#trans!joseph

Saturday soon arrived and Joseph found herself waiting downstairs in the lobby of her apartment building. Caesar had texted her saying he would be there to pick her up for their date about thirty minutes ago and that he would be there within half an hour. She’d actually been waiting in the lobby for the past five minutes, wanting to make sure she was ready to go when he arrived. She wasn’t normally one to worry about punctuality, but her nerves and the desire to make a good impression on the Italian Casanova gave her the energy to make sure she would DEFINITELY be ready on time.

While waiting, Joseph caught the sight of herself in one of the large glass windows of the lobby. She decided to check her reflection one more time to make sure she looked fine.

Her dress looked as gorgeous as the first time she’d tried it on, so that was good. The jewelry she’d picked out complimented the dress perfectly- the cocktail ring, earrings, and necklace looking lovely next to the green of her gown. She’d decided on a pair of black silk thigh-high stockings to cover her legs and a nice pair of glittery golden mary jane high-heeled platform shoes. She’d argued with herself constantly on the heels, worried that they would make her too tall and that she would fall over as she didn’t have much practice in them- they were almost brand new and she’d only worn them two or three times before- but, in the end, her mother talked her into it and said they added a nice flare of color to her look.

Speaking of her mother, Lisa Lisa had been a big help when it came to Joseph’s hair and makeup. They’d decided to go simple but elegant for the makeup, using deep green eyeshadow in a soft smokey-eye style to match her jewelry, black eyeliner and mascara, black nail polish with both of her index fingers painted glittering gold to offset it, a touch of amber colored blush applied to her cheeks to soften her cheekbones and jawline a bit, and, simply because Joseph couldn’t resist going a LITTLE flashy with her makeup, her lips were painted ombre style with ink black around the edges that melted to gold for the main color. Then, for her hair, they’d decided to smooth down most of her shorter locks and take the bulk of her hair that usually stuck up in the front, braid it, loop the braid around to the side of her head, then pin it there using one of her flower hair pins- this one was a yellow ranunculus with two green leaves.

Logically, she knew that she looked drop-dead gorgeous. Emotionally, though, she was fretting over her appearance. Caesar was way too charming and way too good at flirting (and kissing) to not have gone on several dates with countless women already. Would she measure up to his standards? Would she look like she was trying too hard? Would she-?

Her thoughts were cut off by the muffled sounds of “Mambo Italiano” by Dean Martin.

Joseph looked down to her shimmering golden clutch bag in her hands and opened it up to retrieve her phone. She saw Caesar’s number displayed on her screen and quickly answered it. “Hello?”

“Hey. I just pulled up out front, but I can go park somewhere else if you need a few more minutes.” She could hear the soft sounds of music and the thrum of an engine in the background when he spoke.

“Oh, what a coincidence!” She said with her best “surprised” voice. “I’m actually down in the lobby already. I’ll be right out!” She hung up, took a deep breath, and put her phone back in her bag. “Okay..” She said to herself. “You can do this!”

She took one more breath before going out through the front doors. She looked around, expecting to see Caesar on his bike, but was surprised to see him standing beside a silver Mercedes SLR with the passenger-side butterfly door already open.

Caesar himself was dressed in a rather flashy white and purple suit with the jacket and pants being white and the buttons, some stripes on the pants, and the inner flaps of the jacket being purple; also, when he shifted slightly, she noticed that the shirt beneath the jacket had a dark gray and black striped color scheme. His accessories were equally eye-catching with a green belt decorated with a metallic silver sun, a purple bow tie on a black choker, and a pair of brown fingerless gloves with odd holed-metal plates on the back, the brown gloves matching his surprisingly tame-in-comparison brown dress shoes. The finishing touch, she saw, was that for once he was without his headband, but he kept the feathered clips and donned a black and white checkered top hat on top of his head.

Caesar looked at her as she walked up to the car and his eyes widened as he took in her appearance. “……” Oh god…he wasn’t saying anything…was that bad? Should she go back upstairs and change? Was he having second thoughts? Maybe she should- “Dio mio..” He breathed out as he gazed at her, the earlier wide-eyed look of surprise melting into something filled with awe and adoration. “Sei come qualcosa da un sogno..” He blinked and quickly shook himself out of whatever trance he’d been in from seeing her and stood up straight to greet her properly. He took off his hat with a flourish and bowed. “Sorry to keep you waiting, signorina.”

She smiled a bit, relieved that he seemed happy with how she looked, and walked the last few steps over to him. “Eh, don’t worry about it. Like I said, I was already down here.” She looked him over with a smile, glad that she’d decided to add a bit of flare with her makeup and shoes so as not to be outdone by this showy charmer. “You look really good- I love the hat.”

“Grazie.” Caesar said with that charming smile of his as he flicked the hat skillfully so that it flipped back up onto his head. He took her hand that wasn’t holding her purse and kissed it sweetly. “And you look absolutely stunning, mia splendida dea.”

She blushed a bit, not knowing what the new adjective meant but, knowing Caesar and the context of the compliment, it was something really sweet (she made a mental note to look it up later). “Heh, thanks- thought I’d pull out all the stops, y’know?”

“I’m honored you would go so far for me.” Caesar said with one last kiss to her hand before moving to help her into the car. “Shall we be on our way?”

Joseph couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up inside of her- he was just so cliché and cheesy sometimes, though she found it was cute- but she managed to restrain it to a small chuckle. “Heh, sure.” She held his hand as she got into the passenger’s seat and he even closed the door for her after she made sure none of her dress was sticking out. After he got in on his side and they were both buckled up with the radio turned down to a dull hum so they could talk, Joseph took a good look at the expensive car. “I thought you said you didn’t own a car?”

“I don’t. This belongs to a close friend of mine. I set him up with his girlfriend about a year ago, and now they’re engaged. Seeing as I helped him find the love of his life, he figured it was only fair to loan me his car so I could attempt to do the same.” Caesar said while driving down the street, eyes on the road but one hand reaching over to hold her own hand. “Besides, I wanted to pick you up in something stylish: I do love my bike, but it is hardly suitable for a romantic evening in formal wear.”

Joseph’s cheeks felt warm as she smiled and held his hand. The comment about finding the love of his life was not lost on her and it made her heart flutter in her chest. “Well, maybe we can save it for next time. After all, first dates are supposed to be fancy, but second or third dates can be more relaxed, right?” She said as she watched the scenery go by.

“Ah, you are quite right, mia bellisima angela.” Caesar said with a smile, his thumb stroking along the back of her hand. “Perhaps next time we can go for that race I promised you.”

She looked back at him with a challenging smirk. “Oh yeah, I almost forgot! I’ve still gotta kick your ass and show you the brilliance of British engineering!” Joseph froze up slightly after realizing what she’d just said. Shit! She shouldn’t be swearing on a date! That wasn’t very dignified or lady-like at all and she was trying to make a good impression on him! She decided to quickly change the topic, her smirk trying to force itself down into a calmer smile. “So, where are we going tonight, anyway?” She tried to be smooth with her word choice, but she still felt nervous over her earlier slip up.

Caesar cast a slightly confused and curious glance in her direction while they were stopped at a red light, but his eyes quickly snapped back to the road when the light turned green and they continued driving. Crap, was she too obvious? “Oh, I know a good place that prepares actual, authentic Italian food- not this Americanized junk that some New Yorkers try to pass off as Italian.” The way his face scrunched up briefly in distaste at the apparent “junk” he’d tasted before was adorable and it made Joseph muffle a quiet laugh behind her free hand as he continued. “Anyway, the owner is an old family friend and I pulled some strings to set up something special.”

“Something special?” Joseph echoed with a curious tilt of her head and a grin. “What did you do, you clever Casanova?”

He merely smirked and winked at her using the side of his face closest to her. “That, my dear, is a surprise that you shall have to wait and see.”

Joseph gave him a fake pout and barely resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at him. “Fiiiine. I’ll be patient, I guess.” She said with a sarcastically fake put-out tone of voice before breaking into a grin alongside Caesar.

So far so good. Joseph could do this, no sweat!

Arriving at the restaurant blew Joseph’s previous round of nerves out of the water…and replaced them with an even bigger ball of straight-up anxiety.

Joseph had seen the small brick restaurant with ivy growing along the walls several times on TV and in magazines. It was one of the most well-known places in the city, but she’d never actually eaten there because it was the kind of place where if you didn’t have a reservation set up weeks or months in advance, then there was absolutely NO WAY to get a table. It had been a fixture in the city for decades, was one of the top ten most romantic restaurants in New York, and was located right beside the river to give a gorgeous view of the water, as well as the city.

Joseph was about to ask Caesar if they were in the right place because, seriously, there’s no way he actually got them a table here, right? They’d only made plans to go out a few days ago, so there had to be some mistake, right?

But, no, it was very clearly the right place as Caesar got out of the car, greeted the valet with a smile that spoke of familiarity while handing off the car keys, then walked over to Joseph’s door and opened it for her while offering her his hand. “Come, we should head inside before they give our table away.” He joked with that charming smile once again.

“Uh, y-yeah, right..” Joseph took his hand and stepped out of the car. She was still stunned to think that Caesar went to so much trouble for her and her mind was trying to catch up to the situation at hand.

Joseph allowed Caesar to guide her to the front doors, walking confidently past the long line of people outside and going straight inside. Caesar ignored the glares sent his way for getting to skip the line of impatient socialites and Joseph did her best to avoid eye contact with them (several of which she recognized due to her own social status) as they went towards the host’s stand.

The dark haired host seemed to recognize Caesar as quickly as the valet had and greeted him with a smile. “Caesar! Good to see you!”

Caesar smiled back at him. “You as well, Ricci. Is Emilio still here? He had a table prepared for us.”

“Ah, yes, of course.” The host nodded and gestured at one of the waitresses. “I’ll let him know you’re here. In the meantime, why don’t you two go have a seat?”

“Grazie, amico.” Caesar said with a tip of his hat before leading Joseph to follow the waitress.

Along the way he also ended up waving to the bartender, the live band playing in the corner of the restaurant, and a few of the waiters- each person he greeted smiling and waving or nodding back to him.

“Wow..” Joseph commented as they carefully walked through the busy restaurant. “You must come here a lot.” She was partly curious about that, but, mostly, she was trying to distract herself from the odd stares that people were giving her.

Her body must have tensed slightly from her nerves, because she felt Caesar’s hand giving her own a reassuring squeeze as he replied to her comment. “As I said, the owner is a good friend and he often keeps a special table set aside for me.”

To Joseph’s relief, they were led outside to a much quieter, and far more intimate, location. The waitress took them through a side door out to a small veranda overlooking the river. There was only one table set out there, kept tucked away by the wall just out of sight of the patrons within, giving the guests who used it a chance to eat and talk and enjoy the same view without all the noise of the full room inside.

Joseph smiled a little as she looked at the table, it was small enough that they would be able to hold hands or lean in close if they wanted to while still being big enough to accommodate them both properly. It was covered by an embroidered red table cloth and even had a three-candle candelabra burning in the middle. ‘Damn, that’s REALLY romantic.’ Joseph thought to herself as the waitress set their menus and silverware down for them.

Caesar pulled a chair out for her and gave a bow of his head. “Ladies first.”

“Thanks.” Joseph couldn’t help but grin as she took her seat, Caesar pushing the chair in for her before taking his own across from her. “I swear, you must watch nothing but cheesy romance movies.”

“I would say I watch a healthy amount.” He replied with a wink. He then turned his attention to the waitress. “Could you ask Gabriele for one of my usual bottles?” He paused a moment before looking at Joseph. “Oh, sorry, I should ask first- are you okay with red wine? I can order something else, if you’d prefer.”

Joseph quickly shook her head. “No, no, red wine’s fine- I’ve had it plenty of times at parties and stuff.” She gave him a slightly challenging smile, the urge to tease him a little bubbling up again. “Besides, I wanna see what sort of ‘special treatment’ they give you here, Caesarino.”

Caesar’s cheeks turned the tiniest bit red from the nickname and when the waitress hid a giggle behind her notepad before he dismissed her with a wave of his hand. “Very well, then- you shall have the full experience.”

“Oh, now I’m excited.” She teased again before she decided to reign it back in. Guys got annoyed if you teased them too much, right? She should change the subject and try to seem more grateful for being here (which she was, definitely, she just couldn’t help her natural disposition). Picking up her menu, Joseph read through the choices. There was almost nothing she recognized on here, even with her mom’s cooking history. She recognized some of the basics like caprese salad, spaghetti, and mozzarella sticks, along with certain soups and salads, but she was otherwise lost. “So, since you’re a regular here, what would you recommend?”

