Legacy: A Heavy Burden
Mar. 8th, 2018 11:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
madimpossibledreamerPart of the reason this happened/might be expanded is because, well, they had Giles, who was sometimes there for them, and they had Joyce, who was sometimes there for them if in a problematic way, but they (& more shows in general) need parental figures who actually care, even if they're super awkward and nothing like perfect.
Also Buffy's worst behaviors are because she can't rely on others, and it's either because she's been taught she can't or because she doesn't think she deserves it. Which, to borrow a few words from Jotaro (he probably won't notice), is crap.
~Dreamer~
Main Points:
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure/Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Summary: Out of all the people Buffy expected to be supportive, her bio-dad wasn't one of them.
Word Count: 1221
Rating: Gen
Also Buffy's worst behaviors are because she can't rely on others, and it's either because she's been taught she can't or because she doesn't think she deserves it. Which, to borrow a few words from Jotaro (he probably won't notice), is crap.
~Dreamer~
Main Points:
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure/Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Summary: Out of all the people Buffy expected to be supportive, her bio-dad wasn't one of them.
Word Count: 1221
Rating: Gen
“So,” he says, the instant they get in. She decides to sit and bounce on the bed, because she can. That earns a ‘yare yare daze’, and he almost keeps standing awkwardly but eventually sits down, of which she approves. Jotaro doesn’t continue, though. She’d thought (and who told her, that’s right, Hank) that he hadn’t cared. Now that she’s older, she can see that he’s just more awkward than Xander. Somehow.
He looks like he’s about to start fidgeting any second, though, so she decides to put him out of his misery.
“So I guess Mom didn’t mention my whole stint in the mental hospital thing?” She sits down, somewhat hesitant now, swinging her legs listlessly.
He shakes his head, hands twisting into fists. “Buffy, aside from two days ago, Joyce hasn’t contacted me for years.” His voice and face are still calm. “I thought you hated me.”
That causes her to giggle, just a little, at the absurdity of the situation if nothing else. “Likewise.”
“Yare yare,” he responds, tugging at his cap, and for a moment she thinks he’s going to just leave it there. “I could never hate you,” he says suddenly, still in that same tone, and that has her gaping like a wounded fish, because what.
No, no, she’s not allowed to—
“Are you crying?” and that—there’s finally a note to his voice, and it’s almost akin to panic.
“It’s just…I’m sorry, I—I don’t think anyone’s ever told me that,” she tries inadequately to explain, that she doesn't deserve this, that there are some things he probably should hate her for, and instead—
Instead she sees something ghostly, like a blue-green Tarzan, burst out of him. It punches the pillow in a flurry of blows with a strange cry, and disappears, leaving strewn feathers and torn strips of cloth in its wake. Jotaro-san is breathing heavily, but otherwise looks like nothing out of the ordinary has happened.
“What—” she gasps, shocked, and—no, wait, if there’s something—she’s the Slayer, she should be protecting—
“You can see—” he begins, eyes slightly wider than normal, before relaxing all at once. There’s just a hint of what might be a smile on his face. “Right, why the hell did I think you’d be normal?”
“Hey!” Buffy yelps, stung, before actually processing the words. “Wait, what do you mean, normal? You mean, you’re weird like me?”
“That’s one way to put it.” He’s definitely amused now, but it quickly passes. “At least I know you’re supposed to love your children, even if you’re crap about expressing it.”
That’s something that quickly catches her attention. “You wouldn’t send me away?”
“Well…” he hesitates, leading the hope in her to die a sudden, unexpected, grisly death. “It wouldn’t be too hard to get transferred to an aquarium here, but there’s the matter of the restraining order we’d have to clear up.”
“The what?” she asks, confused again, and the anger’s back in his eyes.
“You mean Joyce never told you? She and Hank had a restraining order filed. Why do you think I never called?”
“I thought you hated me,” she answers reflexively. “Restraining order?”
The wolfish smile that appears on his face speaks to her inner Slayer. “I called Hank and threatened him if anything happened to you two. Funny, man’s got a thin skin.”
She giggles, wiping tears away from her eyes. “You know, as badly as it turned out, I would’ve loved to have seen that. Can you fix it?”
“More likely, it’ll have to be Joyce that fixes it, and she’ll have to prove I’m not threatening her to get it lifted or anything. Or you, since you’re here.” He’s trusting her, which is more than she’s had in years, plus it seems like he wouldn’t mind having her around after all.
