Brothers In Blood
Darkness swirled.
Soft and heavy, like velvet drapes drawn over the world.
Then—
Light starts to flood through. Harsh, golden and blurry.
Adriano’s eyelids fluttered open, lashes crusted with sleep and sweat. The ceiling above was familiar. Ornate. The custom molding. The chandelier. The faint scent of expensive cologne and gun oil lingering in the air.
Home.
His eyes trailed to the stand beside the bed. An IV bag dripped slowly, a plastic tube trailing into his arm.
His shoulder throbbed with a dull, nagging fire, bandages tight against the skin.
Adriano groaned, his throat dry like sandpaper. He blinked hard, then sat up—slowly.
The sudden flood of memories came rushing back.
The rooftop.
The gunfire.
Alessandro.
The bullet.
The blood.
The mole.
He stared at the IV, then yanked the needle out with a wince, tossing it aside.
“Second time this week,” he muttered hoarsely, rubbing his temples. “What the hell is this, a fucking pattern?”
The door opened.
“Adriano!”
Diamond.
She rushed in, eyes wide with relief and panic all at once. Her hair was a mess. She looked like she hadn't slept. She crossed the room in seconds and practically launched into his arms, hugging him tightly.
“Ow—shit, ow, ow,” Adriano grunted, nearly tipping backward onto the bed.
Diamond gasped and quickly pulled away. “Oh my God—I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—are you okay?”
She cupped his cheek, her hazel eyes searching his like she couldn’t believe he was real.
Adriano gave her a pained but genuine smile. “A little,” he said. “Still hurts like a bitch.”
Her hand trembled against his skin, then she leaned in and kissed him—slow, desperate, like he could disappear again if she closed her eyes for a second too long.
He chuckled softly, wincing. “Jesus, Diamond. Calm down. I'm not going anywhere… yet.”
She pulled back, breathless, lips parted. “Sorry. You scared the hell out of me.”
“What happened?”
She straightened, brushing her fingers through her hair. “After you passed out, your brothers, Luca and Marco, got you back here. Serena came soon after. Gabriele didn’t want to take you to the hospital. Said the cops were already swarming the restaurant. And with whoever tried to kill you still out there… taking you somewhere public wasn’t an option. So they brought a doctor here.”
Adriano tried to swing his legs out of bed.
Bad idea.
White-hot pain seared through his shoulder, and he cursed through gritted teeth.
That’s when the door opened again.
Gabriele’s voice filled the room. “You’re awake! Finally.”
Alessandro walked in behind him, silent, hands shoved in his pockets, his jaw tight. His eyes scanned Adriano from head to toe but he didn’t say a word.
Gabriele moved closer, nodding toward the now-bloodstained bandages. “We brought a surgeon. He took the bullet out and stitched you up. You lost a lot of blood, though.”
He paused, glancing at Alessandro.
“Your darling brother here donated some.”
Adriano blinked, turning to look at Alessandro. The older Greco stood motionless, eyes on the floor.
“He did?” Adriano asked, his voice low.
Diamond nodded. “Yeah. He did.”
A strange silence fell. Thick. Charged. Not cold, but… unfamiliar.
Adriano exhaled slowly and glanced at the others. “Can I be alone for a bit?”
Gabriele and Diamond both nodded. Gabriele clapped him lightly on the leg and said, “Alright. Shout if you need anything.”
Diamond brushed her fingers along his jaw one last time, then walked out with Gabriele and Alessandro.
Adriano watched them go. Then, just as the door was closing, he spoke again.
“Except you.”
His voice was soft, but commanding.
Alessandro looked up. His brows lifted.
“Me?”
Adriano nodded once. “Yeah. Stay.”
The door clicked shut behind the others.
They were alone.
For a second, they just stared at each other.
Then they both opened their mouths at the same time.
“I—”
“Listen—”
They stopped, froze, and then—
Laughed.
That rare, genuine kind of laughter. The kind that aches from somewhere deep, buried under all the bruises and the blood.
Alessandro rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head. “Go ahead.”
Adriano cleared his throat, wincing a little as he shifted to face him better.
“Sure.” He paused. “Thank you… for saving me. If you hadn’t pushed me out of the way in time, I’d have a bullet in my skull right now. So…”
Alessandro chuckled, walking closer and sitting on the edge of the bed. “And now I’ve gotta thank you for taking a bullet for me. This is getting exhausting.”
Adriano smirked. “We’re brothers. I’d do it anyway. Besides, I already told you—if you die, it’s gonna be by my hands.”
That made Alessandro laugh again, louder this time. “Right. Of course.”
The laughter faded into a silence that wasn’t awkward—it was weighty. A moment suspended between everything they didn’t say aloud.
Adriano looked at him again. “Thanks again… for the blood.”
Alessandro smirked. “Now you’ve got my blood running through your veins. No wonder you’re more charming.”
Adriano rolled his eyes and punched his brother lightly in the shoulder with his uninjured arm. “I hate you.”
Alessandro grinned, rubbing the spot. “I hate you too.”
Then, without a word, he leaned in and hugged him.
It wasn’t just a quick pat on the back or a stiff brotherly nudge.
It was real.
A tight, quiet, still hug.
Adriano froze.
Of all the things Alessandro could’ve done, this was the last one he expected. His arms hovered mid-air for a second before he finally, awkwardly, rested one around his brother.
The world felt very still for a moment.