This was supposed to be the highlight of being a dad, right? He was told that halloween was better having kids around and, honestly, he’d been willing to buy that sentiment even after Miu determined they would be matching Dedenne. He had the whiskers and the ears and, yes, even the stupid tail. Miu was thrilled with it, so he was perfectly fine. That was until he realized they would not be alone, that Miu wanted to go trick or treating with “Uncle Enzo”. [break][break]
He was not jealous, of course.
[break][break]
However, now, it was considerably less fun and okay. He felt stupid, both for his constume and for the fact Enzo made him feel self-conscious. The latter was definitely more annoying. What was so great about Enzo anyways? Nothing. He didn’t read her the same damn story every night or make her cinnamon pancakes that looked like pikachu. No, that was him. Oh… whatever, it didn’t matter.
[break][break]
He still wasn’t jealous.
[break][break]
”You’ve told me… five times now. Asshole. Like I’ve said, it was her idea.” And, sadly, he lived to serve queen Miu. It probably wasn’t good parenting and, considering how bratty she could be, it was clear that he wasn’t doing a great job. But he didn’t need to think about that.
[break][break]
”Your costume is lacking in originality, mind you.”

[break][break]

+ vincenzo de luca | m: tricking or treating

Kosei was bristly tonight. Well, he was bristly in most situations where he and Enzo were forced to interact, but this felt distinctly different. Of course, Enzo hadn’t really put his thumb on how or why yet, but it was something he could sense even when Kosei was quiet. Maybe that simply came from countless previous years spent working together. Learning one another’s habits. Whatever the case, his tetchy irritability spiked off of him whenever Miu wasn’t paying attention, mostly directed in Enzo’s direction.[break][break]

Despite his own exasperation at being dragged out in costume, Enzo himself was actually generally relaxed. His hands were nestled in his pockets, posture slightly slouched. A little jacket was draped over the loop created by his arm–something that had been shoved in his direction earlier by a very insistent Miu. He wouldn’t readily admit it, but it was nice to step away from the hotel for a bit, even for something as ridiculous as wandering around a posh neighborhood in costume.[break][break]

And one where he could potentially be recognized by local patrons and neighbors, at that.[break][break]

“Yes, and she wears it well. It’s very cute. On you, however…” he trailed, head tilting as he sucked in a wincing breath and looked over at Kosei. He let it hang, implying the idea that it fell flat. In all actuality it wasn’t that bad, but there was no saying that. And especially not at the dig sent back. Enzo tutted, expression twisting in skepticism. “Please, just because i’m not in full make up like you, Dedennsei, doesn’t mean it’s lacking.”[break][break]

Enzo looked down at himself, shrugging. “I actually think it’s rather clever for working with what I had.”

[break][break]

+ Kosei Kiryu | m: tricking or treating | cassius’ costume…

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Admittedly, it was a little exhausting having to be like this, bristly and angry. But god damn it, he was feeling petty and there was really only one person that could provoke this kind of unfiltered pettiness. So, while he was stuck with that person, he was going to be bristly about it. Even if it would have been all too easy to drop it, to fall back into the good old times where they didn't hate each other.
[break][break]
Truthfully, he had no reason to hate Enzo and it wasn't necessarily that he did. He was, after all, the one to drop this life like a bad phase and with his support for the other man's business. Considering they'd started it together, it was a shitty thing to do and Kosei wasn't oblivious to that fact. He was simply too proud to admit that he'd made a mistake.
[break][break]
"I didn't exactly get a choice." Because his life was run by a six-year old, not exactly a good look but it was already out there and plaintively obvious by this point in time. Kosei was still, to this day, figuring out how to dad. Miu wasn't exactly an example of pristine manners, but she wasn't poking dead animals with a stick so it seemed alright. To do otherwise felt too much like taking out of his own parent's handbook, which he didn't like the idea of doing.
[break][break]
"Cassius looks rather fabulous though, if I do say." He didn't need more reason for the hellhound to dislike him, but he couldn't help himself. One of the pokeballs in his bag was throwing a fit and Blue decided to let himself out. Halloween was the Riolu's favorite holiday after all. He was dressed in a Decidueye cape and was running after Miu to likely steal some of her candy.

