14 */*/*

Dio always liked to sleep in. It was a luxury the poor could never afford, so he associated his habit with wealth. Especially after nights he consumed too much alcohol, he loved to wake at noon, knowing nobody would have a bad word about it. As a vampire, he no longer needs sleep like humans do, but he can still sink into a torpor during daytimes that helps him to regenerate even without consuming blood. It's sometimes voluntary - he can choose to stay awake most of the time, but on some occasions it just takes him over, like sleep does with exhausted mortals. When he has a lot of healing to do - as it was after he took Straizo's body and now, after the fight with this cursed man of the pillar, he loses awareness of his surroundings. It doesn't give him the pleasant, lazy feeling that waking from deep sleep used to. He loses consciousness, becoming unaware of what is happening around him for the time being. He hates it, as it makes him vulnerable.

Jojo either suspects his condition, or he is simply lucky. It doesn't really matter why, but he manages to crawl out from under him at one point of the day and destroys the remaining stone masks without him waking.

Dio stares down at the pile of dust with a sour expression.

"This is for the best," Jojo tries to convince him of his highly subjective opinion. "You have seen how the pillar-man only created the masks to feed on humans who have used them. I think this is what this place was built for too. This creature was probably a divine being to the people who used to habitat this area. Have you seen all those cravings in the stone on the way down here? I think some priests used the stone masks on the chosen victims, and then their "god" fed on them. What a twisted existence, isn't it? And we can only hope there are no other creatures like him, sleeping somewhere, protected by ancient stone…"

He trails off when Dio just shrugs, prodding the grey pile of dirt and pebbles with the toe of his boot. At a different time, he may find Jojo's ramblings interesting, but right now he is only disappointed. He had grand plans with those masks. He wanted to use them on Jonathan.

He takes his time for sulking, until it becomes evident he can't make Jojo apologize for what he did. He misses the good old times, when he could still manipulate the Joestar.

"Did this pillar-man also turn into dust?" he asks at long last.

"Not entirely, no. Do you want to see what remained of him?" Jojo makes a vague gesture towards the dark clearing. Dio nods, and follows him outside.

Jonathan's Hamon destroyed most of the creature. But just as Dio managed, with beheading himself, to avoid being completely destroyed, it also partially survived. A head, an arm, part of the torso - the piece that has tried to crawl up into Jonathan doesn't look human at all any longer. It appears to be part of the ruins rather, like a very ancient piece of stone, a bit of a broken statue. It is charred and deformed, yet…

"Is it still alive?"

"I'm not sure," Jojo says, crouching down next to it in the flickering light of his torch. "I don't feel any threatening presence coming from it any longer, but… I don't think it is completely destroyed. I tried to break it apart, but if it still has some life, it is shielding itself from Hamon just as well as the Sun."

Dio touches the remnants carefully. He is immediately sure that the creature is not yet destroyed - he can feel it pulling him inside, even though it doesn't have the irresistible force it used to have any longer. Given time - thousands of years maybe, but this thing definitely doesn't need to concern itself with even millenniums passing - it would recover. Although Dio has casted away his own humanity, this persistent existence frightens him. This pillar-man is more than he can ever become. He is a being that was born immortal, he was never human, he never had to fear age and death.

"Let's try what worked previously as well. My frost and your Ripple," Dio suggests quietly, not taking his eyes off the creature. He is startled when Jojo puts his heavy, warm hand gently on his shoulder. He looks at him quizzically and the Joestar smiles at him, nodding in encouragement and Dio finds himself smiling back without thinking.

He kneels down, to focus his vampiric powers into it the stone-like remnants, and keeps channeling it until he can be sure not only the hardened skin becomes chilly with frost, but that the cold entered into the deepest part of it too. He jumps back and with him out of the way, Jojo smashes down his fist, Hamon blazing around his skin.

Cracks appear on the creature's dark surface. They become wider and wider until their network takes over the whole thing. Expecting an explosion, Dio is almost disappointed when it quietly collapses into pebbles and dust. He kicks it apart with his feet, watching as the gentle breeze carries the microscopic pieces away.

"Good job," he pats Jojo's thick arm, and the tall man smiles at him again, this time rather awkwardly. The vampire doesn't miss how those blue eyes flicker to his lips for a barest of moment before jumping away guiltily. He doesn't even try to hide his smirk. This trip to Mexico is proving to be interesting in more than one way.

