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Jotaro Kujo wasn’t great at small talk; or any kind of talk, to be perfectly frank. He’d never found the knack for it, rarely wanted to. He’d been trying harder, these past few years, to say things. Use his voice, as his grandfather put it, but more often then not the words he wanted to say simply escaped his grasp and flew off out of his reach before he could even sort them in his head enough to get them off his tongue.
So he was content to listen to his uncle mumble about shoes and expenses as they walked down the streets of Morioh together, although the teen seemed more focused on window shopping in silence then anything, which was fine with Jotaro. For being Joseph Joestar’s son, Josuke Higashikata was surprising pensive and silent at times.
Josuke’d only gotten out of the hospital a few days prior, recovering from his injuries with his battle with Kira, and spent the last few days home being smothered by his mother. Jotaro had caught him sneaking out of the window on his way to see how the kid was doing, and Josuke had pouted and insisted he was going out. Jotaro could have stopped Josuke, but he felt more respect to the younger man then that, so he’d simply followed him.
He was pretty sure the kid could handle himself and knew his own limits, but he’d had enough of life ripping away the people he cared about.
Josuke kicked at a can on the sidewalk and muttered to himself when it bounced off the street sign and into the gutter and Jotaro eyed him but didn’t speak. He wasn’t really sure what to say.
“So.” Josuke addressed him directly for the first time, indigo eyes glancing over at his taller figure, “When are you and my old man leaving?”
Jotaro stared at the side of Josuke’s head and tried to figure out the meaning behind those words. Josuke was surprisingly like him at times – lack of emotions in his sentences that never conveyed what he was actually feeling.
“I mean…” Josuke turned his attention to the next store window and lowered his voice, “You got no reason to stay now that we took care of Kira, right….”
Jotaro couldn’t tell it if was frustration or disappointment clouding Josuke’s voice.
He cleared his throat, “Couple more weeks, I think.” He muttered. Josuke glanced at him in the reflection of the window and Jotaro wondered if he was actually looking at the sports equipment inside, or just using it to watch his nephew’s face. “I…have to finish my research with… the starfish….”
“Ah.” Josuke made a noise and turned away, hands in the pockets of his school uniform, not really looking at him. “Yeah. Koichi was told me about that.”
“Oh.” Jotaro shoved his own hands deeper in his pockets and followed the slightly smaller teen – Josuke had definitely grown since he’d met him at the beginning of the spring; probably match him in height by the time he was done – and realized he’d never actually talked to Josuke about what he did.
“Hmm.” Josuke made a noise and glanced across the street at the little café with it’s outdoor seating. His eyes brightened slightly and he jerked his chin, “Is that Rohan?”
Jotaro followed his uncle’s gaze, wondering if he realized he left off the honorific or it was intentional, to the rather recognizable tuft of styled green hair over a flashy diamond shaped headband. He grunted, but Josuke was already moving to the crosswalk and jogging over to the café.
Jotaro followed, slower, watching the mangaka’s sharp green eyes lift from the person across from him to Josuke as the younger man approached, and narrow. He didn’t make any move to stop Josuke though as the teen hooked out the chair next to him with his foot and dropped into it. His eyes moved back to the person he was conversing with and he continued as though never interrupted.
Jotaro’s gaze shifted too, to the man Rohan was entertaining. He was slight, slim waist that ran up to broad shoulders and cherry red hair and Jotaro stopped short, frozen in place.
He knew the curve of that neck, the graceful slim fingers on the handle of the tea cup. The curly noodle of hair that bobbed as the man replied to Rohan, knew the timber of that deep voice, and it made his stomach drop.
Josuke ordered a tea and told the waiter the Mangaka would cover him. Rohan’s eyes narrowed again.
“You’re supposed to be resting, you know, Higashikata.” The artist muttered; sharp, but not harsh.
Josuke wiggled his eyebrows at him, “I rested for two weeks, I can go out and get tea with the worlds grumpiest manga artist if I want.”
“You intruded on a business meeting, Higashikata. And I don’t recall inviting you.” Rohan replied flatly, but it lacked the usual bite, and Josuke’s smirk showed he noticed.
“Shoulda picked a table with less chairs then.” The younger man replied, blowing on his tea as the waiter delivered it.
“Trust me, I won’t make that mistake again.” Rohan eyed him again, the sharp gaze lingering on the bandages on the teen’s cheek before moving back to his colleague, “Pardon the intrusion, he’s one of the colorful local wildlife I was speaking of...”