[break][break]

+ vincenzo de luca | m: tricking or treating

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Though he’d be hard pressed to ever admit it in words or writing, Enzo didn’t exactly hate Kosei either. There was bad blood there, sure, and the hard feelings that had remained after Kosei’s departure were definitely earned. But even then, there was still too much history there for Enzo to really forego. They’d been a formidable team once, and Enzo had never taken his loyalties lightly. They were rarely and carefully given. So maybe underneath his pettiness and snide behavior he mourned the loss of it somewhat.[break][break]

But Kosei was awfully fun to irritate, wasn’t he? That, at least, had never changed.[break][break]

Enzo snorted. “Maybe next year you’ll keep the rodent trend running—be morpeko. Morpekosei.” His smile stretched smug and thin as he looked over at the other man. He’d grabbed up the houndoom tail hung from his belt loop to absently swing it in one hand.[break][break]

“He does, doesn’t he?” Enzo glanced down at the houndoom, who still looked positively miserable. He slunk alongside Enzo, just as unhappy to be tethered with a decorative pumpkin leash. His brows lifted as Kosei’s riolu sprung free. “He's just as much a toddler as Miu,” he remarked, though it was more observational than criticizing. “Nice cape. Unfortunate that you couldn’t get away with that get up instead, Dedennsei.” He couldn’t help but add the stupid name again.[break][break]

It was almost like the air had cleared a little between them, though it would undoubtedly be short-lived. Maybe for all of his hot air, Enzo was a bit too tired to fuss that much tonight. “How late do you want to keep her out?” he asked idly as they approached a well-lit porch. Stepping up as Miu eagerly rung the bell while Blue snuck more candies from her basket.[break][break]

Unknowing that this house in particular belonged to one of his regular patrons of the restaurant within The Nimbus. And undoubtedly also one of the biggest gossips in Mossdeep.

[break][break]

+ Kosei Kiryu | m: tricking or treating | cassius’ costume…

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

"Oh will you shut up? Gonna kick your ass." Leave it to Enzo to give him the dumbest fucking names possible. It was annoying how it even reminded him a little of the old days. There was still annoyance back then, but it was harmless at best. They'd never been the types of people to be soft or careless or friendly with one another and likely would never change (especially not now).
[break][break]
Though was it just his imagination or was Enzo being decent? No way, that was simply impossible. Albeit, it certainly wasn't as difficult right then, even if he still wanted to strangle him a little bit. Maybe it was simply because he was too tired to put much thought into their mutual vehemence, this was most likely at least. Maybe they were both tired, which was unfortunate because Miu was just getting started.
[break][break]
Blue really was just as much of a child as Miu was. The Riolu was around the same age as her, so it made sense. Maybe a year or two older, though he had too shit of a memory to know for certain. Kosei had managed to keep from having to bring the ponyta, because if he had to bring that out Enzo would never leave him alone about it. Dumbass would gush over how he still had his stupid gift pony. Then Kosei might really hit him.
[break][break]
"You gonna quit calling me that anytime soon?" He grumbled. Dedennsei, what an idiot. Truly the worst human being. For now their tempers were suppressed, seemingly mutually aligned in their desire to get this over with. "Before too dark, gonna let her have fun, I guess but... she turns into such a snot past 8. Why you got a hot date or something?"

