Archive of Our Own

Assassinations were a regular thing in Siracusa. Almost as regular as the rain that would batter the pavements, the rainy season never really coming to a full stop.

Of course, the general public were strictly off-limits. The Mafia had their limits these days, which most were unhappy about.

But assassinations were still pretty common among the mafiosi, and especially more so for the… “disgraced” son of the Bellone family. The funny thing was, it never came from the remnants of his old famiglie, whom he thought would’ve had the greatest grudge against him. Instead, it usually came from other famiglia who thought that he was being too pretentious, or upright, or going against the old ways. He’d heard many variations.

So when he was walking down a street in Siracusa like any other, feeling a sudden movement of the air behind him immediately alerted him.

Leontuzzo spun around, already reaching for his pistol - he always tried to avoid injuring his assailants, even if they did try to take his life, but he couldn’t very well leave himself defenseless. Only to find the street completely empty.

A chill ran down his spine.

This was way too familiar -

He turned back and was barely just in time to dodge a knife, aimed directly at his neck.

“Cazzo!”

He and another voice shouted it at the same time, as he reeled back and pointed his revolver at his attacker. But his gut already knew who it was, even as he opened his mouth -

“Demeter.”

“You moved too fast, fratello. I could’ve actually hurt you.”

“You…” Shaking his head, Leontuzzo retreated a few steps back, seeing Demetri’s eyes dim slightly. “Was I not supposed to dodge a knife?”

Demetri merely hummed softly, flicking his knife to one side and sheathing it. “I’m glad to see that your time in Volsinii has not made you any complacent.”

Leon remained silent for a moment, not for any lack of desire to speak to Demetri, but… out of a lack of knowledge on what he should say. Should he be cold? Kind? Should he give in to every cell in his body that was screaming for him to extend his hand and feel the warmth of Demetri’s hand in his, or listen to his brain that was reminding him of his position as the mayor of Volsinii? That last one might not be that ideal, especially when Demetri was likely to be…

Demetri beat him to the punch. “So, rejecting meeting me just earlier today, and now you’re out here walking casually on the streets?”

Leon barely held in a wince. “Ah… I had another appointment earlier.”

The red-haired Lupo’s face didn’t change, but Leon saw his tail flick impatiently to one side. Ah.

“You don’t believe me.”

“Hard to believe you when you’re not even dressed for a proper meeting. Or have you gotten sloppier? A mayor shouldn’t be acting so -”

“Stop pushing it…” Leon glanced down at himself and fixed his tie slightly.

Demetri gave him a grin that was all fangs and teeth. “I apologize.”

The rain started falling again, making Leon glance to the sky. The clouds, so clear and fluffy a moment earlier, had turned into stormy gray. He suppressed a groan, tucking his tail under his coat so that it wouldn’t get wet.

“Well. Looks like the weather’s going to cut short our very tearful reunion.” Demetri didn’t even look remotely bothered by the rain, but Leontuzzo couldn’t help but feel… relief? Was it relief? That he wasn’t pressing him. “Whatever you came for, fratello , get it done. You shouldn’t be straying outside the streets of Volsinii.”

“If I didn’t know you better, I’d think that was a direct threat.”

At that, Demetri did smile, a genuine one instead of the one earlier that had been all threat and no warmth. “You do know me that well, Leon. I’d extend an invitation to visit again, but I don’t fancy listening to you make up more excuses.”

“That -”

“You know where to find me. If you want to.”

The redheaded Lupo turned away from him and walked off without any further talk. Leon stared after him, unsure if…. the way which his ears were pinned back were due to the weather, other issues, or the failed invitation he’d just issued nevertheless.

Leon tore his gaze away from Demetri’s retreating figure. It must have been a real show of trust, considering that he was turning his back to someone that was supposed to now be one of his mortal enemies….

Leon shook his head. No time for such sentimental thoughts.

While it had been a lie earlier that he had things to do before this, he did in fact have some errands to complete in the afternoon. Late afternoon by now, but the golden rays of the sun were nowhere to be seen with the gray clouds overhead.

He had work to do.

