Title: To Catch a Thief
Series: Third in the series after Thick as Thieves and Honor Among Thieves
Pairing: Leo/Riario
Rating: Mature
Tags: AU, Modern AU, action/adventure, humor, romance
Notes: So, this whole series has been my crazy attempt to re-think certain scenes of the show in a modern world and put a twist on it (with a whole lot of sex). This continues that laziness on my part, but I haven't spoiled anything from Season 3. In fact, I've actually changed most things pretty significantly because they worked better for my AU, but I did try to hit some character traits that developed as canon continued. I only borrowed one character, Laura Cereta, because I fucking love her and if anyone will come fangirl her with me, I would greatly appreciate it!
His flat in London was exactly as Riario remembered—everything austere, neat, clean in blacks and whites, no personal touches anywhere on display. As he dropped his duffel bag in the foyer, he thought of a different apartment tucked away, decorated with light, paintings and sketches on every available surface, his books scattered around the comfortable chairs, only one bedroom well-lived in and typically strewn with dirty clothes that were discarded in haste before the bed. He pushed down the memories of that bedroom and the da Vinci that threatened to fully occupy his mind.
It was the first time Riario had been back to the flat since he'd followed da Vinci and company to America, many months before.
It was the first time his living space had ever felt … lonely.
He bent to pick up his bag and clutched his ribs as he stood again. It was only a day since the attack on Carlo's villa in Florence, and he was definitely feeling the pain from the fight there. He wondered if da Vinci was also stiffening from his injuries then pushed those thoughts away as quickly as they came.
Riario had been called directly to the headquarters of the agency, and he had agreed, even though da Vinci's note burned a hole in his pocket. He was quick about freshening up, loathe to spend any more time in the flat alone than necessary, and headed directly for the office.
When he gave his name to the secretary on the executive floor, she looked him over closely then picked up her phone and spoke quietly, never taking her eyes off him. Riario resisted the urge to check himself over, wondering what she was staring at. When she stood and gestured for him to follow, Riario balked.
"Director Mercuri's office is in the other direction."
"He is currently on a leave of absence."
Riario raised an eyebrow and followed her slowly. "Is it a vacation or an administrative leave?"
"It's a leave of absence," was all the woman would reply.
"Am I to see Director Rodrigo?"
"He is currently on a leave of absence," the woman said, and Riario wondered if she were a robot merely repeating the same pre-programmed phrase.
But, she did stop at Rodrigo's large corner office, opened the door and announced him, then moved out of the way. Riario stepped through and was pleasantly surprised.
"Ms. Cereta, it has been quite some time since I've seen you."
"My dear boy," Laura said, rising from her desk and smiling as she came toward Riario. She raised her arms as though to embrace him then held one hand out for a firm shake. "I haven't seen you since your father's retirement party. What an enjoyable event that was."
"Indeed," he smiled sincerely at her, at ease with the woman ever since they'd first been introduced. She was a former well-known and respected Crown Prosecutor, and he couldn't imagine what she was doing in the office that belonged to her ex-husband.
"You are probably wondering what I am doing here, please sit down and let me explain." She took the chair next to him rather than behind the desk and smiled again. "There has been quite a shake-up here in the agency recently. As you are aware, there were quite a number of infiltrators from The Labyrinth, and there are many questions about how high in the administration the corruption goes. We are currently going through thorough background checks and polygraph exams to determine which agents are compromised. Unfortunately, my ex-husband, fool that he is, is suspected of being one of them."
"I do hope that I have already been vetted?"
She laughed and rubbed his forearm. "You are one of the only agents I can personally trust. As if you didn't almost die the day before yesterday defending yourself from Carlo Medici. No, Girolamo, I feel sure you are most trustworthy. Although, I believe we will have to have a talk someday about your attachment with Mr. da Vinci."
"That may be more of a lecture than a talk."
"It will certainly be illuminating," she gripped his arm tighter. "But for now, I have been asked to undertake a housecleaning, of sorts, and root out the corruption in the agency. I hope that I can count on you for your assistance?"
"I will certainly be happy to do my part in assisting you, but I also have pressing matters to attend to. Da Vinci escaped from Florence, and I must find him."
"Girolamo, I understand your fascination with Mr. da Vinci, but he is not important at the moment."
"I would beg to differ," Riario murmured, and Laura's smile grew sly.
"I promise you that you will have every resource of the agency in your endeavor to find him, if you will do this assignment for me. It requires someone with your tenacity and skills. Someone the entire agency can rally behind."
