Word Count: 6411

Letting go of the paper, Jotaro only glared at Steely Dan's body for a moment longer before he turned around and walked the opposite direction, towards you.

Staggering slightly as you let the tension leave your body, you looked on as Jotaro approached you – it was finally over. You never knew ten minutes could take so long.

"I..." Looking up at him, you didn't know what to say.

As he stood before you, he seemed to debate something within himself before he came to a conclusion. You didn't have time to ask what he was thinking of before he already leaned down. Your eyes widening as he pushed his torso into you, you couldn't do anything as his arms slid around you, his right hooking underneath your knees and lifting you up without warning, his left hand curling around your back, resting on your side right underneath your chest to hold you up – lifting you fully into his arms and starting to carry you bridal style.

He'd purposefully placed his hand right underneath your breast, knowing it was one of the few places on the left side of your body where there wasn't still glass stuck or littered with cuts. All while his right arm held your legs up without actually holding on so that he could avoid placing his hand directly onto your wounds.

"J-Jotaro, I can walk-" You flusteredly tried to let out but Jotaro just kept looking forward as he walked. "O-Oi!"

"Can you walk without pain?" He asked and you inhaled to answer, only to stop yourself and look down. "Exactly, let's just find the others and get to a hotel."

With no other option, you just stayed silent in his arms as he walked, having returned to just putting pressure to the gash in your side and nothing else. You both did earn a few weird stares and head turns from the people around, given that they suddenly saw two injured teens walking around, one seemingly bleeding out.

"A-Are you two okay?" A man asked worriedly, stepping up though he was quickly shut down.

"Get the fuck out of here, we're fine!" Jotaro's tone was quick to make the man scurry off, a strain in his voice that made your brow furrow.

"Jotaro." Speaking his name – for the first time since Steely Dan – he looked into your eyes. "It's over. Your grandfather's safe." You smiled warmly at him, your voice soft and for a second, Jotaro found himself unable to look away from your eyes, his heartbeat speeding up slightly.

"Y/N! Jotaro!" Kakyoin's voice made both of you turn your heads to see your trio of traveling partners running up from further down the street. "Are you alright?"

As they came to a stop in front of you two, you smiled a tired smile at them, holding up your hand in the diver's sign for 'okay'. "Just peachy. Can I be so bold to ask if we could get a hotel for today though?"

"That seems best. Do you need emergency care?" Joseph asked, a little worried as he walked up. It might've been your mind playing tricks on you but it almost felt like Jotaro's grip on you tightened, his muscles flexing a bit, but you brushed it off.

"I'm fine for now. It looks a lot worse than it is." You assured the older man. "You're alright, though, right?"

Smiling a reassuring, fatherly smile at you, Joseph patted your head. "Thanks to you two I am. I got rid of the flesh bud with Hamon as soon as the Stand was out. No injury." Seeing you nod softly, the man then let his gaze linger on the two youngsters for a moment longer before he turned around and started walking, leading the others.

"Jotaro, you're hurt too, do you want me to carry her?" Polnareff suggested but Jotaro just ignored him, starting to follow his granddad.

"I'm fine." Grunting that out, the man marched on, the other two quickly following, and you sent a despairing look at Kakyoin who was closing up the back of the group.

"You guys do know I can just walk, right? It's just a few cuts." You mumbled towards the two crusaders in the back.

"No!"

Kakyoin and Polnareff exclaimed almost in horror and you chuckled slightly – a little embarrassed – at their almost insulted expressions.

All of you walking behind Mr. Joestar – apart from you of course, still in Jotaro's arms given he refused to put you down – Polnareff suddenly sped-walked to walk beside you.

"By the way, Y/N. I must say, that was one mean kick you gave him. Merde."

"You saw that?" A flush spread on your cheeks and you scratched the back of your head awkwardly with your free un-bloodied hand.

"Saw it? I almost felt it! Mr. Joestar thought it would be a good idea to see how you and Jotaro were doing once we got that Stand out of his head but wow, I almost wish he didn't." Polnareff was openly laughing now and the entire tense atmosphere that had lingered after the whole ordeal cleared away, making room for the usual. Polnareff was quick to go his regular ways however. "I must say though, Jotaro. I have a question or two for you once we get to the hotel about a certain few words." He was wiggling his brows at the delinquent and you could feel Jotaro grasping you a bit closer to himself out of frustration as he left the Frenchman behind to walk directly next to his grandfather.

