Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

April

Ringing, ringing, ringing. That’s all Leone Abbacchio ever hears on a daily, if it isn’t his business phone it’s his cellphone, if it was not that well perhaps it the phantom ringing that lulls him to sleep every night. Speaking of phones, why has none of the florists, bakers, caterers or venues gotten back to him yet? He left very detailed information on how to contact him. “Hello my name is Leone Abbacchio, I’m calling from No Wedding Blues I would like to request a meeting with you. Contact me at 081-XXX-XXX or 081-XXX-XXX as soon as you get this message.” Then he would hang up and go about his business, but that was not what was happening today. Abbacchio has not received one phone call from anyone and it riddled the wedding planner with frustration. Perhaps it would be better if he delivered the message in person.

Naples was beautiful as the spring season had finally approached making the wedding planner regret that he wore his usual black dress shirt instead of a purple one but that is not important right now, what is important is business. His first stop was the bakery dubbed Tiers of Joy; his usual baker was always one to call him back or at least tell him in advance if something came up. But here Abbacchio was staring at a red “Out of Business” sign that was plastered on the window and door of the establishment. ‘Are you kidding? Are you actually joking?’ He could not believe this; how could the place just go out of business? He was providing them with excellent service and they should be swimming in money. “Great, now I must locate another baker.” Abbacchio was perturbed and albeit a little disappointed, he pulled out a small black planner and flipped through it; it was adorned with scratchy handwriting and page tabs though for a planner it was better organized then one would expect. He scrawled ‘Locate a new baker’ into the planner before shutting it and placing in his dress pants pocket. Hopefully his florist did not go out of business or he’s going to have the biggest headache.

Well, looks like that boat has sailed because the florist has gone on vacation and of course did not inform him which is just great! ‘Locate a new florist’ he writes down and places the planner in his pocket. This day honestly could not get any worse from an out of business baker and a vacationing florist at least the caterer is still around. Abbacchio made a quick stride through the town to at least discuss with the caterers that if they want to leave to at least inform him ahead of time. The trip to the caterer went along well; they seemed to be the only place that is not vacationing or out of business so at least he would not need to get another one of those. But more importantly he needs to work on locating a new baker; that’s top priority, if he can get that set in stone then planning the wedding will be a success.

Abbacchio walked back into his workplace making sure to turn the sign to ‘Open’ and taking down ‘Be back soon sign’ before taking a seat at his desk and picked up his work phone, time to make phone calls. “Hello this Leone Abbacchio, from No Wedding Blues and I would like to schedule a meeting with you.” Voicemail. Let’s try again. “This is Leone Abbacchio, No Wedding Blues. I would like to schedule a meeting with you.” Another Voicemail… then another… then another.... He sent down the phone for a brief moment to collect his thoughts and hold back his annoyance at the amount of bakeries that were closed in Naples before picking it up and waiting for the dialing tone to signal another voicemail. But for once, someone actually answered the phone. Finally, at least someone knows how to answer their phone!

“Hello? Bruno Bucciratti speaking from Bucciratti Seaside Bakery… ” There was a brief pause as something clattered on the other end “what can I help you with?” The voice sounded concerned yet a bit caring it made Abbacchio feel like all of his worries could just melt away, if only they really could.

“Yes, hello I’m Leone Abbacchio from No Wedding Blues and I wanted to schedule a meeting with you for tomorrow morning.” There was another pause before the voice came back, a little less concerned and panicked than before.

“Tomorrow morning? I would love to have a meeting with you Mr. Abbacchio, the bakery opens up at 9 a.m. if you would like to come by then?” Abbacchio took out his planner and scanned the days; tomorrow he had plans to look into another florist but that can be rescheduled until after the meeting with this baker. The wedding planner did rearranging in his little black book before shutting it.

“9 a.m. would be perfect, Bucciratti was it? Be prepared to answer questions that I will have.” He hung up the phone before the person on the other end could even say their farewells and arose from his chair. He trekked over to his ‘Open’ sign and turned it too ‘Closed’ before making his way out of the establishment and back to his home to take a well-deserved sleep.

Tomorrow was going to be a long day and he needed as much energy as he could muster.

Chapter Text

The next morning went pretty well; Abbacchio went about his normal morning routine and prepared to meet the baker. He had high hopes for this meeting though from the sounds on the phone call the other day, the assistant to him might cause a problem. A thought then crossed his mind as he placed one foot out the door… he did not even get the address to the bakery! Dumbass. Perhaps it was in the phone book? Does he even have one of those anymore? The wedding planner turned on his heels and sighed, how could he be so foolish as to forget one of the simplest aspects of wedding planning.

After locating the address by digging through one of the old phone books that the previous owners of the building left behind he headed to the address marked in his planner, he wanted to make this meeting short but as thorough as possible. The walk to the bakery did take a little longer than he would have liked it but, he made it and it was just as Bucciratti said; the place was just opening. Should he wait a few moments before coming in? It is most likely that there was nothing for him to sample maybe he should have waited until at least 9:10 or 9:15. The baker stepped outside his workplace as he was going to flip the sign and noticed Abbacchio standing there. “Mr. Abbacchio is that you? Do come in, don’t be a stranger.” He motioned for him to come inside and without a bit of hesitation he walked inside. “Do take a seat.” He motioned to a pair of chairs that surrounded a light blue table and the wedding planner took a seat. “Now what would like to know?” Abbacchio opened up his planner and flipped to the last page where he had premade questions he would typically ask.

“How long have you being doing baking?  I do not hire novices.” His question came off as harsher than he wanted. Bruno thought for a moment before responding as he began to set up his usual baking cutlery.

