[attr="class","sideinfo"]

[attr="class","text"]

“Good dog.”

[break][break]

Kosei should have wanted nothing more than to bite down until he tasted blood, until the one sound in the apartment was Enzo's vocalized pain. It would have been an easy emotion to fall into, this contempt he felt. Yet, the want felt equally potent, if not more. It was pathetic, but part of him liked that. A shiver of something crashed down his spine that he didn't want to identify, but he knew it anyway. It seemed to belong to Enzo in the same way he did in that moment—at the tail-end of a leash, frothing and snapping teeth.

[break][break]

Enzo was like a chemical reaction, mixed together with explosive results. They didn't work, they would never work. Even then, some part of him craved that chemical response like nicotine. Mouths crashed together, saliva-slick fingers gliding across his skin. It was filthy in all the ways that Kosei should've hated.

[break][break]

He hated more all the way he didn't hate this.

[break][break]

Even as Enzo pressed him away and he felt doused by reality, he couldn't help the way his heart pounded or his breath heaved. Enzo removed his shirt, revealing ugly bruises. This should have been a moment of reflection, torn away from the sudden driving need. Still clothed, a blatant opportunity to turn back. It felt purposeful, a moment of ridicule. A look how much you want this moment and he did. It was so painfully obvious that he was driving this because even as Enzo pushed him away, he'd resisted.

[break][break]

With every opportunity to turn the dial down and step away, he didn't. Instead, he slipped his shirt overhead. The sticky tackiness of blood on the fabric, not his own. His eyes slipped across bruises, wanting to address the painfully obvious error but not wanting to risk the heat slipping through his fingers. It was selfish, unexpectedly hedonistic of him. It should have been in his best interest to stop.

[break][break]

Enzo looked at him with expectancy and he stepped forward because someone had to and it was probably going to be him in the end. Or, maybe he was a bit of a dog, in the end. The violence hadn't left his touch, but it diminished in the way he touched Enzo's arm, his mouth coasting over bruise like a subtle threat.

[break][break]
With a withered sigh, he stepped aside. "There's pain meds in the cabinet by the sink."

[attr="class","ooc"]

[break]

[attr="class","credit"]MADE BY GUNSMILE

[attr="class","sideinfo"]

[attr="class","text"]

"Informed? She dropped off a crying infant and told me good luck. I'd hardly call that informed." He had floundered a lot in those first few months. All because his ex didn't want to be a mother. He had never prepared to be a father either, but he also was thankful his daughter wasn't in the hands of a heartless harpy.
[break][break]
Miu made a screeching sound that was absolutely feral. Her tiny hands gripped his hair a touch harder. "Ah, Miu, soft hands. Please. Inside voice."
[break][break]
Luckily, he managed to tide her over with a promise of gift shop stuffies. Nothing like bribing a little girl into silence. If only she was a pipsqueak though. She was hitting her growth spurt every other day. It depressed him, that soon she would be tall and want nothing to do with him. What was he supposed to do after that? It was panic inducing.
[break][break]
"You came a long way then." Kosei said, trying to skirt around anything that may invoke any potential backlash.
[break][break]
Unfortunately, for him, Enzo lacked all tact. Kosei leveled him with a dry, tired expression as if Enzo was another of his children and not his partner. The only person who knew how to talk Enzo through a temper tantrum was Kosei, arguably. The same could be said of his son.
[break][break]
This was going to be a long day, but luckily he could see the plaster decorations of a tropical rainforest. "Almost there."

[attr="class","ooc"]



[break]

[attr="class","credit"]MADE BY GUNSMILE

[attr="class","sideinfo"]

[attr="class","text"]


"I'm sorry, what do you want me to do?" It wasn't like he was full of suggestions. When he'd discovered he had a daughter, which was almost immediately... he couldn't exactly recall Enzo being full of helpfulness. Though, Enzo had been surprisingly helpful after the fact, even if Kosei had wrongfully treated him for it.
[break][break]
There was the guilt again.
[break][break]
He sighed, knowing he had no fucking excuse. Then again, it was a little hilarious to see Enzo with a kid of his own, as if there had ever been any doubt of such a thing. Enzo was hardly safe about sex. Was it really surprising that he had a brat of his own? Kosei was only surprised that this was the first to find them.
[break][break]
"I'm not TINY." Miu screeched, her temper expectedly short.
[break][break]
Kosei sighed, knowing he would inevitably have to comfort her and ensure that she was, in fact, a big girl. "Yes, yes... you're a big girl. You tie your own shoes and dress yourself." By the looks of her princess dress, clearly her fashion style was biased.
[break][break]
The awkwardness set in immediately. Kosei didn't know what to say. Under other circumstances, he would have said: not my mankey, not my circus. Unfortunately, he was tethered to Enzo and their concerns were one and the same.
[break][break]
"Soooo Nico, do you live around here? Is your mom around?" He actively tried not to think about Enzo's lengthy list of possible baby-mommas.