The man’s laugh was soft, his shoulder shaking slightly as he extended a hand to Josuke. “I hear nothing but good things about the local wildlife from Kishibe-Sama when we chat. It’s a pleasure to meet you – I’m Kakyoin Noriaki.”
Jotaro swore his heart stopped.
Josuke shook the man’s hand with a wide grin, looping one arm around the chair Rohan occupied. “Oh I’m sure that’s a lie. Higashikata Josuke; welcome to Morioh-Cho.”
“Ohhhhhhh.” Noriaki’s eye darted back and forth between the grinning teen and the suddenly glowering Mangaka, “So you’re the one who broke his nose and burned down his house… I’ve heard quite a bit about you, Higashikata Josuke.”
“I did not burn down your house!” Josuke’s arm jerked back from Rohan’s chair and he glared with almost as much passion as Rohan himself.
“You helped!!” Rohan’s arms were clenched over his chest, covering the teal crop top he wore as he glared daggers at Josuke.
“I did not!” Josuke shouted back and Rohan looked ready to deck him, and then seemed to change his mind.
“But you did break my nose!!” He huffed back and slumped down in his chair. “And made me miss a month of work on Pink Dark Boy.”
“But I already apologized for that.” Josuke’s voice dipped back into the normal range, much faster than his normal scuffles with Rohan and he almost seemed bashful, “I’m sorry I broke your nose and you had to rebuild your house. Sheesh…. You’re so…prickly.”
Rohan made a non-committal noise and Noriaki laughed again, the edges of his wide mouth curling up.
“So, what brings you out to join us today, Higashikata-San?” the cherry haired man changed the subject smoothly, picking up his tea again.
“Just Josuke, please.” The younger man shrugged. “I got bored cooped up at home with my mother pestering me, so I snuck out and we went window shopping.”
“Delinquent.” Rohan muttered, but the word lacked venom.
“Snoop.” Josuke shot back, almost smiling.
“Pest.”
Kakyoin coughed lightly to break the back and forth that would have lasted for hours. “We?” he prodded gently.
“Oh yeah.” Josuke seemed to remember Jotaro had been with him and turned slightly, motioning for his still frozen nephew to join them as Rohan slowly relaxed. “Kujo Jotaro, my nephew.”
Jotaro swore time stopped without use of Stands as Noriaki Kakyoin’s eyes meet his.
He looked the same as when Jotaro had last seen him, long cherry earrings and single crimson curl, amethyst eyes bright over the scars from Egypt and the dark glasses he wore to hide them. Still wearing green and white and still stealing Jotaro’s breath before he could even draw it into his lungs.
Josuke broke the spell, resumed time with the loud scape of a chair on the patio bricks as he dragged one out and patted it for Jotaro to join them.
He wanted to run; to actually stop time and flee. But he couldn’t drag himself to do it.
Noriaki’s eyes never left his face as he somehow staggered over and dropped into the chair between Kakyoin and Josuke.
Rohan was watching them, eyes narrowed, and Jotaro was pretty sure he was reading them both thoroughly without the use of his stand.
“So you two have met before.” He muttered after a long moment of awkward silence, and Josuke glanced at the manga artist sharply.
Jotaro swallowed and stared down at the table cloth.
Rohan’s eyes narrowed more, if that was possible, and he sat back, arms folded across his chest again, as though already having read their story without lifting a single finger. “Interesting.”
Josuke looked at him and slid their chairs closer.
“We uh….” Kakyoin took his eyes from Jotaro finally and the white clad man could breathe again, “We go back... a way. Been a while though.” He muttered, and took another sip of his tea.
For a moment no one said anything and then Jouske tried to break the tension and Jotaro thanked him silently, his gaze still firmly on the white checkered table cloth.
“So, what brings you to Morioh, Kakyoin-San?” the teen cleared his throat and traced the handle of his teacup.
Noriaki set down his cup and smiled, a little tense, but it was a smile. “Oh, I come in sometimes when Kishibe-Sama wishes to collaborate on cover art.”
“Noriaki does a lot of the background for my cover art.” Rohan explained. “He’s talented.”
“Well if Rohan says so, you must be.” Josuke grinned, and Rohan didn’t even blink an eye at the use of his given name.
