Kickstart My Heart

Love Is A Battlefield

Lisa Lisa turned out to be even more merciless than Jōtarō had imagined.
She made him go through every trial Caesar and Joseph had undergone so far and then she told him to train alongside them.

The Italian was an excellent fighter, and he would have given the Japanese teen a pretty hard time when they fought one on one, if it hadn't been for Star Platinum.

As for Joseph, despite his uneven focus, he was lively, astute... and a very, very quick learner.
His grandson found himself surprised by the effect his mere presence seemed to have on the Englishman, and Caesar's close interest in his unusual "Hamon" abilities. Without losing his repartee, Joseph instantly forgot about his usual nonchalance in favor of trying his hardest, as if nothing mattered more to him than proving he was stronger than Jōtarō.

On the occasions the two Joestars trained against each other, there was no doubt left on the nature of the relationship between Joseph and Caesar (since Jōtarō shared the same with Kakyoin). Despite how discrete they had to remain, given the era they lived in, the blond only had eyes for the Englishman, and the latter would give all he got as soon as he knew the emerald orbs were following his every move.

Now, Jōtarō understood what his grandfather meant by 'together we were invincible.'

(And he found out the room in front of which Suzi left the San Valentino sunflowers, was Caesar's... Joseph never did things by half indeed, even if he had to go through the back door.)

He missed Kakyoin.

His soothing presence, his humor, their late night talks.
The simple sight of his elegant frame, his long scarlet hair strand floating in the breeze.
His violet eyes that he was dying to lose himself into again.

Thanks to Doubleback Jōtarō had all the time in the world to save Caesar.
He had no deadline, no sword of Damocles hanging above his head. He couldn't be at the wrong place in the wrong time. The more days unfolded, the more he perfected his control over his stand as he deceived Lisa Lisa and the others, and the more he was convinced he could only win.

But when he saw Joseph and Caesar together 24/7 and their knowing looks; when he suspected why they would go upstairs early in the evening or just leave to come back the next day in the nick of time for training; and when through Star's hyperacute eyesight he would notice the marks of their embrace which they thought were invisible...
The young man couldn't help but feel eager to go back to 1988 to reunite with his own boyfriend.

Joseph and Caesar were better company than he had expected, yet Jōtarō was an impostor who didn't belong in their era, and he couldn't reveal anything on his life not to risk compromising his mission (which was already complicated enough, thank you very much).

One night that sleep had decided to escape Jōtarō though, his situation became flat out UNBEARABLE.
He was trying his hardest to ignore the moans of pleasure coming from the other side of the wall. (Seriously, fuck Star Platinum's enhanced hearing senses right now!)
The young man sincerely hoped they would lower their voices by 1988, or it wouldn't end well. Yare yare daze!

He rubbed his temples with a curse.
It wasn't very late in the night but he was tired, goddammit!

- Ora?

The Japanese teen gave a start as he realized his stand had summoned himself out of his own will... though he had been forbidden to until they got back to 1988.
Lisa Lisa hadn't said anything about the purple giant but ever since Jōtarō made him pass for his Hamon ability, he had the impression she suspected something.

His coach's never faltering façade had nothing to envy his, and he couldn't help but wonder why she would rarely comment when she was watching him train. She would merely stare at him from behind her shades, through which even Star couldn't make out her eyes.