by Serena Light
"Mia is sick?" Major and Hulk spoke in at the same time, looking concerned.
"A stomach bug," Gun nodded.
"Try peppermint tea, that helps," Major suggested with an arm draped over Piero's shoulders.
"Let mamma know to try peppermint tea, yeah?" Gun told Russo. "And tell her I'll come home on Friday,"
"Really?" Russo grinned in excitement.
"Yeah," His father nodded with a chuckle, ruffling his hair. "I've already talked to the boss about it."
Getting out of her stupor, Serafina turned towards her twin, leaning across the table to whisper to him.
"They have kids? And they're married?" She hissed in confusion, not having known that.
"Well, yeah," Salvatore shrugged. "With their age, most of the men are married with kids,"
"Have you met them?"
"Of course I have," He stated as if though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Dad, Marco, Arsenio and I often go to their places. I mean, just last week we met Sean's newborn baby daughter."
"Sean?" Serafina looked at him in surprise. "My bodyguard? That Sean?"
"Yeah..."
"Wha-?"
"Serafina," Major's voice spoke up warningly. "Is this how a person – much less a lady – sits?"
Sighing in defeat, Serafina straightened in her seat, squaring her shoulders and sitting properly before Major could snap at her for it.
At the end of the school day, Serafina found herself sitting at her study table, finishing the day's revision before glancing at the stoic figure of Hulk standing in the corner, watching her work. Apparently "everywhere" included her bedroom as well, leading the man to be watching her study and the other two stationed outside the door.
Sighing, Serafina put away her books before starting up her laptop, momentarily glancing towards the guard and looking at him in confusion to see the soft smile at his lips.
"What?"
"Nothing," Hulk shrugged with a soft chuckle. "It's just that..."
"Just what?" Serafina prompted, wanting to know what he was getting at.
"It just occurred to me that Salv would have liked to meet you four,"
"Salv?" Her eyebrows knitted in confusion. "Salvi is my twin brother-"
"-No, not Salvi," Hulk shook his head about to settle on the edge of the bed before looking at her questioningly. "May I?"
"Yeah, yeah, sure, of course," Serafina waved dismissively, swiveling in her chair to be facing him as he settled on the edge.
"Well, our Salv is your Salvi's namesake,"
"Namesake?"
"Salvatore Emilio Regnante was named after Salvatore Achille Romano," He sighed with a rueful smile. "He was honestly the best."
"During the initial days of your dad's reign, he still became familiar with how everything worked and how he was meant to address a situation. During the early days, there were a handful of guards that were completely loyal to Arcangelo. Major, Gun, Alberto, Sean, Salvatore, me and a few others. The others who weren't loyal, well you can only assume what happened to them." A shiver ran down her spine at his words.
"No one actually ever approached boss, all of us having the same mindset, he's the boss, you don't talk to him unless he talks to you, and you don't make eye contact with me, no point in getting friendly when he is ultimately going to kill you."
"That was the way everyone thought. But not Salv. No, on his first day working for Arcangelo, he went up to him and introduced himself. We all thought that he was a dead man, right then and there, but imagine our surprise when Arcangelo introduced himself in turn and made no threatening move towards him." Hulk chuckled at the memory. "Ah, God, he was something."
"Salv came to realize that Arcangelo might need some extra guidance on how to run things, and he knew that he had to be a close associate in order to provide such advice. So he started his way from the bottom. He did things and got on the good side of the guys, became friends with them and did favors for them. He did everything so that he could get to your dad. Just so that he could help him."
"And when your dad read his file, he was surprised to see it full of services to the Mafia and excellent performance report from all four guys. When your dad asked him why he was doing this, Salv told him because his elder son thought him something and it kind of just struck him with Arcangelo."
"He said, that his son stated that 'sometimes people encounter new things and just are afraid to ask for help and being ridiculed for their lack of knowledge regarding that field, sometimes they just want someone to help them from the goodness of their heart and not because they want something from them'. Smart kid, Niccolo, knew what he was talking about."
