And now things are coming to a head and Giorno finds he is no longer able to hide his secrets from his friends anymore.
warning: more discussions of and brief abuse in this chapter.
Chapter Nine
Trish didn't really think anything of it when she didn't cross paths with Giorno on her way to school Monday. They never made it a thing to walk to school together, it just happened that their timing was usually similar enough to do it. But she had put in the effort to be a few minutes earlier than normal so that she might catch him more often.
It was worrying however, when she didn't find him in homeroom once the bell rang. She glanced at his empty desk and then over at Narancia who shrugged animatedly.
The feeling of unease pooled in her gut when he didn't show up late. When he didn't show up between periods with another emergency, she felt even worse, knowing well enough what had likely happened.
Maybe it wasn't that bad, she tried to reason. After all, Giorno had skipped a day or two before, and then showed up seemingly perfectly fine. Of course, now that she knew she would undoubtedly be able to see through some of that façade he had obviously so carefully crafted. It would undoubtedly be the same this time, and she wouldn't say anything when he came back to school because she had promised she wouldn't treat him any differently. And she didn't want to, he was her friend, but the memory of those bruises and the pure resignation in Giorno's voice when he talked about his situation still burned holes inside of her.
So much of her life felt so helpless, like she could do nothing to help anyone, and so she understood where Giorno was coming from, but it was hard to ignore all the same.
She hoped he would be there the next day and everything would go back to normal again.
Bruno was ready to admit that he was quite possibly paranoid when Giorno still hadn't shown up to school by Wednesday.
And he obviously wasn't the only one, since Trish seemed to be particularly worried about Giorno's absence as well. She was especially pale today, hardly having touched her lunch.
"I guess he really must be sick, if he still hasn't come to school," Narancia commented, a furrow between his brows. "Has anyone heard from him?"
Mista shook his head. "Nope. Last we talked was Friday when we invited him to the movies. But he never called that night so I figured he ended up not being able to come."
"He was going to go to the movies with you?" Trish asked, looking up.
"Yeah," Narancia replied. "Maybe he just wasn't interested in that new action flick."
Trish's brows pinched tighter and Bruno in turn frowned as well.
"I knew I should have asked for his phone number when I gave him mine," Mista said. "He never gave it to anyone, right?"
They all shook their heads.
"Trish?" Narancia asked her.
"No, I don't have it either," she replied a little shortly. "I would have said if I did."
"Like you said, he's probably just sick," Leone commented as he finished his lunch. "You do this every time he's out for a couple days and then you bother him with questions he's obviously embarrassed to answer."
"Well, he is sick a lot," Narancia pointed out.
"Yeah, so? Maybe he has some kind of health condition he hasn't told us about."
"Well, you don't seem to care!" Narancia protested.
Leone snorted. "It's not that I don't care, it's just I don't feel the need to pry into other people's business."
"He has a point, Narancia, not everyone likes to answer personal questions," Trish cut in, and got up from the table, taking her mostly untouched tray with her.
Bruno watched her go, a vague suspicion settling into his stomach that he refused to push away. He thought that it might be a good idea to talk to Trish later without the others.
The opportunity presented itself as he was on his way between classes and caught sight of Trish at her locker. He nodded to Leone to go without him and as the goth gave him a look, he broke off and headed over to the pink-haired girl.
"Trish?" he asked and she startled slightly, looking up from her locker.
"Do you need something? I have to get to class…"
He held up a hand to stop her. "Hold on just a second, please? Look, just be honest with me, do you know something about Giorno that we don't?"
Trish's face paled before she seemed to school her expression. "What do you mean? I told you I don't know anything about where he is."
"Look, I'm not accusing you of anything, but I've just had this bad feeling and after Fugo…"
Trish sighed. "I get it, okay, but, look, if I knew anything it wouldn't be my place to tell you," she said and that was fair, Bruno grudgingly admitted.
"I am going to take his school work over to him today, though," Trish amended.
