Chapter Text
It would be an understatement to say that it was a normal day in the criteria for Nicksville square and Khonjin's life, because even with what was considered normal in the island, today was different.
The sound of people arguing came from Gilmore's office, as Khonjin passed by, he stopped in his tracks, being able to hear the conversation from the outside as he pressed his ear against the door. It was Gino and his dad, arguing as always, however, this time it sounded much more aggressive than normally. Gilmore stood up, banging his hands against the desk as he looked down at Gino, who was standing right in front of him, not even flinching at this motion. For once, he had gotten tired.
"I am NOT letting you leave this gang that easily!! Where do you think you're standing!? You made a pact, Gino, you SWORE to stay here until you DIED." Gilmore said, his voice growing nervous as he closed his hands into fists.
"Oh yeah? WELL I DON'T FUCKING CARE ABOUT THAT ANYMORE. You don't even KNOW what you're doing, you take everything as a joke, you never take ME seriously, and I'm TIRED, I'M TIRED OF YOUR BULLSHIT, EVERYTHING YOU DO." Gino said, his voice raising as he looked even more angry. "I am leaving this fucking mafia, and I'm NOT letting you stop me. And don't you DARE look for me either."
The shorter man turned around, walking towards the door and stopping before he reached to open.
"Oh and by the way, I'm taking Gay Spaghetti Chef with me, you can stick that pizzeria RIGHT UP YOUR FUCKING ASS." He said as he quickly opened the door and walked off.
Khonjin pretended like he just got there, looking at Gino leave, but having heard everything, he started to panic. No pizzeria, Gino would be taking his boyfriend to who knows where to work for who knows who, but even worse, he wouldn't be able to bother him every day like he used to. He looked back and then inside his father's office, seeing him sitting down on his chair with both hands on his head and his hat off, which was something rare since he never took it off.
"Dad? What the hell just happened?" The red haired asked as he looked at his father with a confused look.
"Gino left. But don't worry, I'll figure out a way to get him to come back." Gilmore said, looking up at his son and putting on his hat again. "For now, we need to find new members, two, to be precise."
Khonjin only nodded and walked off, closing the door behind him as he let out a tired sigh. Great, his quest for that free Pepperoni pizza had finally ended, even though Fratelli's pizza tasted like shit to his own standards, he would miss bothering Gino every single day, but it was about time he moved on. He walked to his office and closed the door, walking to a file cabinet where he took out ten files, looking through names and descriptions, he had finally come with the perfect idea of who could run the restaurant, chuckling to himself with the genius idea he had in his head.
As Gino walked out of the building, he looked up for a few seconds and then back in front of him. Gay Spaghetti was waiting for him inside of the car, he had asked him to come in case things went south, but seeing as he was still in a single piece and walking normally, it had gone a lot better than he initially thought.
"So? How did he-a take it?" The chef asked, slightly tilting his head as he looked at Gino get in the car.
"Awful, you should've seen his face. But uh, I suppose we're not part of this gang anymore, and I doubt he's going to send someone after us, he's too dumb to do something right." Gino said as he started the car.
Gay Spaghetti looked at the building for a few seconds and then back at Gino.
"So what are we going to do now?" He asked in a slightly worried tone. He didn't want to go back to living with his dad, but he didn't know if he had enough money to pay rent anymore.
"I'll tell ya when we get home." The older man said as he quickly started driving. Gilmore looked down at the car from his office’s window as it left his field of view.
He would get him back, one way or another.
Khonjin knocked on the door and opened it not even waiting for an answer, looking at his father who was still facing the window, and waved two carpets trying to get his attention. "Hey dad? I might've found the perfect people for the job!" He said with some enthusiasm as his face showed a happy expression.
Gilmore turned slightly to face him, raising an eyebrow, still looking rather troubled, for a second Khonjin could've sworn that hat didn't look like it belonged to him anymore. "Is that so? Let's see it then! We have no time to lose! I have a pizzeria AND a gang to run!" The older man said as he walked to his desk and his son followed, handing over the folders to him.