Caesar gave her that same look he had in the car earlier when she tried to change topics, but he quickly shook it off and his face lit up as he reached over and pointed out a few things on the menu as he spoke, clearly happy to show off his knowledge of authentic Italian cuisine. “Well, there’s a good variety to choose from depending on what you are in the mood for. I grew up eating a lot of my mother’s Neapolitan style cooking, so I’m a bit partial to certain dishes they have here, but the variety in general is excellent. For an appetizer, I would recommend anything with their buffalo mozarella- it’s made fresh every day and has excellent flavor and texture. My favorite appetizers are the fresh caprese salad when the tomatoes are in season, and the fried mozzarella the rest of the year- the actual slices of pan-fried of mozzarella, that is, not just the deep fried sticks.” His hand moved over to the main courses section as he continued. “You mentioned before that your favorite food is fried chicken, right? Then you would probably enjoy the mozzarella stuffed chicken parmesan they serve here, or the spicy chicken cacciatore. If you want something exotic, I’d recommend the spaghetti al nero di sepia.- it’s spaghetti in a squid ink sauce.”

Joseph made an odd face at the idea. “Squid ink? Does that actually taste good, or is it just something Italians use as a way to make fun of tourists?” Seriously, squid ink on pasta? That just sounded weird…

Caesar grinned and laughed at her words as well as the face she made, but shook his head. “No, it’s an actual dish and it’s quite delicious. Though, it does startle a few people who try it for the first time when it turns their mouths black.” He tapped a few other entries, his smile looking almost nostalgic. “My personal favorites, though, are the pasta ai fagioli- that’s pasta with beans-, their ragu dishes- pasta with a delicious meat and tomato sauce-, and the pasta alla Genovese- that’s ziti pasta with a white sauce and beef and onions.”

Joseph smiled fondly as she listened to him talk. “Are those some childhood favorites?”

Caesar’s smile softened as he looked down at the words on the menu. “Yes. Those were my mother’s best dishes. She would often make those for special occasions, such as holidays or one of our birthdays. That was the one advantage of coming from a big family- we had plenty of birthdays spaced throughout the year, so we got to have her special recipes fairly often, but not so often that they became any less special.”

Joseph noticed how Caesar’s smile, while fondly nostalgic, held a bittersweet sadness to it. “Has it been a while since you’ve had any of it?” She guessed, knowing she had hit the mark when he glanced away to the river.

“Yeah..” He sighed a little, bringing his hand back to lean against it as he gazed wistfully at the water and passing boats. “Coming here is nice, but I do miss the home-cooked quality her meals had..”

Joseph felt a tug on her heart strings seeing the slight sadness in Caesar’s eyes. She knew a bit about his past, the part about him being a street thug when he was younger, but he hadn’t really talked much about his family before. Hell, she didn’t even know why he left home, both his family’s home and his home country, to come all the way out to America. She imagined it must have been a painful story for him…

“Well then,” She began while reaching across the table to gently grab his other hand, catching him by surprise and making him look back at her. “I guess you’ll have to teach me how to make them sometime. That way you won’t have to go out and spend a fortune here whenever you want something to eat, and I’ll get to impress you yet again with my culinary genius.” She grinned at him and squeezed his hand in what she hoped was a comforting gesture.

Caesar gave her that same look of awe he’d had when he picked her up earlier. “……” His expression melted back into a smile that spoke of adoration and fondness once again, his hand turning over so he could lace his fingers together with hers. “Si…I would like that, Jojo.”

They smiled and gazed at each other, the only sound around them the muffled chatter from inside and the gentle crashing of the waves from the riverbank.

They decided on the fried mozzarella- both the slices and the sticks, simply because Joseph was still a bit of a kid at heart- for their appetizer. Caesar ordered the weird squid ink pasta just to goad Joseph into trying a bite. It was actually GOOD! Who would’ve thought?! She ended up stealing a few more bites just because she liked the taste, though it was funny to see Caesar’s lips turning black as he ate- their lips almost matching by the end of the meal. Joseph herself decided to try the bowtie pasta (she already forgot the fancy Italian name that Caesar told her for it) with the ragu sauce that Caesar seemed so fond of. She gladly shared some of hers, too, since she’d taken a fair share of bites from Caesar’s plate already.

Everything was delicious, from the wine Caesar ordered to the main courses. Even the free bread was tastier than most places she’d been to! Caesar happily showed her how to serve it with the olive oil and balsamic that was placed on the table for the bread and it made it taste even better.

Part of her felt a little bad for not being aware of how much everything cost. This was one of those fancier restaurants where they didn’t put the prices on the menu- one of those, “if you have to ask, you probably can’t afford to eat here anyway” deals, she presumed. She knew that she could definitely afford it, but she didn’t want to make Caesar pay that much for her. Joseph brought up the subject of paying for herself or splitting the bill, but Caesar firmly yet politely informed her that he would not allow a lady to pay for herself on the first date, no matter the cost. After a brief debate on the matter, Caesar ultimately won and reaffirmed that he would be paying this time, but Joseph only allowed it on the condition that she pay for him the next time they went out.

When it came time to order dessert, a short, older man with tan skin and dark hair walked out with a big smile on his face. “Haha! There he is! E 'bello vederti, bambino!”

“Emilio! Bello vederti, amico mio!” Caesar looked at the man with a big smile and stood to greet him, the two engaging in a quick, friendly hug.

When they separated, the shorter man looked at Joseph with what could only be described as a proud smile. “Ah, and this must be the lovely signorina you spoke so highly of!”

Caesar’s cheeks turned a touch red and he coughed into his fist to clear his throat, muttering something in Italian that Joseph wouldn’t really understand or remember. “Potresti tenerlo segreto, Emilio?”

“Io non la penso così.” Emilio shot Caesar a smirk before returning his attention to Joseph. “Caesar was awfully excited to bring you here- he kept calling every night to make sure we’d remember to set his table aside for you two.”

Joseph smirked conspiratorially at Emilio, her tone clearly teasing Caesar as she took in this new information. “Oh did he now?”

Emilio chuckled as he pretended to think back on their conversations. “Si. He kept insisting how important tonight was, and how he ‘could absolutely not afford to mess this up for any reason or he would never be able to forgive himself’- though I may be paraphrasing a bit.”

“You don’t say..” Joseph grinned at Caesar, the blonde’s face now completely red as he hid his head in his hands.

“Per favore..” Caesar groaned as the two continued to grin and chuckle at his expense. “Please stop..I am literally begging you..”

Emilio laughed and patted Caesar on the back good-naturedly while continuing his conversation with Joseph. “I haven’t seen l'insalata del bambino blush like that since he was smaller than me! Haha! It is too cute!”

Joseph couldn’t help giggling at Caesar’s flustered state- it was nice to see him losing his cool for a change. “What does that name mean? I got ‘bambino’, but what’s the rest?”

Caesar looked up from his hands to glare at Emilio. “Rispondetela e non parlerò mai più con voi!”

The shorter Italian just smirked wickedly while leaning close to Joseph as if whispering a secret. Joseph happily leaned in to hear him clearly. “It’s a nickname from when he was a little bambino. He HATES it. It means..” He leaned in closer and she cupped a hand around her ear exaggeratedly to hear his stage-whisper. “Baby salad.”

A hysterical fit of laughter rang out from Joseph and she threw her head back to let it out properly. “BABY SALAD?!!” She laughed so hard that she had to grip the table, otherwise she would risk falling out of her chair. “OH MY GOD!! That is too funny!”

Caesar’s face turned a darker shade of red and he buried his face in his hands once more with a muffled scream. “Auugh! Ti odio!”

Emilio laughed along with Joseph, the two having tears in their eyes by the time they were done. The short man wiped his eyes with his hand while Joseph pulled a tissue out of her purse to dab at her eyes and, mostly, avoid smudging her makeup. “I hope you make good use of that nickname, signorina.”

“Oho, I definitely will, thanks.” Joseph said with a devious grin. Oh, she already had plans for all manner of teasing floating through her mind.

Caesar shoved at Emilio with a glare, his cheeks still red. “You just had to say something, didn’t you?”

Emilio easily ignored the half-hearted shove while looking up at Caesar. “But of course! No one else is around to embarrass you in front of your date, so I have to do it myself!” He laughed again at Caesar’s annoyed glare before looking back to Joseph. “Now then, signorina, I am certain you can handle yourself..but, if this boy gives you any trouble or treats you like anything less than a proper gentleman, you come right in and tell me and I’ll set him straight, alright?”

“You’ll be the first to know.” Joseph replied with a smile, one that was born from both amusement at Caesar’s embarrassment and the genuine sweetness and concern of the older gentleman.

Having said what he wanted to say (and thoroughly embarrassed Caesar), Emilio took their dessert orders and let them be once more.

Caesar sat back down heavily in his chair, holding his face with one hand. “I am truly sorry about that interruption. Emilio, he…” He heaved a long suffering sigh and rubbed at his eyes with his thumb and index finger “He does what he wants, despite what others ask him.”

Joseph grinned smugly and reached across the table to flick the blonde’s hat playfully. “Oh, I don’t mind him one bit, my little salad~<3” She teased with a wink.

He looked up at her with a light glare and readjusted his hat, muttering something in Italian under his breath. “Accidenti a te, vecchio…”

Joseph flinched slightly at the glare and pulled her hand back. Crap, was that going too far? She should probably save the teasing for later in the relationship. Was there a set time limit on when it was okay to tease your boyfriend like that? Wait, was it too soon to be thinking of him as a boyfriend? She didn’t know any of the rules for this! Damn it, she needed to change the subject before she blew it!

“Sooo..” She began while placing her hands on the table in front of herself, desperately searching for anything else to talk about. “I know I got that tasty looking chocolate panna cotta for my dessert, what was that pastry thing you’re getting called again? You said something about it looking like a shell?”

Again, Caesar gave her a look that was partly curious, but mostly confused. “It’s called sfogliatelle.” He answered shortly before reaching across the table to gently touch her hand. “Jojo, is something wrong? That’s the third time tonight you’ve done that.”

“Huh? Done what?” She tried to bluff her way out of the situation by playing innocent.

The act apparently failed when Caesar gave her a troubled, worried frown. “You keep changing the subject. On top of that, you keep choosing safe, generic small talk to distract from what you said before.” His frown grew a bit more and he looked even more worried. “Are you..not enjoying yourself..?”

Joseph quickly shook her head, holding his hand with both of hers to get her sentiment across clearly. “No! I mean, yes, I am, and no, that-that’s not it at all! I’m having a great time with you, Caesar, really! It’s just…” She trailed off, glancing away nervously.

Should she tell him? He was always so patient and understanding with her. Then again, everyone’s patience had a limit. Would this be his? Damn it, she wasn’t used to feeling this confused!

“Just what?” Caesar prompted while bringing his other hand closer to cup the back of hers and rub it soothingly. “What is troubling you, mia dolce angela?”

Ah, another new adjective she’d have to look up later. “……” She took a deep breath to calm herself, as she had done earlier in the night. She still couldn’t meet his eyes, choosing instead to focus on their joint hands. “It’s just…I..I don’t want to mess this up..”

Caesar raised an eyebrow, looking more confused than concerned now. “Mess it up? How on earth do you think you could manage that?”

“I don’t know.” She answered with a slightly annoyed sigh, the annoyance focused completely against herself. “I’m just freaking out because I really like you and I want to make this work and I don’t want to make a fool out of myself by saying something stupid or doing something that pisses you off because then you might get annoyed and won’t want to go out with me again and then I’ll be kicking myself for screwing things up so badly with the first guy that ever asked me out-” God, she was rambling now, but she couldn’t bring herself to stop the words that just continued falling from her lips. “-and you clearly put so much thought into all of this with the fancy restaurant, and the car, and the outfit, and I’m freaking out more because I don’t know if I’m actually worth all the trouble you went to for tonight and it just all freaks me out because this is all new to me and I have absolutely NO idea what I’m doing and now I probably sound like a crazy person to you for worrying so much over what must seem like nothing to you since you’ve clearly been out on a bunch of dates before, but I haven’t so I don’t know what’s okay and what’s not okay and I just REALLY want you to like me enough to go out with me again because I’m really happy being with you, damn it!” She finished her rambling and gasped hard, trying to replenish the air she’d just drained from her lungs.

“……” Caesar seemed stunned, busy taking in and processing everything Joseph just told him. When he finally finished sorting through her mashed together words, though, he lifted his hand and gently tipped her chin up with one finger to make her look at his face again. He had that warm, kind, patient, understanding smile on his face that instantly put her at ease. “I think we both may have been trying too hard tonight.” Then, to Joseph’s surprise and slight confusion, Caesar got to his feet and walked around to her side of the table. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, brought something up on it that she didn’t have a chance to see, then set it down on the table before gently pulling her to her feet. As Joseph rose out of her seat, she heard music fill the air around them from speakers hidden along the sides of the building that she couldn’t see- it was a beautiful waltz melody, but a bit more upbeat and modern with a slightly gothic sound. Looking at her with a far more relaxed smile, Caesar kept one hand clasped around hers while the other moved to her waist. “How about, instead of trying to be something we’re not, we both just relax and do what comes naturally?”