“I’ve been baking for about 10 years, my mother was a baker and I use to help her out when I was a young. So I have 10 years under my belt.” He began to gather ingredients to make something for him to sample. Abbacchio wrote down the information told to him before moving onto the next question.

“How well do you work under pressure? There might be times when we are crunched for time and we might have to speed up the process.” The baker did not stop his stirring as he answered his question with a few moments of thought.

“I work well under pressure, I have had situations where I needed to create things quickly and with my assistant’s help, we typically get work done way before the deadline. So in oh so many words I work well under pressure.” Bruno poured the cake batter into a cake pan before placing it into the oven and setting the timer. He then set his full attention to Abbacchio; his blue eyes staring intently at Abbacchio’s yellow and purple ones it caught the wedding planner off guard for moment. He blinks before averting his gaze to his planner and proceeding on with his next question.

“Now we are a wedding service obviously and as such I must know, have you ever baked a wedding cake before?” The black haired male avoided eye contact as this was the question he was dreading. He doesn’t want to lie to him, the Bucciratti family was taught never to lie but at the same time if he said he hasn’t the job is gone!

A dinging noise from the oven snapped him out of his thoughts before he could respond to Abbacchio’s question. Thank you. Bruno placed oven mitts over his hands as he took the cake out of the oven and placed it on the cake tray to cool down.  “Have I ever made a wedding cake before? That is an excellent question Mr. Abbacchio.” His voice trailed off as the gray haired male looked at him quizzically, it wasn’t that hard of a question to answer was it? It just required a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ then a brief explanation, nothing too difficult. “Would you care for a sample?” He held out a piece of vanilla cake decorated beautifully with blue frosting which Abbacchio kindly took a small piece from. It tasted divine! Not too overly sweet but not dry either... it was just like nonna Abbacchio use to make. Had Bruno answered his question? He got caught in a wave of nostalgia and wasn’t quite listening which was rather unprofessional of him.

“What did you say?” He queried as he set the cake down onto the table “I did not quite hear you.” There was another pause; an awkward silence that rested over the pair as Bruno still didn’t look at him, focusing his attention on the waves crashing alongside the pier.

“I have never…” The baker’s voice was hesitant as if he did not know what to say, perhaps he should lie? No that’s against his better judgement and he would be quick to call Abbacchio back and spill the truth. “... made a wedding cake before.” Oh why did he say that?! There goes his job, back to slow days to no service.

It took Abbacchio a moment to process what he heard before he rose from his seat and closed his planner; he wasn’t going to hire a person who has never made a wedding cake before, sure he was the only baker left in town and was quite experienced compared to his last one but, if Bucciratti were too mess up one thing about any weddings he would get in the future then it would be on Leone Abbacchio and No Wedding Blues head, not Bruno Bucciratti’s. 

“We will stay in touch Mr. Bucciratti, do have a good rest of the day.” His voice was dismissive as he turned on his heels and headed towards the door. He really wanted to hire him, he knows he does... it is just he doesn’t want to hire someone inexperienced in this field… he doesn’t want to ruin his reputation.

“That does not mean I won’t try.” Bruno declared as he now finally looked at Abbacchio though the latter was still staring out the door. “I know me not knowing how to make a wedding cake is not the thing you would want to hear as you are a wedding planner and a baker who has never made a cake is similar to a florist who does not know the names of flowers. But, that does not mean I would not try to make a wedding cake. I have made two tier cakes and three tier cakes before for birthdays and I am good at following basic directions and simple details so making a wedding cake should not be that hard. I can make it however the client wants as long as they provide me with details.” He pauses briefly “Mr. Abbacchio at least put some thought into it.”

The wedding planner sighed as he listened to his plea, he’d think about it. Maybe if he mauls it over then he’ll hire him. He’ll just think about it… thinking about it was what he did all the time. Thinking…

“We’ll stay in touch Bucciratti, have a pleasant rest of your day.” He left out the door and headed back to the wedding planner business, thoughts rattling around in his head.

Leone Abbacchio doesn’t hire amateurs because it’ll ruin his reputation, he couldn’t hire amateurs because it’ll ruin his reputation. Why does he care about his reputation so much?

Chapter Text

Abbacchio slept on the thought of hiring Bruno, the thought had been rattling around in his head for a few days now. He wasn’t in bed though as he was sitting at his desk reviewing florist as he sipped a cup of now lukewarm tea. Maybe I should hire him… The thought occurred to him as he sighed, placing his head in his hands. Why was this so frustrating?! This problem never occurred him before since at least all the bakers he went to made a wedding cake in the past. Bucciratti though… he didn’t, he told him he didn’t but, something about his plea just made him want to at least give him a chance. His yellow and purple eyes rested on his work phone; he wanted to call him up and say ‘You are hired!’ just like that and end it but, it wasn’t that easy.

A bell knocked his train of thought off the rails as a young man walked in. He had disheveled black hair, violet eyes and tan skin with a bandage on his nose. He wore an orange hoodie and slightly ripped jeans. “Is this No Wedding Blues?” The young man inquired as he looked completely lost.

Abbacchio arose from his chair turning to face the young man with a look of minor confusion. What was a kid doing here? He had to be no older than 18 or 19. Perhaps he was here for his mother or father? “This is No Wedding Blues; might I help you with something?” He asked.

“See I told Fugo I didn’t need a stupid map! I know how to get where I need to go.” A smile appeared on his face as he relaxed a bit “Any who, I need your help. I’m getting married in a month and I need a wedding planner to handle all the big business because, my fiancé and I don’t have a damn clue what to do.” There was a brief pause as the gray-haired male opened his planner and looked down at the calendar dates.