"By the way, where did you find these? I could've sworn the only ones we had were from that one time we tried to hire someone new after-" He started saying as he opened one of the folders, his eyes turning white in shock and Khonjin let out a slight chuckle at the sight of his father's face. "YOU WANT TO HIRE WHO?"
•••
Gino parked the car in front of his house, letting out a sigh and getting out of the car, being followed by Gay Spaghetti, who looked troubled and anxious after everything that had happened. Despite everything, throughout the way home the older man tried to cheer him up, or well, to distract him from what just happened, after all it's not an everyday occurrence to leave the mafia you swore to, if anything, Spag was more worried about the risk of being followed everyday by Gilmore's goons, and of course he was worried his father would find out he was jobless and try to drag him to the family business once again which was something he'd rather not deal with. Gino took out the keys to his house and opened the door, letting the younger man go inside first as he looked around and then closed the door behind them as he walked in.
"Gino, are you sure this won't-a cause any issues at all? I-a mean it IS the mafia after all!" Spag said with a hint of nervousness as he looked at the shorter man.
"Don't worry about it, Gilmore's too much of a wimp to do anythin'." Gino said as he took off his sleeveless jacket and placed it on the arm of his couch.
It was worrying after all, but Gino didn't want to admit it. He knew that Gilmore could've easily killed him the moment he said he quit, he knew what he was capable of, there was a reason he went so long without saying a word and blindly following instructions, the fact that he didn't get a bullet through the head the moment he stepped out of his office worried him. Maybe it was about the years he had worked under him, feeling like a puppet being moved around by en ever so powerful entity, Gino couldn't help but feel like it was too easy to be true, the lingering feeling of anxiety and fear stuck in his chest, that even if he tried to ignore he simply couldn't get rid of completely.
Gino crossed his arms and looked over at Spag, almost forgetting about the reason he dragged him there. "Right, the plan. So, here's the thing, I've always wanted to be a bar owner. You know, it feels more up my alley than being the guy that owns a Pizzeria and smells like grease all the time." He spat out as he fidgeted with the folds of his shirt and looked away. "I have some money I saved for that to be possible, I just wanted to ask if you were willing to work for me again." The older man said, looking back up Spag.
The chef couldn't help but feel his eyes water as he smiled widely and nodded. "Of course! I'd be-a happy to work for you but uhm you, you know I'm-a chef, I know how to cook-a Spaghetti and-a Pizza! You would have to teach me how to-a make drinks!" Spag said, slightly nervous, looking at the shorter man with a small hint of sadness in his eyes.
The older man chuckled as he looked at him, giving him a few pats on the shoulder. "Ah don't worry about it, you can still cook, it's not like we'll serve solely alcohol after all! I WILL have to teach you though, but who knows, maybe you'll grow to like it!" He said, giving him a warm smile.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, making both of them focus their attention on the noise. Gino froze in his place, looking at Spag who was looking at the door, scared. The older man walked towards it, reaching for his baseball bat to then open the door, ready to swing it at whoever was outside, however, there was no one there. He looked around until he realized there was an envelope on top of the door mat, and so he reached for it, looking at both sides of it confused. It was closed with a blue wax seal and a golden eye in the middle. He looked around one last time and walked back inside, closing the door behind him.
"What is it?" Spag asked, nervous.
"It's… a letter?" Gino said, opening it and taking out the paper that was inside, starting to read the content out loud.
"Dear Gino,
I have been informed that you've quit your position. Not only can I congratulate you for putting up with your boss Gilmore for that long, but I have to admire your courage. I sent this letter to make you an offer. I see you're talented at what you do, and that simply cannot go to waste. That's why I offer you to work for me, we can give you everything you would need in exchange for your services, and if you'd like to know more details about this deal, go to the alley next to Enzo's tomorrow at 5PM.
