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“You know, your father was a pain in my ass”, Tom starts, and the grim look on his nephew’s face says he does not want to stay and listen to the rest, not at all; but Vincent does, anyway. He adds, with a little smile, “but occasionally, he did listen to me. When it mattered.”
“Is that supposed to what, sensibilize me? Make me teary-eyed?”, there is spite in Vinnie’s voice, as there is often, and his right eye twitches slightly. He is clearly upset, so Tom just lets him get it all out. And so he does, completely ignoring the comment about his father, “if you go soft on that guy, he is gonna come back to bite us all in the ass again in no time. I say we strike now!”, Vincent’s fist then hits the couch, to better illustrate the intensity of his point, and Tom has to hold back a laugh. The similarities between Sonny’s body language and his own are just ridiculous.
“If you don’t wanna listen to me, will you at least listen to yourself?”, Tom gives him a pointed look, raising his eyebrows. “Those people are more powerful than you think, Vincent. Rule number one: never underestimate your enemy.”
Vincent shakes his head like he just heard an atrocity. “Uncle Tommy, uncle Tommy! Now you just sound like you’re underestimating us”, he grins playfully, showing his palms in an indication that he is in a better mood now, and Tom takes note of that. He still listens intently as his nephew makes a clicking sound with his tongue, gazing around the empty living room. He then leans in, as if to tell him a secret, “you’re too calm for your own good sometimes, uncle Tommy. Sometimes…” Vincent points in Tom’s direction. “Sometimes, you just gotta do what you gotta do, you know? No warnings, no questions asked. Element of surprise. It’s how you do it on the streets, you know?”
“I do know it, because I lived it. But that don’t mean it’s the best way, it’s just the only way we’re taught”, Tom murmurs softly, looking up as the memories flood his mind. He inspects Vincent’s demeanour by the corner of his eye, taking a deep breath before continuing, “have I ever told you that your father was the one who took me in?” Vincent then blinks, once, twice, and the deep crease on his forehead is a good enough answer. Tom nods, laughing a little as he says, “didn’t see that coming, huh? How’s that for your element of surprise?”
Vinnie hums along, resting his chin on his hand. He is not looking at his uncle, and he is not looking at anything, really; he only thinks for a moment, because he found out recently that he is, in fact, able to. Uncle Tommy had helped him with that, too. Uncle Tommy actually helped him a lot in general, he realized, and it was like the last piece of a puzzle just smoothly fitting in the right place.
The relaxing look on Vincent’s face now, paradoxically, still tells his uncle he does not want to stay and listen to the rest of that story. And so, he doesn’t; Vinnie simply smiles one last time, rising from his seat as he extends a hand to Tom. “I’m leaving before you actually make me teary-eyed”, he jokes, slightly pushing the elder’s shoulder. He struts away next, without looking back.
Tom shakes his head in response, speaking loudly as Vincent reaches the door. “Just take care of yourself, kid. Don’t do anything stupid.”
“Always do!”, he shouts back and Tom finally lets his quiet laugh sound free.
It’s like hearing Sonny talk again, after all. That’s how he knows Vincent will listen when the time is right. When it matters.