[center][hr][hr][img]https://i.imgur.com/rOr0Tbj.png[/img][img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/dHRmLjEwNi5kZDE5NWUuUjJsa1pXOXVJRVJoY25KbGJpQkRjbTl6Y3cuMA/mouvere-and-apos.bold.webp[/img][/center] [center][img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/dHRmLjEwNi5jMzRjZDkuVFdGeVkyOGdVbTl0WVc1di4w/comero-baroque.regular.webp[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/t3iEGnM.png[/img][/center][hr] Marco was intoxicated by the presence of Loni. Every subtle flirt made him want to close the gap further. From the way she traced her fingers across the bicep, to the way she prices time and time again that she was a good mother, Marco felt like the world around them disappeared and all there was and would be was the two of them and a kid for good measure. He then felt the world lurch into motion like the beat after a heart flutter. Sound crept in first. A scrape of a chair leg to his left, someone inhaling too sharply to his right, and the sound barrier breaking as Vin’s grip shot towards the front of his shirt. It moved with a ferocious intensity that suggested that Vin wanted to rip their sternum out of their chest.. Then, a moment later, he gritted his teeth as a blow came to land on his leg. He could only think that Vin was much, much stronger than they had any right to, but he was thankful that they only aimed for his muscular, well-toned legs instead of the pillar and stones. Marco didn’t flinch, instead he allowed a smile to creep across his face. It was neither big nor wide but it was just noticeable enough to be annoying for Vin. His eyes may have started on Loni, but they slowly drifted back to his friend. [color=FF69B4]“Careful,”[/color] Marco murmured lightly, eyes flicking down to Vin’s hand and then back up to their face. His voice was as calm as a man commenting on the weather. [color=FF69B4]“You wrinkle this, and I don’t know how presentable I will look.”[/color] Marco shifted his head to the side. His body shifted just a fraction. His movements were subtle, coy, and the kind of movement that said he knew exactly how close he was skating across the line and was enjoying the ice all the same. [color=FF69B4]“Besides,”[/color] he added, tone warm and almost teasing, as he leaned in towards Vin, [color=FF69B4]“I was havin’ a nice conversation.”[/color] Suddenly the air changed. It wasn’t magic; it was as if a scowl so cold had appeared somewhere in the crowd that stole all the heat out of the room. Marco felt it before he heard what followed it. A presence that didn’t rush, because it didn’t need to, a shadow that covered the space because it owned the light. Heavy footsteps. Familiar ones. Dad was here. Gideon Cross came through the parting crowd like a man walking into his own living room after someone broke a glass table. Each step was slow, deliberate, and his eyes sized up the sight before him. His eyes shot over to Paloma first. [color=FFFF00]“If you are the one causing my guests to be frozen I ask that you keep them frozen until I am done talking, and so help me god if you don’t unfreeze them as quickly as you started we will be having more than choice words. You do not want to mess this up, girl. Marco Romano,”[/color] Gideon’s voice boomed, thick with his gravel and filled with disappointment as his yes shot over, [color=FFFF00]“what the [i]fuck[/i] are you doin’?”[/color] Marco sighed, straightening his spine a little, hands lifting just enough to signal peace without surrender. His palms were on level with his head and facing outward. [color=FF69B4]“Hearts and minds, boss, beautiful hearts and minds.”[/color] Gideon didn’t look at Loni. Didn’t look at the kid. Didn’t even really look at Marco at first. His eyes were on Vin, sharp and assessing, cataloging damage done and damage barely avoided. A sharp exhale escaped his lips. From the looks of things Vin was mad, yes, but they were controlled. Then they snapped back to Marco, and when he spoke again, it was quieter. Worse. [color=FFFF00]“You forget somethin’, or you just pretendin’ to be stupid real hard tonight?”[/color] Marco tilted his head, faux-thoughtful. [color=FF69B4]“Is it a crime to talk with a stunning woman?”[/color] Gideon stepped in close enough that Marco could smell the espresso and fine wine that permeated off his clothes and breath. One thick finger jabbed into Marco’s chest, hard and deliberate. [color=FFFF00]“That right there,”[/color] Gideon said, tapping him again, [color=FFFF00]“that’s my best soldier. That’s my people. That’s someone who’s bled for this place more times than you’ve talked to stunnin’ women. That’s someone who took on that fucking freak practically single-handedly. Do you really want to piss that certain someone off,”[/color] his hand dropped, then gestured sharply toward Vin before it returned to Marco and his finger poked into his chest once more. [color=FFFF00]“And that,”[/color] he continued, voice rising just a notch, [color=FFFF00]“is also your [i]friend[/i]. So if you’re thinkin’ with anything other than your brain right now, you better recalibrate real fuckin’ fast or ill help you recalibrate with some fucking concussive therapy. Do you hear me?”[/color] Marco’s smile softened. [color=FF69B4]“I hear ya.”[/color] Gideon narrowed his eyes. [color=FFFF00]“Do ya?”[/color] [color=FF69B4]“Yeah,”[/color] Marco said, glancing briefly at Vin, then back to Gideon. [color=FF69B4]“Besides, I don’t know about you, but I reckon I wouldn’t have a fighting chance against them if I truly pissed them off. I’d rather not see a ‘me’ shaped hole in that wall over there.”[/color] A beat. Then Gideon huffed a laugh. The laugh quickly bellowed in intensity before it was a full on belly laugh. [color=FFFF00]“Jesus Christ, these fucking idiots of mine. Which fucking spirits did I piss off in my life to end up like this,”[/color] he muttered, rubbing his temple. Then Gideon clapped his hands together and brought them close to his face. Using the two hands together, he pointed to Vin, then Loni, and then finally Marco. [color=FFFF00]“Alright. Fun’s over. You got fifteen minutes.”[/color] Marco blinked. [color=FF69B4]“Boss, are we talking all of us? I think that-”[/color] Gideon leaned in, voice low enough that it carried weight without needing volume. [color=FFFF00]“You, me, and [i]both of them[/i],”[/color] he said, jerking his chin toward Vin, [color=FFFF00]“are leavin’ in half an hour. We’re headin’ to the mountain. Business we talked about. We’re gonna drop the mother and child off on the way and head there together.”[/color]. He straightened back up, already mentally elsewhere. [color=FFFF00]“So enjoy your flirtin’ with anyone but their fucking sister, enjoy the turkey, enjoy not bein’ punched through a wall,”[/color] Gideon added, pointing at Marco one last time. [color=FFFF00]“But when I say we move, we move. And when I say you ease off, you ease off. Clear?”[/color] Marco’s grin returned, bright and unapologetic. His eyes shifted towards Vin once again and they softened back to their normal appearance. While he had fun messing with Vin, and flirting with their hot sister, keeping this friendship was important, and he hoped his eyes communicated as much. [color=FF69B4]“All clear, boss.”[/color] Gideon shook his head and turned away, muttering something that definitely wasn’t a blessing. [color=FFFF00]“Now, girl, unfreeze my guests.”[/color] Marco watched him go, then glanced back toward Vin, eyebrows lifting just slightly. [color=FF69B4]“Alright,”[/color] he said lightly. [color=FF69B4]“Vin, grab whatever we’d need for our trip. I’ll get someone to grab a truck and pull around. We’ll get it nice and warm so that our guests will be comfortable.”[/color] His eyes flicked, just for a second, back toward Loni. Still flirty, still dangerous, still very much enjoying himself; yet a second later they removed themself from Loni’s face and they would not return for a long while more. [hr]