Clementine
Listen I know this is hella late but I am very proud of it 😌
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August 18, 2022
"You're showing," Toby breathed, eyes wide with wonder as he looked at the slight swell of his friend's stomach.
Sunnie laughed, still holding up the bottom hem of her large tie dye sweatshirt so he could marvel at the sight. "You've been out on duty for a while, you should have expected this. That's what babies do, y'know, grow."
"Yeah, I know I should have but… you're showing!! There's a bump! There's a… a bump, wow," He repeated, voice filled with awe and adoration and tapering off into a whisper. He moved his hands over the soft skin of her belly. "Look, this appendectomy scar even kinda moved a bit!!" He continued, poking at one of the three larger silvery-pale marks on her skin and her eyes blew wide.
"Oh shit? For real??" She looked down to where Toby pointed before her mouth split wide into a smile. "Babe!!!" She called out, "Babe, get a pad of paper and a pencil… and a tape measure too, or something!!"
"Of course, darling. What for?" Dio called back from the kitchen, the gentle clinking of plates and glassware being packed up ringing faintly through the air.
"We're going to start tracking the distance between my appendectomy scars," she said excitedly, and he laughed.
"You can take the STEM teacher out of the classroom, but you can't take the classroom experiments out of the STEM teacher," he mused as he pulled open one of the kitchen drawers and rummaged around, finding her adorable bear-shaped measuring tape quite easily. Grabbing a pencil and pad, he strolled into the living room, dodging the various packed boxes as he walked, before handing the items to his wife. He gave her a kiss on the head, then turned and gave Toby a kiss on his head as well before he turned and walked back to the kitchen. "The packing calls to me, darlings!"
Toby and Sunnie stared at each other for a second, eyes wide, before giggling.
"He's really cute when he's being affectionate," Toby whispered.
"Oh, totally cute," Sunnie agreed.
They both knew that he'd probably heard them anyways.
After taking down the measurements between scars, and their distance from the belly button, Toby set his head against Sunnie's stomach. "You know I'm gonna be the best uncle, right?" He grinned ear to ear, "I'm gonna learn how to change diapers, I'm gonna babysit them when you two need time alone, they're gonna be my new best friend!"
Sunnie smiled back at him, running her hand through his fluffy hair. "I know you will," she said, and he preened under her touch, "I've seen your search history, Toebeans. 'How to change a diaper', 'how to rock a baby to sleep', you're really doing research."
"I'm really glad your parents gave you that rocking chair you fell asleep on when you were a baby. I feel like it'll help a lot, though I might fall asleep on it too." Toby smiled.
"Trust me," Sunnie snickered, "My dad did that a lot. Still puts me right to sleep all these years later."
Toby sighed contentedly, then pushed his head a little bit further into his friend, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I've never had this before," he said softly, "You guys are the only family I have, besides mama."
Sunnie dropped next to him on the sofa, wrapping her arms around him. "I know, bestie. I know." She squeezed tighter, remembering the first time she met Toby's mom—Vanessa was absolutely gorgeous, yes, but there was a distant yet palpable loneliness in her hazelnut eyes and in her genial rosy smile. Both of the Culvers truly only ever had each other prior to the aftermath of Sunnie's first mission, and every time Sunnie had visited her with Toby after that, she could see a little more light return to her, as if she was happy that her son had finally found friendship. "Tobs, we're both so lucky that you're in our lives. Ever since Maine, you've been here for both of us. And you've never stopped! You're nothing if not persistent."
"It's not my fault that two hot people with oddly simmering sexual tension between them popped up in front of me like that," Toby laughed a little shakily, "I had to take advantage of the situation. And neither of you… you didn't judge me for who I am or what I do, or that I enjoy what I do. Not many people here have ever wanted to get to know the Foundation's resident torture specialist. You welcomed me, though. Sunnie, you both—"
She could feel him tensing up, so she diverted his energy by squeezing and pulling him backwards into the comfort of the crux of the sectional sofa, padded with pillows and blankets. She laid next to him, nuzzling into his cheek reassuringly. "Listen, Tobs. We love you. Both of us, we love you so much."
Probably sensing that Toby's emotions had riled up, Dio returned with two glasses of ice water, setting them down on the coffee table and sitting next to Sunnie. "Tobias, trust me. You are as much a part of our family as we are yours. We guarantee you that. And both of us will remind you of it, over and over, whenever you'd like." Toby and Sunnie sat back up, the former reaching for his water as his face could hardly contain the blushing joy he was feeling.