***

Evening fell. By right, Leon should’ve been back in Volsinii by now. It wasn’t exactly safe for him to be in the rest of Siracusa when the sky was dark.

But his last engagement had wrapped up particularly late. Securing an audience with certain people was difficult, and he had no choice but to wait in a waiting room for hours until the person finally agreed to see him.

Getting into his car and closing the door, Leon considered his options. He could just drive back to Volsinii, he wasn’t too far away, but it would definitely be late night by the time he got there. He wasn’t a fighter by any means, but he would still be capable of holding off a few mafioso if it came to that. Alternatively…

Alternatively, he could go where he might be most in danger, which ironically might be the safest place for him.

If he was completely honest with himself, it might also be a place that he hoped he would get a chance to go to.

He took a deep breath, locking the car doors and throwing an arm over his eyes. Let’s not be too hasty with this, Leon. Think about it, rationally.

Leontuzzo hardly ever made irrational decisions, nor decisions guided by emotion instead of intel. But now, he considered his options: neither of them were exactly good options. His second option was…

Probably worse.

And yet, as Leon engaged the engine and pressed the accelerator, he knew exactly which one he was going to choose.

***

The Bellone family estate stood tall and proud, no trace of any of the damages that Leon knew had happened since he left. Normally, he wouldn’t step foot here unless he was prepared to run into his ex-famiglia members. While none of them had attempted to hurt him, he wouldn’t be surprised if they held grudges towards him. He’d be more surprised if any of them didn’t.

Parking his car outside, Leontuzzo stepped out and glanced up at the mansion. It was the exact same as he remembered it, but it was all dark, not a light on in the mansion.

He knew better.

Leon hesitated at the front door. Knocking or ringing the bell felt like certain suicide. For no reason.

Instead, he made for the back door, pulling out the keys that he didn’t think would still work. But one quick movement and the door unlocked.

“...Okay.” Leon exhaled, pushed the door open. He glanced around outside but couldn’t detect any prying eyes. Quickly he slipped inside and just as quickly as he had come, he locked the door.

He couldn’t detect any sounds coming from inside the house, and remained completely silent as he slipped through the house. The first floor was completely empty - Leon left his coat on the hanger, next to a familiar red one.

He had more luck on the second floor, quietly ascending the stairs to see that the lights at the bar were still switched on. Approaching silently, he stopped in his tracks when he saw -

A bottle of red wine had been set out on the countertop, with two crystal glasses off to the side. Leon padded closer, half-expecting Demetri to suddenly pop up from behind the bar, but all was quiet.

Upon closer inspection, the bottle was half empty. Not a surprising sight, but still slightly concerning.

Leon quietly set down the bottle, which made the slightest of tinks against the countertop. He nearly jumped a foot in the air when a noise sounded behind him. Spinning around, he made out a figure lying on the red sofa opposite the bar.

“...Demeter?” he whispered.

The figure didn’t stir.

Moving slightly closer, Leon’s vision made out Demetri, lying on the sofa in what looked like a relatively comfortable manner. The redheaded Lupo was turned on his side facing outwards, one of his arms loosely thrown over his eyes. He hadn’t stirred other than that first movement that had drawn his attention, and as Leon tentatively advanced he made out the slow breaths, the relaxed body language.

…No, he was asleep. From the half-gone bottle of wine, it wasn’t too difficult to decipher what might’ve happened.

Leon unexpectedly felt his heart wrench.

Oh, Demeter. Why are you still capable of evoking such emotions within me?

Glancing around, he noted that Demetri didn’t seem to have expected to pass out like that either. The windows weren’t closed, the curtains fluttering in the wind, when he knew Demetri’s habit was to close them before going to sleep. It wasn’t far-fetched, they had in fact received a few daring visitors in the early days who got in by climbing in through windows.

As quietly as possible, Leon went around closing the windows around the bar, the curtains settling down as he did. He glanced back, but apart from shifting his position very slightly Demetri didn’t stir.

Now done with his task, Leon hesitated at the bar. He should probably go upstairs to his room… no, his old room… to stay the night, but…

He felt like he could hear Demetri’s voice in his head. Fratello, you’re already here. How much longer are you going to deliberate?

