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Bruno opens his eyes slightly, feeling how someone shakes his body. He’s immediately met with Mista’s shiny black eyes staring back at him. He’s a little too close, Bruno can feel his breath.
‘Bucciarati, that’s you, right?’ Mista asks him, a big smile on his face as Bruno finally fully opens both his eyes and starts to gather his thoughts. He feels weird and confused, he barely remembers what happened.
‘Yeah, it’s me…’ he says in a gruff, deep voice that he had been speaking for the past few hours and feels surprised. He looks back at Mista again, whose smile fades when Bruno’s confusion rises.
‘Trish?’ Bruno asks in that same voice that’s now starting to bother him.
‘I’m here!’ Trish’s voice sounds from somewhere above Bruno, and he looks around at her, along with Mista who’s smile comes back quite quickly.
Because right next to Trish, there’s Narancia, apparently safe and sound. Sitting up on the ground while Trish tends to them.
‘Narancia?’ Bruno lets out, not really as a question, as he looks at Narancia, they look just as confused and tired as Bruno feels, but he can’t help but smile at the sight of Narancia.
He also can’t help but wonder what the hell is going on.
‘He’s fine, Bucciarati.’ Giorno suddenly kneels next to him, helping Bruno to finally sit up. ‘We’re all fine.’
Giorno smiles at him, as if he’s trying to convince him of something. Bruno can read him, and can tell that something about that smile of his is suspicious.
‘Everyone’s back to normal.’ Mista tells him, too close again. ‘We’re back to normal too, thank god.’
Giorno looks at Mista, suddenly staring daggers at him. Mista doesn’t see it.
‘How?’ Bruno asks.
The two boys look at each other again, and Giorno starts to explain.
‘It was Gold Experience.’ Giorno says, but he seems unsure about what exactly he’s talking about. ‘I don’t know the answer to how it all happened exactly, but I know she did something. Narancia is alive, Diavolo is gone for good, and we won.’
Bruno feels dizzy, he touches his face as an excuse to break eye contact with the two. They’re staring him down and he knows why.
He also feels really annoyed by the pink messy fringe he’s now wearing. The hair is getting into his eyes.
‘And Chariot?’ He asks, not looking at the two.
‘Gone.’ Mista answers confidently. ‘Everything is done.’
Bruno wants to ask, but he doesn’t enjoy the attention it would bring. He doesn’t like to be overcared for, he doesn't like to look like he needs help, he wouldn’t want to take away from their victory. They did good.
‘I should be dead.’ is all he says, and in this voice it sounds much angrier than he anticipated. He didn’t mean that, and he feels bad as soon as he sees Mista and Giorno’s faces fall into a frown.
‘Thanks for telling us, by the way.’ Mista says, matching Bruno’s angry tone. ‘That apparently your body has been dead since Venezia!’
Bruno is shaken by that outburst from him, but he furrows his brows and stands his ground, not letting Mista lecture him.
‘There were more important matters.’ Bruno mutters.
‘We could have helped you!’ Mista shouts at him.
‘We had a mission to do.’ Bruno answers, coldly.
‘You’re impossible, Bucciarati.’ Trish interjects, to everyone’s surprise. ‘You really thought no one would notice? That no one cared about you? You don’t have to hide everything you feel.’
Bruno doesn’t know what to say to that, he turns his face away from Trish, despite the fact she wasn’t really looking at him at all.
He stares onto something on the ground, eyes suddenly sting him, and he catches the attention of Giorno with one simple request.
‘Do you mind bringing me back to normal as well?’
Bucciarati feels his heart sink at the deafening silence that follows that question.
*
Bruno stares at the body on the floor. He’s as alone as he can be, with the rest of the party giving him the space he needed for this. He clutches the purple sweater around his arms and feels a wave of cold air. He feels so empty it’s almost like death hasn’t fully left him.
It has definitely taken him once, because Bruno Bucciarati is staring at himself, met with eyes so void they lack any colour, chest full of bullet holes, fingers rotting just like he remembers and drying blood staining his white clothes.
Bruno kneels next to the body, he has to, but he doesn’t want to touch it and feel all of that death.
I know you used to have a bunch of pocket voids… and your stuff is expensive too, you probably wouldn’t want to leave it…
It’s what Mista said when he suggested Bruno look over his body before they bury it and turn it into flowers. It was his after all, not many will get that opportunity.
There was no way to do it… Giorno said, explaining his actions. I don’t know how Gold did it, but your soul wouldn’t bind to a body that was in such a bad state. This one… he said, shyly pointing at Bruno. This one was available. Your soul was already binded to it. It was just like bringing back Narancia. I didn’t have much control over all of that. I barely knew it happened.
