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“You want my help?”
“Yes.” Giorno nodded, as if there was nothing unbelievable about that. As if they met up once a week to have little tea parties (though Leone was not participating, it just so happened that a tea party was taking place around him) and chat about each other’s problems. As if neither of them had anything better to do.
Well, maybe Giorno didn’t, considering how insistent he had been about this meeting. “You and Fugo are close, aren’t you?”
“You think so?” Even Leone couldn’t really answer that question, if he was being honest. Sure, they hung out sometimes, and Fugo had bleached his hair to match Leone’s within weeks of them meeting, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. Teenagers were complicated.
Either completely missing the sarcasm, or choosing to ignore it, Giorno just nodded. “I do. He looks up to you, that much is obvious.”
Leone snorted. “Everyone has to look up to me. You’re all short as-“
“You know what I mean,” Giorno smoothly cut in. “He values your guidance.”
Almost incredulous, Leone searched for any sign in Giorno’s face that he was joking. As usual, there was nothing. “Huh. Maybe he should value it a little more, then he won’t suck so much at shoplifting. You know how many times I’ve had to pick him up from mall jail?”
“Well. Anyway.” Though that made him a little curious, he didn’t bother guessing. “If you pick him up every time, you must care about him. And that brings me to why we’re here. How would I communicate… something like that?” His head slipped down a bit, coming to rest upon his hands. “I want to understand him, and I want him to understand me. But I don’t know where to start.”
Leone found that he could actually respect that. Relating to people was far from the easiest thing in the world, even if Giorno usually made it look that way. “Just sneeze,” he suggested, smiling for the first time since they sat down. “I’m pretty sure that’s his native language.”
He laughed, but a shadow passed over Giorno’s face. “If you aren’t going to take this seriously, then forget it. You can go.” Leone waited for a moment, for Giorno to explain the joke he clearly wasn’t getting, but he got nothing but a continued unimpressed stare. So he was serious? But that meant…
“Hang on. You’re never this upset when I make fun of you. And you want to know how to talk to Fugo? So…” He drew a line in the air with a pointer finger. “Oh shit. You’ve got it bad, haven’t you?”
“No I haven’t,” Giorno responded, so quickly that Leone suspected it was automatic. “Wait. Got what?”
“Oh, you know. I don’t know what the kids these days would call it, but as my generation would say? Giorno’s got a crush!” That last sentence was a little louder, though not actually loud enough to leave the room.
Still, it managed to unsettle Giorno enough that he forgot to point out that he and Leone were almost certainly from the same generation. “Quiet!” As soon as it began, his outburst was over, and he slumped further down onto the table. “I don’t have one, though. I don’t.”
“Denial won’t get rid of it.” Leone shuffled a little closer, though with his head turned away to feign some measure of indifference. “Trust me on that one.”
Apparently, even that implicit offering was enough to catch Giorno’s attention. “You’ve been in this situation before?” he asked, still not willing to use that word.
That was met with a small scoff. “Have I had a crush before, he asks. Yes, Giorno, this might surprise you, but I do occasionally have feelings. At least once every three months, I’ll have you know.”
“Of course. That’s not what surprised me.” Against all odds, a tiny smile returned to Giorno’s face. “I just didn’t think you would tell me something like that.”
“Why not? I mean, if I was still pathetically pining away, maybe then I’d be a bit embarrassed. But hey, sometimes feelings don’t completely ruin your life. Even if you think they’re going to.”
Though he had to tilt his head a bit, Giorno managed to make eye contact. “Is that your advice?”
“Nah. Take it if you want, though.” Leone returned to a somewhat sensible sitting position, and Giorno followed. “My actual advice? Just be nice to him. Show interest in what he enjoys. Be there for him when he needs it, and give him the chance to be there for you sometimes. He already likes you, and you’re both pretty good kids. I doubt you’ll screw up too badly.”
Giorno was silent for as long as Leone spoke, and a bit longer, in case he said anything else. Once he was sure it was over, he nodded. “Thank you for that. And I’m glad things worked out for you.”
“Yeah, when I’m not being harassed by toddlers, my life’s pretty great.” He waved a hand in Giorno’s direction. “Now go. Write him a poem or something. He’s a nerd, he’ll like that.”
Apparently eager to follow Leone’s directives, Giorno hurried out of the room, leaving his entire tea set behind. With nobody to witness him, Leone stared down the teapot for almost half a minute before pouring himself a cup and taking a sip.
He recognised the blend right away. And with nobody else in the room, he didn’t even have to scowl or threaten to kick somebody’s ass.
He could finish his friendship tea in peace.