With a low sigh, Leontuzzo turned to the bar counter and started removing layers of his clothes. He hadn’t brought anything comfortable to change into, but the night was cool enough to wear his shirt and pants to sleep. Demetri was also dressed down to a more comfortable turtleneck shirt, rather tight fitting, Leon thought. His jacket lay forgotten half-off his shoulders, which Leon didn’t hesitate to gently tug out from underneath him. Demetri wasn’t a heavy sleeper, working with the famiglia had made all of them able to wake up at the smallest noise or disturbance, but previous experience told Leon that Demetri would… let down his guard around Leon more.

Demetri’s tail curled around his own leg. Leontuzzo frowned. He should get blankets.

Leaving Demetri there for a while longer, he went up another floor to find their bedrooms. As he’d expected, no one else was in the house at night. Vaguely he wondered if it was because Demetri didn’t trust anyone to get so close, or there was just no one he wanted around now that he was in Volsinii -

Leontuzzo sighed. No point in having such thoughts.

The house had always been empty, lonely as far as Leon’s memories went. He’d never known his mother, it had been just him and his father, then Demetri when he joined their famiglia and was too young, with no relatives and nowhere else to go. 

And then he and his father had left, leaving Demetri behind alone.

Leon tried not to make eye contact with the portrait of Bernando Bellone at the top of the stairs. For some godforsaken reason, Demetri hadn’t taken it down or anything even despite his father’s passing, but he could hardly complain about it. He himself hadn’t said to do anything with it, either.

He tried the door to what used to be his room. It was locked.

Hm.

Leon hadn’t remembered ever locking his door in the past, except maybe when he was younger and had his rebellious phases. But he had a strong suspicion of who had locked his door, after all.

One of his keys would probably unlock the door, but Leon wasn’t too sure if he was ready to see inside it ( and see it pristinely clean, despite the fact that he’d left months ago) . Instead, he crossed to the room directly across the hallway and tried the door.

The door was left unlocked.

Peeking into Demetri’s room, Leon marveled at the fact that it looked like hardly anything had changed about it. A bottle of familiar cologne remained on the dresser. Most of his items were hidden in cupboards or drawers, but Demetri had never liked people poking through his things on pain of injury by his daggers, so Leon didn’t attempt to pry.

He approached the bed cautiously, looking out for any traps Demetri might have set up. He’d always been creative with his traps, even as a younger child trying to keep a curious Leon out of his room. Demetri hadn’t been doing that for a long time now, of course, but who knew what changes he’d made in the past few months?

(Although, Demetri might’ve actually been even safer with the new Bellone family than previously, considering only the most loyal would’ve remained in the family. But old habits died hard. Leon was more than aware of that.)

Luckily, his room wasn’t booby trapped. Leon made it safely to Demetri’s bed, and before he could second-guess himself, he picked up his blankets off his bed.

…They smelled just like him. 

Not now, Leon.

Gathering the blankets into his arms, he left the room and closed the door, heading back downstairs. Demetri was still sleeping soundly, his breathing steady and deep. He laid his pistols on the bar counter, and went over to him.

With a sigh, Leon got done and over with what he’d been dreading and also looking forward to in some deep part of him. He crawled onto the sofa, gently lifting Demetri’s arm over the back of the sofa, and threw the blanket over the two of them.

Demetri made a low noise, shifting in his sleep. Leontuzzo lay down, making himself comfortable while Demetri sank back into dreamland, then gently pulled Demetri’s free arm around himself.

He was instantly tucked closer to Demetri, that arm tugging him closer. Freezing immediately, Leon tensed up, but when no further movement came he steadily relaxed into that warm embrace.

This is…

He shut his eyes tight, fighting back the sudden surge of hot tears that surged up. He’s so warm. This is everything I’ve missed since…

Leontuzzo didn’t regret any of the decisions he’d made during the founding of Nuova Volsinii. Not even the later decisions to leave the Bellone family, even if he had to let go of Demetri. But it didn’t mean that he couldn’t have his own sorrows about it.

