"Now that this is cleared up, let's begin. Shall we?" Giorno said with his charismatic smile now back on his lips. I admired his skill in changing his attitude so quickly, it could be simply seen as adapting, but it was also scary. As he announced the beginning of the real meeting, the only response he got from people around the table was grunts in agreement and mumblings as people opened the file in front of them. Looking down, I realized I also had one in front of me but as I was about to open it, I let my hand fall down on my lap quickly and gave Bruno a look. Hopefully it said: please take your hand back, we need both of our hands. Giving me a cat-liked grin, he made a beckoning gesture with his other hand, I checked if people were looking then handed him his hand back. I think I heard a snort coming from Mista but his eyes were now focused on the documents in front of him. Squinting my eyes his way as I opened my file, I noticed the ghost of a smile on his face, alright I got it he saw this strange hand deal. Scoffing, I looked back at Giorno who continued his speech, "Considering the information that recently came to light," His eyes traveled across the room to Prosciutto for a moment, but only shortly, before going back to surveying everyone at the table. "We were able to learn a few things about one of the remaining members of Vendetta Rossa," Pointing at the first page in the file, we all looked down, or most of us, some clearly did not want to be here nor to participate. The picture in front of me was one, of a girl with braids with blue ends just like my landlord had described. She was only wearing half her hair in a bun, and her outfit was casual enough to lay low. It did not attract attention, cargo pants and a black crop top, something anyone would wear. She seemed unaware that she was being followed or that she had been photographed. "This woman, as most of you know, was present at the ball that happened last Thursday. Although we believed to have taken her down, she was able to escape with outside help." Leaning back in his seat, Giorno placed his elbows on the armrests and joined his hands. Letting my eyes wander around the table, I observed everyone while Giorno spoke. Mista had his arms behind his head, it could be seen as a lack of interest but he was listening intently. Narancia was a few pages further than us in the file, I guess if all the information was in it, he could read it, it would be just the same as listening to Giorno. The man next to Narancia was typing heavily on the computer in front of him, I had never seen him anywhere but his haircut was special to say the least. It was very high, grey and he was even wearing a visor for some reason.
I suppose I'll ask about him later, or introduce myself? I'll see. Next to him La Squadra was half focused, Formaggio and Illuso seemed to be doing something on their phone, their head would sometimes look up from their phones to look at Giorno or ask something to Prosciutto. At least one of them was focused, I suppose he had to if he was to report back to Risotto. A bit further, towards the end of the table were Melone and Ghiaccio, they clearly were not listening at all, what was mostly happening was bickering as Melone tried to make Ghiaccio drink from his glass. I kind of felt bad for the ice-man until he froze his friend's drink, I was impressed to say the least at how quiet he had gotten mad. I would have laughed if I did have to stay composed. Only one seat separated La Squadra from two men I did not know, they seemed close, and while they were constantly murmuring things to each other, they still kept their focus on Giorno. Next to me, Abbacchio was half-paying attention, his attention being split between his phone, in all discretion, and the Don. I wondered what could be so important that a man like Abbacchio would be so 'unprofessional'. Not that I was judging him. "We've only had a vague description of her partner, and we're not even sure it could be trusted considering Chiara's ability to manipulate minds. Her stand revolves around illusions, it activates the moment you hear any kind of melody." Turning the pages in front of him, we did the same and on the paper was a picture of a reasonably big house, the architecture made it look very fancy and not something I could afford, clearly. "After following her long enough, we find out she's be staying at this address. We have yet to see if she's staying alone or with her partner, but there has been comes and go from a lot of people. Some, being a few of our men, others being strangers." Oh, that's why he was testing our loyalty... It must have hit him hard, not that he'd ever show it. Unfortunately, there are people that are bound to betray you sooner or a later, there is nothing holding them back in such a world.
"From the many times I've caught some of our own people trying to sneak on me, I have gathered that their goal, apart from taking me down, is to get this," Turning around, we all followed his gaze and looked at the man that was unknown to me, the one with the heart-shaped earrings. Plunging his hand in his, strangely tight, shirt, he pulled out an arrowhead that was hanging on a chain on his neck and unhooked it before sliding it on the table towards Giorno. "Thankyou Polnareff; The Requiem Arrowhead... if used on someone it proved to be able to give them a stand... if they survive. If used on a stand, it can make it evolve to its Requiem form, making it immensely more powerful." He explained as he twirled the metallic item in his hand. There seemed to be an intricate design on that said arrowhead, it looked like a golden beetle which is like nothing I've ever seen. Not I've seen many arrows in my life, it's pretty uncommon unless you do archery, I thought. The loud sound of something hitting the table, our heads turned towards the sound and saw Formaggio with his feet on the table. "Then, wouldn't it be smart to just like, stab all our stands with the arrowhead? Then we'd be super powerful, no one would mess with us." A small chuckle escaped Giorno and Bruno's lips, I quirked a brow at Bruno who only shook his head lightly. I suppose now was not the time to talk about it. "Perhaps I should mention that the odds of surviving the piercing of this arrow are slim. Not impossible, but slim." Getting up, he handed the item back to Polnareff who wrapped it around his neck once more. I did wonder, if the odds of surviving this thing were slim, why would they keep it? Why not destroy it? Wasn't it risky to keep such a valuable, yet dangerous item, so little guarded? "I do not wish to lose any members; I will only use it for extreme cases. Or, on initiates... But Vendetta Rossa has nothing to lose. They're taking random people from the street, and if they were to get their hands on this arrow, they will bring us trouble." That did not seem to convince Formaggio. The man who could shrink, shrugged and mumbled something. Giorno urged him to speak clearly, telling him we were not kids. "I think we should give it a try; it sounds just so stupid to have something so powerful and keep I as a necklace." Tension rose around us, I'm sure the man did not mean anything wrong by it but they were a few wide eyes and whispers. Letting his head fall for a moment, Giorno then lifted his head back again and gave the most courteous smile. "Would you like to give it a try then?" he pushed his chair back, and took the arrowhead that Polnareff was already handing him, although half-heartedly.
