Work Text:
It was late already, office hours becoming to an end, a gentle knock on his door startling him from his work.
“Knock knock!.” Luca was there, walking into the gray haired small office.
It has passed a year already since they (actually) hired him to work in the Melodis family case, Gatto, as he preferred to be called on working hours, was now helping Inference as an informant, using all he got during his years working for Ulliel.
And of course, it was Luca who brought him there.
“What did you do now.”. He replied, already knowing that tone on the fake blonde's voice, everytime he needed help on covering a small mistake he went to Gatto's.
“Rude!, I didn't do anything!.” He sat in front of him on the older's desk. “It's already nine, Inference dismissed us and Emma told me she would invite a couple rounds, Naib and White are coming too!, We will celebrate the closure of that murder case we been working on.” Luca smiled to his friend, he knew Aesop didn't quite enjoyed human company, but he wouldn't say *No* to an invitation from his closest friend, right?.
“Ah...” Aesop left the typewriter he was using to write his report on after all the blonde said, looking a little sad. “Right now...?”.
Luca smiled and nodded.
“I can't.”.
Luca stopped smiling to show a small jaw drop expression. “Eh?!, Why?!.” He was curious, Aesop almost never said no to one of their go outs, mostly because they happened once in a year, maybe twice if the planets aligned.
Aesop blushed faintly, taking off his reading glasses to put them on his head. “I have a date.”.
Luca's heart skipped a beat.
A date. Aesop had a date.
“E-eh...?.”.
He should be happy. Put a Happy face.
His face quickly made a smile on command. “A-Aesop!, I didn't know you were back in the game!, With who?, Do i know the-.”.
The door knocked and was opened again, a tall figure with ginger hair poked through it, looking for Aesop.
“Ah, sorry to interrupt you guys, Infey told me you were here, I'll wait for you outside.”. The actor tried to walk away when a sudden call made him stop.
“Ah!, No, it's fine I was about to call you.”. Aesop grabbed his stuff and started to tidy his desk up. “I'll be ready in a bit.”.
Ronald smiled at him. “I'll be waiting.” he walked out the office closing the door.
Ronald.
Luca's brain connected the dots.
“Ronald. You're going out... with Ronald...?.” A bit of concern could be heard on the blonde's voice.
Gatto smiled.
“Yes, on the past months I got to know him better, he's actually a really nice guy. I thought he would be like those actors that think-”.
“You guys are dating?.”. Luca asked serious.
...
Silence.
“Yes.”.
Another heart skip.
The blonde got up the desk, now standing in front of Aesop, grabbing his shoulders in concern.
“What are you doing!, Are you insane?!, He's one of our suspects from the Bella case!.” He looked at Aesop in his eyes, he was confused. “You can't date him!.”.
Maybe he was overreacting. Maybe he was right. Whatever it was, he certainly was not prepared by the older's reaction to his words.
First, Aesop was silent as he was now getting yelled for, apparently, having feelings. Then he took one of Luca's hands, getting it off. The grip on him was strong, it was hurting.
“Are you... mad at me for moving on...?.”.
Surprised, the paranormal detective finally let the other completely go, taking a step back seeing how his own reaction was perceived.
“W-what...?, N-no I-”.
Gatto looked down, avoiding Luca's sight, the other was clearly ashamed.
“It has been more than five years since we broke up, It's been hard for me to think I would ever get to experience love once again, yet, Ronald is there, sitting on the living room waiting for me.”.
Luca looked at him, Gatto was frowning.
“I just want to be happy, yet you're being selfish saying that I shouldn't.”.
“N-no!, It wasn't that!. I promise you I'm just-!.”
“I'm checking off for today. I'll see you on Monday, Paranormal Detective.”. Gatto said, taking his suitcase with him and leaving Luca standing alone in the office.
“What is he thinking!. He can't- He can't!, With...” He drank up another shot, hitting the table with his fist once finished. “With that fake ass! He barely even know him! I've known Aesop since we were fifteen!.”.
Luca was drunk.
Despite the small argument he had with Aesop not two hours ago, he still went out with his friends, something inside him told him it would be best to get his mind out of it, yet now that he started drinking, all he could think was about them.
He hated him. He hated his smug face, his eyes, everything about the actor made him sick. Aesop can't. Not with him. Why in the first place?!.
“You need to let it go.”. Naib said serious, seeing the embarrassing mess his friend has become. “You broke up with him in the first place.”.
