#there's also Erina's and Speedwagon's friendship and how they cared and looked after each other as well while also honoring

[psychosistr]

Worth It Chapter 1: Forming a Plan

Summary: Joseph loves his best friend, Caesar, with all of his heart, but doesn’t quite know how to make Caesar see it. With a bit of patience, hard work, and forced abduction, though, it’ll all be worth it in the end.

Notes: This CaeJose story is the first in a series I am dubbing the Jojo’s Yandere Adventures stories. There will be some NSFW content in certain chapters, but I’ll edit out those parts and post them on my AO3 account with links once it’s set up properly. 

Also: PLEASE read the tags- this is a yandere/serial killer AU, so there will be uncomfortable topics such as drug use, murdering of unnamed characters, amoral behavior, kidnapping, mental manipulation, a bit of hypnosis, and stockholm syndrome.

Joseph Joestar and Caesar Zeppeli were best friends. This was a fact that anyone who even so much as glanced at the two would pick up on in an instant. The two had known each other for years, shared many secrets and personal feelings with one another, and were practically joined at the hip whenever they went out. Yes, they were practically the poster boys for the model friendship…at least, that’s what it looked like on the surface, and probably even to Caesar himself- but not to Joseph.

           You see, Joseph was not what people would call “normal”. He had no other way to categorize himself other than simply calling himself “different” or “morally atypical”. Sure, he had tried to find words to describe what he was, but nothing ever quite fit. Joseph was very smart (in his own eyes), so he couldn’t have some sort of mental disability or psychosis; he didn’t do the same thing over and over again expecting a different result, so he wasn’t insane; he cared for and thought about others besides himself, so he wasn’t a sociopath. He simply did not feel things as “normal” people did- he could feel angry, happy, or sad, of course, that was not a problem, but his feelings regarding other people were what made him feel so different.

From what Joseph understood growing up, people were supposed to care about those around them, form attachments to their peers and classmates, and respect certain things such as their feelings or boundaries. Joseph never experienced any of these things. He did not form attachments to those around him very easily- the only people he considered important to him were his grandmother who raised him after his parents�� death as a baby, his grandparents’ friend who helped raise him (an adoptive uncle to Joseph), a boy he’d met when he was young named Smokey who helped look after Joseph’s grandmother, and, of course, Caesar. Other than this select group of people, he considered nobody else worth his time. He was always more clever than his peers, so why bother getting to know them? As for respecting the feelings of others, again, why should he? He felt nothing for them, ergo, they WERE nothing to him. Other people, to Joseph, were a nuisance at best and an obstacle to what he wanted to do at worst.

Being aware of this abnormality in his own perceptions of others often left Joseph feeling a bit like an outcast. Not that he’d ever show it, of course. He was clever enough to realize early on that straying from the norm in front of others could lead to social shunning, overly concerned and meddlesome looks from those older than himself (such as his teachers when he was younger), forced appointments with professionals that would try to figure out what he was truly like, possible incarceration or institutionalization, and, the most worrisome of all- phone calls to granny Erina. The thought of someone calling his grandmother and getting in trouble with her always made a chill run down Joseph’s spine- that woman was TERRIFYING.

So, to avoid being labeled by society (and incurring the wrath of his grandmother), Joseph put on a mask in front of everyone outside of his little circle for years. To most of the world he was the brash but clever, happy-go-lucky, semi-polite, mostly-spoiled heir to the rich Joestar family. He always put on his biggest fake smiles whenever he went out, treated people kindly unless provoked, and was considered a generally good-natured person. As soon as he was behind closed doors, though, and away from those who did not truly know him, he let the fake smile drop and became a much more relaxed man when he was with the people he cared for.

Though it was never directly stated or discussed with any of them, they all seemed to have the unspoken understanding that Joseph was different and they all accepted him for who he was. They would keep tabs on him while they were out together and could tell when his mask was about to slip, often coming up with an excuse for why they’d have to go somewhere else for a bit. They would let him sit quietly for long periods of time without bothering him to speak or talk about what he was feeling because they knew it annoyed him. They would even let him rant for (literally, sometimes) hours on end about how much the people he dealt with that day annoyed him, or about how stupid they all were, or how he wished he could make them all just shut up or disappear for good. He was immeasurably grateful for this, and often showed it in the way of telling his stupid jokes freely, or calling everyone by their own nicknames, or by offering to do something to help them out or dealing with someone who was inconveniencing them.