Making his way to Formaggio's seat, Giorno's smile did not leave his face until he was right behind him. He placed both of his hands on the man's shoulders, which startled him as he pulled his feet off the table. "Go ahead, give it a try. I'm sure you know better." The man with the buzzcut was not at ease, I could see he regretted suggesting his idea, the moment the tip of the arrow was close to his neck. The people who were chatting, albeit in a low tone, were now silent and focused on what was happening with the two men. Giorno moved his hand as if to say 'go ahead take it', but Formaggio only slowly lifted his hand before letting fall back on his lap. "Whatever, I was just suggesting something. I don't- I'm good with my stand, it's already great as it is." With a satisfied hum, Giorno turned around and went back to his seat, giving Polnareff the arrowhead once more, this time for good. Illuso slapped his friend's shoulder in a friendly manner, although a bit strongly, and started whispering something that I'm sure was mockery about the whole situation that just played out. "Does anyone have anything to say before we proceed? Questions?" I did, but if no one was going to raise their hands, I would feel a bit odd. Should I raise my hand? Or is that too childish... How does one act in meetings like these? God... Hesitantly I rose my hand, and with a small chuckle, Giorno told me to go ahead. "The traitors, what will become of them?" His expression darkened, but he quickly masked it. "I mean, maybe they know they're betraying Passione, or maybe they do not, you know because Chiara's a master manipulator. Anything could have happened," With everyone watching me, I felt out of place. Maybe I should have shut up, now I just wanted to run or go back in time and not talk. Maybe they thought it was a dumb question, even though no question were dumb, it did not wane my feeling of feeling out of place. "Or yeah, they betrayed you and-" "Us, they betrayed us." Heat came rushing to my cheeks, that was embarrassing, I suppose they did betray us since I was now part of Passione. "But you are right, we'll see what will happen to them in due time. However, considering that Chiara was part of the famiglia under Diavolo's regime, she definitely did that on purpose. She'll be treated in consequences of her actions."
Nodding, I told him I understood and looked back at the file to avoid the stares around the table. While from the outside it looked like I was composed, I felt like melting away on the inside. I did not know it was possible to feel that awful feeling I felt when I spoke in class, your whole body warming up and your heart beating slightly faster in stress of messing up in front of everyone. Fortunately, I did not mess up. "Now, while we still do not know the ability of her partner, nor who they are, we'll go to this address tomorrow night." A few voices rose around the table, saying it was stupid, suicidal, since we did not know everything. Giorno listened to their complaints, but his mind did not change. "Their number is rising by the day, not only in matter of people joining their cause, but also in our members disappearing." He stated, I'm sure people did not hear it but I heard the tone in his voice being slightly desperate. He cared deeply for the members of his famiglia, no matter their past. I only now took in what he was saying, he planned on taking on them tomorrow night? It was pretty sudden, or perhaps it made sense. While I was focused on my life, they did not stop searching and looking for them. "I think it should be fun, but I'm sure Squalo and I could take them." The man with dark skin and long white hair said confidently. Squalo... I heard that name- right, Squalo and Tiziano! Bruno told me they had fought them while on their chase to get the old boss. They were part of Diavolo's guard, but while they were good, they were not good enough since they lost. Ghiaccio told them to shut the fuck up, adding that just because they were arrogant did not mean they could actually do it. They then started arguing back and forth, I could see the spot on the table under Ghiaccio's hands was slowly starting to get colder, that's when Giorno stepped it, telling them to calm down. He then looked at the couple, "Tiziano, while I do trust both of your ability to take down targets. This is bigger than anything, while you could take a few people without a problem, here, we're talking about a whole organization." They rolled their eyes, and the long-haired man leaned back into his boyfriend's embrace, not answering anything else. After going a few other details, Giorno clasped his hands in front of him and addressed to everyone, "Unless you've been assigned another mission, you'll all be coming tomorrow." He announced as he closed the file in front of him.
