i-cant-with-names

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Tincrow pencil drawing

I may not be the best and this may not be tincrow exactly, but here it is anyway.

This is from the third Oz book when they first talk to the princes with the many heads ( I forgot her name for right now ).

A fanfiction request. ( GuidoxCiccio )

This fanfic was requested to me and I did my best. I have to warn you though, it has heavy mentioning of bullying, a slight eating disorder, and a few slurs and curses. I have never had an eating disorder, but it's a very serious subject and if you or anyone is dealing with it, seek professional help because they deserve to be healthy and happy. I also want to say that this fic is not connected to my previous fic, though a few details may be similar.

After the movie, after that summer.

Ciccio quieted down, letting the conversation around the dinner table slowly die out with his silence. His mother glanced at him, her eyes gentle as she tried to figure out what was wrong. Ciccio didn't meet her eyes. Instead, he stared at the almost full dinner plate and scrunched up his nose. "Is there something wrong with the food, dear?" his mother asked, carefully. His dad also looked up, the last one to pick up on things as usual. Ciccio school his head and switched from looking at the plate to looking at his knees. "No. Everything's fine," Ciccio answered quietly and flashed a quick smile at his parents as he stood up. "Thank you for the food." He walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs, not wanting to stay any longer than necessary.

He sat down on the chair next to his desk in his room and sighed. A creeping feeling of disappointing his parents made him regret leaving so suddenly. He could definitely have tried to be nicer. Now they knew he wasn't feeling well and would ask him about it. But he could lie. He would lie. Downstairs, he heard the front door open after a few quick knocks. The person from outside talked with his mother, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. A wave of nausea struck him and he leaned his forehead against his desk. A slow groan escaped his mouth as he tried to breathe as slowly as possible. It would pass eventually, he hoped. His mother and the other person had gone quiet downstairs but he could hear his father cleaning up the dinner table. Shakily, he grabbed the edge of his pants and forced another deep breath down his throat. he shut his eyes tight as the memories pushed themself back to the front of his mind. "Ugly fatty," "Obiese asshole," "Have you tried losing a whale's worth of weight?" and so on.

Being pressed against a wall was bad enough, but being called those things straight to his face and knowing that if he showed even the slightest bit of sadness, they would bully him even more was unbearable. Almost every time during recess in school, they would find him. No matter what he tried, they always found him. It was all he could think about, those mean words. He already regretted what he'd done when he was "friends" with Ercole and this made him regret it even more. As if the bullies in school knew and wanted to give some personal payback. At least, Ciccio had never said such terrible things. But they had. They did. To him. And it was eating away at his mind. Another shaky breath. Everything was quiet downstairs. At least as far as he could tell. He thought about going downstairs and eating a little more. He'd apologise to his parents and smile at them. They wouldn't worry anymore and he didn't have to feel hungry. But he knew how that would end too. He'd just feel worse and wouldn't allow himself to eat anything for breakfast, and barely anything for lunch at school either. It was a vicious circle. He swallowed dryly and opened his eyes, staring straight at the wooden board of the desk.

He jolted up in his seat as he heard a sudden loud knock on his door. The knocks were followed by his mother's voice. "Ciccio, dear! Are you in there?" "Sí, mama…" he answered, blinking a few times to force the burning tears back. "Good," she said with a released sigh. "Your Guido is here," a small chuckle followed the sentence and Ciccio sighed. That's how his mother would announce Guido ever since they started dating. "Ok." Soon, she opened the door and let Guido in. With a warm smile, she closed the door again.

"Hey, amorino," Guido said gently and kissed the top of Ciccio's head. Ciccio quickly stood up and followed Guido to sit on the bed. That was Guido's favourite place to sit, Ciccio on the bed and Guido on the floor. Ciccio tried to say something lighthearted, getting a light conversation started, but he couldn't. Quickly, Guido watched on. He'd always been very smart. "Ciccio. There's something wrong, isn't there?" he asked, immediately standing up and sitting next to his boyfriend. Ciccio shook his head but couldn't meet Guido's eyes. "Ciccio…" Guido took a breath and started over. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. But it might make you feel better." Ciccio nodded slowly and breathed heavily. Guido would understand. Suddenly, he felt an overwhelming urge to tell Guido. But he didn't open his mouth, and he didn't look at Guido. "I've noticed that you've been… feeling worse lately." Guido continued, wanting to fill the silence and make Ciccio feel a little more comfortable with him around.

"That's… true," Ciccio admitted and immediately shut his mouth again. His voice was way too shaky for his liking and he didn't want to start crying. "Is physical touch ok right now?" Guido asked and as soon as Ciccio nodded, he placed his hand on Ciccio's back. Ciccio blinked and tried again to look at Guido, but he couldn't. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked gently, bending down and trying to look Ciccio in the eyes. Ciccio hummed quickly as a response and Guido smiled. "Great. Then take your time. I'll be here as soon as you feel ready." Guido smiled and straightened up. Ciccio swallowed again, thinking over the words. "I'm sorry," he started and winched. He hated when Guido apologised for things he didn't need to apologise for, and now he was doing exactly that. "… for being so distant with you. There are some things… going on in school." Guido thought back to school. In two days, they would both be going back to school. Sorting thoughts out as soon as possible would be quite important, no matter what happened to Ciccio. He just wished he could spend more time with Ciccio, but they were in parallel classes.

Guido stayed quiet, wanting Ciccio to talk. He knew he didn't like it when people asked him questions when he was feeling down. "There are a few people in my class that's been picking on me… for a while." He felt tears burn in the corners of his eyes and he tried to blink them away. Guido hummed, showing Ciccio that he was listening and wanting him to continue. "They keep calling me some… nasty stuff. Primarily "ugly fatty" and things like that." He could hear Guido draw a sharp breath. In the new silence, a few tears dropped down on his knees. The silence continued. Guido wanted to hear the whole story. "And I've-" The tears clogged up his throat. He couldn't continue and admit to not eating nearly enough. Instead of continuing the sentence, he finally let the tears roll down. After so many days, it felt nice to finally allow himself to cry. Guido removed his hand from Ciccio's back at the speed of light as he saw Ciccio move slightly closer to him. Ciccio wrapped his arms around Guido's torso and rested his forehead against Guido's shoulder. "It's ok to cry. I'm here for you," Guido said gently in Ciccio's ear as he hugged him back. It didn't need to be long to be comforting. "I've been-" Ciccio tried again, taking a shaky breath. His voice broke as soon as he started talking, and he hated that. Clearing his voice, he tried for the final time.

"I've been eating… less. Because of that." He forced out and he could feel Guido hold him tighter. "Oh, Ciccio," he ispered. He knew it took a lot of courage for Ciccio to be so honest with him. "They are wrong. They are so wrong and I think you know it deep down." Ciccio, now done explaining the situation, let himself quietly cry into Guido's shoulder. "They don't know what they're talking about. Their words are only out to hurt you. There's no truth behind them." Guido squeezed a little tighter and Ciccio winced. "What?" Guido asked, quickly letting go. Ciccio hesitantly let go of Guido as well to slightly pull his shirt up, revealing a green bruise the size of a fist on his side above his hip. Guido gasped and covered his mouth as his eyes fell on it. "Did… did they do that?" he asked behind his hand. Hesitantly and still with tears falling down his face, Ciccio nodded again. Guido's eyebrows furrowed and he closed his eyes. He took a few deep breaths before opening his eyes again "First thing's first," he said decisively and placed his hands on Ciccio's shoulders. Dragging him closer, he embraced his boyfriend once more. "Do you want to cry some more or do you want to do something else about it?" Ciccio cleared his throat again and answered. "Let's- let's do something else," he said, but the tears didn't stop. Guido hummed. "Right. If that's what you want." Guido took another deep breath.

"What we are going to do is as follows. We will go downstairs and talk to your parents." Ciccio flinched back and tried to shake his head. "I'm sorry, but it's important. I know it feels really scary to talk to them. Though, I'm confident in that they can help." Hesitantly, Ciccio nodded for Guido to continue. "After we've done that, you and I will eat a proper dinner, and since it's Friday, we'll watch a movie with some chips as well." Ciccio looked hesitant once more. Eating was the last thing he wanted to do right now, but he knew Guido was right. "And as soon as we come back to school, we will talk to the principal and we'll give those bullies a piece of our mind." Ciccio chuckled quietly. "Preferably without violence," Guido finished and smiled at Ciccio. Ciccio wiped away tears with the back of his hand and cleared his throat one final time, hoping that his voice would hold but not caring too much if it didn't. "Right. Let's go downstairs." he said, and added much more quietly: "I'm starving…" Guido stood up as well, taking Ciccio's outstretched hand. "Me too."

Talking to Ciccio's parents was hard, but they managed in the end. It took a little encouragement, but Ciccio had a whole meal. Guido wanted to stay with Ciccio for as long as possible, so he got to sleep over until Monday morning when they got ready for school together.

"What bunch of bologna. The principal isn't in until after lunch today." Guido announced to Ciccio as he stepped out of the teachers's office. Ciccio swallowed and glanced down the hall. Recess wasn't over yet and class hadn't started. "Guido…" he whispered. Guido stepped closer and placed a hand around Ciccio's shoulders. "I won't leave you. We should be happy it's only Monday." Ciccio smiled uncertainly and raised his eyebrows. "Why?" "Because our recesses align on Mondays," Guido said, smiling wider. The class would start soon and Guido promised to come find him as soon as possible. The school had a strict policy about being inside turning recess, so they were going to have to go outside at some point.

They sat behind a large stone. Ciccio had never avoided the bullies with someone before. It was a nice change of pace. But it didn't take long for the bullies to find him again. Guido stood up as soon as he saw their scowling faces. "Hey, fat ass. Who's your friend?" the leader said snarkily, looking straight through Guido at Ciccio. Ciccio looked away, his face a stone mast as to not show what he was actually feeling. Guido had no problem showing the bullies what he felt, however. "I'm surprised you don't recognise me. Though, I can't say I know who you are. Of course, I don't pay attention to slimy cowards." he growled and clenched his fists. The bully continued to ignore him, though his eyes showed a smidge of hurt for a split second. Instead, he continued to stare at Ciccio. "Wow. You're a fatso and a fagot. Who'd have thought?" he continued. With a snap of his fingers, the other bullies pushed Ciccio into the wall and held him stuck. Guido spun around and felt a stabbing regret. He saw the bullies, falling into the same trap as he and Ciccio did with Ercole. And he remembered what he and Ciccio had done to Luca and Alberto. This time, the roles had switched. But not much else. What Luca and Alberto didn't have that time was someone who could stand up for them. But Ciccio had someone. The leader of the bullies turned his hand into a fist and prepared to swing. But before he could, Guido took his wrist and stopped him from following through. "Don't."

"Or what?" the leader asked, finally acknowledging Guido's presence. "Or, I'm not so sorry to say, someone's gonna end up with a broken nose. And it isn't him," he said with a quick head gesture to Ciccio. The bully raised his head slightly, sticking his nose in the air. "You know what, I do recognise you," he said to Guido, keeping his fist in the air, still in the middle of a punch. "You're that scrawny dude that had a panic attack a few weeks ago." Guido's stance didn't waves as he stared the bully in the eyes. "And you are the cunt who's been messin' with my friend. So step. Back." Guido demanded. If he punished the bully now, it would start a fistfight. A fistfight he would lose. If he let go, the bully would continue hurting Ciccio. There was no winning in this situation. His eyes flicked to Ciccio. He met Ciccio's wide-open eyes and thin mouth. That mask rarely let any emotion through at all. But it did this time. He looked around, not changing his position. Ciccio didn't fight against being held back any more and the bully's stance was quite relaxed. He knew Guido didn't plan to let go. So Guido simply changed the plan.

He put on a face of defeat, letting the bully think that he'd won. But just as he was about to let go of the bully's wrist, he turned and swiped his leg instead. A wave of surprise hit his face as he fell to the ground. His head knocked against the hard ground and stared at the sky while Guido continued. It only took a few seconds for him to pry Ciccio loose from the other bullies and step backwards, Ciccio behind him with a frowning face and clenched fists. The other bullies rushed to help their leader up again and soon they were standing face to face once more. "Want to go again, you ugly bottom feeder?" he asked lowly, stretching a protective arm over Ciccio where he stood beside him. The bully scrunched up his nose as he looked at them. "What a sight. The scrawny fag and the fat coward." "Do you want to go again?" Guido asked again, hearing Ciccio square up beside him. A few seconds of silence spread out between them and the bell rang, startling the bullies. Guido turned to Ciccio with a smile. "Come on. These stinking slugs don't deserve a second more of our time."

As he walked back next to Ciccio, he reflected on their encounter. He barely knew Ercole, even after 6 years. And, self-centred as he was, he rarely talked about how he had it at home. Most likely, these bullies were just like Ercole. Afraid of new things and being brought up to despise anything different. At least that was one possibility. There were many more, but that didn't make what the bullies had done alright. He would not leave Ciccio, and they would have a big talk with the principal once he got there, but that will be later. This was now. And now, he and Ciccio had won. It might take time for Ciccio to start eating as normal, and Guido would make sure he talked to someone who would help, make it easier for Ciccio. But that would be later. This was now.

GuidoxCiccio fanficton Chapter 11

The final chapter! I am quite proud of myself for coming this far and actually publishing it, even if it's just on Tumblr and Ao3.

Almost a year later

Guido made his way down the stairs, taking two steps at a time, and leaned into the kitchen. 

“Mamá, I’m leaving now,” he announced. Elena shoved him a cookie and grabbed his shoulders. She smiled warmly as he took a bite out of the cookie. It was sweet with small chocolate bits inside. As he nodded to her, a silent thank you, she pulled him closer and hugged him. 

“Have fun, ragazzo,” she said to him before letting go. 

"Take one for Ciccio too,” she handed him another cookie and a kiss on the forehead before gently shoving him toward the exit. Guido nodded again and went out the door. The walk to Ciccio’s house wasn’t far, but he ran either way. 