"It sounds as though you plan to make me a director."
"That is one of my plans," Laura agreed, sitting back and crossing her legs delicately. Riario was stunned. "We need someone above reproach, someone who embodies the very qualities of justice the agency was built upon."
"But surely you have heard about my father's involvement with The Labyrinth. That places a great amount of suspicion upon me."
"You have devoted your life to this agency. You are known for your work ethic, your dedication and your lack of corruption. You are well-respected and quite a few of the younger agents look up to you. We need you as a leader."
Riario shook his head. "There are far better choices, I assure you, Ms. Cereta."
"But I have already made mine. I want you, Girolamo. Will you help me?"
"May I have some time to think it over?"
"Certainly, but not too long. There is so much work to be done, and there are so few I can truly trust."
Riario nodded at her and stood. There wasn't much to think about, really. Other than his quest, his nigh-on obsession to pursue da Vinci, Riario had lived, breathed and existed to serve the agency—and by extension, his father—his entire life. He knew what he had to do, and he extended his hand to Laura.
"I am yours for as long as you need me," he said.
She smiled warmly and clasped his hand with both of hers. "And then you can pursue Mr. da Vinci."
He smiled stiffly in return, but she just squeezed his hand tighter. "Let us go get some lunch and talk about these things. I have some plans, but I'm most eager to hear what you have to add, given your experiences."
Almost nearly a month of chasing rogue agents, putting out fires and igniting them elsewhere, Riario had heard nothing from da Vinci. Some nights when he was eating takeaway alone at his desk, he drafted texts to Leo's old number, but never sent them after experiencing second thoughts. His routine became waking up, working, eating and exercising to sustain his physical conditioning, then heading back to his flat and, eventually, sleep.
Even his happy reunion with Zita, promoted to full agent in light of her extraordinary work, didn't thrill him, and she was quick to point out that he looked exhausted.
Perhaps that was why he was a step behind when he arrived back at the flat one night and realized someone had been there. There was a brightly wrapped box sitting on the table inside the door, and Riario stared at it in consternation. It was obviously not a standard delivery, and no one should have been able to penetrate his security to enter the flat.
He flicked on the light and looked at the box some more. If it were a bomb, he was doomed already. If it were a joke, it could have come from Zita or … to be honest, there was only one person he could imagine having delivered it.
He opened it cautiously, nonetheless, finding the entire top lifted away cleverly. Inside it was filled with pure white sand and one perfect pink-lined seashell on top. His lips quirked in a smile as he dipped his hand into the sand, feeling for anything hidden from view. But the soft grains slid through his fingers and he could almost imagine they were still harboring some of the warmth from the beach where they had undoubtedly been collected. With a sigh, he brushed off his hand and replaced the top before carrying it into the kitchen.
It wasn't a noise that gave away the intruder, perhaps a glimmer of movement out of the corner of Riario's eye, and he pulled a knife from the block on the counter when a hand clasped on his wrist and twisted it. Even as he was forced to let go of the knife, he was turning, wasting no motions as he fought against the masked intruder in silence.
They traded blows, Riario jabbing a stiff elbow toward the head, the intruder striking his chest, belly, right following left. A blow caught his cheek, and Riario grabbed another knife and jabbed, but it was knocked aside again and flew from his grasp. He grabbed at the intruder, threw them back and against the refrigerator then kneed their abdomen. But the intruder was just as fast and drove a shoulder under him, pushing him back and continuing the grappling across the kitchen.
It wasn't until Riario was bent back over the sink, faucet jammed into his shoulder blade, that he saw the eyes behind the mask. That and the fact that the hands holding him weren't throttling but were industriously heading toward his belt and fly allowed him to deduce the identity of the intruder.
As soon as he panted "Da Vinci" the intruder let go and pulled back to rip off his mask.
"Took you long enough," he said, sounding smug.
"I don't expect to be attacked in my own home."
"Home? This feels more like a mausoleum."
"Critiquing my housekeeping or interior design?"
"Lack of both, actually." Da Vinci seemed to be happy to have made himself at home, though, first turning on the kitchen light then opening the fridge and shaking his head in bemusement at its emptiness. "Looks like I'll have tap water then."
"What are you doing here?" Riario took far longer than necessary to straighten his mussed clothes and hair while he marshaled his wayward thoughts. He watched Leo go directly to the correct cupboard for a drinking glass then step beside him to the sink.