"Your dad was obviously taken off guard by his response and thought that he'd give him a chance and assigned Salv as his personal guard. He was the first one to last in that post for more than 5 days. Those two got pretty close, stood up for each other and were always there for each other. Becoming sort of surrogate brothers, and your dad had even assigned him as his temporary second-in-command once."
"The reason I said that Slav would have liked to meet you two was because he was a hopeless romantic." Hulk laughed. "He would always tell Arcangelo about how it felt to fall in love and find 'the one'. He often told stories about how he met his wife and it was a sort of interesting narrative which everyone took interest in. Salvatore was constantly pushing Arcangelo to settle down and fall in love. Salv said that once he knew that Arcangelo could manage on his own, he'd resign from the Mafia and become a family man with his wife and two sons. His ultimate goal in life. Being there for his kids, no matter what."
"A lot of things that made your dad the best Mafia boss in his time are a lot of modified teachings of Salv's, including how to treat a lady and how to be there for your children. You can say that Arcangelo is following in Salv's footsteps. The one he considers and calls his 'surrogate elder brother'." Hulk sighed. "He worked for your dad for four years."
"That's so sweet," Serafina couldn't help but coo at knowing that her father had a role model he aspired to become like.
She had never known about Salv and wondered if her twin knew about this, about his namesake.
"What happened to him? Did he settle down like he wanted to? Or is he working somewhere else?
Hulk shook his head at her words, looking down at his laced fingers as Serafina was momentarily taken aback by the reaction.
"He's dead, Serafina," He informed softly. "He died protecting your father,"
Chapter IV: Cookies
The twins had tolerated a week of their punishment and were already begging for an end to it.
For the last week, the twins found nothing better to do than interacting with the people present. Their routine having changed substantially to allow time for everyone. The twins often found themselves in their parent's bedroom after they had finished their homework, talking with one another, with Marco, or their parents, and often after dinner, they would have a family debate, Arsenio sometimes coming by to take part in them.
Serafina found that the only time her guards left her alone was when she was in her parent's bedroom.
She still wasn't able to get accustomed to them, given they were cold rocks towards her and she a burden to them. She didn't mind given that she didn't want to get closes to them, but her twin, on the other hand, was very frank and open with them. Talking and laughing, cracking jokes, and retelling fond memories; it was inevitable given that both Gun and Major had been assigned to him since he was a 4-year-old wheezing baby.
The younger twin could tolerate her punishment well enough, but her brother, on the other hand, was going through withdrawal syndromes. Entertainment and freedom withdrawal. Serafina had once found him huddled in a corner and eating his tenth bowl of cereal while muttering all the video game names under his breath along with their respective storylines. Sometimes he would suddenly burst into a song before he would begin to cry that he couldn't listen to it. On some occasions, he could found staring into space and move his fingers in a typin
g motion as if though he had a laptop before him. It had gotten so bad that he'd start running around the estate, making car noises like a little boy.
To say he was suffering was an understatement.
Both Serafina and Marco knew he had gone crazy.
But on most occasions, Paolo dropped by to keep him company and occupy him long enough to take away the blow of the punishment.
Salvatore, Marco and Paolo would come home together, do their homework and talk once they were finished. Eventually, Salvatore would grow tired and take his medicine before falling asleep throughout the afternoon. During that time, Paolo would spend time with Serafina, sometimes helping her with biology while Marco went off to do his own thing, and sometimes Arsenio would drop by on his day off or after a flight.
Currently, Serafina sat swiveling in her chair, reading a passage from her textbook with Paolo lying on her bed, his face burrowed in the pillow and Gun seated on the floor, casually cleaning his special collection of weapons that were always on him.
She shrieked in surprise when she felt a cold sensation on the exposed skin of her neck. Clamping a hand at the area, she turned around, surprised to see Paolo leaning over her, a mere centimeter away and regarded her with dark eyes.
