Chapter Text
Carmella cries into the night, her wails waking Bruno almost instantly. He rushes out of his room and into hers, and picks her up to calm her down. She clutches onto his collar and doesn’t loosen her grip until he has walked about twenty laps around her little room, pleading that she stop crying.
Eventually, when she is assured that she’s in safe hands, her cries come to a hiccupped stop. Bruno searches her crib for her pacifier, but it’s difficult to see in the darkness and the mess of blankets and plushies. Normally he would go out in the living room to comfort her, but Leone was asleep there.
Bruno rocks Carmella back and forth until her eyes fall shut. Despite her obvious exhaustion, every time he tries lowering her back into her crib, the cries begin all over again. After the third failed attempt, Bruno realizes a ray of light seeps into the room. He squints at the door left ajar, and the light from the lamp outside shines through, highlighting Leone’s silhouette.
“I think she’s hungry,” Bruno admits to the yawning man rubbing the side of his face.
He wordlessly turns around, and Bruno follows him to the kitchen. He rocks the baby back and forth while both he and Carmella curiously watch Leone sleepily prepare the baby formula. Once it’s prepared in the bottle and cooled to a baby-safe temperature, Leone walks up to Bruno and guides the bottle into Carmella’s mouth. He holds the bottle for her, and Bruno holds his breath at the proximity. Their faces are mere centimeters apart, and Leone seems utterly comfortable maintaining that distance until Carmella finishes her bottle.
“Thanks,” Bruno eventually says.
Leone hums in response. Bruno glances up to see the other gazing at him. There is no talking, but in the moment, Bruno thinks everything they want to say is clearly written on their expressions. The two gently lean forward until their foreheads rest against each other. There is no grandiose confession to follow. They stay like that for a few minutes, Carmella tucked between the two, the only sounds in the room the drinking from her bottle and the pattering of Bruno’s heartbeat.
***
When Abbacchio rests his forehead against Bruno’s, he realizes in that moment that his fears, his anxieties, and his longing have all melded into nothingness. They dissipate in the darkness, and all that’s left is the heat of Bruno’s skin against his and the sound of his beating heart. The two stand together for a long moment, sharing each other’s energy in silence.
The spell only breaks when Abbacchio feels Carmella finish the contents of her bottle. She bats it away and turns her face further into Bruno’s torso. The two part, and their gazes briefly flash from each other to her. Bruno lifts her and Abbacchio helps guide her chin to Bruno’s shoulder. Bruno gently pats her back and rocks on his heels, and Abbacchio uses his niece’s distraction as an opportunity to step away and gather his thoughts. He takes the bottle to the kitchen counter. He washes it, and every movement he makes feels like he’s moving through molasses.
He wonders how Bruno feels about him.
He wonders if the other found the same solace in him as he did the other.
Most importantly, he wonders if they both have to courage to address those looming questions and figure things out together.
“I think she wants to share the bed with me again,” Bruno admits as he walks further into the kitchen.
Abbacchio dries his hands and sees that Carmella has a death grip on the other’s shirt.
“Again?” Abbachio asks with a grin.
Bruno ducks his head, causing his fringe to hide his eyes. “I may have joined her in exiling the crib for a few nights,” he admits.
Abbacchio chuckles. “She’s spoiled. Don’t worry —I do it too.”
Bruno smiles, and without warning, takes Abbacchio’s hand in his.
“You can share the bed too,” he offers with a gentle tug. Abbacchio follows, heart threatening to burst out of his chest. The bedroom is only a few steps away, but Abbacchio relishes in every second that their fingers are intertwined. The two gets under the covers, ensuring that Carmella is comfortably tucked between them.
“Goodnight,” Bruno smiles.
Abbacchio reaches out to caress Bruno’s cheek. His thumb rubs the smooth skin, and he pulls Bruno closer —close enough for him to lean over the baby and plant a chaste kiss on the other’s lips.
“Goodnight,” he smiles. Bruno rests his hand over Abbacchio’s, and eventually the two join the sleeping baby between them into a peaceful, undisturbed slumber.
***
The second week passes, and Carmella’s parents finally arrive home. Bruno is sitting on the couch, smiling as the baby crawls happily to her mother’s feet, the brightest smile on her features. Sofia whisks her baby up and peppers her face with multiple kisses. Gabriele greets Bruno, shakes his hand and thanks him again for his help. They exchange pleasantries. Bruno insists that they take their time settling back home. He gives them their space and lets them unpack while continuing to watch Carmella.
It isn’t until it’s fifteen to the hour that Bruno knocks on their bedroom with their baby in hand, admitting that he has a date. They take Carmella and thank him again. Gabriele promises to call him again in the future, and Sofia states that they must absolutely catch up once she is no longer jet lagged. He agrees, and kisses her and Carmella on the cheek, and shakes Gabriele’s hand.
“Enjoy your date,” he adds with a grin when Bruno steps out of the house.
“Thank you,” Bruno flushes. He doesn’t want to think about Gabriele asking who he was seeing anytime soon. Hopefully he won’t need a babysitter for a long while.
Bruno walks down a few blocks until he is away from the residential area. He makes a turn and continues walking through the unknown territory, following the instructions Leone had provided to him until he rounds to corner and finds the plaza the other was talking about. He sees Leone there, leaning against the wall of the alley, unperturbed by the passersby. It isn’t until Bruno stands directly in front of him that his eyes snap up.
“Hi.”
“Hi,” Bruno grins.
Leone cups his cheek and pulls him into a slow kiss. One of several types of kisses Bruno had grown accustomed to over the past couple of days.
And still his heart flutters like it’s their first.
“Ready to go?” Leone asks.
Bruno nods, but doesn’t move to walk. Instead, he leans in for another kiss, enjoying the taste of the other’s lips and the sensation of Leone’s long hair brushing against his cheeks.
“Let’s go,” Bruno eventually says. They interlock their fingers, and make their way down the plaza like they had done it a hundred times in the past.