Your jaw dropped when your eyes landed on the large scar decorating Kakyoin's back. You had no idea what, or who caused it, but you understood immediately that whatever wound it came from was life threatening in the past. There was no other explanation for it, it had to have come from his time in Egypt, and if that was the case it was most certainly the reason he never told you about the trip.
Kakyoin had been hurt. He had been hurt so bad that he felt the need not to tell you because he knew you would worry. He knew exactly how you would react and he was right. Even now, as you lay tied up against the cold basement floor all you think about was the pain and suffering he must have gone through to earn those scars.
Whatever it was that happened to him, you knew he didn't deserve that. Yet here he was, standing between you and a crazy revenge seeking woman once again risking his life for someone other than himself. You couldn't take it. Not the sadness that clenched your heart, the guilt, nor the thought of him getting another scar because you. Kakyoin's breathing was already heavy and despite the strong facade he wore on the outside, you could tell he was already reaching his limit.
No matter what, you needed to protect him. Even if it meant getting scars of your own.
Instinct took over your body as Crybaby materialized besides you. The sweat that was forming around your restraints turned from salty liquids into solid spikes. They ripped and tore away at the rope until it was thin enough for you to snap with your own strength. As soon as you were free from the bindings you jumped to your feet, wiping away the tears that had been streaming down your face. The wet droplets rolled over you hand, becoming a sharp blade as they flipped over the side of your hand.
You looked down at the clear form you now held with a death grip. It looked similar to a shard of glass, sharp enough to cut and draw blood. It brought no damage to your palm though, not that you would have cared if it did. For the time your torn clothes and exposed body left your mind as you used Crybaby as a stepping stool. She crouched down, linking her hands together for you to step on.
You actions came naturally, as if you had done something like this a million times before. Taking a few steps back, you got a running start as you jumped into Crybaby's hold. She launched you forward in the air, right over Kakyoin and in the direction of Joy. Even the curly haired psycho was shocked to see you flying towards her. She didn't even have the time to comprehend what was happened before you crashed into her, digging the blade of tears in your hand directly into her eye.
Joy screamed out in pain, tumbling over backwards with you still on top of her. Your mind went completely blank as Crybaby rushed to your side. Joy tried to call her Stand back, but yours was faster. As you held her body down, your own Stand was able to catch Seventh Sense. The burn of the acid on your hands was only present for a minute. Before you even had the chance to understand what was going on, pints of blood began to leak out from Joy's body from various holes that now pierced her skin. Her bloodshot eyes were filled with nothing but pure hatred during her last moments, not that you really understood that at the time.
When you turned around to look at your Stand, she was holding a spiked ball in her open palm. On closer inspection, you realized it wasn't just a ball, but Joy's Stand. Crybaby had taken the liquid acid that coated the frog and turned it against the user by turning it into hundreds of thin spindles that shot through the entire thing. You looked from your stand to the motionless body below you, the weight of what you had done finally settling in.
You pushed yourself away from Joy's now lifeless body, backing away until your back hit a wall. You trembled as your eyes moved to meet Kakyoin's, who was also still trying to register what just happened. Noticing that Joy was now out of commission, Jotaro quickly finished his own battle. The two boys approached you slowly as you clutched your knees to your chest.
It felt like time had frozen, like you were the only thing existing in that moment. Your chest was filled with so many different emotions, yet it was empty at the same time. You were unsure of how you were supposed to feel. Within the past 48 or so hours your body and mind had been through so much that is was no surprise you felt yourself going into shock. Your body felt like lead, you couldn't even lift a finger. Each breath you took was different. Sometimes they were short and heavy while other times they were drawn out. You could feel your pupils dilating and shrinking constantly, making your vision blurry. A part of you felt like you were going to throw up, but every time you gagged nothing left your mouth. You genuinely believed that it was possible you had also died, and now your soul was stuck in some kind of fucked up limbo.
"Y/n..."
You could just barely hear the distant sound of someone calling your name. You tried to focus your eyes on something. Anything. You just wanted to know if you were imagining it.
"Y/n."
The sound hit your eardrums a second time, but this time it was so much louder. You gasped at the sudden volume increase, quickly closing your eyes and brining your hands up to cover your ears.
"Hey, dumbass. I need you to listen to me." Even though the voice sounded like it was coming from right in front of you, it sounded so much more gentler this time.
