Lonely Soul
Jul. 3rd, 2016 10:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
madimpossibledreamerMain Points:
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure AU (Song of the Ocean) (vague enough could be any ol' 'verse, though), follows off Siren Song
Summary: Tomoko and Josuke get some answers.
Word Count: 925
Rating: Gen
Notes: Again, references Jotaro-san by MiniNephthys, which if you haven't read it yet...go read it!
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure AU (Song of the Ocean) (vague enough could be any ol' 'verse, though), follows off Siren Song
Summary: Tomoko and Josuke get some answers.
Word Count: 925
Rating: Gen
Notes: Again, references Jotaro-san by MiniNephthys, which if you haven't read it yet...go read it!
“Sorry about this, Mom,” Josuke calls, resting Jotaro-san against the wall as he takes off his shoes. He’ll probably have to use Crazy Diamond again, given how quiet Jotaro’s become, and he’s already exhausted from the long, long walk that’s required him to use his Stand, sometimes, to support Jotaro-san’s weight.
“Do you know how long it’s been raining, young man—” Her voice trails off as she comes from the kitchen and notices Jotaro. “What happened?”
“He was trying to work through the storm.” He leaves out why Jotaro thought that was a good idea, mostly because he doesn’t know himself.
His mother tuts, getting the couch ready without another word. “Why would he even try? It’s supposed to be terrible out there. Didn’t his mother ever tell him not to stay outside in the rain like that?”
“She tried,” a very quiet, exhausted amused voice joins the conversation, and in response Tomoko slaps him.
It doesn’t look like that hurts him much, but it wakes him up a little bit more.
“By the way, you’re going to get dressed in dry clothes, Josuke. And we’ll see if we can’t find dry clothes for Jotaro-san as well.”
He has to wait for his mother to go into the kitchen to start making tea to use Crazy Diamond, but by this point Jotaro’s in a lot better shape, and he’ll be better if either of them have anything to say about it.
“So,” his mom says, demanding an answer, and to her credit Jotaro sighs. She’s probably one of the only people who can intimidate an answer out of him.
“You can get a lot of good data during a storm.” She glares further, and he sighs, struggling to sit up. That earns a further glare, but he pulls the blankets tighter around himself, somehow looking a little dignified and intimidating despite the fact that he’s wearing a pair of Josuke’s old pajamas and one of Grandpa’s old robes and is still missing his hat. “I guess I was being a little arrogant. But then, even if it’s not a shock, it’s still…not the easiest to deal with.”
Josuke and his mother exchange glances. “Uh, Jotaro-san. What are you talking about?”
“I was married,” he states blandly. A fact, just like most of what he says, but there’s just the slightest amount of something else in the voice. He really is human.
“You’re married?” Tomoko asks with shock that makes Jotaro chuckle, just a little, but Josuke notices the past tense.
“What happened?” he asks compassionately. If Jotaro was one for touch, he’d put a comforting hand on his nephew’s shoulder but…you know what, he’s just gonna do it anyway.
“I knew it was coming. I just wanted to think…it’d happen later.” There’s a lot going on, but then, Josuke’s met (and been spoiled rotten by) Holly Kujo, so he knows Jotaro’s father was gone a lot. He’s probably unhappy that he became the same. “I warned her that I’d be gone a lot. I like traveling, I need time alone a lot more. And the work I do, learning about some of these species, protecting them…” He meets their eyes, passion for his work glowing in them. “…I like dolphins well enough, but they’ve overstudied, and it’s easy enough to get morons in government to protect them. It’s harder to get protection for other species, and just as important. An aquarium is a nice safe job, and completely useless. It’s not their natural habitat, so anything we learn is questionable at best.”
This probably isn’t comfortable for his mom, but she’s not angry at him, just understanding. “And she knew that when she married you.”
“It’s not like I love her or Jolyne any less. I’m not generally interested in this sort of thing, so the fact that I am means a lot more for me than it does for them, I guess, and it’s not like I’m choosing not to be with them. I’m just choosing to work.” He stares at his hands. “That doesn’t make it any easier. They understand, intellectually, but it doesn’t help them deal with it any better. They just…finally chose to stop.”
For one uncharitable moment, Josuke wonders whether Sadao Kujo felt the same, before he shakes it off. Sadao’s wife was dying (from the few, very terse remarks Jotaro-san had said on the subject) and he hadn’t even come back from tour. Hadn’t even called. Jotaro wouldn’t do the same, in the situation. He’d seen Jotaro briefly interact with his daughter, and the man may be awkward and really not sure how to interact with anyone, ever, but he really did care for his daughter. If she was sick, he’d be there for her. And there’s the added issue of rogue Stand users being drawn to other Stand Users and possibly putting his family in danger, which he’d pointed out (in not so many words or details) for a very young Jolyne.