Joseph did often wonder, though, how they would feel about him if they knew about the thoughts that ran through his head or the things he did when none of them were around.

The first time had been an accident. It was back in high school, his sophomore year at an all-boys boarding school. There was a guy in his class that kept messing with him in the usual juvenile way- teasing, name calling, occasional shoving, scathing remarks, etc. - but Joseph did his best to ignore him. It got harder day after day, until finally he felt his mask about to break and skipped school for the day to go relax in the woods nearby. He found comfort in the quiet of the forest and enjoyed watching the birds that flew around and above the tree tops. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on whom you asked), the boy from school came there too. He saw Joseph and kept antagonizing him until Joseph couldn’t take it anymore and lashed out, slamming his fist into the other boy’s head with enough force to send him reeling back into a tree. Joseph didn’t let up at that, though, taking out all of the anger and annoyance he felt not only for this boy, but for every person that he had to deal with at that school. He used his superior strength to practically bludgeon the unlucky boy into unconsciousness before wrapping his bloodied hands around his thin neck and squeezing until there was no pulse left beneath his large fingers. After the blood stopped roaring in his ears and his heart beat calmed down, Joseph realized that he felt BETTER. He probably should have felt guilty or sad or scared, but, no, he felt RELIEVED by what he had done- it was like he’d been bottled up until that point and now the lid had popped off and let all of the negative emotions out. It was so…so liberating. He easily disposed of the body by carrying it deeper in the forest and leaving it in an area that he knew from previous treks was frequented by all manner of feral beasts- even if the body was found, it would be too mauled to find a good cause of death- and washed up in a creek before heading back to school like nothing had happened at all. A missing person’s report was filed, but the body never turned up and Joseph felt practically giddy over how easily he’d gotten away with it.

The second time was not an accident. Nor was the third time. Or any of the now countless subsequent times that followed. Every time Joseph found himself feeling too pent up, he would find someone (usually a person that had annoyed him or inconvenienced someone he cared about) and get rid of them. It was second-nature to him by now. He was confident in his strength and abilities, was always careful not to leave any evidence behind, and disposed of the bodies in ways that meant they were never found. It was nothing personal most of the time, just a good way for him to relieve his stress.

Well, until recently that is.

Recently, over the past two years or so that is, Joseph has had fairly specific targets: the worthless, vile, loathsome whores that Caesar had involved himself with.

Caesar was Joseph’s closest and dearest friend, someone whom he could trust and confide in (aside from his secret activities, of course), and the person who could make Joseph feel the strongest emotions he’d ever felt in his entire life. They had met after Joseph graduated high school- he was taking advantage of a study abroad program at his new college to visit Italy with his adoptive uncle, Robert Speedwagon, when Speedwagon introduced the two by saying their grandfathers were close friends. To say they didn’t hit it off immediately would be a gross understatement. They ended up arguing and fighting constantly, Joseph finding himself incredibly annoyed by Caesar’s casanova tendencies and haughty attitude to the point of the two constantly getting into physical altercations. But, much to Joseph’s surprise, the annoyance he felt wasn’t like it usually was with other people, and when they fought he didn’t actually want to kill Caesar (just wipe that smug look off of his face for a bit). Caesar was witty, clever, and was able to toss back both punches and quips just as good as the ones that Joseph gave him. It was the first time Joseph found himself thinking of someone as an equal.

After the initial fighting subsided (that took a couple of weeks), the two got to know each other better and ended up bonding over several things they had in common. A big conversation that seemed to cement their still fresh bond was when they began talking about family- Joseph opened up about never knowing his parents since they died before he even had the chance to know them, and Caesar, in turn, told Joseph about how his own father left his family when Caesar was just a child and how he had run away later and joined a street gang, losing touch with the rest of his family and later witnessing his father dying in a horrible traffic accident after pushing Caesar out of the way of an oncoming car without even recognizing his own son. While neither Caesar nor Joseph had acknowledged it at the time, that was when the bitterness between them evaporated and they truly became best friends. They still wrestled and hit each other and traded quips and barbs back and forth, but it was with a sort of tenderness born of camaraderie and playfulness rather than any ill-will towards one another.