You opened your eyes slowly, afraid of what you would see once you did. A wave of relief washed over you when you saw Jotaro's aquamarine eyes examining your figure.
"Can you tell me your name?"
"Y-Y/n. Y/n L/n."
"Good, can you tell me my name? And his?" He pointed to your best friend's figure behind him.
"Jo-Jo and... N-Nori."
"You're doing great." Jotaro cupped your face within his large hands. It was the first feeling of warmth you felt since being locked down here. It was only a few days, but the sensation brought tears to your eyes. "Can you take some deep breaths with me?"
You nodded weakly. Jotaro took a deep inhale, and you tried your best to copy him. You weren't able to hold it for as long as he wanted you too, but he didn't scold you for it. He continued to lead you in thought out breaths until you were able to follow him perfectly. Your racing heart mellowed out along with your breathing, and feeling was slowly being brought back to your fingers and toes. Your gaze drifted back to Kakyoin, and your heart exploded with anger and sorrow at seeing a scar that mirrored the one on his back covering his stomach.
"H-how...?"
Kakyoin traced your gaze to his now healed wound, attempting to cover the discolored skin with his hands. Jotaro looked back and realized what you were asking about, promptly moving his body and blocking your view of your friend. You tried to push against him as you craned your neck to get a glimpse again, but you had no strength left in your arms.
"What happened to you guys?"
"We don' have time for this right now, we need to get you out of here." Jotaro tried to help you up but you shrugged him away, glaring at him with cold eyes.
"I deserve to know," you declared firmly, making it obvious you had no intention of leaving this basement until you got the answers you wanted.
"Are you really going to do this right now? After everything you just went through?"
"It's okay, Jojo. She's right. She almost got killed because of us, I think it's about time we finally tell her the truth." Kakyoin approached you and Jotaro, standing behind his friend and placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
Jotaro opened his mouth to protest, but closed it as a blank expression overtook his features. You noticed his eyes defocus and gloss over slightly, but didn't ask about it.
"When Jotaro's mom first got her stand, it wasn't always helpful like it is now. At first it hurt her, and it would have killed her if we didn't go to Egypt in order to defeat Dio."
"Everyone keeps saying that name but I have no idea who he is..."
"Dio was someone one of my ancestors fought," Jotaro piped in. "Believe what you will, but he turned himself into a vampire and made it his life goal to destroy my bloodline because he knew we were the only people that had the power to stop him from taking over the world."
"There were six of us in total: me, Jotaro, his grandfather, a frenchman, an Egyptian, and a dog. While we were in Egypt, Dio sent a bunch of other stand users to fight and try to stop us before we reached him. Of course, we were able to defeat all of them and make it all the way to his mansion. A lot of us got hurt along the way, I was one of them. During one the fight I got my eyes nearly scratched out, and for a while I was worried I was going to go blind and not be able to fight anymore," Kakyoin chuckled nervously. "But the Speedwagon Foundation was able to help me heal faster and I was back with the group in no time. I almost died again in the mansion when I got my soul stolen-"
"Kakyoin, you don't need to tell her every detail."
"Yes, I do. Maybe you can lie to her but I can't do it anymore," the red head furrowed his brows slightly. "Of course I got it back, otherwise I wouldn't be here right now. That was all thank to Jotaro, he won it back for me. The worst came after that. None of us knew what Dio's power was, but it seemed all but impossible to defeat it. It took all of my strength for me to just figure out how it worked, but by the time I did I was already on the verge of death. I used what I thought was the last of my strength to expose his power to the others. Jotaro ended up stealing the show and killing the guy."
Just looking at the boys faces made you want to cry. For once Jotaro looked vulnerable, almost like he was going to cry. Although Kakyoin wore a small smile, you could tell it was one of sadness. You felt like an asshole for making him remember and tell you everything he was probably trying to forget.
"I thought I was going to die." Kakyoin traced over the scar on his stomach with the tips of his fingers. "I honestly have no idea how I'm still alive today. If I had to guess, I'd say it was the my sheer willpower and need to at least say goodbye to you."
There was no way you would have been able to hold back the tears that surfaced after hearing his story. You caved in against Jotaro's chest, clutching the fabric of his green tank tightly as sobs wracked through your entire being. It hurt to breathe, your tears staining the front of Jotaro's shirt. Empathizing with your pain, Jotaro wrapped his arms around you, pulling you closer and brining more warmth to your shivering form.