Bruno didn’t argue. How could he have? He understands it less than Giorno, who doesn’t seem to have much of a clue as to how it works either. He just nodded and did as Mista had suggested, and went to look through his old body.
He takes his old hair clips first. The gold metal clicks as it’s taken away from his thick black hair. He feels so bad doing so. Bruno Bucciarati shouldn’t have his signature hair clips taken away…
That’s not Bruno Bucciarati. Not anymore. Now it’s just a body. They’re no use for it…
This is tough. Tougher than Bruno has thought it would be.
He should be dead.
The feeling persists as Bruno moves to the body’s chest. The zipper on his ribs acts as a pocket for important things. He has his wallet there, and in it, untainted by any bullet and blood, are the photos he carries with him.
He’s sentimental like that. He always has been. Nobody knows what he carries with him. One is a picture of his mom and dad together, another one of his father and Bruno when they caught the biggest fish of their life, another, bigger photo of the whole gang together, where one person draws his attention, and another of just him. A little candid photo that Leone hated and Bruno kept against his will where he smiles because Narancia tripped and spilled a drink. It’s just Leone's face in it, shining with a laugh. Bruno remembers that moment very well, he stared at this photo for a long time after it. He used to cherish Leone’s smile so much…
Until he saw him lying dead and bloody on a beach in Sardegna.
A moment passes, and Bruno’s breath turns into a gasp.
‘Giorno!’ He calls in that damn deep voice that’s starting to really get on his nerves as he stands up and runs back to the party.
The boy turns toward him, eyes wide in slight panic as he sees Bruno looking like he saw a ghost.
‘Is Abbacchio alive?!’
*
I don’t know. Was Giorno’s answer, and in some strange way it gave everybody a lot of hope.
It’s much better than the definite answer that he’s dead, and what gives them all a more positive attitude is that Giorno has a feeling that Leone is okay. It’s his power that would have brought him back, so if he feels good about it, it must mean something.
‘Abbacchio would have gone back home right?’ Narancia asks, voice excited, but still tired from all that he has been through. Mista is taking care of him, while Giorno and Trish drive them back home to Naples from Rome. Right now Bucciarati, Mista and Narancia are all sitting inside Coco Jumbo, planning their next move.
‘I assume so.’ Bucciarati says with a quiet tone.
He feels stressed, out of place. Unknown anxieties run through his mind as he sits on a chair, sinking into the large black hoodie Giorno bought for him in a random store. Bruno feels tight in Diavolo’s clothes. Strange and a little too exposed. He used to not have any problem wearing skimpy clothes. This whole thing doesn’t feel good.
The fact that he’ll apparently be staying like this is starting to sink in through their long drive back home.
"We should call home, leave a message for him.’ Narancia says. ‘If he comes back before we do.’
‘Flight from Sardegna to Naples is about an hour… so he should be there first.’ Mista says.
‘Hope he’s alright, I really do…’ Narancia adds.
Bruno musters up a hopeful smile. Hearing how much the others care for Leone makes him happy, even if they don’t know everything about him. Or about them, really. They just knew Bucciarati and Abbacchio had something special going on, but as far as they knew they were friends. At least Bruno assumes so.
They don’t know just how much Bruno cares for Leone. So much so that he keeps his photo near his heart, and that the moment Leone died he felt like there was no use keeping himself alive anymore. Maybe before Sardegna there was a chance for him, but after that his body properly started to rot. In a way, Bruno looked forward to seeing Leone again.
The thought that he’d die soon after Leone was the only thing that kept him from completely breaking.
If what they are feeling right now is just foolish hope and Leone is still dead…
Bucciarati doesn’t see a life for himself without Leone.
‘Okay, who’s leaving a message.’ Mista asks, picking up a phone and starting to dial the number home.
‘I wanna!’ Narancia yells, sitting up on the couch he was laying on.
‘I was thinking it should be Bucciarati…’ Mista says, looking shyly at Bruno.
Bucciarati just shakes his head. ‘No, you two do it.’ he says with a smile so fake they both could very easily tell.
They don’t say anything, and the phone starts to dial.
Bruno looks down at his hands, only now realising he has been scratching Diavolo’s purple nail polish off of his nails. He sits there with his hood up, holding that pink mess of hair away from his face somewhat.
He bites his lip, he feels so uncomfortable.
‘Abbacchio, hey!’ Narancia yells to the phone. Leone obviously didn’t pick up, and the call went to voicemail, the two boys are still just as enthusiastic to send the message as they would be talking to him. ‘We’re calling to check on you! Just so you know we’re all fine! Call us back if you’re home first and hear this, okay? See you soon!’