“Before I agree to do anything… if you do not mind me asking, just how old are you? You look no older than 18 years old. There is nothing wrong with getting married young but are you sure you are not rushing into this?” The young man gave an annoyed look as if he heard all of this before and was just annoyed to hear it all over again.

“I’m 27.” He deadpanned “You sound just like the wedding planner I talked to earlier but you didn’t laugh at me and tell me to get married when I’m 30.” He said simply “So are you going to help me or not? Cause I could go to someone else.”

Business. Don’t say anything Abbacchio you need the business.
“I’d be happy to help you.. I am sorry I did not get your name.” Abbacchio looked up at him waiting for a response as he needed to write it down, so he could remember who is working for.

“Oh right, almost forgot.” He took a seat at the table that had a large calendar resting on it before putting his hands in his hoodie pocket. “I’m Narancia Ghirga, but you can just call me Narancia. What’s yours?”

Narancia? Interesting name. The gray-haired male wrote down the name before joining him at the table, resting his planner beside the calendar and pulling out a pen from his jacket pocket. “Oh my dearest apologizes, I’m Leone Abbacchio.” He felt bad for introduce himself first hand. “So… Mr. Narancia, when were you and your fiancé thinking of getting married?” Abbacchio asked directing his attention to the calendar; hopefully they weren’t getting married anytime soon or his hair might just start falling out.

“Um… uh… “Narancia thought for a moment as he looked up at the ceiling as if that was going to tell him the answer. “I know this!” There was a brief pause before a smile appeared on the young man’s face “May 16! That was the day, I remember because that was the day we first met in high school when I knocked into him at lunch and spilt everything on him. I promised to pay him back for the sweater I ruined but, he just said to take him out to dinner and well… we started going out for real after that.”

“High school Sweethearts. How romantic.” The wedding planner flipped to the day and scribbled something down on the calendar as well as into his planner. “I would be more than happy to plan the wedding for you, thank you for not coming to me a week before. I do not need the additional stress.”

“It was my friend Fugo’s idea to get an actual wedding planner.” The dark haired man admitted “we weren’t going to hire one and just deal with all the work but he said that would be ‘A dumbass idea Narancia!... Let a professional handle it.’ He spoke in a childish mocking tone as he made an overly exaggerated mad face. “So I went wandering around town trying to find this place. “

“Well I am quite glad that you decided to come here to me.” Though he didn’t show it at all, his words came off as genuine sincerity. “Now I have a few questions for you, I hope you do not mind.”

Narancia’s expression shifted to one that a child would give when their parents are lecturing them about why they didn’t get their chores done.

“I didn’t know there was going to be questions!” He groaned “I should’ve studied these all before I actually came. Fugo didn’t tell me that I would have to answer questions.” The wedding planner shook his head as he turned to a blank page in his planner.

“There is no need to study anything. They are just simple questions, nothing to stress yourself over Mr. Narancia. “He assured him “Now then, what is your budget? Just so we know what we are working with.”

The black hair boy frowned, he wasn’t the greatest at math especially with big numbers. He looked visibly upset as he stared down at the table as if the answer was just going to appear.

“Um… Er…” Narancia continued to stare at the table “Do you have a pen and paper?” He asked and Abbacchio handed a pen and paper before looking at him slightly perplexed. The wedding planner watch the young man struggle for a little while on trying to the math to discover the budget. “2,500 plus 3,800… is uh…  5,8012… right?” He sounded so hopeful.

“Not exactly but, that was a good guess. It is 6,3000 which is a reasonable amount to spend on a wedding. “The gray haired male scribbled down the number into his planner, circling it so he wouldn’t forget. “Next, do you have a wedding venue in mind? Either the place for the reception or ceremony?”

Narancia gave an enthusiastic nod as he flashed a small smile. “Mhm! We want to get married at Villa Vittoria, my parents got married there once and it was super cool looking. So I thought it would be… okay for me to have my wedding there.” He seemed a bit embarrassed to admit that and Abbacchio could have sworn he just might have smiled. “Any more questions Mr. Abbacchio?” He tilted his head.

“Just two more; Would you like me too be overly involved and is there anything that non-negotiable?” The young man thought for a second as he tried to come up with a response and Abbacchio patiently waited.

“Well…” He paused “how involved does a wedding planner need to be? I don’t want you controlling our wedding as it is our day and not yours but, I don’t want you to just show up. I want you to collaborate with us throughout the wedding how about that?” There was another pause “Umm… I want to watch the sunset during the reception, my parents have to sit by each other, no signs of the number four anywhere; my fiancé hates the number, I don’t like the color white so no white anywhere, the wedding colors have to be orange, blue or purple.” He tried to think “I think that’s about it.” The wedding planner listened carefully to everything being told, recording it all in his planner. This wasn’t going to be an overly complicated wedding but it was going to difficult. “Is there anything else you need to know? I don’t want to be rude but I have somewhere to be in a little bit.” Narancia got up from the chair and pushed it in before placing his hands right back into his pockets.

“No that is all Mr. Narancia, but I do need your contact information to talk about your wedding plans in case any issue arises.” Abbacchio hands him a business card in exchange for a scribbled assortment of numbers which he assumes is his and his fiancé’s. “I thank you for your time and I hope that I make your wedding a success.”

“I know you will Mr. Abbacchio! I heard great things about you from the streets.” The young man waved goodbye as he headed out the double doors and around the corner.

‘Great things?’ Those words echoed through his head. Let’s hope he can live up to those great things.

