[center][sup]A [@LovelyComplex] & [@Venus] Collaboration[/sup]

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[img]https://i.imgur.com/1bi0TUY.png[/img]
[img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/220328/4198e68528419c4f1faaedcbf4c41ab2.png[/img]
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[color=gray][indent][indent]Danilo had been decompressing in his bedroom, away from his family. Decompressing from the busy day of family affairs while also processing the events of yesterday. Not only was he forced to revisit his past, a time when things were simpler, but he had to confront his present demons. The emotions he kept buried itched in his throat when Marco found his way to him at the Godmother. The emotions he chose to ignore ran through his veins when he saw so many of his classmates shattered at the truth of Allison Davies’ death. The emotions he knew he was ashamed of made a home in his chest and it ached. It ached so hard because all he did was hurt those he loved. 

Laying in bed with his dress blouse slightly unbuttoned, his tie loose, and his pants still on, he stared at his ceiling wondering how he could make this better. How could he heal those he broke? Jillian, Natalia… Marco. He wasn’t a good person. He knew that, but couldn’t bad people redeem themselves? Certainly, he could try. Closing his eyes, he replayed the moments he shared with his ex in his car. Marco had made a major shift in emotion as the night went on. Was it something he said? As he continued to overthink, he heard screaming outside his hall and down the hallway. 

After the successful therapy session with Creed and Jokes and becoming a godmother for the first time, Natalia had all but returned back to her usual self. The worries that had plagued her the night before were still present, of course, but had been successfully tucked back into their respective boxes of repression. This wasn’t the time to crumble! It was all just another test to prove how strong the Belmonte girl really was! So what if Niles was dating her nemesis? She could do so much better than him anyway. Poppy finding out about her and Charlie? She’d cross that bridge when she got there. As for the regrets with Danny and her mom? These were things she could start working on right away. Tonight, even. Yeah, tonight seemed like a good time to start her self-betterment journey.

But first: gym time.

Decked out in leggings, sports bra and sneakers, Natalia was in the midst of packing the final items into her gym bag when she heard a commotion begin in the hallway and the room across her. Frowning, the young woman opened the door, and was instantly flabbergasted at the events unfolding in front of her eyes. Apparently her cousin had slept with Father Joe and was denying it-- which for some reason had Cat acting like she’d spat on her pasta. In the blink of an eye, Cat had slapped Tiff, Tiff had stormed away crying, Vivia had come to her cousin’s defense and Cat decided it was the perfect moment to shout out from the rooftops that her third youngest sister was dating ReyRey.

[color=7B68EE][i]Oh fuck…[/i][/color]

[color=887b6e]“CATERINA AND VIVIA, SCENDI QUI. [b]ADESSO[/b].”[/color] Tiziano Belmonte called out to his daughters, hearing more than enough of the conversation from upstairs. The whole neighborhood could hear it! 

Rushing out of his bedroom, Danny ran out the door to see a sobbing Tiffannie clutching her reddened cheek, rushing to the guest bedroom and slamming the door shut while Cat chased Viv downstairs with so much wrath. [color=005d9e]“Is… everything-- actually, no. Nevermind. Don’t even bother.”[/color] That would be a dumb question because cleary nothing was okay in the Belmonte household. Instead of getting any answers, a scene was stirring downstairs in the living room, where most of their other family members were. 

[color=887b6e]“Is it true?”[/color] Taz sternly asked Vivia, not removing himself from his man chair as he smoked his cigar, in the calmest of manners he could do at the moment, which wasn’t calm at all. His fourth youngest daughter didn’t respond. [color=887b6e]“Vivia Primavera Belmonte. I do not repeat myself.”[/color]

Vivia’s eyes sparked with the utmost anger and disdain for her older sister. It was none of her business of who she dated. It was no one’s business but her own. She was twenty three and her family were still policing who she could and could not be with. [color=c85d84]“I am.”[/color] She simply answered.

Instead of responding, Taz took in enough smoke to fill his mouth before blowing it out. He did this four more times, without responding. Slow puffs and simply enjoying the fragrance while never taking his eyes away from his daughter with golden locks. 