The message ends, and Mista puts the phone down.
*
Waiting for that call back is a nightmare for Bruno. It’s not a good time for anybody, really. All of them want to hear from Abbacchio, and any minute that passes makes them more and more stressed.
Bucciarati has not moved from the chair. He stares at the phone so intensely, like he would miss it ring if he took his eyes off of it. He needs to hear Leone’s voice, he won’t think about calming down before he does.
The ride stops for food at some point, and Narancia and Mista are very eager to get out and order for themselves, not trusting Giorno and Trish with their food at all.
By that point, Bruno is left alone with the phone.
He insisted on staying, saying he couldn’t miss the call. The group looked at him with a mixture of worry and pity, but went out sending him a small smile.
After about ten minutes of waiting alone, Bucciarati hears the phone ring.
He jumps for it, answering it before even the second ring.
‘Abbacchio?’ he asks, and realises his eyes sting with tears, if he doesn't hear his voice right now he’s going to–
‘Yeah, it’s me.’ Leone says from the other end, a little quiet.
Bruno lets out a sigh of relief so deep it makes him shed a tear.
‘Thank God.’ he says to the phone with a chuckle, finally with a real smile easily heard through his voice. It might not be that professional, but Bruno can’t help it. His lover is back from the dead, he’s allowed relief. ‘How are you? Is everything alright? We’ll be back home soon, you should rest as much as you can, my de–’
‘Who the hell is this?’ Leone asks from the other end, and all of that happiness drains from Bruno in an instant. ‘I don’t recognize your voice.’
Bruno bites his tongue, he doesn’t have a good answer for this.
‘I’m new…’ Bruno says, weakly. Coming up with the lie on the spot. He doesn’t want to leave Leone hanging. ‘I just joined your crew… I was just the one waiting by the phone.’
‘Whatever, new guy, whoever you are, stop clogging the line and get someone else on the phone, so I know you’re not fucking playing me.’ Leone says with a hiss, and Bruno can’t help but feel fond of the attitude.
It’s his Leone alright, so careful and snarky towards strangers.
Bruno is a stranger to her now…
‘I’ll get Mista.’ He tells Leone, who patiently waits on the line.
*
Bucciarati is busy.
He’ll see you at home.
It’s not that he doesn’t want to talk, Abbacchio.
He’s fine, I promise.
You’ll see him when we get there!
Bruno’s touched that Leone keeps asking about him. He wants nothing more than to talk to him and tell him that he’s fine so he doesn’t worry so much, but he has no idea how to approach this.
As he sits there, on the last thirty minutes of their journey, he still fiddles with his hands. The nail polish is pretty much completely scratched off.
Things are settling in and Bruno is feeling worse and worse.
Now that he knows for sure that Leone is okay, there’s no other worry to occupy his mind than the situation he has found himself in.
Narancia is dozing off on the couch across from him. Bruno wonders if the boy will jump at the sight of him when he wakes up.
There’s a mirror on the wall next to them.
Bruno decides he doesn’t want to look at it.
What he decides to do is take his hood off.
He touches the hair, lifts it up from the hoodie so it falls freely down on his shoulders and face. It’s annoying. That’s Bruno’s first thought.
Thick and unruly, two toned like it was dyed red at some point but grew out back to the natural lighter pink that Trish shares. It’s cut roughly, like someone did it without much regard for it being even or symmetrical. The ends are split too. The spots are a faded black dye.
Horrible, messy, ugly, untamed, barely cared for. Like its unique look was much more important than its health. So unlike Bruno’s hair.
This isn't his hair. This would never be his hair, and the hands that touch it are not his hands, they’re someone else’s.
This is not how Bruno’s life was supposed to go.
‘I think it looks neat.’ Narancia suddenly says, pulling Bruno out of his head just as quick as he got there. ‘The hair.’ they clarify. ‘Are you worried Abbacchio won’t like it?’
Bruno scoffs, looks away. Resists the urge to put the hood back on.
‘I’m fine, Narancia.’ Bucciarati tells him. The way their name sounds in that voice is so strange. Bruno feels like he wants to speak less and less the more he hears it. ‘Go back to resting.’
‘We’re close, aren’t we?’ they say, looking up. ‘Last time I heard we were thirty minutes away from home, I don’t usually nap for less than thirty minutes.’ they smile.
Bucciarati does too, but all of his smiles feel very forced lately.
*
Leone feels so tired.
The flight back to Naples was a damn nightmare, because Leone already hates crowded places and airports are so messy and tiresome, especially for someone who has just come back from the fucking dead.
