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"Enzo, she'll be fine." He laughed at that, knowing that he had been far worse in his worry about 80% of the time. It was still humorous to see the other buzzing with some paternal anxiety for once. It was also unexpectedly nice, which felt far too sentimental for his liking. This was really making him soft, wasn't it? Though, was that a bad thing? Did it need to be inherently bad that he wasn't rigid 24/7? Probably not. Happiness was hard for him though, it felt too easy.
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Enzo began fussing with his tie, which was a frightening comparison of years prior when he had been the one constantly fussing over the other. He had half the mind to continue teasing the other over that fact, but it was also a sweet gesture that he didn't want to lose. Instead, quietly, he let the other continue fussing until the tie was at an acceptable angle and smoothness. "You done yet?" He snickered, "I didn't come all this way to hang out in your suite." He could avoid socializing perfectly fine in his own home without travelling out to Mossdeep.
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To force the other to relax, he pressed a kiss to the other man's mouth. He knew enough that they weren't going to be in the position to be... how he wished they could be. That was alright. Totally, 100% fine. He didn't even care. So, to make that apparent, he pulled away and walked past him. "Alright, let's get this over with." Though not without glancing back, "It was rude of you to wear those dress pants though, Mr. De Luca."

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“Well, I just don’t want her to wake up and be startled, that’s all.” He huffed, a little wrankled over being laughed at for his fretting. He was readjusting to being a steadier presence in her life, okay? Enzo hadn’t been that sort of stable force since she was a baby—he didn’t know what a six year old could or couldn’t handle.[break][break]

For someone as unattached to commitments and as brutal as Enzo could be, he was weirdly decent with kids. Maybe it was because he’d had a whole slew of siblings and half-siblings, but that was years ago. In another life. No one knew him as Luca, one of the several heads in the Serrano brood. Not even Kosei, beyond the name itself.[break][break]

He wondered if maybe that could change now. Maybe.[break][break]

Right then, he let his thoughts spin out as he fussed with the knot of his tie, Kosei’s amused laughter echoing in his ears. “Yes, yes. I’m done. That’s fair enough. I just wanted to make sure.”[break][break]

The kiss prompted a stupid little flutter in his chest. Honestly, he was too old to feel like some smitten teenager. He’d never even really considered himself to be an overly sentimental person. But right then, knowing that it was pressed to his lips for him, because Kosei wanted kiss him on a routine basis? It made Enzo feel dumb and warm. Being discreet suddenly felt that much more undesirable and difficult to achieve.[break][break]

Probably evident in the way his lips curved up in the seconds before Kosei withdrew, and the way Enzo’s mouth chased the other’s for one more, shorter kiss when he did withdraw.[break][break]

He wasn’t foolish—he knew that the fact that they couldn’t be comfortably together probably grated on Kosei. He knew what he was doing as he made for the door, but all Enzo could do was follow, crooked smirk slipping across his face. “You're a fine one to talk, Kiryu.” To emphasize his point, as they stepped into the hall, Enzo snuck past him and smacked him on the backside as he went.

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Something about seeing Enzo fret over his kid, awakened some swoony part of him. It was the mushiest feeling and he decided that he hated it, but he didn't hate the fact that Enzo cared about Miu. For a long time there, before he'd act out stupidly, it had been just the two of them completely out of their depth. Then again, Enzo had been the one with the unexpected knowledge. Kosei had never been around kids and knew next to nothing about caring for them. He'd even taken a class for it, surrounded by women that flirted with him incessantly (much to Enzo's amusement).
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"It's cute though," Almost a proper dad. Kosei wasn't sure he'd ever felt like a proper one, he was simply lucky to have kept his kid alive this long. Had he been able to right then, he might have tried encouraging the other not to go to this stupid party and do other things instead. However, sadly, this was Enzo's responsibility and Kosei wasn't going to be the one to ruin that.
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It was true, he wasn't exactly pleased that he was essentially attending this party to stand around and talk to people he didn't give two shits about, but he was also curious. He wanted to see Enzo in this place, the place they both worked hard for and Enzo had made it work in the end. Being in the hotel though... it sometimes made him feel a little out of place, maybe a little guilty. A constant reminder that he'd bailed when things got tough.
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He jumped a little at the smack. Muttering beneath his breath, "Jackass." It was cut out by the curt laugh and the swear to get him back. How were they supposed to play off just friends at this rate? He had no idea. Though he wasn't about to lose composure over a few spare hours wanting and not being able to have. Maybe he could have fun after all.

