Chapter Text
It's been a year since all of it happened - The betrayal of Passione, the defeat of Diavolo, their sacrifices and Giorno's rise to become Passione's Don. It went so fast, just within nine days but it felt like a lifelong adventure to all involved.
But now, it felt like it always has been that way. Giorno had always been Passione's don, Mista had always been the underboss, Fugo never left, Trish had always had a happy life and their deaths had always happened.
What happened in the past stays in the past. There is time for mourning, there is time for living in the moment. As proved by Giorno being completely surrounded by all sorts of paperwork.
"GioGio?" The door opened with a creak as Mista's head popped in. His mouth widened into a smile as they made eye contact. "Nearly didn't see you there, haha! You're doing good?"
"Oh, absolutely." Giorno groaned, his face burying into his extended forearm. Keeping a professional posture for most of the day was starting to have an effect on his back.
It wouldn't be a good image for him. Just the thought of the Don slacking off or him being lazy was scandalous, no. Even in front of his consigliere, in front of Fugo and in front of Trish, he had to keep a professional air around him.
Giorno stood up and took his first stretch of the day right then and there, his bones popping with every movement. He exhaled loudly and turned directly to Mista.
"Any new updates?" Giorno gestured to Mista to come forward, to which he did. He rested his chin on Mista's shoulder to peer at the clipboard.
Yet, he felt no need to be that way in front of Mista. It seemed to be useless. He was his friend, his underboss, second-in-command - there was no reason to be. However, if that were true, then he should have no problem being like this with Fugo and Trish.
Well, that's a lie. He can't. It was like an unwritten rule that he should never, ever let his guard down. It was also an unwritten rule that Mista is an exception. Why?
"Not really much, things have been getting more stable lately." Mista flashed a toothy grin and turned his head ever so slightly to look at Giorno still resting on his shoulder.
Giorno's eyes widened slightly by a fraction. These were the rare occasions where Giorno was glad he was good at a poker face. Based on the literal zero distance between them, no doubt Mista could also hear his stupidly rapid heartbeat.
Giorno tore himself apart and cleared his throat, ignoring the building heat on his cheeks. "I'm glad to hear that, Mista…"
Calm down, damn it.
"Are there any upcoming events I should be reminded of?"
"Hmm…" Mista tapped himself on the chin repeatedly, as if it was helping anything. "Not really-" His mouth suddenly widened into a grin. "Trish! She said she's gonna be here by today!"
Giorno smiled at the news. Trish somehow managed to kickstart a singing career a few months after Giorno took over Passione, he was glad she managed to stabilise her life and disassociated herself from all the mafia business that happened in April of last year. Though, her visiting every once in a while was always welcomed.
Mista was rhythmically dancing on his heels, bouncing lightly up and down alternately. He might burst from all the contained excitement if he didn't do any of that.
"I suppose it is appropriate for you to make sure she has everything she needs when she's here, right?"
Mista's smile widened even more at the suggestion, much to Giorno's amusement. He gave Giorno a mock salute before sprinting out of the door.
Giorno turned around only to find that Gold Experience manifested himself and glared at him with his usual cold demeanour. He lifted up his eyebrow at Gold Experience, as if he didn't already know what he was feeling.
"I am not."
"..."
"No, it's all just coincidence." Giorno reasoned, crossing his arms across his chest. "I am probably just sick or something."
"..."
"You know what? Fine. I'll just tell him so you can wipe that smug look off your face." He said to Gold Experience, whose face had absolutely zero traces of emotion for the past conversation.
"..."
"Don't you dare say I told you so, you don't know anything."
Giorno took deep breaths and opened the door quietly. Walking through the hallway never ceased to bore him. All the tapestries and paintings were quite entertaining but it wasn't important for now. He needs to find Mista first.
Mista's voice echoed through the halls, to which Giorno followed. He was clearly talking to someone but who? He neared the turning point but-
"Well, I never knew his name, but I was pretty sure my heart got stolen right then and there."
It was Mista's voice.
Of course. Of course he was already taken by someone else, why wouldn't he be? It was an odd feeling for sure, seeing that his feelings weren't mutual.
"Are you sure you wanna go? The Don isn't the one that usually does all the dirty work, you know?" Mista leaned against the wall, rummaging through his boots for some spare bullets.
There's only been one suspicious activity somewhere at the edge of Naples, which was where Mista was heading. It was most likely a possible betrayal, wouldn't really need much backup but Giorno was oddly stubborn.
"I believe I had already stated that I will go." He said, his eyes piercing right into Mista that sent a shiver down his spine. It was moments like these that made Mista remember that Giorno is indeed his Don, and there was nothing he could do to waver him.
"Yeah, yeah." Mista sighed as he readjusted his boots back. "'Don't make me repeat myself'. I know."
There was a bit of a problem, though. The best sort of transportation in these situations is a motorcycle due to it originally being a solo mission but now that Giorno was here, he wasn't so sure. It might get too uncomfortable and that long ass white jacket of his might get damaged or something.
"But are you sure your pretty jacket won't get ripped or anything?" Mista commented, a tinge of sarcasm in his voice.
Giorno sighed as he unzipped his jacket right then and there in front of Mista. Mista recoiled and quickly turned his head around.
"A-anyway, I'll let you change. Don't mind me…" He quickly trudged out the door and closed it.
That was a bit unexpected. Why would Mista be embarrassed by this, anyway? He was just- Oh.
Oh.