They kept chatting – small talk, things Jotaro wasn’t good at- and his eyes finally drifted up from the table to Noriaki’s frame.
He looked good. Healthy. The little wrinkles at the corners of his eyes that meant he was smiling often made Jotaro’s heart ache.
It had been a while. Almost six years, right before Jotaro took his full-time job with the Speedwagon Foundation. They’d been sharing an apartment, close but never closer. Something always unsaid between the soft touches and the shared chores.
Jotaro had always just assumed it was enough. That Noriaki knew, somehow, how he felt. That the redhead felt the same.
But he’d never said it.
And then Noriaki had told him he had been accepted into an art school in the US, and he was leaving.
And Jotaro knew he should have said it, but it was too late.
So he’d helped Noriaki pack up and left him at the airport, and accepted his job with the Foundation and never gone back to that apartment.
vJosuke broke into his head space again, stretching and putting one arm back around Rohan’s chair. “I’m beat.” He muttered.
“Should be resting.” Rohan muttered, beating the rest of them to it. His voice was lower though, concern not accusation in the undertones.
“Yeah well…guess I should be.” Josuke shrugged, but he didn’t look as put out about it as he should. “I’m gonna head home, Jotaro. Rohan’s gonna walk me, so don’t worry, I’ll make it alive.”
“I’m what.” Rohan blinked at him and Josuke nudged him with a shoulder.
“Common, I’m an invalid. I can’t walk home myself.”
The mangaka sighed and dug out his wallet, dropping a handful of yen to cover the drinks on the table and stood, grabbing the sketchbook he always carried, “You’re a baby, Higashikata.” He muttered under his breath as Josuke stood, looking way too smug with himself.
“Yeah, but at least I’m not a shriveled-up prune who’s angry at society like you.” Josuke replied, and for a moment Jotaro was pretty sure Josuke was going to have to run home to avoid getting his face smacked by Rohan’s sketchbook.
But the moody man sighed and forced his hands to relax on the sketchbook as the two of them headed off down the sidewalk toward Jostuke’s home, “You’re lucky you’re still recovering, Josuke.”
“I’m lucky for a lot of reasons, Rohan.” Josuke smirked back as they wandered out of earshot.
Jotaro swallowed and found he couldn’t raise his eyes from the table cloth again, even as Noriaki’s fingers crept back into his view putting down his teacup one last time.
“So….” Nori’s voice was low. “I didn’t know you knew…Kishibe-Senpai.”
Well yeah, how would he. They hadn’t talked since Jotaro had dropped him off at the airport six years ago.
Jotaro grunted. “He knows Josuke.”
“And you know Josuke…??” Nori left the end of the sentence open so he could finish it. He’d always been good at that, at giving him excuses to both talk and talk as little as possible at the same time. Jotaro wished more people did that.
He shifted. “You remember the old man? Josuke’s his kid.”
“Oh.” Nori tapped the tea cup in his field of vision and hummed. “Well that’s interesting… He does look like you.”
Jotaro grunted again and it fell silent except for the clattering of dishes as the busboy cleaned up a nearby table.
“I left you my number, you know.” Noriaki spoke slowly, fingers still running over the saucer. “You could have called.”
Jotaro felt the guilt drip down his back. He could have called. He should have called. “Didn’t know what to say.”
“Oh.” Noriaki replied, and it fell silent between them again.
“How have you been?”
Jotaro twisted his hands together and shrugged.
Noriaki chuckled, a single sharp note, and sighed. “Yeah. Same.” He muttered.
Jotaro was the one that let out the single chuckle this time, sharper than Nori’s. “I haven’t…. learned to talk yet.” He muttered almost under his breath.
“Mmm.” Nori let out a long breath. “So I see.”
They sat in silence for a while longer. Jotaro desperately trying to get any sort of sentence that didn’t sound completely stupid past his lips.
“Um.” He managed after what seemed like an eternity, “Where are you staying…??”
“Morioh Grand Hotel.” Noriaki replied, “There’s a little bed and breakfast I tried once, but I like the view from the hotel. Better for drawing.”
“Still drawing then?”
There was a slightly less strained laugh, “Yeah, I went to school for it, Jojo. I would hope so.”
Jojo. That made his insides melt like butter. Noriaki had called him Jojo before…he missed that.
"Good.” He muttered, pulling the brim of his hat down to hide the blush on his cheeks.