The blue door in front of Guido opened and Ciccio looked at him before pulling him into the doorway and embracing him as he looked into Guido’s eyes. 

“I’ve missed you,” he said softly. Guido agreed and handed Ciccio the homemade cookie.

“Elena made this for you,” he whispered as Ciccio took it. Ciccio looked it over a little before taking it inside.

“I think I’ll have it later,” he announced and walked outside with Guido next to him. 

“Do you know about today’s plans?” he asked and Ciccio gestured for them to start walking.

“Not much. I think she has something planned.” Guido hesitated for a moment before brushing his hand against Ciccio's. In return, Ciccio grabbed and held onto Guido’s hand as they continued walking. Reaching the town square didn’t take longer than five minutes and soon they found themselves knocking on the wooden door leading into Giulia’s backyard. 

Ciccio knocked on it with his free hand, and Giulia immediately opened it. 

“Ragazzi! Come in!” jumping backwards, she placed her arm around Luca’s shoulder. Alberto raised his hand and greeted them as well. Luca smiled. The two boys stepped inside and Guido closed the door behind them. Giulia couldn't hold in her excitement any longer as she started talking. 

She excitedly clapped her hands, catching their attention. Firstly, she decided to catch Alberto, Ciccio, and Guido up on what had happened during their school years. After all, they hadn’t had much time to catch up yet. Luca and Alberto had their date week first, to spend a little extra time with each other before they could start thinking about school and new things again. 

Alberto listened intrigued by Giulia talking. Luca chimed in with details when she missed something. Guido rested his chin on the top of Ciccio’s head, giving the younger people of the group a moment. It usually didn’t take more than five minutes to catch up anyway. Ciccio squeezed Guido’s hand a little tighter, leaning into his boyfriend. In response, Guido turns his head a little to lean his cheek against Ciccios head instead. Giulia stopped to breathe heavily, a sign that she was done with the rant. As she looked over to Guido and Ciccio, she jerked back with a fake disgusted face and a theatrical “Eww!” Guido couldn’t help but snicker at the reaction. 

“Do that at home!” she continued, playfully pointing at them. 

“Didn’t you start dating a year ago?” Luca asked, holding back a laugh. Ciccio shrugged.

“Almost a year. Not a year yet,” he informed. 

“One would think you would grow out of the “new love” phase by now,” Giulia laughed, stopping her theatrical play. 

“No. We just really like each other,” Ciccio insisted with a grin. “Isn’t that right, amorino?”

“Ovviamente, tesoro mio,” Guido replied. Giulia let out a joyful laugh.

“Get your lovey-dovey feelings away from me!”

“Ok, so. My plan for today, Ragazzi!” she prepared, catching their attention once again. “I would like to do a little experiment. But for this experiment to work, we are going to need to split up the group for today.”

“Are you not going to tell us about the experiment?” Luca asked carefully, keeping an eye on Alberto for his reaction. Alberto didn’t seem super happy about it either. 

“No. You’ll see.” With a devious grin, she grabbed Luca’s and Guido’s arms. 

“Wha-” Guido breathed as he was forced to let go of Ciccio. Quickly, Ciccio reached out, trying to grab Guido back. 

“Nu-uh.” Giulia teased. Ciccio hesitantly pulled his hand back and glanced at Alberto. “Splitting up. And no reuniting until this evening!” Alberto dragged his feet as he and Ciccio left the rest of the group. For Guido, the rest of the day went by in a blur. Since it was a full-day thing, Giulia gave Ciccio money for him and Alberto to eat out in the town. Guido just couldn’t understand, if they needed to split up, why couldn’t he and Ciccio be together?

The rest of the day went by painfully slowly. Sure, he had fun, but it was mostly spent wondering what the purpose of the day and Giulia’s plans were. He’d gotten used to being around the rest of the underdogs more frequently than before. But the evening drew nearer and he found himself missing Ciccio even more. Ciccio had been on a fishing trip with his dad and then done some other things as well, so he’d been busy the past few days too. It’s not like Guido hadn’t had things to do. But they couldn’t really be together in school. They weren't even in the same class. Ciccio was in a parallel class to Guido, and they rarely had time. Since their school was a bit outside Porto Rosso, their classmates were not as quick to accept sea people, so they didn’t want to risk it by being out in school either. At least they could go home together, in the company of their classmates. Guido shook his head, trying to clear his mind and placed a flower crown back on his head. Luca had the idea of making one each. 

“Hey, Ragazzi!” Giulia called to him and Luca after checking outside the window. Luca’s head perked up as he looked over at her. Guido kept his head down in his hands, sitting on the floor. 

Alberto and Ciccio got pushed out of the door. They heard how Giulia took the other two inside. 

“What… should we do?” Alberto asked slowly. Ciccio shrugged. 

“I guess something,” he answered. “At least a few things. It has to take a whole day after all.” Alberto hummed and started walking to the right. Ciccio followed after. If Alberto had an idea, it would do. They walked slowly along the outskirts of the town. Alberto abruptly stopped and leaned his back against a wall. Ciccio stopped as he stood with his hands still in his pockets. Alberto breathed for a minute before he went extremely quiet. Ciccio squinted into a little dark sideroad. Something was approaching. After a few quiet seconds, the person steps into the light. 

“Ercole,” Ciccio grumbled and Alberto shot himself up from the wall before he could be pressed to it. Ercolle laughed that annoying laugh. 

“You’ve changed, little fish,” Ercole said to Alberto who growled lowly at him. 

“And Ciccio,” he said with a cruel grin and turned to the other boy. “Where’s your little crying boyfriend? Too scared to come with you?” As he talked, he walked closer to Ciccio to the point where he tried to tower over him. It’d make him seem more threatening in the past, now it just made him seem more like a huge jerk. 

“Ercole. Step. Back.” Ciccio demanded and clenched his fists. Ercole didn’t flinch. 

“If you punch me now, I will report you to the police for assault.” He grinned cruelly and Ciccio reluctantly shoved his hands further into his pockets. Ercole pushed Ciccio further to the wall, next to Alberto.

Alberto stayed quiet, his teeth gritted. If he had some water, he could be in sea monster form and bite Ercole’s leg off. They stayed quiet. Sooner or later, Ercole would leave. At least, they hoped he would. Ercole laughed again, and Ciccio prepared himself for the most foul language he’d hear all year. 

“You small rodents. I would have expected more from you.” He snarled, and Ciccio stopped snarling. It felt like mimicking Ercole, and he was done repeating after Ercole. 

“But maybe I overestimated you.” Ciccio allowed himself to take a breath. Maybe Ercole wasn’t going to curse today. 

“I’m still a little surprised though,” Ercole continued. Alberto sighed, not liking the way this was going.

“Where’s the other gays?” Ciccio’s brows furrowed and stared at Ercole. 

“Let me tell you something, Ciccio.” With a huff, Ciccio turned his head slightly up. 

“Guido. Your little bastard boyfriend might not be as precious as you think.” He saw a little twitch in Ciccio’s face and he continued. 

“You know, I saw him hiding from you.” Ciccio finally took some air into his lounge and answered. 

“You have no idea why he’d be “hiding”. There’s a multitude of reasons why he’d want to leave for a while, and if he feels like he needs to, I will support him until he feels ready to talk about it.” Ercole frowned at the reaction. 

“Of course, you wanted to defend your little…” he stopped. Alberto glanced at Ciccio, and Ciccio glanced back at Albert. It wasn’t like Ercole to forget his words. The bully breathed heavily and continued. A slur hit their ears and Alberto tried to back away into the wall. Ciccio closed his eyes for a moment before lifting his hands out of his pockets. His knuckles grew pale from the energy it took to not swing straight at Ercole’s nose. 

“Ercole Visconti,” a voice came from behind the bully who flipped around. Ready to bully whoever caught his attention. His expression fell and he tried to step back and stepped into Ciccio. 

“I am placing out under arrest for verbal assault, disturbing the peace and a previous account of attempted murder,” the policewoman continued. Alberto and Ciccio moved to the side as she roughly grabbed Ercole’s wrists and forced them behind his back. All three of them knew Ercole would try to escape, and they were all ready to chase after them if that happened. 

“You can’t do this to me!” Ercole shouted and struggled in his cuffs. 

“Yes, I can. I just couldn’t get you for the attempted murder charge immediately. And I can’t really just come to your home and arrest you without a warrant. The other people at the police station thought you couldn’t do any more harm. I’m glad to prove them otherwise.” Alberto cleared his throat. 

“Can we leave now?” he asked. She looked at him and Ciccio. A little wrinkle on her nose appeared when she realised who the other one she happened to save from Ercole’s wrath, but it disappeared quickly. 

“If you could come into the station and give your statement, it would be easier for us. We’ll let you continue with your day.” Ercole breathed out. “Not you!” she said and yanked the cuffs again. She gestured for the other boys to follow her. 

Ciccio wrote his statement down on a piece of paper. At least the day was coming closer to the end and they could go back to Giuia’s house. He wondered what Guido would be doing now. He blinked at the paper. He was almost done and they could finally leave. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be called into court but it might be possible. At least they would put Ercolly to justice. Alberto snapped his fingers in front of Ciccio’s face and Ciccio jolted up.

“Hey! Are you done? I’d like to leave, please,” he asked and Ciccio hurried to scribble down the last part of his statement. 

“Yes. Let’s go.” 

“Good. ‘Cause I’m starving.”

“It’s almost time for Alberto and Ciccio to come back. We should go outside and meet them.” Giulia called. Luca sprung up immediately, and Guido followed close by as the younger two skipped down the stairs. It felt quiet without Alberto’s usual talking as they stood around the tree trunk. Luca moved closer to Giulia and whispered to her. Guido didn’t want to listen in on their conversation, so he moved a few short steps in the other direction and stared up at the house wall. 

“Giulia. Per favore, tell me what your little experiment is about,” Luca asked. She chuckled at him and sighed. 

“Fine. I wanted to prove to Alberto that he’s a lot more clingy than he will admit,” Giulia whispered back and Luca nodded. He knew how quick Alberto was at denying things. 

“But why drag Guido and Ciccio into this?” he continued, keeping his voice hushed and glancing at the older boy standing a few meters away. 

“Because it would be fun to see how they react to the experiment as well. You know how close they are.” Luca nodded again. 

A loud knock came from the wooden door. Guido’s head jerked towards the door as Giulia skipped to it and opened it with a wide grin. 

“Ciao ragazzi! We’ve been waiting for you,” she said lightly and behind her, Guido could feel a small hint of excitement rising. Giulia bounced to the side, letting the two boys step through the doorway. Alberto was taking up the door frame and as soon as he saw Luca, he dashed towards him. 

“Luca!” Luca took his hands and smiled calmly at him. 

“We’ve been apart for less than a day, Alberto,” Luca reminded him, keeping his boyfriend at arm's length. 

“Still!” Alberto argued. Giulia stood to the side, next to Guido and observed the scene unfold. 

“Well… that proves that,” she said, pointing at Luca and Ablerto with a smile. Guido glanced over at the open door. Ciccio stood in the doorframe, not being able to tear his eyes from him. 

“Ciccio? Are you ok?” Guido asked gently, taking a step towards the boy. Ciccio nodded carefully, standing completely still. Giulia glanced over at Ciccio for a split second before turning her attention back to Luca and Alberto. He rushed to Guido and wrapped his arm around him. 

“Ciccio?” Guido asked again, suddenly being lifted a decimeter from the ground. Ciccio nuzzled his face into Guido’s neck.

“God, I’ve missed you, Guido,” his voice muffled. 

“What? We’ve been apart for less than one day,” Guido argued back, gently wiggling his toes off the ground. 

“I’ve missed you for way longer. We haven’t had time to be together properly in so long.” Ciccio gently kissed Guido’s neck as he stopped talking. 

“If you say so,” Guido laughed, burying his face in Ciccio’s hair. 

“And by the way, Guido,” Ciccio mumbled. Guido hummed in response. 

“Sei cosí bello con quella corona di fiori.”

Guido chuckled again, trying to move his hands before realising they were helped close to his body by Ciccio’s arms. 

“If you say so, amorino,” Guido replied, keeping his face in Ciccio’s soft hair. 

“I… I love you so much, fiorellino mio,” he said, slowly letting go of Guido and gently placing him back on the ground. He’d decided that now wasn’t the time to tell the rest about Ercole, and Alberto seemed to have that thought as well. Guido bent down slightly as they placed their foreheads together, looked into each other’s eyes and smiled. 

“Aww…” Giulia uttered and Guido’s eyes widened. 

“It’s ok, Guido,” Ciccio said quietly as he stood up and faced the rest of the group. 

“You boys are absolutely adorable,” Giulia insisted as Ciccio slid his hand into Guido’s, who tightened the grip immediately. Ciccio could hint at Guido tapping on the side of his leg.

“Guido, stai arrossendo,” Ciccio whispered to him, who covered his mouth with the back of his free hand. 

“Sí, I am. And if you’re to be believed, that is also ok.” Guido smiled behind his hand, staring at the ground. 

“Exactly,” Ciccio mumbled, which made Guido blush harder. A flash came from the rest of the group, and Guido and Ciccio looked up at them. 

Giulia stood with Luca and Alberto next to her, all three of them smiling widely at the two boys. In her hands was a bulky dark box. A camera. 

“Giulia!” Ciccio gasped, certainly not expecting that. Giulia smiled guiltily as a little picture got printed out on the side of the camera. 

“I forgot you guys weren’t prepared. I probably should have told Guido about my plan…” she sighed, handing the camera and the newly printed picture to Luca. 

“Well. Too late now!” she dismissed and grinned wider at the now red-faced boys. They stood stunned, looking back and forth between the rest of the group. 

“Can we at least see the picture?” Guido managed to stutter out, Ciccio slowly nodding along. However embarrassing it might be, the photo was already taken and it might look kind of cure.

I hope you liked this fic as much as I enjoyed writing it. It was definitely fun and I love reading your comments. Thank you for reading!

GuidoxCiccio fanfiction Chapter 10

Personally, I really like this chapter. Though it might have taken me a while to edit it, and so it's released a little later than normal.