Except that seemed to be a mistake. "Yes, I agree with Polnareff. We have some burning questions." The man was openly grinning and you let your head fall backwards to look at Kakyoin who was still in the back. He had facepalmed and was quietly shaking his head back and forth.

"Hey, Kakyoin?" You called out in a question and he looked up with an inquisitive glance. "Given that Jotaro's hands are full, could you give them both a slap on the head for him?"

A smug look spreading on the redhead's face, he quickly followed up on your request and green tentacles whacked at the backs of two heads, both men loudly whining at the sudden assault. And as you looked up, you were glad to see Jotaro holding a more relaxed look, muttering his usual 'yare yare'.

-

The entire search for a hotel, Jotaro hadn't put you down. Even when you felt him start to slightly shake, the exertion and his injuries becoming too much, he didn't put you down. It was so bad even that he was slowly starting to lag behind the others.

"Jotaro-"
"Shut up." Instantly shutting you down, his grip on you tightened again and he bounced you a bit in his arms, getting a better hold.

"Use Star Platinum at least then." You tried, concerned for him as your voice was small and you saw his right hand clench, still purposefully avoiding touching your cuts and wounds on your legs with that hand.

"No." His answer was simple but strained and you frowned sadly, worried.

From the corner of his eye, Jotaro saw your face fall and he clenched his jaw, feeling his Stand fidgeting in his soul.

"Found it!" Down the street, Polnareff waved at the rest of you, having scouted ahead to find the hotel Mr. Joestar had searched up with Hermit Purple.

Sticking up his hand to indicate he heard, Joseph then glanced back at his grandson lagging a few meters behind, the sun beating down betraying the boy as sweat and blood made his shirt stick to his chest, showing his exhaustion.

Waiting for him to catch up, the older man wasn't ignorant, seeing the tight grip Jotaro had on you. "Come on, son." Softly speaking that, he placed his hand on the delinquent's shoulder and gently squeezed, urging him to walk the last leg to the hotel.

It was clear that Jotaro heard his words, shifting you in his hold a bit as he looked anywhere but at the people around him, his eyes darting around for an escape before fixing on the floor, his face hard and empty, a stern shell.

Sighing softly, Joseph removed his hand, relieved to finally see the hotel entrance. "I'll go get us some rooms." With that, he broke off and walked ahead, leaving you, Jotaro and Kakyoin to catch up with Polnareff.

A minute or two later, you all walked into the hotel, the air conditioning hitting you like a truck – a lovely, sorely needed truck.

Once through the doors, Jotaro finally put you down. Your legs were completely numb by that point but you weren't about to complain. Especially given the grimace the delinquent held as he stood up straight again after crouching to set you down gently, stretching his arms out a bit.

Across the lobby, Mr. Joestar stood by the front desk and you all walked over, your eyes cast down as you just ignored the annoyingly painful stinging from the glass cuts littering the left side of your body.

Halfway across, Mr. Joestar finished and he turned around, seeing you all approaching, making him walk over.

"Alright, I've got four keys and two medical kits." He spoke as he held up said items. "So two people will have to share a room but-"

"Y/N and I will share a room. We need to talk." Jotaro spoke, saying the last bit more to you and himself, but you weren't the only one who heard.

Perking up from the side, Polnareff leaned forward to look under the visor of the delinquent's hat with a teasing grin. "Oh I'm sure you do."

"Polnareff-" Jotaro started, strained, but the man held up his hands, interjecting with a grin.

"Nono, I get it, mon ami. No need to explain to me. We boys-"

"Stop!" Suddenly snapping at the Frenchman, Jotaro's voice was crisp and biting before he suddenly staggered a small bit, his expression flashing a moment of vulnerability as he took in a shuddering breath. "...please."

Eyes widening a bit, Polnareff slowly stood up – seeing how tense Jotaro was, the way you avoided any eye contact as you stood beside him. Something beyond what they knew had gone on in the ten minutes you were apart and the man shared a quick glance with Joseph and Kakyoin. "Sorry, go ahead." Polnareff genuinely apologised, a worry growing in his gut and Jotaro grunted, walking up to his grandfather where he took the key and medical kit from the man.