Luca frowned with anger. “I had my reasons, okay?.”.
“Well, remember them now. Let the man be happy.”.
The voice of inference sounded serious, he wasn't going to defend Luca just because he was his friend, from his point of view, Luca was actually being selfish and manipulative.
“You sound pathetic, crying for a man you let actively go, trying to chain him back to yo-”. A slam was heard, almost all of the people in the bar went silent for a second.
“I just wanted to protect him.” Luca said, finally snapping.
The tension could be felt, both looking at each other's eyes, Emma and white looking at each other.
“L-Luca!, why don't you sit down?, I'll order another round, okay?.”. Emma said, trying to convince him.
The blonde sat again, putting his arms on the table and hiding on em, closing his eyes.
« It was at night, he remembers it was a full moon.
“We need to quit, we can't work for a company that uses our research for harming people!.". He yelled, grabbing Gatto by his forearms as he started to spiral.
“I can't believe so many had died... This is my fault. It's my fault.”. Aesop mumbled, his legs becoming a trembling mess, about to fall.
“Get it together!.” Luca yelled, making the other pop from his bubble. “We need to disappear, I know a guy who can help us, DM will never find us were I'll take you!.”.
Aesop looked at Luca on his eyes. Those always so determined eyes that always knew what to do.
Although this time, he had already set his mind.
“No.”.
“W-What?!” Luca asked, confused, letting him go.
“No... I'm staying here. I need to gather more information about this devilish family so i can turn them to the police. If we quit, they'll chase to silence us.”.
Luca opened his eyes at his boyfriend's thoughts. He was right.
“It's a risk I'm willing to take. I can't stay here, less let YOU stay here.”.
“It's my decision. I already made up my mind.” Aesop said serious.
“You can't. I need you to be safe, let's go.”. The blonde grabbed his boyfriend's wrist, trying to take them with him.
“No!.”. Aesop tried to let go of the grip.
“Yes!. You are coming with me, and it's all. Who knows what will he do to you!.”. Luca was starting to sound distressed, the whole situation got him under pressure, he just wanted his boyfriend to be safe, after all, without him, there wouldn't be any laboratory in the first place.
“But I don't want to go!, It's-.”.
A sudden grab from the collar of his shirt and a push to the shelve behind him, his back hitting with the wood.
Luca had pushed him.
“Why?!, Why must YOU stay?!, Don't you understand that I want you to be alive?!, WITH ME?!.”. The blonde yelled with his eyes closed out of rage.
He didn't understand.
Slowly opening his eyes, he saw Aesop face. Shock, commotion and fear on his eyes. He had done it again, he had let his impulses take over.
He let him go as if he was made of hot metal, taking steps back realizing what he had done.
He just pushed Aesop out of rage. He hurt him.
He hurt him.
“T-this.” Luca spoke, testing how his voice sounded, it wasn't as shaky as he thought. “This won't work anymore.”.
Aesop recoiled himself slowly, sobbing his back. “What do you mean?.”.
“I'm breaking up with you.”.
Gatto's heart stopped for a brief second, losing sparkle on his eyes after hearing that.
“I can't be with someone who actively knows has killed tons, yet continues to work on it.”.
Aesop looked down in shock.
“We're over.”.
Luca slowly walked out the laboratory, feeling like he was about to throw up.
He didn't want to do that. He didn't wanted to break up with Aesop.
But if Aesop worked for Ulliel, they needed to not be bounded by anything, because he knows the second DM hears he left Ulliel, he was going to either go after Aesop, or either look for him to use it against Aesop.
In any case, he didn't wanted any of that. He wanted to be sure Aesop would be okay by his own.
They needed to be separated. »
When he opened his eyes, he was on Inference's back being carried, he doesn't remember the moment he fell asleep.
“I can... walk by my own.” He mumbled.
“Good morning. Glad to know you're still alive.”. He still walked, Luca knew he was probably taking him to his house, since Naib lived nearby the office. He didn't showed any signs of even wanting to let Luca try to walk by his own, so the latter just relaxed on the other's back, pressing his cheek onto Inference's shoulder.
The walk was quiet, the street not that much. Inference spoke.
“I know I might have been harsh in the bar, I apologize for that.” He stopped on a corner of the street, waiting for the green light to turn red so they could cross the street. “But let me tell you something, if you still love Aesop that much, you need to understand his happiness is with Ronald now. Not you.”.
Luca sunk his face even more on the older's shoulders, trying to fall asleep again.