hierophany | open post

[ So Kakyoin's stand never pulled this shit, he means. Never gathered random items into a jail cell, didn't punch street thugs til Jotaro was calling him back from killing them with greeted teeth, never— fixed the button of someone he wasn't even sure how to lay a hand on.

And Kakyoin thinks that's not ideal. Jotaro scoffs but doesn't know how to even phrase his doubt to himself. What's the alternative feel like if Kakyoin wouldn't want him to have complete control over his stand, too?

...Must have been a hell of a hug. So instead he just hmms doubtfully and puts his hands in his pockets and dips his head low. ]

...Goodnight, Kakyoin.

[ He opens his mouth to clarify but thinks better of it. This has been a long enough day without going into the finer points of how to give your own stand anxiety. ]

Night.

[ He finishes cleaning up and putting everything away. Hierophant reaches Jotaro before he does about ten minutes later, barely visible, coiling around his arm the same way that it coils around Polnareff's and Joseph's ankles. Even the baby, because if he really has fucked up and they're wrong it's in as much danger as the rest of them. All because he told it to, not because it just wanted to touch them. ]

I- apologise for the fuss, Mr. Joestar. I think I should sleep.

[ Joseph mutters something stern and tired, but still kind. A wary apology of his own for overreacting earlier. A gentle reassurance that they'll get him home safely, get him help if he needs it. He nods his way through it then sinks into his own sleeping bag in silence/ ]

[ True to Kakyoin's idea and their shared paranoia, Jotaro reads in his sleeping bag, sitting upright, for several minutes before even laying down. 'Acting normal' has never really been something he excelled at, but hopefully this is enough to fool any hyper-intelligent babies in the area.

He feels Hierophant, just barely and maybe only because he was waiting for it, before Kakyoin comes over to his own bag. The reminder of how far his stand's range must be is more reassuring than surprising.

He doesn't speak to Kakyoin, which is normal enough. He didn't speak to anyone else either since he had his forehead bandaged up.

Not calling out Star now that they know stands come with them feels wrong, but there is absolutely no way for something that size to hide from anyone nearby and evade suspicion. Hierophant is ideal for this...so hopefully he's also ideal for fighting this stand user, whoever it ends up being.

Jotaro rolls over and resists the twin urges to shake off Hierophant's cool around his wrist, or to lay his other hand over it.

***

Jotaro wakes up with a jolt. Which is probably a good sign in and of itself, albeit one he's having trouble trusting too much. He sits up all at once, looking around — did he wake up on his own? Or did he hear something? The baby is crying.

Jotaro goes to touch his hat and his hand brushes the bandage and it...doesn't hurt. When he slowly pulls his hand away in surprise, he catches sight of his knuckles and—

He peels away the bandages, and sees just normal skin. His torn knuckles are healed. But he's...he's certain he didn't dream all of what happened earlier too, right?

He looks around the camp for signs of Kakyoin. ]

[ Does he need to put this much time and effort into breakfast? No. Is he going to? Yes. They know that help is arriving soon, after all. They'll be back in another town soon enough. There's no sense in not making the wait as pleasant as possible.

...and maybe he just wants to make a grand demonstration of his sanity. Would a mad person be capable of making a breakfast of pancakes and sausages and eggs and brewing coffee and making baby food using a single camp stove and what supplies survived the crash? Leaving aside the fact that only a mad person would really try.

And maybe he wants to fuck with Mr. Joestar and Polnareff, just a little.

He doesn't look up from his current task of stirring the pan of baby food, but when Jotaro starts moving, Hierophant floats over to him. And in a moment of uncharacteristic boldness, especially for Hierophant rather than Kakyoin himself, reaches out to flick up the brim of Jotaro's hat to give him access to the wound closure strips that aren't holding anything closed anymore. ]

You don't need those anymore. They'll get sweat and stand stuck behind them if you don't remove them now. It'll feel unpleasant.

[ He sounds himself again. Cheerful, even, with a sing-song note of teasing to his voice. ]

[ Jotaro feels his pulse slowly climbing, worry a dull weight in his stomach. His jaw is set tighter when Hierophant comes closer on his own and when Kakyoin speaks calmly like they've won, except Jotaro's wounds are gone which doesn't make sense, so does this mean he dreamed it all, or worse, Kakyoin is now the one that doesn't remember—

But he stops, halfway through the pointless action of waving Hierophant away from his hat. Kakyoin knows his wound is healed.