He has no idea what the fuck happened. Perhaps he was just hurt and hallucinated some crazy shit, the same way people say they saw God when they had an accident, but in Leone’s case something feels off.
He remembers what happened, remembers the face of the boss. The man that jumped him when he was alone and apparently didn’t kill him. The boss thought he did, that’s for sure, and so did Leone. Perhaps he really was just hurt and healed by that little shit Giorno, because what else can’t he do?
It would make sense if Leone didn’t wake up alone at the beach four days later. They wouldn’t have left him there if he was alive, they might have had if he was dead.
Crazy questions for another time, because now Leone desperately tries not to drift off before the gang comes back home. Apparently they’re all fine, at least that’s what Mista said, but the way he was talking about Bruno felt strange to Leone. Bruno was strange to him. Ever since they left Venezia and betrayed Passione Bruno was acting strange. Leone doesn’t like this, not one bit. If there’s something wrong with Bruno he’ll beat the shit out of every single one of them for not telling him about it when he asked.
If Bruno’s not there with them… if he’s gone… Leone doesn’t even want to think about that.
Apparently they won. Apparently they killed the boss and took over Passione. Leone has no idea what that means for all of them, not that he cares. If they’re all safe and sound he’ll follow Bruno in whatever path he takes in life, because that’s just how he is and that’s what he promised.
He smiles thinking of their future. Maybe they’ll have more time to themselves now. Maybe they can live a normal life, maybe they can finally tell the rest of the gang they’re a couple, or at least lovers. Maybe he and Bruno will adopt a cat and start a family…
Leone is tired, and he can’t help but to drift off. He doesn’t dream about anything, but he’s awoken by someone opening the door and a roar of voices coming through the hall of their home.
‘Abbacchio!’ The first one to run at him is Narancia, who doesn’t even let Leone stand up before they tackle him into a tight hug.
‘Easy kid, easy…’ Leone says, feeling a little winded from that. He touches his chest, suddenly unable to take a deeper breath.
It worries him a little, but he’s back to being fine just a moment later.
‘I’m so glad you’re alright…’ Narancia says into Leone's chest.
‘You too kid.’ Leone smiles at them. ‘I’m glad you made it back.’
Everyone else greets him as well, Mista sheds a tear that he’s embarrassed everyone saw, Trish and Giorno look a little reserved, but nonetheless happy for him, and Bruno…
Bruno’s not there.
Leone looks around the room, waits for Bruno to come through the door, but he doesn’t. The rest of the gang all look at each other, exchanging tense expressions and clearly hiding something from Leone.
‘Let us explain…’ Giorno is the one that starts, but before Leone lets him talk he hears a car door shut outside.
If there’s another person there, Leone will go check.
‘Abbacchio, wait–’ Mista calls after him.
Leone doesn’t wait, and he walks outside of the house to see someone indeed is standing by the car. He’s tall, very tall actually, towering over Abbacchio’s almost 190cm frame. He has a hood on, his back is turned toward him but he sees the tension in the man's shoulders as he notices someone’s watching him.
‘You’re the new guy, aren’t you?’ Leone says with a sneer. ‘The one I spoke with.’
The man doesn’t say much right away, but his shoulders slump in a gesture of resignation.
‘Yes.’ he says.
‘Listen, I don’t give a shit about who you are.’ Leone says, approaching the man, annoyed by the fact that he doesn’t want to face him. ‘but maybe you can tell me what the hell is going–’
Leone freezes, just a glimpse is enough for her to recognize that face. The vibrant green eyes, the bright pink hair, there’s no mistaking him, this man is the boss.
At the moment of recognition, the boss’s face turns into fear as well. Leone would be confused by that reaction, if his senses weren’t flooded by this intense instinct of fight or flight.
‘Leone, listen to me–’
Leone doesn't, because how dare this man call him by his first name, how dare he come here, tricking Leone's friends who never saw his face and don’t know who he is. How dare he catch Leone off guard in his home.
Without a second thought, Leone punches him in the face.
The commotion brings out the rest of the group, and before Abbacchio can throw another punch, Mista and Giorno’s hands are on him, pulling him away from the boss as he tries to reach Leone.
The boss leans on the car, another hand rubbing his cheek, looking like a beaten puppy, there’s so much hurt in his eyes, and Leone can’t help but feel angry at that. He’s a good actor, that man.
‘Abbacchio calm down!’ Giorno says, trying to hold him.
‘Get off me!’ Leone screams at him. ‘This guy’s not your friend! He’s the boss!’
