Stefano
"We cannot just tolerate such behavior!" Eduardo tries to convince us that the 'behavior' of Neliono was not okay. I, personally, don't see any problems. My brothers and eldest sons too. I mean, he responded calm and with full right.
"You were overreacting. Lia just wanted to take her medicine so she won't have any problems while eating and you didn't even give her or Lio a chance to explain it!" - Mario replies.
"No your place, I'm still the capo! And I thought it was drugs!" - Eduardo looks really done, driving his hands trough his hair and and growl deep.
"Nevertheless, Mario is right. I think we all are a bit too protective about them and every little situation drives us crazy. It's normal. But we need to look at it in the perspective from them: They barely know us. Mistrust is normal too. And they both seem like without trust you don't get any further by them." - Angolo, Eduardos second oldest son, states truthfully. His a doctor and has equal to Riccardo, a feeling for people and psychology.
"Definitely." - Riccardo agrees to him. "Maybe we also get a bit further with the strange happenings the last days. And I would really like to spend time with them. Getting to know them. Hell, I don't even know their favorite color as their big brother."
And with one second, the mood changes positive again. The Nes are, nevertheless, our light. Our happiness in this dark world and I look forward to live with them. Like a normal family again.
"Or what are their hobbies." - Elijah adds.
"I think they're little water rats." - Apollo smiles. "Maybe they even surf."
"That would be cool, especially for the boys." - Antonio chuckles, leaning still against the wall. Apollo nods at him.
"Maybe they're fighters." - Suddenly, we all look at Fidelio like he went crazy. He lifts his hands in defeat. "They are still DeLucas. It would be possible."
"They were in the music room for a long time." - My eldest son, Alessandro speaks up for the first time after the revelation with Nelione' dead and the last days. This all is more exhausting for him than he wants to admit it. Feelings are a fault from all of us. Only a few from the De Luca family know how to deal with them. Often we just shove them aside to work without disturbs and let them out in the gym or by sex. I know not the right way, but we don't know otherwise. So with their coming back, we all have so much feelings like never before. Mostly good - a bit worry, of course too.
But I have the feeling - at least one - that everything will turn good again. For the whole family. My sons are completely different than the last time I saw them. More around the house and each minute making sure that they are alright.
My brothers and I are together again. Not only for the business but as a family.
And my parents. My parents were the biggest worry for me. Father is the most heartless person I've ever met. He's still silent, watching the happenings and interactions from a light distance, but nevertheless I can see the flames in his eyes. The first emotion ever and they will make him soft. Us all.
To see my mother in this new situation, is likely one of the most beautiful sights. She's smiling, a real smile coming from her heart. And now that she heart about them being in the music room, her eyes nearly fell out.
"Really?! Oh thanks god, at least two from this family are not complete losers!"
"Ey!" - Mario pouts. Man, sometimes I really forget that he's a grown up man, a father moreover. I let them discuss a bit longer and decide to go looking for my little piccoli kiddos.
I didn't have to search long. They both are in the living room. Neliana is on the floor in front of the couch and her head leaning against it. Neliono is sitting on the couch and does something on her hair. It's a strange sight and the pose is really ... weird.
They don't see me since I'm standing between the doorframe of the hallway to the living room and, for the first time this day, they both seem completely calm, relaxed.
"You have to stay still, Li!" - Neliono whistle shouts at Neliana who just chuckles slightly. OMG she chuckles. Okay, I don't hear much. It's more like a silent laugh but, nevertheless, my heart beat grows immediately. "I cannot braid your hair when your head is like up - down - up - down!" He wipes his head which makes Neliana only to laugh more. "Stop it! Really, I'm serious!" "Oh sorry that I'm alive- OUCH!" I have to control me hard to not laugh out loud now. Neliono just hit her head back down at the couch after Neliana looked at him. "Did you just hit me?!"
"Yep."
"Boa, you're so rude. Really, I hope your sleeve will slide down while washing hands.- "
Me and everybody else, now standing next to or behind me, chuckle. Her voice is beautiful and I really wish she would talk to us like that too. This interaction between them both, is so natural. So relieved.
I really sound like a psycho now, but nobody can blame me. They are my children and I didn't get to see them for the last 10 years.
"Even the people in the doorframe are less annoying than you."
All eyes are now on them. How in gods name, did she know that we're here? I mean, the couch back is turned to us and Lia is sitting on the ground.
"How did she-"
"Can you please hurry up? My neck is hurtiiiiing." - Neliana whines and let us all come back to our minds. Like robots, we split us up in the room and watch the spectacular in front of us. It's even more funnier if you see it from the front.
"Oh this doesn't look so healthy " - Alijo comments.
"Can we help somehow?" - Fidelio asks slightly amused.
"Yes! If you could take this slow head away from me." - Neliana responds, still cold but with a bit fantasy, it's less cold than before.
"Okay, I'll just stop-"
"Oh I dare you to put your hands away now, Neliono Nercurio De Luca! I swear I'll put thousand of cockroaches in your bed tonight."
Chuckles fill up the room. Even the eldest ones of our family have smiles on their faces. How does she come to such idea?
"And I'll just put a thousand moldy fruits in your room then, and each cockroach will wander straight in your room ..."
At this point, the Damian and Xavier are laughing their souls out. And I, equal to my brothers, burry my head in my face. God, they bring already so much happiness in our lives.