[attr="class","ooc"]



[break]

[attr="class","credit"]MADE BY GUNSMILE

[attr="class","sideinfo"]

[attr="class","text"]

Under normal circumstances, even with the burn of want and adrenaline in his veins, he would have simmered himself. The reminder that Enzo was hurt was a palpably strong motivator not to unravel his already fraying control. Hate him as much as he did, he was not prone to pushing when something could give beneath him. Inflicting pain, although natural in his job, wasn't necessarily natural to him. He was good at it, but there was a line he refused to cross.
[break][break]
Enzo tested every one of his rules, his limitations, his restraint. Everything about him riled Kosei in a way that was frankly fucking unacceptable. It was a double-edged sword, always with a blatant excuse attached to it that Kosei knew was bullshit. Even this was just an excuse to touch him, in some way that wasn't just violence. As if he hadn't felt bloodied longing under every thought. A part of him remembered the embarrassment of that night, a traded kiss he shouldn't have given.
[break][break]
Then again, he was betraying a hell of a lot more of himself in that instance.
[break][break]
Fingers slipped, unbidden into his mouth. They grazed along his tongue, pressed to the flat of his teeth. A thought burned in the back of his head that he wouldn't have minded pressing them to the back of his throat, it felt filthy and animal. Bite me. It was both an order and a challenge.
[break][break]
Either way it was felt like a trap. He bit down and told himself it was rising up to the challenge when in reality he knew it was because he was a dog and, in the end, dogs do what they're told to.
[break][break]
His hands ripped fabric of Enzo's shirt upward, hoping every movement hurt. His impatience was a greater betrayal and only his restraint was keeping him from seeking out more... instant gratification. Even when every thought fogged into incoherency, he couldn't give Enzo that satisfaction. Not yet.

[attr="class","ooc"]

[break]

[attr="class","credit"]MADE BY GUNSMILE

[attr="class","sideinfo"]

[attr="class","text"]


Under normal circumstances, Kosei would have complained. He was prompt. It was an unfortunate side-effect of being in a military family. When something was planned at a specific time, he wanted to be there on time. Of course, being around Enzo for so long had bred some complacency and forgiveness for tardiness, but not enough to excuse it entirely. Right then, there was no way in hell he was going to complain or risk anything that might compromise whatever the hell was going on.
[break][break]
So he gawked, like a fly-catcher, mouth open and eyes darting between the two. The kid was such a likeness for his partner that it was almost unsettling. It also made so much goddamn sense and he wanted to rub Enzo's face in it after so many years of dealing with jabs that he was the one to knock someone up. At least that someone had been his partner at the time, as terrible as she had been.
[break][break]
"Enzo, just look at him." He didn't need to say anything more than that. The kid was his carbon copy, insolence included.
[break][break]
Kosei...
[break][break]
He held his hand up, other one hoisting Miu up for a better grip. "Nope, I'm staying out of this."
[break][break]
Then Enzo invited the kid. Kosei gave him a look. "Yeah sure, come along." Miu was scowling not sure what to think of what was going on. She was perfectly inscrutable, but it was clear she didn't like anyone who took attention from her. "Daddy, whose that kid?"
[break][break]
"Alright then, time to go." He prompted, spinning around.

[attr="class","ooc"]



[break]

[attr="class","credit"]MADE BY GUNSMILE

[attr="class","sideinfo"]

[attr="class","text"]

