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“Kakyoin.”
“Huh?”
Kakyoin quickly glanced up at Jotaro, who had been waiting for the redhead to play his turn for while now. “Oh. Sorry, was it my go?”
Jotaro nodded, then narrowed his eyes at Kakyoin who hurridly scanned his deck and took a deep breath before picking up a card from the pile in the centre of the table.
The group had arrived in Singapore in the late afternoon. Abdul had suggested they retire for the night, as the dark clouds on the horizon looked ominous enough to tempt the rest into agreeing. After checking into the closest hotel, Joseph and Abdul taking one room, Polnareff with his own, the two teens had resigned to their shared room.
Shortly after, Abdul’s predictions’ proved to be true. In less than an hour rain had begun to pour in sheets; though it did nothing to ease the humid, thick air of the country. Unable to do anything than wander about the hotel, Kakyoin pulled out a pack of cards from his small rucksack.
“Wanna play?” Kakyoin offered, waving the cards in Jotaro’s direction.
“Not particularly.”
“You sure? You don’t look particularly comfortable just sitting there either.” Kakyoin raised his eyebrows and gave him a small sly grin.
Jotaro considered him for a moment before sighing and moving towards the small coffee table where the other had already begun to lay out the cards. Kakyoin was right. Jotaro was getting a little peeved simply lounging in the stifling heat, his cigarette calming but doing nothing for his boredom. A game of cards didn’t sound so bad right now.
Jotaro sat down with a flump. “So, what’re we playing?”
-
About midway through their game, their room was illuminated in white with a sudden flash.
“What was that?” Kakyoin asked as he turned to peer out the window.
Jotaro shrugged, making a disinterested noise.
Kakyoin was about to turn back to his deck of cards, but instead nearly leapt out of his seat when a deafening boom echoed through the room. His elbow hit the table, a glass of water he had gotten himself earlier was thrown off the edge which was quickly set back by Star Platinum.
Jotaro heard Kakyoin swallow before he cleared his throat and shifted back into his original position. Jotaro was slightly puzzled as he studied Kakyoin’s face. The teenager looked as though he’d just witnessed something horrific.
“Ah, s-sorry. The thunder startled me.” Kakyoin shot Jotaro a mirthful grin, before returning to normal. Jotaro pretended he didn’t notice how Kakyoin’s cards trembled in his grip.
-
By the time their game was drawing to a close - an equal amount of wins between them both - the storm had not ceased its relenting thundering and downpour.
And neither had Kakyoin’s fidgeting.
Jotaro had kept his eyes mainly on his hand, passing only a few comments when he laid down his deck or did something snarky. Kakyoin had replied in earnest humour, but something in the way he spoke lacked confidence, weak almost.
But Jotaro saw how Kakyoin’s composure had steadily deteriorated as the storm became worse. He saw how Kakyoin tensed with every flash. How he looked as though he was about to vomit with every roar of thunder.
Jotaro wasn’t sure if it annoyed him, or if he just pitied the other boy.
The Joestar laid down his final hand as did Kakyoin. They compared them both. Jotaro’s cards were superior by a land mile.
“Looks like you got me.” Kakyoin breathed a laugh and raised a hand to scratch his neck, “The Joestars are truly-”
The redhead was cut off by an alarmingly loud crash of thunder. Kakyoin’s eyes snapped wide and his raised hand abruptly turned into a fist and smacked the coffee table hard enough to jostle the glass of water once again. Jotaro thought he should probably move it until the storm had finished.
Kakyoin was frozen, face twisted in discomfort as the thunder finished its roll. Jotaro also decided he had enough. Watching his friend squirm was getting unbearable, not to mention gnawing at his conscious.
“Kak-”
“I‘m…” Kakyoin interrupted, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’m going to bed. Now. Good job on winning.” He stood up from the wooden chair, hastily retrieved his blue pyjamas from his bag and quietly shut himself in the bathroom.
And then the dark haired teen was alone. He side-eyed the closed door. “Suit yourself,” he muttered, stubbed out his 5th cigarette of the night, and began to reassemble the cards.
-
Jotaro was resting in his bed - the sheets were cool, which was a blessing against his clammy skin - bare except for purple shirt and boxers. The obnoxiously loud typhoon seemed as though it was going to last the night, so he probably wasn’t going to getting to sleep any time soon. He barely registered the bathroom door opening and Kakyoin slithering into his own bedcovers.
All was calm but the storm for a few blissful minutes, before Jotaro heard a sharp inhale. Or at least he thought he did. He paid it no mind, turning back into his pillow.
Until it was followed by another. And another.
Was he seriously…
Jotaro’s suspicions were confirmed when he heard a muted sniffle. Jotaro’s first thought was disbelief. Good grief. How old was this guy? Getting worked up over a storm was kind of pathetic.
Jotaro considered just going to sleep. But then another powerful bellow of thunder shook the walls, and his ears picked up a small whimper. Shit.
