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It should have been obvious to him from the start. He should have expected to end up in a situation like this. Abbacchio had always noticed how odd a kid Giorno was. It was one of the main reasons he didn’t particularly like him at first. He hadn’t been able to wrap his head around what Bruno saw in him. He was quiet, to the point it was creepy. He refused to step out of line and was practically obsessive with his presentation. Giorno rushed into danger headfirst and willingly sacrificed himself for others. Giving no thought as to whether the mission would be complete. Abbacchio had been trained to spot the signs, no matter how subtle, and yet somehow he had completely missed them in Giorno. Maybe that said something about him. Or it was due to the fact that he avoided the kid like the plague. But it should have been obvious that the kid who was desperate to worm his way into the mafia came from an abusive background. It was a common factor in the group they had created.
Unfortunately for the both of them, Abbacchio didn’t put the pieces together until they were shoved directly in his face. They were down at the market, investigating some worries brought to them by the locals. Abbacchio could have easily handled it by himself, but Bruno had insisted that he take Giorno with him. He claimed that it was safer for them to work in pairs for the time being. But Abbacchio was certain he was just trying to force him to bond with the brat. He had pointedly not done that. He had spent as much time as far away from Giorno as possible. The pair of them split up so they could deal with the issues faster (Definitely not because Abbacchio kept speed walking away from Giorno at any given opportunity). It was towards the end of the day when Bruno called him, telling him to come back soon. Abbacchio was done with his leads, so he went searching for Giorno.
He finds the kid leaning up against a wall. At first glance, he appears relaxed, but there is something off about his posture. It’s somehow more tense than normal. He’s about to call Giorno over so they could head back when a man walks up to Giorno. The stranger was much older than Giorno, but the kid seemed familiar with him. Abbacchio meets Giorno’s gaze over the man's shoulder. There’s something unusual about his blank gaze; it seems different than normal. It sets something in him on edge. But Giorno doesn’t give any indication that he wants help, so Abbacchio turns away. He’d give them ten minutes. That was plenty of time for the brat to deal with this problem by himself. And it was also enough time for Abbacchio to shove down the strange feeling of unease that had grabbed hold of him. He doesn’t go far. He was sure that if Giorno yelled out, he’d be able to hear him clearly. But he tried his best to act casual as he wandered aimlessly around the market.
In the end, he only gives them five minutes. He’s impatient, and he knows Bruno will want them back sooner rather than later. If the business this man had with Giorno was important, then he’d just have to speak to him later. Abbacchio makes an abrupt turn, tracing his path back to the brat. He turns around the corner and sees red. The man from before had Giorno pinned against a nearby wall, his fingers curled so tightly into the flesh that Abbacchio was certain the kid was going to Bruise. But worst of all is the pure terror he sees on Giorno’s face. It's the look of a child who knows exactly what's coming and who is powerless to stop it. For the first time since meeting him, Giorno actually looks his age. And Abbacchio hates it. He’s not aware of the fact that he’s moving forward until he feels the solid weight of the man against his palms as he shoves him away from Giorno. The man stumbles back with a noise of shock, and he snaps his head to the side to meet Abbacchio’s gaze. And he falters. His face turning white as he takes a step back. Arms raised in defeat.
“Leave him alone.” Abbacchio snarls.
The man lets out a weak scoff, sizing up Abbacchio. He stretches out to his full height, but he’s still a full head shorter than Abbacchio, and it only helps him appear more pathetic.
“I’m his stepdad, stay out of this.”
The man tries to move towards Giorno again. But Abbacchio was having none of it; he stepped between the two of them. Using the bulk of his body to block the path between the kid and his stepfather. He may not look particularly muscular, but his height was normally enough to intimidate people. Especially those who took joy in picking on people they deemed weaker than themselves.
“I said, leave him the fuck alone.”
“You should mind your own business, pal.”
“Abbacchio, it’s fine-“
There’s a shakiness to Giorno’s voice that shouldn’t be there. And it only serves to make Abbacchio’s temper flare. There was nothing fine about this. It shouldn’t have surprised that the kid saw nothing wrong with himself being injured; he’d chopped off his own arm without hesitation. It’s clear he had no attachment to his body. He was starting to get the feeling that he finally knew why, and it made him sick to his stomach. He was going to have to talk to Bruno later because there was no way Abbacchio was going to deal with these realisations on his own.
“Like hell it is!” He snaps, he turns to face Giorno, pointing a finger at him. “You keep quiet.”
“See brat-“
“Don’t even think about finishing that sentence.” Abbacchio snaps, tuning back so he fully faces the man- Giorno’s stepfather
Abbacchio steps closer and closer. Forcing the man to stumble his way backwards into the wall. His breath reeked of alcohol, and his shirt was covered in stains. This man was the very definition of a mess. A very pathetic mess at that. He crosses his arms over his chest, jutting his chin upwards.
“You are going to walk away, right now. Before I make you regret laying your filthy hands on him.”
Giorno’s stepfather hesitates, just for a second, before he slides away from Abbacchio. Slinking his way down the nearby alley and away from the two of them. Abbacchio watches him the whole time. Making sure the man isn’t planning anything stupid. And he catches each nervous glance Giorno’s stepfather sends him with a tight smile. This would not be the last time they were going to see one another. Abbacchio would make sure of that. Men like him did not deserve to wander around free and unburdened. Once he’s certain the man had no plans to return, he turns to Giorno.
“Are you alright?”
Giorno looks at him for a second before nodding.
“…Thank you.”
He takes a moment to look Giorno up and down. Other than looking a bit shaken up, the kid was fine. He can still see the dents in Giorno’s top where those fingers had been gripping onto him. The kid was avoiding eye contact. Staring down at his hands as he wrings them together nervously. The very epitome of someone who didn’t want to talk about what just happened. Not that Abbacchio could blame him. He wasn’t exactly the right person for this. Even with his training. His time as a police officer and gang member had sanded away at his talent for comfort. And he was still only learning to get along with Giorno. If the kid wanted to talk about it, then he could come find him when he was ready. But for now, he was more than ready to return home.
He put a mental note to investigate the man he had seen. Abbacchio highly doubted Giorno would give him any details on the man, but he knew plenty of people in the area who would be able to help him identify the stranger. He’d bring it up with Bruno later. They would find a way to ensure that man never had the confidence to come near Giorno again. Abbacchio lets out a sigh.
“C’mon, kid. Bruno wants us back in time for dinner.”
He doesn’t wait for Giorno to reply before he turns around. But he does walk slower than before, and he occasionally casts a glance back to ensure the kid is following him. As much as it annoys him to admit it, even internally, he may need to rethink the whole spoilt brat view he had of Giorno.