Demeter…

The Lupo tail draped over Leon’s leg, Demetri settling into his own comfortable place - or about as comfortable as he could be on the sofa with Leontuzzo also crushed there with him. That left Leontuzzo awake with his thoughts, his concerns, his -

No, forget about that.

He closed his eyes, settling himself in comfortably with his head curled under Demetri’s arm. I shall spend this night peacefully back in his arms, and think about it in the morning.

***

The first few rays of light started breaking across the Siracusan sky.

Demetri took the luxury of time to wake up slowly, allowing himself to lie there with his eyes closed for a moment longer. There was never anyone in the house this early in the morning. Or sometimes, not even later in the day. Most of the time these days, the Bellone mansion was empty except for him and the occasional famiglie member coming in to give him reports. There wasn’t exactly much to be done for the first few weeks, apart from trying to rebuild shattered morale, but…

The time when his mind drifted off to a certain someone, was the exact moment he registered that he wasn’t alone.

Demetri moved without thinking, employing the usual act first, ask questions later that had saved his life multiple times before. And that was how he found his dagger pressed against his Leon’s throat, the Lupo jolting awake in a split second.

“Demeter -”

“...Leon?”

His body had gone very tense pressed up against his, probably because of the knife digging into his neck. Demetri took a quick moment to assess the rest of his surroundings. No one else but Leon in the room, the house was quiet, nothing else was happening.

“... Scusa, fratello.” He reached over the edge of the sofa - why were they on a sofa? His bedroom was literally upstairs - and dropped both daggers hidden on his person to the floor. “I didn’t know it was you.”

His head chose that moment to throb slightly, and Demetri winced. He was no lightweight, but half a bottle of wine was certainly still half a bottle.

Leon was still tense in his arms as Demetri surveyed the situation. His arm was draped around Leon’s chest, which he now shifted to his waist to get a less awkward angle. This feels… too right. I didn’t expect he would actually take my invitation with how much he’d been avoiding me. 

“Demeter, maybe -”

“Quiet, Leon.” Demetri slipped his other arm underneath Leon and crossed it over Leon’s chest. “We can talk about this later. It’s still early. Sleep a little longer, won’t you?”

He could almost hear the cogs turning in Leon’s head as he considered his options. Selfishly, he used his grip on Leon to pull him even closer, until there wasn’t even an inch of space between their bodies.

Leon’s Lupo ears twitched right in front of Demetri’s face. He resisted the urge to nip at them, instead he gently nuzzled against one and made Leon jump slightly.

He smells good. Just like his favorite brand of shampoo.

“...Fine.”

Leon settled back down, with no protests about Demetri’s arms around him. He attempted to tuck the blanket more firmly around the both of them and his hand brushed against Demetri’s.

Before he could second-guess himself, Demetri caught his hand and intertwined their fingers.

He heard the breath catch in Leon’s throat, the tail trapped between their bodies starting to sway before Leon caught himself and stilled. Demetri wasn’t exactly about to tease him though, when his own tail was also swishing a rhythm under the blankets. He wanted to deny it, but the rush of emotion that went through him when Leon didn’t resist and instead pressed their palms together almost made him -

…No, there weren’t tears in Demetri’s eyes. Certainly not. That’d be silly.

He wondered if Leon was feeling the same way. If he were another person, maybe he would’ve been angry enough with Leon for choosing to leave and accused him for lacking commitment to him.

But it was precisely because of how well he knew Leon, and the type of person that they both were, that he trusted that Leon felt equally broken as he felt. After all, no one had forced Demetri to take on the job of leading the Bellone famiglia that remained. He could’ve just as easily chosen to join Leon, but they each had their own fierce convictions that they both weren’t willing to give up.

They lay there together, one of their hands intertwined. Demetri was sure that Leon could feel his heart thumping against his back, but in turn he could also feel Leon’s heart thudding, resonating through his bones.

He wasn’t too sure if either one of them actually fell asleep, but as he lay there, somewhere on the line between being awake and asleep, it felt almost the same as having a deeply restful sleep.

***

Two hours later, when the sun was indeed fully up in the sky and neither of them could continue to deny it, Demetri reluctantly allowed Leon to squirm his way free of his embrace.