Joseph felt her heart skip as she looked him in the eyes. She looked into those gorgeous green eyes and saw no ulterior motives, no flirty playfulness, no charming mask- she only saw Caesar. She saw a man who was clearly enjoying having her with him and who wanted to relax and enjoy himself with her.

A relaxed smile slid across Joseph’s face to match Caesar’s as she held his hand and brought her own free hand up to rest on his shoulder. “I think I’d like that, Caesarino.”

They began to sway in time with the music, already finding the rhythm with it and each other almost instantly. The swaying quickly turned into measured steps and quick turns. Before long they were dancing together with the same energy, passion, and chemistry they always had when they danced together in class.

Caesar would guide her down into a graceful dip, able to easily hold her weight without breaking a sweat. He would raise one hand above both of their heads so she could spin smoothly on one leg, the slit in the dress allowing an ideal range of motion for her legs. He would grab her around the waist and lift her off the ground as they spun together in large circles.

At one point, a sly grin slipped across his face and he moved his thumbs a certain way and she heard a “click” sound come from his gloves. She gave him a questioning look, but before she could voice her curiosity she noticed the holes on the back of those odd metal plates opening up as well as a couple of smaller panels on the sides that she hadn’t noticed before slipping open too. She noticed some sort of clear liquid moving just beneath the surface of the holes.

Then, on the next spin they executed together, she saw them:

Bubbles.

As they moved together seamlessly, the gloves on Caesar’s hands seemed to take in air from the panels on the sides before coming out through the holes on the back of the metal plates as bubbles. Soon the floating orbs filled the air around them, catching the lights from both the city in the distance and the windows of the restaurant that neither noticed they’d moved in front of while dancing due to being caught up in their own little world.

“So, what do you think?” Caesar asked while dipping Joseph down gracefully, the sly grin still on his face. “I used to do odd jobs as an engineer- I made these using some spare parts I found.”

Joseph was still in awe of the bubbles floating around them, but she soon came back to herself and smiled at Caesar as he brought her back upright. “Flashy and fashionable. I like it!” She laughed while spinning around on one leg, trusting Caesar to keep her from falling. “You certainly planned for every possibility, didn’t you?”

“Yeah..” Caesar’s earlier grin softened into something calmer and even a touch melancholic. “I was nervous about tonight too..” He admitted as he let her finish her spin, ending it with her back to his chest and the hand that was still holding hers crossed over her waist as he held her close. “I ran through countless lists in my mind about what could go wrong and how to prevent it, as well as ways to impress you whenever the opportunity presented itself.” He held her to him while they swayed to the music, his free hand tracing along the lace of her sleeve to hold her other hand as well. “As much as I hate him for saying it, Emilio was right: I was sweating over every little detail because I knew that if I messed this up..I would never be able to forgive myself..”

Joseph spared him a confused glance over her shoulder. “Huh? How could YOU mess this up? You clearly know what you’re doing- hell, I’d bet you’ve dated at least fifty girls before me!” She was joking slightly on that part, but, in reality, she supposed it could be possible- he never really talked to her about any past girlfriends, after all.

She felt a quiet chuckle rumble through his chest where it was still touching her back. “I stopped counting a long time ago, but you might be right.” He was silent for a little while after that, slowly turning her around in his arms so that they were facing each other properly again as they moved together in slow steps and spins across the ground. “I did not want to say anything before, when you thought that I was dating Suzi behind your back..but..there was a time not too long ago when you may have been right to assume such a thing about me…” He looked so pained, like he had a deep, burning guilt on his conscience that was eating him alive. “During my street thug days, I was…well, to say I was not a good person would be putting it mildly..” He lamented with a sad smile. “I went through each day not caring if I would live to see the next or not and thought little of the consequences of my actions. I got into fights without caring if I was attacked later for revenge. I stole from people without caring if I would be arrested. I hurt and used people without caring if I would ever see them again.” He looked down, avoiding her eyes like he was ashamed to meet her earnest, caring gaze. “I went out with many girls and women when I was young, but I never truly felt anything for them. I would see women who looked lonely and woo them with a charming smile or a flashy gesture, then leave them after I’d had my fun..I never thought I did anything wrong, even though I’m sure now that I left many of them broken hearted and alone..” Joseph could tell how much it pained him to admit that, and she couldn’t blame him- admitting you used to date girls only to leave after a one-night stand wasn’t exactly the coolest thing to talk about, but he seemed like he needed to get it off of his chest. “I lived my life that way for a while..but..I have tried to distance myself from the person I used to be: I still fight, but I try to only do it for a good reason. Earning an honest living can be hard at times, but I feel better knowing that I am no longer stealing people’s wallets just to get by. Also…” He took a slow, even breath before looking up to meet Joseph’s eyes once again, his own bright green eyes shining with a sincerity and strong sense of conviction that made her breath catch in her throat. “You are the only woman I have had any interest in at all for the past two years. If I am being completely honest, you are really the only woman whom I have EVER had any genuine feelings for. I wanted tonight to go perfectly so that I could prove I was worthy of your time and attention- so that I could continue seeing you as often as possible and hold you and kiss you and tell you how lovely and amazing you truly are.” His smile lightened slightly at his confession, one hand sliding around her waist again as he leaned her back slowly. “You may find it a huge cliché for me to say such a thing, but..”

Joseph reached up and put one hand on his cheek, gazing up into his eyes with a playful but understanding smile. “Now you’ll say ‘You’re different from the other girls- you are the first woman I’ve ever fallen for, Jojo’, and then you’ll lean in for a kiss.”

“You’re different from the other girls- you are the first woman I’ve ever fallen for, Jojo.” He said before leaning down with her in an elegant dip so he could kiss her lips. Just as his lips made contact with hers, he finally realized what just happened. “!!”

He seemed mildly startled, looking like he might pull away to say something, but Joseph was having none of that. “Mhh..” She moved the hand that had been on his cheek around to the back of his neck and held him in place so she could kiss him properly.

She’d done research since their last kiss and now had a better understanding of what to do between that and what she’d learned from kissing Caesar already: Tilt the head slightly to find a more comfortable angle. Breathe through the nose to make the kiss last longer. Purse the lips in smooth motions back and forth, responding to how your partner moves theirs.

Caesar was again surprised by her boldness, but did not seem to mind if the way he held her closer and sighed silently through his nose was any indication. “Hmh..” The kiss lasted much longer than their first one, the two of them taking their time to fully enjoy the experience. By the time they finally pulled apart (only by an inch or two so they were still practically breathing each other’s air), they had matching red cheeks and black lips- a combination of Joseph’s lipstick and the squid ink from Caesar’s pasta. “Jojo..” Caesar said while gazing at her with awe and pure, loving adoration. The smile on his face was so warm, so genuine, so clearly and completely Caesar that it made Joseph’s heart melt. “I may grow tired of that trick one day, but I don’t see that day coming for many years.”

Joseph’s heart pounded at the meaning behind his words and she smiled back up at him, sharing that hope and desire for the future with him. “Guess we’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?”

<-Previous Part Next Part->

-From the Beginning-

Italian Translations:

“Sei come qualcosa da un sogno..”  - “You’re like something from a dream..”

“E 'bello vederti, bambino!” - “It’s good to see you, boy!”

“Bello vederti, amico mio!” - “Good to see you, my friend!”

“Potresti tenerlo segreto, Emilio?” - “Could you keep that a secret, Emilio?”

“Io non la penso così.” - “I don’t think so.”

“Rispondetela e non parlerò mai più con voi!” - “Answer her and I’ll never talk to you again!”

“Ti odio!” - “I hate you!”

“Accidenti a te, vecchio…” - “Damn you, old man...”

Notes: So, after reading this post by @freckledbastard​ the idea for a CaeJose Dancer!AU got stuck in my head and I ended up writing out the whole thing instead of sleeping tonight! My brain is now mush ~_~ Anyway, enjoy!

Also: The song I envisioned Joseph and Caesar’s dance to was an extended version of the song “Dance of Swords” from Steven Universe, you can easily look it up by typing the song name into Google- go check it out sometime, it’s lovely :)

Joseph sighed while looking out over the various new students of her mother’s dance class. There were certainly a lot of promising new faces, many of them already possessing limber and strong bodies that would look amazing through the art of properly choreographed dance. The best of the bunch, like Joseph, would be invited to join the Hamon Troupe- the country’s premiere dance group that always guaranteed sold out shows wherever they performed.

While waiting for the instructor, Lady Lisa Lisa, Joseph over heard the usual gossip that tended to transpire between new students and the veterans of the class that had yet to be scouted for the troupe.

Unfortunately, though, as always, it was gossip about Joseph.

“Hey, so, who’s the big guy in the pink tights?”

“Shh! Don’t call him a guy out loud or you’ll get kicked out!”

“What? Why? Who is that?”

“That’s Lady Lisa Lisa’s kid- Joseph Joestar. He’s been a member of the Hamon Troupe since he was, like, sixteen or something.”

“Seriously?! Wow, he must be REALLY good!”

“Yeah, he is. Kind of weird, though…”

“Huh? Whattaya mean?”

“I mean, well, look at how he’s dressed, for starters.”

“Yeah, I was wondering about that- why’s he a wearing a girl’s uniform?”

“Eh, some weird artistic thing, I guess. Says he’s a girl and gets really mad if you call him a guy to his face.”

“Ha! Seriously?! The dude’s built like a body builder and says he’s a girl?”

“Yeah, yeah, we all know- but keep your voice down! He’s really sensitive about it and if you upset him then his mom’ll kick you out of the class.”

“Damn, what a freak…”

Joseph took a deep breath in slowly through her nose, then exhaled it through her mouth, masking the breathing exercise as part of her warm-up routine as she stretched her leg over the balance bars. She stayed close to the radio and pretended not to hear a word they said. They were idiots, anyway, she shouldn’t take what they said to heart.

Still…

Joseph took her leg back off the bar as she finished her warm-ups and looked at herself in the mirrors spread around the room: She was large and muscular, but that was simply how her body retained muscle after years of her mother’s intense training. She also kept her hair styled short and a bit messy, but that was simply how she liked it- it was easier to pin it back if she didn’t let it get too long. She wore make-up occasionally, though today wasn’t one of those days, but she was an all-or-nothing person and either went without the make-up or went over the top with full on paint and glitter until it was stage make-up level. She knew her outfit- the standard women’s class uniform of a black leotard, pale pink tights, sheer black mid-thigh length cover skirtlet, and black dance slippers- was a bit tight on her muscular form, but that’s because it was hard to find women’s clothes for someone as tall and big as she was.

Even so, none of that made her a freak, by any means. Her family accepted her, and she accepted herself, that’s all that mattered. The others were just fools intimated by her beauty and talent.

“If you all have the energy to talk, then I’ll assume that means you’re finished warming up.” The sharp voice of her mother cut through the studio like a knife and everyone jumped to attention, Joseph chuckling to herself at how nervous the new ones were. Walking to join her at the front of the studio by the radio, Lisa Lisa gestured for Joseph to turn off the music. After it was done, Joseph stood proudly beside her mother, feeling like a drill instructor surveying new soldiers. “Let me start by congratulating all of you for making it this far- merely getting into this class is quite an accomplishment. However, do not take that to mean your life will get any easier. From here on out, you will receive the most grueling training of your lives. You will eat, breathe, sleep, and bleed dance by the time I am done with you! Then, if any of you show significant promise, you MAY have the chance to join the Hamon Troupe.” She adjusted her sunglasses, looking over the students with a sternness that made the weaker ones quiver in fear. “However, don’t get your hopes up: The senior students here will quickly tell you that they have been here for years perfecting their craft and still have yet to reach the standard I hold my troupe members to.” With an elegant wave of her hand, she gestured to Joseph beside her. “This is my child, Joseph Joestar. Jojo has received personal training from me since childhood and is the standard to which the rest of you will be held to: If you do not demonstrate even half the talent Jojo has, then you won’t even be CONSIDERED for the Hamon Troupe.”

Joseph smirked at the nervous and uncomfortable faces staring at her. “That’s right, and I’m essentially the best dancer you’ll ever see, so don’t get your hopes up too high!”

“Now then, let’s get started on your first lesson!” Lisa Lisa clapped her hands together and began class, everyone hurrying to their starting points.