Their travel back to the nearest village is a slow one. Jojo has quite a few lingering wounds from the battle - although Hamon apparently helps him to heal faster, he is heavily limping from the scar the pillar-man left on his leg. He also has a barely closed gash on his chest, and smaller cuts and bruises practically everywhere. They descend from the mountain together, during the nights. They talk a lot, but Jojo doesn't bring up any sensitive topics - the death of Straizo, Dio's feeding habits, stone masks - rather just muses about the pillar-man, where it could come from, what he read about ancient Aztec people and their once flowering culture, about the mountains and the jungle, the folks in Mexico. Dio rolls with it. Once they are back to civilization, this illusionary companionship is bound to disappear, but for the time being he is entertained by pretending it is real. They play that they came here to save the world in their free time, and now that they are done, they can just leave and be back at home by the time the afternoon tea is ready. Dio finds it ridiculous, but he doesn't feel like shattering this illusionary of peace just yet.

They find shelter before dawn break every day. On the journey up the hill, Dio often just buried himself deep underground to protect himself from the sunlight, but as Jonathan actually needs air to breath, that won't do on the way back. They have to search for caves or burrows and that delays them further, but Jojo doesn't seem to mind this idling either.

Dio mostly spends the daytime drowsing. Jojo also gets his rest, although deep sleep seems to avoid him - he jerks awake every time Dio so much as shifts to a more comfortable position. It would be difficult to blame him for being cautious around him. Yet it is irritating, so he figures out a nice way to keep him put.

On one morning, after they found their hiding place, he sits down so close to Jojo that their thighs touch. The Joestar was relaxing with his back against the cave wall, but with Dio invading his personal space so, he tenses up.

The vampire doesn't say world, pretending there's nothing to question in his action. He makes a show of yawning and stretching before he finally lays his head on the other's wide shoulders with a satisfied sigh. Jonathan is still for a long time, and Dio holds his breath, waiting for Jojo to make his move. He seems uncomfortable, yet he doesn't protest or try to pull away. After a while his pose loosens, his breath becoming deep and slow. When his head lolls to the side, resting against Dio's hair, the vampire feels victorious.

Next day Dio goes further. After Jonathan found his comfortable position, he lays down next to him, resting his head against one muscled thigh. He hopes that the big oaf will be too baffled to say or do anything, but after a few minutes he feels thick, calloused, warm fingers pulling his hair out from his face with surprising gentleness.

"Dio, what are you doing?" Jojo whispers.

"Getting my much-deserved rest," he replies with a straight face. "What does it look like for you?"

"When I start to think that I understand you," Jonathan muses, "you prove to me how wrong I am." He moves those delightful fingers in a way Dio can easily take as a caress. With a content sigh, the vampire shifts to his side, trying to hide his smirk.

"I would do a very poor job, if you could understand me so easily," he mumbles.

There's no reply from Jojo, but when he glances up at his face, he can see him smiling with his eyes closed.

The following night they reach the village. Dio hides for the day while Jojo goes to arrange their transportation, buys new clothes and takes a very needed bath.

Their travel becomes a lot faster after that, but unfortunately it also becomes free of body contact.

As Dio lies in his uncomfortable, hard, narrow, but light-proof crate, lurching first on a horse carriage and later, on the train that takes them back to America, he has nothing else to occupy himself with but to think about the unavoidable question - what to do with Jojo?

Although he is fairly satisfied with his new body, his plan to take Jonathan's is still tempting. Straizo's is similar in height and build as his own was, but he can't shake the notion he would only feel really complete if he claimed Jojo's body. He is convinced that is what their destinies are leading them for.

On the other hand… Jonathan's body is quite tempting with his head remaining at its place as well. Dio found him quite attractive ever since their adolescence, but he never thought that attraction was more than an additional inconvenience, one more reason to get rid of Jojo. He didn't need any distractions in achieving his goals, to get the Joestar fortune, to live the comfortable, wealthy life he had all rights to live.

However, those goals have changed after he discarded his humanity. He wanted to make Jojo his servant, he wanted to kill him, take his revenge.

It is maybe natural for his plans concerning Jojo to evolve again. The more he thinks about it, the more alluring the idea becomes to take him as a lover. He can shift back to his original plan of eliminating him after he had his fun, after all. That's a comforting thought, even if deep down he knows he will never get back to that stage.

The question for now is how open Jojo will be for the idea of them becoming lovers? As far as Dio knows, the man is still a virgin. He's never given cause for suspicion of him having any kind of affair - not even with women, although he had to know there were enough volunteers. Not even with a maid, who would have never dared to say no. The devil knows, maybe he feels no desire at all, or represses them on the foolish notion of them being ungentlemanly.

He also can't ignore that he doesn't know what Jojo plans with him. He surely doesn't want to let him roam free - but Dio has no intention of letting himself be locked up again. This trip in this cursed box is bad enough.