Bruno perked up at that. "You know where Giorno lives?"
"Yes…"
That was news to Bruno since Giorno had never so much as allowed any of them to drive him home. "I could go with you if you want…"
"No," Trish said quickly, then amended. "I live the closest, and if he's sick, he probably doesn't want a ton of people over. I'm just gonna drop off his school work."
Bruno nodded reluctantly. "Alright. But, do me a favor and call me this afternoon? Just to let me know if he's all right?"
"I can do that," Trish assured him, closing her locker. "Now, I really have to get to class."
"Same," Bruno said, feeling a little more at ease, and hurried to the lab, sliding into his seat next to Leone just before the teacher came into the room.
He tried to put his mind at rest to concentrate on his work for the rest of the day, but it was harder than it seemed and he couldn't help but feel that he was missing something big.
Trish practically sprinted out of school that day, not giving any of the others a chance to stop her. She had almost stopped by Giorno's place yesterday, but had decided to give him one more day just in case.
But three days out was too long, especially if everything had started Friday. Trish's heart pounded in her throat as she walked as quickly as possible past her street and down to where Giorno's house was. She hoped she could remember which way it was.
She was able to spot it though and strode purposefully up to the door, knocking on it.
There was a long pause and she knocked again, finally hearing footsteps on the other side of the door this time.
A dark-haired woman opened it, staring at her suspiciously.
"Yes, hello? You better not be selling anything…"
"Oh, no, I'm just here to see Giorno," Trish told her.
The woman leaned against the doorjamb, the door still half closed as if she was barring the way. "And who are you?"
"Trish—I'm a friend from school. I just stopped by to bring him his homework."
She still didn't move, narrowing her eyes.
"Do you mind if I give it to him?" Trish prompted, trying not to sound too pushy.
"He's sick right now. I doubt you want to catch anything," the woman said.
Trish schooled her expression and instead reached into her backpack. "Okay, well, can you give it to him then? And tell him he can call me if he has any questions about the lessons."
She handed the folder over to Giorno's mother and the woman straightened and took it. "Alright," she said, obviously in dismissal.
Trish gave a half-hearted wave goodbye before the door was promptly shut in her face.
She stood there for a second, not feeling any better about this entire situation. She really needed to see Giorno. She just wanted to make sure he was okay…
She glanced around but there didn't seem to be anyone out and about so…
She slipped down the side of Giorno's house toward the back. If she remembered correctly, his room had been the one at the end of the hall, which should mean…
She looked up and saw the window with several plants sitting on the sill. She smiled even wider when she realized there was a utility shed right below it.
It may have been a few years since she'd climbed anything like this, but Trish didn't hesitate another second, simply got her footing on a pile of some bricks and reached until she could grab the top of the shed, pulling herself up.
It was a bit of a struggle, and she winced as her boots clucked into the side of the shed several times, hoping it wouldn't alert anyone inside, but she finally got on top and could now easily reach Giorno's window.
The curtains were half open and she could see part of his room, but not enough to see if he was actually in there or not.
She tapped the glass lightly, just enough to hopefully get his attention. After a couple tries, the curtain was whisked away, revealing Giorno's face, eyes wide with surprise.
"Trish?" he mouthed, voice muffled by the glass.
She gave a small smile and waved awkwardly. "Can I come in?"
Giorno quickly moved his plants from the sill and opened the window.
"What are you doing here?" he asked quietly as Trish slipped inside a little awkwardly.
"I'm sorry, I just wanted to make sure you were okay," Trish admitted, clasping her hands together in front of her.
Giorno sat stiffly on the end of his bed and she couldn't help but glance at the opened packages of gauze and pain pills on his bedside table. She felt sick and furious at the same time. "You're hurt, aren't you?" she demanded. "That bastard…"
Giorno sighed. "I told you you don't need to worry about it."
She blinked back the pressure behind her eyes and shook her head. "Is there anything that I can do?"