[break][break]

+ vincenzo de luca | m: tricking or treating

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

“Ooh..Promise?” Enzo shot back dryly, a thin smile leveled in Kosei’s direction with false eagerness. “But doubtful.” Not while Miu was around, anyway. It wasn’t his fault that Kosei didn’t appreciate the full breadth of his wit and humor. So while he was in the safe zone, it was very likely Enzo would continue as he so pleased. And it pleased him greatly, as a matter of fact.[break][break]

It was almost a little ridiculous to realize how easy it was to slip back into old habits when their petty differences were set to the side. Nearly enough to make him nostalgic to the point of asking what he was doing later, after Miu had wound down and was thoroughly asleep. If he wanted to sit around the way they once had. But no, he came to his senses before that occurred.[break][break]

“Nah, unlikely. I think it’ll stick,” he replied with a bark of laughter. Only for it to stifle a few moments later. “Why, you jealous?” Enzo shot him a sidelong glance, studious before his eyes rolled and he let out a long breath. “No, idiot. I was just wondering. Figured she’d run out of steam at some point and I just wanted an idea of when that was.”[break][break]

You know, before the meltdown occurs, he didn’t add, though it was likely there in his expression before he snorted.[break][break]

He expected a full questioning when the door swung open to reveal a particularly gaudy old woman. But Ms. Irina Rosenthal kept quiet. At least for a moment as Miu held up her basket expectantly and she noticed Enzo there with them. The look she cast was long, surreptitious, and full of magpie vigor. She dropped multiple, aimless handfuls of candy into the bucket as she smiled oh so coyly at him.[break][break]

“Why, hello Mr. de Luca! I wasn’t expecting you to be out tonight! Isn’t Cassius just darling?” And then her tone pitched higher, falsely surprised in her next assumption (though she knew full well what she was doing, the old bag.) “I didn’t know you had a family!”[break][break]

He nearly started laughing on the spot.

[break][break]

+ Kosei Kiryu | m: tricking or treating | cassius’ costume…

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

"Just you wait." He grumbled, knowing very well that the threat was really more of an agitated statement that would never come to fruition. It was typical though, Enzo said shit and Kosei inevitably let him get away with it. Was it really so bad though? Was this really full of the wrongness he'd come to believe it was or had he simply equated the other with his own mistakes? As far as Kosei was concerned, it was temporary acceptance of his reality. It was a little depressing how easy it was for him to accept something as it was with grudging futility. Like a tethered dog, giving up after a few pulls.
[break][break]
Enzo never lacked for things to call him, which was mostly an annoyance but not something he could do about. Sure, maybe he could ask him to stop, but that wasn't fucking likely. If anything Enzo would only make fun of him even more. "Oh yes, absolutely seething with jealousy. Just making sure I'm not getting abandoned midway through with my kid if you have somewhere more important to be." He scoffed, rolling his eyes.
[break][break]
"Depends how much candy she eats," She'd get a little bit of energy before inevitably crash in a dramatic heap. For now, she was ready to go. "Trick or treat!" She howled, hoisting the bag up expectantly. The old woman didn't seem to notice her though, she was too busy hawk eyeing Enzo as she blindly emptied handfuls into the bag.
[break][break]
"I didn’t know you had a family!" Kosei sputtered at that, somewhere between sick humor and disgruntlement over the mistake. It really wasn't worth getting upset over what was clearly a mistake. Miu seemed to have it covered though. "That's my dad. He says that's my dog father. So, I guess they're both my dads."
[break][break]
"God... not dog." He grumbled, nearly smacking himself in the face. "Uncle Enzo, remember that?" To think he'd hated that term at one point.

[break][break]

+ vincenzo de luca | m: tricking or treating

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

“I will. On the edge of my seat with anticipation.” Enzo scoffed, calling the bluff easily. He was waiting for a day when Kosei might actually make good on those threats, but it hadn’t come to pass yet, so he would continue with his remarks. Enzo liked to believe he wasn’t so bad as Kosei liked to make him out to be, though. Sure, yeah, okay he was not a good person. Not by a long stretch. But he wasn’t cold. And whether he cared to acknowledge it or not, there was still some shred of humanity buried down under the muck. It was just that no one really ever cared to dig it out. Kosei, though, had bumped into it because he’d been bogged down right there with him.[break][break]

At one time.[break][break]

