[He was . . . sort of expecting that. As soon as he said it - no, before he said it - he knew that this was one of the ways this might turn out. It's not fair, certainly, that he's treating this conversation like a chess game, planning out moves for all eventualities, but that's simply how it is. Bruno's unwillingness to take care of himself is--]
[It's dangerous, isn't it? For all of them. They need him, whether he thinks they do or not. If he weren't there, they would all survive, but since he is here, it's vitally imperative that he take care of himself as well as the rest of them. If he's going to be here, if he's going to be alive with them, he's going to have to be safe.]
[This isn't safety. This, this numbness - it's a good way to get yourself hurt and not even notice it, because you don't allow yourself to notice anything.]
[Which isn't to say hearing it out loud isn't excruciating. The ever-so-slight emphasis on that correction, you, it feels like someone's reached into his chest and pulled out his heart. But that's okay, maybe. Maybe that's his job, maybe that's part of what being don is, that you have extra hearts tucked away, that you get all the chances and carry all the pain and suffer for your people so that maybe they can suffer just a little bit less.]
[He'd be so happy if that was something he could do. For Mista, for Bruno, for Abbacchio. It's right.]
Every minute of every day that I spend with you changes me, Bruno. That's what happens when you're with family.
[Dead or alive - in that sense, it doesn't matter. He wouldn't tell Izabel that her existence here didn't matter, or Kakyoin. Only himself. He is the only exception.]
[Giorno will not allow that for much longer.]
[He rests his hand lightly at the back of Bruno's upper arm, squeezing lightly. It's a similar gesture to the one he made by accident a few weeks ago, when he was telling secrets. You're walking with a dead man, Bruno had said, and it scared him so much. But it just isn't true.]
[He won't push anymore, he thinks. Not today. But he won't let himself be scared of a lie anymore, either.]
action;
[It's dangerous, isn't it? For all of them. They need him, whether he thinks they do or not. If he weren't there, they would all survive, but since he is here, it's vitally imperative that he take care of himself as well as the rest of them. If he's going to be here, if he's going to be alive with them, he's going to have to be safe.]
[This isn't safety. This, this numbness - it's a good way to get yourself hurt and not even notice it, because you don't allow yourself to notice anything.]
[Which isn't to say hearing it out loud isn't excruciating. The ever-so-slight emphasis on that correction, you, it feels like someone's reached into his chest and pulled out his heart. But that's okay, maybe. Maybe that's his job, maybe that's part of what being don is, that you have extra hearts tucked away, that you get all the chances and carry all the pain and suffer for your people so that maybe they can suffer just a little bit less.]
[He'd be so happy if that was something he could do. For Mista, for Bruno, for Abbacchio. It's right.]
Every minute of every day that I spend with you changes me, Bruno. That's what happens when you're with family.
[Dead or alive - in that sense, it doesn't matter. He wouldn't tell Izabel that her existence here didn't matter, or Kakyoin. Only himself. He is the only exception.]
[Giorno will not allow that for much longer.]
[He rests his hand lightly at the back of Bruno's upper arm, squeezing lightly. It's a similar gesture to the one he made by accident a few weeks ago, when he was telling secrets. You're walking with a dead man, Bruno had said, and it scared him so much. But it just isn't true.]
[He won't push anymore, he thinks. Not today. But he won't let himself be scared of a lie anymore, either.]