Eloquence

Persistence of Night

Avdol is the first to yawn expansively and wheel away to his room. Polnareff leaves soon after, and Mr. Joestar stretches his bizarrely muscular arms before heading off to bed as well. Miss Holly and Jotaro wait with Kakyoin as the candles burn lower. 

Eventually, Kakyoin's eyes are crossing with exhaustion. He sets his sketchbook aside. Miss Holly is gone, having slipped away at some point or another in her own quiet way. Jojo looks like he might have fallen asleep, hat pulled over his eyes and arms crossed over his broad chest. 

One of the candles fizzles out with a sharp hiss, melted to nothingness. Jojo stands up and replaces it. He makes his way around the kitchen, blowing out the shortest candles and lighting new ones in their place. Kakyoin watches him without comment. 

Only when Jotaro has replaced all the candles does Kakyoin speak. "You should go to sleep."

"I'll wait." There is quiet warmth in Jojo's posture, as if he has absorbed the heat of the candles he extinguished. It must be long past midnight. Kakyoin should sleep, too, but he recoils at the thought of blowing out the candles or waking up in darkness. He reaches his arms over his head to begin stretching the stiffness out of his hands. Something catches in his pocket. 

Kakyoin pulls out the incriminating photograph stolen from Mr. Joestar. It really does look rather lewd, especially when Kakyoin sees just how close he had been leaning in to find the exact spot for the masking tape.

Kakyoin feels Jojo's eyes on him and suddenly hopes that the candlelight hides the heat rising in his cheeks. 

"Kept it?" Jojo grunts, his neck angling into boyish curiosity. Why, he's asking. Kakyoin simply hands the picture over. 

Jojo's face does something strange. His eyes widen slightly, his lips part, and Kakyoin watches color climbing his neck in embarrassment or anger or arousal, the only things that Kakyoin has ever seen turn Jojo's face quite that shade of pink. It might be a mixture of all three. It's hard to tell in the semi-darkness.

Jojo hands the picture back, control in his limbs. Kakyoin can read nothing in them, and thinks that that is probably how Jojo wants it. Then again, Kakyoin's too tired to focus properly. He's really, really tired.

"You can sleep, you know." Jojo looks like he's scowling, but something about that isn't right. The set of his shoulders is more concerned than angry. "I won't let the lights go out."

"That wouldn't be fair to you. I can stay awake. I don't mind," says Kakyoin. He's confident that fear will keep him awake until sunrise, which can't be too far off at this point, can it. He's been up for so long. So long, so very long.

Kakyoin jerks awake just as he falls out of his chair. Too late to catch himself, he groans when he lands on his bruised side. He suddenly remembers how the bruises got there, and has to hold back a second groan. Having a panic attack is bad. Having a panic attack naked is extra bad. Having a panic attack naked in front of Jojo is a nightmare. 

"I said you could sleep."

"Shut up, Jojo." Kakyoin rubs his sore hip. "I didn't think I'd fall asleep."

Jojo snorts. From the floor, Kakyoin can't see what it means. "How long was I out?" Like he passed out or something. Kakyoin sometimes envies Jojo's wordless eloquence.

"Only a minute."

Kakyoin swears under his breath. He didn't even get five minutes of sleep in return for his fall. "You're not going to sleep, are you?" Because Jojo can just do that. Or rather, not do it.

"Nope."

"Then don't let me fall asleep until morning." Kakyoin hauls himself back into his chair to see Jojo running his hand through the bowl of cherries. Miss Holly must have forgotten to take it away.