Kakyoin remembers. Kakyoin knew already. Which means Kakyoin— ]

You won. [ His voice carries easily when they're the only ones awake and making any noise. Relief is audible. So is—

Maybe they're not close enough for Jotaro to have earned feeling proud of him about this, about waking up and being able to trust that them both being safe and Kakyoin being relaxed means he took care of it, but he does. ]

Mm. We reached an agreement. [ Hierophant fades away when Jotaro dismisses him. ] Every injury that was received in the dream should be gone, now. There wasn't much that could be done for the dog, since it bled out in the real world, but there won't be any more trouble.

[ He pauses a moment, stirring the pan of makeshift baby food before taking it off the heat and setting it down to cool, covering it to keep sand and insects out. His sleeves are rolled up. The writing from before is gone. As if none of it ever happened, except for the fact that they're still awaiting rescue after crashing. ]

I think it's best not to trouble Mr. Joestar with this. He would be conflicted, I think. It would slow us down.

[ He peels off the butterfly closures with a frown, although at least Kakyoin was careful with them and didn't catch any of his wispy hairline-hairs under their adhesives.

Kakyoin reasoning with a baby - assuming it was, in fact, the baby - is maybe the least weird fucking thing Jotaro's had to listen to during the last few weeks, but it's still enough to have him questioning just how the hell his life got this way. Just a little. ]

Was it the baby? [ He keeps his voice low while he gets out of the sleeping bag, still in pajamas when he comes over to the fire that Kakyoin's cooking at. He doesn't address, just yet, the fact that they're going to have to make the decision of whether or not to explain this to everyone else, or just let them think that...Kakyoin briefly lost his mind, but is fine now. That both of them were acting oddly for no reason. ]

It was. Hide the bandages at the bottom of one of the bags, will you? Before your grandfather wakes up. I'll dispose of them properly when we next have the opportunity.

[ He replaces one pan with another, this one just water to boil. Joseph will want coffee, even as the sun is starting to peek over the horizon and make everything too damn hot. ]

As I said, we reached an agreement. Because he's just a baby. We'll take him to the doctor at the next town we reach, as planned. He claims he'll be able to make his own way back to his mother from there.

So now the plan's to make them think they're all crazy, instead. [ His tone is heavy and unhappy, but not uncertain. It's the only way to avoid a very awkward explanation, one that won't actually benefit them.

Except Kakyoin, maybe, who hates being perceived as wrong, but it seems he's content with just fucking with everyone instead. Jotaro's irritation at the idea feels about as faded and distant as the cut he can no longer feel on his forehead. ]

I'll take care of the coffee. [ Said like it's the 'glad that half-assed plan worked' he doesn't actually voice, while he comes over and sits maybe an inch closer than normal to Kakyoin by the little fire.

(Well. An inch closer than when they're not smushed together in the back of a car, anyway, on the days Jotaro draws the short straw and doesn't get shotgun.) ]

Oh, absolutely. Last night never happened. After the plane crashed, we all slept early to preserve our energy and the evening passed without incident.

[ His tone is light, but when Jotaro sits next to him his body crumples inward, leaning against him. His voice goes quieter. More serious. ]

He still has his stand. He'll be using it on civilians, in order to find his way home. He won't be using it against us, but we're just going to have to trust that he won't hurt anyone else. I don't like it. But there isn't another option, not short of killing him. I don't think your Grandfather or Polnareff are capable of choosing either option. They'd want a solution that keeps everyone safe. And we don't have time.

I'm taking the choice out of their hands. As far as they're concerned, this is a perfectly normal baby.

Fine.

[ Kakyoin keeps his poker face on even as he slowly lists over and leans his shoulder into his. Jotaro stays still - out of a surprise that he gets over more quickly each time this happens - and out of a desire to act as literal support right now.

He sighs at the explanations. ] ...Hopefully he was only coming after us because he was offered something by Dio. [ And now that his lifetime supply of pacifiers or whatever the hell isn't on its way, maybe he'll chill out. It's a long-distance hope that probably no one needs but also makes enough logical sense that he doesn't feel ridiculous voicing it.

Jotaro dares to shift enough to reach for a cigarette. ] Polnareff's gonna lose his mind.

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