The boss’ face flashes with shock, so does the rest of the group’s. Apparently no one thought Leone would recognize him.
‘No, Abbacchio…’ Mista says. ‘...he’s not.. He’s not a threat.’
‘Yes he is!’ Abbacchio screams. ‘I know that face! He’s the one I saw in Sardegna before I–’ he catches a sob in his throat, realises he’s breathing heavily, his chest feeling stuffed again. ‘--he tried to kill me!’
‘Abbacchio, we know what we’re doing–’ Giorno tries to reason, but Abbacchio doesn’t listen.
‘Say something you bastard!’ he yells at the boss, a tear of anger and fear running down her face. ‘Tell them who you are! Tell them what you did to me– what you did to Bruno–’
‘Abbacchio, this is Bruno!’ Narancia suddenly yells from the door to the house. Leone calms down almost immediately, because confusion takes hold of all the other emotions in his mind, he looks back at Narancia, then back at the boss whose eyes are staring daggers at Narancia, while also shining with unshed tears.
There’s something familiar within those eyes.
‘I’m sorry.’ the boss– the man says. His eyes look down as he sinks into himself in a gesture of deep shame as the place falls into a deafening silence. ‘I should have told you right away, on the phone, I just didn’t know how to.’
Leone calms down enough for Mista and Giorno to let her go.
What the hell are they all saying? That Bruno’s wearing the face of a man that tried to kill him? Killed, period, as far as he’s concerned. What kind of fuckery is that?
‘I wished Giorno would explain everything before you saw me…’ he says, again in that small and guilty tone that just drives Leone crazy. ‘...I should have known that wouldn’t work.’
‘Stop lying.’ Leone cuts him off. ‘You’re fucking lying, and I won’t fall for it–’
‘Sticky Fingers.’ the man mutters.
Leone gasps at the form of the familiar stand materialising in between the two of them. he feels a sob in his throat at the sight of Sticky, seeing and feeling Bruno’s presence with his appearance. he wants to smile, let the stand hug his own, but behind the floating figure the man with pink hair whose face Leone remembers so vividly still looks at her.
Sticky disappears, and the man is giving Leone a look so sad and nervous that Leone almost believes the story. Leone feels tears streaming down his face freely now, but it doesn’t make him much happier, because his body still sends every signal that this is not right and it makes him tremble with fear.
‘I can’t– I can’t do this.’ Leone chokes out with a sob, his chest hurting with every ragged breath as he takes a step back.
The man’s, apparently Bruno’s, expression fades and turns into pure sadness and guilt.
‘Abbacchio, you guys should talk…’ Mista says, clearly touched by this whole display. ‘...it’s really not that big of a deal–’
‘Shut up!’ Leone yells as he closes his eyes.
Nobody says anything for a long time. The next thing Leone hears is the man taking a step forward, then two and three, and he flinches when he passes him, but he just keeps walking at a fast pace and without a word he disappears into the house.
*
Leone was not left alone after this shocking revelation, and the gang insisted on giving him an explanation. They told him all that happened, how Bruno’s body died in Venezia, how they all swapped souls because of some stand and some arrow, and how Giorno brought them all back.
Leone doesn’t want to believe it, he wants all of them to be pulling a big joke on him, unfortunately it all makes too much sense.
This was the only option, and I couldn’t just let him die. Giorno at some point says.
No matter how much he doesn’t want to be, Leone is grateful for that little bastard. That he did manage to save them all, yet he can’t help but wonder what kind of life is it going to be…
Leone’s a logical person, and he has seen plenty of crazy shit happening around him in the past few years since he was aware of stands, and switching bodies definitely isn’t something that much crazier. His brain might believe the man he saw before their home really was Bruno, but his body fears him and his heart… his heart is not yet convinced.
But it does tell Leone that if it really is his Bruno, he’s miserable right now. What kind of person would Leone be if he just pushed Bruno away and left him to fend for himself? To sulk in his room all alone with no one to hold him…
Is Leone really never going to be able to hold the Bruno he remembers?
He misses him. It has been just a day for him, but he’s missing Bruno. The Bruno that’s behind the door to his room is different now. Is being with him going to ever feel the same?
Never is a big word. Maybe they’ll be able to fix this. It’s a conversation for another time though, since Leone’s apparently unconvinced heart longs for his lover, and it wants to make sure he’s okay.
‘Bruno?’ Leone asks as he knocks on the door. It feels strange to call that name knowing what face he’ll find there. There’s no response for a while, and Leone’s heart races with worry. ‘If you don’t say anything I’ll come in.’ he says as he knocks again.
He’s met with only silence, so he does as he said and opens the door.