He must make best of the silly sense of responsibility Jojo apparently feels for him. He needs to wrap him around his fingers. He needs to make him trust him - which will be the most problematic. Jojo, despite his naivety, knows him better than anyone ever did. Lucky thing that he has no doubts about his own ability to be charming.

15 */*/*

Back in New York, a letter from Erina, and two from Speedwagon awaits Jojo at the postal office. The joy of receiving them makes him forget his anxiety over Dio for a while, and he excitedly reads through them.

He misses them. As a child, he never knew how to make friends. If he met with boys of his social status, they just seemed so cold and distant to him, all proper manners in front of the adults, and cruel rivalry when they were among themselves. With the local kids, he couldn't get along any better either. He poured all his love on Danny and later, on Erina. He cherished the memory of those two friendships, the bright moments of his childhood.

He lost Danny for good, but he got Erina back, at least to a degree, and he is so happy to read her neat lines. She tells him of her life, the books she read recently, the last play she saw in theatre, about how glad he is for Robert to keep him company. Jojo muses over the use of Speedwagon's first name, but decides he hardly has any business questioning it. He wishes he could be more honest with her - but he is determined not to endanger her or involve her by any means in his business concerning Dio. It saddens him that probably they could never really be close again, because he does care for her, and he thinks she cares for him too.

Speedwagon's letters are messy, full of crossed out Mr. Joestars corrected to Jojos. They make him smile. As expected, his friend is absolutely shocked by Straizo's death, very concerned about his trip to Mexico, what he might find there and what Dio may do to him. Jonathan gets pen and paper to tell him how the journey went, their discovery of the pillar-man and that he is keeping Dio under control, so there's no need to worry about him.

He wishes the last was actually true.

They arrived back to the city last night, and they marked the occasion with having a huge row. He gave an ultimatum to Dio, telling him he can only let him go free if he controls his urge to kill. Because, he said, trying to be reasonable, he knows what Dio committed in the past, but he is willing to assume he can change. If Dio can't promise him that he won't hurt anyone, he needs to keep him locked. And if he actually commits murder again, Jojo has no other choice but to destroy him, as he destroyed the pillar-man.

It went as well as Jojo could realistically expect it to go well. The only reason the argument didn't end in bloodshed was that Dio disappeared through the window before he could grab him.

He doesn't tell Speedwagon about that in his letter though. There is really no need to concern him, so he just scribbles down cheerful little half-truths and feels terrible about it.

He walks the streets aimlessly after he finishes at the post office. New York is just as hostile and alien to him as London was. Huge buildings, even huger crowds, grime and constant noise. He tried to convince Dio to move to the countryside, but he took that as an offence too, calling Jojo a hopeless, boring country boy. Does he really enjoy this place, or does he only want to stay as it provides him with an unlimited territory to hunt his preys and make Jojo's job of locating and stopping him close to impossible?

Is he ready to destroy Dio if it comes to it, he wonders. He should be. It looks like this is how far they can get: sharing a short adventure as companions before going back to being fated enemies. He is probably the only one who can stop Dio from committing further evil deeds, and he is a horrible person for hesitating to do what he needs to.

Yet, despite vowing his down-to-earth resolutions on how he won't hesitate to clash with and win over Dio again, he can't find any inner peace. Sleep avoids him, so he stays up at night, trying to immerse in a book while he really only waits for the other man to show up.

It is over midnight when he feels Dio's presence, and he doesn't think twice about rushing to window and opening it wide. The vampire steps in as normal people would enter through a door, not bothering with any by-your-leaves.

"We need to settle some rules," he says as a greeting, leaning against the window frame with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"I agree," Jojo nods, trying to mask his relief over the visit.

"So... here's my offer - you stop your sniffing after my business, and I won't hurt you. After our little trip to Mexico, we can say we are even on all accounts."

"Dio…" Jonathan sighs, sitting down on the edge of the bed, rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly. He feels ridiculous for his high hopes, expecting his adoptive brother to give up his ways of evil.

"Then what do you want, Jojo?" the blond snaps.

"Promise me that you won't create any zombies and other… things of the night."

"I had my castle and army… they didn't prove to be useful or even particularly entertaining."

"What kind of an answer is that?!" his patience reaching its end, Jojo jumps to his feet and strides up to Dio. The shorter man pulls himself straight, but the Joestar still has an inch or two on him. Straizo was about the same built as the vampire, but somewhat shorter, so he towers more over Dio now than he used to. The remainder of the Hamon-user's fate is just oil to the fire of his anger. Why is he liaising with such a creature still, after all that he committed? He slams his fist against the wall next to the blond's head. Those yellowish eyes narrow, staring at him. Jojo can't read the emotions in them. "Promise me, Dio. Let me believe your world means anything at all, and promise me. Promise me!"