“Demeter…” He noted that Leon hadn’t let go of his hand yet, so he was just awkwardly seated on the sofa, body half-turned to Demetri, holding Demetri’s hand in his. “Thanks for… allowing me to stay over.”

“It’s always been your home.”

The blue-haired Lupo froze up ever so slightly. But just as quickly as he did, he admitted something that Demetri knew that he’d be hearing forever.

“You’ve always been my home, fratello.”

There were a few moments of stunned silence, while both of them processed what Leon had just said. And in the next second, Demetri attempted to pull his hand away, but Leon reacted just as quickly to grab it even tighter, bringing his other hand over to hold it with both hands. “Demeter, wait -”

“You’re lying, you -”

“Wait!” Leon’s grip got to the point of bruising, but Demetri didn’t wince - Leon didn’t even seem to be aware that he was doing it. Seeming to get frustrated with the awkward position, Leon flipped over until they were facing each other, except he was resting on his elbow while Demetri was still lying with his head on the sofa, so he got an eyeful of Leon’s chest. With some reluctance he raised his gaze higher to meet a fierce, determined gaze.

He does have the most beautiful green eyes.

“I know, you have all the right to not believe me for this, but I…” Words seemed to fail Leon momentarily, but he cleared his throat and continued. “You’ve always been my home. I’m sorry that I had to leave, but I - I wasn’t…” he trailed off again, and Demetri was about to start expressing his impatience when he said, in a quieter tone, “I wasn’t trying to find a new home elsewhere. I was trying to make ours into a better one.”

Demetri’s tail must have started swishing aggressively at that point, because Leon let out a sigh and amended, “One that’s better in my eyes. I know, I’ve admitted that. I’ve never held anything against you for it.”

“Breaking the family ties to build a home, huh?”

“Yes…”

Sitting up properly now so the two of them were face-to-face, Demetri slowly brought Leon’s hands that were still holding his up to his face. “You know that, if your heart was free it wouldn’t be so difficult. A free heart is never broken.”

“But what about yours?” Leon challenged him. He made a little noise when Demetri brought his hands up to his lips to kiss them. “You should’ve stopped me a thousand times over by now, amore .”

Demetri sighed. “Yes, I bear a grudge against you. Yes, I will collect on that grudge, and settle it. But you’re not in our way. Not yet. The day that you get in our way, I’ll make sure to take care of you.”

“Mmmh.”

The look in Leon’s eyes made Demetri have to look away momentarily. It wasn’t a look of disappointment or betrayal, all feelings he’d become extremely familiar with over the past few months of the Bellone family trying to rebuild. It was a mixture of adoration, softness…things that Demetri didn’t exactly want to see from him right now. The warm feeling in his chest said otherwise.

After a moment, Leon pulled away, and Demetri -

“ Fratello ,” Demetri’s voice made Leon pause in his movements. “I wouldn’t have fallen in love with you if you didn’t have all these traits. So, don’t… we will choose our own paths, but I won’t ever wish to leave you.”

Since they were being so frank with each other, it wouldn’t hurt to admit a few things.

Leon’s tail started swaying behind him.

“Demeter,” was all he said, his hands reaching over to hold Demetri behind the neck. “I’m… sorry.”

All Demetri could do was snort. “Since when did you make such useless statements?

“No, I’m not apologizing for making my choices. I’m apologizing for your disappointment.”

“Then, stop apologizing and do something about it.”

They lapsed into silence, Leon’s hands tracing their way assertively over the backs of Demetri’s. Leon was so close that Demetri could just easily - grab him and pull him into his lap. But neither of them gave in to that.

With a low sigh, Leon allowed his hand to slip out of Demetri’s, and slowly got off the sofa. “I shouldn’t -”

“- Overstay your welcome? In a place that technically would still be owned by you?” Demetri finished his sentence with a little embellishment. “You’re still free to enter and exit here, as long as I’m around. You can relax a little, no one ever comes here unless I call them to. Even if they did, they’re not allowed to lay hands on you.”

Leon’s expression still betrayed misgivings, and Demetri sighed. “Let me at least fix you a breakfast before you return to Volsinii. It won’t take long.”