When it was time for Joseph to head back to America, he found himself close to tears at the idea of being away from his new friend and started to consider locking Caesar in his luggage to take him with him (thankfully he realized that would have been a bad idea and resulted in serious injury or death for the poor Italian man). Instead, the two exchanged contact information and a teary, heartfelt embrace at the airport. The next year was filled with constant texting, emailing, poking on social media, and web-camera chats as often as the two could with the time zone difference. Eventually, after saving up enough money between the two of them (and receiving generous combined early/late birthday and Christmas gift checks from Erina and Speedwagon), Caesar was able to move to America. When he saw the blond Italian stepping out of the crowded American airport, Joseph had been so excited that he ran through the crowd, not caring who got knocked over in the process, and picked Caesar up in a tight hug and spun him around, both of them laughing like idiots the whole time.

Life got so much better for Joseph after Caesar joined him in New York. The two would often hang out at each other’s apartments for hours at a time, one usually sleeping over at the other’s place and having a few drinks while watching bad movies or just talking about their boring jobs or Joseph’s grad school classes. When they weren’t crashing at each other’s apartments or busy with work or school, they would either be hanging out somewhere like bookstores (Joseph sticking to his comics and Caesar picking out new novellas), bars, or spending time with Joseph’s family and Smokey (Caesar had already been unofficially adopted into the family like Smokey had, though, and he couldn’t have been happier about that).

Yes, everything in Joseph’s life was perfect with Caesar around…until he started dating. The first girl had been some cheap floozy Caesar had picked up at a bar while he and Joseph were out. Joseph had left for a few minutes to order more drinks at the bar, and, when he came back, some girl with too much lipstick and too little clothing was saddled up next to Caesar and the two were flirting back and forth. Caesar ended up excusing himself with her for the night, apologizing to Joseph even after Joseph gave him a smile and thumbs up while saying “Nice!”. Truthfully, Joseph was enraged and felt something completely new to him: jealousy. Who did that tart think she was? Intruding on his nice night out with Caesar, stealing his attention away, and looking so damn satisfied with herself just because Caesar wanted to spend a night with her. He found himself wishing that HE had been the one going home with Caesar that night, wishing that Caesar could have cast such a seductive look at HIM before taking him off to….oh…Joseph’s train of thought derailed slightly upon the realization that he WANTED Caesar. He NEEDED Caesar. After a few more drinks by himself, Joseph decided that he and Caesar would actually work out well if they got together- people already made jokes or came to the assumption that the two were dating, anyway, and Caesar obviously liked being around Joseph if he was willing to move to an entirely different country to be with him. Caesar MUST have liked him, right? Right. He just needed some help realizing it and then they could both be happy. Joseph just had to get rid of the obstacles in his way, as he always had…

The first girl was easy enough to dispose of, she was just a one night stand that Caesar didn’t really care enough about to call or check up on after their night together. He’d had a lot of dates that ended like that, so it was easy for Joseph to make sure those whores didn’t come back. The ones that proved a challenge were the women (and a few foolish men) whom Caesar showed genuine interest in and contacted frequently. Joseph tried to take the easier route when he could- he would use his affluent status as well as the nice income he got from his post-grad school career as a real estate investor to bribe those ungrateful louts into leaving Caesar alone and just kill the ones that refused. Many of them took the large sum of money that Joseph offered them, which made him feel both relieved and angered at the same time because they were essentially saying that his precious little Caesar was worth LESS than some stupid wad of cash or big check. How dare they?! Caesar was worth all the money in the world to Joseph! Sometimes he would lose his temper and end up killing a few of them anyway after they broke up with Caesar. Then, every time one of Caesar’s whores (Joseph refused to think of them as anything else) stopped contacting him or broke things off with him, Joseph would be there to comfort him with a shoulder to lean on, a warm embrace, a bright smile, and some shitty jokes that never failed to cheer the other man up. During these times, Joseph would try to subtly flirt with the Italian man and get closer to him, but Caesar would just laugh it off and things would return to the status quo between the two…at least until the next person caught Caesar’s eye and the cycle would repeat itself again…

Seeing that just getting the obstacles out of the way wasn’t enough, Joseph decided he needed to form a more concrete plan to win Caesar over. After subtly (to him, at least) asking his grandmother for advice on what people normally did when they had strong feelings for someone else and wanted to win them over, he discovered that the best methods were to spend time together, give gifts, be generally charming with praise and compliments, and, as Erina had phrased it, to “be a man and just tell him how you feel already”. Joseph had no idea how she realized the person he was talking about was male- there was absolutely NO WAY anyone could tell he liked Caesar, after all- he was a master at hiding things.

