Chapter Text
“How in the hell are we affording this?” you muttered to yourself, gawking at the astonishingly large house in front of you. The blue façade towered over the surrounding houses, well-kept and neat in contrast to the messy and old houses nearby. Seeing as this was a neighborhood full of college students, most of the houses were passed from partiers to partiers under apathetic landlords, and never saw so much as a bit of landscaping, so they all ended up in terrible shape. The house you were sitting in front of, however, 4730 University Avenue, was a diamond in the rough, evidently. The location was unbeatable - close to restaurants of all sorts, a short walk from a grocery store, and just a few blocks from the light rail that could take you to campus or downtown any time you needed. From what you had been told, the house had five bedrooms and six bathrooms, a pool out back with a company hired to take care of it, pristine landscaping, a gorgeous kitchen, a garage, and a sound system wired throughout the entire first floor. And still, somehow, Kakyoin had promised you that you’d only be paying $300 a month in rent, utilities included.
Exasperated, you set down the duffel bag you had been holding and pulled out your phone. Kakyoin’s profile photo smiled back at you as you pulled up his contact in order to call him and figure out what kind of practical joke he was playing on you, because there was absolutely no way you were only expected to pay $300 a month for your own private bedroom and bathroom in this… mansion in an area where it typically cost $600 or $700 for a shared bedroom and bathroom. However, the moment you put the phone up to your ear, you heard a car pull up the driveway, and you turned around to see who it was. None other than Kakyoin himself grinned at you from the driver’s seat as he turned off the mom van and got out.
“So, what do you think?” he asked, holding his arms out to gesture towards the house.
“You’re kidding, right?” you replied, a pained look on your face. “You’re gonna have to drive me to wherever we’re actually living, because I’m not paying for another Uber to move all of my stuff.” You pointed at the bins full of clothes and items behind you. Kakyoin had instructed you to not bother with any big furniture, because the house was already furnished.
The shiny zippers on Kakyoin’s green bomber jacket shook as he laughed. “This is it, (y/n)! I know it’s hard to believe, but seriously, this is the Manor.” You smiled at the goofy nickname he and the other roommates had given the huge house like they were frat bros or something. He closed the car door behind him and walked closer, lowering his voice so that anyone in the surrounding houses couldn’t hear. “The Speedwagon Foundation is covering the majority of it for Jotaro. That’s why we’re expected to pay so little.”
You nodded in understanding, but your heart fluttered slightly at the mention of Kakyoin’s best friend, Jotaro. While Jotaro and Kakyoin had been roommates since freshman year, you only ever spent time with Kak during your freshman term last year, while you were living in university housing. He hung around the common areas of your dorm fairly frequently (using his Stand to sneak in without a keycard, no doubt), where you met him and quickly became friends. When you were looking for somewhere to live for your sophomore year instead of a dorm, Kakyoin had quickly jumped to invite you to live in the Manor with him and his friends. Although you had only ever briefly met Jotaro and had never met Dio, you decided to agree, because it was cheap and living with someone you knew was better than living with a bunch of strangers. From your brief meetings with Jotaro, you knew that he was scary and stoic, but Kakyoin insisted that he would open up over time. All you knew about Dio was that he was a Stand user as well, just like you, Jotaro, and Kakyoin.
“Let me help you bring your stuff up to your room,” Kakyoin offered, snapping you back to reality on the lush green lawn of the Manor. He picked up two bins stacked on top of each other and made his way towards the dark oak front door with you following quickly behind, lugging some more of your things.
“Dio’s home right now, I think,” he mentioned as he pushed open the door. “He’ll help for sure.” You stepped through the doorframe behind him, eyes widening as you took in the foyer. This wasn’t just a foy-ur, this was a foyer pronounced the French way. Dark hardwood floors stretched from the entrance to the kitchen and living area, and you could see all the way through the first floor to the large sliding glass doors overlooking the pool in the back. White marble countertops and white cabinets lined the sides of the kitchen, and beautiful stainless steel appliances too good for a college house were nestled against the walls and in the counters.
You were snapped out of your amazement by Kakyoin calling “Dio! (y/n) is here!” up the stairs. You could hear a door open, and down from the stairs came one of the most graceful individuals you had ever seen. With every fluid step he took towards you and Kakyoin, he seemed to just exude beauty. His long blond locks were pulled up in a messy ponytail, and the ribbed black tank top he wore clung to his built chest beautifully. His face lit up with a charming smile when he caught sight of the two of you.
