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Awareness comes slowly as he feels fingers sliding through his hair, softly caressing him as if trying to coax him back to sleep. His head rests on Enzo’s lap, the man likely sitting with his back against the headrest. The slender hand moves gently, almost in rhythm with a lullaby that one would hum in their mind.
Once he's awake enough to remember his own name, Adrian realizes that he doesn’t actually ache all over, which is surprising given how it has become a tradition in their relationship after a passionate night. And considering Enzo’s tendencies, this is quite unexpected. Only his bitten shoulder throbs slightly with his heartbeat, which seems to skip every time Enzo’s fingertips brush against his scalp. Although, that’s nothing compared to the time he couldn’t leave the bed even after three days.
Rubbing his cheek against Enzo’s thigh, Adrian presses his jawline into the hard muscles, nearly purring at how good it feels. The brunet isn’t wearing a shirt, which is also a rare occurrence. As unbelievable and ridiculous as it may sound, this man is as reluctant to reveal his full glory to his lover as he is to show his face to the media.
As fingers glide over his nape, moving up to trail behind his ear, the blond almost whimpers like a puppy enjoying a scratch on the head. Damn it, if only this sadistic maniac were this gentle all the time.
Well, that might be too greedy, as they say there’s no rose without thorns. And undoubtedly, this lunatic is about ninety-nine percent thorns, with just the prettiest flower sitting in the middle.
Pretending to be asleep, Adrian lets the moments drag on as he enjoys each one, not even bothering to wonder what Enzo might be up to. However, he wouldn't mind if the man was in the mood for a repeat of last night.
Regardless of Enzo’s intentions, there’s something deeply satisfying in allowing him his moment, lying there like a silent omnipotent being and not interrupting his attempt at gentleness. With Enzo, it feels like a child testing kindness, as if afraid it might burn him.
While it's somewhat confusing, it's too precious to scare him away carelessly.
Not that the bastard could be fooled for long.
As a hand brushes over his jaw, the thumb caressing his cheekbone and seemingly trying to memorize the exact angle, a soft voice whispers from above, “Has anyone ever told you that you have the worst poker face?”
“Not in those exact words, no.”
Adrian replies, opening his eyes with a slanted grin. It’s not his first time looking up at the man from such angle, but there’s something mysterious about the expression on Enzo's face—it's not quite his usual elegant demeanor and has a touch of childishness. Still, it doesn’t make him any less charming.
“How's the hangover?” Adrian asks, just now noticing his own scratchy voice, well aware that it only fuels Enzo’s possessiveness.
Enzo shrugs with a knowing smile on his face, “Just a slight headache.”
Adrian narrows his eyes, feeling a spike of jealousy toward this bastard’s tolerance, but Enzo's sudden shift in topic catches him off guard to pay it any mind.
“Juno said you bought him coffee while he was on the job.”
With a raised brow, the blond retorts, “By 'the job,' do you mean tailing Candy?”
Enzo brushes the blond's hair behind his ear. It's not long enough for that, but he does it anyway.
“I just ordered it, knowing he’s been following you.”
At Enzo's innocent claim, Adrian snorts. “Wow, the romantic mobster that you are, love!”
Watching a faint smile appear on the brunet’s face, Adrian is half tempted to raise his hand and trace it with his fingers, but instead he nudges his head against Enzo’s hand, silently demanding more of whatever the fuck is wrong with him this morning.
“Anyway, Juno’s a nice guy… despite being a goon following your orders.”
Enzo’s hand stalls. “And at this moment, a position opened up for him in Alaska.”
Adrian gapes at Enzo in disbelief. “You insufferable—” he huffs, shaking his head slightly. “Whatever, just remind me to flirt with whoever I dislike after this. Oh, and promise you’ll send the next bastard to Antarctica!”
Enzo smirks playfully, even though Adrian is certain he wasn’t really joking a moment earlier. “Give me any name and I’ll send them away for good.”
“What a sweetheart!”
Adrian mocks with a laugh, burying his smile in the side of Enzo’s waist. This banter may be pointless, but it feels surprisingly nice, giving him a glimmer of hope that the fool might finally be done with being so fucking dramatic about things.
He shakes off the impatience, remembering who he’s dealing with. This bastard’s literally a demon with the patience of a saint, and he could probably be overly dramatic even if the world was ending.
Enzo's gentle touch brushes over Adrian's shoulder and slides down to take his hand, their fingers weaving together. Adrian watches, a bit wary, as Enzo brings both hands up and starts planting soft kisses on the back of his hand and fingers.