"You guys will be the death of me," he forced out, nearly trembling with happiness before taking a long drink. "Both of you are too much, almost. It's a lot to handle at times."
"We have a lot of love to give, silly," Sunnie teased. "And you do too. You're going to be one of the best uncles the world's ever seen."
"Agreed," Dio said.
"But!!" Sunnie blurted out, a warm sharpness in her tone that made Toby straighten up and answer her with a clipped 'yes ma'am!!', "I have some rules regarding media. They are to be strictly followed, as the situation allows."
"So, if it's on in a public space, it's generally fine," Dio said, nudging their friend behind Sunnie's back. "It's mostly an 'if we can help it' policy."
She nodded. "Firstly: no Paw Patrol until the kid can be spoken to about the show's implications," she said, tapping her finger on the coffee table, "I don't trust it. It seems like an authoritarian police state fantasy packaged up in cute vigilante puppies. The lack of social services depicted in the show and the normalization of drone surveillance over the citizens alarms me. I could go on a rant about my problems with it, but I'll spare you."
Dio chuckled lovingly. "I defer to my wife on this one. She's the political science major, I trust her judgment on matters such as this above all."
Toby nodded dutifully, understandingly: "Honestly I got a nasty vibe all along with that show," he then snickered, "Like it's paw-paganda."
Dio rolled his eyes, smile pulling at his lips despite himself. "Oh my god."
"Secondly," Sunnie continued, "No Peppa Pig. I've seen the devastation that porcine pest can cause. Do you know how hard it is to stop an entire grade of children from oinking after each sentence?? Her effects are horrifically memetic in nature. Shit catches on like an SCP cognitohazard-based plague."
"I've seen some Peppa Pig episodes," Dio grimaced, "Can't believe my country of origin produced something like that."
"No phallic-headed piggies, got it," Toby nodded again, thoroughly amused by Sunnie's personal vendetta against a children's cartoon.
"And thirdly:" Sunnie said, "Fuck Caillou, if I could punt that bald-headed little shit across a field I would. No Caillou. Absolutely none."
At that, Toby laughed, loud and ringing. "At this point, do you guys have an approved list of kids' media?"
"Oh, of course. Most media is alright, it's just that we've taken a stand against these specifically. But we do have several that we favor," Dio said, almost sagely, "Daniel Tiger, Bluey, The Backyardigans, many of the shows on PBS—barring any aforementioned—Mr. Rogers in particular is a show that Sunshine has introduced me to, and I find its quality to be incredible."
"He's healing his inner child," Sunnie interjected, to which Dio smiled.
"Yes," he said, voice soft and a little distant, "Yes, I suppose I am."
Toby looked up at him, his usually manic gaze softening. "I'm happy for you, Big D," he said, voice comfortingly warm, "If anyone deserves it, you do."
Dio laughed. "Oh, I hardly think I deserve it," he said, ruffling Toby's undercut a bit, "Actually, amongst all of those shows, I think I've found myself appreciating Bluey the most. It's… helpful to see a healthy family dynamic such as theirs."
Sunnie planted a kiss on her husband's cheek. "You're talking like my family isn't enough of an example, babe," she said jokingly, to which Dio's face went slightly paler than normal.
"That's—my love, that's not what I meant at all, I just—"
She cackled, "I'm teasing, big guy. I know." Sunnie pressed some extra kisses to his face, and he relaxed.
"I agree with Toby, you know. Sometimes you are too much." Dio took a deep breath in while Toby snickered at the blush that dusted the vampire's cheeks. "I don't know how to raise children. I have no idea what it might be like, nor what being a good father to a little child is supposed to entail. I've met some of Sunshine's former students, and I've watched how wonderfully she interacts with them, how she treats them as equals rather than looking down on them. But I, myself, have never done so." He looked over to Sunnie, his smile loving. "Your parents are excellent, the best of the best. Your relationship with them is so open and honest, but I've only ever seen pictures and some sparse video of you with them when you were a child. So, watching Bandit and Chilli's grace in raising their little animated puppies is the best I have in that regard." Reaching a hand up, he cupped her cheek, running his thumb along the soft, glowy skin. "I spent years filled with cruelty and covered in sharp edges. Being soft and yielding is still a new experience for me. I only hope you allow me leeway as I navigate this new chapter of my life, my love."
Sunnie's lip trembled a bit and her eyes noticeably began to water slightly. She drew in a shuddering breath as she smiled widely. "The hormones are getting to me. I'm so happy I wanna cry."
