His arm felt like dead weight over his eyes. Yet when Dio tried to remove it, he could not. At once he was unsettled, but his arm didn't even twitch, continuing to lay across his eyes in a casual manner. He tried to look around, but his eyelids would not move either. It felt like another arm, not his; heavier, was craned around his neck, choking him ever so lightly, yet his other arm laid across his chest - it felt excessively heavy too. He tried to move his legs, to no avail. And then he heard a sound. "The door? I can not move my body… am I paralyzed? Open your eyes, move, why can't I move?"
The door quietly closed behind a presence. Dio swallowed with anxiety, yet if one were to look at him he looked to be peacefully asleep. The bed sunk with a weight beside his hips. Someone took the hand he had on his chest in theirs - warm. "Am I dreaming? No, this feels real." His hand was lifted, and he felt an exhalation of hot breath brush against it. "This is definitely real."
"Dio…" he heard a small sniffle, "Truly, what is wrong with me?"
If Dio could, he would have rolled his eyes so hard they would have forcefully fallen out of their sockets. "Jojo. Of course, who else?"
His bed shook a bit, signaling Jonathan's pitiful crying. "Always one to shed tears." Radiating hands held his right one to the boy's cheek, tears tickling his skin. Thumbs rubbed into his palm, "I'm so sorry." Jonathan peeped out, voice almost inaudible. "It is as you've said, Dio, I am a vile boy." then a hesitant, wet kiss pressed into his palm, "I can't help myself, when you-" Jonathan inhaled a choked breath, "When you care for me so profoundly in my dreams." He sobbed, breath hitching before speaking once more, "I loathe myself."
Jonathan calmed soon, sniffling before wiping his tear streaked cheeks with his night sleeve. He set Dio's hand where it had been before, on the boy's chest. "You are so beautiful, I have come to realize..." he whispered, leaning down and removing Dio's arm from over his eyes. He caressed his cheek, and kissed the other. "I love you… brother." His lips pressed to Dio's, "Much more than I ever imagined… and certainly much more than I should."
Dio panicked, pulse increasing and breath coming quicker, but still he could not move, could not find his voice. "What the hell does he think he's doing?! I am powerless… this is dangerous. No, this is all dangerous, it always was. How do I handle this? How am I to handle him? Jonathan is far too unpredictable." Dio felt a hand place itself on his groin. "This really was never meant to happen. I was curious to touch him sexually, I admit, but the plan was to embarrass him and hold it over his head for life. For him to feel such crushing shame, enough to perhaps run away, ruin his chances for inheriting the Joestar fortune... Not for him to… to what, what is this, is he in love with me? I, Dio Brando, who tortured him when we were but twelve?" Jonathan was panting softly in his ear, whimpering quietly with a hand in his own lowered night pants. "What am I to do? I enjoyed touching him in his sleep, but it seems I am not alone in these atrocious desires."
His lips were licked, and he would have flinched, but he had not the ability to, or predict what Jonathan would do next, what with his eyes refusing to open. Jonathan was rubbing the boy's hair between his fingers, still masturbating with the other. "You love it when I play with your hair…" he said breathlessly, before his voice hitched and he came into a handkerchief. It was then that he removed his face from Dio's ear and realized with shock that tears were streaming down the other's face, the hand on the boy's chest twitching ever so slightly.
Jonathan blinked, eyebrows knitting together with worry - he fixed himself up before feeling Dio's pulse - it was erratic, and he noticed his breaths were coming quickly as well. "A nightmare? Should I wake him? But then he would know that I was in his room…" Jonathan thought grimly, before standing. "I… I can only hope he wakes soon." and then he left, just as quietly as he had entered.
It was only then, when the door had clicked shut, that Dio finally shot up, gasping. He looked around, eyes shifting hastily about his room, but he found no sign of his brother. "Was I… was I dreaming?" Dio touched at his face, his tears spreading over his fingertips. He looked to his palms, but found no sign of Jonathan's tears. "They could have dried. Or… perhaps they were but a figment of my imagination. Was this all a fabrication?" The blond hesitantly laid back into his pillows once more, perplexed. When he began to dream, he dreamt of Jonathan's blinding smile.