“You have such lovely fingers,” Enzo remarks casually.
A chill runs down Adrian’s spine.
He’s not gonna bite, is he?
As silly as it may sound, it’s the first thing that pops into his head while watching Enzo playfully nip around the ring on his finger. Still, the brunet is keeping his teeth in check, and that feels unexpectedly nice in a confusing, heartwarming way.
A moment later, Adrian's phone pings.
Frowning, he reluctantly pulls away from the seductive warmth and reaches down to grab it from the pile of clothes on the floor. He unlocks the phone without thinking.
“Oh, it's Candy.”
He can definitely hear the shift in his own voice. Clearing his throat, he hopes that won’t make things awkward again. Nonetheless, it’s too early, and there's no ocean between them to mess up the time difference. Adrian starts to wonder what's up, hoping Candy isn’t in any kind of trouble.
But as soon as he reads the message, all his concern and cautiousness disappears altogether.
“He's leaving… today.”
The words escape his lips absentmindedly.
Did that bastard boyfriend of his manage to convince Candy to leave? Or maybe it was Enzo's weird jokes about shit that isn’t even remotely funny? There’s no way Candy could get fooled by this lunatic’s charming looks, since he’s not stuck with the same awful luck as him.
“Maybe I should go see him at the airport?”
Adrian mutters to himself, his mind racing. There's a long silence before he realizes he actually said that out loud.
“Maybe you could just keep him around?”
“Huh?”
Adrian’s head snaps up, momentarily blanking. He stares at Enzo’s unreadable expression as the other man continues to utter more bullshit.
“Considering your record, you’re capable of handling both of us, aren’t you? And if the problem is the professor, I can take care of that. No need for you to get your hands dirty. Besides, your friend already sees me as the bad guy—”
Adrian drops to his knees and grabs Enzo’s face with both hands, forgetting all about his phone as it slips down onto the sheets.
“Hey, hey! Where the fuck is this coming from? Are you still drunk?”
Enzo, slightly annoyed, replies, “I was barely tipsy last night.”
Of course, this fucker was spouting nonsense while sober, wasn’t he? Adrian glares at him. “So, if this is just another one of your dumb jokes, I swear—”
“He sent me a message before you woke up.”
The blond could only stare, dumbfounded. Enzo grabs his wrists, locking them in place while Adrian was left with no choice but to keep that stunning face trapped in his own hands.
“It was rather amusing—kind of cute even—that your friend thought he could threaten me. I get why you liked him so dearly.”
Adrian goes pale, his mouth suddenly feeling dry, his first instinct to dissuade the lunatic from whatever he might intend to do with a weak laugh.
“I’m sure he didn’t mean—”
“Oh, he definitely meant every word. Very articulate with his threats too,” Enzo compliments with a smirk, one of his dangerously charming ones. “He said he’d put a dozen bullets in my nether region if anything were to happen to you… or in case you went missing again.”
“That’s just—”
As Adrian’s struggles to come up with any excuse for the threats he knew Candy was capable of making against a very intimidating mobster, Enzo just shrugs, looking totally unfazed. “I’m not an idiot, nor blind.”
Releasing Adrian’s wrists, Enzo cups his face, bringing their mouths so close they’re practically sharing the same breath.
“I get that you still have feelings for him, but you let him go. Don’t forget that, Rian.”
Adrian feels his lips tremble, overwhelmed by shock, annoyance, and a bunch of feelings he couldn’t even name. But before he can even respond, Enzo continues.
“And if you were hoping I’d turned into a better man, you’ll be sorely disappointed.”
At Enzo’s declaration, the blond frowns harder, feeling anger simmering within him. As if he needed any further clarity on that.
And the lunatic isn’t even done.
“I’m not like him, and I’m definitely not like you.” Looking into Adrian’s confused eyes, the brunet adds after a brief pause, “You might have let go of the one you loved, but don’t expect the same from me.”
Fucking hell! Did this fucker just confess after suggesting that Adrian should keep his old crush as a side piece after getting his boyfriend murdered? Never mind the last part; this is just messed up on so many levels that Adrian feels justifiably tempted to bang his forehead against the thick skull in front of him.
“So your brilliant idea is to get your pet his own pet? How generous of you.”
Enzo looks even less expressive—this infuriating asshole.
“If sharing is the only way to keep you, so be it.”
Rian blinks in disbelief, his jaw dropping.
“Says the same possessive bastard who’s been glaring murderously at my cigarettes!”