A few days later.

Guido placed his weight on his elbow as he leaned over his plate. The dining room walls were covered with sun-bleached yellow wallpaper and a handful of potted plants. Across from him, Ciccio had just finished his food. Frederico and Elena looked at each other over the table, Elena edging Frederico to do something about their son and Frederico meaning there was no harm. Ciccio looked up at Guido and snickered. 

"Guido... you're staring," He mumbled with a smile playing on his lips. 

"Is it a problem?" Guido asked seriously, removing his elbows from the table and blinking emediatly. 

"No. No problem," Ciccio insisted, picking up his plate, standing up and cutlery to place them next to the sink. Guido turned to his dad, a light shining in his eyes. 

"Papá. Can Ciccio sleep over tonight?" 

Elena's face went pale as Frederico smiled warmly at his son. Guido glanced at his mother as well. She looked seconds away from spitting or choking on her drink. 

"If it's ok with his parents as well, then sí. He can." Elena swallowed her drink before choking on it and stared wide-eyed at Frederico. Overjoyed, Guido turned to Ciccio with a grin. 

"I think it should work," Ciccio replied. He asked if he could call and ask and as Frederico nodded at him, he did. Ciccio's mom answered the phone and very quickly agreed to the request. She later said that his dad would be coming by with Ciccio's night things in a few minutes. 

Upstairs, Elena placed spare matres on Guido's floor. Ciccio's father, a tall man with brown alert eyes and curly dark hair, dropped off Ciccio's clothes, toothbrush and other things he might need. It was a warm evening, and Guido's parents went to bed early after dinner. Ciccio spread out his blanket over the spare mattress and brushed his teeth. Guido was already done, sitting cross-legged on his bed. They talked like that, neither of them caring where the conversation went until Guido mentioned leaving through his bedroom window. 

"Guido, that's dangerous!" Ciccio said behind the toothpaste. Guido shrugged and grinned back insecurely. Ciccio rushed to spit out the toothpaste, not wanting to leave the conversation for too long.

"I know..." Guido said when Ciccio came back. "But it's a lot more useful than risking waking up my parents to go outside." Ciccio stuttered, gesturing with his hands while trying to choose what question to ask first. 

"How?" he decided and mentally licked his leg. One of the most unnecessary questions to ask. Guido walked over to the window, opened it and pointed to the outside of the house wall. 

"Just... climb," he tried. Ciccio walked over as well and looked out the window to see where Guido pointed. There were a few dents in the wall, barely big enough to balance on properly. 

"Wha-" Ciccio hesitated and started over. "Guido-" he breathed, running a hand through his hair while gesturing to the dents. 

"I know it's dangerous, but you kind of learn how to do it after a few tries," Guido explained, showing with his hand how he had made it as secure as possible. 

"Can you... show me?" Ciccio asked at a loss, keeping his hand tangled in his hair. Guido flashed him a quick nervous beam as he heaved himself up on the window sill and out the window. Ciccio watched in horrified amazement as Guido climbed down the wall and landed on the grass less than a minute later. 

"How do you get back up again?" Ciccio whispered down to his boyfriend, who nodded and stepped up the living room windowsill and jumped to catch himself on one of the dents in the wall, leaving his legs without anything to place his weight on. As he shakily pulled himself up, he heaved his legs over the windowsill and back into his bedroom. 

"How... how are you not stronger?" Ciccio almost stuttered while he watched Guido close the window again. 

"I mean, I don't do this all that often..." Guido smiled at the other boy's shocked expression. 

"Don't you remember when we pulled Alberto away from Luca?"

"That was a year ago."

"He was and is pretty strong, plus he was putting up a fight."

"He was 14!" Ciccio argued, casting glances at the window, now securely closed. Guido chuckled at his reaction before breathing in sharply. 

"How did it feel when we did that? Or when we threw Ercole in the fountain?" Guido asked, amused and raising his eyebrows. 

"I don't know. Easy?"

"But you thought you were doing all the work?" 

"I just thought Alberto wasn't all that strong and Ercole didn't weigh much!" Ciccio watched as Guido sit down on his bed. 

"You're being in denial, dear," Guido said softly and Ciccio gave up. 

"I suppose you're right," he said finally, sitting down on his mattress. The smile at Guido didn’t waver as he crawled underneath his blanket. 

"Good night," Guido whispered hesitantly as he stood up and turned off the lights. With a sigh, he laid down in his bed, fiddling with his pyjama pants with one hand and the hem of his t-shirt with the other. He didn't feel like being underneath the covers. It would have been too warm anyway. So instead he stared at the roof, which suddenly felt so empty. And he tried to play dead like he usually would. But listening to Ciccio's slow breaths and glancing over at the floor, seeing Ciccio's relaxed face… It was a bit too much to not think about. 

—

Ciccio woke up and it was dark outside. Guido had rolled over to the side and he looked down at him. 

"Amorino? What are you doing?" Ciccio asked, his voice raspy from just waking up. Guido sighed and pulled his arms closer to his chest. 

"I couldn't sleep." 

"How much is the clock?" Ciccio asked. Guido blinked slowly, realising how much he wanted to listen to that newly-awoken voice for longer. It made his heart ache and he pushed his arms closer to himself. 

"Two maybe," Guido answered. His eyes were half closed as he pretended to be sleepy. Ciccio hummed. With the silent noise of the house during the night, they looked at each other in the moonlight that shone through the window. 

He relaxed his arm slightly and it fell off the edge of the bed. Ciccio smiled to himself and reached up to grab it. Their fingers intertwined and a slow blush rose to Guido’s cheeks. 

"I can see why you'd want to escape through the window now," Ciccio laughed quietly and Guido nodded with a weak grin, barely being able to think of a response as he listened to Ciccio's hoarse voice. 

"Yeah," he managed. A twitch ran through Guido, like an impulse to stand up and simply walk out the window. 

"But I think you should sleep now," Ciccio said, lifting Guido's hand and placing it back on the edge of the bed. Guido groaned in response and pulled his arm back. 

"Try to go to sleep at least," Ciccio said gently, his voice still raspy, but less so. 

"I can't guarantee it," Guido mumbled, not breaking eye contact. He did feel more secure during the night though since there was barely any light in the room anyway. Ciccio pondered it for a while before standing up on the mattress. 

"So, Amorino," he started. Guido sat up in his bed in response. 

"We have two choices here. Either you just stay still and wait to fall asleep, and only god knows how long that would take," he continued, his voice neither harsh nor judgemental. "Or... you could just snuggle up to me," he offered. Guido must have stopped breathing for a while because Ciccio bent down to check if he was doing ok. 

He managed to take a shaky breath. That was not what he'd expected Ciccio to say. It would probably work though. 

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Ciccio hurried to say, placing a hand on Guido's shoulder. Guido swallowed. 

"No. I want to," he insisted and scooted toward the edge of the bed. Now it was Ciccio's turn to look surprised in the moonlight. 

"On the floor?" he asked, gesturing to the mattress he'd been sleeping on. Guido nodded. "Yeah. I'd rather that over my own bed any night."

Ciccio hummed and stepped back slightly, making room for Guido to stand up as well. 

"I just don't like how my bed feels sometimes," Guido clarified as he slowly laid down on the mattress. Ciccio laid down next to him, not quite sure what to do. He'd most likely offered it as a joke. However, he wouldn't back out. It wasn't like he didn't want to. 

"I don't know what to do..." Guido mumbled, not being able to break eye contact. Ciccio hummed, something he tended to do a lot more when he was tired. 

"You don't have to know," Ciccio whispered. Guido looked back. Ciccio… whose face shone in the moonlight and whose eyes and voice were so gentle it was unbelievable that he used to be the henchman of the town's bully. Guido found himself gently pushing his face into Ciccio's neck, smiling as Ciccio's arms wrapped around him. The bed smelled like Ciccio, and it was a lot more comfortable than his own bed. His bed was always so scratchy and cold but Ciccio's mattress on the floor felt warm and safe. 

He fell asleep like that, close to Ciccio, the blanket reaching up to his hip while covering Ciccio's whole body. Ciccio's chin rested atop Guido's head, keeping Guido close. In his sleep, Guido turned to face the other way and Ciccio let go for a split second, letting Guido move. And as he was done, Ciccio placed his arms back around him. 

—

Elena woke up early that morning. Frederico was still groggy next to her on the bed. She walked down the stairs to prepare breakfast before realising that she had another mouth to feed that morning. Guido tended to be awake pretty early, so it would only be logical for Ciccio to be dragged along too. That is why she didn't bother to keep quiet when walking up the stairs and knocking on the door. Opening the door, she stepped into a room where the morning sun shone through the window and her son's bed was empty. She gasped. It had only happened once or twice before that he'd stayed outside until sunrise. Elena was on her way to step further inside the room when her foot touched the mattress on the floor. She'd completely forgotten about that. 

It looked like Guido had fallen out of his bed and onto Ciccio's mattress. She tried to gasp again, but she already had more than enough air in her lungs. She slowly stepped backwards, closing the door and almost tripping over Frederico. 

"Did- did you see that?" she asked. 

"Yes," Frederico whispered, nodding towards the now-closed bedroom door. 

"It's... unacceptable," she tried hesitantly. Frederico raised his eyebrows. 

"How did Guido look?" he asked. Elena went quiet, thinking back she couldn't remember the look on her son's face. Frederico gestured to the door, edging her to open it again. And she did, reluctantly. 

The sun continued to rise slowly and shone further into the room. 

"He's- he's the little spoon," she complained, pointing to Guido. 

"Yes, but how does he look?" Frederico repeated and she forced herself to look down again. 

"He looks..." she tried to find a word that wasn’t the first word that came to mind. "... happy," she sighed.

"And you want to take that away from him," Frederico mumbled, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Does that seem fair to you?" 

"... No." Guido felt the sun brush across his face and he groaned, shutting his eyes tighter. This caused Ciccio to tighten his grip slightly.  

"Now. If you can change your mind about sea monsters, you can change your mind about them," Frederico insisted, squeezing his wife's shoulder and slowly dragging her along down the stairs. 

"Come on, it's time for breakfast. We'll let them sleep."

As I've said before. This was originally supposed to be only 10 chapters. However, I got some new ideas, so it'll be 11 chapters instead. Yay!

GuidoxCiccio fanfiction Chapter 9

Time for the race! Honestly, I spun a wheel to decide who was going to win, but I'm not going to spoil it now. You'll just have to read and find out.

The same day.

The ocean was empty of boats as people gathered around the start line. Guido lined up alongside the rest of them. He looked around nervously at the other contestants. Around them were the contestant's families and the other people in the teams, cheering them on and waiting for their turn. He did feel a bit lonely. At least before, he was the one who waited and cheered Ciccio on. That was easier. Frederico couldn't make it to the start, but he'd promised to be there to receive him at the end. 

However, he wasn't all alone. Of course, he wasn’t. Ciccio stood a little off to the side, grinning at him when Guido looked his way. 

"You got this," he mouthed at Guido as siñora Marsigliese counted down and rang her bell. Pebbles scattered from beneath their feet as they sprinted into the ocean. Water washed over their ankles, their arms and their faces as they dived. Guido took a deep breath before dunking his head into the calm blue waves. The remaining lengths to swim felt like a blur. The bottom of the ocean sunk further away as he kept himself close to the surface. He knew he wasn't the world's most experienced swimmer, but at least he was fast enough. 

Giulia rose from the water and threw her swimming goggles off to the side as she ran up to Alberto and sent him off to start eating. Guido stumbled up a few seconds after, nodded to Ciccio to start, and hurried off to change into dry clothes. The pasta had been changed to lasagne, and Ciccio grabbed the fork. It was a bit boring when it was just plain pasta, no sauce or vegetables, but this wasn't an average lunch. This was the race. Guido slipped up behind him to patiently wait until he was finished. To their side, Alberto was having a bit of trouble, not getting as much pasta on his fork as he would have wanted. 

"Done," Ciccio breathed and swallowed, giving Guido a high five and letting him get on the bicycle. Guido jumped upon the bicycle and started the ride. He heard Luca starting a few meters behind him. Luca was statistically faster than him, but he believed he had a slight advantage. He was older, for one, and he had stronger legs. Maybe that would be enough. His bicycle whined uncomfortably as he trampled on, not taking the small cup of water offered to him. As he made his way further up the hill, he realized he had a disadvantage as well. He had been swimming. Luca hadn't. But Luca was still behind him, not taking the race as seriously as last time. 

He breathed heavily as he looked down from the tip of Mount Portorosso. Guido's legs felt weak and tired. He had to continue though, down at the bottom Frederico and Ciccio were waiting for him. And Luca grew closer. The wind slapped him across the face as he began his descent. The wheels of the bike squeaked as they tumbled down the stone path. Turning his head, he quickly peeked behind him and saw Luca's determined face.

"Ah," he breathed as he sped up.

Calculating advantages and disadvantages made him feel a little bit dizzy. That, accompanied by a lack of proper breathing. He should just focus on going down, but it was hard. His breath was heavy as he did his best to speed up. Around him, people stood in doors and alleyways, cheering Luca on as they speed down the hill. Honestly, he wasn't surprised. It did motivate him though, as he channelled whatever energy he had left to keep going. He heard a huff and as he glanced over, he saw Luca coming up next to him. 

Their eyes meet and Guido was filled with a bubbling sense of competitiveness. He grinned at Luca and Luca smirked back. Their legs were already moving as fast as they could, so all they could do was try not to slow down as they neared to finish line. In a split second, the finish line came into view. He could hint at Frederico standing around, waiting in suspense. Luca's bike slid as he hit the brakes. Guido did the same and they jumped off their bikes, laughing. 

They had passed the line. The question was just who came first. The crowd was silent. Giulia was the first to speak apart from the two boys laughing. 

"Um... who won?" she asked, looking at Alberto. Alberto shrugged and nodded towards siñora Marsigliese who was speaking with one of the onlookers who stood closest to the finish line. 

"So... as far as I and the rules are concerned, the winner is..." she hesitated, glanced at the two boys standing next to their bikes, still laughing but a bit quieter.

