THIRD PERSON

Riccardo was torn about whether he should knock on the wooden door or not. His brother had ended the call; he had already heard that much, and that was his only excuse not to do it. Finally, he took a deep breath, raised his fist, and knocked. It took maybe two seconds before the door opened, and a surprised Vito looked at him.

"Riccardo, what can I do for you?" he asked, stepping aside and motioning for him to come in. The last time Riccardo had tried to talk to him alone had been so long ago that Vito wasn't even sure what the reason was.

"I won't be a bother for long, I—" Riccardo began, still unsure of what he wanted to say and how.

"You're not disturbing me. Whatever it is, I'm sure it's important to you, so it's important to me," Vito interrupted him and quickly went to the desk to put his cell phone on silent mode. "Would you like something to drink? There are drinks in the fridge."

Riccardo looked around the office, confused. It looked the same as it had when his father used it. Even the ugly picture was still hanging on the wall. "Where's the fridge here?"

"In the left wooden cupboard behind you. Is it about Matteo?"

To Riccardo's surprise, there really was a refrigerator filled with various drinks. 'No alcohol, of course,' he thought as he grabbed a cola and a water for Vito. As if his stuffy brother would drink alcohol. The only thing he ever saw his brother drink was water and black coffee. Vito had already sat down on the sofa and gratefully accepted the bottle of water. He looked expectantly at his younger brother, who sat down on the armchair next to him. He first took a sip before answering. "No, it's about the girl."

"You mean Josephine? What about her?" Vito couldn't imagine that she could have done anything to upset Riccardo so much that he wanted to talk to him about it. On the other hand, in his experience, it didn't take too much to upset Riccardo.

"There's something strange about her. Don't you think?" Vito didn't answer but gestured for him to continue speaking as he leaned back. "I don't think she's telling us everything."

Riccardo had expected Vito to defend her immediately, but to his surprise, he didn't. "You'll be right about that."

"But how is that supposed to work? She can't expect to become part of this family without having to tell us the truth! How can we trust her at all?" the younger brother exploded.

"Again, you're right about that too. But I would like to ask you something: what reason does she have to trust us?" Vito looked at him, but Riccardo couldn't think of a sensible answer. His first thought was that she had come to them, not the other way, but he saw for himself how weak the argument was. "You see. Trust isn't given, it's only earned. I can't imagine what it's like to come into a strange family after the death of your parents and even less can I imagine what it must be like to live on the street. And on both counts, I'm very happy that I don't have to. Maybe she will open up when she feels safe here, but that would surprise me very much."

"Bullshit, she's definitely safe here!"

"But two weeks isn't enough to make up for six years, and maybe it never will be enough. That doesn't mean you shouldn't at least try."

The leather beneath Riccardo creaked as he unconsciously leaned forward and removed his arms from the backrest. "I don't think that's fair to Matteo. You can't expect him to just accept it."

"It's not fair to you either and I apologize for that. I didn't think about what that meant for both of you and I should have." Vito apologized and had to admit that he had taken the two of them into consideration had really neglected. He had allowed himself to be guided too much by Domenico, who thought they could handle it.

Did his big brother really just apologize to him? Riccardo looked at Vito in amazement. He least expected that. His brother otherwise considered every one of his actions to be the right ones! He had never admitted to having made a mistake. Never. He drank from the bottle to hide his irritation. What should he say to that? It was as if some switch had been pressed inside him and some of his anger suddenly disappeared.

Vito saw his brother struggling with himself and wished he had approached Josephine's admission differently. But the past could no longer be changed, so he could only hope to be more careful in the future. "If you still want to move out when you reach adulthood, then I would be happy to support you in your search for an apartment so you can find what you are looking for."

"You know about this? How do you know?" Matteo wouldn't have said a word about it, Riccardo was sure of that. His brother stood behind him at all coasts.

Vito smiled mirthlessly. "I'm your brother. It's my job to know such things. And even though I wish you would stay, I can't stop you if you want to leave. You are my brother Riccardo, not my opponent. It may be difficult for you to believe, but I want the best for you and that includes respecting your decision, whatever it may be. I promised our Father that I would protect and love you and I plan to keep my promise. Which also means that Matteo will stay until he comes of age."

"But-"

"No. I have custody and even if you ask for it, no court in the world will grant it to you. I'm sorry Riccardo, but you can't have responsibility over someone else." Vito felt his head start to hurt again. He hated having this conversation, but it had to be had at some point and this seemed to be the best opportunity.