As Joseph set up the music for the lesson, she thought she felt someone looking at her. When she turned to look, though, everyone was already mirroring her mother’s movements.

She decided to brush it off as more people staring at her and being jealous of how amazing she was.

After the first couple weeks of lessons, they were starting to weed out the weaker links among the new students. A few had already quit and several more looked close to it by now. Others, though, were showing promise and might stick around.

The ones that had stayed were now being treated to a special lesson: The male members of the Hamon Troupe were visiting the class today to assist with the one lesson that Joseph and her mother would need help to teach properly: Lifting.

Joseph both loved and hated lift day. On one hand, lifting always looked like so much fun, the way the other girls twirled and arched in the air was dazzling. On the other hand, however, it always left her feeling depressed because of one sad, constant fact:

No one ever lifted Joseph.

With her size and weight, it was something that she had simply grown to accept over the years. Every other dancer in her classes and in the troupe would take one look at her and offer up a nervous smile and a shake of their heads when it came time to choose partners.

Today was no different, sadly.

After the troupe members had demonstrated the basics of lifting to the new students and her mother showed them the basic choreography they would use for today’s training, everyone was instructed to go find a partner. As with every other time this occurred, Joseph had resignedly found a spot to lean against one of the bars as the boys in the class hurried to pair up with the smaller, cuter girls, no one even sparing her a glance or asking her if she wanted to dance-

“Pardon me for intruding, signora, but are you not going to participate in the lesson today?”

Joseph was surprised by the smooth, accented voice suddenly speaking to her. She looked up from the spot on the floor she’d been staring at and saw one of the new students leaning on the bar beside her with an expectant look.

She hadn’t fully memorized all of the new students’ names yet, but she remembered this one standing out as one of the better dancers. He was also one of the more handsome ones, if she was being honest: He had bright blond hair, fascinating purple marks on his cheeks that were either birthmarks or tattoos, eyes that sparkled like twin emeralds, and a charming smile that could make any woman’s knees weak. He was pretty tall, too- only a couple inches shorter than Joseph herself, and quite muscular, though, again, not as much as Joseph.

Joseph also noticed him in the crowds because of how he liked to add accents to his uniform in the form of a purple and orange headband that trailed behind him as he moved and the feathered pins in his hair that fluttered whenever he turned. She could certainly appreciate his sense of style, as she too personalized her outfits by usually wearing her favorite green and yellow striped scarf around the studio and pinning various flowers to her hair (today’s flower was a pink rose with a silver clip).

She realized she’d been staring too long and looked back out at the dance floor where the students and troupe members were taking turns in the center showing off their mastery of the choreography. “Oh..yeah..uh, no, I don’t really get to participate on days like this.”

“Why is that? You’re the best dancer here, are you not?” The blond student asked with a curious tilt of his head.

“Tch, well, duh, of course I am!” She replied quickly, crossing her arms over her chest proudly. Her pride deflated a bit, though, as she watched one of the new girls being lifted into the air as if she weighed nothing, an excited smile on her face. “But..lifting’s not exactly something I can do by myself..”

“Then why not ask someone to do it for you?” He sounded almost concerned by this point.

She sighed and closed her eyes, a pout on her face. “It doesn’t do any good. No one can lift me- I’m too big.” She opened her eyes again and was surprised to see the man looking at her with a displeased expression. “What’s with the look?”

“No one can lift you? Really? Not even the members of your troupe? Have they ever TRIED?” He asked her, looking somehow insulted even though the situation had nothing to do with him.

“Er, well, no, not really. I’ve asked before, but most guys just say they can’t and- Hey! What are you-?!” She was startled when the blonde student suddenly grabbed her by the hand and led her out to the center of the dance floor. He even went so far as to harshly shove one of the troupe members who was about to take a turn out of his way. “Wait, why are we-?”

“You know the choreography, si?” He asked as he took his place across from her on the floor, getting into the starting position for the lesson’s dance.

Joseph hesitantly got into her starting position as well. “Well, yeah, of course I do, but-”

“Then dance with me.” He said firmly as the song looped back around to the beginning, leaving no room or time for argument on Joseph’s part.

“Don’t tell me what to do.” She said with a huff but began to dance anyway.

The movements for the dance were simple, a way for the students to get used to each other’s tempo and movement so they could synch up well enough for the female partners to be lifted properly. The smooth twirls and measured steps were a bit boring for someone as skilled as Joseph, but she followed the choreography flawlessly. The man, whatever his name was, performed the movements with just as much ease as they slowly drew closer to one another.

When they finally reached each other, Joseph did the appropriate spin that landed her in her dance partner’s arms. Closing her eyes, Joseph prepared for the imminent hesitation or realization of how heavy she actually was to kick in so the dance would come to an abrupt end.

She was instead surprised to feel strong hands gliding smoothly over her leotard and tights so that one was braced on the back of her thigh and the other on her back. Those hands then began to effortlessly hold her weight and allow her to rise up.

“?!” Joseph opened her eyes and realized with shock what was happening as she saw everything around her shift: She was being lifted off of the ground.

Surprised gasps and murmurs filled the room at the sight of Joseph being lifted up upside down over her partner’s head. By pure instinct and her own natural dancing prowess, Joseph remembered the right way to tense her body into a graceful arch above the man below her. She held the pose effortlessly, despite it being her first time.

When she expected to be set down at the end of the dance, though, she was surprised once again by the blonde man when he lowered her back do the ground gracefully, but continued dancing with her. The song was technically about two and a half minutes long, though they’d only been taught enough choreography to cover about thirty seconds of it. Despite this, her partner seemed content to keep going and, in all honesty, Joseph was feeling too giddy to stop herself either.

They moved together flawlessly: Every brush of their hands was coordinated in perfect synch. No step was misjudged between them. Each spin they did while joined together caused Joseph’s long scarf and the twin trails of the blonde’s headband to billow around them like ribbons. The man even picked Joseph up on a few of the spins so that she could feel the wind rushing through her hair like never before.

It was all so incredible, an entirely new experience for Joseph. Sure, she’d danced with several skilled dancers over the years, but none of them had this level of strength- this PASSION behind their movements like this stranger did. Even though this was their first dance, they moved as if their very souls had been dancing together since the dawn of time. She honestly wished the song would go on forever, leaving just the two of them dancing in their own little world.

Alas, all good things come to an end eventually. The end came when the song reached its final crescendo, Joseph’s partner lifting her in the air one last time at the peak of the music before lowering her seamlessly into a dip. The way he smiled down at her made her heart skip a beat and her cheeks flush- no partner had ever looked at her like that, let alone managed to dip her without looking strained.

At the end of the song, he carefully lifted Joseph back up into a standing position. Instead of letting her go, though, he kept his hand planted firmly on her back, holding her close against him. While holding her almost protectively, he raised his other hand and pointed at the men- both the students as well as the troupe members- with that same displeased, almost angry, expression he had earlier before the dance.

“Cowards!” He yelled at them harshly, his finger pointing in an accusing, sweeping gesture at the various male dancers. “Cowards and weaklings, the lot of you! How dare you leave such a bella fanciulla on her own!” He shook his head disapprovingly. “It’s absolutely shameful to consider yourselves skilled if you’re too scared to even try dancing with someone of such high caliber.”

‘Wow..’ Joseph thought to herself, a slight blush blooming across her cheeks. ‘He seems really offended about that. It’s..kind of sweet, actually…’

He looked back up at her, a charming smile returning to his face once again. “My apologies, signora- I nearly forgot to thank you for that wonderful dance.” He took her hand in his own and placed a kiss to the back of it like a classic gentleman from an old movie. “Grazie, mia bella dea.”

Joseph’s face flushed a little more, certainly not used to such treatment- let alone from such a handsome guy. “Uh..Uh huh..” Her heart was hammering in her chest and her hand tingled where his lips had touched her skin.

He gently caressed the back of her hand with his thumb as he spoke. “My name is Caesar A. Zeppeli. It is an honor to finally meet you formally, signora Joestar.”

“C-Call me Jojo..please..” She found herself speaking even though her mind felt like a pile of mush.

“Jojo.” The way he said her name should be illegal with how sexy he made it sound. He placed one last kiss to her hand before letting it go. “I shall look forward to our next dance, mia bellissima angelo.”

“Yeah..” Joseph blushed as she watched him walk back into the crowd of dancers, holding her hand to her chest and feeling her thrumming heart beat beneath it. “Me too..”

It was the first time she had been lifted by a partner, and, she realized, the first time she’d ever looked forward to a second dance with one as well.

Joseph sighed as she reclined back on her couch. She was sooooooo bored…

She knew she could probably do some chores around her apartment, but she hated cleaning- well, she hated hard work of any kind, really. She had a ton of comic books and video games and movies to keep her preoccupied, but none of it was appealing to her at the moment. There were no classes to teach today, no practices to go to, absolutely NOTHING to do.

She spotted her phone across from her on the coffee table and an idea popped into her mind. With a big grin and the faintest of blushes along her cheeks, she scrolled through her text conversations to Caesar’s number. It had been a few days since the night he took her home after destroying her suit for her (her mom had been irritated about it, but let her off with only a mild lecture) and they’d been texting pretty regularly since then. They hadn’t actually had a chance to SEE each other since that night, though…

Well, might as well try for something now, right?

Joseph smiled as she typed out a message and sent it to Caesar.

“Caaaeessaaarrrrr, I’m boooooooorrreeeeedddddd :P Are you doing anything right now? We could go grab lunch somewhere- I know a great pizza place nearby. Let’s go there so I can listen to you complain about how un-authentic it is, lol XD”

She saw him typing back a reply within less than a minute. A bubble of hope built up within her until it burst when she read the reply.

“My apologies, mia angela, but I’m actually meeting a friend for lunch. I work a short shift tonight, though- perhaps we could go out for dinner instead?”

Joseph pouted a bit at that. She really wanted to see him sooner than that. Plus, waiting until dinner meant that she’d still be bored all day. But, at least she’d get to see him..

“Okay, fiiiiine, I’ll wait til tonight XP Text me when you get off so we can pick a place.”

“I will. See you tonight, bella dea ;)”

She couldn’t help a small laugh when she read his reply. He was such a flirt, even when he was just texting. She still liked it, though, because it showed how interested he was in her.

She stretched and got up from the couch. “No use hanging around here, I guess…” She decided she might as well use the free time to go for a jog. After all, she’d have plenty of time to shower and change before seeing Caesar tonight...

Joseph had her earbuds in, her phone strapped to her arm via a holster, and was jogging down her usual route while listening to her workout mix. She got some stares from people when they saw her running around in black spandex workout shorts, a sleeveless pink mid-riff revealing top, and her usual sneakers and green and yellow scarf, but she ignored them as she usually did.

She slowed to a stop when she got to a street corner, having to wait for the light to change. As she waited, she looked around out of boredom. Her eyes landed on a familiar but unexpected sight, though:

Caesar, sitting at a table outside of a local café.

“Oh, that must be where he’s meeting his friend.” She said to herself while taking out her earbuds.

She was about to go say hi to him, but she stopped in her tracks when she saw someone walk up to Caesar. SOMEONE being an admittedly cute girl with blond hair, big doe eyes, and an adorable but clingy white sundress that showed off that her eyes weren’t the only pair of big things on her…

Joseph watched with wide eyes, frozen in shock. No, surely that couldn’t be whom Caesar was meeting for lunch, right?

Her fleeting hopes were dashed to the rocks when Caesar saw the girl and stood up, greeting her with a smile and a kiss to each of her cheeks as he said “Ciao, bella!” before pulling her chair out for her so she could sit at his table with him.

Joseph’s chest felt tight. She didn’t want to believe what she was seeing, but it was hard to deny it…

She saw the light change and quickly crossed the street, taking cover behind some trees on the corner. She peeked from between a few branches, giving her a perfect vantage point.

Unfortunately, she quickly found that she couldn’t follow any of their conversation. ‘Are you kidding me?! She’s Italian, too?!’

Sure enough, the girl and Caesar spoke Italian fluently back and forth, occasionally brushing hands or passing bites of food on their plates once they ordered and had their food brought out in a way that clearly spoke of familiarity. As Joseph watched the pair eat and talk, she couldn’t help but think of how cute they seemed together- two pretty, blonde, Italian people sitting at a café…it made her feel sick…

Deciding she couldn’t stand there and watch the scene unfold any longer, she put her earbuds back in to block out their voices and ran home as fast as her feet would carry her.

Her mind swam with questions: Who was that girl? Were she and Caesar dating? How long had they known each other? Had they been dating since they both lived in Italy? And if that’s the case, what was Caesar doing with Joseph? Was she just a side-piece? A passing fancy? Or was that just how he treated all women and she’d just mistaken it for something more?

