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Giorno could feel Abbacchio glaring at his back as they made their way through the back of the restaurant. Despite everything they had been through already, Abbacchio still seemed to have the same opinion of him, and on top of that, seemed to resent being paired up with him in the first place. He hadn't really said as much, but the look he had shot Bucciarati when the capo announced the teams said enough.
"I'm not even sure he's in here," Giorno said after a while, as they were passing through the kitchen, looking into every possible corner. Giorno picked up the lid on a pot sitting on one of the counters and peered inside.
"Well, he's definitely not going to be in there, idiota," Abbacchio snapped.
"Well, I know, but we don't know whether he has a Stand or not," Giorno shrugged.
Abbacchio glared at him and Giorno bit his lip. He really wished he knew how to get on Abbacchio's good side. Maybe he could talk to Bucciarati about it.
"I'm just not sure he's even in here," Giorno said.
Abbacchio sighed. "Let's finish checking the back and then we can meet up with the others again."
Giorno nodded and followed Abbacchio further into the back of the restaurant. They had pretty much looked through everything, but there was still the freezer to inspect.
"I wouldn't think he would choose to hide in there," Giorno said, glancing at the freezer dial, and seeing just how cold it was.
"Unless he has the right gear, or a Stand that can combat it," Abbacchio grunted as he reached out and opened the freezer by roughly wrenching the handle and putting his shoulder against it.
The crack of gathered frost sounded as it opened. Abbacchio went inside, propping the door open as he looked around at the boxes of food.
Giorno stepped in after him, feeling the bite of the cold. He hugged himself, waving away the cloud of his breath hovering in his face.
"See anything?" he asked.
Abbacchio looked back over his shoulder. "No, and stay out there, someone needs to keep an eye out in case he tries to escape.
Giorno nodded and turned to find the door slipping shut with a suctioning sound. He frowned, reaching out to grab the handle, but…
Nothing happened. The handle simply moved limply on its joint like it was broken. Giorno grabbed as much of it as he could, the metal aching against his bare hands, and pulled. Again, there was nothing. The door didn't budge. He pushed against it, but that was pointless since it opened inward.
"Um…Abbacchio," he called.
The older gangster turned around. "Why are you still here?"
"I um, I can't open the door. It shut," Giorno admitted.
Abbacchio muttered under his breath and stormed over, breath puffing from his mouth and nose in annoyance. He pushed Giorno aside and grabbed the handle, pulling hard. But only got the same result as Giorno.
"Merda," he growled. "What the hell did you do?"
"It just closed, I didn't mean to get stuck in here," Giorno protested, taking a step back as Abbacchio hauled back and started kicking the handle, only to have the broken part break off completely. He staggered back with another curse.
"It's a different locking mechanism than a normal door, to keep the cold in," Giorno said. "I don't think we can break it down like you normally would."
"Did I ask for your opinion?" Abbacchio snarled, whirling around on him, jabbing a finger in his face. "Thanks to you, we're now trapped in here while the others might need us. I thought you were supposed to be the big-time mafia boss now. And yet you still manage to get stuck in a restaurant freezer!"
Giorno bit his lip, looking at the door again. "Look, I'm sorry, Abbacchio, but there's nothing we can do about it now. We need to figure out how to get out of here. Do you have a phone on you?"
"No, I gave mine to Narancia," Abbacchio growled, and began pacing the freezer, pulling boxes away from the walls to see if there was some other way out.
Giorno looked as well, starting to shiver. It was really cold in here.
"Hey, can't you grow a tree or something to crack that door open?" Abbacchio demanded.
Giorno shook his head. "It's too cold. It would never survive past a sapling. That's why plants don't sprout until the spring. I can make tundra grass, and that's about it."
"Well, great, I'm sure grass will save us," Abbacchio said sarcastically, kicking a box.
Giorno, however, grabbed a small cardboard box and used it to start growing some grass between the crack in the door. He had Gold Experience fold more and more inside, but it did nothing. The grass just wasn't strong enough.
He stepped back and had Gold Experience punch the door, but only some dents appeared in the industrial metal.
"Move," Abbacchio said and brought out Moody Blues who started kicking the door again but caused even less damage than Gold had.
"Dammit," Abbacchio growled.
"Can Moody Blues rewind the door?" Giorno asked curiously.
"It doesn't work like that, idiot!" Abbacchio snarled.
"But if we turn him into one of us…"
"Then he'll just faze through the door following our actions," Abbacchio snapped. "Trust me, if I could have done something I would have."
"So I guess we just have to wait for the others to come looking for us," Giorno said. Hopefully it wouldn't be too much longer.
"And what if they need our help?" Abbacchio demanded.
"There's not really anything else we can do," Giorno told him. "We're just…stuck." And cold. But Giorno wasn't about to admit that in front of Abbacchio.
"Unless…" he said, and started looking at the ceiling.
"What are you doing?" Abbacchio grunted.
"Well…I thought there might be a vent somewhere," Giorno said, climbing onto a stack of boxes and toppling others to the ground to see the ceiling.
There was a vent, but even when he used Gold Experience to break it open, he saw it was definitely too small to fit through.