This situation maybe seemed for outside people normal and unspectacular, but for me, us, it means more than anything. The last time we even only sat together was 9 years ago and we don't want to talk about chuckling and laughing. It was something unknown for the most of us.
I let my view drive over the scene and am only happy. We, uncles are standing on the window side, in a few distance. The eldest ones of our kids - Alessandro, Riccardo, Leonardo, Ernesto, Angolo, Francesco, Elijah, Alonzo, Lorenzo and Aurelio - on the opposite of us, and the rest of our kids spread up in the room.
I could get used to this view. I turn my attention back to the Nes. Neliana' head comes immediately up from the ground and glares at Neliono.
"You wouldn't."
"I would."
They both stare at each other. And we look from the one to the other one. A tensed silence fills up the room and even the younger ones are silent for a few seconds.
Neliana wins the stare battle.
"Okay, I wouldn't." - Neliono breaks in. "Stop looking at me with those eyes. It's not like you won the lottery. And, by the way, you look creepy."
"Wining the stare battle is a perfect reason to be happy, looser. I'll call you looser since now."
"Argh, do what ever you like.-"
"It's not like I would listen to you either" Neliono rushes a hand trough his face and sighs deeply.
I think, slowly we get to see the real, carefree side of Neliana and not the closed and silent one. My smile won't disappear for today. That's for sure.
"What?! According to his-" She searches the room for Alessandro and find him shortly after. "rule number - we shouldn't lie. So I just stated the truth."
"Okay, okay, okay. Nobody wants to hear your annoying voice for any longer." He looks at us now. "Does anybody have as an elastic for me, so I can flee from this ... thing under me?"
"Faen, jeg glemmer helt at de er her. Det er så flaut nå..." (Oh fuck, I totally forget about them being here. That's so embarrassing now.) - Neliana whistles something in Norwegian again. I exchange a look with my brother, uncle Edeardo. We need to stop this. When they want to say something, they should do it loudly and for us to understand. We hate in this family nothing more than unknown and secrets.
"Jeg vet, så vær takknemlig for at jeg reddet deg." (I know, so be grateful that I rescue you.) - Neliono says trough his teeth back and suddenly, Neliana is silent again. Somehow, it looks like she's now aware of us.
"I don't have one." - Niccolo shrugs.
"Same." - Enzio and Elio say at the same time.
"Mum, do you have a hair tie for Lia?" - Fidelio asks Giovanna.
"Mh?" - Giovanna peaks out of the kitchen. "What do you need?"
"A hair tie. For Lia."
"Oh, let me look ... yes, you're lucky." - She walks over to the couch - and sees the situation. "What are you doing- oh my god, that looks so beautiful! Can I- Can I take the hair tie around it?" She asks more Neliana than Neliono. The said one nods her head and Giovanna takes the tie around it. "C'mon stand up. This had to be painful." Neliana nods immediately, making Giovanna chuckle. "You look so adorable! Come un Angelo." (Like an angel.)
She really looks like some - not only looks. She is a princess. Our princess.
Two braids go up her blackhead and end up in two buns. Lio is great in braiding and I wish someday I can do her a hairstyle too. Not such good one, but it was always my dream to braid her head or spoil her to death. I've never seen such a hairstyle before.
Probably because she's the only girl here, aside from Ma and Giovanna.
Her hairstyle
I swear I've heard a cough after her comment about Neliana being an angel, but I notice nothing strange. Likely I just imaged it.
Although the situation is so beautiful at the moment, I decide to break it since it's already 8p.m. "We want to go out for dinner. So everybody: make yourself ready and meet us in 10 minutes."
"Don't be late." - Ernesto points especially at Damian, Damon, Dylan, Xavier and Xander.
Every boy rushed out of the room as soon as the words left my mouth. They know what happens if they disobey Ernesto. Only the Nes stay and look after them confused. "What about you two? You don't want to make yourself ready?" - Riccardo asks them smiling. "Do we get to meet 'the Rock'? No. So I don't see why to make me readier than I'm already." - Neliana shrugs, making us all chuckle.
She's unbelievable. Looking so innocent, but gives counter every time she can. A real mystery. But her body language is unclear. Unreadable - even if I don't want to admin it. We all probably look like creeps because we stare them to death.
They don't seem to notice it, standing still in between from us. Neliana looks unrelaxed, rocking from one foot to the other and somehow can hardly stand still. Suddenly Neliono lays a magic cube in her hands and suddenly she's calm again. Sweet from him, but also kind of strange. It makes me realize how less we know about them. And it sucks.
"Sono l'unico che non riesce a leggerli nemmeno un po'?" (Am I the only one, unable to read them even a bit?) - Alonzo asks in the silent desperate and to nobody in particular.
"NO." (No.) We answer him without thinking and still watching Neliana and Neliono. And to my surprise, Ambrose speaks up again. "How did you know about our presence?"
Neliana looks at him with blank eyes. Where did she learnt so have such a poker face. "Han kan snakke. Jeg trodde han var stum." (He can speak. I thought he is mute.) Again this language. This time Francesco looks really on edge and pushes himself of the wall. Facing Neliana directly.
"Stop, speaking in this language. If you want to say something, do it in one, we understand."
"..." - Neliana plays further with her cube and makes no fuss on giving a responds.
"Answer his question, Neliana." - Alessandro says with his cold voice. And slightly, Neliana jumps at it, but there is still no expression on her face.
"Instinct."
And with that, they both walk out of the room.
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