"You smell nice," He spoke lowly, his gaze fixated on her.
"And that was why did that?" Serafina demanded with her face warming to see Gun looking at the two from over his dirk.
"You smell very delicious and tempting," Paolo resumed, his gaze falling to her lips. "And make me crave cookies. The soft, gooey, crunchy sort-"
"- Let's go make cookies!" She intervened, pushing at his chest and sending him stumbling back on the bed while she dashed out the door and down the stairs. Paolo eventually joined her in the kitchen when she had been melting butter, Serafina hearing him sigh behind her before standing centimeters away from her.
"What should I do?" He leaned down to whisper in her ear, his warm breath fanning across the skin of her nape and having her tense.
Inhaling deeply, Serafina regained her composure before instructing him on what to do and how much flour and sugar to add while he measured the contents before pouring them into a bowl and mixing the contents. Both of them talked lightheartedly as she kept her distance by standing on the opposite side of the counter; tensing whenever he would lightly brush her hand or his arm grazed her side when he would walk behind her to get something.
"I want to know you," Paolo spoke as they were rolling the dough between their hands.
"You do know me," Serafina looked at him in confusion when she realized he wasn't joking.
"No, I know Salvatore's twin sister. I want to know Serafina Maria Regnante,"
"Why?"
"I don't know," He shrugged. "You're just so...intriguing."
"Intriguing?" A smile quirked at her lips as he raised an eyebrow.
"Intriguing," He nodded with a grin. "I mean, what sort of person 'accidentally' shoots their brother in the arm?"
Serafina couldn't help the laugh that escaped her as they placed the last tray into the oven. Taking a step back, her foot slipped on the glossy tile, forcing her to fall back. Instinctively, she grabbed for the nearest thing to steady her but instead fell with a heavyweight on top of her that had the breath knocked out of her lungs.
"Shit!" Paolo exclaimed in panic, getting on all fours to remove the weight from her frame. "Are you okay?"
Serafina looked up at the concerned expression across his face as she tried to regain her breathing, a hand on her chest. She couldn't help but let out a choked chuckle before nodding after seeing the crease on his forehead and the way he had sucked in his bottom lip. He released a heavy breath and pulled her up, surprising her with the strength he had in those scrawny arms before she found herself pressed against his chest.
"You might want to get a room, you know," A voice spoke up from above them.
Pulling out of his grasp they both looked up, greeted by the sight of Salvatore sitting atop the kitchen counter and eating one of the freshly baked cookies.
"What?" He asked innocently when Paolo glared at him.
"What do you want?" Serafina asked once she pulled herself up, dusting off her clothes.
"Dad's calling you two," Her twin shrugged before getting off the counter. "But I'll tell him that you two are a bit busy,"
"You will do no such thing," She pushed at his chest. "The three of us will go together and that's the end of it,"
"Hey, Paolo, why don't you reign in your girlfriend a little?" Salvatore spoke over her head, the boy staring at him with wide eyes. "Wouldn't want anything happening to that pretty little face of her's,"
"How about I do something about this pretty little face of yours?" She threatened with a sickly sweet smile as he smirked in response.
"Thank you for the compliment," He grinned cheekily and pulled away. "But currently, daddy dearest has requested my presence,"
Serafina growled as he left out the door, standing with her arms crossed over her chest. Huffing in annoyance, she led Palo towards her parent's bedroom. Knocking on the door, they entered to be greeted by the sight of her mother sitting on the sofa, reading a book with her head in her husband's lap, Salvatore seated in the recliner.
Their father looked up at the sound of the door, watching them expectantly.
"Need a formal invitation to sit down?" He questioned, gesturing to the room.
Both of us took up vacant seats, watching her father take the book out from between his wife's hand who called out in protest but settled down once Arcangelo placed a kiss on her forehead.
"Paolo, has your dad called you?" Arcangelo asked, running a hand through Rosalie's hair, watching as Paolo shook his head. "He called me,"
"What was he saying?" Instantly the teen leaned forward in his seat.