"Well, that didn't exactly go to plan, did it?" Abbacchio grunted from below, arms folded over his chest.
"I might be able to send something through it; if it could find Bucciarati and the others, it should return to us."
"I thought you said you couldn't make anything in this cold."
"Not very well," Giorno admitted, thinking about what he could do.
"Just great," Abbacchio sighed as he slumped down onto a box. "This mission has just been a mess so far. I hope Bucciarati realizes how stupid it is to take your advice from now on."
"The door closed on its own, you can't blame me for that," Giorno snapped.
Abbacchio stood again. "And see there? That's your problem. You want to be a leader, but you won't even take the blame."
Giorno shivered and looked down, but had to admit that Abbacchio was right. Maybe he wasn't ready to be a leader of any kind. After all, Bucciarati still was technically the leader, just preparing him to take over the mafia eventually. He knew he still didn't really hold any sway in the gang, especially when it came to Abbacchio.
He went over to the door. "I—I'll try to make a new handle," he said, bending to pick up the old one, wincing at the bite of cold metal. He was shivering so much now that he could barely hold onto it, hands stiff. He clenched his jaw to keep his teeth from chattering as he held up the handle in an attempt to have Gold make it into a new one, attached to the broken parts.
It partly worked. It formed into a handle, but the wood he had formed it into was weak, Gold being unable to fully turn it, probably due to Giorno being so cold and losing energy, and it snapped almost instantly.
Giorno allowed it to return to its original form, stepping back with a shiver, feeling defeated.
"M-Maybe I c-can try s-something else," he muttered, failing to conceal his shivering.
"Hey, kid," Abbacchio called.
"I've g-got this," Giorno told him firmly.
Abbacchio sighed and surprised Giorno by stepping up to him and reaching out to grab his shoulder. Giorno stiffened.
"Giorno," Abbacchio said then pulled his hand back, eyes widening. "God, kid, you're shivering enough to rattle your bones."
Giorno's teeth chattered against his will, as he wrapped his arms around himself. "S-sorry."
"We need to try to reserve heat; we've been in here too long already," Abbacchio said suddenly as if just remembering the real danger of them being trapped in there. He looked around. "You sure you can't turn some of these boxes into fuzzy animals to cuddle up with?"
Giorno shook his head. "N-no. Too much w-work," his teeth clattered against each other, nearly making him bite his own tongue and he brisked his hands up and down his arms. It was so cold it hurt to breathe. His suit was very thin, not to mention the part that bared his chest. Didn't usually have to worry about freezing temperatures in Italy.
"All right," Abbacchio sighed, and grabbed him by the arm, pulling Giorno toward the back where he kicked several boxes aside and sat down, wincing as the cold hit his backside.
"Can you make some of that grass down here?" he asked.
Giorno nodded and made a small patch of grass under Abbacchio.
"Great. Now get down here."
Giorno cast him a surprised look and Abbacchio rolled his eyes. "Come on, kid, rule number one is sharing body heat. It's not that I want to or anything, but I'd never hear the end of it from Bucciarati if I let you freeze to death."
Giorno gratefully knelt and pressed himself against Abbacchio's side, pulling his knees up to his chest feeling a little better already.
Abbacchio huddled close, and Giorno could tell that he was shivering too, if not quite as badly as Giorno.
"Thanks," Giorno whispered between his trembling lips.
"Don't mention it," Abbacchio said and turned to glower at him. "I'm serious, don't."
Giorno nodded and tucked his hands under his knees, hissing at how cold his own fingers were.
They were silent for a while, just shivering, when Abbacchio said, "You know…I know I give you a lot of shit, but I'm kinda impressed with you."
Giorno looked up, shocked. "Y-you are? W-why?"
Abbacchio snorted. "Because you might still be a smart-ass kid who has a ton to learn, but you know how to keep your head in a bad situation. Guess I never really thought about that before today. But Narancia, Fugo, or Mista would probably have freaked out the instant they realized they were locked in here. You didn't. You just tried to figure out how to get out."
Giorno blinked, recognizing the compliment when he saw one. "Well…I've always found that panicking or…or wanting something to change…doesn't do much. It's better just to keep a level head and try to work through it."
Abbacchio glanced at him and Giorno actually thought he saw respect in the older man's eyes. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard to win Abbacchio over after all.
Despite the shared heat Giorno was still freezing. Only his one side was warm, the rest of him was just getting colder. His teeth continued to chatter and he subconsciously pressed closer to Abbacchio.
The older man snorted. "You're still freezing, kid. We need to find a way to get you warmer."
Giorno shuddered harder, trying to keep from doing so, but failing miserably.
"W-well…skin-to-sk-skin contact is b-better…" he chattered matter-of-factly.
Abbacchio looked down at him, and back at the door, before he rolled his eyes and sighed, then pulled back slightly and started to open his coat. "Okay, but only because you're about to freeze to death—got it?"
Giorno nodded and tried to open his coat, but his hands wouldn't work. His fingers were so cold and the tips were starting to get bright red from the bite of the freezer.
"Come here." Abbacchio reached out and swiftly unzipped Giorno's coat for him, yanking it from his shoulders.
