Lorenzo wanted to fight that point. Out of his depth? He wasn't some fucking pussy. He'd been born into a life of crime. Grew up in it, breathed it, and was forged by it.
And yet... Enzo knew Angelo wasn't wrong. There were real monsters around here and he couldn't fight them. At least, he assumed he couldn't. Not if they were things like from the motherfucking Grimm Fairytales.
"Fuck," Enzo said, the first thing he honed in on was the fact that Angelo's mother had cheated on his dad. "That's fucked up. Did he know about it?" And then, he rolled his eyes and rubbed at his temples. "Lay low, like not do anything? Gonna have to get some shitty job and do fuck all."
He ran his hand through his hair, gently tugging at the strands. "What'm I gonna do? What do I do, Angelo?"
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Enzo didn't get it, and Angelo honestly wasn't sure why he thought he would. He'd always been the kind of guy who had a big ego, but a big ego, tied with Enzo's interest in criminal activities was far more likely to get him killed here then it was in New York.
"Probably not," Angelo said with a shrug. "Honestly I'm not sure she knew about it. I've got enough family resemblance to him that I wouldn't have known if I didn't also know that he was definitely human."
Angelo didn't consider for a moment the potential consequences of Enzo ratting his mother out. His parents were his parents in name only--he hadn't spoken to them for years, and they'd never really raised him.
"Try being normal for once," Angelo countered with a pointed look as they stopped at a stoplight. "Get a normal job. Live a normal life. Give it a try. You might even find it's not as repugnant as you've grown to think. "
"Probably not," Angelo said with a shrug. "Honestly I'm not sure she knew about it. I've got enough family resemblance to him that I wouldn't have known if I didn't also know that he was definitely human."
Angelo didn't consider for a moment the potential consequences of Enzo ratting his mother out. His parents were his parents in name only--he hadn't spoken to them for years, and they'd never really raised him.
"Try being normal for once," Angelo countered with a pointed look as they stopped at a stoplight. "Get a normal job. Live a normal life. Give it a try. You might even find it's not as repugnant as you've grown to think. "
Lorenzo considered the possibility that Angelo's mother hadn't known he was some other dudes kid. He made a face but ultimately decided not to comment. Enzo, for all his bull shittery, liked Angelo. And he liked Angelo's family. Even if he could have ratted, he wouldn't have.
"I'm about the only normal thing around here," Enzo muttered as he slumped into his seat, resting a cheek on his hand as he propped his arm on the arm of the car door, glowering out the window like a sullen teenager.
"Sounds fuckin' boring as all hell, but I guess I don't got much a choice. Just bidin' time until I can get outta here. How close are we to your place? What's it like?"
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"There are a few," Angelo countered. "Some people have relatives or loved ones who are unusual like me, and they come along and live on the island even if they're not unusual themselves."
Unusual was a good word for it, Angelo decided. Better than weird, anyway.
"It's shared," Angelo pointed out. "I've got roommates, and Jack was nice enough to say you could take the empty room. He's an artist, and no, he's not the 'artist type'."
Angelo hadn't seen him in years, but he had a pretty good idea about what Enzo would think about artists. That wasn't even touching on Val, but Angelo had made a firm decision to cross that bridge when he came to it. He wasn't going to out Jack without at least talking to him first.
"Just try and be nice to him, alright? It's a big old place, just don't break anything."
Unusual was a good word for it, Angelo decided. Better than weird, anyway.
"It's shared," Angelo pointed out. "I've got roommates, and Jack was nice enough to say you could take the empty room. He's an artist, and no, he's not the 'artist type'."
Angelo hadn't seen him in years, but he had a pretty good idea about what Enzo would think about artists. That wasn't even touching on Val, but Angelo had made a firm decision to cross that bridge when he came to it. He wasn't going to out Jack without at least talking to him first.
"Just try and be nice to him, alright? It's a big old place, just don't break anything."
Enzo hated this. He hated everything. Hated that his life had changed, hated that things didn't feel the same with Angelo, hated that he was weaker than every Tom, Dick, and Harry around here. He felt like an angry teenager again, ready to kick the front of the car and cry about how no one understood.
Lorenzo didn't do any of those things. He didn't even scream, as much as he'd have liked to. Strangely his expression lost even the barest sneer.
He slumped against the door, rested his cheek to the cool glass of the window and blew out until steam rose up against the glass.
"How long until we get there?" he asked, defeated and looking for a way to stop talking about how he was human among monsters of fairy tales.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll be fuckin' nice. Might as well, don't wanna get fuckin' kicked outta the place my first night."
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Enzo hadn't even been on the island an hour and Angelo was already exhausted. It was going to be a long and agonizing day, and he wasn't looking forward to any of it.
"Thirty minutes, if there's traffic. Probably less. Roads are pretty empty since most people just use public transport here. There's not much of a need for cars."
That wasn't even getting into the fact that teleportation existed.
"Don't be surly with me," Angelo said, not even looking at Enzo. It felt weird to say it, so alien to him. He'd never have called Enzo out on his attitude before, but it had been years, and as much as old habits died hard, he was still doing what was best for Enzo.
"I know you're pissed, but it's nice here. You'll be able to make do just fine. You're adaptable."
"Thirty minutes, if there's traffic. Probably less. Roads are pretty empty since most people just use public transport here. There's not much of a need for cars."
That wasn't even getting into the fact that teleportation existed.
"Don't be surly with me," Angelo said, not even looking at Enzo. It felt weird to say it, so alien to him. He'd never have called Enzo out on his attitude before, but it had been years, and as much as old habits died hard, he was still doing what was best for Enzo.
"I know you're pissed, but it's nice here. You'll be able to make do just fine. You're adaptable."
Enzo went quiet and stared at Angelo, unblinking. He wasn't used to the other man calling him out or shutting him down. It was enough to have Enzo speechless, a truly rare occurrence if there were one.
After a long beat of uncomfortable silence, Lorenzo asked the question he was sure they were both thinking then. "Ya think dad is gonna make me stay here forever?"
The idea made him fuckin' sick. Lorenzo didn't belong here. Angelo knew it, he knew it, everyone was going to know it. He belonged in New York. He belonged to the Genovese family but he wasn't there now, and it wasn't like he was going to be getting updated on the happenings.
Lorenzo wanted to be angry at his father for throwing him here, but he couldn't. It was his own damn fault. He'd made a mistake -- one major fuck up.
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"Full disclosure, you probably won't like it," Angelo muttered under his breath. "I think he's hoping you'll like it here. Your dad was mafia, but he wasn't heartless. I think he saw how well I did it, and when he got a chance to give you the same option, he jumped at it."
Which was a very long winded and exceedingly polite way to avoid saying that Enzo was going to be a shitty mafia member, if he ever went back.
Enzo might have thought he didn't belong in Manta Carlos, but Angelo thought he didn't belong in the mafia, either.
Which was a very long winded and exceedingly polite way to avoid saying that Enzo was going to be a shitty mafia member, if he ever went back.
Enzo might have thought he didn't belong in Manta Carlos, but Angelo thought he didn't belong in the mafia, either.
Enzo felt bitterness on his tongue at that idea. His father jumped at the chance to throw him to an island worse than Australia. Lorenzo was pretty sure that was just because his father was ashamed of him, but he had no desire to get into that now. He was too mentally worn.
For the rest of the car ride, Lorenzo was broodily silent. Not the same hotheaded and quiet anger he'd had as a child. It was something more refined, as if, somewhere along the way between the boat and now, he had given up.
When they arrived at Angelo's home, Lorenzo still didn't say anything, getting out of the car and grabbing his own damn bags this time.
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