Chapter Text

A brand new day meant more stress for Abbacchio and he could’ve sworn his hair was changing to a new shade of gray in some places. Sure he had just gotten his first wedding in a while but he still didn’t have a baker or florist. Guess it was time for him to do the unthinkable; hire him. He refused to hire amateurs and anyone who knew him knew that but he didn’t have any other choice since trying to hire a baker overseas would take too much time that he didn’t have. Hesitantly Abbacchio picked up his work phone and drawn from his memory the number. There was a ringing; once, then twice, then three times before someone picked up. “Hello? This is Bucciratti’s Seaside Bakery, Bruno Bucciratti speaking. What can I do for you?” There’s that same calming voice he remembered from a few days ago, that same voice that made him feel so at ease.

“Bucciratti, this is Leone Abbacchio from No Wedding Blues. I told you we would stay in touch…” He paused giving Bruno a chance to respond but he decided to stay quiet. “I have something to ask of you.” His tone of voice changed into one of hesitation which wasn’t like him in the slightest. He never hesitated.

“What is it Mr. Abbacchio?”

The wedding planner sighed as he perused for the right words before responding. “I would like to hire you. I have slept on the thought and mused it over and I have decided to hire you. I will be over later on today to discuss the details of the wedding cake with you and my client.”

“Oh thank you Mr. Abbacchio, I promise that I will not let you down.” Bruno thanked Abbacchio and the gray haired male nodded as if the baker could see.

“I will hold you too that Mr. Bucciratti.” He gave what was like a small smile, thank goodness no one was around to see it. “I will give you a call when me and my client are on our way.” And he hung up not even letting Bruno get his last words in.

Time to look for a florist.

            “Fugo! You gotta help me!” Narancia whined as he rummaged through his friend’s fridge, pulling out a small chocolate covered dessert. “Hey, what in the hell is this?”

“Put that shit back Narancia it’s not yours. “The aforementioned Fugo montoned as he didn’t bother to look up from the calculus work he was doing. “Since you’re so curious and want to snoop around through my stuff; it’s tartufo, specifically strawberry and chocolate flavor and it’s not yours so put it back.”

“Fine, fine whatever. You’re probably going to give to that blonde dude who lives across the street right? What was his name again… Giorno? “He teased as he put it back in the fridge and took a seat across from Fugo who looked visibly annoyed. “It’s okay your secret is safe with me.”

Don’t do it Fugo… remember you switched to plastic cutlery.

“Just shut up Narancia before I kick you out of my damn house.” He took a deep breath to try and hold his anger back but accidentally snapped his pencil in half. Ooops. As much as Fugo was going to ultimately regret this, he posed the question. “What do you need my help with?”

The young man’s violet eyes lit up as a childish smile appeared on his face.

“I need you to help me pick out a wedding suit, I would ask Mista but, isn’t it like bad luck or something for your fiancé to see you before the wedding. “He thought for a moment “As much as I don’t trust your fashion taste sometimes, you do know how to dress up nice.”

The white haired male was not going to comment on the clear insult of his fashion taste as that would just be a petty thing to get mad over but he did strangely appreciate the compliment about him dressing up nice.

“If I help you with this one thing will you never bother me again about this wedding?” Fugo asked as he finally looked up from his calculus and set his broken pencil down.

“I promise I will not try to bother you with anything more regarding this wedding as that’s what bothering Mr. Abbacchio is for, after all he’s the wedding planner. Plus, we’re friends so I trust you a little more.”

Friends? Since when were they friends? Did Fugo miss the memo or does tutoring your 27-year-old close acquaintance make you friends?

“Let’s just get this done before I can’t put up with your shit anymore.” Fugo placed his work back into its designated folder and arose from his chair to grab his car keys before heading out the door with Narancia trailing behind. “And before you even dare to ask, no you can’t change the radio station.”

Cue an annoyed groan from Narancia.

            “This is the place.” Abbacchio looked up from the number scribbled into his planner and up at the sign ‘Wannabe Flowers’ with a somewhat relieved sigh. He had gotten so many voicemails from the different florist in Naples that it could make a person’s head spin. Instead of standing outside like a weirdo, he approached the door and opened it and a rushing aroma of flowers hit him.

A man who looked to be no older than 17 stood behind the front the counter. He had dark pink hair, pink eyes and freckles that dusted his face. He wore a hot pink button up shirt and purple pants with a plain white apron that really stood out on his outfit. There was a name tag that hung askew on the apron that read ‘Doppio; Assistant Manager’.

‘Well someone likes pink a bit too much.’ Abbacchio thought though he was one too talk as he was wearing a lot of black and purple today.  Anyway that’s not why he was here, he had a question. “Scusi, could you help me?” He asked the florist in a somewhat monotoned voice as the man looked at him with pink eyes.

“Oh sure thing, what are you looking for sir? Flowers for a wedding or funeral perhaps?” Doppio asked as he picked up a small notebook and waited for a response from Abbacchio.

“Flowers for a wedding with the colors purple, blue or orange. I am aware that the colors are not all that traditional but it was requirements from the groom.” The sound of scribbling on the notebook filled the silence and he patiently waited.

“Orange, purple and blue.” The pink haired male repeated back to him earning an affirmative nod from the wedding planner. “I think we have some things in the back, give me a moment.” Doppio turned on his heels and headed to a back door which closed with a loud thud that did not startled Abbacchio surprisingly.

The gray haired male looked around curiously as he waited for the florist to return; there was a mass collection of flowers: roses, hydrangeas, lilies, daisies, any flowers a person could name the floristry had it. He wrote something down in his planner before he heard footsteps that made him look up.