"The- the underdogs!" she announced and the crowd cheered. Giulia and Alberto ran over to Luca and hugged him. 

Guido stood next to them, looking a bit sheepish as the the underdogs received the golden cup. He slowly moved out of the way, not wanting to drag the attention away from Luca and the rest. 

"Guido!" Frederico shouted as he came up to his son. 

"Papá," Guido smiled and accepted Frederico's hand ruffling his hair. Suddenly, Guido let out an ompf as strong arms tightly hugged him from his side. 

"You did amazing," Ciccio mumbled into Guido's neck. He could feel his face getting flushed with color. Luckily, he could blame it on the biking part. 

"Grazie," Guido answered as he placed a hand on Ciccio's back, keeping the bike standing with the other. He bent over slightly.

"Ciccio… non in pubblico," he whispered and Ciccio slowly let go. He looked back up at Frederico with an embarrassed grin. His dad just nodded approvingly. Guido appreciated how Ciccio accepted to keep their relationship at the very least silent. They didn’t need to be stared at any more than they already were, and he wasn’t sure he was quite comfortable around other people yet anyway.

"Ragazzi," Giulia called out to Guido and Ciccio. 

"Uh... yes?" Guido answered. Most of the people had packed up their stuff and gone home. Frederico had also left to tell Elena about her son's close victory. Guido learned whit his arm against Ciccio's shoulder. His legs felt like jelly, making it hard to stand. 

"Do you guys have time? There's something I'd like to discuss with you." The boys glanced at each other. Giulia was being unusually friendly. 

"Sure..."

"Great. Come with us," she demanded, guiding them to her home. 

Luca and Alberto joined them, skipping along the stones while holding the Portorosso cup. They walked through Giulia's front door, up the stairs, and into her room. When everyone was inside, she closed the door behind her. 

"So," she started. "You didn't answer Alberto's question earlier." Guido's brain had just calmed down from the rush of coming close second, and now he couldn't even remember what Alberto had asked. Ciccio did though. His face went pale, but he kept quiet. When the gears finished turning in Guido's head, he shut his mouth and straightened his back like he did when he was caught off guard.

As neither of them said a word apart from some confused stutters, Giulia gasped theatrically. 

"Santa pecorino! You are!" she shouted. Guido bit the inside of his cheek as he forced himself to not look at Ciccio. Her finger pointed straight at Guido's face. He forced himself to sound unbothered as he let out a psh sound and smacked her finger away from his face. Ciccio and Guido stood silent for a few more seconds while Giulia and Luca shared some "I knew it"'s and gave each other a high five. Guido sighed in defeat, relaxed his back, and nodded slightly. 

"We are..."

It took some time for everyone to clear their minds before Guido and Ciccio stood next to each other and observed the group. Giulia had her arms crossed in front of them. 

"I knew it," she repeated, grinning widely.

"Yeah?" Ciccio asked and swallowed. “So?”

“So. Kiss.” 

"What?" His voice cracked. Guido froze with his arms by his side. Luca tugged at Giulia's arm uncertainly. 

"Are you sure about this?" he asked her. She nodded at him, keeping her smile on her face. 

"Just… trust me. Ok?" she mumbled to him and turned her attention back to the boys in front of her. 

Guido turned towards Ciccio. He took a few breaths, balling his hands into fists and blinking quickly. 

"Would it be ok…?" he tried, trailing off and his face becoming redder. He was so aware of everything right now it seemed impossible just to focus.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” Ciccio's ears turned red. 

"If it’s what you want," Ciccio mumbled, keeping his voice as steady as he managed. "Then, sí."

Guido's heartbeat sped up. He hadn't thought further that this point. The sun shined in through the window, lighting up Ciccio's face. 

"But is it ok with you?" he insisted, not wanting to intrude on Ciccio's space. A nod. A second. A heartbeat. Guido bent down slightly while Ciccio stood on his toes. 

"I'll be honest. I didn't expect an audience," Guido mumbled with a smile. 

"Same. But it doesn't matter." Ciccio took Guido's shoulders and dragged him slightly more downwards and their lips met. The kiss itself must've lasted just a second before it broke, but Guido's head kept spinning. He'd never imagined something like this would ever happen before. 

"Are you feeling well?" Ciccio wondered, keeping Guido at his level. His voice... so soft and warm. Guido's heart melted like it'd done so many times before as he forced himself to smile. The smile was weak, and uncertain as he meet his boyfriend's eyes. 

"Eh... sí," Guido stuttered, still hyper-aware of the other people standing and watching them. 

"Yep. You guys are part of the group now," Giulia said to them as she shoved them out her front door. 

"Scusi?"

"You're practically more socially outcasted than we are at this point," she explained with a smirk as she closed the door. They glanced at each other, not quite able to comprehend what just happened. Were they... in the underdogs' group? It kind of felt like acceptance. At least for Guido. Though, he didn’t feel like he needed it.  

"I wonder what made her change her mind?" Ciccio said as they started walking. Their families had decided to eat dinner together, so they made their way toward Ciccio's house. 

"It was probably Luca," Guido offered. As they walked next to each other, the back of Ciccio's hand brushed lightly against Guido's. 

Guido went quiet. His hand took a steady hold on the edge of his shorts and he bit the inside of his cheek. 

"Guido. I can tell there's something you want to ask for," Ciccio whispered and Guido looked at his feet. 

"Would you mind..." Guido breathed and tightly shut his eyes. As he opened them again, he continued. "...holding my hand?" he asked. A chuckle came from Ciccio and Guido straightened up. 

"Sure," Ciccio said and reached out to grab Guido's hand and gently yank it away from Guido's tight grip on the edge of his pants. 

Guido sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth as he folded his fingers around Ciccio's. 

"Is this ok?" he asked Ciccio, who nodded and chuckled again. 

"That's what I'm supposed to say," Ciccio laughed, pretending to be offended. They continued walking normally, nobody else was outside at this time and so Guido could feel a little bit safer. Ciccio squeezed his boyfriend's hand as they hinted at Ciccio's front door. Guido swallowed, thinking about how Elena would react if they walked in like this. 

"It will be fine, amorino," Ciccio's voice sounded... so calm.

"I appreciate it," Guido responded and squeezed his hand back. 

"Are you ready to go in?" Ciccio asked after letting Guido breathe for a little while. Guido grinned, nodded, took a deep breath, let go of Guido's hand, and opened the door.

GuidoxCiccio fanfiction chapter 8

I apologize if the following chapters don't have the same quality or upload speed that the previous ones had. My computer is a little iffy, so I can't always use it. This basically just means that the chapters might come out a little slower. Anyway, here's chapter 8!

A few days later.

Children gathered in the town square, handing money to siñora Marsigliese sitting behind the table, like always. Giulia, Alberto, and Luca stood hyped in the line, not being able to talk enough about how easy it will be to win now that Ercole isn't going to race. Guido and Ciccio meet up at the end of the wide line of children.

"Ciccio," Guido greeted his boyfriend with a smile. The urge to finally hold his hand was stronger than ever, but he suppressed it.

"Are you ready for the race?" he asked instead, gesturing to the slowly but steadily shrinking line.

"Sí. Are you?" Ciccio replied.

"Sure. I swim, you eat and I bike, right?" Guido asked, not wanting to mess anything up. 

"Unless you want to change, yeah, that's the plan," stepping further to keep up with the line, Ciccio gestured for Guido to follow him.

"No. I'm good with that," Guido mumbled. It would feel nice to not have to do the things Ercole forced them to do. Too many uncomfortable memories. They drew close to the desk, with Giulia signing her and her friends up in front of them. 

"I guess I'm a bit nervous," Guido continued, keeping his eyes on the table where siñora Marsigliese had written the underdogs' names down in her little book. 

"Sure, we won't get a guaranteed win like we did the other five times, but it will feel a lot more honest," Ciccio offered as a try to cheer Guido up. “Besides, it was never we who won, it was him.” 

"You're right."

"Good, because it's our turn in a second," Ciccio said as he gestured to the line. There was one group left before their turn.

Siñora Marsigliese looked disapprovingly at them as they walked up to the table.

"Boys," she muttered, getting ready to scribble down their names in her book. "Team of three?" her eyes looked around them, searching for Ercole before realizing that he wasn't there. 

"No," Guido almost whispered, placing the small amount of money on her desk. "Just two."

"Oh." She hesitantly wrote down their names and took the money. "No Ercole this time?" she looked at Guido for an answer. When he shrugged, she looked to Ciccio. He raised his eyebrows at her. 

"We haven't talked much since last year," he said, silently asking if it really was that important.

Time went by so quickly, Guido felt like it barely happened at all. Sure, he and Ciccio tried to practice for the race, but not often. They practised if they felt like it, most times alone too. For Guido, practising was easier in solitude. The day sneaked up on him, just like he knew it would and as he made his way to the town square, he could see the grown-ups set up all the different stages involved in today's activity. 

Giulia sat in her room, having a wild conversation with Luca and Alberto. 

"And," she continued her conversation, "I've seen them training together. They never acted like that before." 

"Acted like what?" Luca asked, fixing his posture on the chair he was sitting on. 

"Like normal people! Not bothering anyone and… talking with other people," Giulia pressed on, gesturing with her arms. 

"What's wrong with that?" Alberto asked.

"It's not usual for them." Luca wiggled uncomfortably in his seat. Understanding where Giulia wanted to get with this conversation, he waited for her to continue. 

"I don't know. I just think something's up with them," she insisted.

"What do you want us to do then?" Alberto asked, his tone slightly bored as usual.

"I think we should ask them about it," she mumbled. "Subtly."

"I-" Luca cleared his throat. "I think Alberto should do it."

"What?" Alberto asked as if he didn’t hear him.

"Well... they are more likely to dislike us than they are to dislike you," Luca answered, pointing at Alberto as he spoke. Giulia listened from her bed, nodding along with Luca's argument. It was true though. They have had more time to warm up with Alberto around town.

"I could do that..." 

"Good," Giulia said, satisfied that she wasn't the one who had to ask them. 

Guido licked his gelato as he walked next to Ciccio, looking at the setup for the race. There wasn't any giveaway of what kind of pasta the race would include this year either. Alberto drew closer, trying to find the right moment to ask. Ciccio bumped the back of his hand against Guido's arm as he told a joke Alberto couldn't hear. Guido suppressed a laugh, glancing down at Ciccio. Alberto decided that this was the perfect time to ask… subtly. He strode up to the pair with a toothy grin. They quieted down as they acknowledged his presents, waiting to see what he was going to do. 

"Hey. Are you a couple?" Alberto asked, the most confident smile covering his entire face. Ciccio's eyes widened as he froze, glancing at Guido. Guido glared at Alberto, trying to get rid of the blush that covered his cheeks. Alberto didn't budge. Guido wanted to punch him. 

"Well?" Alberto pressed on. Guido glanced back at Ciccio. He could see the silent scream in his eyes. Guido wondered if he could make up a quick lie that was believable enough. Knowing what he knows about Alberto, creating a believable lie wouldn't be too hard. But he wasn't sure if his voice would hold. 

"Swimmers, get ready. The race will start in ten minutes!" siñora Marsigliese exclaimed and Guido sighed in relief. He was going to swim this time. Saved by siñora Marsigliese, never thought that would happen. As he scurried away, he nodded at Ciccio to follow him, saving him from Alberto's question in the process.

Were they really that obvious? They hadn't even held hands yet. 

“What did they say?” Luca asked, practically clinging to Alberto’s arm. Giulia waited for his answer, ready to rush off and change as soon as he said it.

“They didn’t say anything,” Alberto answered, leaning on Luca as well while smiling proudly. Giulia quieted down in thought as she went to put on her bathing suit. 

GuidoxCiccio fanfiction Chapter 7

It took me a while to figure out exactly how to word everything in this chapter, but in the end, I'm pretty proud of this one.

That Tuesday.

It was so quiet. The whole house felt gapingly empty while Guido made his breakfast. The other chairs around the dinner table stood alone. He already missed the usual routine with his family. Frederico had kept the spirits up to the best of his abilities before the trip. Making food wasn't hard either, Guido knew how to do it. But nobody was walking up or down the stairs, nobody listened to music and nobody walked in or out of the house. All this except for Guido. Frederico made a point to call at least once a day. He liked to make sure that Guido had eaten breakfast, and then call again after dinner. 

The boy had walked around the house in solitude during the first day, distracting himself with books or chores whenever his brain would allow him to. That is when he could break his thoughts from Ciccio long enough to figure out something else to do. After dinner on the first day, he'd already sat on every surface besides a chair in the entire house and contemplated why his brain was being so irritating for at least an hour collectively. The sun lowered itself over the town as Guido paced the floor of the living room. His fingers kept tapping on his legs as he walked, desperately trying to focus enough to remember where he left the paper with the phone number Frederico would be using during the trip. 

The ringtone rang out from the kitchen and Guido sprinted over to answer it. 

"Ciao, Ragazzo!" Frederico's voice rang metallically in Guido's ear. 

"Papá? Did something happen?" Guido asked and sat down on the counter next to the phone. 

"Not even a hello?" 

"Scusi papá. Didn't think of it," Guido replied, starting to play with the little plastic circles on the phone holder. Frederico laughed on the other end and answered Guido's question. Guido sighed into the phone while looking out at the sunset. 

“So what have you been doing today?” Frederico asked metallically through the phone. 

"I'm not sure what you want me to say. I stayed at home for the whole day," 

"Really? Not leaving at all?"

"I didn't have time." 

"What did you do the whole day then?" Frederico sounded honestly baffled. To be fair though, they didn't have time to talk that much during the other time Frederico called that day, so Guido could forgive him. 

"You know... stuff," 

"You know... nothing," Frederico corrected and Guido couldn't help but laugh. He groaned theatrically into the phone, shoving another laugh down his throat. They talked a little more, and Frederico said that Elena was “doing better”. Guido didn’t really know what that meant but he decided that it wasn’t worth it to ask. 