"I'll be giving you your orders separately. You will be teamed up." A few people groaned; I really did not know they were so childish. Sure, there might be chances you'll get partnered up with someone you don't like, but shit they can all fight well from what I know, and they are adults. They shouldn't complain much. The Don then pushed his chair away from the table and grabbed his stuff, "I'll be going over a few things in my office, I'll contact you with your assigned partner in a few. You're all dismissed." He told us, gesturing with his head for Mista to follow him. The gunman did not waste time as he pulled back his chair so quickly it almost fell backwards if not for the heavy weight of the seat. I covered my mouth to hide my smile, could he be any more obvious? He gave me a dirty look, but then laughed too before following Giorno out of the room. As if on cue, almost everyone started getting up at the same time, I was about to do the same until my seat was pulled back. Turning around, Bruno was standing behind me with a big grin, "Unnecessary, but thank you." As I got up, I asked if I had to take the documents with me, he told me I could leave them there, it was not trouble. "Okay, so what do we do now? Do we go home?" I suppose it wasn't that late, we still had the rest of the day before us but I had no idea what to do. Looking over at Bruno, my heart skipped a beat and I quickly looked around the room to act casual. Okay, maybe there are a few things I'd like to do, I thought half-jokingly. "I had plans for us tonight," Bruno gently splayed a hand on my lower back as he guided me out of the room, I was hoping he'd say that. I was ready to do it with him, and I'll be damned it if we were interrupted like last time. "But I'll be slightly delayed," are you kidding me? Keeping a neutral expression, I simply quirked a brow in question. "First, we're going to get a drink. Abbacchio has some unfinished business, and he'll need my support." Nodding, I was about to ask with whom I was going home but Bruno spoke before me, "And yours too, our support. You'll be coming with me." He then pressed a kiss in my hair as he pulled me closer.
When we stepped outside the meeting room, someone came into view. I was even more confused when he started walking towards us. The grip on my waist tightened, and I gave Bruno a scowl but he was not looking at me. Once the man was in front of us, Bruno spoke first, "Prosciutto?" extending a hand, the blond shook Bruno's hand, I did the same with a firm grip. Without even giving a second glance at Bruno, Prosciutto asked me if I could follow him, I was a bit confused but let go of Bruno and was about to go when I was held back. For a moment I thought he was about to get overly protective, borderline macho but he gave me a kind look, "Be careful. Once you have the info, you come back to me, understood?" Smiling softly, I told him they were not assholes, "Mostly... if Prosciutto is with me, I think it'll be okay. He's actually respectable when you think about-" "Are you coming or not?" Hearing the smoker call out my name, he was already a few meters in front of me, I told him I was coming. I quickly placed my hand on Bruno's cheek then kissed his forehead before rushing to Prosciutto's side. I almost nudged his side then remembered we were not friends, god I have to stop being touchy like this. Putting my hands in my pockets, I followed the Squadra member without a word, I had guessed his boss was somewhere around the building and had some information to share. What I wondered, however, was why he did not come to the meeting. In the back of my head echoed words like, petty asshole and bad at social events, it made me laugh but I hid it because I had to stay serious. We did not walk long until we reached a secluded door that probably led to one of the many offices of this manor. As the blond man opened the door, I caught a whiff of his strong cigarettes smell and almost gagged. I think he saw it since when I was in front of him, he laughed as he closed the door. "Maybe consider buying cologne, or slowing down- actually no I don't have shit to say about your habits. Still, you smell." It earned me chuckle from the man, it relieved me to see he understood I was slightly joking. "Where's Risotto-" I barely had time to ask the whereabout of his boss, that I felt a presence right behind me. Great, amazing. Really, love it. I could definitely do without him being all threatening.
"Boss, just give her the file. She's had it rough today." Looking at him from the corner of my eyes, I quirked a brow. How did he know? I thought no one had seen, or right. Right, Giorno's little show of throwing people in dungeons. "I don't care." Risotto said, but I think he did since after hearing his right-hand man's words he left me and sat on the empty desk that stood in the center of the dark office. It was barely lit by the light hanging from the ceiling, not one ray of light escaped the opaque curtains that hang by the windows. This room was definitely not used, I did wonder why they had to look so shady while giving me information when this is also their famiglia. But who was I to judge? As long I they gave me the info. Dropping a file on the desk, Risotto motioned for me to take, which I did. "Her partner's name goes by the name of Nikki." I turned my head and looked at the blond man who spoke up, "We don't know much about her, except that the description we had of her was accurate." Prosciutto explained calmly, clearly his boss did not want to do the talking as all he did was sit on the desk menacingly. Opening the file, there were no photo, almost nothing at all actually. "We know she's been in Passione for a lot longer than Chiara. But her age is unknown. And for her stand, we've been told from some of the people that worked with her that they don't really know what it does. It's like she could do anything and everything, a bit strange if you asked me." Taking the pack of cigarettes from his pocket, he lit it up and blew the smoke away from me. His elbow was resting against his arm that was crossed on his chest, he looked at me intently as I read what was on the papers. "To not have anything about her, that's odd... even more so considering she's been here for a while." They hummed, but did not speak. "Not even an age?" I inquired, looking up at Prosciutto. I only now noticed he was not wearing his black jacket, just his yellow shirt rolled up to the elbow. I'll admit he did look good like that; I still could not believe that most of those mafioso were good looking, was it the criminal gene? I scoffed, but then quickly focused back on the man in front of him. "Heard she's not old, but not too young. That's all the details we got."