“Will that be easier since Hank ran off with his secretary a few years ago?” she asks matter-of-factly, and his fists twitch.
“Probably. She did say that she’d try, so that’s at least a start,” he agrees, and they sink into comfortable silence.
“I’m a Slayer,” she states suddenly, hoping that he won’t change his mind. “One in a long line. When one dies, the next is called. I’m supposed to fight vampires and demons and things that go bump in the night. Most of us die before our sixteenth birthday, and Jotaro-san—I did die.”
From the tone of his voice, he’s swearing, even if she can’t understand Japanese, and that ghostly arm smacks the desk behind him hard enough to rattle everything. “They had you committed because you told them you fought vampires.” It’s a snarl. “The Joestar line dies early but Jolyne—”
He stands, crosses the room quickly, and engulfs her in a terrifying hug. If not for her Slayer strength, it’d even be a little painful. Over his shoulder he can see her knuckles turn white, and he’s—he’s panicking. On her behalf.
“Xander knew CPR,” she explains, and his breath comes out from him in a whoosh. It takes a few more moments, but he backs away like he’s been cut with a knife, and between the slight color on his cheeks and the way he’s hanging on to his hat for dear life, he’s embarrassed. “You fought vampires, too?” Maybe she can distract him from his discomfort.
Luckily, it works. “Mostly one idiot, Stand Users, and an utter bastard named DIO. Probably called himself that, with his ego.” He retrieves a pack of cigarettes from his pocket but doesn’t light any of them or even pull one out, just continues fidgeting with them. “Stands are like Star Platinum.” The Tarzan appears next to him, but this time it’s smiling and waves, friendly. She waves back. It looks delighted. Jotaro-san just rolls his eyes. “Manifestations of our fighting spirit, or something. I’m not Joseph; I don’t do speeches. I’d say you probably have one too, but I have no idea what Slayers are or how any of that works.” He puts the pack away and sits back down in the chair, this time backwards. “Feel like explaining why you have an apartment but are sleeping on the streets?”
It’s a lot to absorb, which is why she answers on autopilot again. If it’s a tactic he’s using, it’s a good one. “Creep across the hall. I don’t want to lose my job just ‘cause I punched him through the wall.”
He snorts, even as Star Platinum gets angry. “Fair enough. If you want, you can stay here. I don’t mind.”
“Would that get you in trouble?” she asks, hesitating, because it’s been forever since she’s been anywhere she felt safe.
“I don’t mind,” he repeats, getting up and fluffing her hair. It feels vaguely familiar. He must’ve done that when she was a kid. “Stay or not, whatever. I’m not going to force you. I’m going to go get food. If you’re still here when I get back, you get some. I’m not going to call Joyce until you tell me to, because she’ll just force you to come home, and I’m not going to make you do anything until you’re ready.”
Luckily, her stomach growls after he’s already closed the door, but she’s pretty sure she knows what she’s going to do anyway.
He looks like he’s about to start fidgeting any second, though, so she decides to put him out of his misery.
“So I guess Mom didn’t mention my whole stint in the mental hospital thing?” She sits down, somewhat hesitant now, swinging her legs listlessly.
He shakes his head, hands twisting into fists. “Buffy, aside from two days ago, Joyce hasn’t contacted me for years.” His voice and face are still calm. “I thought you hated me.”
That causes her to giggle, just a little, at the absurdity of the situation if nothing else. “Likewise.”
“Yare yare,” he responds, tugging at his cap, and for a moment she thinks he’s going to just leave it there. “I could never hate you,” he says suddenly, still in that same tone, and that has her gaping like a wounded fish, because what.
No, no, she’s not allowed to—
“Are you crying?” and that—there’s finally a note to his voice, and it’s almost akin to panic.
“It’s just…I’m sorry, I—I don’t think anyone’s ever told me that,” she tries inadequately to explain, that she doesn't deserve this, that there are some things he probably should hate her for, and instead—
Instead she sees something ghostly, like a blue-green Tarzan, burst out of him. It punches the pillow in a flurry of blows with a strange cry, and disappears, leaving strewn feathers and torn strips of cloth in its wake. Jotaro-san is breathing heavily, but otherwise looks like nothing out of the ordinary has happened.