“Still with that hat thing, huh?” there was a gentle tease in Nori’s words, almost a soft smile. A pause. “You look good in white. I like it.”
“You told me to wear more white after we did that wedding.”
“Mm.” There was a fond murmur of remembrance, “I did, didn’t I? Glad you took that to heart.”
“Yeah….” Jotaro lifted the hat just enough to glance at Nori’s face.
The other man was staring at him, something sad and somber on his face and Jotaro dropped the brim down again.
“Uh…Yeah.” He muttered, trying to get anything else to come from his lips, anything of the mess of feelings inside to come out.
Maybe something like, I miss you.
I’m sorry I never called.
I should have told you what you meant to me.
I still love you.
Noriaki pushed back his chair slowly from the table, “I…should probably be headed back to the hotel.”
“Can I walk you?” Of course those words came out before he could stop them, and Jotaro bit his lip.
Noriaki tripped his head just slightly, the way he did that made his noddle dip, lips pursed right before he teased and Jotaro wanted to capture that moment forever in his head.
“Frankly I’d rather have Star Platinum accompany me. At least he was sad when I left.”
Shit, that hurt, and Jotaro ducked his head down, biting so hard he could taste the coppery blood on his tongue.
Noriaki was at the crosswalk when he finally looked back up, and he wondered if he was going to lose the man he loved for last time in his life.
No.
He had stopped time before he really thought about it, rising and falling in step beside Nori when he let time resume.
The redhead looked at him.
“Time Stop? Really?” There was just a trace of a smile on his wide lips. “Did you actually miss me then?”
Jotaro grunted and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Yeah.” he muttered, grasping at straws to keep talking as he dogged at Nori’s heals. “Like hell.”
Noriaki was quiet for a moment as they walked down the main street of Morioh, his noodle bouncing softly with each stride, “I wrote.”
Jotaro nodded hard, “I got them.”
“You never wrote back.”
“I….” he stopped himself, drawing a deep breath. How does he say this?
I was too ashamed to write back?
Too scared you would hate me for not replying before?
“I’m bad at feelings.”
There was that soft snort again, the single chuckle, “Yeah, you are.” A long pause, “So what are you doing in Morioh?”
“Business.” Jotaro replied, but he knew that wasn’t enough, and tried to explain more, “Josuke…and the old man…and … Stand users and ….stuff.”
It was lame, and he knew it, but it was something.
Noriaki raised one eyebrow.
Jotaro drew a deep breath. “Came to find Josuke about the old man’s will…. stayed because Morioh has a lot of loose ends and stand users and one of them was a serial killer.”
There. That was a full sentence, and he didn’t trip on it.
Noriaki raised both eyebrows, “That sounds interesting.”
“Josuke and his pals all have stands….” He muttered. “So does half the damn town, I think.”
Noriaki snorted, “Sounds like you have your hands full.”
He grunted. His brain wanted to say something clever, something cute and flirty…but his tongue wouldn’t work so he just shrugged.
Noriaki didn’t reply to that and he struggled to pull up another topic as they got closer to the hotel.
“There’s starfish here.” He muttered after a moment, his mind latching onto the one thing he turned to that was actually fascinating to him.
The redhead actually laughed at that and glanced at him with amusement, “Oh do tell, my little marine biologist.”
He should have wondered how Noriaki knew what he majored in. Should have let it soak in that maybe the other man was flirting with him, maybe he’d stayed caught up on Jotaro’s life without being part of it because he cared, but the starfish took over and he found himself muttering about the nature of his paper and the studies he’d been doing all summer.
“So if you find a new species, are you doing to name it Star Platinum?” Noriaki asked as his mumbled words finally tumbled to a halt.
Jotaro blinked and then gave a short laugh, “Joestarfish maybe.”
“Ah.” Nori’s lips twitched up in a smirk. “Witty and smart. How has no one snatched you up yet?”
“I have a very strong Stand.” Jotaro replied seriously before the actual meaning took hold in his brain and he blanked, tugging the brim down to cover his face. “Yare Yare.”
Noriaki actually laughed at that, hand gently ghosting down Jotaro’s arm. “Sorry. I have no right to ask about your personal life.”
You have every right. He wanted to say. But he didn’t. He just shoved his hands deeper into his pockets and muttered, “Got married.”
“Oh.” Noriaki’s hand slid off his arm, “Congratulations.”
“Got divorced.” He replied.