Da Vinci held up a finger and finished the glass of water he was drinking. "Well, since you didn't even attempt to chase me, I thought I'd better investigate whether you had developed amnesia or simply written me off as a lost cause."
"It hasn't been that simple."
"I heard about the shakeup at the agency and how you've become its public face against interdepartmental corruption. How's that working out for you?"
Riario ignored the jibe and poured himself a glass of water as he side-eyed da Vinci. "I assume you haven't returned to pay the penalty for your crimes?"
"I thought I might persuade you to come with me," da Vinci countered. "I am taking a well-earned break far from swords and axes and weapons of mass destruction."
"And from me?"
There was a moment of silence as da Vinci brushed past him to refill his glass. "I just invited you to come with me."
Riario sighed and didn't move back from where their shoulders touched. "You know I can only come as an agent of justice."
"Oh, I know you can come in a lot of ways, in a lot of different positions," Leo murmured into his glass.
"Da Vinci, please."
"No, you, please." Leo slammed down the glass and turned to him, moving closer, their breath mixing, their eyes level, but he didn't reach out and touch. Riario had to clench his fists to stop from making the first move.
"I don't know why you can't admit to yourself the truth about us, Riario. Even if you don't agree with how I live my life, you must realize how good we are together. I'm not saying I can go completely straight—so to speak—but we can work something out."
"Da Vinci, I am too busy trying to wage war—"
"You are always fighting someone else's crusade. When are you ever going to just take what iyou/i want?"
Riario stared into his eyes, close enough that he could see every tiny freckle scattered across da Vinci's nose, and the way his eyelashes curled. "So you suggest I just take it?"
"Steal it, cheat it, con it, whatever it takes."
Riario kissed him. Leo's lips felt as familiar as ever, as perfect as always. He gripped Leo's shoulders and pulled him closer while Leo was already smoothing a hand down his back and moving until their chests were pressed, legs tangling together.
"Do I need to be a thief and steal this right now?" Riario breathed into his ear along with a kiss.
"Oh please, you know I'm always ready to just give it away." Leo's laugh turned into a sigh as Riario laved at his neck, fingers slipping into his hair and gripping tightly. "Do you have a bed in this place, or do you plug in and power down at night?"
"You're telling me that you didn't snoop through the entire flat?"
"I absolutely did, but I thought I'd be polite enough not to mention it and at least pretend to be surprised when you went for the—" his voice cut off when Riario slipped his hand down the front of his jeans and squeezed. "All right, come on, I'll lead the way."
Leo was already stripping off his clothes when they made it into the bedroom, and Riario was not far behind. He slipped off his tie and jacket before Leo decided he'd had enough and attacked his shirt with more passion than skill, kissing him with abandon.
Riario cupped his face in his hands and slowed the kiss, knowing that da Vinci always claimed to hate that and being just as sure that he secretly enjoyed it. This time, though, it wasn't about annoying da Vinci so much as re-learning him. He licked into his mouth, and da Vinci was quick to tongue back, chasing into Riario's mouth. Riario retaliated teasingly, sucking the tip of Leo's tongue until he moaned.
Leo smoothed his hands down Riario's bare back, digging his fingers into the tight muscles, and it made Riario groan. Leo took advantage and kissed him deeply again, but Riario continued to hold his face gently, fingers stroking his cheekbones, rubbing over his beard until Leo moaned again from frustration.
"Yeah, come on, I need to do you."
"And how exactly do you figure that?" Riario was just as eager to feel him, and the matching hardness against his hip told him exactly how eager Leo was.
"Well, I won our spar out there in the kitchen, so I get to top tonight."
"Oh, is that what you think?" Riario's lips twitched in a grin, and he up-ended Leo onto the bed, trapping one arm under him, holding the other behind and settling on his ass.
Leo spit out a mouthful of duvet and cursed. "How do you always manage to get the upper hand when we fight?"
"Perhaps because I'm not afraid to fight dirty," Riario whispered in his ear, biting the lobe, as he ground against his ass.
"Well, come on then, make it dirty."
Riario didn't need to see more than the corner of Leo's smirk to take him at his word. He sat up, letting Leo help him out of his trousers. When Leo stripped himself fully as well, he didn't say anything, just tackled Riario back down onto the bed.
Riario let him take over for the moment and kissed him breathlessly as Leo's hands roamed over him, smoothing down his collarbones, over his chest, palming his pecs, then tracing down the center of his abs, making Riario suck in his breath involuntarily. Leo smirked against his lips as he cupped the point of Riario's hip, fingers grazing over the soft skin, so close to where he wanted his touch but not close enough. Instead, Leo kissed him again and pulled their hips together, grinding his cock against Riario's, and he hissed at the feeling.
