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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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[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.

[lapidarius]

Two can play that game, Giorno, don't make me start flattering you.

[digiorno]

Oh, I didn't realize this was a competition. I probably should have, shouldn't I? Since it's you.

[lapidarius]

Everything is a competition with me. I thought we all knew this by now.

[digiorno]

Sometimes I forget these things, I'm so sorry. Still, I think you might lose this one.

[lapidarius]

Oh? And what makes you think that?

[digiorno]

Because flattering people is my job.

[lapidarius]

I guess that just means I'll have to work that much harder to keep up, doesn't it?

[digiorno]

Hm. I suppose it does. If you do win, I'm not sure what I'll do with myself.

[lapidarius]

Apart from being stunned into silence by my amazing talent and sheer stubborness?

[digiorno]

Well, that, and I'll probably have to retire in shame.

[lapidarius]

Oh, I'm not nearly ready to run the mafia because I out-complimented its leader.

[digiorno]

I really think you underestimate how much of my job is pretending to be very fond of people and then hilariously surprising them with ultimatums. It's much more that than violence, most days.

[lapidarius]

That I could do, but I leave leadership to more competent people with less of a temper.