Closing the file, I held it tight and let my arm fall back to my side as I smiled. "Thank you, I'll bring it back to Giorno." I then turned towards Risotto and gave him a curt nod, he did not reciprocate the action and just stared at me a moment until I took a sharp breath and politely excused myself. "I'll be going-" "You should kill him." I heard Risotto's deep voice echo behind me and stopped at the entrance, the door wide open. Slowly facing him, I raised a brow, a confused expression painted on my face. "Kill... Giorno?" "No, Cioccolata. He's an asshole. You killed before. Nothing's holding you back." His words hit me hard and my expression quickly turned sour, I did not need a reminder of what happened a few days ago. Plus killing someone once did not mean I would do it another time, it was an accident. I did not need a man like him to tell me what to do, I had principles, I had not even planned on killing Sergei. Who does he think he is telling me what I should or should not do? I clenched my jaw but did not answer. "If you won't, I will. I don't need trash like him in my famiglia." He stated before getting up and gesturing for Prosciutto to close the door. I stood behind a now closed door a moment, taking in what I was just told. Should I tell Giorno that he planned on killing the green bastard? Maybe Giorno had planned on doing so too and they'd agree on that one thing... Or maybe he did not and if he knew Risotto wanted him dead, he'll get rid of him too. But I don't want that man to live, he drugged me for fuck sake... Shaking my thoughts away, I strode back to Bruno, fortunately I remembered the path Prosciutto had taken to get here or I would have been lost. Once I was finally in the hall, there were a lot less people than before. The only people left were Abbacchio and Bruno who were seated and discussing, relaxed. Arriving from behind, I placed a hand on Bruno's shoulder and placed the file on his torso as I leaned a bit forward, resting my chin on his head. "We got more info, is Giorno done?" I heard a light sigh of relief coming from him as he rubbed my arm and took the file from my hand, asking me to join them. "He'll be done soon." With a small 'okay' I sat on the armrest of his seat and placed my hands on my lap. A small chuckle left Bruno's throat, turning around to look at him he was also looking at me, grinning he patted his thighs. "You can sit here; it'll probably be more comfortable."
A flashback of what happened this morning made my cheeks flare up, I tried hard to keep my face neutral as I thought of an excuse. "Right, that's quite a display. I'd rather not make Leone endure-" "Don't hold back on my account." The silver-haired man said with a shrug as he leaned on his fist, he was probably just as bored as we were. He also probably knew how his friend was, his inner inhibitions. Looking back at Bruno I was about to find another excuse, but he pulled me on his lap in one swift move, "You've already done it once, if I recall. Sitting on my lap, of course. Don't be shy now." He teased, my mouth opened wide, gaping, I wanted to disappear. Was he referring to this morning? The guts this man had- "Before the ball, you were pacing I had to pull you down." He explained with a knowing smile. I muttered 'oh god' and averted my eyes, looking around the room instead of him. That little shit. "Just because I did it once does not mean I want to do it again. PDA and all that." I stated with a pout, was I being childish? I quickly erased that pout from my face. Feeling a hand snake around my waist, I did not move, instead I wrapped an arm around Bruno's shoulders to balance myself. "But it does become easier to do after the first time." The speed at which I faced him almost hurt my neck, I heard Abbacchio groan in the background, "Fuck this shit, I'm out. Join me in car when you're done being," With a vague gesture at us, he then stood up and left, hands in his pockets as he grumbled to himself. Bruno only told him we'd join him soon before returning his attention to me. "You're insufferable it's just-" I had no words to describe the embarrassment I felt, but at the same time my chest was warm from the passionate look he was giving me. Placing my hand on the armrest I got off Bruno, and was about to sit in Abbacchio's seat when the raven-haired man stood up with me and embraced me. "I was just teasing you," he started. I wrapped my arms round his middle and sighed in the comfort I found in his embrace.
I believe he realized I needed that hug when he tightened his hold and started rubbing my back calmly. "Are you good, cara?" Humming, I nodded against his chest, "Yeah, for the little time we were here, a lot happened but..." I trailed off before pulling away from him, "I'm good- I knew you were teasing by the way I just- I'm definitely not used to it and I think you know that." Laughing in response, he told me that he definitely knew, but he also loved the reactions he could get out of me. I scoffed and hit his chest playfully, he took my hand in his and placed a kiss on it. "What I said still stands-" "I get it, I get it, it's not like I didn't want to do it... we just got interrupted last night- to be honest I was disappointed when you told me we uh... we were going to get a drink, you know I was hoping we'd-" my awkward ramble was cut short when the large door that led to Giorno's office was opened, the voices of the men inside reached our ears as they left the room, talking together. 'Thank god' I breathed in relief; Since I did not know where I was going with my words, I was glad to have been interrupted, I was quick to pull away from Bruno to look towards Mista and Giorno. I think I heard my lover grunt in displease of being interrupted and chuckled at his reaction, I reached for the file in his hands then scurried off. "Giorno," he stopped in his stride and gave me a warm smile, repeating my name in response. "I got this for you, it's from Risotto." With a curt nod he took the file, while he read it, my eyes wandered to Mista who was grinning like a mad man. I quirked a brow and he just waved his hand before tapping his wrist with his index, then showing me his phone. He'll send me a text later? Nodding, I then spoke this time, "Are you two joining us to the pub? To get a drink before the big night." I was hoping to also catch the rest of the team but Fugo and Narancia were nowhere to be found, Giorno had that smile that everyone used before kindly rejecting an offer, which is what he did. "I'm sorry I have plans, but do have fun." He said politely, Mista barely let him finish that he spoke, rapidly if I may add, over him. "Yeah I got uh, things to do too- the pistols need to eat and I gotta polish my gun you know so that's it's," doing a 'ok' with his hand, he continued "in shape, you know." I saw the exasperated smile on Giorno's lips but didn't say anything. They had plans together, that was obvious enough.
