Chapter Text
A couple hours had passed since Narancia had started his nap, Fugo noted, it made him glad that the older was getting some sleep. And it gave him time to figure some things out to himself.
See, Fugo had a tendency to act…impulsively. He has since he was a child, and it always got him in trouble.
So when he found himself packing his suitcase he brought to Giorno’s back up, and filled it with snacks and a couple bottles of water, he didn't even question it out of the ordinary. Nor did he bother to call or text either of friends, his parents, or Giorno's father.
He now found himself standing outside of the train station, staring at the paper in his hand with Narancia’s address scribbled on it, his hands shaking. If he turned back now…he would have to face his parents sooner rather than later. And he would rather postpone seeing them as long as possible.
So when the train doors opened. Fugo took his chance, and he stepped on board, anxiety swelling in his chest as he grabbed a handle bar, and stared out the window, ignoring the buzzing vibration of his phone. This wasn't the first time he had ran away…but it had been a very long time since he had. And this is the first time he has had somewhere in mind to go.
Watching as the scenery outside of the window began to move, Fugo felt this dizzying feeling wash over him, but he stayed quiet.
Only 5 hours and 30 minutes to go.
~
When Narancia finally woke up, it was already late into the next morning. Damn, had he slept for that long!? He sluggishly sat up and reached for his phone to check the time, which did indeed confirm that he had slept for that long. It was around 11 AM!
Something that did seem somewhat off was that there was no text from Fugo. Usually Fugo always texted him before he woke up since, well, Narancia normally slept pretty late. At least Narancia could beat Fugo to the chase.
narancia ghirga:
“good morning fugo! :D”
“i said it sooner than you did so i win!”
Proud of winning a nonexistent race, Narancia then went about his regular morning routine and strolled into the kitchen. Narancia wanted to tell Bruno all about what happened the night before.
“Bruno? Are you home?” he called out as he looked through the fridge.
"I'm home, yes…" Bruno called out, his voice coming from the living room, "I have the news on…Leone wanted me to check it out."
“Huh? What do you mean?” Narancia grabbed a bowl of tapioca pudding from the fridge. Sure, it’s not real breakfast, but Narancia loved it. He moved over to the living room to inspect what was happening. “Is everything alright?”
"An ICAAS was issued…Apparently a teen went missing in Venice."
“What’s an ICAAS? That sounds scary..” Narancia hardly ever watched the news but something like this sounded concerning. He knew that it somewhat went hand in hand with Bruno and Abbacchio’s jobs.
"Child abduction alert system. Apparently the child was staying over at a friend's house and when everyone got home they were gone…The name and description haven't been revealed yet on the news for some reason but it was issued in Venice."
“Huh.. I hope that they’re okay. Do you think they’ll find them? It’s kinda hard when they don’t have a name or anything.”
"Leone is going up to aid in the case…I hope they find them. He usually gets stuck on talking to parents when this happens, so he will let me know eventually what he has come up with…"
Bruno watched as they continued to talk about it, and then finally, they gave a brief description.
Blonde hair, pinkish-red eyes, around 5'7-5'9 in height, and their age is 17.
"Still no name yet…it makes me wonder if the friend is hiding something…"
“Hmm..” That description sounded like Fugo.. it was rare to ever find anyone with pinkish-red eyes. In fact, Fugo was the only person he had ever met to have that eye color. However, Fugo was probably not the only albino living in Venice. It must be someone else. “That sucks. Are you and Abbacchio headed up to Venice?”
"Leone has already set out up there. He left hours ago. I'm still waiting for my boss to tell me what we are doing but…for now I'm keeping my eyes on the news. The kid has been missing since yesterday, but it's worrying how they were possibly abducted at a friend's house…I've seen children be abducted by their own family members. So you never know…"
“Right. You remember Fugue, don’t you? He lives in Venice. Maybe I should ask him if he knows anything about it since he’s right there.”
"Hm? Your online friend? Yes I remember him, we spoke about him last night. And alright. You can text him." Bruno wasn't paying too much attention, he just was too focused on the news channel, and checking his phone, probably waiting for updates from Abbacchio.
“Okay, got it.” Narancia placed his bowl onto the table in front of the couch so that he could use both hands to type on his phone. He wondered why Fugo hadn’t responded to his text messages yet. Maybe he went home last night and his parents were keeping him busy with something.
narancia ghirga:
“bruno said that there is a kid on the news who went missing in venice”
“im just wondering if you know anything about it since you live there”
“its crazy bc the kid sounds just like you’
"Anything from your friend?" Bruno asked after a moment, then paused, staring at his phone, Abbacchio must have texted him.
"Actually…keep that thought. I need to go." Setting his phone down, he turned off the TV, grabbed his coat and shoes, then left. Forgetting his phone.
It was about a moment or two before Narancia realized that Bruno hadn’t taken his phone with him, so he snatched it and dashed out to the driveway.
“Wait, Bruno! You forgot something!” he called out, waving his arms to get his attention, only to find out that Bruno’s car was gone by now. “Damn it! I can’t even text him to tell him to come get his phone back..”
Narancia defeatedly walked back inside the house and decided that maybe he should text Abbacchio and let him know that he had Bruno’s phone. If Bruno stopped texting Abbacchio altogether, he would imagine it would make him nervous.
As Narancia opened the phone, he really hoped that Bruno wouldn’t mind. It wasn’t like he was going through his entire photo gallery and reading up on his private conversations with other people. Though he couldn’t help but wonder what had made Bruno immediately leave so quickly. Just what had he read?
Leone:
"Remember the Fugo child a couple years ago. Same case. Come as fast as you can, I'm trying to talk to them now but it's difficult."
Narancia dropped the phone as if it suddenly became blazing hot, and he stared it down in complete horror. He felt like he had to hurl, so he quickly covered his mouth and instead tried his best to think rationally. It proved quite difficult since his mind was now becoming a jumbled storm of emotions.
How did he not recognize this the second the description came out!? Maybe he ruled out the possibility that Fugo had gotten abducted since he assumed that he was safe and alright and that something like that would never happen to his friend. He couldn’t believe this.. what was he supposed to do when they were hours apart? Who knows where Fugo even is at this point? Now it made total sense why Fugo hadn’t texted him that morning.. and that was the only communication he had with him. He was completely helpless.
Narancia grasped Bruno’s phone and hurried back to the kitchen so that he wouldn’t have to be reminded of what had just been displayed on the TV. He was feeling more and more queasy with each second.
Why would someone target Fugo? Why him? Fugo didn’t do anything wrong, so why..?
It then dawned on him.. what if Fugo was being held for ransom? Fugo was very rich and this happened while Fugo was away from home, which meant he probably didn’t have the same security that he did at his house. To a criminal, Narancia assumed that it would be their best shot at getting all the money they wanted from Fugo’s family.
Maybe he was overthinking it, maybe not, but this was way too much for Narancia to process and handle. That nauseated feeling slammed Narancia twice as hard, and he nearly missed reaching the sink in time.
After getting it all out of his system, he used the counter to support himself as he quivered and tried to smooth his damp hair away from his face. He didn’t realize how much he was sweating until now.
What was he supposed to do from home? He didn’t know where else to find clues. The only person he could get answers from was Abbacchio. Sure, he might get pissed that Narancia was using Bruno’s phone, but Narancia had no other choice. It took him a couple tries to try and text without slipping up. His hands were shaking beyond his control.
Bruno:
"hi this is narancia bruno left his phone here”
“pls tell me whats going on with fugo i need to help”
“i cant just stand by and not do anything just i need to know if hes safe or not”
Leone:
"Narancia?"
"How do you know the Fugo’s. I can't just let you help with an investigation, you know this. I could get in serious trouble."
"If you know something I don't you have to tell me Narancia. What do you know about their son."
Bruno:
“you wont say anything about this to his parents will you”
Narancia knew that he could trust Abbacchio but he also didn’t want to put Fugo in more danger. That would be even more of a nightmare.
Leone:
"Is he in danger, Narancia."
Bruno:
“thats what i was hoping you wuld know”
“last time i heard from him was yesterday and he was safe”
Leone:
"So you have contact with him?"
"Narancia what do you know. Did he mention anything worrying yesterday, anything at all?"
"You are the last person to have spoken to him. No one else has heard from him."
"His friend reported him missing but they said he won't answer them and hasn't since yesterday morning before they left."
Bruno:
“we called in the afternoon and he told me he was home alone and then he told me his phone was going to die so we hung up”
“do you think thats why no one can get to his number”
Narancia recalled that Fugo had told him about wanting to run away. He promised him that he wouldn’t say anything though. He wanted to stay true to his word and not ruin Fugo’s trust. This was just so difficult..
Leone:
"Usually when the battery is dead it doesn't ring."