Then there was the question that hurt the most, the one that she’d been trying to avoid since her first dance with the Italian: Caesar was a handsome, charming, charismatic guy who could easily get any woman he wanted, so why would he waste his time with someone like Joseph when he could have a cute girl like the one at the café?

Whatever the answers were to those questions, she decided she didn’t want to know. She wouldn’t be someone’s side-chick and she sure as hell wasn’t going to cry over something as stupid as a boy.

Even if that boy made her feel so special…

She canceled her plans with Caesar that night, responding to the text he sent with a vague “Something came up” and nothing else. She didn’t bother reading what he sent in reply. She also didn’t bother checking her phone for any of the other messages he sent over the next two days. She had to distance herself from him emotionally.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t avoid seeing him at class…

As she did her warm up stretches in the corner as usual, Caesar approached her. “Jojo? Is everything alright?”

She wanted to shout at him that NO, EVERYTHING’S NOT ALRIGHT, but she kept her cool and replied evenly. “Yeah. Everything’s fine.”

Caesar frowned slightly at her tense reply. “O..kay..I was just concerned- I didn’t hear back from you after you said something came up.”

“I was busy.” Another clipped reply, but she couldn’t help it. She wasn’t very good at hiding how she felt, but she knew that if she spoke she’d have a meltdown in front of everyone.

Fortunately, her mom saved her by starting class and Caesar was soon distracted learning today’s lesson and choreography. Unfortunately, it was another lesson that required a partner.

Predictably, Caesar came up to her with his usual charming smile. “Jojo, would you like to-?”

She cut him off before he could finish. “Actually, I’m sitting this one out, so you should go ask one of the other girls.”

She felt a brief moment of guilt when she saw the surprised and slightly hurt look on his face before he gave an understanding nod and went to ask someone else. Joseph refused to feel bad about this- he was the one who’d gotten her hopes up, damn it, why should she feel bad?

Still…when she saw him dance with another girl in class, it made her feel jealous..even if she wished it didn’t…

She used her mom’s office as a hiding spot after class was over and waited there until she was sure everyone else was gone before heading out to the parking lot. Her plan seemed like a failure, though, when she saw Caesar waiting outside in his riding clothes expectantly.

Joseph took a deep breath and set her face in a neutral expression as she tried to walk past him. Caesar was having none of that, it seemed, and he stood in her way as she tried to get through. She kept her neutral face as she looked him in the eyes. “What?”

“Why are you avoiding me?” Caesar got straight to the point, his gaze firm but with an underlying confusion and sadness. “I thought we were getting along-”

“Yeah, I thought so too- guess we were both wrong. Now move.” Joseph said in an irritated tone as she shoved him aside and continued on her way.

She would not cry in front of him. She would not breakdown and demand answers like some cheated lover in a bad romance novel. She would keep her cool.

<-Previous Story Part 2->

Another day, another dance class finished.

As the students filed out of the studio to go change back into their regular clothes, Joseph gathered cleaning supplies to wipe down the balance bars and mirrors from where people had been leaning on them off and on all day. She hated getting stuck with the menial chores like cleaning, but her mother’s assistants, Messina and Loggins, were tasked with keeping up the Hamon Troupe’s studio whenever Lisa Lisa and Joseph were teaching at the class-studio, and, unfortunately, that left Joseph to do the clean up here.

On her way back into the studio, she saw Caesar leaving with the last of the class. When he spotted her, his face lit up with his usual charming smile and he stepped aside, holding the door open for her with a bow. “Ladies first.”

Joseph couldn’t help but smile as she walked through the opened door, Caesar following after her. “Geez, you sound like such a cliché romance character- the classy gentleman that tries to charm all the ladies around him to mask his secrets, only for the heroine to win his heart and turn the tables on him.”

Caesar chuckled a bit, leaning against one of the balance bars as he watched her pull out the glass-cleaning spray and some paper towels. “Well, you’re certainly not far off: I enjoy being a classy gentleman, and I may have a few secrets, though I only attempt to charm the ladies who catch my interest.” He looked her over with a smile that tested the border line of charming and seductive. “I suppose that just means I’m waiting for the right heroine to come win my heart.”

Joseph’s face flushed at the obvious flirt as she busied herself with cleaning the mirrors. “…”

Caesar did these sorts of things a lot after their first dance together: He would wait until the last possible moment to leave and make small talk with Joseph. He’d flirt with her, sometimes subtly if others were around, other times openly as he was now. Not to mention that during the actual lessons, any time there was any sort of partnering up that needed to be done, he would proudly declare that he would be Joseph’s partner for the dance- acting as if he was staking a claim even though no one else ever wanted to be her partner, anyway. Also, he had this habit of just standing there sometimes, watching her, as if he was studying her or something. It was all very flattering and Joseph wasn’t quite sure how to deal with it all.

Joseph was suddenly startled out of her thoughts by a warm hand covering her own. She looked at Caesar’s reflection in the mirror and saw his hand lightly resting over hers, fingers stroking along her own as they gripped the bottle of glass cleaner. “Would you like any help with that? It seems like a lot of work to have to do by yourself.”

Joseph shot him a grateful, if slightly flustered, smile through the mirror. “Thanks, but my mom’d have my head if I got one of her students to do my chores for me.” She looked back at him over her shoulder. “Maybe you can help next time she’s not around.”

He gave her a soft smile, his fingers trailing longer than necessary along her hand before finally pulling away. “Very well, then. Until next time, mia bella fanciulla.”

Joseph watched him leave the studio through the mirror, a dreamy smile on her face. It always made her heart flutter to hear Caesar speak Italian like that. She had to go look up a few phrases from time to time, but, from what she’d learned, pretty much every name he called her was some combination of “beautiful” and a feminine title- his favorites seeming to be “maiden”, “angel”, and “goddess”, depending on his mood. It was really sweet and Joseph never got tired of hearing whatever name he decided to call her.

Joseph distracted herself with thoughts of Caesar as she cleaned the studio to help time go by faster.

By the time she was nearly done cleaning, her mother had finished up some paper work in the small office attached to the studio. “How much more do you have left?”

Joseph indicated the bar she was wiping down with a disinfecting wipe. “Just this last one, then-” She stopped and looked towards the doors to the changing room when both she and her mother heard a loud crash from that general direction. “?! What the hell?!”

Her mother was already heading towards the sound, gesturing for Joseph to follow her. “Whatever it is, I doubt it’s anything good…” They followed the sounds towards the men’s changing room, a small crowd of male students gathered outside. “What happened?” Her sharp voice cut through their chatter, instantly turning all eyes in her direction.

“A couple of guys started fighting in there, ma’am!” One of the students explained.

Lisa Lisa glanced around the crowd. “Anyone left in there that wasn’t part of the fight?”

“No, Lady Lisa Lisa!” Another one responded.

“Good.” She looked up at Joseph. “I might need you to help break it up.”

Joseph nodded and cracked her knuckles in preparation. “I know the drill, mom.”

Her mom opened the door and Joseph led the way in, glancing around the room. She soon spotted the source of the crash from earlier: The two-sided island of lockers that normally stood in the middle of the room had been knocked over and was still being used as part of the battleground. Joseph saw one guy currently lying unconscious on top of the over-turned lockers, another one semi-conscious with a dazed look on his bruised face on the ground half-leaning on the lockers, and the remaining two brawlers on the floor nearby. It was about what she expected for a fight that would drive the other guys out of the room.

What Joseph hadn’t been expected to see, though, was Caesar being one of the remaining fighters. He had another man pinned below him with one hand gripping his shirt and the other curled into a fist that he slammed repeatedly into the other man’s face. He looked beyond pissed, his eyes narrowed with a look of absolute hatred that seemed almost endless. She’d certainly never seen him like that before…

“Bastardo!” He yelled in rage as he brought his fist down hard against the man’s jaw, a loud popping sound being closely followed by a cry of pain that didn’t dissuade Caesar from slamming his fist down again at all. "Lo sporco degenerato! Non ti meriti nemmeno di essere nella stessa stanza di lei! Questo è quello che ottieni per aprire la bocca, stronzo!"

Joseph was shocked, to say the least. She had no idea what could make Caesar this mad and it made her hesitate to do anything. “Jojo!” At least until her mother’s voice brought her back to reality.

“R-Right!” She hurried over to the scene of the carnage and got behind Caesar, grabbing his arm before he could bring it down for another blow. “Caesar!” He struggled to free his arm, apparently not hearing her, so she pulled him off of the other man by force and used her strength to subdue him in a standing full-nelson hold. “Caesar! That’s enough! Stop!”

“!!” That seemed to get his attention, finally, and he froze in her hold. “Jojo..?”

Joseph kept her hold on him firm, making sure he couldn’t break free. “What the hell, Caesar? What’s going on in here?”

Lisa Lisa walked up to them, looking between Caesar and the other men spread around the floor and the lockers. “That’s what I would like to know as well. Would anyone care to explain?”

The guy Caesar had just been wailing on popped his jaw back into place with a whimper, rubbing a hand over the forming bruise. “We were just talking and he suddenly went off on us!”

Caesar tried to surge forward at the man again, but Joseph’s hold was too strong. “Sei un bastardo bugiardo! I warned you to shut your mouths and you didn’t! You got what you deserved!”

Lisa Lisa looked down at the man on the floor. “What, pray tell, were you discussing?”

“We were just talking about clothes, I swear!” The man replied, trying to back away from the still struggling and bound Caesar. “We were talking about how certain colors of tights just don’t look good on guys and he decided to butt in and told us to shut up.”

At the part where he said “certain colors of tights” looking good on guys, he cast a glance in Joseph’s direction.

Ah.

She understood now.

She glanced at the back of Caesar’s head, feeling him struggle to break free with the clear intention of beating the guy further for the rude slight. “Continua a parlare e ti rompo i denti, stronzo!”

Joseph glanced between the two and suddenly let go of Caesar, pretending he’d broken free of her hold. “Oops.” She said with the fakest worried tone possible. “My hands slipped.”

Caesar glanced back at her with the smallest of smirks which she readily returned, the look shared between them only lasting a second but it communicated everything between them perfectly:

“Go kick that bastard’s ass.”

“I will, thanks.”

Then Caesar was tackling the guy back into the lockers and beating him again. Joseph stood back and watched for a while, simply enjoying the sight of Caesar beating up the other man with a protective fury that made her heart flutter and a smile spread across her face. Her mother was yelling at all of them, telling Caesar to stop and telling Joseph to grab him again. They’d all be in trouble later, but, for now, Joseph was content to enjoy the moment.

After receiving a thorough lecture from her mother about not doing what she asked of her, Joseph walked outside to wait for her. She’d already changed back into her casual clothes- a pair of ripped dark blue jeans, a super-hero themed red and blue tank top, and a pair of red converses. Outside, sitting on the front steps of the building, she saw Caesar finishing off a cigarette- now dressed in a pair of black leather pants, a matching jacket, and a white shirt with an image of a blue bubble on the front.

She decided to go take a seat next to him. “Hey.”

He looked up, a bit surprised to see her, and quickly stubbed out his cigarette on the concrete before flicking the butt away. “Hey.”

“So..” She started while casually leaning her weight back onto her hands. “I didn’t know you could fight like that. Three on one and you were still kicking all of their asses? That’s pretty impressive. The thing with the lockers was a bit excessive, though.”

Caesar looked down at his hands, one of them wrapped in bandages around the knuckles. “Perhaps. I didn’t plan on it, though- they just gave out when I tackled the guy.” He took a deep breath and ran one of his hands through his hair, a slight frown on his face. “I’m..sorry you saw that. My temper gets the better of me sometimes. It’s a sad remainder from my youth..”

Joseph shrugged and patted him on the back, leaning her weight onto her other hand to maintain her balance. “Eh, it’s fine. Honestly, I’m not much better: I once shoved a guy down a well because he threatened my uncle.”

That earned a surprised laugh from Caesar and he looked back up at her. “Hah! You did? Was there at least water in it?”

She shrugged with a smirk. “Maybe, maybe not. Either way, I think he got the point.”

Caesar smiled at her. “Wow. You’re pretty impressive, yourself, Jojo.” He rolled one of his shoulders. “I’m still a bit sore from that hold earlier. What was that, by the way- krav maga? Where did you learn that?”

Joseph winked at him with a grin. “Let’s just say that dancing wasn’t ALL my mother taught me.” They chuckled and an easy, comfortable silence fell between them as they watched the sun start to set along the city’s skyline. “….You know..” She began after a few minutes, not looking at him and keeping her eyes on the sunset. “You didn’t have to do all of that..I’m a tough girl, I can handle myself..I’m used to what they say, it doesn’t bother me..” That was a bit of a lie- it did bother her, she’d just learned to ignore it.

