the thing that drives me mad about Secondo is that, at his core, he loves the shy ones.
the ones that are quiet. the ones that keep to themselves. the enigmas; the ones that are sweet yet confusingly isolated, or the ones that seem confident and self-assured — but are just slightly too practiced in the way they avoid talking about romance or sex.
the ones that are bashful when he knows, deep down, they don’t want to be. the ones that can’t help fearing their own desire. the ones that wall themselves up — unaware that he sees the fractures in the concrete, obsesses over them. daydreams about the softness and the aches that might peek through the cracks.
there’s just a scent to it. the kind that hits him the way blood does a great white. when he gets you alone, it’s purposeful; isolating you from excuses, preventing you from running off. using his voice, his hands, his eyes, his smell while he quietly locks the door. all to keep your brain buzzing and heart racing. to keep you vulnerable. to keep you honest.
so, what is it, then?
blood pounding in your ears, your eyes darting around the room. oh, he loves the way panic looks on you.
what is it you’re hiding? why do you pull away?
is it shame? no, don’t look away. tell him what’s so shameful about this. what’s so shameful about you having needs? pay no mind to the way his voice sinks lower, deep in his chest, or the way his pants are tightening. answer the question, my dove.
the way you avoid his eyes drives him fucking crazy. he’s close, isn’t he? close to cracking that shell? just look at him, guardami, let him see that pretty face, hm?
are you feeling exposed, tesoro? solo da un piccolo contatto visivo? he smirks; you can hardly stand it, looking at him like this, trying so hard to keep cool but nearly fidgeting in place. the attention, his attention, is just so overstimulating and he can’t help but want to fucking torture you with it. til you’re shaking and tearful, the only words coming through your slurred speech being “please” and “I want it.”
but this is just too enjoyable. why rush into stripping you down with his teeth when he can ask you why you’re blushing instead?
Secondo wrapping his hand around your neck from behind, fingers digging into those tense spots, stroking up and down until you relax and ease into his touch. Always looking out for your posture, making sure you hydrate, take breaks so you don’t strain your eyes, eat something whenever he notices you’re too focused to remember, starts talking to you so the sound of your voice grounds you back in reality. Subtle but much needed clues that he’s looking out for you, taking care of you at all times, thinks about you every second of his day. Never makes a big thing of it, it’s that natural to him, but when he notices you do the same for him he has to swallow twice as hard to get down that glass of water you brought him.
I wish I was married to Secondo.. I would kiss him all over his face all the time and bite him all over and then I’d rub my face on him like a cat. I would literally cling onto him like a parasite everywhere we go. I need to live in his skin,, I’d be so annoying.
To me Secondo is an insomniac who completely wrecked his biorhythm with his lifestyle choices when he was younger but when he does sleep he is out, different dimension, snoring and spreading out his limbs like in Papaganda, and of course now that he's older he has a habit of falling asleep on the couch, reading glasses still on if he's lucky enough for them not to break, and wakes up with the worst neck pain imaginable. People think he's grumpy and not very polite? The reason is that he literally can't turn his head when they talk to him and rarely ever are the words worth the pain, if we're being honest.
since you posted that Secondo drabble, I’m dying to know…what do you think is one little thing that his partner could do that would make Secondo feel loved? just like an everyday thing that many of us would overlook but would be so special to him :)
i have a whole bunch!! i always say secondo is a provider, he is someone who takes care of others but struggles to accept someone taking care of him in the same way, hates feeling vulnerable. he isn't used to having company for longer than a few hours, so once you spend a lot of time over and naturally start helping him he's overwhelmed by the intimacy of it all. very much an acts of service and physical affection sort of guy, if you meet him there he'll swoon.