"Narancia. You need to tell me everything."
"If you are holding anything back don't. He could be seriously hurt right now and so I need to know everything I can to find him."
A small whimper escaped Narancia’s lips at the possibility of Fugo getting hurt. He didn’t really have a choice.
Bruno:
“he told me he wished he could run away but he said he cant”
“his parents are so awful and they put him thru hell all the time and its why i dont want them knowing this bc i dont want them to cut contact with me and him”
“but you said he got abducted so that means he didnt run away”
“im scared hes being held at ransom”
Leone:
"It is only speculation that he was abducted."
"There aren't any signs of breaking and entering, and no one was caught on the security cameras going in or out of the house."
"Narancia. Did he mention anywhere he would go."
"Think long and hard."
"Where did he say he would run to if he could."
Bruno:
“he didnt say anything about it i dont think”
“i did say i wish he could live with us but thats all”
“i dont think he would come all the way over here”
Leone:
" Did he ask for our address or where we live."
It was then Narancia’s phone began to ring.
Of course, this alerted Narancia and he lunged over to grab his phone to see who had called. Was it Fugo!? Did he finally have access to a phone? He quickly answered it and groggily, but urgently, answered, “Hello?”
"...Narancia…Remember when I asked if you could drive?"
“FUGO! You’re okay! Is everything alright? I’ve been so worried about you.. Please tell me where you are. Where do you need me to drive?” Narancia blurted out, firing off question after question.
"J-just…I'm at some supermarket by the train station here…in Naples…P-please come pick me up…" His tone was shaky, and faint. He probably had been crying..
“..You’re in Naples!? Can you tell me which supermarket? I’ll come right away!” This completely shocked Narancia. How did Fugo come all the way to Naples? It didn’t look like he was being held captive like he had been so worried about since he asked him to go to a public place. This was good news, very good news. He looked like an absolute mess which couldn’t exactly be helped, so he threw on some newer clothes to at least look presentable enough.
"It's…It's one of those Carrefour markets…" There was a quiet sob, and the rustling of something, "I-I'm so tired Narancia…"
“I know.. I’ll be right there in no time and then we can talk, alright?” Narancia reassured him. He snatched his keys from his nightstand and raced out to the driveway and dove into the front seat of the car, plunging the key into ignition. He was not going to waste a single split second. Texting Abbacchio could wait, he had way more important matters on his hands right now. “I’m gonna hang up since I’m driving now but you just stay right there. I promise everything is okay.”
"O-okay…" It was quiet for a moment, then Fugo faintly said something inaudible, and the line disconnected.
Hopefully what Fugo had just said wasn’t extremely important because Narancia didn’t even have the chance to ask him to repeat himself. He backed out of the driveway and practically sped towards the train station the best he could without being intercepted by traffic. He was going to meet Fugo.. he was actually going to meet him. This was crazy.. what felt like a nightmare had suddenly turned into a dream come true.
Thanks to Narancia speeding and miraculously not getting pulled over, it didn’t take him very long to arrive at the markets nearby the train station. He parked and stepped out of the car and then dialed Fugo’s number again. He wasn’t told where Fugo’s exact location was.
"Narancia, when will you be back?" Was the immediate question he was greeted with when calling Fugo.
“Huh? What do you mean? I’m in the parking lot now, can you see me?”
"S-sorry…I'm stumbling over my words…A-and no I don't see you. I'm sat on the sidewalk in front of it…"
“Hopefully I’m at the right place..” Narancia murmured, glancing around. “I made sure to wear my bright orange hoodie so that I stand out. Will that help?”
After a moment, there was a shift, and there, sitting on the sidewalk, was Fugo, next to him was his luggage.
It was kinda sad…it was so easy to tell he has been crying.
Narancia’s eyes glimmered as soon as he caught sight of Fugo. There was a major difference between seeing each other on a laptop screen and then seeing each other in real life. It felt so surreal. This was all actually happening..
Even though Narancia knew he looked completely disheveled from his moment of panic, that didn’t seem to matter anymore. He didn’t care what state Fugo saw him in. All that mattered was picking him up and taking him to his house.
Instantly, he ran towards Fugo and scooped him into a tight hug; something he had been wanting to do for all this time. He couldn’t help the tears cascading down his cheeks. He was just so happy to see him safe and alright.
“You’re here.. you’re actually here..” Narancia pulled back to meet eyes with Fugo, and he sniffled and wiped away his tears the best he could with his jacket sleeve, all the while grinning. “I was so worried about you.. I thought you were kidnapped or something.”
Weakly, Fugo began to wrap his arms around Narancia, and leaned his head on him, "Y-you can't tell them I'm here…" He whispered, clenching his shirt in hand with a shaky sob, "I'm sorry…I-I didn't mean to scare you…I just…I had an episode and I had stupid thoughts of running away and…A-and now I'm here, I didn't even know if you would be happy or okay with me showing up and I got scared, everyone keeps calling me and I don't know what to do…N-Narancia I'm scared… "
“I wish I knew what to do too.. but for right now, let’s focus on what we can do. I can take you to my house but uh.. Abbacchio and Bruno are working on your case and I dunno when they’re coming home. Wanna sit in the car and talk for a moment so that we don’t get anyone’s attention? There might be people who will recognize you out here.” Even though he didn’t want to let Fugo out of his grasp, he stood up and offered him his hand.
Fugo stared at Narancia’s hand, Hesitating, then grasped it. Pulling himself up, he steadied himself before rubbing his eyes with his sleeve, "T-take me to your car…please." It was strange to finally be here…right here with Narancia. He wish it was under good circumstances, but…If he was going to run away he wanted it to be to someone who he trusted, who his parents knew nothing about.
Narancia held onto Fugo’s hand and used his other to grasp onto the handle of Fugo’s suitcase, then led him to the car. He unlocked the door and then helped heave it into the backseat.
“Do you wanna go and order water from some place? You really aren’t looking too good.” Narancia hopped into the backseat and waited for Fugo to join him on the other side.
"A-and food…I brought a couple snacks but I already ate them…I-I'm so sorry I have my wallet, I-I can give you it so I can pay…I don't want you to use money on me…"
It then hit Narancia that he hadn’t even brought his wallet in the first place. In the heat of the moment, he only thought about taking his keys. That was embarrassing..
“Uh.. I might need to borrow it for a second but I promise you that I’ll pay you back.” Narancia awkwardly gave Fugo a half grin.
Digging in his suitcase, Fugo pulled out the strawberry themed wallet and handed it over, "B-be careful…There is a keychain that tends to get the zipper stuck if not careful." He pointed out the cat shaped keychain and then let out a deep sigh, he probably was still trying to steady his breathing. "I don't mind if…If you don't pay me back…I-I'm not worried about it. I usually use card so I think I only have 100 and 200 euro bills in there though…"
“O-Only 100 and 200?” That was a lot of money! Narancia knew Fugo was very wealthy, but he never really sat down and thought about it too much. He took the wallet to get a better look at the keychain. “Aw, it’s so cute.~ Do you name your keychains?”
"H-huh…? Name…? Am— Am I supposed to?" He asked as his brows furrowed, completely confused. He also just seemed disoriented all around.
“Nah, I was just wondering. I name my keychains sometimes.” Narancia dangled his keyring for Fugo to see. On it was a mini plastic airplane along with a tiny plush dog. “Trish gave me the dog keychain as a gift. I named him Mr. Smith.”
"You named the dog Mister Smith…? What about your Aeroplane?"
“Aerosmith. It’s my favorite band and I thought it was fitting enough. Anyway.. sorry for running my mouth. Let’s go get you some water now. I probably have enough allowance in cash back at home. I feel guilty about spending your money.” Narancia plugged his key into ignition and began to drive.
"I promise it's okay…I don't mind spending it. I have plenty…"
“A-Are you sure..?” Narancia really wanted to do something nice for Fugo. He knew that he deserved it.
"Yeah….I don't mind." He spoke quietly, "I-I just want something to drink and eat…I'm so tired and…A-and I haven't took my meds.."
“Oh.. are you sure you didn’t pack them?” Narancia didn’t need medication himself but he knew someone personal who did. He knew it was very important for Abbacchio to take them.
"I-I don't remember packing them because Mr. Brando usually keeps them in his room when I come over. Giorno asks him to do it…" Fugo fell quiet, then put his face in his hands, "I-I'm such a mess…I'm so sorry…"
“Hey, it’s alright. We’ll figure this all out, I promise. Don’t be sorry,” Narancia reassured, “You know what I do when I’m stressed?”
"W-what…?"
“I turn some music on and crowd out the bad feelings. I know it doesn’t work for everybody.. especially when you’re overly stressed. Still though, music is one of my number one comfort things. If you look in the glove compartment there are a load of CDs. You can pick any sort of music or song that you wanna play, I won’t judge no matter what it is.” Narancia wasn’t one to judge at all, especially since he picked out most of the songs. He liked making playlists for Abbacchio, Bruno, and Trish.
