fatealteration | (no subject)

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"How do you feel?"

Juli felt anxious for Giorno, though she tried her best not to let it show. And true enough, her words came out sounding unworried and confident. Because even though she was concerned for Giorno, she knew that if there were anyone in this world who could help Jojo, it was him.

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Joseph had no answer for that. "W-why'd you think I'd want to drink your blood?! Do you think I'm a vampire or something?!"

“…Should I mix it with juice for you?”

Joseph huffed. "How much am I supposed to drink, anyway?"

“Let’s start with a few ounces. My blood should be rich in antibodies right now, so hopefully it won’t take much.”

“Not without at least finishing your water.” Caesar nudged Giorno from behind. “I don’t want to delay things but you’ve already lost quite a bit already.”

"Ounces?" Joseph moaned.

Caesar shot him a look but kept his voice even for Giorno’s benefit. “Just pretend it’s a Malbec or something.”

Defeated, Joseph said nothing, but his expression said it all.

Giorno dutifully finished the tall glass that Caesar gave him and had him pass the knife and cup on his desk. Without delay, he cut into his palm with a wince and squeezed his fist to usher the dark red liquid out. When the small cup was filled a quarter of the way, Caesar grabbed his hand back and sealed the wound.

‘Have I ever been fussed over this much?’

Wordlessly, he extended the cup to Joseph.

Joseph made another face but forced himself to down it all back in one go.

“…Well?”

Joseph gasped for air as he finished the blood.

"Gross," he choked out.

Giorno didn't wait for permission before summoning Gold Experience. It manifested before Joseph, pressing it's warm hand to his bare chest.

"...I don't sense it."

"Oh!" Joseph gave the part of his chest that was not occupied by Gold Experience's hand a firm pat-pat.

"I feel lighter!"

'It's gone?'

'It's really cured?'

Caesar almost didn't let himself believe it as he took Joseph in.

"....Ha!" He turned back to Giorno, unable to even find the words he wanted to say to the boy--who was slumped over onto his side. "H-Hey. ...Ah. He's passed out."

"Let's get him changed and put to bed." That seemed like the only reasonable thing to do. "He's worked hard today."

"I'll let you do the honors," Caesar said as he tugged gently at Giorno's stained white shirt. "You're both family, after all. I'll clean up everything else."

Caesar rose and got to work gathering everything up, sighing in relief that it had been a quiet affair. If anyone burst in to see their fearless leader covered in blood on his own bed flanked by the two of them, it'd have been their heads. There was no short or easy explanation for what Giorno had done.

"...It's funny. I thought there was no way you two were blood at first, but...he's you all over."

"You think so?"

"Who else would do something so suicidally reckless and have the nerve to pass out as soon as they were sure it paid off?" It was Joseph in the Colosseum all over again--it was what lead up to him getting stuck with those demonic rings in the first place.

And because of that they lived to fight another day. Now...

"Jojo..."

"What, Caesarino?"

Caesar dropped everything he was holding, drawn back to Joseph like a magnet. He wrapped his arms around him--just being able to touch him for the first time all week threatened to overwhelm him.

"Thank God."

Joseph pulled Caesar into an embrace.

"If he ever comes back, I promise I'll still defeat him." Joseph hated to think that he was somehow cheating. It couldn't be helped, though. There was no telling if Wamuu was in this world.

"Imagine that...still willing to be responsible even without your feet to the fire." Caesar pulled back from the hug just to lean in to press a kiss to his forehead.

"When I make a serious promise, I keep it." Joseph rest his hand against the side of Caesar's face. "So until then, I'm going to do whatever I can to help blondie with this place!"

“Right.” Caesar couldn’t exactly argue, not after that—not after what Giorno had done for them.

But there was something weighing on him.

“…about Giorno…”