Frederico hung up the phone and Guido dragged himself up the stairs and into his room. He debated on going out the window, but it didn't feel right. Not when he could just walk out the door. He also didn't want to leave the house without anyone inside. Staring at the roof, he realized how empty it was without all the papers. 

"I should try and get some posters or something," he mumbled to himself and wormed into bed. Since his parents weren't home, he didn't bother to change into pyjamas, but he did brush his teeth with the toothbrush he kept by his bedside table. And while drifting off to sleep soon after, he convinced himself to invite Ciccio over tomorrow to avoid staying alone. Even if it meant dealing with those strange, not-so-new feelings. 

-------------

"You ok being alone like this?" Ciccio asked as he stepped inside. Guido smiled and nodded. 

"Oh, have you eaten?" Guido asked, gesturing toward the kitchen and offering some leftovers in case he wanted them. 

"Yes, I've eaten. You don't have to do anything."

"Good," Guido hummed and jolted as the phone rang in the kitchen. Must be Frederico, he thought. Smiling uncertainly, he wondered why Frederico hadn't called earlier as he promised. 

"Would you mind if I answered that?" He asked, again vaguely gesturing to the phone on the kitchen counter. 

"No. Go ahead." 

"Thank you."

Guido picked up the red handle, recognizing the voice immediately as his dad.

"Ragazzo! How're you doing today," Frederico asked after whispering something to someone next to him. 

"I'm good, but I kind of have a guest over right now..." Guido mumbled and decided against sitting on the table. Frederico snickered on the other side. In the corner of his eye, he saw Ciccio enter the kitchen as well.

"Are you with your Ciccio?" he asked, hesitating at the end. The 'your' was a mistake, and Guido sighed heavily.

"Yes, papá. I'm with my boyfr-" Guido froze. Stuttering escaped his mouth as tried to think of something to say, before mumbling into the phone. 

"S-Scusi, I have to hang up." He slowly placed the handle back on the holder and stared at the wall. 

"Cazzo," he breathed quietly and tried to mentally prepare himself. Ciccio had no doubt heard him... maybe he could play it off as a mistake. 

"What?" Ciccio's voice cracked. Guido hesitated. There was still time to pretend like it was a mistake. And Guido didn’t want to. Wanting to tell him, but not wanting him to know was eating away at Guido's heart. 

"Boyfriend?" Ciccio asked, a small smile creeping onto his face as Guido looked away, not wanting to show how red he thought he was.  

"Lo errore," Guido mumbled, folded his arms, and kept his eyes as far from Ciccio's face as possible. Ciccio didn’t say anything, and so Guido started to feel the nervousness creeping up on him like flooding water. He made a split decision. This was it. Now was one of the best possible times since no one else was around and he could feel secure now that he was at his own home. 

"Though… I wouldn’t mind it," he stuttered, gripping harder at his arms as he forced himself to look over at Ciccio. The other boy's eyes were wide and his ears had turned red.

"Really?" Ciccio asked, hesitating way more than normal. 

"Sí," Guido hummed. "Ti amo, Ciccio."

Ciccio stood stale and quiet for a bit too long. Guido went from feeling brave to feeling nervous. This was the part where Ciccio would reject him in at least half of the daydreams he had about this moment. All color had disappeared from Ciccio's face as he stared back at Guido. 

"S-stai bene?" Guido asked, feeling his confidence slip away like water in a sink as he unfolded his arms. Ciccio started to snicker to himself.

"Perché sei tu...?" Guido tried when he felt a sudden pressure around his ribcage. Ciccio wrapped his arms around Guido in a tight hug that knocked the air out of Guido's lungs. 

"Ciccio..."

"You're speaking Italian, Guido," Ciccio reminded him. "It's no problem though," he continued, squeezing tighter around Guido.

"Does this mean-?" Guido started while hoping for Ciccio to finish his sentence or answer before he had to continue. When he realized that Ciccio wanted to give Guido a chance to finish the sentence by himself, he took a deep breath.

"We’re... boyfriends now?" Ciccio didn't answer straight away, and Guido took the opportunity to relax in the hug. It felt just like he'd imagined it. Ciccio's strength put a lot of pressure on Guido's body. Guido rested his chin on Ciccio's head, feeling Ciccio’s soft hair brush against his cheek and figuring to enjoy every moment while the embrace lasted.

"Sí, tesorino mio," Ciccio finally answered, his voice a bit muffled. "Is that ok?" he asked slowly. Guido nodded smiling even though Ciccio couldn't see it. 

"Sí," he said, not managing to hide the relief and tears in his voice. 

Ciccio let go immediately to cup Guido's face in his hands and look him in the eyes. Guido followed the movement and bent down slightly.

"Do you need to cry?" Ciccio asked softly. Guido shook his head but tears sprung to his eyes anyway. 

"It's ok. You can cry," Ciccio reminded him. Guido reached up and pressed his hand against the back of Ciccio's.

"I know," he whispered, blood rushing to his face as he looked over the boy in front of him. 

"I got to call my dad," Guido remembered, nodding towards the phone standing on the counter. 

"Yeah. Right." Ciccio said as he let go of his new boyfriend and stepped back towards the kitchen stove. Guido shuffled to the phone, found the paper with the temporary phone number on it, and spun the plastic circles to dial the phone number. It didn't ring for long before Frederico picked up. 

"Hey, ragazzo! Are you ok?" 

"Yeah, papá. I'm sorry for hanging up on you," Guido said, slightly muffling his voice with his hand. 

"I feel a bit ashamed," he admitted, turned around to gesture to Ciccio that he didn't have to stay there and wait for him, and threw in a quick smile as Ciccio started to walk up the stairs. 

"It's no problem," Frederico assured. 

"I... have to admit something though," Guido took a deep breath, preparing himself. "Ciccio is... my boyfriend now."

Silence echoed over the line. 

"I-" Guido's dad hesitated, keeping his voice as straight as possible. "I knew it!" he shouted into the phone, making Guido yank the phone handle away from his ear. 

"Elena! Your son has gotten himself a boyfriend!" he continued, but not as close to the phone. Guido slowly put it back close to his ear. On the other end, he could hear a hushed down squeak before Frederico came back.

"Oh, we're so proud of you, ragazzo. We know how hard it can be to say what you mean sometimes." Guido stared at the wall. 

"Thank you."

GuidoxCiccio fanfiction Chapter 6

Guido has something important to say and he'd feel much safer in Ciccio's company. This and a few of the following chapters contain some bits of homophobia, more or less. Just like a quick head's up.

The next day.

A hollow echo followed the knock on the deep blue door. Guido's throat felt dry as he waited for someone to open it for him. Preferably Ciccio, so he wouldn't have to explain himself more than necessary. Someone walked down the stairs from inside the yellow house. The door got unlocked with a satisfying click and a woman opened it. She had blond, straight hair and warm green eyes which locked onto him immediately. 

"Ciao, Guido," she greeted him and ruffled his hair. "No shenanigans today?" It was phrased like a joke but he could see the seriousness flow over her face. He knew what the people in town thought of Ercole, and he and Ciccio were pretty much associated with that bastard. 

"Not at all. Would you mind if I talked to Ciccio?"

"No, you can talk to him," she said and shouted up the stairs after Ciccio. Screaming something about him having a visitor and soon enough, Ciccio hurried down the stairs. 

"Bye mamá," Ciccio said almost instantly before she had time to ruffle his hair as well. He stepped out of the house and closed the door behind him. Ciccio looked a bit sheepish as he looked up at his friend, but he stayed quiet, wanting Guido to start talking. After all, Guido had come to his house. Guido practically never visited Ciccio's house. 

"So..." Guido started, not making eye contact. "I want to-" he stopped, breathed, and tried again. 

"I want to come out... to you," Guido mumbled while keeping his eyes on the ground and his hands shoved in his pockets. Ciccio hummed, gesturing for Guido to go on. When he didn't, Ciccio got concerned.

"Is it too crowded here?" 

"No, here's good,"

"Then I'm all ears," Ciccio offered and fell silent again. Guido cleared his throat. 

"I'm... I'm homosexual," he started, feeling his cheeks burn. Ciccio stood silent, seeing if there was anything more he wanted to say. 

"A-and I don't feel physical attraction," he said and breathed out. 

Guido shut his eyes. Ciccio's breathing stuck in his throat for a second before he responded with a quiet "Ok. Thank's for telling me." His voice cracked at the last cyclable as he was forced to swallow as well. 

"Yeah..." Guido continued to mumble. "So, I might need some help coming out to my parents," 

"You really want to do that?" Guido nodded in response.

"You know it's ok to not come out as well."

"I know. But I want to." 

"Ok, then I'll help with whatever you need," Ciccio said decisively, grabbing Guido's shoulder as they started walking towards Guido's house. 

Elena and Frederico sat down on the first brown leather couch in the living room. Guido and Ciccio were sitting in the other one, about a meter apart on the opposite side. In the middle of the two couches was a table. The door to the kitchen was behind Guido and the rug underneath their feet felt fuzzy. 

"Ragazzi? Is there a problem?" Frederico asked, concerned. Ciccio had decided to let Guido do most of the talking. It was him coming out anyway. The boy in question fiddled with the edge of his shorts and stared at his knees as he shook his head at his parent's question. 

"I'm... I'm queer," Guido breathed. Elena froze in her seat, staring wide-eyed at her son in disbelief. Frederico leaned back in his seat with a relaxed grin and a confident smirk. 

Guido’s hair fell over his face. He used it as a form of barrier and looked through it at his mother. Elena's mouth hung open as if she felt deeply offended while being at a loss for words. 

"E-elaborate." she managed to stutter out. 

"I like boys. I'm homosexual," Guido clarified, watching for a further reaction. Elena breathed in again, almost without breathing out. Ciccio could hint at a tear rolling down Guido's face and falling to his knee. Frederico laughed for himself. 

"I knew," he said, relaxing more into the cushion. The air got sucked out of Guido's lungs as he straightened his back in a jolt to look at his father. 

"You knew?!" Elena and Guido asked in unison. Elena was in disbelief and Guido in relief. Another tear rolled down his cheek. 

"How?" Elena demanded and Frederico gestured towards his son as if that would explain the whole situation.

"Don't be silly," he started, addressing Guido more than Elena. "I've seen the way you look at-" Frederico hesitated. Guido shook his head, almost unnoticeably at his father who shut himself up. 

Next to Guido, Ciccio kept a close eye on Elena while still listening more intensely to the conversation than Guido had ever seen him before. 

"Whatever," Frederico finished. 

"You didn't tell me!" Elena accused her husband and Frederico forced himself to turn and face her. 

"Of course. I wouldn't want to break his trust like that. Besides, it's his choice to come out to us, I think you should be a little more accepting."

"But-"

"Elena. He's your son. Treat him like it," Frederico demanded and Elena quieted down. Tears streamed down Guido's face. He looked at his mother with her stunned wide eyes. His father with his relaxed posture and grin. And then he turned towards Ciccio. 

Ciccio was tense, taking the situation extremely seriously. He was so close to just asking for a hug at that point, but he couldn't. Especially not in front of his parents. After a moment, they broke eye contact and Guido turned back to face his parents, trying to shake the overwhelming urge to wrap his arms around the boy. Desperately, he tried to distract his brain. Keeping his mind on something else would help. At least it helped before.

"I just thought that... since the townspeople became so accepting of the sea... people," he tried, not wanting to call them monsters. "Maybe the town would accept me as well." 

"Of course we accept you," Frederico assured him with a glare at his wife. "Right, dear?" he continued, strained and forced.

"Eh... of course, sweety," Elena muttered between her teeth and smiled tiredly, still not hiding the betrayal on her face. 

"You kids go and play or something. Your papá and I need to talk," Elena demanded and Ciccio patted Guido on the back before standing up. Guido followed him out the front door, after sending a thankful look to Frederico. They made sure to close the door behind them as they could hear Guido's parents' voices speeding up as they talked. Silently, Guido led himself and Ciccio to the back of the house underneath the living room window. He sat down on the freshly cut grass and leaned his back against the wall. Ciccio sat down beside him, similarly to how they sat inside. 

"That went... well?" Ciccio offered, closing his fist in his pocket. 

"Seredo di sí," Guido agreed and leaned his head against the wall as well. He wouldn't have anything against leaning his head against Ciccio instead, but he couldn't ask for that. Not yet. His brain was filled to the brim with nothing and everything at the same time. So instead he let their conversation slip away, trying to focus on other things. In theory, a piece of cake. In practice, impossible. And he found himself involuntarily leaning closer. Not touching but close. Guido shot up, almost hitting his head on the window sill as he made his way back inside his house with Ciccio behind him. His parents had gone quiet in the living room and Guido sneaked upstairs, guiding Ciccio into his room. Ciccio followed him without asking any questions, smiling when Guido turned around to check if he was still there. 

"You can stay here with me if you want," Guido offered with a gesture to the inside of his room. "I will be kind of doing my own thing though."

"That's fine," Ciccio grinned and followed Guido inside. He made himself comfortable on the floor leaning against Guido's bed as Guido walked around, throwing away papers from his desk and roof. They quietly talked with each other and Ciccio even offered to help sort through what to keep and what to throw away, but Guido wouldn't let him. Guido usually liked to keep his room pretty stacked with papers, but it was starting to feel tight and small. Ciccio didn't mind. It was easy to talk to Guido when he wasn't fully focused either way. Sure, you could have better and more accurate conversations when he was concentrating. But the less meaningful talks when he was preoccupied in general made him a lot more relaxed. 

"So... your parents have quieted down," Ciccio started, his eyes following Guido as he smoothly moved around in his room.

"Yeah... they have. I wonder what they talked about," Guido mumbled, flipping through a stack of papers he had found underneath another stack of papers. The stairs creaked as someone walked up and knocked on Guido's door. Usually, whoever was on the other side of the door waited for permission to walk inside, but this time was an exception. Frederico stumbled in and closed the door behind himself. He was about to say something to Guido, probably mentioning the reason why he walked in so bluntly when he saw Ciccio. 

"Oh... hello," he said to their visitor before turning back to his son.