“Okay mister, so I arranged two bouquets for you to take a look at.” The florist held up the pair of flowers. “This is a bouquet of purple lilacs, orange lilies, purple aster and violet thornless roses. It was a little bit difficult to pick an arrangement but I made do with the one with what I had.” He then set that bouquet down and picked up the other one “This one has purple lilacs, orange carnations, orange roses and violet roses. Sorry we do not have many blue flowers in stock at the moment. I am not quite sure what your client would like so if you just want a sample of both flowers than I would be more than happy to sell you a small sample to give to your client.” Doppio chimed as he placed the flowers in a far off vase. “It’ll only be around $20 since it’s just a sample, the real deal would be a bit more.”

It would be better for him to not spill hundreds of dollars on flowers and his clients not like them. He pulled out his wallet and placed some money onto the counter then put it back into his suit pocket. “I’ll buy the sample with the purple lilacs, I’ll be showing it too my clientele when he stops by.” There was a look of mild relief on Abbacchio’s face as he was handed the sample bouquet “Thank you for your time.”  

And with that the wedding planner headed out of the floristry and onto the streets of Naples to visit a certain baker and discuss the wedding.

Chapter Text

“Come on Fugo you’re being absolutely no help!” Narancia whined as he held up a suit to the mirror. It was cute yes but, the purple really contrasted with the yellow bowtie. Fugo sighed as he shook his head.

            “Do you know nothing about colors that look together?” He questioned as he stared the suit down before heading over to the suit rack. “You will look like a clown at your own wedding Narancia.”

            “Oh yeah wise guy? Then what do you suggest color wise for me to wear?” He asked sticking out his tongue.

How childish.

The white haired male ignored his comment and made a simple suggestion, “How about a black suit with a purple tie?” He hands it to Narancia who just looks at it with childish annoyance.

            “Fine I’ll go try it on.” He muttered as he wandered off into the changing room, leaving Fugo all by his lonesome, not that he minded as it gave him a chance to look at the suits. He hasn’t shopped for suits since his parents got married when he was a kid and being here makes him feel a bit of nostalgia. But his nostalgic moment was cut short by Narancia opening the curtain ever so loudly.

            “I don’t want to hear you say I told you so Fugo but, I really do like this and I think it is way better than the one I picked out.” He muttered under his breath. “I really think that Mista is going to like it.” The dark haired boy adjusted the bowtie before pulling out his cellphone to take a picture. “It’s not bad luck to take a picture and send it to him right?”

            “No it is a picture Narancia it should not cause bad luck; it is just a superstition.” He comments as he admires a dark red suit. How he wished he could wear that.

Maybe one day…

            “Oi! Fugo! Did you hear a word I said?” He asked taking a few more photos before turning on his heels and heading back into the dressing room. The white haired male cleared his throat to deter his embarrassment from not paying attention causing what he thought was a snicker from Narancia.

            “No I did not hear you Narancia, would you mind repeating that?” He asked adjusting his jacket before crossing his arms. “And no snide comment either.”

            “I wasn’t going to make a snide comment Fugo but, I said that maybe you should start pricing that suit that you were looking at also, Mista really liked the suit I was in and thanks you wholeheartedly for helping me pick it out.” He responds taking off the suit and putting it on the hook. “Maybe you could help him pick one out too?”

            Fugo was caught slightly off guard by Narancia realization that he was looking at the suit, he could’ve sworn that he was behind the curtain at the time? Maybe he wasn’t paying that well of attention? Nevertheless, Fugo was a little embarrassed. “To answer your first question Narancia I was just looking at the suit to occupy my time while I waited for you because, you take forever to get things done. And no I would not help Mista pick out a suit as he gives me more of a headache than you do.” There was a noticeable laugh from behind the curtain before out popped Narancia with the suit in hand.

            “Wow that’s so mean Fugo! Mista isn’t even that annoying I’m going to tell him you said that.” He made his way over to the counter with Fugo following in toe. “You’re gonna hurt his feelings you know.”

            “Just pay for you suit Narancia I want to go. And you say that every time I say Mista gives me a headache. I do not think that it hurts his feelings anymore at this point.” Narancia placed the suit on the counter and payed for it before heading out the door with Fugo behind him.

            “You’ll at least let me play music right Fugo? I made this cool mashup of Purple Haze with Aerosmith!” He beamed as he got inside Fugo’s car and rummaged for the AUX cord.

“Narancia we have been over this since we left I’m not letting you play music in my car you will blow out the damn speaker!” There was a noticeable frown from the dark haired male as he piled into the passenger’s seat and laid back.

The smell of cake hit Abbacchio as he opened the door of the bakery, it was a pleasant smell and made him a tad bit hungry but, that wasn’t important he had matters to attend to; the wedding cake. At the sound of the bell Bruno popped out from behind the counter, tray in hand.

            “Mr. Abbacchio! Hello. Great to see you again, hope all is well. I assume you are here to talk about the wedding cake?” The wedding planner nods and takes a seat at the table he had sat at before, pulling out his planner.

            “Bucciratti, greetings. I am here to talk about the wedding cake. I hope I am not interrupting you?” He received a shake of the head from the baker who sat his tray down and approached the table before taking a seat. “Great, then let us talk about the wedding cake.” Bruno was all ears as he pulled out a small notebook from his apron and focused his attention on Abbacchio.

            “Since my client had failed to inform me what kind of cake he wanted and I am at the majority to blame as I did not ask him, I am going to have to take some inferences here and there.” The gray haired male flipped through a few pages in his planner and began to read off his ideas. “I have two ideas that I although I am set in my ways, I would be willing to change around. My first idea is a marble three-layer cake with orange and blue frosting, perhaps at the top a wedding topper of my client and his husband, if you do not like that idea then I was thinking a vanilla three-layer cake with orange frosting and purple and blue flowers on it, for the cake topper just something simple that says ‘Mr. and Mr.’ “

Bruno listened to him closely writing down everything that was being told to him, they were interesting ideas and he could honestly work with all of them. “These are all very great ideas Mr. Abbacchio and I could work with all of them but, might I make a small suggestion?” The wedding planner raised an eyebrow as he waited for the response. “I was thinking that possibly combining the ideas into one with a three-layer marble cake with orange frosting and purple and blue flowers with a mini ‘Mr. and Mr.’ and then your client and his husband? I don’t know if that seems too farfetched for your liking and it is just a suggestion after all.”