The room is dark, all the lights are off and the moonlight does not provide much illumination, Leone adjusts his sight, most he sees in Bruno’s room is the unusual pile of clothes on his bed, it seems his wardrobe was pretty much emptied. Leone looks for the black bob somewhere behind the pile, and scolds himself for forgetting it all so quickly… His hair is pink now…
Bruno’s sitting on the floor at the foot of the bed, his head poking out from behind that pile of clothing that old Bruno would have been too short to be seen from. Leone closes the door softly, and walks up to him.
Bruno’s not looking at him, his body is curled up, covered mostly by a long white sweater Leone somewhat remembers Bruno wearing.
It feels so strange to approach him when he looks like a stranger.
Not just a stranger, really. The boss.
‘Bruno?’ Leone asks, and feels a little silly doing so. He's still approaching him like he’s scared of him. ‘Can I sit next to you?’
Bruno is still quiet, but Leone sees the smallest nod of approval.
He sits across from him, and Bruno already knows why and he buries his face in his knees, like he was ashamed Leone would look at him.
His heart breaks at the sight, he feels like he wants to cry.
‘What happened here? It’s like a tornado went through your room…’ Leone says with a bit of a lighter tone, trying to make conversation a little easier. Bruno mumbles something, and it’s so quiet Leone can’t hear it.
‘Nothing would fit.’ Bruno repeats, still so quiet and muffled.
Leone looks down at his body, sees his legs are bare.
‘I couldn’t stand a minute more in his clothes…’
His voice breaks, and Leone can’t resist the urge to touch him.
‘Hey, it’s okay.’ Leone tells him with a comforting voice as he gently places a hand on his arm. Bruno flinches at the touch, but doesn’t swat it away. ‘I can… I can get you some of my clothes. How… how tall are you, exactly?’
Bruno just shrugs. He doesn't know how tall he is.
A silence falls between them, and Leone can't help but stare and pity the man he's looking at.
It's so hard to imagine that this is Bruno, no matter how hard he's trying. He looks like a stranger. A man Leone doesn't know. Diavolo was his name, as Giorno told her.
He tries to see a mental image of Bruno he's used to sitting here, curled up and hiding. It's so unlike him. He used to be so confident in his appearance. He'd never hide his face from Leone.
'Can you look at me?' Leone asks with a waver in his voice. Bruno doesn't respond right away, doesn't move. 'Please?'
The plea works on him, and he lets out a deep sigh as he finally lifts his head, but doesn't meet Leone's eyes.
He looks older. It strikes Leone first as he looks at the wrinkles under his eyes and around his mouth. His face is overall sharper, much less youthful and inviting as Bruno's was. His eyebrows are thinner, his lashes are longer, his lips are less full and he has freckles. A lot of them, actually, something Leone was not associating with Diavolo. Perhaps when he saw him he was wearing makeup.
This is tough. There isn't anything of her old Bruno left.
'You're not…' Leone starts, catching a sob in her throat, but he powers through without crying. 'You're not looking at me.'
Bruno flinches, as if he was caught. Leone wonders why he's not looking, perhaps he's scared of seeing Leone's expression as he studies this new face. Scared he'd see something there that he doesn't want to see.
'Leone…' he says, and immediately after that bites his lip, like he didn't enjoy how that name sounded on his tongue.
Leone doesn’t either. He longs for hearing his given name said in Bruno's real voice. The one he remembers. He has no idea what to do.
He feels so overwhelmed he starts to cry.
Leone averts his own sight as the first tears stream down his face, he hears Bruno gasp, a bit of panic in his breath.
'I'm sorry…' Leone sobs out. He wishes Bruno would touch him, like he always did when he cried. He needs Bruno's lips to kiss his temple and for him to tell him it's going to be okay, but he won't get that. He'll never get that again, this man… this body… he has such a hard time seeing his Bruno in there.
Until he finally looks at him.
Bruno couldn't avoid him when he started crying, as reserved as he is now, the need to comfort his lover is too strong for him to be stubborn.
'Leone, darling…' Bruno whispers, and the pet name that Leone loves so much hits him enough so he meets his eyes.
And he finally sees his Bruno.
His eyes are the same. Green instead of blue, sharp instead of round, but somehow still the same. He looks at Leone with worry and just so, so much love, like Leone's tears break his own world, like he'd do anything to make him happy again.
It's all Leone needed for his heart to finally convince itself.
'Bruno…' he says, like it's the first time he actually recognised him, and Bruno sees it in his expression, and he smiles at him.
He’d recognize Bruno’s smile everywhere, especially the one that reaches his eyes and almost makes him cry. It's a new face, but it's Bruno's old smile. It's his Bruno right there with him.