"You can't just separate us! What's the point of this shit, Vito? You took custody of all of us when you were 18. And you seriously don't trust me to deal with it? Fuck you!" Riccardo snapped. That was him again, his brother high on his thorn, already judging everyone below him!

Vito tiredly rubbed his face, trying to relieve his headache. "Can you please sit back down?"

Riccardo didn't even realize he had gotten up. He sat back, trembling. His pulse raced, sending adrenaline rushing through his body. If it weren't for his brother in front of him, he would definitely beat the shit out of him.

"I trust you. But there is a difference between having to and being allowed to. And I wish for you that you can enjoy your youth carefree without having to take anyone else into account."

And even if he didn't want to, Riccardo could understand him somewhat. "So that's all you care about? What if Matteo wants to move in with me when he's of age?"

"Then I'll help him move like I would with you." The door opened, interrupting the conversation for a brief moment. Domenico looked between his brothers with interest. He finally looked questioningly at Vito, but he ignored him.

"Am I disturbing you?"

"No, I was just about to leave anyway," replied Riccardo, while Vito was about to say 'yes'. He watched his younger brother get up and walk to the door as Domenico sat down in the vacated seat.

With the handle in his hand, Riccardo turned to Vito again and asked something he had never thought of before. "Do you regret taking custody of us?"

"Not for a second," Vito replied without hesitation. His brother nodded slightly before leaving the room with his head hanging.

________________

Valentino waited impatiently as the gate opened in front of him. The clock in the car read 3 a.m., and the short drive hadn't warmed the vehicle much. Freezing, he pulled the sleeves of his jacket over his hands. Damn cold, he thought, and stepped on the accelerator as soon as the gate was wide enough. The headlights illuminated the driveway and soon shone on the dark facade of the house. Everything was still, as expected at this hour.

He parked quickly and entered the house even faster. The comforting warmth enveloped him as he kicked off his shoes. His phone vibrated in his pocket.

[03:16] Sloan: Did you drive home safely?

Grinning, he typed a reply, briefly considering a snack but deciding he was too tired and just wanted to crash in his own bed.

Quietly, he crept up the stairs. His phone buzzed again, but he ignored it, nearly at his room. The hallway was dark, but he didn't turn on any lights for the short walk. Maybe a shower would help him warm up, he thought, allowing him to sleep longer in the morning. Content with himself, he nearly whistled. Then he heard a cough. Valentino froze. It came from Josephine's room, and a faint glow of light seeped under her door. Why was she awake? Did she have a nightmare? Without a second thought, he knocked gently and opened the door. Perhaps she had just left the light on or was having trouble sleeping.

"Yes?" Her voice sounded uncertain, but Valentino's head poked through the door anyway.

It took him a moment to process what he saw, and then a wide grin spread across his face. "Do I see a certain book in your hand, Josie?"

Josephine blushed and quickly closed the book, her face a mix of embarrassment and defiance. "Did your date go well?"

"Very well. Can I come in?" he asked, and when she nodded, he slipped inside and closed the door behind him. "Why is it so cold in here?"

Shivering, he crossed his arms. Josephine looked between him and the open window, confusion written on her face. "Well, I guess it's the open window."

"I figured that much out, Sherlock. But why is it open in this weather?" He moved closer to her, sitting on the floor beside her. Awkwardly, she offered him part of her blanket, which he gratefully pulled over his legs. His eyes drifted back to the book. "Can't you sleep?"

Her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red as she looked away. "I wanted to sleep, but then I just wanted to read one more page, then one more chapter, and then... well, here you are."

Valentino chuckled. He remembered similar nights. "Josie!"

"I know! I'm sorry, I'll put it away." But instead of taking it from her, he held out his hand expectantly, and with a sigh, she handed him the book. "Can this stay between us?"

"You'll get it back in the morning. Now, how about I close the window, turn on the heater, and you at least try to sleep?"

Josephine nodded, relieved to escape further confrontation. "The book is really great."

"Didn't I tell you? Where are you right now?" he asked as he stood up.

"They're with Hagrid, talking about the dragon egg," she answered eagerly.

Valentino nodded knowingly. "It's a shame you won't find out what happens next until tomorrow. And you still have the showdown with Voldemort ahead!"

"What? Then what happens? Did Snape hide him? It must have been him! He's so creepy."

"Ah, that, my dear Josie, I will not tell you." He grinned triumphantly, clutching the book. "But I wish you a good night."

Josephine didn't wish him a good night, Valentino was sure of it.