He gave her a small smile. "I'm really okay. I was planning on going back to school tomorrow. Thanks for bringing my schoolwork."
"Are you sure there's nothing else I can do for you?" she asked.
Giorno shook his head. "No. I just need to try to get through some of this before tomorrow so I'm not totally lost."
Trish sighed but nodded, picking up her backpack again as she moved back toward the window. "Okay, well, please call me if you need anything."
"Alright. Thanks, Trish," Giorno said then, "Are you going to be okay getting out?"
Trish grinned. "I can make it."
He held her backpack as she climbed out the window and then handed it to her before she slid mostly gracefully off the utility shed.
Trish waved to him before she started off back down the street, unable to stop thinking about the bandages, and the stiff way Giorno held himself. He looked so pale and thin, fading bruises on his face that he hadn't bothered to cover since he was obviously home…Trish found her heart aching with the thought of him just sitting in his room for the last several days, having to tend to his own injuries most likely.
She decided to make a detour before she could turn down her street and headed toward the drug store a couple blocks down.
She didn't really know what to get, but she grabbed more bandages, some medicated cream, and also some snacks and chocolate for good measure.
She hurried back to Giorno's house and made another not-very-graceful ascent up the utility shed to tap on his window.
Giorno appeared with a bemused smile and Trish grinned as she held up the bag.
Giorno opened the window and she handed him her care package.
"Just thought you needed some stuff," she told him.
Giorno glanced into the bag. "Thanks um…do you…want to come in? Again? We can do homework together."
"You're not going to get in trouble?" Trish asked hesitantly.
Giorno shook his head. "No one will know you're here as long as you're quiet."
Trish smiled and climbed back through the window. They sat comfortably on the bed and put the books between them so they could work, Trish giving Giorno a quick rundown of what they had been doing that week as they shared the snacks she'd brought.
"We all missed you, you know," Trish told him as they were finishing up. "Bruno was worried."
Giorno pressed his lips into a thin line, playing with his pen. "I wish he wouldn't."
"You can't stop people from worrying about you," Trish told him.
Giorno sighed. "I'm just not used to it. I've spent most of my life trying not to be noticed. It's…weird knowing people think about me when I'm not around."
"Well, you're gonna have to get used to it," Trish informed him sternly. "Because you have friends now."
He looked almost surprised by that and Trish wanted to hug him again but didn't think that would help, considering she didn't really know how badly he was hurt.
"And I'm not just saying that to make you feel better," Trish added. "Seriously. I…you and the others…I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't met you." Dammit, there were the tears threatening again and she hurriedly turned away, packing stuff into her backpack again. "I need to get going, though. My mom will start wondering where I am…"
"Trish."
She turned back and Giorno was staring at his hands, but finally looked up, green eyes slightly shiny. "Thank you."
She gave him a watery smile. "We'll get all of this figured out, Giorno. And one day, all of us will actually get to live."
He nodded, though she wasn't sure if he believed it or not. Maybe she didn't either.
"Oh, what do you want me to tell Bruno when I call him with my report?" she asked.
Giorno shrugged one shoulder. "That I was sick. I should be back at school tomorrow."
"Good," she said. "That's what I'll tell him then."
Trish made her way out the window again and waved as Giorno closed it behind her before she started to walk home.
When she got there, she was a little surprised to see her mother sitting on the couch in the living room, watching afternoon television.
"Trish, is that you?" she called.
Trish hurried into the living room. "I'm here. Sorry, Mama, I should have called, but I got tied up helping a friend with homework."
Her mother smiled and patted the seat next to her. "That's sweet of you, Trish. I'm glad you're finding friends here. You know how much I hated leaving…"
Trish shook her head quickly and curled up next to her mom. "No, really. I—I'm actually pretty happy here," she said, or tried to, but her voice cracked before she could finish and the tears she had held in finally started to flow.