Shakily opening the glove box, he peered inside and grasped the stack of CD cases and began to look through them, "I don't recognise a lot of these…B-but I know who Aerosmith is, so we can listen to that, I suppose." Fugo opened the case up and slid the disc into the disc player, and watched as the car swapped over and began to play, "...T-thank you, by the way, Narancia.."
“No prob. If there’s anything else at all that I can do for you please let me know. Also, remember to breathe. Bruno has me put my hand on my chest and take deep breaths when I’m freaking out and it helps a lot. I know it might sound annoying because that’s always what people tell you to do but I’m being serious.” Narancia knew that Fugo probably didn’t relax the same way he did.. he hoped that being at home would help him.
Fugo placed his hand on his chest, and began to try and take deep breaths, his breathing very shaky, "I-It’s okay…I feel just…like such a mess, and I'm sorry you have to handle it…U-usually my meds help some but…." As he said, he forgot them.
“Don’t feel bad. I promise it’s alright, I really don’t mind helping you. Honestly, I think I’d be feeling the exact same way if I was in your shoes,” Narancia assured.
"...I just…I showed up out of no where, so I feel like a burden. I wish I didn't get these stupid dumb impulsive thoughts and…act on them."
“You aren’t a burden, I promise.” Narancia felt a little embarrassed for sounding like a broken record making all these promises but he wanted Fugo to know how much he meant it. “Let’s talk about all this when we get back.”
Nodding, Fugo leaned his seat back, and just stared up at the ceiling.
He can say one thing for sure now though. He finally has met Narancia.
"I-Is it okay if I take a nap, Narancia…?"
“Of course, go ahead.” Narancia reached over and turned the volume knob down so that the music was more silent. “I’ll wake you up when we get back.”
"Thank you." Closing his eyes, Fugo felt his brows furrowed as he tried to relax, trying to also maintain his breathing, and finally after what seemed like forever he began to feel sleep begin to take over his body. He has been on edge and so emotional for hours so this felt nice.
And then he fell asleep.
~
After Narancia bought some water and some snacks (that he hopefully thought Fugo would enjoy), he drove back to his house and pulled up to the driveway. He reached over and gently nudged Fugo’s arm.
“Hey, we’re here. Ready to go inside?”
Groggily blinking his eyes, Fugo looked up at Narancia, and it took him a moment to process who it was and where he was.
Right…he ran away. He is with Narancia.
Sitting up, he grabbed his suitcase and stepped out of the car with a stumble, "Y-yeah…I'm ready."
“M’kay. You can crash on my bed if you want to. I got a whole plastic bag of things you might want.” There was a rustle as Narancia dug the bag out of the backseat and then displayed it for Fugo. “Also, here’s your wallet.” Narancia handed it over to him.
Taking the wallet, he shoved it back into his pocket and stared at the house, he looked just…so exhausted, "What all did you buy?"
“I got you water and then some other things at the gas station like mini pretzels and stuff that wasn’t made of pure sugar since I know you probably don’t eat stuff like that very often; though I did get you a chocolate bar in case you wanted it.” Taking Fugo’s free hand, he led him inside. “Ta-da! This is the inside! I can show you around later after you get some rest.
He stared at the bag, and then looked around the house, "Our houses are very different…" Narancia’s had this feeling, it felt…alive. Like there were actually people living here. There was clutter, decorations, mismatched things, it was nothing like his own.
"Where is your room?"
“Here-” Narancia led Fugo through the kitchen and then towards his room. He shoved the door open, a little embarrassed about the disorganization; there were clothes strewn about the floor, some of his video games were out in the open, his bed wasn’t made.. he knew this definitely didn’t meet Fugo’s standards.
“I’ll clean it up, you just make yourself at home, ‘kay?”
"It's fine…" He murmured, he was just so tired, yeah it was frustrating, but he couldn't care right now.
Walking over, he sat on Narancia’s bed, and then kicked his shoes off before laying down, "Thank you again, Narancia…"
“No problem.” Narancia set the bag beside Fugo and sat at the foot of the bed.
“I’m really glad you’re here. I’ve been dying to see you for such a long time.” Narancia smiled over at Fugo. Yeah.. it wasn’t exactly how he imagined it would go. That didn’t mean he was any less happy.
"Y-you…You have…?" He asked quietly, opening his eyes slightly to look at him.
“Oh yeah, for sure. You have no idea how excited I’ve been to go to that dance with you. I know it’s not going on right now but I’ve also just wanted to go around and have fun with you. Just.. hanging out like friends do.”
"...I'd like to hang out like friends too." Fugo said quietly, "M-maybe we can when I'm better…"
“I’d really love to. Still, I want you to still take your time getting better.” Narancia slipped back off the bed to organize his room, first tossing his clothes into the laundry basket. “I know you’re sleepy but we gotta come up with some kind of plan for tonight. As much as I want you to stay here, I don’t want Abbacchio or Bruno to find you.”
"I suppose you are right…They know me. So they would immediately know to take me…back. Maybe I can get a room at a hotel…?"
“Alright, I’ll check you in for you so that they don’t have your name in their records or anything. Plus, I think you aren’t old enough to do it yourself.”
"Yeah, no, and okay…I feel bad though, so please use my money…"
“I just.. feel super bad taking your money.” Narancia didn’t have enough money at all so he couldn’t exactly support Fugo. It looked like he didn’t have a choice and he was not happy about it. He didn’t want to stack any more stress onto him.
"You don't have to feel bad. I promise…A-are you okay…? You seem just…sad."
“Oh, it’s just that I want to help you the best I can.. I don’t want you to worry about losing money or anything. I’m alright, I promise.” Narancia awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.
"This is barely putting a dent in my money, please don't worry about it, okay? I feel better using my money because just…I know it won't really hurt me to use it…"
“Alright, if you say so..” Narancia’s attention jolted towards his door as he heard a knock. Shit, what if that was Abbacchio or Bruno!? What should he do!? Quickly, he raced towards the door and opened it just a tad, only to see that it was just Trish.
“Oh, hey Trish. What’s up?” he asked, leaning against the door frame to hopefully block Fugo from her view.
“Can I have my movie back?” she asked.
“Oh, Nightmare on Elm Street? Yeah, sorry that I forgot to give it back!” Narancia didn’t seem to do a very good job covering her view from Fugo because she simply just glanced over his shoulder. Narancia seemed to notice this and hastily raised his arms up to cross behind his head, chuckling nervously.
“It’s fine. Who is that?” Trish asked. Narancia’s behavior was making things more suspicious rather than not. Narancia wanted to facepalm and sink to the floor but he couldn’t do that. He wanted to avoid her questions as much as possible.
“H-He’s just coming over to inspect my room for.. s-stuff..” Way to cover it up Narancia. He couldn’t even think of a single job someone might be at the house for. “Anyway, I’ll get your movie, hang on.”
Narancia promptly slammed the door and then dug through his bin full of movies, then quickly returned and opened the door to hand it to her.
“There you go! Okay, byeee!” Narancia once again shut the door before he could get a reaction from her, then leaned on it against his back, sliding to the floor. “Oh god.. I’m so bad at making up excuses. I hope she didn’t get any weird ideas or anything.”
"You could have told her I'm a friend." He chuckled and sat up to glance down at Narancia, he had to feel bad…he didn't realise anyone would be here. Fugo didn't exactly think any of this through and it definitely showed…
"Narancia, maybe I should go ahead and start staying at the hotel, I feel like I've already made a mess…"
“You haven’t made a mess! But, uh.. yeah, maybe we should.. can I bring some of my stuff though so we can hang out? I don’t mind sticking around and I’ll just go home by the time Abbacchio and Bruno do.”
Fugo seemed to tense, and he stared at Narancia, and looked away, he seemed to be feeling uneasy, "...I-I will be staying there alone…?"
Narancia paused. He didn’t want Fugo to be alone either. “..No. I’ll come with you. I just.. need a good excuse to be away for the night so that they don’t question me or anything.”
"I-I am sorry for being so difficult…" It's embarrassing…but he should tell him some truth, "I'm just..scared of staying in hotels.."
“If you don’t mind me asking.. why?” Narancia’s brows furrowed in concern and he took a seat beside Fugo.
"...I-I always feel like I'm being watched…It isn't a safe space…there are windows and I'm scared someone will be at them.." There was more but…He didn't want to get into that at all.
“In that case, I’ll definitely stick with you. If it helps, we can stay somewhere higher up so that you don’t gotta worry about people peeking in or anything. I wish there was somewhere else though.. I feel worried about you.”