"Ragazzo, I and your mamá are going to go on a little trip. We'll be back after a few days. Do you think you could be alone for that long?" he asked. Guido placed the stack of papers he was holding on the edge of the bed. 

"Quando?" 

"We're leaving on Tuesday and we'll be back Friday morning," Frederico explained, shooting a glance at Ciccio sitting on the bedroom floor. 

"Yeah, I'll be fine. It's just two days," Guido said and Frederico smiled as he walked backwards out of the room. 

GuidoxCiccio fanfiction Chapter 5

I haven't gotten much to say about this chapter. Machiavelli is here though. I didn't want to leave an important character like that out for too long.

The next day.

Since the incident at the beach, Guido had been keeping to the outer skirts of the town. Even with the risk of running into Ercole alone. He would excuse himself to go out for runs to his parents, which would look normal to them. Maybe he was running a bit more often than usual, but what were they going to do about it? He would hear from his dad that Ciccio had stopped by while he was gone, and Guido would promise to get back to him later. Admittedly, he procrastinated on it for as long as possible. 

"Machiavelli, don’t you-" Giulia said to the kitchen behind her as she opened the front door and faced a nervous Guido. 

"Guido?"

"Sí..." he answered, feeling ashamed. The sun burned at the back of his head, he wanted to leave just as much as she wanted to kick him out. 

"What do you want?" she huffed and glanced behind her to see if anyone else wanted to help her with this situation. No one was there, so she was forced to talk to him all alone. 

"I just want some help…" 

"What?!"

"Shh! Yes. I just need some help to stay hidden for a while," he tried to explain but Giulia cut him off again. 

"From what?"

"From Ciccio!" he almost screamed and Giulia went quiet. She had the power to refuse, and it would feel so good, such great revenge for the past six years plus the last time they saw each other. 

"Giulia, what's going on?" Massimo asked as he appeared behind her. He placed his hand on her shoulder and looked at the embarrassed boy on their front porch. Massimo recognized him, of course. Everyone knew who he was. Giulia quickly filled Massimo in on what Guido had said and he raised his eyebrows at him. Guido had to fiddle with the edge of his shirt to not be too nervous, trying to not make eye contact. 

"Of course we will help him," Massimo said, a little unnecessarily loud and Guido shined up. 

"Really?" Guido asked

"Really!? Papá!" Giulia complained and looked at her father. 

"Giulietta," he mumbled back and sighed as she gestured for him to come inside. He quietly obeyed and offered to take his shoes off before entering the house. She shook her head at him. 

"Giulia... why is he here?" Alberto asked as they walked into Giulia's room. 

"He needs to 'hide' for a while," she explained to him and Luca and opened the window to let Guido out, onto the branch that lead to the platform in the tree. He looked around his new platform, it was quite empty and he noticed why he couldn't just climb up from the ground. Most of the wooden pieces that would usually stick on the trunk had fallen off and the tree trunk itself was way too steep with too few places to grip. The underdogs left the window slightly open, making Guido able to hear Giulia explain why he was there to the other two. The wooden platform was hard against his back as he laid down.

"At least I get a bit of shade," he said to himself and looked up at the leaf-covered sky. 

"I shouldn't keep away from him like this," he groaned into his hands and hoped that the underdogs wouldn't hear him. But at this point, he was too tired to care if they did. 

"But what if..."

There was a knock on Giulia's front door and Guido jolted up. Peeking over the edge of the platform, he saw the top of Ciccio's head. 

"Cazzo," he muttered under his breath as he shot a pleading glance at Giulia through the window. She meet his eyes and smiled too quickly for him to see what kind of smile it was. He peeked over the edge again to see Giulia open the door and look flatly at Ciccio. 

"What do you want?" she asked and Ciccio laughed slightly. 

"This might sound weird, but I'm looking for Guido," he explained kicking a pebble to the side. 

"You mean he's not around?" 

"Uh... sí. You don't happen to know where he is?" A smile spread over Giulia's face.

"You know what, I-" 

"Giulia, let me talk to you for a second," Luca demanded from behind her. With a sigh, she gestured for Ciccio to wait and closed the door.

"What?"

"You aren't thinking about rating him out, are you?" Giulia didn’t say anything. Luca huffed and shook his head at her. 

"Hasn't he gone through enough payback?" Luca mumbled and Giulia considered it for a moment.

"And you know, I would feel really betrayed if I was Guido," he continued, trying to stop Giulia from following through with her plan. "And I'm pretty sure you would too." 

"... True," she whispered before spinning around and opening the door. Ciccio was still there, waiting patiently with his hands in his pockets. 

Guido could hint at Luca, bouncing lightly behind the red-headed girl. His mind immediately thought she was going to expose him. Giulia opened her mouth to talk and he breathed sharply.

"As I was saying," she started, mouth twitching at the corners. "I have seen Guido today." Guido shrunk back on the platform and sighed. So this is how I die? If Ciccio finds out I've been avoiding him, he might feel really sad. But if I go and talk to him, there's no telling what might happen. 

"Really? Where is he?" Ciccio asked a bit too quickly. Guido didn't pay much attention to that though as he waited for Giulia to continue with suspense. 

"He was in the town square not too long ago. I haven’t seen him since." Guido fought back a smile.

"Oh..." Ciccio said without hiding the disappointment in his voice. 

"M-hm," she insisted, struggling to keep her mouth upward. 

"I guess I'll leave then." 

"Good." her voice cracked as she slammed the door in his face. 

Ciccio stood, staring at the door for a few additional seconds before making his way to the fountain again. 

Guido listened to the creek of Giulia and Luca making their way up the stairs and he sat up to watch Ciccio walk across the town square and disappear out of view.  

"You owe me one, ragazzo," she groaned, her face appearing in the window looking almost as red as her hair. 

"Sicura," Guido answered and laid back on the wooden boards. Giulia dragged her head back through the window, closing it fully this time. 

He covered his face with his hands and sighed, trying extremely hard not to acknowledge the cat that was sitting about a meter away from him. Impossible task. 

“Hello there… cat,” he tried, staying as still as possible. When he removed his hands and looked at the cat, it stared back at him, judging his life decisions. It squinted at him, and he squinted back. It felt like the cat knew. A few minutes passed before the cat finally blinked and Guido allowed himself to take a slow breath. Being stared down by a cat was not what he expected would happen today. When the cat slowly lay down, Guido broke eye contact. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and closed his eyes again. He knew the cat was still there, still distrustfully squinting at him, but it didn’t matter as much now. As long as the cat didn’t scratch him, it would be fine. The leaves rustled above him and the wind blew so gently it almost didn’t exist. He could feel spots of sun that had managed to get through the leaves. Staying here wouldn’t be so bad, but he had to be home for dinner. He’d hate it if Elena started to worry and he’d have to answer a bunch of questions about where he’d been.

GuidoxCiccio fanfiction Chapter 4

This chapter has some descriptions of a panic attack. Though, since it's my description, it might not be the best. Still, I made sure to do a lot of research beforehand so that I wouldn't get anything wrong. If I did, however, I'm sorry and I will fix it as soon as possible.

A few days later.

Luca swam up to the beach. Standing up, he shakes off the water and his scales shrunk back into his skin with a soft clatter. In his hand was a basket of homemade food to share with Alberto, of course in sea monster form. The human form wouldn't be able to digest most of it. The beach was mostly empty apart from Alberto and Giulia standing in the middle of the pebble-covered ground. Alberto smiled and tried to grab the basket from Luca's hands, but Luca yanked it away and kicked some water at Alberto with his feet still in the ocean. Giulia shushed them down with her hand and turned around to look over the later rocks by the corner of the beach. 

"I think I heard something," she whispered, and Luca and Alberto quieted down almost immediately. A few quiet breaths were coming from a corner behind a particularly huge rock. They sounded distressed and quick. After a few glances around the group, the underdogs decided to slowly make their way over to the large rock. 

They collectively peeked over the rock and saw a child, a few years older than them in an orange-striped t-shirt and shorts. He was hugging his knees close to his chest, trying to hide his face from his onlookers. However, he didn't succeed in quieting down.

"Guido?!" Giulia burst out and Guido flinched, pushing his face further into the gap between his knees and chest. 

"He's... he's breathing so fast," Luca whispered, gently touching Giulia's arm. Alberto looked back and forth between his friends and the quivering boy, trying to decide what to do.

"I think we should do something," Luca suggested silently while Giulia crossed her arms.

"Sanat gorgonzola… He has never been nice before, why help him now?" she replied with a huff. 

"Giulia..." Luca tried, squeezing her arm slightly harder. "I don't think leaving him here is a good idea." 

"What do you want me to do then?"

"Maybe try to figure out what's wrong." They looked back at the shaking figure. He was hyperventilating and hitting his legs with the side of his hands, slowly creating little bruises.

"Fine," she sighed awkwardly and made her way around the rock to crouch down in front of Guido. 

"What's up with you?" she snarled, keeping her arms crossed. Guido was visibly sweating and self causality rocking back and forth. 

"Hey, wanna tell us what's wrong?" offered Luca, placing a hand on Guido's shoulder to Giulia's visible dislike. Guido's heart was beating so fast it was threatening to jump out of his chest. 

"He doesn't want to answer," Alberto chimed in, feeling pretty useless. 

"Um... Who would know how to handle this?" 

"His parents," Alberto offered.

"Ercole," Giulia laughed. Guido's face finally shot up as he desperately shook his head. Luca noticed the blurry vision and the steady stream of tears welling out of his eyes. Guido's mouth was formed in a slim line and his wide eyes stared horrified at Giulia. Giulia stood her ground with a crooked smile on her face. Luca and Alberto stared at Giulia as well, not believing that she would do something like that. 

"You heard me," she whispered, leaning closer to his face.

"No, no no. Nonononono..." he shook into his knees which he hugged closer, fresh tears streaming down his face faster than before. 

"I got it!" Luca exclaimed, unintentionally loud. Guido rocked back and forth even quicker as he moved shaky hands to loosely cover his ears. Everything was so loud, and he was feeling so much and everything was just so warm and way too close! 

"We'll go fetch Ciccio!" Luca said, a bit quieter and snapped his fingers. Alberto shined up and started jumping away from them, pebbles rumbling underneath him as he offered to go get him for them. Luca nodded hurriedly as he dashed to place the food basket back into the water so it wouldn’t dry out before joining Alberto in their quest to find Ciccio. Giulia stepped out from behind the rock and looked around, moving her crossed arms to her waist instead. She made a big deal of disliking being left alone looking after one of the people she liked the least.

Sloppy, messy footsteps approached from behind a corner. The footsteps were followed by a harsh laugh and a familiar smirking face. 

"Haven't seen you in a while, Spewlia," Ercole taunted as he walked up to her. She huffed and looked over the water, hoping that Luca and Alberto would be back soon. 

"Where are your sea monster friends?" he asked, looking around with pretending excitement before cutting the act and turning his attention back to Giulia. Ercole prepared to taunt her some more since there was no one else around and Giulia wasn't one for running away when he heard some forcefully hushed down whimpers and rumbling pebbles. 

"What's that?" he asked himself, hastily flipping around to find the source of the sounds. Ercoles and Giulia's eyes locked onto Guido. Guido's eyes were wide, staring at his blue shoes and rocking back and forth. His knees were stained with tears as he desperately tried to block the whimpers by shoving a hand against his mouth as hard as possible.

Ercole laughed and walked over, leaving Giulia to observe. 

"Oh. Is little crybaby feeling bad today?" Ercole insulted Guido, stepped in front of the shaking boy and placed his hands on his hips. 

"Too scared to speak?" Giulia listened to their one-sided conversation with a strange smirk. She wanted very badly for Guido to suffer slightly more, even though it was horrendous. She could stop this, Guido had it bad enough as it was, but maybe just a little bit longer. At least so that she's not alone on the beach. How did it take so long to find Ciccio?

"Keep crying, little cry boy, at least your parents can't see your ugly face," Ercloe said, not very creative, but it did the trick anyway. Guido shut his eyes as if they would pop out of his head as he was forced to listen to the jabbing of Ercloe's jaws. Alberto sprinted across the beach with Ciccio and Luca close behind. Ciccio was breathing heavily as he rushed further down the seashore, stopping abruptly when he saw Ercole standing over Guido. 

"You never said anything about Ercole," he murmured to the other two who shrugged and glanced at Giulia. 

"I didn't know he was here," Alberto explained, dashing over to their Giulia. She decided to stay quiet and see what would happen before interfering. Ciccio stood stunned for a moment before springing up to Guido's aid. 

"Ercole!" He snarled, keeping his eyes on the bully as he moved between him and Guido. 

"Hey, look. It's the small one. Excuse me, what was your name again?" 

"You and your catfish face can walk back to the dumpster you crawled out of," Ciccio snarled and Ercole laughed again. 

"It's commendable how you keep trying, Ercole," Ciccio offered sarcastically and looked back at Guido. Guido had pushed himself further away, gasping for air with his back folding over his knees as he kept shoving his hand over his mouth which didn’t help with the trouble breathing. 

"You ok?" Ciccio asked and felt like an absolute idiot. Of course he wasn't ok! Guido tried to shake his head. 

Ciccio moved closer to Guido and placed a hand on his shoulder. Guido tried to back away even more, but he had no space to move to. 

"You small, sad creatures," Ercolle scoffed haughtily and grinned at Ciccio. "Go home, shorty." Ciccio could feel Ercole's breath on his face and he scrunched up his nose. 

"You smell like rotten eggs," Ciccio muttered behind his teeth and Ercole pretended to be offended. 

"Oh, come on Ciccio. Why even bother defending this asshole?" Ercole asked, gesturing at Guido. "It's not like you can understand what's going on anyway." 

"No, but I try." 

"Really?" Ercole exaggerated with his arms. Ciccio hummed in response.

