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Yeeeahhh, I am—but that’s okay. I got lotsa friends! Dad says I’m a….a special beautifly.”[break][break]
“Social beautifly,” Enzo corrects with a laugh, “but special too, yes.”[break][break]
Enzo continues to watch on as Miu chatters with the woman, pleased as punch to interact with just about anyone. It’s not until Remo nudges him that he looks away, and he spots the back of a familiar dark head of hair (that uncannily matches the little girl’s) in the distant crowd. “Ohp, Miu, time to say your byes. I think we should try to nab your dad before he vanishes on us again.”[break][break]
Kayyyy, the girl replies absently, still petting the fidough’s ears gently. Eventually, though, she steps back and curls her hand into the annihilape’s again. Thanks! her smile is bright as she looks up at the woman, and Enzo allows a polite smile of his own to return. “I appreciate that,” he says, head nodding at the little girl in gesture. For humoring her entertainment. “I’m glad we were able to return her to you safely.”

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[attr="class","text"]The last thing Enzo wanted was for Miu (and Kosei) to begin grousing because he was holding them up. It was an inevitable extension of their departure, because it happened every time they attempted to leave the Nimbus with any sort of planned itinerary in mind.[break][break]
But he couldn’t help it! The Nimbus was his baby, the thing he’d poured all of his effort into. The ultimate distraction from the mess his life had become when he’d first got his hands on the building. Long before it had been erected and expanded into what it was now. Back when they had been two little punks trying to make something of themselves, and then just…him.[break][break]
Okay, so he’d needed the distraction and something to fixate on so that he didn’t think about his crippling loneliness (something he was certain to, aha, lovingly heckle Kosei about now.) Sue him.[break][break]
All this to say, it wasn’t much of a surprise that he got held up on the way out the door, but Enzo was trying. He could feel Miu’s messing up the careful part in his hair in her growing impatience. But it certainly wasn’t his fault that his staff, or maybe his partner, was in the business of playing silly little tricks on him.[break][break]
Enzo continued to stare, smile stretched taut. “What? You even pay some kid hanging out to do this?” The careful tailoring of his speech began to slip, trending back toward the rowdy way he’d spent most of his early life speaking in. He forced a laugh, eyes darting between Kosei and his attendant and the kid quickly sauntering up with a sort of lazy indifference that still touted a special sort of self-importance that Enzo willfully attempted to not recognize.[break][break]
Another dry sputter of laughter as he gave them a look. “Ya got me,”he reiterated, but there wasn’t any comfort in the face he was met with. His concierge looked ill, the kid looked smug, and when Kosei turned his attention to Miu, and lifted her off of Enzo’s shoulders, his stomach turned over.[break][break]
‘Sup, Pops.’[break][break]
“Kosei..” he echoed back, out of the corner of his mouth in a tone that said help sos, please say sike right now. Enzo’s stare remained on the boy, no more than probably fourteen. god, that woulda meant he’d been no more than eighteen or nineteen himself when…when.[break][break]
Aw, fuck.[break][break]
Enzo cleared his throat roughly and forced his expression to neutralize as much as he could manage. “There’s no way you’re my kid,” he said after a moment, breezily in an attempt to brush the baby conman off.[break][break]
‘Ma knew you’d say that. Remember her? Nina?’[break][break]
His expression twisted up in thought, “Nope, no Nina’s.” He waved it off, even though his brain immediately scrolled back to the exact face in memory.[break][break]
‘She said you say that too.’ It was annoying that even if he refuted it, there was no denying it. It was like he’d gone through a copy machine and spit out a mini version of himself at that age. Same sandy blond hair, same violet eyes. The same arrogant sharpness in his triumphant smile It’d be easier if he’d favored his mother.[break][break]
Kosei wasn’t gonna let him live this down. Especially after Enzo had loudly boasted about never spawning a surprise child. Numerous times.[break][break]
It was fine, he could handle this. Kid probably wanted something from him. He could deal with it. “Got a name, punk?”[break][break]
‘Nico.’[break][break]
“Well, we’ve got somewhere to be, Nico. Unless you wanna go to the zoo.” He froze, head slowly swiveling toward Kosei like it was on a hinge, his expression blatantly asking Please tell me I didn’t actually just do that, as his eyes went round, smile forced.[break][break]
‘Zoo’s baby shit, but yeah sure. I’ll go.’ The boy drawled, one shoulder shrugging as he looked up and away as if he found the ornate staircase molding more interesting. Intentional indifference, intentional insult. Too late to backpedal now, then. [break][break]

Had he woken up in his own personal hell? Did he die in his sleep or something??