"Thank you." You smiled softly, only momentarily glancing at the eyes of the older man before Jotaro took in a deep sigh and walked off to the room with you in tow.

"Take care you two! We'll fetch you for dinner!" Calling after the teens, Mr. Joestar then put his hands down, sighing softly as he looked on in worry.

He'd come to treat the two with Hamon later, for now it was clear they needed some time.

-

Walking at a brisk pace through the halls of the hotel, Jotaro continuously glanced at the room number displayed on the key tag, looking around for the right door while you tried to keep up.

"Jotaro, wait up!"

The both of you turning around at the shout, Kakyoin came jogging up, having followed the two of you from the lobby.

Catching his breath after running up the stairs, he then looked up. "Sorry, can you stay here for a second?" He addressed Jotaro directly before looking at you with a charming smile. "He and I just need to have a chat before you do."

"I don't want to." Came the raven's gruff reply and Kakyoin tilted his head to raise an eyebrow at him.

"And I don't care that you don't. Y/N, you can go on ahead, I'll send this big lump after you in a bit." Sending you a calm smile, it took another pointed glance from the redhead for Jotaro to give up the key to you, allowing you to go off to your shared room already.

"I'll uh, see you guys later then." You waved a bit before turning around and shuffling away from the two teens, the both of them watching you walk away for a while before you entered a room far down in the hall – the two finally turning to face each other.

"What is this about?" Jotaro asked, an annoyed tone in his voice as he crossed his arms over his chest, glaring down at Kakyoin.

"This is about what the hell is going on between you two." The redhead glared back in a determined fashion, making Jotaro look away with an annoyed façade.

"Nothing is going on, we're fine."

Scoffing, Kakyoin shifted to lean on his back foot, looking unconvinced at the delinquent before him. "I know that's a lie and so do you. You two are acting way different than how you did when we left you with that Stand user."

"Would you back off?" Jotaro hissed, taking a threatening step forward, but Kakyoin stayed put, undeterred.

"No. You're gonna tell me what this was all about. What did you mean when you said 'This is the last time.' to Steely Dan? That had a deeper meaning. What happened?"

At that, Jotaro snapped his head down to the redhead. "Oh so you were listening in? You all had a field day with it?"

Rubbing at his forehead at the other boy's stubbornness, Kakyoin groaned. "No. The other two were too busy giggling about what you said before that. And those were the only things we heard. Mr. Joestar was having trouble focusing his Stand so we only had imagery up until that point. But instead of focusing on that, tell me yourself, Jotaro. You offered me your friendship. Allow me to be a friend and help."

Sighing out, the delinquent put the med kit he was holding down and moved to lean into the wall beside him, re-crossing his arms as he angled his head down, shielding his face with the visor of his hat. "It doesn't matter anyways."

"You're putting everyone on edge so yes it does matter." Kakyoin countered defiantly before calming down a bit and stepping forward, putting his hand on Jotaro's arm. "Jotaro, please..."

Looking at his friend from the corner of his eye and seeing his gentle expression, Jotaro closed his eyes. "I kissed her."

"What?"

"Y/N. I kissed her." He clarified, making Kakyoin pull his hand back. "Steely Dan forced me to. God, it sounds stupid as I say it." Muttering the last bit to himself, Jotaro let his head fall back against the wall.

"He forced you? Forced you how?" Kakyoin asked, not getting the whole picture from the delinquent, but that was enough to make the teen snap back into his defensive state.

Pushing away from the wall, Jotaro growled in frustration. "What, you want me to detail every second of it to you?!"

"Did I say that?" Kakyoin raised his eyebrow before realising that would only make the other boy shut down further. "Just help me understand."

"Fine! Steely fucker wanted to toy with us and I had to either kiss her, or let the old man suffer unimaginable pain!" Getting more agitated than before, Jotaro glared at Kakyoin, who remained calm compared to the seething Joestar.

"So it was a way to defeat the Stand user in the end?" Softly speaking that, it didn't do much to calm the raven down, with him simply taking a step back as he balled his fists.

"It didn't seem like it."