"You dumb, small rodent. I can't believe I dealt with you for 6 years," 

Gravel shuffled away from beneath Ciccio’s feet as he flinched. His nails dug into the palm of his hand and he bit his tongue. He could see the others look surprised at him before he raised his fist and swung. Ercole flinched back as Ciccio’s fist hit the edge of his jaw, sending him stumbling a few more steps back. Everything was quiet except for Ercole's stunned whines. Ercole's fingers brushed over his jaw and he flinched again, whining a bit more before looking back at Guido and Ciccio. Guido was still shaking, unable to keep his eyes on one thing for longer than a couple of seconds. His knuckles began to turn white. Giulia, Luca, and Alberto stood stunned, letting the water rush over their feet. Ciccio glanced at them and Alberto hesitantly made his way up to the three boys. He stood a few steps away, silently asking for permission from Ciccio before interfering. Ciccio nodded with a slight smile of appreciation before Alberto dashed forward and punched Ercole square in the ribs. The bully flung backwards again, surprised before hearing more footsteps hastily making their way toward him. He groaned and to the best of his abilities, dashed away while clutching his stomach. 

Giulia celebrated with Luca as Ercole ran away, whimpering. Alberto joined in and watched as Luca and Giulia jumped around in circles. Ciccio placed his arm around Guido's and sat down next to him. It felt like his skin was burning, and he had completely lost the feeling in his legs. As soon as Ciccio sat down on the gravel, Guido began slapping his legs with the side of his hands again, trying to focus on something else than his raising head. 

"Please, try to take a deep breath," Ciccio said quietly. Guido didn't want to disappoint. He shrugged Ciccio's hand off of him and hugged his chest with his arms. His breathing was shaky as he closed his eyes again, wishing everyone away and imagining himself on his bedroom floor, clinging to his blanket like it was his lifeline. 

"Guido?" Ciccio asked when he noticed that his friend's breath had steadied. "Want to talk about it?" he offered, knowing that keeping Guido distracted from the panic might be his best shot at calming the boy down. 

"I was just walking and... I got triggered and-" he breathes in sharply and looks up. "I didn't know what to do. Mamá and papá left the house locked… I wasn’t prepared." he cut himself off. Ciccio nodded understandingly. Luca slowly crept closer.

"Is this... usual?" he asked and Ciccio looked up at him. 

"It happens sometimes, usually not in public though," he started and realized their presents alone were stressing Guido out even more. "Actually, maybe you guys could leave?"

"Why?" Giuilia asked as she joined them over by the corner. Her tone was harsh, unusual for her. 

"Because... it might help. Guido needs to calm down a bit, it shouldn't take too long." Before Giulia said anything else, Luca tugged at Giulia's arm, wishing for them to just get out of there. Giulia was hesitant, for some reason not wanting to leave the boys alone.

“Oh, and Giulia?” Ciccio caught her attention.

“What?” she asked, feeling more intrigued that irritated. 

“We’re sorry… for everything.”

The underdog’s footsteps became quieter as they talked to each other after leaving the shore. Luca quickly picked up the basket he had before, not wanting to leave it in the water. 

"You ok?" Ciccio asked again, a little more sure of himself this time. Guido shrunk closer to himself and looked up, keeping his eyes away from the boy next to him. 

"Just a little... stressed," he explained shortly. Ciccio hummed in response and looked out over the ocean. Guido's heart hurt. Partly from the panic attack, or at least that is what he told himself. But he had hurt all day, and the day before that as well. What if he just asked for a hug? That would be fine, right? It didn't have to mean anything. And he knew that Ciccio was stronger than him, maybe it would be nice... No. The best thing to do was to stay as far away as possible and wait for these feelings to die out.

But how long would that take?

"Should I get you something? Water? A snack?" Guido shook his head. It would be worse without you. He thought about asking to be carried home. His legs sure as hell weren't going to stay stable enough, but as he remembered that the door was locked, he denied himself that too. The beach would have to do. I wish I dared to tell you how much I appreciate what you do for me, Ciccio.

GuidoxCiccio fanfiction Chapter 3

The third chapter's here! It's pretty short, but at least it's here. I hope it will be enjoyable!

A few days later.

The rug underneath him felt fuzzy and warm. Guido leaned his back against the bed, breathing up towards the selling. Why'd it have to be like this? Why couldn't he just get his stupid crush on some random girl from school? But he knew this was going to happen. He'd had the crush for literal years, it's mostly surprising it took this long. He opened his eyes with a groan. His roof had sketches and paper scraps covering it but in a few places, he could hint at the wooden boards. It had started as newspaper articles, but now, they were mostly covered by sketches, drawings, and photos placed over the newspaper, covering the roof like a paper sandwich. 

"Guido dear, can I come in?" his mother called out from behind his closed bedroom door. He quickly straightened his back before calling to her that she could come in. And she did. The door closed behind her as she stood with her arms by her hips. 

"Guido..." she sighed. 

"Mamá?" 

"Haven't I told you to stop sitting on the floor? It's bad for your back,"

"Sí, mamá, you have," He knew better than to argue with his mother this late. So instead he looked up at her, trying to seem as innocent as possible. She removed her hands from her hips and sat down on his bed next to him. 

"It's time for you to go to bed," she reminded him and he nodded in agreement. 

"I know. I'm all done," 

"Good. Now, get into bed and let me say goodnight properly," Elena smiled down at him and he sighed. Slowly, he stood up and crawled underneath the blanket. 

"Buena notte, mi figlio," she said, bending down and softly kissing his forehead. He squirmed underneath the bed's covers and smiled awkwardly in her arms. 

"Buena notte, mamá," he replied, hating the words for sounding so on edge. He was sure that Elena heard it as well, but she didn't comment on it. Instead, she hugged him a bit tighter before standing up. 

"Frederico isn't coming to say goodnight tonight," she whispered and he nodded back, keeping the stale smile on his face as she turned off the lights in his room and closed the door behind her. Quietly, he listened as her footsteps went down the stairs and into the kitchen before moving again. Still wearing his pyjamas, he stood up and walked over to his bedroom window. The window opened smoothly and he looked out over the quiet Portorosso. The moon had just peeked over the ocean, and it shone over one lonely figure down by the shore. 

Guido turned his attention to the outside of the house wall. He had spent at least a handful of days making sure he had a moderately safe way down the wall. His parents would never believe how many times he'd escaped through the window during the night. However, he had to be careful. Sometimes, his parents would be in the living room with the window facing the same way as Guido's. He took hold of the window sill and balanced his weight on the tip of his toes, standing on almost unnoticeable dents in the wall. His muscles strained as he climbed down the outer wall, leaving the bedroom window open. Guido had to hope that his parents weren't looking out the window at that exact time as his legs dangled in front of the window until he could lower himself enough to drop down. The grass brushed against his feet as he grunted from the fall. It wasn't high, but at least a solid one-and-a-half meeter. He made sure to keep his legs bent as well as rolling as he hit the ground. He might be sneaking out during the middle of the night, but he's not dumb enough to hurt himself while doing so. Taking all of the safety precautions was his best bet, he figured.

The figure by the shore was quite recognizable. Of course, he knew who it was. The sound of water splashed calmly as he walked up to his friend. 

"Ciao, Ciccio," he whispered and Ciccio turned around. 

"Guido," he greeted back and smiled. He didn't comment on Guido's oversized t-shirt and soft pants. He didn't ask what Guido was doing up so late, even if he wanted to. And in turn, Guido didn’t ask Ciccio the same question.

"How are you doing?" Ciccio asked instead turning back towards the slowly rising waves. He didn't expect an answer, and Guido didn't give one. But Guido felt like he had to say something. He had to, or he might explode. 

"Thank you... for spending time with me," he blurted out. Ciccio turned again, trying to make out the contours of Guido's face in the moonlight. 

"What?" he asked. Guido flushed as he panicked about finding the right words. 

"I mean, even after all that time and the things we’ve done, you’re still here," he explained, forcing himself not to move his hands as he talked. 

Ciccio exhaled. 

"Of course," 

"Yeah. I’m just so… glad you’re… here." Ciccio exhaled again, a bit heavier this time.

"Guido. Don't be ridiculous. It's really no problem at all. You know I will always ‘still be here’," he whispered back, keeping his voice low to not disturb anyone in town. 

"Why?!"

Silence. Guido realized how loud he said it and froze. Ciccio kept looking at Guido, and so Guido looked back. Ciccio's face practically shined in the moonlight.

The silence was followed by more silence and an extra loud water splash which made Guido jolt. 

"Don't become sad, but I'm not gonna answer that," Ciccio mumbled slowly. Guido didn't want to say anything more for a week, but he felt as though he had to apologize. 

"Ciccio, I didn't mean-"

"I know," he said calmly and gestured for Guido to join him by the ocean.

"Please don't apologize right now, because you know I've already forgiven you," he said while they observed the foam floating on top of the waves.

"But-" 

"Guido," he said meaningfully in a tone that made his heart completely melt. "Go to bed," Ciccio whispered and Guido sighed in defeat. Hesitantly, Guido left his friend standing by the shore and hurried back to his home.

He reached the downstairs window leading into the living room. The lights were turned off so he didn’t need to be too sneaky. Guido took a few quick breaths before he started to scale the wall as he'd done so many times before. The room was chilly when he closed the window behind him and climbed back into bed. The covers smelled newly washed and felt slightly scratchy against his arms, but he nuzzled down anyway and pretended to be dead. That was the strategy that usually worked best when it came to falling asleep. But usually was not very often. With every move he made, the bed would creak or the sheets ruffle, he felt too energized to lay still but too tired to get up again. If this was how it was going to be every time, he'd rather stay in his room for the rest of his life.

GuidoxCiccio fanfiction Chapter 2

Here's the second chapter! I do want to spoil that there is a curse word toward the end, but it's in Italian. Either way. This chapter's longer with a lot of describing Italian folk dances. I hope it will be enjoyable. :)

About a week later.

The dance festival was approaching, fast. Guido didn't know what to do with himself. He had always stood beside Ercole and Ciccio before, snarlingly observing the townspeople. The people always played the same songs and danced the same way, but they seemed so happy. He supposed that was what the grown people did since they didn't have the race to be in. Guido realized that he would be too old for the race next year as he sat in his bed with his back against the wall. From downstairs, he heard his parents talk loudly with each other. 

"My dear, we are going to dance together today, right?" Frederico asked, his voice a bit muffled through Guido's bedroom door. 

"Frederico! We have been putting off our chores for at least a week! You and I are going to clean!" His mother replied sharply and dropped something big on the floor. 

"But Elena, it's the dance!"

"Darling, if you and I don't do this today, we won't have any plates to eat off of tonight!" Frederico sighed In defeat and started up the vacuum cleaner. 

"Mamá!" Guido called from his room. There were some quick steps up the stairs and then a knock on his bedroom door before she opened it.

"Yes, dear. What is it?" she asked. When she saw him sitting on his bed, she went forward and sat down beside him. 

"Are you feeling well?" 

"Yes, mamá." he sighed and faced her. "Will I have to clean too?" he asked, almost hoping she would say yes.

"Figlio mio! Of course not! It's the dance!"

"But I don't know what to do. And what if Ercole is there?"

"You will manage." For some reason, she sounded so sure of herself. 

"Are you sure I can't stay home and clean instead?" 

"Sí," Elena replied. Her decision was final.

In the hallway, Frederico held a cardboard box. On the top lay the dance festival clothes. The clothes weren't anything super fancy. The women wore black skirts with red, white, or black tops and straw hats while the men wore white button-up shirts, black vests, and black trousers that end by the knees. Most dances were done without shoes as well. Guido had never worn the clothes his parents had gotten for him, mostly because Ercole thought it was stupid and a waste of time. Frederico looked slightly apologetic, but he picked up a shirt from the box and started ironing it. 

"Great…” Guido sighed and got prepared. 

There was going to be lunch after the dances. That was the biggest reason why most of the people that didn't dance went there, Ercole included. A band had set up to the side of the town square, warming up and tuning their musical instruments. The snack stands were brought out and people started to gather. Sadly, old man Tommaso and his wife couldn't make it to the dance today since they had caught the flu and so their children and grandchildren were staying home too. Witch mean there were going to be at least two open spaces in the dance. Guido lit up when he saw a familiar face emerge from the crowd. Ciccio was wearing a similar outfit to his, but Ciccios vest had crocheted flowers stuck onto it, and the smile he wore as he met Guido's eyes looked a bit uncertain. Guido quickly walked over, his bare feet lightly tapping against the ground. 

"Guido," Ciccio said lightheartedly as they meet in the growing crowd. 

"Ciccio," Guido replied in relief. At least he wasn't going to live through this lonely outcast embarrassment in complete solitude.

Giulia, Luca, and Alberto strode onto the town square. All three of them wore similar outfits, but their vests were deep red or blue and Giulia did not wear the typical female hat. They were jumping around excitedly, getting ready for a dance that they had never participated in before. Giulia threw a quick violent glance at Guido and Ciccio. They caught her glare and quickly looked away. 

"Maybe if we keep to ourselves for the entire day, she won't attack us," Guido offered and Ciccio nodded in agreement. 

"Good idea," he whispered back. The band to the corner played a couple of notes and people gathered around the fountain. Guido looked at Ciccio with an uncertain expression. What were they going to do? Stand around and watch?

The first dance was slow and didn't contain a lot of movements. To begin with, the couples went back and forth in front of each other, taking turns between holding their arms in an arc over their heads and going underneath said arch. They would then go in a circle, switching partners for a while. After another round of going underneath and making an arch, they would go around once more and this time, switch places with another couple standing to the side. And so the new group would do the same dance again. Ciccio and Guido stood behind the switching couple and observed how Giulia and Luca calmly danced in the decided pattern. Alberto stood close to them with his arms folded, watching. At least Luca and Giulia looked happy. 

When the couples switched out, people started to look at them funny. It was becoming obvious that there was nobody to dance with them. Guido started to hurriedly tap against his leg with his ring finger. Ciccio switched his weight to his other foot. Giulia had switched places with Alberto and now she glared at Guido and Ciccio as well. 

"Guido, this is getting painful," Ciccio sighed. 

"True," he whispered back behind his teeth. The music was coming to an end, and chairs were getting picked out for people to sit on.

"Guido!"