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“You got it.” His mouth curves, wry and crooked. The line moves forward by a couple of inches.[break][break]
He’s not really in the business of divulging where he’s actually from. He can count on one hand how many people know he didn’t actually grow up running the streets of Sootopolis.[break][break]
But for once, he humors a complete stranger. Counting on him to forget later more than anything else.[break][break]
“Hoennian. Family came from Alto Mare, though, few generations back.” Half truth, half fib.[break][break]
Arceus, he’s getting old and lazy. Heaven forbid.

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A somewhat delirious laugh followed the retort, low and passed through a wid, thin lipped smile. Only a hint of teeth. Enzo’s darted, scouring Kosei’s expression that fluctuated between anger and resentment and confusion. “No, but I do,” he trilled back in singsong, “you were very expressive. Don’t worry, though, it was only a teensy kiss.” It was the truth, of course, but his words were still meant to goad the other.[break][break]

More, he said without actually saying, give me more. He thought, just then, he might like to devour him whole. Pick his teeth with the bones. He wasn’t romantic, this wasn’t love. Only need.[break][break]

Only need, he emphasized to himself before his thoughts scattered like the light that erupted in his field of vision. Bright, white star bursts.[break][break]

His breath hitched unexpectedly as the insult fell from Kosei’s mouth, in tandem with hands that carved their way up along tender, aching skin. He shivered and almost infuriatingly, a low whine crawled up his throat before he could cut it off. Enzo should have been smarter, should have shoved him off at that point.[break][break]

But instead he was curving into the contact, “I’m the best thing that’s happened to you,” he hissed back, eyes narrowed to violet slivers. It was more for the sake of arguing, breathless and wanting for a means to outlet the frustration pent up in the center of his chest. He didn’t mean it, not really. Even with his inflated sense of self.[break][break]

Both hands rose— a fierce grip that clawed at Kosei’s shirt, then dropped to his hips as Enzo tried to push himself away from the wall where he was pinned. Just to show he could do it, and that he would not be so easily subdued. It wasn’t a means to put space between them, though, as their mouths crashed together again. One of his hands left its perch to clamp firmly against the back of Kosei’s neck.[break][break]

Every movement, each pull of his arm earned the flinch that came from the pain of his sorely abused shoulder joint, and when fingers pressed down on it, Enzo involuntarily bit down on the other’s lip. But he didn’t retreat again, letting every pained noise be swallowed up between them until his breath shook, and his vision blurred. Even then, he didn’t peel himself away[break][break]

It was a foolish idea, this. It was no more than a whim he was chasing (or so he would claim.) Especially when he knew the wayward glances Kosei tried to cover up. When he knew the things Kosei had said that drunken night, and how stupidly earnest his first kiss had been. But this was its own sort of drunkenness— fury and frustration and pain and desire. A cocktail that couldn’t be unsipped.[break][break]

The taste was in his mouth now, and he wouldn’t be able to wash it out.[break][break]

“Bravo ragazzo.” A smug croon, huffed against reddened, bruised lips. For now, Enzo made little effort to even try his hand at that.

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[attr="class","text"] Enzo watches on as Miu takes over the conversation, social and precocious as she ever is. “Wow! That must be so cool to have a sister– I don’t have any sisters. Or brothers.” Of course, she says this as a little girl who is perfectly content to be the only child and center of her father’s (and Enzo’s) attention. Speaking of– Enzo shifters to look around, wondering where Kosei has gone to, and if he’d found what he was looking for yet.[break][break]
The annihilape is just as attentive to the little girl as he had been when she’d been riding on his back. Silently, he observes just as keenly as the woman’s lucario. But Miu lights up when she’s given the go ahead, and wastes no time scratching at the puppy’s bun ears with both hands. “Oh! She’s so…squishy?” The little girl’s nose wrinkles up as she burst into a fit of giggles.