If you reject our offer, burn the envelope and letter, if you don't, there will be consequences.
You have until 3PM tomorrow to decide, the clock is ticking, Gino, what will it be?
Regards, The one who knows it all."
Spag looked at Gino confused, and the older looked back at him the same way, having no words on what to say, because after all, he didn't even know who that person was, or what he wanted from him, or how he even knew him. Was he from one of the gangs that Gilmore asked them so much to take down? Or just a guy trying to get away with something?
"Gino?... Do you... Do you think it's a good idea?" The younger man asked as he looked down at him, with a worried look on his face. "I-I-a mean is not that often you jump-a gang to gang." Spag said as he fidgeted with the sleeves of his chef suit.
Gino looked at the door for a few seconds, then looked back at Spag as he tried to think on what to do. On one hand, this meant he wouldn't be unemployed, on the other hand, he didn't know if it was a good idea to team up with the gang that was probably the one you were after before, however, they promised to give him everything he needed in exchange for his services, meaning that he could still make his dream happen while operating for the mafia as a background, Just as he used to do back in the pizzeria.
The shorter let out a sigh.
"I supposed there's only one way to find out." He said as he folded the letter and put it inside the envelope, taking a look at the wax seal for a few seconds. He could've sworn the design looked familiar but he couldn't remember why. He shrugged it off and put it on top of the table. "You can stay here tonight if you would like, or well, if that makes you feel safer." Gino said as he gave Spag two pats on the shoulder.
Spag nodded, still feeling nervous about everything. His phone rang, making him jump at the sudden noise, taking it out of his pocket and looking at the number, answering the call as he walked outside so he wouldn't bother Gino.
"Khonjin? What is it?" Spag asked.
"Hey! Gay Spagger! How are you doing? I just wanted to check on you!" Khonjin said.
"I'm-a fine, completely well-a, just, I-a suppose I'm-a still a tad nervous." Spag said as he paced around.
Gino peeked through the window to briefly look at Gay Spaghetti, to then sigh and walk over to a case and open it, taking out a cigar, using his lighter to lit the other end and place it on his lips, now walking to sit on the couch as he thought on what to do the next day.
"Hmm… Yeah, I understand, after all, it really takes some balls to call out my father like that! I'm kinda surprised of Gino, not gonna lie." Khonjin said, almost whispering the last part, then being able to hear the noise of a door closing behind him through the call. "He's furious, by the way, or well, off." He added.
Spag looked at the horizon, the sun was setting, he didn't even realize how quickly time had passed. "I-a suppose he's angry because he doesn't have-a toy to play with anymore." He said, letting out a sigh as he played with his free hand with the ends of his suit.
"Well, I mean if he didn't care about Gino he would've killed him the moment he raised his voice towards him, but instead he let him go, alive, no bruises, nothing. I feel like he's just sad about this whole situation." The red haired said as he walked towards the window in his room, taking off his jacket and throwing it on his bed. "This thing is just, weird, I don't think I've ever seen my dad that way."
"Hmm.. Well, let's-a hope he gets over it soon. I-a mean, he SHOULD forget about it in no time, right?" Spag asked as he kept looking at the sunset.
Khonjin opened his window and looked outside, resting his arms on the frame.
"I suppose, let's hope. Anyways, I should get going, please call me if you need anything, I'll be there in no time, okay? Take care, and uh, I… I love you." The man said, blushing as he looked away still with the phone pressed to his ear.
The chef almost jumped, taking it by surprise as he now chuckled and let out a happy sigh. "I-a love you too Khonjin, we'll keep in touch." He said to then hang up and look at the setting before him.