"I-It will be okay…You will be there, you don't have to worry about me." Why was he showing this much weakness? "They just…freak me out…"
“That’s alright. Everyone has their own fears and I’m not just gonna sit here and put you somewhere you don’t feel safe. Do you want to leave now or do you need a minute to relax?”
"U-uhm…We can just leave now…D-Do you think we can buy me strawberry milk while we are out…?" He spoke softly, "And thank you…a lot."
“Yes, we can get strawberry milk! Is it good? I’ve never tried it.” Narancia stood up and offered his hand to Fugo to help him up. “I can carry your suitcase this time.”
"I-I love strawberry milk…a lot. I love anything strawberry. Oh." Fugo stared at Narancia and blinked, "Are you sure…?"
“Yes, I’m sure I’m sure.” Narancia hauled the suitcase onto his shoulder. “I’ll keep in mind that you like strawberries.”
"You don't have to! I…Because that implies you will buy me things! You don't need to do that!"
“I want to though. I don’t mind it at all. I think you deserve it anyway.” Narancia pulled open one of his drawers and collected some of his money, which he then shoved in his pocket. “Okay, I’m ready! Are you?”
Fugo watched as Narancia got money, and puffed his cheeks, he told him to use his money. Putting his shoes on, he tied them, and then looked at Narancia, "Yes…But why do you need money?...If you need gas money I can provide."
“I want to get you strawberry things. I don’t wanna mooch off of you or anything.”
"You aren't mooching if I'm offering it. Mooching implies you are asking me to give you money, then not repay me. But I am making the offer to give you money because I have plenty."
“Okay. I’ll try to get over feeling bad about it. I still wanna buy you strawberries though. Will you let me?”
"...Fine." Fugo opened his wallet, and handed Narancia a 200 dollar bill, "Keep this. Think of it as I'm paying you for being my driver and housing me."
Narancia pouted and groaned, then reluctantly nodded in agreement. “Thank you. I’ll be smart with what I spend.”
"You can just do whatever you want with it. I can replace it anytime, Narancia."
“I know you paid me this but I’m going to spend it on helping you.” Narancia grinned cheekily. Once they got outside, Narancia put Fugo’s luggage in the car. “Can you help me come up with an excuse for me to be away? To tell Bruno and Abbacchio, I mean?”
As he stepped into the car, Fugo sleepily rubbed his eyes and nodded, what better way to use his 152 IQ?
Wait, did he ever tell Narancia that? Maybe he would later.
"You could tell them you are going over to a friends."
“Yeah, it’s just.. I don’t really have any good friends besides Trish. And you of course, but the whole point is to avoid them knowing I’m with you right now.”
"Yeah…Maybe you can say you made a new one…?"
“I can try. It’s just.. they’re kinda like my parents, so I dunno how they’d feel if I suddenly said I’d be staying the night with a friend they’ve never heard of or met before.” Narancia tried to remind himself that he was 19 now, he was free to do whatever he’d like. Still, that didn’t mean Bruno and Abbacchio couldn’t be concerned about him.
"Oh…I forget how different my parents are from normal ones…" His parents never really cared much about his well being. All they cared about was if he was doing as told. In their eyes he didn't even have friends. Giorno was just someone he tutored and Mista was someone they absolutely hated and despised because he was deemed as 'too stupid' to be around him, so he preferred they didn't know of his existence.
Or Narancia’s.
“I’m sorry..” Narancia frowned worriedly. “I really am.. you deserve better.” After he buckled himself in, he glanced over at Fugo. “What sort of hotel are you looking out for?”
"Are there any 5 star hotels around here?" Oh god out comes his rich boy side.
“Yeah, but they are farther out. You won’t mind the drive, will you? It’s not like it’ll take over an hour or anything but it’s out in the city.”
"I don't mind the drive. I was on the train for five hours so I can handle a bit of a long drive." He paused, "As long as you are too."
“I’m completely fine with it, no worries! I just thought the opposite. That you wouldn’t wanna be driving for longer since you already were on a train for so long.” Narancia pulled out of the driveway and made his way out of the neighborhood. “Five star hotels are also pricey, so.. I’m sorry if that’ll cost you a bunch of your money.”
"It's fine. I…I would rather us have a nice one than a shady one…those freak me out more, junkies, prostitutes…" He went quiet, so maybe his parents also told him a lot of things like that— Which weren't entirely true. But Fugo seemed to believe it.
“I honestly wouldn’t really know, I’ve never stayed at a ‘shady’ one before. I’d rather go to a nice one too so that you feel safer.” Narancia was doing his best not to get enveloped in the paranoia that was starting to set in. Would Abbacchio and Bruno be able to track his phone or something? He didn’t want to get in huge trouble, let alone any trouble at all. “You know, I’m excited. This is almost gonna be like we’re having a sleepover!”
"I…I love having sleepovers. Giorno, Mista, and I have a lot. And Mr Brando is never home so it's just us. And Giorno has a very decorated room, unlike mine, it's just very nice…We watch movies, and play games…And we play with his cats. Sometimes Giorno does our makeup too. He loves stuff like that. What about you, Narancia?"
“I mean.. I dunno if it counts that I have ‘sleepovers’ with Trish since we live together.” Narancia shrugged. “But we like to watch movies and she does my makeup sometimes too for practice! She’s also painted my nails before and she does a really good job at it. Don’t get me wrong, I have fun doing all that together but it sounds like you have lots of stuff to do.”
"...I don't really have anything fun to do myself. It's only at Giorno's…I'm not very fun by myself so I apologise. I-I hope I can suffice, I just…want to make sure you at least have fun, but I'm not entirely sure what we can…do."
“Aw, relax, it’s not anything complicated. We’ll find something to do. We’ll have a TV and food there and I brought my Nintendo DS if you wanna play on it or anything. Remember when I was talking about Pokemon last time we called?” The thought of physically showing Fugo his game made Narancia thrilled.
"I believe so, yes. I wish I had the DS Mista bought me…But I wasn't really…Thinking about it. U-uhm…So what Pokémon game do you have? I feel like Mista might have one too…One of the games I mean."
“The most recent games for the DS are Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. I have Diamond. I’ll show you my Pokemon when we get there if you want me to! Do you want to give it a try? I know that my game is further along but I wanna know what you think of it.”
"I can try…Mista likes to joke video games are too complex for my 152 IQ."
“152 IQ? That’s a lot, especially for how old you are!” Narancia briefly glanced at Fugo with wide eyes. That information was really impressive! “I’ve never gotten tested for my IQ or anything.”
"My parents tested me when I was really little…" Fugo mentioned, "...I was going to college by 12."
“That’s fucking crazy! You’re like.. the genius of all the geniuses!”
"Heh…No, there are people with higher IQs. I'm close to Einstein territory though."
“What’s the highest IQ anyone can ever have?”
"The highest recorded is 228."
“Wow, that seriously is a lot.. I feel like I learn a lot just having regular conversations with you.” Narancia wasn’t intentionally trying to fuel Fugo’s ego.
"...You think so!" Even if he didn't intentionally do it. He definitely was stroking Fugo’s ego, "I'm glad to teach you!"
“Yeah! Fugo.. I wish we lived closer. I wish you could tutor me in real life and stuff.” Narancia knew wishful thinking wasn’t going to get him anywhere.. but if it were possible, he would be psyched. At least he was personally with Fugo right now, so it wasn’t like it was out of the question.
"...I want to. I-I….I don't want to go back, I'm…I'm scared…"
“I don’t want you to go back either..” Narancia murmured, “I wish you really could live with me.”
"I-I don't want to leave Mista and Giorno but…I'm so scared if I go back…" That he won't ever see any of them ever again. Mista, Giorno…Narancia.
"W-what if they make it to where I can never see any of you again…?"
Narancia wished he had every answer. He really did. “..I don’t know.. but.. we will figure it out. It’s not like you’re gonna stay with them forever, right?”
"...I hope not." He whispered.
“Me neither..” Fugo had one more year until he was legally an adult but Narancia had a small feeling that his parents might not let him leave on his own. “I’m sorry, Fugo.. I really want to bust you outta there for good.”
"It's okay…" He let out a deep breath, "C-can we stop talking about them for a bit…? I wanna…focus on just…N-not them…anything but them…"
“For sure. Let’s focus on getting better instead. First let’s run to get strawberry milk and then head to the hotel. What’s the first thing you wanna do when we get there?”
"Shower…Badly. And eat. And I dunno…I suppose sleep or talk to you. I'm sorry if that's all boring and you wanted to do more…"
“I really don’t mind, I know you’ve had a hard day and that you probably aren’t in the mood to play games or anything. I just want to make sure you’re okay, that’s what matters to me the most.”
"....Will you let me watch you play Pokémon at least? I think I would quite enjoy it….It would make me happy."