“I know.” Caesar said, keeping his eyes on the skyline as well. “I know I didn’t have to..but I wanted to. You don’t deserve to be treated like that. Aside from the damage to the lockers, I’m not going to apologize for what I did..or for what I might do in the future. I’ll do this as many times as I need to until everyone learns how to treat you properly. That’s my choice and I am going to stand by it.”

“……..” Joseph felt that tugging at her heart again and couldn’t help the small smile on her face or the tear that wanted to spill over the corner of her eye. “Hey…Caesar…” She reached over and found his hand, giving it a light squeeze. “Thanks..for being on my side..”

Caesar smiled softly and squeezed her hand back. “Of course, mia bella dea.” He held onto her hand as they watched the sun set behind the city together. “Always.”

Joseph smiled a bit more and sat there, content to enjoy the moment.

Part 2->

-From the Beginning-

Translations for Caesar’s Italian rage:

"Lo sporco degenerato! Non ti meriti nemmeno di essere nella stessa stanza di lei! Questo è quello che ottieni per aprire la bocca, stronzo!" - “Degenerate filth! You don’t even deserve to be in the same room as her! This is what you get for your opening your mouth, asshole!”

Sei un bastardo bugiardo! - “You lying bastard!”

Joseph was relaxing on her couch, reading through the latest issue of one of her favorite detective comics when a familiar, sharp knock sounded at her door. She looked up from her comic with a mildly annoyed frown. “Always right at the good part…” She grumbled but rose to her feet, setting the comic aside on the coffee table for the time being. Joseph really wanted to keep reading, but had learned all too well what hell would await her if she took too long and heard a second knock. “I’m coming!” She called while walking to the door. Opening it without bothering to look through the peep hole, she saw the exact person she expected. “Hey, mom. What’s up?”

Her mother, as usual, invited herself into Joseph’s apartment. Joseph noticed that she was carrying a few envelopes as well as a rather large box. “I picked up your mail while I was downstairs. This one is yours.” Lisa Lisa said while setting the large box down on Joseph’s coffee table.

Joseph cringed slightly when the corner of the box crumpled the page of her comic book a little. “Thanks, mom…” She walked over after closing the door and rescued her poor comic from under the box before poking at it. “Well, at least it’s not ticking.” She commented before going to grab a knife from the kitchen.

“It didn’t feel heavy.” Lisa Lisa idly replied while sitting on Joseph’s couch and going through a few envelopes with her own name on them.

“Didn’t see a return address, so whoever sent it probably didn’t care about it getting lost in the mail. Maybe it’s some of uncle Speedwagon’s cartel friends trying to frame me for something.” Joseph joked as she returned with a small knife and made short work of the box’s tape before opening it. Pulling the flaps open, Joseph peered inside curiously. “…?” Her face lit up with bright, excited eyes and a huge smile. “OH MY GOD!!” She yelled loudly in her excitement, startling her mother slightly.

“What is it?” Lisa Lisa asked after grabbing the envelope she dropped during Joseph’s outburst.

Joseph reached inside and pulled out the contents with an excited grin stuck to her face. “It’s a dress!” She held it out for her mother to see, holding it against herself to get a better idea of how it looked.

The dress was truly stunning. It was a gorgeous mermaid-cut dress in a shade of rivulet green that complimented her eyes perfectly. It was made of satin with long lacy sleeves- the lace weaving together to form patterns of stars in varying sizes all the way from the wrists to the shoulders of the gown. At the shoulders, the lace then straightened into a fine mesh that turned into the illusion-cut neckline above the bust of the dress. The cut of the dress in general looked like it would be very snug, at least until it got to the legs where, for comfort and a bit of sex-appeal, there was a slit just off-center. The way the fabric wrapped and folded around the area would allow for a bit more movement, but also added to the overall look of the green gown by making the remaining fabric just below the knees billow outward in the classic mermaid-dress style. To top the whole thing off, there was a gorgeous design all along the front of the gown- a series of golden beads that spiraled together like a galaxy with its center being on the left hip of the dress and spreading outward along the front of the fabric in a dazzling display.

“My, my..” Lisa Lisa said while looking over the dress slowly from behind her usual sunglasses. “It’s lovely.”

“I know!” Joseph practically squealed while hugging the beautiful article of clothing to herself. “I’m gonna go try it on!” She announced while running back to her room to change. She didn’t even wait for a reply from her mom, she was just too excited! She quickly changed out of her shorts and tee-shirt and slipped into the gorgeous gown. Once she had it on and smoothed her hands down the sides to make sure it was wrinkle-free, she looked at herself from all angles using the full-body mirror in her walk-in closet. “Hey, mom, come check this out!”

She was practically bouncing with excitement! This was incredible! She wasn’t a “girly-girl”, by any means, but she loved to dress up every now and then and feel pretty- and this dress made her feel downright beautiful!

She heard the clicking of her mom’s heels and turned to face her when she entered. Lisa Lisa looked her over from head to toe with a small, caring smile. “It suits you, Jojo.”

Joseph grinned, practically beaming with pride as she turned back to look at herself in the mirror once more.

It really did suit her: The color, as she already suspected, complimented her eyes perfectly, almost matching them in shade. The gold of the beads combined with the green of the fabric made her think of her favorite green and yellow scarf. The dress was already perfectly fitted to her every curve and angle, showing her figure off in a very flattering way and even cupping her chest just right to be appealing without too coquettish. To top everything off, the dress was actually COMFORTABLE. Yeah, it was definitely satin for the main material, but it had to be mixed with something else because it stretched and moved so seamlessly and comfortably whenever she moved that there had to be some sort of elastic or nylon or something- especially along the arms and shoulders.

“Yeah,” She said with a smile while doing a quick twirl to see the fabric swish and flutter around her long legs. “It does!” She held one arm out and traced her fingers along the lace designs. “I wonder who sent it..”

“This may shed some light on the matter.” Lisa Lisa said while holding up a small white rectangle between two fingers.

Joseph turned to her again and took it with a curious expression. “A card?” She looked over the fancy script on the little card and read the words aloud. “A beautiful lady deserves an equally beautiful dress. May this help you shine ever brighter, Miss Joestar. –Forever Yours, CAZ”

Lisa Lisa’s lip quirked up slightly as she raised an eyebrow. “Your secret admirer again?”

“Yeah, looks like it.” Joseph said while turning the card around to make sure there was nothing written on the back. As usual, there was nothing else but the simple message.

Joseph was all too familiar with the style of writing and the pen name by now. For the past two years, ever since she was about sixteen, she would receive gifts like this: There would be bouquets of flowers sent to her dressing room after shows, many of them beautiful and quite expensive- she would often take her favorite flower from each bouquet, preserve it, and turn it into one of her hair clips. For her birthday and Christmas she would receive jewelry that was sized to fit her perfectly- the stones alternating between diamonds, emeralds, and her birthstone, sapphires. Each gift would be accompanied by a card with a sweet message but no return address- all signed CAZ.

At first she had been confused by the gifts. Receiving such lavish, expensive gifts from an anonymous stranger? Why would someone go to that much trouble and not even put their name? Was it technically creepy that someone sent her that stuff constantly? Her studio and home address were both public record, so it’s not like it was stalking or something (at least as far as she knew) and the gifts were nice.

Also, the cards he sent to her..well..they made her feel better.

Around the time she’d received her first bouquet from CAZ, she had publicly come out about herself. It was met with…mixed reviews, to put it extremely nicely. Her family already knew and each and every one of them accepted her. She told herself that was all that she needed, but dealing with the constant mocking, harsh insults, and disgusted stares whenever she went out in something that was more comfortable for her or when she performed her first few shows in the correct tights and leotards…it…it started to wear on her. Then, like a beacon of light in a dark tunnel, a bouquet of pink roses and lilies arrived at her dressing room one evening with a note that said “You are the beautiful star the stage deserves- let no one ever tell you otherwise, Miss Joestar. –Forever Yours, CAZ”

It was the first time someone outside of her family had referred to her correctly and it made her so happy that she broke down in tears. It was such a small thing, a card with some pretty flowers, but it meant the world to her at the time because it was just what she needed to hear. The knowledge that there were other people out there besides her family that would support her, even if it was only one other person at the time, gave Joseph the courage and strength she needed to get through that difficult time in her life.

In the end, she decided to just accept the gifts and wait to see if the guy sending them ever revealed himself. He hadn’t yet, so she was left to imagine what he was like. He had to be someone kind and thoughtful for constantly sending such expensive gifts, right? Whoever this CAZ was, she’d love to meet him in person one day and thank him for both his presents and his kind words.

Joseph felt her mother pinch at the fabric on her shoulder to inspect the dress herself. “Well, he certainly spent quite a bit of money on you this time- this looks like a custom order.” She looked up at Joseph over her sunglasses. “You know..this is actually quite sophisticated. If you wanted to wear this for special events, it would be perfect.”

The way she said that made Joseph flinch a little. Guess she was still a little sore about what happened to her suit before. It was expensive, after all…

“Ahaha, oh yeah? Wow, what a lucky break.” She gave a nervous laugh, shriveling slightly under her mother’s piercing gaze. Then, with a gasp, a thought occurred to her. “Oh my god!” She looked herself over in the mirror, her excited smile back again. “I can wear this on my date with Caesar!”

Her mind was already racing with thoughts of what jewelry to wear with it. Oh! Maybe those golden stud earrings with the emeralds! Yeah, those would be a good start. She could pair it with that nice cocktail ring that looked like an emerald flower with a diamond in the center. The sleeves were long enough that she wouldn’t really need any bracelets, but maybe she could wear one of her necklaces? Nothing that would hang too low, of course, what with the collar of the dress- oh! She had that black choker with the small rows of diamonds, that would look good if she paired it with some black stockings or shoes and-

“So, you have a date with Caesar? When were you going to tell me about this?” Her mother’s voice was like being stabbed in the back with an icicle, making her shudder a bit.

“Ummm…probably after it was over?” She answered with a nervous smile while looking at her mother’s reflection in the mirror. “It just kind of came up while he was here. Not like I meant to keep it a secret or anything, I just kind of…forgot to mention it?” She felt a little bad about that, but, like she said, she didn’t MEAN to forget..

“Hmh..” Lisa Lisa’s lack of a direct answer for an extended period of time made Joseph squirm uncomfortably with the weight of guilt that was being placed on her. After a minute, though, her mother sighed and patted her back with a calm smile. “It’s fine. You’re a grown up now, and are allowed to make your own decisions.” She smirked ever so slightly, her tone teasing. “Just remember not to put out on the first date- make him work for it.”

Joseph’s face turned red and she hid it in her hands with a groan. “Mooooooom! That’s just- augh, I can’t even-!” She groaned again and hid her face deeper into her palms. She could hear her mom chuckling smugly over the ringing in her own ears and, after a moment of breathing to calm herself, she looked back up at her a little bit, peeking between her fingers. “Hey..mom..?”

“Yes, Jojo?” She replied, still looking rather amused with herself.

“On Saturday..could you..y’know..help me with my hair and makeup? I wanna make a good impression and, well, you’ve seen what it looks like when I do it myself…” Joseph liked how she did her own makeup for shows, but she was aware that it was a bit over the top for every-day application.

Lisa Lisa gave Joseph’s back another comforting pat. “Of course, Jojo.”

Joseph managed to smile a little bit. “Thanks, mom.”

She still felt nervous about the date, but she was determined to make a good impression, no matter what- and this thoughtful gift from CAZ would certainly help!

<-Previous Story Next Part->

Caesar was more determined than she gave him credit for, Joseph quickly learned.

Every day at class he tried speaking to her, only for her to brush him off without a reason why. He constantly sent her text messages and tried to call her to the point that she ended up blocking his number. It all culminated in her coming home one day to find him standing outside of her apartment complex.

“What are you doing here?” Joseph asked as she took off her helmet and stepped off of her bike.

“You blocked my number and refuse to talk to me in class, so I figured this would be the only other place I could find you.” Caesar said as he watched her park her bike in the apartment’s designated zone.

She sighed and put her helmet away before trying to walk past him. “Well, you wasted a trip because there’s nothing to talk about.” His hand shot out and grabbed her wrist before she could fully pass him. His grip was firm enough to stop her but not hard enough to harm her in any way. “Caesar-” She started in a warning tone.