"Then I shall be there to dry your tears," her husband said before leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to her lips. "Or rather, for now, Toby shall have the honor of comforting you. I'm almost done packing up the kitchen." Toby and Sunnie laughed as he stood, running a clawed hand through Sunnie's messy dark purple hair. "Don't strain yourself too much, Sunlight. The big move is soon after all."
"I'll watch myself, big guy. Have fun with the cutlery!" She called after him as he returned to the kitchen.
"Toss around a few knives for me!" Toby joined in.
"You have my word!" Dio responded.
Sunnie took a moment to drink from her glass of water, nearly emptying it in one go before setting it back down. "It's really weird, Tobs," she looked around at the now-mostly-empty room, a majority of their belongings safe in labeled boxes, "I've lived here for… four years now? I escaped a horrible marriage here, and these are walls I've healed from that in. I found new love here, new friends, a new life, and as claustrophobic as some people might find living underground, I'm going to miss it here."
He grinned his toothy grin and pulled her in for a hug, nestling her comfortably into his side. "I feel like this change will be incredible for you two. A yard! A pool, a creek in the back, so, so many trees, and a lot of them are climbable!" He rested his head on hers. "You guys are gonna have so much space to work with. This kid's gonna have it good. They're gonna wake up from a mid-day nap to the sounds of birds and maybe some squirrels, they're gonna catch toads and fireflies on summer nights. It's literally an idyllic childhood home. Not to mention, the house already feels magical."
"It really does," Sunnie said, smiling at the thought of the beautiful home, and of how she could feel its history the first time she traced her fingers over the intricate carvings on the front door.
"Welp, before we keep packing," Toby said, slapping his thighs before he stood and stretched his arms and back, then went to walk off down the main hall. "I gotta take a piss. I'll be back in a jiff!"
Sunnie stood as well and walked over to the TV, reaching up and pulling her large photobook of Ireland off of the recessed shelf above the screen and held it in her hands for a moment. She ran her fingers over the cover—rolling green hills with a line of an old cobblestone fence running through it, bright blue sky filled with white clouds hovering above the land like an embrace. She wondered if one day they'd be able to travel to Ireland as a family, to see the lands that many of her own ancestors had hailed from.
It had been a little longer than twelve years since she had met her biological mother. And even though that relationship ultimately wasn't fated to work out—her biological mother was fine in the beginning, but she eventually succumbed to a path of conservative religious extremism—it had opened up Sunnie's world to meeting her other family, and eventually her biological father. Sunnie's relationship with him was also ill-fated; as it turned out, he was an Illuminati conspiracy theorist and Sunnie was a Freemason-by-family, so upon learning that, he'd dropped communications with her and, within the past year, had passed from cancer.
Neither of her biological parents, much to her dismay, had Stands. Nor did, to her knowledge, anyone else she was genetically related to. At the time it was an incredibly difficult concept to grasp: she'd spent twenty years assuming and hoping that meeting her biological family would clear up the mysteries of why she was the way she was, of why she could control wind almost instinctively. She never got any answers. In the end, she'd come to peace with the unsatisfactory outcome, and found solace in the discovery of her ancestry instead. Her biological father had an anglicized Irish last name, and upon getting her genetics tested at the behest of her ex-husband, she'd confirmed her predominantly Irish origins.
But she knew that eventually, the child growing inside her would ask why they had no grandparents on dad's side. They'd ask where dad was from. They'd ask questions upon questions, because that is what children do—they explore the world around them through inquiry. She and her husband had had many discussions on how to handle this, and had agreed that the kid would grow up knowing dad was different. That he was a vampire. They both figured that if Sunnie had kept the secret of having a Stand so well as a child, their kid could handle knowing the reality of their dad's condition. Dio had even called his in-laws and asked for advice, which they were happy to give. As for Dio's history, they'd parcel it out in bits and pieces according to how well they'd figure the child could handle it. You can never plan exactly when a kid is ready for something, Sunnie told Dio, they grow up thinking Santa and the tooth fairy exist, and then one day they figure the reality of it out. It'd just be a similar thing to work out.
There was a strange creeping of dark green—almost black—at the corners of her vision, and her brows furrowed. That wasn't normal. She blinked it away, or at least tried to, but it persisted, slinking further and further as her head suddenly felt light and off-kilter.
In the other room, something tingled at Dio's nose, and not in a way he liked. "Love?" He asked, popping his head out from the kitchen doorway. "Is everything alright?"
