Bloody Golden Butterfly [JJBA Fanfiction] (Giorno x Jolyne)

49. Me Quedo Contigo

Ever since he was a child, Giorno Giovanna, or Haruno Shiobana, had been fascinated by the color pink. His mother used to paint her lips pink and he thought that when he grew up, he could do the same, but she did not take long to rebuke him by telling him that boys did not paint their lips or wear pink. It was funny that Lucia Giovanna—he had a hard time remembering his mother's original name, perhaps it had been 'okasan' in Japanese for him—who had never cared for her son had been so insistent on it. Men don't put on lipstick or wear pink.

Lucia was afraid that her son was a fag, as he so openly expressed. That's why when he could get rid of her, the first thing he did was buy a pink suit. He had never been much of a makeup wearer, but he had done it all the same and remained the same as a man, even when he had male lovers. Because it turned out that being a man had nothing to do with the ideas his mother had in her head.

In front of him was his beloved barely covered in a lingerie of his favorite color, like the most valuable gift in the world, beautifully wrapped. Seeing her stare back at him with a seductive smile, albeit a little nervous, he swallowed and paused in his step. Her scent, camouflaged among the flowers, was unique, with an almost spicy sweetness that lingered in his nostrils. The most exquisite perfumers did not have the nose of a vampire, so only he was able to capture all the nuances. He could live in it. The beast that resided in him was howling; he had to dig his fingernails into his palms as he clenched his fists to restrain himself.

He scanned his eyes over her to make sure what he was seeing was the reality. It just seemed too good to be true. While that was definitely Jolyne—his senses were already screaming for her, so the feeling was unmistakable—it never hurt to be cautious.

"Jolyne, you haven't been attacked by a Stand, have you?"

"Hell no," she said, looking almost offended. "Well, I guess I can't blame you for hesitating. Weirder things have happened to us... Why don't you come over here and check on the situation yourself?"

At the flirtation, he averted his gaze, a blush dusting his cheeks. "You know what I desire. But why are you doing this all of a sudden?"

"Easy. I want you as much as you want me."

"Are you sure about this?" Giorno said, returning his gaze. "You heard what I said in the meeting. We're so close to finding the cure. If you could just wait a little longer..."

Jolyne was reaching out her fingers, and he thought she was beckoning him to take her hand, but then her skin unraveled into strings. Once again that night, he found Stone Free's strings snaking over his body, gentle but firm as they imprisoned him by the waist and guided him toward her.

"We're always treading so carefully," Jolyne said, sitting up straight now to meet his gaze seriously, "holding back so that our desire doesn't get out of control. But what if we just let it happen?"

The strings took him as far as the foot of the bed. Jolyne released him from his restraints and raveled her skin back to normal. Then she crawled closer to the edge on her hands and knees and took his face in her hands.

"Punzie, I know you're only afraid of hurting me, but do you trust me when I say I can keep you in line in case your instincts go crazy? Then, will you have me?"

Of course, he trusted her. All his instincts were screaming at him to have her. His cold logic that had saved his life so many times seemed to tell him that this was also the best way to ensure Jolyne's safety. But if there was anything devastating, more than all that lingerie, it was realizing the vulnerability in Jolyne's emerald green eyes. She was offering herself to him, of all people in the world, and she was still prepared for the possibility of rejection. And while he didn't feel worthy of her, he felt even less worthy of rejecting her.