Gilbert winced slightly when the door creaked as he opened it, pausing in his step and scrunching up his nose. He is reminded, once again, to have it oiled, but since it only bothers him when he arrives home late, when he wakes up the next morning, he will have forgotten all about it once again.
The man waited for a moment, hoping his frozen figure will be enough not to wake his wife from her slumber, before he slipped in through the doorway and shut the door behind him, using his hand as a buffer to keep the door quiet as he locked it.
He slipped off his muddy shoes, kicking them off to the side before shrugging off his jacket. His clothes were filthy, and it might be a terrible waste to wear fashion house pieces to missions, but it is part of his brand, so to speak, and it was always better to solve their problems through intimidation rather than violence.
As Gilbert crosses into the threshold of the small apartment, he is taken with a bout of sadness and regret. No matter how he spins it to himself and others, this is a seedy garçonnière. It was clean and well-furnished, but there was almost no natural lighting and little space, nothing like the manor house he used as his official address. In fact, he used the place to keep a woman, regardless of the fact she was his God-anointed wife.
As much as he trusts his men, the Visconti house has high foot traffic. It would not be too difficult for a rival of his to sneak in and snipe Liliana, and she is too precious to assume this risk. So, he kept her in this apartment, an overstore with a password-protected entrance posing as a tavern, watched around the clock.
Of course, his wife would be as protected, if not more so, at a Roman villa, a Florentine palazzo, or even abroad, but he is a selfish man and he demanded sleeping on the same bed as his woman every night, and so small concessions would have to be made.
He entered the kitchen of the flat, flicking on the light and grabbing a mug out of the cabinet. His calloused thumb ran over the smooth ceramic of the mug in his hands. It was grey and ugly, lumpy and uneven, but the memory of watching Lili so frustrated and determined to try out pottery had him smiling fondly, a low chuckle vibrating from his chest.
He opened the iron thermos his wife no doubt left coffee for him to have as soon as he arrived. His stomach grumbled lowly, reminding Gilbert of how much time it had been since he had eaten. He crossed the kitchen to grab an apple from off the counter, peeling it quickly and devouring it in a few seconds.
With hunger now on his mind, he ventured to the fridge, eyes lighting up as he spotted an entire cake sitting covered on the top shelf. He could not help but get a little excited, it has been quite a while since she baked a cake, despite insistent requests of his, and they went marvellously with her coffee. He slid the pan out and sat it on the island counter. As he cut himself a slice and dug in, he noticed the warmth still pooling in the centre of the confectionary, a sign it was only recently made.
He glanced towards their bedroom door, furrowing his brows as he saw the door was open and the lights were off, but he caught a quiet shuffling from the living room and smiled. The lump of blankets on the couch roughly outlining her, his heavenly, sleeping wife.
Gilbert returned the rest of the unsliced cake to the fridge and poured himself his cup of coffee. Turning off the kitchen light, he made his way towards the living room, immediately spotting the soft outline of her face in the dark room. The cool lighting from the moon accentuated her features, tracing the curve of her lips and the tip of your nose. The mafia boss placed his mug down on the coffee table before he settled on his knees before her.
His hand gently caressed her face, taking a stray strand of platinum blond hair and tucking it behind your ear. Lili stirred slightly, before your eyes fluttered open. She relaxed into a smile as she saw him before her, leaning over her with a fond grin.
"Hi, sweetheart." Gilbert leaned forward to press a soft kiss to her forehead.
"Hi, baby." Liliana melted into his touch as his hand lowered to cup her cheek.
Gilbert's bottom lip slipped between his teeth as he looked down at his beloved wife. His thumb ran gently over her cheekbone as he noticed the tiredness in her eyes, which was no doubt due to her lack of sleep for the past few days. The man was off on a business trip to Switzerland, dealing with his supply lines, and had just returned, he knew how worried she got about him and how difficult it was for her to sleep during those day. Just as much as it was for him, it seems.
It made his cold heart warm, he never wanted she to feel worried but the fact that he had someone like Liliana Adornato, waiting up for him to return home to, safe and sound meant so much to him.
He slowly leaned down towards her, lips brushing lightly over hers. Her breath hitched in her throat at the initial reaction, feeling him so close to her after days apart. A smirk laid on Gilbert's lips before she kissed him fully. She sighed into him as leaned into her.
Liliana was yearning to feel every part of him, to jog her memory with the way he felt and tasted, but her husband seemed to be on a different page. He knew his job was dangerous, his trips deep into Europe even more so, and the thought wandered into his head before every mission that he might not make it home to her. So, the man took his sweet time and traces her tongue with his own, internalizing every little moan or breath that leaves her lips at his touch.
She pulled back for a breath of air, her eyes closed as she longed to let the feel of his lips linger on her own. Gilbert watched her closely, feeling his own breath hitch and his heart melt at the sight of she being so Goddamn adorable.
"Hmm…" She tilted her head. "Chocolate cake?"
Gilbert slowly smiled as she did, watching the way she tongue slipped across her bottom lip, tasting the sweetness he left there.
"Just couldn't help myself, honey." He chuckled.
Lili giggled lightly, sending Gilbert's heart into a frenzy. It had been so long since he heard her laughter, seen her smile beaming up at him. She was wearing one of his older sleeping shirts, worn and tattered, that he meant to trash, clutching one of many blankets to her chest on the warm couch.
"Oh, God…" Her head fell to her hands as realization hits her. "I didn't even glaze it, I fell asleep. I'm sorry, Gilbert. I wanted to stay up and wait for you but I must have dozed off."
