**Gianni, A month Later**
I pull up in front of Dimitrius' apartment building and watch as he comes out quickly and runs through the rain to my car. He gets in, smiling at me adorably while rain drips down his face. I chuckle grabbing the extra towel I keep in my backseat. He thanks me and wipes his face and dries his hair, before folding it up and putting it back.
"What time does your class start?" I ask him.
"8:30." He replies, and I check the clock on the screen.
7:30
"Coffee?" I offer. He nods happily, and I head out of the parking lot of his building.
~~~~
"Did you know that you dress like an Art Major?" He says as we walk into the University.
"What?" i ask with a small laugh.
"If there was a certain an Art student was supposed to dress..." He says, looking down at my current outfit then back up at me. "It'd be like this."
"Is that...a good thing?" I ask.
"Yes. You dress really pretty." He compliments with a smile.
"Thank you, Bamb-"
"D!" An annoying voice calls out, and we both stop at Michelle runs up to us. "Hi, wanna walk me to class?" She asks giving him a flirtacious smile.
"Oh, I'm walking with Gi-"
"Go ahead." i cut him off. "My class is on the opposite side of the building than yours anyways. I'll meet you by that tree in the middle of campus at 4?" I suggest.
"Hmm, okay." he nods unsurely. "What about Lunch?" He asks in confusion.
"I have something to do with Ezra, so I won't be here. I'll see you ater school." I tell him, and he frowns but nods nonetheless. I turn and start walking towards my class, picking up on their conversation a bit.
"-stop hanging out with her, she's bad news."
"You guys are mean to her for no reason. She's the best person I've met here so far." He argues, and I smile to myself and continue walking.
****
Around 11, I leave Campus and drive to Ezra's school.
"Thanks for coming." He murmurs to me.
"It's what big sisers are for, Kid." I respond, patting his head. We get called into the Principals office, and the two of us go inside.
"Miss DeAngelo, nice to see you again." He says, and I force myself to shake his hand. "Mr and Mrs.-"
"They're busy." i cut him off, sititng down.
Mom and Dad are at the Doctors, getting some tests and bloodwork done for Mom. So I had to step in and come to this meeting with the Principal about Ezra.
"So, as you know Mr.DeAngelo is a straight A student. Highest GPA in the whole school, and probably the smartest kid in the school." He says, and I nod. "Well, we're not the only ones that have noticed. Recently one of our counselors has received an Email from multiple Ivy League schools, asking about Mr.DeAngelo and his availability for Colleges." He explains.
"That's great, Ez. Why didn't you tell us?" I say, looking at Ez who is sitting in his chair uncomfortably, tapping his finger against his knee and staring at the ground.
Hmmm....
"Mr.DeAngelo, declined every single offer." He then says, and I keep my face blank. "I'm not sure if it has something to do with family, money, or some kind of personal thing. But i highly suggest you-."
"If Ezra made the decision to decline, he has a valid reason." I say, glancing at Ezra who looks at me in shock. "I won't try to change his mind. He controls what he does with his life. But thank you, for bringing this to my attention." I say, standing up watching as the Principal processes what I just said.
Ezra follows behind me as I lead him out of the school after deciding to check him out for the rest of the day and lead him to my car.
"So, you gonna tell me why you declined the offers or are we gonna play the guessing game?" I ask, watching the rain hit the windshield.
"I don't wanna leave." He says quietly, playing with his fingers. "Mom is sick, Dad is slowly losing it, Alaric is getting out of control and Alaria can't handle that by herself. I don't wanna leave them."
"It's okay to be selfish, Ez." I sigh. "You see me? I left. I'm happy, because I was selfish and made a decision for myself."
"Dad would be so disappointed-."
"Fuck that." I cut him off with a scoff. "You've been talking about going to an Ivy League school since you could actually talk. You aren't even important to the gang."
Harsh, but true.
"I say you leave while you still can." I tell him.
"What do you mean while I still can?"
"No one talks about it." I say, smiling coldly. "But there's really only one to leave the Gang once you're officially. Dying. There's no quitting, or just dropping out."
"What about Dad and Uncle A-."
"They weren't official. And they were Heirs, like me. We have the options as an Heir to decline and separate from the Gang. Sure it comes with backlash, but we can't be touched by them after that. But you, Ez. You aren't built for this shit. You'd get eaten alive. They'd get you killed."
"But Alaric and Alaria, they would protect me."
"Fuck that shit, Ez. They might be in partial control right now, but when Mom dies and Dad loses all his shit. Everything is going to absolute shit. And there's nothing any of us can do about it." I tell him truthfully.
"I hate how brutally honest you are." He murmurs quietly, and I shrug.
"Most people do."