Things were going to be so much different from now on, he simply didn't know how to feel, everything felt off, but right at the same time, even though he was afraid of change, of all the things he experienced working under Gilmore, as well what Gino has told him, this was the best outcome they could've gotten. He had to say, he was just happy he was still alive in those moments, thinking of what could've happened if Gilmore HAD shot Gino, was sickening to imagine. As he thought to himself he stood up straight again, walking towards the door and opening it, closing the door behind him once he was inside. Once he stepped in he felt the smell of cigar smoke in his nose, feeling an odd sense of nostalgia as he headed towards the couch and sat down, not really knowing what to do, he's never gotten so much free time in his hands it felt weird to be relaxed for once, however, not doing anything was making him anxious, and it was getting late, so he decided to get up and start working on making dinner for the two of them.
As Gino looked through his window, taking a puff of his cigar and letting the smoke out, he let out a sigh, thinking if for once he was doing the right thing, it's true that he was tired of Gilmore and everything he made him go through, but if he had lasted a bit longer under him, he would've gotten enough money to actually fulfill his dream, but instead, he was most likely going to get himself involved in the mafia again only so he could do what he truly wished to do. Although, despite everything, he liked beating people up, it was almost therapeutic for him, but he would rather die than have to stand someone like Gilmore again. As he put the cigar between his lips he looked up at the sky, debating whether he should or should not accept the deal and work for that guy, he didn't even know of him or have heard of him, and that was starting to worry him. Sure, Gilmore was something, however he had heard of him before he started to work for him all those years ago, but the guy that contacted him? he knew nothing about, and he couldn't help but feel scared of the new territory he would step on. The fact that he didn't even know his real name made him unsure of everything.
Later that night, no matter how hard he tried, Gino couldn't sleep, hours passed and all he did was stare at the ceiling. He felt his head spinning every time he thought about the entire situation, he wasn't the type of guy that would cry at something like that, but his heart ached in fear, hugging his pillow as he snuggled it and held tight onto it, however the moment he felt tears rolling out of his eyes he wiped them off, letting out a sigh as he sat down and pressed his eyes trying to stop, groaning loudly as he stood up and opened his door and walk towards the bathroom. However something caught his attention and stopped right in front of the door, realizing that the door from the room Gay Spaghetti was staying in was open. He tilted his head slightly and walked towards the living room, peeking over the window to look at the porch and seeing the younger man outside smoking. As he let out a sigh, he walked towards the front door and opened it to go outside, looking at the taller man.
"Hey." Gino said in a calm tone as he looked at him.
Spag looked at him for a second, almost jumping at the sudden noise and then let out a sigh, now looking back at the horizon.
"Hey. Sorry I-a… I-a needed to think." He said as he put the cigarette to his lips and inhaled, letting a few seconds pass and then exhaling the smoke out.
Gino got closer, standing next to him as he looked at the horizon, leaning on the fence of the porch.
"I uh, didn't take you for the type to smoke." The shorter said with a small chuckle.
Spag chuckled back and let out a sigh, looking at the cigarette with a small smile, he wasn't proud of it at all.
"I-a only smoke when I'm-a really stressed, I-a don't normally have it." He said, taking one last taste of the smoke before exhaling and putting out the cigarette on the ashtray next to him. "I… I'm scared, Gino." The taller added as he put his hands together and looked at them.
Gino looked at him in silence, letting out a sigh and giving him a pat on the shoulder, looking back at the horizon and the view of the city lights from far away.
"It's gonna be fine, don't sweat too much about it, we'll be fine." He said, looking away and biting the inside of his lower lip, nervous. He didn't want to admit that he was scared too, he didn't want to show any weaknesses in front of Spag, he didn't want to make him more scared of the situation. "Hey uh, why don't we go inside and have something to drink? Maybe that'll help ya sleep!" Gino said, looking back at Spag with a small smile.
The taller could tell that something was wrong with Gino, almost as if he could read him, after all, he did spend years working next to him, he had already learned every pattern and every habit, he could tell when the older man was nervous, but instead of saying anything, he decided to ignore it and smile at him back, nodding slightly and turning back to face the door.
"Yeah, that doesn't sound like a bad idea." Spag said as he walked next to him back inside the house, closing the door behind the two of them.