That afternoon, he and Jonathan went horseback riding together.
"Dio," Jonathan pipped up, his horse galloping right beside his brother's, "I… I've noticed that you haven't spoken much today. Are you unwell?"
"No."
The boy pouted with concern, trying to look into the other's eyes, but was rewarded with Dio relentlessly staring ahead of himself. Finally, after a time, the blond sighed, "I just had a few strange dreams last night, that's all. Nothing more, nothing less. Cease your pestering." Honey-colored eyes finally met Jonathan's, but still the other was filled with uneasiness. Jonathan donned a guilty look, facing away now,
"A-A nightmare, huh?"
"Indeed." Dio replied curtly, looking to the other. "You are the reason I suffer. Why can't you just… fall off your horse-"
And then, almost as if nature and karma itself had heard his twisted thoughts, a frog jumped in front of his path. Dio was unfazed, of course, but his horse was much less so. The horse stood on it's hind legs, throwing him off with a shriek. The blond fell to the ground with a yelp, one of his ankles still caught in the stirrups, until the horse took off and forcibly his ankle was detangled.
"My, Dio!" Jonathan exclaimed, horrified, he was quick to hop to his brother's side. He swallowed in apprehension when he looked to Dio's face, which was contorted in pain, he was hyperventilating. He held his ankle, eyes already brimmed with tears, but he refused to cry.
"W-Well, you surly... u-u-uncouth lout?! Take me back!" The boy stuttered to pick an insult, before whining. "Oh, it hurts!" Dio moaned, tears rolling down his cheeks and neck.
Frenzied, Jonathan began to stutter as well, "O-Of course! I-I-I'll j-just," He lifted the blond in his arms swiftly, the other letting out a howl of pain.
"D-don't, don't!" Dio cried, but Jonathan took off running,
"I'm sorry Dio, but I have to get you to Father quickly."
When Jonathan slammed open the front doors, a maid dropped the jug she was carrying, screaming with fright before realizing it was only the Joestar boy, not an intruder. "Sir Joestar! What is the matter?" She quickly ran up to the boy, inspecting the rapidly panting blond in his arms.
"It's Dio! I-I think he broke his ankle, we were just horseback riding." Jonathan gasped, "Please, tell father."
"Right away!"
Hastily, Jonathan found a chesterfield, and slowly he laid the boy onto it. Dio hissed and gasped, fresh tears escaping his eyes. "I-I think I hurt my shoulder, as well."
"Don't worry, Dio, a nurse will be here soon - oh, it looks bad…" Jonathan had gingerly removed the boy's shoe and sock, his once pale now bruising ankle already swollen. "I should not have taken you horseback riding, I should have- I-I-"
"Jonathan!" Dio roared, slapping his brother's hands away, "You useless boy, do you truly think you are helping with these vain words?"
"Forgive me…" Jonathan pouted, standing, "I'll just-"
"No, don't leave!" the blond called, silent for a moment, before, "You would not be helping if you left, either."
"Right," Jonathan kneeled by Dio, "How can I help, brother?"
"I don't- d-distract me- hold my hand, I-" he grit his teeth, not continuing his jumbled sentence. Jonathan nodded, taking Dio's hand in his - he squeezed his eyes shut when the boy gripped it tightly, his pulse rapid against his own. With a hand occupied, Jonathan used the other to soothingly stroke Dio's thigh.
"I want to comfort him, but how can I help? Please don't leave me, Dio. I know this isn't a serious injury, but please…" Jonathan thought to himself, feeling rather selfish, and he was about to cry - until his father accompanied by nurses appeared abruptly. Jonathan retracted himself from his brother in a flash, standing, but Dio still held his hand, relentless. "Father! D-Dio, he-"
"Jojo, calm yourself. I ask that you retire to your room for the time being, I will sort this out."
"Yes, Father." Jonathan nodded solemnly, wiping sweat from his brow; he left to his room, worried sick.
After quite some time, Dio now laid in his bed, drugged on medicine - which mostly consisted of alcohol; and with nothing to do, he slept.
