GuidoxCiccio Fanfiction Chapter 1

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 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!

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

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. 

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.

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.

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 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.

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 ).

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.