“...Alright.”

They headed upstairs to wash up, Demetri quickly checking in his room as he did but he didn’t see any visible differences. Had Leon been tempted to curl up on his sheets? he wondered vaguely.

…Well, it was not productive to have such thoughts while he had the real man with him in the same house.

He came across Leon with his teeth freshly brushed, staring at the shower, and called out to him, “You can borrow my clothes if you’d like to shower.”

Leon’s gaze swung back to him. “And go back to Volsinii dressed like you?”

Demetri folded his arms. “Are you meeting anyone after this? I was under the impression that you were going to head home directly.”

He would rather die than to admit it, but a part of him might’ve just been a little too interested in the mental image of Leon wearing his clothing.

“...I suppose not.”

The blue-haired Lupo started to unbutton his shirt, and Demetri blinked. A few times.

Pulling off his shirt and starting on his belt, Leon glanced back at him. “Are you going to take a shower too? I’m sure you didn’t last night.”

“...”

Demetri licked his lips. “Just give me ten minutes to brush my teeth.”

***

And they ended up in the kitchen, freshly showered and dressed, Demetri shirtless with a towel around his shoulders to dry his longer hair.

Although the Bellone estate had a perfectly good dining room, completely furnished with the most top quality wood furniture, Leontuzzo chose to sit at the kitchen island and watch Demetri instead. Demetri couldn’t find fault in that.

That meant that he had to try extremely hard to not stare at the way Leon’s tail was swaying in a slow, content manner, wearing one of Demetri’s long-sleeved turtleneck shirts and black pants, only stealing glances whenever possible - but given that Leon’s eyes were on him at all times, he was sure that he wasn’t succeeding at hiding it. Leon didn’t say anything to call Demetri out about it, however, but the smile on his face did all the talking.

“I hope your tastes in coffee haven’t changed,” Demetri commented to change the subject, although he was already in the steps of making him one. 

“Mm. I’ll be fine with anything as long as it’s not ice cubes in a glass.”

“You bear your grudges for so long,” Demetri sighed.

He presented Leon with a plate of cornetti which Leon immediately attacked ravenously. Sitting opposite him, Demetri set down two cups of coffee, watching Leon devour one and reach for a second one.

Then he caught Leontuzzo by the wrist, pulling his hand to his mouth, and biting into the cornetto he was currently holding, holding Leon’s eye contact the entire time. He watched with amusement as Leon’s face turned red, using Leon’s hand to continue eating the cornetto, and when he was done he licked the traces of cream off his fingers.

“Enjoying the show?” Demetri asked, kissing his fingers.

Leon probably resembled a traffic light at this point, even as he turned his head away. “...Demeter.”

Laughing slightly, Demetri let go of his hand and picked up his coffee to take a drink. Leon’s eyes closed momentarily, probably because Demetri had deliberately flexed his arm when doing so.

They finished their breakfast, occasionally talking about small, inconsequential things. Demetri had known Leon for years, a majority of his life, and he could read the tension in his body that meant he wasn’t sure how well Demetri would receive the next thing he wanted to say.

“Spit it out, fratello .”

Leon cut straight to the point. “Maybe not today, but would you want to come over some time and say hello to the wolves?”

“...???”

His confusion must’ve been quite visible, because Leon went in for the kill. “I think Fiducia really misses you.”

Rubbing a tired hand over his face, Demetri murmured, “You really still call them by those names?”

“Of course. Actually, I think all three of them miss you very much, you know.” 

Leon’s three pet wolves, Fiducia, Corleone, and Alfa - all named respectively by Demetri, Leon, and Bernando, had obviously moved to Volsinii with their owner. Demetri would never admit openly to Leon how he’d also often thought about them (although, their owner more often).

“You want me to follow you into Volsinii to visit them?” Leon didn’t say anything, keeping his gaze on the floor, which was answer enough. “You would willingly let me know where exactly you live, in your city? Wouldn’t that make life even more difficult for you, having to cautiously check every single time you open your door and make sure no one’s hiding in a corner somewhere?”

Leon exhaled, finally turning his head to meet Demetri’s gaze. “I already do that all the time. Honestly, you knowing where I live would make me feel safer, even.”