"Oh Trish," her mother said softly and pulled her into thin arms, holding her close. She didn't ask what had brought this on, for which Trish was glad, simply let her cry as she tried to work out the emotional roller-coaster she had been going through lately.
Bruno wasn't sure if he was relieved or not to hear that Giorno had been sick when Trish called him that evening. At least she said he was planning on being at school the next day, so that was a good sign.
"You've been quiet," Paolo commented as he and Bruno cleaned up the kitchen that night.
Bruno sighed. "I think I might worry too much about people."
One side of his father's mouth turned up slightly. "You always have even when you were just a little thing. It's not a bad trait, Bruno."
"I suppose it could be worse," Bruno amended with a small smile.
Paolo reached out to ruffle his hair gently. "Let me do the rest of this so you can go finish your work."
Bruno pulled his hands out of the sudsy water and retreated to the living room to do the last of his reading for tomorrow. He was so exhausted though that he found himself nodding off until he was startled awake by a heavy weight settling over him. He looked up to see his father standing over him with the blanket.
"You should probably go to bed," he commented.
"I probably should," Bruno sighed in agreement, tossing the book onto the coffee table and standing up with a stretch. "Goodnight, Papa."
He retreated to the back of the house, bidding a quick goodnight to Fugo who was still up reading, and then quickly changed into his pajamas, crawling into bed and trying to sleep off all the worries that always seemed to plague him.
The next day seemed a little better. Giorno showed up just as he was locking his bike up, and Bruno greeted the other boy happily, causing Giorno to show a slightly bemused look. Bruno gave him a swift once-over. He was definitely paler, and held himself a little more stiffly than usual, but that could all be explained away by him being sick. Bruno was probably, as usual, overreacting.
"I'm glad you're feeling better," Bruno told him.
"Hey, it's Giorno!" Narancia cried, barreling toward them and before Giorno could protest, Narancia had thrown his arms around him in a happy embrace, nearly knocking Giorno off his feet.
"Narancia what are you doing?" Trish's voice exclaimed from behind them, worry plain on her face as she hurried over.
Narancia pulled away and Bruno barely caught the wince Giorno made before he quickly hid it.
"What, I can't hug him? I haven't seen him for days!" Narancia protested.
"Yeah, but…he's been sick," Trish stuttered.
"Well, you might be a germaphobe but I'm not," Narancia told her, slinging an arm around Giorno's shoulders.
"It's okay, Narancia, I'm happy to see all of you again," Giorno told him though he carefully extricated himself from the other teen.
And there went Bruno once again wondering if he was missing something important because it sure as hell felt like he was.
But the bell rang so he didn't have time to pursue it as he hurried to join Leone and Mista who were talking on the steps.
He had not forgotten his weird feelings by lunchtime, but Giorno also seemed to be perfectly fine so he tried to shove them away. Besides, there were other things to discuss.
"Today's order of business," Narancia said. "The tests that are going to be coming up."
Trish groaned. "I am so not ready. Is that really two weeks from now?"
"Unfortunately, yes," Narancia said with a sigh. "Which means we all need to pool resources and prep together if we want to survive."
Bruno had to smile. "Are you saying it's time for another study night?"
Narancia grinned at him. "You got it!"
"Well, I think it's my turn to host," Mista said. "My mom will be more than happy to have all of you over."
"When do we want to do it?" Leone asked.
"How does next Friday sound?" Mista asked. "That will give us time to compile notes. Testing starts the Monday after that, so it will be perfect timing."
"Sounds great," Bruno said. Heaven knew he needed all the help he could get. He'd barely passed the last quiz they'd taken.
"Ask Fugo if he wants to come too," Narancia said.
"I'm sure he would," Bruno told them.
He kept one eye on Giorno as they discussed plans for the study night but for the most part he seemed to be his usual self. Bruno tried to assuage his fears but he was still positive something was going on.