            “It is not a bad suggestion Bucciratti, the question is; would it be too difficult for you to create? We only have until May 16^th to get this done. Which unfortunately gives us less than a month to get this completed.” Bruno shook his head in reassurance as if to ease Abbacchio’s nerves.

            “Do not worry Mr. Abbacchio, I have worked under more pressure and with a smaller amount of time. A month is being generous so that is plenty of time. I could get the cake done with you within the next week as I only have to cater for two birthday parties.” The wedding planner was beyond impress he could never get himself to get anything wedding related done in a months’ time. Knowing him that is about the time it takes to just get in contact with a florist and catering company. He took that chance to stand up from the table as that was all he was there to discuss. So now he should work on some minor things here and there as well as check in with his client as there’s always those moments where they get cold feet and decide against the wedding.

            “Excellent to hear Bucciratti, I would most definitely be returning sometime next week to check on that cake progress. I really must get going as I have other matters to attend to.” The baker nods as he places his notebook back into his apron and approached the counter holding out the tray from earlier.

            “Please take a cookie before you head out Mr. Abbacchio, I just baked them. I hope you are not allergic to chocolate.” Bruno gave him a friendly smile and Abbacchio felt something weird but couldn’t quite describe it. A warmth in his heart  was the best way to put it as he grabbed a cookie and wrapped it in a napkin.

            “Thank you, I will be seeing you.” He turned on his heels and walked out the door and onto the street, only seeing out of his peripherals the waving hand of Bruno which slowly disappeared into alleyways of the city.

Chapter Text

The next morning Abbacchio decided that he would make last minute preparations with Narancia as well as double check with Bucciratti on the wedding cake, since the young man’s wedding was approaching in a few weeks. He couldn’t believe he was about to have another successful wedding after a few weeks of a dry period. Speaking of clients, there was a jingling of bells and a familiar face could be seen from behind the counter. “Mr. Abbacchio! It’s me, Narancia I know it’s probably stupid to show up unannounced. But I bring great news!” The wedding planner then made his way to his counter, taking an interest in what Narancia was going to say. “I have the wedding suit all purchased, the seat numbers with me for the venue and the food I had in mind.” The gray haired male smiled as he opened the planner, flipping a few pages to locate his checklist.

Wedding suit; check, seat numbers… wait venue? He didn’t get in contact with a venue! Or talk to the chefs for the food?! Leone Abbacchio you need your wedding planner license revoked because, you were supposed to that, instead of making small talk with Bucciratti during the cake explanation. Such a rookie mistake!

“That’s great to hear Mr. Narancia, if you have the lists on you I will gladly take them so I can… inform the venues and chefs.” He nodded and handed the lists to the gray haired male who gladly takes it, placing it gently in the planner. “Thank you so much, they will be informed immediately.” Abbacchio then motioned Narancia past the counter over to the table where the dark haired male happily took a seat. “So Mr. Narancia, are you excited to get married in a few weeks? The big day is always so nerve-racking but exciting. The walking down the aisle, seeing your partner adorned in their suit or dress, the vows. Everything just feels like a dream that you do not want to end.” That brought a question to the young man’s mind.

“Have you ever been married Mr. Abbacchio? “Narancia asked placing his hands in his hoodie pocket “You talk a lot about weddings as if you been married before… but, it is your job though so that could be why you know so much.”

Abbacchio was caught slightly off guard by Narancia’s question; in all his years of being a wedding planner no one has ever asked him that. Sure some have wanted to, he could feel it but, they never had the guts to try. It was a bit of a surprise.

            “No Mr. Narancia, I have never been married before, I have been so busy with work that I have never taken the time to actual peruse a relationship. I know that is probably shocking for you to hear, I just have retained a lot of knowledge from the past.”

The dark haired male nodded as he listened to him carefully, he did not mean to pry into anything personal with his questions, he was just curious.

            “Sorry if that came off as too personal Mr. Abbacchio I was just curious.” He earned a shake of the head from the wedding planner as it seemed that it did not faze him any. But that did give Narancia an idea but, he wasn’t going to bring that up just yet. “Wait you asked me a question earlier… about being excited to get married… sorry I completely forgot.” He nods with a smile showing off those orange braces of his. “I’m beyond excited to get married Mr. Abbacchio, I’ve already got my suit and my fiancé has as well! We even handed out our invitations and picked the playlist for the wedding.” His purple eyes dilated in realization as he pulled out a crumbled up invitation from his hoodie pocket and handed it to Abbacchio who looked at it curiously. “You’re invited to the wedding too Mr. Abbacchio, you’ve helped us a lot with the wedding and I don’t know if wedding planners actually stay for the wedding but, just know that you’re invited.”

Well he was taken aback, he wasn’t use to being invited to anything that was not a family gathering that he didn’t want to attend. In a heartfelt kind of way; he was happy. The wedding planner placed the crumbled invitation into his planner as Narancia stood up and stretched. “Well thank you for inviting me Mr. Narancia, that means a lot to me that you would consider me in your wedding party.” The young man nods and beams a smile.