“Mm. Thought so. You look a little green in this light. I’d be careful. It’s not a flattering color on you, pup.” It was foolish to allow old nicknames to slip back into their dialogue like this. But it was also secondhand when they weren’t at each other’s throats. Most of the time, Enzo didn’t even realize he was doing it. “I’m not ditching you with the sugar tornado, relax.”[break][break]

His hand lifted to cover his mouth so that the wheeze of laughter couldn’t slip out into the open air. Violet eyes shifted sideways toward Kosei, and he tilted toward him just so. Not really enough to be noticeable–just the same as the mumble his voice lowered to. “I’m not the dog here.” Punctuated by another amused snicker.[break][break]

He left correcting Miu to Kosei. Instead, Enzo looked across the porch at the elder woman, an amicable smile quickly painting itself across his face. Every bit as schmoozy as it would be if they were in the lobby of the Nimbus, and not there on her stoop. “Just accompanying an old friend, Ms. Rosenthal. And like he said, my goddaughter.”[break][break]

Smoothing things over was one of his better skills, voice like a rumbling purr with just the right amount of charm twined through the syllables to sway her to his favor. Though, she didn’t seem to fully believe him, and there was every entirety she’d call her little phone tree of bridge buddies by the end of the night.[break][break]

As they retreated down the steps afterward, he huffed a sigh. Hands returning to his pockets. “Her table is going to be tittering at me for weeks now.”

[break][break]

+ Kosei Kiryu | m: tricking or treating | cassius’ costume…

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

It was like training a toddler (he would know). Making promises and not keeping them was tantamount to complete betrayal. In this situation, it simply meant the other wouldn't respect him. What else was new though? Enzo had never respected him. It had been one of the largest contributors to their fights back in the day and Kosei wasn't sure if anything had actually changed since then. Maybe it was worse now because he was constantly teetering between responsibility and guilt.
[break][break]
He'd been trained well in his youth and that feeling of inferiority had never quite left him. Not good enough. Maybe being around Enzo was a self-inflicted punishment, designed to really drive the knife in. Dog.
[break][break]
"You fucking wish," He muttered, knowing he'd only just seconds prior been jealous over his daughters preference for the other man. It was easier when Enzo wasn't the one telling her to do her homework or eat her vegetables. At one time, Kosei recalled being bitterly jealous whenever Enzo did business that didn't involvement, a latent fear of being left in his overly-ambitious dust.
[break][break]
“I’m not the dog here." This time, he stomped on his foot, deciding that Miu probably wouldn't notice. Lo and behold, she didn't. She was too busy talking off the old woman's ear. Eventually, they were set free from the scrutiny. "Old woman gossip a big worry of yours?" Miu was talking at Blue who was trying to barter candy out of her bag by looking cute.

[break][break]

+ vincenzo de luca | m: tricking or treating

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

It wasn’t that Enzo didn’t respect Kosei at all. Sure, he judged him for taking some moral high ground that had never mattered before, then suddenly did. But that didn’t mean he didn’t hold any regard for his former partner. Even back when things were alright, it had existed. Unspoken, and often unacknowledged, yes, but still there. It likely wasn’t fair that he left it unsaid, but Enzo was just as inherently selfish. He wasn’t often fair.[break][break]

But he wouldn’t have continued to work with Kosei if he didn’t hold some regard for him or his opinion. That felt obvious enough to Enzo—it went without saying. Except, perhaps it didn’t.[break][break]

“Ooh, tetchy,” he quipped back, brows lifting as his eyes lit with a sort of goading wildness he didn’t often show these days. It had been more common when he was younger—unable to help himself from provoking anything or anyone who crossed his path. It seemed he’d struck a nerve somewhere, though he hadn’t actually thought he would. How interesting.[break][break]

Enzo had to clamp down on a bark of sound that wanted to slip free as pain sparked in his foot where Kosei ground his heel down. His eyes narrowed as they shifted sideways to his companion, jaw ground together with the muffled sound. That didn’t really slow him down, though, as they turned to go and as soon as he could exhale a breath without complaint, he leaned toward Kosei again to elbow him in the ribs with a cheeky little, “bark, bark.” Once again, quiet enough to not be overheard, low and gravely.[break][break]