The door suddenly slammed open and Narancia looked in before his eyes widened.
"Uh-uh, sorry!" he screeched and slammed the door shut again.
"Wait, Narancia!" Abbacchio shouted, but no one reappeared.
Abbacchio cursed and slumped back, then turned back to Giorno, and yanked his jacket the rest of the way off, noticing how the boy wasn't shivering nearly enough anymore.
"Come here," he said, and yanked him down between his legs, pulling Giorno's back against his chest and pulling the boy's coat onto him backwards so that it covered his front while their freezing bare skin touched in an attempt to share heat.
Abbacchio hissed as Giorno settled back against his chest. The kid really was freezing. The older gangster took the open edges of his coat and wrapped it around Giorno, cocooning him and hopefully trapping their body heat in.
"Wh-why d-did he l-l-leave?" Giorno shuddered out, sounding desperate.
Abbacchio clenched his jaw to keep his own teeth from rattling. "Because Narancia's an idiot. Hopefully the others will be here soon." He snorted. To think the kid had always been his favorite. Up until now, of course.
Giorno settled more heavily against him, shivering again, which was good. Abbacchio could start to feel their shared warmth doing something, but it wouldn't help for long. He unconsciously pulled the kid closer as they settled in, hoping the wait wouldn't be too long.
They were quiet for a long time before Giorno finally spoke again, voice still trembling from the cold. "I—I do really r-respect you, you know, Ab-bacchio," he said.
"Huh?" the older gangster grunted.
Giorno clenched his teeth to keep them from chattering together. "I w-wasn't really s-sure at first, but…I underst-stand now that you get angry be-because you care. N-Not because you don't. Y-you're different than…" he trailed off and simply huddled closer to Abbacchio ducking his chin beneath the collar of his coat, covering his mouth and nose.
Abbacchio realized then, something that he hadn't paid attention to before. The way Giorno simply seemed to shut down sometimes when he shouted at him, or even flinched when he said certain things. He hadn't really spent a lot of time thinking about it before, but now he realized that someone must have hurt the kid. The sudden realization that Abbacchio might have been a reminder of whoever that had been made him feel a bit sick. Sure, he was annoyed by the brat, and still thought he tried too hard for his own good, but he'd never really meant Giorno any ill will. He wasn't any more annoying than all the other kids after all.
The thought that the kid might have been abused caused Abbacchio to pull him closer in an almost protective gesture. He may not be able to shield Giorno from the past, but he could shield him from the cold. Giorno tensed.
Abbacchio then realized that he had never answered the kid. He took a deep breath and said, "Well, maybe I'll have to give you that one. You might just be more perceptive than I thought."
Abbacchio saw the corner of Giorno's mouth turn up in a smile and didn't quite have the energy to roll his eyes.
It was then that they could hear muffled voices from outside the freezer door and Abbacchio and Giorno both perked up.
"Hey! In here!" Abbacchio shouted and sent Moody Blues to kick at the door.
A second later it was shoved open and Bucciarati and Mista burst through.
"There you are!" Bruno cried, relieved and then horrified to see their situation. "Dio mio, how long have you been here?"
Abbacchio stood stiffly and pulled Giorno with him. "Too long. Kid's freezing."
Bucciarati and Mista hurried forward to help Giorno and Abbacchio out. Mista already had his sweater off and was slipping it over Giorno's head as Bucciarati was shouting to Fugo to get the car started and the heater on.
They lowered Giorno into a chair in the abandoned restaurant as he was protesting that he was okay, even though his teeth were still chattering.
Abbacchio shook off Bruno's concern as he tugged his coat back around him, still shivering but okay. "Did you get the Stand User?"
Bucciarati nodded. "Yes, he went down easy. We were afraid he had gotten you and Giorno though."
Abbacchio sighed. "No, just a damned defective freezer."
He glanced over at Narancia who was standing off to one side and went over to him with a glower. "Why the hell did you leave us in there?"
Narancia stuttered. "I…er…I …um…" he blushed and Abbacchio growled and smacked him upside the head. Narancia yelped and Bucciarati shot them both a look before Fugo came back in with several blankets.
"The car's warm. Let's go," he said, tossing one blanket to Abbacchio and helping Bucciarati put the others around Giorno who was still shivering pretty badly. When he tried to stand up his legs trembled too much and Mista caught him.
"Hey." Abbacchio said and stepped forward, simply picking the kid up and carrying him out to the car. Giorno made a sound of surprise, and the others gaped but Abbacchio ignored them.
"Th-thanks," Giorno whispered when Abbacchio got him into the backseat and folded the blankets around him better.
"Like I said before, don't mention it," Abbacchio replied, but without his usual bite.
As they drove back home, Giorno huddled in the blankets, finally starting to warm up, and stared at the back of Abbacchio's head where he sat in front of him. He wasn't sure if it was the fact he had almost frozen to death with the other gangster that day, or if he was just getting used to him, but he felt like he knew Abbacchio a lot better now, and was pretty sure that he would actually be able to get along with him, even if Abbacchio didn't want to admit it.
So maybe getting caught in a freezer wasn't entirely a bad thing after all.