Sunnie stared at him, wide-eyed, before she felt the hold on the book loosen and it fell from her hands to the floor, narrowly missing her foot. As her vision nearly completely darkened, she felt gravity shift and her knees buckled.
Dio immediately vanished from view, but she knew she was safe, because as she fell, his arms were already there to catch her.
○
The first thing Sunnie noticed when she came to was the sterile smell of a hospital room. The beeps of medical instruments, however, were nowhere to be heard; the room was instead bathed in a watery shimmer, like sunlight viewed through the rippling water of an aquarium, as a large, translucent jellyfish-like creature floated above her, the lights inside it pulsing as it emitted comfortingly echoing hum-like noises. Several of its thick tentacles fell around her like a sort of curtain, soft specks of light drifting down towards her through them like snowflakes, and one tentacle seemed to be placed so that it could connect with her body through her chest. A second tentacle, however, extended itself so that it could connect with her stomach.
Seemingly upon registering Sunnie's awakeness, rainbow lights flitted along the outside of the tentacles, and she found herself admiring the sight—it was like the lights on a comb jelly in the deep sea.
She'd heard about this Stand before: Clementine, a Stand used by one of the major doctors at the Dallas location. The Stand itself couldn't heal, but it was renowned for its diagnostic and monitoring abilities. Toby had excitedly talked about it before, having had to be taken care of by it multiple times (his job as 'interrogator' came with a few dangers), and he'd always sung the praises of its user's bedside manner.
She turned her head towards the windows and saw a tall man, broad-shouldered and framed in the warm light of the sunset, his hat set on the table so his dark hair fell slightly messy around his face as he wrote on something before consulting what was likely a textbook, his long coat draped over the back of his chair. She blinked, brows furrowed as she wondered if she was seeing things, before asking:
"…Jotaro?"
He set his pen down and looked over to her, aquamarine eyes just as vibrant as she remembered. "Sunnie. Hi."
"Uh, hisashiburi." She gripped the soft, sterile sheets under her hands. "How've you been?"
"Well enough."
She looked at him oddly, an unspoken question in the air, which he seemed to pick up on.
"This room isn't protected against the sun, so Dio can't be in here yet." He turned back to his notes, leafing through them for a moment before picking them up and tapping them on the table, straightening them. "Toby was in until he got called out to do some work. I just got in town, and I agreed to watch over you."
Sunnie stared at him, eyes wide, before she laughed, waving her hands in the air placatively. "Thanks a bunch, man, but you didn't need to! This place is super safe, after all."
Jotaro looked back at her, mildly bemused. "I was requested, actually."
She stared at him, face blank. "Uh, Cat? Er–Mrs. Gupta?"
He smirked a little. "No, not her. Your husband asked for me."
Her jaw dropped and she bolted forward in her bed in disbelief. "Wha—Dio asked for you?"
"I was just as surprised as you are. But apparently, he said he couldn't think of anyone more capable of protecting you besides himself. He was… he was very worried for you."
Sunnie sat back on her hospital bed, almost at a loss for words. "Holy shit. Well if that ain't character development, I don't know what is."
Jotaro gave her a light shrug in response. Before he could say anything else, the door opened, and a cheery voice danced through the room.
"Good morning, Mrs. Brando～! Or rather, good evening!"
Dr. Charlotte Wilder's official title was Chief Diagnostician, which was true, but she also had an incredible knack for many other fields, surgery being a particular interest of hers. Her off-record primary work, however, was diagnosing, monitoring, and rehabilitating (if needed) employees affected by any Stand attacks they'd encounter in the field. She was young—only twenty two years of age—with long braided peach colored hair and a multitude of light freckles all over her body, and big, round light green eyes that almost always sparkled. Her position at the Dallas Foundation had been secured since she was scouted at the young age of eleven.
"Oh, call me Sunnie," Sunnie laughed, automatically rising to meet the bubbly personality of the doctor as Jotaro did the opposite and buried himself back into his work.
"Alrighty then, Sunnie," Dr. Wilder grinned widely before making a beeline to the wheeled stool in the room by a desk, "And you can call me Charlotte. We're all Stand users, we're all part of the same gang. So, how are you feeling? Any discomfort?"
Sunnie thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Nah, I feel good. Rested." She then lowered her face into a mock-grim expression, dropping her voice dramatically. "So, doc, give it to me straight… how bad is it? How long do I got?"
Charlotte laughed brightly. "It's anemia," she said, pushing herself closer to the bedside on her stool (but not before doing a 360° twirl on it). "But it's, uh… weird anemia."
"Weird anemia?" Sunnie repeated, slowly.
