Passion is a deadly crime - FUGIO

Chapter 1

"Fugo !", this call resonated in my ears while I was casually walking through the streets of Napoli, with no other goal than to find a place to have dinner in peace. I probably would've been really pissed off if I didn't instantly recognize this voice, hoarse with a thick accent I would call... "gangster-ish" if I wasn't a gangster myself. That was Mista, the boss's subordinate,-and incidentally my friend even though we've been closer in the past rather than now as adults-.

With a mildly annoyed sigh, I turned around to face him. I crossed my arms and leaned on my left foot more than the other, in a way that showed that I wanted to eat more than to actually chat. But once again, this might have be important.
"What is it ?" I asked in a passive-aggressive tone.
"Dude, I've been looking for you everywhere. Don't disappear like that, you got responsibilities." He replied. God, can't you let me eat at least ? Am I even free ? I wanted to ask that, but Mista was right. I had a duty, I am a stand user and a mafioso after all.
"Well sorry about that. But I still want to know why you're even bothering me."

Mista chuckled. It was really not the time to laugh if you'll ask me. "Yeah, right," he started to get more serious again, as expected from the right hand man of Don Giovanna, "Giogio asked to see you. It's important, he needs you for a mission or something. Can't tell you what 's it about though."

The mention of this name made my eyes lit up. Giorno. He wanted to see me, out of everyone ? A million thoughts fought in my head. Like flashes in my eyes, I recalled the last time I interacted with him. About two weeks ago ? Well, it wasn't that long ago actually. But it felt like years. Maybe because we barely exchanged any words, just... saluting each other. That was weird. Not only calling such a powerful mafia boss by a nickname, but also meeting him so casually. This was certainly not how it was back then when Diavolo was running it, that's for sure. And here I am, remembering the times when Bucciarati was still here, and when Giorno was not a thing. Crap, I thought I got over this.

"Y-yeah, I'll see him... right now." I stammered, trying to brush off my inner turmoil. "Great. He's expecting you in a hour, so don't take too long." Mista responded, patting me on the shoulder in a friendly manner. Guess he didn't forget what we had before after all. I forced a smile on my face, but I'm actually not sure if it was actually genuine.

Once we parted ways, I ran in the streets, and accidentally bumped a middle aged man passing by. My anger was starting to rise, but I worked on it with time and told myself it was not worth it. But before I could even apologize, the man grabbed my collar and yanked it forcefully towards him. "Watch out, asshole ! Who raised you, little shit ?"
Now, I couldn't let that slide. Especially when I saw the freshly bought sandwich in his hand. I punched his jaw, kicked him in the balls once he was lurching back, and snatched the sandwich from his hand before running away, not even looking back. He deserved it anyway. And this sandwich was damn good.

After a very brief journey, I arrived in front of the door leading to the boss's office. But before he even reached the handle, he heard a voice on the other side, one that wasn't from Giorno.
"Are you sure about this ? You know how he can get..."
It was Sheila. Talking to Giorno. And the first thought I had was that she was talking about me. To him. I held back from opening the door right there and confront her, when I heard him speak, with the same soft but firm voice he always had.
"I am sure, Sheila E. And this is the only option I'll consider for this task in particular."
"What about you ?" She retorted. "Don't worry about me. I am strong, this clearly won't stop me. I believe it." Giorno said with confidence. The same confidence he had when he talked about that dream back then. The one to be a gang-star. The one he fulfilled.
What about my dreams ? Has even one got real ? Oh, shut up Fugo. Quit being so selfish all the time.

I impulsively grabbed the doorknob, and pushed on it to interrupt the speech. Both Sheila and Giorno, as well as Polnareff, were staring at me blankly a few second. Seeing Giorno's attention on me had a unexpected effect, leaving my mouth agape without letting any words in, like a knot was in my heart. Sheila interrupted the awkward silence with a enthusiastic voice, completely forced if you want my opinion. "Fugo ! we were just talking about you. I must probably leave you guys and let you talk now." I nodded, and both Giorno and Sheila said bye before we were only the two of us. And with that turtle, too. I take some time to properly look at Giorno. Every time I remembered I was facing the boss, I wanted to kneel before him and lower my gaze out of respect. But Giorno wasn't like that, he privileged trust and confidence in his subordinates rather than domination. I got so lost in his long golden locks and green iris that I forgot I was actually called for something important.

"What do you need me for ?" A smile appeared on the corners of Giorno's pink lips, as he sat down on his throne-like chair. "Well... We got ourselves a complicated mission to solve, and I thought we could be the perfect match for that. Polnareff, you can explain." I was almost disappointed when Giorno let that... french turtle man to talk instead of him. For some reason, I craved more proximity with Giorno. It's been three years or more since I knew him goddammit, I didn't know why I acted like a teenage boy trying to get some friends.

"We found out the illegal drug trade has been more present than we thought it was. And not within Passione, but big rival organizations trying to step into our territory, buying the city's millionaires as allies, or simply passageway to introduce their ownership on the underground market without our consent or knowledge. Some of our trusted men disappeared when they tried to investigate on their own." I frowned a little. Illegal drug trade despite the passione's rules was a common thing we were fighting against, but this looked pretty serious, not something to get rid off easily, especially when people's lives were at risks. Polnareff continued: "That's where you come into action. Your destructive stand is a major asset both to intimidate and to exterminate those who stand before us and cause us harm."

I stared at the turtle, then at Giorno. That must've been the first time in a while since Purple Haze was requested on a mission. It was usually avoided, even though I managed to control it more easily. "So... You want me to do that on my own, I guess..." I mumbled, evaluating the situation in my head. This was stressful, but not so bad. "No, you won't be alone. I'll come with you, since I take it by heart."Giorno interrupted. Is he crazy ? Him ? With me ? "But... Giorno, this is dangerous ! With my stand, I could kill you in the blink of an eye accidentally." I said with a trail of sweat down my temple, but Giorno just chuckled.

"Fugo, do you remember our first fight together ?" As he said that in this honeyed voice, I quickly connected the dots. How could I forget that fight. The one against Illuso, in which Giorno had to inject a snake's blood into his veins to immune himself from the toxic gas. That was unexpected and out of nowhere for me at that time, but it made the mission interesting. "You mean you're not sensitive to my stand's power anymore ?" As I asked this, Giorno instantly nodded, as if he anticipated my question. "Perfectly. It is actually safer for me to work with you, as you don't put me in danger. And I'll believe we'll do a good job together." He said those last words in a more... private way, I can't really explain it, it was almost like a compliment. I didn't respond, as I found nothing smart enough to say. My high IQ doesn't help much with social skills, it seems.

"We start right now, we should take the road as we might get a few hours of driving. We caught a precious source of informations that we need to reach as soon as possible." With these words, he stood up, walking towards me and looking at Polnareff from above his shoulder. "I entrust you and Mista for the management of the organization during my absence. I'll make sure to inform you of any problem." He then looked back at me, "Follow me, Fugo. I'll let you drive for a bit, I'm sure you're better than me at that." and we were gone, walking in the corridors without addressing each other much. In all these years in Passione, I have never had such a high place in a mission, and in Giorno's esteem. That was both exciting and terrifying. Not only because he was the boss, but because he was himself. Words fail to express the thing I feel when I get to interact with the boy. My boss, my friend, my Giogio.

END OF CHAPTER ONE