Demetri made a small noise. Blatant admissions. “You’re so sure that I’d help you to disarm any traps for you instead of placing some of my own?”

“Yes,” Leon said with zero hesitation, maintaining their eye contact.

You have grudges against me. You hate me. I’m aware of that. And yet, you are the one person that I trust most to have my well-being in mind.

Demetri closed his eyes, unable to meet Leon's intense gaze. “...Funny you didn’t ask someone like Lavinia to do it for you instead.”

Leon made a slightly amused noise. “Lavinia? Really? I have a feeling that the next person to try and assassinate me would be you, if I ever did.”

“I’m glad you know, Leontuzzo Bellone.” If Demetri’s knives were on him, he would’ve thrown one to make his point, but Leon still winced when he used his full name. Point made. “I’d better not find someone at your house if I come over.”

“...She still has my address for work purposes, you know.”

For a moment, Demetri entertained the thought of visiting Leon in Volsinii, before he and Lavinia were supposed to meet for something relating to the city hall, casually reminding her who exactly Leon belonged to when she showed up -

Then he shook himself back to reality. “I still think it’s a terrible idea, fratello , but I won’t tell you no.”

“...Demeter, you know that Lavinia will never be anything more than a friend to me, right?”

Demetri didn’t bother to hide his scowl.

“Fine, fine.” Leon wiped his hands clean on a piece of tissue paper, standing up from his seat. “Do you have a pen and paper?”

Demetri raised an eyebrow, knowing full well that Leon knew where they were, but he still went and fetched one for him. “You never do stop ordering me around, huh. Even when you’re not my boss any more.”

“You don’t have to follow my orders either,” Leon challenged, starting to write.

Demetri crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at him which Leon ignored.

…He should probably put on a shirt.

Leon caught him rubbing his arms slightly, and raised an eyebrow. “I won’t disappear, go ahead.”

It took Demetri only half a minute to head up the stairs and come back down, grabbing another turtleneck and pulling it on as he walked. Leon had already hit the nail on the head with his assurance. Demetri was deathly afraid of him disappearing, leaving him to wonder if he’d just dreamed up Leon visiting and this was just an extremely extended dream.

But his blue-haired Lupo was still waiting for him at the kitchen table, shoving the piece of paper at him. Demetri glanced at it - an address in Nuova Volsinii.

“Your address?”

“Mmm. Memorize it and burn it.”

Demetri stared at it for a few seconds, then picked it up and pulled his lighter out of his pocket. Flipping it open with one hand, he lit the other end of the paper and set it down on the table, and the two of them watched it burn down to ashes.

“That was quick,” Leon commented. “You’re sure you got it right?”

Demetri leveled him with a sharp stare. I worked as your right-hand man for years, you know how good I am.

Leon smiled. “I get the message.”

They stood there for a while longer, neither of them wanting to acknowledge that their time together was drawing to an end. If he was spiteful enough, Demetri would’ve brought up the fact that Leon was the one that was stopping them from meeting more frequently, but he wasn’t in fact that spiteful.

And the fact that Leon was the one giving him his new address, inviting Demetri to visit him (and his wolves, Demetri would never admit it but he’d been missing their fluffy fur), was enough of an olive branch that Demetri decided not to bring it up.

“ Fratello , you know…” Demetri ventured instead, rounding the kitchen island to stand directly next to Leon, who lifted his head to look at him. “I never thought less of you for leaving to pursue a dream you had. Part of me was actually happy that you found a direction to go in, and no longer a lost leader of a wolf pack. But all I hoped for was for you to not go where I can’t follow.”

Leon’s gaze visibly softened. “Demeter.”

“That’s all I’m saying. If you do get in our way of trying to enter Volsinii, I swear I will still personally take care of y-”

He was interrupted by Leon leaning in and pressing his lips against his.

Demetri’s hands found Leon’s waist as Leon pulled him close with a grip on his face, closing his eyes and leaning into him. This time, their kiss was filled with all the emotions and the things they wanted to say to each other but were holding back, Leon’s warmth practically spreading through them as he pressed himself against Demetri.

