Caejose Oneshots

Happy Birthday, Caesarino

Joseph Joestar and his grandson traveled to Italy.  Jotaro isn't sure why they are here, but his mother convinced him to go with his grandfather.  He only knows that he travels to Italy twice every year.  Once in February, once in May.  Joseph is looking solemn.  Jotaro won't show, but he's worried.  It's not every often that the old man doesn't have a smile on his face.  Joseph catches him staring in the rental car, and he flashes him a smile.  It's a forced, awkward smile, that makes Jotaro uncomfortable.

"Jiji, what's up with you and Italy?"

Joseph's smile falters for a few seconds, but it soon returns.  "I travel to Italy to see a very old friend, one that I met many years ago!  We were best friends, practically inseparable!" Joseph laughed sadly? to himself.  Jotaro turned his head to look out the window.  Italy really was beautiful.

...'were'?

They arrived at the hotel, dropping their bags off on the floor.  They didn't stay for too long though, and they got in the car again.

After a while of driving, they got out.  On the side of the road, a small flower shop managed by a young lady stood.  Joseph walked inside, Jotaro following.  Joseph was speaking to the lady, who nodded and looked into some of the refrigerators behind her.  She reached down and pulled out a small bouquet of sunflowers.  Joseph's smiled twitched and he nodded.  After paying for the flowers, they got back in the car.

"What are those for?"

"For my friend"

After a long time of more driving, they finally stopped again.

Jotaro blinked.

They were at... A cemetery.

"You say you come to see your friend?" Joseph nodded.

"I say see, but it's really more of a one sided meeting."

  Oh.

After passing a few rows of headstones, Joseph turned and faced one of them.

  'Caesar Anthonio Zeppeli, May 13, 1918- February 27, 1939'

Joseph set the sunflowers down on the ground in front of the headstone, careful not to crush them.

"Happy Birthday, Caesarino."

Jotaro swallowed and looked at the death date.  1918 to 1939?  That would mean he died at... 20.  He thought of Kakyoin and Avdol.

"How... How did he die?" He asked his grandfather.

Joseph chuckled softly, sadly.  "Those pillar men were really intent on killing us, and we were much too young and brash.  We were a couple of fools.  It... It was probably my fault he died." He sighed.  "Me and Caesar had a fight.  I insulted his family.  He stormed off."  

"That was the last time we ever spoke."

"I'm sorry"

Joseph turned his head towards Jotaro.  He smiled, wiping a tear threatening to spill.  "My grandson actually cares for me!  I thought I'd never see the day."  He wrapped an arm around Jotaro's shoulders.  "We'd better get going.  I have to show you where we met! Where we had our spaghetti fight!" He laughed, and it was a real, genuine laugh.

"You don't want to stay for longer?"

Joseph looked back at the tombstone. "Nah.  If I stay any longer I might cry, and if I cried he would get mad.  He'd yell at me not to be a whiny brat."  He imitated what he guessed was his friend, in possibly the worst fake Italian accent possible.

Jotaro hid a smile.

"Well then, come on old man" Joseph nodded, catching up with Jotaro, who was standing at the gate of the cemetery.  Before he walked through, he looked back at Caesar's headstone.

"I love you, Caesar"

Jotaro wasn't sure if he'd heard correctly, but didn't mention it.  He heard a gasp. Following his grandfather's line of sight, he saw...

Bubbles.

"Something the matter, Jiji?"

Joseph smiled. "Nope.  Nothing's wrong."

I actually have the book shown above.