Work With Me -Bruno Buccellati x Reader-

7- Cleaning up your mess

The hours continued to slip by, but Bruno didn't go back to bed. Instead, he cleaned up your mess. As he worked tirelessly to mop up the spilled drinks and clean up the mess of shelving and glass, he mumbled to himself. There was a small part of him that was worried, especially as it hit midnight and you still weren't home. Would you stay out all night? Find a hotel and come back tomorrow? Perhaps he had been too harsh on you, but still, you had been selfish and stupid again. 

He still wasn't sure why you believed so strongly that he was the reason for your team's death. He too had heard the whispers of his name, the way people gossiped about his involvement, mere metres away so he could easily hear them. There was no evidence, except for Bruno's word, but an idea was hard to kill, so the rumours kept spreading. The only person Bruno wanted to convince of his innocence was you, but you never believed him. Had he been framed? Had someone tried to implant the idea that it was him? Bruno that maybe someone had, using his loyalty to the familigia against him,  but who was cruel enough to do such a thing. 

Maybe if that had never happened, if those infectious rumours hadn't reached your ears, then maybe Bruno and you could be friends. In the moments when you weren't accusing him or outright disobeying him, then you were really quite pleasant. Bruno could watch you for hours, walk with you down the streets of Napoli until the sun fell and you had to return home together. He almost wanted to live that life with you, but then he would be reminded that you weren't the person he wanted you to be. You weren't quite and timid, you didn't even trust him. One day, you might become that person, but Bruno didn't have high expectations. 

For now, he kept cleaning. Alcohol could be replaced, but it was expensive and stuff this vintage would be hard to acquire. He finished mopping the floor, pausing to make sure he hadn't missed anything. It was the early hours of the morning, and yet you were still gone. He didn't want to go back to sleep just yet, in case you came back and the front door was locked. He sat down in the living room, waiting for you. The silence was eerie, and he wandered if maybe he should give up. You could do as you liked, and Bruno was pretty sure you could take at least some care of yourself. Besides, Bruno was supposed to be angry at you, but that instinct to protect you was coming back, too strong for him to ignore. So he carried on waiting, tapping his fingers on his knee, watching the door keenly for any sign of your return.

When you did come back, Bruno had almost fallen asleep. The sound of you shutting the door and stumbling upstairs awoke him. He followed you, as you wandered lazily into the bathroom. You didn't turn to look at him, didn't say anything as you shut the bathroom door. Bruno heard the click of the lock, but he didn't leave just yet. From inside came the sound of the bathtub filling up, followed by the sound of you being sick. Bruno listened carefully, hearing the sound of you climbing into the bath. 

After about a half hour, he began to grow concerned. He hadn't heard a peep from inside that bathroom for a while now. Were you ok? He wondered how you would react if he let himself inside, just to make sure you were ok. Using Sticky Fingers, he unzipped the door just enough to look through. On the floor was your pile of clothes. He looked to the bath only to see that you had fallen asleep. Without really thinking about it, he climbed through his zipper and hurried over to you. 

"Y/N? Are you ok?"

You groaned, Bruno patted your damp hair. 

"It's alright, I'll take care of you." He said, reaching up for the shower head. 

Carefully, he washed your hair. You tried to resist at first, but the water from the shower was soothing, and you were too tired to kick up much of a fuss. You let his hands wash you, moving quickly but deliberately over your shoulders and back. He was careful not to touch you anywhere too inappropriate, and you appreciated that. You were still badly drunk, and Bruno knew you needed his help. You would need it tomorrow, too, in order to deal with the hangover that would soon come. 

He finished cleaning you, allowing you to sit in the bath while he took your dirty clothes downstairs to be washed as well. They were stained with alcohol, reeking of cigarette smoke. In your pocket, he found your wages, a good portion having been spent on drink. He smiled to himself, before using his own wallet to replace the money you had spent. It was the very least he could do, he thought, placing the envelope on the kitchen counter for you to find tomorrow. 

Back upstairs, you were drifting back off to sleep right when Bruno opened the door. He lifted you out of the tub, placing a towel around you. You stood there, dripping wet, as he went and found something  for you to wear. He came back and placed down your pyjamas, looking at the way you were standing there, motionless. 

"Can you dress yourself?" He asked, noticing the way your eyes were hesitant to look in his direction.

You shook your head slowly, swaying where you stood, clutching the towel around you. Bruno smiled, 

"Come here then."

He carefully removed your towel, patting you dry the best he could. His movements were gentle, affectionate as he made his way back to your head to dry your hair. You didn't move much as he did this, only lifting your arms and legs when he instructed you too. Other than that, it was like you weren't even awake. Your mind was foggy, and you didn't register how embarrassing this situation was. Bruno made you feel safe and protected, you trusted him with this simple task, knowing he was only trying to help you. As you lifted your arms up to allow him to slip the top over your head, you managed to smile at him. He laughed, 

"There we go, feeling better already." He put a hand atop your head, you looked up at him. You felt warm all over, but you couldn't think why.

Bruno helped you finish dressing, before leading you to your bedroom. You climbed into bed, allowing Bruno to straighten your duvet and pillows for you. Then he silently cleared up the mess in your room, he didn't criticise you for not being clean, like you thought he would. In fact, he smiled at you afterwards, 

"Come on now, get some sleep." His voice was kind and reassuring. As he left, he shut the door with a quiet click behind him and you were asleep in an instant.