Despite every intent to remain in control, he couldn't help the ridiculous rush of blood to his face. It was just a kiss, hardly the worst that he'd done since they were kids. Though, he'd always suspected that a hideous part of him had come out with a touch of alcohol. He was lying to himself by saying he'd never been attracted to Enzo. The first second he'd seen him and that garrish, pain in the ass grin on his face — he'd known that vincenzo de luca was going to be a major problem for him.
[break][break]
It would have been in his best interest to step back, play ignorant to everything unraveling between them. After all, he'd provoked this display of... he refused to say what chemical imbalance had led him to making this disastrous choice, but he suspected it came from within his pants rather than his brain.
[break][break]
Perhaps that was why his next instinct was to follow up, to pursue this bait like a hungry dog untethered from the leash.
[break][break]
"I’m the best thing that’s happened to you." Enzo was the antithesis of good things. He was unrivaled chaos and blunt knuckles and bloodied lips. He was the grit of asphalt seconds after a car crash. Fire on his skin and burning in his lungs like the drag of a cigarette. It would have been in Kosei's best interest to refute such a markedly false claim, but there was truth to it too. His life had also become markedly less boring after he'd met him.
[break][break]
Kosei might not have been quite the "blushing maiden" that Enzo had teased him to be, but this didn't feel like any of the times before. It felt new, a part of it overwhelming and frightening in the way it made him want to repel away. At the same time it was like the strike of a match, lighting something he hadn't felt before.
[break][break]
Fingers dug through the fabric of his shirt, into his hips. It felt very much the same as when they fought, with bloodied knuckles against sharp bone. Only this took a step into the territory that he'd secretly always wanted, even if he'd sooner die than admit it.
[break][break]
Those words seemed to drag a response out of him that he felt somewhat embarrassed by, dry raspy sound that reverberated down his spine, silenced only by the sting of teeth in his lip. Of course, as usual, he had no fucking clue what Enzo was saying, but that was part of the thrill of it.
[break][break]
His hand wrung into fabric with enough strength to tear. "Take it off, now."

[attr="class","ooc"]

[break]

[attr="class","credit"]MADE BY GUNSMILE

[attr="class","sideinfo"]

[attr="class","text"]

The kiss tasted like static electricity, like blood between his teeth and fury and angry and need that he never would have entertained before. Part of him was still reeling at his own actions, wondering if he could recover from this. Of course, there was no more saving face. He had been the one to act on them, which wasn't like him. Every thought was a mix of 'why the hell not' and the realization that he had so many reasons not to. Enzo wouldn't just forget this, he'd handed him a concealed weapon to use against him. Was this not the boldest example of need, which he had spent so long denying. From up on his high horse, feeling all noble and shit. Now, what was he? A fucking hyprocrite, but what else was new?
[break][break]
Consequences aside, he was a shit liar. There was no way to convey falsely that he didn't enjoy this. Clearly, he was enjoying himself otherwise he would have shoved him away and told him this was a big fucking mistake. It was a mistake, but that was besides the point.
[break][break]
To make matters worse, Enzo was the first to break it and he chased him. The reaction felt like lacquered honey, sweet and candied on his tongue. He scowled at that, "Shut up, I don't know what you're talking about." That night on Lavaridge, to be entirely honest he still couldn't remember what they had done. Though, just like that time, he showed his cards.
[break][break]
As fucked up as it was, he enjoyed Enzo's pain. He liked the way he hissed under contact, skin flinching despite every attempt to hide the reactivity. Had he been a true sadist, he might have pushed his luck. Instead, he felt like he was a wave, crashing against him again as the wall braced their bodies.
[break][break]
What he didn't ask was the most obvious question: Where the fuck did they go from there? The most amenable end would be to stop right then, maybe terminate their partnership entirely. This made their business messy and they had no room for making things messier. Regardless, he didn't stop as his hands slipped up beneath the hem of Enzo's shirt, drawing across lean muscle and seeking out bruised bone. "You're the fucking worst."

[attr="class","ooc"]

[break]

[attr="class","credit"]MADE BY GUNSMILE

[attr="class","sideinfo"]

[attr="class","text"]



Miu was growing restless, impatient. Most of the time, he didn't entertain her impatience, even if she got it from him. Right then, he was feeling pretty eager to get on as well, after all he was even more impatient and prompt than she was. Though their motivations were entirely different. Of course, they wouldn't make it far, as there were usually at least one or two distractions that kept Enzo from progressing. Most of the time, the goal was to get him out of the hotel before anything went awry. It wouldn't be the first time that plans were tossed aside because Enzo was unwilling to let go during work hours. In truth, Kosei should have felt proud of him, considering his work ethic was historically shite.
[break][break]
Right then, however, he wasn't feeling motivated by work ethic, thus he really wanted to leave.
[break][break]

He sighed as the concierge spoke up. It was like clockwork here. He half expected it by this point though Enzo always looked so surprised by the disruption to their plans. With a beleaguered glance, he looked down at his watch. Relax, it's not that big of a deal. Time anxiety aside, he wasn't gonna nag Enzo for something he couldn't control.
[break][break]

As he glanced back up, he noticed the boy before maybe even Enzo did and was struck by deja vu so strong that it was like a weight in his stomach. His lips pinched, the thought simmering in the back of his head before it became quite clear. "Um Miu, why don't you give Enzo a break? You can ride on my shoulders." She didn't protest too much as that would mean she'd stand taller than anyone else in the room.
[break][break]

Son.
[break][break]

He might have choked on the oxygen right then. Why did it feel like he'd seen this coming? "Uhhh Enzo...." Did it even need to be said that the punk walking up to them like they owned the place was the spitting image? No probably not. Enzo would remain in denial regardless. He'd just have to sit back and watch it play out.

