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doppio is being cute (in a gangster kinda way) and im here like (flips switch) breakdown breakdown
[He sounds briefly... amused? But at some point the growing feeling of comfort within Diavolo breaks down. Doppio's eagerness in the face of these disconcerting circumstances is reassuring, but as Diavolo's thoughts turn to what their lives used to be, he feels... empty.]
You understand I have... nothing left to offer you. Everything I had, everything we'd tirelessly worked for... is all gone. If you are out there, taking action on my behalf, I can't... watch over you like before. I can't lend you my powers, I have no... I'm not...
[Speaking gets harder as he progresses. He presses on, desperate to get to some sort of point though he's not entirely sure which point he's even trying to make.]
It won't... it can't ever be like it was. I'm already... known, I can't keep myself secret, they already know my face - he'd...
[By the time he trails off he's nearly mumbling his words together, gripping the cup in his hand so hard it threatens to break.]
cries
Almost as much as much as the end did? Even more than the end did? Maybe it's pointless, trying to quantify it.It hurts, it truly does, to see the Boss like this. It tests Doppio's respectful boundaries more than anything else, makes him wish so strongly that he could-- do something that he can hardly deny it and so he has to try even harder not to think about it.]That's okay, Boss.
[It's ridiculous. He can't hug the Boss.]
You'll get other powers. I'll... I still can't do a lot, even like this, but I'll be by your side anyway. And...
[He gulps. It's not easy at all to really explain how he feels; of the two people in this room, he's not the one with a gift for words.]
Maybe... Maybe it can't be just like it was before, and that's okay. But even if it's something else, I know you can make it just as good! Or even better!
[The problem with the Boss's identity being far more public than ever is... not something Doppio knows how to work around. Not just yet. Hopefully he won't mind him glossing over it. But...]
I've kept an eye on the underworld this whole time, Boss. ... I've been waiting for you.
i genuinely dont know why this took 10 days
If only I should be so lucky... I... I've...
[He murmurs again, a mournful protest against Doppio's confidence, and just as before, the words catch in his throat.
"That's okay," Doppio says for the second time, and as hollow as words are, they keep coming. Incessant. Unprovoked. Meant to soothe, and for a moment Diavolo wonders if he can lean into his words and let them wash over him, fooling his weary mind into believing for a moment that they have any weight or meaning behind them.
He can't.]
You waited for me. [He echoes the words softly, trying to still his breathing. This conversation has twisted so far from what he'd come here for.] Even though... surely you had no way of knowing that I'd ever arrive here. One would assume your employment was terminated with... with your death. But you waited for me...
[He trails off there, musing aloud.]
IT HAPPENS SOMETIMES don't worry
Is this the first time they've called it what it is, his death? Is this the first time the Boss acknowledged it?
Doppio can't blame him for it; he's been through so much. He's experienced so much death that surely, what happened to Doppio barely qualifies at this point. He more or less just slipped away, peacefully but so, so heartbreakingly lonely--
But that's why he had to wait.]
I... I knew...
[No. That's a lie, isn't it? How could he know? But the truth is...
Doppio stares down at his fidgeting fingers and speaks quietly, as if fearing the consequences for admitting such a thing:]
... I really wanted to hear you again.
LATE AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! too distracted by babby mode
...and you got your wish, and more than that. I am here, in the flesh.
And I... I wish this reunion hadn't taken so long to occur. The first time - after I left - I... couldn't even begin to guess how long I'd - ...
...The second time... I'd kept you waiting for far longer than I ever should have. [Holed up, curled up, insides swirling with anger and regret and disgust and fear. And even now he is uneasy and confused and so very afraid that his longing for a return to the normalcy of their lives will send him barreling straight into another round of poor choices. Even after over a month here he can scarcely imagine picking up his pieces and rebuilding the empire they'd created. It's a distant dream now.
If he had an ounce of sense or self-preservation he would leave again, staying far away until he determined what exactly is wrong with Doppio... but he's spent far too much time alone with his own thoughts to consider that. He just wants peace, and to rest, and to deal with his problems as they arise instead of being forced to be proactive about every single one.]
patpat!!!
The second time...
Doppio was afraid, but it doesn't matter anymore. He's here now.]
I get it. You were... just trying to stay safe, right? I can't blame you, if you really thought I might hurt you. I'm-- [Doppio smiles, and his eyes dart dangerously close to the Boss's face; he manages to keep them down at the last moment.] ... glad we cleared that up, though!
no subject
If only he could trust Doppio fully. But, he supposes, it's not trust that he lacks. Doppio the only one he can trust, and he's always understood the importance of their work. Even now he catches Doppio's eyes darting away from his face, even here when it doesn't matter, even though he'd never once sat and drilled the necessity of even Doppio averting his gaze from his face for the sake of his continued secrecy. Why waste time entertaining thoughts of the impossible when there's so much left to accomplish? It's a testament to his undying loyalty.
But... this split. Any lies Doppio ever told him before, insignificant as they were, were things he could refute with the knowledge that came with their unbroken connection. Here he cannot trail behind Doppio, shadowing him everywhere he goes, observing every action unseen. Going out was enough of an ordeal before...]
We still have plenty of work to do before this is cleared up, my Doppio. I trust you're as eager to solve this mystery as I am.
no subject
[Of course the matter isn't resolved yet - they still have to find the real culprit, and then they have to determine the consequences for what the culprit did. Under that lens, of course they're still getting started. But...
Doppio is just glad the Boss knows it wasn't him now. The thought that Doppio might ever hurt him... He refuses to even entertain it.
As long as that is laid to rest, he can breathe a sigh of relief.]