Chapter Text
The lingering touches of spring were slowly losing their influence against the inevitable glory of summer — made most noticeable through the plot of sunflowers beginning to fully bloom. Jonathan smiled at the sight of their vibrant yellow petals. A pleased sigh escaped his lips as he gave them a healthy dose of water. He paused for a moment as a cool breeze blew in, watching the way the sunflowers beautifully swayed together.
He looked upwards towards the sky, bringing his free hand to shield his eyes from the bright rays of the afternoon sun, and felt utter peace within his soul.
His entire body was warm to the touch, though not uncomfortably so. He enjoyed the warmer days of spring, much more than the unbearable heat of summer. It was the sort of warmth that blanketed and embraced his body tenderly. It always reminded him of his more innocent childhood days during the winter — spending nights right by the fireplace, curling up to Danny with a good book and letting the gentle crackle of firewood lull him to bed.
The familiar creak of the garden gate brought Jonathan out of his thoughts. He turned around to see who entered with a curious expression, which then quickly softened at the sight of his son. In turn, Giorno gave him a guarded yet sweetened smile that barely reached his eyes.
“I hope I’m not interrupting you, Mr. Jonathan, but Mrs. Erina requested me to fetch you for lunch. It should be done any minute now.” he spoke softly. His golden yellow curls were brightened in the sunlight, pairing well with the soft pink of his blouse.
“Oh! No, no, you’re not interrupting me. In fact, you have fantastic timing.” Jonathan bent down to put the watering can away for the moment. “I’ve just about finished watering the plants for today.”
Giorno nodded. He looked around the garden for a moment. “It’s beginning to look lovely.”
“Isn’t it? And look! Our sunflowers are beginning to bloom!” His words prompted Giorno to walk over to the sunflowers, joining him right by his side. He lifted a hand to inspect the half-opened bud, his thumb gently resting against their petals.
“They’re lovely... you have quite the way with plants.” Jonathan gave a friendly pat to Giorno’s shoulder.
“It’s not just me, Giorno. Don’t forget we planted these together. All of this,” he removed his hand to gesture towards the rest of the garden. “Together!”
The sunflowers were only one small part of the large, flourishing garden. It was a gorgeous display of all kinds of diverse flora. All sorts of different breeds of various sizes, colors and shapes made their home there. Some were even exotic for the region. While few came from Jonathan’s travels or as gifts from his dear friends, most hailed from Giorno’s homeland of Italy. The latter especially added an unique feeling for the garden and never failed to bring a smile to Jonathan’s face.
“I suppose…” Giorno eventually replied after a beat of silence, accompanied with a light shrug and a lighter laugh.
“Don’t be so modest. You’ve done great. I’m proud of your hard work.” Jonathan finished with a small chuckle. His words earned Giorno’s smile growing slightly, his eyes squinting slightly as he did.
“Thank you, papà—”
Both froze in their place.
Neither said anything. Jonathan couldn’t even if he wanted to. His throat locked from the heavy emotions suddenly bubbling up to the surface. The words Giorno just spoke were tangled up within his mind, leaving him to pull the knots out so he could process each and every syllable of that wonderful word.
Papà.
From the very moment he had finally met Giorno for the first time, he had longed to hear that word; no, even before then.
When the truth finally revealed itself to Jonathan, that terrible, agonizing and truly gut-wrenching action of ultimate cruelty Dio committed against him in secret — he had immediately embraced Giorno as a part of his family. As his son. Even in the midst of the overwhelming despair that nearly engulfed him and his family, Jonathan’s heart ached to find Giorno and bring him into his arms. To hold him tight and whisper declarations of familial love and promises of eternal protection.
Even so, Jonathan knew to hold himself back when Giorno finally came into his life. He kept his emotions in check and didn’t act on those impulses. He understood how those words of ‘blood’ and ‘family’ meant nothing to the young boy. For Giorno, they were simply cruel tools used to justify years of abuse, abandonment, neglect and manipulation from those meant to protect and love him. They were hollow, vague and toxic words, as meaningless as the incessant babble of a newborn.
For months on end, Giorno refused to truly engage with either him or Erina. At the very least, not on the level any son normally would. He was polite and well-mannered, speaking when spoken to and listening intently whenever they caught his attention; yet terribly wary.
He walked around the house with careful steps. He’d only speak when spoken to. He kept to himself, often secluding himself in random rooms of the mansion throughout the day — seemingly with the explicit intent to avoid either of them. At night, he locked himself deep into his room and never left it. He’d join the dinner table out of principle, though the little conversation they’d manage to make with him was superficial at best. It’d be a lie to say Giorno’s behaviors didn’t cut deep into his heart. Many nights he and Erina stayed up, anxiously discussing if Giorno would ever grow to trust them.
But even so, he kept his patience. Jonathan knew any move to force Giorno to connect with them would only deepen Giorno’s distance. In his perspective, at least, he saw their relationship as a broken bridge that couldn’t be fully crossed on both ends. He couldn’t barrel through the unstable bridge or he’d risk falling through, leaving Giorno alone on the other side. Giorno needed to take the step forward in order to begin laying down new planks of wood, tearing down all of the obstacles in his way to reach Jonathan.
