madimpossibledreamer

guess what, it's even somehow beta'd (i'd just finished it last night), so that's one thing that went well today

Main Points:
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure/Buffy the Vampire Slayer AU
Chapter Summary: Koichi, Yukako, and Hol Horse fight the Stand User mercenaries.
Word Count: 1025
Rating: Teen (Buffy|Jojo's level violence)
Note: HERE THERE PROBABLY BE BUFFY/JJBA SPOILERS

        Koichi barely pulls his head out of the way in time as a giant pair of jaws snap past his head. He can feel the wind as it misses. That was a close one. He’s found the Stand that ate the desk. He’s glad his first instinct, generally, on noticing movement is to run or hide, rather than investigating further, because it’s not like Josuke can heal him if he doesn’t have a head. He’d tried a different approach exactly once, when looking for the source of the button, and that hadn’t worked out too well. He’ll fight, of course, but he’s more cautious than the others. “I guess that’s one of their Stands,” he states shakily. It’d be nice if he could be cool when fighting like Josuke or Jotaro, but he’ll settle for staying alive.
        “I’ll break their ribs for that,” Yukako mutters, reaching out to squeeze his hand protectively. It’s appreciated, though he’s only really fought alongside her once, and it’s a new experience. He’s not sure if he likes it or not, but it’s early yet, and he can come to a conclusion later, after the end. “If they’re protecting this place, doesn’t that mean that there’s something here worth protecting?”
        “They could just be out for the bounty. If it’s a company offering it, they’re probably paying a fortune, enough to catch the eye of the most serious mercenary,” Hol Horse disagrees. “I could aim for the mouth if I could just see them.”
        “That Stand’s fast and strong, though it looks like it can only chomp so fast. I’d guess it’s a close-range power type.” There might be more to it. He thought he’d seen something inside the mouth, but he’d only gotten the briefest of glimpses.
        “Well? You wanted to take a shot. Fire away.” They turn, and there’s a man relaxing on the stairs. Hol’s hand isn’t trembling on the gun, but then, it never is. Everything about the Stand User says sophisticated and nonchalant. This must be Peter Gabriel. No wonder his Stand could go after them like that—he was close by, and it didn’t matter if his Stand could see them or not if he had eyes on them the whole time. He could blend in better than his partner, even with the suit jacket and bow tie (seriously, who wears that to kill somebody?). It also, unfortunately, reminds him of Kira, because that was another smug guy in a suit who could use charisma on his victims. “What’s the matter, Hol Horse? Lost your nerve?” He turns to Yukako, smirk still firmly in place. “What about you? You wanted to break my ribs.”
        With a scream, his wife’s hair extends, hitting the man’s torso and wrapping around it like a whip. With just a glance, he’s worked out their weaknesses. He can definitely see this guy as a mercenary. Fortunately, Koichi’s paying attention, and he knows exactly what’s going on here. Someone who’d watched their entrance to their room probably could’ve come to the conclusion that Love Deluxe was their best defensive Stand, and while it’s a conclusion that makes a lot of sense, it’s also not the full story.
        “What are you doing?” Yukako screams, and if in response, Hol Horse finally fires his gun. But not at the man on the stairs.
        He’s serving as a distraction, confident that his Stand can take them out before the bullet could hit him. He’s gambling with his own life, and enjoying it. Enemy Stand Users are seriously weird.
        They’ve worked together enough that Koichi knows exactly what he’s supposed to do. If he hadn’t seen how fast the Stand was, he’d think this wasn’t necessary, but he’s not about to underestimate a Stand again. He summons Act 3, which fortunately is the fastest of Echoes’ Acts. “Echoes, Freeze!”
        His Stand moves quickly enough that it looks like it’s teleporting, appearing in front of the doorway quicker than the enemy Stand can get through. “Three Freeze.” There’s no sound of the Stand hitting the floor hard enough to break it, but he can tell exactly what the smirk on Hol Horse’s face means—he’s got just enough of an angle to see just enough of the doorway.
        “Well, that’s an absolutely fascinating decision, and might have saved you from the jaws of death for the moment, but Sobek’s a little more resilient than all that. You really should’ve shot me in the head.” He’s not even sweating, though his words are strained as Love Deluxe squeezes like a vice. He’s…dancing?
        Hol Horse pulls Yukako back, and it’s suddenly clear what his plan had been. Pull Yukako in, then…something.
        “Sorry about that,” Hol actually apologizes, which is a little new. As far as he knows, gentleman or not, his partner’s never bothered to do that before.
        “Fortunately not a mistake I’m liable to make.” He pulls a dagger out and throws it, all in one smooth motion. Koichi’s spent a lot of time with a guy with a gun, and he’s gotten used to how weapons and people who use weapons work. This man knows what he’s doing. He’d been planning to pull her in close, then stab her. Barring that, he’s good at throwing weapons instead, apparently.
        He’d been aiming at Yukako. Koichi barely managed to get in the way first. “Keep in the present,” he manages, because the worst thing that can happen is that she loses her temper again. He’d never really been hurt in a fight, not this bad, other than the time with Kira, and one other time early in his partnership with Hol Horse, but that had been a Stand and the effect had gone away after they’d defeated the User. If Hol was ever about to shoot him, he could just de-summon Emperor. He’d never really thought about it. It turns out being stabbed kind of hurts, even if it is just his shoulder.
        Act 3 uses an effect to throw them backward again, and Yukako manages to redirect them to the next doorway, which hopefully won’t be hiding another Stand User. They don’t need any more surprises.