Cat decided to break the silence by asking her father, [color=9f1b3e]“Did you hear about your niece?”[/color]

[color=887b6e]“Caterina.”[/color] Taz warned, saying her name in a tone she knew all too well. [color=887b6e]“Silenzio and mind your business.”[/color] Bringing his dark gaze back to his daughter, keeping the cigar in his mouth, moving his hands with his words, he asked, [color=887b6e]“And when were you going to tell me? How long has this been going on?”[/color]

Shrugging and shortly after crossing her arms, Vivia lied, [color=c85d84]“I didn’t think it was that important.”[/color]

[color=887b6e]“While I have nothing against the Gonzalez’s, you do realize what Reynaldo Gonzalez Junior does, right? You do realize his business is not our business, and I do not want it to become our business.”[/color] His smoking was now on auto-pilot as he waited for his daughter to respond, as most of his other children sat and watched, in silence. When Taz commanded silence, it was given. 

Vivia was pushed between a rock and a hard place and she didn’t feel like she did anything wrong. [color=c85d84]“Lui mi ama, daddy. He [i]loves[/i] me and he has taken good care of me for years.”[/color]

Taz’s eyebrows rose, [color=887b6e]“Years?”[/color] Clenching his jaws and holding the cigar between his fingers on his right side, Taz sat there, seething. [color=887b6e]“You know, your righteous sister-- yes, [i]you[/i], Caterina-- got pregnant before she secured anything stable in her life. Nina did too, but at least she introduced her man before… the pregnancy. And Nina, she’s always taken good care of me and your mother. Tua madre che è malata. All I’ve ever asked from you is to do right by the family. Do you think lying and sleeping with the leader of the serpents is doing right by the family?”[/color]

The fifth-born daughter of Taz and Silvia grimaced at her dad’s words. As bad as she felt about Vivia’s relationship getting exposed this way and her dad choosing to bring up every dishonorable action her older sisters had done, Natalia couldn’t help but feel relieved she wasn’t a part of the conversation. No matter how kind, polite and well-mannered her ex-boyfriend Creed had been, it was no secret that he was a known runner, enforcer and occasional dealer for the very same man her father felt so strongly about. The last thing she wanted was for anyone to bring up this tidbit of family history to the forefront.

Rather than getting herself involved in the developing drama, Tal chose to take a seat on the top step of the stairs: the prime location for eavesdropping on the downstairs conversations without being seen. Noticing that Danny was still hanging around his bedroom door, she offered her brother a commiserating grimace, and jerked her head in the direction of the empty space on the step beside her. He’d know what she wanted to say without words-- thank the twinsense for that.

With no argument, the muscular Belmonte took a seat beside his twin and furrowed his eyebrows. Everything was blowing out of proportion and the one that was paying the price was none of the members involved. No, it was their mother hopefully soundlessly sleeping in her bedroom. He looked at Natalia, in exasperation, in a way that asked her when was this all going to end? Ever since the shooting, their family was on edge and talking to a good handful of them was like walking in a land mine field. 

[color=c85d84]“That’s fucking [i]rich[/i] coming from [i]you[/i].”[/color] Vivia hissed at her father. 

[color=7B68EE][i]Oh, shit…[/i][/color] Natalia said in her head, turning to Danny with her blue eyes wide as saucers. [color=7B68EE][i]She wouldn't dare…?[/i][/color] This was dangerous territory that Vivia was trying to embark in, and it wouldn’t get anywhere good.

[color=258554]“Vivia, [i]per favore[/i].”[/color] Elisabetta cut in, knowing exactly where her younger sister was going. Elisa had been sitting on the couch, watching a Disney movie with the kids. Now, though? She was at her younger sister’s side, trying to calm her down. Glancing to her husband, Salvio, she begged, [color=258554]“Honey, can you take the kids outside?[/color] The men in the family, including her husband, who was the most loved by Taz, took charge to get the kids out of this family feud. It was late but they’d make it work. What were fathers for?

