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"I heard this place is a mob front." Ohio said as they approached the little bakery.
"Oh it i-is." Barnaby said. "B-but it also has th-the b-best canolis."
"I see."
Barnaby stopped by the door and turned back to face Ohio.
"I-if the fr-front sells f-food it's because th-they know what th-they're d-doing." Barnaby explained.
Ohio had been joking about the place being a front. But Barnaby wasn't one for joking about things like this. If he said this place was a front then it was.
That was reinforced as soon as they walked in. The guy behind the counter clearly recognized Barnaby- but then did a startled double take and looked towards the back of the bakery. It looked like there was a private room back there.
The clerk shouted for someone in the kitchen. "Marco!"
"Whaaaat?" a voice yelled. A large man in an apron came out of the kitchen. His face lit up as he saw Barnaby.
"Where have you been?" Marco shouted. "What, you stop talking to your daddy so you stop coming to see me?!"
Marco came out from behind the counter and hugged Barnaby.
"W-well I did m-move." Barnaby said.
"To Capital City." Marco said. "You forget how to drive?"
Barnaby laughed. "I'm s-sorry."
Marco patted Kotetsu's head. "You find cannolis better than mine in the big city?"
"No," Barnaby said immediately. "Th-that's why I'm h-here. And Ohio's n-never had cannolis."
Marco's eyes snapped to Ohio. It was almost as scary as when Barnaby's brother had jumped him a few weeks ago.
"Ohio is it?" Marco said, offering his hand.
Ohio gave Marco the firmest handshake he could manage, sure he was being judged.
"I work at the university," Ohio said. "And I've been informed it's a crime I haven't been here before."
Crap. Would Marco think that was a mob joke? It wasn't supposed to be.
Marco just nodded and then raised an eyebrow at Barnaby.
Barnaby pointedly sidestepped and grabbed Ohio's hand.
Marco shook his head, but he was smiling. "You wanna try the sampler then?" he asked.
"Yes. Ex-extra cannolis." Barnaby said.
Marco chuckled. "One sample tray with extra cannolis coming up."
"That didn't go well did it?" Ohio asked as they settled into a table by the window.
"It c-could have g-gone w-worse." Barnaby said. Then he sighed, "I l-l-love everyone deciding who I c-can d-date."
Ohio squeezed Barnaby's hand. "Hey no one gets to decide that but you."
"I-i-i know."Barnaby said. "And I know Marco d-didn't mean it like that."
Barnaby was a on edge, Kotetsu sitting close to his legs.
"You didn't have to come with me." Ohio said softly. "And we don't have to stay."
Barnaby shook his head. "N-no I wanted to c-come. I've m-missed this place. Bart and I used to w-work here you kn-know."
Ohio imagined Barnaby and his twin in matching little white outfits with little paper hats.
"I bet you were adorable."
Barnaby blushed.
Mario came over with their food then- it was a literal mountain of baked goods. Ohio was glad he hadn't eaten breakfast.
So began the most intense pastry tasting experience Ohio had ever had. Everything was delicious - so delicious it was impossible to pick a favorite. But Barnaby kept quizzing him on them. Did he like the elephant ear or the chocolate croissant more?
"Yes." Ohio said and refused to elaborate. Eventually though Ohio tried a cannoli.
"This one wins." Ohio said after a long moment of blissful chewing.
Barnaby grinned. "Good ch-choice."
Ohio had completely forgotten about the back room of the shop- until now when it sounded like a bunch of male voices were coming from it and getting closer.
Barnaby tensed, and adjusted his chair so his back was to the room. Ohio mirrored his position so he stayed directly across from Barnaby.
Whether this back of head trick would have worked hardly mattered though, because when the five men entered the bakery proper one of them was Bartleby, Barnaby's twin.
He made a beeline for Barnaby, immediately wrapping his arms around his brother from behind.
"...Hi Bart." Barnaby sighed.
Ohio got an excellent view of two of the next two men's faces drop into identical frowns. The last two men were busy eyeing Ohio- they looked like bodyguards to him.
"Hi Bart." Ohio echoed. Bartleby nodded at him, a vast improvement over their first meeting.
"Cannoli?" Ohio offered.
Bartleby immediately slid into the empty third chair at their little table and snagged a cannoli.
Barnaby shook his head, ignoring the other men. "Now he'll n-never leave."
Ohio shrugged.
As the other men left the oldest one stopped in the doorway.
"Bartleby." he said in a commanding tone. Barnaby flinched. Bartleby didn't.
The man left and Bart's ghostly cat Mai jumped up on the table.
"I d-don't w-want to get you in-in trouble." Barnaby said.
"I'm getting myself in trouble." Bartleby countered.
"So who were the Glarey Garys?" Ohio asked.
Both twins started laughing, Barnaby recovered first. "D-Dad and B-Bernard." he said.
"You don't look a thing like them." Ohio said. While Barnaby's dad and oldest brother were the spitting image of each other they looked nothing like the twins.
"We look like Mom." Bartleby and Barnaby said at the same time.
A black sedan pulled up out front and honked.
Bartleby rolled his eyes. "I should go before they make me walk home "
"I could give you a ride." Ohio said. "If you want to stay."
Bart smirked. "It's tempting, but I better not." he stood and snagged another cannoli.
"Bye Bart." Barnaby said.
Bartleby hugged Barnaby again. And outside whoever was driving the sedan laid on the horn.
"Bye Bar-bee." Bartleby said, and booked it out the door.
"Barbie?" Ohio asked.
"Bart c-couldn't say-say my name when he was little." Barnaby explained. "So, Bar-bee."
Ohio laughed. "That's adorable."
Barnaby blushed again. "E-eat your cannolis."
"You got it doll." Ohio said and winked.
Barnaby blushed even more but he was smiling, the earlier tension melting away. "I can't t-take you anywhere."