"He wants you to stay with us for a few days,"
The twins looked at each other in surprise, it was very unusual for one mafia boss to leave his son under the watch of another, ally or not, one didn't just do that. Especially not the likes of Ricardo Costa.
"How long does he want me to stay here?" Paolo swallowed, a frown marring his features.
"He didn't specify," Their father sighed. "He just said that he'll have your guards bring your stuff and that you stay and behave,"
Paolo groaned in annoyance as he crossed his arms over his chest and fell back against the sofa with a pinched expression and muttered something under his breath.
"Why is he doing this?" He asked their father desperately, looking defeated.
"He doesn't want you to suffer and as far away from all this as possible."
Both Salvatore and Serafina looked at one another, not understanding what they were talking about, and even when they asked, they received no answer. Paolo refusing to get them involved.
Serafina lay in the dark, staring up at her ceiling and mindlessly playing with her ink-black hair. Despite it being 2:15 a.m. she couldn't sleep.
The sound of the door opening had her prop herself onto her elbows, the light fading away with the door closing as she stared into the dark, turning on the lamp on her bedside and blinking at the sudden brightness, taken aback by the person standing at the foot of her bed. Paolo stood before her in a t-shirt and sweatpants, his hands stuffed into his pockets and looking down at the floor, shuffling his feet in discomfort.
"Is everything alright?" Serafina sat up in bed, running a hand through her hair as she watched him hesitate.
"Can...can I stay here?" He stuttered nervously, his voice sounding uncharacteristically thick. "I don't want to be alone..."
Serafina wanted to ask what was wrong, but the tenseness of his stance she decided not to push it. Shuffling to the side, she patted the spot beside and watched his shoulders sag in relief before he walked over to the side, getting under the covers and buried his face into her pillow.
Sighing softly, she lowered herself as well and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling herself closer to him with her h
ead beneath his chin. Paolo stilled beside her before wrapping his arms around her, clutching onto her tight.
They lay in silence as Serafina ran the tips of her finger down his back.
"Wanna talk about it," She asked into the crook of his neck.
"Not really,"
"Okay,"
They lapsed into silence, her ear rested against his chest and hearing the steady beat of his heart. They had been quiet for so long that she was almost certain he had fallen asleep, that is until he spoke up.
"My dad is sick," He sniffled, tanging his legs with hers.
"He'll get better," Serafina massaged the back of his scalp.
"He won't'" Paolo's voice cracked and she could hear how much it was taking him to keep it together. "The doctors are saying he won't get better, Serafina, he is really sick."
"You don't have to keep it all together all the time, Paolo," She murmured. "You can let go, it's just me here."
Almost instantly, she felt a dampness on her skin, his tears flowing down.
"I don't want him to go," He sobbed softly in a broken voice, burying his face into the crook of her neck and clutching onto her so tight, it was almost painful.
She couldn't bring herself to say anything, so instead, she rubbed his back, softly humming a song into his ear which their grandmother used to sing to them a long time ago. She knew the humming was soothing him since his tears had turned into gentle hiccups, his grip loosening on her as his eyes kept fluttering to a close.
"Serafina..." He slurred sleepily, as she hummed. "I'll marry you someday,"
Chapter V: Anniversary
Serafina found herself embraced in a different sort of warmth, one that didn't feel too much in this June season, but one that was comforting and familiar. She tried to shift onto her back, her movements met my a restraint as she peeked open her eyes, blinking away the blurriness before inhaling sharply at the sight of the tuft of brown hair.
The memories of last night came surfacing back to her, her cheeks flushing red at Paolo's words before he fell asleep.
"I'll marry you someday, Serafina" that is what he had said, and she did not know how to feel about it. He was nice, she wasn't going to deny that, but he was her brother's best friend and another Mafia heir. She wanted to get away from the Mafia, not more into it and besides, she didn't even like him in that sense.