***********
I make it back on Campus around 3:45, and head to the Tree. My eyes widen when I see Dimitirus already there, waiting patiently.
"Hey." I say, walking up to him. "How longò have you been here?" I ask him.
"Only like ten minutes." He shrugs. "I love the after rain. The smell, the way the air feels. All of it." He smiles.
"Come on." I smile, taking his hand and leading him to my car.
~~~
We get to my Condo, both of us going into the kitchen for a snack and something to drink.
We go into my room and we both settle down on my bed. He lays across it with his head resting on a pillow and his arm under his head. I lay next to him, doing the same thing and staring up at the ceiling.
"Tell me something about you." He says, and I tap my fingers against my stomach.
"I can tell you a lot of shit. Be more specific."
"What was your childhood like?" He asks, and I whistle.
"The good part, or the fucked up part that no one talks about?"
"Both." He responds, and I nod.
"Don't get me wrong, I had a great childhood. Both parents, little siblings. It was nice." I say, continue to tap my fingers. "But I grew up in a dangerous environment. My family is dangerous, as you know. I was supposed to be the Heir to this big bad gang and lead it like my family before me. Therefore, I had to undergo...training. Hand to Hand combat, weapons training, stuff like that. No one's really seen a problem with it before me, because it's how they all grew up. And if they didn't grow up like that, then some screwed up shit made them think it was okay to raise your kids like that. But I did, so I made sure my siblings didn't have to endure that...at least not until they were older." I explain.
"How old we're you when you started...training?"
"Four. And a half." I respond without hesitation. "Learned how to work a gun when I was five. Used a gun for the first time when I was 13. And it really only spiraled down from there."
"Have you ever...killed someone?" He asks
I take a deep breath, closing my eyes as I answer him. "Yes." I answer truthfully. "More than one person." He stays silent, and I release a breath through my nose. "I kill, not because I have to, because I want. I kill people that deserve to die. Rapists, Sex Traffickers, Child Predators."
"Then...I don't think poorly of you for it" He says quietly, and I open my eyes. "If you're killing those kinds of people, you're making the world a better place in a sense, right?"
Right?
"You realize that means all the rumors are true?" I say, sitting up and looking at him. "I'm a ruthless killer. I take peoples lives for Money."
"Everyone does things they aren't proud of-."
"I'm proud of it." I cut him off, and he sighs.
"All i'm saying is...if you...ya know, kill people like that then I think you're doing everyone a good deed. Maybe not the kind of good deed a normal person would do, but still a good deed in a sense." He explains.
"That's what you think?" I ask, and he nods confidently. "Then you're just as fucked up as I am, Bambi."
"Maybe, I am." He shrugs.
"What about you? What was your childhood like?" I ask curiously.
"I moved a lot. I only moved countries twice...well three times if you count moving here. But my parents could never really keep up with rent, so we were always moving houses or staying with o
family members." He explains to me. "I only have one sibling, my older brother Nico. He's 21 like you, and he has his son, Bam Bam but we just call him Bam. My mom died when I was around 4. So we stayed with her Family in Greece after that. Then my dad died when I was around 6 or 7 so then they shipped me off to Honk Kong with his family."
"Damn." I mutter, and he nods.
"Honk Kong took some getting used to. But I loved it no matter what, it was home." He murmurs and I smile. "But all around they gave me the best childhood they could with what they had." He says and I nod.
"How old is your nephew?" I ask, immediately making a smile bloom on his face.
"Bam is 6, he's turning 7 this year." He says happily.
He's obviously very fond of "Bam" I'll keep that in mind for when I meet the kid. Make sure I get on is good side.
"Cute." I murmur, sitting up and running a hand through my hair. "Well, I was gonna do a quick run to the Art store. Wanna join me?" I ask.
"Oooh, sure." He nods, sitting up as well. "Can you draw me?" He asks me with wide, excited eyes.
"Sure." I nod, getting off my bed and grabbing my navy blue tote bag hanging on my doorknob. I toss in my phone, wallet, and my phone charger before leading him out of my room and into the "Art Studio"
I grab my most recent sketchbook and one of the colored pencils from the desk, putting them both into the bag before taking a picture of the name of the pencils if been using. He waits patiently at the entrance until I finish, then happily follows me to the Garage.
"Let's take the Black one." He says, pointing at the Custom Tesla Roadster parked at the end of the graft next to my three motorcycles.
"Sure." I shrug, grabbing the keys off the rack. "You wanna drive?" I offer.
"I learned how to drive on the left side of the road, not the right." He responds with a small pout.
Right, let's not take that risk then.
*****
I drop Dimitrius off at home after doing the few errands, then get back to my own place and go inside.
I put all my things away, and my phone lights up with a Text.