They pulled apart all too soon: Demetri wasn’t too sure what expression he was currently wearing, but it was enough for Leontuzzo to lean in and give him another peck on the cheek. “We won’t be apart for too long this time. As long as you come over, that is.”

Demetri huffed. “Leaving the difficult parts to me, huh?”

“Just as you always have done for me, fratello.”

Leon let go of him with some reluctance, glancing towards the door. “I’ve got to get to my car before anything happens to it.”

“Alright, alright.” Demetri tucked a strand of Leon’s blue hair behind his ear, giving him a smirk. “Get back to Volsinii and feed the wolves. Corleone’s probably going to be really mad at you for being late.”

Leon’s wolves were well-trained enough to find their own food if their owner wasn’t back by a specified time, a kind of a safety precaution in case their owner never returned home for some purpose. Of course, Leon and Demetri always did their best to feed them, but sometimes incident cleanups went on way longer into the night. Now that Leon lived alone and was working extremely hard as a mayor, Fiducia, Alfa, and Corleone were probably left on their own a lot more. Unless Leon brought them to work.

The mental image of Leon sitting at a desk, doing paperwork while three huge gray wolves nested at his feet and everyone gave him a wide berth made Demetri grin on the inside.

“They’re definitely going to demand answers as to why I wasn’t at home last night.” Leon picked up the pile of his clothing, not bothering to put on his jacket. “Remember, amore , if you’re coming over, I’d prefer for you to do it in the mornings. I don’t always get home at fixed timings, and if someone’s sending me off I’d prefer for them to not recognize who you are.”

Demetri raised an eyebrow. “Don’t get too far ahead of yourself, Leon. You may be able to dictate your rules, but it’s up to me whether to follow them.”

“I know, I know.” Leon moved closer to the back door, his eyes still fixed on Demetri. Like he was committing every little detail of his face to memory. “...Take care, Demeter.”

“You too. Don’t make me have to go to Volsinii to force you to go to bed early.”

Leon made an offended little noise, already unlocking the door. “Well, only if you wish. I’ll see you around.”

“Goodbye, Leon.”

***

On another bright morning in Volsinii…

Leon winced at the sound of his alarm going off, automatically trying to cover his ears. He could hear one of his wolves whining at his door - probably Alfa, demanding for Leon to get up and start his day.

Then the whining turned to a loud yip, just as someone else smacked his alarm clock and turned off the ringing.

“?!”

He came face-to-face with Demetri’s self-satisfied grin, his long ponytail falling over his shoulder as he knelt over Leon, hands pinning Leon’s wrists to the sheets while he stared with his mouth agape.

“Buongiorno, fratello.” Demetri’s tail swayed a steady rhythm over Leon’s legs. “Did you have a nice beauty sleep?”

“...How…” Leon glanced over at the windows, which he knew were locked and bolted from the inside. But again, so was his main door, and Demetri knew a hundred ways to get past a locked door without leaving any traces. “...Good morning.”

Demetri got up and opened the door, letting Alfa run into the room and jump onto Leon, affectionately batting his face with his snout and completely ignoring the intruder in the room. Mainly because he didn’t think Demetri was an intruder, really.

That was only further driven by Corleone and Fiducia running in and also throwing themselves at Demetri, who only chuckled as he ruffled their fur tenderly. “Yes. Yes, it’s good to see you too.”

Leon had sat up by now, hand on his head as he slowly processed the situation. “...What are you doing here?”

Demetri glanced over at him. “You invited me here. Also…” he leaned over and kissed the back of Leon’s hand. “There’s a new cafe that opened down the road, not too far away from your home. Would you like to get breakfast?”

“I have a meeting with Lavinia in two hours…”

“Well then, you’d better hurry up, shouldn’t you?” Demetri casually strolled out of his bedroom, the wolves following him and nipping at his heels as he did. “I’ll wait for you in the living room.”

Well, I guess I did give him permission to enter my life like this. Leon sighed as he reluctantly dragged himself out of bed.

It definitely wasn’t the worst way to wake up, far from that. It might even be Leon’s favorite way now, not that he’d ever tell Demetri.