Running my tongue on my teeth, I then just nodded slowly. "Okay then, have fun! I'll see you both tomorrow in shape." With a wink, I waved them off and returned to Bruno, I was holding back a huge grin when they both made their way down the stairs without a word. Once I was by Bruno, I poked his stomach in excitement then whispered, "They're totally going on a date." Taking my hand to stop me, the capo held it then started walking, "We both know how that's going to end," with a nod, we both spoke at the same time, "They'll end up together" but Bruno said "They'll bone." I cackled; I was just as quick to cover my mouth when the people that were down the stairs turned towards me. I wish I had a hat to cover my eyes with, the worse part was that I could see the slight judgement in their gaze. If I did not see it, I wouldn't be this ashamed. "I definitely did not expect that, you're right, you're right, they'll definitely bone too." I told Bruno in a hushed tone whom laughed in response. We then walked to the car where Abbacchio was waiting for us, I'm sure he did not wait long but he seemed restless nonetheless. Something was bothering him; however, it was not my place to ask. While we were friends, I don't think we were close enough for me to ask him about his personal life. Even more so considering his troubled expression was probably about the girl he mentioned over the phone last night. As we sat in the car on our way to the bar, both men were silent. While I could handle the silence, I hated it when there was something repeating itself in my head. Something Risotto said, not only about him getting rid of Cioccolata but also about killing someone. Clearing my throat, I did not wait until they both looked at me to speak and went straight for it, "What if someone from the famiglia decided they'd want to get rid of another member. What would happen?" Slowly facing me, I turned my face left and right to see both men's expression. One was scowling, the other frowning. The frowning one, Bruno, probed me to tell them more. Clasping my hands together I shrugged, "Maybe they're kidding, but-" "Just speak already, fuck's sake." Abbacchio pressed me.
"Is Giorno going to kill Cioccolata?" I asked quickly, the lack of response from both men made it very clear. Leone just turned towards the window and stared at it, not planning on answering, while Bruno gave me what was supposed to be a reassuring smile. "So, it's not bad if another member does it, right?" Now facing Bruno, he seemed to be pondering the question, "I suppose not... We had planned on letting you do it, but we know how you stand with killing." He hesitated with using the last word, I just hummed in response. He was right, I wouldn't have done. Even if he was the worst kind of people, the lowest scum. A trash man, a rat- wow why did I have so much hate for a man I only met today? I thought in shock with such thoughts. "It's funny... someone told me that, since I killed once there was nothing holding me back from doing it again..." I trailed off, maybe he wasn't wrong. Maybe Risotto was right and now that I had done it once, I wouldn't feel so bad doing it again. Even less if it's that green piece of shit. "What do you-" "I think he's right." I said without developing right away. A hand was placed on my fidgety ones, I looked up at Bruno's worried face. There was something in his eyes, a gleam of sadness and slight confusion. "Who told you that? There's plenty holding you back, your principles for once." I scoffed, smiling in a natural way, hoping it'll ease my lover's worry. Principles change, plus I would never kill an innocent, and God knows how bad Cioccolata is, was? "Yeah, but I have-" I laughed nervously, looking off to the side as I tried to focus on my words. "I just realized how much anger I feel towards that piece of shit that drugged me, you know? And I really, really, wouldn't mind if he died-" Abbacchio's deep laughed reached my ears, he muttered 'yeah right' but I didn't pay him any mind. It did infuriate me that he did not believe me, but I was not looking for his approbation. As Bruno was about to speak up, I continued, "I just loathe him, he deserves pain- I'm actually elated that someone's going to take care of him, and knowing their stand it's going to be the worst-" "Alda." Following Bruno's gaze, I looked down at our hands and let go of the deadly grip I had on his hands, muttering a sorry before wiping the tears away from my cheeks. I'm crying? Fuck, tears of frustration.