“Well, hello,” Dio practically purred, sending butterflies careening in your stomach. You picked up a British accent in his voice. “You must be our new roommate.” He opened his arms towards you, beckoning you in for a hug, which you politely accepted. In the brief moment he hugged you, you smelled an intoxicating cologne that you immediately came to adore the scent of.
“I’m Dio Brando,” he introduced himself once he had released you and stepped back.
“Nice to meet you, Dio. I’m (y/n),” you replied with a smile. You could already tell this boy was going to be trouble. His eyes, which were a fascinating shade of amber, searched your face as he slipped his hands into the pockets of the burnt orange joggers sitting low on his hips.
“May I help with your things?” Dio asked, glancing between you and Kakyoin.
“Yes, you can,” Kakyoin replied for you, obviously looking slightly piqued at the way you and Dio’s meeting had gone. You got the sense that Dio had a pattern of treating girls the way he had just treated you. “The rest of her stuff is outside, but I’m gonna bring this up now.”
Dio left the two of you to go help haul the rest of your belongings up to your room. You followed Kakyoin up the stairs, where he showed you to your room and its attached bathroom. The bedroom was far bigger than you had expected, especially after having lived in a tiny dorm for so long, but you weren’t complaining. The walls were white and there was a big window with light gray curtains on the far side of the room, overlooking the backyard and pool. A sleek, black set of furniture donned the room, giving you a large dresser with a mirror, a floor lamp, a sizable desk, a nightstand, and a full-sized bed. Two doors sat on the side of the room opposite of the window, which you assumed led to your closet and bathroom. The room was pristine and obviously recently cleaned. The plush carpet felt heavenly under your sore feet.
“This is it!” Kakyoin said proudly as he set down the bins he had been carrying. He looked expectantly at you, and was pleased to see a delighted look on your face.
“This is insane,” you sputtered, letting the bags you were lugging drop to the floor. “You’re sure I only have to pay so little?” Kakyoin laughed softly at your confusion.
“I’m telling you, the Speedwagon Foundation is crazy loaded,” he explained. “Because Jotaro’s so tight with them, they’re paying for the majority of it. That’s why me, you, and Dio hardly have to pay anything. It’s so great.”
As if on cue, Dio reached the top of the stairs behind the two of you. Upon realizing what you were confused about, he couldn’t help but laugh, too.
“Don’t worry, (y/n),” he reassured you, slipping into the room to carefully set down a few more of your items. “I was in awe, too, when we first moved into this place.”
“They actually demolished the house that used to be here to build it, when Jotaro and I were going into our sophomore year and could escape the dorms,” Kakyoin clarified. “Dio was a junior then, and was looking to get out of his frat house, so we invited him to live with us.” Your eyebrows raised in curiosity at the mention of Dio being in a fraternity, and you looked to him. He seemed so classy and graceful, the complete antithesis of your average frat bro. Dio chuckled softly at your expression.
“The fraternity life was just not for me,” Dio elaborated. “While I do love to party, I’m just a little bit more… higher-class than some of those buffoons.” This comment drew a laugh out of you, and Dio looked pleased at that. “But no need to worry about me graduating and leaving you here with these two brutes so soon,” he drawled, referring to Kakyoin and Jotaro. “Once I finish undergrad, I’m going to stay here for law school, too.”
Kakyoin rolled his eyes, and nudged Dio with his elbow as he began to exit the room again. “Let (y/n) start unpacking, and we’ll go get the rest of her stuff,” he instructed, and Dio followed him out and down the stairs.
“Thank you, guys!” you called after them. Left to your own devices, you began to open up bins and put things away. Dio and Kakyoin finished bringing up all of your items, and then retreated to other parts of the house.
Hours passed, the boys drifted around the house without much to do, Jotaro came home and didn’t acknowledge your presence (although you had expected that), the sun had sank low in the sky, Dio had taken to floating in the pool (after all, you could only use it for a few more weeks before the chilly fall set in), and your room had gotten to a point where you were proud of how it looked. All that was left was to organize your supplies on your desk, which would only take you a few minutes.
A soft knock at your door frame snapped you out of your concentration, and you turned around to see who it was. Standing there was Jotaro, who refused to make eye contact with you and instead stared at the wall next to your head.