Ez: Can you come home, please? Alaric and Dad are getting into it
Me: Yeah, here I come.
I sigh, picking up my keys once again and leaving the house.
~~~~
I open the front door, walking in right as Alaric swings at my dad. I watch as he lands the blow, and my dad throws a punch back, landing it as well. I look at mom who is watching them sadly, then at Alaria who looks like she wants to cry while Ezra is just trying to comfort her and Mom.
"Dad." I say with a small sigh as he lands another punch. Alaric goes to throw another punch, but I quickly catch his fist and pull him backwards and away from our dad. "What the fuck, guys?" I ask angrily. "Why are you fighting?" I ask them, glaring at both of them.
"He said I wasn't fit to run the Gang." Alaric says, and I glance at dad. "Because I don't have my anger under control and I'm too impulsive."
"Ahd wat did you do in response?" Dad asks, wiping his bloody nose with his thumb. "You fucking punched me in the face, Alaric." Alaris stays silent, and I sigh.
"Guys, you-"
"You don't get a say in this, Gianni. You walked out! You aren't apart of this gang anymore!" Alaric snaps at me, and I raise an eyebrow at me. "Always coming around acting you know what's best and you're so wise and clever. Fuck that, you don't know shit."
"Fine, then don't listen." I shrug. "Mom, help dad clean up and calm down." I say, and Mom nods and stands up. Her and dad dissapear upstairs, and I turn to Alaria and Ezra. "You guys good? Do you need anything?"
"No, we're okay." Ezra answers quietly, and I nod.
"Alaria?" i ask, and she looks at Alaric who is still glaring at the ground.
"I'm gonna stay with him." She says, and I nod again.
One thing I've always admired about the twins is no matter what, they stook by each other's side. Right or Wrong, they didn't leave each other.
"Alright." I nod, and look at Alaric. "When you get your head out of your ass, I'd love to talk." I say, turning on my heel and walking out of the house.
One thing no one in this family talks about is how truly fucked up we all are. I mean come on, the amount of shit our relatives have been put through, but everyone waltzes around like it's normal and cause. That's why I sometimes can't stand to be around them, because they're so happy go-lucky as if our lives aren't fucked up. I mean our family literally runs the most feared gang in...the world. If that's not a big ass Red Flag screaming toxic, than I don't know what is at this point.
I get into my car, my phone buzzing with a text as I reverse out of the driveway.
Bambi: I won't be in classes tomorrow, they're gonna be arriving tomorrow so I have to finish my packing !
Me: Okay.
Me: Did you eat Dinner?
Bambi: Uhhhhh no, but I'll have some Ramen.
Me: You can't live off of that shit, Bambi. I'll come over with some food
Bambi: You don't have to!! I'll be fine!
Me: Too later, i'm omw
I put my phone down, deciding I'll just grab us some Chick-Fil-A since it's the closest and it's on the way to his place
~~
I knock on his front door, and it opens after about a Minute. He welcomes me in, and I take off my shoes before stepping inside.
Typically, I wait until I'm inside to take off my shoes, but he always takes them off outside of the home. So that's what I do when i come to his house because it seems to be one of his rules.
"How's the packing?" I ask as I set the good on the counter, and we both take our respective items.
"Good. I just finished the second box." He responds, and I nod. I take in his apperance, which is definitely different then when I saw him not too long ago. He's now wearing a pair of grey Nike sweatpants with a Black muscle shirt paired with it, a pair of glasses perched on his nose with his hair slightly out of place in a really cute way.
"Sorry that it's messier than usual." He apologizes quietly.
"You're moving. I don't expect it to look amazing." I answer, putting a french fry into my mouth. "How many more boxes do you have?" I question.
"Mmmm, not many. I really only have my clothes and some personal things. But guess what." He says, grinning excitedly.
"What?"
"Nico's bringing all of my stuff that I left back in Honk Kong, so I'll have all of my belongings now." he says happily, and I smile. "He says I don't have to help him with the Bills and stuff at our new place since it's already completely paid off. But of course, I'm going too, because I can't just let him pay for everything by himself. But he has a really good job-" He continues rambling, and I just listen and watch him with a small smile.
~~
We go to his room, and I sit on the floor across from him with all the things he needs to pack spread out across the floor.
Shoes, Clothes, a few books, some jewelry and things like that, personal items, and a Guitar.
Like he said, not much.
"I didn't know you played." I nod at the dark Aucoustic Guitar sitting next to it's cae.
"Yeah, my mom started teaching me when I was little and I kept learning." He responds, glancing at the Guitar.
He lets me help him fold and pack his clothes, both of us just making casual conversation while we do so.
"Isn't it late?" He asks me.
"And?" i ask back.