While her advice was useful, it was tricky at first to implement it. The two of them already spent a lot of time together, and it would feel awkward to suddenly show up at Caesar’s door with gifts without it being a holiday (and telling him outright seemed out of the question at the moment). Then, a brilliant idea occurred to him- what if he and Caesar LIVED together? That would be the most time they could possibly spend together, and then Joseph would get plenty of opportunities to compliment and praise him every day, and he could bring random gifts home with him without it being awkward, and-and- AND THIS WAS PERFECT!

With this in mind, Joseph set the first part of his brilliant plan into motion. He brought up the subject of the two of them sharing a nice apartment together one night over drinks, but Caesar seemed a bit hesitant at the idea of having a roommate, saying he wouldn’t want to bother Joseph if he brought over any “guests”. Joseph felt a jolt of rage at the idea of one of Caesar’s whores coming over with him, but hid it well behind a loud laugh and dismissive wave. Caesar said that he would think about it, however that seemed like it would take too long, so Joseph decided to speed up the process. After paying a hefty bribe to Caesar’s boss to (politely, of course) let Caesar go, and then doing the same to any other companies Caesar applied to so they wouldn’t consider hiring him, it wasn’t long at all before Caesar’s bank account was running low enough that he could no longer afford his own apartment. Then, like the “good friend” he was, Joseph insisted that Caesar stay with him until he got back on his feet and helped him move in with Joseph.

The second part of his plan had been proceeding smoothly for a few months now. Joseph spent every bit of time he could spare at home with Caesar (when he wasn’t out killing anyone that caught the blonde’s eye or bribing more companies into not hiring him, that is) and found every opportunity to praise his precious little Caesar. Mundane tasks such as cooking, cleaning, or hanging out turned into conversations about how much Joseph loved Caesar’s authentic Italian cuisine (which he really did, the man could put most restaurants out of business in Joseph’s opinion), or how he admired Caesar’s organization skills, or how funny or clever Caesar was. Joseph also brought home gifts for Caesar at least once a week, varying the gifts from simple things like a bottle of Caesar’s favorite wine that he “just happened to pick up at the store” to expensive, thoughtful gifts like the brand new top-of-the-line smart phone and laptop that Joseph gave him “to make finding a job easier”. The slightly embarrassed smiles and the sparkle in Caesar’s eye whenever Joseph gave him something always left him feeling warm all over and gave Joseph a tingling sensation deep in his torso, making every cent and bit of effort Joseph spent on him worth it.

Now, though, now would be the culmination of the previous two years of careful planning and strategic bribery: He would confess to Caesar.

Joseph knew from his previous attempts at flirting with Caesar that being subtle wouldn’t work, but it still felt like it would be awkward to just bring it up out of the blue. So, Joseph decided that the best course of action would be to bring it up after a more…intimate encounter between the two. It made sense in his mind- people were usually influenced by their bodies’ instinctive desires such as hunger for food, desire for dominance, and lust for the flesh. Ergo, if Joseph could satisfy Caesar’s physical needs, it would show him how well they would work out together in the long run. Again, it made sense in his mind, even if it might not seem logical to someone else.

To make sure that Caesar couldn’t turn him down and would give him a chance to try, Joseph got his hands on some interesting little pills after doing a bit of research on the dark web (something he frequented quite regularly for inspiration and ideas, as well as supplies, over the years). According to what he’d read about them, the drugs were highly concentrated aphrodisiacs laced with ecstasy to induce a mild sense of euphoria and mixed with an agent similar to rohypnol that made the user more prone to suggestion, but without the short term memory loss (he wanted Caesar to be aware of what was going on, after all, or what would be the point?). Also, unlike rohypnol, this drug was meant to be taken willingly by dropping it into a drink- beer was recommended over hard liquor for it- where it would fizz up and change the flavor of the drink. This meant that he would have to get Caesar to try it willingly, that way he couldn’t later say that Joseph spiked his drink and turn the mood sour. Of course, Joseph wouldn’t take the drug himself, he would need to keep a clear head to make sure he did everything right, he would just put some similar looking seltzer tablets in his own drink to keep up the illusion- that way they’d be on equal footing in Caesar’s eyes.

‘Yes,’ Joseph thought, ‘This plan is flawless. Soon my beloved Caesarino will be all mine~<3’

Next Chapter->