“Please.” Caesar cut her off. His voice was heavy and tired and sounded so sad at the same time. He turned to look at her, a frown marring his handsome face and his eyes pleading with her just as much as his voice was. “I know you’re angry at me for something, but I cannot make it up to you or apologize if you do not tell me what I did wrong. So..please..” He gave her wrist a gentle squeeze before letting it go. “Please tell me, Jojo. I don’t like seeing you upset. Please…”

Her wrist felt warm where he’d grabbed her, the feeling so similar to how he’d made her lips feel when he’d kissed her before. “……” She shook her head and kept walking towards her apartment. She kept quiet because she knew if she talked she’d end up crying and she didn’t want to do that in front of him.

“So now you won’t even speak to me?” Caesar asked her as she retreated. When she didn’t give him a reply, she heard him walking away and she was sure that was the end of it- “Jojo!” She, reluctantly, turned her head to glance in his direction and saw him standing just outside of the apartment’s property line across the street. He stood on a patch of greenway next to a metal bench under a streetlight and locked eyes with her- his tone as resolute and serious as the expression on his face. “Until you are willing to talk to me again, I will not move from this spot! I will be right here waiting for you whenever you are ready!” He folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the streetlight as if he was settling in for a long wait.

She sighed and rolled her eyes, but otherwise remained silent as she walked into her apartment complex’s lobby. She took the elevator up to her floor and looked out the window in her living room. From there, she had a perfect view of Caesar still standing in place under the street lamp.

“What an idiot…” She mumbled as she watched him shift his weight from one foot to another. “He’s just trying to prove a point.” She said to herself.

She knew she was right: Calling her constantly was one thing, but there’s no way he was serious enough to ACTUALLY stand out there 24/7. He was bluffing and Joseph was going to call him on it.

He’d give up eventually...

When Joseph got up the next morning to start her day, she went to the window in her living room to have a look at the weather. She saw some clouds in the sky, wind rustling the tree tops a little, Caesar standing across the street-

Wait, what?

She blinked and rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn’t seeing things, but, no, she was right the first time: Caesar was still standing in the same spot as last night and still seemed to be wearing the same light blue jeans and gray shirt as yesterday, suggesting that he hadn’t gone home last night.

Joseph almost allowed herself to be impressed before she quickly reeled it back in. “Hmph..what a show off..” She heard a familiar knock on the door and pried herself away from the window to it. “Hey, mom.” She said before the door was even half-way open.

Lisa Lisa looked up at her from over the rim of her usual sunglasses. “Jojo, do you mind telling me why one of my best students is standing outside looking like he hasn’t slept in over 24 hours?” She let herself in and walked to the window that Joseph was previously occupying.

Joseph shut the door and followed her with an irritated sigh. “Beats me. It’s a free country, after all- maybe he’s just exercising his civil liberties or whatever.”

“You two had a fight, didn’t you?” Damn it, she was always way too good at seeing through Joseph..

Joseph rolled her eyes. “No, it’s more like I’m not talking to him and he’s being a big baby about it.”

“Uh huh.” Her mother raised an eyebrow at her slightly. “And why, pray tell, are you not talking to him if you two didn’t have a fight?”

Joseph folded her arms and shrugged, not willing to give her mother an answer at the moment. “……”

Her mother huffed a short sigh and adjusted her sunglasses. “Fine, you don’t have to tell me.” She glanced back out the window one more time before walking back towards the door. However, she did stop once her hand was on the handle and spoke one more time without turning her head to look back at Joseph. “Be careful, Jojo..sometimes the things you choose not to say will haunt you more than the harsh words you let slip, and you may find yourself looking back and wishing you had the strength to speak up when you had the chance instead of having to hold those words in until it’s too late.”

Joseph frowned slightly at her mother’s words. She knew the story well, even if she’d had to grow up hearing it from her grandmother and her uncle instead of directly from her mother:

When Joseph was a baby, her parents had a fight. It wasn’t anything grand or disastrous, not anything worth ending a relationship over, but her mother was as stubborn as she was and refused to budge on the topic they were fighting over. Her father, deciding they both needed some time to calm down, went out to pick up a few things from the corner store. Unfortunately, he happened to be there during an armed robbery. He ended up getting shot while saving a little girl from being taken away as a hostage. By the time her mother got the call from the hospital, it was too late and her father was dead. Her mother struggled with depression for a while after that and Joseph spent her early years being raised by her grandmother and her uncle until her mother felt capable enough to take care of her again.

Joseph looked down at the ground, arms still crossed over her chest. “..Yeah..I got it, mom…”

Her mother left without another word. Once she was gone, Joseph looked back out the window at Caesar standing across the street.

He was just bluffing, she reminded herself.

He’d give up eventually..right…?

Eventually was certainly taking its sweet time, Joseph thought as she leaned against the wall by her window while sipping some hot tea from her favorite red and blue super hero themed mug.

The weather was terrible today and she really had no desire to go outside in it. It had been raining nonstop since three in the morning and it was now well into the evening. Most sane people, such as Joseph, were relaxing inside with hot beverages and lounging around in comfortable clothes like her green pajama bottoms and extra soft over-sized brown tee-shirt.

Then, she thought with annoyance, there were people like CAESAR who were stupid enough to be standing outside in pouring rain with a 28 degree wind chill.

It had been four days now that Caesar had been standing out there under that streetlight. Every morning he would be out there when Joseph woke up. Every day he’d be there, watching her expectantly whenever she left and came back. Then, every night, he would still be right there when she went to bed. Or, at least, that’s what it looked like.

Joseph wasn’t convinced that he would ACTUALLY do something so stupid. He had to leave at some point, right? She left occasionally on errands or to go to her dance troupe’s rehearsals, and of course she slept, so he had plenty of opportunities to sneak off somewhere without her knowing. He probably had a car parked nearby that he could sit down in and eat or sleep for a bit before she got back just so he could maintain the illusion of never leaving.

That’s what she wanted to believe, because accepting the idea that he’d been standing out there twenty-four hours a day for four days straight would mean that he…no, she reminded herself, that couldn’t be the case.

Still, he did look pretty bad standing out there. He was soaking wet, still wearing the same clothes from his first day out there. His hair hung damp and limp around his head and his headband and little feathered clips were so wet that they were practically plastered to his hair and skin. He had his arms folded around himself and was shivering pretty badly.

This would be what did him in, Joseph told herself. Caesar wasn’t that much of an idiot to stay out there in freezing rain in nothing but a tee-shirt and jeans. Any minute now he would stop playing this stupid little game and go home and-

And he was starting to sway on his feet. He had a distant, far off look in his eyes as his arms slowly started to lose the tension they had from his shivering.

Then, to Joseph’s horrified shock, Caesar fell over.

Her heart stopped in her chest as she watched Caesar sway before falling forward, his head impacting the black metal of the bench hard enough to bounce off of it in recoil before landing face down on the muddy ground.

“C..Caesar..” Joseph’s voice was tiny and afraid. Then, her heart started pounding again and her voice was louder once more. “Caesar!!” She took off like a shot out the door and down the stairs, jumping over several of them at a time to cut down on her time. She reached the ground floor in no time flat and sprinted out the lobby doors and across the street, not caring that she was barefoot and in her pajamas in the middle of a rain storm. She reached Caesar and knelt down, picking him up and turning him over in her arms to see his face. “Caesar?! Caesar, wake up!” Her stomach churned when she saw blood start seeping out from under his headband to become diluted by the rain that hit his unconscious face, his skin cold as ice. She held his weight easily in her arms as she ran back inside and up the stairs just as quickly as she had before. She reached the door of her mother’s apartment and knocked rapidly and desperately. “Mom! Mom, I need your help!!”

She looked down at Caesar’s bloody and unresponsive face with a feeling of panic. She remembered her mother’s words from a few days ago and prayed that it wasn’t too late to say what needed to be said.

“He’ll be alright after some rest.” Lisa Lisa said while standing up from the couch. “He will need to stay bundled up until his chill breaks. Just make sure he gets enough rest and plenty to eat and drink and he should be up and moving again in no time.”

Joseph’s sofa was a sectional with an extra-long lounge on one end that she often took naps on or laid on to comfortably read her comic books. That part of the sofa was now Caesar’s make-shift bed where he was lying on his back underneath every spare blanket that Joseph had at her disposal.

Joseph let out a relieved sigh and sat heavily on the opposite end of the couch. “Oh thank god…”

Lisa Lisa stood in front of Joseph and looked down at her with a stern expression. “You were lucky this time. Whatever is going on between the two of you, I suggest you try resolving it rather than challenging his resolve again.”

Joseph nodded and rubbed at the back of her neck, shrinking a bit under her mother’s piercing gaze. “I will mom. Promise.”

She meant it, too. She couldn’t live with herself if she pushed Caesar to do something stupid and crazy like that again…

Her mother nodded, apparently satisfied with her answer, and left without another word.

Once she was gone, Joseph looked across the couch at Caesar silently. “……”

She moved closer and gently ran the back of one finger down the side of his face. His skin was still cold, but it was slowly regaining some of its warmth. Now that she was looking at him up close, she could see little details she’d missed from the distance the window provided:

There were bags under his eyes, as if he hadn’t slept in days. When her mom had opened Caesar’s eyelids to examine his eyes properly, they were bloodshot. His hair was matted as if it had been unattended for days on end, his headband currently replaced with rows of bandages that were covering up the nasty bruise and slight gash on his head from where he hit the bench. And his clothes, which were currently drying over the shower curtain rod in her bathroom, on top of being completely soaked also had several days’ worth of mud and dirt on the pants.

‘Caesar..’ Joseph thought sadly as she moved her hand down to squeeze his own. ‘Why couldn’t you have let me be right? Why did you have to be such a show-offy, chivalrous bastard? Damn you..’

She squeezed his hand again, trying her hardest not to cry over what idiots both of them were.

Joseph distracted herself with cooking while waiting for Caesar to wake up. She was no gourmet-level chef, but she was a decent enough cook and could at least prepare some homemade soup (okay, mostly homemade- she was cheating a bit by using a pack of frozen pre-made tortellini’s, but seriously, who has time to make that stuff from scratch anyway?). He would need to get his strength back and she figured the hot soup would help warm him up.

Her attention was drawn away from the simmering pot of soup on the stove by a tired groan in the direction of the couch- her open concept living room and kitchen giving her a clear view of the sofa. “Caesar?” She turned down the heat on the stove top a little and walked over to check on him. His eyes were open slightly and he seemed dazed. “Hey, Caesar, can you hear me?” She asked while sitting next to him on the couch and reaching down to touch his face. Still a bit cold, but he didn’t feel like death’s leftovers anymore, so she counted that as a good sign.

He looked in her direction, his eyes widening and narrowing a few times as he blinked slowly to focus on her. “Jo..jo..?” His voice sounded gravelly and strained.

She gave him a small smile and touched his cheek tenderly. “Welcome back to the land of the living, Caesarino.”

She got up to get him a glass of water once it looked like he was going to stay awake. “W..Where..?”

He started coughing and Joseph rushed back over with the glass of water. “Hold on!” She sat beside him and helped him sit up enough that he could drink the water without choking on it. He drained the whole glass in one go but seemed to breathe easier after that, so Joseph helped him lay back down afterwards. “You’re in my apartment. How’re you feeling?”

Caesar turned on his side so he could face her while remaining under the blankets. “Tired..sore..and freezing..but alive..”

“Well, one out of four isn’t bad, I guess.” Joseph said jokingly while placing the glass on her coffee table. “Now that that’s out of the way..” She took a deep breath in through her nose before slamming her hands down on her legs to show how frustrated she was, her hands moving around animatedly as she spoke. “What the hell is wrong with you, you idiot?! Who the hell would be dumb enough to stand out in freezing rain all day?! Answer- YOU, damn it! I mean, HONESTLY- what were you trying to do, catch pneumonia?! Well, congratulations, ‘cause I’m pretty sure you’ve got it by now or are damn close to it!” In the middle of her ranting, she noticed that instead of looking mortified or embarrassed for his actions, the jerk was actually SMILING. “And what the hell are you smiling for, you feather-brained jerk?! You could’ve drowned in the mud if I didn’t go out and grab you!”

His answer was a smile that started out as simply content, but soon grew into a look of pure joy as he managed to wriggle one arm free of his blanket prison and found Joseph’s own hand nearby. He squeezed it gently with a soft smile. “You’re talking to me again.”

Joseph found herself blushing. Damn it, she still wanted to be angry and chew him out for being so stupid, but it was hard to be mad when she finally got to feel his hand on her skin again. “Yeah, well..” She looked away, her cheeks burning hot as she blushed more. “I figured you earned it by now..”

“Then it seems nearly drowning in a mud puddle was worth it.” He tried to sit up more, working his other arm out of the blankets in the process, but stopped when he realized he was no longer wearing his shirt. He looked down at himself and blinked slowly. “Jojo..am I-?”

