Familial Gravity 2 (JJBA x The Owl House, Luz'sBrother!OC)

It was raining. A glance around could tell this much from the constant fall of waterdrops. It was soft, tame, and yet unrestrained.

Some people would say that the weather can be a mirror to emotions. To Teo Noceda, this was truer than most. It wasn't that pleasant to be reminded how Gravesfield had barely changed. Sure, recent moves from the local administration had patched some roads, but the place remained mostly unchanged.

He shouldn't have visited. It wasn't planned, but it was clear that 'fate' had something to do with it. An issue so big should have been avoided, and yet someone at the Speedwagon Foundation did such a fuck up that now he had to drive 'home' and face that music.

After a month-long hunt for a small sect of Dio's scummy minions, Teo had planned to just take the chance to get a break. But it was clear that wasn't part of the 'Big Picture'. And he could smell the irony of wanting to go home and now being forced to go 'there'.

As his car calmly strode the streets, Teo felt displeasure rising as he remembered each and every single reason why he had not visited after being released: the meetings with the old 'crew', the plans to make it big or 'die trying', the coolness of the plans turning into legitimate 'necessity' to make a name for himself.

Discomfort flared, a hollow emotion not unlike the groaning ache coming from his right leg. Instantly his thoughts fluttered away from the unsavory times, his gaze fixed on the old house as he parked by the free space in front of the garage.

Teo paused, glancing from the rear view mirror and seeing a silly goof making dumb faces to get his little sister to giggle. Closing his eyes, the young man sighed and leaned on his seat, silently unfastening the security belt and unlocking the door. As he opened his eyes, his body moved with renewed mechanical confidence.

Gone for now was the unease, his mind focusing just on getting this mess wrapped up as smoothly as possible.

The stroll to reach the porch reminded him of too many fond memories, but his heart had long hardened at the thought of facing the past like this. Once as a nightmare, then as a foolish dream, and now as the truth.

He expected for the wait to last long, but his mother was already there. They had agreed on the hour and Teo had been punctual to the meeting. As the woman pulled the door open, Teo realized one thing that he hadn't considered due to how insignificant it felt before grand things about this moment, and yet now felt so monumental.

He was taller than his mother now...

While not the tallest, Camila Noceda was still someone that could hardly be towered over. And yet it was clear that he had grown enough to slightly go beyond her height. The bespectacled woman appeared stunned by his presence. She had realized he was tall too, but she seemed more compelled to tears by him being there. For real.

"H-Hijo?"

Teo's lips twitched, discomfort for the lost times now flaring again. "Hi mom."

It was just a moment, and then he was pulled in a hug. Once he could have leaned up to nuzzle on her chest, to feel her beating heart, but it was Teo's turn to hear the sobbing down below as the woman that had to give up on him for his biggest mistake was now giving up every single tear she had held up to that point for what happened.

Hugging back proved difficult. Part of his old anger was still there, but years of thinking had tempering the bitterness as the fury was turned back to him- back to his older ways.

"Le-Let's get you inside. You didn't use an umbrella."

Oh, that's what I had forgotten about.

Since the weather hardly got him sick nowadays, the fear of being drenched with raindrops no longer concerned him. To someone as easily worried as Camila, this was indeed a trouble and one that she rapidly 'fixed' by providing him with a towel to dry up his wet hair.

"How are you?" It was actually Teo that asked, leaving the woman a bit off-guard by his query.

"I am doing well, what about you? You... You are no longer involved in-"

"I am part of a legal business, I am sure you read the letter," The young man interrupted, causing the woman to huff.

"Well, there's a few questions I have about this. What is this 'Speedwagon Foundation'?"

"It's an organization meant to protect treasures that are found, labeled and then exposed through a selective list of approved museums."

That was the front face of the original organization. Time has passed as other investments were made in terms of technological advances, medical breakthroughs and even evolutions in the car industry with the novel engines meant to pollute the least.

The Speedwagon Foundation was a lot of things to many, but the rescue boat for someone like Teo after what happened in Florida.

"So, when the letter said you had concluded your 'mission of securing the information and executing the plan', it is about... retrieving a few vases?"

"It was actually an old box from Song China-" Some of the agents of Dio from Guangzhou had tried to secure items to try their own 'resurrection' bid, but they were stopped in San Francisco. "Luckily for me, the group that had found the item was easily persuaded with the price offered by Mr. Joestar."

"Your employer," Camila nodded, having truly read the letter with utmost precision from the way she remembered the name. "How did you... how did you leave prison?"

Tailoring a proper background took a few months, but the one Teo used was by far the most reliable one he could hope to get.

"The case was reopened in two to three years ago as new proof was found that tied the murder I was given responsibility of to another individual, Johngalli Avery, who was a member of a violent gang that had it against the group I was part of."

In truth, Johngalli had been assigned to 'retaliate' when the heist had actually hit a source of income for Pucci's plans. When the blind sniper took care of those he deemed as 'trouble' to also leave Teo with guild, the young man ended up in Green Dolphin Street Prison. Perhaps the original plan was to also use him as part of the creation of the Green Baby, but Teo had to thank his 'clean' slate as he wasn't a violent criminal.

Nonetheless, that didn't spare him from the nightmare that lasted a few years in that prison.

"And you were freed? How... How come you didn't come here and-"

"Mom."

The air of the kitchen, the nostalgia bursting from it as they sat there was... well, overwhelming. But Teo persisted through the call to remember and calm down, berating himself over the idea of just 'letting go' as if everything was truly fine.

"S-Sorry-" The woman sounded outright upset towards herself, but her son stopped her again.

"I am not angry at you. I wasn't... angry at you when I left that place," He assured, trying to be comforting. "In fact prison taught me that I couldn't just let this go forever. I couldn't just roll back, go home, behave like an endless hole for hope and attention. It wouldn't have been fair. So... I looked for a job, had some trouble finding it, but I got where I am now."

"How do you feel with what you have now?" Are you happy?

"I am fine. I don't hate it, but I guess it can only get better now."

The answer seemed to appease her enough, but Teo was stunned by what else was discussed before his salary was finally given to him. His mom had adopted a girl that was a year older than Luz and worked at the local library (and was currently out on a date), Luz herself was dealing with college and... and Luz also had a girlfriend.

Teo felt a bit stunned to learn this, not much as Luz having a thing for girls since that had been something he had noticed himself, but rather the fact his baby sister had scored herself a strong bond from the way Camila was telling him. Part of him wanted to smile at this, but he still kept himself limited in terms of facial expressions.

Despite avoiding further drama, and not getting blasted with new questions, Teo was ultimately coerced to make a 'deal' with his mother. Albeit he wasn't going to bother keeping around after today, he would at least be there for the party for Luz's first year in college.

He didn't get to ask where she went since that wasn't a topic he wanted to expand upon, but he wasn't sure how to feel about meeting Luz, her girlfriend and the other friends she had made. Would his return cause her trouble? Would him being there do her good or harm?

Maybe he was delaying this because he didn't feel ready but... the party was in a month, and he would be ready for it.

Hopefully so.

AN

Next time... Luz POV!