- Dio's Dream
He was running, barefoot, dry thorns stabbing further into his flesh with every step - he never wore shoes in his dreams, for reasons unknown. He was in an endless field of dry, tall grass on a exceedingly hot, cloudless day, and he ran toward the only structure he could see - a rotten, hardly standing wooden house. He cried, looking behind him - a lion was hot on his tail, a terrifying roar rumbling forth when it's honey-colored eyes locked with the boy's own. It's large teeth nearly sunk into his shoulder, hot breath on the blond's neck, the threat of eating him alive exceedingly present.
Dio winced, having stepped on a rock, and he yelped when he fell, finally reaching the house, but there wasn't a door in sight. He slammed into the rough, dry wall, cornered. He was panting, voice raw with whimpering. Suddenly the wall behind him fell down, down, and Dio looked to find he was at the edge of a cliff, a nauseatingly far drop awaiting him. He screamed, the lion coming up to him in his leisure. Knowing that it had won, it opened its large jaws. Mouth agape, Dio stared down it's throat, frozen in fright, and he only moved to clamp his eyes shut and look away, exposing his neck. He could imagine it lowering to rip his neck open with it's large, thick canines, and because he couldn't control his curiosity, he glanced at the beast - but what he saw had his eyes widening comically.
A large, dark haired figure lunged at the lion, entering the fray and enticing a fight. The blond blinked away tears, trembling, witnessing the grand scene - a lion and a bear battling to the death! The bear ripped and bit at the lion's mane, tearing it's throat away. Soon, the lion was rendered lifeless, and the bear looked to Dio, eyes of crystal blue wide, it's long haired coat dripping vermilion. The boy swallowed, afraid yet, now staring at the beast's claws as sharp as knives as it approached.
The bear lowered its head solemnly to sniff at Dio's chest, where his heart was - beating erratically, almost deafening. Once more, Dio's eyelids fluttered shut, facing away and exposing his neck, he was as powerless as he was before, just moments ago. He braced himself, but he did not feel the crushing bite of the animal into his collarbone. Hesitantly, he opened his tear riddled eyes, and he gasped - there, before him, was Jonathan, panting softly and nude, his hair damp with sweat and blood. He was saying something, but Dio could not decipher any of it, could only feel his brother's muscular arms wrap around him, pulling him close. And with a hand rubbing his back, he heard it, Jonathan's soft, gentle voice, "You are safe, here in my arms."
Dio jolted awake, then, almost sitting up, but Jonathan was there to cease the action, embracing him carefully. His heart was still racing, and Jonathan continued his comforting whispering, things along the lines of "It's all right."
The blond ought to have smacked him, right then, but he didn't find the desire to. He then felt a spell of vertigo abruptly take him, so he relaxed into his pillow. Voice hoarse, he spoke, "Jonathan."
Said boy pulled away from the other, sitting at the edge of the bed. "Dio, you're awake..!"
"Jonathan," Dio repeated, voice soft, "If my ankle were to ache in the night, wakening me with pain, would you be there to aid me? Are you averse to that thought?"
Jonathan smiled, accepting the hidden request to stay by the boy's side for the night. "Of course - I don't mind in the least, I will stay with you always, Dio…" his words almost sounded dark to Dio's ears, but the blond pushed that thought away, ridiculous as it was. "Would you have me call a servant to bring me a cot?"
"No, you should do to sleep here, in my bed, with me."
"A-as you wish," Jonathan stammered, kicking off his boots and shrugging off his vest and bow-tie. He didn't bother changing into night clothes, and instead crawled into bed with the other, slowly as not to disturb Dio's injuries. Jonathan laid on his back beside him, and was utterly surprised to find Dio, ever so lightly, cuddling up to him.
"Hold me gently, brother, for I am so terribly cold..."
They cuddled like that, for the majority of the night - and when Jonathan touched Dio as he thought him asleep, the other did not stop him. "I know not whether I should cease this odd; immoral relationship which I had originally started, or if I shall let it continue. I don't particularly dislike it… but Jonathan so - in controldoes not please me. I must seek to remedy that... but how?"