Joseph quickly cut him off. “You’re not naked, don’t worry!” She blushed a little more and glanced away, remembering the sights she was treated to while helping her mom earlier. “Your clothes were soaked, so mom and I got them off of you- except for your underwear- and I loaned you a pair of my pajama pants.”

“I see.” He seemed appeased by her explanation, if a bit embarrassed. “Now, can we talk about-” He looked like he was about to ask for a conversation she wasn’t ready for, but Joseph was saved by the bell. Or, rather, Caesar’s loudly growling stomach making him look away uncomfortably. “Mie scuse..” He muttered as he released her hand. “It’s..been a while since I ate..”

Joseph grinned, thankful for the distraction, and stood up. “Well, lucky for you, I’ve got just what the doctor ordered.” After helping him into a proper seated position while making sure to keep the blankets around him as much as possible, Joseph returned to the stove and ladled the first batch of her soup into two bowls (hey, she was hungry from smelling it the whole time, only fair she got some too!). Then, for a little surprise, she pulled two eggs out of a nearby carton on the counter and cracked one on top of each piping hot bowl, allowing the steam and hot liquid to cook the eggs slowly. She garnished them with a quick grating of Parmigiano-Reggiano and grabbed two spoons before returning to the couch. “Here, just be careful ‘cause it’s still pretty hot.” She said while carefully handing off one bowl and spoon to Caesar and taking his glass to the tap to refill his drink before joining him on the couch again.

Caesar smiled gratefully and took the bowl. “Grazie.” He lifted the corner of the barely whitened egg curiously to peek at the yellowish broth and its fillings beneath and his eyes widened slightly. “Is..Is this..stracciatella??” He moved the contents around, looking at the shredded chicken, tortellini, and assorted greens with streaked broth.

Joseph grinned proudly as she poked the egg on top of her bowl with her spoon, allowing the still runny yolk to burst before mixing it all together with the chicken, tortellini, and various green vegetables in the soup. “Yep. My mom actually spent some time in Italy and picked up a few recipes. But, since I’m such a genius, I made this one my own by adding the extra egg on top and a couple drops of hot sauce to the broth. Go on, try it!” She said encouragingly before taking the first bite of her own soup. Damn, she loved that taste!

Caesar mimicked what she did with the egg then tried a bite curiously. “…?” His eyes grew wide as he chewed and he was staring at her by the time he was finished. “Dio mio…” He said softly, a tone of awe in his voice. “Penso di essere innamorato…” He then started scarfing down the contents of his bowl, barely taking the time to cool down each bite. Wow, guess he really was hungry.. “Is there any more?” He asked after emptying his bowl and drinking the broth down to the last drop while Joseph was still only halfway through with hers.

“Good to see someone appreciates my cooking- mom said I made it too spicy!” She joked as she grabbed his bowl and stood up from the couch. “And yeah, there’s plenty more, so help yourself.” She refilled his bowl and cracked another egg on top before plopping down next to him on the couch and resuming her own meal. “Geez..” She whistled as she watched him wolf down his food with as much enthusiasm as before. “Either I’m a better cook than I thought or you were practically starving.”

“Mh..it’s a bit of both, really..” He commented between bites, grabbing the glass of water that Joseph refilled for him a little while ago and draining half of it before eating some more. “This is probably the best stracciatella I’ve ever had..and I haven’t eaten in a few days, so-”

Joseph nearly spit out the broth in her mouth before looking at him in alarm. “A few DAYS?! What the hell, Caesar- you weren’t eating out there either?!”

“No.” He answered simply around a bite of food before swallowing it. “I had no way to get any food and I told you I wouldn’t leave that spot until you talked to me.”

“Yeah, I knew that part..” Joseph pointed her spoon at him with a frown. “But you still could have ordered something on your phone! Hell, I thought you had a car parked nearby and just went in there when I was asleep or something to sit down and eat- you know, like someone with a BRAIN would.”

“First of all,” He began as he finished the tortellini in his soup. “I do not own a car. Second, my phone died within a few hours of standing out there so I had no way to order take out. Third, I am a man of my word and when I say that I will do something, I see it through to the end. I told you I would wait there until you decided to talk to me again, and, though it did not go quite as I wanted it to, I kept that promise.” Having finished what he wanted to say, he brought his bowl to his lips and drank all of the broth like last time.

Joseph looked down at her soup, the bowl pretty much empty except for a couple of greens and a little broth. “……” She set her bowl and spoon down on the coffee table with a frown. “Why would you go that far? Seriously- you starved yourself, went days without sleep, stood in freezing rain to the point of making yourself sick..for what?”

Caesar set his own bowl and spoon down by hers and looked up at her. “What do you mean ‘for what’? I went through all of that for you- because I did not want to lose you.” He reached over and gently took her hand in his, holding onto it while lightly stroking the back of it with his thumb. “You are important to me, Jojo. It hurt me to know that I did something to upset you without realizing it and I decided that I would do whatever it took to win your trust again.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it sweetly. “I care very deeply for you, mia bellisima angela.”

Her cheeks flushed and she stared at him for a moment before looking back down, that nagging feeling at the back of her mind reminding her why she was upset in the first place. “Really? I didn’t think I was your type..”

Caesar tilted his head, looking honestly confused by her statement. “Why would you think that? I thought I made my intentions and feelings clear every day, so why on earth would you think that you’re NOT my type?”

Joseph’s frown turned into a mild scowl, but it was hard to be too angry when he was still holding her hand and stroking it with his thumb. “I thought you’d be more into cute little blond Italian girls..”

Caesar still looked confused. “Blond Italian…? What…?” He seemed like he was trying to piece together what she said. “But..the only blond Italian girl I know is Suzie Q..” He blinked as the pieces seemed to fall into place and looked at her in surprise. “Wait! You thought I was going out with SUZI?”

“Well, yeah, duh- you two totally looked like a couple sitting at that café and-” She jumped when Caesar started laughing like a madman and suddenly pulled her into a hug. “H-Hey! What the hell-?!”

“You thought I was dating SUZI! Of all people!” Caesar gasped for breath between his fits of laughter and only held her tighter when she tried to get away. “Hahaha! I-I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” He managed to gain some control of his laughter and looked her in the eyes again, his own eyes bright with amusement and grinning like he was just told the world’s most hilarious joke, but simultaneously had the weight of the world removed from his shoulders. “I was so worried..I thought I crossed a line when I kissed you and it made you uncomfortable..”

Joseph looked away from his bright, smiling face, feeling a bit embarrassed by the whole situation. “No..that..that was fine..I just..thought you had a girlfriend and I was just..well..” She shrugged, not really sure WHAT she thought she was to Caesar, but the thought of being anything like a side-piece frustrated her.

Caesar gently guided her face to look back at him, his smile softened in understanding now that he knew what was bothering her. “Suzi is an old friend from Italy. We grew up together- she’s practically a sister to me. We came to America at different times for different reasons, but we reconnected when we discovered we lived close by. She did me a favor recently, so I was treating her to lunch as a thank you.”

Joseph narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re serious? That’s all it was?” She didn’t feel like he was lying to her, and she wanted to believe him, but it was hard to doubt what she saw with her own eyes- or, rather, what she THOUGHT she saw…

“Yes. That’s all it was.” He responded, his smile and the look in his eyes tender and genuine as he moved one of his hands up to brush his fingers through her hair. “I told you I was having lunch with a friend, and that was the truth. I’m sorry you got the wrong idea when you saw us, but please believe me when I say that she really isn’t my type.”

Joseph gave him a deadpan look with a raised eyebrow. “A cute, short, blonde girl with big sparkly eyes and nice curves ISN’T your type?” That had to be nearly every guy’s dream!

Caesar chuckled and shook his head. “While she is cute, I stand by what I said- she isn’t my type. For starters-” He twined a lock of her hair around his finger for emphasis as he spoke. “I prefer brunettes over blondes when it comes to women.”

Joseph felt her cheeks heat up at that and glanced away. “Most guys prefer girls that are shorter than them…”

Caesar slid his hand down to trace along her cheek and jaw. “I don’t mind dating a girl that’s taller than me- it just means I get to look up and see her gorgeous face more often.”

Her heart was beating rapidly and it felt like even her ears were burning. “Most guys like girls with big boobs like hers..”

Caesar shrugged slightly as he looked her over. “While breasts are nice, they are not my favorite part of a woman..” His eyes traveled down below her waist and he had a seductive smile on his face as he eyed her long, muscular legs. “If I’m being honest, I’m more of a leg man..I like women with good, strong legs that I can feel wrapping around me in certain..situations..” The implication was not lost on Joseph.

“……” She leaned forward and buried her face against his blanket covered chest, mumbling something that was swallowed by the multiple layers of fabric.

“Hm? I’m afraid I cannot hear you down there, signora.” He teased lightly while patting her head.

She turned her head to the side, her voice quiet as she spoke a little more clearly. “Most guys prefer girls that are..y’know..cute…”

Caesar’s smile softened again and he gently lifted her face so they were looking into each other’s eyes once more, though they were physically much closer than they were last time. “I know. Cute girls are fun, but the thing I love in a woman above all else is PASSION. I love strong, passionate women who do not care about what others think of them and are not afraid to show the world who they really are.” Both of his hands rose to cup her face, his touch giving her that warm, tingling feeling again coupled with something else..it felt almost..safe..like he was protecting her from anything- people, public view points, her own thoughts- anything that could harm her in any way at all. “For quite a while now, there has only been one woman in my life that has managed to catch my eye: She’s a strong, passionate, gorgeous brunette. She has a bit of a temper, as well as a mischievous streak, but she’s also intelligent and sweet when she feels like it. She can go on for hours about her favorite comic books and movies, but I enjoy listening to her talk with such enthusiasm. She’s the most amazing dancer I have ever had the pleasure of sharing a dance with and certainly has a nice pair of legs to show for it.” He winked at that last remark, making her snort and try to hold back a laugh. His thumbs stroked along her cheek bones tenderly as he pressed his forehead against hers, gazing into her eyes. “Also, despite what anyone thinks, she IS cute.”

Joseph chuckled and finally moved to wrap her own arms around him. “Well, I almost thought you were talking about ME, but I’m not cute. Beautiful and gorgeous with a sexy pair of legs, hell yeah- but not cute.”

Caesar rolled his eyes and lightly pinched at one of her cheeks. “You ARE cute, Jojo. You walk around in comic book themed shirts and wear flowers in your hair when you dance. Also, the way you smile when you blush is the cutest thing I have EVER seen.” When she grinned and looked away with red cheeks, Caesar kissed her flushed cheek with a grin. “See? Cute.”

Joseph was blushing, but she still couldn’t stop the grin practically splitting her face. “You really find a six and a half foot tall girl with a muscular chest, who doesn’t wear make-up, and can easily lock you in a full-nelson cute?”

“Yes. I do.” Caesar said while planting another kiss on her cheek, causing her heart to flutter. “And, if that lady is interested- I would like to take her out on a date before anyone else figures out that she is single and steals her away from me.”

“Weeeeellll…” Joseph tilted her head away like she was thinking. “I suppose she MIGHT be free this Saturday.”

“Then I will be waiting for her with high hopes.” He said smoothly before placing a sweet kiss to the corner of her mouth the same way he did that night before this whole mess began.

The difference this time, though, was that Joseph was able to react despite the fluttering feeling in her chest. This time, she bravely shifted her head to the side and lined her lips up with his and kissed him back. “Mh..!”

“Hmh..?” Caesar seemed surprised by her enthusiasm and initiative, but he still tilted his head to kiss her back properly.

It was her first kiss, and she prayed it didn’t show too much. She worried that she was being too rough or too stiff. How long was she supposed to hold her breath again? Regardless of her own uncertainty in the act, she knew that she still LIKED it. Kissing Caesar was amazing- his lips were as warm as his hands and sent just as many pleasant feelings tingling through her body and she honestly didn’t want to stop.

Unfortunately, air was still a necessity for her and she ended up having to pull away and catch her breath. “Th-There..” She panted out. “Couldn’t let you have..have all the fun, Casanova..”

Caesar chuckled in amusement and held her close to him. “I have absolutely no problem at all with this.” He kissed her forehead before laying back on the couch with her in his arms.

Joseph snuggled against him happily, enjoying the feeling of just lying wrapped up in Caesar’s loving embrace. She was so glad she didn’t ruin her chances with him by being an idiot. She wouldn’t make that mistake ever again- from now on, for better or worse, she was going to speak whatever was on her mind. She couldn’t stand the thought of losing Caesar again, for any reason.

‘I’ll do things right this time.’ She thought while closing her eyes and relaxing in Caesar’s arms. ‘I’m gonna sweep this Casanova off his feet!’

She couldn’t wait for their date on Saturday.

<-Part 1 Next Story->

-From the Beginning-