Another nervous laugh, "Fuck, that makes it so dramatic. It's just the frustration, it's nothing." I stopped what I was doing when Bruno pried my hands away from my face while he used a tissue to help me out. "I can do it," the capo let me take the tissue from his hand and just waited for me to be done, couldn't this car ride just come to an end soon? And it did, for once the Gods were lenient, we had arrived at Cavallo Vittorioso which meant we could focus on something other than me. "We arrived, let's go." Wanting so bad for it to sound casual, it sounded forced. Abbacchio slammed his door shut once he was outside, and since Bruno was not moving from his seat, he was about to say something, I ran off and left the car from the silver-haired man's side. Shoving the tissue in my pocket, I joined Abba and nudged him, "You ready?" His only response was to shrug as he walked in before me, his presence was quickly replaced by Bruno's. This time I couldn't escape. "Tesoro, what was that about?" I shrugged. "Are you okay?" I shrugged and slipped my hand in his. "I can't read your mind, amore. Would you mind using words?" From the tone of his voice, I understood it was getting him a bit more than what I thought it did. Perhaps he thought I was okay, and seeing that my reaction was anything but, it made it feel like shit for not seeing it. Taking a deep breath, an unsure smile planted on my lips, I finally met his gaze. "Hey, I was as surprised as you are, okay? Maybe I really hate him and he's shit. Maybe I have a lot of anger that I need to get rid of one way or another. And maybe, just maybe, it'll pass, but I am good, I promise." I scoffed and played with the hem of his sleeve, was there anything more childish than that? I was quick to stop doing that. "I mean, if the tears are what worried you, it's just mh...too many emotions, too little me." I chuckled at myself then felt Bruno's hand on my cheek as he lifted my face to look at him once more. With the sun shining behind him, he looked so angelic god was he beautiful. Was it okay to think I could pull him to the side and ravage him at any moment? Oh wow, that... calm down girl, calm down.
"You're right to be angry, and it's ok to want him dead. Maybe I was hoping you'd never feel up to the task of killing someone. I would have rather kept intact what was left of your innocence." He breathed with a huffed laugh as he planted a kiss on my forehead, I couldn't help the snort that escaped my mouth. "What innocence? There is no such thing left sir, I'm a sinner." I said jokingly with a wiggle of my eyebrows, hopefully it would lighten the mood and we could just change subject. Maybe even, join Abbacchio in the pub, which was the plan before my anger problem. Tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, Bruno leaned in and spoke softly, his breath brushing the shell of my ear, "There is still a little bit of innocence left, but don't worry I'll take care of it soon enough." He then kissed my cheek before leaning back, a mischievous grin on his face as he looked me up and down. I had to do a double take, smiling in surprise I slowly closed my mouth and just stared. Take control, don't let him win this game, just tease him back, I can do that, yeah, I can. "Yes because," I pointed at myself then at him, "You and I, we're going to fuck" Not what I wanted to say, not even close to what I wanted to say. I wish I could have taken his face in photo before he burst out laughing, I followed him and pushed him playfully. "Ok ok, it was bad- but is it wrong? No, it's not, it's definitely not what I had in mind to answer but that's all that came out, ok?" I blurted once I was done laughing in embarrassment. Bruno had calmed down too and took my hand in his then entered the pub with me in tail, "I'm sure with some more practice, you'll do some decent flirting." I shook my head and told him I'd rather avoid more embarrassment and not try again anytime soon. We then join Abbacchio at the table he was at, since it was not exactly rush hour there weren't many people which made the hubbub around us a lot more tolerable than usual. "Leone, why are you still here? Have you not talked to her yet?" Bruno asked as we sat down in front of the silver-haired man. His only response was to shrug, but his eyes were focused on the woman by the bar. I recognized her from the last time we came by, except she was not behind the bar this time, she was sitting on one of the stools. "Then go get our drinks, that way you have an excuse to be there." Bruno suggested, all the grumpy man did was run his hands through his hair before tying it in a bun and leaning on his fist. He then grumbled it was a bad idea to have come here, adding he should just leave her alone, he did not deserve her anyway.
It did not take a magician to understand this was my cue to let them both have a discussion, placing my hand on Bruno's hand I asked him in hushed tone what he wanted then left the table and went to the counter and requested their drinks, along mine of course. Feeling an intent gaze on me, I looked to my right and saw the woman looking at me with curiosity. "You're the Capo's girl, right?" an awkward laugh escaped my throat but I gave her a small nod, "I'm not really defined by my partner. Call me Coda." Her attitude changed quickly as she waved her hand in front of her, almost pushing her drink off the counter is the bartender behind the counter had not caught it. "I did not mean it like that, oh girl no, we're definitely not define by our other half- or third- or fourth you know because polyamory and shit." I held back a laugh and just nodded; she was right. I could see what Abbacchio found in her, she did not seem as harsh as him though. "So, you came here with the ex-cop I see. Is he here to drink his problems away? Or right, no, he only fucks them away, right?" I gulped, ok a few unresolved problems. "That is definitely something between you and him-" "Yeah but an external opinion is all I'm asking for here, right? Did the Capo fuck someone else when you confessed? Or did you, when he confessed? Because that's some fucked up shit there- sure we weren't exclusive or shit like that but it's fucked up right?" I had not signed up for this, I barely knew the woman. Maybe she had a few drinks? No, I think she was just really hurt. Hesitantly I took a seat next to her, the pain in her eyes was visible no matter how hard she tried to put on a brave face. She was now just gripping her glass tightly, mumbling something I couldn't quite hear.