Not to mention the bullshit this lunatic pulled when he slept with Fletcher! As Adrian tightens his grip on the other’s face, he catches a tiny twitch at the corners of the brunet's lips, which serves him right. He should at least feel this annoyed, if he’s going to rile him up like that.
“Listen, asshole. Whoever said you could make those decisions on your own can go screw off! And seriously, you’re bringing this up after all the crap you pulled just this month, after your damn proposal—”
The jerk interrupts him again.
“Which you only accepted to ruin Shine Media's Bad Apple, right? Tell me that’s not the case, Agent Rian Taylor.”
The blond sighs in frustration.
“Yeah, like any fucking mission would be worth tying the knot with your level of lunacy!”
“Oh, was it just a whim then?”
This bastard is unbelievable.
“I’m definitely feeling a whim to strangle you right now!”
“Then it was out of pettiness.”
“Look who’s talking! ‘Marry me or I’m dying of jealousy!’”
He’s practically shouting through gritted teeth now, while Enzo just stares him down with barely any emotion on his face.
God, does he hate that about him! That’s how this jerk managed to obsess over him for so long without Adrian ever figuring it out.
“So you decided to share me all on your own and then what? How long do you think that’s gonna last? And let me tell you this, Enzo… if you touch a hair on his head—”
Lips pressed together, the brunet cuts him off, not even allowing him to be done with his threat.
“I’m not giving up on you, Rian.”
The blond lets out a humorless laugh. “How curious; that sounds exactly like what you’re trying to do.”
Even after years of playing others in his bed, Adrian can’t wrap his head around this twist in his relationship with this jerk. When everything began, there was some clarity between him and Enzo. Despite the whole attraction— or obsession, in Enzo’s case— there were clear boundaries separating them. Adrian was on one side, and Enzo on the other, with their many differences acting like a solid wedge between them.
And as things progressed, there was no delusion that even if Enzo was letting go of one hand, it was only so he could grab both eventually. So why the hell was he trying to convince either of them that this time would be different? As if it's possible; like expecting Enzo to share isn't the same as asking for disaster!
As if he’d fall for this nonsense. With annoyance dripping from his voice, Adrian asks, “So? If this isn’t giving up, what the hell is it?”
After letting him stew in silence for a few seconds, Enzo stubbornly keeps staring at his lips and says, “It’s the only way since you deserve a good man.”
“And who made you the fucking authority on that?”
Even with Adrian's outburst, Enzo stays quiet and all too damn composed. The blond holds his perfectly chiseled face with enough force that he wouldn’t be surprised if he left a bunch of bruises.
“Look, you bastard. If you’re giving up, alright! That’s your fucking deal. But don’t try to manipulate me into thinking it’s for my sake!”
His voice shakes.
Fuck.
‘Stop messing around, you coward!’ he should yell at him.
‘You can’t just decide to let me go now,’ he doesn’t argue either.
‘You'll regret this,’ hah, obviously.
This maniac—how could he not regret this when he’s being such an idiot?
Adrian closes his eyes and rests his forehead against the brunet.
Seriously, he has no idea what he’s supposed to do if Enzo gives up here. Things have always followed Newton’s third law between them: equal, opposite, and balanced. So, if Enzo's force suddenly drops out of the equation, how the hell is he supposed to match it?
Then he feels it.
It might not make sense to anyone else, but he picks up on it in the breath the other man lets out, in the way his grip on the blond’s face eases up, and how he leans away just a bit. When Adrian snaps open his eyes, it’s not exactly a tear he sees sliding down the other’s face, but just a little glimmer—a rare sparkle in those captivating eyes.
God damn—how he once wished to see this fucker cry!
Adrian leans in and wraps him in a tight hug, hiding that damn perfect face of his in the shelter of his own neck. This feels beyond him, as if he has no right to witness such vulnerability. Keeping his face buried in those soft black curls, Adrian whispers into them, hoping to get through to him at last.
“For fuck's sake, Enzo, just be honest for once.”
The arms that were just circling him loosely tighten their grip. Adrian can feel Enzo swallow hard against him.
“Don’t go, Rian.”
Enzo’s voice is too damn lost.
“I’m not. I’m not going anywhere.”
The blond whispers back, letting out a shaky sigh. You frustrating, gorgeous, ridiculous man. Always so smart but so damn clueless.
But then… if he’s not going anywhere, it only makes sense for him to take a step closer, doesn’t it?
As he plants the gentlest kiss right below Enzo’s ear, Adrian decides to be done with it.
“It’s Adrian.”
Enzo freezes in his arms, and that’s all he needs to know that he finally gets it.