“Are you sure? I’d really love to but I don’t want you to stress yourself out or anything.”
"It won't stress me…I just want to forget everything. And I want to do that."
“Alright, then let’s do that! We’re nearly to the store, by the way!” Narancia happily announced. “I dunno if it’s a good idea for you to go in with me though in case anybody recognizes you or anything.”
"Okay yeah…I suppose that is smart. I'll warn you though, I'm really close to passing out, so when you come back I will probably be asleep."
“That’s alright, I can take it from here then. When we get there I’ll check in and then I’ll wake you up and we can go inside!” Narancia really hoped this would work. At this point, he wasn’t even sure if Fugo’s face had been revealed in the news or not.
"Alright…Thank you for all of this, by the way Narancia…I— It truly means the world to me."
“No problem. I’d do anything for you, Fugo. I’d feel horrible if I didn’t help.” They finally arrived at the store and Narancia parked the car. “I’ll be right back.”
Nodding, Fugo watched him leave before leaning his seat back and sighed, "What have you got yourself into…" And then he drifted off to sleep.
A few minutes later, Narancia returned with another bag of items like strawberry milk, a container of strawberries, and then a little strawberry shortcake that he wanted to surprise Fugo with. He assumed Fugo would like it since ‘strawberry’ was literally in the name.
It took quite some time before they reached their destination. Once they did, Narancia gently nudged Fugo’s shoulder again.
“Hey, I’m gonna be away for about five minutes. I just wanted to warn you so that you wouldn’t wake up not knowing where I went. I bought a surprise for you, I’ll give it to you when we have everything settled! Make sure not to look in the bag yet.”
"Mhn…Okay.." He was barely awake yet, so it was taking him a good bit to fully process what he was told. But once he began to wake up he made sure not to get into the bag, and stay where he sat until told otherwise.
Staring out the window as he waited for Narancia, Fugo just…thought about everything. He hasn't run away since he was thirteen. And when he ran away then…it was Giorno and Mista who hid him from his parents. This was why they despised Mista, actually. And now…Narancia was the one hiding him. All the way across the country. Who knows what they will do this time if they find out…
And he hopes they never do. Ever . Because if they did…Narancia would most likely be behind bars. And Abbacchio and Bucciarati would lose their jobs…
He just couldn't risk it.
Blinking, he rubbed his eyes and shakily let out a deep sigh, he needed to stop dwelling on things…Everything would be okay…
After about roughly ten minutes, there was the sound of knocking against the car window. Narancia was peering in and waving. “I got us all set. Let’s go, I’ll show you the way!”
Opening the door, he stepped out and then grabbed his suitcase before following Narancia towards the hotel, "You said you got us a room on a top floor right?"
“Yep! I made absolutely sure of it,” Narancia assured. He grabbed their bags of other items and then took Fugo up to one of the higher floors as promised. From there, he located their room and used the key card to get in, then swung it open for him. “There we go!”
Walking in, Fugo stopped, and stared, his mouth falling open as his eyes widened slightly.
There was… one bed…
His whole face went a deep red, and he cleared his throat as he just— tried to find words.
Was this done on purpose? Or was it just an accident?
Whatever it was…It made Fugo feel really jittery. And a funny feeling began to blossom in his chest and stomach. Oh god…he liked the idea of sharing a bed with Narancia…
"N-Narancia…?"
Narancia hadn’t realized that rather than two beds, he only requested one. He probably wasn’t listening to the employee after all! So, his face flooded with a bright shade of red out of pure embarrassment.
“I-I can sleep on the couch! It’s okay!” Narancia squawked, further embarrassing himself with his sudden tone.
"I-I don't mind sharing a bed!" He blurted without thinking, then found himself going even more red!
Quickly come up with a lie— Something!
"G-Giorno, Mista, and I all share a bed when we have sleepovers s-so I don't see why we can't!" So smooth, Fugo.
“Oh, okay.” Narancia sighed in relief. For a moment there, he thought Fugo would’ve gotten angry at him or something. “I don’t mind sharing a bed either. I’m glad we’re both chill with it. Still, I’m really sorry that I messed up and didn’t get two.”
"It's entirely fine…I promise." Except for the fact he almost had a heart attack. I mean…he was about to share a bed with the boy he has feelings for. Well…now he is sharing a bed with the boy he has feelings for.
Lucky him.
Setting his suitcase on the bed, Fugo then sat down himself, and began to untie his shoes, and sat the loafers off to the side, "I-I am going to shower now…Is that okay…?"
“You don’t even need to ask if it’s okay or not. You can do whatever you want.” Narancia didn’t know why Fugo was asking him for permission to shower. “I’m gonna text Abbacchio and tell him that I’m away.”
"...Right. Also, okay. Hopefully he isn't suspicious…" Fugo grabbed a pair of night clothes from his suitcase, then made his way towards the bathroom, and faltered.
"H-Hey Narancia…?"
“Yes, Fugo?” Narancia turned his attention from his phone towards Fugo. The text message could wait a little longer, he decided. So he put it down.
"...W-will you check the bathroom for me and make sure no one is hiding in there…" He spoke quietly, his voice cracking slightly as he asked…it was embarrassing, but he was genuinely scared someone would be waiting for him in there.
“Oh- yeah, sure thing.” Narancia didn’t even question Fugo’s request for a split second. He knew how it was, he had similar paranoia too when he was alone. He got up and opened the door to the bathroom, then flicked on the lights and even checked inside the shower.
“No one’s here,” Narancia confirmed, “You’re good to go. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you, okay?”
"O-okay…" Before Fugo went into the bathroom, he walked to the door, made sure it was locked, then finally went inside the bathroom and double checked to make sure no one was hiding, and finally he deemed it as safe to shower.
And so, he peered out of the bathroom and glanced at Narancia, "I-I am going to shower now…Do you want to get us some snacks or order something to eat? My wallet is on the bed if you need it…" And after that, he closed the door, and began his shower, leaving Narancia to do whatever he wanted for the next thirty minutes or so.
Narancia had no idea what to order.. pizza sounded really good right now but he didn’t know whether or not Fugo even liked it. It wouldn’t hurt to try, right? He put the snacks he had gotten already into the mini fridge and then phoned the nearby restaurant to order.
After being told that they would arrive shortly, Narancia took the opportunity to text Abbacchio now. He took a deep shaky breath and then started to type.
narancia ghirga:
"hi abba”
“i wont be home tonite but i am ok”
Abbacchio:
"Where are you"
"Bruno and I won't be home for the next couple days"
"Respond soon and tell me when you go to bed so I know you are okay"
Even though Narancia had to come up with something to tell him, his heart melted at how sincere Abbacchio’s messages were. For once in his life, he was glad that Bruno and Abbacchio wouldn’t be home though. It would give him more time with Fugo.
He absolutely hated lying.. his heart sank as he wrote back. He was going to be genuinely honest about where he was though.
narancia ghirga:
“im at a hotel further out in naples so that i can get tickets to a concert first thing in the morning before anyone else does”
“i have been saving up a lot of money for this”
“i will keep you posted on how it all goes”
Abbacchio:
"Thank you"
"I have to go soon since I'm still working but please be safe and responsible"
"I'll check up on you when I'm off work. Bruno I think already went to bed, he hasn't reached Venice yet"
" Also no drinking"
"Good night brat, sweet dreams"
narancia ghirga:
“i wasnt planing on drinking”
“goodnight abba :)”
Narancia wasn’t even phased by the ‘brat’ comment. Abbacchio called him that frequently and Narancia assumed that he meant it in a lighthearted way.
He also didn’t pull out the ‘concert ticket’ thing out of thin air. There genuinely was a concert that he wanted to attend, but unlike what he told Abbacchio, he unfortunately didn’t have the money. It would have to wait for who knows how long.
Now with that cleared up, he got the notification that the pizza had come. He jotted down a little note for Fugo to see in case he got out of the shower while he was gone. He tried his absolute best but his writing looked like chicken scratch.
Narancia made sure that he had his key card on him and then left. He hurried as fast as he could and then returned to the hotel room with the box in his hands. He had almost dropped it at least ten times but what mattered was that it was still intact. Entering the room, he glanced around.
“Fugo? I’m back!” he called out.
There was no response, but after a while, the door to the bathroom slowly opened, and Fugo was peaking out, probably making sure it was truly his friend and not someone pretending.
"What is in your hand?"
“Pizza. Do you want some?” Narancia answered, setting it down on the desk.
Walking out of the bathroom, Fugo finished drying his hair, and stared at the door before walking over and locking it, then went back to Narancia, "What kind is it?"
“It’s margherita, one half regular, the other half with mushrooms. I.. wasn’t sure if you like pizza but you told me to order something. Do you wanna try it? It’s really good!” Narancia hoped Fugo would feel the same at least. This kind was his absolute favorite.
