-what?
Kakyoin swallows nervously. Tears well up in his eyes.
Oh my god...I...I...I...I'm so so sorry...
Kakyoin covers his face and runs away, his footsteps thumping on the ground, his breathing heavy and uneven. Jotaro blinks.
...why did he run? What's wrong? He sounded so...scared. Hurt. I'm worried about him.
He shakes his head and walks in his direction.
Jotaro finds Kakyoin outside on the back porch, sitting on one of those wooden, ceiling-mounted swinging chairs, his hands in his lap, facing down at the ground. Jotaro hesitates.
Should I?
He shakes his head and sits down. Kakyoin doesn't look up.
"Go away, Jotaro."
Jotaro clenches his fists.
"No."
"Why?"
Jotaro opens his mouth to respond, but he doesn't. He closes his eyes.
Calm.
"Jotaro?"
Jotaro doesn't respond.
"Jotaro? Why won't you go away?"
Jotaro swears at himself.
"Because I'm worried about you, you adorable cherry!" He spits. Kakyoin looks at him, shocked. Jotaro's face heats up, and he covers it with his hands.
"I said that out loud, didn't I..." he whispers, embarrassed. After about a minute, he feels someone looking at him, so he looks up. Kakyoin's just staring at him, his face flushed. Jotaro clears his throat.
"N-Noriaki?" He calls. Kakyoin shakes his head violently, as if snapping out of a trance. He forces his expression back into fake annoyance and turns away.
"...you need to go away..."
Jotaro clenches his teeth. He reaches out to touch Kakyoin's shoulder, to comfort him, but he falters. He pulls his hand back and turns away, still blushing.
"Sorry, I know you don't like to be touched..." Jotaro whispers, embarrassment making his voice shaky. Kakyoin reaches a hand out, as if to grasp Jotaro's arm, but something triggers in him and he pulls back, crying. He crosses his arms across his chest protectively, and Jotaro turns around.
"...what's wrong...?" He asks. Kakyoin just covers his face with his hands and turns away. Jotaro can see his chest shaking. Confused on what to do, he calls Star Platinum. It comes to him and leans against the wall, strangely energetic, but still responsive to the situation.
Ora ora?
Kakyoin needs help, but I don't know how to give it to him. What do I do?
Ora ora ora!
No, Suta! That would just make it worse! He needs to be feeling better before I tell him...that...
Ora?
Because he's already emotional enough as it is! I just want to be able to comfort him! I just want to protect him and hug him and tell him everything's going to be okay...I...what do I do?
Ora ora, ora. Ora ora ora ora ora ora ora, ora ora ora. Ora ora ora ora ora ora ora ora. Ora ora.
...that's what I should do? Will that really happen?
Ora, ora ora, ora ora. Ora.
...okay...thanks, Suta...
Ora ora.
Jotaro turns back. He and Kakyoin lock eyes for a moment, and then Kakyoin looks away. He calls his Stand too. It floats over, and its long tail wraps around him, as if to defend him from an unseen threat.
...thanks, Hie.
Splash splash. Splash splash splash? Splash splash?
I...I'm not feeling the best right now...I just want a hug, but...
'Splash'? Splash splash splash splash?
N-No! No way, Hie! I can't just do that out of the blue!
Splash? Splash splash splash splash splash. Splash splash, splash splash splash. Splash splash?
...Hie...you know I can't do that...you know how I am with this kind of situation...
Splash splash. Splash splash splash. Splash splash splash, splash splash, splash splash splash.
...okay...I'll try...thanks, Hie...
Splash. Splash splash, splash?
Y-Yeah.
Kakyoin moves closer to Jotaro and gently grabs his hand. Jotaro blushes and looks at him, confused.
"W-What?"
Kakyoin shakes his head, his face the color of his hair. They lock eyes. Jotaro pretends to grumble.
"Yare yare...alright, come here, Noriaki."
Kakyoin moves closer, and Jotaro hugs him, far gentler than one would expect. It's as if he's touching a flower or a puppy: delicate. Kakyoin hugs Jotaro back and starts crying again. Jotaro wipes the tears off his face and gives a rare smile.
"Shhhhh, take a breath. I'm right here...shhhhh...I'm right here."
Kakyoin half-smiles back. He reaches up, takes off Jotaro's hat, and kisses him out of nowhere. Jotaro freezes in shock. Kakyoin realizes what he did and covers his face, blushing profusely.
"I'm sorry, Jotaro...I don't know what came over me...I...I..."
"Hey."
Kakyoin takes his hands off his face and looks up. Jotaro kisses him. Kakyoin freezes.
"I...I..."
"Now we're even," Jotaro jokes. Kakyoin frowns for a moment and looks away. His face is bright red.
"JoJo, I...I have something to tell you," he whispers.
"What is it?"
He swallows nervously and clenches his fists.
Try and look at him.
He looks Jotaro in the eyes for a moment, but looks away.