            “It’s not a problem Mr. Abbacchio! After everything you’ve done for the wedding I would be offended if you didn’t come.” He turned on his heels towards the door, opening it once he got there. “Well I’ll be seeing you! I have some other matters I need to attend too before I head home.” The young man waved farewell earning a wave goodbye from the gray haired male.

Now he just needed to start working on setting things up with the wedding venue that he carelessly forgot to do and to visit Bucciratti about the cake as well. He could feel the stress fall upon his shoulders as he moved past the counter and out the door towards the bakery.

Chapter Text

The walk to the bakery seem to be a breeze or at least it seemed like it was from how little time it took Abbacchio to get there. Perhaps it was because he had been there more than once or at least that’s what he was going to tell himself as that obviously was what it was. The smell of cake had drawn him in and before he even knew it, the wedding planner was at the front door of the bakery and he opened the glass door and walked in.

            The wedding planner was greeted by a wedding cake, it seemed that Bucciratti had managed to finished it and was displaying to see if it was up to his liking. “Bucciratti? Are you around? I would love to congratulate you on finishing the cake.” There was a sudden cluttering from behind the counter before a certain baker appeared, covered in frosting and flour, the gray-haired man wanted to laugh so bad or at least just smile because that was a little funny be he refrained himself. Instead handing the dark haired male a handkerchief that he kept tucked away in his planner to wipe his face. After grabbing at the air for a few minutes Bruno managed to get it and wipe off his face so he could finally see and not inhale or blink in baking supplies.

“Oh, hello Mr. Abbacchio. I did not hear you come in. I know that my appearance is highly unprofessional, I had slipped on some flour and accidentally knocked over some cake batter onto myself,” He let out a tiny chuckle as he set the cake coated handkerchief on the counter “And well now we’re here. Thank you for the handkerchief as well I will make sure to return it before you leave.” The baker then smiled as he looked at the completed wedding cake “I assume you’re here to look at the cake. I hope I managed to capture what you had in mind.” The wedding planner scanned over the wedding cake, taking in all the details; it fit the descriptions that was given to him by the baker all that time ago and in all honesty, it looked better than he thought.

            “Bucciratti I would have to say that, this is an amazing wedding cake, you captured everything you said to me perfectly and the color combination is way prettier than I expect, an A plus to you.” He lips wanted to curl into a smile but instead he just nods.

            “I’m glad that you liked it Mr. Abbacchio, it did not take that long to do and it was quite rewarding, especially crafting the ‘Mr. and Mr.’ out of sugar, hopefully your clients will like it.” Bruno washed off the handkerchief and folded it up neatly before handing it back to Abbacchio. “It is a shame that I cannot see their faces when they enjoy their cake.” That question caught the wedding planner off guard, does Bruno not know that the baker is typically included in the wedding party as well?

            “What do you mean?”

            “I’m not invited and I would not want to intrude on the wedding so I won’t get the luxury of seeing their faces.” He said plainly as wiped off the counter. “Though I know you will end up reporting back to me when the wedding is over.”

            “But you are invited Bucciratti, the baker is typically among the wedding party as you are considered a caterer. So no matter how you look at it, you are a member of the wedding party.” The gray haired male told him which cause the darker haired male to look perplexed.

            “What? Am I really invited? I have never worked a wedding before so I am not sure of all the technicalities.” There was a warm smile on his face as he found out that he would be a guest “I have to find a nice suit to wear; the wedding colors are orange, purple and blue correct? I should be able to find something.” The baker’s mind was running rampant now, he had to get a suit now and he had so little time to do it. “Thank you for letting me know Mr. Abbacchio, I have some finally preparations to do then I’ll be ready for the wedding.”

Abbacchio nodded, placing the planner back into his suit and turned on his heels towards the door. The last thing on his list was to talk to the venue coordinators but that should not take too long. Before leaving he waved goodbye to the baker and headed out the door, turning towards the corner and heading towards the venue.

Chapter Text

The sound of Tu Se Morta woke up Abbacchio who stretched and yawned. Today was the day of the wedding and the wedding planner couldn’t deny that he was nervous. Sure he was good at his job but, he hasn’t done a wedding in a while so he’s a bit on edge that things won’t go as planned. Sure he shouldn’t think so negative especially for something like this as this is one of the happiest days of your life, he couldn’t help the nagging feeling in the back of his head.

Don’t be so negative Leone Abbacchio, the wedding is going to go fine. You just have to stay positive. You haven’t disappointed a client yet, now isn’t going to be the time.

That’s at least what he was going to keep telling himself, to try and clear his head and prepare for the festivities. Since he did have a bit of time to spare, the gray haired male decided to eat some breakfast before taking a shower and getting completely ready for the day.

As the morning drew on into day, Abbacchio had taken a boat from the pier and arrived at the venue to do a once over before Narancia and his fiancé arrived. He walked towards the after party spot, it was larger than he expected though it was outdoors overlooking the sea, adorned with tables and chairs with vases filled with the wedding flowers, white table clothes with orange and blue ribbons and of course the table for the grooms and their closest family. The wedding planner then turned his attention to the banquet table where the foods to be served were; Italian wedding soup in a pretty ornate bowl, ravioli, what looked to be baby Margherita pizza, Carne Pizzaiola, Lambrusco and the wedding cake. The wedding planner then left the outside venue and headed inside the main building where the wedding was to be held and he was absolutely astonished with the décor, everything looked beautiful. From the lilacs that adorned the sides of the pillars to how beautiful the chairs looked with the purple and orange roses resting on top of them. ‘I’m surprised it doesn’t clash as much as I thought it was, Mr. Narancia was right when he said that he wanted orange and purple.’

