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[lapidarius]

"This is Kakyoin Noriaki. Please leave a message, I'll contact you as soon as I can."

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Comments

[digiorno]

That's good. You really wouldn't last long in this house if that was all it took.

[lapidarius]

No kidding.

[looks at literally all of passione]

...So now that we've cleared that up, I'm pretty sure that kind of thing is just normal for parents in general. Did Jonathan say something particularly strange?

[digiorno]

No, no. Nothing like that. It was more . . .

[Humming thoughtfully, he rested the spoon on the tip of his nose.]

He was trying so hard, you could see him trying, and . . . maybe I'm just not used to people trying so hard in that particular way for me?

[lapidarius]

Maybe not. I don't think anyone could blame you if that were the case. [Kakyoin fidgeted with the spoon in his hand, spinning it a few times like one might do with a pen. Finally he set it down and stood up, turning to keep his hands busy by making tea like he'd planned to in the first place. Two cups instead of one would be easy enough.]

But if he's trying so hard to understand you despite the fact that he may not be able to-...

['I'm his mother, yet I still don't know why he's like that.']

...it just means he cares about you enough to know it's worth the attempt.

[digiorno]

Mmm. That's what I was thinking. I just wasn't sure if I was doing something wrong. I don't really know how to be anybody's son. Especially not to a good person.

. . . He was trying so hard, though. It was sort of adorable.

[What a good papa.]

[lapidarius]

Jonathan's too good of a person to not try his hardest. I think that's really admirable, myself.

[the best]

But I don't really know if there's a wrong way to go about it, other than just resisting every attempt the whole way. [you know, like kakyoin]

[digiorno]

He wasn't resisting. I think everything was just so confusing, because it's so different from what he's used to.

It must be really hard to live out of time like that. Most people here are closer to where we are, aren't they? So it's not strange. He'd have a heart attack if he met Ibuki.

[lapidarius]

...Honestly, I think a lot of people would risk a heart attack if they met Ibuki.

[digiorno]

Oh, come on, she's not that bad.

[lapidarius]

I never once said she was bad at all. 'Overbearing' is the word I'd use.

[digiorno]

She's very sweet. She's always been sweet to me.

[Okay, but Giorno, you are overbearing.]

[lapidarius]

...She's sweet in much the same way you are. Aggressively so, refusing to take no for an answer.

[honey.]

[digiorno]

. . . Hm.

[He has to think about this for a few moments.]

Do you think I worry him? Jonathan.

. . . Do I worry you?

[lapidarius]

...

[Kakyoin paused, pulling his shirt collar a little closer again.]

We're family, of course I worry once in a while. I know you can take care of yourself and deal with your own problems, but when it comes to things like this I just worry about how you might be handling it and whether or not it would be easier to have help.

[digiorno]

So I don't - you don't worry about me being overbearing? I don't mean to be.

[Mostly.]

[lapidarius]

I can only speak for myself, but I don't really concern myself with it. I hate when it feels like someone thinks I need to be taken care of, or like they need to handle me like I'm made of porcelain. Ask Jotaro, we've argued about it enough. I don't need delicate treatment, but...it's never really come across like that with you.

It's not 'overbearing because you think I'm going to shatter', it's...'aggressively caring about people you like', I guess.

[digiorno]

I don't understand--

[He hesitated, corrected himself.]

No, I do. When you lose someone - it gets confusing. But Kakyoin, you're one of the strongest people I know. I don't think I could ever see you as fragile.

[lapidarius]

... [He glanced away from what he was doing at that, startled into silence. Even as he maintained that he could take care of himself, Kakyoin also carried a low opinion of himself. There were plenty of things he and Hierophant could do that no one else could, and he took pride in that fact. There were fights only he had been able to win, but just as many that he'd lost when it mattered.]

[Kakyoin shrugged without thinking, collar finally dropping just enough to show the edges of vicious scars on his shoulders.]

People tend to think I'm delicate or weak because of the way I look and act. I don't exactly put forth the same intimidating appearance as Jojo or the others, and it practically turns into a neon sign flashing 'underestimate me'. So I-...no, actually I don't think that needs explaining to you of all people, does it?

[They were a hell of a pair, elegant on one hand and hotwiring cars on the other. Kakyoin turned back to set two cups of tea on the table before sitting down again, neatly folding his arms.]

...I could have said the same to you. You're easily one of the strongest out of all of us. So it...means a lot to me, hearing that from you.

[digiorno]

[Hmm. Those scars . . . it wasn't as though he didn't have a damn good idea where they came from. It wasn't as though he didn't notice, either, or make sure Kakyoin saw him noticing. But it was up to Kakyoin whether to talk about them or not, wasn't it? They were his, part of his own history. For once, Giorno wasn't about to pry.]

[Besides, this happened to be one of his favorite subjects. His smile edged towards a smirk.]

Just because you're pretty doesn't mean you're not incredibly dangerous. I've always sort of weaponized it, myself.

[lapidarius]

It's not a terrible thing to weaponize, I think.

[...It probably said a lot that he'd stopped fidgeting with his collar. Every day he was careful to hide a mess of scars under his uniform, and it hadn't been long ago that he'd started to get used to going without his sunglasses to hide the rest. This was probably the only shirt he even owned that didn't explicitly conceal what had once been lacerations left by twisted metal.]

[...And strangely, right now he didn't mind it so much. Giorno wasn't likely to see that kind of thing as some kind of personal failure or sign of weakness on either side; it just was what it was. That was all.]

I never did manage to grasp the finer points of doing that, past 'emeralds hurt a lot when you hit someone with them'.

[digiorno]

[It was important to feel safe in one's own home, wasn't it? Important to be able to be weak and vulnerable, to rest all the shields one holds up between the self and the world. Back home . . . he doesn't have that, he thinks, with a note of wonder. He has to be strong all the time.]

[Here, he could be weak sometimes. It only made sense to repay that favor.]

[Resting his chin in his hand, he gave Kakyoin a thoughtful look.]

I talk to Jotaro about it sometimes. He calls it peacocking. It's pretty funny, how well he understands something he'll really never have to do.

[lapidarius]

He's usually good at that. Understanding, I mean.

[A small smile crossed Kakyoin's face as he said that; turned out the conversation was lingering on one of his own favorite subjects.]

...It still manages to be impressive to me how natural things are. We understand each other like we've been friends our whole lives; half the time we don't even have to talk to have the other one know what we're thinking.

[digiorno]

I know. He brags about you a lot. You do know that, don't you? He said - what was it.

[Something complicated crossed his face, but a smile settled in the end.]

Something about how amazing it is, when you understand without him having to say a word. How it's really special.

[lapidarius]

He would, I'm not surprised. [Kakyoin shook his head with a quiet laugh, edged with the smallest note of embarrassment.]

...It's a pretty nice change, being understood for once.

[digiorno]

It is, isn't it.

You know he wouldn't say it if it wasn't true. You really are amazing.