“What—” she gasps, shocked, and—no, wait, if there’s something—she’s the Slayer, she should be protecting—
“You can see—” he begins, eyes slightly wider than normal, before relaxing all at once. There’s just a hint of what might be a smile on his face. “Right, why the hell did I think you’d be normal?”
“Hey!” Buffy yelps, stung, before actually processing the words. “Wait, what do you mean, normal? You mean, you’re weird like me?”
“That’s one way to put it.” He’s definitely amused now, but it quickly passes. “At least I know you’re supposed to love your children, even if you’re crap about expressing it.”
That’s something that quickly catches her attention. “You wouldn’t send me away?”
“Well…” he hesitates, leading the hope in her to die a sudden, unexpected, grisly death. “It wouldn’t be too hard to get transferred to an aquarium here, but there’s the matter of the restraining order we’d have to clear up.”
“The what?” she asks, confused again, and the anger’s back in his eyes.
“You mean Joyce never told you? She and Hank had a restraining order filed. Why do you think I never called?”
“I thought you hated me,” she answers reflexively. “Restraining order?”
The wolfish smile that appears on his face speaks to her inner Slayer. “I called Hank and threatened him if anything happened to you two. Funny, man’s got a thin skin.”
She giggles, wiping tears away from her eyes. “You know, as badly as it turned out, I would’ve loved to have seen that. Can you fix it?”
“More likely, it’ll have to be Joyce that fixes it, and she’ll have to prove I’m not threatening her to get it lifted or anything. Or you, since you’re here.” He’s trusting her, which is more than she’s had in years, plus it seems like he wouldn’t mind having her around after all.
“Will that be easier since Hank ran off with his secretary a few years ago?” she asks matter-of-factly, and his fists twitch.
“Probably. She did say that she’d try, so that’s at least a start,” he agrees, and they sink into comfortable silence.
“I’m a Slayer,” she states suddenly, hoping that he won’t change his mind. “One in a long line. When one dies, the next is called. I’m supposed to fight vampires and demons and things that go bump in the night. Most of us die before our sixteenth birthday, and Jotaro-san—I did die.”
From the tone of his voice, he’s swearing, even if she can’t understand Japanese, and that ghostly arm smacks the desk behind him hard enough to rattle everything. “They had you committed because you told them you fought vampires.” It’s a snarl. “The Joestar line dies early but Jolyne—”
He stands, crosses the room quickly, and engulfs her in a terrifying hug. If not for her Slayer strength, it’d even be a little painful. Over his shoulder he can see her knuckles turn white, and he’s—he’s panicking. On her behalf.
“Xander knew CPR,” she explains, and his breath comes out from him in a whoosh. It takes a few more moments, but he backs away like he’s been cut with a knife, and between the slight color on his cheeks and the way he’s hanging on to his hat for dear life, he’s embarrassed. “You fought vampires, too?” Maybe she can distract him from his discomfort.
Luckily, it works. “Mostly one idiot, Stand Users, and an utter bastard named DIO. Probably called himself that, with his ego.” He retrieves a pack of cigarettes from his pocket but doesn’t light any of them or even pull one out, just continues fidgeting with them. “Stands are like Star Platinum.” The Tarzan appears next to him, but this time it’s smiling and waves, friendly. She waves back. It looks delighted. Jotaro-san just rolls his eyes. “Manifestations of our fighting spirit, or something. I’m not Joseph; I don’t do speeches. I’d say you probably have one too, but I have no idea what Slayers are or how any of that works.” He puts the pack away and sits back down in the chair, this time backwards. “Feel like explaining why you have an apartment but are sleeping on the streets?”
It’s a lot to absorb, which is why she answers on autopilot again. If it’s a tactic he’s using, it’s a good one. “Creep across the hall. I don’t want to lose my job just ‘cause I punched him through the wall.”
He snorts, even as Star Platinum gets angry. “Fair enough. If you want, you can stay here. I don’t mind.”
“Would that get you in trouble?” she asks, hesitating, because it’s been forever since she’s been anywhere she felt safe.
“I don’t mind,” he repeats, getting up and fluffing her hair. It feels vaguely familiar. He must’ve done that when she was a kid. “Stay or not, whatever. I’m not going to force you. I’m going to go get food. If you’re still here when I get back, you get some. I’m not going to call Joyce until you tell me to, because she’ll just force you to come home, and I’m not going to make you do anything until you’re ready.”
Luckily, her stomach growls after he’s already closed the door, but she’s pretty sure she knows what she’s going to do anyway.