The week finished normally though, and then there was the weekend which was quiet and one he and Fugo spent out of the boat with his father, offering some much-needed rejuvenation to Bruno's soul. And then it was back to the grind with the teachers trying to hammer all the test questions into the students' heads.
But they also had their study night to look forward to. They chatted about it at lunch.
"Mama is already planning out the spread for tonight," Mista told them with a grin. "So you all better show up."
Trish looked slightly uncomfortable. "I don't think I'm going to be able to go. Um…something came up and…I need to be home tonight."
"Aw, but who will help me with the math questions?" Narancia moaned.
"Fugo's coming," Bruno reminded him. "And don't worry about it, Trish, you can join us next time."
"And um…let me know if you need a study partner over the weekend?" Giorno told her.
Trish smiled. "Thanks. I wish I could make it, but…yeah…"
"We'll miss you," Mista told her. "You need a ride, Gio? Leone could pick you up."
"That's okay, I like to walk," Giorno said quickly.
"Okay, but, it will probably be late by the time we're done so if you change your mind, don't hesitate to ask."
"Or you could just spend the night," Narancia pointed out.
"You do realize it's not exactly your house despite the fact you practically live there," Mista said jokingly before grinning at Giorno. "Not that I mind if you want to stay over."
Giorno shook his head. "Probably not tonight, but thanks for the offer."
They parted after lunch and when Bruno got home he took a few minutes to relax before he and Fugo got ready to head over to Mista's house as soon as Leone came to pick them up.
"I made up flashcards to help study," Fugo said as they piled in and Leone started driving. "I made some for Narancia too when I met with him at the library the other day."
"Mista will probably want to make up another game show to play with them," Bruno said with a laugh.
Leone groaned. "Don't encourage him."
"Actually, it does help more than simple repetition, especially if you're competitive," Fugo pointed out. "It definitely always helps Narancia."
"That is true," Bruno admitted.
"I'll study by myself then," Leone said.
"You'll get teased even more for that," Bruno told him, getting a sneer in return as Leone turned up his music.
By the time they got there, the smell of cooking permeated the air, and everyone was laughing and talking happily together.
All of them received a warm hug from Mama Mista.
"Ah, raggazi, I'm so happy to see you all again," she gushed.
"It has been a while," Bruno told her, leaning in to kiss her cheek.
She turned to Fugo, instantly cupping his face. "And Pannacotta, what is this? Actual color on your face? The seaside is doing you well, mi caro."
Fugo blushed to increase the color further but couldn't help but smile, nodding in agreement.
They were soon set upon by the welcoming party consisting of Mista's youngest siblings and ushered into the family room where Mista, Narancia and Giorno were already being incorporated into some sort of exciting looking game.
"Bruno!" one of the girls cried and rushed toward him, brandishing a plastic cutlass. "Can you play pirates with us? You can be my first mate!"
Bruno happily put on the bandana he was offered and joined the crew on the pillow ship with Giorno and Narancia, while Leone and Fugo were recruited to the rival crew.
"Arg! How dare you try to find me treasure!" Mista demanded, amidst shrieks from the kids as he hobbled into the room with a makeshift peg leg made of a cardboard tube, which instantly collapsed and sent him sprawling, to everyone's amusement.
"Get him!" Narancia crowed and the two crews rushed Mista as he pretended to fight them off.
By the time the battle was won, it was time for dinner. Bruno was always impressed by the fact that no matter how many people seemed to show up at the Mista residence, there was always room at the table, even if you were forced to rub elbows—which Bruno didn't mind. He loved his quiet life with his Papa and now Fugo, but he couldn't deny that he also loved the chaos a large family provided. It was nice to listen to the conversation as he helped to cut meat for the little uncoordinated hands at his left.
It wasn't long at all after they'd helped clean up that Mista predictably announced that he'd came up with a game they could play to help them study.
"It'll be like Jeopardy! I've put all the questions in as points and they're also color-coded so Nara and Giorno's will be different."