Giorno cleared his throat as he made his way to his closet to pull out another jacket, a shorter one. It was similar to the one he wore last year in April, be it navy blue with a slightly different colour scheme.
"This should do."
It was a stand user. Of course it was. Stand users attract other stand users or some bullshit, Mista never bothered to dwell on it. Well, who would when a knife was pointed directly into your eye?
Mista kneed the man directly on the stomach, followed by a headbutt directly on to his nose. He fell onto the ground and tried to regain his balance but a bullet entered his head before he could do it.
"See, GioGio?" Mista placed his gun back into his boots. "I told you I didn't need any backup!'
Giorno could try to argue that Mista nearly got lost and would be if it weren't for Giorno and that he didn't notice the stand user was a stand user until he tried to stab him but he digressed. There was no way Mista would even listen.
"You wouldn't really know that, Mista." Giorno sighed. "Come on, let's go back. The job is done."
"Agreed~" Mista said in a singsong voice, jogging his way to Giorno enthusiastically. There was nothing better than an afterbattle high. Trish was also back at the mansion, he could catch up more with her.
There was a glowing yellow light from the corner of Giorno's eyes. He turned around to see the man's stand appearing and aiming at Mista, the light growing on his index finger.
"And then I could-"
"Mista!" Giorno pushed him out of the way, cutting him off. Mista was safe, yes, but Giorno was definitely 100% hit. He fell onto the ground but quickly picked up Mista's bullet shells and grew them into branches, piercing the man from all sorts of directions.
"Giorno!"
Giorno fell further down, nausea pooling up in his stomach. Whatever the guy's stand ability was, it surely wasn't lethal in any way, much to Giorno's luck.
"I'm… I'm fine, Mista-"
"Bullshit! That was a direct hit, Giorno!" Mista lifted him up by the shoulder, balancing him up. "We need to go now!"
"I'm alright, Mista. I really… am…" Giorno's voice trailed as he lost his balance then and there, leaning heavily onto Mista.
"Are you sure you're alright?"
It's been hours since they arrived back home, thankfully the effect hadn't set in yet. Mista was so insistent that it was bound to happen, which led to him being in Giorno's room at this time of the night.
Mista's lips were moving but no words came out. Giorno blinked and squinted his eyes. That was weird, was his eyesight this bad? Mista was barely even…
"...no? Giorno? Is everything alright?"
"I… I think I'm-" No matter how hard he tried, his head kept on being pulled back onto his pillow. Everything was getting blurrier now, is Mista still here?
"Mi… Mista…?" Giorno mumbled, everything was barely a blur of colour within his field of vision. "Are you still-"
Mista's voice was completely gone.
"Mista, I can't… hear you… Tell me you're still…" Giorno lifted his hand to check his surroundings but it was getting unusually heavy, making it fall… and land on something warm.
Five… warm…
Giorno's head tipped to the side and landed onto his pillow. He could barely open his eyes anymore but the warmth encapsulating his right hand was still there, as if to say that there is still someone here - that he was not alone.
"Warm…" He mumbled, gripping the warm hand tighter. "Stay…"
"I mean, you could get some sleep or something. Right, Giorno?" Mista muttered, his eyes closed while waiting for the answer. Giorno stayed quiet. "Giorno?"
His eyes were blinking unusually rapidly and he squinted his eyes a bit too much, as if he's trying to see something so far away. His body kept on tipping left and right, trying to maintain balance.
Something was definitely wrong here.
"Is everything alright?" Mista stood up from his chair and walked over to Giorno's bed, sitting on the side. Giorno didn't seem to notice it at all.
"I think…" Giorno's eyes were getting even more dazed. "I think I'm…"
His head lazily turned to Mista, his eyes still trying to refocus his vision. "Mi… Mista…? Are you still- "
Giorno's eyes widened and he turned his head left and right in confusion, as if something went missing and he was desperately trying to search for it.
"Giorno?" Mista leaned in, looking at Giorno directly into his eyes.
"Mista, I can't… hear you…" His voice was getting fearful and his eyes were still searching for his missing Mista, despite him being literally right in front of him.
"What do you mean? I'm right here." Alas, those words remained unheard to the confused Giorno.
Giorno extended his hand and grabbed into the empty air, eyes growing more fearful with each failed attempt.
"Tell me you're still…" Giorno's head fell onto the pillow, his hand falling to Mista's.
Giorno's eyes were closed but his grip on Mista's hand remained strong. Mista sighed and carefully readjusted his position so he could lay down next to him, making sure his hand was still together with Giorno.
"Warm…" Giorno whispered as he fell asleep. "Stay…"
Oh well. Guess he had no choice anymore. Mista sat up and pulled the blanket over the two of them, making sure Giorno was comfortable enough.
He laid his head on the pillow, facing Giorno completely.
Giorno was beautiful. No, more than that. He was absolutely ethereal, only a fool would deny it. That was what Mista had always thought ever since he first met him.
Now that he was right there in front of him, sleeping with all of his guards down, Mista could finally appreciate him. All of it - From his fair hair to his blond eyelashes and all the way to his soft lips.
Appreciation, that was his limit. Admiration was a grey area. Romantic love was absolutely off-limits. No matter how strong the feeling is, he could never replace the boy he met years ago.
Now that Giorno's hand was in his, it was like playing with fire. As much as he was afraid to get burned, he never wants to let him go.
Mista swore he could see him in Giorno as he fell asleep.