"You know him well I suppose?" I asked, she muttered that she kind of did, she also knew how he was and she did not mind much, everyone had their faults. "Then you must know he's- he has a hard shell around his heart let's say." She scoffed; I'm guessing that was the most poetic way I could put it but what was up was that he was scared of being vulnerable. I understood him on that part. Sigrid did not reply however, but she was listening. "And he has bad coping mechanisms too-" This time she snorted, "Definitely, but I could have helped him you know? I hated him at first but- god that's not the problem here- he fucked someone when I told him I liked him. I don't need him to come talk to me, I understood the message clearly. He's a fucking piece of shit, that's what's up." While her words were filled with venom, she was definitely angry that was obvious enough, there was also hurt behind those words. She allowed herself to be vulnerable for a split of a second and he just broke her. God damn it, Leone, and I thought I was bad at handling feelings. "You're right, he's a piece of shit." She laughed and raised her glass to that, cheering to it. "And I'd understand if you did not want to talk to him ever again, but I think it's worth hearing him out." With a huff, she took a sip of her golden colored beverage, her elbow resting on the counter. "Should I really? I'm good with shutting myself off, emotions were always a bitch anyway. I cried myself to sleep last night, that's good enough, right? I'm handling myself so great right now." She then nudged me with her other arm, "If your couple's open for a third person, I'm all for it really. You two seem healthy enough, your man has not stopped glancing your way since you left the table." I understood what she was doing, nice try turning a serious conversation about yourself into something lighter and now about me. Maybe I saw myself in her a bit, even though I handled my feelings way better than her. Was it something to brag about? I don't really think so. "Unfortunately, or fortunately for me, he's just mine. Sorry." I took the drink I was handed and took a sip, fuck fuck not my drink, not my drink. I half-heartedly drank the liquid that tasted like wood and put it back down with a grossed-out face. Opening and closing my mouth a few times in distaste, I then looked back at Sigrid. "But yeah hear him out, if you want to. It's not my place to say it, but he likes you. I don't know if he'll ever admit it, but he definitely likes you." Seeing tall mafioso stand up, I took it as my cue to leave.
"Have fun, and uh- yeah do what you feel is right for you." Humming she said we'd see each other around, hopefully we'd talk some more next time I come by. I gave her a big smile and left, whispering "Don't fuck it up." to Abbacchio as I crossed path with him before joining Bruno at the table. I was about to sit in front of him when he scooted to the right on the bench seat and patted the spot next to him. I could only comply. Setting our drinks down, I glanced to the left to the bar and saw that both of the people we had come to help were gone. "Is that a good sign?" I asked as I faced Bruno, he was tending to his drink and seemed pretty relaxed, I supposed it was a good sign. "He messed up big time," I started, seeing him drink from his glass I quickly added in panic, "I also took a sip from your glass accidentally, because it looked like my juice ok? And it's gross by the way." He snorted in his drink and leaned forward to not spill it on himself but on the table. Taking one of the napkins from the table, I handed it to him with a nervous laugh and wiped the whiskey from the wooden table. "It's an acquired taste-" "Yeah for beavers, it tastes like wood Bruno, wood." Another laugh left his throat, this time he simply set his drink on the table before giving me his full attention. Slowly leaning in, he placed a soft kiss on my lips, it turned more heated when his hands traveled to my side and under my shirt but stopped at my waist. I gasped and felt his tongue enter my mouth, along something else- did he have whiskey in his mouth? The smile on his lips told me everything I needed to know. A few drops ran down my chin as I pulled away, I was about to spit it but unconsciously swallowed it. I opened my mouth in disgust once more, fuck was it bad. "Did you have to do that?" I asked while taking my own drink, this time I was sure it was mine, and almost drank the entirety to try to get rid of the taste. "It was so tempting; I won't do it again." He said softly, but there was some playfulness to his tone. He was proud to have done that. Scoffing, I nudged his knee with mine. "I almost never drink; you do realize it have the tolerance of a child when it comes to alcohol?"
Quirking a brow, he asked me if I was going to get wasted with those two sips of his drink. It was not mocking; he was genuinely curious. Although I did laugh at his use of the word wasted, I knew we were both young but I would always laugh when he'd be less polite, let's say. "I don't know, but I'd rather be sober for the rest of the evening you know." He did not waste time, and was fast to ask, "Why's that?" Did he really just ask that? Was he really playing coy with me? That stupid smirk on his face, he knew exactly why, right? Placing my index and thumb over my eyebrows, I sighed. "You're kidding me, right? You know what, maybe I was not clear enough- but I think I was because we started this last night but maybe you don't want to that's cool to and we'll do something else-" "Alda..." Right, focus. Letting my head fall on his shoulder, it did hit harder than what I had planned but I did not react. My heart was beating faster at the thought, maybe I read into it and we actually weren't going to do it last night? What word was the most appropriate? There were so many ways to say it, make love, have sex, fuck, shag, get it on. Oh god, I was getting in my head too much, I let out another nervous laugh. Trying to calm me down, Bruno wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer, fuck it. "I just really wouldn't mind if you finished what your started earlier. And you know, if I were drunk, it definitely would not happen." I felt his hands tightened on my hip for a moment, then he let go of me. "You know what, forget it." I placed my hands on the table with a bit more force than I intended, it slammed hard. "We can do whatever, doing nothing is just as good. Plus, we still have to wait for Abbacchio." I said rapidly. My eyes wandered everywhere around the room but not once did it meet Bruno's. "Now, Bambina. Are you sure of what you're saying?" Of course, I am, he's been getting under my skin slowly but surely for the past few days now, I'm bound to really want him at some point, right? But I'm not about to tell him that, no. "Yes, I am sure of what I'm saying. Technically if we hadn't gotten interrupted last night, I'd hope we'd get to that part but, that did not happen... clearly." I muttered the last part in a bit of a disappointment. My eyes finally settled on Bruno's, that's when I saw the gleam of excitement in his eyes, my attention was brought to my phone when I felt it in my pocket.