Leone rolled his eyes, but he obviously played as well, and was second in points to Fugo. Bruno had to admit that it was a lot more fun to study this way and he actually was surprised to see how many answers he remembered.
After a couple rounds of that and several more just going over the flashcards, they felt confident that they had at least done all they could.
Bruno was starting to feel the exhaustion of the week kick in as it grew later, and he also knew that Fugo liked to have some time to unwind before he went to bed, so he asked Leone if he was ready to go, and they bid farewell to Mista and his parents.
"You want a ride, Giorno?" Bruno asked one more time before they left.
Giorno hesitated slightly but shook his head "No, I think Narancia and I are going to go over the flashcards one more time before I leave."
"Alright," Bruno gave him a small smile. "See you Monday then."
"Oh, Bruno, before you go," Mama Mista said, catching him at the door and pressing some Tupperware into his hands. "Some leftovers for you all to eat this weekend."
Bruno thanked her and headed out with the others, sinking content and happy into the passenger seat as Leone started the car. He realized with surprise that it was the first time in a while that he actually felt like there was nothing looming. It felt nice.
Leone dropped Bruno and Fugo off and bid them goodnight before he started back home.
It was honestly pretty late and there weren't even that many people out anymore, at least not around here. They would all be on the main strip where all the restaurants and bars were located, considering it was Friday. Still, it made driving pretty nice and Leone relaxed, turning up his music as he drove through the seedier side of town that he passed through as a shortcut to get back to his house from Bruno's.
There was someone out here, though, he realized as he spotted a slim figure walking down the sidewalk. As he got closer, his headlights caught blond hair tied back in a braid and he instantly knew who it was.
What the hell was Giovanna doing out here of all places? It wasn't exactly a good place to be walking this late.
The annoyance he always seemed to feel when he looked at Giorno was instantly replaced by his better judgement and he huffed a sigh, slowing to a crawl and rolling his window down.
"Hey."
Giorno jumped at his voice and looked like he might bolt before he bent and saw Leone through the window.
"What are you doing out here?"
Giorno just stood there with that deer in the headlights look he wore so often. "I'm just walking home."
"Through this shitty neighborhood?" Leone asked. "You're gonna get yourself mugged or stabbed out here. Why didn't you let Mista drive you home?"
Giorno's shoulders scrunched up. "It's late. And I really don't live too far."
Leone rolled his eyes, but leaned over to open the passenger door. "Come on. Get in."
Giorno stood there staring at him as if trying to figure out what he was doing. "Why?" he asked.
"I'm offering you a ride, dumbass," Leone grunted. "I'm not gonna let you walk around here on a Friday night, so get in."
Giorno moved finally and tentatively climbed into the car like he was some sort of flighty animal Leone was trying to tame. He waited until Giorno had closed the door and buckled his seatbelt before he started off again.
"Just let me know when to turn or whatever," he said.
Giorno nodded and glanced over toward him. "Thanks, by the way. You didn't have to—"
"Whatever," Leone grunted. "It's not a big deal, I'm going this way anyway."
Giorno was silent for a moment before he pointed out a street. "It's that way."
Leone turned down it and kept going through the lanes of close, older houses.
"There's just one more turn after this," Giorno said.
Leone nodded and watched the road, waiting for Giorno to give a signal.
Instead Giorno pointed to the radio. "This is nice. Don Giovanni, right?"
Leone turned to him in genuine surprise. "You know Don Giovanni?"
Giorno shrugged. "I like listening to classical music on occasion, especially Mozart. I don't know much about opera particularly, but I have liked what I've heard."
"If you ever want recommendations, let me know," Leone said before he realized it. Was he actually getting along with Giorno Giovanna? He blamed it on the fact that no one else seemed to take an interest in his weirder interests aside from Fugo on occasion.
"It's just up here," Giorno pointed then, and Leone pulled up in front of a slightly run-down two-story behind the other car in the driveway.
"Here?" he asked.