"I don't need to give you any kind of promises, Jojo!" he can spit his nickname like no one else ever did, full of contempt, spite, taunting.

"Yes, you do, Dio," he grabs the front of the other's shirt and lifts him off, until his feet no longer touch the ground. This happened before, he thinks. When he accused him to be poisoning his father. He was proven right then, yet Dio managed to soften him again and again. Just as it happened back in the mansion on that night, Dio can't mask his flicker of uncertainty and surprise fast enough now either. "Because if you don't, I'll kill you again, and make sure there's no way back for you this time. You'll promise me that you stop playing a dark god, creating twisted life and expecting adoration. You'll also promise you'll stop killing people, for your amusement, or to fulfill your lust for blood. And the lord help me Dio, if you don't keep yourself to your promise, there will be no more mercy for you."

He lets him go, but doesn't step back. He takes no joy or amusement in seeing Dio's face twist with his internal struggle. He just wants to hear him speak those words.

"Jojo, you…"

"Promise, Dio, and make sure I believe it."

There is a moment where he thinks the vampire may cry and he can only hope he won't. Even if he knows tears are only a tool for the blond, he is helpless against them. Dio used his crocodile tears to throw him off balance more than once. He could make him feel guilty, make him believe in Dio's innocence despite all the signs pointing otherwise. And at least twice, drawing a knife followed those tears, as if the blond wanted to eliminate him for seeing his weakness. Maybe those times the tears were indeed real.

"And if I do, Jojo, what will happen?" he asks on a quiet voice. "I am what I am. I'm no longer human, on my own choice. If I don't consume blood, I'll suffer. I can get on by without only for so long. If I'm injured, my body won't heal itself on its own. If I'm hungry, should I starve?"

"I'll help you!" Jonathan exclaims. "Maybe we can even find another way for you to live. And if we find no solution… you can feed on my blood, rather than killing strangers."

"How very generous of you," Dio smirks. He raises his hand, placing cold fingers on his neck. It's a threat, Jojo is not so stupid to misunderstand it. He grabs his wrist. He could crush his bones. He could melt through skin and flesh with his Hamon. He sees that Dio also understands this.

"So, what do you say? Will you work with me? Or will we become enemies again?"

"Do I have a choice?" he cocks his head to the side. His blond locks fall in front of his eyes. Jojo wants to smooth them out but resists the urge. This is not the right time to show any tenderness.

"We always have a choice."

"We can give it a try I guess, before you try to kill me again."

Suddenly overcome with joy, Jojo hugs him. For a moment Dio is stiff in his arms with surprise, before he raises his arms around him as well. They stand like that just long enough for Jonathan to start to feel awkward.

He can't say why peace - or at least ceasefire - with Dio is so important to him. Right now, he only knows that holding Dio like this fills him with peace and he wouldn't mind never letting him go. Still, when the blond shifts, he immediately takes his arms off from around him, flushing with embarrassment. But the other man doesn't step back, just slides his hand up on his shoulder, neck, into his hair. He twists his fingers in his locks quite painfully, but before Jojo could object, he is pulling his head down and kissing him.

Forgetting any reservation for the moment, he kisses back.

That rather one-sided kiss in the ruins, those touches they shared on the journey back has been bothering him. He's never really known how to bring the topic up. He wasn't sure if he was just reading too much into the whole thing. Maybe Dio didn't mean anything by them and he'd seen horribly obtrusive with implying something intimate happened.

But he can no longer fool himself with that. This kiss is definitely not innocent and Dio definitely means something by it. Jojo has no experience in this matter, and no basis for comparison, but he can still tell this is not a chaste peck on the lips, that adopted brothers turned deadly enemies turned strange comrades happen to share in emotional moments.

Not to mention his own reactions to it are not innocent at all either. There is a tight ball of heat growing in his abdomen, booming out into his chest, cheeks, down to his groin. He wants to pick up Dio, carry him to the bed and… and…

He is probably red as a tomato in the face when he steps back, totally confused and embarrassed by his own desires. Dio, on the other hand, appears cool and collected. And irritatingly smug.

"Jojo," this time his nickname is a purr.

"Uhh, Dio... we need to talk about this as well…"

16 */*/*

"There's really no need to talk any longer, Jojo."

"But Dio…!"

Not interested in the end of that sentence - and it doesn't appear as if Jonathan knows what he wants to say anyway - Dio closes that unnecessary step of space between them, until they are chest by chest, the heat from Jojo's body warming up him too.

He is very pleased with how those blue eyes fix on his lips. He licks them, just for show. Jojo gulps.