So Jonathan never outwardly complained. He kept his doors open and always invited Giorno to join them. And with time, Giorno slowly began to approach them. In the same way a hardened street cat approached a kind hand offering food, Giorno was slow at first. But once he took the first bite, he was quick to return for more.
Before long, he became a common presence in their house. He began reading in the common rooms and sought them out for conversation. He’d accompany them on walks and trips. He’d become more lively at the table, offering more than just pleasantries in response to their questions. He’d even stay behind, simply spending time in pleased silence in the living room before he’d leave for bed.
Their most recent accomplishment was their garden. After learning Giorno had an intense interest in the study of flowers, Jonathan offered to have a garden built on their land. He and Giorno worked on it closely together. Especially the latter. During one of their planning sessions, Giorno had presented a journal he had been working on the past few days. Each page was a different aspect of the garden, whether it’d be the design of the plots or a list of suggested flowers. He included beautifully detailed sketches of his ideas, with even the most complex flora rendered perfectly onto the page.
Giorno had blushed and shrugged off the praise he gave, as he always had, but Jonathan still fondly remembered the true smile that appeared on his son's face.
Gardening grew into a mutual passion for the both of them. It was an easy topic for both parties to indulge in. At the very least, Jonathan always knew Giorno would have something to say concerning their garden. As well, even if Giorno never fully offered his heart to him, Jonathan could at least look at their garden as a testament for the positives of their distant relationship.
But now, Jonathan had finally gotten his wish. The bridge between them was suddenly complete, or at the very least — functional enough that both sides could, with caution, begin walking down the same path to meet each other in the middle. He came back into reality only after a few short moments of stunned silence, awaiting to embrace his son with joyous tears collecting in his eyes—
Only for him to freeze at the sight of Giorno.
His son had become dreadfully pale. He had brought his arms close to his chest, fingers half curled against his trembling hands. His widened eyes barely blinked. His half opened mouth let out unstable, shaky breaths of air.
“G...Giorno,” Jonathan spoke softly, his heart racing. “Are you alright?” The question made Giorno actually look at him. His pupils shrunk as he held eye contact with Jonathan, as though he was seeing something horrific right behind him. He began taking a few steps back while slowly shaking his head, his movements erratic and jerky.
Suddenly, Giorno turned around with a fast spin of his foot and ran away from him.
“Giorno! Wait!” Jonathan called out. Giorno didn’t stop, instead breaking through the front gates with a wide sweeping motion of his arms. Jonathan swore briefly under his breath before taking off himself. His athletic physique and long legs worked well in his favor, allowing him to quickly catch up with Giorno in only a few seconds.
However, just as he grew close enough to reach out, Giorno suddenly turned his head in a frantic movement. Jonathan had just enough time to process the thick tears in his wide eyes before Giorno whipped his head back, picking up his pace to go as fast as possible. Jonathan’s pace quickly slowed — and Giorno didn’t hesitate to keep going.
He didn’t go far, however. Just a moment later, Giorno suddenly tripped over his own feet and crashed harshly against the ground with a loud grunt of pain.
“Giorno!” Jonathan called out again. He ran fast enough to get just within distance of Giorno, apprehensive to actually come too close. Yet, just a few steps away if he needed to tend to his wounds. “Goodness! Are you alright?”
Giorno simply laid on the ground, his arms pulled upwards to cover his eyes. His body trembled visibly.
“Please,” he spoke warbly through gritted teeth. “Leave me alone.”
Jonathan paused, blinking in surprise at his words. He lingered for a moment, brows furrowing deeply as he began mulling over his words. He didn’t want to ignore his son’s wishes, but the thought of leaving him alone in this state ached his heart. He took a few steps forward, raising his hand out to offer to Giorno.
“What’re you waiting for! I told you to leave me alone.” Giorno suddenly demanded. Jonathan retracted his grasp away with a nervous sigh. His fingers curled against his hand, unsure of what to do next.
Giorno began to finally pull himself up. Despite his shaking limbs, he managed to get back up without difficulty. He dusted off the dirt on his clothes. His gaze was kept low on the ground, as though he couldn’t bear to look Jonathan in the eyes.
“I’ll…” Jonathan sighed once more. “I’ll give you some time to be alone…” Giorno didn’t respond. He only brought the back of his hand to furiously wipe away the tears from his eyes and face. He turned to move a second afterwards, already walking away back to the house.
“But!” Giorno paused, waiting for him to continue. “Please Giorno, I don’t… I don’t ever want to make you uncomfortable. Perhaps we can talk about this… after dinner?”
Giorno stood there in thought.
“...Whatever you wish, Mr. Jonathan.” he said stiffly before he moved to walk away again
Jonathan stood there helplessly, watching the young teenager leave without another word.
“Oh Giorno,” he murmured under his breath, just as he was out of earshot. “My poor son… how do I help you?”