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He rolled his eyes, “Don’t see how something like that is cute.” That was a lie. He couldn’t claim to be unaffected by Miu’s obvious adoration of her father, or how Kosei softened around her. Even when he acted tired or exasperated by her sass. It had been something he noted when they were younger, and hidden away never to be spoken of. That would betray fondness. Weakness.[break][break]

Now, though, it was on display for Kosei to see. And honestly for anyone else as well, should they see Enzo interacting with the little girl. He’d never considered himself particularly paternal, but perhaps that had been another lie he’d told himself to remain at arms length. He was much too tired and weathered for that now.[break][break]

In all honesty, he would have much preferred to be more open about his connection to Kosei. What they were. But he didn’t want to cause problems for the other. Not just yet. Maybe eventually there would be an opportunity to be more transparent, but for now he would make do. And enjoy the game that could be made out of discretion.[break][break]

Enzo knew he was being a pain, but why would he be anything but? He spun on his heels, walking backwards a few steps so that he could survey the irritable look on Kosei’s face. The smugness in his smile widened, and he stepped forward again, blocking Kosei from moving forward. His head tilted as his fingers curled and tucked under the other’s chin, just long enough for him to speak. “Gotta make sure you have an idea of what to look forward to, that’s all.”[break][break]

He refrained from the instinct to add a caveat about it being dependent on his being a good dog. Quite impressive for Enzo, who only wanted to further rile Kosei up. But on the other hand, he wanted to avoid being clobbered before they even made it to the main hall. So he let his hand fall away, and fell in step alongside Kosei until the hallway opened up to the main foyer where a massive tree had been painstakingly decorated (along with the rest of the room,) throughout the week by hotel staff.[break][break]

All that was left to do was light it, and then circulate through the crowd of Mossdeep citizens beginning to trickle in through the doors.


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It was cute, regardless of what Enzo thought about it. Kosei didn't say as much though, he didn't need to. Enzo understood the appeal, even if he wanted to play dumb about it. What was not cute, was the shameless display that followed. Sometimes, it was hard to keep up with Enzo and the other was likely well aware of that fact. It was an annoyance to say the least.
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"That's what you think." He muttered in response, not about to give him the eager response that he likely hoped for. Even if it still planted a rather pesky seed under his skin as fingers curled beneath his chin. It reminded him of that night, weeks before when they let themselves have the thing in life they wanted.
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Despite the nagging hunger under his skin, he was not in a rush to give Enzo any satisfaction at this rate, especially not the cheeky kind. At least the idiot refrained from calling him dog for two seconds, otherwise he might have been nursing a bruise the rest of the night.
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Instead, he simply followed the other as they headed back downstairs. The lobby of the hotel was already heavy with people, and more were only just arriving. Enzo had certainly made his name in Mossdeep, that much was for certain. It was nice, that something the other had worked so hard for had finally come to fruition.
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Kosei, however, felt a little out of his depth and was somewhat glad he wouldn't have to deal with any actual weight of interaction. He'd do better to find the nearest waiter with champagne and wait for this ridiculous thing to be over. Enzo was welcome to do his thing in the meanwhile.