"You did it before though!" Getting a little agitated himself, Kakyoin spoke up, making Jotaro snap his head down to look into his eyes.

"What?"

"You kissed your school nurse to save her from my Stand." The redhead clarified as he himself crossed his arms, making the raven hiss out his words.

"This is different."

"How is it different?!" Kakyoin argued, motioning down the hall incredulously.

"BECAUSE SHE'S MY FRIEND!" Jotaro shouted, his bubble finally bursting. "She's my friend, who trusts me and I had to fucking force myself on her! She was crying through it for god's sake!"

"Jotaro, it was just a kiss!"

"I don't care what the fuck it was!" Yelling that back, the delinquent shook his head as he took a step back and reeled himself in. "I'm going to my goddamn room."

Turning around and starting to walk away, Kakyoin shot forward, grabbing the raven's wrist, forcing him to stop. "Jotaro, wait. I'm sorry."

"I don't care."

Shaking his arm to get free, he turned around to walk again but Kakyoin didn't give up, grabbing him by his jacket. "No, listen to me. Please."

Stopping in his tracks, Jotaro slightly turned back, an angry yet somehow tired expression on his face.

Content that the delinquent was willing to listen, Kakyoin stood up straight. "I didn't get what happened but I do now. Allow me to explain, please..."

"... Fine."

-

Walking in through the door, Jotaro slammed it shut with his foot before marching over to the nearest bed, throwing the med kit down together with his jacket before walking past the beds and over to the window.

"Jotaro?" You questioned quietly as you peeked out from the bathroom, your hair wet from just having taken a much needed shower, washing all the blood and grime off of yourself. Or at least hosing down your left side.

All you got was a grunt and you quietly stepped into the main room, dressed in your pyjamas – shorts and a loose t-shirt – the angry red marks on your skin now on full show, starting to bleed again.

Sighing softly, you walked over to the bed in front of you, seeing the medical kit on top that you sorely needed. Sitting down, you'd barely picked it up when Jotaro moved; walking away from the window and stepping to stand in front of you.

"Give." Holding out his hand, he didn't have the patience to wait as he grabbed the med kit from your hands, snapping it open and placing it on the bed beside you, rummaging through in order to see what is inside.

"Jotaro-"

"No." Shutting you down, he then 'tch'd in annoyance at the medical kit. "Stay put." With the little command, he straightened his back and walked away into the bathroom.

From inside, there was silence for a few seconds before you could hear him slamming the cabinets several times followed by the tap being turned on.

Sitting on the bed, you looked down to your lap, fidgeting with your hands as you inspected the cuts that littered it, squeezing the flesh a bit. While your entire left side hurt with every gust of wind that grazed the cuts, that pain was a far cry from the confusion you felt inside. Everything with Steely Dan was a bit of a haze. It was just another Stand user you did whatever it took to defeat. So then why...?

Why was Jotaro behaving this way? Why was he so upset? And... why was your heart acting the way it was?

Marching back into the main room, Jotaro was carrying two bowls, putting them down on the ground before getting up and looking around for something to sit on, hiding his eyes behind his hat the entire time.

"Jotaro." You called his name again, trying to get him to come out of this empty yet stern 'I will fix all' modus he seemed to have put himself in.

Ignoring you however, the raven-haired teen walked over to the corner of the room and picked up a chair, carrying it over and setting it down in front of you beside the bed with a crack.

"Jotaro!" Before he could walk off again or do anything else, you grabbed his hands, holding both of them tightly to make sure he wouldn't move, though your hold was still gentle, reassuring. "Sit down. Right now."

"You're bleeding all over, it needs to be treated."

You could tell he was moments away from ripping his hands out of your hold so you squeezed his hands. "Please just hear me out?"

Seeing your pleading expression, Jotaro couldn't do anything but swallow softly and nod ever so slightly, hearing you mirror Kakyoin's words from just a few minutes earlier. You slowly let go of his hands and – after you made clear you didn't want him on the chair – the delinquent walked over, sitting down to your left where he continued to hide behind his hat.

The two of you sitting in silence, you were lost in your own thoughts. Now that you had him beside you and calm, you really didn't know what to say. Though, you still had to try, so you took a deep breath. "Can you tell me what's going on in that big brain of yours?" Your