"I-I think I'm in l-l-love with y-you, J-J-JoJo..." he mutters. Jotaro looks away. It takes all his courage to spit one simple word.
"S-Same..."
"R-Really..." Kakyoin asks, almost confused.
Jotaro blushes.
"W-Well, yeah...you're cute!"
Kakyoin doesn't even notice Jotaro's remark. His demeanor's changed entirely. He's sullen and withdrawn. His bright purple eyes are staring off somewhere else. Jotaro taps his shoulder. He doesn't respond. Jotaro's starting to get a bit anxious.
"...Nori? Are you okay? What's wrong?"
"...how the hell do I...what does he...should I...am I...is he..." Kakyoin mumbles.
"Nori?"
"...don't be...stay...just..."
Jotaro curses.
"Nori, please...look at me."
Kakyoin turns his head.
"...sorry."
Jotaro grabs his hands and looks him in the eyes.
"What was that about, Nori? What's wrong?"
Kakyoin takes a deep breath to compose himself, but he can't. Tears well up in his eyes.
"...just...thoughts..." he mutters.
Jotaro squeezes his hands.
"What thoughts?" He asks. Kakyoin swears under his breath and laughs bitterly.
"I just have no damn idea what I'm doing," he states, "I don't know how to 'relationship'."
Jotaro chuckles.
"Honestly, Nori...neither do I, to tell the truth."
Kakyoin raises his eyebrows, surprised.
"R-Really? But don't you...don't you have a ton of girls who love you?"
Jotaro scoffs quietly.
"They're pseudo-yanderes who won't leave me the hell alone. They don't respect me, and I don't love them."
He holds Kakyoin's hands up.
"...I don't know a lot about love...but I know that I love you, Nori..."
Kakyoin's face flushes. He's completely flustered.
"I...w-wow...I just...um..."
He decides to just drop direct, verbal communication and grab Jotaro in a hug. He buries his face into Jotaro's jacket. Jotaro hugs him back and strokes his back gently.
"...I never thought I'd say this...but I love you...JoJo," Kakyoin says. Jotaro laughs.
"I love you too, cute little cherry."
Kakyoin flushes.
"H-Hey! What's with the nickname?"
Jotaro chuckles a bit at Kakyoin's embarrassment.
"It's accurate. You're cute, you're little, and you look like a cherry."
Kakyoin half-grumbles.
"Y'know, JoJo...I feel...safe here."
Jotaro blushes, and Kakyoin keeps going.
"When I'm with you...it's like all my problems just melt away. I don't have much in the way of social skills, I don't really understand humans, and yet...when I'm here, in your arms, it feels like none of that matters. I feel so...free."
Jotaro smiles.
"Y'know, cute little cherry, you should be a poet or something."
Kakyoin grumbles something about poetry and nicknames.
"But...JoJo...you seem more open too. I've never seen you as...openly emotional...as you are right now. Why?"
Jotaro freezes, and his face feels like a wildfire.
"Well...I...um...uh...I just..." he splutters. Kakyoin smiles.
"Awwwwwwww, you're too cute!"
Ha! Tables turned, JoJo!
"N-No I'm not!"
"Yes you are!"
"NORI!"
Kakyoin laughs. He pushes away and puts his hands on his hips.
"Gotcha!"
Jotaro tries to act annoyed, but he can't hide his smile.
"Yare yare daze, Nori. You're too damn adorable. I can't stay mad at you."
Kakyoin's eyes shine with victory.
"I win! Wait...what?! No I'm not!"
Jotaro laughs.
"You're so easy to mess with!"
Kakyoin slaps him lightly.
"Hey! I'll tell you that I am..."
Jotaro pulls Kakyoin in for a kiss, and he completely stops talking. When Jotaro pulls away, Kakyoin's mind is functioning like a waterlogged robot. He fumbles over his words, and Jotaro smirks.
"What now, tough guy? Will you admit that I win?"
Kakyoin blushes deeply.
"I...um...uh...uhhhhhh...that was...um...uh...um..."
Jotaro pokes.
"'That was'..."
"...your lips taste really sweet, JoJo," Kakyoin spits. Jotaro blushes.
"Well, I...um...uh..."
Jotaro flushes more and looks away. Kakyoin grabs his hat and puts it on. He laughs and pulls down on the rim.
"Yare yare daze..." He says, in his best Jotaro voice.
Jotaro smiles playfully. He flicks the rim of the hat.
"Wow, and I thought you couldn't get any cuter."
Kakyoin blushes.
"H-Hey!"
Jotaro smiles.
God, I love him.
They jokingly fight for the rest of the day. Day or night, rain or shine, they will love each other always.
(Oh, just FYI, Kakyoin isn't supposed to have a trauma response to being touched in this, he just really doesn't like being touched unless he initiates it, with varying levels of reaction. Just thought I'd mention it. Anyway, thank you again for reading!)