"Oh, I've had some before, Mista likes pizza too." Grabbing a piece, he began to take slow bites of it, "Mhm…It is really warm. I love when food is fresh…Don't you?" Fugo moved and sat down on the bed as he continued to eat on his pizza slice. It was definitely a good call to have Narancia order food…
“Who doesn’t?” Narancia agreed, hopping up to sit beside Fugo with a slice of his own. “You’re saying ‘I’ve had some before’ like you rarely have eaten it ever. Is that true?”
"...I only get to eat it when I'm at Giorno's. My parents have an extreme strict diet for me…"
“That’s stupid. I think I’d die if I wasn’t allowed to eat pizza margherita.” No wonder Fugo broke out. Narancia would go insane if he had to live under the rules of Fugo’s parents. “What about orange juice? Do they let you drink orange juice?”
"...I've never had orange juice."
Did Narancia hear Fugo right? His eyes widened and he tilted his head like a curious puppy. “You haven’t!? How!? I’m going to change that for you. I always have a stock of orange juice at home but we aren’t there right now. Tomorrow, I’m going to get you some. Deal?” Narancia held his hand out as if they were forming some sort of pact.
"Oh, sure." And so, Fugo took Narancia’s hand and shook it. Was orange juice really a big deal or was this just a Narancia thing?
"Also…Uhm, where did you put the strawberry milk…?"
“I put it in the mini fridge, do you want me to go get it?” Narancia offered.
"Yes please..? If it isn't too much.."
“Not at all!” Narancia had already finished off his pizza slice so he went and retrieved the strawberry milk for Fugo. “Here.”
Taking the bottle, he broke the seal and began to sip on it.
"Thank you for these, by the way Narancia…It really means the world to me."
“You’re welcome! I’ll do whatever I can to help you feel better. Maybe can I try some though..?” Narancia shot Fugo his ‘puppy dog’ eyes. He never tried strawberry milk before.
"H-huh…? Oh, sure…" This wasn't too weird. Mista begged to try his stuff all the time. And so, he handed the bottle over and smiled a bit, "I really hope you like it…it's my personal favourite."
“Guess we’re trying both of each other’s favorite things today. Also, I’ll waterfall it so that you don’t need to worry about my mouth being on it.” Narancia poured some of the milk into his mouth and then handed it back to Fugo before he had the temptation to drink more, or spill it on himself and look like an idiot. That had happened way too many times than he could count. “It’s super good! I can see why you like it so much!”
This of course, made Fugo beam with joy. It made him smile and he took another sip himself, he really loved strawberry milk…so it seriously made him just— So happy that Narancia likes it too!
"You also like it!"
“Mhm! I should go out and get some more for you tomorrow. Oh, which reminds me! I can stay here all I want for a couple more days. Abbacchio said that they won’t be home for awhile. Isn’t that good?” Narancia grinned.
"Oh, yes, very good." He smiled and leaned over to get more pizza, then stopped to stare at the floor, still smiling though.
"...It means the world to me that you are doing all this for me…"
“I’ll always help you out, okay? That’s what friends are for!” Narancia kinda wished they were ‘more than friends’ if anything. That conversation would probably never happen for a billion more years. Narancia had already gushed everything that he had been hiding from Fugo the day prior and he was still mentally exhausted from that.
"You're right." His smile widened and he reached over, and ever so gently took Narancia’s hand into his own.
"You know…I-I can tell we will have an amazing friendship…"
Not expecting Fugo to take his hand like that, Narancia’s face burned with a deep shade of red. Things were so much better in person. Fugo was actually holding his hand, something that they could never do over video call. Narancia twined his fingers with Fugo’s and smiled.
“I think so too,” Narancia finally said. “I’m so happy that we met in the first place and that you’re here now.”
"M-me too…" He stated quietly, looking down at their hands, and then away, a slight tint to his cheeks forming as he really processed that they were holding hands, "I'm— I'm very happy, Narancia…"
“It means a lot to me that you’ve wanted to be my friend, even though I don’t exactly have the same things going for me that someone my age would have. I guess it’s just surprising you’ve stuck around with me this long and haven’t gotten frustrated with me. I really appreciate it.” That was how Narancia knew that Fugo liked him unconditionally (in a friend way). He felt so lucky.
"I…Well, I really enjoy our time together, I don't mind if you aren't like…You know. If you don't have your whole life together and all that. I just…I'm not like some people who think you have to have like— 10 PHD's and have a high paying job, and a huge mansion, blah blah blah…to be my friend. I just…want to enjoy my time with you and feel happy."
“I enjoy our time together too. You make me feel really happy. Especially now that we’ve met each other for real!”
"I've…I have been enjoying our time too. You make me feel…safe." He said quietly, as if unsure if that's okay to say, "Y-you really have just…made me feel at home and safe…I was so scared when I actually arrived because I didn't know if you would be upset, or report me…"
“I wouldn’t report you. I want to do whatever I can to help you feel comfortable and safe.”
"Y-you mean it…?"
“I really mean it,” Narancia affirmed, squeezing Fugo’s hand.
Fugo stared at their hands once more, then nodded and smiled up at Narancia, "M-may we lay down and you play your game as I watch you?"
“Yes!” As much as Narancia wanted to keep holding hands with Fugo, he had to let go so that he could grab his Nintendo DS. He picked up the console from the desk and then lunged onto the bed to take his previous place next to Fugo. The DS was a glossy shade of red and was littered with orange stickers. “Are you ready?”
Staring at the DS, he reached over and gently pulled Narancia down with him against the pillows before hesitantly curling up to his side, "Y-yeah…" This is normally how he lays with Mista and Giorno when one of them is playing a game, so…Would it also be okay with Narancia?
Completely caught off guard, Narancia felt blazing warmth surge onto his face. He didn’t anticipate that Fugo was the ‘cuddly’ type but he wasn’t complaining a single bit. Narancia was always the affectionate type. So he eased up beside Fugo to make himself more comfortable and he booted up the game.
“Every Pokemon game has eight gyms that you need to beat. You make your Pokemon fight the gym leaders’ Pokemon to win all the badges. Right now I’m on my sixth fight but I haven’t gone for it yet. Will you cheer me on?” Narancia half-joked.
"Do you need me to?" He spoke sheepishly, "Also, so is this world in this game…basically it's run on legal dog fighting?"
“Pretty much but less violent. You just gotta knock the other person’s Pokemon out and you level up. If your Pokemon gets to a certain level, then it might evolve and it gets a new design and really powerful and stuff.”
"Ohh…Okay. What do…your Pokémon look like?"
“Here.” Narancia tapped on the screen and then showed Fugo his main Pokemon. “I know what I’m about to say might kinda sound like gibberish but I have Infernape, Raichu, Gabite, Luxray, Staravia, and Rapidash. The next gym is a steel type one but it’ll be easy peasy.”
Fugo repeated the names back at Narancia quietly, and stared at the pixelated character sprites, "So why will it be easy?"
“I have two fire types which means that they’re really strong against steel types.”
"Oh, that makes a lot of sense, fire melts steel."
“Yeah, it’s just like that! There’s also stuff like fire being weak to water types and water types being weak to electric types. It’s just like how it would be in real life. Not Pokemon, I mean.”
"Ah, I see. I think the water being weak to electricity is smart. Water makes electricity stronger and attracts it. That is why you should never shower or swim during a thunderstorm."
“Why do you think it does that?” Narancia would be lying if he said that he didn’t want to hear Fugo ramble a little. Especially if it partially had to do with Pokemon.
"Water is made of ions of dissolved salt and metals. It also has polar molecules, this means both ends are opposite of each other."
“Oh, okay!” Narancia didn’t understand half of the words that came out of Fugo’s mouth.
He chuckled, "You didn't understand a single thing I said, did you?
“U-Uhm, well- uh.. n-no..” Narancia sheepishly admitted.
He laughed, "That's okay, Mista and Giorno never understand me either…"
“Maybe if you teach me some science I’ll get it in no time.” Narancia knew he was a slow learner but that didn’t stop him from wanting to at least try.
"I'll be tutoring you anyways, so." He laughed, "What all do you know anyways?"
“About science?”
"Any school subject. That way I know what I'm working with."
“I know how to do addition and subtraction but I kinda struggle with bigger numbers. Then for science..” This was going to sound idiotic but it was the only thing Narancia could think of. “I know how to make soda rockets by putting Mentos in Coke.”
"...So you know basic maths, you aren't really knowledgeable in science, or at least not any advanced ones. What about Language Arts and everything else?"
“I think that me having to use Grammarly to text you speaks for itself.”
"Oh. I didn't…realise you used a grammar app."