When he ended up in front of the inn earlier tonight, he had no idea what he wanted to do. His feet just carried him here, and when Jojo opened the window to let him in, he climbed up without thinking through why he's doing it. He definitely had no intention of making silly promises he didn't really want to keep, or even bother with pretend to keep them. He disliked to do anything without a gain, so these impulsive reactions were frightening. But the longing to take one last look at Jojo as his comrade, as a friend even, before going back to their usual hostile ways, before accepting him as his archenemy again, was irresistible.

Jonathan, simple as he plays to be, can surprise him and make him act ways he never entertained acting. He can even make Dio accept some sacrifices to be able to remain on good terms. It is only fair payback to see him so unnerved now, unsure in this situation which is obviously so new to him.

It is just time to see if this new body can give and feel pleasure as well as the old could, Dio thinks. It is certainly warming up with the closeness of the other man.

He kisses Jojo again, softly first, then more demanding, until it becomes all tongue and teeth. Strong arms raise up around him again, pulling him close. Standing here in his embrace, lips on lips is arousing enough, but it's not enough. Dio wants more and he will have it.

He pushes on Jojo's shoulders, until he gets his message and moves back towards the bed. When they reach it, he gives a harder shove, signaling that he should sit down. After just the slightest hesitation, Jonathan does so, and Dio straddles his thighs in a smooth motion, not giving him time to protest.

"Uhm, Dio… What are we doing?" Jojo's voice is hoarse with arousal, and that excites the vampire just as much as their closeness. Such a stupid question, though. He pulls back slightly, blinking down at the dark-haired idiot.

"Surely you have some idea at least?"

"No, I'm…. I mean of course I… that's not what I meant! This is - we shouldn't be doing something like this. Why are we doing this?"

There are many answers to that. They are doing this because Dio has wanted to do this, and much more, ever since Jojo's rugby attire has started to look ridiculously smug on his chest and thighs. Because they should have done this years ago. If he seduced Jojo in their adolescence, he could have made sure to have him wrapped around his fingers, making their teenage years so much easier and pleasurable. Because Jojo is, has always been, annoyingly resistant to his charms and maybe exactly because of that, Dio has wanted to have his undivided attention more than anyone else's. Because now that he finally has it, he won't let it go, ever. He will make sure that Jojo is his and only his. He wants to consume Jojo. He wants Jojo to drag him in and keep him inside that frightening heat of love that Dio doesn't understand at all, but still yearns for it. They are doing this as it is what they are destined to do, what their fates, their blood, their bodies and hearts tell them to do.

"We are two halves of one," he whispers on a quiet voice he hardly recognizes as his own. "Our destiny is so intertwined - why this should be an exception?"

He frowns at his own words. This is only one aspect of the insanely complex reasons why he wants to touch Jojo's naked skin, wants to hold him in his arms, wants to kiss him, have sex with him. However, it is the most important reason. The truth, some might call it, and that is rather unnerving. He never needed truthful confessions to simply fuck.

His words make Jojo smile softy. Isn't it typical that something that unnerves one of them will make the other comfortable? Yet, he is not as bothered as he should be and he doesn't have the time to mull over it either.

This time it is Jonathan who kisses him. Dio leans against him, and the Joestar lies back,

until they both end up sprawled on the bed. They still have their clothes and shoes on, but Dio doesn't want to risk Jojo changing his mind with giving him time to think.

It's messy, as if they are two randy teenagers going at it, quickly in secret, before they are found out at doing something so sinful. Dio wouldn't mind showing his skills off more - surely it wouldn't take much to impress Jojo - but he is hold so close, and he's not inclined to move out from the warm and secure place he ended up at, back against the wall and front against Jonathan's board chest, as if he is protecting him from the world outside the bed.

It's all kisses and caresses, and Dio manages to be rid of his shoes only, kicking them off his feet. He tries to get at least Jonathan out of his clothes, but that's not an easy task, given how many annoying layers the man wears. Coat, vest, shirt, undershirt… he must be getting quite warm, if the redness spreading on his face and downwards his neck is any indication. Dio smirks, leaning in to lick the tender skin above his collarbone, feeling the Joestar's quickening pulse on his lips. Was it really just a few months ago, when he had his fingers on this artery, ready to make Jojo bleed, ready to turn him into a zombie, ready to kill him? It feels like a different lifetime. So much has happened since then. Maybe Jojo is right, and indeed, he is not immune to changes.