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“Tetchy,” he hummed back, smirk widening just so. “Stubborn as ever.” That was fine, if anything it posed as much challenge for himself. And Enzo wasn’t the sort to shy away from one.[break][break]

He could’ve made matters worse— tilted inward until his lips ghosted over skin with more teasing words, but he would save that for later. He did, unfortunately, still have his job to do. As much as he would’ve liked to have turned them right back around to his room. And maybe he was also a little proud of what had been accomplished, and what he could show Kosei.[break][break]

Even there was another part of him that still wished this had remained theirs. The joint effort they’d managed to establish together. So perhaps it was tinged bittersweet as well.[break][break]

Parting from Kosei as the other drifted toward the nearest server with drinks that he could find, Enzo took to doing what he always did— which was circulating and greeting those who had shown up to enjoy the festivity, and the finery of the place.[break][break]

There was, of course, though always the spare patron who chose to cling like a burr, drifting into his orbit and refusing to be shaken loose, no matter his effort to resume his polite mingling.[break][break]

Tonight it was a blonde, frequent in her visits to the restaurant on the main floor. Making eyes over the rim of her champagne flute with remarks she thought were witty, and hovering as he moved to greet those still filtering through the door. A touch at his elbow which earned no more than a polite smile and a mild huff under his breath.[break][break]

Though…[break][break]

An inconspicuous glance was cast back over his shoulder, a look for any sign of Kosei and if he might be watching from a sulky distance. Though by that point it was more a silent cry for assistance than a means of riling him up. There was no telling how the other would interpret it, however.
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Try as he might to seem unbothered, part of him had to admit that this wasn't exactly what he'd imagined doing this night. Not that he was looking for anything specific, he wasn't that thirsty. More so, coasting on the edge of view and finding the closest source of alcohol that he could, while Enzo took to the job of host. Kosei had never really felt natural in settings like this, despite his effort. Parties didn't do it for him and he had no desire to seek a spotlight. That had always worked for them though. Enzo was the one with the big dreams and the charm. Kosei was... well, he was just Kosei.
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Yet he also had to admit that he wasn't entirely oblivious to the bittersweet flavor of being only temporarily admitted to this world again, watching from the outside. It was his own damn fault, of course, he'd been the one to leave after all. Yet, once again, it reminded him of that age-old question that had been the catalyst to that decision in the first place: Why am I here?
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For Enzo, of course. Maybe not in the way he wished, but the last thing he wished to be perceived as was needy. He was needy, obviously. It wasn't an encouragement. Even then, it was still nice to see Enzo slip into the crowd, wade through it with such ease. That stupid charming smile of his that drew others in and made them follow like lost puppies.
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He sipped down the first drink of champagne, waving down the very same waiter who returned seconds after the first was offered to hand him another glass. Yet only then did he recognize that the woman at Enzo's side was the very same moments before. A little touch to his elbow, greeted by a smile. Maybe it was for show, though he'd only caught Enzo's glance back to him after several moments of glowering at the woman. She didn't sense the frustration that had settled on her, but Enzo likely had. Great. As long as they stayed well enough away, he didn't care. Not at all. He was totally unbothered.
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[attr="class","star2"] ”Surely you don’t want to stay here all evening.”[break][break]

Well, no. She wasn’t wrong about that, actually. It was more that he was disinterested in how she intended herself to factor into the implication. Mascara-heavy lashes bat at him a few times, and Enzo smiled back–polite and detached. The formality of his job was the only thing that kept the lacquered smile from slipping off of his face so that he might inform her that she’d be much better off finding some other sap to entice.[break][break]

Instead– “Of course, why would I wish to miss an event I coordinated?”[break][break]

Painted lips pressed into a soft pout. That time, she didn’t even bother to hide the sulkiness behind her glass. “Boo. Surely we could find a better means of entertainment…”[break][break]

Still, she was persistent. He had to hand it to her– maybe she’d do well in sales with that level of cling-wrap consistency. Press something long enough, and she’d get the customer to buy something out of exasperation to get her out of their space. It was likely how she managed to get her way, and now she was disused to hearing the word no. Enzo supposed he could relate to that as well, unfortunately.[break][break]

But he did happen to know someone who was an expert at saying no regardless. So his gaze turned about the room again, pinpointing Kosei with laser focus before bee-lining in his direction. He didn’t bother attempting to excuse himself– based on several prior interactions, she would only wander back again.