Pulling it out, I checked the screen and saw a message from Giorno, it said I was teamed up with Mista for tomorrow night and that he'd explain to us the plan in the afternoon, a few hours before going to the meet up spot. "Oh nice, nice. That's cool," looking up, I continued, "Who's your partner-" I stopped talking when I saw how Bruno was looking at me, I did not know what I should ask and was relieved when he was the one to speak up. "My love, if in twenty minutes Leone is not back, we're leaving this place and we go back home." He then pulled my legs onto his and just started roaming his hands all over it, just like that time at Libeccio when I had to read La Squadra file. I placed both of my hands on his and stopped him in his activities, "I'm okay with that." I said softly. He then planted a tender kiss on my lips and looked down at me with dark eyes before breathing against my lips, "And once we get home, I'll fuck you senseless." There was the politest smile on his lips, but his words were filled with lust, eagerness and so much promise. I felt my stomach twist and turn, all I could response was a stupid giggle, "I- yeah, mmmh, that's- yeah I'm good with that, maybe bit gentler though." I said lightly, he then cradled my face in in his hands and brought me in a deep kiss, I could taste the whiskey off his tongue and feel the hunger, the passion, fuck did we really have to wait until Abbacchio's eventual arrival? As he let go of my face, he leaned back on the back of the seat with a content expression on his face. It was like a man that had finally drunk water for the first time after spending days in a dry desert. I stood there in awe and embarrassment a few seconds before composing myself bringing my legs back in front of me and leaning on the palm of my hand. Waiting. With my free hand I took Bruno's, just because we had to wait 20 more minutes did not mean keeping distances until then.
The hubbub around us had gotten a bit louder, a few more people had filled the place, yet there were still not as much as usual but it was slowly getting there. Looking at the man behind the bar, I saw he had received a text that made him chuckle, then suddenly the music was playing a tad louder, fortunately not enough for us to go deaf just yet. There was this strange tension between Bruno and I, or perhaps was it just me. Perhaps I was just getting too excited over this, calm down, it's going to happen many more time, in different places. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but at some point. Glancing his way, I could see that his legs were crossed, and while he seemed calm and unmoving, one of his feet was moving, making it look like I was not the only who wanted to get out of here too. It made me chuckle before I turned around and faced him entirely, "So, who are you partnered with?" We could be civil, just because it was now clear we were going to jump one other once alone, did not mean we couldn't act proper in the meantime. Huffing a laugh, he checked his phone before shoving it back in his pocket a few seconds later. "Prosciutto, I trust Giorno knows what he's doing. We'll see how it goes, won't we?" Humming, I agreed. I was about to start a casual conversation, to try and keep things proper until we left but I felt Bruno's hand untuck my shirt so slide under it. It slowly brushed up and down, I straightened my back at the sensation and gave him a warning look, "Bruno..." "Yes?" With a light laugh, he grazed his nails on my back which made me arch my back in surprise. "Okay- you need some restraint, you either stop or help me god I'm leaving with you right now because you're an impatient little shit and it's making me go crazy-" Kissing my lips quickly he then stood up, helping me up in the process. "Then let's go," He started as we got off the bench, downing the rest of his drink in one go. "Restraints or not, I'm done waiting, my love." He joked as we made our way out of the pub. The ride home was spent in utter silence, but once we entered the house, Bruno locked the door behind us and barely a split of a second after, he threw me over his shoulder. As he carried me upstairs, I couldn't help but laugh, "You're unbelievable, you look like a hungry animal." I called out over my shoulder. My voice sounded strain from being upside down but everything was back to normal when he laid me down on the bed gently. "That's because I am, cara. You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this." He said in a low rumble tone as he untied his shoes.
Making a pensive face, I pondered out loud with a big smile as I rested on my elbows. "If it's since you realized you liked me, then I maybe do have an idea-" "Bambina, don't act cute," he started as he joined me on the bed, crawling up to me on all four before taking both of my hands and pining them over my head. "While I do love hearing your sweet voice, I think it'll sound even better screaming my name. So, let's start, mmh?" Fuck, that- if my hands were free, I would have pulled him closer and kissed him. This was really happening, the knots in my stomach were very presents and I was slightly nervous to say the least but I was not going to back, I was ready.