“Oh. I’m sorry.” Noriaki pulled the dark glasses off his face as the shadows started to get longer and tucked them in his green top. “Was he nice?”
“She.”
Noriaki blinked at him once or twice. “Jotaro you’re gay as fuck.”
“If you knew you could have told me.” He felt the tiny smile creep into his voice.
“The fact we were dating didn’t make you wonder??” the redhead was actually laughing now, shaking his head.
“I never thought about it before she told me.”
“Your ex-wife told you that you were gay?”
“Told me to stop eyeing the bartender’s ass, actually.”
“Holy shit.” Noriaki was still laughing, and Jotaro felt his lips turn up softly. “Jojo, you’re hopeless.”
“Yeah.” He agreed, pulling his hat down to hide his smile. “Have a daughter now…” he offered after a moment and the cherry man turned toward him.
“Really?” Nori asked, “What’s she like?”
“Smart.” Jotaro replied, playing with his wallet and the picture of Jolyne inside, “Beautiful. Strong.”
Nori smiled softly, holding the door open for him. “She sounds amazing.”
“She is….”
And just like that they were in the lobby of Morioh’s Grand Hotel and Jotaro was panicking because all the things he wanted to say during that walk had somehow stayed inside and not come tumbling out like he needed them to so badly.
“Uh.” He muttered, tugging on his cap. “I’m in one of the suites.”
“I’m on the first floor.” Nori replied a little sadly.
“Oh.” Fuck he hated that word today.
“It was…really nice seeing you again.” Nori smiled a little, and Jotaro’s heart clenched.
“Wait.” He demanded, reaching out to catch the redhead’s wrist before he could leave, “You wanna have breakfast tomorrow?”
Noriaki hesitated, then nodded, “I’d like that.”
Jotaro released his wrist and shoved his hands in his pockets again, “Top floor, end of the hall….” He muttered.
He couldn’t sleep. He never slept easily after Egypt, not until Kakyoin started sharing a bed with him. It was like his presence, warm against Jotaro’s side, kept all the nightmares and memories at bay in the dark hours.
Jotaro should have told him. Should have said what he meant to him, should have showered him in love and affection and instead it took him years to realize they’d been more of a couple then he’d been with his ex-wife.
He sat up, staring at the darkened walls of the bedroom, mind whirling.
He’d read every letter Noriaki sent him. He’d kept them all. He’d never written back.
He reached over and turned on the beside lamp, fingers trailing over the pad of paper and pen he kept there in case the SWF called him in the middle of the night or Josuke had an issue.
Maybe he should have written back.
Maybe he should.
Jotaro took the pen slowly between his fingers and just stared at the blank sheet.
Kakyoin put the last of his clothes in his suitcase and closed it slowly, long fingers brushing the locks as he snapped it closed and drew a deep breath.
Emotions and feelings fluttered across his tried eyelids as he closed them slowly and sighed. He hadn’t slept well, but then again, he didn’t sleep well. Not any more.
Not since he’d left for school.
He missed Jotaro.
There’d been a time he would daydream about their life together; about starting a family; and now look at him. He’d seen the man for all of a few hours yesterday and everything ached in a way he thought he’d forgotten it could ache.
Maybe he’d be better off just skipping their breakfast together.
He turned, running a hand through his cherry hair and straightening his shirt in the mirror. No. No, he would see Jotaro today. He knew that. He’d see him as many times as the other man would let him, no matter how it ached afterward. He had to.
Nori turned and opened the door to his room, and paused at the white envelope on the ground in front of him. It was addressed to him, in a handwriting he recognized.
His stomach balled up and dropped into his toes simultaneously.
So Jotaro had gotten called away again, like he used to, some emergency. Or else he’d gotten tired of Noriaki and called off their breakfast.
He picked it up, letting the door close behind him, and dropped wearily into the desk chair in the room, holding the envelope between index finger and thumb for a moment before he broke it open and took out several sheets of paper.
They were all in Jotaro’s thick hand writing and he frowned.
Nori
I don’t even know where to start. I have so much I should have said to you, but my tongue just can’t put it into words.
I’m sorry I never told you what you mean to me. I’m sorry I never called. I never wrote back. I never knew what to say that would make it ok.
You had every right to live your own life and pursue your own dreams. I’ve never held that against you and I never will. You made the choice to pursue your passion and I made the choice to stay silent. I can’t even begin to find words to describe how much I regret what I never said.