He doesn't want to hurt Jojo right now at all. No, he only things he wants is to hear him moan his name in pleasure, wants his eyes cloud up in lust, wants him to crave Dio's touch. With little patience, he peels some clothes off from him, the silly tie, annoying coat, inexplicably pink vest. Where he leads, Jojo follows, opening up buttons on Dio's shirt while the blond tears off his, mimicking his caresses, his kisses on a slower and gentler rate. His touch is far from confident or knowing, but he aims to please, and that is more than Dio can say about most of his past lovers.

When he reaches to untie his fly, Jojo blushes an even deeper shade of red, but doesn't try to stop him.

Seeing him in snug rugby attire and changing out of it after matches and practices has left Dio with some idea of what to expect. He wasn't aroused at those times, however. As Dio draws that hard cock out through his open fly and slit on his underpants, he can't help but be impressed by its side.

Jojo's blue eyes follow his movements, opened wide with wonder and embarrassment. His child-like, innocent expression is such a contrast with his masculine body and large, erect member that Dio almost starts to laugh.

They are not in the most comfortable position for this, lying on their sides, facing each other. Dio considers rolling Jojo on his back and climbing on top of him, to take proper control. The idea slips away however when the Joestar reaches to untie his trousers as well. He bits his lips as his fingers slide down on Dio's cock. The blond wants to open his head up to look inside and read what's going on in his mind. Are all those straight-laced disciplines George, that old geezer beat into him, fighting with the lust he feels? Is he trying to decide what is a more gentlemanly thing to do, stopping before things get too far or going through with it? Does he consider sinning an affordable price to keep Dio pacified, or is his desire too consuming to allow him to think straight? It doesn't matter he decides at last. He has Jojo where he wants to have him, and will keep him there. Everything else is irrelevant.

Dio closes his fingers more firmly around the base of that thick prick and starts to jerk Jojo off. Blue eyes flutter close and he utters soft moans when Dio rubs his thumb against the slit on the head. He does it again, just to hear that sound.

When Jonathan gets his senses back enough to reciprocate, Dio adjusts his hold and guides his hand to work on him as pleasing as it can get in their awkward position.

They could be doing more, a lot more than a messy handjob, like two schoolboys in the locker room. Still, Dio finds he doesn't mind just lying on his side this time, stroking Jojo's cock, and watching his reactions closely. When Jojo notices his intense gaze he shifts, burying his face in the crook of his neck. That is all right as well. He closes his eyes too and concentrates on giving and receiving pleasure only, listening to Jonathan's quiet moans.

Jojo makes small, probably unconscious thrusts against his hip, one hand on Dio's erection, the other on his back, keeping him close. That large hand feels warm and protective. He feels safe under it, and what a ridiculous notion that is considering what they are doing.

For a fleeting moment Dio regrets it's not his own body receiving this treatment, but he chases the thought away. For all intents and purposes, this is now his body.

He combs his fingers through dark, thick hair, grabbing it none-too gently, as he starts to move against the other's palm more roughly. His lover does the same and soon Dio is throwing his leg over Jojo's thighs, driven by the simple urge to get closer, closer, as close as possible. They lose all finesse now, they are nothing but a writhing mass of bodies and limbs and pricks rubbing together, giving and taking pleasure, looking for their mutual satisfaction. Jonathan is sweating, his skin is hot and damp against Dio's coolness. He is panting, gasping his name, muscles flexing as he nears his peak.

It doesn't take him long to topple over the edge. Considering this is probably the first time he had another person's hand around his dick it's no surprise. He utters Dio...oh, Dio, and the vampire feels his warm spunk hitting his stomach, messing up their rumpled, wet with Jojo's perspiration shirts and trousers even more.

What he is not expecting is that seeing Jonathan on the peak of his passion will trigger his own release too. He doubles over the palm on his cock, thrusts into the other's grip deeply once, twice... and is coming as well, orgasms shaking his body with unexpected force.

For a minute or two neither of them moves, until Jojo's breath and pulse starts to slow down towards normal and Dio's vision is no longer bright white.

Well… this was far under his normal performance, but it's not as if Jonathan has any basis for comparison. Dio risks a side glance at him, from under lowered lashes. He looks pretty happy, with a silly smile on his lips. Dio rolls onto his stomach and kisses them possessively. Jojo pulls him close, right into the sticky mess they left on their chests and abdomens, but he doesn't object.

Soon after, Jojo falls into slumber. The vampire watches him. He is so vulnerable like this - he could do whatever he wants with him. But he doesn't take this opportunity. There's so much more he wants to do with this fool still. He learned some patience - or maybe it's just curiosity to see where this strange relationship will lead. He has no need to rush anything. He has all the time of the world.

17 */*/*

"It was pleasure doing business with you, sir," the estate agent shakes his hand, and then leaves him alone in the house. His new home. Their new home.