"You have that Art Seminar tomorrow, right? You should get some sleep." He tells me worriedly.
"I wasn't planning on going." I respond, grabbing the tap off his bed and handing it him. "It's pointless."
"But it's a good experience. Especially for an Art Student." He answers with a frown. "I think you should go, Gigi. I personally think you'd like it." he says, giving me a reassuring smile.
A loud bang sounds through the thin wall, and he jumps slightly while I shake it off.
It wasn't a gunshot, so I'm not worried.
Loud bangs suddenly sound on his door, and his eyes widen slightly while he stand sup. "Sta- nevermind, can you come with me?" He says, and I laugh quietly and follow him. We walk to the front door, and he peeks out of the peephole before the yelling starts.
"YOU CAN'T CANCEL YOUR FUCKIN LEASE, LITTLE BASTARD! IT DON'T WORK LIKE THAT! PAY ME MY FUCKING RENT AND I WONT GET THE COPS INVOLVE-" I pull the door open, leaning ont he doorframe while eh takes a suprrised step away. "Who're yo?"
"Who're you?" I ask back with a raised eyeborw, and he glares at Dimitrius who is standing behind me.
"If your skank is gonna live here too, you pay more ya little fucke-"
"I'd advise you watch what you say." I speak calmly, and he looks down at me. "I don't appreciate people disrespecting me, or him."
"And what're you gonna do about it, Sweet Cheeks?" He asks, before eyeing my body and licking his lips. "Maybe if he shares some of that pussy, I-" I cut him off by shooting my fist out, hitting him clean in the nose making him stumble back.
Despite our height difference, I grab him by the front of the shirt and slam him against the wall harshly.
"Here's what's gonna happen." I whisper lowly in his ear. "You're gonna cancel his contract, pay back whatever he's already paid you, and keep your fuckin mouth shut about it? Got that?" I ask, and he sneers at me.
"Or what, Bitch?" He asks. I smirk, pressing my forearm against his neck as hard as I can and look him in his eyes.
"Let me ask you a question." i say as he wheezes. "Do you know who Gianni Croft-Miller-Black is?" I ask, and he nods against my arm, his face draining of it's color. "Nice to meet you, Hun. NOw cancel the contract. And you know what, pay up double since you wanna be a fuckin dick." I say. He nods again, but I'm not content with my damage.
But before I can do anything else, I feel his warm hands on my hips gently tug me back. I allow him too, releasing the barely breathing man who immediately gasps for air. Dimitrius drags me back into his apartment, shutting and locking the door behind me.
"Wow." He breathes out as I examine my fist that's smeared with Mr.fuck-brains blood. "I don't know if I'm amazed or terrified." He says. "Actually, both." He then adds, still staring at me with wide, amazed eyes.
"Thanks." I smirk, walking to the sink. I turn it on, letting it run for a few seconds before washing the blood off my fist and drying it with a Paper-Towel. "Don't worry. That Dick-for-Brains won't bother you." I tell him, heading back to his room.
"Amazing." I hear him whisper, making me smile as I sit back down.
~~~
The two of us stand outside of his apartment once again, this time for my departure. "Lock your door behind you. And text me when you're leaving tomorrow." I tell him.
"Okay." He smiles, looking down at me with th oseGrey eyes full of innocence and curiosity. I reach up and adjust my Septum piercing, then shift my weight on my foot.
"What?" I ask, realizing he's obviously stopping himself from asking a question. "Spit it out, Bambi."
"Do you get into a lot of fights?" He asks me curiously. "I mean, you seemed really experienced, so I assume you've fought before. If not multiple times." He says, and a ghost smile plays on my lips.
"I grew up in a Gang, Bambi." I respond, taking out my car keys and gazing up at him. "Fighting is my second nature." I shrug. "I'll see you later, yeah? Get some sleep." I tell him. I grab his jaw, bringing his head down to my level and kissing his cheek leaving him with a light blush.
I love doing that.
"O-Okay." He murmurs, looking at the floor. I chuckle, turning to leave when he surprises me by kissing my forehead. I smirk when he immediately disappears into his apartment, shaking my head as I walk towards the busted elevator.
Cute.
**
I get home, locking up and making sure the security system is set before going to my room. I sit down at my desk to finish up some homework, and sigh to myself as I take out my phone and pull up my professor's contact.
Me: Is there still a spot available for the seminar? I changed my mind.
Professor Mina: Of course, Gianni. I'll give you your pass tomorrow. Just show up around 9, I'll meet you there and give you the pass.
Me: Cool, thanks.
Professor: Anytime! I'm glad you changed your mind. I think this will be something you enjoy!!
Me: yeah, me too
Fucking Bambi.
Authors Note:
hehehe (Follow and like my tiktok
-S<3