Giorno nodded and opened the door, grabbing his backpack from the footwell on the way out. "Yeah. Thanks, by the way, Leone," he said as he ducked out, closing the door behind him.
Leone stayed in the drive so Giorno could see to open the door. It didn't look like anyone had left a light on for him. He watched as Giorno fumbled in his backpack and then fumbled some more before turning to his pockets, a slightly panicked air to his actions.
Leone frowned. Had he forgotten his keys?
He was about to get out and ask when Giorno seemed to sigh with resignation and knocked on the door. A couple seconds passed before he knocked again, louder. Leone turned his music down, wondering if anyone was even home, but that was when the door was wrenched open by a slobby looking man dressed in sleep clothes.
"What the hell do you think you're about?" the man demanded. "It's past midnight and you think you can just wake me and your mother up by pounding on the door? Where the hell were you?!"
Leone winced, but didn't want to get Giorno in more trouble for lurking, so he started to pull out of the driveway, glancing over his shoulder.
When he turned back around he glanced back toward the house and saw Giorno trying to step past the man in the doorway.
Leone didn't know what happened, maybe Giorno said something, but the man's face suddenly went livid and he reared back, driving his fist directly into Giorno's face.
Leone slammed on the brakes and threw the car into park as Giorno's head snapped backwards and he tumbled down the steps.
"You think you can mouth off to me, you little shit?" the man was fuming.
Leone, heart pounding in his throat, surged out of the car as Giorno was pushing himself up shakily.
"Giorno!" he said sharply to get his attention.
Giorno looked up and a wave of shame that made Leone's stomach drop washed over his face.
"Is this punk one of your friends?" the man sneered, glowering at Leone. "No wonder you don't fucking listen anymore if you're hanging out with shit like this. Now get inside."
His hand went to his belt and Giorno shrunk away, glancing between the man and Leone.
"Giorno," Leone said with sudden conviction. "Get in my car."
Giorno looked up at him in surprise, still on his knees. Leone hurried forward and grabbed his elbow, heaving him up.
The man sneered. "You gonna run away, is that it? You think I won't punish you double when you get back? I told you to get inside, boy. Make it easy on both of us and do what I tell you."
Leone yanked his mobile out of his pocket and flipped it open. "You touch him again, I'm calling the police," he said firmly, pushing Giorno behind him as he backed them away. "Get in the car, Giorno."
Giorno cast one last look toward the house and then turned and hurried down the driveway, Leone following him as the man swore behind them.
He slammed his door shut, and threw the car into drive, not even thinking about which direction he was going at the moment. His hands were tight on the steering wheel to keep them from shaking.
"Was that piece of shit your father?" he demanded.
Giorno huddled in the passenger seat. "Stepfather."
"Fuck," Leone swore and took another glance toward the passenger seat. Giorno had one hand pressed to his nose that was dripping blood and the other curled to his chest. Leone set his jaw. Giorno had fallen pretty hard. He hoped nothing was broken.
He leaned over briefly and yanked the glovebox open, pulling out a wad of random napkins. "Here." He said, dumping them into Giorno's lap.
Giorno grabbed a fistful of them and pressed them to his nose. "Where are we going?" he asked firmly.
Leone set his jaw. "We should probably—"
"I'm not going to the police or a hospital."
Leone glanced over at him and saw the first look of true defiance he had ever seen in the kid's eyes. "Why not?"
"Because they never do anything, and I don't know who my stepfather has made connections with in this town," Giorno replied flatly.
Leone opened his mouth to retort but snapped it shut. It wasn't really his call at the end of the day, was it? He could admit when he might not be an expert on a particular situation and he wasn't going to presume he knew exactly what Giorno's current position was either.
So, despite his better judgement, he made a U-turn and started back the way they had come. Giorno glanced out the window, tensing.
"Don't worry, I'm not taking you to the authorities," Leone told him as he headed back toward the coast. "I'm taking you to Bruno's."