[color=c85d84]“[i]Please[/i] you, Elisa.”[/color] Vivia protested. [color=c85d84]“Dad acts all high and mighty when he is a bastardo!”[/color]

[color=9f1b3e]“HEY!”[/color] Caterina yelled at her sister. [color=9f1b3e]“You have no fucking right to talk about our time in New York. You were only FOUR, Vivia. Don’t act like you know how it was to live in a time where--”[/color]

[color=c85d84]“Where, what? Mom was going to divorce dad?”[/color]

[color=887b6e]“ABBASTANZA!”[/color] Taz loudly shouted, off the top of his lungs, done with all the disrespect. [color=887b6e]“[i]Voi.[/i]”[/color] He angrily pointed at his only blonde daughter. [color=887b6e]“I’m sending you to your aunt. [i]Tonight.[/i] You understand how much I’ve given to you? You think your life is cheap? Who’s card do you swipe when you need something? Not your boyfriend’s. No. You use [i]my[/i] money. Sei fuori. Your mother does not need this, especially not from you. My [i]niece[/i] is a better daughter than [b]you[/b].”[/color]

While all this happened, Nina looked between her sisters, rested her eyes on her father and waited in silence. It looked like she wanted to cry. Nina was the type of woman that carried the weight of the world on her shoulder, but instead she stood there hopelessly waiting to see what her father wanted her to do. Obedient through and through. 

At his limit, Danny turned his attention back to Natalia, with grief and sadness in his eyes, not only because their family was falling apart, but yesterday was awful, [color=005d9e]“Hey.. you want to leave?” [i]Please, let’s go, Natalia. This one time, can we agree on something?[/i] [/color]

Even if it hadn’t been plastered all over his face, Natalia could [i]feel[/i] her brother’s pain. She’d been able to sense the ache plaguing her brother since the day of their mother’s devastating diagnosis. Out of the seven Belmonte children, she knew he was the one taking the situation the hardest. The bond he shared with Silvia as the only son was incomparable, so for him to be so distraught was to be expected. The fighting between their sisters, the worry of it wilting away the little health Silvia had, the fear of hearing their father revert back into how he was in the dark days before they were even born… It was suffocating.  No wonder Danny wanted to leave-- and she'd definitely go with him.

[color=7B68EE]“Don’t have to tell me twice,”[/color] she mumbled, getting up from her staircase seat and signaling to Danny that she’d be right back. The young woman returned to her bedroom just long enough to toss the last few items from before into her gym bag, swing the bag’s strap over her shoulder and walk right back out, locking her bedroom door in the process. With how extra nosy and on a warpath Caterina seemed to be, the wisest decision was to ensure her sister had no opportunities to enter the sanctity of her room in search for any dirt she could use now or at a later date.

Within five minutes the twins were back at the top of the stairs. Instead of going downstairs, a high percentage of getting noticed from any of their immediate family members, they went straight to the youngest Belmonte’s room. 

[i]Tap. Tap. Tap.[/i]

After Danny knocked, he whispered, [color=005d9e]“Mira, it’s Nat and me.”[/color]

They waited, there was no response. He reached for the knob and turned it. It was locked. Maybe she wasn’t home. He tried knocking again but this time a bit more forceful, hoping to God the screaming didn’t stop downstairs. After another long moment, it seemed like this was a lost cause, the twins looked at each other, coming to terms with they might as well just walk downstairs. 

Just when they were about to give up, Mirabella unlocked her door and only opened it slightly, allowing them to peek at her face but that’s about it. [color=29c2aa]“What?”[/color] 

[color=005d9e]“Can we use your window? We’re trying to leave before we become targets.”[/color]

[color=29c2aa]“I guess.”[/color] Closing the door, locking it once more, Danny listened carefully and heard a lot of motion going on in there. After another few minutes, Mira opened the door and beside her was… Marco’s sister, Marcela.

A knowing grin spread across Natalia’s face, growing wider as she looked between the two girls. The disheveled hair, the flushed cheeks, the messy sheets behind them... As someone who’d been in this same situation innumerable times before, she knew [i]exactly[/i] what Mira and Marcy had been doing before their unceremonious interruption. In all honesty, she was more curious about what drew them to each other in the first place than anything else. Out of all the girls in school, Tal would’ve never guessed that Marcy would be her little sister’s type.