Then he was jogging down the remaining steps, slightly ahead of Kosei to keep his toes safe in his shoes. Eventually Enzo fell back in line with him, still anticipating repercussions, but not before offering Cassius’ leash for Miu to hold—something she eagerly obliged.[break][break]

“It’s not a worry,” he grumbled as his hands swung at his sides, newly freed from their prior obligation. “More the annoyance of it that I’d prefer not to deal with.”

[break][break]

+ Kosei Kiryu | m: tricking or treating | cassius’ costume…

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Maybe if he was smarter, he'd figure out that his reactions were the only thing provoking Enzo's actions and attitude. If he simply didn't add fuel to the fire, there would be nothing for the other to grow bolder from. It was impossible to ignore the cheeky bastard though proven further then by the roll of his eyes, the clear attempt to hold himself from reacting. Luckily, he didn't need to react because Enzo was putting distance between them to escape his ill-temper.
[break][break]
Kosei had always had a temper, which hadn't made fatherhood easy. There were plenty of moments he wasn't particularly proud of when his fuse blew at Miu's provocation. She didn't mean it, she was a kid after all. Yet he'd always apologized. It wasn't anything more than a snappy shout, usually met with eager tears that made him feel like the worst person in the entire world. "I'm sorry.. honey, I'm just I'm tired, okay?" Miu usually stopped crying at once, the little devil. It was probably something trained in her by Enzo.
[break][break]
"Worst things in the world than a couple old ladies thinking you have a family." Before having a kid, he never would have uttered those words. Beforehand, he'd never imagined having a family and was okay with that sentiment. Now? He knew there would be a part of him that vacant and lonely without this. (Miu, of course, not that Enzo counted as family...)
[break][break]
"Alright, next house. Hurry up, else it'll get dark before we finish one neighborhood."

[break][break]

+ vincenzo de luca | m: tricking or treating

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

He never did seem to learn, did he? It had never failed–Enzo would prod him and he’d snip back, earning more prods. It had been that way for as long as Enzo could remember. The game he made into it was likely a little tiresome, but how could he help himself when Kosei fell for it nearly every time? Like pulling someone’s braids in the schoolyard, really. Though if he was being honest, his own temper could be just as bad. He could curb it now and retrain it into something calculated and measured, but that did not mean it no longer existed. Ugly, snapping teeth under the surface.[break][break]

“Guess that’s true–” he hummed, finger tapping at his chin. “I’d rather not be the subject of their gossip at all, I suppose.” That business was his to conduct, and it only concerned the involved parties, in his opinion. “Cute that you think so, though.” A snicker followed, and he was careful to remain out of reach to any potential smacks or swats. He could be worse, given…everything. And he was sure that Kosei knew as much.[break][break]

Best not provoke him, no?[break][break]

Enzo had never really considered himself a family person. After all, he had ditched his own as soon as he figured out how to sustain himself on the streets (not that they weren’t basically all on the streets before he’d left, but still.) Attachments, even familial ones, were a weakness. A vulnerability that he didn’t care to have exposed to others. Perhaps it would be a lie to say that Miu wasn’t a weak spot for him. (Singularly Miu, naturally.) He’d been wrapped around her finger nearly since Kosei had first brought her to his place, sleep-deprived and on the last tethers of his sanity.[break][break]

"Now who's the one rushing?" he trilled, eventually returning to his spot alongside Kosei and nudging his arm again with his elbow. Albeit a bit softer that time. "I've heard the next house over is giving out pixie sticks. Whole batches. Can't imagine how hyped up she'll be for those." Slipping back into that tentative peace, tempers in check for the time being. He couldn't say he minded.
[break][break]

+ Kosei Kiryu | m: tricking or treating | cassius’ costume…

[attr="class","pokeclass"]