The black haired teen stopped and thought for a minute. He didn’t really care for comforting people at the best of times since empathy wasn’t his strongest suit. But he did remember his first encounter with a storm. The creeping fear of the unknown spreading with every boom from the sky, as he padded to his mothers room. He remembered her warm embrace, her sitting him on her knees as she softly told him a story, waking up snuggled beneath the covers of his mothers bed.
There was another barely audible sniffle. Jotaro wasn’t going to sit Kakyoin in his lap and tell him a tale about caterpillars. That would be downright weird. But he wasn’t fond of having to listen to his friend blubber because of a stupid typhoon.
Swiftly, the Joestar turned over and swept himself out of bed. Kakyoin was completely hidden by his quilt as he had curled himself into a ball. Jotaro ignored the ache in his chest when he saw the other boy.
“Oi.” Jotaro kicked where he assumed Kakyoin’s ass was. “Get up. Come watch some television.”
He was rewarded with an inhuman squawk from beneath the flailing pile of covers.
“W-what?” Kakyoin’s voice was croaky and shaky. Jotaro didn’t like the feeling that shot through him when he heard it.
“I said come sit. Neither of us are going to be sleeping any time soon anyway.” He plopped himself on the miniature fold up sofa that stood in front of the hotel’s shabby looking television. He didn’t actually know if the ancient looking machine even worked.
“Huh? L-look no, Jotaro I’m fine.” Kakyoin protested. “It’s stupid, I just want to-”
“Kakyoin.” The Joestar spoke firmly, agitation clear in his voice. He just wanted to get this over with.
“No, Jotaro.” He tried to sound stern, but Kakyoin’s words still shook. The black haired boy stared at him for a moment, completely unconvinced, before sighing and turning back to fiddle with the dial on the television.
“Whatever. I’m gunna turn it on anyway. Storms pissing me off.”
Jotaro was also pissed at Kakyoin’s blatant refusal, but at this point the storm was grating on his nerves as well.
It was a little difficult to find a station that was more than pure fuzz. It wasn’t that late, but he guessed the raging storm outside was a large contributor to the dreadful signal. He decided to settle for a station where the picture and audio was relatively decipherable, playing what seemed like a romantic movie. He wasn’t fond of movies, romantic ones for that matter, but he’d settle for pretty much anything right now. The teen fetched his pack of cigarettes before sitting back into the sofa and lighting it.
The volume was low, but loud enough to blend with the ever lasting racket of crashes. Another ten minutes of peace passed, (punctuated with the odd flash and bang followed by a flap of bed sheets from Kakyoin’s direction.) The low hum of the film filled the room; Jotaro couldn’t understand a thing of the foreign language, but the drone of conversation and half assed classical pieces was soothing.
The teen realised he hadn’t heard the redhead move since he turned on the movie, until he heard some scuffling. And then Kakyoin was next to him wrapped in his bundle of covers, eyes puffy with a scowl on his face. It was almost cute.
Jotaro aggressively stomped on that thought.
The Joestar observed him quietly. He could just about make out the other boys dark circles that hung deep below his eyes and furrowed brows in the dull luminescence of the television. His gaze was distant. Jotaro thought there was probably more to it than just fear of the weather, but he didn’t really have the energy to pry so he turned his attention back to the movie.
Without warning, there was a flash followed instantly by a dangerously loud bellow of thunder. Jotaro could swear he heard something fall over outside. But his train of thought was interrupted by the most undignified whimper that escaped from Kakyoin as the teen slapped his hands over his ears. Jotaro saw his entire form shaking.
Fuck.
Now, Jotaro Kujo was a man that went rough and tough. Pity or mercy or gentleness wasn’t really his cup of tea. Not to say he hated it, but preferred to keep things simple and just. Do shit get shit.
But the wrenching that tugged within his chest, the overwhelming urge to protect this poncey boy, had him questioning his original principles.
Taking a deep drag of his cigarette, without thinking too much about it Jotaro summoned Star Platinum, and replaced Kakyoin’s hands with his stand’s.
“A-ah,” Kakyoin stuttered. Jotaro could see Kakyoin looked slightly mortified in the corner of his eye, but didn’t turn his attention away from the screen.
“Uh, Jojo… Shit this is… Sorry, this shouldn’t be getting to me anymore.“ Kakyoin muttered with a small laugh. “I’m pretty pathetic aren‘t I?”
Jotaro didn’t reply, but patted the side of Kakyoin’s cheek with his stand. The other boy made another small noise. This redhead was to destroy everything Jotaro stood for one day simply with his voice box.
For the rest of the night the boys sat in silence, Star Platinum comfortably perched behind Kakyoin. The odd flashes still made Kakyoin wriggle a bit, but for the most part remained calm, lulled to relaxation by the dancing images on the television. He eventually stopped moving altogether aside from the gentle lift of his chest, cocooned in his bedcovers his breathing had evened out.