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[attr="class","text"] "I can't say I'm too surprised to hear that," he replies, amused as he continues to smile at the pup with its happy, smiley doggy-face. The fidough looked extra snuggly, compared to some of the other canine breeds he kept. Still, he loved them all, all the same. Admittedly, though, this particular dog looked like it would be good for those who weren't even really dog-people, specifically.[break][break]
When the attention shifted to Miu, the little girl lit up, and then patted the head of the annihilape so that he would let her down from his back. "I'm Miu. Are they adorable too?" she asked the woman boldly, referring to her mentioned cousin. Her hand curled around the ape's, but her smile widened at the fidough's excited yipping. "Can I pet her?"

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[attr="class","text"] Scooping up the doughy little dog, he looks about for any sign of an owner. “Come on, Remo,” he says to the annihilape piggybacking his goddaughter. “Let’s head to the edge of the food court. The fidough sits contentedly in his arms, and Miu stretches a hand to give it a pat—luckily, it’s not long before someone approaches with a flurry of apologies. He lifts a hand to wave them away, “Oh no, it’s no issue. I’m glad I caught her before she became more lost—“[break][break]
“Hey!” Miu interjects, pointing at the Lucario accompanying the young woman, “It looks like Blue!” Enzo laughs, reaching over to ruffle her hair. His annihilape props her up further on his back to make her easier to reach. “Yeah, looks just like him, doesn’t he?” Her father’s Lucario was off somewhere in the mall as well—trailing his trainer dutifully.[break][break]
Enzo’s attention turns back toward their company, though. “Not a problem at all.” He hands over the fidough, who had definitely started wiggling with excitement at the sight of her trainer. “She’s terribly cute.” Normally cool and collected, his soft spot for canines breaks through. Maybe because fidoughs are insanely cute, he can’t stand it.

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It’s only a matter of a minute before Miu is babbling again, showing off her toy sword to the other little girl. All of her momentary shyness evaporating in the blink of an eye.[break][break]
Not that Enzo expected anything less.[break][break]
“You’re not wrong—granted, I was usually the one to do all of the talking myself.” Save for maybe the sticking up for others bit, Enzo was and is the sort to fall directly after that came. Maybe Miu took after him? Ha—that’s certainly something to tease Kosei Kiryu about later.[break][break]
He returns the handshake, a fluid, laidback smile tugging one corner of his mouth upward. “Enzo, it’s a pleasure.”[break][break]
As much of a pleasure as a Ren Faire can be for a seemingly fancy pants like himself.

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A GIFT

FROM vincenzo de luca[break]TO mint frost

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OBSTAGOON[break]
GACHA

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[attr="class","text"] "It seems we've lost your father," Enzo muses to his goddaughter as they wander the open food court in the Lilycove mall. Of course, he knows that Kosei Kiryu has discreetly slipped away under the pretense of buying something practical when in reality he's buying an early holiday gift while it's on sale.[break][break]

Miu doesn't seem to pick up on the shenanigans though - she's too entertained by the piggyback ride she's coaxed from Enzo's annihilape. Despite her love of all pokemon pink and cutesy, she's taken an odd liking to the ghostly creature, and in turn it proves exceedingly patient with the six year old. Regardless of the species' typical aggression.[break][break]

"Woah, look!" From where she's perched on the annihilape's back, Miu reaches out to tug on Enzo's sleeve. When he looks down at her, she points. "It's a bread dog!!" There is an obvious enthusiasm in her voice, mixed with awe, and he can't help but let out an amused laugh.[break][break]

"What on earth are you talking about, Miu? At the cinnabon shop?" Maybe they'd gotten creative during baking. "I don't see any-" Finally, he manages to spy the focus of her pointing and he falls silent at the sight of the doughy little pooch standing by its lonesome

Must be lost, the poor thing.[break][break]

Enzo has, and always will be, a bit soft toward canines. And this one is beyond cute, to an extent that threatens to break the calm and clever composure that the hotelier typically displays. He stoops, as Miu cheers. "Bread dog!" And it takes no time to coax the fidough over. "Gotten yourself turned around, have you?" he asks it as it blinks up at him with round, pleading eyes.[break][break]

The faint waft of baking bread and spices waft from its doughy body. Something he notices dimly as he looks around for anyone who seem to be missing a pokemon.

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