Good Grief Woman - Jotaro x Reader

40

"Psst!" Polnareff hissed. "You guys."

Y/n and Jotaro stopped within a few steps of each other, each carrying various sleeping items and camping supplies in their arms. After their untimely crash, they had been forced to set up base in the middle of nowhere.

Despite the lingering awkwardness between them – that clearly only Y/n felt – it was getting easier to behave as if everything were normal. Except for the fact that they were somehow getting into more situations where they ended up together, having some form of conversation, even if it was their usual digs at one another. And it was definitely not Y/n who was actively seeking those out.

Now, as they helped unload items from the plane, it was borderline comforting for Jotaro to be near her. Once she managed to force down any unwanted thoughts and feelings, of course.

"Do you think Kakyoin's lost it?" Polnareff mumbled as he got closer. "He's been acting funny for some time now."

Y/n snuck a glance towards Kakyoin, who sat with his back to them on a boulder. His head seemed to be continually in his hands and, regularly, he would shake it as if clearing something from his mind. Just as often, he would turn and look in the general direction of the baby before turning back, quietly muttering to himself.

In front of her, Jotaro stiffened, and Y/n could tell that he shared Polnareff's concern too. But instead of giving a straight answer, he merely hummed in acknowledgement and continued walking, placing the sleeping bags beside the makeshift fire.

"Do you think we'll have to send him packing?"

Sighing, Y/n faced the Frenchman. Slowly, she shrugged, "I'm not sure, honestly. Obviously, I don't want him to go, and we need him with us. But if that's what's best for Kakyoin...."

Polnareff nodded as she trailed off, "Yeah."

He hoisted the bags he was carrying higher on his shoulder and strode towards the camp. Y/n reluctantly followed. A part of her wanted to stay back and just observe Kakyoin from a distance as if it would miraculously allow her to see the enigmatic inner workings of his mind.

Once the fire had been fully stoked, it glowed bright and warm, allowing everyone to comfortably feel its heat from a few metres away. And it was wholly needed. The desert felt almost icy in the dead of night.

Joseph sat on a small rock as he heated their food over the campfire, the baby some feet away in his little crate. Polnareff sat across him, nursing a mug in his hands, and Kakyoin sat between them, a pained expression still fixed on his face.

Jotaro had taken this time to pull out a packet of cigarettes, standing off near the wrecked aircraft. One hand held the small roll to his mouth, and the other rummaged through the remains of the cockpit, presumably to see what could be salvaged.

Y/n stood beside Joseph with a blanket draping her shoulders, waiting for the man to provide her with some food before she settled down. Watching as Jotaro poked around, the absurd need to go and join him filled her.

Minutely shaking her head, she firmly squished that thought to a pulp. Instead, she plucked the bowl from Joseph's hands, muttered a quick, "Thanks," and plopped down beside Kakyoin.

The redhead barely spared her a glance, nodding at her before staring back into the depths of the fire. Y/n sighed. "So, what's happening, Kakyoin?"

"I ... don't know," he murmured after several long seconds. "I feel like I keep having terrifying nightmares, and each time I wake up even more exhausted."

"You must be tired," Joseph suggested. "We've been attacked non-stop, particularly in the last few days. Get a good night's sleep, and hopefully, you'll feel better in the morning."