[color=7B68EE]“Hey there, Marcy,”[/color] the Belmonte sister greeted their visitor, that smug smile still hanging on her lips.

[color=C22941]“Hi, Natalia,”[/color] Marcela greeted her dryly from Mira’s side, rolling her eyes and letting out an annoyed huff. She couldn’t be less thrilled about the current interaction, and what it could possibly mean for her and her partner.

[color=7B68EE]“Hanging out with my sister, I see,”[/color] Natalia continued, fighting back the urge to say more in typical big sister fashion and forcing herself to behave. 

[color=29c2aa]“Yeah, and? She’s my best friend. You know [i]that[/i] better than anyone else.”[/color] Mira crossed her arms, really not in the mood to deal with her family. [color=29c2aa]“You want the window? There it is.”[/color] 

Danny looked between the three girls and honestly was confused at the hostility and teasing. Marcela was over all the time. This wasn’t an odd sight. [color=005d9e]“It’s good to see you Marcy! I’m actually…”[/color] Danny stopped himself from saying what he wanted to say. He didn’t want his sisters to know where he was going, even if Marcy [i]knew[/i] about his relationship with her brother. [color=005d9e]“Nevermind. Um, say hi to your family for me.”[/color]

[color=C22941]“Will do,”[/color] Marcy replied with a nod to Danny, her demeanor softening somewhat in a sort of silent understanding. Even if they had never confirmed it, the Brady girl knew that Marco and Danny had been friends in the same way she and Mirabella were. Whether his family knew about it or not was none of her business. What she could do was follow his lead, which meant acting as normal and unassuming as could be.

[h3][color=c85d84]“YOU’RE NOT GOING TO SEND ME OFF! I’LL FUCKING RUN AWAY!”[/color]

[color=887b6e]“Porca miseria! Leave! But just know you walk out that door, you’re cut off, Vivia. [i]Cut off.[/i] Capisci?![/color]

[color=c85d84]“A fanabla!”[/color][/h3]

[color=c13637]”Hey, please dad… she doesn’t mean it. I, uh. I’m going to check  on mom.”[/color] Faintly, under all the other voices, the twins and the lovers could hear Ninetta try her best to defuse the fight, like she usually did. Danny could feel her voice cracking and knew how much this hurt her. She was the most like their mother. Incredibly soft hearted and loving. He could only imagine if his mother was awake how he was feeling. 

Before Danny started registering his older sister walking up the stairs, Mira was quick to go to her window over her bed and lift it open. [color=29c2aa]“Come on, before anyone sees you.”[/color] Swiftly, Danny was on his way out the window. Cautiously, he grabbed the vines and climbed down it. This was kind of hard when you were as swole as him. After he dropped to the floor, he waited at the bottom for Natalia. 

Natalia wasted no time in doing the same, but not without saying a few parting words to her sister and her ‘best friend’. [color=7B68EE]“Enjoy the rest of your night, lover girls,”[/color] she said with a smirk, shooting them a playful wink before grabbing the vines and gracefully climbing down after Danilo.

When Natalia reached the bottom, Danny helping her out a little, he found himself instinctively pulling her in a tight embrace. His body was tense, his eyes were heavy, and his heart hurt. All things Natalia could feel. [color=005d9e]“Our family is falling apart.”[/color] He whispered to his twin, desperate for some affirmation, some connection, some understanding. He was depressed not only because of his mother, his family, and his relationship with his twin. He was depressed because Jill still hated him. Lanie was likely leaving him. And Marco… his grip tightened on Natalia. 

For a few seconds, Natalia remained motionless in her brother’s arms, trying to process what was currently happening. It had been years since the last time she and Danny had spoken more than two sentences to each other, and probably even longer since the last time they’d had any sort of physical, affectionate contact. The fact that it had been Danny the one to initiate it meant that he had reached his breaking point, and he was searching for comfort in the one person he’d never be able to trick or fool. He was hurting, he was depressed, and he was desperate… Just like she’d been the night before. It was all the confirmation Nat needed to put the thoughts from earlier into action.