'I'm sorry it took me so long to look at you.' Bruno tells him, his quick smile fading into a frown once again. 'I was just…'
'Don't apologise.' Leone tells him, his smile didn't last for too long either as he's hit with the reality of what it all means. 'I know it's hard for you. It's all fucking crazy, but I just…' Leone says, looking him in the eyes again. 'I'm just so happy you're alive.'
*
Leone's pants fit Bruno weirdly well. It's not his style by a long shot, he's not too fond of wearing black clothes. Or high-waisted bell bottoms. Apparently it's all Leone had that he could give to him, along with two pairs of sweatpants that are in need of a wash first.
Bruno sits at the foot of the bed, trying to adjust his pants and thinking about what he's going to do now.
Leone is acting strange, the way he recognised him today really touched him and it did feel like a really good start, but when he went back with the clothes to see him again he was almost too okay about everything. It's a big jump from punching him while crying and screaming out of fear to just suddenly be okay. Bruno really doesn't want to hurt Leone, make him uncomfortable in any way. They used to be physical in private, they used to kiss and touch each other all the time. Now, touch feels so strange to Bruno, like a completely new sensation. Especially the touch of a lover. He can't really comprehend how strange it must feel to Leone.
There's a knock on the door, Leone invites himself in again.
'I got the sweatpants wahed. And my old pyjamas.' he says as he walks in.
His tone is shy and careful, so are his movements.
Bruno walks up to him, just as slowly and carefully and takes the clothes from his arms.
'They, uh…' Leone starts, looking down at Bruno's legs. '...they fit nicely… the pants.'
'Yeah.' Bruno says, a little awkwardly.
They stand there a little too long, both don't know what to do with themselves.
Leone looks so small in front of him. Bruno never had to look down to meet his eyes. That change drives him crazy, so much so he subconsciously makes himself smaller, slouching down so much his neck starts to hurt. He has no idea how tall he is, but it's definitely at least two metres. It's so bothersome.
'I was thinking…' Bruno starts, shyly and unsure, grabbing Leone's attention. 'I need to take a shower and I– I don't know what to do with all this hair.'
Leone looks up at him. 'Do you want me to braid it for you?' he suggests.
Bruno looks away. 'I was thinking you could cut it…'
'Oh.' Leone lets out. 'I can try…'
'I have scissors in the bathroom.' Bruno tells him. Leone nods.
Bruno used to cut his own hair, he's quite good at it. He always took a lot of pride in how well kept his hair was. Healthy, straight, perfectly cut. Normally he would do it all himself, but now… now he really doesn't want to.
'Okay, come to the bathroom, I'll cut them there.' Leone suggests and Bruno follows him inside.
Everything feels so tense between them, Bruno can't stand it. He feels like it's his fault. It is, in a way. But they are both full of discomfort and it's so easy to feel it in the air.
'How do you want it?' Leone asks when Bruno sits down at the edge of the bathtub, waiting for Leone to do the work. He can feel he's staring at him. He can't fault him for it.
'Short.' He says, but the next words aren't easy to let out. 'Like it used to be…'
Leone doesn't say a word to that, but Bruno sees him nod.
'I'll do my–' Leone says, but his voice breaks involuntarily, and Bruno's heart sinks at how bad he must feel for him. For this whole situation. 'I'll do my best.'
They both sit down, and Leone starts to work.
Despite all of that discomfort, it feels nice to have Leone's fingers running through his hair and touching his scalp. It feels even more sensitive than it used to be, and it's nice, comforting.
He wonders if Leone feels uncomfortable touching him this way. He shouldn't have made him do it. Shouldn't have him touch some stranger…
'It's a little uneven…' Leone says like he's sorry. '...I don't think I can do a straight bob out of it…'
'It's fine, do what you can.'
Bruno doesn't say anything else as Leone works on his hair. It's very frustrating, this whole thing. Bruno feels so tense and uncomfortable. The more this long day goes on he wihes to wake up tomorrow for this all to be a bad dream…
'Okay, I think I'm done with the back, let me work on your bangs too…'
Bruno nods and lets Leone change the position and put himself in front of his face.
The first thing Bruno notices is that Leone's eyes are red.
God. This hurts. This really hurts. Leone shouldn't be in pain because of him. Leone shouldn't be uncomfortable and sad looking at him. This is such a nightmare.
Leone frowns and narrows his eyes, tugging at Bruno's hair, like something's frustrating him.
'It doesn't want to stay unparted…' Leone says.
'It's…' Bruno starts, he clears his throat. 'It's fine. At least it's not going to get into my eyes when it's shorter.'