"Well," Leo said between kisses, "if you're going to do something, get to it."
"I'm going to do you," Riario promised and flipped him again, letting Leo settle on his back while Riario fetched the slick and condom. Looking over his shoulder, he marveled at the picture Leo made, sprawled across the bed, staring back at him unabashed as he slowly touched his own cock, making sure to roll his thumb around and over the head on each stroke.
Riario crawled across the bed to him, leaning down to kiss him hard. He added his hand to Leo's on his dick then fondled his balls carefully before pressing behind them. Leo moaned and broke off the kiss when Riario finally touched where he wanted and slipped a finger into him.
Leo's shamelessness in bed was one of the many things Riario appreciated about him, along with the fact that both of them were ready and willing to accommodate the other, both eager to switch and enjoy everything the other had to offer.
Riario leaned over and bit along the hard ridge of Leo's hip, making him squirm and gasp as he fingered him slowly, making Leo writhe beneath his hands, every bit as skilled and dextrous as Leo's were known to be.
"You're a genius in your own way," Leo grit out as Riario found his prostate with unerring aim and massaged gently. Riario dipped his head to hide his pleased smile then licked Leo's belly and sucked a bright red mark.
"Who would have thought you are such a biter?" Leo sounded torn between a laugh and a gasp, so Riario moved upward and treated his nipple to the same treatment.
"Are you complaining?" he asked finally, emphasizing the question with a thrust of a third finger.
"Hell, no, keep up what you're doing," Leo groaned, wriggling back and cursing Riario thoroughly. It was another thing that Riario loved about him—he was willing, eager and very responsive, never hesitating to express exactly what he was feeling. Riario sank his teeth into the tight muscle at the join of Leo's shoulder and neck and felt his entire body tense. "Fuck, fuck, do me," Leo babbled, clenching his hands into Riario's shoulders until he was sure there would be bruises.
Riario slid back down Leo's body and licked his cock, swiping his tongue over the pre-come glistening at the tip. "Fuck this," he heard Leo say before he clapped his knees around Riario's head and flipped him somehow hard enough that the bed bounced.
"If you persist in taking things this slow, don't be surprised if I step in and just take what iI/i want," Leo told him, climbing astride his hips and finding the condom. "I will take matters into my own hands."
And so Riario let him. Leo took him in as eagerly as he had accepted his fingers, and he rode him hard. Riario bent his knees and pushed up into his thrusts as best he could. "Come on, come on," Leo urged, throwing back his head and closing his eyes.
Riario had to touch him, a living work of art at that moment of ecstasy. He ran his hand up Leo's chest, across acres of hard muscles rippling with each movement, up the stretched tendons of his neck, admiring every inch of his body, and moved his hand to his face. Leo grabbed the fingers as they coasted over his lips, sucking in his fingers and meeting his eyes squarely as Riario came.
Leo rocked against him, still suckling his fingers, but Riario pulled them from his mouth and stroked his cock instead, letting Leo ride him until he shook and came.
After, as they regained their breath, Leo leaned up on one elbow over Riario who kept his eyes closed peacefully.
"Come away with me to my island," he said quietly.
"You know I cannot."
"Is it the work or is it me?" Leo asked, and Riario's silence was all the answer he needed. "You have never trusted me, not even when I gave over everything for you."
"You were the one who gave up everything?"
"We have both lost things dear to us, I know. We have both made bad decisions. But, I cannot stay with you if you persist in thinking I am nothing more than a criminal."
"Da Vinci, please-"
"If I leave again, if I walk out of here right now, will you come after me?" Leo sat up. "And if you do pursue me, will it only be to send me to a jail somewhere or punish me for the jobs you think I've done?"
"I don't—"
"You're going to have to make a choice."
"There is no choice," Riario argued. "There is right and wrong, and you—"
"I can be both," Leo said bluntly. "You have the free will to make your choice as well, Girolamo. Think about it."
"I'm thinking of little else," he whispered but didn't know if Leonardo heard it before he got up and walked into the bathroom.
This is the first chapter of three.
Thank you again to all the readers of this ridiculous series who encouraged me to write a third part because I'm too attached to these guys. Thank you for the lovely comments and kudos, and if this is awful, I will happily take responsibility and also blame you guys for enabling me! :D But, seriously, thank you again for reading and commenting! This truly IS the final part of this series, so I hope you enjoy.