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Street rat or not, Enzo knew what he was doing. He'd gone a long way to get the things in his life and Kosei would never fault him for that. Even if he didn't always agree with the methods. Kosei didn't have the same ambitions, especially not post-Miu. Any thoughts of attempting anything had halted, though not in a strained or begrudging way. It just put things into perspective. He had a whole living human being to care for and the successes and tribulations that came with that. He wasn't always proud of it, but hey she was still alive and functioning so he must not be that bad, right?
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Kosei had never shared Enzo's capability to entertain a crowd. Maybe he was boring...? Enzo would certainly attest to that. There was something about conversation he'd never been able to grasp, but the fact he was stunted wasn't exactly a huge surprise to anyone. It had taken a lot of time and effort to be okay with his actions, to not immediately condemn his attempts to be a normal person. He didn't need to be someone important or powerful, but it felt like an excuse to sweep his failures under a rug and forget about them.
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You're thinking too much, the words were spoken in Enzo's wry tone. He sipped at his glass of champagne with an irritated grumble because even his own thoughts were betraying him now. Maybe because he had nothing else to do but watch Enzo kiss ass and flirt with this relentless woman and that was beyond irritating. Jealousy didn't look good on him, in his opinion, but he'd become increasingly aware that it was unexpectedly natural all the same.
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"Enzo, you have a tenacious stalker." He said, his smile towards said stalker wasn't remotely kind.

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[attr="class","star2"]Savvy or not, he often reached a point at these sorts of events where he grew tired and wished to retreat. No matter how suave or charming or outgoing he was, there were old bitter parts that sought to withdraw. Seek solace from the gratuitous wealth because it was a different sort from the kind he’d made being nouveau riche.[break][break]

If enzo were to find out Kosei’s assumption was that he was flirting with this woman, Enzo would probably guffaw. Considering he’d been perfunctorily polite, and had tried to separate himself several times now, he wouldn’t say he was feeling particularly coquettish with her. He wasn’t even trying to toy around with her. He just wanted a break.[break][break]

Though it hadn’t been wholly intentional, as he’d genuinely wanted an escape from the woman velcroed to his side, the chill that the other man spoke with sent a thrill shoot up through Enzo’s spine. It wasn’t difficult to read the envy there in the harshness of his words and Enzo shifted to look at Kosei with raised brows, though there was nothing smirkish or smarmy about the look.[break][break]

The woman giggled. Waved a hand as she tilted her head and tried to laugh the whole thing away as a joke as her eyes fluttered to Enzo. Clearly, she expected him to take up for her. Instead, his gaze never once shifted over to her, still fixed on Kosei. “And what do you make of that, Kiryu?” A mild goad to see what he’d do next. And if it would finally allow him to be freed of his burr. “What would you have me do?”[break][break]

He could think of a few choice things, himself, if he were able to have his way and feed off of that green tinted envy percolating under the surface. As much as he played at power and control, the unmitigated disdain in Kosei’s voice seemed to wake up a very different beast. One that was awfully curious about what it might be like to be claimed. Bolstered by his earlier teasing. Would this be the last tug to make the tethers snap?[break][break]

Break loose, hound dog. That was what he wanted to say.[break][break]

But that would only be possible if they could find an actual moment alone. Expectantly, he waited with obvious interest to see what Kosei might do, and if it would be enough, coupled with the fact that Enzo played neutral and refused to take the incessant woman’s side.

