Work Text:
Bruno carefully slid the small spatula over the heart-shaped cookie, trying to get the perfect blend where the red frosting met the white. Would it be easier doing this with a knife? Probably. But it also wasn’t the best idea to have knives in arm’s reach of the five little ones (or, if counting the Pistols, eleven) who were also circled around the table.
When he went to Signora Una seeking Valentine’s advice, she masterfully organized an activity that would both help Bruno and, more importantly in Bruno’s opinion, keep the kids contained for a good while. Although Bruno was at the age when he could go right home after school and be perfectly fine alone while he waited for his father to come ashore, he was happy to lend Signora Una a hand with the children she watched. The difference in ages (five to eight, if counting Signora Una’s daughter in the mix) made finding activities they could all enjoy a challenge, but with Bruno there to lend a hand, they could divide and conquer.
Luckily, all of the kiddos were excited to make Valentine’s Day cookies. Sure, their stirring was a bit too excited, and Bruno and Signora Una had to fix a few measurements when the little ones weren’t looking to keep the cookies edible. But they still ended up with two sheets of chocolate and sugar cookies, most of which retained their heart shape. After that, all that was left was to decorate. Narancia seemed to make it his personal mission to pile on as much frosting and sprinkles as possible. Pannacotta, on the other hand, was trying to draw little designs with the small icing tubes, oblivious to the streak of frosting he accidentally brushed onto his face and the sprinkles Narancia pressed into it. Trish and Haruno (or Giorno—he was particular about his name sometimes) were sharing some of the leftover sprinkles from Trish’s princess birthday party. Guido was an even balance of chaotic and calm as he used the sprinkles to make different faces on his cookies. This was offset by the frenzy around the cookie next to him, which set aside for the Pistols to decorate. (If Tre didn’t stop removing Cinque’s decorations, Bruno was going to have to put him in time out.)
That just left Bruno. There was a little more at stake for him than the others. Yes, he planned on saving a few cookies for himself and his father, but the inspiration for this whole activity deserved his best work.
His name was Leone. Leone A., to be exact; not Leone M. or Leone C. from Bruno’s class. No no no. Leone A. was eleven years old, a grade above Bruno. He oozed with coolness. He was almost always the first one picked during pickup soccer games. He won an essay contest and didn’t brag about it, even when the school announced it. He put a very thorough stop to someone in his class who was bullying kids in Narancia’s class.
But that wasn’t even what drew Bruno to Leone the most. There were lots of athletes at Bruno’s school. Being smart doesn’t always mean you’re interesting. And anyone with the power to stop a bully should do that, as a standard. No, the most interesting thing about Leone was entirely unique to him. See, Leone had a reputation. If there was something that needed to be solved, something lost that needed to be found, Leone was the one to go to. He was basically a detective. He’s found lost keys, stolen homework, and one time, a puppy that had slipped out of someone’s door. And he just does that! He didn’t do it because he wanted to be rewarded. Far from it, he hated extra attention. He was just nice for the sake of being nice.
And Bruno had no idea how to talk to him.
Leone was a really helpful guy, but there was something that set him apart from their schoolmates. Bruno couldn’t tell if he was shy or preferred his own space like Pannacotta did when he was upset about something. It was hard to walk up to Leone and say hello, much less talk to him for a long time. Unfortunately, Bruno knew from experience. How many times had he tried to talk to him, only to gape at Leone like a dying fish and duck behind a bookshelf or rush down the hall? Bruno was hopeless. There was something about him that made Bruno way too nervous. It was probably for the best though. How could some weird fish market kid whose only friends were all way younger than him even begin to talk to someone as cool as Leone Abbacchio?
Well, that’s where Signora Una came into play. Bruno had opened up to her about his struggles, and she came up with the perfect plan. According to her, food is the perfect ice breaker, and with Valentine’s Day coming up, it was the perfect time to share sweets. So Bruno couldn’t afford to mess up the decorations of his share of the cookies. By the time Guido’s stepbrother, Narancia’s mom, and Pannacotta’s family’s driver picked up their respective kids, Bruno had bagged up three of his best decorated cookies, two chocolate and one sugar. The rest went into a separate bag for him and his father, who was excited to see the treats when he dropped in to help the Una family fix dinner.
(Bruno didn’t ask why Haruno was still at the house. It was one of those things that wasn’t worth asking about anymore, like why Signora Ghirga stayed over with Narancia sometimes or why Pannacotta needed to go hide away in the guest room sometimes instead of playing with the others. The answer would always be “when you’re older” anyway.)
───※ ·✥· ※───
Unfortunately, Signora Una’s plan had one flaw: Bruno was still too shy to greet Leone. How was he supposed to offer him a cookie if he couldn’t even say hello? He couldn’t just shove the bag under Leone’s nose and hope he got the message. Right? Right. Plus, there wasn’t a time Bruno could find him alone. He wasn’t the type to have large groups of friends hovering around him, but there were still students nearby during the few break times when Bruno’s and Leone’s paths crossed. There was no way that Bruno could approach Leone when there were people who could witness how completely pathetic he was.