Charlotte looked at Sunnie over her rectangular wire frame glasses, tapping her Foundation-branded silver pen on the mattress. "While you were passed out, your iron levels dropped a few times. But your child's—" She consulted with her Stand for a moment, and it seemed to let out a few confirmatory warbles, "—your child's rose significantly each time that happened."
Sunnie's eyes blew wide and she leaned forward, shocked. "You mean the kid is leeching off of me??"
"Well, they're half vampire, what did you expect?" Charlotte giggled, one of Clementine's translucent arms beginning to flash dimly as she filled out a form on her clipboard, "But this isn't anything to worry about. We just need you on a special iron supplement regimen. I'll take the data from Clementine into the lab and get something fixed up for you. I'd like you to come in weekly to check for any adjustments that need to be made at least—you know as well as I do that we're winging this pregnancy as it is. If you begin to feel lightheaded before that week mark hits, let me know immediately and I'll get you in."
Jotaro saw Sunnie relax into her pillow slightly, breathing a sigh of relief. "Yeesh. What a little gremlin." She smiled and placed her hand on her belly, caressing it through her sweatshirt softly. "You're gonna pay for this in so many cuddles when you get outta there, buddy."
Charlotte looked at Sunnie and held her hand up, whispering a small 'may I?' before Sunnie nodded, and Charlotte placed the hand on her stomach as well, right next to her Stand's glowing arm. "You know, when I heard about the circumstances of this pregnancy, I was fascinated—a non-human and a human producing offspring, and this is the first time we'd be able to monitor it all the way through. A medical first…" she trailed off for a moment, before looking at Sunnie, alarmed. "Oh–oh god, I'm so sorry, I'm talking about you like you're an experiment—"
She was cut off by Sunnie's bright, cackling laughter. "No! No, I get it. I totally get it, I'm rather scientifically-minded myself. I'm just as interested as you are, frankly."
Charlotte relaxed substantially. "Oh thank god," she chuckled, "I tend to overwhelm people sometimes. Don't mean to, it just kind of happens." She stood up, putting her pen in her lab coat pocket. "I'll get the supplements ready in the pharmacological suite. By the way," she said, almost as an aside, "The sun's just set. Your husband will probably be up soon." She then motioned to her Stand, which detached its tentacles from Sunnie's body and made a deep warbling noise. "It was good to meet you, by the way! Don't forget, I'll see you next week."
Sunnie waved excitedly. "Next week! I'll definitely be there."
Charlotte smiled again before turning to leave out the door. As Clementine followed the doctor out of the room, Sunnie looked at Jotaro and saw his gaze following the Stand intently. After the door closed, she waited a few seconds before releasing an amused huff of air.
"…Did you like Clementine because it looks like a jellyfish?" She asked, a sly grin on her face.
Jotaro looked off to the side slightly. "…I didn't hate it."
Sunnie giggled. There was a comfortable silence between them for about a minute before she spoke up.
"Dio and I bought a house that we're moving into," she said, "It's massive. Three stories, Victorian. There's a pool, a garden… There's a creek in the back too, with fish and ducks and frogs. We've even already had all the regular windows replaced with a special Foundation-made UV-resistant glass, and all the stained glass is being treated so that Dio can walk around during the day and not get hurt." She looked at Jotaro with a warm smile. "We're also having a second, more planned out marriage celebration early next year. Our wedding was really rushed and really small, but if you'd like to attend, I'll send you the details."
He stared at her, face stoic as always, before nodding. "I'll see if I can make it," he replied. "I suppose I need to get over the fact that this Dio isn't the one I fought. The fact that he's been in with the Foundation this long speaks for itself, but…"
His words died off and he seemed to not know how to continue his thoughts out loud, but Sunnie nodded knowingly. "I get it, Jotaro. Sometimes it's hard to let go of a past that affected you so deeply. I know how it feels."
He gave her a small, appreciative smile before the door slammed open and there was a blur of blonde hair as Dio wrapped his massive arms around Sunnie, pushing her back into the pillow on the medical bed with the force of the hug.
"Oh. Speak of the devil." Jotaro deadpanned.
"Darling, I spoke to the doctor in the hall," Dio said hurriedly, not paying any mind to Jotaro's comment. "She said it's anemia, and assured me that you and the baby are going to be fine, but how do you feel? Are you alright??" He pulled back and looked at her pleadingly. She just broke out in a peal of laughter, cheeks flushing.