'Hmm, okay then… I think that's done.' Leone says and finally stands up.
They have been avoiding eye contact this whole time.
Bruno gets up and looks in the mirror.
A novice mistake.
He did not plan to look, quite the contrary, he explicitly planned not to look. He wanted to just leave the bathroom and thank Leone for his work, but there's something natural and almost instinctual about wanting to see yourself after a haircut.
It's somewhat of a shock, but Bruno desperately tries to hide it. He has not looked in a mirror yet, never has in this body, and it probably should have stayed that way.
The hair is quite nice, falls just at the end of his jaw like it used to, but it's much more voluminous and unruly than it ever was. It's bright pink too, which shouldn't be surprising, yet to Bruno it still is.
Along with everything on his face.
He looks nothing like himself. No trace of the old Bruno Bucciarati. No feature he shared with his parents is present.
The haircut didn't help at all. Bruno has no idea why he thought it would.
It feels better to have his hair shorter, but it looks just as wrong.
'It's all I could do.' Leone says, almost whispers.
'It's nice.' Bruno tells him, and they both know he's lying.
*
Bruno has fallen asleep in his clothes. He doesn't really remember going to sleep, so he must have just drifted off at some point yesterday. His room is still a mess and his bed is full of clothes, so he definitely didn't consciously decide to sleep.
As his mind fully wakes, he dreads starting another day. For a moment he didn't remember what happened, for a moment he was back to normal, before he simply felt the end of the bed with his foot and realised how tall he was. A silly thing to break the illusion.
He wonders what time it is. He doesn't really want to check, because every movement reminds him of something being off. As long as he stays there laying on the bed and doing nothing, maybe he can indulge in things being normal for just a moment.
He wishes Abbacchio was here with him.
In a way he's glad that he's not.
Not that he'd force him to sleep with a stranger.
Bruno dreads the morning routine. He didn't actually take a shower yesterday, he was too bothered and too tired to do it. A shower is a big thing, and Bruno's dreading even going there to brush his teeth. As he thinks about it he notices Diavolo has better teeth than he did. None of them are missing or got chipped in fights. None are crooked. Perhaps he had money and patience for regular visits to the dentist, unlike Bruno who deeply hated to go, despite needing to more than once.
The idea that this body has been lived in makes Bruno more uncomfortable than anything else. It almost grosses him out. It's been used. And Bruno has no idea how. The fact that he'll never find these things out might drive him mad as he finds more things that suggest that use.
As he lays there stuck in his mind, he hears a knock on the door.
'Bucciarati?' Giorno’s voice comes from behind the door to his room.
Bruno sits up on the bed, all energy draining from him as he feels the movement of this body. How wrong it all feels.
'You can come in.' He says, louder so Giorno can hear him from behind the door.
The boy does come in, and he scans the room with his eyes before finally meeting Bucciarati's. It's so clear for Bruno how careful he's trying to be. It's not normal for him either to see his friend looking like his enemy.
'How are you?' Giorno asks, clearly out of wanting to be polite.
'I'm fine.' Bruno answers, not wanting to get into how he's clearly not fine. 'Everything alright?'
Giorno pouts slightly, thinking. It's clear he came here with some purpose. He's the type of person that wouldn't disturb Bucciarati if he didn't have to.
'It's about Abbacchio.' Giorno finally says. 'I need you to, uh, get him…'
'Get him?' Bruno asks, a little alarmed.
'Nothing too bad, just come downstairs.’
Bruno does just that, and it turns out Abbacchio has fallen asleep on the couch in their living room, a bottle of wine in hand and clearly passed out drunk. Bruno's glad Giorno called him, since Leone would throw a fit knowing Giorno found him like that. Or anybody else from the gang except Bruno, really.
Giorno goes to his room, and Bruno stays with Leone. He gently takes the bottle from his hand and puts it away. Leone doesn't look too comfortable on that couch, like he has fallen asleep sitting up instead of properly laying down.
Bruno is there looking at him, crouching down next to the couch so their faces are on the same level. He's still a little too tall.
Leone's face is stuck in a scowl, with his eyebrows furrowed and angry, while his eyes are red and puffy and Bruno knows exactly what happened yesterday. He doesn't need to ask.
He should take him to his room so he can have a proper rest and privacy, but at the same time he's scared to wake him. All he manages to do is gently move his hair away from his face, a gesture so intimate he's afraid Leone wouldn't let him do that right now. Not when he looks like this…
Leone shifts under his touch, to Bruno's surprise, his face relaxes, nuzzling softly into Bruno's hand.