The cookies were still in Bruno’s bag by the end of the day, but he refused to return home with them. He crept to Leone’s classroom when his class let out a little early, only to find it empty. Only the bookbags by the chairs proved that the students were still at the school, only somewhere else. He saw Leone’s backpack only two rows back. Steeling his courage, Bruno walked into the empty room.
He was so close to the bookbag, only one chair away, when the door opened. Bruno ducked his hand holding the cookie bag beneath the lip of the table right in time. The person entering the room was looking down, so he didn’t immediately notice Bruno standing there. When he finally looked up, he jumped back, completely startled.
Oh no.
Of all the people at the school, of all the Leones at the school, Leone Abbacchio had to walk in on him. Bruno was so nervous that his fingers went slack, dropping the bag on the chair in front of him. It was a good thing that his eyes were locked on Leone in fear. Otherwise he would be staring at the backpack sitting beneath the chair to his right, completely giving away his scheme.
Leone recovered first. “What are you doing here?”
Bruno took a deep breath, and for once in his life, he found his voice around Leone. “I lost something and was looking for it in here.” Unfortunately, he wasn’t a good liar.
Luckily, Leone seemed to buy it. He nodded and started walking up the rows toward Bruno. “What did you lose? Do you know when you last saw it?”
“Oh, it was just a graded test.” Bruno cursed the clear nerves pitching up his voice. Maybe Leone wouldn’t notice? After all, he’s never heard Bruno talk before. “I thought ‘maybe I dropped it, and it slid under the door.’ But it’s not that important. I just got a good grade on it and wanted to show my dad. You don’t need to worry about it. Pleasedon'tworryaboutit.”
Leone said nothing but a small “hm” and stepped around Bruno. He crouched down and opened up his backpack to pull out a small notebook. He quickly glanced at the clock, wrote something down, and closed up the bag. When he stood, he accidentally placed himself as a barrier between Bruno and the bag. “Well, I can let you know if I see anything, at least,” Leone said.
“Great! Thankyousomuch.”
Desperate times called for desperate measures. Bruno bent down to pretend to tie his shoe, giving him the perfect angle to send Sticky Fingers under the table. Sticky quickly snatched the bag off the chair and started floating toward the backpack. Quickly, he stood back up and brushed his hands against his pants.
“Well, um, I guess I’ll leave you to whatever you were doing.” Bruno rapidly looked around trying to find something to direct Leone’s attention toward, so Sticky Fingers could do his thing. “What were you doing? Shouldn’t you be with your class?”
Leone sighed and shrugged. “My teacher sent me here to grab some worksheets for homework.” Now that he was reminded of his mission, he walked over to the desk. “I think it’s just a way for justify watching a boring science movie instead of doing her job, but I don’t actually care that much. Couldn’t hear what they were talking about anyway.” Leone picked up a folder off the desk and tucked it under his arm. “It sounded like the guy was speaking through a towel.”
Bruno nodded in agreement. “The TVs here are really bad. I think there’s only one that you can see and hear what's going on at the same time.” Below him, he could hear a zipper closing up as Sticky Fingers slipped the cookies into Leone’s bag. Once his Stand returned, Bruno stretched out to make it seem like he was acting natural and stepped away from the table.
“Have fun with your delivery,” Bruno said with a wave as he rushed out the door.
“Yeah, thanks,” Leone said, confused as he watched Bruno bolt out of the room. “Hope you find—."
The door clicked shut before he could finish speaking. Bruno sped walked through the halls until he was fully out the doors and waiting at the meetup spot. Now that he was safely out of view, Bruno did a quick little happy dance to burn off his excited energy. He talked to him! Several whole sentences! The cookies worked! Signora Una was going to be so excited when he told her. He knew Guido and Narancia were going to make fun of him the second they saw him, but Bruno couldn’t wipe the huge, dopey smile off his face.
Then, Bruno was struck by a thought that made him gasp. Maybe Leone would come up to him tomorrow and talk to him again! Bruno couldn’t wait!
───※ ·✥· ※───
A few hours later, Leone was in his room, staring into his backpack with his Watson, Moody Blues. He turned with a confused glance to his weird little friend.
“When did I get cookies?”
Moody shrugged and responded with a call busy beep. He pointed to the notebook where Leone wrote important times and dates for his investigations. Leone felt a little bad using his power selfishly like this—superpowers were meant to be used to help other people after all, not yourself. But on the other hand, wouldn’t it be worse to deny Moody a mystery? It would be like promising a dog a trip to the park and then not going.
So that meant there was absolutely nothing selfish in finding his gift-giver. Satisfied, Leone took his notebook and curled up in his reading nook, scribbling down every bit of information he could remember about the day.