There’s so much I want to say to you. How much I adored you then and I still do. How much I miss the way you feel in my arms, but I guess that’s…kind of creepy if you don’t want to hear those things so maybe I shouldn’t say it here, but I already did and see why I have trouble getting words out?
Fuck
I loved you Nori. I never said it, I just thought somehow you would know. I think you did. I think you knew.
I thought I didn’t need to say anything, because my actions were enough for you to know. I thought that was enough.
But maybe it wouldn’t have hurt to say it, once or twice, or even whisper it in your ear when we fell asleep together at night.
I should have called you and told you. Should have written back and showered you with it.
Truth is I was too scared I’d hurt you. That you’d…I don’t know…choose to cut me loose if I tried to cling to you, I guess, so I just let go on my own and drifted away. I thought we’d be better off that way; that you’d be happier if I wasn’t tying you down.
And maybe I was right, but I sure as hell went about it in the wrong way. I’m so sorry Nori. I should have said something. Should have said anything.
There a lot of things I did wrong in my life. Things I’d give almost anything to go back and change if I could. Starting with punching a younger me in the nuts and telling him to get his shit together and maybe go to therapy if he really can’t cope with emotions that well.
Maybe I should still do that, I dunno.
But I’d definitely say I love you. I’d tell you everything. I’d tell you all the times I woke up in a sweat screaming and it was ok, just because you were there and I could touch you and the nightmares weren’t real because you were there, and it was all ok.
I’d call you. Hell, I’d get on that plane with you. I’d write every letter back to you a thousand times over if I could.
Tell you how cute you looked in that white scarf wrapped around your head when it’s cold, how much I came to rely on you in Egypt, how much I love you. How your silly hair noodle made me smile every time, how your eyes could make me get lost for hours. How your obsession for cherries still makes me smile and think of you every time I see one.
Everything, I should have said everything.
I should have written you back.
So here I am trying to muddle through the mess in my head and put something legible down on paper and I don’t even know if you’ll read it. If I can ever possibly make up for what I didn’t say when I should have.
But I’m gonna say it now.
I love you and I miss you.
More then just about anything in the world. Except maybe Jolyne, but I swear if you saw her little face light up, you’d get it too…
Fuck
I miss you
I miss you.
I miss you.
I should have said it before.
I miss you.
I don’t know if you…care. I don’t know if it matters, or if we can start again, or even be friends…but I miss you.
I’d like that more than anything. To have you in my life again, as friend, or anything really.
If you wanna. I can’t force you and I’m not gonna. It has to be something you want.
But I swear, this time I’m gonna say things. I’m gonna tell you everything.
I’m gonna write you back every time.
I miss you.
JoJo
Jotaro slid a hand through his dark hair and set the last report down on his desk. He hadn’t gone back to sleep after delivering his letter, mind too jumbled to contemplate sleep; he’s focused on finishing the reports on Kira for the Foundation as the light slowly came up through the big glass windows of the room and he listened to his grandfather snoring across the hall.
He swore that man could sleep through anything.
There was a soft knock at his suite door and he rose, moving to the door and opening it, and Noriaki’s violet eyes looked up into his aqua ones, free of his hat for once.
“Hi.” He managed after he realized they’d been standing there too long. “…. You came.”
“Hi.” The redhead replied, playing with the note paper between his fingers, “I got your letter.”
“Oh.” He replied, stepping back to let Nori into the room. “I……I’m not good with words.”
“No.” Nori glanced down at the scrawls across the paper as he stepped in after him and smiled, “No, I think you are….” He stepped forward, sliding his arms around the broader man’s chest and pressing his face against Jotaro’s shoulder. “I miss you too.”
Jotaro’s arms circled around his shoulders, one hand coming up to cup Nori’s head gently against his shoulder and they stayed like that for a long, long time.
It felt familiar. Safe. More than that.
“I love you, Nori…”
“I love you, Jojo.”
“… Do you… want ...??”
“To try this again?”
“Yeah.” The black-haired man agreed softly.
“Mmm.” Noriaki nodded into his shoulder, “Very much so…”
“I’m…still not good with words.” Jotaro muttered into his cherry hair.
Noriaki laughed softly. “Write me this time…. please. The words you can’t say? Write them to me.”
“I will, Nori…” Jotaro’s arms tightened around him, “I will.”