Without wasting any more time, Natalia wrapped her arms around her twin, holding him as tightly as he was her. [color=7B68EE]“You know I love you, right?”[/color] she heard herself whispering back to Danny, planting a soft kiss on his cheek while her eyes filled with emotional tears. [color=7B68EE]“For better or worse, I’ve got you. No matter how hard or painful or heartbreaking things get, you know I’ve got you. I’ll always, always be here for you. [i]Always[/i].”[/color] She was quiet for a moment, still silently crying and holding her brother. Eventually, Nat took a few deep breaths before adding in choked words, [color=7B68EE]“And I really am sorry for ever making you feel like you didn’t have anybody in your corner.”[/color]

Biting his tongue, feeling emotion building in his chest, Danny dropped the strong build and mask. Finally, he revealed to his twin how defeated he felt since he broke up with Marco, since the shooting, since he failed his family, his friends, his best friend, and his ex lover. Danny wasn’t a man, he would never be man enough, and he was completely and utterly useless. 

He couldn’t save them then and he couldn’t save them now while all the letters revealed terrible secrets.  [color=#005d9e]“I’m not a good person…”[/color] He muttered, looking away from her, ashamed of himself and guilty of all his past deeds. His fear living rent free in his heart. His worst enemy was no one but himself and with all this noise, with his mother dying, with secrets unraveling, with his family stabbing each other like there weren't bigger problems, he deflated. He was the only son of Tiziano Belmonte and all he could offer was weakness. [color=#005d9e]“All I do is hurt people.”[/color]

[color=7B68EE]“I guess it runs in the family, then,”[/color] the girl observed with a bitter laugh, wiping away the tears on her face. [color=7B68EE]"As much as we hate it and we wish we could, we can't change the past, Danny. We've all done our share of things we wish we could take back. You don't think I don't feel guilty about stuff I did in the past, and how it's messing things up for me in the future? I mean, you're the perfect example of that. I pushed you away for years because I felt like you were replacing me with Caitlin and Jill, cutting you off from my life and hurting you in the process-- and you see where that got us,"[/color] she told him, cupping his face with her hands and gently forcing him to look at her.

The regret for her past actions was clear. [color=7B68EE]"Showing weakness and making mistakes doesn't make you a bad person, Hoops: it makes you a human. All we can do is learn from them and use them to make things right: just like I'm doing with you right now. Making the same mistakes over and over again and not learning from them? [i]That[/i]'s a bad person to me-- which you're obviously not, because a bad person wouldn't admit they're a bad person, you know?"[/color]

Silence was all that could be heard for the next minute. Danilo processed what his twin said and could feel the pain in his heart, her heart, grow worse. He was relieved to know the truth, but it didn’t change his mistake of hurting her in the past.  [color=#005d9e]“I’m sorry.”[/color] In the end, that’s all he could think of. All he could think of was ‘sorry’. 

Natalia shook her head. [color=7B68EE]"I'm the one who's sorry, Danny. I was immature and an idiot, and I should've said something long before today."[/color]

[color=#005d9e]“I’m sorry I didn’t go to you. I…” [i]was going through a lot[/i] “I don’t know how to explain it but I didn’t mean to hurt you. I love you, Natalia.”[/color] He gave a warm, yet exhausted smile, [color=#005d9e]“Thank you for opening up to me. I want to be better. Do better. For us.”[/color] He brought his finger to Natalia’s cheek and gently wiped a tear away. [color=#005d9e]“You’ll always be my twin. No one can take that away from you.”[/color]

[color=7B68EE]"I guess we're stuck with each other, aren't we?[/color] Natalia chuckled, giving her brother a watery, apologetic smile. [color=7B68EE]"I promise I'll try to be better too. I don't know how far I'll make it, but I promise I'll try,"[/color] she told him, bestowing a kiss on Danny's forehead. [color=7B68EE]"I love you, [i]baby brother[/i]. We'll get through everything together."[/color] she declared, letting her promise hang in the air for a moment before embracing her brother under the stars once again.[/indent][/indent][/color]