“Yeah..” Narancia’s face burned in embarrassment. “It’s only on my laptop so it’s why I spell differently when I’m texting you through my phone.”
"T-That's— That's okay! Uhm…I'll help you with spelling and grammar rules, all that stuff…Okay? I suppose that means you don't know any other languages either."
“..Sorta. I know a couple words in Japanese but that’s all I’ve got.”
"Ah— Better than nothing! I'm multilingual myself. First let's get you through the basic grammatical structures of Italian, it would be sad to know another language more than your own native one, if you are supposed to speak and write your native one everyday. Anyways…do you have any questions?" Fugo's eyes trailed to the DS screen, and he watched as Narancia encountered a Pokémon battle with a NPC trainer.
“Not this very second.” Narancia paused. “Well, actually, I have one. You told me that you speak different languages before but which one do you have the most fun with?”
"French is definitely one. Any of the Scandinavian languages are fun due to the fact no one knows if you are even saying real words or not."
“That’s cool! Can you say something to me in French?”
"What do you want me to say?"
“Uhhh.. I dunno. That’s a good question. Do you know any songs in French?”
"Yes but I feel more comfortable singing while also playing piano…I feel embarrassed without any music to sing with…Uhm. I-I will just surprise you with what I say!"
“Okay!” Narancia hoped that one day he would get to hear Fugo sing, at least. They didn’t exactly have a piano right this second.
Fugo thought for a moment…and then it hit him he could say literally anything he wanted, Narancia wouldn't understand it.
" Je t'adore et je t'aime… "
“What does that mean?” asked Narancia, completely oblivious.
"I uh…s-said you are really cool…"
“Oh, thank you! That’s really awesome, now I wish I could learn another language too. I think it would be really impressive.”
"I-I can teach you!" He sputtered, "Maybe I can teach you some basics…"
“You really should! I’d love to learn from you.” Narancia hoped that he could prove himself to Fugo. He remembered Bruno said learning your first language is always the most difficult.
"O-okay! Just let me know which one…You mentioned you know a few words in Japanese right? I can teach you it."
“You know Japanese too?”
"Yes! I…I just know a lot. It's tedious at times but it impresses people at least…"
“Do you know how to read the characters too?”
"Yes, why?" Should he tell him his parents are kinda…crazy on academics? "M-my parents are insane with academics…I've been learning different languages not long after I started to speak Italian."
“So you were really little, huh? I wouldn’t be able to keep up with so many languages at once.”
"You get used to the pressure after a while…"
“And that’s not really a good thing. You deserve to just relax for once.”
"Yeah…I try my best to get my chances to…I just want to stay away from them, it's why I'm even here…L-lets find a new topic though…why don't you tell me about what's going on in the game?"
“I’m trying to beat up other trainers’ Pokemon so that I can level mine up. I need them to be strong enough to take on the gym.”
"So these gyms, are they run by like— Top trainers? Like the best of the best or something?"
“Ehh, kinda. They’re really strong trainers. The best of the best are towards the end of the game when you have to fight the Elite Four. After you beat them then you can go and beat the champion.”
"Okay, I get it…so it goes from the gym leaders, to the Elite Four, to the Champion? So the Champion is the best trainer. I suppose that means you are doing all this training and such to defeat them?"
“Yep. There are different gym leaders and champions in every game since every game takes place in a different region.”
"Oh. So what's this one?"
“It’s called the Sinnoh region and it’s the fourth game so far.”
"Heh…Mista would hate that. Maybe it's why he hasn't got it yet." Fugo commented mindlessly, "So what is the differences in the regions and stuff? Like are there different Pokémon and trainers? Do you play as the same one for each game?"
“Why would he hate it? Also, you don’t play as the same trainer for every game but you can name them whatever you want. Every region has different Pokemon, yeah.” Narancia passed the DS to Fugo. “Here, wanna give it a try?”
"Mista has Tetraphobia. He sometimes goes to group therapy for it but he hasn't done it in a long time…" Fugo's voice trailed off as he was handed the DS, "I…I don't know how to play…"
“I’ll show you. You know the controls, right? You just walk around using the plus sign lookin’ button and then you’ll run into a Pokemon in the grass patches.” Narancia put his hand over Fugo’s and showed him how to walk around, along with running.
The moment their hands touched Fugo’s cheeks deepened in colour, and he would be lying if it didn't distract him from Narancia’s lesson on how to control the game…
"H-huh? Can you uhm..Repeat what I'm supposed to do? I accidentally zoned..out…"
“Yeah! Here.” Narancia guided him along the grass patches until the screen turned white and revealed a Chatot, which was opposing against his Gabite. “Do you want me to show you how to catch it?”
"Yes please." Fugo eyed the little musical note themed Pokémon, it was interesting how they looked like normal animals, but they had enough of a spin on them to make them different, "So why does it have a musical note on the back of its head? And a metronome on its tail?"
“I feel like it’s all musical because it’s based on a parrot. For awhile they let you record the noise you want it to make as you send it into battle but they don’t have that feature anymore.” Narancia used his stylus to press on the ‘battle’ button which revealed the moves that his Pokemon knew. “You wanna make the Pokemon low on health because then it makes it easier for you to catch.”
"Okay…" Fugo glanced over what he assumed were the attacks the Pokémon had, and furrowed his brows. How was he supposed to know which ones did what? Also what were those numbers at the bottom? How strong the attacks were?
"Uhm…So what do I do now? Also why did they remove the option?"
“You can press on any of the moves except for the ground type one, none of them will knock it out in one hit. It’ll help you out so you can get its health bar in the red. All the moves have different typings though, that’s why they’re different colors,” Narancia instructed, “The reason they got rid of the option was cause people were making it cuss and stuff. I thought the idea was really clever, I’m really sad that it’s gone.”
"Oh—" Well, this game seemed to be made in mind for children, so that made sense to him why it would be removed.
"Okay…So it's a bird right? Would it be some sort of air typing? So…What attack of these would be effective?"
“Flying type, yeah! The only type of moves that I’d avoid are the ‘not very effective’ ones. So like, bug types, fighting types, and grass types. Ground types can’t hit it at all. Why don’t you pick a dragon type move?” Narancia advised.
"Dragon type…What colour is that?" He looked at the four moves, and mentally giggled once again at how Mista would probably burn the game if he ever saw this. Maybe that's why he saw him play it once and never again.
“It should be outlined in purple. Dragon types are really really strong. My Gabite hasn’t even fully evolved yet and it’s a tank.”
Gabite. He stared at the Pokémon Narancia called Gabite, and then clicked the purple move titled 'Dragon Claw', watching as the other Pokémon took damage.
Fugo came to the conclusion he liked this Pokémon.
"What did you say this Pokémon's name is again?"
“Gabite. Why?”
"I think I like it. The Pokémon."
“Aw, you have a favorite already? I’m glad you like him! I wish I could show you a picture of what it evolved from. It’s a stubby little looking shark thing and it’s cute.”
"Awww…And maybe, I haven't seen any other Pokémon really, but I just…I just feel like I really like this one…" Maybe he would research this Pokémon later and beg Mista to buy him this game.
"What is the evolution line for it named?"
“I dunno if it has an actual name but it’s a third stage one. It goes from Gible, then to Gabite, and then to Garchomp.” Narancia felt so proud of himself for teaching Fugo all of this. This had to be one of the things he was the most knowledgable in and he was getting to share all of it.
"Gible…Gabite…Garchomp.." He repeated over and over to himself, "Okay, thank you! If I get this game…I want one. It's cute. He looks like a funny cute shark with legs." Fugo cooed softly at the DS at the Gabite.
"Also, when do I catch it? The Chatot?"
“You throw a Pokeball at it like this,” Narancia explained, helping Fugo press on each button. The pixellated capsule was thrown at the Chatot and then it was enveloped inside. The capsule twitched three times and then released stars as it was successfully caught. “There! Sometimes it takes a couple tries to catch them. It can get really annoying. I wasted about 20 Pokeballs on a legendary Pokemon and I’m not even exaggerating.”
"Wow…Also, what is a legendary Pokémon? Does that mean it is like— Ultra rare? Like does it appear once or something?" He glanced at Narancia, head cocked to the side.
“Sorta, for every game there are two different legendaries and you’re guaranteed one of them for every playthrough. Except they do only appear once and it’s near the very end of the game.”
"Oh…So I'm guessing you have to make choices and that's how you get a different Legendary?"
“No, there are two different games. They have the same exact storyline, it’s just that the legendary is different. Maybe you can get Pearl to match the game I have?”
"Oh. Well…Maybe they should change the story up just a bit. But I suppose that's a pretty good business tactic. People will buy both games to get both legendaries. And Pearl? What is the legendary for that one?"