Abbacchio would have to say that he was very satisfied, the venue looked gorgeous and he is hoping that Narancia would be just as satisfied as the clientele satisfaction is the most important to his job. He decided to stand by the entrance to wait for either his client to show or for Bucciratti to show as he wanted to thank him again for his efforts. The gray haired male decided to change his mind slightly and leave the entrance briefly to double check the seating to make sure that it was exactly as his client wanted.

            “Mr. Abbacchio!” A cheerful voice called out as footsteps approached him causing him to turn around and close his planner. “The venue looks absolutely amazing and way better than I expected, you did a great job!”

Oh it was Narancia, he was wearing a black suit with a purple tie and for once he didn’t have on his orange headband. He had slicked back his hair and for once he actually looked rather mature and if Abbacchio had to say so, he cleaned up quite well. “My fiancé is going to absolutely love this when he gets here.” He beamed as he was practically bouncing up and down, he seemed overly excited for the for this wedding and honestly it made the wedding planner smile, internally of course.

            “I can see you’re quite excited for the wedding, I have to say I’m extremely happy for you and I can’t wait to see the moment when you both seal the deal.”

“I know right? I’m beyond excited to stop calling Mista my fiancé and instead call him my husband… speaking of which I have to go double check to make sure Fugo still has the rings before the wedding starts.” He turned on his heels “Take a seat wherever! I’ll see you at the after party Mr. Abbacchio!” And he rushed out the entrance leaving Abbacchio to find a seat and wait for the ceremony to start.

            “Excuse me, could I sit there?” A voice chimed causing the gray haired male to turn and his heart nearly skipped a beat. It was Bruno, and he looked absolutely stunning. He was wearing a hound’s-tooth styled suit in white with little gold zippers accenting the shoulder areas. He looked absolutely handsome and Abbacchio felt so bad for staring. It was the wave over his face that snapped him to attention.

            “Oh Mr. Bucciarati. It’s so nice to see you here.” Geez this was embarrassing he couldn’t believe he stared like that, hopefully he didn’t weird the baker out or anything. “Of course you can sit there as I am not holding that seat for anyone.” He opened up his planner “Mr. Narancia doesn’t have any family sitting there either.” The baker than took a seat next to the wedding planner with a smile.

            “I appreciate the invite to the wedding Mr. Abbacchio. I am rather interested to see how this turns out as I haven’t been to a wedding since I was a kid and my parents had gotten married.” He looked somber at the mention of his parents and before Abbacchio could even comment on it, the music began.

            It was an interesting music choice that was for sure, some kind of remix to the Wedding March but with more drum beats it wasn’t particularly the wedding planner’s choice as he left the music up to Narancia and obviously this wouldn’t have been his choice. The room soon drew silent from the families and friends of the grooms, as everyone stood up and turned their attention towards the aisle. A young man with messy, curly brown hair, a small amount of stubble and tan skin adorned in a rather questionable black suit that had a weird tiger striped tie and a strange hat with an orange band stood in the doorway with his arms interlocked with a smaller woman with longer brown hair that is assumed to be his mother. He walked down the aisle keeping pace with each drum beat of the song before ended their walk in the front of the venue in which the lady gave him a kiss on the cheek before taking her seat. Soon to be standing in the door was Narancia and he looked as happy as ever as he proceeded down the aisle, giving a small glance to two empty seats before flashing a smile to Abbacchio and ending his journey in front of the venue. That was the cue to sit down as the sound of rustling chairs disturbed the silence before everyone focused back on the happy couple.

            Narancia cleared his throat as he began his vows “Guido Mista, we’ve been friends for a long time. When I spilt my lunch on you that fateful day in high school that chill reaction of yours was not the response I was expecting. To believe that we’d become best homies and eventually start dating. Sorry about that man.” There was collected laughter before the raven haired male continued “I’m not the best with words, shit I had to ask Fugo to help me write most of this bur to make a long story short…” He interlaced his fingers with his lover’s and looked him in the eyes “Guido Mista would you do me the honors of being my permanent bro and marrying me?” There was a brief pause as a noticeable sniffling could be heard… was Mista crying?

            “Narancia I didn’t even get to read mines… I was supposed to start crying after I read mines not now!” He sniffed “Hell yeah I will marry you I didn’t dress up like this if I wasn’t going too.” And with that, they sealed the deal with a kiss; meeting in the middle as Narancia was slightly shorter than Mista. Cheers and clapping erupted from the wedding party as the music began again and the pair stepped down from the archway they stood under previously.

            “Come on everyone it’s time for the after party! Follow us to the venue, it’s time to bust a move!” The shorter male sounded excited as he took his now husband’s hand and headed out towards the after party location as the wedding guest began to follow them all but Bruno and Abbacchio.

            The black haired man stood up and turned his attention to his acquaintance “Are you not going to the after party Mr. Abbacchio? That is not overstaying our welcome as workers right?” He questioned him as he was genuinely curious.

“Well technically it is not overstaying our welcome and I should see how my clients like the after party venue and you should see if they like the cake. I just feel out of place.” He couldn’t deny that he did want to see if Narancia and Mista did like the venue and he wanted to try the food as well to make sure it is too their liking. He was at a standstill.

“Then let us go Mr. Abbacchio, I apologize if I sound like I’m overstepping boundaries as that is not my intention.  Mr. Narancia and Mista wouldn’t have invited us to the wedding if they didn’t want us at the after party. Besides it is our chance to see if they like what we’ve came up with.” He began to make his way out of the venue to the locate the after party location.

After mauling over his thoughts, the wedding planner decided it would be the best if he did come to the wedding party as that would complete his job and leave him satisfied so he followed behind Bruno and made his way to the location, hopefully he wouldn’t feel too out of place.