It is a modest house - certainly nothing like the old Joestar manor was - but it still took pretty much all his savings left. He was never good with money - he just never had to deal with it, never had to think twice if he had enough. Frankly, he is lost when it's about finances. He hopes that the investments Speedwagon assured him are good choices will indeed prove to be that. He is lucky that his friend offered him help, as otherwise he might be in trouble soon. All these travels, the rooms rented at inns, all the expenses, all the times he didn't notice that he was overcharged took a toll on his wallet.

He is fortunate that his friend can help him. Speedwagon, although only a few years his senior, has so much more experience and common sense than him. Jonathan wouldn't mind finding a job, but who would hire him? English nobleman with vast experience in fighting supernatural beings looking for a living.

He chuckles. Money is a serious matter, but he just can't make himself concerned about it right now.

Things are turning out so well with Dio. Better than he ever dared to dream for. The blond agreed to work together with him, to set up a living without harming people, a modest, quiet life. Jojo's head is not so much in the clouds to forget; he needs to keep an eye on the vampire as he will try to sneak out from keeping his word, but he doesn't mind that. It is pleasant to be in his company, to talk with him, play chess - even though he never manages to beat Dio. And other things they started to do recently are pleasurable as well.

Jonathan is well aware that such a relationship is frowned upon between two men, by society and by the church, but truth to be told, he doesn't care. Their history is too complex to be judged by an outsider. Starting from that fateful day they met in their childhood, all the evil Dio committed but Jojo has forgiven, the danger the vampire means to the world with his inhuman powers and dark will, and the way they both know that Jojo can still stop him create such a chaotic story. How could anyone, who's not living in it as Jojo does, judge if this new aspect of their relationship should be accepted or banned.

Least of Jojo's concern is whether having sex with Dio is right or wrong. No, this is not something he ever thought of doing before, but he also never thought his father would die from a knife Dio meant for him, that their home would burn down to ashes, that Dio would turn into a vampire leaving nobody but Jojo to defeat him, then travel to America with his still living head, that they would fight a strong, ancient creature together, and then buy a home just outside of New York.

People could find any part of their recent life or their history sinful. Jojo only knows and cares that being close to Dio feels good and feels right. Somehow that is enough.

He thinks this is love. Wanting to be with someone despite how anyone else would tell him he's out of his mind. Maybe it is fate. Probably both.

He whistles a merry, if off tune melody to himself as he goes to check Dio's room. The estate guy probably had stranger requests from customers than having a windowless room in the cellar comfortably furnished, as he didn't bat an eye. Jojo makes a mental note that he'll need to make sure that the maid won't go in to clean, as when Dio sleeps during the daytime, he doesn't look alive at all.

Despite the lack of any natural light, the room looks welcoming enough. A comfortable bed, table with chair, cabinets. He hopes Dio will like it.

His own bedroom is furnished similarly, although the bed here is a four poster, and wide enough to be comfortable even if two grown up men are sleeping in it. Jonathan blushes just slightly, even though there is no one around to catch him thinking dirty thoughts.

The other rooms are rather empty still. Jojo chosen the one with the largest window as his office, with a desk, chair, few books. He also has a massive chest in the corner. It has a strong lock, but that won't be enough to keep the contents secure.

Jojo sighs. He has a secret he must keep from Dio.

There is one single item he wants to place in the trunk. He needs to protect it with a Hamon barrier too, as he has no doubt that Dio has expert lock picking skills, and he has first-hand experience on his strong drive to search through Jonathan's belongings.

He takes out the stone mask from his pack. He took a risk with keeping one of it intact after the pillar-man's defeat, and he can't be even sure if he'll ever have any use from it. It's a small wonder that Dio didn't find out. Jojo is a bad liar, but the vampire had no reason to doubt him.

Keeping this last mask was mostly a whim. He wants to research it, make it unfold its secrets. He gained some understanding of its creator, so maybe he will be able to decipher more on how it works - and if its effect can be turned back.

Was there, is there any other creature like that pillar-man? If yes, are they lying dormant somewhere? Could the mask be any use in a possible fight against such creatures? What exactly the mask does to the brain, to turn a human into something Dio has become? How someone - Dio - could keep his mind and free will after using the mask, and how the zombies he created with his blood became his servants?

He probably won't be able to find the answers for all these questions, he knows. If he wants to be really honest with himself, they are only secondary reasons why he is locking away this ancient thing that should rather be destroyed.

He wants to find a way to cure Dio, to make him human again. He has no idea if that is possible, but if there is any chance for it, he must take it. Dio has become his responsibility. He wants to protect the world from him - but he also wants Dio to be protected.