“Well, they’re missing out. Having some time with the people you love is better than none at all,” Tomoko states firmly, standing. “I’ll go get ingredients to make miso. You’re family, so you’re welcome for as long as you want.”
She goes out to the garage to get her bicycle, and Josuke adds in a stage whisper, “That’s Mom for ‘you’re not leaving until you’re better if I have to kidnap you’.”
It earns a small smile before Jotaro stretches out on the couch as much as his height will allow and drifts off to sleep.
“Do you know how long it’s been raining, young man—” Her voice trails off as she comes from the kitchen and notices Jotaro. “What happened?”
“He was trying to work through the storm.” He leaves out why Jotaro thought that was a good idea, mostly because he doesn’t know himself.
His mother tuts, getting the couch ready without another word. “Why would he even try? It’s supposed to be terrible out there. Didn’t his mother ever tell him not to stay outside in the rain like that?”
“She tried,” a very quiet, exhausted amused voice joins the conversation, and in response Tomoko slaps him.
It doesn’t look like that hurts him much, but it wakes him up a little bit more.
“By the way, you’re going to get dressed in dry clothes, Josuke. And we’ll see if we can’t find dry clothes for Jotaro-san as well.”
He has to wait for his mother to go into the kitchen to start making tea to use Crazy Diamond, but by this point Jotaro’s in a lot better shape, and he’ll be better if either of them have anything to say about it.
“So,” his mom says, demanding an answer, and to her credit Jotaro sighs. She’s probably one of the only people who can intimidate an answer out of him.
“You can get a lot of good data during a storm.” She glares further, and he sighs, struggling to sit up. That earns a further glare, but he pulls the blankets tighter around himself, somehow looking a little dignified and intimidating despite the fact that he’s wearing a pair of Josuke’s old pajamas and one of Grandpa’s old robes and is still missing his hat. “I guess I was being a little arrogant. But then, even if it’s not a shock, it’s still…not the easiest to deal with.”
Josuke and his mother exchange glances. “Uh, Jotaro-san. What are you talking about?”
“I was married,” he states blandly. A fact, just like most of what he says, but there’s just the slightest amount of something else in the voice. He really is human.
“You’re married?” Tomoko asks with shock that makes Jotaro chuckle, just a little, but Josuke notices the past tense.
“What happened?” he asks compassionately. If Jotaro was one for touch, he’d put a comforting hand on his nephew’s shoulder but…you know what, he’s just gonna do it anyway.
“I knew it was coming. I just wanted to think…it’d happen later.” There’s a lot going on, but then, Josuke’s met (and been spoiled rotten by) Holly Kujo, so he knows Jotaro’s father was gone a lot. He’s probably unhappy that he became the same. “I warned her that I’d be gone a lot. I like traveling, I need time alone a lot more. And the work I do, learning about some of these species, protecting them…” He meets their eyes, passion for his work glowing in them. “…I like dolphins well enough, but they’ve overstudied, and it’s easy enough to get morons in government to protect them. It’s harder to get protection for other species, and just as important. An aquarium is a nice safe job, and completely useless. It’s not their natural habitat, so anything we learn is questionable at best.”
This probably isn’t comfortable for his mom, but she’s not angry at him, just understanding. “And she knew that when she married you.”
“It’s not like I love her or Jolyne any less. I’m not generally interested in this sort of thing, so the fact that I am means a lot more for me than it does for them, I guess, and it’s not like I’m choosing not to be with them. I’m just choosing to work.” He stares at his hands. “That doesn’t make it any easier. They understand, intellectually, but it doesn’t help them deal with it any better. They just…finally chose to stop.”
For one uncharitable moment, Josuke wonders whether Sadao Kujo felt the same, before he shakes it off. Sadao’s wife was dying (from the few, very terse remarks Jotaro-san had said on the subject) and he hadn’t even come back from tour. Hadn’t even called. Jotaro wouldn’t do the same, in the situation. He’d seen Jotaro briefly interact with his daughter, and the man may be awkward and really not sure how to interact with anyone, ever, but he really did care for his daughter. If she was sick, he’d be there for her. And there’s the added issue of rogue Stand users being drawn to other Stand Users and possibly putting his family in danger, which he’d pointed out (in not so many words or details) for a very young Jolyne.
“Well, they’re missing out. Having some time with the people you love is better than none at all,” Tomoko states firmly, standing. “I’ll go get ingredients to make miso. You’re family, so you’re welcome for as long as you want.”
She goes out to the garage to get her bicycle, and Josuke adds in a stage whisper, “That’s Mom for ‘you’re not leaving until you’re better if I have to kidnap you’.”
It earns a small smile before Jotaro stretches out on the couch as much as his height will allow and drifts off to sleep.
