Trailing by Stardust: Jjba x reader

9 - Grounding

Your silence spread long past what would constitute as comfortable, and eventually the onlookers left you to your dejection. Somewhere in the midst of your down-spiral you heard a distant clamoring, but you could not will yourself to pay attention. There was a slight bumping of shoulders, and your body began to move on its own. Off the raft and up some stairs.

When you regained some senses, you found yourself sitting on the edge of some guard rails, overlooking the sunset dimming upon the sea. You clenched your grip around the bar under you.

-inhale-

I just need a moment to breathe.

-exhale-

Your breath was long and silent, but it seemed to catalyze the clearing of your thoughts.

How long has it been since I truly took the time to enjoy the air around me?

The oceanic atmosphere flooded into you. Your hair lightly wisped against the trailing breeze.

You breathed in deeply once more, this time trying pull the essence of the wind's nature deep into your core. You struggled against it, attempting to force the seeming calm of the sea into your lungs without considering the fact that it too carried an air of chaos. Feeling the tight burn rope around your chest, you feigned defeat and shakily exhaled.

A twinge of sadness groped against your heart. It was quiet and muffled, but unmistakably there. Four years. I knew... I knew I was ignoring life for all this time... So why... why does it hurt so much thinking about it now? Now that I know I've been gone for so long... Tears streamed out of your eyes as you silently wept, overwhelmed by the presence of emotion.

You continued on for several moments until you felt a gentle pressure against your back in between your shoulder blades. Its warmth spread over you, finally drawing your mind to a sound calm. You turned expecting to be greeted by your solemn starry-faced companion, but were surprised when the eyes of another's met yours. A sparkling blue-green looked into you and then averted its weathered gaze out to the sea. You pressed the palms of your hands over your eyes, dragging away any remaining moisture, and let out another breath.

"I don't know what you are going through, child, but it can't be easy if you make yourself so alone."

You took a moment to answer, then nosed a small breathy laugh. "Hmpf. 'child'... before, that word wouldn't've phased me... But now... I'm not so sure..."

With a heavy glaze over your eyes you turned towards the old man, and he threw his hands up in the air defensively. "In all fairness, when you get to be my age, anyone under thirty looks like a child... Not that I've grown out of being a child myself, mind you. Heh... It's really all about how you feel."

You let out hum of nervous laughter. "That's just the thing though... I spent the last part of my childhood wandering the earth, wishing I'd disappear. And now... now I'm nineteen and I don't know what to feel..." Tears began to well back up into your eyes.

Mr. Joestar leaned down next to you, musing a long hum before he spoke. "Well, for starters, you are here, in this moment. Take some time to feel alive. Now, I know that might not seem like much of a consolation, but never underestimate the power of what that feeling can do."

"hmm." Your hum dragged on long as you internalized his words. You hung your stare down towards your feet swinging over the edge. There was a large amount of space between your soles and the water below. That's a good twenty-thirty meters down. It would take just under two seconds to fall... It would be so easy to just run away again. To let the waves carry me off to some faraway place where I can forget all over again. But, after everything that has just happened that would feel so wrong...What I need to do is-?