Jotaro assumed he had fallen asleep. He risked a quick glance at him.
His expression was completely serene, head resting gently against Star Platinums palm. His breath made his absurd fringe sway a little. His lips were only slightly parted. His lips-
Jotaro didn’t have the energy to scold himself for that.
Jotaro carefully removed his stands hand and called it back, and Kakyoin’s head was rolled onto a nearby lump of blanket. Jotaro had made his way through another 2 cigarettes which left him near boneless. At some point he stopped registering what was going, head nestled on the back of the sofa and drifted off.
-
The first thing Jotaro felt was a whole lot of ouch.
He sucked in a breath and carefully lifted his head from its peculiar position with a lot more effort than he thought was necessary. Something made a gruesome click. Probably his neck.
He blinked slowly, also noticing he was considerably more sweaty than he remembered being. As the hotel room came back into focus, he discovered the heat source coming from his right side.
Kakyoin’s head was effectively smushed below his armpit, his right hand loosely resting against his thigh. Half of his torso had been freed from his quilt prison. Jotaro thought he should probably be more concerned with the fact Kakyoin was happily snoozing against him, but only found himself curious as to how the other teen managed to get in that position in the first place.
Jotaro felt mildly uneasy with his personal space being violated so drastically, but the additional warmth wasn’t all that uncomfortable, and he didn’t quite have the motivation to move just yet.
Just let sleeping dogs lie, Jotaro supposed.
“Mmph…” The redhead all of a sudden stirred, grumbling in confusion then sluggishly peeling his cheek from Jotaro’s shirt, which had obtained an impressive patch of drool from where Kakyoins mouth had been. The stand users brow was furrowed in confusion as he heaved his head up to look at his recently acquired pillow.
Jotaro’s heart skipped a beat. Kakyoin’s long fringe was limp and part of it stuck to a dried stream of saliva on the corner of his mouth, his jaw slack and eyes squinted. The black haired teen didn’t know if it was disgraceful, or painfully endearing.
However he didn’t have to ponder on it for long when his companions eyes suddenly widened in realisation. Kakyoin instantaneously drew back and dragged a hand across his drool coated cheek as he cleared his throat.
“Oh, um… Excuse me.” Kakyoin croaked awkwardly. The two looked at each other for a long moment.
Jotaro blinked at the other boy and sniffed. “Morning.”
Kakyoin snorted, rubbing his nose. “Good morning.”
Kakyoin’s attention was quickly drawn to the small dark patch where he had been laying. “Uh, sorry. Didn’t mean to use you as a personal cushion.”
“Don’t mention it.” A pregnant moment of silence wormed its way between them again, both at loss for what to say. It was broken when Jotaro stood up and stretched languidly and plodding over to his bed.
“Gunna get changed.” He stated.
“Uh, yeah. Okay.” Jotaro took one last glance at the other boy. Kakyoin still looked a little drowsy as he rubbed at his eyes, sat in his cave of bedcovers. Jotaro didn’t really know what to think of the feeling bubbling inside him, so he ignored it and shut the door behind him.
-
It was later when Jotaro was pulling on his shoes when he mulled over the events of the previous night.
He hadn’t known Kakyoin for a very long time, having set out on the journey only a week or two prior. He wasn’t even sure himself why he never seem to be bothered by the man’s presence, not matter how close to him he was. It was different to his relationship with Polnareff, but in a way he did not know how. Something tense, something unfamiliar lingered in the air whenever they were alone, yet it wasn’t an awkward sort of tension, more anticipatory than anything.
The whole thing seemed like more effort than it was worth. Jotaro finished tying the knot of his dusty formal shoes and slung his coat over his shoulders, hat already set firmly on his head. He stood and straightened out his sleeves as he turned to wait for Kakyoin to finish gathering his belongings.
The redhead finally scooped up his earrings and made his way to the entrance enclave where Jotaro was waiting, popping them back into his earlobes.
“You good?”
“Yeah,” Kakyoin replied. His eyes darted from place to place.
Jotaro paused. “What is it?”
“I’d like to say… Thank you. For last night.” Kakyoins gaze was firmly fixed on his feet. Jotaro could have sworn he could saw his cheeks become slightly pinker.
Jotaro huffed a breath through his nose, and rested a hand on the other teens shoulder. “Don’t mention it.”
Kakyoin looked taken aback. There was something that flickered in Kakyoin’s stare when his eyes locked with Jotaro that made his stomach flutter. Jotaro wasn’t sure if he liked it.
“Of course.” A coy grin stretched Kakyoin’s lips. There was no longer a just a flutter, but a hurricane in Jotaro’s belly.
“Shall we go?” Kakyoin brushed passed the other stand user to step out into the hallway. Jotaro was pretty sure the hand that nudged his hip was intentional.
“Good grief.” Jotaro muttered and pulled down this brim of his cap, before shutting the door behind him and following, setting out to meet the others in the lobby.