mylegacy | ic inbox ( ruby city )

Not at all.

[The smile he gives is small and short-lived. What lasts longer is the way he takes Kakyoin in his arms, pulls him close and tight (though not tight enough to hurt, because dying hurts; he knows better than anyone), the way he holds him, for one thing, and holds him still, for another, so that at least for a few seconds he won't have to strive for perfection.]

You've done incredibly.

--?

[Startled, he fumbled for what to do or how to react before things clicked in his head--of course. Related or not (and he wasn't sure anymore) Caesar really was too much like him. The same short fuse and harsh temper, most of all. So...of course he would understand. Of course Caesar of all people would realize what approach Kakyoin took that yielded actual results.]

...thanks.

[Kakyoin thought he might never get used to the feeling of being so easily understood by people, but...it wasn't so bad. It was enough that he returned that hug with a matching one of his own, letting a slow and hesitant smile break out on his face for just a minute.]

Thank you. For showing me.

[He isn't sure if he should say it outright — I'm proud of you, you do me proud. In the end, he chooses against it, mostly because it doesn't feel like his place. But he tries to communicate it other ways, with a hand at the back of Kakyoin's head, steadying him.]

It won't always have to be that way. But to start out, it's fine. That's how I did it. Sometimes emotion is the best way to access your power.

...I know. [Kakyoin dropped his head against Caesar's shoulder--anger and frustration were nothing new, but having that be the driving force behind any power he had was foreign and a little concerning. Tiring.]

I'll get it eventually.

You will. Because you're brilliant and so am I.

[He shrugs a little and thinks maybe a little too hard about doing what he does next: combing his fingers lightly through the back of Kakyoin's hair. It's easier if he thinks about it as though it's one of his siblings and not some kid he isn't even technically related to. It doesn't feel so odd and intrusive, that way.]

You just don't have to do it today, that's all.

[The gesture wasn't one he objected to or complained about; quite the opposite, Kakyoin seemed to latch on to Caesar even more securely. It wasn't something he'd usually do with most people; nearly anyone, in fact.]

[Caesar wasn't 'nearly anyone'. Caesar seemed more like Kakyoin's own mirror image as much as anything else. Someone who understood--Stand user or not--how he felt, how he thought, what he'd been through.]

[For not nearly the first time, he wondered if this was what having an older brother would have been like.]

Right. That's...we're good at things like that. Brilliant and stubborn, right?

Of course we are. Brilliant and stubborn.

[And angry. He adds it in his head, and he doesn't dare look at Kakyoin until after the thought has passed, just in case he sees it. But it's true. Kakyoin's more in the vein of Benito than anyone else, except more so — angrier, more damaged, much more deeply sad.]

[He doesn't want this type of person to be created by the pressures of the world anymore. The trouble is that he doesn't know if he can actually do anything about it, make anything better. Thinking about that means thinking about the future, and thinking about the future implies that he has one.]

[Once he's got control over his expression, he pulls back, smiling slightly, and ruffles Kakyoin's hair without totally letting go of him.]

We should do something you like for now, though. Since you've done so well. I think that's fair.

[Not a single word was said about Kakyoin's hair being unexpectedly disheveled; in fact his only real reaction was a small, honest laugh.]

I don't really have a lot of things I like to do that much, I'm afraid.

Really?

[. . . Well, it's surprising for all of a second before he realizes he doesn't actually have that many, either. He blinks, unsure how to proceed from here.]

But not nothing. Right?

I guess so--I mean, I like studying, reading, maybe painting once in a while...that's not really 'nothing', right?

No, that's not nothing. Just because it's not. I don't know, mountain climbing or something doesn't mean it's not something you like.

[Kakyoin why are you so weird.]

What do you read, then?

Mostly just...textbooks, lately. Primarily geology, but I should probably look into a couple other things.

. . . Why?

[Seriously. Why. The narration is pretty sure Kakyoin is going to misinterpret this, but what can you do, amirite.]

...Why not?

[??????????]

I like learning about things.

But I mean — is there something wrong with geology?

Not at all. I just don't want to limit myself to one subject. I'm really interested in geology, but I also want to try learning Italian and maybe studying art a little more--things like that.

. . . I can teach you Italian. If you want to learn more things from me, I mean.

Really?

[...Wondering if that sudden reply was too eager, he tried to dial it back a little.]

I mean--you don't have to. But if you really want to offer, I'd definitely accept.

[Oh. No, that's a good reply, if the sudden grin's anything to go by.]

It's something I'm passionate about. I would always get so mad at Jojo because he never even tried to learn. But I'd be a good teacher at it, I think, and you wouldn't even have to get up early.

Jotaro is better at it than I am.

[THE INDIGNITY. DO YOU SEE HOW OFFENDED HE IS.]

I absolutely can't stand for that, so i have to catch up.

[GASPS . . . gasps]

You'll have to buckle down, then, if he's got a head start. How are you at rote memorization?

Excellent, as a matter of fact. I'll have you know I consistently get nearly perfect grades in everything. Besides, it can't be much harder than English was.

[fuck english, chimes in the native english speaker.]

[ENGLISH IS GARBAGE, we all holler from the rooftops]

Good. I'll make up some tables for you tomorrow, then — declensions and conjugations. Plus a small vocabulary list of basic action verbs and a few nouns. Everything else you'll learn as you go. You'll memorize on your own time, and when you're with me, we'll speak, so you learn how it feels for real.

[GOOD LORD TALK NERDIER TO HIM do you see this eager child vibrating with excitement]

That sounds fantastic. With methods that thorough I'll catch up to Jojo in absolutely no time.

He doesn't stand a chance.

[— AGAINST MY ORGANIZATION LAUNCHER —]

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