“Kakyoin told me to tell you he got pizza,” he deadpanned, and as quickly as he had arrived, he was gone, already making his way down the stairs. You stood there in shock for a moment before shaking your head slightly and following him to the kitchen. On the counter sat three pizza boxes, one of them already almost completely empty, seeing as Jotaro and Kakyoin had already taken their portions and were seated at the table. As you were grabbing a plate from next to the boxes and taking your pizza, the sliding glass door opened and Dio stepped inside. Damp from the pool and backlit from the setting sun, he looked like a bona fide Greek god. When he caught your glance at him, he smirked. Ignoring that, you took your food and sat down at the table next to Kakyoin and across from Jotaro. Dio joined you shortly after, still shirtless.
“Put on a shirt,” Jotaro commanded, clearly annoyed by Dio’s lack of clothing.
“But I’m still wet…” Dio complained. Jotaro seemed to drop it at that, and didn’t bring it up again. Kakyoin cleared his throat, and to fill the silence, said, “It’s our first dinner as roommates!” with a wide smile.
“You’re right,” you replied, returning his grin in kind. It felt good to be welcomed by at least someone at the table.
“It’ll be nice to have a girl in the house,” Dio commented, a piece of pizza crust dangling from in between his long fingers. “Maybe having you here will help me convince these two brutes to make our parties a little more… sophisticated.” This earned a laugh from you. Kakyoin, Jotaro, and Dio were well-known on campus for the parties they threw (hence the earning of the name “The Manor”), although you figured that they were likely more products of Kakyoin and Dio’s efforts than Jotaro’s. You had never actually been able to attend one, but plenty of people on campus knew about the reputation of these boys and The Manor.
“Speaking of which,” Kakyoin interjected. He placed his elbows on the table and leaned forward to address the group. “When are we gonna throw our first rager of the year?” He added a hand flourish to punctuate the last word, and you noticed that his fingernails were painted a pale blue color, but rather chipped.
“Friday?” Dio suggested. “That gives us, what, four days to plan and get ready?” Jotaro and Kakyoin nodded in agreement. Classes were to start the following Tuesday, so that would give you a while to clean up and get things back in order. You nodded as well, slightly delayed from the other two.
“Perfect, we’ll do Friday then!” Kakyoin exclaimed with a clap of his hands. His purple eyes (what was it with the guys in this house and strangely colored eyes?) shone with delight as he stood up from the table and made his way back towards the kitchen for more pizza.
“Jojo,” Dio asked, drawing out the nickname that clearly made Jotaro uncomfortable. “I can’t remember. Are you 21 yet?” Jotaro nodded in response, eyeing Dio with an air of uncertainty. At his reply, Dio leaned in slightly closer to him. “Now that you’re an adult, can you handle getting the juice for Friday? I think the liquor stores around here are starting to catch on that I’m getting alcohol for minors.” Jotaro let out what sounded like a small laugh before pulling his black baseball cap down over his eyes and muttering something in Japanese.
“Sure,” he answered. “Just warning you, though… Josuke and his band of goons will probably want to come.”
Dio’s face lit up at the mention of these people you didn’t know. “Josuke? I can’t wait!”
“Who’s Josuke?” you asked. Jotaro leaned back in his chair before answering, “He’s my… uncle. He’s a freshman here this fall.”
“Uncle?” you questioned, given the age difference.
“It’s… weird,” Jotaro sighed. “My grandpa can’t keep his dick in his pants, I guess.”
“Good ol’ Joseph,” remarked Kakyoin, returning to his spot at the table. He and Jotaro had been friends for years, so it wasn’t all that surprising to you that he had met Jotaro’s grandfather.
Later that night, you found yourself laying on your new, pristine bedding, scrolling aimlessly through Twitter on your phone. Dinner had ended in empty pizza boxes and cheeks that hurt from smiling, and you were feeling good about this new living arrangement. Sure, Dio came on a bit strong, Jotaro was kind of terrifying, and Kakyoin was too loud when he gamed at night, but the house was gorgeous and more than you could have ever asked for. The promise of the college parties you always saw in movies but had missed out on freshman year excited you, and you had already invited some of your friends. It was shaping up to be a good year so far, and you drifted to sleep that night with a soft smile on your face.