"Yes?" 

"We could dance!" Ciccio said as he turned towards Guido. Guido kept his eyes on the dance, the couples around the fountain were spinning around in the last big circle and Luca and Alberto were struggling not to laugh. 

"Are you crazy?" Guido muttered back, still with his breath behind his teeth and his ring finger taping against his leg. 

"We could do it. I know how to-" 

"I don't!"

"Maybe if I lead?" Ciccio offered. The music quieted down and people got away from around the fountain. Suddenly, Guido turned to look down at Ciccio.

"It's the Tarantella next. Are you sure?" he asked. Ciccio went quiet, throwing a glance at the fountain where people were getting into position. 

"Are you sure?" Guido asked again and Ciccio nodded decisively.

"I'll teach you how to do it," he said, grabbed Guido's wrist, and pulled Guido to an open space around the fountain. He showed Guido how to stand by changing his own position as they faced the fountain, about two meters apart and with their hands on their hips.

"Are you nervous?" Ciccio asked quietly. The corner of Guido's mouth went up as the music started to play before he could answer. They went from side to side, clapping their hands in time with the music. Guido had watched the dance many times before. It was hard not to remember the correct movements when you’ve seen them every year. Ciccio placed a hand on Guido's side and Guido did the same and then they spun around. 

Guido's heart raced to the music as he switched hands to Ciccio's other side and they spun in the other direction. They weren't fully facing each other, but the circles were pulling them closer and closer. He meet Ciccio's eyes and forced his mouth into a small grin. There were a lot of people around the fountain, this dance was popular. Around him many skirts flowed... it seemed like there were only two male couples. Guido and Ciccio, and Luca and Alberto. Somehow, he managed to keep his pattern together, and soon enough, they parted. Facing each other now, he had no way of hiding the faint blush that spread across his face. They moved in half circles around each other without changing the direction they were facing. His feet stepped lightly on the stone flooring of the town square as he went back and forth. Ciccio placed his hand on Guido's side again, showing that it was time to spin. 

"Almost done," he whispered to Guido as they changed direction. Guido nodded and swallowed dryly. They changed direction again. And then again. Faster and faster as the music speed up. 

Ciccio let go of Guido's side and instead grabbed Guido's hand. Guido flinched in surprise as Ciccio directed their faces toward the fountain. With surprising speed, he lifted Guido's arm, replicating the movements of everyone else around them. And then they backed away. Guido's face flushed gently as they went backwards, lowering their hands but still keeping them together. People were stepping forward again, holding their hands up in the air, and so Guido did the same. The last few notes of the song played as people joyfully walked away from the fountain. Guido stood glued to the floor, not letting go of Ciccio's hand. Ciccio made no effort of letting go either, and so they stayed still for a while, just catching their breath. In reality, the dance wasn't that tiering, but the focus that was put on the right movements at the right time took a toll on Guido. Especially when there were so many other things that wanted to be thought about at the same time. The next dance was by far the hardest one. Not in terms of movements, however. It was a brave dance, and nobody remembered its name. 

Guido hesitantly let go of Ciccio's hand as he glanced down at him. 

"How do you feel?" he asked. 

"Better than I thought," Ciccio answered. "You're so red," he added and Guido blamed it on the concentration of the previous dance. 

"Right. Do you... want to dance the next one as well?" Guido hesitated for a moment as he tried to recall what the last dance was about.

"Who would even dance the female part?" he asked and Ciccio raised an eyebrow. If they were going to dance to the next song, the answer was obvious. 

"Right, fine. But we don't have any red cloth," he said, trying to find a reason not to dance. Because he wanted to. He wanted to dance so badly it almost hurt. Ciccio reached into his pocket and pulled out a red cloth. It was thin, see though, and about 6 dm long. 

"Wh- where did you get that?!" 

"My mamá gave it to me. She hoped that I would find a girl to dance with..."

And now the space surrounding the fountain was empty, apart from Guido and Ciccio. Guido had the red fabric in his left hand and desperately tried to swallow enough to stop having a dry throat. Ciccio stood opposed to him, getting ready. Their feet would never stay on the ground for long, never more than a second. The guitar started playing, complicated and quickly as Guido self-consciously stepped forward. He pirouetted in place as Ciccio entered from around the fountain. Ciccio meet his eyes as they seriously faced each other and started a series of specific footsteps. Slowly, they closed in on each other, still stepping in circles. The circles were unavoidable in this dance. They rounded each other a handful more times before the instrument changed from the guitar to the harmonica or the accordion. Sometimes it was hard to tell the difference.

They did some small jumping steps while lightly tapping their other foot on the ground, similar to what they had done during the previous dance. Guido could feel the anxiety creep up as he thought about all the people that were watching him and Ciccio. It was hard not to think about. However, he'd rather not break down in front of everyone, so he kept focusing on Ciccio's eyes and his own legs, and slowly, the rest of the town faded away from his mind. More circles. He had to focus hard not to let his feet stay on the floor. Guido helled out the red fabric on his right side as Ciccio did loops around him, never breaking eye contact. A faster part of the song started to play as they quickly switched from side to side, Ciccio getting closer with every turn. Then back to the spins. First, they were swift and the next moment, they were almost painfully slow. Ciccio should hear Guido's restrained breath behind him for a moment, before Guido twirled away, sticking the red cloth high in the air. The spiral pattern became more familiar as they moved, and Guido could swear that it became easier the longer the dance went on. The longer everything else drifted away and it was just Ciccio, him, and the music. 

Guido started playing with the red fabric in his hands before placing it over his shoulders and continuing the twisty movements. Ciccio came closer for the next wave of slow and calm circles, a moment to catch their breath.

"You're doing great," he whispered to Guido whose smile widened even more as they spun away from each other. Ciccio took hold of one of the edges of the fabric and started twirling it in his hand, shortening the length of the fabric between them. Guido did the same and before he knew it, they were dancing closely again, the back of their hands touching as the fabric had almost tied them together. Guido backed away, letting the cloth unfold once more, only for him to place it by his waist and spin back towards Ciccio. They danced like that for only a couple of seconds before Ciccio pulled on the cloth and Guido twirled away. The music slowed down enough for Ciccio to get closer and place the fabric back on Guido's shoulders. 

Another twist like the dance moves from the beginning, but this time, Ciccio let the red fabric slip through his hand. They spun around the fountain one last time and the music was about to come to a close. Ciccio practically fell down on one knee for the finish as Guido twirled one last time and threw the fabric in the air. Ciccio caught it and the music ended abruptly. They still didn't break eye contact as now, they could hear each other panting in their respective poses. The townspeople started clapping their hands reluctantly as the boys broke their poses and looked around. The realization that almost the whole town had seen their dance hit Guido like a truck. His face almost burnt off his head and he turned to Ciccio who stood up. In the corner of his eye, he could hint Giulia, Alberto, and Luca looking more baffled than he'd ever seen them before. When he looked back at Ciccio, his ears were getting red as well. Ciccio normally didn’t get that flustered. There was not a single hint of blush on his face, but his ears were practically boiling. He grinned at Guido, masking a fake self-confidence as the applause got louder. It was clear that neither of them was feeling comfortable in the spotlight like that, but the townspeople hadn't seen anyone perform that dance in a while. The last couple of times, nobody had danced and everyone had just listened to the music. Ciccio gestured quietly and Guido followed him away from the fountain and all of the people’s watching eyes. 

"Guido!" a man shouted from the crowd. Guido's shoulders shot up and his eyes widened. 

"Papá," he whispered to Ciccio before turning around and facing Frederico.

"Hey... papá. Um, why are you here?" he asked, almost feeling offended before realizing. 

"Oh, the food!" he exclaimed before Frederico could answer. 

"Elena is coming soon as well," 

"Great," he said, his voice cracking. Guido could feel Ciccio stepping up behind him. His dad gave Guido a playful little grin before turning toward the food table. Ciccio gently elbowed Guido in the side as he quietly told Guido to glance over at the underdogs. When Guido did, he could see Giulia talking a little too loud to Luca and Alberto about the dance performance. He blew out, at least he wasn't being verbally attacked for destroying the traditional dance with two male dancers. A male couple had never performed that one before. But they weren't a couple, Guido violently reminded himself. He and Ciccio were only friends.

Later, Guido sat by a table outside with Elena and Frederico. Food filled their plates but Guido wasn't hungry, after all, Ciccio filled his mind. He glanced to his left over a few tables where Ciccio sat. Ciccio caught his glance, smiled and waved back which made Guido quickly turn towards his parents instead. 

"Is something wrong, ragazzo?" Frederico asked and Guido shook his head. He knew Frederico hadn't told Elena about the dance, and he was grateful for it. He bent down to rest his forehead on the table edge. He couldn’t keep lying to himself. 

“Cazzo…” he mumbled.

“What was that?” Elena asked, her tone suddenly sharp and unrecognizable from that happy and proud mom tone she had just a second ago. 

“Nothing, mamá. Scusi,” he said back.

GuidoxCiccio fanfiction Chapter 1

So, I realised that I've never posted fanfiction on Tumblr before, so this might be a mess. Either way, here's the first chapter: ( I know it's a short one, but I think it'll be fine anyway )

Guido's dad knocked on Guido's door before he opened it. Guido sat on the floor with his head in his hands. 

"Son, are you ok?" Frederico asked with one hand on the door handle. Ready to close the door if necessary.

"Yes, Frederico. I'm fine. I'm just preparing. Ciccio is coming to pick me up today," Guido explained, but keep his head in his hands. Frederico glanced around Guido's room, leaving some space before speaking again. Guido's bed with the dark overcast was neatly made, his clean clothes were all folded and ready to be put away and his desk was the messiest it's been in a while. All over the desk were pens, sketches, and ripped-out pieces of newspapers. 

"Have you gotten one?" 

"I haven’t had an attack in a couple of weeks, papá," Guido reassured his dad, still not changing his position on the floor. 

"Well, good. Because Ciccio is here now," Frederico said gently and Guido shot up from the floor. He stumbled slightly as his body adjusted to the sudden change. Quickly, he turned to face his dad and asked if he looked ok before Frederico put his hands on Guido's shoulders. 

"Ragazzo. You look fine," he said, forcing Guido to take a few breaths and relax. He then ruffled his boy's hair and smiled. 

"Everything's ok," he assured and opened the bedroom door a bit more behind him to let Guido out. Before Guido went down the stairs leading to the hallway, he fixed his hair one last time and grinned nervously.

Guido hurried down the stairs, taking two steps at a time until he reached the hallway. Ciccio stood calmly by the opened entrance door. He smiled and waved as soon as he saw his friend. Around his wrist was a shell bracelet. Ercole had said it looked stupid and was for women anyway, which is why Ciccio hadn't worn it often. Guido relaxed almost instantly where he stood on the stairs. Ciccio smiled back, waiting for Guido to say goodbye to his family before talking to him. Rushing down the last few steps of stairs, Guido put on his light blue running shoes. 

"Bye, mamá!" Guido shouted into the kitchen where his mother was washing the dishes by the sink.

"Have fun, figlio mio!" she shouted back, putting another plate down on a stack.

Once they exited the house they didn’t have to walk far before getting to the town square. As usual, there were lots of children playing football despite the sign that forbid it. It was noisy and hard to concentrate on what he and Ciccio were saying to each other, so they decided to walk by the stone-covered shore. A house cast a large shadow over them and thus they sat down in the shade, in peace. The waves rolled in front of them, and they fell into a peaceful silence. However, a question had been nagging on the back of Guido’s mind for a while now.

"Do you ever... think about Ercole?" Guido asked and started biting on the inside of his cheek. Ciccio looked over the slowly flowing water as he thought about his answer.

Ciccio nodded. "Yeah."

"Can I ask why you joined him?" 

"I mean, why not. I'll tell you," Ciccio leaned his head back as he thought back to 6 years ago. 

"I was pretty lonely, you know. Mostly, I would help my dad with the fishing and didn’t have a lot of time outside of school," he started. Guido had utterly forgotten about his teeth crunching the inside of his cheek as he listened to his friend's story. 

"And I think Ercole realized since I was a pretty big kid, he could use me as a bodyguard." Guido made a low agreeing sound and wiggled his legs over the water.

"Do you ever... regret what you did?" 

"Yeah. That too," he whispered, looking at Guido from the corner of his eyes, and grinning. Guido swallowed and turned his head towards the water. 

"How about you?" Ciccio asked and Guido frose. 

"What?" he squeaked and suddenly became very interested in the foamy waves. 

"Why did you join Ercole?" Ciccio clarified. 

"Right," Guido whispered, planning what he would say.

"I guess I didn't want to get picked on. I mean, you know why we started picking on Luca and Alberto." Guido looked back at Ciccio.

"Why would Ercole ever pick on you?" 

"You know..." Guido hesitated for a moment. He gesticulated in front of him with his hands as he tried to find the words. When he decided it was not the right time to explain, he stopped trying to. 

"Eh... don't worry about it," he breathed and wiggled his feet over the slow ocean.

"Right," Ciccio said, figuring it wouldn't help to stay on the topic. 

"So... what else have you planned for today?" Guido asked, changing the subject. 

"I thought we could try going for a run," he suggested with a jokingly pained voice. 

"Going for a run? You never enjoyed running before,"

"True, but I think doing things you like is just as good," Ciccio added, letting Guido form his own opinions.

"Now?"

"Why not?"

Guido stood up, shaking his legs in preparation, and turned to Ciccio. He continued to grin at Guido until they set off for a jog around town.

Fanfic?

I have been thinking... and done a bit of wrighting. The result is a 10 chapter Guiccio fanfiction. So, to get to the point: would anyone actually be interested in reading my fanfic or should I just keep it to myself. Most likely I'll post it either way though.

I will now continue my spree of Guiccio stuff. However, I can't guarantee quality.

Guido and Ciccio on a picnic ( Luca Disney Pixar 2021 )

Here's a pencil drawing made by my sister. It's a bit blurry and zoomed in but it's good enough to post. Sadly, I can't tag her anywhere, but I have gotten her permission to upload this.