It is not impossible that other people can be capable of defeating Dio. Only Speedwagon knows he is still alive, but the vampire isn't good and doubtfully willing to keep a low profile. The pillar-man knew about Hamon, he spoke about a tribe. Jojo suspects the Ripple was used to fight such creatures in the past too. He will do his best to keep Dio's condition in secret, but he might not be able to do it for forever. Dio is immortal, forever young and powerful, while Jonathan will age and lose his strength. He needs to prepare for everything well in advance.

He sits down on his chair with a sigh, fiddling with the mask. He hopes as hell he's not fooling himself. In the last letter Speedwagon sent to him, he was telling him he lost his mind. He wasn't even too roundabout with it, didn't use his normal politeness. He wrote that Dio must be only fooling him, that he is using his good heart and trust in people to manipulate him, just as he always has been doing. It is hard to argue with him when Jojo's only reasoning against that are his emotions. That he feels this is the right thing to do, and that this is what their fates needs them to do. Giving a chance to finally understand each other and become friends.

He of course didn't tell Speedwagon that they have become more than friends. How could he explain how right it feels to have Dio lying next to him in bed? He can't tell him that the vampire's skin is always so pale and cold, but it gets a bit warmer under his caress, as if Jojo's love could turn him back to human, at least a little bit. He could never say how he doesn't think it can be a sin to kiss someone he deeply cares for, that he is the happiest when that cool, wicked mouth kisses him back. He can't describe the pleasure those clever fingers cause when they slide down his body, touching him in a way nobody else did before.

No, he only wrote to Speedwagon how no one should be beyond redemption in his opinion. That Dio is an intelligent man, even if he is cruel, and that he understands that if he falls back to his evil ways, Jonathan will stop him. He tried to reassure his friend that he is making sure the vampire doesn't kill anyone - that he doesn't need much blood if he is not injured.

He couldn't bring himself to confess to Speedwagon that he plays a very dangerous game, allowing Dio to sink his fingers into his neck, to get the life-force he needs from Jojo only. They have only done it three times so far, but all occasions were painful and risky. On the first try he had to throw Dio off from him by force when he didn't appear to be stopping in time. Still, he mostly is keeping up his side of the bargain and that is enough for now.

This new house is a compromise. It's on the outskirts of the city - not at the countryside where Jojo originally wanted to move to, but still hopefully at enough distance from the dark and crowded districts of New York, which the Joestar considers a too tempting hunting ground for Dio.

He stands up and locks the stone mask away finally, creating a very similar Hamon barrier around it like the one he used to keep Dio's head locked with. He can't remind himself enough times of what Dio is, because it's too easy to roll with the illusion of him just being another young man. A man who he has painful history with, but still has deep feelings for. His lover.

He turns the term around in his mind. He would have never thought he is going to have a lover. Especially a male lover. He always assumed he was going to get married to a nice and pretty girl - to Erina, if he wants to be honest - and they are going to live a quiet, peaceful life at the English countryside. Maybe he would have renovated the old manor. They would have kept dogs and horses. Raised children together. Get old together, seeing their sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters grow up and live a similar life, filled with simple joys.

Well, that went up in smoke as soon as Dio arrived in his life, he just didn't know about it at the time.

He feels a pang of nostalgia, which is rather ironic, considering he has never lived that imaginary life. Fate had different plans for him.

He doesn't mind being with Dio. In fact, it feels more right than anything else he did before. While he believes life with Erina would have been happy, easy and problem-free, and he knows life with the other man will be nothing like that, that is all right. Maybe because Dio needs him more than Erina ever did. Jojo is not so selfish to withhold love and caring just because it is going to hurt.

He knows he can never get his guard down around Dio, that in all his life he will be watching him to make sure he doesn't commit something irreparable again. But he thinks he will also be able to find happiness in this life too. Their strong connection ensures that simply being in his company can fill Jojo with joy.

He walks around in the house, feeling satisfied with his purchase, even if there are many things to do here still. It will be great to spend his nights in a comfortable bed again. Lately he woke too often woke with a crick in his neck, after falling asleep on the narrow, lumpy mattress the inn had, especially as Dio started to occupy half of the space. Even though the vampire has his own room, Jonathan hopes he will continue to spend some time in his too.

He chuckles to himself. His mind seems to get back again and again to picturing Dio in his bed. A naked, content Dio. He is a sinner, but damn it, this sin feels too good.

Dusk is falling outside. The carriage will pick up Dio soon in New York, to bring him here. Feeling like a child awaiting birthday presents, Jojo clasps his hand together excitedly. He can't help it - he looks forward to their new life together in their new home.

FIN - for now

Thank you for reading! I plan to write a Part 2 to this story, but it will take me a while.