[attr="class","ooc"]



[break]

[attr="class","credit"]MADE BY GUNSMILE

[attr="class","circleoutline1"]

[attr="class","starimg"]

vincenzo de luca // m: recruitment act i

[attr="class","petalpoke"]

[attr="class","sideinfo"]

[attr="class","text"]

He should slow down, back up. Rethink whatever the hell he was doing. Maybe if he could push the fury aside and clear his thoughts, he'd realize that none of this mattered. It was just like any other job. It wasn't the first and it likely wouldn't be the last time that Enzo did something brash and Kosei got pissed off about it.
[break][break]
It wasn't like he was perfect, far from it. That was the thing he wished he could be, perfect. He strived for it so much that oftentimes it consumed him. Clearly, the two couldn't be any more different, but that didn't mean it was impossible. It should have leveled them out, but it only proved to be gas on the flame.
[break][break]
"I don't need to be flexible, I just need to be precise." He scoffed, rolling his eyes. Kosei could tell that none of this was working. It wasn't like he was going to suddenly pull Enzo's head out of his ass. He wasn't going to change the other man. This was pointless bickering, but there was an inexplicable pull in that. Enzo was like a flame, a conflagration. It felt a little good to burn sometimes.
[break][break]
"I'm a bore?" His lip peeled back into a snarl, a sour humor had slipped into his tone. "Okay, we're done talking."
[break][break]
In hindsight, this was wholly unnecessary, yet the pain of it... Admittedly, it felt good. Kosei wasn't a sadistic bastard, but that howl matched with the shake of his limbs had a certain effect on him. His hand continued to grip at fabric, keeping the other steady as his eyes soaked in every trembling twist of pain that wracked the other's body. It wasn't right. It wasn't healthy and the weird twist in his gut wasn't either. "You, you're my problem." He pushed, just enough hold his steady. The glint in those eyes, sharp as knives, it translated into something off. He wasn't sure what he was doing, only that his other hand snatched the man's jaw with a bruising grip as he leaned forward and kissed him.

[attr="class","ooc"]

[break]

[attr="class","credit"]MADE BY GUNSMILE

[attr="class","circleoutline1"]

[attr="class","starimg"]

vincenzo de luca // m: recruitment act i

[attr="class","petalpoke"]

[attr="class","sideinfo"]

[attr="class","text"]

Maybe he should have just dropped it. In hindsight, nothing would get solved this way. They were simply too incompatible, clearly. There was obviously a huge mistake in them working together and he should just drop ship and either work by himself or with someone like him. They say that opposites attract, but Kosei couldn't possibly imagine that with an idiot like De Luca.
[break][break]
That pain point didn't escape him. Admittedly, it felt good. Violence wasn't necessarily a natural thing for him, or at least he didn't think it was, but he wouldn't deny that it felt good. "If you really believed that then we wouldn't have had an issue." He couldn't keep the snarl out of his tone. Enzo just had this effect on him, in more ways than one.
[break][break]
"The point is that if you hadn't been a goddamn idiot that wouldn't have mattered. Instead, things could have gone much worse." Just because it had worked out meant very little to Kosei. Many routine lessons had taught him that. There had been a time he might have said the same, but it hadn't been good enough. There was only one way to get things done and that was doing it right without relying on circumstance.
[break][break]
This might have been gratuitous, but he wouldn't deny it felt good. He was petty and vengeful, in the end. He could play the good soldier, but he didn't forgive easily.
[break][break]
"If that is all it takes to meet your standards, then you're a filthy fucking slob. I'm sick of it and I'm sick of you." He might have been a bit of a buzzkill, maybe an anal bastard that never let anything go, but at least he had standards. Had it gone worse and he'd been killed? Enzo wouldn't have have blinked twice before kicking his body aside, it was that simple. So why the hell should he give a shit about what happened to him?
[break][break]
Then Enzo had to push back, of course. His teeth grit and that tenuous temper of his snapped.
[break][break]
Without thinking, he took ahold of Enzo's collar and shoved him back into the wall behind him. His forearm pressed to the other man's throat, just enough to threaten the oxygen supply. "Here, let me help you with that." Taking the flat of his hand, he rammed it into Enzo's shoulder until there was a deafening pop.

[attr="class","ooc"]

[break]

[attr="class","credit"]MADE BY GUNSMILE

[attr="class","circleoutline1"]

[attr="class","starimg"]

vincenzo de luca // m: recruitment act i

[attr="class","petalpoke"]