Gilbert could not help but smile at her pouty lips and tired eyes. He laughed to himself, quietly at first, until it spread to a slight wheeze at her expression. Lili quickly grew confused, like she was left out of whatever joke her husband and only him was in on, but before she could question him, his contagious laughter had her giggling to herself as well.
Gilbert quieted down once he caught his breath, he cupped her face in his hands and pulled she towards him to peck her lips a few times, his stomach fluttering as she chased after his lips for another kiss.
"No need to apologize, darling," He shook his head, "I am just happy you're getting some rest, I know how worried you get."
Lili leaned forward to rest her head on his shoulder, slightly from sleepiness but also to hide her face. She knew he was not angry with her, but she still felt guilty for not waiting up for him. The kingpin raised his hand to smooth over her hair before he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
"How was it?" She lifted her head to look at him, "More importantly, how are you?"
The man merely shrugged. "It went alright, just a little sore."
She narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked at him. His red brows raised at her accusatory stare. The two of them had a conversation between glances before he finally gave in with a sigh.
"Okay, a lot sore." He admits.
Liliana exhaled a laugh before she settled again, eyes wandering his face. She reached her hand out to brush a few ginger strands from his forehead, moving them to the side so that she could see his bright, amber single eye looking down fondly at her. Her pointer finger brushed down the slightly freckled bridge of his nose, earning a quiet giggle from the man as her touch tickled him.
She leaned up on her elbow and lifted the corner of the blanket she is under, looking up at her husband and encouraging him to join her.
Gilbert raised his brows. "You don't want to go get in bed?"
"I'm tired and this spot's warm." Lili whined.
The man shook his head, a grin playing at his full lips. He shrugged off his trousers, leaving him in a pair of loose underwear and a long sleeve undershirt before he snuggled in beside her. She was thankful she had him buy such a large couch for times like these, when she could lay close to her husband comfortably on their living room.
Gilbert sighed comfortably as they settled in place. He laid on his back with one hand behind his head, his other clutching her waist as his arm wrapped around her. She snuggled into his chest, inhaling his scent and letting her eyes flutter closed as she melted into the arms of her lover.
"I missed you." She sighed into him.
The man leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "I missed you more, believe me."
"It drives me mad when you're gone." Lili said, snuggling against his wide chest
Gilbert laid quiet for a moment, processing the words that left her lips. It made him sad, and a little bit guilty. Although, he knew if the roles were reversed, if she was to leave a few weeks a year, they would both feel the same. It was hard to be apart, not only because of the number of tragedies they both experienced in their lives, but because they loved each other so much it was like leaving half of their heart behind.
"I'm sorry." He finally spoke up. "I hate leaving you. I do my very best to take you with me wherever I go, but I prefer missing you for a few days at a time than losing you forever."
Lili exhaled a deep breath, letting herself fall further into the man's comfort. It was admirable, how passionate and brave Gilbert was. He was determined and hardworking, something that his business partners valued when working with him. She was proud to be with him, she does not want him to be side-tracked with her minor concerns.
"You're an incredible man, Gilbert." She chuckled.
"Incredible, you say?" She could hear the smirk in his voice. "Mind elaborating?"
The woman playfully huffed and sat up on her elbows, turning to face him, who was already looking at her with a cheeky smile.
"It makes me proud to be with you, seeing how much you care for your famiglia, how much work you put in to make sure them and I are safe."
She toyed with a button on his Henley style shirt as she spoke, Gilbert watched carefully as her dainty fingers shook in place, the way her eyes did not reach his. His hand came up to rest on top of hers, stopping she in her tracks. He raised her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles.
"I know it's dangerous, love." He pulled his wife closer to him, kissing her forehead lightly. "But I'm always going to make it back home to you."
"Can I get that in writing?" She scoffed out a laugh.
"I'm being serious, Lili." Gilbert spoke as his own laughter faded.
She did not respond, at least not verbally. Gilbert felt her clutch tighten on him, her hands gripping his shirt and her body shuffling closer to him. He sighed, grazing his thumb over her skin to comfort her.
"Look at me, darling." He reached up to lift her chin. "I'm always going make it back to you, and your adorable pouty face when you're upset, and your phenomenal cooking…"
Liliana began giggling as he pulled her closer to him. He tugged her to his chest and turned on his side, spooning her whilst his hands clutched her waist tightly. He leaned down to press a few kisses to her neck, continuing with his rambling in between.
"And your beautiful face, and your cleaning manias, and those flowers of yours that always makes me sneeze."
His rant has memories flooding her mind, memories of their happy times in their time at the Visconti manor, or their nights on their private cabin at the SS Dulio, rocking on the waves of the North Atlantic. With every kiss he placed to her neck and up to her cheeks, she melted further into his embrace.
"Alright, alright, I get it." Lili breathed out as her laughter became too much to bear, "You've made your point."
Gilbert's hand on her waist swiftly flipped her around to face him, tugging her body closer to him as his lips collided with her own. A low moan left his lips as she bit his bottom lip, sending shivers up her spine. She leaned further into him as his hand held her back.
"I adore you." He mumbled against her lips.
She sighed happily, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck. The redhead man turned over so that he was now on top of she, he settled between her knees and laid his head on her chest, snuggling his head into the crook of her neck.
"And I love you."
Gilbert replied with a kiss to her collarbone. She let her hands run through his hair, scratching at his scalp and feeling him go limp in her arms, completely wrapped around her finger. It was only minutes before soft snores left his lips.
Lili smiled to herself, feeling her heart swell as he was finally home, safe and sound in her arms.