For some reason that frustrated you, and you started to pound against his chest with weak fists as you cried.
"You should have protected him!" You choked out between sobs. "You should have been there for him!"
"I know." Jotaro's voice was hoarse.
"No! You don't know!" You looked up, noticing the tears the glazed over his eyes. "You should have been there to keep him safe when I couldn't have!"
"Y/n..." Kakyoin's voice made you cry even harder.
"I'm sorry...." You stopped beating against Jotaro's chest, now just resting your shaking hands against his stomach. "I'm so sorry."
"None of this is your fault, Y/n. There's no need for you to apologize."
"I didn't know. You guys were carrying all this pain all by yourselves and I had no idea. I've been such a jerk to you and Jotaro. I'm so sorry. If I could take it all back I would."
"A jerk?" Jotaro's rough voice echoed throughout your bones. "I was the only one who was being a jerk. You were the one who tried to be nice for Kakyoin's sake. You were the one that was so kind to my mother even though she can be overbearing at times. You were the one that made me lunch day after day after finding out I don't eat during the day. The entire time I was too busy being ashamed of not being to keep Kakyoin safe when he most needed it that I let my need to make it up to him get in the way of your relationship with him. I was the one who killed Dio and ultimately dragged you into this mess. I'm the one that should be apologizing right now. "
Jotaro buried his face in your hair, and you could tell he was trying to use your h/c locks to hide his tears.
"Jotaro I-"
"I'm sorry, Y/n. I'm sorry I was so unreasonable and I'm sorry you got mixed up in this just by being around me."
"I don't need an apology anymore. I just need to know that you guys are going to be okay."
Kakyoin lowered himself to be level with you and Jotaro, wrapping his arms around both of you as much as he could before squeezing gently. "I can't promise stuff like this won't happen again, but I promise we'll be able to handle whatever comes at us. We'll keep you safe no matter what."
"I don't want you risking your life for me, Nori. You either Jotaro."
"You don't really have a choice," Kakyoin laughed. "I care about you too much to see you hurt."
Jotaro didn't say anything, but you could feel his grip on you tighten ever so slightly. He dropped his head, nuzzling into the crook of your neck. You didn't utter a word as he dried his tears silently, just offering a comforting touch as you wrapped your arms around his neck. Kakyoin noticed your movements, a quiet pang of jealously ringing out in his heart.
The cherry lover was the first to remove himself from the hug, watching as you held onto Jotaro for a bit longer before pulling away. Jotaro was the last to release his hold on you. Although he was trying to hide his tears from Kakyoin, he knew as soon as he saw the redness under the taller's eyes.
"We should get out of here now. I'm sure Y/n doesn't want to be here any longer than she has to," Kakyoin stood, looking down at his tattered clothes.
Jotaro nodded silently, the warmth he was providing you vanishing as he stood. You tried to do the same, only to falter when you put pressure on your previously injured leg. You had completely forgotten about it earlier, the adrenaline being enough to propel you forward. Now that it had died down, it was painful just to move your leg much less stand on it. Looking up to ask one of the boys for help, you noticed both of them staring at you with somewhat wide eyes and red cheeks. Even Jotaro had a dusting of pink across his face that he tried to hide with his hat.
Neither of them made eye contact as Jotaro took his jacket off, throwing it down to you. You stared down at the black fabric in your hands, almost forgetting that you were stripped of almost all your clothing. You rushed to slide your arms into the coat, buttoning the front closed to the best of your ability. It surprised you how light Jotaro's decorative chain actually was. The extra amount of sleeve that hung past your hands made it all the more obvious how small you were compare to the bizarrely large teenager.
After you covered yourself, Jotaro leaned down and scooped you up in his arms. He took the lead, carrying you bridal style up the stairs. Kakyoin followed close behind, chuckling when you mouthed 'what the fuck' from over Jotaro's shoulder. He offered you a teasing smile and shrug.
He watched you and Jotaro begin bicker amongst yourselves as if nothing had ever happened. Silently, he thought to himself: they would make a good couple.
bada bing bada boom. i'm highkey exhausted and i want to sleep for like, eight weeks straight if at all possible.
also if y'all ever need to humble yourself just take AP Calc. my brain is literally fried and that shit makes my confidence go WAY down. i am but a stupid teenager who barely understands calculating limits and trigonometry.