here is a spontaneous list of what gets his heart beating:
helping him with his cufflinks
fixing his tie in public
kissing him in front of others
reaching for his hand first
making his morning coffee before he gets a chance to do it (i hc him as an early riser so he's usually up first, you have to be sneaky)
any gentle touches, soft kisses and words of affection that are not transactional (all of them, what a concept)
leaving little notes for him to find
sending him cute texts throughout the day (he hates texting, you're the only one he texts back)
cleaning the reading glasses he uses at night
marking the page he fell asleep on while reading in bed
eating the food he made for you
catching you wearing the perfume he gifted you
subtly matching his outfit when you go out together
using any sort of personal pet name on him
when you take care of him after sex (he can get emotional when it's particularly intense)
plugging in the heating pad with no comment
when he gets to be the little spoon
when you tell him you love him (every single time)
secondo has a heart bursting with love he doesn't allow himself to share and the only person he truly hates is nihil (and by extension himself). he'd rather be alone forever than turn out like his father and so he keeps pushing people away, keeps them at arms length, doesn’t allow himself to care. he's been hurt, he’s been used and discarded by his own church, started to cope in unhealthy ways. but what he needs is someone who accepts him, trusts him, doesn’t allow him to push them away, loves him unconditionally beyond the papa mask, and he‘ll unfold like a flower when the sun rises in the morning, slowly but in the most beautiful shapes and colors.
Gonna go a bit off the rails here and ask if you have any cure Secondo hcs
For example if when he's with his s/o he is maybe more himself??
I am always down to talk about Secondo omg!!! ♡
To add to this idea:
I absolutely think he allows himself to be more vulnerable and open with his loved one(s), though it takes some work and time for him to open up since he is very guarded with his emotions (childhood neglect and a competitive environment will do that)
He'll try and hide when he doesn't feel great, he sees himself as your anchor and he prides himself in being in control of his emotions but he quickly learns that you see through him, that you spot the signs, and once he sees that nothing bad happens he'll allow himself to confide in you more often
Secondo is a SILLY MAN. Yes, he is, he has a wig collection and wears costumes (if you haven't seen those pics check them out!!), it is an amazing contrast to his calm public jigolo persona and it rarely shows but when it does it's a great time. I am convinced he loves dressing up for the kids at the abbey
He is also funny as fuck but his sense of humour is dry, witty and sharp, often he flings these witty rertorts at his brothers in Italian and especially Primo is very fond of it. With a loved one he will be very open, sarcastic and cynical at times I think, and he'll allow himself to bring out his silly side more often in affectionate ways
You'll also find that he is more open to sharing his interests and teaching you about them. Imo Secondo would love to have a partner with an equal thirst for knowledge and intellectual range. I love to imagine having long conversations with him where he tells you about his current research or topics of interest and you're surprised to find yourself in deep deep conversations with him instead of the short replies he would give to strangers.
okay, genuine question since we love and appreciate old man Papas. Do you think that with all the partying (drinking, presumably drugs too) that Secondo suffers from erectile dysfunction? Cause boy do I feel like he suffers from it but his partner is caring and so in love with Secondo and his body that they make due with what they can
and hey, who says you can’t enjoy a softie? lol
i love your brain!!! and i love to imagine scenarios like that 🙏🏼
it could be one of the reasons he's taking it a bit easier with the indulgence now, i imagine there are quite a few (to him) embarassing stories in his past where he could not perform due to being intoxicated but nowadays i mostly attribute it to his mental health and the pressure that comes with being a) known as an enjoyer of the sins of the flesh who is well-versed in the art of the (female but also any other) orgasm which creates high expectations and b) not being the youngest anymore and having to keep up with his lover(s), especially in case he commits to a possible younger partner.
it could cause him a lot of anxiety at first, i think, since he takes pride in his sexual prowess (mr jigolo lol) and he might try to hide it by being very generous with giving pleasure by way of his mouth or hands or even toys until you get suspicious. but at the end of the day there would be an honest conversation and i do not think he would be too ashamed about popping a pill to help with it once he has the reassurance of his love if it means he can feel himself again. but of course exploring other options like soft penis play or stimulating other erogenous zones are now more interesting as well, even if you'd have to coax him to actually let loose and allow himself to give up some control. he finds that he quite enjoys it, i would think, because it creates a sort of intimacy that he had not known before or had not allowed himself at any rate.