"I'm fine! I promise, I'm fine, big guy." She brought her hands up to his face and pulled him down, pressing their foreheads together. "Both of us are perfectly fine. It just turns out our little bundle of joy is taking a few cues from his dear old dad and taking some of my blood."
Dio's eyes widened for a moment, then he laughed as well, the sound deep and sonorous. "Well well well, I certainly don't blame them! They'd better leave some for me, though. I've been holding off on partaking since the beginning of the pregnancy and I would hate to be left out."
A cough interrupted them, and they both turned to see Jotaro, whose normally aloof demeanor had cracked to show slightest hint of disgust at their display of affection. Sunnie cackled again, and she apologized profusely as Dio straightened himself up.
"Jotaro, I would like to thank you personally for watching over Sunshine," he said, though his furrowed brows gave away his discomfort being so close to the man. "And, by proxy, our unborn child."
"It's no problem, really," Jotaro replied, voice a little clipped. There was a small twitch in one of his hands, and he seemed to grit his teeth. "Do you, uh, do you know the sex of the child?"
"We know, but we're keeping it between us," Sunnie explained, to which Dio chuckled.
"Sunshine has some… more traditional family members. When we do finally announce both our marriage and pregnancy to them and the baby showers happen, we'd prefer to not have them forcing these weirdly gendered baby items on them."
Sunnie grimaced. "Like those onesies that say 'daddy's girl'."
"Or the shirts that say 'lady killer' or 'hide your daughters' or some such nonsense," Dio added in disgust.
Jotaro felt some of the tension leave his body. "That's understandable." He paused for a moment, clearly deep in thought. "You really aren't the same man that I killed, huh?" Jotaro said, standing to his full height. Even this Dio was different—he was slightly taller than Jotaro, maybe by an inch or an inch and a half.
Dio's brows creased, and he looked away. "We may have been similar. Dio Prime and I have both done terrible things—arguably, I have done far worse. Since I escaped, the number I've killed in the name of survival is far higher than Prime's ever was." He sighed after a moment, then met Jotaro's eyes again: they were the exact same bright aquamarine color he remembered from that night in Alta, but these were calmer and wiser and not filled with hatred. He breathed in deep before releasing a sigh. "Ultimately, I do feel I've changed. A wise man once said, 'Which is better: to be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?'"
Sunnie immediately slapped at his hip. "Oh my god," she stage-whispered, "Oh my god are you fucking quoting Skyrim to Jotaro???"
Dio just as quickly grabbed the top of Sunnie's head, pushing it around in circles as he, too, stage-whispered humorously, "Shh. Hush, my love. Don't say anything."
Jotaro just stared at them in disbelief. "…Dio played Skyrim?"
Dio shrugged. "Whenever Sunshine goes out on missions, I find myself with little to do. She enjoys video games, so I decided to try some out, on her recommendation."
"He's played Shadow of the Colossus too, and we play Guild Wars 2 together as well," Sunnie interjected, grinning, "And several Pokémon games, but I question his team building methods."
Dio leaned down, leering at his wife. "I build my teams for the aesthetic. It's important."
She glared at him. "What about functionality, because I kick your ass EVERY time we battle!!"
"It doesn't matter that you kick my ass. What matters is that I look good."
Despite himself, Jotaro let out an amused huff. Both Dio and Sunnie stared at him with wide eyes. "You really are a lot different than him," Jotaro said, almost under his breath, before continuing. "I have to get to my room, I have a call with the Antarctic Expedition team in an hour."
"It's been good seeing you, Jotaro～!" Sunnie said cheerily before her face contorted in what seemed to be confusion and some slight discomfort. Then, realization hit. "BABE," she whispered, eyes like saucers, "The kid's kicking!!"
Dio immediately dropped down and knelt by his wife, placing a large hand on her stomach, a short moment passing before his eyes lit up. "Oof, that's a strong child. I expect nothing less." He smiled proudly. "Especially considering who the parents are."
"When's the kid due?" Jotaro asked as he gathered his things into his briefcase.
"December," Sunnie smiled, "So, soon enough."
Dio laughed softly. "Soon? Love, that's several months away yet."
Her smile turned cryptic. "The people that get it, get it."
Her husband rolled his eyes. "You say the strangest things sometimes." As the Joestar began to walk to the door, Dio stopped him. "Jotaro?"
Jotaro looked back at him over his shoulder, and they shared a sustained moment of eye contact that, refreshingly, wasn't fueled by animosity and rage.
"…Again, thank you." Dio finally said.
Jotaro nodded to him and left, leaving the two expecting parents to their own devices.