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Jealousy. He was jealous, wasn't he? No, no way. That felt too much like he was unwittingly playing into Enzo's game. That was exactly what he wanted of Kosei, to over-react and act out impulsively. Kosei had never thought himself an inherently jealous person, he'd never had reason to. Though, maybe with Enzo, that wasn't always true. He'd always felt stupidly possessive of their partnership, insecure that at any moment it could end the second that Enzo found someone better.
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It wasn't so fragile as it had been when he was younger, but he could still feel it simmering under the surface as he watched this persistent buzzard follow Enzo around. Now, if he was thinking clearly, he would have recognized exasperation for what it was. Enzo didn't want anything to do with her or any of the people in the crowd.
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Kosei wasn't the sharp-tongue type. He didn't snipe insults through his teeth or play games. He preferred intimidation through silence, even if that rarely worked. He could simmer in his upset, hold it all in and let himself bake a little. As with most things, he attempted to maintain a measure of control over volatile feelings. Yet, he wasn't feeling particularly good at containment tonight. When had this irritation boiled up?
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"Irritating." He said despite his best intention not to feed into the negative feelings blooming under the surface. It was obviously nothing short of delightful for Enzo, that much he could guarantee. There was nothing else the other seemed to enjoy as much as seeing Kosei lose control.
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They weren't allowed to display affection and maybe therein lied his base irritation while this woman giggled over his words and followed him like a love-sick puppy. Never before would he feel like his affection might be perceived negatively, thus he felt annoyingly insecure about it. And also greedy.
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Despite the rules, his hand slipped across the flat expanse of the other's lower back, fingers digging in to the other's hip. A gesture that felt ridiculously like he was saying mine. Maybe he was. Maybe this was the stupid caveman part of his brain claiming territory like it was actually at risk. "I don't know, you could tell her to go away, but since you won't, I will." He looked at her in a way that demand her eyes on him. Her stupid expression fell flat. "Three's a crowd, get lost."
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He'd probably feel a bit bad after the fact, considering he wasn't trying to be this person anymore. It felt like an affront to all of his efforts to evolve, and yet... it also felt good.

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vincenzo de luca // m: festive flirts

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[attr="class","star2"]The sensation of a hand sliding along the small of his back so that an arm could hook around his waist and reel him in sent a thrill of delight shooting down Enzo’s back. Something about that action only silenced him further, and he looked up at Kosei as he warded off the woman with raised brows and the beginnings of a sly sort of smile curling at the corners of his mouth.[break][break]

“How cold, Kosei,” he tutted once the woman had finally gone, though the inflection of his tone betrayed the fact that he was anything but displeased.[break][break]

Languidly, he rolled inward slightly, to better face toward Kosei and lean closer. Head tilting and chin tipping up slightly as he studied him. “Maybe I should spur your jealousy more often.” A murmured purr that was laced with a low chuckle. “If I get a bad review, I’m blaming you.” Only a humorous tease as his fingers smoothed over Kosei’s lapel. She wouldn’t dare do so. That would mean having to fess up to her part in dogging Enzo’s heels for the bulk of the evening.[break][break]

“Now I’ve gone and forgotten why I thought it was so important to be discreet,” he said with a forlorn sigh. “So I guess you win this time, Kiryu.” Off to the side, there weren’t many guests paying attention to them, but it wouldn’t have mattered either way. His hand snaked up and snagged Kosei by the chin and then slipped up further to rest firmly along his jaw.[break][break]

Without any fanfare, he leaned up and kissed him, though as if on a cue (it wasn’t,) the tree was finally lit behind them. The lights igniting once plugged in, tier by tier as the guests in attendance clapped at the sight giving way to the season. “How ‘bout that timing, hm?” he mumbled, smirking just so. But it also signaled the formality of his work demanding his presence was drawing to a close.

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"Shut up." He muttered, both desperately hoping the other would take the hint while also knowing he wouldn't. Leave it to Enzo to bring out the half of him that he certainly wasn't proud of showing. It had been quite a while since he'd last resorted to such bitter measures and he didn't like being reminded that deep down he was terrible. He was good at being terrible and that wasn't likely ever going to change.
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Kosei rolled his eyes at that, "Blame me all you want, doesn't change the fact that you wanted that reaction." And he'd fallen for it — hook, line, and sink. A dead fish.
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As if he wouldn't do it again under similar circumstances. He would in a heartbeat. Like a dog barking at anyone stupid enough to stray into his yard. Mine. That was all that mattered, Enzo was his.
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The kiss came with great anticipation and he folded into it, of course. Yet he wasn't about to end the game then and there, it was clear that Enzo was looking for a specific version of him tonight. How interesting. "They seem easily distracted." His hand wound around the other's tie, tugging him. "Move, De Luca."



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