“It’s like a purple looking dragon thingy.. uh..” Narancia let go of Fugo’s hand and the stylus to grab his phone, to which he searched up ‘Palkia’ online. It wasn’t the best quality but it would have to do. “Like this.”
Fugo stared at the Pokémon, and his eyes lit up.
Seems Fugo found another one he liked.
"What is Palkia's evolution line?"
“The legendaries don’t have evolutions, they’re supposed to be really special and super strong. Soooo I’m guessing you’re wanting to get Pearl?” Narancia grinned.
"...I suppose I do, yes. Oooh…What type is it?"
“Water and dragon type.” Narancia noticed a pattern going on here. Fugo definitely favored dragon types.
"Water and Dragon..What is Gabite's? I don't think you told me."
“Dragon and ground type!”
"He is also a dragon! I think the dragon types look really nice…" So maybe he was already forming favourites…
"What is this game's legendary?"
“Dialga. I’ll show you that one too.” Narancia typed the name into his phone, then showed Fugo again. “It’s blue and more metal-looking. It’s a dragon and steel type.”
"Ooh…I like the colours on it too! But…purple is my favourite colour…" So there was definitely favouritism with them.
“I’ve been catching onto that, yeah,” Narancia lightly teased. “You’ll never guess my favorite.”
"Hmmmmm, let me guess, Orange?~"
“Yup! It’s why my favorite Pokemon is Charmander. He’s a cute little guy. It makes me kinda sad because they don’t have him in this game. You have to transfer it from one of the older games to this one.”
"What does Charmander look like?"
“Damn it, I have a plush of him at home but I don’t have it with me right now!” Narancia once again pulled up another picture to show him. “I also love his final evolution, Charizard. Sometimes I can’t decide between them both.”
"Can't you love both since they are the same Pokémon?"
“That’s true, but I guess I just mean design-wise, you know? It kinda surprises me that Charizard isn’t a dragon type though since he looks just like one.”
"Really? How come he isn't one? Also I think you can love both equally!"
“True. I guess it’s just if I was asked which one would be my number one favorite. I wouldn’t know what to pick but I’d have to choose. Anyway, I think Charizard isn’t a dragon type cause he would’ve been too overpowered. You get to pick one out of three starter Pokemon and Charmander is from the first game. I think he’d be too strong compared to the other two so it would be unfair.” Narancia paused. “Sorry if that’s a bunch to process or anything, I’m just running my mouth.”
"Oh no it's okay! Is dragon type the strongest type?" Fugo asked curiously. Narancia mentioned it would make that one Pokémon too overpowered, so it must be very strong…
“I’d say yes. It’s only weak to other dragon types, ice type, and then it’s not weak to steel types but they don’t land effective attacks if that makes sense.”
"So they aren't super strong against steel? How come?"
“I don’t really know but my best guess is cause of the whole thing going on where knights always fight the dragon and their swords and armor are made of steel. That’s just my best guess though.” Narancia chuckled. “There’s another kinda funny one. Dark types and psychic types are weak against bug types since they’re one of the regular fears people have.”
"Really?" He laughed, "That is super funny. Are you scared of insects?"
“Mostly only spiders. It’s a long story.” Narancia knew Fugo probably wouldn’t judge but it was still embarrassing to admit. Yes, they were only tiny little things, but it was all fun and games until an old ‘friend’ of his introduced him to one of those psycho spiders from Australia.
"Giorno has a pet spider. Or he used to. I think Mista let it out once and Mr. Brando killed it without knowing it was his…so we replaced it with a beetle. Less likely to be killed. Arachnophobia is quite common actually though, so I'm not surprised you have it. But is there a reason?"
“I got bitten by one and had to go to the hospital,” Narancia put bluntly, “I’m alright now though, it was still scary. Even seeing regular house spiders is enough to make me grab all our pots and pans and slam it until I know for sure it’s dead. Uh.. j-just kidding, I don’t actually do that..” Naranica nervously chuckled. It was definitely something he had done several times until he had to stop because of accidentally cracking the floorboards.
"Oh…I am so sorry…" Fugo glanced at Narancia with worry, and then looked back at the DS, "...I understand what it's like— Being deathly afraid of something. I have fears like that too…And I know it's embarrassing, but I promise they actually aren't."
“I don’t think any fears are embarrassing. You can’t help it. No matter how little it is, it still doesn’t make it any less scary for you.”
"You're right. I have Defenestraphobia— The fear of windows…I also have a mild case of scopophobia, which is the fear of being stared at. But mine isn't extreme or anything, my meds help a lot with it. I-I uh…I'm also afraid of water…A lot. Mista sometimes teases me about it, but I know he doesn't actually mean harm. It's embarrassing though, especially because I get sea sick from the anxiety."
Narancia made a mental note to keep the curtains closed from here on. If Fugo didn’t have his meds, he wasn’t sure how much worse his fears would become.
“I’m sorry that Mista teases you. It took me a couple years to get used to being on boats but now they don’t freak me out at all. I hope that maybe one day you will overcome it.”
"I might…It's just really deeply driven in because of childhood experience." He shivered, "I almost drowned a couple times. One time it was in a wave pool and I swear I never want to go near those again— I'm really glad though you like being on boats! I go on cruises and flights a lot…But…Yeah. Have you ever been on a cruise or flight?"
Narancia’s eyes lit up and he quickly nodded his head. “ Yes! I love being on flights! My uncle was a pilot and he would take me on flights sometimes and even let me ride in the front seat. I was really little at the time but I still wish I could go again. I think it would be so cool if I could be a pilot myself..” Narancia realized he was rambling again and grew a little embarrassed once again. “Uh, anyway, I’m really sorry about all the bad experiences you had.. I hope that you’ll get better one day.”
"Awww…Your uncle would take you on flights? That's really…" Is it okay to say…cute? "...C-cute…" Guess he would find out…
' Quickly just continue talking, don't make it awkward '
"I-I'm sure one day I will! It just will take a while! I-I hope your uh…Your arachnophobia gets better too, Narancia."
Even despite Fugo talking over his own words, the ‘cute’ comment didn’t go unnoticed. A light pink flushed over Narancia’s face and he grinned.
“Thank you, Fugo. I like getting to know you more, even though they’re things you might feel embarrassed about. I won’t judge you at all, so you don’t gotta worry about that.”
"You…You like me telling you these things…?" Fugo was just kinda rumbling, he didn't exactly realise Narancia was enjoying it…But it made his face heat up. It was nice to know Narancia didn't care about all these flaws…he still saw Fugo for himself and enjoyed learning all he could about him.
“Yeah.. I hope that didn’t come off as weird or anything. I just like that we can trust each other with these things. It’s really nice.”
"N-no it isn't weird at all! I am very glad you can trust me…I trust you just— A lot…I don't have many people I can talk to, and so it just…means a lot, okay…? Do you think I can be honest..?"
“Of course you can. Again, I’m not judging you, I promise. I pretty much spilled out my entire soul over call and you didn’t even mind, so I want you to know that I won’t mind either.”
"..." He nodded, and sighed, "So…I'm supposed to go to therapy…And my parents don't exactly take me, so I haven't really…gone in a really long time. S-so it feels nice to get to talk about things like this…"
“I’m really glad you can rely on me. I’m sorry that your parents don’t take you often, especially when you need it. You can talk about anything you want, I’m here to listen to you.” Narancia gave him a soft smile. “Do you need a hug or anything?”
"Thank you…a-and yes, please hug me…" He really needed it…a lot. He just…really needed physical contact. Sometimes he absolutely hates it, and other times he feels like he will die without it.
"C-can we actually…Actually— …C-cuddle…?"
Narancia tried not to look desperate, he really didn’t, but he couldn’t help it when he hadn’t received any affection in so long. He hastily cast aside the Nintendo DS and hugged Fugo tightly.
“I really want to cuddle.. I’m absolutely okay with that,” Narancia spoke quietly. “We can play more Pokemon later. I’m honestly feeling kinda tired. Are you?”
"Y-yeah— Y-you will…you will hold me when I sleep right…? I-I don't…I don't want nightmares…I-I don't want to…t-to see his face…" He whispered, and thankfully, he managed to fall asleep, relaxed in Narancia’s arms.
“His face..? Whose?” When Narancia got no answer, he assumed Fugo had already fallen asleep. He reached over and saved his game and after turning off the console, he dimmed down the lights. When Narancia was afraid, he always kept some sort of light on while he slept. He assumed that it would be the same case for Fugo.
He gently laid Fugo down so that he wouldn’t wake him and then rested beside him, where he then pulled up the covers and wrapped his arm around Fugo. Honestly, he really didn’t think this would happen in a million years, so it was really nice. He was so glad that he could finally hug Fugo after longing to for so long.
It didn’t even take a minute for Narancia to be out like a light. Today had been a whole entire emotional rollercoaster.